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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 1, 2020 22:08:27 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2020 9:55:43 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2020 18:26:48 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2020 21:54:30 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 1:00:57 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 10:21:28 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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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 12:51:12 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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4real
Wade Wilson
Posts: 27,400
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Post by 4real on Jan 3, 2020 14:45:49 GMT -5
Only one match from Raw on the list? Wow that’s something.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 16:12:01 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2020 19:48:48 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 23:13:53 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2020 0:45:09 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 8:02:39 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 11:40:12 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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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2020 15:58:02 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 19:16:53 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 23:31:02 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 asshole. 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 8:18:03 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 14:23:42 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 16:35:00 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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