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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 10, 2023 11:36:43 GMT -5
55. Steel Cage Match: Jungle Boy vs. Luchasaurus – AEW Full Gear
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| JB did his best to use his speed to his advantage but Luchasaurus caught him and beat him to a pulp. He got lawn darted into the cage and was busted open within the first two or so minutes. The visuals of a beaten JB with blood all over his face was great because he’s such a great sympathetic babyface. You want to see him overcome the odds and Luchasaurus is a great foil for him because of that. Christian stole the key from a referee and unlocked the door before being taken away by security. That was enough of a distraction for JB to get going as they battled outside. That portion of the match really didn’t go anywhere though and JB was back in trouble until he started kicking Luchasaurus’ head into the cage inside. I would’ve ended this at the Killswitch on the chair because it was a perfect middle finger to Christian by JB. However, I absolutely loved when JB sat up right after Luchasaurus to stare him down. JB finally hit an elbow through a table off the top of the cage and added the Snare Trap to win in 18:42. A hell of a match though it could’ve been something truly epic without as many false finishes as those went a bit overboard. Still, a banger though. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. *There are no more Steel Cage matches.
2021 Match #55: Jeff Cobb vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW Dominion 2020 Match #55: Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 9/27/20 2019 Match #55: Bandido vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/23/19 2018 Match #55: NXT Tag Team Championship: The Undisputed Era [c] vs. Moustache Mountain – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 8/18/18 2017 Match #55: Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/9/17 2016 Match #55: Money in the Bank: Alberto Del Rio vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Money in the Bank 6/19/16 2015 Match #55: Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rusev – WWE Raw 7/13/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 10, 2023 14:39:51 GMT -5
54. Alexa Bliss, Asuka and Bianca Belair vs. Bayley, Dakota Kai and IYO SKY – WWE Clash at the Castle
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| I was excited for this given my love for basically everyone involved but especially Dakota, IYO, and Bayley. The action was good but this shined because of the character work like Bayley talking smack to Michael Cole and trying to get the crowd to not be so positive for her. The crowd still wanted her above everyone else though. Alexa took the heat for a while and they found a way to keep cutting Bianca off. Bayley started limping at one point but was apparently faking it. There was a fantastic late Asuka/IYO exchange. Bianca’s hot tag didn’t get the pop I hoped for but they built to it extremely well. The closing stretch with Bianca against Dakota was fantastic, giving Dakota a lot of time to shine. She survived Bianca and tagged Bayley. A barrage of offense led to Bayley pinning Bianca to win in 18:45. That was Bianca’s first pinfall loss in 2022. A tremendous opener boosted by the crowd. They paced it perfectly, had a lot of action, and was just fantastic all around. I was totally invested. I know I’m probably the high man on this but whatever, I loved it. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY.
2021 Match #54: NXT Women's Championship: Raquel Gonzalez [c] vs. Dakota Kai – NXT TakeOver 36 2020 Match #54: Parking Lot Fight: Best Friends vs. Santana and Ortiz – AEW Dynamite 9/16/20 2019 Match #54: Jon Moxley vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW G1 Climax 7/24/19 2018 Match #54: Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 8/4/18 2017 Match #54: Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm – Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix 8/20/17 2016 Match #54: Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Kohei Sato and Shuji Ishikawa – BJW Saikyo Tag League 10/31/16 2015 Match #54: NXT Championship Ladder Match: Finn Balor (c) vs. Kevin Owens – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 8/22/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 10, 2023 18:27:23 GMT -5
53. CM Punk and Jon Moxley vs. FTR – AEW Dynamite 2/9/22
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| It’s kind of weird to think this actually happened given how Punk ended up feuding with Moxley and becoming friendly with FTR. The faces had the advantage early as they are better in singles situations. FTR took control when they busted out their great tandem efforts. Attacking Punk’s leg, isolating him in the corner, etc. Surprisingly though, the Punk in peril section was relatively short. Moxley came in throwing suplexes like his name was Kurt Angle. During the break, Moxley got put through a table and nearly got counted out. That set up Moxley as our official face in peril. They did it in a smart way so he didn’t look weak and Punk got the hot tag as the guy involved in the feud. When it happened, the match went to the next level for the rest of the 19:26. The guys brought together so many close calls and near falls without ever making it feel forced. There weren’t finisher kick-outs either, instead doing pin breakups and things like that. The biggest kick out was Punk after a shot with the ring bell. Moxley and Punk even did a Doomsday Device like this was LOD against the Brainbusters. The GTS getting countered into the Big Rig was spectacular and the pin save added to the drama. Tully even got involved and Punk hit him with a goddamn GTS. Punk added one on Cash at the same time as Moxley hit a Paradigm Shift to win. [****¼] |
2021 Match #53: WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Cesaro – WWE WrestleMania Backlash 2020 Match #53: Jay White vs. Taichi – NJPW G1 Climax 10/7/20 2019 Match #53: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kota Ibushi [c] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW Sengoku Lord 2018 Match #53: NXT Championship: Aleister Black [c] vs. Tommaso Ciampa – NXT 7/25/18 2017 Match #53: WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins [c] vs. Cesaro and Sheamus – WWE No Mercy 9/24/17 2016 Match #53: PWG Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly – PWG Thirteen 7/29/16 2015 Match #53: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW Invasion Attack 4/5/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 10, 2023 20:36:31 GMT -5
52. Donnybrook Match: The Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium – WWE Extreme Rules
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| These guys immediately started brawling which is just what I wanted from them. Although they used weapons like the shillelagh and the various bar-themed items at ringside, this was always at its most vicious when they just beat the shit out of each other. Imperium held serve for a while, taking out the big men and putting the focus on the smaller Butch. Sheamus led the rally and got his one-on-one encounter with Gunter after coming so close to winning the IC Title the previous night. I loved how the 10 Beats gimmick was finished and then Holland and Butch just added onto it with more strikes and kicks. It fit the theme of this just being dudes wailing on each other. Near the end of this 17:50 match, we finally got the moment of revenge for Sheamus, who leveled Gunther with the weapon as he was held up by Butch and Holland. That was followed by the Celtic Cross through the table and the crowd ATE THIS UP. The Brutes are wildly over. That led to a Brogue Kick on Vinci to wrap this up. The Sheamus/Gunther stuff continued to be awesome while everyone else delivered in a big way as well in front of a hot crowd. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser. *It is the last match from Extreme Rules. *There are no more Donnybrook matches.
2021 Match #52: NXT UK Women's Championship: Kay Lee Ray [c] vs. Meiko Satomura – NXT UK 3/4/21 2020 Match #52: EVIL and Shingo Takagi vs. Hirooki Goto and Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW New Year Dash 2019 Match #52: Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: #DIY vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT 3/6/19 2018 Match #52: NXT North American and WWE United Kingdom Championships: Ricochet [c] vs. Pete Dunne [c] – NXT 9/19/18 2017 Match #52: Best Friends vs. Leaders of the New School – PWG Nice Boys Don’t Play Rock n’ Roll 3/18/17 2016 Match #52: Matt Riddle vs. Will Ospreay – PROGRESS The Graps of Wrath 11/27/16 2015 Match #52: WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: New Day (c) vs. Lucha Dragons vs. The Usos – WWE TLC 12/13/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 10, 2023 23:42:56 GMT -5
51. AEW Trios Championship Tournament Semifinals: Aussie Open and Will Ospreay vs. The Elite – AEW Dynamite 8/31/22
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| Kenny Omega got the overdone entrance again, complete with Justin Roberts roasting Ospreay. Willy was animated from the start, desperate to get his hands on Kenny. We got Kenny vs. Willy to start and I must say, I’m not the biggest Omega fan out there but I feel like he’s LEAGUES ahead of Ospreay. Kenny casually avoiding the Space Flying Tiger and hitting a snap dragon suplex was sweet. That pissed off Will who removed Kenny’s shirt to expose his many bandages and bruises. That set up Kenny as the face in peril throughout a second commercial break. Upon returning, we got the hot tag for another wild section of this match. There were more big moves and close calls down the stretch here than possibly even the previous week. Speaking of then, I mentioned that seeing guys hang around the ring waiting for sports hurt it for me but here, the production team messed things up as they missed a few big moves. Will also poorly timed a version of the Meltzer Driver where he clearly connected at the wrong time and of course, the camera caught that. In the end, Kenny was left alone with Kyle Fletcher and beat him with the V-Trigger and One Winged Angel in 18:53. An action-packed match with the thrown-in Will vs. Kenny story. Not a MOTYC but something great. [****¼] |
2021 Match #51: Big E vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Raw 9/20/21 2020 Match #51: NXT Women's Championship: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Charlotte Flair – WWE WrestleMania 36 Night Two 2019 Match #51: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW Royal Quest 2018 Match #51: Charlotte vs. Ronda Rousey – WWE Survivor Series 11/18/18 2017 Match #51: PROGRESS World Championship: Travis Banks [c] vs. Matt Riddle – PROGRESS Chapter 58: Live Your Best Life 11/26/17 2016 Match #51: Six to Survive: Fenix vs. Ivelisse vs. Johnny Mundo vs. King Cuerno vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Taya – Lucha Underground 6/15/16 2015 Match #51: Kazuchika Okada vs. Roderick Strong – ROH Field of Honor 8/22/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 11, 2023 9:56:37 GMT -5
50. IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Jay White – NJPW Dominion
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| My Okada formula issue is that the slow start often means nothing in the grand scheme. Here, we got the slow start but it was entertaining as Jay nails the antics and mannerisms in between the slow stuff to keep you hooked. He also told Gedo not to get involved, only for him to be okay when Okada got tripped up by him. I love Jay matches because he’s not about “I’m gonna hit the coolest moves to get the highest star rating.” He’s here to win as a kayfabe wrestler should be. For example, he just kept going for pins at one point because it’s all about the win. Okada did his cross-body over the guardrail about a third of the way through this, kind of setting things up for the next portion. Still, Jay remained in control with a Flatliner and German suplex. It was a rare case of Okada really looking like he was outclassed. Jay had an answer for everything and was in total control. I loved Jay using the TTO and Texas Cloverleaf all while talking trash to Tanahashi who was on commentary. Okada used a GORGEOUS dropkick to finally stop Jay though the challenger kept surviving the Money Clip. The closing stretch saw Jay throw everything at Okada from a Brainbuster to his own Rainmaker. Okada avoided Blade Runner several times and they countered each other a bunch before White turned a Rainmaker into Blade Runner to win back the title he never should’ve lost in 2019 after 36:05. A hell of a match with the right outcome. Jay told multiple stories throughout and Okada was on his game. The middle portion actually dragged a bit rather than the opening stuff but overall, one of New Japan’s better main events. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Jay White. *There are no more matches from Dominion. *It is the last IWGP World TItle match.
2021 Match #50: Best of the Super Juniors Finals: Hiromu Takahashi vs. YOH – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors x World Tag League Finals 2020 Match #50: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Jon Moxley [c] vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 2019 Match #50: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/3/19 2018 Match #50: British Strong Style vs. The Undisputed Era – WWE United Kingdom Tournament 6/25/18 2017 Match #50: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Kenny Omega – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17 2016 Match #50: CWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship: Trevor Lee (c) vs. Cedric Alexander – CWF Worldwide 5/18/16 2015 Match #50: NEVER Openweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Tomoaki Honma – NJPW Power Struggle 11/7/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 11, 2023 12:17:05 GMT -5
49. El Desperado vs. El Lindaman – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/24/22
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| There was hype here, especially after Desperado mentioned El Lindaman in a promo while Jr. Heavyweight Champion. The crowd was way into this as the guys hit each other hard from the start. Even dives to the outside had an extra layer of intensity to them, with a Desperado one seemingly catching Lindaman right on the nose. Desperado started going after the leg and Lindaman’s call to combat it was to throw big offensive moves. He could pull out a suplex when you’d least expect it, stopping Desperado in his track. Of course, Desperado could grab at the leg and apply something like the Stretch Muffler at almost any given time. Down the stretch they went into a fantastic series of counters and offense with Lindaman finally ending it by hitting a great looking Tiger Suplex in 15:08. That ruled. It had an intensity level that was unmatched in the tournament and played well off of the build. They had a stiff match that played to both of their strengths and this was huge for Lindaman. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of El Lindaman.
2021 Match #49: WWE United States Championship: Damian Priest [c] vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus – WWE Raw 8/30/21 2020 Match #49: Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks – NXT The Great American Bash 7/1/20 2019 Match #49: NEVER Openweight Championship: KENTA [c] vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW Power Struggle 2018 Match #49: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW Sakura Genesis 4/1/18 2017 Match #49: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata – NJPW G1 Climax 8/1/17 2016 Match #49: WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Battleground 7/24/16 2015 Match #49: Open the Twin Gate Championship: Verserk (c) vs. Monster Express – Dragon Gate The Gate of Destiny 11/1/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 11, 2023 14:22:18 GMT -5
48. Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Last Man Standing Match: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE SummerSlam
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| This feud has always sucked. Brock jumped off the tractor he rode to the ring during introductions to attack Roman and get us off to a fast start. I was worried about this early on as they were kind of just doing spots for spots’ sake and throwing each other around in ways that weren’t interesting. Thankfully, things turned around when Brock got Roman in the tractor and dropped him onto the mat to try and win. Roman survived a bunch of F5s and more before they trade guillotine chokes. Brock used the tractor to push the ring and then lifted it, knocking Roman out of the ring in one of the wildest spots I’ve ever seen. The Usos showed up and Heyman pleaded with Brock only for all three to get taken out, including Heyman eating an F5 through the table. Brock beat a bunch of counts after eating more offense from spears to shots with the title. Eventually, it took Brock getting buried under Roman, the Usos, and a bunch of weapons to end this in 22:51. That was so dumb in the best way possible. I love dumb shit like tractor spots in wrestling. [****¼] |
*This is the last appearance of Brock Lesnar. *It is the final match from SummerSlam.
2021 Match #48: Money in the Bank Qualifying Last Man Standing Match: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Smackdown 7/2/21 2020 Match #48: Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 10/16/20 2019 Match #48: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 7/30/19 2018 Match #48: NXT Tag Team Championship: The Undisputed Era [c] vs. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan – NXT TakeOver: Chicago 6/16/18 2017 Match #48: Cueto Cup Finals: Pentagon Dark vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 8/23/17 2016 Match #48: World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs. Mayu Iwatani – Stardom Gold 5/15/16 2015 Match #48: Kazuchika Okada vs. Yuji Nagata – NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 11, 2023 16:40:12 GMT -5
47. AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks [c] vs. Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks vs. Swerve In Our Glory – AEW Fyter Fest
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| AEW kind of drove three-way tags into the ground around this time. I liked the early stages here with things like the Bucks acting like they were hot shit, including Matt Jackson trying and failing to suplex Hobbs and Lee. That actually played into the story of the match and wasn’t just a spot for the sake of having fun. The Bucks’ hubris got them into this situation and could end up costing them. They were the most experienced and successful team here by a mile but these were two hungry, talented duos to face at once. The teams worked through a break and picked up the already wild pace afterward. Lee cleaned house before he got a challenge from Hobbs, capped by a sick looking Frog Splash. Seriously, he might have the second best frog splash right now behind Montez Ford. The rope walk Doomsday Cutter by Team Taz was one of my favorite spots of the year. I popped for Ricky joining the Superkick Party and even posing with the Bucks. A ref bump led to things getting even wilder and we got some more dissension between Swerve and Keith Lee, leading to some great drama. Lee and Swerve turned things around and got going, hitting the Swerve Stomp/Powerbomb combo on Matt for a ridiculously good near fall as the pin was broken up. The closing stretch saw more action and Lee hitting a wild somersault to the outside before Swerve got the surprise win on the Swerve Stomp at the 18:04 mark. Probably AEW’s most shocking title change and a welcome one that proves anything can happen in such a loaded tag division. A fantastic main event filled with close calls and tons of action. [****¼] |
*This is the final match Fyter Fest. *It is the last appearance of both Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks.
2021 Match #47: Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: Grizzled Young Veterans vs. MSK – NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day 2020 Match #47: Hiromu Takahashi vs. SHO – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 12/2/20 2019 Match #47: WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar [c] vs. Finn Balor – WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Match #47: WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Cedric Alexander vs. Roderick Strong – WWE 205 Live 3/13/18 2017 Match #47: Best of the Super Juniors Finals: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/3/17 2016 Match #47: NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/10/16 2015 Match #47: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 9/27/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 11, 2023 20:10:38 GMT -5
46. WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Royal Rumble
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| Right off the bat, this felt incredible as “SIERRA, HOTEL, INDIA, ECHO, LIMA, DELTA, SHIELD,” hit the speakers. Seth Rollins came out in full Shield gear and walked through the crowd, really getting into Roman’s head. It worked as he dominated the early stages, hitting a powerbomb through the announce table, Buckle Bomb, and Curb Stomp for a close call. Roman was rattled and it was clear. He weathered the storm and started getting his own stuff going, throwing bombs at Seth. I typically don’t like matches where it’s just a bunch of kickouts of big moves but this was a rare case of it working for me. There was a section in the middle that didn’t work as well as the rest but was still good. The biggest issue people had was with the finish. Reigns hit a Spear and Rollins laughed while hurt, offering a Shield fist bump. A frustrated and pissed Reigns put him in the Guillotine Choke and refused to let go when Seth got to the ropes, giving us a DQ in 14:44. That ended kind of killed this. It should’ve been the start of a longer story. The money is in Seth vs. Roman more than any other match WWE can put together. [****¼] |
*This is the final match from Royal Rumble.
2021 Match #46: 2020 Match #46: AEW Tag Team Championship: Hangman Page and Kenny Omega [c] vs. The Lucha Bros – AEW Dynamite 2/19/20 2019 Match #46: EVIL vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2018 Match #46: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW G1 Climax 7/14/18 2017 Match #46: WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The New Day [c] vs. The Usos – WWE SummerSlam 8/20/17 2016 Match #46: Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. SANADA and Tetsuya Naito – RPW Global Wars UK 11/11/16 2015 Match #46: Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 48 8/16/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 11, 2023 23:22:54 GMT -5
45. Death Triangle vs. The House of Black – AEW Double or Nothing
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| I mostly felt like Double or Nothing was a disappointing show but leave it to the House of Black and Death Triangle to deliver. Six guys who have been killing it for a while made sure to put on a fantastic match. If only they were booked like top guys. They just went all out for 15:19 and did some incredible things. There were wild spots, tons of action, and some ridiculous moments in the best possible way. I feel like people forget just how good the Lucha Brothers are sometimes. Murphy looks like an Adonis and wrestles like one of the best in the world. Malakai and PAC had some exchanges that left my jaw on the ground and Brody was the big brute he needs to be. The finish finally led to the culmination of the Julia Hart storyline as she showed up, spit mist in PAC’s eyes, and Black Mass ended him. It’s wild that we never really got PAC vs. Malaki. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of the House of Black. *It is the last match from Double or Nothing.
2021 Match #45: Kota Ibushi vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW G1 Climax 10/3/21 2020 Match #45: Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak – WWE Elimination Chamber 2019 Match #45: Aleister Black vs. Buddy Murphy – WWE TLC 2018 Match #45: NXT Championship vs. Career Match: Andrade Almas [c] vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT 2/21/18 2017 Match #45: Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 77 1/28/17 2016 Match #45: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/18/16 2015 Match #45: WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns – WWE WrestleMania 3/29/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 12, 2023 10:37:46 GMT -5
44. IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Orange Cassidy – AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door
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| The early goings here proved why as Cassidy’s attitude of not caring played perfectly into Will’s overly serious nature these days since he’s trying so hard to be a vicious heel. Cassidy frustrated him at every turn. They got into the actual meat of the match and most of it was strong. I did get distracted by Jim Ross on commentary. He is like, historically terrible. Cassidy’s comeback with his hands in pocket was awesome. It’s wild that he can do a better kip-up with no hands than most athletic guys can with the help of their hands. Anyway, the final few minutes were absurd with huge moves that looked great. Cassidy casually avoiding the Oscutter and hitting a sick Stundog Millionaire were great moments. I liked that Will got to be the bigger brute here though I wish Hidden Blade came off better. He kind of whiffed. I also felt that they went a bit into overkill mode on close calls and near falls late though I did bite on one for OC. Will finished it with Stormbreaker in 16:10. I keep saying it OVER and OVER but again, Willy was at his best in a shorter match setting. [****¼] |
*This is the last appearance of Orange Cassidy.
2021 Match #44: WWE Universal Championship Last Man Standing Match: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Kevin Owens – WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Match #44: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night One 2019 Match #44: Taichi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/11/19 2018 Match #44: Moustache Mountain and Ricochet vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT 6/27/18 2017 Match #44: WWN Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. Kyle O’Reilly – Evolve 84 5/20/17 2016 Match #44: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Extreme Rules Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles – WWE Extreme Rules 5/22/16 2015 Match #44: AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9 1/4/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 12, 2023 13:51:50 GMT -5
43. WWE Intercontinental Championship: Gunther [c] vs. Ricochet – WWE Smackdown 12/16/22
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| Not enough people mention him when they discuss the best in the world right now but Gunther is as good as it gets. It doesn’t matter who he faces, he manages to put on bangers no matter what. The match where he won the Intercontinental Title from Ricochet earlier this year was good but they topped it and then some in the rematch. Ricochet was hot off of winning the Smackdown World Cup and got his shot against the match who bested him once. For 21:49 he hung tough with his larger opponent and Gunther again proved that he can deliver greatness with smaller guys. He sold enough to make Ricochet feel like a legitimate threat and star but remained dominant enough for himself to stand out. It’s a fine balance to get right. I didn’t think Ricochet would win but they made me bite on a few near falls, which is hard to do. Ricochet’s final chance saw him get chopped out of the air and then he lost to a stiff powerbomb in one of the best TV matches of the year. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Ricochet. *There are no more matches from Smackdown.
2021 Match #43: Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks – WWE Smackdown 10/15/21 2020 Match #43: NXT North American Championship: Keith Lee [c] vs. Dominik Dijakovic – NXT TakeOver: Portland 2019 Match #43: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Supercard 2018 Match #43: Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 8/1/18 2017 Match #43: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. Ricochet – NJPW Wrestling Toyonokuni 4/29/17 2016 Match #43: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 7/30/16 2015 Match #43: ROH World and Television Championships: Jay Briscoe (c) vs. Jay Lethal (c) – ROH Best in the World 6/19/15
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coleslaw
Don Corleone
Steve Sniffs
Posts: 2,028
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Post by coleslaw on Jan 12, 2023 14:10:34 GMT -5
Shit, Ospreay/OC was probably my MOTY. Goes to show how much wrestling I missed in 2022 I guess lol. This list is a great jump-off point to start catching up
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 12, 2023 16:04:03 GMT -5
42. Blood & Guts: The Blackpool Combat Club, Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz vs. The Jericho Appreciation Society – AEW Dynamite 6/29/22
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| Sammy Guevara chose to start but seemed to regret it once Claudio stepped in against him. I got to see Claudio beat his ass for a few minutes, so this was riding on five stars for a while. Moxley, Yuta, and Claudio dominated to the point where Angelo Parker entered with three opponents staring him down which meant a nice change of pace. They used weapons like broken glass, kendo sticks, and thumbtacks as this went on. Kingston was last in and the match officially began. I loved that he just walked through the JAS with kendo stick shots in his desperation to get to Jericho. It was exactly what it needed to be. Some weapons stuff didn’t work like Hager’s table bump but the stuff with the tacks came off well. 2.0 seemed to be on a mission to prove themselves, bleeding buckets and taking bumps on tacks. Parker was even hung by his leg upside down out of the cage with blood pouring. They exposed the ring under the mat though that didn’t amount to much. Jericho and Kingston battled up top and Sammy followed to take the token bump off the top as he was sent down through tables. Menard and Claudio also went up top, with Claudio saving Kingston from the Walls. Jericho took the swing on top of the cage and got put in the Stretch Plum as Claudio put Menard in the Sharpshooter. Just before Jericho could tap, Menard did, giving Claudio the win in 46:45. An absolutely wild match. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Claudio Castagnoli, Sammy Guevara, Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, Santana, Ortiz, Chris Jericho, and Jake Hager.
2021 Match #42: Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 31 9/23/21 2020 Match #42: NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto [c] vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo Night One 2019 Match #42: The Revival vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT 11/20/19 2018 Match #42: WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre [c] vs. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins – WWE Hell in a Cell 9/16/18 2017 Match #42: Donovan Dijak vs. Keith Lee – Evolve 81 3/31/17 2016 Match #42: ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Lio Rush – ROH Supercard of Honor 4/1/16 2015 Match #42: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazushi Sakuraba – NJPW Dominion 7/5/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 12, 2023 18:40:16 GMT -5
41. New Japan Cup First Round: El Desperado vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/2/22
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| It’s our usual Anniversary Jr. Heavyweight vs. Heavyweight Champion match except it comes in the New Japan Cup. This match is basically one of the MVPs of New Japan over the past two years and also Kazuchika Okada. I loved how Desperado started by stepping on Okada’s toes to bring him down to size. He quickly went after the knee, knowing that Naito targeted it in throughout the Golden Series gimmick. I appreciate that this didn’t follow typical Okada formula. The early stages meant something in terms of showcasing Desperado having Okada scouted and targeting the knee. Of course, Okada could reset the momentum with something as simple as a flapjack or his gorgeous dropkick. Desperado came close a few times but my biggest gripe with this match is that they never made me feel like he could win. I believed YOH might upset Tanahashi but not that Desperado would topple Okada. I think the problem was that a lot of his best shots involved the Stretch Muffler and there was no way that Okada would tap. Okada kept going to the Money Clip, with the idea being that a junior heavyweight wasn’t worthy of the Rainmaker. When the Money Clip failed, Desperado suddenly became worthy of it as Okada started to want to hit the move but Desperado blocked it with a forearm and hit Pinche Loco. He wanted a second which set up a series of reversals and Okada won with the Rainmaker in 26:21 to set up a match with Master Wato in round two. I loved this match as it showed again why Desperado is great and was Okada doing something different. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Kazuchika Okada.
2021 Match #41: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair – WWE Survivor Series 2020 Match #41: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. Taiji Ishimori – NJPW Summer Struggle in Jingu 2019 Match #41: RevPro British Heavyweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii [c] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 2018 Match #41: Ricochet vs. The Velveteen Dream – NXT TakeOver: Chicago 6/16/18 2017 Match #41: Kazuchika Okada vs. Satoshi Kojima – NJPW G1 Climax 7/27/17 2016 Match #41: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Payback 5/1/16 2015 Match #41: Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Fastlane 2/22/15
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Facetious
King Koopa
ADAM COLE BAYBAY
Posts: 11,694
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Post by Facetious on Jan 12, 2023 18:42:20 GMT -5
The fact that Despy is still in the game means that there is a good chance the death match GOAT appears on the list!
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 12, 2023 21:39:51 GMT -5
40. War Games: Team Bloodline vs. Team Brawling Brutes – WWE Survivor Series
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| This started fine but things got interesting when it looked like Jimmy was going to enter next only for Sami to get sent in instead. The idea was to test Sami’s loyalty as he’d have to work with the one Bloodline member who he hasn’t bonded with. The story throughout surrounded Sami, where it was nearly fighting with KO or actually fighting with Jey. As Roman was the final man in, both teams stood across from each other in opposite rings. We got 50 Beats of Bodhran as all of the faces did it once which was cool. There was also Owens and Reigns reigniting their feud from 2020 including KO saying he wasn’t done with him. Owens had Roman pinned after a Popup Powerbomb but Sami stopped the referee from counting and ultimately hit Owens with a low blow. Sami added a Helluva Kick and allowed Jey to hit the splash on Owens for the win in 38:32. That was an anti-climactic finish though it worked with the story. Where the earlier War Games match had more wild spots, this had way better storytelling and I was hooked throughout. [****¼] |
*This is the last appearance of Solo Sikoa, Butch, Ridge Holland, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn. *It is the final match from Survivor Series.
2021 Match #40: Last Woman Standing: Raquel Gonzalez vs. Rhea Ripley – NXT New Year’s Evil 2020 Match #40: AEW Tag Team Championship: FTR [c] vs. The Young Bucks – AEW Full Gear 2019 Match #40: Best of the Super Juniors Finals: Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/5/19 2018 Match #40: Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H – WWE WrestleMania 34 4/6/18 2017 Match #40: Flash Morgan Webster, Jimmy Havoc and Mark Haskins vs. Pete Dunne, Trent Seven and Tyler Bate – PROGRESS Chapter 44: Old Man Yells at Cloud 2/26/17 2016 Match #40: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/3/16 2015 Match #40: Aztec Warfare – Lucha Underground 1/7/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 13, 2023 0:08:05 GMT -5
39. Bryan Danielson vs. Dax Harwood – AEW Dynamite 11/30/22
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| The best wrestler of all time vs. one of the best wrestlers of 2022. It’s one of my most anticipated matches of the year. Early on, Dax did a better job than you might expect at matching Danielson on the mat. They traded strikes as well before Danielson sent Dax into the crowd with a tope suicida heading into a commercial break. Returning, Dax started throwing German suplexes. I love that it has become a key part of his arsenal. The idea here was that even though Dax is a tag wrestler, he was able to match Danielson at every turn. Both men were exhausted after a strike exchange, further proving how hard-hitting this was. The finish saw both men trade inside cradle near falls until Danielson took one into the LeBelle Lock, causing a submission in 14:42. That was a great, old-school style match between two fantastic wrestlers and it was everything I could’ve wanted. [****¼] |
2021 Match #39: Edge vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Smackdown 9/10/21 2020 Match #39: WWE Universal Championship TLC Match: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Kevin Owens – WWE TLC 2019 Match #39: New Japan Cup Semifinals: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/23/19 2018 Match #39: Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Survivor Series 11/18/18 2017 Match #39: NXT Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing Match: Asuka [c] vs. Nikki Cross – NXT 6/28/17 2016 Match #39: Trios Championship: Ivelisse and Son of Havoc (c) vs. The Crew and Joey Ryan vs. Dragon Azteca Jr., Rey Mysterio Jr. and Prince Puma vs. Fenix, Jack Evans and PJ Black – Lucha Underground 4/27/16 2015 Match #39: Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 8/29/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 13, 2023 10:12:10 GMT -5
38. Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Clash at the Castle
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| After the injury to Will Ospreay, NJPW had an opportunity on their hands. That could stick to the status quo of Kazuchika Okada even after his atrocious 2019 title reign or they could go with the Seth rocked some Elton John-style gear and I loved it. Despite the goofy entrances, they went right at it at the bell as they should’ve given the nature of the feud. They kept up that pace for the most part. Even with Riddle doing something like a rana, it was only to set up a chokehold as he wanted to really make Seth hurt. Seth responded with stuff like a powerbomb into the guardrail. Riddle made sure that his kicks had more snap to them than usual, adding a bit extra to everything. The Bro 2 Sleep followed by knee strikes was pretty great for a near fall as well. I loved Seth barely surviving the triangle choke and turning it into his own Bro Derek for two. More mind games from someone who is great at it. They kept surviving big blows thrown at one another like the Pedigree, which got a great reaction from the crowd. Seth went into Orton offense with the hanging DDT and then wasted time pounding the mat like Orton for an RKO, allowing Riddle to catch him in a choke and kick his ass. Riddle even tried to use a chair but Seth avoided it and delivered the Curb Stomp as he slid back in the ring. Seth added a Bret’s rope Curb Stomp to win in 17:20. I loved that finish as Seth used Riddle’s own aggression against him. An outstanding match from start to finish. [****¼] |
*It is the last appearance of Matt Riddle.
2021 Match #38: IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW Dominion 2020 Match #38: NXT UK Women's Championship: Kay Lee Ray [c] vs. Piper Niven vs. Toni Storm – NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II 2019 Match #38: NXT Women's Championship: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Rhea Ripley – NXT 12/18/19 2018 Match #38: WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz [c] vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins – WWE WrestleMania 4/8/18 2017 Match #38: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17 2016 Match #38: Chris Hero vs. Tomohiro Ishii – RPW Global Wars UK 11/10/16 2015 Match #38: KUSHIDA vs. Roderick Strong – ROH War of the Worlds 5/12/15
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