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 |
Hiroshi Tanahashi | ||
| 4 |
Harley Race |
2 |
Chris Jericho | ||
John Cena | ||
A.J. Styles |
Most all-time promotion winners[]
Most all-time nationality winners[]
| Rank | Nation | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
United States of America |
17 |
| 2 |
Japan |
14 |
| 3 |
Canada |
2 |
| 4 |
Mexico |
1 |
South Korea |