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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 1, 2020 22:08:35 GMT -5
We have now reached the fifth year of my annual year-end list of the best matches. 2019 was an interesting year. I didn't have as many **** matches as last year. I will be doing a Top 100 only again and the rest of the **** matches will be included in the Honorable Mentions section.
I was busier than ever this year and had to drop PROGRESS for most of the year. Understand that this list will be 98% WWE and NJPW, with a little bit of AEW thrown in there. So as always, I hope you guys can be reminded of greatness that you forgot about or you can discover stuff you didn't know existed. This is about celebrating the good in wrestling, so let's enjoy.
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Post by TheSystem 1.5 on Jan 2, 2020 0:35:13 GMT -5
Been waiting for this!
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2020 9:55:39 GMT -5
Honorable Mentions (Matches that got **** but didn't make the list)
NEVER Openweight Championship: Kota Ibushi [c] vs. Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom Number One Contender's Match: Becky Lynch vs. Carmella vs. Charlotte Flair - Smackdown 1/8 WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Buddy Murphy [c] vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami vs. Kalisto - Royal Rumble IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Jay White - New Beginning in Osaka New Japan Cup Quarterfinals: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJC 3/21 RevPro British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - G1 Supercard No Holds Barred Match: Batista vs. Triple H – WrestleMania IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Roppongi 3K [c] vs. BUSHI and Shingo Takagi - Road to Wrestling Dontaku IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kota Ibushi [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito – Dominion Juice Robinson vs. Shingo Takagi – G1 Climax 7/13 Chad Gable vs. Jack Gallagher – 205 Live 7/16 Kota Ibushi vs. Lance Archer – G1 Climax 7/27 Jeff Cobb vs. Shingo Takagi – G1 Climax 8/1 Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi – G1 Climax 8/10 Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan – 205 Live 8/13 Super J-Cup First Round: SHO vs. Taiji Ishimori - Super J-Cup Super J-Cup Quarterfinals: SHO vs. Will Ospreay - Super J-Cup RevPro British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Royal Quest Cracker Barrel Challenge: Darby Allin vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Joey Janela – All Out IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: El Phantasmo and Taiji Ishimori [c] vs. The Birds of Prey - Destruction in Kagoshima NXT North American Championship: Velveteen Dream [c] vs. Roderick Strong - NXT 9/18 KUSHIDA vs. WALTER – NXT 10/10 Private Party vs. Young Bucks – Dynamite 10/10 IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. BUSHI - Power Struggle Lights Out Match: Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley – Full Gear NXT Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Finn Balor – NXT 12/18
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Post by marino13 on Jan 2, 2020 16:59:58 GMT -5
Welcome back, Kev! Looking forward to someone actually focusing on the positives of wrestling.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2020 18:26:51 GMT -5
100. Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio – WWE Raw 8/5/19
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| In terms of pure in-ring quality, there weren’t many rivalries that topped Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio in 2019. In fact, I don’t know if any combination did. They create magic in the ring together. We saw that almost instantly here, with Mysterio busting out an insane sunset flip into the guardrail. That set the tone for a match that was filled with sick offense and everything done at a break neck pace. It’s ridiculous that Mysterio is still this good at this stage of his career. They managed to pack a lot of drama into a short time. Each near fall had the fans on the edge of their seats. Whether it was a Code Red, the 619, Meteora, or a simple inside cradle, the crowd bit on everything. The involvement of Zelina Vega was kept to a minimum, allowing for the competition to do all the talking. She only helped in the end, setting up Andrade’s Hammerlock DDT to finish this in an awesome 12:29. I could watch these two wrestle each other until the end of time. Huge win for Andrade as well, Not the last time you’ll see these two against each other on this list, because they’re just so incredible as opponents. [****] |
*This is the final match from Raw.
2018 Match #100: WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Seth Rollins [c] vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Samoa Joe - WWE Greatest Royal Rumble 2017 Match #100: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega [c] vs. Baretta – NJPW Power Struggle 11/5/17 2016 Match #100: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Marty Scurll – PWG All-Star Weekend 12 Night One 3/4/16 2015 Match #100: WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match – WWE WrestleMania 3/29/15
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Post by TheSystem 1.5 on Jan 2, 2020 19:11:34 GMT -5
Only one match from Raw...I know it was a rough year but holy crap
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2020 21:55:00 GMT -5
99. Kazuchika Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 7/14/19
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| When I aim my criticisms at Kazuchika Okada, the most consistent one is his formula. He’s found a simple setup that works for him. A dull opening that means nothing before ramping up to a hot finish with a tired sequence of moves coming at just the right times. When he goes away from that formula, Okada shows how good he truly is. Zack Sabre Jr. forces him out of his comfort zone. Sabre did the same thing to Kenny Omega last year in their underrated G1 gem. Sabre Jr. came into this having lost to Okada in an IWGP Heavyweight Title match in 2018, but beat him after he dropped the title. That gave him confidence. He toyed with Okada at points because he felt like he was in control. They were wrestling his kind of match. The kind that Sabre has mastered. When Okada started hitting bigger moves, Sabre relied on flash pins and desperate submissions attempts. It was great to watch him switch from overconfident to kind of fighting from behind. Sabre focused on the arm but Okada still hit the Rainmaker to win in 12:01. My biggest problem was still hitting the Rainmaker like nothing despite the arm work. But a 12 minute Okada match where he has to do something different is my kind of wrestling. [****] |
2018 Match #99:David Starr vs. WALTER – PROGRESS Chapter 69: Be Here Now 5/20/18 2017 Match #99: PROGRESS Atlas Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. Trent Seven – PROGRESS: Orlando 3/31/17 2016 Match #99: 10 on 10 Elimination Match: Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown – WWE Survivor Series 11/20/16 2015 Match #99: Jay Lethal and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. reDRagon – ROH Field of Honor 8/22/15
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Post by LK3 on Jan 2, 2020 22:54:43 GMT -5
Only one match from Raw...I know it was a rough year but holy crap This was my thought lol. Says a lot. That said I bet I could find something that I personally preferred, but it was a rouuugh year for Raw.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 1:01:10 GMT -5
98. WWE Raw Women's Championship: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Sasha Banks – WWE Clash of Champions
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| Sasha Banks made her return the night after SummerSlam following four months away from action. She set her sights on Becky Lynch and the Raw Women’s Championship, which led us to this match. Becky was aggressive out of the gates. It made sense for the rivalry and worked well against Sasha’s cocky heel work. She thrives in that role. The little things like her mannerisms just feel way more natural when she’s playing the villain. Sometimes her gloating would cost her and that helped Becky to not fully fall into trouble here. The submission close calls as things progressed were great. Fans believed either woman could walk out with the win so they bit on all of them. It made for quite the atmosphere. I really liked Sasha trying to pull the Eddie Guerrero steel chair trick because it worked when she was a babyface, yet had a totally different feel now that she’s a heel. That was brilliant. Becky accidentally hit the referee with the chair. With him out, the women were free to brawl all throughout the arena. It was intense and felt different from other women’s matches this year. Ultimately, the official got up and called for the DQ at 17:58. It reminded me of how Austin/Angle at SummerSlam 2001 ended via DQ and was still fantastic. [****] |
*This is the final match from Clash of Champions.
2018 Match #98: SANADA vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 8/8/18 2017 Match #98: WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Neville [c] vs. Austin Aries – WWE WrestleMania 33 4/2/17 2016 Match #98: No Holds Barred Match: Hangman Page vs. Jay Briscoe – ROH Death Before Dishonor XIV 8/19/16 2015 Match #98: Michael Elgin vs. Tomoaki Honma – NJPW G1 Climax 8/1/15
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Post by LK3 on Jan 3, 2020 1:03:10 GMT -5
That was definitely a good match. When it’s big time Sasha shows how good she is. RR vs. Ronda, and both matches against Becky.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 10:21:51 GMT -5
97. KENTA vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 7/6/19
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| Talk about high expectations. I called this the match I was most excited for in the A Block of the G1 Climax. I stand by that statement because I was excited to see KENTA back in action and Kota Ibushi felt like a perfect opponent for him. They didn’t deliver an all-time classic but this still ruled. I loved the touch of Katsuyori Shibata watching from the stands. KENTA was his boy. Anyway, KENTA came out with hard strikes but got floored when Ibushi responded. It was as if he hadn’t been hit that hard in a long time. He rebounded quickly and brought the air of smugness that I love about him. KENTA is at his best when he’s being a prick. He slowed the pace because Ibushi was quicker and more mobile. Some of KENTA’s stuff lacked the snap it needed. You could tell this was a man who hadn’t wrestled in a few months. He got a lot of things right but was not fully back. Ibushi got going and picked up the pace as this neared its 20:51 conclusion. KENTA scored with a Go to Sleep that Ibushi sold like death to win in his return to the ring. Like I said, not a classic but still really damn good. [****] |
2018 Match #97: Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Raw 7/16/18 2017 Match #97: PROGRESS World Championship: Travis Banks [c] vs. Keith Lee – PROGRESS Chapter 56: La Danse Macabre 10/29/17 2016 Match #97: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. ACH – ROH Conquest Tour 3/12/16 2015 Match #97: Taiji Ishimori vs. Zack Sabre Jr. –NOAH Global League Finals 11/8/15
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The Shiniest Wizard
Main Eventer
Bored at work, entertain me.
Joined on: Jan 31, 2013 12:44:25 GMT -5
Posts: 1,483
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Post by The Shiniest Wizard on Jan 3, 2020 11:14:19 GMT -5
Oh my God I forgot how awesome this KENTA/Kota match was. I need to catch this match again on New Japan World. My body isn't ready for what is to come for Wrestle Kingdom this weekend.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 12:50:54 GMT -5
96. WWE United States Championship: Samoa Joe [c] vs. Ricochet – WWE Stomping Grounds
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| Anyone who knows my wrestling tastes knows that I love a good sprint. I also happen to really enjoy when a bully big man kicks the ass of a smaller guy who can bump his ass off. This match had all of those ingredients. Think about how well Samoa Joe performed against the members of the X Division back in TNA. He brought that energy here. Joe would goad in Ricochet and then just knock him back with a strike. When Ricochet seemed to get something going, Joe would just find a way to slam him down in vicious fashion. Ricochet sold every Joe shot like it was on the verge of killing him. He took a beating and Joe was the enforcer that I always want him to be. That’s what I want from these two because it fits their styles so well. And yet, with everything thrown at him, Ricochet found a way to dig deep. He fought from behind and got Joe in position for the 630 splash. It connected and three seconds later, Ricochet won his first main roster championship after 12:19. It doesn’t take much to please me in wrestling. Just give me something that makes sense, has drama, and keeps me thoroughly entertained. [****] |
*This is the last match from Stomping Grounds.
2018 Match #96: Mark Davis vs. WALTER – PROGRESS Chapter 63: Take Me Underground 2/11/18 2017 Match #96: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Dominion 6/11/17 2016 Match #96: WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifying Match: Fred Yehi vs. TJ Perkins – Evolve 61 5/7/16 2015 Match #96: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. Ricochet – G1 Climax Finale 8/16/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 16:12:16 GMT -5
95. NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Lio Rush [c] vs. Angel Garza – WWE NXT 12/11/19
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| I never expected this to work the way that it did. Lio Rush shined as the annoying mouthpiece for Bobby Lashley. He was an agitator and it was great. Moving him to a babyface role in the cruiserweight division worked out well enough though. Meanwhile, Angel Garza felt like a guy who would work as a face but he rubbed Lio the wrong way in their first encounter by ripping off his pants in front of Lio’s family. That added fuel to the fire for this rematch. They kicked off the show and put on one of the best Cruiserweight Title matches since it was brought back in 2016. It was an intense battle that felt like a lot was on the line. The action was fast paced as you’d expect from two of the quickest wrestlers on the planet. One of the coolest moments was the way the pants being torn off was used, as it played into Garza escaping Rush after getting hit with the Final Hour. That was the opening that he needed as Garza got the best of a wild finishing stretch and used a submission variation of the Wing Clipper to capture the title in 15:16. And then he got engaged in the middle of the ring. Angel Garza is winning at life. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Lio Rush. *It is the last Cruiserweight Title match.
2018 Match #95: NXT Women’s Championship: Ember Moon [c] vs. Shayna Baszler – NXT TakeOver: New Orleans 4/7/18 2017 Match #95: The Chosen Bros vs. The Monstars – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 9/1/17 2016 Match #95: Cedric Alexander vs. Michael Elgin – AAW Cero Miedo 9/1/16 2015 Match #95: Cero Miedo: Pentagon Jr. vs. Vampiro – Ultima Lucha 8/5/15
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Post by rkmo: 9 Month Warning on Jan 3, 2020 16:31:50 GMT -5
Just watched the Rush-Garza episode last night on Demand. Good sh*t.
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Post by marino13 on Jan 3, 2020 16:58:20 GMT -5
Yeah, Garza is totally going to be a star in WWE.
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Post by LK3 on Jan 3, 2020 17:55:17 GMT -5
Ricochet/Joe was good, but I don’t think quite that good.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 19:49:14 GMT -5
94. G1 Climax Finals: Jay White vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/19
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| These are the ratings I’ve given to the G1 Climax Finals I’ve watched. Naito/Tanahashi in 2013 (**¾), Okada/Nakamura in 2014 (****), Tanahashi/Nakamura in 2015 (****¾), Naito/Omega in 2017 (*****), and Ibushi/Tanahashi in 2018 (****½). Needless to say, it often delivers. I liked that this year’s match was a first time ever meeting. That hasn’t happened since Omega/Goto in 2016. These two made for an interesting pair. Ibushi loves high octane stuff while White is comfortable with a slower pace. White was in trouble early because the entire Bullet Club, including Gedo, was ejected from ringside in the opening few minutes. In need of a plan, White went after the leg. Ibushi had issues with it during the tournament, it would take away his vicious kicks, and set up White’s TTO submission. A good plan, indeed. It eventually got to the point of a ref bump and run-in by Gedo. I don’t think it added much to the story. They were doing a great job telling it without that. I did love how Ibushi fired up after nearly losing. White chopped him and Ibushi just beat the hell out of him. White was out of his element. Two Kamigoye knee strikes later and Ibushi won the tournament after 31:01. It went a bit too long and didn’t need the shenanigans but this was a great close to the G1. [****] |
2018 Match #94: Women's Money in the Bank Match - WWE Money in the Bank 2017 Match #94: Money in the Bank: AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Money in the Bank 6/18/17 2016 Match #94: Lucha Underground Championship: Matanza Cueto (c) vs. Cage – Lucha Underground 6/1/16 2015 Match #94: NXT Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Adrian Neville – NXT 1/14/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 23:14:11 GMT -5
93. New Japan Cup First Round: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/8/19
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| This year’s New Japan Cup suffered from putting too many competitors in the field. The first round dragged on with almost nothing notable happening. Except for this. Tomohiro Ishii and Yuji Nagata started going at it during New Year Dash. From then on, they’d go to war whenever they saw each other. It was glorious. Things came to a head with an advancement in the New Japan Cup on the line. The crowd was molten as they were excited to see another big match for Nagata at Korakuen Hall. They probably didn’t expect it after he bowed out there in his final G1 a few years ago. He and Ishii waged the kind of battle that they’re known for. At times during this match, they just stood in the ring and wailed on each other with slaps and strikes. I loved it. We got the dope visual of a bloody Nagata rolling his eyes to the back of his head as he applied the armbar. You can’t beat that. They resorted to the bigger spots as this progressed into the closing stretch we like from our New Japan bouts. Ishii picked up the win after 21:34 with the Brainbuster. If this is the last great Nagata performance, I’m honored to have witnessed it. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Yuji Nagata.
2017 Match #93: 93. WWE Championship: AJ Styles [c] vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Smackdown 10/30/18 2017 Match #93: PROGRESS World Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Travis Banks – PROGRESS Chapter 55: Chase the Sun 9/10/17 2016 Match #93: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW Dominion 6/19/16 2015 Match #93: Alberto El Patron vs. Johnny Mundo – Ultima Lucha 8/5/15
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Post by Funk The Revival on Jan 3, 2020 23:35:52 GMT -5
Thought the Garza - Rush match would place a lot higher, must be some pretty sick matches I've missed out on..
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