2020 Cavey Awards: Wrestlers

Welcome to the sixth annual Cavey Awards!

Today, I will be honoring my Favorite (and Favourite) Wrestlers. Despite the challenges of 2020, I'm carrying on with my traditional award ceremony. While this is a month later than usual, consider that the Oscars have been delayed until the end of April. By comparison, the Caveys are practically early.

Regardless of when they happen, the essence of the Cavey awards remains unchanged. This is my chance to recognize a few of the men who made 2020 more bearable than it otherwise might have been. All awards are given to men from the world of gay wrestling videos (as opposed to "pro wrestling").

The Caveys are intended as a bit of fun and 'thanks' to a few hard-working hunks. I intentionally don't use words like 'best', just 'favorite'. These awards are one man's opinion at one moment in time and should NOT be taken too seriously. While I believe that every man who strips down and wrestles for us deserves praise, there are always some that stand out and that's what today is about.

There are only two rules:

(1) Eligibility includes any wrestler in a video I watched for the first time during the ten months from 12/1/19 - 9/30/20, regardless of when it was made or purchased. Although I didn't watch anything in October or November, I feel like there's still plenty from which to choose.

(2) Wrestlers are judged ONLY on 2020 eligible videos and nothing else. No carryovers, lifetime awards or legacy picks (only two of this year's winners have won a wrestler Cavey before!). I also don't take anything outside of the video performances into account.

This year, I'm handing out eight Cavey awards for wrestlers. I watched more videos than I reviewed, so there might be more behind a certain pick than what you read on the blog but I did review all these wrestlers. Except for the main award (Favorite Wrestler), I assigned the categories after the fact, so don't get too hung up on that. 

Who are my favorite wrestlers of 2020?

2020 Favorite Wrestler: Brendan Byers

I reviewed five Brendan Byers matches in 2020 and all of them were amazing. He excelled as a skilled wrestler, as a captivating personality, and as a sexy hunk. Regardless of his opponent's size, style or experience, Brendan was a common factor in making those matches compelling and exciting. In addition to the Cavey, 2020 has made Brendan one of my few reliable must-buys because I know he'll deliver.

2020 Favorite Switch-Hitter: Cameron Matthews

In this case, being a switch-hitter means flawlessly switching between roles like dominator/jobber, face/heel, punisher/victim, etc. I genuinely can't think of anyone who did such a good job in 2020. Cameron was a chameleon this year. I delighted as he suffered against the monstrous Max Quivers then crushed a hapless sap named Graham Varnett. Regardless of the scenario, Cameron has the ability to adapt to it and the skills to perform at the highest level.

2020 Favourite Rookie: Bull Barrett

This was a slam dunk. After just two matches, I knew Bull was the one. The hardest part was making sure I wasn't including his non-wrestling video activities in my choice. I didn't and this was still an easy choice. The hairy hunk burst on the wrestling video scene with the confidence of an established pro. His playful swagger, intoxicating masculinity, and seductive brutality is brilliantly beautiful. I can't wait to see more in 2021!

2020 Favorite Free Agent: Zach Reno

When I was thinking of who to give awards to for 2020, Zach came to mind right away. I didn't know the category, but I knew he was getting one. I chose free agent because I ended up reviewing four of his matches from three different companies. As a jobber at BGEast, the champ of UCW, or a competitive pro at Wrestler4Hire, Zach is a guy who can show up and show out anywhere, any time. 

2020 Favorite Heel: Kayden Keller

Kayden has been runner-up for Favorite Heel a couple of times. What pushed him over the edge in 2020 is likely that he faced so many other heels. I love that but what it really did was showcase his style and skill in a new way. Every heel vs. heel match was a winner, so you have to give the guy a lot of the credit. Just fantastic.

2020 Favorite Masked Man: El Fuego

If you're thinking there isn't a lot of competition in this category, you might be right. But remember, the wrestlers come first then the categories. I wanted to award El Fuego a Cavey because he was definitely one of my top eight favorite wrestlers of 2020. On the mats and in the ring, the soft-spoken stud was awesome every time I saw him and is definitely deserving of a Cavey.

2020 Favorite Discovery: Johnny Lightning

When Marge Simpson gets on the Internet, Lisa makes a comment that she's just like Christopher Columbus "discovering" something millions of people knew about before her. That's how I feel about myself and Johnny Lightning. Yes, he's been around for decades but I only watched him for the first time in 2020 so that makes him eligible. I loved what I saw, so he gets a long overdue Cavey. 

2020 Favorite Over-Actor: Brad Honeycutt

Consider this category part of the randomness that is the Caveys. In some other year, Brad might've been a serious contender for rookie of the year. However, his four matches were no match for Bull's two. Still, I think he's a hoot-and-a-half and really enjoyed watching him this year. His matches were all winners, largely because of his incredibly expressive face and loud proclamations of, well, everything. For some, he might cross the line into "corny" or "cheesy", but for me, he's just plain fun to watch. And wrestling should be fun.

So, that's it for wrestlers.

There are more guys that I considered but I think this sums up my year pretty well. What about you? Who stood out for you in 2020?

Alex