WON Wrestler of the Year

The Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (also known as the WON Wrestler of the Year Award), given yearly since 1980 by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), recognizes the best professional wrestler of the year as decided by WON journalist, Dave Meltzer. The award is named after Lou Thesz and Ric Flair, the latter of which has been voted Wrestler of the Year a record eight times.
==Award winners==
Year	Wrestler 	Promotion(s)
1980	Harley Race 	National Wrestling Alliance
1981	Harley Race 	National Wrestling Alliance
1982	Ric Flair 	National Wrestling Alliance
1983	Ric Flair 	National Wrestling Alliance
1984	Ric Flair 	National Wrestling Alliance
1985	Ric Flair 	Jim Crockett Promotions
1986	Ric Flair 	Jim Crockett Promotions
1987	Riki Chōshū 	All Japan Pro Wrestling
1988	Akira Maeda 	Universal Wrestling Federation
1989	Ric Flair 	World Championship Wrestling
1990	Ric Flair 	World Championship Wrestling
1991	Jumbo Tsuruta 	All Japan Pro Wrestling
1992	Ric Flair 	World Wrestling Federation
1993	Vader 	World Championship Wrestling
1994	Toshiaki Kawada 	All Japan Pro Wrestling
1995	Mitsuharu Misawa 	All Japan Pro Wrestling
1996	Kenta Kobashi 	All Japan Pro Wrestling
1997	Mitsuharu Misawa 	All Japan Pro Wrestling
1998	Steve Austin 	World Wrestling Federation
1999	Mitsuharu Misawa 	All Japan Pro Wrestling
2000	Triple H 	World Wrestling Federation
2001	Keiji Mutoh 	New Japan Pro Wrestling
2002	Kurt Angle 	World Wrestling Entertainment
2003	Kenta Kobashi 	Pro Wrestling Noah
2004	Kenta Kobashi 	Pro Wrestling Noah
2005	Kenta Kobashi 	Pro Wrestling Noah
2006	Místico 	Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
2007	John Cena 	World Wrestling Entertainment
2008	Chris Jericho 	World Wrestling Entertainment
2009	Chris Jericho 	World Wrestling Entertainment
2010	John Cena 	World Wrestling Entertainment
2011	Hiroshi Tanahashi	New Japan Pro Wrestling
2012	Hiroshi Tanahashi	New Japan Pro Wrestling
2013	Hiroshi Tanahashi	New Japan Pro Wrestling
2014	Shinsuke Nakamura	New Japan Pro Wrestling
2015	A.J. Styles 	New Japan Pro Wrestling Ring of Honor
2016	A.J. Styles 	New Japan Pro Wrestling World Wrestling Entertainment
2017	Kazuchika Okada 	New Japan Pro Wrestling
==Statistics==
===Most all-time individual winners===
Rank	Wrestler 	Awards
1 	Ric Flair 	8
2 	Kenta Kobashi 	4
3 	Mitsuharu Misawa 	3
3 	Hiroshi Tanahashi	3
4 	Harley Race 	2
4 	Chris Jericho 	2
4 	John Cena 	2
4 	A.J. Styles 	2
===Most all-time promotion winners===
Rank	Nation 	Awards
1 	World Wrestling Entertainment 	9
2 	New Japan Pro Wrestling 	8
3 	All Japan Pro Wrestling 	7
4 	National Wrestling Alliance 	5
5 	Pro Wrestling Noah 	3
5 	World Championship Wrestling 	3
7 	Jim Crockett Promotions 	2
8 	Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre	1
8 	Universal Wrestling Federation	1
8 	Ring of Honor 	1
===Most all-time nationality winners===
Rank	Nation 	Awards
1 	United States of America	17
2 	Japan 	14
3 	Canada 	2
4 	Mexico 	1
4 	South Korea 	1
==See also==
*PWI Wrestler of the Year
Category:Wrestling Observer