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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2020 19:46:36 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2020 23:01:00 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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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 6, 2020 19:50:26 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 22:31:48 GMT -5
80. Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle – EVOLVE 131
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| Though I no longer watch EVOLVE, I made sure to catch their 10th Anniversary Special. If they were on the WWE Network more often, I’d get back into it because this show was very good. Along with the Brandi Lauren/Shotzi Blackheart match, this was the highlight of the evening. Former Catch Point teammates in EVOLVE, Drew Gulak and Matt Riddle collided here. There was a built-in story beyond that though. While Gulak brought Riddle into Catch Point, he was never happy with Riddle’s laid back attitude. It caused them to clash often. Riddle seemed to come out here on a mission to prove to his old stablemate that he was more than worthy of being in the group. We were treated to a match that defined the Catch Point style. Lots of great mat wrestling and some stiff strikes thrown in for good measure. I loved how smooth and effective everything was. It was cool to see Gulak as the rare guy who didn’t instantly tap to the Bromission. The reaction when Drew applied the Gulock was unbelievable. Riddle countered and hit Bro Derek to score the win in 13:38. Just what I wanted from these two. It reminded me of when I did my best to see every EVOLVE event. [****] |
*It is the last match from Evolve.
2018 Match #80: WWE Championship Six Pack Challenge: AJ Styles [c] vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Fastlane 3/11/18 2017 Match #80: Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/23/17 2016 Match #80: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. BUSHI – NJPW New Beginning in Niigata 2/14/16 2015 Match #80: Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Tomohiro Ishii – World Tag League 11/21/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 7, 2020 10:09:02 GMT -5
79. Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel – NXT 3/6/19
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| When people say that wrestling is better when it goes 25+ minutes, this is one of the matches to point to that defies that saying. Here, two great tag teams went at it for only 8:18, yet they captivated. Before becoming Imperium, Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel were just a team that killed it in short stints on NXT. This was their shining moment. They showed off great chemistry and proved to be formidable foes for two of the best wrestlers on the NXT roster. Speaking of Aleister Black and Ricochet, they were a makeshift team that excelled. I saw some people whine that they shouldn’t have been a team, but it’s hard to complain when they were so damn good together. As soon as Ricochet got the tag, this went from a good match to something great. Aichner and Barthel stole the show and put on one of the best performances you’ll see anywhere in 2019. And just when it looked like the match might hit the next level, a Black Mass ended things in an instant. And that was a great way to close things out. An outstanding sprint with great action from bell to bell. Exactly what I want from pro wrestling. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel
2018 Match #79: NXT Women’s Championship: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Toni Storm – NXT United Kingdom Tournament 6/26/18 2017 Match #79: CIMA, Dragon Kid, Eita, Naruki Doi & Takehiro Yamamura vs. Brother YASSHI, El Lindaman, Punch Tominga, Shingo Takagi & T-Hawk – Dragon Gate Glorious Gate 3/8/17 2016 Match #79: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Invasion Attack 4/10/16 2015 Match #79: Hiroshi Tanahashi and Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchika Okada and YOSHI-HASHI – World Tag League 11/21/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 7, 2020 12:42:54 GMT -5
78. Money in the Bank: Ali vs. Andrade vs. Baron Corbin vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor vs. Randy Orton vs. Ricochet – WWE Money in the Bank
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| You can usually expect at least one Money in the Bank match to crack this list each year. This go around, it was the men’s side of things. It makes sense considering this was one of the most talented groups in the history of the match. It had a little bit of everything from power guys to high flyers to major stars to jack of all trade style dudes. And that’s with Sami Zayn being taken out beforehand. It was the usual train wreck you expect from these matches and I mean that in the best possible way. A whole bunch of dudes beating the hell out of each other with ladders and risking their bodies. I dug a lot of the character stuff like Randy Orton chilling outside while everyone got involved in the action. The biggest spot was Andrade’s sunset flip bomb on Balor, which is one of the craziest moments of the year. From that point forward, this was non-stop insanity for the rest of the 19:01. There is just a ton of highlights and great moments the rest of the way. And then, the shocker came. Brock Lesnar made a random appearance, officially replacing Zayn, and took home the briefcase. Not a finish I liked but the rest of the match was enough to keep this on the list. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre.
2018 Match #78: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Jay White [c] vs. Juice Robinson – NJPW G1 Special in San Francisco 7/7/18 2017 Match #78: WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships: The Usos [c] vs. The New Day – WWE Battleground 7/23/17 2016 Match #78: WWE Intercontinental Championship vs. Career Match: The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE No Mercy 10/9/16 2015 Match #78: Hell in a Cell: Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Hell in a Cell 10/25/15
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Post by EZ: Brainy Bae on Jan 7, 2020 14:15:38 GMT -5
Don't always agree with your ranks but I appreciate the effort and insight you put in year-round. I'll be following along
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 7, 2020 15:09:19 GMT -5
77. El Phantasmo vs. Rocky Romero – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/24/19
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| I wasn’t supposed to like this match. It kind of had everything going against it. I like Rocky Romero but he hasn’t had a standout singles match in years. El Phantasmo is someone New Japan has pushed very hard but I don’t get it. He’s never managed to wow me. And then there was the length. I usually have an issue with a match going 28:38 when it doesn’t involve people who can make that time work. I didn’t think these two could. But dammit if they didn’t hook me. The action was good but this was all about the story. ELP came in unbeaten and having just defeated Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay. He was riding high. Rocky was the past his prime veteran with barely any points. He hung tough and by the time 20 minutes had passed, you were completely in. Could he do it? Then we got the ref bump and you figured ELP would win that way. But he didn’t. There were teases of countout and DQ victories. As the time limit drew nearer, you thought it might go the distance. But with a minute and a half left, Rocky caught him in the Cross Armbreaker and pulled off the unthinkable upset. At 36 years old. In the main event. In Korakuen Hall. It was awesome. [****] |
*This is the last appearance for both El Phantasmo and Rocky Romero.
2018 Match #77: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. El Desperado – NJPW Kizuna Road 6/18/18 2017 Match #77: GHC Heavyweight Championship: Katsuhiko Nakajima [c] vs. Go Shiozaki – Pro Wrestling NOAH Great Voyage in Yokohama 3/12/17 2016 Match #77: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Michael Elgin – NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku – 4/27/16 2015 Match #77: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Karl Anderson – NJPW Power Struggle 11/7/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 7, 2020 19:09:32 GMT -5
76. NXT North American Championship: Velveteen Dream [c] vs. Buddy Murphy – NXT 4/17/19
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| If you asked me to point out the two biggest breakout stars of 2018, I’d probably direct you to Velveteen Dream and Buddy Murphy. Other than becoming stars, they proved to be two of the best wrestlers anywhere in the world. The opportunity to see them compete against each other for the first time was something special. This rare return to NXT for Murphy stemmed from some backstage smack talk and we all benefitted from that simple setup. Both guys are basically the total package as performers. Dream adapted right to the style that Murphy perfected on 205 Live. Murphy played the aggressor who used his strength to overwhelm his taller opponent. Dream knew just went to take to the skies or bust out a superkick from out of nowhere to stop his momentum. The battle waged on to the point where both men took spills to the outside out of exhaustion. Buddy kept doing things like the “Cheeky Nandos Kick” and “V-Trigger” much better than the guys who popularized those names. I loved how he frantically tried getting Dream back inside to win the title and not just via countout, so he jumped in the ring and back out to break the count. But it all just led to Dream hitting a flurry of moves and retaining after a tremendous 14:55. Just let two of the best go at it and enjoy the results. [****] |
2018 Match #76: WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Zack Gibson – NXT United Kingdom Tournament 6/26/18 2017 Match #76: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/6/17 2016 Match #76: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Yuji Nagata – NJPW G1 Climax 7/30/16 2015 Match #76: NEVER Openweight Championship: Togi Makabe (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/12/15
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Post by dangerousdanpotato on Jan 7, 2020 20:39:15 GMT -5
This thread is brilliant. I appreciate the effort going in to each post.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 7, 2020 21:49:18 GMT -5
75. Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
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| In 2018, Jay White took down Kazuchika Okada early in the G1 Climax. A few months later, he took Gedo from Okada’s corner. This was the one match on the Wrestle Kingdom 13 card that wasn’t about a title. It was personal. But the real reason to get excited for this was Okada busting out his old theme and having money fall from the rafters. THE RAINMAKER WAS BACK! Even though he never really left. I wasn’t sold until he revealed that he was wearing shorts instead of the stupid long pants he sported for most of 2018. I’ve never seen a pair of thighs get a bigger ovation. The early stages of the match were typical Okada formula. I guess the Rainmaker was back after all. They sprinkled in bits where Gedo got involved so Okada could get physical revenge on him. I’m always down to see Gedo get beat up. Okada formula was a fine choice because the fans popped for every bit of it. They were happy their guy was back. That Rainmaker pose pop was something else. When he hit the first Rainmaker and held on for a second, the outcome seemed obvious. But then White countered that into Blade Runner to win from out of nowhere after 14:15. A brilliant finish. The whole match was built around Okada doing his signature stuff and making his valiant comeback, only for White to snuff him out. Far better than their title match later in the year. [****] |
2018 Match #75: Three and In Finale: Mark Haskins vs. Tyler Bate – PROGRESS Chapter 75: These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends 8/27/18 2017 Match #75: RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. [c] vs. Will Ospreay – RevPro Global Wars UK 11/10/17 2016 Match #75: Number One Contender’s Match: AJ Styles vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens – WWE Raw 4/4/16 2015 Match #75: Falls Count Anywhere: Cage vs. The Mack – Ultima Lucha 7/29/15
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lucas_lee
Hank Scorpio
Heel turn is finished, now stripping away my personality
Posts: 6,684
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Post by lucas_lee on Jan 7, 2020 23:06:54 GMT -5
For as much as I hate Jay White. He had a great year in ring
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 8, 2020 10:00:30 GMT -5
74. Team Drew Gulak vs. Team Oney Lorcan – WWE 205 Live 8/20/19
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| Anyone who knows my taste in wrestling knows that I love a good Survivor Series style match. 205 Live gave us one back in August. Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak selected Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, Mike Kanellis, and NXT’s Angel Garza to be on his team. Oney Lorcan chose Humberto Carrillo, Jack Gallagher, Akira Tozawa, and NXT’s Isaiah “Swerve” Scott. There were so many fun moments in this. I dug the interactions between Garza and Carrillo over being the next big Mexican star. Gulak and Lorcan continued their intense feud. Scott had a history with Gulak after taking him to the limit a few weeks prior. Kanellis got an elimination to impress his wife and immediately got eliminated right after. Nese refused to get involved in the underhanded tactics of his teammates. Those were all great bits of storytelling. It came down to Carrillo and Lorcan for their team against Garza, Daivari, and Gulak. The champion got disqualified for using a chair on Lorcan, but Team Oney still rallied to pull out the win in 37:07. They dedicated an entire episode of 205 Live to this match and it was worth it. This succeeded in continuing angles, setting up new ones, and simply putting on highly entertaining pro wrestling. [****] |
*This is the last appearance of Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, Mike Kanellis, Angel Garza, Akira Tozawa, Jack Gallagher, and Humberto Carrillo.
2018 Match #74: Tornado Tag Team Match: Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese vs. The Lucha House Party – WWE 205 Live 8/21/18 2017 Match #74: Anthony Henry vs. Fred Yehi – Style Battle S1:E5 6/16/17 2016 Match #74: WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Gran Metalik vs. TJ Perkins – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 9/14/16 2015 Match #74: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE Money in the Bank 6/14/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 8, 2020 12:30:28 GMT -5
73. WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: Daniel Bryan and Rowan [c] vs. Heavy Machinery vs. The New Day – WWE Extreme Rules
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| At Stomping Grounds, we saw that heavy Machinery was more than just a comedy act. They put on a good match with Daniel Bryan and Rowan, coming close to winning the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. The follow up saw the addition of the New Day and that is never a bad thing. Otis was the entertaining star we know and love. Tucker showed off surprising athleticism. New Day were a ton of fun. Daniel Bryan shined as the star that he is and even Rowan got in a few highlights. They kept things moving at a brisk pace during this match. The action never slowed and they made perfect use of all of the moving parts. If one guy got taken out, another stepped in seamlessly. Bryan blind tagging in when everyone else did a Tower of Doom spot was perfect for his character. I also loved seeing Big E face off with Bryan just before the finish. He stood right up to him and New Day hit Midnight Hour to win the titles in 13:41. I love the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. It has given us so many strong matches. This really helped to showcase how good the WWE tag team division was at times this year. Everyone did their part, the Big E/Bryan stuff ruled, and Woods pinned Bryan. What a show. [****] |
*This is the final appearance for Heavy Machinery, Big E, and Rowan. *It is the last match from Extreme Rules.
2018 Match #73: RevPro British Heavyweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii [c] vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW Power Struggle 11/3/18 2017 Match #73: AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon – WWE WrestleMania 33 4/2/17 2016 Match #73: Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/27/16 2015 Match #73: Roderick Strong vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – ROH Global Wars 5/16/15
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Post by flowercity on Jan 8, 2020 16:27:23 GMT -5
This thread is brilliant. I appreciate the effort going in to each post. Kevsta is the best on this board. I say it every year: him and i do not see eye to eye on matches we prefer but boy do i love these lists. Always find a match i overlooked.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 8, 2020 16:46:03 GMT -5
72. Falls Count Anywhere Match: The Miz vs. Shane McMahon – WWE WrestleMania
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| This will probably be the most disliked or controversial pick of the entire list. There are still people who don’t want to give Miz the respect he deserves and Shane McMahon was one of the most hated performers of the past year. And while I didn’t love Shane’s 2018-2019 run, he delivered on this night. In fact, it marked his third straight Mania with a good to great match. Whenever I see a Falls Count Anywhere Match, all I ask is that things barely go down in the ring. It’s why I loved Cage vs. The Mack at Ultima Lucha a few years ago so much. Thankfully, this followed that trend. Most of this took place away from the ring. Well, other than Miz’s dad squaring up to fight Shane, giving us one of the best memes of the year. A bloody Miz regrouped and the fight went all over the stadium. It all built wonderfully to a huge spot on a scaffolding. Miz delivered a massive superplex off of it through something on the floor. It was a wild spot. Shane landed on top of Miz and the referee counted three to give us the result after 15:27. One hell of a match that used its stipulation well. [****] |
*This is the last appearance for Shane McMahon and The Miz. *It is the final Falls Count Anywhere match.
2018 Match #72: Super Strong Style 16 Quarterfinals: Kassius Ohno vs. Tyler Bate – PROGRESS Chapter 68 5/6/18 2017 Match #72: Lucha Underground Championship Career vs. Career Match: Prince Puma [c] vs. Pentagon Dark – Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha Tres 10/18/17 2016 Match #72: WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifying Match: Drew Gulak vs. Tracy Williams – Evolve 61 5/7/16 2015 Match #72: No Holds Barred: Timothy Thatcher vs. Biff Busick – Evolve 48 8/16/15
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Post by Oh Cry Me a Screwball on Jan 8, 2020 17:02:08 GMT -5
74. Team Drew Gulak vs. Team Oney Lorcan – WWE 205 Live 8/20/19
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| Anyone who knows my taste in wrestling knows that I love a good Survivor Series style match. 205 Live gave us one back in August. Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak selected Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, Mike Kanellis, and NXT’s Angel Garza to be on his team. Oney Lorcan chose Humberto Carrillo, Jack Gallagher, Akira Tozawa, and NXT’s Isaiah “Swerve” Scott. There were so many fun moments in this. I dug the interactions between Garza and Carrillo over being the next big Mexican star. Gulak and Lorcan continued their intense feud. Scott had a history with Gulak after taking him to the limit a few weeks prior. Kanellis got an elimination to impress his wife and immediately got eliminated right after. Nese refused to get involved in the underhanded tactics of his teammates. Those were all great bits of storytelling. It came down to Carrillo and Lorcan for their team against Garza, Daivari, and Gulak. The champion got disqualified for using a chair on Lorcan, but Team Oney still rallied to pull out the win in 37:07. They dedicated an entire episode of 205 Live to this match and it was worth it. This succeeded in continuing angles, setting up new ones, and simply putting on highly entertaining pro wrestling. [****] |
*This is the last appearance of Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, Mike Kanellis, Angel Garza, Akira Tozawa, Jack Gallagher, and Humberto Carrillo.
2018 Match #74: Tornado Tag Team Match: Buddy Murphy and Tony Nese vs. The Lucha House Party – WWE 205 Live 8/21/18 2017 Match #74: Anthony Henry vs. Fred Yehi – Style Battle S1:E5 6/16/17 2016 Match #74: WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Gran Metalik vs. TJ Perkins – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 9/14/16 2015 Match #74: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE Money in the Bank 6/14/15
Aiden and Nigel on commentary were pretty fun on commentary too, with them each picking a Garza husbando to fight over.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 8, 2020 19:09:00 GMT -5
71. Number One Contender's Match: AJ Styles vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe – WWE Smackdown 1/1/19
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| 2019 got off to a hot start because of Smackdown Live. The winner of this match, featuring five of the best wrestlers you’ll find anywhere, would earn a shot at Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble. There were a few different story threads here. AJ Styles had been tasked with being more aggressive by Mr. McMahon and that shined here. Mustafa Ali was all about showing heart as he attacked Samoa Joe right at the bell. Rey Mysterio was still searching for a signature win since returning. I loved almost every interaction in this. You had guys shifting in and out seamlessly and almost everything they did clicked beautifully. Styles got destroyed when Joe put him through the announce table and all hope seemed lost for him. The back and forth between Ali and Mysterio was some of the best we were treated to all year. Orton and Joe got involved again, leading to a wild flurry of offense hit by everyone in the match. Just when it looked like Joe was left alone, Styles returned with a springboard 450 splash to earn another WWE Title shot at the 13:06 mark. A fantastic way to start the new year. [****] |
2018 Match #71: WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Kyle O’Reilly – NXT 6/13/18 2017 Match #71: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/1/17 2016 Match #71: NXT Tag Team Championship: American Alpha (c) vs. The Revival – NXT TakeOver: The End 6/8/16 2015 Match #71: Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/15/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 8, 2020 22:51:09 GMT -5
70. AEW Heavyweight Championship: Chris Jericho [c] vs. Cody – AEW Full Gear
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| It’s an episode of WWE Main Event circa 2013! I’m kidding. When this was first announced, I wasn’t interested at all. Even though I like Cody, it didn’t sound interesting. But they got to building it and they hooked me. Cody’s great promo work, Jericho being an ass, and the stellar segment where they brawled in the back all got me sucked in to this story. The match itself managed to live up to the expectations. It had an old school feel to it. Jericho stalled a lot early and when he got on offense, things were slowly paced. Cody tried to pick things up but made a mistake when he missed a dive and busted his face open on the ramp. It was a gruesome cut that added a lot in terms of intensity to the contest. Jericho used every veteran trick in the book. Jake Hager interference, cheap shots with the title, etc. Cody survived it and rallied like the ultimate babyface fighting through his crimson mask. All the while his mother watched from ringside. Talk about emotion and drama. Despite Cody’s best efforts, Jericho locked in the Lion Tamer and MJF threw in the towel for the finish after 29:36. I never expected this to be as great as it was. I’m so glad it delivered. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Chris Jericho. *It is the last match from Full Gear.
2018 Match #70: PROGRESS World Championship: Travis Banks [c] vs. Matt Riddle – PROGRESS Chapter 64: Thunderbastards Are Go 2/25/18 2017 Match #70: War Games: The Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong vs. SAnitY vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT TakeOver: War Games 11/18/17 2016 Match #70: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Katsuyori Shibata, Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata vs. Go Shiozaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masa Kitamiya & Maybach Taniguchi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/14/16 2015 Match #70: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong – ROH Winter Warriors Tour 2/21/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 9, 2020 9:57:34 GMT -5
69. WWE Raw Women's Championship: Ronda Rousey [c] vs. Sasha Banks – WWE Royal Rumble
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| Long before Sasha Banks returned with a vengeance in the summer, she made sure to put on a banger of a singles match at the Royal Rumble. Ronda Rousey was also able to celebrate a year with the company by having another great match. A lot of the early goings saw Ronda do some of Sasha’s signature stuff like the Three Amigos suplexes. It was her way of proving to Sasha that she could indeed wrestle. Sasha responded by hitting her as hard as she could, showing she could hang in Ronda’s world. When Ronda punched the ring post by accident, it gave Banks a target. Ronda sold better in this match than in any other throughout her short career. Sasha looked incredibly dangerous here. At one point she applied an armbar that looked more violent than any I’ve ever seen from Ronda. It was tremendous and reminded me of how good Sasha can be when she’s putting in her best effort. I dug the desperation she showed. If she got a near fall, she would transition right into a submission. While there were some sloppy moments, it came across more like two exhausted warriors struggling than flat out mistakes. That’s important and something I actually like about a match. It makes things feel less scripted and more realistic. When it was all said and done, Ronda couldn’t win by submission. She used Piper’s Pit to retain in 13:48. Sasha was nearly too much for her. It felt different from the rest of her title defenses and was Ronda’s second best singles match ever. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Ronda Rousey.
2018 Match #69: Dragon Lee vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/25/18 2017 Match #69: Number One Contender’s Match: Big R Shimizu vs. Masaaki Mochizuki – Dragon Gate Scandal Gate 9/5/17 2016 Match #69: Weapons of Mass Destruction Match: Killshot vs. Marty Martinez – Lucha Underground 9/14/16 2015 Match #69: Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins – WWE WrestleMania 3/29/15
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