Award Description:

To be given to the wrestling news item that most disappointed you when
heard of it. When you first learned of this news story, you couldn't
believe that it was true, and when you learned that it was, you were
bummed out for a while.

Previous Winners:

  1991: Scott Steiner gets injured
  1992: Legion of Doom: Hawk & Animal split up
  1993: WWF brings Hulk Hogan back and gives him the title
  1994: WCW signs Hulk Hogan and makes him World champion
  1995: Death of Eddie Gilbert
  1996: Scott Hall and/or Kevin Nash leave WWF and/or join WCW
  1997: Death of Brian Pillman
  1998: Death of Louie Spicolli
  1999: Death of Owen Hart
  2000: David Arquette wins WCW World heavyweight championship

**2001**: Chris Benoit out for the year after neck surgery

282 first place votes
276 second place votes
271 third place votes

 41 53 25  414   Chris Benoit undergoes year-ending surgery
 53 13 12  328   All nationally televised wrestling companies except WWF go 
                 under or on hiatus
 24 33 29  277   Triple H injured, out several months after surgery
 23 24 12  211   ECW declares bankruptcy
 20 19 23  203   WWF books subpar Invasion angle
 30 10  9  198   WCW folds, sold to WWF
 12 12  7  110   Hayabusa suffers paralysis after landing on head
 11  2 12   85   Jerry Lawler quits WWF
  6  8 12   78   Eddie Guerrero misses several months undergoing rehab
  4  5 15   65   Shawn Michaels' WWF return postponed indefinitely
  5  8  7   63   WCW fails to get new television show after WWF purchase
  7  5  3   56   Death of Terry Gordy
  4  4  9   50   WWF doesn't sign big name WCW talent
  2  6 11   50   WWFE devotes significant energy to doomed XFL
  2  5  7   39   Stephanie McMahon cuts questionable promo on 9/14 SmackDown!
  3  4  4   35   WCW television cancelled
  2  4  5   32   Undertaker reportedly refuses to job
  4  0  5   30   Death of Chris Adams
  2  4  4   30   WCW & ECW workers forced to turn down workrate
  4  2  1   28   Dean Malenko announces possible retirement
  1  2  8   27   SportsLine shuts down WrestleLine
  0  5  4   23   Rhyno gets injured, out for rest of year
  0  7  0   21   Declining ad rates cause wrestling web sites to fold/inundate 
                 viewers with ads
  2  2  2   20   WWF ratings drop steadily as Invasion continues
  2  2  2   20   Stephanie McMahon gets breast enhancement
  2  1  3   19   Fusient doesn't buy WCW
  0  2  5   16   BattlArts shuts down
  0  3  3   15   WOW loses $6 million in six months, disappears into 
                 "reorganization"
  0  3  3   15   Mick Foley written off TV for months, returns only to plug 
                 books
  1  1  2   12   WWF books Rock title win over Booker T
  0  4  0   12   Hulk Hogan reportedly center of new promotion
  2  0  0   10   WWF announces "Tough Enough 2"
  0  2  2   10   Mikey Whipwreck retires
  0  2  2   10   Kenta Kobashi out for year with injuries
  1  0  2    9   WWF releases Tori
  0  3  0    9   WWF runs Chyna neck injury angle
  1  1  0    8   WWF hires Paul Heyman
  1  1  0    8   Rock returns to wrestling after making film
  1  1  0    8   Death of Rhonda Singh
  0  2  1    8   WWF considering signing Hall & Nash
  0  0  4    8   WWF signs Kronik
  1  0  1    7   Miho Wakizawa retires
  1  0  0    5   WWF off of Dutch TV
  1  0  0    5   WWF might be interested in Goldberg
  1  0  0    5   Rock leaves wrestling to make film
  1  0  0    5   Keiji Muto wins All Japan Triple Crown
  1  0  0    5   Eyada cancels Wrestling Observer Live
  1  0  0    5   Death of Helen Hart
  1  0  0    5   APW's "King of the Indies" tournament loses $10,000
  0  1  1    5   WWF sends Sean O'Haire to OVW
  0  1  0    3   WWF cuts American Dragon & Spanky
  0  1  0    3   WWF books Stephanie McMahon as ECW owner
  0  1  0    3   WWF books Kurt Angle heel turn
  0  1  0    3   Taka Michinoku injures shoulder
  0  1  0    3   Ryuji Yamakawa bruises brain
  0  1  0    3   Reggie Bennett retires
  0  1  0    3   Perro Aguayo returns to EMLL
  0  1  0    3   Kana Mizaki retires
  0  1  0    3   Brian Johnston suffers stroke
  0  0  1    2   WWF releases K-Kwik
  0  0  1    2   WCW doesn't start seperate company
  0  0  1    2   Undertaker marries
  0  0  1    2   Stevie Ray loses commentary position
  0  0  1    2   Steve Corino announces retirement
  0  0  1    2   Kanyon injured
  0  0  1    2   Internet writers, wrestlers mysteriously buy ridiculous 
                 MECW hype
  0  0  1    2   Hulk Hogan plans return to WWF
  0  0  1    2   Haku disappears from WWF TV
  0  0  1    2   Candy Okutsu retires

REJECTED

  0  1  2        Duplicated votes
  1  0  0        Death of Yokozuna (ineligible time)
  0  0  1        Jerry Lawler returns (ineligible time)
  0  0  1        "Tie" votes

RYAN HALL: Lawler quitting the WWF has taken away so much from the show,
although Heyman has tried hard to replace him.

EDDIE BURKETT: Two great wrestlers go down for the year, and ECW goes down
forever.  That all sucks from all angles.

HIRO: The injuries of Chris Benoit and Triple H, two of the top wrestlers
in 2000 was indeed a blow to the American wrestling scene.

NATE GURNETT: I have to run.  Last comment.  I miss WCW.  I really do.  I
put up with the Russo crap.  I put up with Dusty Rhodes.  I put up with
Tony Shitovone.  I put up with Bitchman and Hogan.  Why?  Oh, yeah,
because of the crusierweights and periods like the last 3 or so months,
when they had good booking and were really entertaining to watch.  Ah,
well, que sera sera.

TEDB512: The last thing this crowded roster needs (with cuts coming) is
Tough Enough 2. I can't stand the Tough Enough concept.

KEN DREILING: Seeing good quality workers go down is always terrible.  
And WCW being off TV...No more options, no more choices.  I can look back
to the early Monday Night days of telling my college roommate he's dumb
for wanting to watch Raw, it's nothing but a cartoon show, WCW actually
had good wrestling. My entire wrestling life WCW (and NWA)  has been
there.  Now it's gone.

CHIP BOOTS: ECW deserved better than to go out like they did.

SCOTT WORDEN: Taker not refusing to job is very dissapointing.  I mean,
what does he want?  a pension.. Make sure his SSI kicks in before he
retires from the WWF.  The guy still has a name and could make a new
star..  he won't,c cause he is an ass.

CHRIS BIRD: ECW and WCW folding was horrible, not just because it put guys
out of work and left us with less wrestling on television, but because now
there's no real alternative to the WWF product, and stagnation is already
setting in. Oh, how I hope the XWF catches on...

SEAN FLYNN: The loss of Benoit not only made me lose my favorite wrestler,
but cost them a main event talent who was more than happy to help other
people get over, unlike some other members of the top card.  Seeing Flair
in the WWF now post Survivor Series serves as a reminder of how cool the
Invasion could have been had they popped for the big names.  And hearing
that UT was trying to torpedo young guy's pushes is an ominous very
Nash-esque portent for the WWF locker room.

CANZ: As bad as WCW was on it's deathbed, the last thing I want is for
Vince to get his claws on it and monopolize American Wrestling. Before I
had a choice of which horrible promotion I did not want to watch- now I
have none.

SHOCKER 2K: I miss Triple H. :(

KEVIN WONG: Since it would spoil my vote, I'll put it down here.  The most
disappointing news item from the last 50 years happened on September 11,
2001.  I'm sorry, everything else is a pebble on the road in comparison.

DONNY L: The worse news had to be ECW/WCW folding, it's just sad. I didn't
think I would mind it too much but I really took for granted and
alternative.

SIMON GRIER: It seems wrong to rank the deaths in wrestling this year
according to which is saddest, so I just left deaths out completely and
voted for ECW's collapse, WCW's collapse, and the WWF's subsequent
inability to get TV for WCW.

CHRIS GRIMM: WCW got what it deserved;  aside from the nWo angle, it's
never been anything but an also-ran.  ECW was actually cool at one point.

BLAZEJ SZPAKOWICZ: Benoit and Triple H's injuries get one and two. Shawn
Michaels' non-return gets third. He's my all-time favourite wrestler, I'm
biased.

YNAE316: Was a big fan of the "Gentleman" and World Class back in the day.
(That's what actually caught my eye loooong before the WWF aired out in
our parts...) Lots of my favorite sites have loooong since gone down
(Scoops, Wrestleline, Wrestlecrap...) and those PESKY ads.

JEREMY SORIA: Chris Adams dies. It's sad because like some other wrestlers
who dies under similar circumstances, you see how they fall from grace,
yet couldn't see where they were going in time to save themselves.