Smark Out Moment

Welcome to the AEW half of the 13th annual SMARK OUT MOMENT AWARDS (aka the Smarkies)!

These awards focus not just on applauding the best things from the year, but also calling out the worst, with this section focusing on All Elite Wrestling. What were the best and worst parts of AEW 2022?

Make sure you let us know in the comments what your choices are for the best and the worst of each award in all of the divisions (Technical Skills, Writing, and Performers)!

Without further ado, let's start reviewing this year in AEW!

[TECHNICAL SKILLS AWARDS]

ENTRANCE

Explanation: This award should take into account everything including pyro, lighting, music, what the wrestlers do during their entrances, and so on. Your choices can be a singular entrance in particular or someone's standard entrance that happens every time he/she comes to the ring.

[BEST]: The Acclaimed

- Runner up options: The Elite, Jade Cargill

[WORST]: AEW Dark competitors

CLOTHING / ATTIRE

Explanation: Who has the best and worst outfits, whether it's just what they wear during their entrance or if it's their normal ring gear?

[BEST]: Jade Cargill

- Jade Cargill Mortal Kombat (Revolution)
- Jade Cargill (Double or Nothing) and pretty much always
- Tay Conti Maleficent (Double or Nothing)
- Jade Cargill She-Hulk (All Out)
- Jade Cargill Cheetara (Full Gear)
- Penta Joker (Full Gear)
- Jade Cargill's money outfit (Nov 30)

[WORST]: JD Drake

- Runner up options: Eddie Kingston

SIGNATURE MANEUVER

Explanation: What is your favorite and least favorite regularly seen wrestling move was that had been featured multiple times as something on a wrestler's repertoire. Typically, these are finishers (such as the One-Winged Angel) but it could also be a signature setup (such as Orange Cassidy's shin kicks) or something along those lines.

[BEST]: Lockjaw

[WORST]: Judas Effect

SPOT / BOTCH

Explanation: What was the most entertaining spot and what was the biggest disaster of a botch that happened this year?

[BEST/COOLEST SPOT]: Sammy Guevara's ladder cutter from Beach Break

[WORST/BIGGEST BOTCH]: CM Punk's Buckshot Lariat

- Brian Pillman Jr fails at springboard
- AQA decides not to jump off the turnbuckle in match against Jade Cargill
- Marina Shafir promo
- Ruby Soho dropped on her head and then gets her nose broken
- CM Punk injures himself with a stage dive

RECOGNITION

Explanation: Perception is everything, so which wrestler deserved more credit this year than they received and which wrestler was unworthy of all the praise he or she received?

[MOST UNDERRATED]: Sammy Guevara

- Runner up options: 2point0, Lance Archer, Luchasaurus, Keith Lee, Orange Cassidy, Varsity Blonds

[MOST OVERRATED]: CM Punk

- Runner up options: Andrade El Idolo, Danhausen, House of Black, Jeff Hardy

IMPROVEMENT IN A WRESTLER

Explanation: Which wrestler improved their work and saw the biggest upgrade and who saw the biggest downgrade in terms of a regression of their performance, spot on the roster, quality of value and so forth?

[BIGGEST UPGRADE]: Wheeler Yuta

- Runner up options: The Acclaimed, Daniel Garcia

[BIGGEST DOWNGRADE]: (3-way tie) Adam Cole/Bobby Fish/Kyle O'Reilly, CM Punk, Miro

- Runner up options: The Hardy Boyz, Hikaru Shida, House of Black, Ruby Soho

RING WORK

Explanation: Which two wrestlers were the best and the worst when performing in the ring?

[BEST]: Jungle Boy

- Runner up options: Bryan Danielson

[WORST]: Marina Shafir

- Runner up options: AEW Dark dregs, Jeff Hardy

MIC WORK

Explanation: Who had the best and worst promo skills, charisma, and performing as an entertaining character with all of the verbal aspects of AEW.

[BEST]: MJF

- Runner up options: 2point0, Chris Jericho, Max Caster

[WORST]: Marina Shafir

- Runner up options: Saraya, Serena Deeb, Thunder Rosa, Vickie Guerrero

MATCH OF THE YEAR

Explanation: Matches can be from any show, including AEW Dark, AEW Dark: Elevation, AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage as well as pay-per-views and Battle of the Belts specials.

[BEST]: X

• AEW World Championship Match: Hangman Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson — AEW Dynamite (January 5)
• Dog Collar Match: CM Punk vs. MJF — Revolution (March 6)
• Anarchy in the Arena Match: The Jericho Appreciation Society (Angelo Parker, Chris Jericho, Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager and Matt Menard) vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley), Eddie Kingston, Ortiz and Santana — Double or Nothing (May 29)
• Blood & Guts Match: Jericho Appreciation Society (Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, Angelo Parker and Matt Menard) vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta) and Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz — AEW Dynamite June 29
  

[WORST]: X

• Jade Cargill vs. AQA — AEW Dynamite (February 9)
• Championship Unification Match: CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley — AEW Dynamite (August 24)
  
• God knows how many matches on AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation — weekly

[WRITING AWARDS]

CATCH PHRASE or SLOGAN

Explanation: This includes any kind of regularly mentioned slogan, taunt, catch phrase, signature sign-off or any verbal sayings of those sorts.

[BEST]: "Scissor me, Daddy Ass"

- Runner up options: Cowboy shit, "I'm better than you, and you know it", Mid, North Carolina

[WORST]: WarJoe

- Runner up options: "Excuse me", "When the violins play, violence is always on the way", "Zero Miedo"

GIMMICK

Explanation: Which wrestlers portrayed the best and the worst characters this year?

[BEST]: The Acclaimed

- Runner up options: Jericho Appreciation Society, Orange Cassidy

[WORST]: Danhausen

- Runner up options: Marko Stunt, Nyla Rose

TITLE REIGN

Explanation: Who had the most meaningful time with a championship to their name, where the matches were good, the feuds were interesting, and you were enjoying their reign, as well as who failed to meet those expectations and perhaps had a boring, uneventful, bad run with a belt.

POSSIBLE OPTIONS: all of the title reigns on this list

[BEST]: Jon Moxley (AEW World)

- Runner up options: Hook (FTW), Orange Cassidy (All-Atlantic)

[WORST]: (tie) CM Punk, Thunder Rosa and The Elite

- Runner up options: Scorpio Sky (TNT)

PAY-PER-VIEW or SPECIAL EVENT

Explanation: What were your favorite and least favorite pay-per-views or special events from the year?

POSSIBLE OPTIONS: All pay-per-views and special events are indicated on this list

[BEST]: Full Gear

- Forbidden Door is #2

[WORST]: All Out

- X

MOST SHOCKING MOMENT

Explanation: What was the absolute biggest surprise you had this entire year that you didn't see coming?

[MOST SHOCKING MOMENT]: All Out media scrum

- Runner up options: CM Punk quickly loses to Jon Moxley, William Regal appears after Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley match

SMARK OUT MOMENTS

Explanation: What did you consider to be the overall best and worst things to have happened this year? What was the coolest thing to make you happy as a fan and which moment was so horrible that it made you the most disappointed with AEW?

[BEST]: MJF's sympathy promos on CM Punk and William Regal

- Runner up options: Claudio Castagnoli debuts at Forbidden Door, Tony Khan announces he's purchased Ring of Honor

[WORST]: CM Punk drama (losing quickly to Jon Moxley; All Out media scrum)

- Runner up options: Marina Shafir promo

STORYLINE

Explanation: What were the most interesting, well-executed storylines of the year and which feuds were the least interesting, terrible ones to watch?

[BEST]: MJF's Ascension to Champion

- Runner up options: Jericho Appreciation Society vs Blackpool Combat Club

[WORST]: Anything with Andrade-Hardy Family Office

- Runner up options: Jade Cargill vs Bow Wow, Jade Cargill vs Nyla Rose, Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter

[PERFORMER AWARDS]

MANAGER or VALET

Explanation: This includes anybody who regularly accompanies someone down to the ring in some capacity, but is not their tag team partner in the ring.

POSSIBLE OPTIONS: All managers and valets on the roster are indicated on this list

[BEST]: William Regal

- Runner up options: Mark Sterling, Stokely Hathaway

[WORST]: Vickie Guerrero

- Runner up options: Tully Blanchard

COMMENTATOR

Explanation: This includes all members of the commentary teams on all brands, including the foreign commentators.

POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Jim Ross, Mark Henry, Matt Menard, Paul Wight, Ricky Starks, Taz, Tony Schiavone, William Regal

[BEST]: Excalibur

- Runner up options: Taz, Tony Schiavone

[WORST]: Jim Ross

NEWCOMER

Explanation: The Best/Worst Newcomer award applies to anybody who either made their debut, or were repackaged into a completely different gimmick with a different name.

POSSIBLE OPTIONS: All newcomers to the roster are indicated amongst the wrestlers on this list

[BEST]: Claudio Castagnoli

- Runner up options: Samoa Joe, Toni Storm, Wheeler Yuta

[WORST]: Jeff Hardy

- Runner up options: Danhausen, Madison Rayne, Paige VanZant, Saraya, Trust Busters

TAG TEAM or STABLE

Explanation: Which tag team or stable did you like and hate the most?

POSSIBLE OPTIONS: All tag teams can be found on this list

[BEST]: (tie) Blackpool Combat Club, Jericho Appreciation Society

- Runner up options: The Acclaimed, FTR

[WORST]: The Andrade-Hardy Family Office

- Runner up options: The Factory

HEEL

Explanation: Who was the most hated villain and which wrestler failed the most to get the crowd to boo them?

[BEST]: MJF

- Runner up options: Chris Jericho, Christian Cage

[WORST]: Marina Shafir

- Runner up options: Aaron Solo, Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero

BABYFACE

Explanation: Who was the best fan-favorite hero and which wrestler wasn't able to pull off being a babyface?

[BEST]: Jon Moxley

- Runner up options: Anthony Bowens and Max Caster, Jungle Boy, Eddie Kingston, Orange Cassidy

[WORST]: Thunder Rosa

- Runner up options: Athena, Brock Anderson, Danhausen, Jeff Hardy

FEMALE WRESTLER

Explanation: Which female wrestlers were the cream of the crop and the bottom of the barrel?

POSSIBLE OPTIONS: All wrestlers who were in AEW this year can be found on this list

[BEST]: Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.

- Runner up options: Jade Cargill, Toni Storm

[WORST]: Marina Shafir

- Runner up options: AQA

MALE WRESTLER

Explanation: Which male wrestlers were the cream of the crop and the bottom of the barrel?

POSSIBLE OPTIONS: All wrestlers who were in AEW this year can be found on this list

[BEST]: Jon Moxley

- Runner up options: Chris Jericho, Claudio Castagnoli, MJF

[WORST]: (tie) CM Punk and Jeff Hardy

- Runner up options: Aaron Solo, Anthony Ogogo, Brock Anderson, Jack Evans, Jake Atlas (if he counts)

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR

Explanation: Judging as a co-ed award out of both the men and women wrestlers who were in the company at some point, who was the absolute best and worst in the company this year?

POSSIBLE OPTIONS: All wrestlers who were in AEW this year can be found on this list

[BEST]: Jon Moxley

- Runner up options: Chris Jericho, MJF

[WORST]: Marina Shafir

- Runner up options: Aaron Solo, Brock Anderson, CM Punk, Jack Evans, Jeff Hardy

LET US KNOW YOUR PICKS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!