One more Hangman Page & Kenny Omega fight in 2022 AEW Awards

AEW had a heck of a year in 2021. As the momentum rolls strong into 2022, AEW is stopping to celebrate with award nominations. Winners for the AEW Awards will be announced in a streaming special on YouTube airing March 23 at 7 pm ET.

Voting is open at AEWAwards.com.

You, the fans, get to choose your favorite wrestlers and moments from 2021. Make your picks now through March 8, then stream the live show for free March 23 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT only on AEW’s YouTube channel.

*All votes will be tallied by AEW, and the AEW team will have sole discretion to select the official winners.

That asterisk sounds like AEW has the authority to pull shenanigans. I’m looking at the Young Bucks using the EVP powers for their friends or Dr. Britt Baker DMD conning Tony Khan to make sure she wins all the awards.

We’ll start with the biggest award of them all.

Wrestler of the Year
Bryan Danielson
Dr. Britt Baker DMD
Kenny Omega
Hangman Adam Page
Darby Allin
Hikaru Shida
Miro

My money comes down to Omega or Hangman. I’m siding with the Best Bout Machine. Omega stumbled along the way losing the Impact World Championship to Christian Cage, a time-limit draw against Bryan Danielson, and losing the AEW World Championship to Hangman Page. However, Omega managed to keep AEW’s top title in his control for over 10 months in 2021. That is enough to earn him the nod.

The breakout star categories also caught my eye.

Breakout Star Female
Jade Cargill
Jamie Hayter
Tay Conti
Kris Statlander
Red Velvet

Breakout Star Male
Dante Martin
Jungle Boy
Sammy Guevara
Ricky Starks
Hook

Cargill should take the cake via winning the TBS Championship. I could see the other four on this list again next year. They’ve all improved and still have room to go. That shows the quality in development of AEW’s women’s division throughout the year.

Martin gets my call for Breakout on the male side. He basically came out of obscurity to light the ring on fire with his high-flying. Jungle Boy and Sammy Guevara rose to new heights over the past year, but I feel they were already on a star level. Hook is the toughest call. He is the definition of breakout star in terms of fan engagement, but his matches have been against a lower level of competition compared to the rest on the list.

Other AEW award categories include:

Best Moment on the Mic
CM Punk returns
Bryan Danielson calls out Kenny Omega
Dr. Britt Baker DMD welcomes fans to Brittsburgh
MJF thinks the Midwest is mid
Eddie Kingston is sent to punish Miro

Best Twitter Follow
Nyla Rose
Young Bucks
MJF
Dr. Britt Baker DMD
Orange Cassidy

Biggest Beatdown
Men of the Year send Darby Allin on a trip
Bryan Danielson kicks Colt Cabana’s tooth out
The Pinnacle takes down the Inner Circle at Blood and Guts
Hangman Adam Page goes 60 with Bryan Danielson
Thunder Rosa takes down Dr. Britt Baker DMD

Biggest Surprise
Adam Cole & Bryan Danielson’s debut
Darby Allin’s return as the Invisible man
The formation of the Pinnacle
Young Bucks turn on Jon Moxley
Mercedes Martinez arrives in AEW

Biggest WTF Moment
Matt Jackson’s tacked Travis Scott shoe
MJF’s Long Island homecoming
Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston take a drive
NYE street fight (Tay Conti & Anna Jay vs. Bunny & Penelope Ford)
Hangman Adam Page turns down the Dark Order

High Flyer
Penta El Zero M
Dante Martin
Rey Fenix
PAC
Riho

Best AEW Fashion Moment
Tay Conti at Full Gear
Dr. Britt Baker DMD’s Brittsburgh jacket
Hikaru Shida’s anniversary dress
Chris Jericho as Painmaker
The Super Elite as the Tune Squad

Best Tag Team Brawl
Young Bucks vs. Lucha Brothers steel cage match
Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki vs. Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston
Sting & Darby Allin vs. 2point0
Lucha Brothers vs. Jurassic Express tag team eliminator finals
NYE street fight (Tay Conti & Anna Jay vs. Bunny & Penelope Ford)

Best Mic Duel
MJF and CM Punk on Thanksgiving Eve
Dr. Britt Baker DMD and Ruby Soho
The Inner Circle and the Pinnacle have a parlay
Hangman Adam Page meets Bryan Danielson
The Inner Circle call out Dan Lambert

Who are your choices to win each AEW award? Do you agree with the picks listed as nominations? Which are missing?