In sports, as in life, there are moments within moments; what will be a joy for one can be filled with pain for another. Moments that transcend to a phenomenon beyond numbers and titles; moments that make life grander than what it is; moments that remain eternal. With 2022 on its way out and 2023 knocking on the door, indisputably, the 365-day run was nothing but a blockbuster for sports fans.

EssentiallySports, fans’ favorite destination for the latest sports news, presents 22 awards on people and stories that dominated headlines this year–Biggest Upset of the Year, WTF Moment of the Year, End of An Era Moment of the Year, and Fairy Tale Moment of the Year to name a few. Before we find out which sports star won which award, let’s see what happened this year that was the most upsetting.

Winning a championship or title fulfills the dreams and hopes of millions of people. Amid loud cheers and prayers to see the Egyptian bodybuilder and 2 times Mr. Olympia win his third consecutive title, a sudden eerie silence engulfed the bodybuilding world. Thus, the award for the Biggest Upset of the Year 2022 goes to “Hadi Choopan Dethroning Former Mr. Olympia Champion, Big Ramy” to win Mr. Olympia 2022 title.

The bodybuilding world reacts to the shocking results

Call it because of unquestionable faith or his super fandom, Big Ramy’s defeat to the Iranian bodybuilder, Hadi Choopan came as a major upset to the fans rooting for the big man. The popular opinion for the winner was unanimous: Big Ramy, but what went wrong? Bodybuilding legends, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jay Cutler broke their silence on the results days after the contest.

The Austrian Oak resonated with the popular sentiment on Ramy’s poor conditioning. The 7 x Mr. Olympia underscored that size is not a measure of quality in bodybuilding, stating a bigger size doesn’t mean better. On the other hand, disappointed with Ramy, Jay Cutler stated they made wrong predictions. The 4 x Mr. Olympia pointed out that the Egyptian pro bodybuilder put little to no effort to retain the prestigious title.

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“One Can Say Derek…Better Than Hadi”: Arnold Schwarzenegger Finally Breaks Silence On Mr. Olympia 2022

While ‘upset’ is an understatement to justify the disappointed sighs of the disheartened faces, one can hope that Mamdouh Mohammed Hassan Elssbiay comes back shredded and more conditioned to give fans a “Big Ramyis back!” moment. After all, it’s that time of the year to leave the not-so-pleasing memories behind and start afresh with lessons learned.

And once again, the award for the Biggest Upset of the Year 2022 goes to “Hadi Choopan Dethroning Former Mr. Olympia Champion, Big Ramy.” Who else made it to the top 22? Keep scrolling!

The complete list of 22 ES Awards

As exciting as it sounds, going through the list gives a quick nostalgic recap of the phenomenal sporting moments of the year filled with hopes, cheers, tears, and more.

1. Heart-Breaking Announcement/Moment of the Year: Serena Williams retiring

2. Blooper of the Year: Tom Brady retiring for 40 days

3. WTF Moment of the Year: Antonio Brown exposing himself

4. Most-Dominant Moment of the Year: C-Bum winning Mr. Olympia Classic Physique 4th time in a row

5. Fairy-tale Moment of the Year: Lionel Messi lifting FIFA World Cup with Argentina

6. Shocking Moment of the Year: Bubba Wallace punching fellow NASCAR driver

7. Picture-Perfect Moment of the Year: Miami GP pic with MJ, Beckham, Brady, and others

8. Cringe-Worthy Moment of the Year: Salt Bae’s FIFA World Cup cringe

9. Most-Controversial Moment of the Year: Lia Thomas

10. Biggest Disruptive Sporting Moment of the Year: LIV Golf inaugural season

11. End of an Era Moment of the Year: Vince McMahon

12. Wildest Moment of the Year: (80-1) Underdog Rich Strike winning the famous Kentucky Derby after ranking 16th in the final turn

13. Most Viral Athlete Off-the-Court: Brittney Griner

“After 23 Years of Pain, Suffering, Sorrow…”: Newly Crowned Mr. Olympia Champion, Hadi Choopan, Opens Up on His Struggles

14. Impossible Moment of the Year: Ross Chastain

15. Breakout Star of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz

16. Unexpected Truth-Bomb of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo exposing Man Utd’s leadership

17. Saddest Moment of the year: Nadal & Federer holding hands and tearing up

18. Upset of the Year: Hadi Choopan winning Mr. Olympia over Big Ramy

19. Meme-Worthy Moment of the Year: LeBron James interview memes

20. Entertainers of the Year: Paul Brothers

21. Underdog Story of the Year: Leon Edwards KO

22. Comeback of the Year: Vikings completing the biggest comeback in NFL history

That’s all, folks!! As fans slide into another eventful and electrifying year filled with nail-biting excitement, rage, and devotion to sports, ES wishes everyone a smashing new year 2023!