An individual does NOT have to be a member of the Cauliflower Alley Club at the time of their nomination. However, they can’t be nominated unless the person nominating them contacts the individual and can assure their availability to appear at the CAC reunion that upcoming year. Other nomination criteria are listed under the individual awards below.

Nominations are accepted from all members in good standing of the Cauliflower Alley Club.

A brief biography detailing the nominee’s qualifications for the award for which he or she is nominated. The nominee’s contact information (given name, address, phone number, e-mail address). Confirmation that the nominee has been contacted and has agreed to attend the next reunion if they are elected.

Nominations should be made to Brian Blair at brianblair@brianblair.com

All honorees are subject to ratification by the Executive Board. The nominees receiving the highest number of votes for their nominated award will be selected as the next year’s honorees.

The next year’s honorees will be announced on this website around December 1 of each year.

The nominee must be immediately recognizable both to those in wrestling and to many people outside wrestling. The nominee must be recognized as having achieved success in more than one field.

The nominee must have had a strong amateur grounding, as well as a widely recognized, widely respected professional wrestling career. In addition, the nominee must have also achieved success in other areas of the business, which in combination have brought credit to the profession. Areas meriting consideration in addition to wrestling itself include promotion, broadcasting, managing, refereeing, announcing, booking, or other areas associated with the presentation and/or management of the wrestling industry.

The nominee must be an active or retired male professional wrestler, respected by their peers in the industry, and must have made a living in professional wrestling. As it is impossible for us to know every person who has ever been a professional wrestler, in some cases, verification of one’s career via pictures, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, or historian accounts may be required for placement on our ballot.

The nominee must be an active or retired female professional wrestler, respected by their peers in the industry, and must have made a living in professional wrestling. As it is impossible for us to know every person who has ever been a professional wrestler, in some cases, verification of one’s career via pictures, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, or historian accounts may be required for placement on our ballot.

This award recognizes a CAC member in good standing who, through his or her efforts or resources, has endeavored to improve their community and the lives of others, thus elevating the perception of the professional wrestling industry and its participants. The nominee must be a CAC member in good standing at the time of nomination and have attended at least one reunion in the last five years. A brief biography of the nominee and a brief description of their activities for which they have been nominated, each no more than one paragraph, must be submitted with the nomination. The recipient of this award will be announced on the Tuesday night festivities.

The nominee will be someone who has never worked in any major capacity in the pro wrestling industry or been under contract to a major wrestling promotion, but should have demonstrated by deed and word, over time, a commitment to the people and the welfare of the industry. The nominee must have attended at least three prior Cauliflower Alley Club reunions. The recipient of this award will be announced on the Tuesday night festivities.

The President’s Award is an honor given to an individual who is held in the very highest regard by his or her peers, and for outwardly conveying the spirit of the Cauliflower Alley Club in both their charitable contributions (time and/or money) and community service. Hand-selected by the CAC president under his or her own accord, and approved by a majority of the CAC executive board, the President’s Award shall be given to an individual who has not only been considered a main event performer and/or a top box office draw in their field, but who has surpassed the notoriety of their industry and has achieved mainstream prominence.

Here is the official criteria to be a recipient of the Karl Lauer Independent Promoters Award:

Must be or have been a promoter of wrestling events. The nominee must be highly recognized and respected by the talent they employed or booked. He or she may have promoted in the territory days or to date (current). They must be willing to travel to our CAC reunion to accept the nomination at their own expense, as all honorees, volunteers and members of the CAC do, unless they are sponsored by another organization or person. The award nominee must be, or have been a promoter of wrestling events for a minimum of 6 events per year, for at least 3 years. If the award is given “posthumously,” a relative or close friend must attend the reunion and be willing to accept the award on the nominees behalf.

Here is the official criteria to become a recipient of the Jim Ross Announcers Award:

Must be or have been, a wrestling commentator that is/was highly recognized and respected by his or her peers, as well as the audience they served. He or she may have worked in the territory days or to date (current). They must be willing to travel to our CAC reunion to accept the nomination at their own expense, as all honorees, volunteers and members of the CAC do, unless they are sponsored by another organization or person. If the award is given “posthumously,” a relative or close friend must attend the reunion and be willing to accept the award on the nominees behalf. The award nominee must have worked full-time in the professional wrestling industry for at least 3 years.

The nominees must have been well-recognized male or female professional wrestlers who spent significant time together (more than a year). The nominees must have held an organizational, regional or national tag team championship. If in the event the nominees did not hold such an aforesaid title, they must have at least been considered a “team” for two or more years. At least one of the two nominees must be living. At least one of the two nominees must be able to attend the banquet in order for the team to receive the award. If one of the nominees is deceased, a family member should take their place so the “team” is represented.

The nominee must be a member in good standing of the Cauliflower Alley Club before voting begins and cannot be nominated over two consecutive years. Who may submit nominations? Nominations are accepted from all members in good standing of the Cauliflower Alley Club. When are nominations due? Deadline for nominations for the Rising Star Award is October 1st. Nominations made after this deadline WILL NOT be on the ballot. What must be included with a nomination? If submitted electronically, a resume detailing the nominee’s wrestling career to date (primary trainer, any other training classes/camps attended, promotions worked for, titles held, major league tryouts) photographs and links to online videos of nominee working matches against a variety of opponents and at least one link to a video of nominee performing an interview or promo. If submitted in hard copy, copies of each of the above items must be submitted. Supplemental items supporting the candidate’s case for consideration may be submitted, such as letters of recommendation from trainers, promoters, CAC members or past CAC Rising Star honorees. Confirmation that the nominee has been contacted and has agreed to attend the next reunion if they are selected to be on the ballot. The nominator will provide all contact information of the nominee.Where should nominations be sent? Nominations should be emailed to Brian Blair at brianblair@brianblair.com. What happens next? The nominators of the selected nominees will be notified that their candidate has been placed on the ballot, and the nominees will have to submit written confirmation they will be attending.

The nominee: Must be a member in good standing of the Cauliflower Alley Club at the time of nomination. Must have attended at least one CAC reunion. Must be recognized as having conducted major research work in the eyes of the Historian committee. Must be dedicated to maintaining the history of professional wrestling as a whole rather than having focused on one geographic area, territory, wrestler or promotion. Must have had part, or all, of his historical work published in some form, by a third-party source. Must be willing to serve on the Historian committee for a period of not less than four (4) years. Who may submit nominations? Nominations are ONLY accepted from past recipients of the Historian Award. If you believe someone is a deserving candidate, please contact Brian Blair at brianblair@brianblair.com and he will forward your information to our Historian Committee, which is chaired by Greg Oliver. When are nominations due? Deadline for nominations is October 1. Nominations made after this deadline WILL NOT be on the ballot. What happens next? The nominee receiving the highest number of votes will be selected as the next year's honoree. In the event of a tie, the CAC president will cast the deciding vote between the two top candidates.

The nominee must have been a well-recognized male or female professional wrestler, manager, referee, promoter, booker, announcer or other affiliate of the professional wrestling business. A relative of the nominee MUST be a current member of the Cauliflower Alley Club and the relative or the nominee must have attended at least one prior Cauliflower Alley Club reunion.

The nominee must be a retired or currently active professional wrestler, who has spent a major portion of his of her career competing internationally (that is, outside of the U.S. and Canada). As it is impossible for us to know every person who is a professional wrestler, in some cases, verification of ones career via pictures, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks or historian accounts may be required for placement on our ballot.

The Lucha Libre Award is an honor given to an individual who has had a prominent career in the lucha libre style of professional wrestling. Any and all Lucha Libre Award nominees must have been considered an outstanding performer of “Latino” heritage or has trained or performed in Mexico and elsewhere in the lucha libre style. Any and all nominees must have been well known to the lucha fan base wherever they have performed. This award is not restricted to those who worked solely in Mexico, nor is it limited to masked wrestlers, but any wrestler who worked the lucha libre style in any part of the world is eligible for nomination.

The Danny Hodge Award is an honor given to an individual who had a prominent career in two or more disciplines of the following disciplines: professional wrestling (being recognized by his or her peers as a hooker, shooter or being naturally tough), amateur wrestling, amateur or professional boxing, or any of the mixed martial arts/UFC styles including judo, Muay Thai, kickboxing, etc. Any and all nominees for the Danny Hodge Award must have held a championship in his or her field, or must have been recognized as a champion and/or considered a main event athlete or performer in his or her field.

Special awards include the Wrestling Family Award, Tag Team Award, Referee Award, Manager Award, Promoter Award, REEL Award, Exceptional Service to CAC, or other special category not covered by any other award. The nominee must be recognized within the wrestling world as having contributed to the industry in a significant fashion.