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Post by TheSystem 1.5 on Jan 4, 2020 0:13:10 GMT -5
Thought the Garza - Rush match would place a lot higher, must be some pretty sick matches I've missed out on.. Same, but it’s given there’s gonna be a lot of Ishii
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2020 0:45:32 GMT -5
92. Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus – WWE SummerSlam
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| When Trish Stratus retired at Unforgiven 2006, she went out with one of her best matches ever. It turns out that she was truly saving her best for another match in Toronto 13 years later. Charlotte Flair has proven herself to be the top big match female wrestler in the world. Hell, she has a strong case for best big match wrestler regardless of gender. She came into this overconfident. Charlotte didn’t take Trish seriously and fell victim to some surprising offense that overwhelmed her. She never expected Trish to be as good as she was. Being in her hometown meant the crowd could help Trish when she was in trouble. They were loud for almost everything. Seeing Trish bust out a super rana was awesome because it showed that she was doing things she never tried in her prime. She wasn’t just in this match for a paycheck. There was effort and thought put into all of this. She used the Figure Eight in a great moment and the Stratusfaction near fall was perfect. The outcome here was obvious but they made us believe in a close call. That’s hard to do. Once Charlotte trapped her in the Figure Eight, Trish had to tap, ending this after an excellent 16:38. A tremendous way for Trish to go out. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Trish Stratus.
2018 Match #92: Kota Ibushi vs. SANADA – NJPW G1 Climax 7/26/18 2017 Match #92: Keith Lee vs. WALTER – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 9/2/17 2016 Match #92: Gift of the Gods Championship: Fenix (c) vs. King Cuerno – Lucha Underground 1/27/16 2015 Match #92: ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Roderick Strong – ROH TV 9/9/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2020 8:03:01 GMT -5
91. Dragon Lee vs. SHO – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/15/19
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| During the 2018 Best of the Super Juniors, I was pleasantly surprised by the banger these two put on. They went out trying to best it this time around. Their growth was clear. Now, Dragon Lee came in as the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, while SHO was challenging the likes of Shingo Takagi in the division. A win over Lee would be huge for SHO’s career, while Lee didn’t want to be a champion who started the tournament 0-2. With that in mind, both men entered this with a level of intensity that you didn’t see from many BOSJ contests. There was a little extra snap behind each offensive maneuver. Within the first ten minutes of this 27:10 encounter, they had both been battered beyond belief. That wasn’t a normal 10 minutes. It was taxing. Though they both had their arms targeted, they found ways to remain in this. SHO would still bust out impressive feats of strength and Lee would take him to the mat. That’s an underrated aspect of Dragon Lee’s game by the way. When they heard that time was winding down, they started throwing their best offense at each other. You could feel the desperation from two men who didn’t want to start 0-2. Lee avoided it by hitting Desnucadora to win. [****] |
2018 Match #91: WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament First Round: Hideo Itami vs. Roderick Strong – WWE 205 Live 2/6/18 2017 Match #91: PROGRESS World and Tag Team Championships: British Strong Style [c] vs. Ringkampf – PROGRESS Chapter 47: Complicated Simplicity 4/23/17 2016 Match #91: Johnny Gargano vs. TJ Perkins – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/24/16 2015 Match #91: Chad Gable and Jason Jordan vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa – NXT 10/28/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2020 11:40:43 GMT -5
90. KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 8/10/19
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| After starting the G1 Climax 4-0, KENTA lost his next four matches. Zack Sabre Jr. also didn’t have the best tournament in terms of his win/loss record. With this match taking place on the final A Block night, there wasn’t much in the way of drama or stakes. However, both men were looking to avoiding an embarrassing result. Sabre finishing with only 6 points would suck, while five straight losses for KENTA was a tough pill to swallow. They worked the match around their strengths. Sabre’s submission skills against KENTA’s strikes. Sabre targeted KENTA’s surgically repaired shoulder. KENTA would break a submission with a brutal knee and Sabre would find random openings to trap him again. It was simple and great. Sabre kept up the streak of making crucial mistakes in the G1 like getting goaded into a strike exchange he had no chance of winning. He’d just get floored by a forearm. Sabre looked out of it when KENTA hoisted him up for the GTS. But then he countered it into a guillotine that he turned into the Jim Breaks Armbar. Some boots to the head added viciousness and KENTA was forced to give up at the 16:26 mark. About as good a styles clash as you’ll find. [****] |
2018 Match #90: WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Finn Balor – WWE Raw 8/20/18 2017 Match #90: GHC Heavyweight Championship: Katsuhiko Nakajima [c] vs. Brian Cage – NOAH Summer Navigation 7/27/17 2016 Match #90: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/28/16 2015 Match #90: No Disqualification Match: Adam Page vs. Jay Briscoe – ROH TV 10/21/15
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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 4, 2020 12:12:40 GMT -5
I think for overall match quality within a year, 2019 really delivered. 2018 may be tied or slightly higher.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2020 15:58:21 GMT -5
89. Cesaro vs. Ilja Dragunov – NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff
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| Remember that time Cesaro randomly appeared in NXT UK? It was awesome. He surprisingly took part in the action at TakeOver: Cardiff and reminded people of why he’s held in such high esteem. I have always been someone who felt like Cesaro was the best tag team wrestler in the world and someone who is kind of just there as a singles guy. Even so, he can turn in performances like this and be fantastic. Ilja Dragunov was kind of the perfect opponent for him. He can hit just as hard and take a beating. A few of the spots early came across rather awkwardly. You could tell they weren’t all that used to each other. But as soon we got treated to the 40 spin Cesaro Swing, this kicked up in quality and never slowed down. The exchanges the rest of the way were insane. Cesaro’s Go to Sleep style stomach breaker and charging European Uppercut led to two of the best near falls of the year. Dragunov came close but got caught with a popup uppercut and the Neutralizer, losing after an intense 12:26. This didn’t need a backstory. Cesaro should have stayed in NXT UK. He can just wrestle there and it’ll work in a way it doesn’t on the main roster. [****] |
*This is the last appearance of Ilja Dragunov.
2018 Match #89: WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Roderick Strong – NXT 2/14/18 2017 Match #89: PROGRESS Atlas Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Matt Riddle – PROGRESS: New York City 8/12/17 2016 Match #89: Chris Hero vs. Tracy Williams – Evolve 72 11/12/ 2015 Match #89: Hell in a Cell: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker – Hell in a Cell 10/25/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2020 19:17:19 GMT -5
88. Women’s Royal Rumble – WWE Royal Rumble
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| The inaugural women’s Royal Rumble in 2018 proved to be one of the most fun matches of the year. It was filled with fun surprise entrants and blasts from the past. This year’s iteration chose to focus on the present and future of the women’s division. It got off to a rocky start with several awkward exchanges between Natalya and Lacey Evans. But once other entrants started coming out, things picked up. The Naomi/Mandy Rose rivalry played a factor. The IIconics worked as a team. NXT guests like Candice LeRae, Xia Li, Kairi Sane, Io Shirai, and Rhea Ripley all added some flair to the match. Kacy Catanzaro had one of the best moments in Royal Rumble history with the incredible way that she staved off elimination. It was better than anything previously done by Kofi Kingston. There was a really bad sequence involving Maria Kanellis and Alicia Fox that was easily the low point. The Hornswoggle appearance was random and cleverly done. Beyond all of the fun was the main story of Becky Lynch taking the spot of the injured Lana at the tail end of the match. It fittingly came down to her and Charlotte Flair, with Becky winning out after a grand total of 71:24. And it was so much fun. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Lacey Evans, Natalya, Mickie James, Ember Moon, Nikki Cross, Tamina, Xia Li, Charlotte Flair, Kairi Sane, Maria Kanellis, Alicia Fox, Kacy Catanzaro, Zelina Vega, Ruby Riott, Dana Brooke, and Alexa Bliss.
2018 Match #88: NXT Tag Team Championship: Undisputed Era [c] vs. Mustache Mountain – NXT United Kingdom Tournament 6/26/18 2017 Match #88: NXT Women’s Championship: Asuka [c] vs. Ember Moon – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III 8/19/17 2016 Match #88: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA – NJPW G1 Climax 7/18/16 2015 Match #88: Hirooki Goto vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW G1 Climax 8/1/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2020 23:31:21 GMT -5
87. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA – NJPW G1 Climax 7/14/19
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| If you’ve ever watched KENTA, you have probably figured out that he’s at his best when he’s being a total bunghole. That was the case when I watched him in NOAH, ROH, and 205 Live. After besting Kota Ibushi to start the G1 Climax, his next meeting was against the defending G1 champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi. Katsuyori Shibata was on commentary, opting not to pick a side here. I thought the dynamic of this match was excellent. Tanahashi looked at KENTA with disgust as if his style of wrestling was beneath him. KENTA didn’t shy away, firing off hard strikes and stiff kicks. To combat it, Tanahashi started in with dragon screws and leg work. It’s so simple, yet so effective. KENTA busted out Shibata’s sleeper hold/Penalty Kick combo but Tanahashi had it scouted. He’s faced Shibata a ton before so that makes sense. Tanahashi sold the GTS like death and it is what did him in after a great 18:35. This was one of the best outings from Tanahashi during the G1 Climax and arguably the best stuff we saw from KENTA all year long. He was only two matches into the NJPW run and was out to make a statement. He succeeded. [****] |
2018 Match #87: Hiromu Takahashi vs. SHO – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/2/18 2017 Match #87: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/18/17 2016 Match #87: SMASH Championship: Johnny Gargano (c) vs. Mark Haskins – PROGRESS 5000 to 1 6/26/16 2015 Match #87: WWE Tag Team Championship 2 Out of 3 Falls: New Day (c) vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro – WWE Payback 5/17/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2020 8:18:27 GMT -5
86. Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. #DIY – WWE NXT 3/13/19
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| NXT played host to some absolutely ridiculous matches in 2019. This was one of them. During the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa found themselves teaming up once again. They beat the Undisputed Era in a hell of a quarterfinal match, setting up this meeting with two of the hottest stars in NXT, Aleister Black and Ricochet. Considering Ciampa/Black and Gargano/Ricochet were singles matches on the previous TakeOver, there was an added bonus of history here. To show they were truly back, #DIY busted out their old t-shirts and everything. The match was an exhilarating 13:26. Black and Ricochet once again showed why they were one of the best tag teams in the world, while #DIY looked like they hadn’t missed a beat. This whole thing was nonstop action but they added a story element. Gargano’s knee gave out, leaving Ciampa to fend for himself. He ate the Black Mass and a 630 to take the loss. It led to Ciampa trying to attack Gargano after the match, only for Johnny to reveal that he had been faking and turn the tables. It was supposed to setup their TakeOver match but Ciampa’s injury changed that. Regardless, we got this banger out of their reunion. [****] |
2018 Match #86: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks – WWE Raw 1/29/18 2017 Match #86: EVIL vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW G1 Climax 8/5/17 2016 Match #86: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 5/3/16 2015 Match #86: WWE and United States Championships: Seth Rollins (c) vs. John Cena (c) – WWE SummerSlam 8/23/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2020 14:24:06 GMT -5
85. IWGP Intercontinental Championship No DQ Match: Chris Jericho [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
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| At Dominion 2018, Chris Jericho won the IWGP Intercontinental Title from Tetsuya Naito in a very good match (***¾). On that night, Jericho attacked Naito before the bell. Naito returned the favor this time around and ended up hitting a piledriver on the aisle. That set the tone for a match that did a great job with the No Disqualifications stipulation. At this stage in his career, Jericho has no business working a 20+ minute wrestling match (check the AEW Title match with Hangman Page for further proof). But a wild brawl? Jericho can do that for the 22:35 that this lasted. This got taken to the next level of violent when Jericho looked like he broke Naito’s neck with a DDT on a table. It was an insane bump. I loved how Naito would get as violent as Jericho and gave him welts with kendo stick shots, yet remained tranquilo as he swung it like a baseball bat. It was classic Naito. And it almost cost him when he got caught with a Codebreaker. Great exchange. There were weird moments too, like Jericho shoving the ref so he can do a low blow even though those are legal in this kind of match. After selling the hell out of a Codebreaker, Naito hit a pair of Destinos to regain his title. An absolute war and the best match Jericho had since leaving WWE up to this point. [****] |
2018 Match #85: NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto [c] vs. Juice Robinson – NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 4/27/18 2017 Match #85: Open The Twin Gate Championship: CIMA and Dragon Kid (c) vs. Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi – Dragon Gate Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 7/23/17 2016 Match #85: Cedric Alexander vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 67 8/20/16 2015 Match #85: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – NJPW Dominion 7/5/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2020 16:35:18 GMT -5
84. Satoshi Kojima vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW Dominion
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| Shingo Takagi swept through the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament before losing in the finals to Will Ospreay. He opted to move to the heavyweight division where he belonged and his first true test was here against Satoshi Kojima. It made sense given how Shingo blamed a lack of experience on his loss and Kojima is brimming with experience. As soon as the bell rang, I got the sense that this was my kind of match. Two tough dudes wailing on each other. Kojima is like Yuji Nagata in that both men are done with G1 runs but I’d prefer them over some guys who are in these days because they can still go. These two had such a good time beating on one another that they almost both got counted out while trading forearms on the outside. You got the sense that this was important for both men. Shingo wanted to prove he belonged with the heavyweights and Kojima could prove he still had it and maybe earn another G1 entry. Shingo used the same bully tactics that he brought against the junior heavyweights but they didn’t work as well. It was a smart way to show that he was strong enough against bigger guys but that things wouldn’t come easy. Shingo fired up to win with Last of the Dragon in an action-packed 11:14. My kind of wrestling. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Satoshi Kojima.
2018 Match #84: Raw Women’s Championship Elimination Chamber: Alexa Bliss [c] vs. Bayley vs. Mandy Rose vs. Mickie James vs. Sasha Banks vs. Sonya Deville – WWE Elimination Chamber 2/25/18 2017 Match #84: Evolve Championship: Timothy Thatcher [c] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 79 2/25/17 2016 Match #84: WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. AJ Styles and Chris Jericho – WWE Raw 3/7/16 2015 Match #84: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 7/26/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2020 19:46:55 GMT -5
83. NXT Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Smackdown 11/1/19
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| WWE has always been at their best when their backs are against the wall. The whole ordeal with most of the roster getting stranded in Saudi Arabia opened up opportunities as the company was forced to pivot. That resulted in the November 1st episode of Smackdown, which was easily the best since the move to Fox. NXT invaded and we were treated to entertaining matches and fun surprises. The best was the main event, which pit Daniel Bryan against Adam Cole for the NXT Championship. Just having that title defended on Smackdown was crazy enough but then consider the two men involved and it was a dream match for many. With Triple H and Shawn Michaels at ringside and all of the chaos throughout the night, you might have expected shenanigans in this one and no clean finish. Thankfully, they avoided that. Cole and Bryan were given 20:49 and they just put on a great showing. Quality back and forth action with Bryan giving Cole so much. He made sure that the NXT Champion looked like he was on his level. Bryan has been unbelievably unselfish since returning in early 2018. When Cole hit the Panama Sunrise and Last Shot to retain, it was arguably the biggest win of his career. A TV classic from two great performers. [****] |
2017 Match #83: NXT Women’s Championship: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Kairi Sane – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 2017 Match #83: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/1/17 2016 Match #83: Ricochet vs. TJ Perkins – Evolve 58 – 4/1/16 2015 Match #83: Global League Finals: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Shelton X Benjamin – NOAH Global League Finals 11/8/15
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Post by Jonathan Karate on Jan 5, 2020 22:47:53 GMT -5
Cole/Bryan might be my favorite TV match of the year WWE wise. It was so refreshing.
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Post by LK3 on Jan 5, 2020 22:53:17 GMT -5
Definitely the best TV match for me. Raw/SD at least. Not the last match from SmackDown for his list though. Probably the Kofi gauntlet is to come.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2020 23:01:43 GMT -5
82. NXT North American Championship: Johnny Gargano [c] vs. Velveteen Dream – NXT 2/20/19
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| After winning the Worlds Collide Tournament, Velveteen Dream earned a shot at any NXT Title he desired. When he made the call to go after the North American Title held by Johnny Gargano, it set the stage for something great. Gargano had only just won the title a few weeks earlier and this was his first defense. He was now “Johnny Champion,” but for how long? In the early stages, Dream showed that the could match Johnny in terms fo technical ability. Once he did that, he slapped Johnny and tried to frustrate the champion. Johnny kept his cool and took control, wearing down the challenger. However, he got a bit too cocky. Stopping to pose for the crowd was a bad idea. That set up Dream’s second wind and the final ten or so minutes of this 20:41 was tremendous. It moved at a crazy pace after that. Drama, close calls, and a crowd that hung on every little thing that they did. Just as they were reaching a level of possibly overdoing it with the near falls and big spots, Dream hit the Purple Rainmaker to win the title, ending Johnny’s reign in short order. These are two of the best in the world and they delivered together, even if it wasn’t the best effort from either guy in 2019. [****] |
2018 Match #82: SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 7/21/18 2017 Match #82: AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor – WWE TLC 10/22/17 2016 Match #82: WWE Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE Roadblock 3/12/16 2015 Match #82: Ricochet vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 8/29/15
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E N I G M A
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jul 4, 2010 5:21:31 GMT -5
Posts: 2,631
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Post by E N I G M A on Jan 6, 2020 16:34:15 GMT -5
Cole vs Bryan was freakin great! One of my top 10 matches of the year for sure
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Post by marino13 on Jan 6, 2020 17:33:58 GMT -5
I don't know if anyone in WWE/NXT had a better year than Adam Cole.
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Post by tylerbreezee on Jan 6, 2020 18:02:31 GMT -5
Gonna be surprised if #1 isn’t Cole vs Gargano’s 2/3 falls match
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 6, 2020 19:50:54 GMT -5
81. NXT Tag Team Championship: The Undisputed Era [c] vs. War Raiders – NXT TakeOver: Phoenix
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| Before they moved to Raw and started mostly competing in squash matches, the War Raiders had a strong case for Tag Team of the Year. Matches like this showed why. The Undisputed Era entered in the midst of a stellar run as NXT Tag Team Champions. War Raiders marked their biggest challenge because of their sheer size. The champions started off by getting their asses kicked, but they turned the tide thanks to brilliant work. You could see why they were so dominant for so long. The heat segment worked and I was pleasantly surprised at how well War Raiders sold while still looking legitimate. Hanson’s hot tag was great. He’s so fun in that role. There’s a reason Undisputed Era have opened so many TakeOvers. They’ve mastered tag team wrestling and always have the crowd in a frenzy. As they neared the 16:57 conclusion, the closing stretch was straight up insane, though it hit a bit of overkill at points. Finally, War Raiders hit Fallout and were crowned new NXT Tag Team Champions. This was a hell of a way to start a show and some tremendous tag team wrestling. The best part is that both teams would go on to have better matches later in the year, as they were just getting warmed up. [****] |
2018 Match #81: Mae Young Classic Semi-Finals: Meiko Satomura vs. Toni Storm – WWE Mae Young Classic 10/24/18 2017 Match #81: Bobby Fish vs. Jay Lethal – ROH 15th Anniversary Show 3/10/17 2016 Match #81: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/7/16 2015 Match #81: NXT Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte – NXT 7/15/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 6, 2020 19:51:52 GMT -5
Gonna be surprised if #1 isn’t Cole vs Gargano’s 2/3 falls match I can say that the matches at TakeOver XXV and Toronto aren't on the list at all.
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