2024 Right Hook Mid-Year Awards

With 2024 halfway over (time goes fast for sure) and pro wrestling has been exciting so far with the biggest event of the summer around the corner with Summerslam. So, I decided to do some mid-year awards because why not (laughs) and here they are.

Best Feud in 2024 so far

Winner:  Drew McIntyre vs. CM Punk

This one was a simple choice for the best feud halfway through 2024 is Drew McIntyre and CM Punk. Starting back with Punk’s return in 2023 at Survivor Series, this feud has been the hottest thing in wrestling without having a match yet. They interacted in the Royal Rumble where Punk eliminated McIntyre but from that point on the back and forth costing each other something that has made this so good.

McIntyre injuring Punk’s arm, McIntyre mocking Punk at WrestleMania leading to McIntyre losing the title to Damian Priest just minutes after winning it, Punk costing McIntyre another chance to win the title at Clash at the Castle in Scotland, McIntyre attacking Punk in Chicago, to Punk attacking McIntyre at Money in the bank resulting in a failed cash-in has certainly made the eventual match a huge deal that hopefully happens at Summerslam in a couple of weeks.

Best Match in 2024 so far

Nominees:

Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns (Wrestlemania 40 Night 2)

Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay (AEW Dynasty)

Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov (RAW 5/6/24)

Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita (Dynamite)

Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW Revolution 2024)

Winner: Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay (AEW Dynasty)

AEW’s weekly TV shows can absolutely turn you away if you are not in that bubble, but some of their PPV matches are good and in this case incredible. Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty was the clear run-away choice for the best match so far this year.

Nothing unique or different in the match, just extremely well done by two of best wrestlers in the sport currently, Ospreay time in AEW so far has not disappointed and this particular match with an icon like Danielson might have put him on the radar for the larger wrestling audience. Hopefully, there is a rematch on a big stage or show, but I do not know if this match will be topped and could end up being the match of the year.

Best Male Wrestler in 2024 so far

Nominees:

Will Ospreay

Swerve Strickland

Cody Rhodes

Damian Priest

Drew McIntyre

Winner: Damian Priest & Drew McIntyre

There was no conceivable way to pick one between Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest. Both men have done impressive stuff so far this year and established themselves a legit main event players going forward for WWE that has been shown this summer so far and more clearly on Monday nights, so it just made since to split the difference and call it a tie.

Best Female Wrestler in 2024 so far

Nominees:

Liv Morgan

Mariah May

Lola Vice

Toni Storm

Bayley

Winner: Liv Morgan

As much as I have come around to Lola Vice in the ring where she has been good and proved she is not just eye candy (which is not bad either) but I have to give the nod to Liv Morgan. Returning at the rumble then appearing the raw after mania injuring Rhea Ripley, Morgan has been on her best run to date where she won the world women’s title and has started her revenge tour by causing chaos with Judgement Day especially for Dominik Mysterio. This run has made me a believer in Liv Morgan and want to see how the rest of the year pans out for her.

Best Show in 2024 so far

Nominees:

WrestleMania 40

AEW Revolution

AEW Dynasty

WWE Backlash: France

WWE Clash at the Castle: Scotland

Winner: WWE Backlash: France

WrestleMania 40 was great, AEW Dynasty had some exceptional matches, but the best show in 2024 so far to me was WWE Backlash in France. That crowd throughout the show single handedly made the show something different with the energy you could feel through your TVs, that on top of a particularly good card has kept the streak going for these Backlash shows in non-domestic USA areas being the most energetic shows of the year.

Most Improved so far in 2024

Nominees:

Bron Breakker

Jey Uso

Oba Femi

Willow Nightingale

Liv Morgan

Chelsea Green

Winner: Bron Breakker

My last award for the halfway point of 2024 is most improved and every nominee are deserving of the award, but I decided to go with the cannot miss aspect of Monday Nights Bron Breakker. Breakker especially post WrestleMania has been tearing it up from impressive matches with Ricochet, Ilja Dragunov, and Sami Zayn to taking out Ricochet in explosive fashion has Breakker on course to being the next big thing on Monday nights.