The ShuPro/Weekly Pro Wrestling Awards 2024 results are out
It’s that time of year again for the results of Weekly Pro/ShuPro Magazine’s reader polls. Here’s what’s relevant to NJPW, with the full results here courtesy of u/crispnwah.
I’ve also given some historical data, just going by what I’ve been able to find which only dates back to 2020 (someday I’ll cave and get a ShuPro Online sub).
Pro Wrestling Grand Prix (aka MVP)
1st: Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW) - 4983 votes — first appearance in category since at least 2020 — (Past winners: 2023- Hiromu w/1748 votes, 2022- Okada w/4343, 2021- Shingo w/2046, 2020- Naito w/1456)
5th: Tetsuya Naito (NJPW) - 404 votes — (2023- 2nd w/1516, 2022- 6th w/544, 2020- 1st w/1456)
6th: Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW & AEW & DDT) - 392 votes — (2021- 6th w/168)
7th: Gabe Kidd (NJPW) - 343 votes — (first appearance)
Best Match
5th: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 2/11 Osaka) - 464 votes
6th: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Bryan Danielson (NJPW, 2/11 Osaka) - 327 votes
9th: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 10/14 Ryogoku) - 177 votes
(Previous Highest Ranking NJPW matches: *2023– 3rd; Tetsuya Naito vs Keiji Muto (NOAH 2/21, Tokyo Dome) w/725 votes) or 4th; Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW 8/12 Ryogoku) w/566, ***2022– 1st; Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay (NJPW G1 Climax 32 Finals, 8/18 Nippon Budokan) w/2014, *2021– 1st; Shingo Takagi (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome (July 25th, Tokyo Dome, NJPW) w/874, ***2020– 1st; Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado - BOSJ 27 Final (Dec 11th, Nippon Budokan, NJPW) w/479)
Best Foreign Wrestler
1st: Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW) - 2754 votes — 2023- 4th w/627, 2022- 2nd w/1654, 2021- 2nd w/1243, 2020- 1st w/1264 — (Past Winners: 2023- Ospreay w/3487, 2022- Ospreay w/3753, 2021- Cobb w/1716, 2020- ZSJ w/1264)
3rd: Gabe Kidd (NJPW) - 1352 votes — (first appearance)
5th: David Finlay (NJPW) - 349 votes — (first appearance)
7th: Boltin Oleg (NJPW) - 157 votes — (first appearance)
Rookie of the Year
4th: Daiki Nagai (NJPW) - 409 votes
Best Unit
3rd: TMDK (NJPW) - 877 votes — (first appearance)
5th: House of Torture (NJPW) - 663 votes — (2023- 4th w/940, 2022- 9th w/383, 2021- EVIL-led Bullet Club 10th w/151)
6th: Los Ingobernables de Japon (NJPW) - 598 votes — (2023- 2nd w/1361, 2022- 4th w/1042, 2021- 3rd w/644)
9th: Bullet Club War Dogs (NJPW) - 255 votes — (Bullet Club: 2022- 6th w/683, 2021- 10th w/151)*
Favorite Wrestler (for 2020 I only have the top 10 instead of top 50)
1st: Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW) - 2942 votes — (2023- 7th w/593, 2022- 1st w/1653, 2021- 1st w/1198, 2020- 2nd w/559) — (Past Winners: 2023- Tam Nakano w/1543, 2022- Tana w/1653, 2021- Tana w/1198, 2020- Naito w/766)
5th: Tetsuya Naito (NJPW) - 1399 votes — (2023- 2nd w/1384, 2022- 2nd w/1421, 2021- 2nd w/684, 2020- 1st w/766)
11th: Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW) - 704 votes — (2021- 46th w/74)
12th: Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW) - 647 votes — (2023- 6th w/597, 2022- 19th w/356, 2021- 13th w/224, 2020- 3rd w/488)
14th: Gabe Kidd (NJPW) - 508 votes — (first appearance)
15th: Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW) - 473 votes — (2022- 39th w/170, 2021- 44th w/78)
17th: El Desperado (NJPW) - 446 votes — (2023- 15th w/359, 2022- 6th w/742, 2021- 11th w/259, 2020- 10th w/205)
19th: Boltin Oleg (NJPW) - 422 votes — (first appearance)
20th: EVIL (NJPW) - 388 votes — (2023- 40th w/128)
21st: SHO (NJPW) - 376 votes — (first known appearance)
22nd: Master Wato (NJPW) - 374 votes — (first appearance)
24th: Toru Yano (NJPW) - 346 votes — (2022- 33 w/221, 2021- 30th w/110)
26th: YOSHI-HASHI (NJPW) - 324 votes — (first known appearance)
28th: Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW & AEW & DDT) - 298 votes — (first known appearance)
42nd: YOH (NJPW) - 213 votes — (first known appearance)
47th: Yota Tsuji (NJPW) - 173 votes — (2022- 30th w/164)
49th: Shingo Takagi (NJPW) - 161 votes — (2023- 43rd w/122, 2022- 25th w/277, 2021- 8th w/322)
Favorite Promotion (no historical data)
1st: New Japan Pro Wrestling - 7962 votes