Post by MGH on Dec 26, 2007 21:30:38 GMT -5
I made a thread similar to this last year around this time. Everyone does their personal top matches list, myself included, but I wanted to give some love to the matches that sometimes get lost in the shuffle or just don't make the cut but are still very good. With that said, here are my top 20 ALMOST MOTYC's of 2007.
As a warning, those who know me on here know I tend to ramble on a lot with topics like this. So this will be a very long post. If you just want the abbreviated version with the list only, just scroll on down to the bottom of the page.
*Only includes what I watched obviously. So WWE, TNA, ROH, CHIKARA, & January-June of CZW.
20) ROH FYF: NYC - Samoa Joe vs. Takeshi Morishima
In Takeshi Morishima's first ROH match in the United States, he went head to head with the soon to be departed Samoa Joe in the Manhattan Center. A near 20 minute collision, which featured some great hard hitting action and really had the crowd in to it. Not to mention the surprising ending with Joe going over clean one night before Shima would win the ROH World Championship. Great match which really introduced Shima well to those who may not have seen him before.
19) TNA Against All Odds - NWA Heavyweight Championship: Christian Cage(c) vs. Kurt Angle
This was the first of back to back PPV title defenses for Christian (the second of which is in my actual top 20) after winning the NWA Championship in January. This match reminded me so much of an Attitude Era WWE style PPV main event. Really good action for the first 3/4 of things, followed by interference and complete insanity for the final portion. This match also saw the return of Scott Steiner to the company. Christian used a pipe to retain over Angle, and the Angle/Steiner feud would kick off the following Thursday.
18) ROH Good Times, Great Memories - ROH World Championship: Takeshi Morishima(c) vs. SHINGO
On a show long since remembered for Briscoes/MCMG and Cabana's final match in ROH, the match that went on before intermission was a great fight. Dragon Gate vs. NOAH. This was the first defense for Morishima since winning the title where he went head to head with a powerhouse. SHINGO executed some big time moves on Morishima which actually had the Chicago crowd thinking he would take it. Ultimately, Morishima retained and this was the last we saw of SHINGO in the United States for Ring of Honor (for now).
17) CHIKARA Rey De Voladores - Campeonatos de Parejas: FIST(c) vs. Cheech & Cloudy
This tag team clash headlined what I think was CHIKARA's best show of 07. I found this to be easily the best defense of the titles for FIST, and seeing as I don't know CHIKARA results ahead of time a lot I thought at some points that the titles could switch. Great visual of Akuma kicking Cloudy until he puked.
16) ECW on Sci-Fi (09/04/07) - ECW Championship: John Morrison(c) vs. CM Punk
The biggest night thus far of Punk's career, and his best WWE match to date. I really liked watching this when it aired, though looking up and down the entire year I've found a lot of matches I enjoyed more. That isn't a shot at this match in the least though, there was a ton to love about this one. The final 5 minutes in particular were great. You have to wonder when this would have happened though if Morrison wasn't about to make a 6 week disappearance.
15) TNA No Surrender - TNA X-Divison Championship - Kurt Angle(c) vs. Jay Lethal
Much like Punk, I believe this is easily the best Lethal has looked since his debut in TNA. This one even surprised me. I never thought Lethal would go over Angle cleanly in the middle. I'd love to see these two work together more quite frankly.
14) ROH Honor Nation - Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries
This was the kickoff to their very recent best of three series, and one of the very best displays of pure technical wrestling I've seen all year. These two are totally incapable of having a bad match against one another. Match saw the debut of Aries' new submission finisher, stunning the crowd as he made Dragon tap out giving Aries a 1-0 lead at that point in the series.
13) ROH Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 - ROH World Championship: Takeshi Morishima(c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio's first shot at the ROH World Championship, and the match that announced Castagnoli's arrival to the upper echelon of the card in Ring of Honor. The story in the match was Claudio attempting over and over to overpower Morishima, FINALLY doing so, and getting the closest near fall of the year of any match. Crowd nearly rioted at the big false finish. Set the tone for the title match the next night that made my actual top 20 of 07.
12) ROH Glory By Honor VI Night 2 - GHC Heavyweight Championship: Misuharu Misawa(c) vs. KENTA
Perhaps a most controversial choice for even being on this list in the first place, as most if not all people I've seen have rated this match as one of their favorites all year. Misawa really brought it in this match, and KENTA was his usual awesome self. Crowd really got up for the Go 2 Sleep, which I don't think anyone thought would be hit in the first place. Misawa brought his A-game to Manhattan without a doubt.
11) CHIKARA Showdown in Crisisland - Eddie Kingston vs. Tim Donst
I never saw this match coming. Not from a mile away. I had never HEARD of Tim Donst before this one. I thought we were about to see a squash, and instead what I got was one of the most dramatic matches all year long. Donst plays the underdog in peril better than anyone I've seen in years. That kid can take an ass kicking. By the time Donst finally started his comeback, the crowd was in a frenzy. Excellent effort that made me highly anticipate a rematch....
10) CHIKARA Bruised - Eddie Kingston vs. Tim Donst II
....which I got near the end of CHIKARA's season. Tim Donst is a star in CHIKARA following this one. The story changed as Donst was aggressive and really took it to King. Kingston got the advantage, but could never hold it. Many many near falls where the crowd thought Donst had pulled the ultimate upset. Kingston got the pin again, but only after an absolute war. I must see more of these two.
9) ROH FYF: Liverpool - ROH World Tag Team Championships: Jay & Mark Briscoe(c) vs. Naruki Doi & SHINGO
My pick for the most shocking conclusion to a match in 2007. Just one show after the Briscoe's year long journey to regain the tag belts they last held in 04 ended with them coming out on top, they lose those same belts to the Dragon Gate duo in Liverpool, England. Action packed match made all the better by a hot Liverpool crowd. Briscoes looked as good as ever, and you know SHINGO and Doi were up for it. Crowd was absolutely STUNNED at the finish. Never say there are no surprises in wrestling anymore.
8) ROH All Star Extravaganza III - Austin Aries, Delirious, Claudio Castagnoli & Rocky Romero vs. CIMA, Susumu Yokosuka, Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito
Besides the brilliant action this match provided, the dynamic of the ROH team was the interesting part of this. Austin Aries, an easy choice for leader. Delirious, who had an ongoing feud of sorts with CIMA in ROH. Rocky Romero, .... hey, why not? And Claudio Castagnoli, ROH traitor and tweener at the time. Quite the odd foursome to say the least. The right buttons were pushed though, as these 8 arguably stole the doubleshot in Detroit. Seeing CIMA and Delirious against one another is never going to get old.
7) TNA iMPACT! (10/18/07) - Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe
This was the rematch of their show stealing effort at Bound For Glory 4 days earlier. This time a spot in the Fight for the Right tournament was on the line. One of the best matches I've ever seen on an iMPACT!. Much like I said with Aries and Danielson, I'm not sure that these two can have bad matches with one another. Really glad iMPACT! has two hours now, as this was able to get the time it deserved.
6) ROH Fighting Spirit - Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Jay Briscoe & Erick Stevens
As far as drama goes in 2007, you'd be hard pressed to top this one. The lineup says Erick Stevens, but this ended up being Steenerico vs. The Briscoes in the match that solidified Steen as one of the best heels ROH would see this calendar year. Playing up the concussion Mark had suffered a month earlier, Steen totally brutalized Briscoe. Once the match ended with the Package Piledriver/Brainbuster combo, the feud of the year for ROH in 07 had taken off, and Steenerico were MADE in ROH after disappointing prior appearances.
5) TNA Genesis - Team 3D vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
I'll give 3D all the credit in the world for this one. I don't know how this feud will turn out next year, but for one night at least the former Dudleys took a team and made them look like a million bucks. So many near falls, so many false finishes, so much to love here. A clean win for the Machine Guns here, which is exactly what was needed.
4) CHIKARA Rey De Voladores - Chris Hero vs. Claudio Castagnoli
CHIKARA did this match better than ROH has at any point this year. Brilliant contest in the ECW arena which saw Hero defeat his former partner, forcing Claudio against his will to join the Kings of Wrestling. So much good wrestling, back and forth action almost every minute. I'd have to say this is my pick for best match in CHIKARA in 2007.
3) TNA Bound For Glory - Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe
On a night that saw a great Ultimate X match, the best Sting match in ages, and TNA's best overall showing since BFG a year prior, this was the match that stole the show for me. The chemistry between these two is undeniable. No gimmicks needed here. Joe plays the pissed off bad ass just as well as Christian plays the weasel heel. Joe gets the first clean win over Cage in TNA, and ... hasn't done much since. Oh well. Still can't take away from the effort here.
2) ROH Domination - Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw
The best way I can describe this match is that it's one of those matches that you'll never think of as one of the absolute best all year, but when you want a match to watch you'll find yourself choosing this one over and over again. I don't have a bad thing to say about this match. Awesome action, awesome crowd heat, awesome ....uh... just awesome. More Quack in 08 please.
1) ROH Manhattan Mayhem II - ROH World Tag Team Championships - Two Out of Three Falls: Jay & Mark Briscoe(c) vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
After months of feuding that saw straight up tags, street fights, last man standing matches, blood baths, sneak attacks, show interrupting brawls and everything in between, this was to be the blowoff for ROH's feud of the year. The Briscoe's specialty: 2 out of 3 falls. The match was big enough to go on last, even after the World Title match. You'd think without the dramatic third fall that this match would lack that special "it", but that is far from the case. The second fall was as heated a match portion as any all year. These guys went balls to the wall trying to kill each other. Briscoes win 2-0, win the feud, and can finally move on .... or can they? Anyone who saw "Man Up" knows that isn't the case. Still, this is in my opinion the best match this year that just isn't special enough to make my actual MOTY list. Go out of your way to see this, and Manhattan Mayhem II as a whole.
So for a quick review:
20) ROH FYF: NYC - Samoa Joe vs. Takeshi Morishima
19) TNA Against All Odds - NWA Heavyweight Championship: Christian Cage(c) vs. Kurt Angle
18) ROH Good Times, Great Memories - ROH World Championship: Takeshi Morishima(c) vs. SHINGO
17) CHIKARA Rey De Voladores - Campeonatos de Parejas: FIST(c) vs. Cheech & Cloudy
16) ECW on Sci-Fi (09/04/07) - ECW Championship: John Morrison(c) vs. CM Punk
15) TNA No Surrender - TNA X-Divison Championship - Kurt Angle(c) vs. Jay Lethal
14) ROH Honor Nation - Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries
13) ROH Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 - ROH World Championship: Takeshi Morishima(c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli
12) ROH Glory By Honor VI Night 2 - GHC Heavyweight Championship: Misuharu Misawa(c) vs. KENTA
11) CHIKARA Showdown in Crisisland - Eddie Kingston vs. Tim Donst
10) CHIKARA Bruised - Eddie Kingston vs. Tim Donst II
9) ROH FYF: Liverpool - ROH World Tag Team Championships: Jay & Mark Briscoe(c) vs. Naruki Doi & SHINGO
8) ROH All Star Extravaganza III - Austin Aries, Delirious, Claudio Castagnoli & Rocky Romero vs. CIMA, Susumu Yokosuka, Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito
7) TNA iMPACT! (10/18/07) - Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe
6) ROH Fighting Spirit - Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Jay Briscoe & Erick Stevens
5) TNA Genesis - Team 3D vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
4) CHIKARA Rey De Voladores - Chris Hero vs. Claudio Castagnoli
3) TNA Bound For Glory - Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe
2) ROH Domination - Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw
1) ROH Manhattan Mayhem II - ROH World Tag Team Championships - Two Out of Three Falls: Jay & Mark Briscoe(c) vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
So there you have it. My "almost MOTYC" Top 20 for 2007. I'll do the Top 20 matches of the year sometime before year's end and post it here. So, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Love it? Hate it? Think I have good taste? Think this list is teh suX0rs? Opinions wanted either way
As a warning, those who know me on here know I tend to ramble on a lot with topics like this. So this will be a very long post. If you just want the abbreviated version with the list only, just scroll on down to the bottom of the page.
*Only includes what I watched obviously. So WWE, TNA, ROH, CHIKARA, & January-June of CZW.
20) ROH FYF: NYC - Samoa Joe vs. Takeshi Morishima
In Takeshi Morishima's first ROH match in the United States, he went head to head with the soon to be departed Samoa Joe in the Manhattan Center. A near 20 minute collision, which featured some great hard hitting action and really had the crowd in to it. Not to mention the surprising ending with Joe going over clean one night before Shima would win the ROH World Championship. Great match which really introduced Shima well to those who may not have seen him before.
19) TNA Against All Odds - NWA Heavyweight Championship: Christian Cage(c) vs. Kurt Angle
This was the first of back to back PPV title defenses for Christian (the second of which is in my actual top 20) after winning the NWA Championship in January. This match reminded me so much of an Attitude Era WWE style PPV main event. Really good action for the first 3/4 of things, followed by interference and complete insanity for the final portion. This match also saw the return of Scott Steiner to the company. Christian used a pipe to retain over Angle, and the Angle/Steiner feud would kick off the following Thursday.
18) ROH Good Times, Great Memories - ROH World Championship: Takeshi Morishima(c) vs. SHINGO
On a show long since remembered for Briscoes/MCMG and Cabana's final match in ROH, the match that went on before intermission was a great fight. Dragon Gate vs. NOAH. This was the first defense for Morishima since winning the title where he went head to head with a powerhouse. SHINGO executed some big time moves on Morishima which actually had the Chicago crowd thinking he would take it. Ultimately, Morishima retained and this was the last we saw of SHINGO in the United States for Ring of Honor (for now).
17) CHIKARA Rey De Voladores - Campeonatos de Parejas: FIST(c) vs. Cheech & Cloudy
This tag team clash headlined what I think was CHIKARA's best show of 07. I found this to be easily the best defense of the titles for FIST, and seeing as I don't know CHIKARA results ahead of time a lot I thought at some points that the titles could switch. Great visual of Akuma kicking Cloudy until he puked.
16) ECW on Sci-Fi (09/04/07) - ECW Championship: John Morrison(c) vs. CM Punk
The biggest night thus far of Punk's career, and his best WWE match to date. I really liked watching this when it aired, though looking up and down the entire year I've found a lot of matches I enjoyed more. That isn't a shot at this match in the least though, there was a ton to love about this one. The final 5 minutes in particular were great. You have to wonder when this would have happened though if Morrison wasn't about to make a 6 week disappearance.
15) TNA No Surrender - TNA X-Divison Championship - Kurt Angle(c) vs. Jay Lethal
Much like Punk, I believe this is easily the best Lethal has looked since his debut in TNA. This one even surprised me. I never thought Lethal would go over Angle cleanly in the middle. I'd love to see these two work together more quite frankly.
14) ROH Honor Nation - Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries
This was the kickoff to their very recent best of three series, and one of the very best displays of pure technical wrestling I've seen all year. These two are totally incapable of having a bad match against one another. Match saw the debut of Aries' new submission finisher, stunning the crowd as he made Dragon tap out giving Aries a 1-0 lead at that point in the series.
13) ROH Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 - ROH World Championship: Takeshi Morishima(c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio's first shot at the ROH World Championship, and the match that announced Castagnoli's arrival to the upper echelon of the card in Ring of Honor. The story in the match was Claudio attempting over and over to overpower Morishima, FINALLY doing so, and getting the closest near fall of the year of any match. Crowd nearly rioted at the big false finish. Set the tone for the title match the next night that made my actual top 20 of 07.
12) ROH Glory By Honor VI Night 2 - GHC Heavyweight Championship: Misuharu Misawa(c) vs. KENTA
Perhaps a most controversial choice for even being on this list in the first place, as most if not all people I've seen have rated this match as one of their favorites all year. Misawa really brought it in this match, and KENTA was his usual awesome self. Crowd really got up for the Go 2 Sleep, which I don't think anyone thought would be hit in the first place. Misawa brought his A-game to Manhattan without a doubt.
11) CHIKARA Showdown in Crisisland - Eddie Kingston vs. Tim Donst
I never saw this match coming. Not from a mile away. I had never HEARD of Tim Donst before this one. I thought we were about to see a squash, and instead what I got was one of the most dramatic matches all year long. Donst plays the underdog in peril better than anyone I've seen in years. That kid can take an ass kicking. By the time Donst finally started his comeback, the crowd was in a frenzy. Excellent effort that made me highly anticipate a rematch....
10) CHIKARA Bruised - Eddie Kingston vs. Tim Donst II
....which I got near the end of CHIKARA's season. Tim Donst is a star in CHIKARA following this one. The story changed as Donst was aggressive and really took it to King. Kingston got the advantage, but could never hold it. Many many near falls where the crowd thought Donst had pulled the ultimate upset. Kingston got the pin again, but only after an absolute war. I must see more of these two.
9) ROH FYF: Liverpool - ROH World Tag Team Championships: Jay & Mark Briscoe(c) vs. Naruki Doi & SHINGO
My pick for the most shocking conclusion to a match in 2007. Just one show after the Briscoe's year long journey to regain the tag belts they last held in 04 ended with them coming out on top, they lose those same belts to the Dragon Gate duo in Liverpool, England. Action packed match made all the better by a hot Liverpool crowd. Briscoes looked as good as ever, and you know SHINGO and Doi were up for it. Crowd was absolutely STUNNED at the finish. Never say there are no surprises in wrestling anymore.
8) ROH All Star Extravaganza III - Austin Aries, Delirious, Claudio Castagnoli & Rocky Romero vs. CIMA, Susumu Yokosuka, Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito
Besides the brilliant action this match provided, the dynamic of the ROH team was the interesting part of this. Austin Aries, an easy choice for leader. Delirious, who had an ongoing feud of sorts with CIMA in ROH. Rocky Romero, .... hey, why not? And Claudio Castagnoli, ROH traitor and tweener at the time. Quite the odd foursome to say the least. The right buttons were pushed though, as these 8 arguably stole the doubleshot in Detroit. Seeing CIMA and Delirious against one another is never going to get old.
7) TNA iMPACT! (10/18/07) - Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe
This was the rematch of their show stealing effort at Bound For Glory 4 days earlier. This time a spot in the Fight for the Right tournament was on the line. One of the best matches I've ever seen on an iMPACT!. Much like I said with Aries and Danielson, I'm not sure that these two can have bad matches with one another. Really glad iMPACT! has two hours now, as this was able to get the time it deserved.
6) ROH Fighting Spirit - Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Jay Briscoe & Erick Stevens
As far as drama goes in 2007, you'd be hard pressed to top this one. The lineup says Erick Stevens, but this ended up being Steenerico vs. The Briscoes in the match that solidified Steen as one of the best heels ROH would see this calendar year. Playing up the concussion Mark had suffered a month earlier, Steen totally brutalized Briscoe. Once the match ended with the Package Piledriver/Brainbuster combo, the feud of the year for ROH in 07 had taken off, and Steenerico were MADE in ROH after disappointing prior appearances.
5) TNA Genesis - Team 3D vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
I'll give 3D all the credit in the world for this one. I don't know how this feud will turn out next year, but for one night at least the former Dudleys took a team and made them look like a million bucks. So many near falls, so many false finishes, so much to love here. A clean win for the Machine Guns here, which is exactly what was needed.
4) CHIKARA Rey De Voladores - Chris Hero vs. Claudio Castagnoli
CHIKARA did this match better than ROH has at any point this year. Brilliant contest in the ECW arena which saw Hero defeat his former partner, forcing Claudio against his will to join the Kings of Wrestling. So much good wrestling, back and forth action almost every minute. I'd have to say this is my pick for best match in CHIKARA in 2007.
3) TNA Bound For Glory - Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe
On a night that saw a great Ultimate X match, the best Sting match in ages, and TNA's best overall showing since BFG a year prior, this was the match that stole the show for me. The chemistry between these two is undeniable. No gimmicks needed here. Joe plays the pissed off bad ass just as well as Christian plays the weasel heel. Joe gets the first clean win over Cage in TNA, and ... hasn't done much since. Oh well. Still can't take away from the effort here.
2) ROH Domination - Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw
The best way I can describe this match is that it's one of those matches that you'll never think of as one of the absolute best all year, but when you want a match to watch you'll find yourself choosing this one over and over again. I don't have a bad thing to say about this match. Awesome action, awesome crowd heat, awesome ....uh... just awesome. More Quack in 08 please.
1) ROH Manhattan Mayhem II - ROH World Tag Team Championships - Two Out of Three Falls: Jay & Mark Briscoe(c) vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
After months of feuding that saw straight up tags, street fights, last man standing matches, blood baths, sneak attacks, show interrupting brawls and everything in between, this was to be the blowoff for ROH's feud of the year. The Briscoe's specialty: 2 out of 3 falls. The match was big enough to go on last, even after the World Title match. You'd think without the dramatic third fall that this match would lack that special "it", but that is far from the case. The second fall was as heated a match portion as any all year. These guys went balls to the wall trying to kill each other. Briscoes win 2-0, win the feud, and can finally move on .... or can they? Anyone who saw "Man Up" knows that isn't the case. Still, this is in my opinion the best match this year that just isn't special enough to make my actual MOTY list. Go out of your way to see this, and Manhattan Mayhem II as a whole.
So for a quick review:
20) ROH FYF: NYC - Samoa Joe vs. Takeshi Morishima
19) TNA Against All Odds - NWA Heavyweight Championship: Christian Cage(c) vs. Kurt Angle
18) ROH Good Times, Great Memories - ROH World Championship: Takeshi Morishima(c) vs. SHINGO
17) CHIKARA Rey De Voladores - Campeonatos de Parejas: FIST(c) vs. Cheech & Cloudy
16) ECW on Sci-Fi (09/04/07) - ECW Championship: John Morrison(c) vs. CM Punk
15) TNA No Surrender - TNA X-Divison Championship - Kurt Angle(c) vs. Jay Lethal
14) ROH Honor Nation - Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries
13) ROH Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 - ROH World Championship: Takeshi Morishima(c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli
12) ROH Glory By Honor VI Night 2 - GHC Heavyweight Championship: Misuharu Misawa(c) vs. KENTA
11) CHIKARA Showdown in Crisisland - Eddie Kingston vs. Tim Donst
10) CHIKARA Bruised - Eddie Kingston vs. Tim Donst II
9) ROH FYF: Liverpool - ROH World Tag Team Championships: Jay & Mark Briscoe(c) vs. Naruki Doi & SHINGO
8) ROH All Star Extravaganza III - Austin Aries, Delirious, Claudio Castagnoli & Rocky Romero vs. CIMA, Susumu Yokosuka, Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito
7) TNA iMPACT! (10/18/07) - Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe
6) ROH Fighting Spirit - Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Jay Briscoe & Erick Stevens
5) TNA Genesis - Team 3D vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
4) CHIKARA Rey De Voladores - Chris Hero vs. Claudio Castagnoli
3) TNA Bound For Glory - Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe
2) ROH Domination - Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw
1) ROH Manhattan Mayhem II - ROH World Tag Team Championships - Two Out of Three Falls: Jay & Mark Briscoe(c) vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
So there you have it. My "almost MOTYC" Top 20 for 2007. I'll do the Top 20 matches of the year sometime before year's end and post it here. So, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? Love it? Hate it? Think I have good taste? Think this list is teh suX0rs? Opinions wanted either way
