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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 1, 2022 8:53:03 GMT -5
Year #7 of compiling this list is in the books! This was another weird era since about half of the year took place without any real live crowds but there were still plenty of great matches. I watched everything from WWE and AEW, as well as most of NJPW.
Across those three companies, I had 110 matches rated at **** in 2021. As always, enjoy the list, find new matches you may have missed, look back at favorites, or disagree if you want to.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 1, 2022 14:36:28 GMT -5
Honorable Mentions (Matches That Got **** But Aren't In The Top 100) Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW Castle Attack 2/27/21 New Japan Cup First Round: SANADA vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW New Japan Cup 3/9/21 New Japan Cup Semi-Finals: David Finlay vs. Will Ospreay - NJPW New Japan Cup 3/20/21 NXT Cruiserweight Championship 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match: KUSHIDA [c] vs. Santos Escobar - NXT 5/11/21 NXT Championship: Karrion Kross [c] vs. Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O'Reilly vs. Pete Dunne - NXT TakeOver: In Your House Andrade El Idolo vs. PAC - AEW Rampage 9/10/21 Anthony Greene and Stallion Rogers vs. FTR - AEW Dark 9/21/21 WWE Universal Championship Extreme Rules Match: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Finn Bálor - WWE Extreme Rules World Title Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinals: Bryan Danielson vs. Dustin Rhodes - AEW Dynamite 10/23/21
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 1, 2022 17:16:47 GMT -5
100. No Holds Barred Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus – WWE Fastlane
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| BIG MEATY MEN SLAPPING MEAT! I repeat that often because it’s what I want in these kind of matches and that’s just what I got here. It wasn’t too long into this 19:42 match before these two were beating on each other with kendo sticks, with one of them being driven into Sheamus’ eye. That was some wild stuff to see, especially in a PG environment. They fought into the “crowd” and did a few decent spots, including a particularly nasty looking suplex onto the floor. I got a serious kick out of Sheamus being thrown into the Thunderdome TVs and it blowing up. The explosion was indeed better than the one at AEW Revolution. Once back in the ring, they wrapped it up with Sheamus eating the Claymore and although it was relatively simple in the way it was laid out, it was just what it needed to be. That was two lads beating the stuffing out of each other and I honestly can’t ask for much more. I did like their Raw match a bit better though. [****] |
2020 Match #100: NXT North American Championship: Leon Ruff [c] vs. Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: War Games 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, 2022 23:14:29 GMT -5
99. MJF vs. Sammy Guevara – AEW Dynamite 6/30/21
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| It’s interesting to think back to what MJF said in the build-up to Full Gear. He called himself, Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, and Sammy Guevara the four pillars (or something like that) of AEW’s future. Personally, I'd swap Sammy and Allin for Dante Martin and Tay Conti. Anyway, two of those men were on full display in this main event match on Dynamite. I didn’t like most of the Pinnacle/Inner Circle rivalry but we at least got this gem out of it all. It was pretty sweet to get to simply watch two young talents put on a show, displaying impressive athleticism and having a great back and forth match. To be fair, I did have some issues with this as I mainly felt it was overbooked down the stretch. As it neared the 20:07 conclusion, there was simply too much interference from members of the Inner Circle and Pinnacle that bogged it down. Around that, we got some truly great stuff. A Sammy 630 led appearances from Spears, Jericho, and others. Spears used the chair to set up the MJF win in a match that showcased the future. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Sammy Guevara.
2020 Match #99: KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 9/29/20 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, 2022 8:12:34 GMT -5
98. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW G1 Climax 31 9/19/21
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| Entering this, Kazuchika Okada led the series 6-5-3, with the three draws coming in the G1. At this point, you know what you’re going to get from these two. They jockeyed for position early on, with neither man giving much ground considering their history. They just know each other too well. Okada brought the attitude here, going for things like cocky pins. I’ve said before that cocky Okada is my favorite Okada. It’s a role that suits him so well, kind of like how it is working wonders for Roman Reigns. They started going into their signature stuff as it hit the halfway mark of the time limit. Tanahashi went after the leg with various dragon screw variations and the Cloverleaf. Okada survived a countout and weathered the storm before going to the Money Clip. As they neared 30:00, you got the sense that they’d add another draw to their G1 history. I liked that both guys were going for pins late, knowing how desperate the times were. Okada hit a dropkick, Michinoku Driver, and Rainmaker to win in 29:36, making good use of the time limit tease. A great match that is par for the course for these guys. My favorite of theirs since the title match in 2018. [****] |
2020 Match #98: Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Ray Fénix – AEW Dynamite 11/11/20 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, 2022 11:28:26 GMT -5
97. NXT United Kingdom Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Rampage Brown – NXT UK: Prelude
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| I certainly wasn’t expecting to include Rampage Brown on my year-end list but here we are. That’s what happens when you step into the ring with WALTER, who would’ve appeared way more on this list if he was on TV more often. Anyway, this show was basically the NXT UK brand’s WrestleMania weekend event and it featured some notable matches. The whole show was good and it was capped by a 13:44 United Kingdom Title match between WALTER and Rampage Brown. What made this work so well was that it was right in the wheelhouse of both men. Keep it relatively short and let them beat the hell out of each other the entire time. It's hard to even find too much to say about this because it was so simple and that’s why I liked it. Classic meat and potatoes stuff. Everything WALTER does feels like a big fight and this was no different. Rampage hit him with everything that he had but WALTER held the title for so long for a reason. Rampage even nailed a massive superplex only for WALTER to keep getting up. He had to resort to the big splash to put away a tough challenger in a hugely underrated match. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Rampage Brown. *It's the last match from NXT UK: Prelude.
2020 Match #97: WWE Raw Women's Championship: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Asuka – WWE Raw 2/10/20 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2022 14:40:24 GMT -5
96. Aoife Valkyrie vs. Meiko Satomura – NXT UK 4/29/21
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| Sometimes, the best matches are the ones you least expect. While everyone understands how awesome Meiko Satomura is, Aoife Valkyrie is still someone on the rise who hasn’t had many chances to deliver in big matches. In many ways, matches like this are exactly why someone like Satomura is so valuable. She could play the wily veteran who puts the young girl to the test and that’s what this was. Valkyrie stepped up in a big way, delivering some hard hitting strikes that allowed her to stay on the same level as Satomura, who is known for that kind of thing. The whole match only went 11:22, which is pretty ideal for this kind of bout. Valkyrie showed that she’s a woman with a lot of potential but when it came down to it, Satomura got going and started basically ragdolling her young opponent. It looked like Valkyrie was on the verge of being out of it late but she stared down the referee when they attempted to possibly call the match. Satomura put her down for good with a kick and Scorpio Rising, ending her undefeated streak but making her look like a star in the process. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Aoife Valkyrie.
2020 Match #96: Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW G1 Climax 30 10/10/20 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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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 2, 2022 19:52:19 GMT -5
95. Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa – AEW Beach Break
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| The most famous women’s rivalry in AEW’s short history is easily Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa. I love how different their entries into the company even were. Baker was the hyped signing while Rosa showed up as part of NWA and gradually became a major star. Their most iconic match was obviously the main event in March but a month prior, they had their first meeting and it was actually pretty fantastic. They were given 13:11 to do their thing, which was basically a lifetime when compared to most women’s bouts in the company at the time. Considering the rivalry coming in, this starting hot was more than welcome and played into the story. Things were going along well enough but really picked up after a commercial break as the brawl took them up the ramp. They started in with bigger moves like a DVD, Air Raid Crash, and Slingblade. Interference from Rebel (Not Reba) and an exposed turnbuckle ended up costing Rosa the match, as Britt followed with the Lockjaw, beating her knocked out opponent. It was a great early chapter for a feud that only got better. [****] |
*This is the last match from Beach Break.
2020 Match #95: Robbie Eagles vs. SHO – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 11/20/20 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 3, 2022 0:00:45 GMT -5
94. Jon Moxley vs. Minoru Suzuki – AEW Dynamite 9/8/21
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| I will keep saying it as long as I review wrestling but matches that are under 10 minutes are sometimes my favorite. Give me 9 minutes of greatness over 45 minutes of trying too hard to be good. Jon Moxley and Minoru Suzuki were pressed for time in this main event of Dynamite but they made the most of it. The crowd was molten hot as even after they couldn’t sing “Kaze Ni Nare,” they were on fire for their hometown guy, Jon Moxley. Their match in New Japan ruled and this was right along those same lines. They had a slugfest that felt like mor eof a fight than a lot of other matches. Suzuki worked the arm and the intensity level never wavered regardless of what was going on in the ring. They started hitting bigger moves and Suzuki got a busted eye, adding to the entire experience. A strike exchange was won out by Moxley who then added an elevated version of the Paradigm Shift to earn the win in a wild 8:08. It was violent and felt like a legitimate fight, which is great. [****] |
2020 Match #94: No Disqualifications Match: Alexander Wolfe vs. Ilja Dragunov – NXT UK 1/2/20 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 The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2022 10:40:29 GMT -5
93. Falls Count Anywhere: Isaiah "Swerve" Scott vs. Leon Ruff – NXT 5/4/21
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| Always a shame to look back on matches at the end of the year that ruled only for both guys to be gone from the company. I was really looking forward to this. Both guys are good and it had been built as an intriguing TV rivalry. I loved how Swerve took his time to start, playing mind games with the overly aggressive Ruff. It’s exactly what his character should do. He used that to his advantage and I liked the fire Ruff showed to rally, with his hanging dropkick looking really good. During the break, they fought towards the gym area and made good use of the stipulation. The reverse rana off the apron was one of the best spots I’ve seen in a while and looked fantastic. The same goes for the rebound Confidence Boost off the plexiglass. Ruff went for a big dive but was caught by Top Dolla in the early days of Hit Row. He crushed him with a DVD onto the guardrail, followed by Swerve hitting the JML Driver to win in 15:24. I loved that this got the time it deserved and they delivered. Ruff showed exactly the kind of fire he needed to, while Swerve got the win he needed. Also, I like when Falls Count Anywhere matches actually use the stipulation well. [****] |
*This is the last appearance of both Isaiah "Swerve" Scott and Leon Ruff. *It is the final Falls Count Anywhere match.
2020 Match #93: NXT North American Championship Qualifying Match: Bronson Reed vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Roderick Strong – NXT 7/22/20 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, 2022 14:57:25 GMT -5
92. AEW World Championship: Kenny Omega [c] vs. Christian Cage – AEW All Out
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| AEW’s All Out was not only the best pay-per-view of the year but it was one of the greatest that I’ve ever seen. To cap off such a special show, you need a great main event and these guys delivered. Kenny Omega lost to Christian Cage in a really good match on the debut episode of Rampage, dropping the Impact Title to him. Here, they had an even better match and brought out bigger spots. That included Omega hitting a double stomp onto a table and Christian nailing a spear off the apron. I feel like not enough people are talking about how good Christian’s return run has been. Edge is also great but he’s on fire too. There were a few spots here that didn’t quite work, including Kenny looking rough on a moonsault off the apron but he got it all together by the end. Christian kept hitting spears but Omega kept surviving. Then, he got help from the various shenanigans of the Elite boys, including Don Callis. That gave this more of an Attitude Era vibe and I didn’t hate it. They ended up fighting on the top turnbuckle where Kenny hit an avalanche One Winged Angel to retain after 21:21. A worthy main event to close an awesome show. [****] |
2020 Match #92: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 9/24/20 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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Post by Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED! on Jan 3, 2022 15:36:14 GMT -5
THE ONLY LIST IN WRESTLING THAT MATTERS RETURNS!!!
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2022 18:52:49 GMT -5
91. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. SHO – NJPW New Beginning in Hiroshima Night One
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| These two went at it right off the bat, trading shots and making you think it might be a short fight. This is New Japan, though, and everything has to be dragged out. Thankfully, SHO and Hiromu are among the best in the company and they can make a long match work. There were almost too many forearm shots to the face in this one to count as they were going to war. As this progressed, Kevin Kelly mentioned that the longest Jr. Heavyweight Title match ever was 34 minutes and that immediately told me that it would surpass that number. After the hot start, things slowed a bit, adding to the sense that it was going long. They picked up the pace after the 20 minute mark and started hitting moves that looked vicious. It made me worried for Hiromu at a few points. They went from trying to outmaneuver the other to throwing some late bombs. With the usual NJPW back and forth exchange to end it, Hiromu retained with Time Bomb #2 after a whopping 35:38. A bit of a disappointment as it felt they tried to go too long. That said, this was still great wrestling between two of the best out there and I could watch them wrestle any day of the week. It lacked some drama which hurt it as well since they never made me buy into a title change. [****] |
*This is the last appearance of SHO. *It is the final match from New Beginning in Hiroshima.
2020 Match #91: Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara – AEW Revolution 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 3, 2022 23:28:10 GMT -5
90. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 31 10/3/21
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| At this point, it’s almost a given that these two will end up on my year-end list. Not every one of their matches has been great but they’re all really good at the very least. All but one of their matches has received **** from me and the one that didn’t got ***¾. Here, Sabre Jr. entered the match undefeated and with wins over some top names. Meanwhile, Tomohiro Ishii had just two wins and was in the middle of the pack. Sabre Jr. was cocky throughout and targeted the padded elbow of Ishii. It basically led to him having a dead arm as even his chops weren’t as effective to the point where Sabre Jr. would laugh them off. Ishii was wise to Sabre Jr.’s tricks though, knowing that he wanted to goad him into submissions and finding ways to combat that. Even when Ishii snapped off stuff like German Suplexes but would still be hampered by his arm. For the first time in the tournament, Sabre Jr.’s hubris got the best of him as Ishii fought through the arm damage and won with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster in 18:40. The first loss for Sabre Jr. in a great outing. [****] |
2020 Match #90: Jeff Cobb vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 10/10/20 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 flowercity on Jan 4, 2022 0:07:07 GMT -5
Always amazed w the amount of wrestling you watch. Congratulations and thank you for another list.
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Post by ronnie2hotty on Jan 4, 2022 8:05:13 GMT -5
Just got back on the boards after a few weeks away, and this was the first thing I was checking on!! Thanks Kevin!!
As always, I got my spreadsheet open and I'm tracking.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2022 10:31:55 GMT -5
89. FTR vs. Santana and Ortiz – AEW Dynamite 9/1/21
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| Something that I love in wrestling is when you get a well-booked storyline involving two tag teams that doesn’t surround the titles. Give me a tag feud outside of the championships and I’m hooked, especially when they involve two great duos. FTR and Santana and Ortiz are arguably the two best teams in all of wrestling. Their first major meeting at Fight for the Fallen was a disappointment due to an injury but this rematch was just what I was hoping for. It felt like a big deal with FTR sporting Bobby Eaton-themed gear and Santana and Ortiz rocking face paint. After a hot start, FTR took over by targeting Ortiz’s arm as they isolated him. They nailed all of the little things throughout this that helps make them a special team. Santana did the house cleaning hot tag before his partner took the Brainbuster that ended things in their previous match. He got saved and it set up a frantic finishing stretch. Santana and Ortiz survived a bit more offense before winning after 13:33, giving us a great match. I was dying for one more major outing with these teams, especially given how underutilized Santana and Ortiz are. [****] |
*This is the last appearance of Santana and Ortiz.
2020 Match #89: Alexander Wolfe and WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov and Pete Dunne – NXT UK 10/15/20 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, 2022 14:05:38 GMT -5
88. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 10/9/21
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| The best night of this year’s disappointing G1 Climax was this one on October 9th. It started with a non-tournament match that ended up being one of the highlights. Due to the injury to Tetsuya Naito, Ishii was put up against Naito’s fellow LIJ teammate, Hiromu Takahashi. They met in an incredible match in the New Japan Cup last year, won by Hiromu and this was something of a tease of him possibly moving to the heavyweight world. Though outmatched from a size standpoint, Hiromu showed no fear as always. He went right after Ishii as if he had a death wish and hit him with everything he had. There were points where Ishii leveled him or just ran him over but Hiromu would find a way to combat it and get right back on. Ishii blocked a sunset flip off the apron which was huge since he actually has a shot at the finals and getting injured ahead of it would suck. Hiromu continued to fight like a heavyweight inside, lifting Ishii for offense, hanging tough with strikes, and popping up from big offense. Hiromu came close several times, including with Time Bomb and on an inside cradle but Ishii beat him with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster in 18:13. Man, I wish more of this G1 was like that. Two of the best in the world putting on a great bout. [****] |
2020 Match #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 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, 2022 20:08:36 GMT -5
87. NEVER Openweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Jay White – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Night One
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| When Jay White first returned from excursion and challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom, their match was fine but disappointed. Since then though, White has gotten incredibly comfortable as a heel and it made them somewhat ideal opponents. Tanahashi can be the ultimate good guy and White is such a great villain that it just makes sense. Their best matches have come in the past but they had one more in 2021 over Tanahashi’s NEVER Openweight Championship. That title used to be famous for shorter, hard hitting matches but this is a different era, evidenced by this match lasting a whopping 39:01. I have been known to dismiss long matches that are that way for no reason. While I do believe this could’ve still worked (and likely have been better) at 25 minutes, they made this work. It was a long story of two guys wearing each other’s legs down, which made sense given that it’s a Tanahashi staple and that White has a submission named the TTO (Tanahashi Tap Out). Tanahashi had it won but a Gedo distraction kept White alive enough to score with the Blade Runner and win the only singles title in the company that had eluded him. We needed much more Jay White in 2021. [****] |
*This is the final match from Wrestling Dontaku.
2020 Match #87: Eliminator Tournament Finals: Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega – AEW Full Gear 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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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2022 23:47:12 GMT -5
86. NXT Championship: Finn Bálor [c] vs. Adam Cole – NXT 3/10/21
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| In 2019, Adam Cole’s NXT Title reign was put to the test by the return to the brand of Finn Bálor. They had a great match and again collided when it came time to crown a new champion following Karrion Kross’s injury. This was their third official meeting and acted as something of a tiebreaker for them. They talked a lot of trash before the bell and once things started, they reached a stalemate and proved how evenly matched they were. Cole made sure that a fair number of his attacks were aimed at Finn’s previously injured jaw, which added to the story here. They had a great back and forth match but I do think that it went a bit overboard late in terms of false finishes and close calls. You have to execute those perfectly to get a special match and this went to that well a bit too often. Finn survived the Panama Sunrise and Last Shot, while it took a distraction from Kyle O’Reilly, 1916 on the outside, and the Coup de Grace to finally put Cole down after 20:06. Despite some overkill late, this was a hell of a title match that felt like an important bout in the late stages of that era for NXT. [****] |
*This is the last match from NXT's weekly show.
2020 Match #86: El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 11/18/20 2019 Match #86: Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. #DIY – WWE NXT 3/13/19 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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