Of the top heavyweights in the PWL this year, he was one of very few that was around the entire year. He also won matches on a consitent basis for the entire year. Finally, he was rewarded with a reign as PWL North American champion and , as of this writing, is ranked as the top heavyweight wrestler in the world. There were others that made bigger splashes, grander entrances, and provoked stronger crowd responses, but fans have come to expect Cooleroy to always be there, continually giving top-notch performances, and he has done so time and time again. On the surface, it may seem that Cooleroy was an odd choice for the PWL's top award, but there really is no other wrestler that came close to his level of performance in 1999.
First Runner-Up: PLAGUE
Second Runner-Up: RONALD
McDONALD
Third Runner-Up: THE TERROR
Golem and Quartz arrived early in the year, and immediately feude with then-World tag team champions Strike Force. These two teams dominated the tag scene for the first half of 1999. When Strike Force left, the Pillars continued to destroy their opponents. They may not have carried the gold for the latter months of '99, but they continued to strike fear in their opponents' hearts, and have been consistently ranked among the top five tag teams in the world.
First Runners-Up: STRIKE FORCE
Second Runners-Up: HAARLEM
HEAT
Third Runners-Up: NC-17
Is there really any doubt? The universally-infamous heel's heel was trained by Joe the Giant and Big Stewie, and tales of his exploits have long been legendary among the PWL's wrestlers. He made the jump to the PWL in February 1999, and quickly went to work getting into wrestlers' heads, most notably World heavyweight champion Plague. The Terror's World title win over Plague this past June sent shock waves throughout professional wrestling, leading to Plague's grudging admiration and respect for the southern Illinois native. The subsequent disappearance of Plague and his CMI was no doubt linked, in part, to the major success of The Terror. The Terror has had an incredible year, capturing the World and North American titles, as well as his current reign, with mentor Joe the Giant, as World tag team champions. Even more amazing is that The Terror is hearing the cheers of the PWL fans. Nobody knows what the unpredictable man called Terror will do next, but he has won the respect of the PWL fans, a definite sign that The Terror has made it in pro wrestling.
First Runners-Up: THE PILLARS OF
PAIN
Second Runners-Up: THE
ILLUSTRATORS
Third Runner-Up: CAP'N
CRUNCH
What was Mush Mouth doing at the beginning of the year? We don't remember, either. He and the other ex-Fat Albert Gang members (including Dumb Donald and Buckey, see Third Runners-Up) were cruising along, likely waiting out the remainders of their contracts. Enter Mondo Mbamba, new adviser to the PWL. He took several wrestlers under his wing, and Mush Mouth made the astonishing transformation into M. Kleats, a win-at-all-costs bruiser. Kleats' greatest accomplishment was his North American title victory, at the hands of former leader Fat Albert. Though he lost the title a month later to Cooleroy, M. Kleats remains one of the dominant forces in the PWL, and anther championship reign is likely in the future for this talented star.
First Runner-Up: DUH CHEE
Second Runners-Up: HAARLEM
HEAT
Third Runners-Up: THE
SEXECUTIONERS
No doubt about it. He could turn on longtime faces, and he would be applauded for doing it. Joe the Giant can do absolutely no wrong in the eyes of the PWL. He stepped up the action this year, and was nearly unstoppable. Losses to The Terror, among others, did nothing to sway fan support from the PWL Legend. It is mainly because of the Giant that his friend The Terror is receiving cheers from the PWL faithful. It probably doesn't even matter who the runners-up to this award are. In the fan department, anybody would take a backseat to Joe the Giant.
First Runner-Up: FAT ALBERT
Second Runner-Up: COOLEROY
Third Runner-Up: HUMAN
TORNADO
Why oh why did The Terror turn face? He could have this as easy as the choice for Most Popular Wrestler. Instead, the choice for this dubious honor goes to another deserving character. The fans have an intense dislike for the Midgets' World champion. The Cap'n is not a cool heel, and he does not deliver catchy, insulting lines. He just goes out and acts like the unabashed jerk that he really is. Fans have grown weary of his unsavory tactics, and cause near-riots at every successful defense of Crunch's title. Maybe this decision was easier than we originally thought.
First Runners-Up: HAARLEM HEAT
Second Runner-Up: M. KLEATS
Third Runner-Up: GRIMACE
It started in late 1998, with Human Tornado ending Fat Albert three-year-plus World title reign, and the arrival of Strike Force, their manager Khaine, and the super-human Plague. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, this year saw the PWL debuts of The Terror, The Pillars of Pain, The Illustrators, the rise to prominence of Haarlem Heat, Suede Simpson, and Johnny Carwash. We saw the retooled M. Kleats and The Sexecutioners achieve stardom. Duh Chee made a return and had a lengthy run as World cruiserweight champion. The mainstays took time off (Fat Albert, Ronald McDonald, Zod and Non), but came back stronger than ever, and matches between the old guard and new guard were phenomenal. Of course, who could leave out Joe the Giant, returning to full-time action, yet appearing in best shape in ages. Thanks to the new blood, the PWL enjoyed its best and brightest days since the mid-1980s, and the existing competitors, who had seemed sluggish in recent years, became better than ever, in the hopes of not being embarrassed at the hands of the new talent. As a result, this was probably the best year the PWL has experienced.
November 30, 1998 saw the first PWL World heavyweight championship change in over three years, when Human Tornado defeated the seemingly unstoppable Fat Albert. This year saw five World title changes, with a sixth coming on December 26 in the World championship tournament. No other year in PWL history has seen more than four World title switches, and the reason for this is simple: the Suits were very wishy-washy in 1999. They used the World heavyweight title as a tool for punishment, rather than a reward. This was most evident in the case of The Terror, who jobbed the title twice this year because of the Suits' attempt to make an example of him. Where is The Terror now? Co-holder of the World tag title, a top contender for thw World heavyweight title, and more popular than he has ever been, be it in the PWL or anywhere else. Did Terror deserve the title in the first place? In hindsight, he probably did. Plague, though, had grown into an admirable champion, and a worthy ambassador for the PWL. He jobbed to The Terror, and has not been in the PWL since then. Rightfully so, as the PWL Suits embarrassed him and the CMI by giving the league's most prestigious prize to a man who had been hell-bent on destroying the organization. Then, of course, the PWL made fewer friends by jobbing out The Terror only weeks into his reign. The PWL may have had problems with the talent, but the way it was handled was disgraceful, and hopefully the likes of it will not be seen again in the organization.
© 1999-2008 Big Stewie Entertainments Corporation.