Kevin's Top 100 Matches of 2022 - Match #1

[The Kevstaaa]

90. IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi [c] vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16

This was the least excited I’ve been for a Wrestle Kingdom since I started watching New Japan and this main event was part of the reason why. I knew it would be a great match, it’s just that we all knew Kazuchika Okada would win and return things to status quo for the company while Shingo Takagi was a breath of fresh air. As expected, this got a ton of time, going 35:44, which meant there was plenty of time for Okada to do his methodical thing. Shingo is the kind of guy who can make the best of that though, as he’d bust out some big bit of offense from time to time to reengage the crowd. The idea here was that he was a heavy hitter who laid into Okada with everything he had but Okada survived it all and showed the resilience he’s been known for throughout his career. For the most part, this was more of the same from these kind of main events, with the standout being Shingo mocking Okada. I love little character things like that and they’re always a highlight of New Japan matches since they don’t happen as often. Okada regained the title with the Rainmaker and he was right back on top again. [****]

*This is the last match from Wrestle Kingdom.

2021 Match #90: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 31 10/3/21
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

[The Kevstaaa]

89. Smackdown World Cup Finals: Ricochet vs. Santos Escobar – WWE Smackdown 12/3/22

When WWE announced the World Cup Tournament, I assumed it would go to someone like Braun Strowman. So, it was a breath of fresh air when it came down to Ricochet and Santos Escobar. I like both guys and their matches in Lucha Underground as Prince Puma and King Cuerno were pretty fantastic. They were given the main event slot and 21:47 to do their thing and they didn’t miss. Capping one of the best episodes of wresting television all year, these two put on a show. Legado Del Fantasma got involved early and were ejected for it which I like. Escobar would use help but get it out of the way early and let these two cook. This played out like their Lucha Underground matches with dives, high impact offense, and great stuff down the stretch. From ranas and moonsaults to near falls, this was intense. Escobar getting his knees up on the 630 made for a fantastic close call. Ricochet busted out a poisonrana and 630 to win soon after, earning a shot at Gunther’s Intercontinental Title and giving us a tremendous TV outing. [****]

2021 Match #89: FTR vs. Santana and Ortiz – AEW Dynamite 9/1/21
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

[The Kevstaaa]

88. Ace Austin vs. Taiji Ishimori – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/26/22

This should’ve headlined this night of BOSJ action. The X Division Champion against the Jr. Heavyweight Champion and a battle for the top of their block. There was something of a big fight feel here and the guys traded stuff early. Austin was arrogant after sending Ishimori outside and Ishimori returned the favor with his level of brashness. Ishimori put a target on Austin’s shoulder, looking to set put the Bone Lock. Landing on your feet on a Fosbury Flop is pretty cool. Ishimori stayed in control but Austin got in some hope spots. When he got trapped in the Bone Lock, I legitimately thought it was over but Austin made it to the ropes and you could see Ishimori getting frustrated. They went into a great series of counters late with Austin getting the huge win on a pinning combination at the 11:24 mark. There seemed to be a bit of confusion on who had their shoulders down. From the exchanges to the importance of the match to the selling to the result, I loved this. [****]

2021 Match #88: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 10/9/21
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

[The Kevstaaa]

87. Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita – AEW Fyter Fest 7/13/22

I was stoked for this one because Moxley is my pick for Wrestler of the Year and Takeshita was so much fun in AEW. Right off the bat, these two were beating the hell out of each other. Moxley, who has taken pride in fighting as a BCC member, was the first to relent and take Takeshita to the mat. They fought to the apron where Moxley took a German suplex just before a commercial. Returning, Takeshita was busted open, adding to the intensity of the bout. Takeshita’s leaping clothesline looks incredible by the way. They went into trading some big blows like a Brainbuster, armbar, hurricanrana, and then a Takeshita no hands dive to the outside. I bit on a bridging German from Takeshita which I shouldn’t have because it’s Moxley but they still made me do it. Bravo. Moxley hit the Death Rider and won with the Bulldog Choke in 13:07. A fantastic outing and I love when AEW randomly gives us a banger. This ruled as Moxley continued his roll and Takeshita proved himself yet again. [****]

2021 Match #87: NEVER Openweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Jay White – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Night One
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

[The Kevstaaa]

86. DOUKI vs. El Desperado – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/28/22

This felt different from their previous outings. It was a main event, DOUKI has been better than ever in the tourney, and commentary did a good job of hyping this as his chance to really prove that he’s more than just the guy who replaced Desperado in the tournament one year. They’ve also talked smack and had issues in tags on earlier BOSJ shows. On top of that, Taichi came out for commentary. I have one major gripe with this match in that it started a bit too slow. Given what was going on coming in, I wanted to see them just go balls to the wall with a fight. Now, once they got going, they gave me what I wanted and this brawl was pretty great. We got dives outside and a DDT on the floor before they started attempting to trade submissions inside. The closing minutes were wild, highlighted by DOUKI spiking Desperado with a tornado DDT on the concrete. DOUKI nearly had this won with a submission but Desperado survived and won with a variation of Numero Dos in 21:51. That was excellent and the best match I’ve ever seen from DOUKI. He proved himself in this tourney. [****]

*This is the last appearance of DOUKI.

2021 Match #86: NXT Championship: Finn Bálor [c] vs. Adam Cole – NXT 3/10/21
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

[The Kevstaaa]

85. Drew McIntyre and RK-Bro vs. Roman Reigns and The Usos – WWE WrestleMania Backlash

Despite being a six-man tag, this felt like a big deal. Early on, McIntyre wanted Roman Reigns, who gave the tag to a pop only to tag out because he calls the shots. I love that. Eventually, Riddle ended up as the guy taking the heat, with Reigns dominating him. I liked that Roman made a rare mistake (which commentary rightfully hyped up) as he tagged in only for Riddle to do the same and bring in McIntyre, who cleaned house. It showed that Drew was a threat to Roman. The Usos kind of made the save but moments later, Drew still caught Roman with the Claymore and he looked done. Drew was too hurt to capitalize so the tag went to Orton and I was ALL FOR an Orton/Roman program. They hadn’t done it since 2014 and it could’ve been big. Too bad Orton got hurt. Anyway, he ran through the Usos and did so in entertaining fashion. Things continued to escalate throughout this match with great close calls and exchanges from everyone involved, with the crowd hot for all of it. We got table spots and chaos around every corner before Riddle hit a super RKO, only to turn around right into a Spear, giving the Bloodline the win in 22:10. A hell of a main event that delivered in spades, though I would’ve had the faces win over one of the Usos. [****]

2021 Match #85: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome
2020 Match #85: Stadium Stampede: The Elite and Matt Hardy vs. The Inner Circle – AEW Double or Nothing
2019 Match #85: IWGP Intercontinental Championship No DQ Match: Chris Jericho [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
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

[The Kevstaaa]

84. Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia – AEW Dynamite 2/23/22

These two ended up being intertwined throughout 2022. Daniel Garcia was not afraid to trade strikes with his idol Bryan Danielson early, bringing that violence he promised. Danielson seemed to be playing with him a bit and that pissed off Garcia. As expected, they fought through the break and Garcia held serve upon return until Danielson hit a huge knee. However, his knee was damaged from a sick looking chop block earlier so he couldn’t fully capitalize. They went into a kneebar where they both just kicked the shit out of each other. Garcia found a way to escape Cattle Mutilation and applied a VICIOUS looking ankle lock. From there they moved onto strikes again and Garcia again hung tough with the best all the way until the 10:24 bell. Danielson blocked a submission and stomped on the head before choking him out to win a hell of a match. It’s like Danielson is hand picking his opponents and making the most of it. This was a tremendous first step in the year’s best trilogy. [****]

2021 Match #84: New Japan Cup Second Round: Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/13/21
2020 Match #84: AEW Tag Team Championship: Hangman Page and Kenny Omega [c] vs. SCU – AEW Dynamite 2/12/20
2019 Match #84: Satoshi Kojima vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW Dominion
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

[The Kevstaaa]

83. Ace Austin vs. Alex Zayne – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/25/22

I didn’t know a ton about either guy coming into the tournament but both quickly won me over. They were much needed breaths of fresh air in this company. According to commentary, these two have also formed a friendship. You could tell there was chemistry here with both guys exchanging crisp stuff early, countering one another, and bumping well for the other. For example, Alex Zayne did a flip on a springboard kick bump to make sure Ace Austin looked good. Both guys seemed to have the other scouted, avoiding some big moves and that made for some really entertaining exchanges. When Zayne went up top, Austin started pleading with him and bringing up their friendship, pulling him into an inside cradle. The crowd responded with as much enthusiasm as they could when these two both went down following some great kicks and strikes. Since neither guy is a big star, they were only given 11:37 and that was to their benefit. Austin crotched Zayne up top when he went for the Cinnamon Twist, hit a sweet headscissors takeover, and won with The Fold. Austin was the A Block’s most consistent wrestler and Zayne delivered big on two straight nights. [****]

*This is the final appearance of Ace Austin and Alex Zayne.

2021 Match #83: Lance Archer vs. Rey Fénix – AEW Dynamite 2/24/21
2020 Match #83: Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor – NXT TakeOver: In Your House
2019 Match #83: NXT Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Smackdown 11/1/19
2018 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

[The Kevstaaa]

82. WWE Raw Women's Championship Last Woman Standing Match: Bianca Belair [c] vs. Bayley – WWE Crown Jewel

These are two of the best wrestlers on the planet but I was wary because this stipulation is one I typically don’t love. This was filled with the big spots you expect from these matches like Bayley doing a clothesline off the guardrail onto a seated Bianca and Bianca hitting a suplex on the ramp. I really liked Bayley feigning an injury, especially as it played into Wade Barrett saying that Bianca was too nice for a match like this. They were creative with the steel steps, used the kendo stick a lot, and would throw in something vicious like a Bayley to Belly on the stage. I didn’t like Bayley using a crossface on the stage and letting go for the count. She should’ve waited until Bianca passed out completely. That would’ve made kayfabe sense. The golf cart spot was a good idea but was just kind of goofy until the big bump Bayley took off of it. As usual, Bianca survived a ton, including a sick bump on a missed 450 splash onto chairs. She managed to trap Bayley in a ladder stuck under the turnbuckle (following a KOD onto a chair) and Bayley couldn’t get out to beat the count, losing in 20:44. A great, creative match that was a lot of fun. [****]

*This is the final Last Woman Standing match on the list.

2021 Match #82: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado [c] vs. Robbie Eagles – NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam
2020 Match #82: Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night Two
2019 Match #82: NXT North American Championship: Johnny Gargano [c] vs. Velveteen Dream – NXT 2/20/19
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

[The Kevstaaa]

81. ROH Pure Championship: Wheeler Yuta [c] vs. Daniel Garcia – AEW Dynamite 9/7/22

AEW was in a rough place following All Out. They handled it well with a banger episode of Dynamite, capped by this 16:35 main event. Buffalo’s own Daniel Garcia was the clear babyface here. The guys were evenly matched heading into the commercial and kept things grounded. This got better as it went on and I popped for Yuta’s spot where he hangs out of the ring, pulls himself back in, and hits German suplexes. Following a second commercial, this became more violent with a strike exchange that saw Garcia lay Yuta out with a slap. He tried to get the 10 count with that but Yuta survived. That fire led to Yuta using a closed fist and getting a warning. Pure Title rules make for a fun variation on what we typically see. Garcia used that aggression against Yuta, pulling him into the Dragon Tamer. They traded submissions until the Dragon Tamer got locked in again and Garcia won the title. Again, this is the kind of match I love. The hometown crowd added a lot to this one. [****]

*This is the final ROH Pure Title match.

2021 Match #81: Arcade Anarchy: Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian and Miro – AEW Dynamite 3/31/21
2020 Match #81: NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: BUSHI, EVIL & Shingo Takagi [c] vs. Hirooki Goto, Robbie Eagles & Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW Road to the New Beginning 2/6/20
2019 Match #81: NXT Tag Team Championship: The Undisputed Era [c] vs. War Raiders – NXT TakeOver: Phoenix
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

[The Kevstaaa]

80. AEW Trios Championship: Best Friends vs. Death Triangle – AEW Dynamite 9/7/22

After the debacle that was All Out, AEW needed a big episode to turn the tide. They started with a bang by crowning new Trios Champions. This got off to a wild start with some big spots including Best Friends launching Cassidy into a dive onto Death Triangle. I love that the hot tag went to Cassidy only for PAC to totally lay him out and cut off his run. Good twist on the formula. Danhausen tried to confront PAC but Alex Abrahantes interrupted, got cursed, and hit with a low blow. Danhausen tried to curse PAC too but ate a kick before he could. That triggered the closing stretch which featured a bunch of huge spots and tons of excitement. I like a lot of different styles of wrestling and a fun trios tag is right up there. That’s part of why I loved The Shield so much. The Best Friends near fall after they all hit their finishers was sweet. The finish saw Death Triangle hit a trio of Destroyers, the Lucha Brothers hit their finishers and two dives, and then PAC pin Taylor with Black Arrow in 13:04. That was so much goddamn fun and I am here for PAC being AEW’s first double champion. [****]

*This is the final appearance of Trent Baretta and Chuck Taylor.

2021 Match #80: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kota Ibushi [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Castle Attack 2/28/21
2020 Match #80: Jungle Boy vs. MJF – AEW Double or Nothing
2019 Match #80: Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle – EVOLVE 131
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

[The Kevstaaa]

79. WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: Alpha Academy [c] vs. Kevin Owen and Seth Rollins vs. RK-Bro – WWE Raw 3/7/22

Sometimes you attend a show live and a great match feels even more special because you’re there. I was at this particular Raw in Cleveland (after the December Smackdown we bought tickets to was moved to a March Raw) and most of the show was forgettable. However, everything about this 27:03 tag was worth the price of admission. Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins were a blast of a heel team, Alpha Academy is an underrated duo, and RK-Bro was absurdly over. Seriously, Randy Orton got a top five all time pop I’ve ever heard live on this show and it was just a regular ass episode of Raw. This was given a lot of time to be special and the guys made it work, moving in and out with ease, delivering on big moves, and played perfectly to the crowd. Then, there’s the big moment. You have likely seen gifs even if you missed the show and the match. Chad Gable went for a moonsault but Orton snuck in with a mid-air RKO. It was one of the best RKOs in history, which is saying something. Soon after, Riddle snuck in and stole a pin to give the good guys the championships. [****]

*This is the final appearance of Alpha Academy and Randy Orton.
*It is the last match from Monday Night Raw.
*There are no more Raw Tag Team Title matches.

2021 Match #79: New Japan Cup Second Round: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/15/21
2020 Match #79: The Butcher, The Blade, and The Lucha Bros vs. FTR and The Young Bucks – AEW Fyter Fest 7/8/20
2019 Match #79: Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel – NXT 3/6/19
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

[The Kevstaaa]

78. AEW Trios Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Aussie Open and Will Ospreay vs. Death Triangle – AEW Dynamite 8/24/22

I attended this show live which I think was part of why I didn’t love it as much as some others. The crowd was totally into Will though. This match was not typically my style of wrestling but it was a blast to see live. I had fun watching people who didn’t really know Will react to his stuff. I’ve seen Ospreay perform the backflip kick and land on his feet on a rana so many times but those new to him were in awe. Death Triangle is also fantastic, though they did lose in 25:18. My issues here came with two things. One, there wasn’t much selling from anyone. I get that’s not the main gist of the match but people were popping up from stuff like nothing happened. Two, the bigger problem, is that I think this works way better on TV. When you’re there live, you can see the guys outside just patiently waiting for the next spot to get involved in while guys did stuff in the ring. That took me out of it at times. On TV, that stuff is usually cut out. That may sound negative but that's what keeps this from ranking higher. Overall, this is a spectacle of a match that is incredibly fun to rewatch on TV and features some of the wildest spots you'll find anywhere. [****]

2021 Match #78: Dante Martin and The Sydal Brothers vs. Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks – AEW Dynamite 8/11/21
2020 Match #78: Minoru Suzuki vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 9/19/20
2019 Match #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
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

[The Kevstaaa]

77. ROH World Championship: Claudio Castagnoli [c] vs. Konosuke Takeshita – AEW Battle of the Belts III

The run of Konosuke Takeshita in AEW is something that deserved more love than it got. People appreciated it but he was pretty fantastic and was a highlight of the company for that entire time. He got his biggest match at the Battle of the Belts III special when he faced Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Title and they put on a show. The action was crisp and filled with great counters, impressive moves, and stiff strikes. The biggest problem that this could’ve faced was the lack of drama because nobody believed Takeshita had a shot at winning. That said, they managed to make me believe in a few near falls. The main idea was that Takeshita took Castagnoli to the limit and gave him one of his toughest defenses of the ROH World Title. Things like a running knee and Brainbuster gave Takeshita near falls but he fell to the Ricola Bomb after a fantastic 19:52. Takeshita was always a treat and this was his ultimate shining moment, cementing an impressive stint in AEW. [****]

*This is the last appearance of Konosuke Takeshita.
*It is the final match from Battle of the Belts.
*There are no more ROH World Title matches.

2021 Match #77: Men's Royal Rumble – WWE Royal Rumble
2020 Match #77: The New Day vs. The Street Profits – WWE Survivor Series
2019 Match #77: El Phantasmo vs. Rocky Romero – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/24/19
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

[The Kevstaaa]

76. AEW Grand Slam Tournament Of Champions Semifinals: Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho – AEW Dynamite 9/14/22

I love when a match is logical and this was just that from the start. It sounds simple but it’s so important. Jericho controlled the pace last time and worked a slow style, so Danielson came out with chops and looked to prevent that this time around. Danielson held serve because of it and did things like joint manipulation (another match aspect that I love). Jericho found a way to swing the momentum and even hit a plancha to the outside before adding some disrespectful slaps. The final 10 minutes of this 19:40 match were fantastic. They started throwing bigger moves and then we got the moment of Danielson’s foot getting injured. He had to unlace the boot and everything. Jericho pounced and did the ring post Figure Four, another favorite of mine. Danielson refused to give up despite everything Jericho threw at him. He turned the Walls into the LeBelle Lock, which got him the win to make this a big step up from the PPV thanks to the kind of wrestling that was right up my alley. [****]

2021 Match #76: IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Championships: Kota Ibushi [c] vs. El Desperado – NJPW Anniversary Event
2020 Match #76: Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 9/30/20
2019 Match #76: NXT North American Championship: Velveteen Dream [c] vs. Buddy Murphy – NXT 4/17/19
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

[The Kevstaaa]

75. NXT Cruiserweight & North American Championship Unification Match: Carmelo Hayes [c] vs. Roderick Strong [c] – NXT New Year’s Evil

Roderick Strong is one of wrestling’s most underrated talents ever and Carmelo Hayes is the future. Roddy had the crowd behind him, while Hayes wore a Roddy shirt to the ring for some mind games. Although this is the end of the Cruiserweight Title again, I appreciate that it’s getting a sendoff and isn’t just forgotten. I really appreciated the quality back and forth wrestling we got to start this. It’s not a heated feud or anything like that, just two guys trying to be the best. It was Roddy who first took it to the next level with strikes but Hayes had it scouted and hit his springboard leg drop. Hayes hit a big slingshot DDT on the apron just before a break. The idea here was the fast-paced Hayes against the hard-hitting and sometimes ground based style of Roddy. I will never tire of seeing Roddy throw out backbreakers, hitting a trio of them here. The wildest moment came when Roddy did an Explex off the top on Hayes that looked like it might kill him. Or did Hayes hit it? It was wild either way. Hayes added a diving Fameasser to claim the gold in 15:41. That was a hell of a match as Roddy continues to be one of the more unheralded greats of our time and Hayes takes a big step forward as a top star of the brand. The finish was a bit abrupt though. [****]

*This is the final appearance of Roderick Strong.
*It is the last match from New Year's Evil.
*There are no more NXT Cruiserweight Title matches.

2021 Match #75: World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals: Bryan Danielson vs. Miro – AEW Full Gear
2020 Match #75: AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley [c] vs. MJF – AEW All Out
2019 Match #75: Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
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

[The Kevstaaa]

74. G1 Climax Semifinals: Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW G1 Climax 8/17/22

You guys know my feelings on Willy and Naito was one of my favorites but he hasn’t been Naito in a few years, so I was mixed on this at best. The outcome here also felt obvious because as much as New Japan loves rematches, they weren’t going to do Naito/Okada yet again. The early goings here saw the two trying to feel each other out and it was Naito who gained the first upper hand. Commentary AGAIN went hard on trying to put over Ospreay as a good human as he was getting worked over. We get it, guys, you’re trying really hard. Anyway, Naito targeted the shoulders and neck and Will took a pretty great bump as he crumpled to an elbow. Will did a strong job of selling throughout this actually. He rallied only to have Storm Breaker countered into Destino. Naito must have a lot of finishers stored to always counter everyone else’s. Naito avoided Hidden Blade and hit Destino for two. Kevin Kelly, no matter how shocked you act by it, nobody is surprised to see Destino fail to win a match. It happens all the time. Ospreay avoided another one and hit Hidden Blade and Storm Breaker to win. A great main event though again the lack of drama kept it from being an all-timer. [****]

2021 Match #74: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly – NXT The Great American Bash
2020 Match #74: EVIL vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW The Beginning in Sapporo
2019 Match #74: Team Drew Gulak vs. Team Oney Lorcan – WWE 205 Live 8/20/19
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

[The Kevstaaa]

73. Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament Qualifying Match: Cash Wheeler vs. Dax Harwood – AEW Dynamite 4/27/22

If you know anything about me, then you know this was exactly the kind of wrestling I’d love. Two partners on the best tag team in the world having a banger of a singles match that paid homage to Bret and Owen Hart. It’s basically tailor-made for me. I also loved the touch of them wearing Hart family logs on their trunks. Coming into this year, neither guy was known for singles action but they had some good ones, with Harwood being a true standout. For 14:26, Wheeler was right here with him and that was kind of the theme here. They knew each other so well as partners that they were evenly matched in the ring. At every turn, they had counters or remained level with neither guy gaining a clear upper hand. Things really picked up after the break with German suplexes and bigger offense. The real kicker was the series of pin attempts from inside cradles to jackknife pins to the WrestleMania X victory roll spot. When that spot was done again later in the tournament, it didn’t come off nearly as well. Harwood ultimately won with a small package in a TV classic. [****]

*This is the final match from the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

2021 Match #73: Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 31 9/26/21
2020 Match #73: Boneyard Match: AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker – WWE WrestleMania 36 Night One
2019 Match #73: WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: Daniel Bryan and Rowan [c] vs. Heavy Machinery vs. The New Day – WWE 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

[The Kevstaaa]

72. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado [c] vs. Taiji Ishimori – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku

I immediately got interested in this match as I love some good limb work and Taiji Ishimori targeted El Desperado’s arm. I’m a simple man and sometimes the easiest route is the one I like the most. From arm wringers to submissions to a vicious sounding shoulder thrust into the ring post, Desperado was in clear trouble throughout most of this 14:40 match. However, when Ishimori did a shoulder block, he banged up his own already injured knee. I feel like you don’t see that enough. Someone in control only to make a mistake on their own that changes the tide. He couldn’t take full advantage but this opened the door for Desperado to get going. This really got going late and the final five minutes or so were fantastic. I came in not expecting a title change at all since Ishimori had no real momentum but they had me into this. They traded big blows and counters before Ishimori used the Bone Lock to make Desperado tap, ending a hell of a match. The junior heavyweights don’t get great booking but the same crop of dudes tend to deliver. [****]

2021 Match #72: Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart – NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day
2020 Match #72: G1 Climax Briefcase: Kota Ibushi [c] vs. Jay White – NJPW Power Struggle
2019 Match #72: Falls Count Anywhere Match: The Miz vs. Shane McMahon – WWE WrestleMania
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

[The Kevstaaa]

71. AEW All Atlantic Title Tournament Qualifying Match: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – NJPW New Japan Road 6/20/22

Yoshinobu Kanemaru jumped Tomohiro Ishii once he hit the ring, which made total sense given who he is and how much of a disadvantage he is at. That allowed Kanemaru to nearly steal this via countout and rollups. Ishii withstood that to start in with his own stuff but Kanemaru is a tricky bastard. He’d stop him with something like a dropkick to the knee before applying a submission. You really could tell that Kanemaru had a plan and executed it well. He was relentless on the leg and even kept it up after Ishii went after his leg with a shin breaker. Ishii couldn’t counter the Figure Four and had to keep going to the ropes to break it. I love that there’s a spot where Ishii doesn’t even do a move but instead simply runs over Kanemaru. He couldn’t muster up offense but was still flat out bigger than his opponent. The Kanemaru close calls were great because it was a case of “I know he isn’t winning but I’m buying into these near falls.” That’s hard to pull off. Ishii delivered a big headbutt late and eventually hit the Brainbuster to win in 19:37. That ruled. I’ve always said that I’m much more interested in matches that are smartly worked rather than ones trying to do the most moves to get the highest star rating. This was Kanemaru having a brilliant plan, executing it, and making me believe he’d win but Ishii selling his ass off and overcoming it. [****]

*This is the last appearance of Yoshinobu Kanemaru.

2021 Match #71: Adam Cole vs. Jungle Boy – AEW Dynamite 9/29/21
2020 Match #71: NXT Women's Championship: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Bianca Belair – NXT TakeOver: Portland
2019 Match #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
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