2023 SRTU Awards Show | The Still Real to Us Show | Episode #724 – 12/28/23

0:00 It's still leave living all right, Let's complain to see the Faith tells people lost the song back thanks to see he leaves Basbell. Young girl said that said, I don't tell, Gety tell Jill, Jimmy Jes. Welcome everybody, Welcome to this week's Just a misten a Realta Show, episode number seven twenty four for December twenty eight, twenty twenty three. Welcome. Due to the twenty twenty three s R T You Award show, I am one after the show, I am jeff at Packett joined every single week my coast.

1:26 I won't only got you Trey Franklin, Doctor Trey looking fancy in that tuck seed. Oh my friend, Look, you don't get called doctor unless you know how to dress up. Ironically, enough is my work is having their awards ceremony via zoom. I have to wear the same outfit two days in a row, so I'm kind of perplexed on how to maintain its cleanliness heading into that one as well. But hey, at least it's fresh from the dry cleaners a day for you. Final show, twenty twenty three. I know we say this about a lot of shows that there's like this big you know, it's always like a couple shows that are always the biggest show of the year. I always think that when you look at the biggest show of the year, I think it's this one because it's the award show. We wrap up the year, we hand out our awards. I think the SRT Award Show specials the biggest show of the year. My friend, yeah, I agree, I think it's our biggest show. I think the WrestleMania preview show comes in there as well. But look, this is my favorite one because this is really wicks. We do news and our opinions, but this one really comes down to just how we view wrestling and then also our version of what kind of wrestling we like, which is why people tune in every single week for seven hundred and twenty three episodes. So here we go, folks. Let's go through the award show category. Then we'll start handing out the awards for twenty twenty three. We begin with new Story of the Year, Breakout Star of the Year, Moment of the Year, Event of the Year, Few of the Year, Match of the Year, Tag Team of the Year, Female Wrestler of the Year, Male Wrestler of the Year,

2:59 Wrestling Promotion of the Year, and we wrap it up with the biggest award that we will hand out, the SRTU Wrestler of the Year. Eleven award show categories will be covering here on this week'sition in the podcast. To wrap up twenty twenty three and Doctor Trey, There is no better way to kick it off than with our first category, which is News Story of the Year. What was the biggest story covered in the world of professional wrestling in twenty twenty three? Recent winners including in twenty twenty Doctor Trey and I both having the COVID nineteen pandemics impact on professional wrestling, in twenty twenty one w surprising talent releases, and last year both Doctor Trey and I again for three years straight, had Vince Wickman retiring and Triple H taking over WWE Creative and Content.

3:53 Doctor Trey, would you like to kick things off, my friend, with the News Story of the Year. You know, it's funny years past, it was pretty easy to pick this category. I know last year was one of the first years where we were like, yeah, any one of these top six could have won in any other year. I kind of feel like twenty twenty three is the same way that there was a bunch of things that happened outside of the world of professional wrestling that was news impactful. But my winner for this one is something that I never thought would ever ever happen, and that was ww being sold to Endeavor. I never thought I would live in a world or a McMahon was not in full control of WWE, and you in a lot of ways, you know there's still McMahon fingerprints on it. You have Triple H running the creative, Tony Kahan or not to be that's pretty conn Nick Cohn is a Vince disciple in a lot of ways, Vince is still part of the Endeavor family, maybe on paper alone.

4:56 But to live in a world where WWE is not owed by basb Man I never thought would happened. So that's why WW in sultim Endevor is my News Story of the Year for twenty twenty three. I think that is a fantastic selection, Doctor Trey, and I would completely agree with you that that is, in my opinion, one of the top news stories of the year. I think that there's a one A and a one B, and I had a very tough time picking this award. It came down to literally your selection for the New Story of the Year, but I ended up going with this selection. So for the first time in a long time, literally since twenty eighteen, Doctor Trey and I will be different in the New Story of the Year, Doctor Trey, I went with cmpunk getting fired by AW in September and returning to WE in November, because, similar to you, something I never thought I would see in professional wrestling was cempunk being fired by All Elite Wrestling the way he was with Cause and then turning to w W nearly ten years later. It's it's hard to pick in this year of who should receive the New Story of the Year. So I kind of like, actually, I really like that you and I both have difference of opinions here because at the end of the day, for me, this was a really tough call and it literally came down to your selection and mine. So I'm going to go with cm punkintting fired by AW in September and returning to w W November.

6:29 Doctor Trey, you went with w being sold to Endeavor they formed TKA Group Holdings along with the UFC. I think those are very solid winners for a New Story of the year, yeah, I mean, and the CM Punk Store was my one be and for me, it came down to what was more impactful I guess worldwide and not just to the wrestling fans I mean. But then again, CM Punk like you and I I remember one of our very first shows was covering the Heart of Wrestling podcast with Colt Cabana and listening in on Punk just ripping ww apart and to see it come full circle is very impactful. And that's and not to mention like you know, some of the others, like you know, the passing of Brey Wyatt, like that, any other year that'd be number one, you know. It's like Dear Lord, like when you got that, you know, the Pug, you got WB soul Bray White's passing, Adam Copeland jumping to aw You know, that's forced things right there that any other year could have been number one.

7:26 So a very very eventful year in wrestling, all right, And now it's time for the next category. I'm really looking forward to this one to see how we go because there's a lot of potential opportunity for anybody nominees when it comes to this award. It is the breakout star of the Year who took twenty twenty three by the throat and made it very year to step through the next level echelon in their professional wrestling career. There's a ton of nominees they can go for this one, and I am really interested here how Doctor Trey and I potentially differ or agree when it comes to this award because similu to a new Story of the Year, I had a very tough time picking the breakout Star of the Year. I went back and forth with several wrestlers.

8:13 I have about three wrestlers, which I'll reveal all three once we get our picks out there. But Doctor Trey, at the end of the day, when I go back to January first of this year, and when you have to go back further than that, months prior September twenty twenty two at Clash at the Castle, even go further back than that. But the debut August twenty twenty at SummerSlam against Seth Freakin Rollins. I never thought I would find this person, this character their wrestler, entertaining and a good in ring worker, because it seemed he seemed very vanilla, seemed too much of a good guy. But boy, oh, boy, did he break out this year and may have the biggest heat in all of professional wrestling. Dare I say he does have the biggest heat in a professional wrestling Doctor Trey my breakout star of the year. It was very close, but I'm gonna go with Dominic Mysterio from Monday Night Raw. And I was interested as well. I was want to see if we were going to differ on stuff because a lot of times you and I will not talk off air about our picks, but you can kind of feel how we're trending in certain directions. And when it came to breakout start of the year, I thought you might go a different route, or I thought I might surprise you at my pick. But my pick is your pick. This is something that I literally blasted on this show for years, and from a twenty twenty three perspective, Dominic Mysterio really broke out. So I, like you, I had a couple of picks.

9:43 I had a couple of things that came down to h and it came down to just from where he was to where he ended the year at Dominic Mysterio really really broke out, And like you said, he's arguably the most hated man in professional wrestling. He he gets more heat than anybody else in the building. His character is despicable, like it's all those things you look for at a heel. Dominic's really capitalized on this and made it his own. So Dominic Mysterious my twenty twenty three Breakout Start of the Year as well. Wow, there we go, both of us picking Dominic Mysterio pass winners of this award In twenty twenty two. Doctor Trey and I both had Sammy Zan. In twenty twenty one, I had Darby Allen, Doctor Trey and Matt Riddle. In twenty twenty I had Keith Lee. Doctor Trey had MJF.

10:26 So there's some recent winners for this award. So back to back years, doctor Trey and I picking the same winner for Breakout Start of the Year. I was really pumped about this award, so I narrowed it down to three Doctor Trey, I would say my number three was Orange Cassidy and aaw My number two was Swerth Strickland and aw The number one went to Dominic Masterio. At different points this year, I felt like Orange Cassie was the Breakout Start of the year than the other two or behind. Then I felt like Swerve Strickland was the breakout start of the year. The other two were behind Dominic Mysterio. It was like a NASCAR race on the final laugh, and I felt like those three, to me were my like narrowed down nominees. I don't know if you agree with that, but I just felt like this was a Dominic Masterio, Swerve Strickland, Orange Cassidy breakout start of the year campaign.

11:11 Honestly, so you had Orange higher on your list than I did. Mine came down to My number four was the Guns because I thought they really broke out the last half of the year. My number three was La Night Good Call, Very good Call. And then I had Swerve at number two, and I had Dominic at number one. So it kind of came down to just consistency and breaking out. I guess that's kind of the way I phrase it, Like I felt like each of those people had like really high peaks, but dom was just consistently getting better and better and better as the year went on. All Right, there you go, breakout start of the year. Doctor Trean and I both go in with Dominic Mysterio, and now it's time for moment of the year. What was the biggest moment in professional wrestling in twenty twenty three recent winners. In twenty twenty two, I had Cody Rhodes returning to We Doctor Trey had Stone Cold Steve Austin returning at WrestleMania thirty eight. In twenty twenty one, we both had Cmpunk's return to professional wrestling at aw Rampages First Dance, And in twenty twenty we both had Edges return at the Royal Rumble. So some major, major, major memorable moments of professional wrestling recently captured here by this award, Doctor Trey, what winner joins that illustrious list in your opinion for moment of the year? See this year. I also was a little more cognizant of what happened earlier in the year. I think sometimes we get blindsided by the knee jerk reaction of what happens recently because one of those things happened recently, and I'm like, I

12:43 could have gone here, but I had to think about for me when it comes to a moment of the year, is what really gets in my emotions, what really gets in my fields as the kids say, and for me, I gotta go back to WrestleMania Night one. It was the ninth that's Sammy Zaying and Kevin Owens won the tag team titles from the USOS for one the tag team titles made Inventing Your Wrestle Maye is a big thing in mine and Jeff's life and arguably our two favorite performers in the history of this show. To actually win the tag team titles together at WrestleMania that I got emotional. I got a little choked up. I instantly thought of Jeff when they won the belt. So for me, Sammy and Kevin one of the tag belts at WrestleMania Night one was my moment of the year for twenty twenty three.

13:31 Yeah, this is another one that was really tough. So again it just kind of showcases how awesome professional wrestling was in twenty twenty three. That was like, again my one b in this category. I went something different while very emotional Sammy Zaying and Kevin Owens and they are a staple in the history of this podcast, Doctor Trey. Again, I went with the cmpunk making his shocking return at to w at WWE Survivor Series War Games. That was shocking. It never felt like it was going to happen. I guess the only thing I could compare our two winners to was I felt like Sammy and Kevin had a really good shot. I never felt like Ceampunk had a really good shot at coming back. I really liked being surprised. I liked my jaw hitting the floor. I like not being able to read it.

14:18 I don't I like not being able to be spoiled by a big moment professional wrestling, and that's what this moment did for me. So I went with Cempunk making his shock and return to w at Survivor Series War Games. Yeah. I mean that's when it comes to wrestling, it's it's about emotion and it could be the shocking moments or the feel good story moment. So that was on my list. That was actually my number three. Sammy's turning on Rollman was my number two. That's a great moment as well. And then also just the site of all in a Webley stadium and seeing eighty five thousand people cram ability to watch a wrestling show is on my list as well. All right, doctor Trede, it's got to our next award here, which is Event of the Year. When you look back at the wrestling events that transcended the year of twenty twenty three, what was the event that was the best? Recent winners twenty twenty two WRESTLEMTA thirty eight by both Doctor Trey and I. In twenty twenty one, both Doctor Trey and I had aw all Out. In twenty twenty I had NXC takeover Portland. Doctor Trey had Royal rumblet twenty twenty. So can we go three peat here with the best show of the year, the best wrestling event, Doctor Trey. I'll kick it off here. I went back to our pay per view ratings. You know, we have a very very simple process, and my event of the year based on ratings alone was WrestleMania thirty nine. So I gave it a four point eight on Saturday, a four point four on Sunday. It was the

15:50 most entertaining, fun, athletic, great inning performance, good sports entertainment, all encompassing show that I loved. I think it's one of the highest rated shows we've ever covered here on the podcast. Really enjoyed wrestle Mania thirty nine all in all, So that was my event of the year. Going back to April twenty twenty three WrestleMania thirty nine. Yeah, so I did not have my event ratings in front of me when I was making this pick, so I actually just kind of went once again off like emotions and feels, and I was like, Okay, well this for me WrestleMania thirty nine because they had my moment of Year and then it had a finalist for my match of the Year, So I know, I was really high. I think I was like probably around four point eight and four point three probably just over there. I'm just ballparking. I'm just guessing year. Yep, yep, pretty close. But I had Wrestle Wrestle Media Night one was actually my events at the year, but we're combining up both things together Wrestle Media overall, like literally like it was almost it was almost a perfect show like nowe of the matches where clunkers everything kept you entertained. There was good build up, good action, there was conclusions of some storylines and bill doubts for other ones.

17:02 So just on paper, like it's legitimately like one of the best pay per views you and I have ever covered of the history of the show. Seven hundred and twenty three episodes in yep, so there you go. I mean, we both had wrestlemana Saturday very high. I was at four point eight. Doctor Trade four point seven Sunday was a four point four for me. Doctor Trey was a four point two. That was the highest rated show this year if you're looking at standalone. It was resumated thirty nine Saturday. It's very weird to like combine or to keep them separate. So ultimately both of us giving WrestleMania thirty nine the Event of the Year for twenty twenty three, and now it's to our next award, which is Feud of the Year. This was one that was really hard to call because I feel like there wasn't that many feuds in twenty twenty three like there had been in years past recent winners. In twenty twenty two, i'd see him puncking MJF, doutch Trade, Cody Roads, and Seth Rollins. In twenty twenty one, we both had Chris Jericho on MJF, and in twenty twenty we both had Edge and Randy Orton Dot Trey. Like I said here in the intro, this was a real tough one, and this one in the past would be one that you could look at and go, this is an easy one to call, so interested to hear what your choice for fear to the year was for twenty twenty three, Yeah, it was. This was was tricky for me because really I only came up with three good feuds. One I felt like and it'd being too short. One I felt like start off not even being interesting and it ended up interesting, and then one was like was the culmination of one sou For twenty twenty three, my few of the year, I

18:33 went back to Rumble and the elimination Chamber in WrestleMania, and that was the Sammy versus the blood Line, Sammy Ko versus the blood Line, just because that was the ending of that story, so to speak. So and it got that that moment of the year of Sammy and Kevin, Wayne, the Bell, Sammy turning on Roman, all those things factored into that. I think you got a little bit of play out with the USOS break up later on, but like I also had you know, Swerve and Hangman on there because that was really intense for a short period, and Cody and Brock. But Sammy versus the blood Line still was that carry over that really kept me entertained in the first part of the year. So that's my feud of the year for twenty twenty three. Yeah, this was a tough one to call.

19:15 I didn't choose Sammy's and and Kevin Owens versus the blood Line like Doctor Trey and I did so the streak ends because I felt like it was so all over the place. It was Sammy in the Bloodline for a little bit, and Owens was in there, then they were basically feuding with the USOS. All in all, it was a really good feud and I think it was a top two or three in my opinion. Again, I had a really tough time choosing this one because there was no true feuds like there used to be in years past of covering this podcast. However, it was a very short feud. It was a very brief feud. It was just a couple of months, but it was very impactful and had some of the best matches I've seen in twenty twenty three. And I'm going to go to All Eat Wrestling and I'm going to go with Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page.

19:59 I love a good person storyline. I love a good few that gets makes you go like, Wow, I can't believe they just did X y Z. They really went there on that few that in that storyline, and I thought, that's what this feud capsulated ultimately, Doctor Trey. So my twenty twenty three pick for few of the Year from all EITE Wrestlings were strictly versus Hangman Adam Page. Yeah, it was a fantastic shortview. That was my number two few of the year because it basically took all the personal stuff, all the intensity, and just amped it up into a short little space. And it was that time that kind of gave it my number two spot, where if it had just been another month longer, it might have jumped over Samy and Kevin. And then that Cody brockview is pretty good too, and that was one that you and I were like, this is gonna be ridiculous, and then by the end we were like, that's actually not bad.

20:47 So I think those three feuds were the top rivalries for the year in professional wrestling. I totally agree. I actually had those down as my top nominees for this So I think hit it on the nail, hit the nail on the head on that one doct tray with few of the Year. I could not agree more. All Right, let's get to Match of the year now. What match stood out as the best match in twenty twenty three in the world of professional wrestling. Recent winners include in twenty twenty two, Steve Austin versus Kevin Owens at Wrestleming thirty eight from both of US, Bianca Belair, and Sasha Banks from Wrestlemy thirty seven. For me, Hangman Anti Paid versus Brian Daniels from AW, Winners Coming for Doctor Trey, and in twenty twenty we both had The under Taker versus aj Styles in the Boneyard match from Wrestling thirty six. What was the match of the year, Doctor Tray? I will start on this one. I looked back at all of our notes.

21:41 I had a lot of top nominees. I had Gun through Seamus True McIntyre from Wrestlemy thirty nine, Will Lost Bray, Kenny Omega from AW New Japan Pro Wrestling, Forbidden Door, Becky Lynching, trist Stratus from w Payback, Swerve Strickland, and Hangman Adam Page from AW Full Gear. But for me, when I look back at Match of the Year and the best match of the night that I saw from any show that we covered, or on anything on Raw, SmackDown, NXTAW, Dynamite, Rampage or Collision, or outside of WWEAW as well. I felt like to me, the match of the year was one Rhea Ripley defeating Charlotte Flair at Wrestlemanta thirty nine to become the then SmackDown Women's Champion. I love this match. It was a breakout match.

22:23 You felt like Ria Ripley was on the verge of something big, so I went with Rihea Ripley versus Charlotte Flair from Wrestlemanty thirty nine, Doctor Trey. I love this show because once again we're different. I think we've only agreed on one thing so far because that was my number two and I'm with you like I had all those same matches you mentioned, the only one I to go. There also was a MJF and Brian Danilson Firm Revolution, but my number one I got to get to Phil a Gear. That match was when Swore Strickland and Hangman Adam Page. It was just something I had never There was stuff in that match I had never seen before. So when I look at Match of the Year it's either gonna be something this guy keep me entertained the entire time, this guy keep me guessing. I like a surprise result as well. And that match had everything I looked for in a wrestling match. I mean, Violin's blood, athleticism, storytelling, everything that I wanted to match. Wasn't that match. Rhea and Charlotte was my number two, But for me, Swerve and Hangman was my match of the year just because it had everything I looked for in a wrestling match. Yeah, this is a really good category because there were a lot of contenders, and I'm with you. I think my number two would be like Swarve, Strickland, Hangman Page And then number three I loved going through Seamus and Drew McIntyre from Wrestlemany thirty nine. I felt like those were the matches that really stood out this year, Doctor Trey. Those three, Yeah, those are those were up there. And then like it's like the one you mentioned with the Kenny and will Osprey from Forbidden Door was probably my number four. But yeah, like those matches, like every single time I watched them, like who's gonna top this, Who's going to top this? And then you know, two of them were at WrestleMania, and it took almost all the way to the

23:56 end of the year for somebody atop one of those two matches. So just a phenomenal year for professional wrestling inatering stuff. SOO, there are match of the Year still to come. We have Tag Team of the Year, Female Wrestle of the Year, Male wrest of the Year, Wrestling Promotion of the Year, and our SRTU Wrestler of the Year. But let's pause for a second and let's recap the winners so far here on the twenty twenty three edition of SRTU Award Show and for news story of the Year, I'd see him Punk getting fired by aw in September, returning to w w WEE November, Doctor Trey at w being sold to Endeavor. Breakouts are the year. We both had dominic Mysterio moment of the year. I had seen him Punk's making his shot and return to w at Survivor Series Wargame. Doctor Trey had Sammesean and Kevin Owens winning the w WN Disputed Tag Team Championshi at Wrestlemating thirty nine over the USOS Event of the year. We both had w WrestleMania thirty nine Few to the Year, I had Sport Strickland and Hangman at and patriomin A w Doctor Trey at samy'se A and Kevin Owens versus The Bloodline from WWE or SmackDown, depending on how you look at it. Match of the Year.

24:56 I had read Ripley versus Charlotte Flair from wrestlme At thirty nine from SmackDown. Doctor Trey had Swerve Strickland versus Hangman Adam Page from aw Full Gear. So there's our first half awards, and we have some of the biggest awards coming up here in just a few moments. Let's get to our Tag Team of the Year. This award is the best tag team in all of professional wrestling, according to Doctor Trey and myself. This award has been given out back in twenty twenty two to the USOS. In twenty twenty one, I gave it to the Young Bucks, Doctor Trey gave it to the Lucha Brothers. In twenty twenty I gave it to This Tree Profits, Doctor Trey gave it to the North. So last year, same pick, two years previous, different choices. Let's see where we stand. On this one, Doctor Trey, you want to kick this one off, my friend. Yeah, this one was hard, and I think a lot of it is because there was really no dominant tag team. I mean, the Bucks were banged up for most of the year, the Bloodline split up, New Day was the USO split up. The New Day was injured most of the year. Some of the other teams, like we talk about Lucher Bros. Ray Phoenix was you know, did singles and also was injured. So this was a pretty tricky one for me in my head. I came down to like three real nominees and at the end of the day, and this just reminded me of something

26:26 when you listed off the name of the tag teams. This tag team has never been Tag Team of the Year for either one of us. So I went with my Tag Team of the Year was FTR Cash Wheeler Dax Harwood. I mean, they ended last year pretty strong. They carried over to January still being the IWGP Tag Team Champions. They were a W A or should be a W Tag Team Champions. They were Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions. The Dog Collar Match with the Briscoe brother brothers last year, and then all this stuff they've done over the last year plus, you know, for five years and never being named Tag Team the Year. I just full those times. So for my Tag Team the Year, it was FTR. This is one hell of an award show. I gotta be honest with you, because if somebody just asked me who I thought you were going to give Tag Team of the Year two, I would have gone with my choice of Tag Team the Year, which is Sammy's Ay and Kevin Owens, because you gave them few to the year and moment of the year so far in this show, I didn't give them anything. And I'm like one of the biggest Sammy's A and Kevin Owens fans, along with Doctor Trey as well, and I just figured, well, this would be like the icing on the cake.

27:37 But I like this. I like how different we are in this so far this year because it was such a wide range of different opinions in professional wrestling. It was there wasn't as many predictable moments and things that we've seen in past history. That has made this show, this award show, really really and surprising to see so far. So I've never given this award to them. They've never been Tag Team of the Year as well. From my standpoint, I gave it to sammy's Ay and Kevin Owens. They were both on SmackDown and Raw this year. But FTR had a really strong year. This like few of the Year, Doctor Trey, I really struggled with because it was such a good year for tag team wrestling. However, I never really felt like there was one tag team that separated itself from the rest of the pack. Yeah. No, I when I was going through my nominees, I was like, well that they were good, but they were really on top of it, like the acclaimt The Acclaim were on top for a couple of months, you know, and then pushed to the bottom. Like I really we talked about earlier. I loved the Guns and but they only got pushed towards the end of the year. And you know, with Sammy and Kevin, they had a really great like first six seven months of the year, but then they broke up and Kevin got traded smack So it was kind of like, well, FTR is still around, They're still doing stuff.

29:03 They had a very very solid year, So it was almost like kind of like what the dominic Mynsterior think it was the consistency over the entirety of the year is what gave them the edge to me over Sammy and Ko, even though like you said, I had Sammy and Ko win several awards this year, but just consistency throughout the entire year, I gave the edge the FDR. Yeah, it's hard to argue your pick. I mean, FTR is phenomenal. I loved Samians and Zane and Kevin Owens because I felt like for the first eight months of the year, from like February to what was it like August, maybe July, August, September timeframe, they were on top as a tag team. They obviously headlined Wrestle Many as a tag team.

29:47 So I was like, let's give this one to samys And and Kevin Owens. They it felt like to me that they were the best tag team of this year. And yeah, this was a really, really tough one to call, so doct going with FTR. I went with Sammy's and and kemn Owens. And now it's time for Female Wrestler of the Year. I'm going into this category thinking that this is a very easy one to pick, but the way this podcast has gone today, this way this award show has gone. One may never tell previous winners this award. Doctor Trey and I both had Bianca Bellair last year. In twenty twenty one, I'd Bianca Bellair, Doctor Treya, doctor Burke Breaker. In twenty twenty I had Bailey. He had Osca. So I've had Bianca Belair two years in a row. Can she make it a three pete? Let me begin with my choice. And as much as I love the eest of w WE, my choice for Female Rest of the Year is one Mommy aka RIEA. Ripley of the Judgment Day from Monday Night Raw. What do you say that hasn't cannot be said about this twenty twenty three version of Ria Ripley. The year that she has has had is amazing. It's been a break through year. I felt like in January of this year, Rhea Ripley was not a household name. I think we're getting to the point now here in December that Rhea Ripley is becoming a household name outside of the world Professional Wrestling. She is maybe the most over

31:18 wrestler in all of w right now, and she's working as a heel. I mean, the confidence that she has as a character, as a performer, as a wrestler, just radiates off the screen. What an awesome year for Ria Ripley, Doctor Trey. So I don't know what else I could say glowing about her, but she's one of my favorite wrestlers I've watched in twenty twenty three, and I give it to Ria Ripley for this year. Yeah, this one for me. It was hard coming up with other alternatives. Like Ria Ripley is my pick as well, and she's just on a different level this year, Like she's a senate into Becky Lynch, the man's status from a couple of years ago, where it doesn't even matter who she's in the ring with, who she's who they have up against her, Like what she's doing on the show, she's must watch right now. So, like I said, it was really really hard to find anybody else that could even be, you know, a one B. It was almost like she was number one. Everybody else was like three, four and five because like she was just so far elevated above everybody else. There wasn't even a number two this year. So yeah, for twenty twenty three, Ria Ripley Female Wrestler of the Year. All Right, let's get into the next category here, which is Male Wrestler of the Year. Which male performer was the best wrestler in their category for twenty twenty three. Recent winners twenty twenty two, we both had Roman reigns. Twenty twenty one, we both had Roman reigns.

32:49 In twenty twenty we both had Drew McIntyre. In fact, Doctor Trey and I have picked the same Male Wrestler of the Year every year since twenty nineteen, when we picked Adam Cole. The last time we had a difference of opinion twenty eighteen, I had Kenny Omega, Doctor Trey ad Tamaso Champ. But prior to that, the two other years we've done this award, we both had aj Styles in twenty seventeen and twenty sixteen, so there's only been one year Doctor Trey and I have differed. Can this be a year that adds to another difference of opinion for Male Wrestler of the Year. I think this is tough one, Doctor Trey. I don't think this is as easy as the Female Wrestler of the Year. Take it away, my friend, who is your male rest of the Year for twenty twenty three? Yeah? This one was really tight for me. It kind of came down to two people had I had. I made four nominees, so but it was kind of like one out of the four, one's not a main eventser, one is off TV a lot, and the other two guys are pretty much featured all the time. And when it came down to and at the end of the day, I went with Maxwell Jacob Friedman as my Male Wrestler of the Year. To me, he's you know, between a lot of it was they. I mean, the match with Brian Danielson that you know, some of the other ones he's had been just fantastic, and then the whole angle with Adam Cole and him, which started off as him being a meggie heel and then you know, kind of organically turned into the people's scumbag, and then even helping elevate an angle currently that not everybody's a fan of this

34:22 whole Devil's Angles. He's done his part of it, so from endwing work to character work, to going from heel to babyface everything else in between. It was really hard, but MJF is my Male Performer of the Year for twenty twenty three. Well, Ladies and gentlemen. Our four year streak of male Wrestler of the Year being the same each and every year has ended. The streak is over, as my twenty twenty three Wrestler of the Year is on Monday Night Raw. He is the current World Heavyweight Champion. His name is Seth Freak Rollins. I have been open here the last couple of months that I felt like this was a two horse race for SRT Wrestler of the Year in my opinion, whether it be Ria Ripley or Seth Freaking Rollins.

35:14 Maybe the surprise in there. There was a surprise last year that Doctor Dray provided when you named the Bloodline the SRT Wrestle of the Year. Maybe I have a surprise as well. One may never tell, but Seth Freaking Ronalds for me, ever since has become World of aweight champion, has been a workhorse champ. He's been putting on phenomenal matches, really good feuds, and even before his title reign, had some really good stuff with people like Logan Paul at WrestleMania. He has been a ton of fun to watch, great character, great ring performer. This is shockingly enough between even both Doctor Trey and I the first time Seth Freaking Rollins has ever won this award, which is surprising as all hell. But I'm gonna go with Seth Freaking Rollalds as my twenty twenty three Male Wrestl of the Year. Doctor Trey, Yeah, I can't argue that because that was that was the other pick for me.

36:02 It was really hard. It was literally splitting hairs for me because MJF is why I watched Dynamite and Seth's why I watched WRAW and it was lyric I just splitting hairs. I could have sworn back when before the AJ styles, before we split the stuff up, I thought Seth had won two years in a row for us. He did. Yeah, yeah, so he won Wrestler of the Year but not Male Wrestler of the Year, but correct. So it shows you, like how like he's just been the model of consistency now for almost a decade in ww wh is crazy to think they's been around that long. But to me, this year was kind of splitting hairs just you know, like, I don't think either one of us is wrong in their pick because if I could have called it a tie, I would have called it a tie. But I don't want to be a fence trailer, so I just gave the edge to MJF and you win with Seth. Yeah.

36:53 So in twenty sixteen, we added Tag Team of the Year, Female wrest of the Year, Male Wrestler of the Year, split up our SRTU Wrestler of the Year, and while Seth Freakin Rollins has been our SRTU Rest of the Year for both Doctor Trey and I in twenty fourteen and fifteen, never has been named Male Rest of the Year by either one of us since then, so he's had quite the rollercoaster. I named him my twenty twenty three Male Rest of the Year Doctor Trey naming MJF. It's hard to argue that one. I mean, he's been the guy in all elite wrestling, and I just feel like heading in twenty twenty four he is set for another big year in professional wrestling and can be a name that I think fits into these categories like Male Rest of the Year and SRTU Rest of the Year for many many years to come. So Doctor Trey went MGF, I went Seth Freaking Rollins, and now it's time for wrestling Promotion of the Year. What was the best wrestling promotion of the Year in ww we break it up on Raw. SmackDown in NXT AW is its own standalone. You've got TNA Wrestling, You've got various independent wrestling out there, like Major League Wrestling, Game Change of Wrestling. Could they shock the world or will it be one of the big two in either we or aew recent winners of this We both had Raw last year, Smacked Down in twenty twenty one aw in twenty twenty and when we introduced this award in twenty nineteen, we both picked NXT. So Doctor Trey, you and I have never differed on the wrestling Promotion of the

38:25 year since re introduced in twenty nineteen. We will see if that is a case in twenty twenty three. I will start here. My wrestling Promotion of the Year was my favorite wrestling show that I watched in twenty twenty three, and for the first time ever, we have back to back winners, at least with me. I gave my award to w RAW. We talked about it on last week's show. We used to always complain that Raw was three hours, you gotta narrow it to two, and now that it's three hours, it's like, well, I don't want it to go back to two because they're putting out really good programming and that is what they've done since tripa A has taken over with Creative Raw is a really fun show. I like what they're doing. I gave Raw my wrestling promotion the year Doctor Trey.

39:12 So as much as we've disagreed on this award show, which is rare that we disagread this much, on this one, we actually agree again. We actually agree. So for me back to back when and again for Monday Night Raw, and for all the same sentiments you put out there, not only has it been, you know, the best programming, the best, it's been the most enjoyable television show. And I think that's what people forget about is at the end of the day, some of these these wrestling shows are television shows. And when Monday Night Raw goes off the air, most of the time, I'm still is either like a cliffhanger or oh man, I can't believe. I still want more. And those are the signs of great television, is when you're left wanting more and for a product that for a long time you and I bemoaned the fact that it was three hours long.

39:57 To watch a wrestling show for three hours and when it's over, go damn, which they had about fifteen twenty more minutes of airtime left. That just shows you it's been really really good television. So Monday Night Raw back to back years for me as well as a wrestling promotion of the year, So that was very easy, both of us picking the same wrestling promotion. I guess, just for conversation's sake, what would you put as the number two? Uh? My number two. This is where we're gonna get tricky because now, like for most of the time that we've been doing the show, it's been AW has just been Dynamite. But now that we have Collision and Rampage and those two shows are suffering, do we have it to separate Dynamite from the other two shows or do those two shows pull it down? For me, it was really really tricky because like the other shows, like they all had really highs and lows, where like I'd really enjoy it for a while and then it would kind of go away. I think I might give the edge to AW just because Dynamite has been so consistent for most of the year. A collision was really good for a while. That kind of helped pull it up from where it's been at now. So it's it's I think for me it's probably Dynamite, and then SmackDown third and NXT fourth and Smackdug is pulled down just because of the lack of Roman reigns this year as well.

41:15 Yeah, I think I would have gone SmackDown number two AAW three NXT four, but I think it easily can be interchangeable there between SmackDown and AW In twenty twenty three, there were weeks that it felt like SmackDown was really good and weeks at aw dinn't and then it felt like AW was feeling like it was really good, and then there were sometimes that SmackDown wasn't a solid So I thought that was interesting to see what we thought would be number two there. So doctor Trego and AW me Go and SmackDown as always, feel free to chime in at SRT podcast on X before we get to the biggest award of all once again, just to recap here new story of the year, I had cmpunk getting fired by AW in September, returning to w WEE November, Doctor Trey at WW being sold to endeavor in forming TK group holdings along with the UFC breakouts are the year. We both had Dominic Mysterio Moment of the Year. I had C Himpunk making his shocking return to w W at Survivor Series War Games, Doctor Traded, Sammy's A and Kevin Owens win thee Undisputed Tag Team Championship at Wrestlemanta thirty nine over the USOS Event of the Year. We both had WrestleMania thirty nine. Few of the Year. I had Swerve Strickland versus hanging Man Out in Page, Doctor Trey, Aed sammese A and Kevin Owens versus the Bloodline. Match of the Year. I had Rear Ripley versus Charlotte Flair from Wrestlemanta thirty nine, Doctor Trade, Swerve stricklandversus Hanging Man Out of Page from aw Folk Gear Tag Team of the Year.

42:38 I had Sammy's A and Kevin Owens Doctor Trade FTR Female Rest of the Year. We both had Ria Ripley Male Wrestler of the Year. I had Seth Freakin Rollins, Doctor Trey at MJF and Wrestling Promotion of the Year. We both had WWE Raw Doctor Trey before we get into SRTU Wrestler of the Year and reveal our winner, the biggest award that we hand out the MVP of Professional Wrestling in two thousand two twenty three. Thoughts on everything that we've just recapped here and going through with the award show this year, Yeah, I just think it goes to show that there's a lot of depth in professional wrestling. This wasn't like they weren't. I always gona say most of these awards weren't just slammed dunks across the boards because you can just gotta see by the difference of opinions. It also just kind of shows like what people like that everybody's tastes a little bit differently, and then just also just on transparency.

43:30 For me, there there are certain things where I felt like it was so close that I felt like, like Fear to the Year Match of the Year they tied end together for me because few of the Year with me having Sammy Ko and the bloodline, the Swerve Hangman one was so close that we came to Match of the Year. I felt like I kind of not that it wasn't deserving, but it kind of feel like it helped give it the edge because I just wanted to kind of reward everybody's solid performances. It was just kind of hard to just I didn't want to just pick one for everything. So but I think you see by breakout start of the year at Female Wrestl of the Year that the judgment day was the big act of the year, and that kind of shows was again that stables, if done properly, could really help elevate people to do heights as well. Yeah, I think the thing that to me that showcase is like some really good professional wrestlings going on right now, and it's very vast. There's no real like wrestler that or wrestlers that are peeling away from the pack. It's all around solid and really really good. So this was a fun award show Dots track. I think this is the first time I've ever seen it like this where we've been this different in the entire history of this podcast. Yeah, and also goes to show like the thing that you've been chirping on, like, even if with aw struggling at times, how beneficial it is to have a strong second brand because you know, you can look at the AwardIn and for somebody that gets called an aw hater a lot. They've won quite had a few of my awards this year, so they put a couple of yours as well. So

45:04 just to other shows. As long as there's a strong alternative to WWE, wrestling gets better, all right. Now it is the time to hand out the biggest award of them all, the SRTU Wrestler of the Year. In twenty ten, I gave it to the Miz Eric Ardula, the former co host, gave it to Chris Jericho. Twenty eleven, I gave it to Sampunk Eric Rdula gave it to Randy Yorton twenty twelve, we both had CMPUNK. Doctor Trey and I the first time he handed out of the award. Twenty thirteen, both award awards we handed out to Daniel Bryan. In fourteen and fifteen, we both gave it to Seth Rollins. In sixteen and seventeen, we both gave it to aj Stiles. In twenty eighteen, I gave it to Kenny Omega. Doctor Trey gave it to Demaso Champa. In twenty nineteen, I gave it to Adam Cole. Doctor Trey gave it to Becky Lynch. In twenty twenty, we both gave it to Drew McIntyre. In twenty twenty one, we both gave it to Roman Reigns. In twenty twenty two, I gave it to Roman Reigns and Doctor Trey shocked the world by giving it to the Bloodline Stable. Now it is time to hand out the twenty twenty three edition of SRTU Wrestler of the Year, Doctor Trey take it away, my friend. Well, not gonna lie. I thought about pulling out the Stable card again. Uh, it was on the list, but really this person kind of just separated themselves from everybody else in the pack.

46:24 She was my female Wrestler of the Year, but my srt you performed the year is momy. She always comes out on top. Rhea Ripley just a phenomenal year from start to finish, and then helping elevate everybody else around her as well, whether it's you know, the Zoe Starks of the worlds or you know, having a great match with Charlotte, or being in the corner for everybody from Dominic to to Damian Priest of Finn Ballard, even j D McDonough. And now the stuff with her and our truth is going to be great. The stuff with her and Jay usso is great. You know, it's just a nominal all around year and she's kind of giving the rub to everybody, which is the sign of a true like Lynch Pin superstar if there is one. So my SRTU Performed the Year for twenty twenty three, Reea Ripley my srt wrest of the Year, just like Doctor Trey is Rhea Ripley from Monday Night Raw. History made here on this year's edition of this award as both Doctor Trey and I handed out to a female. Doctor Trey has handed his out to a female in the past with Becky Lynch. This first time I've handed it out to a female wrestler, but the first time ever that both of us are handing it out to a female performer. And I mean, what can you say that Doctor Tray didn't say already. I mean, she was the best character, the best in ring performer, best all around. I mean just completely broke out. From the start of the year to the end of the year. She's been dominant in the ring, dominant

47:55 on the microphone. It feels like nobody can touch her right now. This is Becky Lynch nineteen levels right now, like mid to late twenty eighteen to nearly all of twenty nineteen levels of Becky Lynch. That's what's going on with Ray Ripley right now. So damn entertaining such a good in ring performer, lover on the microphone, lover as a character. I'm like, like, as a wrestling fan, I know this is kind of weird to say, but I'll just say it anyway, Like just proud of her as a performer because I don't know doubt Trey. We've watched her grow up from the May Young Classic to nxc UK to nxt HE in the United States to being called up and working raw and SmackDown like she's just been phenomenal. And I think the thing that has been missing, and I mentioned it before in the Female Wrestler of the Year is just having like one hundred percent confidence. She wasn't like a performer that wasn't confident in herself, but you just feel on the screen that she's got confidence to the eleventh degree. I mean it's just one fifty percent. She has confidence in what she does on the microphone, in the ring and as a character. And that's really exciting to see as a as a wrestling fan. So here we are Doctor Trey in twenty twenty three, both of us agree once again our SRTU Wrestler of the Year the MVP for professional wrestling is Riya Ripley from Monday Night Raw. Yeah, and you hit the nail on the head when you see somebody and this is you know

49:28 very much Roman reigns ask Becky Lynch as the man ask type thing when they have that untouchable swagger about them, like, no matter what I do right now, it's they trust their instincts. Everything I do right now is going to be solid like and she has that about her right now, and like you said, like she's We've grown like this show has grown up with her. It says like you see her in the May Young Classic and for lack of a better term, looking kind of like a knockoff version of Charlotte Flair. Even so, like I know people have made jokes that hey, maybe Rick had a daughter on a tour of Australia one year, that's where Rhea came from. But to see the transformation from that person at the May Young Classic to where she is now just shows you how much like just trusting her instincts, being on point, going with her gut, and then also the company having trust in faith in her to allowing her to grow into this character.

50:22 Now just shows you how beautiful wrestling can be. It's literally like watching a Lebron James go through or middle school in the high school to the NBA to where he ended up. It's just that confidence, that swagger, that belief in their self is just such a joy to actually watch somebody on the screen just exuded out into emotion from a television show. Yeah, I think this is I think this has been great, Doctor Troy, this award show. I thought you and I covered everything in twenty twenty three pretty well here. I mean a lot of your pick. If I was opposite, I felt like, was my one P or my number two selection? And then you know you were saying vice versus well for your one B or number two.

51:09 So I thought this was a really fun edition of the award show, very vast and different, with the exception of just a couple of awards, obviously the SRTU Wrestler of the Year. Congratulations to all of our award winners, and I think we'll get to plugs and sponsors here, But this was a really fun edition of the award show for SRTU. Yeah, it's really fun with you and I don't agree on everything absolutely absolutely for a while that was kind of I don't want to say a knock against us, but there's like, man Jeffin dun't tray agree on a lot of stuff, and this year we were able to kind of, you know, have a variance of opinion, but it wasn't too drastic, I will say. Luckily for us, we don't send out championship belts to everybody because otherwise you and I would go broke really quickly on this year's award show because that'd be a lot of different belts we would be sending. Yeah, yeah, that would be that would be very expensive. So there you go our twenty twenty three award shows in the books. Feel free to chime in on x at SRTU podcast or Facebook dot com slash the stillrealta show before we close up shop on the last show of twenty twenty three, let's get a couple plugs and sponsors out of the way. You can down on the show every Thursday or Friday at Real Guy Radio dot com Wreussel chat Neett on X and the Still Relta Show iTunes feed, don't for to rate, review and subscribe telp us comment charts on iTunes. You could follow us individually on X for myself at SRTU Jeff and for Doctor Trey Franklin at The Doctor Trey. And of course don't forget to follow the show on X at SRTU podcast. With that being said, what's going on the one for World of Doctor Trey Franklin this week? Well, like Jeff said, you can follow me on X at the Doctor Trey.

52:39 You can find me on Instagram and Facebook Doctor Trey Franklin. When you're on Facebook, check out Rocket Stay Championship Wrestling as we are just one week out from the Rocket City Rumble coming up to January sixth. It's our biggest event, one of our biggest events of the year. I think right now we have thirty three names confirmed for our Rumble, looking at confirm a few more before we actually get the January sixth. So if you're in the area, go check it out. And if you're not in the area, go check out your local in dependent wrestling show because those people that you see out there on the independence now could be winning awards for me and Jeff in like ten more years, God willing that we're still doing the show. So there you go. Support all the great things that support SRTU. Friendly reminder on next week's edition in the podcast on January fourth, twenty twenty four, it's the last episode of our holiday programming schedule. It's the twenty twenty four wrestling preview show. We will also bring you our five bowld predictions wrestling any forty card predictions. Doctor Trey and I will be throwing out there at least a bonus podcast where we give our aw World's end preview and predictions. We'll throw something up there in the midst of the holiday programming schedule for whatever reason, Doc Trank and I can't sink out during the holiday programming. As we record this show well in advance, we'll throw up our predictions for everybody to check out on Twitter or Facebook, and then you know, we'll recp aw World ten either in a bonus podcast or maybe we'll do it in about two weeks when we do the show where we recap everything that we missed turning the holiday programming schedule, Doctor Trey before we shut out the door here on twenty twenty three.

54:13 Any thank yous and farewells you'd like to give to the listeners, Well, I mean always thank you to all of our listeners. It's always just a joy to see people chiming in from all over the not just the country, but from the world. I know, you know, we talked about here like it was always intrigued to get a message from study somebody from like the Middle East or from the UK saying how much they appreciate the show. Not just that, but then a big thank you to Jeff. Jeff's been my writer die now for roughly twelve years on this show. So the fact that we're always able to kind of work things out, given weather, given any other situation, we always figure way to make it work, not just for our listeners, but just this is our way to decompress. So I always appreciate and cherish Jeff Peck as my partner in this. And then just thank you to all the guys and girls who actually listen to show they're actually out there in the wrestling business, Like we could do this without you guys putting your bodies on the line for us. So I just want to say thank you to all those folks as well. Yeah, and just to piggyback off off to what doctor Trey said, but I mean, first and foremost, thank you to doctor Trey. He always makes time after his work schedule to sit here and do the podcast each and every week. We've been doing this now twelve years. Doctor Trey's been doing this with me fourteen as a show, seven hundred and twenty four straight weeks of doing SRTU. It's something that we're really proud of and something that we really enjoy as professional wrestling fans.

55:34 Sitting here doing this podcast, Being in this little bubble in this box of talking professional wrestling for an hour or so helps us decompress stress, you know, veedg you out a little bit. And what we're doing is wrestling fans and as friends to talk about professional wrestling each and every week. So thank you to doctor Trey. Thank you to everybody who makes time to listen to this podcast, downloads this podcast, interacts with this podcast, whether it's direct message mentions on Twitter, hitting us up on Facebook. Thank you to everybody who downloads this each and every week. Sincerely, Like you know, this is so we've been doing for a long time, and we're passionate about so we appreciate all you guys for supporting us each and every week. Yeah, I mean, what else do you say, but just thank you to everybody who supports this podcast. It's a ton of fun. Another year is in the books. Enjoy New Year's be safe out there. Let's get ready for twenty twenty four. We will be back once again next week, kicking off twenty twenty four with our wrestling preview show, So five Bowl predictions, wrestlemining, forty card predictions, all on next week's edition of SRTU. So that'll do it for twenty twenty three. That'll do it for the twenty twenty three SRTU Award Show special until next week for doctor Trey Franklin. I'm Jeff Pack. This is this is a real USh show.