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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 31, 2020 16:48:47 GMT -5
I can't believe this is my sixth year doing this list. 2020 was certainly the most unique of them all, as the pandemic made it so wrestling looked different than it ever had before. Still, there were a lot of matches to love. I watched nearly every show put on by the three major companies other than some episode of AEW Dark, WWE Main Event, and NJPW's "Road to" shows.
It looks like between the three promotions, I had 103 matches rated at ****. So, I'll post the honorable mentions before getting into the official list. Since 2020 was so hectic and work picked up, some of the entries will just be my original reviews of the match instead of entirely new write-ups. Hopefully, this list can remind you or let you know about some great matches from a year that was difficult.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 1, 2021 10:08:49 GMT -5
Honorable Mentions (turns out I had a few more at **** than I realized)
Aleister Black vs. Buddy Murphy - WWE Raw 1/13/20 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: The Broserweights vs. Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews - NXT 1/15/20 NWA Women's Championship: Allysin Kay [c] vs. Thunder Rosa - NWA Hard Times NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Angel Garza [c] vs. Isaiah Scott vs. Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks - WWE Worlds Collide FTR vs. SCU - AEW Dynamite 6/24/20 Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay - NJPW G1 Climax 9/27/20 NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Santos Escobar [c] vs. Isaiah Scott - NXT TakeOver XXX
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 1, 2021 15:31:50 GMT -5
100. NXT North American Championship: Leon Ruff [c] vs. Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: War Games
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| The idea to put the NXT North American Title on Leon Ruff came as a shock to pretty much everyone. It continued the theme of Johnny Gargano losing his championships in quick succession. Damian Priest was also an interesting part of the program, as he treated Ruff like a joke but his main focus was Gargano. Together, the three of them put on a hell of a show at TakeOver: War Games and nearly managed to steal the show. Their match moved along with a brisk pace and didn’t let up for the entire 17:28. Ruff showed that he belonged with the top stars, while Priest and Gargano continued to display their tremendous chemistry together. The only real issue with this match was the finish. Having so many people in Ghostface costumes come out felt like overkill and the reveal of Austin Theory was pretty lame. Gargano used his cunningness to pin Ruff and secure his record-setting third North American Title reign, which has already surpassed one successful defense. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Leon Ruff.
2019 Match #100: Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio – WWE Raw 8/5/19 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 1, 2021 20:35:58 GMT -5
99. KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 9/29/20
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| Their G1 29 meeting, which Zack won, was an underrated gem from last year. It was interesting here with both men being heels this go around. It followed a formula I’m used to when ZSJ fights Ibushi, at least at the start. He tried to trap KENTA in submissions, only to get slapped around for his efforts. I think things like Zack grabbing at a kick to wrap it up in a hold are always good and it worked here. Zack played the de facto babyface because KENTA is such a jerk and he’s so good at it. Sabre would do his best to give it back to KENTA, only to get floored because he was out of his element and overmatched in that situation. There was something pretty great about the back and forth nature of this, which each guy trying to play to his strength. Eventually, KENTA hit the Go to Sleep to win in 15:46 and I really enjoyed that. A hell of a match that is just what I look for in the G1. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of KENTA.
2019 Match #99: Kazuchika Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 7/14/19 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2021 0:59:47 GMT -5
98. Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Ray Fénix – AEW Dynamite 11/11/20
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| For most of 2020, I noted that AEW was doing a disservice to The Lucha Bros (and Santana and Ortiz for that matter). They had one of the best tag teams on the planet and made them a .500 duo who was an afterthought. After they put on a stellar match in October during the Eliminator Tournament, it seemed like the company finally realized what they had. A highly-anticipated rematch was signed for this night and it headlined the show. Though it only went 12:24, they managed to pack a ton of action and highlights into this. However, it also had bigger storytelling elements. Both brothers ripped at each other’s masks and Penta was especially vicious throughout, hitting three piledriver variations on his brother, who had a bad neck. It played a major part in the split that Eddie Kingston had tried to caused in them, which was added to when PAC made his return after the match. Easily one of the better main events in Dynamite history and a great showcase for two of the best. [****] |
2019 Match #98: WWE Raw Women's Championship: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Sasha Banks – WWE 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2021 9:19:50 GMT -5
97. WWE Raw Women's Championship: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Asuka – WWE Raw 2/10/20
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| At the 2019 Royal Rumble, Becky Lynch and Asuka put on a classic that remains one of the best women’s matches in the history of the company. A year later, they went at it again at the Royal Rumble. While that one was good, it didn’t quite match the previous performance. Somewhere in the middle of those two lies this encounter from Raw a few weeks later. The two continued to put on a great showing with a back and forth battle that played into both of their characters, especially with Kairi Sane at ringside. The first two-thirds of this 18:51 encounter were strong but it’s the final third where this really stood out. Asuka and Lynch traded some of their best offense in quality exchanges that included a fantastic finishing stretch. The actual final move was quite unique as Lynch won with a modified uranage, which we hadn’t seen much from her. A great final leg to their trilogy before their emotional ending when Becky relinquished the title to her. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Becky Lynch.
2019 Match #97: KENTA vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 7/6/19 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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Post by McBlake on Jan 2, 2021 10:13:44 GMT -5
Glad to see you doing this again, I was getting worried
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2021 12:30:24 GMT -5
96. Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW G1 Climax 30 10/10/20
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| A first-time meeting that could’ve been great or it could’ve gone the way of the rest of Okada’s 2020 performances. Okada fans complained about how he hadn’t been his usual self in this G1 but this was classic Okada. The formula was back, baby! It was changed up a bit, especially in the finishing stretch, but the old days of overly long matches where the first two-thirds are pretty bland live on! It’s a recipe for very good matches but rarely for great ones. There were things I really liked that earned it a spot on the list, including the way it was paced later on and Shingo doing his own Rainmaker pose. That was awesome. The ending saw Okada finally win a match of importance with the Money Clip submission. Shingo didn’t submit, though, instead passing out from the lame move after 27:45. By no means a classic but a pretty great match that showed the Okada of old is still somewhere in there. Meanwhile, Shingo continued to be awesome and raised the level of a match that might not have worked as well with a different opponent. [****] |
2019 Match #96: WWE United States Championship: Samoa Joe [c] vs. Ricochet – WWE 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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peterjp2
Main Eventer
WF 10+ Year Member
24 ref's and counting, 944 on eBay
Joined on: Feb 8, 2006 10:18:07 GMT -5
Posts: 1,723
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Post by peterjp2 on Jan 2, 2021 14:30:05 GMT -5
Looking forward to this. Thanks for sharing it with us.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2021 16:04:06 GMT -5
95. Robbie Eagles vs. SHO – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 11/20/20
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| The field for the Best of the Super Juniors this year had a few standout names. Along with Hiromu Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori, and El Desperado, there were these two. Robbie Eagles is something of a technical wizard while SHO is a powerhouse in the division. Surprisingly, that wasn’t the exact story of this 19:22 match. Instead, it was more like speed against strength, with Eagles bringing the quickness. While this might not have totally lived up to my high hopes for it, this was still really good. I love when Eagles busts out the 450 splash onto someone’s leg to set up the Ron Miller Special. It didn’t work when he first attempted it but he got it right the second time and it led him to one of his biggest wins in a NJPW ring. It will totally go underrated in the grand scheme of things but deserves more shine from around the wrestling world. [****] |
2019 Match #95: NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Lio Rush [c] vs. Angel Garza – WWE NXT 12/11/19 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2021 20:37:34 GMT -5
94. No Disqualifications Match: Alexander Wolfe vs. Ilja Dragunov – NXT UK 1/2/20
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| It seems like we’ve hit a point where the things that happen on NXT UK are basically ignored by most fans. However, the show has had its fair share of great matches. One of them happened right at the start of the year. The feud between Ilja Dragunov and Imperium was only just heating up as the calendar turned to 2020. Before Dragunov could get his hands on United Kingdom Champion WALTER, he had to deal with his henchmen. The one who most bothered him was Alexander Wolfe. That led to this No Disqualifications match, which featured 14:51 of brutal action. They didn’t overdo it with the stipulation but made sure to make it work. There was also a strong dynamic where they played up their history together. The outcome was never really in doubt as Dragunov was the one getting pushed but that didn’t stop this from being a hell of an encounter. [****] |
2019 Match #94: G1 Climax Finals: Jay White vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/19 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 k5 on Jan 2, 2021 22:37:07 GMT -5
94. No Disqualifications Match: Alexander Wolfe vs. Ilja Dragunov – NXT UK 1/2/20
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| It seems like we’ve hit a point where the things that happen on NXT UK are basically ignored by most fans. However, the show has had its fair share of great matches. One of them happened right at the start of the year. The feud between Ilja Dragunov and Imperium was only just heating up as the calendar turned to 2020. Before Dragunov could get his hands on United Kingdom Champion WALTER, he had to deal with his henchmen. The one who most bothered him was Alexander Wolfe. That led to this No Disqualifications match, which featured 14:51 of brutal action. They didn’t overdo it with the stipulation but made sure to make it work. There was also a strong dynamic where they played up their history together. The outcome was never really in doubt as Dragunov was the one getting pushed but that didn’t stop this from being a hell of an encounter. [****] |
2019 Match #94: G1 Climax Finals: Jay White vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/19 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
love this match and love dragunov
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2021 11:34:01 GMT -5
93. NXT North American Championship Qualifying Match: Bronson Reed vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Roderick Strong – NXT 7/22/20
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| It was kind of hard to see this one coming. During the buildup to TakeOver XXX, a new North American Champion was needed due to Keith Lee relinquishing his gold. There was just no way to expect this triple threat match to be as good as it was. Right at the start, Bronson Reed proved to be a problem due to his sheer size. It caused Roderick Strong and Johnny Gargano to work together, even though they had a long history of disliking each other. They were even quick to turn on each other. Reed’s size turned out to actually be the thing the entire match was built around. They utilized it in clever ways and made sure this was entertaining for the entire 20:50. Strong and Gargano have been two of NXT’s top guys for a while but this felt like Reed’s coming out party. He was given the platform to shine brightest here and delivered. He also scored a huge win with a splash, earning his way into a TakeOver title shot. This was huge for Reed. [****] |
2019 Match #93: New Japan Cup First Round: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/8/19 2018 Match #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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2021 18:55:42 GMT -5
92. Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 9/24/20
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| They entered this match at 2-2. Sabre Jr. made note that he was laser-focused on this encounter as a win over the champion would get him a title shot before Wrestle Kingdom 15. Surprisingly, Naito took to the mat with Sabre Jr. in the early portions and held his own. Normally, Zack dominates there and gets in trouble when he plays his opponent’s game. I do think that this suffered from the case of a slow start but it had the sense of building towards something where other matches seem to be filling time. It wasn’t a perfect start but it worked more than others. At times, it seemed like they were trying to tease the draw, which may have held things back in the first half or so. At other times, it felt like a well-thought out chess match. Once they threw out some tornado DDTs, you could feel things click and get going into the next gear. It closed hot and Naito eked out a win with Destino at 28:28. It felt like Naito was too broken down in last year’s G1, where he underperformed. The long break helped him rest up as his G1 was much better this time around. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Zack Sabre Jr.
2019 Match #92: Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus – WWE SummerSlam 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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Thunder Chunky
Main Eventer
Joined on: Aug 1, 2010 21:57:30 GMT -5
Posts: 4,488
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Post by Thunder Chunky on Jan 3, 2021 21:01:36 GMT -5
Always love reading these lists.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2021 22:07:27 GMT -5
91. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara – AEW Revolution
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| I absolutely adore a fantastic sprint and that’s just what I got here. This was the shortest match to ever make one of my lists, clocking in at a mere 4:58. For some background, I first saw these guys on FIP and Style Battle shows when I had FloSlam in 2017. Darby immediately hit Sammy with a tope suicida before the bell rang. They spent the next few minutes fighting outside before this officially got started. That included Darby mostly missing a dive to the guardrail and Sammy busting out a sick looking 630 splash through a table on the outside. They kept that insane pace up once the match got started despite having already taken a beating. This was two guys who were willing to put their bodies on the line to steal the show and you have to appreciate that. Allin scored the win with a Coffin Drop that the fans popped hard for. This was right up my alley. They packed a lot of action into a short time, it had the intensity it needed, and felt like they were out to make a statement. [****] |
2019 Match #91: Dragon Lee vs. SHO – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/15/19 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, 2021 0:20:48 GMT -5
90. Jeff Cobb vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 10/10/20
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| Ishii is 3-0 against Cobb but I’ve only seen their G1 29 outing, which was fantastic. Do you guys realize what this is? It’s a good old fashioned hOSS FIGHT and goddammit do I love it. They gave me exactly what I wanted. It was similar to last year’s match in that they just went right at one another. Some of the chops and strikes thrown out during this were downright vicious. One floored Cobb to the point where Ishii couldn’t even pick him up. Dude was dead weight. Of course, Cobb started to get going and suplexed Ishii all over the place. Ishii continues to bump and sell very well for a guy his size. In the end, Cobb finally broke his streak of losses to Ishii when he delivered the Tour of the Islands after 14:57. That was awesome. I liked last year’s a bit more and some of those headbutts were worrisome but this was a great hoss battle. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Jeff Cobb.
2019 Match #90: KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 8/10/19 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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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2021 9:40:42 GMT -5
89. Alexander Wolfe and WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov and Pete Dunne – NXT UK 10/15/20
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| I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Wrestling is simple. Just put talented people in there and let them have great matches. That’s just what NXT UK did on this particular episode. Former United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne teamed with Ilja Dragunov to take on current United Kingdom Champion WALTER and his Imperium buddy Alexander Wolfe. It’s great because it combined two stellar matches from recent memory in Wolfe/Dragunov and Dunne/WALTER. I don’t even really have to describe this match because if you know these four wrestlers, you know what this was. There were stiff shots and great action. It did get off to a slow start but once it picked up, it didn’t stop. By the time this reached its end after 19:02, you were almost as exhausted watching it as they were in the ring. Dragunov became the first man to pin WALTER in NXT UK. This worked to build their eventual title match and as something of a sendoff for Dunne, who’d show up in NXT later that month. [****] |
2019 Match #89: Cesaro vs. Ilja Dragunov – NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff 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, 2021 12:11:17 GMT -5
88. NEVER Openweight Six Man Championship Tournament Finals: Kazuchika Okada, SHO & Toru Yano vs. Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI – NJPW Summer Struggle 8/9/20
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| EVIL turning heel on Tetsuya Naito and joining the Bullet Club was one of the bigger shockers of the year. That was taken to the next level when EVIL won the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Titles from Naito. With him away from Los Ingobernables de Japon, EVIL had to relinquish the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles since he wasn’t down with his partners anymore. A short tournament was formed and this was the finals. It was an interesting setup because both teams were made up of members of the CHAOS stable. In a great, fast-moving battle that lasted 24:18, the two teams showcased their chemistry in a highly engaging and entertaining match. In the end, the win for Goto, Ishii, and HASHI meant a ton because it marked the first championship win for YOSHI-HASHI. He went from longtime company geek to an actual champion in one of the more underrated feel good moments of the year. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Toru Yano and YOSHI-HASHI.
2019 Match #88: Women’s Royal Rumble – WWE Royal Rumble 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, 2021 15:20:50 GMT -5
87. Eliminator Tournament Finals: Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega – AEW Full Gear
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| For most of 2020, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page were a stellar tag team. You’ll them as a duo often on this list. By this point, they had somewhat split and now clashed with a title shot on the line. Shoutout to the graphic boys for listing Hangman as a “Focused Yee Haw Man.” I really liked the fact that these two played up their history. They know each other as former partners, so it led to some great counters and even each guy trying to steal offense from the other. There’s also a heated past so it was a slugfest at times. In the end, the finish was a bit abrupt, though it did feel like Omega was just too much for his lesser-experienced opponent. A few V-Triggers and a One Winged Angel put down Hangman after 16:16. Great match and I appreciate that they didn’t try to put on a marathon or anything like that. An efficient use of time that told a great story with plenty of action. It does feel like they have something better in them, which we most likely will see in 2021. [****] |
2019 Match #87: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA – NJPW G1 Climax 7/14/19 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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