Ring Of Honor Wrestling issued the following:

Ring of Honor 2011 Year End Awards

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR

2011 Winner: Davey Richards

ROH World Champion Davey Richards, beating out Eddie Edwards, El Generico, Roderick Strong, & Jay Lethal with 48% of the total vote, is your Wrestler of the Year for 2011!

After closing out 2010 with a depressing, near career closing loss to Roderick Strong at “Final Battle 2010”, Richards rebounded in 2011 with victory after victory over the likes of Chris Hero, TJ Perkins, Charlie Haas, as well as then ROH World Champion Roderick Strong in tag team affairs.  It seemed Richards was on the path to finally claim the ROH World Title from Strong, but it was Eddie Edwards who got their first, defeating Strong at “Manhattan Mayhem IV” the same night Davey beat Christopher Daniels in a Pure Rules match.  Despite being friends, it seemed Richards & Edwards would eventually have to clash for the title, and that finally came to fruition at the aforementioned “Best in the World 2011” where Richards claimed the ROH World Title for his own.  Richards, with the World Title in his possession, embarked on a tour of the globe, fighting any & everywhere, while continuing to compete in ROH, and even claimed the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Titles with Rocky Romero, the very man Davey first held the ROH Tag Titles with in the No Remorse Corps.

On the homefront, the tension between Richards & Edwards eventually reached a boiling point following a series of misunderstandings, confusions, and some backstabbing, and culminated at “Final Battle 2011” where they met in their rubber match, this time with Edwards cornered by the legendary Dan Severn & Davey by Team Richards.  As with their summer meeting, this winter battle was hard hitting, brutal, and left both men exhausted; but it was once again Richards who emerged victorious, still the ROH World Champion.

Davey earned the honor of being “Wrestler of the Year” through hard-fought battles, passion, and a commitment to excellence that is hard to find elsewhere.  You can bet that Richards will continue to set the bar for Ring of Honor in 2012, and will most certainly be at the top of the ballots this time next year when Wrestler of the Year for 2012 is being voted on.

MATCH OF THE YEAR

2011 Winner: Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards- Best in the World 2011

As stated earlier, “Best in the World 2011” was deservedly named Event of the Year, and one of the main reasons for that was the ROH World Title match between Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards.  Earning 51% of the vote, this battle of The American Wolves, the second of their series, was far and away declared the Match of the Year.  A true battle of attrition, defending champion Edwards and Richards, his challenger, gave it everything they have in a match that many declared a war.  Vicious strikes and deadly submissions were the hallmarks of this championship contest, illustrated by that final kick that ended the battle, and scored Richards his first ROH World Title.  As physically intense as the bell-to-bell proved, the fallout of the match was its emotional equal as Richards broke down in tears of happiness and spoke from the heart to Edwards, his personal training team, as well as to the ROH fans in attendance (as well as those watching on iPPV).  It is through pure, unadulterated love of competition & because of their mutual desires to be called champion that both Edwards & Richards fought their hearts out that night in June, and it is why you voted this bout Match of the Year.

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR

2011 Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe

With 34% of your votes, it’s the current & 7-Time ROH World Tag Champions Jay & Mark Briscoe who claimed the prize for Tag Team of the Year, somewhat ironic considering that they began 2011 as two of the most hated men on the roster.  That is a testament to the Briscoes hard work, their brutal honesty, and their general uncaring of what anyone thinks about them.  Through their bloody fights with ANX, their battles with WGTT, and their pursuit of the ROH World Tag Titles, Dem Boys have earned back the respect of the ROH faithful.  It all culminated at “Final Battle 2011” when the brothers from Sandy Fork finally claimed their 7^th Tag Titles from Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin to the delight of the NYC crowd that a year earlier had booed them out of the building.  Will Jay & Mark continue their momentum into the new year?

BREAKOUT STAR OF THE YEAR

2011 Winner: Michael Elgin

“Unbreakable” Michael Elgin made his way onto the Ring of Honor scene in the closing months of 2010 when Truth Martini introduced him as the newest member of the House of Truth.  With an unrivaled strength, the frame of a power lifter, and a quickness that belies his size, Elgin made an impression on ROH officials immediately and more importantly, left an impression on all his opponents.  Throughout 2011, Elgin has been proving his worth to the HoT with impressive showings against the likes of El Generico, Eddie Edwards, Davey Richards, as well as winning the first ever Double Danger Scramble match at “Revolution: Canada”.

It was at “Survival of the Fittest 2011” though that Elgin truly earned the title of Breakout Star as he not only won his Four Corner Survival Qualifier over Tommaso Ciampa, Kenny King, & Adam Cole when he pinned Cole, but then went on to outlast 5 other competitors in the SOTF Finals (pinning Edwards & Kyle O’Reilly in the process) to claim the victory & earn himself a future ROH World Title match sometime in 2012.  With 46% of the vote, Elgin was a clear winner in the fan voting, and with that title matc on the horizon, it looks that the future of “Unbreakable” is very bright.

EVENT OF THE YEAR

2011 Winner: Best in the World- New York, NY 6/26/11

“Best in the World 2011”, with nearly 50% of the votes, was definitively nominated as the event of the year by the ROH faithful, and it’s a choice quite difficult to debate.  Top to bottom it was an event worthy of its name, with the return of The Young Bucks & Jay Lethal, the ROH debut of Rhino, and three ROH Title defenses, “BITW ‘11” showcased the absolute finest in pro wrestling.  Still, it also displayed the worst wrestling could offer with the unwanted return of Kevin Steen to ROH as declared his intent to essentially wage war against the company with a handful of colorful words.  It marked the night El Generico claimed his first singles championship in ROH, the night WGTT cemented their position at the top of the tag team ladder, and the night that the dreams of Davey Richards finally came true when he captured the ROH World Title from Eddie Edwards.  With each and every ROH event offering something special, it’s a tough call to determine which event is the best of the year, but “Best in the World 2011” stood tall in the crowd and is truly deserving of the prize.

FEUD OF THE YEAR

2011 Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The All Night Express

Congratulations go out to Rhett Titus, Kenny King, Jay Briscoe, & Mark Briscoe for capturing the award for “Feud of the Year” with 39% of the vote, narrowly beating out Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards.  The vote was so close that it was only 1% that separated the two nominees.

This bitter rivalry lasted for well over 6 months, beginning when The ANX beat Jay & Mark at “Manhattan Mayhem IV”, leading to a post-match brawl that continued on backstage.  The issue didn’t end there as the fight continued in Atlanta at “Honor Takes Center Stage: Chapter 2” where blood was first spilt, at “Revolution: USA” where a First Blood Match only escalated the issue, on TV, in Chicago Ridge at “Supercard of Honor VI”, wherever these two teams went, a fight was sure to break out…sanctioned or otherwise.  It all culminated at “Death Before Dishonor IX” in Ladder War III where, with a ROH World Tag Title opportunity on the line, all four men sacrificed their bodies in what is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous matches in ROH’s history.  Bloodied, battered, but not broken, it was King & Titus who eventually scaled the ladder and pulled down the contract for their future title shot.

These months of war showed a whole new side to the ANX that had never been seen before, displayed that they were just as capable of getting down & dirty as The Briscoes, and brought their game to a whole new level.  For Jay & Mark, despite coming out on the losing end, it seemed to motive them, to remind them that despite being ROH since “day one” they would always have to keep fighting.