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Introduction
The year 2003 was certainly not the best, or most memorable year for the professional wrestling industry. However, as we go
into 2004, there's a lot to remember, and to talk about for 2003. The staff of TheBalrogsLair.com has come together to
"award" the best of the best for 2003! We hope you enjoy our awards and explanations as to who won what and why. Remember,
that we are always looking forward to hearing your thoughts, so if you'd like to e-mail any one of the participants in the
Roundtable, feel free to do so! Make sure to check out the other reviews, recaps, and thoughts on 2003 that are available
on the site! We'll start out with a very short analysis of the year...
WWE
The year 2003 was certainly a mixed bag, as far as the WWE is concerned. It was a year that saw
some great in-ring performances by various wrestlers, yet a year that would be remembered as one with some strange
booking ideas, and average, sometimes confusing writing. Overall, it would be a safe bet to say that 2003 was a better
year than 2002, as at the end of the night, most if not all people agree that the in-ring action is what matters the most,
and there's no doubt that WWE delivered in that area... not just once either! For that alone, the company continues to hold
its spot on the top of the sports entertainment world and isn't budging away. For how long can they go? Whereas there wasn't
a huge improvement for the company, there were several positives (mostly inside the ring) that they managed to improve and
keep up. 2003 proved all the weak points of the WWE at this point in time, but it certainly also displayed on several
occassions that the workers McMahon pays always perform at their best. The working rate was improved from last year, and for
that alone it could be concluded that the year in WWE was much better than the previous one!
The Others
At this time, professional wrestling organizations are separated into two different power ranks. WWE and everyone else. While WWE is not particularly strong in all areas, they have the money reserves, talent reserves, fanbase, and TV households necessary to operate successfully. NWA: Total Nonstop Action did make improvements this year, in both marketing and creatively, but their formula promoting weekly PPVs is still a significant albatross that will inhibit and hinder their success. The only way that a weekly PPV formula can work, possibly, is if the product is perfect, and TNA is not close. PRIDE Fighting Championships has had a particularly strong year in both Japan and the United States, whether or not you consider it professional wrestling. Their main competitor, Ultimate Fighting Championships, is struggling to find footing, mainly because they have no clue how to promote the product. They did better buyrates than WCW and WWF not too long ago, but that seems like a million years ago, and with new owners, it might as well be. PRIDE owes their success to a distinctly pro-wrestling version manner of promotion. As far as other independent promotions, the strongholds this year arguably remain Ring of Honor (ROH), Major League Wrestling (MLW), Lucha VaVoom, and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). ROH has had a particularly strong financial showing this year, drawing mostly on person-to-person promotion, and an excellent, work-based product. Credit for this goes to the vision and persistence of booker Gabe Sapolsky and promoter Rob Feinstein. MLW's success comes from basing their style and roster on a uniquely ECW format, as well as getting national play this year on the Sunshine Network (airs on Florida and nationally on DirecTV) and Fox Sports Atlantic. Lucha VaVoom drew on a formula based on lucha libre in key markets. CZW has remained because of their strong ability to market and work good markets.
