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Post by Evil Abed on Jan 14, 2021 18:58:18 GMT -5
Walter/Dragunov, Bucks vs. Omega/Page, and I’m assuming there’s a few more Takeover Portland matches to come (Ciampa/Cole, Gargano/Balor)
Curious to see what’s on top this year.
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Post by k5 on Jan 14, 2021 19:09:32 GMT -5
Walter/Dragunov, Bucks vs. Omega/Page, and I’m assuming there’s a few more Takeover Portland matches to come (Ciampa/Cole, Gargano/Balor) Curious to see what’s on top this year. dog collar match as well!
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Post by LK3 on Jan 14, 2021 19:11:32 GMT -5
WALTER vs. Dragunov is up there too. That's my #4. Probably could've been 2 or 3 but I am not that invested in NXT UK so the build was irrelevant for me I’ve only watched that match since UK came back. I have no issue ranking it 1, or 4, or 2, whatever man lol. But for the record Omega/Page vs Bucks is my #1.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2021 19:46:34 GMT -5
38. NXT UK Women's Championship: Kay Lee Ray [c] vs. Piper Niven vs. Toni Storm – NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II
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| As much as I enjoy the NXT UK women’s division, I was still waiting on them to have a TakeOver banger. Rhea/Toni and KLR/Toni both underwhelmed. I’ve enjoyed the story of this including their friendship, Niven’s desire for a big opportunity, KLR pulling the strings, and Toni’s obsession with the title. It all works. Those concepts played into the match. Toni attacked KLR at the bell to set up a hot start, though Niven quickly took control. You got the sense that Toni was being the aggressor, KLR was willing to lay back and let them beat each other up, and Niven kept coming in to try and steal the show. I loved the moment of Niven saving her friend, despite their differences, from KLR injuring her with a chair. Again, it fit the roles they had coming into this, especially with Toni possibly using the chair on Niven right after. Down the stretch, they started in with the bigger spots and this got better as it went on. Toni stopping the refereeing from counting three was another perfect moment for her. The Destroyer from Niven was insane and Toni trying to immediately steal it with Storm Zero after made for a fantastic near fall. Toni resorted to a frog splash late, only for KLR to superkick her and steal the pin, retaining in 13:11. They delivered. That was fantastic. I loved the way it played into their characters coming in, it had great action, and phenomenal late drama. My only real issue is that the finish is overdone in this kind of match. [****¼] |
*This is the final NXT UK Women's Title match. *It is the last appearance of Kay Lee Ray and Piper Niven.
2019 Match #38: NXT Women's Championship: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Rhea Ripley – NXT 12/18/19 2018 Match #38: WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz [c] vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins – WWE WrestleMania 4/8/18 2017 Match #38: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17 2016 Match #38: Chris Hero vs. Tomohiro Ishii – RPW Global Wars UK 11/10/16 2015 Match #38: KUSHIDA vs. Roderick Strong – ROH War of the Worlds 5/12/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2021 22:11:14 GMT -5
37. Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinals: Penta El Zero M vs. Ray Fenix – AEW Dynamite 10/21/20
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| One of the things I’ve taken issue with regarding AEW is the treatment of the Lucha Bros. Ray Fenix and Pentagon are two of the company’s best wrestlers and certainly one of their best tag teams. Despite that, they hovered around .500 with their record and were mostly afterthoughts. They were finally given a big opportunity on this episode of Dynamite, headlining the show in singles action as part of a tournament for an AEW World Title shot. The action was fierce, harkening back to their Lucha Underground days. They went at it for 14:21 and showed the entire world just how great they are. There were some ridiculous sports, counters, and exchanges throughout. The stuff blew minds and ended up trending on Twitter. Fenix came out on top in the end but got injured and couldn’t compete in the next round. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of The Lucha Bros.
2019 Match #37: Dragon Lee vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/23/19 2018 Match #37: Extreme Rules Match: Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black – NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia 1/27/18 2017 Match #37: Number One Contender’s Match: Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Seth Rollins – Raw 5/1/17 2016 Match #37: Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown – WWE Survivor Series 11/20/16 2015 Match #37: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 7/20/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2021 0:29:34 GMT -5
36. Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Portland
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| Long before Finn Balor won back the NXT Championship and even before Johnny Gargano turned to the dark side, they met in what was at least Johnny's best singles match of 2020. When Balor returned to NXT in late 2019, he shockingly turned heel by attacking Gargano and putting him on the shelf. It took months for them to clash and they delivered when the time came. Balor was more vicious than usual, showing that his new villainous edge was a successful one. Gargano countered with his trademark resiliency, never giving up and fighting back even when he seemed to be finished. They threw in callbacks to their rivalry, which are always appreciated in matches like this. Gargano fought hard but in the end, he fell victim to the Coup de Grace and Bloody Sunday after an excellent 27:23. [****¼] |
2019 Match #36: NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan vs. The Forgotten Sons vs. The Street Profits vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT TakeOver XXV 2018 Match #36: Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 7/21/18 2017 Match #36: PROGRESS Atlas Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. WALTER – PROGRESS Chapter 51: Screaming for PROGRESS 7/9/17 2016 Match #36: Lucha Underground Championship: Mil Muertes (c) vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 3/9/16 2015 Match #36: NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks – NXT TakeOver: Rival 2/11/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2021 10:09:12 GMT -5
35. NXT Title No. 1 Contender's Match: Kyle O'Reilly vs. Pete Dunne – NXT 12/16/20
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| As soon as Kyle O’Reilly geared up for his opportunity at the NXT Title at TakeOver 31, he stepped up to become one of the company’s best wrestlers. I’ve known how fantastic he is in singles competition for years but now NXT fans could see too. One of his best showcases came on this episode of NXT where he clashed with Pete Dunne for a shot at the NXT Championship. This was vicious, hard hitting, and unlike most of what was happening on weekly TV. For 22:47, these two went to war and had a brutal encounter that was one of the best televised matches of the year. Pete Dunne also got to remind people of how fantastic he is after he missed most of the year during the pandemic. Kyle O’Reilly earned another shot at Finn Balor with a hard fought victory in this TV classic. [****¼] |
2019 Match #35: Worlds Collide Tournament Finals: Tyler Bate vs. Velveteen Dream – WWE Worlds Collide 2/2/19 2018 Match #35: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW The New Beginning In Sapporo 1/27/18 2017 Match #35: Andrade Almas vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 8/19/17 2016 Match #35: NEVER Openweight Championship: Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Dominion 6/19/16 2015 Match #35: Adam Cole vs. AJ Styles – ROH War of the Worlds 5/12/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2021 12:21:49 GMT -5
34. WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Jey Uso – WWE Clash of Champions
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| The build for this was spectacular. ROMAN GOT THE TITTIES OUT! TITTIES ROMAN > THIGH MEAT OKADA! Jey was a bit cocky, stopping to dance at the start. Once Roman started in on offense, he dominated and got irritated that his cousin was kicking out. Jey would get in a hope spot only for Roman to bring the ass kicking again. He’d also talk trash and question Jey for even trying this fight. The close calls for Jey were well done, like on a rollup and the splash. I loved how Reigns kicked out of the splash by low blowing Jey. Reigns hit the Spear and demanded that Jey call him the chief. When Jey declined, another Spear came. Jey refused again so Roman added more of a beating. Even when the referee tried to stop the match, Roman said he’s been doing this his whole life. Jimmy Uso came out to throw in the towel but Jey pleaded with him not to do it. Roman added more right hands until Jimmy did the deed, ending this in 22:57. Holy crap. That was spectacular from a storytelling perspective. The action itself was strong but that story put it over the top and I’m a big sucker for that kind of stuff. Hell yeah. Big Dog. [****¼] |
2019 Match #34: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Finals – 6/5/19 2018 Match #34: WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles – WWE TLC 12/16/18 2017 Match #34: PROGRESS Championship No Disqualifications Match: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Jimmy Havoc – PROGRESS Chapter 45: Galvanize 3/19/17 2016 Match #34: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/3/16 2015 Match #34: Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor – NXT TakeOver: Rival 2/11/15
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Post by Sizzle on Jan 15, 2021 14:53:40 GMT -5
Finn Balor had a hell of a year.
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Post by k5 on Jan 15, 2021 16:25:37 GMT -5
35. NXT Title No. 1 Contender's Match: Kyle O'Reilly vs. Pete Dunne – NXT 12/16/20
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| As soon as Kyle O’Reilly geared up for his opportunity at the NXT Title at TakeOver 31, he stepped up to become one of the company’s best wrestlers. I’ve known how fantastic he is in singles competition for years but now NXT fans could see too. One of his best showcases came on this episode of NXT where he clashed with Pete Dunne for a shot at the NXT Championship. This was vicious, hard hitting, and unlike most of what was happening on weekly TV. For 22:47, these two went to war and had a brutal encounter that was one of the best televised matches of the year. Pete Dunne also got to remind people of how fantastic he is after he missed most of the year during the pandemic. Kyle O’Reilly earned another shot at Finn Balor with a hard fought victory in this TV classic. [****¼] |
2019 Match #35: Worlds Collide Tournament Finals: Tyler Bate vs. Velveteen Dream – WWE Worlds Collide 2/2/19 2018 Match #35: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW The New Beginning In Sapporo 1/27/18 2017 Match #35: Andrade Almas vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 8/19/17 2016 Match #35: NEVER Openweight Championship: Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Dominion 6/19/16 2015 Match #35: Adam Cole vs. AJ Styles – ROH War of the Worlds 5/12/15
just watched this one, holy crap what a finish!
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2021 16:50:19 GMT -5
33. Edge vs. Randy Orton – WWE Backlash
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| THE GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER! This was done with “enhanced audio,” which meant piped in crowd noise. Charles Robinson was even in an old school ref shirt with a bowtie and they used Fink’s voice for the intro. The idea of the match is that Orton has been wrestling for years while Edge has been hurt. It made sense that Orton could best him with the simplest of things. For example, he just stopped short to avoid an arm drag and it worked to perfection. As this progressed, it got more aggressive. Orton got busted open and Edge kept the pressure on. As this neared the 30 minute mark, you could tell that it was a pretty great wrestling match. The stuff done by Orton and Edge was actually quite good but the added-in crowd noise and weird angles made it hokey. I really liked them resorting to moves from those close to them like Edge using the Killswitch and Orton hitting the Pedigree. They went overboard with the kickouts late, as Edge survived multiple RKOs and Orton kicked out of a bunch of Spears. Orton finally took it home with a low blow and the Punt after 44:47. That’s a great idea for the ending as Orton, who bragged about being the better wrestler, resorted to underhanded tactics. That was fantastic overall. They went too far with the false finishes late and the presentation was odd but everything else worked wonderfully. [****¼] |
*This marks the final match from Backlash.
2019 Match #33: NXT UK Tag Titles: Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Moustache Mountain – NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool 2018 Match #33: G1 Climax Finals: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/18 2017 Match #33: WWN Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. Keith Lee – Evolve 87 6/25/17 2016 Match #33: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Naomichi Marufuji – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/10/16 2015 Match #33: AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/14/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2021 23:13:47 GMT -5
32. AEW TNT Championship: Cody Rhodes [c] vs. Darby Allin – AEW Full Gear
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| The Nightmare Family seems to now also include Lee Johnson and The Gunn Club. Cody has his last name back officially. Darby clearly learned from their past. He used his quickness to frustrate Cody and even slapped him in the back of the head at one point. It’s a small thing but one of my favorite aspects of Arn Anderson being there is when Cody goes to him for advice and they use the clipboard to hide it. A pissed Cody got vicious with the hammerlock toss to the outside. That put the champ in the driver’s seat and they kind of built this around the hammerlock, so you know Cody watched some old ass match with similar psychology and was inspired. Darby sold the hell out of the arm and Cody got more heelish throughout. He wouldn’t end this mercifully and then teased using the weight belt. The resilient Darby kept coming at Cody and then scored a surprise three count after a series of pin counters in 17:09. That was so very much my crap. Building the match around the hammerlock was tremendous, as was Darby’s selling and Cody playing his role expertly. Darby proved he could be the face of TNT and finally got his moment. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin. *It is the last match from Full Gear. *There are no more TNT Title matches.
2019 Match #32: NXT Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Matt Riddle – WWE NXT 10/2/19 2018 Match #32: Tyler Bate vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PROGRESS Chapter 63: Take Me Underground 2/11/18 2017 Match #32: Matt Riddle vs. Travis Banks – PROGRESS Chapter 52: Vote Pies 7/23/17 2016 Match #32: WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena – WWE No Mercy 10/9/16 2015 Match #32: NXT Championship: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Finn Balor – WWE Beast in the East 7/4/15
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Post by CM Tusk on Jan 16, 2021 0:04:47 GMT -5
Curious to see where my top 2, Undisputed Era vs Imperium and DIY vs Mustache Mountain rank. If they do at all.
I’m going to guess Bayley vs Sasha in the Cell is in the top five. Maybe even number one.
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Post by TheSystem 1.5 on Jan 16, 2021 1:32:49 GMT -5
Finn Balor had a hell of a year. NXT really rejuvenated him.
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Post by LK3 on Jan 16, 2021 2:32:17 GMT -5
Oh man, this isn’t going to end well. The LAST TNT Title and Cody Rhodes match on the list?!
The Dog Collar match did not go over well with the Kevstaaa.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2021 7:58:19 GMT -5
31. Street Fight: Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox – NXT TakeOver: Portland
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| My five favorite female wrestlers in WWE are Sasha Banks, Dakota Kai, Sonya Deville, Io Shirai, and Tegan Nox. Having two of them in this match was lovely. It also helped that they had yet to get their opportunity to shine on a TakeOver and the heated nature of the feud and it became arguably my most anticipated NXT match of the year. I loved that these ladies came out in gear for a street fight and not a traditional wrestling match. That’s so important for something as heated as this. Dakota attacked before the bell, setting the tone. She would take any cheap way out that she could, while Tegan wanted revenge. They told a remarkable story and blended it with the brutality from this kind of match. They used plenty of weapons but never went overboard. After an outstanding 13:26, Tegan seemed to have it wrapped up. However, Raquel Gonzalez showed up and chokeslammed her off the top and through a table. Dakota covered to win and align herself with Raquel. I loved that these two got the chance to deliver on a big stage and succeeded. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Tegan Nox. *It is the last match from TakeOver: Portland. *There are no more Street Fights on the list.
2019 Match #31: WWE United States Championship: Samoa Joe [c] vs. Andrade vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio – WWE Fastlane 2018 Match #31: Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/28/18 2017 Match #31: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals: Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/2/17 2016 Match #31: Johnny Gargano, Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins vs. Marty Scurll, Tommy End and Will Ospreay – WWN Mercury Rising 4/2/16 2015 Match #31: Lucha Underground Championship: Prince Puma (c) vs. Mil Muertes – Ultima Lucha 8/5/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2021 7:58:52 GMT -5
Oh man, this isn’t going to end well. The LAST TNT Title and Cody Rhodes match on the list?! The Dog Collar match did not go over well with the Kevstaaa. To be fair, I have the Dog Collar match at ***3/4, so I really liked it, just not enough to be on the list.
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Post by cordless2016 on Jan 16, 2021 9:27:25 GMT -5
Mox’s last match at 50? No Mox/Omega?
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2021 10:13:42 GMT -5
30. WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals: AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Smackdown 6/12/20
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| There were actually people who were calling this the greatest Intercontinental Title match ever. I certainly wouldn’t go that far but it was one of the best in recent memory. After Sami Zayn took time away during the pandemic, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan met in the finals of a tournament to crown a new champion. These two had some disappointing encounters like at Royal Rumble 2019 and some bangers like at TLC 2018 or when Bryan took the WWE Title from Styles. This was one of their better bouts. It had the feel of an epic, lasting 38:06 and feeling like what the “workhorse” championship should be. Two of the best wrestlers in history putting on a stellar match to hold that gold. The battle saw tons of close calls but never really felt like it was going overboard with the idea. A few of the commercial breaks hurt the momentum at times but that’s it. Styles won with the Phenomenal Forearm in a contest that stole the show mere days before THE GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER.” A high point for Styles, who hasn’t had many greats over the past few years. [****¼] |
*This is the final match from Smackdown. *It is the last appearance of Daniel Bryan.
2019 Match #30: Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black vs. Matt Riddle vs. Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream – NXT 3/20/19 2018 Match #30: Men’s Royal Rumble Match – WWE Royal Rumble 1/28/18 2017 Match #30: Keith Lee vs. Tomohiro Ishii – RevPro Global Wars UK 11/9/17 2016 Match #30: RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Chris Hero – RPW Global Wars UK 11/11/16 2015 Match #30: AJ Styles vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW G1 Climax 7/20/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2021 10:14:51 GMT -5
Mox’s last match at 50? No Mox/Omega? Nah, went ***1/2 there. Felt like two guys trying to have an epic rather than simply having one. It's a common problem I have with Kenny, though he has some high ranking this year.
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