PCW's Year End Awards - 2002!
As Voted By The Fans!
Wrestler Of The Year: Chi Chi Cruz
Independant Wrestling legend Chi Chi Cruz made his return to hometown Winnipeg in the summer and instantly became the most sought after free agent in years!
Initially wrestling for a variety of promotions, Cheech finally settled on Premier Championship Wrestling as his Manitoba home, debuting on August 22nd, an event that also included Boxing legends "Golden Boy" Donny Lalonde & Scotty "Bulldog" Olson. Never one to be over-shadowed, Cruz made an immediate impact.
Routinely defending his Real Action Wrestling Championship, a belt he won in the Maratimes and successfuly defended all across Canada, Cruz immediately established himself as the top guy in PCW.
Posessing incredible talent, Cruz also had a killer instinct and a will to succeed which meant he'd do anything to win. He alligned himself with Mike Davidson's "Dynasty" and continued to dominate the competition. By year's end, he had won a tournament to establish himself as the #1 contender and was facing his Dynasty cohort Shane Madison in a Best of Seven Series that would crown a first ever PCW Champion in early 2003!
Tag Team of the Year: Perfect Balance
Moses Luke & The Big O
Perfect Balance kicked off their Premeir Championship Wrestling career with a bang, facing Assisted Suicide ina Tables, ladder & Chairs match at "Commencement of Cool" that set the tone for the tag team ranks in PCW!
While early success aluded them, Moses Luke & The Big O competed in more matches a duo then any other team in 2002. By late summer they were not only established as the top tag team, but were both challenging for major singles championships on a regular basis.
With no tag team championship currently in PCW, Perfect Balance are routinely targeted by new teams arriving in the promotion - they *are* widely considered the top duo in the territory. And it's no wonder, with a skill set that combines power, speed, agility and an unmatched tag team synergy. With PCW Tag Titles forthcoming in 2003, Perfect Balance are positioned as the undisputed top contenders!
Rookie of the Year: "Diehard" Greg Romijn
Greg Romijn made perhaps the most unique debut in PCW history when he went from clearing tables at The Stratosphere Nigthclub to attacking "Class Act" Chris Parys!
Born and raised in South Winnipeg, Romijn had a popularity that defied his rookie status. With the fans always solidly behind him, he displayed a tenacity and fighting spirit that went well beyond his win-loss record.
By the latter half of 2002, however, Greg began winning more than losing, putting the experienced gained throughout the year to good use. Many of his best matches came as a result of his desire to help his friends in PCW and as a close confidante of Commissioner Tom Manos, Romijn would often be enlisted to battle the top roques who defied PCW authority.
As comfortable in a tag team match as a singles, and no stranger to technical matches or hardcore violence, Romijn appears to have a very bright future!
Match of the Year: Kenny Omega vs Mentallo
PCW's "Commencement of Cool" - March 3rd 2002
There was no more important match in the early days of Premier Championship Wrestling than the opening contest of official PCW Launch in front of the largest crowd to ever witness and indpendant wrestling event in Manitoba. And the two participants chosen for the pressure-filled and promotion-defining job?
Mentallo & Kenny Omega.
Close friends but fierce competitors, Omega & Mentallo were taksed with setting a tone for the entire future of PCW with over 1700 people watching. And they absolutely did not disappoint.
This was a wrestling style the local fans werent used to seeing. Fast-paced, high-flying, hard-hitting and technically excellent, they left little doubt in anyones mind that these two opening-card combatants would one day be international main event superstars.
The event was historic, but the match beteen Mentallo & Kenny Omega, even more so. While Omega was victorious, the real winners were the fans and PCW who now had a standard of excellence for the future of the promotion!