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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 13, 2023 12:26:28 GMT -5
37. Jon Moxley vs. Wheeler Yuta – AEW Rampage 4/8/22
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| I remember not being a fan of Wheeler Yuta during his run with the Best Friends. He always felt like the lamest part of the team and I never thought I’d really enjoy him. That changed with the Blackpool Combat Club storyline. This match was the biggest turning point. He got a chance to face AEW’s top star and he more than held his own for an incredible 12:39. Despite getting busted open badly, Yuta refused to give up and he proved to Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and William Regal that he belonged with them, which is not easy to do. This is the kind of story that I love in wrestling. The young gun proves themselves against a major star and this is one of the best instances of it. The sight of a bloodied Yuta standing toe to toe with Moxley is unforgettable. He survived a lot, including the Paradigm Shift in the case of a finisher kickout that worked. He also applied his own Bulldog Choke in a great twist of fate. Moxley still put him down with another Paradigm Shift and Bulldog Choke but Yuta earned his spot in the Blackpool Combat Club with this performance. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Wheeler Yuta. *It is the last match from Rampage.
2021 Match #37: War Games: Team 2.0 vs. Team Black And Gold – NXT TakeOver: War Games 2020 Match #37: Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinals: Penta El Zero M vs. Ray Fenix – AEW Dynamite 10/21/20 2019 Match #37: Dragon Lee vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/23/19 2018 Match #37: Extreme Rules Match: Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black – NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia 1/27/18 2017 Match #37: Number One Contender’s Match: Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Seth Rollins – Raw 5/1/17 2016 Match #37: Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown – WWE Survivor Series 11/20/16 2015 Match #37: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 7/20/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 13, 2023 15:27:15 GMT -5
36. WWE Raw Women's Championship: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Bianca Belair – WWE WrestleMania 38 Night One
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| I was one of those people who questioned Bianca losing in 26 seconds last year though Bianca’s redemption made it worth it. Their PPV match last year was good but this was lightyears better. You could tell they were saving some really cool shit for here. They teased the SummerSlam finish early on but Bianca had it scouted and got herself going. She and Becky had some fantastic exchanges and close calls throughout where you legitimately believed Becky would retain. Seeing Bianca do a Bret’s rope 450 splash was impressive as hell. Bianca took a shot to the face on a Becky attempt of a Molly Go Round that looked rough. I liked the closing stretch with the Glam Slam counter, as well as Bianca doing the Dis-Arm-Her. The actual finishing sequence was fantastic. It wrapped with a KOD, making Bianca the first person to beat Becky for the title in THREE YEARS. It went 19:03 and was a tremendous piece of business. Great wrestling and Bianca was cemented as THE GIRL who feels like the division’s biggest star and that’s including Charlotte and Ronda. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair. *It is the last Raw Women's Title match.
2021 Match #36: El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 11/21/21 2020 Match #36: Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Portland 2019 Match #36: NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan vs. The Forgotten Sons vs. The Street Profits vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT TakeOver XXV 2018 Match #36: Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 7/21/18 2017 Match #36: PROGRESS Atlas Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. WALTER – PROGRESS Chapter 51: Screaming for PROGRESS 7/9/17 2016 Match #36: Lucha Underground Championship: Mil Muertes (c) vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 3/9/16 2015 Match #36: NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks – NXT TakeOver: Rival 2/11/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 13, 2023 18:14:39 GMT -5
35. Dax Harwood vs. Will Ospreay – AEW Road Rager
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| One of the best wrestlers of 2022 against the IWGP US Champion. I loved how hard hitting this was at the start. Will bulking up has improved his striking but Dax was LAYING into him at points. The Shotgun Dropkick into the steps before the break looked fantastic as well. Will held serve through the break but upon returning, Dax reeled off FIVE German suplexes. HE IS SO GODDAMN GOOD. THE RELEASE GERMAN AFTER WAS EVEN BETTER. They continued at a wild pace with close calls and they made me believe Dax would win even though we all knew he wouldn’t. Dax survived everything Will threw at him, including the Oscutter. Alas, he couldn’t get up from the Hidden Blade, ending this in 13:46. I’m going to say it again but Will had a fantastic match because he stayed in that 12-18 minute range. When he goes balls to the wall, it works in a way that having 20+ minute matches rarely does. Dax also had one of the best years of anyone. [****¼] |
*This is the final match from Road Rager.
2021 Match #35: NXT UK Women's Championship: Kay Lee Ray [c] vs. Meiko Satomura – WWE NXT 6/10/21 2020 Match #35: NXT Title No. 1 Contender's Match: Kyle O'Reilly vs. Pete Dunne – NXT 12/16/20 2019 Match #35: Worlds Collide Tournament Finals: Tyler Bate vs. Velveteen Dream – WWE Worlds Collide 2/2/19 2018 Match #35: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW The New Beginning In Sapporo 1/27/18 2017 Match #35: Andrade Almas vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 8/19/17 2016 Match #35: NEVER Openweight Championship: Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Dominion 6/19/16 2015 Match #35: Adam Cole vs. AJ Styles – ROH War of the Worlds 5/12/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 13, 2023 21:23:07 GMT -5
34. Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins – WWE WrestleMania 38 Night One
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| Everyone knew Seth Rollins’ mystery opponent would be Cody Rhodes but the moment was still pretty special to experience. I’m a guy who liked Cody a lot for the most part and this was one of his best singles matches. These two traded some interesting stuff early on and we even got to see Cody do a Stardust taunt. As this progressed, it built and built to bigger stuff, with each guy surviving big offense. I don’t like many finisher kickouts but thankfully, this was more just guys kicking out of signature moves like Cody’s moonsault and a Pedigree. Seth survived a Cross Rhodes but that’s it that I can remember. Seth’s reverse superplex into a Curtain Call was one of the coolest spots of the night. In the end, Cody hit two Cross Rhodes, a series of Dusty-inspired strikes, and a third Cross Rhodes to win after 21:34. Fantastic wrestling and for at least one night, Cody feels like a big deal. [****¼] |
*This is the final match from WrestleMania.
2021 Match #34: AEW World Championship Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match: Kenny Omega [c] vs. Jon Moxley – AEW Revolution 2020 Match #34: WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Jey Uso – WWE Clash of Champions 2019 Match #34: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Finals – 6/5/19 2018 Match #34: WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles – WWE TLC 12/16/18 2017 Match #34: PROGRESS Championship No Disqualifications Match: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Jimmy Havoc – PROGRESS Chapter 45: Galvanize 3/19/17 2016 Match #34: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/3/16 2015 Match #34: Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor – NXT TakeOver: Rival 2/11/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2023 0:27:44 GMT -5
33. IWGP Women's Championship Tournament Finals: KAIRI vs. Mayu Iwatani – NJPW/Stardom Historic X-Over
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| KAIRI was a pillar of Stardom but obviously left to WWE for a while. Iwatani has held down the fort as a staple and top star for the past decade or so. Mayu also beat KAIRI for the World of Stardom Title before she departed to WWE. That helped give this a big fight feel. You could tell this was going to get time given how they started with a slow feeling out process. It made sense within the story of the match though as this was important and neither wanted to give ground to the other. I appreciated commentary noting that Mayu had issues with how KAIRI left the company for WWE. It added to whenever she threw out a stiff shot or something like that. KAIRI would level her with backfists and such but Mayu gave her nothing, even laughing in her face afterward. It’s like she was defiant to the end and didn’t want KAIRI to know that she was hurting. Mayu put a target on KAIRI’s arm to slow those down and possibly prevent the big elbow drop. As this neared the third act, both women started throwing bigger offensive moves like suplexes and frog splashes. On a half Tiger Suplex, KAIRI’s arm was too damaged to hook it for a pin, which may have cost her. Both women came close late, with a great near fall seeing KAIRI get her feet on the ropes to break a Dragon Suplex pin. KAIRI followed that with another back fist and the big elbow to win in 25:28. The epic main event that I wanted. They kept building to something bigger and added layers to almost everything they did before culminating in exciting fashion. [****¼] |
*This marks the final appearance of KAIRI and Mayu Iwatani. *It is the last IWGP Women's Title match. *There are no more matches from the Historic X-Over.
2021 Match #33: Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 31 9/18/21 2020 Match #33: Edge vs. Randy Orton – WWE Backlash 2019 Match #33: NXT UK Tag Titles: Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Moustache Mountain – NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool 2018 Match #33: G1 Climax Finals: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/18 2017 Match #33: WWN Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. Keith Lee – Evolve 87 6/25/17 2016 Match #33: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Naomichi Marufuji – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/10/16 2015 Match #33: AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/14/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2023 9:39:06 GMT -5
32. AEW Trios Championship: Death Triangle [c] vs. The Elite – AEW Full Gear
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| It’s great to see Kenny and the Bucks back. The Elite came out to “Carry on my Wayward Son” by Kansas, which is awesome. The PAC/Omega exchange was sick, while the Bucks and Lucha Brothers did the fast paced stuff they’re known for. Those teams have wrestled so much that they could have a good match in their sleep. Look, I’m not going into detail about the spots because there were so many ridiculous ones. It lacked the storytelling level of the All Out trios tag but was ripe with the absurd spots you’ve come to expect from these six. The Black Arrow into the Brutalizer would’ve been a sweet finish but this kept going. The story aspect came into play when Fénix declined using the bell hammer PAC wanted him to use. That allowed Omega to hit the V-Trigger and Tiger Driver ’98 for a legit near fall. Things got dire for the champs and PAC gave Fénix the hammer once more. He used it to escape the One Winged Angel and pin Kenny after 18:42. Another great match though not on the level of the one from the last PPV since the storytelling aspects weren’t nearly as good. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Death Triangle. *Is is the last match from Full Gear.
2021 Match #32: AEW World Championship: Kenny Omega [c] vs. Rey Fénix – AEW New Year’s Smash Night One 2020 Match #32: AEW TNT Championship: Cody Rhodes [c] vs. Darby Allin – AEW Full Gear 2019 Match #32: NXT Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Matt Riddle – WWE NXT 10/2/19 2018 Match #32: Tyler Bate vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PROGRESS Chapter 63: Take Me Underground 2/11/18 2017 Match #32: Matt Riddle vs. Travis Banks – PROGRESS Chapter 52: Vote Pies 7/23/17 2016 Match #32: WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena – WWE No Mercy 10/9/16 2015 Match #32: NXT Championship: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Finn Balor – WWE Beast in the East 7/4/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2023 13:48:37 GMT -5
31. AEW Grand Slam Tournament Of Champions Finals: Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley – AEW Grand Slam Dynamite
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| I loved that this started with action that was crisp, intense, and made sense. Danielson lit up Moxley with chops and kicks like nobody else. They kept that up through the break, doing exactly the kind of wrestling that I love. Plus, Danielson did the “I HAVE TIL 5” after the break. The back half of this 19:32 match brought the injured knee back into play. Danielson hurt it against Jericho the week prior. The Busaiku Knee near fall even got a reaction from MJF. See, that’s the time to do the shocked near fall face. Danielson also survived the Death Rider. They continued to go at it until they went to the aisle and Moxley hit the Death Rider there. Danielson rolled down and into the ring for a near fall where Moxley then put on the Bulldog Choke. Danielson attempted to break it with the Survivor Series ‘96/WrestleMania 8 finish but Moxley kept hold and won via submission. I think that was a step below their PPV match since the outcome seemed obvious by the MJF/Moxley build in recent weeks. Still, another tremendous match from the best of all time and the guy having the best 2022. [****¼] |
*This is the last match from the Grand Slam Tournament and the final match from Grand Slam Dynamite.
2021 Match #31: World Title Eliminator Tournament Semi-Finals: Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston – AEW Rampage 10/29/21 2020 Match #31: Street Fight: Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox – NXT TakeOver: Portland 2019 Match #31: WWE United States Championship: Samoa Joe [c] vs. Andrade vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio – WWE Fastlane 2018 Match #31: Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/28/18 2017 Match #31: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals: Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/2/17 2016 Match #31: Johnny Gargano, Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins vs. Marty Scurll, Tommy End and Will Ospreay – WWN Mercury Rising 4/2/16 2015 Match #31: Lucha Underground Championship: Prince Puma (c) vs. Mil Muertes – Ultima Lucha 8/5/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2023 16:40:11 GMT -5
30. New Japan Cup Quarterfinals: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/21/22
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| How much better would this company be if we got stuff like this matchup more often? Although they’re stable buddies, you knew they wouldn’t take it easy on each other. They brought fire to every strike as if they hated each other. In some ways, this was even more physical and violent than Hiromu/EVIL. The idea behind this was simple as Shingo had the clear power advantage and Hiromu willing himself to remain alive. He’d weather the storm and then fire off his own high octane attack that caught Shingo by surprise. Of course, it would take so much more to keep Shingo down but Hiromu is a madman, as proven by his match against Suzuki. He traded blows with Shingo even late but got destroyed by a Pumping Bomber. Shockingly, he survived Made in Japan and this continued. Hiromu fought back with some of his best shots but again, Shingo wouldn’t stay down. Near the end, Shingo hit a GTR that looked 100 times better than Goto’s. In the end, Shingo just proved to be too much for Hiromu, winning with Last of the Dragon after 23:43. Just a spectacular match between two of the best wrestlers on the planet. [****¼] |
2021 Match #30: WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Edge – WWE Money in the Bank 2020 Match #30: WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals: AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Smackdown 6/12/20 2019 Match #30: Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black vs. Matt Riddle vs. Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream – NXT 3/20/19 2018 Match #30: Men’s Royal Rumble Match – WWE Royal Rumble 1/28/18 2017 Match #30: Keith Lee vs. Tomohiro Ishii – RevPro Global Wars UK 11/9/17 2016 Match #30: RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Chris Hero – RPW Global Wars UK 11/11/16 2015 Match #30: AJ Styles vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW G1 Climax 7/20/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2023 21:13:41 GMT -5
29. Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Drew McIntyre – WWE Clash at the Castle
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| This had a big match feel like almost nothing else in WWE in a long time. Drew got the “Broken Dreams” intro complete with old clips before going into his current theme for his actual entrance. Roman did a masterful job of playing off of the crowd reaction and Drew having the upper hand. He was rattled and without Heyman, needed to fix that quickly. Karrion Kross and Scarlett were in the crowd, distracting Drew and turning the tide in Roman’s favor. That gave us our Roman heat segment and he manages to always make these so good. I loved how Roman regained confidence during this section of the match. Roman got a microphone and demanded the fans acknowledge him, opening the door for Drew to hit the Glasgow Kiss. That gave us a fun Drew run complete with the kip-up. Drew’s bridge on the spinebuster was sick too. They started throwing bombs with Reigns avoiding the Claymore and hitting the Superman Punch for two. Drew survived a Spear and then put Reigns through the barricade with one of his own. I liked that flip on the tired spot. I also loved Drew immediately rolling Roman inside to capitalize. The fact that it led to a Spear near fall was really good. I don’t love finisher kick outs but it makes sense in a big match like this as long as you don’t overdo it. Drew hit the Spear and had this won with a Claymore but Solo Sikoa pulled the referee out of the ring to save the title. The distraction led to the Spear and Roman retained in 30:46. I was totally into that emotionally as I felt Drew should’ve won. Regardless, the match was a banger though I didn’t love that many finisher kick outs. It helped that it was the only time Roman’s run actually felt like it was in jeopardy. Plus, we got the hilarious Austin Theory cash-inn spot. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Drew McIntyre. *There are no more ****¼ matches.
2021 Match #29: NXT United Kingdom Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Tommaso Ciampa – NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night One 2020 Match #29: IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito [c] – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 2019 Match #29: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Juice Robinson [c] vs. Jon Moxley – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Finals 2018 Match #29: El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/22/18 2017 Match #29: Super Strong Style 16 Quarterfinals: Jeff Cobb vs. Matt Riddle – PROGRESS Chapter 49: Super Strong Style 16 5/28/17 2016 Match #29: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Michael Elgin (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 9/25/16 2015 Match #29: WWE United States Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Cesaro – WWE Raw 7/6/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2023 23:31:36 GMT -5
28. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW New Japan Road 6/21/22
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| This happening on this card felt like the G1 winner getting their IWGP Title shot at Power Struggle instead of Wrestle Kingdom. Ishimori did a bit of stalling early to prevent Hiromu from gaining momentum and then he took out his arm with a chair shot behind the referee’s back. I was surprised to see that as I fully expected leg work given Hiromu’s story during the BOSJ. Hiromu continued the trend of throwing caution to the wind, further damaging his arm on a dive outside mere minutes after having it attacked. One thing I appreciated in this match was that it felt much different from their 2018 BOSJ classic. That was an absurd match filled with wild moments. This had those but it also incorporated mat work a bit more and played into how many times they have since. Ishimori would grab the upper hand and seemingly be in control but then Hiromu would bust out something to stop him. For example, Ishimori hit a sweet looking Destroyer but he then ran into a corner belly to belly that put both men on the mat. Ishimori had a counter of Time Bomb that looked really cool because he like, sprang off of Hiromu in a way that felt like he used all of his momenta to do so. The shoulder work paid off since it plays into Ishimori’s submission finisher. The final third of this match was ridiculous from submission close calls to piledrivers on the apron and a great Air Raid Crash near fall about 30 minutes in. The crowd was totally into this and had this happened in a bigger venue like where Dominion is, I feel it could’ve been special. Ishimori kept escaping Time Bomb and the inverted DDT from Bret’s Rope was a spectacular near fall. He finished it soon after with a Lungblower, retaining after an epic 36:20. Once again disproving the dumb theory that I don’t like long matches, I loved this. If you’re going to go 30+, you just have to make it work and have it make sense. This was meant to feel like two guys who have thrown everything at each other in the past having to throw even more this time around. [****½] |
*This is the final appearance of Taiji Ishimori. *It is the last IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title match. *There are no more matches from New Japan Road.
2021 Match #28: AEW World Championship: Kenny Omega [c] vs. Hangman Page – AEW Full Gear 2020 Match #28: Kota Ibushi vs. Taichi – NJPW G1 Climax 10/16/20 2019 Match #28: NXT North American Championship: Velveteen Dream [c] vs. Matt Riddle – NXT TakeOver: New York 2018 Match #28: NXT North American Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Ricochet – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 8/18/18 2017 Match #28: RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata [c] vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 2/11/17 2016 Match #28: The Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/31/16 2015 Match #28: Lucha Underground Championship All Night Long: Prince Puma (c) vs. Johnny Mundo – Lucha Underground 6/17/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2023 8:40:24 GMT -5
27. WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship: The Usos [c] vs. The Street Profits – WWE Money in the Bank
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| The teams started with some solo interactions, playing into the build to the match where they had some singles bouts. Leave it to WWE to build a tag match with individual singles outings. Dawkins became the face in peril which isn’t a role he typically finds himself in. Montez takes the heat and he does the hot tag, so I liked this role reversal. It helped make the Usos look like a genius tandem. Montez got the tag but had his hot run cut off by a superkick, making the whole thing even more logical. Cutting off the traditional tag formula just to build back to it isn’t seen often and I dug it here. This section took a while but the tag to Dawkins led to a sweet hot tag. The shoulder block into the back suplex was a great, unique spot. The Doomsday Blockbuster near fall was one of the best of the year. Montez’s somersault outside was also sick and really helped amp this match up down the stretch. The Usos survived another close call on a frog splash and won soon after with 1D in 23:01. One of the best tag matches of the year, regardless of promotion, and certainly tops for WWE. I loved how they used tag formula but with a variation on it that made it feel different. [****½] |
*This is the final appearance of The Usos and The Street Profits. *It is the last WWE Tag Team Title match. *There are no more matches from Money in the Bank.
2021 Match #27: Andrade El Idolo vs. PAC – AEW Rampage 10/22/21 2020 Match #27: WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Jeff Hardy [c] vs. Sami Zayn [c] vs. AJ Styles – WWE Clash of Champions 2019 Match #27: WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber: The Boss-n-Hug Connection vs. Fabulous Glow vs. Fire & Desire vs. The Iiconics vs. The Riott Squad vs. Samoan Slaughterhouse – WWE Elimination Chamber 2018 Match #27: Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 7/15/18 2017 Match #27: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/2/17 2016 Match #27: Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 60 5/6/16 2015 Match #27: NXT Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Kevin Owens – NXT TakeOver: Rival 2/11/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2023 20:05:20 GMT -5
26. New Japan Cup Semifinals: Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/26/22
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| I love a good clash of styles and Sabre is typically great against hard hitting guys like Shingo. Playing into the tour, Shingo had a damaged neck from a Chase Owens Package Piledriver on a chair and ZSJ honed in on that. After a short feeling out process, Sabre’s attack on the neck gave him the upper hand. However, Shingo could still turn things around. One of my favorite spots was Sabre trying to slap on a guillotine choke only for Shingo to immediately suplex him over and hold his neck in pain as he clearly did the move as a desperate bit of defense. I also have to praise ZSJ’s bumps as he took a simple DDT like he was RVD. They continued that trend of using their strengths throughout until we got a dope finish. Sabre applied a rear naked choke and Shingo climbed to the top with him on his back and fell backward to break the hold. Surprisingly, Sabre kept the grip and Shingo passed out, giving us a submission win in 19:24. A spectacular match that was everything I wanted. Just two guys doing what they do best and including little things that really add to a match. [****½] |
*This is the final appearance of Zack Sabre Jr.
2021 Match #26: KUSHIDA vs. Pete Dunne – NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver Night One 2020 Match #26: NXT Women's Championship: Io Shirai [c] vs. Rhea Ripley – NXT 11/18/20 2019 Match #26: Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW G1 Climax 7/18/19 2018 Match #26: New Japan Cup Quarterfinals: Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/15/18 2017 Match #26: PROGRESS Tag Team Championship: Trent Seven and Tyler Bate [c] vs. The South Pacific Power Trip – PROGRESS Chapter 45: Galvanize 3/19/17 2016 Match #26: PROGRESS Championship No Disqualifications Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Marty Scurll – PROGRESS Chapter 25 1/24/16 2015 Match #26: NEVER Openweight Championship: Tomoaki Honma vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW New Beginnings in Sendai 2/14/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2023 22:08:23 GMT -5
25. ROH World Tag Team Championship Two Out Of Three Falls Match: FTR [c] vs. The Briscoes – ROH Death Before Dishonor
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| I feel like ROH delivered in their pay-per-views but their time on AEW missed the mark. Anyway, after FTR and the Briscoes put on a clinic in their first outing, they attempted to up the ante with a Two Out of Three Falls match in the main event slot. For a ridiculous 43:36, we got to watch two of the greatest tag teams in history do their thing. While I found this installment to be a step down from the first, it was still a tremendous bit of business. The first fall saw a lot of hard hitting stuff and saw the Briscoes make up for the loss the first time out by taking it. Dax Harwood got beaten a ton in the second fall and had to survive to keep this team alive, leading to the Big Rig. The final fall did a great job of showcasing the exhaustion and desperation of both teams. You got the sense that everything was on the line here and when FTR took this with a Bret’s rope piledriver, it felt like a fitting conclusion. [****½] |
*This is the final match from Death Before Dishonor.
2021 Match #25: KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 31 10/9/21 2020 Match #25: Imperium vs. The Undisputed Era – WWE Worlds Collide 2019 Match #25: Juice Robinson vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/28/19 2018 Match #25: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Dominion 6/19/18 2017 Match #25: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW Power Struggle 11/5/17 2016 Match #25: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW G1 Climax 7/24/16 2015 Match #25: Evolve Championship: Timothy Thatcher (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 47 8/15/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2023 0:55:38 GMT -5
24. AEW Interim World Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jon Moxley – AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door
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| I’ve seen that people are kind of mixed on this. Some have rated it as a classic while others have given it scores of just being pretty good. I’m with the former. Tanahashi had the upper hand to start and it seemed to frustrate Moxley. He wants to be the Ace but was getting outwrestled. Moxley turned the tide by picking up the pace with bigger offense like a cutter and piledriver. Tanahashi looked off on his High Fly Flow to the outside. Maybe he’s not used to these American rings/turnbuckles. I thought it was weird that Moxley bladed on a Slingblade (ha) and the cut was really bad. Like, you could see the gash and it was horrifying. It also felt like a weird match for so much blood. Moxley survived the High Fly Flow combo inside and used the kickout to turn it over into the Bulldog Choke in a great moment. Tanahashi survived that but took another choke and the Paradigm Shift to lose in 18:14. Tanahashi is incredible and Moxley is on another level right now. This felt like a big fight and was right up my alley as it came off as epic without having to go 30+ minutes for no reason. [****½] |
*This is the last match from Forbidden Door.
2021 Match #24: WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Smackdown 4/30/21 2020 Match #24: NXT Tag Team Championship: The Undisputed Era [c] vs. The Broserweights – NXT TakeOver: Portland 2019 Match #24: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Dragon Lee [c] vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Dominion 2018 Match #24: NXT North American Championship: Ricochet [c] vs. Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne – NXT 10/10/18 2017 Match #24: WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Tyler Bate – NXT 12/20/17 2016 Match #24: Open the Dream Gate Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. YAMATO – Dragon Gate Kobe World Pro Wrestling Festival 7/24/16 2015 Match #24: Tomoaki Honma vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2023 9:07:34 GMT -5
23. Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW G1 Climax 8/6/22
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| Commentary noted that Will’s three wins over Shingo took more than 30 minutes while the one sub-30 minute outing went to Shingo. That put this kind of match in Shingo’s favor. They opened this with the expected back and forth that they’re known for. This really started to pick up when Shingo slammed his own face into the turnbuckle as if to say that Will wasn’t hitting him hard enough. When they were trading shots and throwing big bombs I liked this but there were things I didn’t enjoy. Some of the counters and exchanges came off as super choreographed and looked cheesy rather than cool. Shingo survived a Spanish Fly and 450 splash before avoiding Storm Breaker. I loved him turning Hidden Blade into a short Cross Armbreaker snap to help remove that move completely. As they neared the 20 minute mark, they were throwing everything they had at each other. Their signature stuff like the Oscutter wasn’t getting it done so they had to reach deep into their bags of tricks. Shingo finally took it with Last of the Dragon after 21:55. They may have done a bit too much with some of their counter stuff but they kept this at 22 minutes which is what I’ve wanted from them since day one. My biggest issue with their other matches is that they felt long and like they were trying to have an epic rather than just having one. This one packed a ton of great action into the right timeframe, played off their history, and never went overboard. [****½] |
*This is the last appearance of Shingo Takagi.
2021 Match #23: IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Championships: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Night One 2020 Match #23: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Robbie Eagles – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 11/29/20 2019 Match #23: WWE Universal Championship: Seth Rollins [c] vs. AJ Styles – WWE Money in the Bank 2018 Match #23: New Japan Cup Finals: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/21/18 2017 Match #23: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17 2016 Match #23: WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Extreme Rules 5/22/16 2015 Match #23: NXT Women’s Championship Ironman Match: Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks – NXT TakeOver: Respect 10/7/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2023 12:11:48 GMT -5
22. Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins – WWE WrestleMania Backlash
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| Seth Rollins didn’t win a lot in 2022 but he was money in the ring, as always. These two opened this with some quality back and forth exchanges before the first big move happened outside on a Seth clothesline. Seth held serve for a while after that with the idea being that he had done his homework. I liked that because it fit the story. Seth said Cody only won last time because he caught him by surprise and here he had a better game plan. Like in the previous outing, they started throwing bigger bombs down the stretch, including a great looking frog splash from Seth. I appreciated that the close call on a finisher came because Seth got his foot on the ropes. Cody countering the superplex/Falcon Arrow combo into Cross Rhodes was cool, so a kick out there would’ve sucked. I liked Seth doing the Dusty punches only for it cost him as he got caught with Cross Rhodes. I thought that should’ve been the finish but going into pin attempts and having Cody pull the tights (after Cody did) to win was a great move. It keeps Seth strong, keeps Cody unbeaten since his return, and ended a great match in a clever way. The whole thing went 20:46 and was a step above Mania. [****½] |
*This is the final appearance of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. *It is the last match from WrestleMania Backlash.
2021 Match #22: NXT United Kingdom Championship: Ilja Dragunov [c] vs. A-Kid – NXT UK 10/14/21 2020 Match #22: Jordan Devlin vs. Tyler Bate – NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II 2019 Match #22: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW G1 Climax 8/10/19 2018 Match #22: The Golden Lovers vs. The Young Bucks – NJPW Strong Style Evolved 3/25/18 2017 Match #22: Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 5/3/17 2016 Match #22: NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2/11/16 2015 Match #22: Evolve Championship: Timothy Thatcher (c) vs. Johnny Gargano – Evolve 51 11/6/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2023 14:19:20 GMT -5
21. CM Punk vs. MJF – AEW Dynamite 2/2/22
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| This started with about 45 minutes left on the show. MJF backed off at the bell but then used a cheap shot to get the early upper hand. Of course, once Punk actually got his hands on him, MJF got his ass kicked. That included in the ring, at ringside, and into the stands. Punk was so in control that he even relaxed on the ropes. MJF goaded him into a hard-charging shoulder block but he missed and hit the ring post, setting up what he’d sell for most of the match. MJF targeted it well throughout the break and he bragged while doing it. Using the arm for leverage on a superplex was a great call to add to the arm work. MJF used his wrist tape to choke out Punk and end this in 14:41. BUT WAIT! MJF dropped the tape so the match MUST CONTINUE! That gave Punk his second wind and he made good use of it but his arm was still too damaged to hit some of his biggest offense. Punk’s leg also got targeted late. Down the stretch, they fought up top and for the first time in YEARS, Punk busted out the Pepsi Plunge. Man, that had to do a number on his knees. That’s also a great callback to the references of Punk’s time on the indies. He added the elbow but MJF fell outside before he could capitalize. Wardlow strolled out and was conflicted. He got in Punk’s face but stepped aside to allow him to go after MJF. Punk did so but looking at Wardlow distracted him enough for MJF to knock him out with the ring gimmick, stealing this in 37:52. They clearly went for an epic and mostly made it work. I don’t think it needed to be 40 minutes but they did well to not pad it out with nonsense or time killing tropes. They even made the false finish and MJF heel tactics come off well. [****½] |
2021 Match #21: Men's Money In The Bank: Big E vs. Drew McIntyre vs. John Morrison vs. Kevin Owens vs. Ricochet vs. Riddle vs. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Money in the Bank 2020 Match #21: Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Survivor Series 2019 Match #21: New Japan Cup First Round: Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/10/19 2018 Match #21: No Disqualifications Match: Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali – WWE 205 Live 7/3/18 2017 Match #21: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Michael Elgin – NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 2/11/17 2016 Match #21: WWE World Championship: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. AJ Styles – WWE Backlash 9/11/16 2015 Match #21: PWG Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PWG Don’t Sweat the Technique 4/3/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2023 18:04:15 GMT -5
20. IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Battle Autumn in Osaka
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| Tetsuya Naito’s laid back attitude is a perfect foil to aggressive villain Will Ospreay. Ospreay tried to match him early, even stealing his signature pose but it takes more than that to get into Naito’s head. Naito also went after the neck, which made sense given Ospreay’s history there. It’s cool that Will can do his fancy, eye-catching moves but the simple whip he did into the guardrail was the kind of stuff I love. He did it with such aggression that it looked violent and felt worse for Naito than any Oscutter ever could. The segment with Ospreay in full control was fine, especially since he kept up the violent streak. I appreciated that a lot of big offensive chances for Ospreay were cut off because his neck would flare up. He did a really good job of selling. The neckbreaker onto the floor sounded sick and commentary’s “ewww” reaction was spot-on. The champ was out of it afterward and looked out on his feet several times. Will did the LAND ON MY FEET ON A RANA spot smoother than he often does. As usual, I didn’t love the closing stretch here because so many from New Japan feel so similar and Will’s neck didn’t both him as much here. He won with Stormbreaker in 30:17 in what was Will’s best singles match in a long time. Same for Naito who hasn’t been on his game over the past two years. [****½] |
*This is the final appearance of Will Ospreay and Tetsuya Naito. *It is the last match from Battle Autumn.
2021 Match #20: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom Night Two 2020 Match #20: NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi [c] vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW New Japan Road 2/20/20 2019 Match #20: Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong – NXT TakeOver XXV 2018 Match #20: PROGRESS Tag Team Championship: Calamari Catch Kings [c] vs. LAX – PROGRESS: New York City 8/7/18 2017 Match #20: WWE Championship Elimination Chamber: John Cena [c] vs. AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz – WWE Elimination Chamber 2/12/17 2016 Match #20: NXT Tag Team Championship: The Revival (c) vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 8/20/16 2015 Match #20: Hair vs. Hair: Ethan Carter III vs. Rockstar Spud – TNA Impact 3/13/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2023 20:39:41 GMT -5
19. Best of the Super Juniors Finals: El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Finals
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| Obviously, these guys deliver in the ring but my gripe with this tournament is that it’s another case of New Japan just going with the obvious route for the finale instead of trying something new. They had an out with Hiromu’s leg keeping him out of the finals but they still did it. With that out of the way, onto this match, which was the epic we all wanted and hoped for. The first 20 or so minutes here were all about Desperado having a game plan. He has worked legs throughout the tournament to set up the Stretch Muffler and with Hiromu’s bad leg, it was a clear target. The work done here wasn’t special but it made sense, was well done, and told a key part of this story. Hiromu sold it all well even on his comeback. That set the stage for a final third that was ridiculous. Their chemistry has been wildly good for years and it was evident here with the counters, strike exchanges, and more. It all just came off so well. Although Hiromu is beloved, the crowd has come to love Desperado lately and they were firmly behind him here. They wanted him to get the big win. When Hiromu kicked out of two Pinche Locos, Desperado looked at a loss. However, that was topped by Desperado becoming the first person I can think of to survive the Time Bomb 2. Neither man could figure out what would be enough to win this tournament. In the end, it took another Time Bomb capping a string of offense for Hiromu to win in 30:37. A hell of a match that I’d put behind their 2020 Finals and the 2018 BOSJ match. [****½] |
*It is the last appearance of El Desperado. *This is the final match from the Best of the Super Juniors.
2021 Match #19: Darby Allin vs. MJF – AEW Full Gear 2020 Match #19: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. Ryu Lee – NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2019 Match #19: Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes – AEW Double or Nothing 2018 Match #19: WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing Match: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Charlotte – WWE Evolution 10/28/18 2017 Match #19: Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 7/21/17 2016 Match #19: CMLL World Lightweight Championship: Dragon Lee (c) vs. Kamaitachi – NJPW/CMLL Fantastica Mania 1/24/16 2015 Match #19: Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/9/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2023 23:28:12 GMT -5
18. AEW World Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Bryan Danielson vs. Hangman Page – AEW Dynamite 9/7/22
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| I liked that the start of this match saw them not trying to do too much because given their history, neither wanted to make the first mistake. It didn’t last too long either before Hangman was throwing chops and Danielson was reaching into his bag of tricks. Danielson kind of goaded Hangman into a dive outside that he missed and Danielson sent him shoulder first into the post for our first commercial break. Returning, Danielson put a target on that shoulder and got more aggressive. Hangman started a comeback that included him hitting the big avalanche Fallaway Slam but going into a second break, Danielson rolled outside to avoid the Buckshot Lariat. Obviously, things got taken up another notch in the final segment as fans could fell the ending coming and popped hard for close calls from Hangman’s signature moves to Danielson submission attempts. The strikes they traded late also had some great fire behind them and having it set up a Deadeye near fall was tremendous. Danielson hit the Busaiku Knee but Page rolled outside to avoid a pin. Page suckered him into an apron powerbomb before Danielson countered the Buckshot Lariat into a pinning combination to get his first win over Hangman in 22:50. These two DO NOT MISS together. Another incredible match between them, capping one of the best trilogies ever. [****½] |
2021 Match #18: IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam 2020 Match #18: New Japan Cup First Round: Shingo Takagi vs. SHO – NJPW New Japan Cup 6/22/20 2019 Match #18: WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. WALTER – NXT TakeOver: New York 2018 Match #18: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 5/4/18 2017 Match #18: NXT Tag Team Championship: The Authors of Pain [c] vs. #DIY vs. The Revival – NXT TakeOver: Orlando 4/1/17 2016 Match #18: Fenix and Pentagon Jr. vs. Heroes Eventually Die – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 9/3/16 2015 Match #18: NXT Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Becky Lynch – NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable 5/20/15
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