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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 25, 2016 21:09:05 GMT -5
86. WWE and United States Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. John Cena (c) – WWE SummerSlam 8/23/15 | | Outside of a pretty dreadful feud with Rusev, John Cena spent 2015 having some of the best matches of his career and making the United States Championship important. With that title at its peak importance, he put it up against Seth Rollins and his WWE Championship in a match with huge implications. Seth busted out some near attire, adding to the big fight feel. He had the crowd firmly in his corner and proceeded to deliver. The night before, Seth was in the front row at NXT TakeOver and was brought to tears by the performances of Bayley and Sasha Banks. It seems like that motivated him to try and steal the show even more than usual because he was absolutely on fire here. The angle was similar to the one ROH ran earlier in the year, and even a spot where Seth did two suicide dives and then a third dive also reminded me of the Lethal/Briscoe match. While Seth was on his “A” game, I don’t really think Cena was. Parts of this were great, while others weren’t. The thing that kept this from reaching four star territory was the ending. Jon Stewart showed up to hit Cena with a chair, allowing Seth to hit the Pedigree and become a double champion at 19:26. There was potential for something special here, but the finish killed it. ***¾ |
*This is the last SummerSlam match to make this list. 3.75 as the best match at Summerslam. I don't specifically remember the card (maybe that says something), but that seems real bad. I thought the card was average for the most part. Extreme Rules had the lowest top rated match at ***1/2 (Reigns/Show)
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 25, 2016 21:10:53 GMT -5
85. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – NJPW Dominion 7/5/15 | | At New Japan’s Wrestling Dontaku event, Hirooki Goto defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Nakamura has lost the title four times, usually gaining it back before the new champion makes any successful defenses. This was Goto’s first defense of the title. Nakamura came out dressed like a goddamn ninja. That’s right, ninja vs. samurai. I was pretty sold once I saw that. The match itself started slowly as they chose to build to something bigger with 22:40 to play with. Honestly, if this was kept to a shorter length, I think it would have been a bit better, but their G1 match was shorter and I preferred this so maybe that isn’t always the case. Still, the final third of this match delivered big time, like it was a Kazuchika Okada match or something. Once this started going, it was pretty awesome. Goto had the Boma Ye very well scouted, and was able to counter it multiple times before retaining his belt. Granted, Goto would never make another successful defense as he lost the title to none other than Nakamura in September. **** |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 25, 2016 22:17:23 GMT -5
84. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 7/26/15 | | Early on in the G1 Climax, the “A” Block was my preferred block (though that would change as the tournament went on). This was the fifth night of the tournament and proved to be one of the better ones. In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi faced Tetsuya Naito in a rematch of the finals of the G1 two years earlier. I’ve never seen that match, but I heard it was a pretty big disappointment. This was a very different Naito though, fully immersed in his new heel persona. For me, it was in this match that Naito really started nailing it. From his mannerisms early on to his actions during and after the match, he was a total dick. On the Tanahashi side of things, the guy once again proved that he is nowhere the end of his road. They worked a smart 24:14 match that did a great job in establishing this Naito heel gimmick. A win over the top guy in the company was absolutely a big way to show everyone that a new and improved Tetsuya Naito had indeed arrived. **** |
83. Global League Finals: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Shelton X Benjamin – NOAH Global League Finals 11/8/15 | | The stakes were high at the end of Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Global League Tournament. Shelton X Benjamin represented the Suzuki-Gun faction, led by current GHC Heavyweight Champion Minoru Suzuki. Naomichi Marufuji was the NOAH guy. The winner would earn a shot at the GHC Heavyweight Title. Marufuji is the guy that has to save NOAH from Suzuki-Gun and their hostile takeover. I mean, throughout the year, Suzuki-Gun had a firm grasp on every single belt in NOAH. He’s the last hope for the company and the crowd reacted to this match as so. They were completely invested in the entire 24:06 of the match. Marufuji got out of the gate quickly, with some early near falls and a series of superkicks. Shelton came back as the monster heel that he’s become pretty good at playing. It’s a role I never envisioned for him, but he nails it from what I’ve seen of him in NOAH. The interference from Suzuki-Gun during this made sense and wasn’t overdone, so it worked. Benjamin survived Shiranui Kai, but fell to Tiger Flowsion. It set Marufuji up as the top contender for Suzuki’s belt in a showdown for not only the title, but NOAH as a whole. **** |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 26, 2016 1:47:18 GMT -5
82. Ricochet vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 8/29/15 |
| Of the three Battle of Los Angeles matches to make the list, this was the longest at 23:04. Ricochet won the tournament the year before but he faced a favorite for this year, Zack Sabre Jr., in the first round. Ricochet is known for his freakish athleticism while Sabre is known for being arguably the best technical wrestler on the planet. That clash of styles is usually hit or miss and on this night, it hit. First things first, Ricochet dedicated the match to Lil’ Sebastian of Parks and Recreation fame, instantly getting a pop from me. Anyway, despite not being a highly touted technician, Ricochet did a fine job in holding his own on the mat with Sabre. When he got on offense, things were exciting though to be honest, Sabre is exciting even when he’s just working the mat. The finishing stretch is pretty great, as Ricochet pulls out a trio of suplexes and the 630 but can’t win. Sabre is able to score the three on a bridging prawn hold, letting everyone know that there would be a new BOLA champion this year, which would turn out to be Sabre himself. **** |
81. NXT Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte – NXT 7/15/15 | | The Monday prior to this episode of NXT, Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks made the jump to the main roster to Kickstart the “Divas Revolution”, so the spotlight was really on them here. Sasha ran into issues with Dana Brooke and Emma, needing a partner. Charlotte came to her side, but with the condition that she receive a shot at the NXT Women’s Title. Now, these two had some good to great matches in the past, with this being about on par with their best efforts. I saw NXT live in June and they basically had a carbon copy of this match. Even though I saw it before, I was still really enjoying this contest. Their chemistry is nearly always perfect and that’s part of the reason I think the WWE is waiting to give these two ladies a big match on a relatively big stage. The final few minutes of this are among the best stuff they’ve ever done together, including a great spot where Charlotte has the figure four locked in and Sasha reaches the ropes. Instead of breaking the hold, Charlotte holds on, falling outside while the referee counted to five. It was pretty much the old Bret Hart ring post figure four spot, but on the apron. Sasha would make it through that though, getting Charlotte to tap out at 13:28. Sasha’s fantastic run in NXT would produce two more top notch matches you’ll see later on the list. **** |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 26, 2016 10:06:33 GMT -5
80. Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Tomohiro Ishii – World Tag League 11/21/15 |
| This was my first year watching New Japan’s World Tag League. I was told that it usually doesn’t feature many great, standout matches, but mostly solid stuff. So when I tuned into the first night of the tournament and saw the two main events, consider me wowed. Both were among the best tag team matches I saw all year. The first saw a duo that I really enjoy, Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata take on Shinsuke Nakamura and Tomohiro Ishii. I’ve seen everyone in this match face each other, so I knew the chemistry was there. The effort matched as, for the next 12:48, this was just great stuff. Everything done in this match was hard hitting, exactly how I expected. It didn’t matter if Ishii was in there with Shibata or if Nakamura was battling Goto or any other combination, you were getting something enjoyable. A Penalty Kick from Shibata put the NEVER Champion Ishii down for the count, helping to set the stage for Shibata/Ishii at Wrestle Kingdom 10. **** |
79. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchika Okada and YOSHI-HASHI – World Tag League 11/21/15 | | The only time on this list that two matches from the same show will be paired together. After Goto, Shibata, Nakamura and Ishii put on a great show, they were followed up by this main event. YOSHI-HASHI is a guy that I never expected to make this list. He’s not outwardly bad, but he’s just not very good. Michael Elgin got super over in Japan during his G1 run. Nothing really even needs to be said about Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada at this point. Elgin and YOSHI started but when Tanahashi got the tag, things got really good. He demanded Okada come in so they could renew their rivalry a bit before their match at Wrestle Kingdom 10. Their brawl was intense and physical, doing a great job of setting up WK10. It seems like their upcoming WK10 match could be more physical than past encounters. Elgin continued to impress when he was given the opportunity, looking like a completely different man in Japan than in the States. Okada is the show stealer here though, playing the smug dick so well. Elgin won it for his guys after two powerbombs on YOSHI-HASHI at 17:10. **** |
*This is the last appearance on teh list for YOSHI-HASHI as well as the last matches from the World Tag League.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 26, 2016 14:39:13 GMT -5
78. Hell in a Cell: Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Hell in a Cell 10/25/15 | | Polarizing is a word I’d use to describe the opinions on this match. I’ve seen some call it amazing and some say it was one of the worst Hell in a Cell matches in history. Personally, and obviously by it being on this list, I’m closer to the former than the latter. The feud leading into this was personal and despite it running for a while, culminating in the Cell was fitting. They went out and made sure to have a pretty badass match within the confines of the PG rating. I’ve heard a lot of people say that the Hell in a Cell can’t work in that situation but I think they, and Brock and Taker later on in the show, made it work. The weapons were brought into play, like kendo sticks, tables and steel chairs. There were some great spots throughout, like Roman Reigns using two kendo sticks at once to attack Bray Wyatt, Bray hitting a uranage through a table and Reigns nailing one of his best Spears off the apron and through a table. In the end, after 23:10, Reigns hit another Spear and came out on top of this long rivalry. It was another feather in the cap of a great 2015 for Roman Reigns. **** |
*This is the last appearance for Bray Wyatt on this list and the last match from Hell in a Cell.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 26, 2016 22:19:47 GMT -5
77. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Karl Anderson – NJPW Power Struggle 11/7/15 | | For the fifth time in his career, Shinsuke Nakamura captured the IWGP Intercontinental Title at Destruction. The belt has become synonymous with Nakamura since he not only put it on the map, but made it a very sought after title. It’s even main evented Wrestle Kingdom in the past, and it headlined this Power Struggle event. Karl Anderson defeated Nakamura early on in the G1 Climax, so he quickly asked for a title shot and got it here. I liked their G1 match but it was certainly bested here. As usual with most Bullet Club matches, when the interference isn’t overdone, like here, it produces a relatively great match. Anderson held serve for most of the match until Nakamura made the babyface rally. Props to Anderson because, while he performed very well in this contest, he didn’t outshine Nakamura, who obviously has to come off as the bigger star. Anderson is really good at doing that. It was a tough task to work here since everyone knew Shinsuke was retaining because of the open challenge set for Wrestle Kingdom but they made me and many others buy into a few false finishes. Nakamura did retain after a Boma Ye at 21:37 before being challenged by AJ Styles to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 10. **** |
*This is the last appearance on the list for Karl Anderson.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 27, 2016 6:30:33 GMT -5
76. NEVER Openweight Championship: Togi Makabe (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/12/15 | | After I was disappointed when Togi Makabe retained the NEVER Openweight Championship at Destruction in Okayama, Tomohiro Ishii came out and issued a challenge for the belt. Add in more disappointment from me. Not because these two aren’t capable of a good match, but because it had been done to death already in 2015. Their prior matches were either really good or really disappointing. They apparently saved their best for last because this was superior to those previous encounters. It was 17:54 of two dudes just beating the fu*k out of each other. For the most part, they didn’t reinvent the wheel or do anything new, but it just all clicked better than usual. One new thing was seeing Ishii bust out Makabe’s King Kong Knee Drop. Ishii was able to win back the title, ending their series. For now at least. This set up the third match in the Honma/Ishii 2015 series, which is much better than the Ishii/Makabe series. If you only watch one Ishii/Makabe match from this year, I’d say this is your safest bet for a great one. **** |
75. Falls Count Anywhere: Cage vs. The Mack – Ultima Lucha 7/29/15 | | While I talked about Alberto El Patron and Johnny Mundo opening night two of Ultima Lucha, this was the official opener of the festivities. Cage had been booked like a monster in Lucha Underground, which is fitting given his look. The Mack is just a bunch of fun. Fun is actually the word I would use to describe this. Clocking in at just 7:45, it is one of the shortest bouts on the list. It was just such a blast from bell to bell. If you asked me about my ideal Falls Count Anywhere match, I’d want one that never went in the ring, which is what happened here. In the short timeframe, they crammed a good amount of stuff in. There was a big table spot and an especially cool moment where Cage got hit with a cooler. Out spilled beers, so Mack chugged some and hit a Stone Cold Stunner. Commentary sold the near fall like they were shocked because of how well the Stunner worked in the past. The finish to this was the most spectacular moment as Cage curb stomped Mack through a cinder block in an absolutely brutal moment. I didn’t expect too much from this and I came out blown away. **** |
*This is the last appearance for both men on this list.
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Eunös ✈
Dalek
Duck Feet Expert
Tolerated, just not practically liked.
Posts: 59,201
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Post by Eunös ✈ on Apr 27, 2016 9:50:31 GMT -5
Cool thread. I'd probably struggle to give a top 5 nevermind top 100. Look forward to seeing more
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 27, 2016 11:56:19 GMT -5
74. WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE Money in the Bank 6/14/15 | | A title reign built around shenanigans, false finishes and interference led us to this mach. Seth Rollins would face his rival, Dean Ambrose, in a ladder match. These two were no strangers to each other, having met in a Lumberjack match, Hell in a Cell match and of course, a plain old singles match two weeks earlier. On that night, Ambrose seemed to win the WWE Title but we got the dusty finish. Dean stole the title, setting the stage for this match, where Seth demanded he do things alone. No Authority, no J&J Security and no Kane. When the bell rang, we got to see a different side of WWE Champion Seth Rollins. For most of the 35:40 that this match took, Seth was an animal. He was a vicious heel in the same vein as early 2000’s Triple H. He attacks Dean’s leg and just comes off as a brutal and cunning heel, unlike the cowardly heel he had portrayed during his run. This wasn’t your typical high spot ladder match, instead taking me back to the Rock/Triple H ladder match from SummerSlam 1998. It seemed like two guys using the ladder as a weapon because they hate each other. Seth hit some sick powerbombs on the guardrail and ladder outside near the finish. Both Dean and him pulled down the belt in the end, but Seth landed with control and retained. With a better, more definitive ending and more selling from Ambrose, this would have ranked higher, but it was one of their better encounters. **** |
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Post by Johawn on Apr 27, 2016 13:09:10 GMT -5
Just popping up to say how much I'm enjoying this - keep it up!
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 27, 2016 13:46:54 GMT -5
73. Roderick Strong vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – ROH Global Wars 5/16/15 | | Similar to another match you’ll see on this list later, Roderick Strong played the role of “Mr. ROH” against one of the top stars from New Japan Pro Wrestling. The Toronto crowd was red hot, knowing they were seeing something special and especially popping at the sight of Shinsuke Nakamura. In every appearance with ROH, Nakamura is over like a god. They adhered to the Code of Honor, following it with a start that you’d expect from two guys like this. They jockey for position and feel each other out, trying to gain the upper hand. Nakamura came with the bigger offense first, hitting some knee strikes, before Roddy turned things around and focused on Shinsuke’s back. On this tour alone, Strong had split matches with Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA, though coming into it, you kind of knew Nakamura would win. Still, Strong goes into an offensive flurry that includes a sick kick and backbreaker, bringing upon a near fall that I bit on even on my second viewing. He also avoids a Boma Ye by striking with a knee of his own in a pretty great moment. Shinsuke proves to be too much, winning after a Boma Ye after 17:02 of great back and forth action. **** |
72. No Holds Barred: Timothy Thatcher vs. Biff Busick – Evolve 48 8/16/15 | | I haven’t been able to see the rivalry between Timothy Thatcher and Biff Busick but judging by the commentary in this, it was pretty heated. Thatcher inadvertently broke Biff’s thumb and when Biff returned, he injured Thatcher’s left ear, causing him to nearly go deaf on that side. That led them to this main event bout. Now, when you see the No Holds Barred stipulation, you may expect a hardcore match with weapons. Not here. The rule was in place so two badass dudes could go to war. Biff relentlessly attacked Timothy’s ear, seemingly trying to make him permanently deaf. He repeatedly went after it and even busted the Evolve Champion open at one point. A bleeding ear is quite the sight to be honest. Thatcher didn’t play his normal game, instead realizing that he needed to do what Biff was doing in order to survive. He started to target Biff’s thumb and the protective tape over it. In the end, he exposed the thumb and seemingly broke it once again. He instantly applied the Fujiwara armbar and Biff tapped out at 13:36. I know he’s only the list once, but I do love me some Biff and he’s my third favorite guy not in WWE, NJPW, TNA or ROH. **** |
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the2ndevil
Grimlock
Super Seducer Survivor
Where Is Your Santa, Now?
Posts: 13,629
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Post by the2ndevil on Apr 27, 2016 15:17:16 GMT -5
That gif alone makes me excited to see Zack Sabre in the GCS.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 27, 2016 15:22:39 GMT -5
71. Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/15/15 | | Interestingly enough, despite taking place back in March, I only saw this match for the first time in December. It happened during a time when I had to cancel my New Japan World subscription. Going back and watching it led me to see that it was pretty damn good, which honestly isn’t too surprising. Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito are among my absolute favorites in all of New Japan. This was before Naito’s fantastic heel turn, so he’s still playing the white meat babyface that I’m not a fan of. For this match though, I was fine with it. It was two of the most athletic wrestlers, not just in Japan, but in the entire world going at it. They tried to one up each other at every turn though they come off as so evenly matched, nobody really gains an upper hand. It is only when Ibushi reaches into his bag of tricks and starts applying a more physical style that he takes control. His ability to hit hard is one of my favorite things about him. At the 14:14 mark, Ibushi wins with a sitout powerbomb and advancing to the finals, which he would win to earn a shot at AJ Styles and the IWGP Heavyweight Title. **** |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 27, 2016 18:17:04 GMT -5
70. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong – ROH Winter Warriors Tour 2/21/15 | | One of the top performers in all of 2015 was Roderick Strong. Whether he was working for ROH, PWG, Evolve or anywhere else, he consistently put on some of the best matches all year. Kyle O’Reilly was no slouch this year either. I only recently was able to check this match out and I came away very impressed. Some of ROH’s non-PPV events have actually been better than their PPVs most of the year. This show in Atlanta was among their best, with this match being the highlight. It’s one of those that didn’t need an angle behind it. Just two of the best competing, hold for hold. O’Reilly is the guy from ROH that stands out as a future star and performances like this solidify that. He beat the crap out of Strong’s arm for most of the match. Strong sold it well and barely used it the rest of the way, which is always appreciated. There were some really close calls and a great double countout tease as well. Strong was able to pick up the win after the sick kick and orange crush backbreaker after 16:31 of really great work from both men. **** |
*This is the last match from this ROH show on 2/21/15. 69. Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins – WWE WrestleMania 3/29/15 | | Like the rest of WrestleMania this year, nothing about the build to this match interested me. The fans wanted Randy Orton to return and rip Seth Rollins’ head off. Instead, he fake joined the Authority and wasted a few weeks playing terrible mind games. Also like most of the rest of WrestleMania, the match succeeded where the build failed. The video package beforehand spoke volumes about how Orton was once pegged as the future but that time passed and Seth was the now the future. The story of the match followed that idea. Seth had an answer for everything Orton did because he was a step or two quicker. The one thing Orton made sure to have scouted was the Curb Stomp, countering it twice. Each guy kicked out of the other’s finisher, which I dislike since it’s used so often in wrestling these days and would be my one major gripe with this. After having the Curb Stomp so well scouted, Orton countered one into a massive RKO to win at 13:15. It was honestly my favorite RKO ever, which is certainly saying something. Having Orton win was wise too, as it set up Seth’s first WWE Title program the month after. **** |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 27, 2016 21:49:06 GMT -5
68. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: reDRagon (c) vs. The Time Splitters – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 9/27/15 |
| In my opinion, these are easily the two best teams in New Japan’s junior tag division. They’ve faced off a few times before with the best being at Power Struggle in 2014 and their least impressive effort coming at Final Battle 2014. This fell somewhere in the middle, but closer to their best. I’d consider this my second favorite straight up tag team match of the year. Both teams worked on a level playing field throughout the 16:17 runtime. They exchanged offense but neither could grab a prolonged advantage. There is something about these teams that just click. It’s like, they go through a lot of stuff but it never feels like a spotfest. reDRagon truly breaks up the monotony of the junior tag division. They played off their past matches, while showing remarkable chemistry. This also allowed us to get another glimpse at the fantastic Best of the Super Juniors finals match between KUSHIDA and Kyle O’Reilly, while not giving us too much, leaving room for their eventual rematch. At least I hope we get it again. The champions nailed Chasing the Dragon to not only retain, but move to a ridiculous 32-1 in straight tag matches in New Japan. Great tag team wrestling from two of the best teams in the world. **** |
*This is the last appearance on the list for Bobby Fish and Alex Shelley. 67. Pentagon Jr. vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 8/30/15 | | On the road to winning the 2015 Battle of Los Angeles, Zack Sabre Jr. wrestled three matches on the final night of the tournament. His first of the evening was easily the most intriguing matchup of the whole tournament. Pentagon Jr. was among my favorite people to watch in 2015, as was Sabre. Both guys are known for their arm submission finishers, making for an interesting situation. Submissions would be the theme of the match actually, with both guys just putting each other in some of the most innovative and painful looking holds I’ve ever seen. The commentary team did a good job in pointing out how different various submissions can be when it comes to the part of the world you’re from. Sabre and Pentagon would even release the holds on their own, trying to one up each other before actually going for the win. When things picked up, Pentagon dished out the strikes, looking like the badass that he is. My biggest gripe was that, after all of the submissions, Pentagon tapped out nearly instantly to Sabre’s Kimura as 12:29, giving this fun match an anti-climactic end. **** |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 28, 2016 6:58:37 GMT -5
66. AJ Styles and the Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada and Roppongi Vice – ROH Global Wars 5/16/15 |
| The crossover shows between ROH and NJPW are usually a good place to catch some dream matches that wouldn’t be possible in any other scenario. This doesn’t quite fit the mold, as all six men are regulars in New Japan. Still, this proved to be a very exciting and fun six man tag. It allowed for a preview of the Kazuchika Okada/AJ Styles Dominion match, while putting the two junior teams in that know each other very well. Look, it’s hard for me to know that my favorite male wrestler, AJ, teams with my least favorite male wrestlers, the Young Bucks, so frequently. Here, it wasn’t as grating as usual, even with Steve Corino shouting SUPERKIIIICK at every turn. Normally that’s enough to make me hate a match, but this was so fun that I was able to get past it. From the back and forth between Okada and AJ, which is always great, to the fast paced action involving the junior teams, this delivered. The finish to this was pretty nuts as Trent Barreta pretty much died after taking a flurry of high impact moves, capped by a Styles Clash, to end this at 17:25. Even if you’re not a fan of everyone involved, this was still a blast. **** |
*This is the last appearance on the list for the Young Bucks and Roppongi Vice. 65. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. KUSHIDA – NJPW Dominion 7/5/15 | | You’ll notice a trend with New Japan junior matches on this list. They all involve KUSHIDA, who was easily the MVP of the division in 2015. This wasn’t his best match, but it was his crowning achievement. After winning the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, he earned a shot at Kenny Omega and the Jr. Heavyweight Title. Both guys came in with a game plan. KUSHIDA clearly went after the arm, looking for his Hoverboard Lock. Kenny Omega attacked not one, but both legs. Both men sold this work like they should have. KUSHIDA was especially great in selling the leg, doing little things throughout the match and at times, even being unable to run the ropes. Omega struggled to do some of his key offense due to only having one working arm. The red hot Osaka crowd and a pre-match video package showing KUSHIDA as a kid further added to this, giving it an emotional jolt that a lot of juniors matches lacked. Omega was finally able to get KUSHIDA in position for the One Winged Angel, but KUSHIDA countered into the Hoverboard Lock, holding on and forcing Omega to submit after 20:44. It was a great win for KUSHIDA though he unfortunately dropped it back to Omega for some dumb reason a few months later. Still, it doesn’t take away from how great this match was. **** |
*This is the last appearance on the list for Kenny Omega.
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AdamAFL was sooooo wrong
Hank Scorpio
note to all: he's a pants-less heathen
I Survived The Impact Spoilers 7/22/15-7/30/15
Posts: 7,097
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Post by AdamAFL was sooooo wrong on Apr 28, 2016 9:30:35 GMT -5
73. Roderick Strong vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – ROH Global Wars 5/16/15 | | Similar to another match you’ll see on this list later, Roderick Strong played the role of “Mr. ROH” against one of the top stars from New Japan Pro Wrestling. The Toronto crowd was red hot, knowing they were seeing something special and especially popping at the sight of Shinsuke Nakamura. In every appearance with ROH, Nakamura is over like a god. They adhered to the Code of Honor, following it with a start that you’d expect from two guys like this. They jockey for position and feel each other out, trying to gain the upper hand. Nakamura came with the bigger offense first, hitting some knee strikes, before Roddy turned things around and focused on Shinsuke’s back. On this tour alone, Strong had split matches with Hiroshi Tanahashi and KUSHIDA, though coming into it, you kind of knew Nakamura would win. Still, Strong goes into an offensive flurry that includes a sick kick and backbreaker, bringing upon a near fall that I bit on even on my second viewing. He also avoids a Boma Ye by striking with a knee of his own in a pretty great moment. Shinsuke proves to be too much, winning after a Boma Ye after 17:02 of great back and forth action. **** |
Glad this made somebody else's list in addition to mine. Loved that match.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 28, 2016 9:51:20 GMT -5
64. Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly – ROH Final Battle 12/18/15 |
| The former Future Shock teammates had some matches in the past but this time around, it was the most personal. Adam Cole lulled Kyle O’Reilly into a false rekindling of their friendship before costing him his ROH World Title shot at All-Star Extravaganza. This was billed as a grudge match and Kyle absolutely played into that from the start, taking Cole down. When Cole started to swing the momentum, he targeted O’Reilly’s leg. That was done to set up the figure four, which commentary reminded us was how Cole beat Kyle in their big match in New York in 2012. O’Reilly sold the leg issues rather well, but when they went into their back and forth near the end, this really picked up. Kyle kept going for the armbar, including one after an exchange of superkicks and a rebound lariat. He finally got it locked in seemingly for good, but Cole got his feet on the ropes and pinned O’Reilly to steal it. Kyle didn’t even care, just going after Cole and applying more armbars until officials broke it up. I thought the match was great. It played out like a grudge match mostly, had callbacks to their past and the finish sets up some rematches. **** |
63. WWE Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Payback 5/17/15 | | For his first WWE Championship defense on Pay-Per-View, Seth Rollins beat Randy Orton in a rather dull affair. His title run wasn’t off to a good start, but that turned around on this night. Originally, this was supposed to be Seth against Orton and Roman Reigns. However, a few weeks earlier, Dean Ambrose pinned Seth and was added in. From the start, Seth was a marked man thanks to his history with all three men. Seth’s boys, J&J Security, would get involved though and tried to even the odds. Their interference was a bit much, as was Kane’s, which was the biggest negative about this. Other than that, this is fantastic. The former Shield members gave the crowd a great moment as they triple powerbombed Orton through a table like the old days. Of course, Dean and Roman didn’t forgive Seth, taking him out. Once this Shield moment happened, things kicked into second gear and included a great back and forth between Ambrose and Reigns. This was the match that gave me Austin/Rock/Triple H vibes for Ambrose/Reigns/Rollins. After the dust settled, Seth planted Orton with a Pedigree to retain at 20:42 in one of the most fun matches all year long. **** |
*This is the last appearance on the list for Dean Ambrose and Randy Orton. *This is the last match from Payback to make the cut.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 28, 2016 13:56:15 GMT -5
62. ROH World Television Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Roderick Strong – ROH Glory by Honor XIV 10/23/15 |
| Jay Lethal’s ROH World Television Title reign was possibly the best title reign that anyone has had in a really long time. Lethal won the title from Tommaso Ciampa on 4/4/14 and proceeded to hold it for a record 567 days, spanning a ridiculous 36 successful defenses. That is something special. With him holding it along with the World Title, it was only a matter of time before he dropped the TV strap. Enter Roderick Strong. Strong went to a draw with Lethal before losing courtesy of some shenanigans in his next World Title shot. Knowing he had Lethal’s number, he was granted one more shot, but this time at the TV Title and nobody allowed at ringside. This was the shortest match of their trilogy at 16:48, but it was the best to me. The things they did were really smart, building to a phenomenal finishing run. When Strong kicked out of the Lethal Injection, the crowd went nuts and Jay sold the disbelief well. Strong finally got over the hump, unleashing an insane flurry including a knee, gut buster, sick kick and backbreaker before making Lethal submit to the Stronghold. The crowd lost their minds at seeing such a long title reign end. It rightfully felt like a huge moment and proved to be a great end to a really good rivalry. **** |
61. RPW Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay – RPW Uprising 10/2/15 | | After seeing this match, it was clear that I had to make sure I could see more RPW in 2016. This was a very interesting combination of styles, pun intended. AJ Styles is the well-traveled industry veteran, Marty Scurll is pretty great at playing his villain role and Will Ospreay is one of the more athletic wrestlers on the planet. The first time around, I didn’t really see it, but Scurll just may have been the MVP. He just nails everything a villain should do. From eye pokes to trying to take advantage of the moves the other guys do, he just delivers. Ospreay didn’t do much for me during the Battle of Los Angeles, but he was really good in this match. There’s a sequence where he somersaults onto AJ, does a tornado DDT through the ropes and then a corkscrew shooting star press. It’s pretty breathtaking to watch. Styles also more than carries his weight but hangs back a bit to allow the other guys to shine. He retains his belt with a Styles Clash on Ospreay at the 18:22, capping a really fun outing in front of a hot crowd. **** |
*This is the last appearance on the list for Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay. *This is the last RPW match on the list.
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