The G9Z Wrestling Wrestlemania Weekend Awards

Nigel McGuinness wasn't the only one who had a great time last weekend!

Welcome to the first ever G9Z Wrestling Wrestlemania Weekend Awards (man, that's a shitload of Ws)!  This past weekend was easily, the most fun I've ever had as a wrestling fan in a long time.  With major events from WWE, ROH, DGUSA, NJPW & Shimmer all on the table, I made it my absolute goal to soak in all the best each promotion had to offer in order to give you just an idea of how amazing this past week has been.  After a multitude of classic matches and a ton of title changes, I've made an account of the best of the best from April 5-8 (Friday through Monday) and an overall examination as to why this weekend will be one to remember in the years to come!  Find out just what made this the best weekend in wrestling history after the jump!

Top Wrestler Of The Weekend: Kazuchika Okada

Kazuchika Okada spent the entire year 2012 establishing himself as one of the top five main event performers on the planet.  He had a great (but brief) title run, won the G1 Climax and had some of the best matches of the year all the while long.  Still, after his crippling defeat at Wrestle Kingdom VII at the start of 2013, many were wondering if the boat had passed and he was no longer in line as the heir apparent to the Tanahashi throne.  All critics were silenced come Invasion Attack when Okada would defeat his rival Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in one of the greatest matches of all time.  He is now poised to take the reigns as New Japan's top star and he was easily, the biggest star to come out of Wrestlemania weekend.

Runner Ups

1. John Cena - Cena captured his 11th WWE Championship when he defeated The Rock in the main event of the WWE's biggest show of the year.
2. Johnny Gargano - Gargano's heel turn put the cap on one of the best showings of the year in his successful title defense against Shingo.
3. Dolph Ziggler - After years of being the most underrated talent on the WWE roster, Dolph Ziggler would cash in his MITB contract to become the World Heavyweight Champion.

 

Top Performer Of The Weekend: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Hiroshi Tanahashi cemented his status as one of the greatest heavyweight champions ever with his passing of the torch to Kazuchika Okada last weekend.  His legacy as champ more than likely will never be touched and his latest title reign may go down as one of the highmarks of the entire decade when the dust has settled.  With two five star matches in roughly six months, he left us all in awe one last time by turning in a top level main event all the while subtly giving Okada control.  With any of Tanahashi's matches, there is never any wasted movement and never a dull moment.  And that's something no other wrestler could rival today.

Runner Ups

1. Kazuchika Okada - Okada proved his worth as a top tier talent once and for all with his tremendous performance at Invasion Attack.
2. CM Punk - Punk added yet another classic to The Undertaker's famed streak when he fell just short of beating the deadman in a near five star war.
3. Shingo - Shingo made his mega hyped return to DGUSA with one of the strongest performances of the year against champion Johnny Gargano.

Match Of The Weekend:: NJPW Invasion Attack: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

This five star masterpiece is the best match in the Feud Of The Decade thus far between the top two talents in New Japan Pro Wrestling.  Kazuchika Okada's rise to prominence will go down in history as one of the most definitive and most well told stories wrestling has ever seen.  And years from now, when he becomes every bit the legendary performer that Tanahashi is, it will be this match that we point to as perhaps the most significant match of his entire career.  It's a masterclass in storytelling, selling and pacing that will no doubt stand the test of time. 

Runner Ups

1. WWE Wrestlemania XXIX: CM Punk vs. The Undertaker - The best match from the biggest event of the year saw The Undertaker extend his Wrestlemania win streak to 21-0 after an amazing battle with CM Punk.
2. DGUSA Open The Ultimate Gate: Shingo vs. Johnny Gargano - A must-see match that is worthy of all the buzz surrounding it.  DGUSA gets a much needed shot in the arm with the well executed Gargano heel turn.
3. ROH Supercard Of Honor: Jay Lethal vs. Michael Elgin - A classic display of the trademark athleticism that made ROH famous.  Elgin hits it out of the park on Mania weekend two years in a row.

 

Moment Of The Weekend: Ziggler Cashes In

In one of the best Monday Night RAW moments of all time, Dolph Ziggler would cash in his Money In The Bank contract on a wounded Alberto Del Rio to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  The RAW after Wrestlemania has now become almost as anticipated as the event itself and it's mostly due to magical moments such as this one.  The New Jersey audience gave Ziggler a well deserved standing ovation that shook the arena to it's foundations.  An unforgettable moment that shows that dreams are achieved through hard work above all else.

Runner Ups

1. The Undertaker "sits up" in the Anaconda Vise - In the most jaw dropping moment from Wrestlemania XXIX, The Undertaker's defiant expression left viewers with an unforgettable image.
2. Fandango becomes a "hit" with the WWE Universe - The second best moment from last Monday's RAW was the audience reception to the WWE's most bizarre act.  The crowd would sing along to Fandango's theme and even sent him to the top of the itunes charts.
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi kicks out of The Rainmaker - When Kazuchika Okada hits his opponent with his version of the arm trap lariat, it usually means the end of a match.  Tanahashi would shock the world by becoming the first man to survive the best finish in the game today.

PPV Event Of The Weekend: NJPW Invasion Attack [10.0]

Is it any real surprise that the top wrestler, performer & match of the weekend all fell into the same event?  Not to anyone who watched the latest classic in the current streak of high quality iPPVs from New Japan Pro Wrestling.  From a variety standpoint, no other card could touch it.  There were four very good tag matches, a superb Intercontinental title bout, the much hyped NWA vs NJPW bragging rights match and a main event that is the front runner for Match Of The Year.  What more could you ask for?

Runner Ups

1. DGUSA Open The Ultimate Gate [9.0] - A special show with an absolutely amazing set of mid card matches, but it was the Gargano-Shingo MOTYC that pushed things over the edge.
2. WWE Wrestlemania XXIX [8.5] - The best Wrestlemania of the decade thus far saw a couple great debuts, a balanced undercard and three classic main events.
3. ROH Supercard Of Honor VII [8.5] - After an intense, star studded affair, Jay Briscoe's world title win left fans with one of the most emotional title victories in ROH history.