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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2021 18:56:12 GMT -5
92. Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 9/24/20
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| They entered this match at 2-2. Sabre Jr. made note that he was laser-focused on this encounter as a win over the champion would get him a title shot before Wrestle Kingdom 15. Surprisingly, Naito took to the mat with Sabre Jr. in the early portions and held his own. Normally, Zack dominates there and gets in trouble when he plays his opponent’s game. I do think that this suffered from the case of a slow start but it had the sense of building towards something where other matches seem to be filling time. It wasn’t a perfect start but it worked more than others. At times, it seemed like they were trying to tease the draw, which may have held things back in the first half or so. At other times, it felt like a well-thought out chess match. Once they threw out some tornado DDTs, you could feel things click and get going into the next gear. It closed hot and Naito eked out a win with Destino at 28:28. It felt like Naito was too broken down in last year’s G1, where he underperformed. The long break helped him rest up as his G1 was much better this time around. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Zack Sabre Jr.
2019 Match #92: Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus – WWE SummerSlam 2018 Match #92: Kota Ibushi vs. SANADA – NJPW G1 Climax 7/26/18 2017 Match #92: Keith Lee vs. WALTER – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 9/2/17 2016 Match #92: Gift of the Gods Championship: Fenix (c) vs. King Cuerno – Lucha Underground 1/27/16 2015 Match #92: ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Roderick Strong – ROH TV 9/9/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 3, 2021 22:06:59 GMT -5
91. Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara – AEW Revolution
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| I absolutely adore a fantastic sprint and that’s just what I got here. This was the shortest match to ever make one of my lists, clocking in at a mere 4:58. For some background, I first saw these guys on FIP and Style Battle shows when I had FloSlam in 2017. Darby immediately hit Sammy with a tope suicida before the bell rang. They spent the next few minutes fighting outside before this officially got started. That included Darby mostly missing a dive to the guardrail and Sammy busting out a sick looking 630 splash through a table on the outside. They kept that insane pace up once the match got started despite having already taken a beating. This was two guys who were willing to put their bodies on the line to steal the show and you have to appreciate that. Allin scored the win with a Coffin Drop that the fans popped hard for. This was right up my alley. They packed a lot of action into a short time, it had the intensity it needed, and felt like they were out to make a statement. [****] |
2019 Match #91: Dragon Lee vs. SHO – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/15/19 2018 Match #91: WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament First Round: Hideo Itami vs. Roderick Strong – WWE 205 Live 2/6/18 2017 Match #91: PROGRESS World and Tag Team Championships: British Strong Style [c] vs. Ringkampf – PROGRESS Chapter 47: Complicated Simplicity 4/23/17 2016 Match #91: Johnny Gargano vs. TJ Perkins – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/24/16 2015 Match #91: Chad Gable and Jason Jordan vs. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa – NXT 10/28/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2021 0:20:55 GMT -5
90. Jeff Cobb vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 10/10/20
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| Ishii is 3-0 against Cobb but I’ve only seen their G1 29 outing, which was fantastic. Do you guys realize what this is? It’s a good old fashioned hOSS FIGHT and goddammit do I love it. They gave me exactly what I wanted. It was similar to last year’s match in that they just went right at one another. Some of the chops and strikes thrown out during this were downright vicious. One floored Cobb to the point where Ishii couldn’t even pick him up. Dude was dead weight. Of course, Cobb started to get going and suplexed Ishii all over the place. Ishii continues to bump and sell very well for a guy his size. In the end, Cobb finally broke his streak of losses to Ishii when he delivered the Tour of the Islands after 14:57. That was awesome. I liked last year’s a bit more and some of those headbutts were worrisome but this was a great hoss battle. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Jeff Cobb.
2019 Match #90: KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 8/10/19 2018 Match #90: WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Finn Balor – WWE Raw 8/20/18 2017 Match #90: GHC Heavyweight Championship: Katsuhiko Nakajima [c] vs. Brian Cage – NOAH Summer Navigation 7/27/17 2016 Match #90: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/28/16 2015 Match #90: No Disqualification Match: Adam Page vs. Jay Briscoe – ROH TV 10/21/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2021 9:40:30 GMT -5
89. Alexander Wolfe and WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov and Pete Dunne – NXT UK 10/15/20
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| I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Wrestling is simple. Just put talented people in there and let them have great matches. That’s just what NXT UK did on this particular episode. Former United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne teamed with Ilja Dragunov to take on current United Kingdom Champion WALTER and his Imperium buddy Alexander Wolfe. It’s great because it combined two stellar matches from recent memory in Wolfe/Dragunov and Dunne/WALTER. I don’t even really have to describe this match because if you know these four wrestlers, you know what this was. There were stiff shots and great action. It did get off to a slow start but once it picked up, it didn’t stop. By the time this reached its end after 19:02, you were almost as exhausted watching it as they were in the ring. Dragunov became the first man to pin WALTER in NXT UK. This worked to build their eventual title match and as something of a sendoff for Dunne, who’d show up in NXT later that month. [****] |
2019 Match #89: Cesaro vs. Ilja Dragunov – NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff 2018 Match #89: WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Roderick Strong – NXT 2/14/18 2017 Match #89: PROGRESS Atlas Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Matt Riddle – PROGRESS: New York City 8/12/17 2016 Match #89: Chris Hero vs. Tracy Williams – Evolve 72 11/12/ 2015 Match #89: Hell in a Cell: Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker – Hell in a Cell 10/25/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2021 12:11:19 GMT -5
88. NEVER Openweight Six Man Championship Tournament Finals: Kazuchika Okada, SHO & Toru Yano vs. Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI – NJPW Summer Struggle 8/9/20
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| EVIL turning heel on Tetsuya Naito and joining the Bullet Club was one of the bigger shockers of the year. That was taken to the next level when EVIL won the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Titles from Naito. With him away from Los Ingobernables de Japon, EVIL had to relinquish the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Titles since he wasn’t down with his partners anymore. A short tournament was formed and this was the finals. It was an interesting setup because both teams were made up of members of the CHAOS stable. In a great, fast-moving battle that lasted 24:18, the two teams showcased their chemistry in a highly engaging and entertaining match. In the end, the win for Goto, Ishii, and HASHI meant a ton because it marked the first championship win for YOSHI-HASHI. He went from longtime company geek to an actual champion in one of the more underrated feel good moments of the year. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Toru Yano and YOSHI-HASHI.
2019 Match #88: Women’s Royal Rumble – WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Match #88: NXT Tag Team Championship: Undisputed Era [c] vs. Mustache Mountain – NXT United Kingdom Tournament 6/26/18 2017 Match #88: NXT Women’s Championship: Asuka [c] vs. Ember Moon – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III 8/19/17 2016 Match #88: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA – NJPW G1 Climax 7/18/16 2015 Match #88: Hirooki Goto vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW G1 Climax 8/1/15
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mybraveface
ALF
On balance, off balance, doesn't even matter, 'cause I'm better than you are, yeah!"
Posts: 1,199
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Post by mybraveface on Jan 4, 2021 14:33:51 GMT -5
94. No Disqualifications Match: Alexander Wolfe vs. Ilja Dragunov – NXT UK 1/2/20
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| It seems like we’ve hit a point where the things that happen on NXT UK are basically ignored by most fans. However, the show has had its fair share of great matches. One of them happened right at the start of the year. The feud between Ilja Dragunov and Imperium was only just heating up as the calendar turned to 2020. Before Dragunov could get his hands on United Kingdom Champion WALTER, he had to deal with his henchmen. The one who most bothered him was Alexander Wolfe. That led to this No Disqualifications match, which featured 14:51 of brutal action. They didn’t overdo it with the stipulation but made sure to make it work. There was also a strong dynamic where they played up their history together. The outcome was never really in doubt as Dragunov was the one getting pushed but that didn’t stop this from being a hell of an encounter. [****] |
2019 Match #94: G1 Climax Finals: Jay White vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/19 2018 Match #94: Women's Money in the Bank Match - WWE Money in the Bank 2017 Match #94: Money in the Bank: AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – WWE Money in the Bank 6/18/17 2016 Match #94: Lucha Underground Championship: Matanza Cueto (c) vs. Cage – Lucha Underground 6/1/16 2015 Match #94: NXT Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Adrian Neville – NXT 1/14/15
Thanks for mentioning this one. It's true (as well as somewhat frustrating) that NXT UK seems to be mostly ignored when there's quite a number of good things about it.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2021 15:20:45 GMT -5
87. Eliminator Tournament Finals: Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega – AEW Full Gear
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| For most of 2020, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page were a stellar tag team. You’ll them as a duo often on this list. By this point, they had somewhat split and now clashed with a title shot on the line. Shoutout to the graphic boys for listing Hangman as a “Focused Yee Haw Man.” I really liked the fact that these two played up their history. They know each other as former partners, so it led to some great counters and even each guy trying to steal offense from the other. There’s also a heated past so it was a slugfest at times. In the end, the finish was a bit abrupt, though it did feel like Omega was just too much for his lesser-experienced opponent. A few V-Triggers and a One Winged Angel put down Hangman after 16:16. Great match and I appreciate that they didn’t try to put on a marathon or anything like that. An efficient use of time that told a great story with plenty of action. It does feel like they have something better in them, which we most likely will see in 2021. [****] |
2019 Match #87: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA – NJPW G1 Climax 7/14/19 2018 Match #87: Hiromu Takahashi vs. SHO – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/2/18 2017 Match #87: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/18/17 2016 Match #87: SMASH Championship: Johnny Gargano (c) vs. Mark Haskins – PROGRESS 5000 to 1 6/26/16 2015 Match #87: WWE Tag Team Championship 2 Out of 3 Falls: New Day (c) vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro – WWE Payback 5/17/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2021 19:08:38 GMT -5
86. El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 11/18/20
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| I love this pairing. In 2018, they put on two classics. As usual, these two threw a lot at each other and had one of their famously wild matches. It wasn’t just a case of two guys one-upping each other, either. There was a sense of disdain. The opening few minutes of this were glorious violence and I dug it. El Desperado targeted the leg, looking to set up the Stretch Muffler I believe. Plus, it prevented Hiromu Takahashi from being as wild as he might want to be. That caused Hiromu to resort to strikes, which he does quite well. However, he could still be stopped by a simple kick to the legs. It was great work from both men at that point. Hiromu survived the submission and countered Pinche Loco into the Dynamite Plunger. Alas, we got a referee bump that opened the door for Desperado to use a chair on Hiromu’s leg. He put Numero Dos back on and Hiromu had to submit after 23:10. Leave it to Hiromu to put on back to back bangers to start the tournament. Not quite as good as their previous outings but still fantastic. [****] |
2019 Match #86: Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals: Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. #DIY – WWE NXT 3/13/19 2018 Match #86: Asuka vs. Sasha Banks – WWE Raw 1/29/18 2017 Match #86: EVIL vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW G1 Climax 8/5/17 2016 Match #86: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. Jushin Thunder Liger – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 5/3/16 2015 Match #86: WWE and United States Championships: Seth Rollins (c) vs. John Cena (c) – WWE SummerSlam 8/23/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 4, 2021 23:24:40 GMT -5
85. Stadium Stampede: The Elite and Matt Hardy vs. The Inner Circle – AEW Double or Nothing |
| I really do love the way cinematic wrestling has become a thing. Lucha Underground was ahead of its time. This was being held in the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium. They got awesome football style entrances, with cheerleaders, sporting numbers, and everything. Boo on the Elite boys for not wearing football stuff. Everyone charged at each other with weapons like a war. No Page to start but then he came in RIDING ON A HORSE! Jim Ross was in his wheelhouse here. He got to talk all the football nonsense he shoehorns into every match and have it somewhat make sense here. He still didn’t do a good job, though. The guys fought in the ring for a bit, which is the best place to take spots, though they did well to try out other creative things. One example would be a field goal post moonsault. There were some really funny moments, like fighting into the a tiny pool and Ortiz complaining that he can’t swim. Then, as they tried to drown Matt, he reappeared as Matt Hardy Version 1! We even got the Matt Facts on screen and the guys competing could even see it. I loved how Page stopped to get a drink at the bar and was even casually joined by Hager at one point. Of course, they ended up fighting. When Jericho got a near fall, he threw a red flag and challenged the play. The end zone dance and penalty was also good, as was the callback to Sammy running from the golf cart. Omega eventually used a massive One Winged Angel to win in 34:00. That was another home run in terms of cinematic wrestling. It as a blast with some awesome callbacks and comedic moments, as well as mostly good action.[****] |
*This is the final appearance of Jake Hager, Matt Hardy, and Saammy Guevara.
2019 Match #85: IWGP Intercontinental Championship No DQ Match: Chris Jericho [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 2018 Match #85: NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto [c] vs. Juice Robinson – NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku 4/27/18 2017 Match #85: Open The Twin Gate Championship: CIMA and Dragon Kid (c) vs. Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi – Dragon Gate Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 7/23/17 2016 Match #85: Cedric Alexander vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 67 8/20/16 2015 Match #85: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – NJPW Dominion 7/5/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2021 9:46:36 GMT -5
84. AEW Tag Team Championship: Hangman Page and Kenny Omega [c] vs. SCU – AEW Dynamite 2/12/20
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| Admittedly, I’m not a huge Kenny Omega fan. However, there was a stretch around February where he was putting on stellar matches almost every week. One of them was here, as he and Hangman Page defended their AEW Tag Team Titles against the team they dethroned for them, SCU. This was an early indication of how big of a deal Page would be. It was Omega who was isolated by the veteran tag team. They used their experience to completely cut him off. When he finally made the tag, Page was electric. He arguably had the best hot tags in all of wrestling in 2020. Since this whole thing only lasted 13:14, it was filled with action from bell to bell, with next to no slow down. The final few minutes were the highlight and they saw the champions retain by hitting their V-Trigger/Buckshot combination. 2020 seemed like it lasted four years, so the Omega/Page team feels like it was forever ago. They were fantastic. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of SCU.
2019 Match #84: Satoshi Kojima vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW Dominion 2018 Match #84: Raw Women’s Championship Elimination Chamber: Alexa Bliss [c] vs. Bayley vs. Mandy Rose vs. Mickie James vs. Sasha Banks vs. Sonya Deville – WWE Elimination Chamber 2/25/18 2017 Match #84: Evolve Championship: Timothy Thatcher [c] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 79 2/25/17 2016 Match #84: WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. AJ Styles and Chris Jericho – WWE Raw 3/7/16 2015 Match #84: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 7/26/15
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Post by ronnie2hotty on Jan 5, 2021 10:54:48 GMT -5
Thank you Kevin for putting this list together again!!! It's really one of my highlights of the year. I am again compiling the cumulative information into a spreadsheet and it will post the results at the conclusion of the list. Due to the pandemic, 2020 was one of the worst years in wrestling that I've seen in my over 35 years of fandom. A list like this makes me realize, it wasn't all that bad.
I'm waiting to see where my match of the year, Undisputed Era vs. Imperium at Worlds Collide, makes it on your list.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2021 12:31:29 GMT -5
83. Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor – NXT TakeOver: In Your House
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| Finn exploded out with a dropkick before the bell. Priest quickly turned the tide and did some interesting stuff like a sidewalk slam off steel steps and onto the apron. Though he wore down Balor, this didn’t really hit a slow spot. They kept the pace moving rather nicely. Balor was back to his old babyface days of working from under and bringing fire. He does it well, so that made this click. Priest was more aggressive than usual, even hitting a Razor’s Edge onto the apron. Priest cut off the Coup de Grace with an avalanche Chokeslam but was too hurt to cover instantly. He went for a Razor’s Edge onto steel steps but Finn got free and knocked him onto the steps, which was a vicious looking bump. The Coup de Grace inside finished it after 13:08. The breakout match Priest has needed for a while. He looked great here and they had a match with some non-stop action and impressive violence. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Damien Priest.
2019 Match #83: NXT Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Smackdown 11/1/19 2018 Match #83: NXT Women’s Championship: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Kairi Sane – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 2017 Match #83: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/1/17 2016 Match #83: Ricochet vs. TJ Perkins – Evolve 58 – 4/1/16 2015 Match #83: Global League Finals: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Shelton X Benjamin – NOAH Global League Finals 11/8/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2021 16:47:26 GMT -5
82. Chris Jericho vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night Two
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| This was one of the earliest looks at a possible partnership between NJPW and AEW. Had Tanahashi won, he would’ve earned a shot at the AEW Title. Jericho came out wearing it but “Judas” was dubbed. Most of this match felt like the rest of Jericho’s run in New Japan. It was a brawl worked at a methodical pace. I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing, by the way. They lifted the DDT on the announce table spot from the Naito match and Tanahashi sold it like a champ. Tanahashi is a great opponent for Jericho because he can work at his slow pace. Guys like Okada and Naito get going when things are quickened but Tana is a master who can do it all. The pacing here was key, as Tanahashi seemed to lay it out expertly so the big spots came at the right moment. He really is the Ace. The tension down the stretch with the Boston crab stuff worked well. Jericho turned one into the Liontamer to win in 22:24. I thought this was great and just what I wanted from them. Two of the best to ever do it just had a smart match that told a good story. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of Chris Jericho.
2019 Match #82: NXT North American Championship: Johnny Gargano [c] vs. Velveteen Dream – NXT 2/20/19 2018 Match #82: SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 7/21/18 2017 Match #82: AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor – WWE TLC 10/22/17 2016 Match #82: WWE Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE Roadblock 3/12/16 2015 Match #82: Ricochet vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 8/29/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 5, 2021 22:47:41 GMT -5
81. NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: BUSHI, EVIL & Shingo Takagi [c] vs. Hirooki Goto, Robbie Eagles & Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW Road to the New Beginning 2/6/20
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| Every year, the “Road to” shows in NJPW go overlooked. That’s understandable as they aren’t major events and mostly feature rematches. That being said, there’s usually a gem or two to be found in some of them. This edition of the Road to The New Beginning delivered just that with a NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title bout. Those championships shine on these shows. What made this work so well is that you had a very good group from Los Ingobernables de Japon against three strong CHAOS members. Robbie Eagles is wildly underrated and made for a great addition here. The match was built around continuing the EVIL/Ishii and Goto/Shingo rivalries, as well as the one that blossomed between BUSHI and Eagles. In the build, Eagles kept beating him but here, BUSHI bested him with MX after 21:44. Tremendous action and paced out incredibly well. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of BUSHI. *It is the last NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Title match. *There are no more matches from Road to The New Beginning.
2019 Match #81: NXT Tag Team Championship: The Undisputed Era [c] vs. War Raiders – NXT TakeOver: Phoenix 2018 Match #81: Mae Young Classic Semi-Finals: Meiko Satomura vs. Toni Storm – WWE Mae Young Classic 10/24/18 2017 Match #81: Bobby Fish vs. Jay Lethal – ROH 15th Anniversary Show 3/10/17 2016 Match #81: Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/7/16 2015 Match #81: NXT Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte – NXT 7/15/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 6, 2021 8:44:56 GMT -5
80. Jungle Boy vs. MJF – AEW Double or Nothing
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| This was a case of two young guys looking to break out. While MJF has done really good character work, he was missing that standout great match. I liked how, early on, MJF was happy to match Jungle Boy with confidence. However, when he slapped Jungle Boy, he got his ass kicked. It was obvious that he was the one bringing the fire. Noticing that, he feigned an injury to get the upper hand back. MJF put the target on the arm and Jungle Boy sold the hell out of it. He combined that with great hope spots for some awesome moments. For example, catching MJF in a submission only to have to let it go due to injury was great. As cocky as MJF might be, you could sense his desperation as this went on. He was in trouble and couldn’t put Jungle Boy away. He finally did, but only by scoring with a clever rollup in 17:34. What a match. It was exactly what these two needed. MJF is such a smarmy heel and Jungle Boy is a great underdog, who killed it in terms of selling. [****] |
*It is the last match from Double or Nothing. *This is the final appearance of Jungle Boy.
2019 Match #80: Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle – EVOLVE 131 2018 Match #80: WWE Championship Six Pack Challenge: AJ Styles [c] vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Fastlane 3/11/18 2017 Match #80: Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/23/17 2016 Match #80: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. BUSHI – NJPW New Beginning in Niigata 2/14/16 2015 Match #80: Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Tomohiro Ishii – World Tag League 11/21/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 6, 2021 15:33:05 GMT -5
79. The Butcher, The Blade, and The Lucha Bros vs. FTR and The Young Bucks – AEW Fyter Fest 7/8/20
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| Sometimes, all you want out of wrestling is to watch a bunch of people deliver non-stop action for 15:42. That’s just what happened on the second night of AEW Fyter Fest. The recently debuted FTR teamed with The Young Bucks (months ahead of their Tag Team Title program) to take on The Butcher, The Blade, and The Lucha Bros. It seemed like the Young Bucks went back to their PWG roots for this. You had a bit of everything here. The brutes in Butcher and Blade, FTR bringing tag team excellence, the Lucha Bros hitting hard and delivering big spots, and the Bucks flying all over the place. The Bucks and FTR worked seamlessly together, which added to the fun of seeing this go down. The Mexican Destroyer spot to the outside remains one of the wildest things I saw all year long. Seriously, it’s the kind of thing you have to see to believe. The result was a surprise as Dax took the pin following an assisted Package Piledriver. A ridiculous match in the best possible way. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of The Butcher and the Blade. *It is the last match from Fyter Fest.
2019 Match #79: Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinals: Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel – NXT 3/6/19 2018 Match #79: NXT Women’s Championship: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Toni Storm – NXT United Kingdom Tournament 6/26/18 2017 Match #79: CIMA, Dragon Kid, Eita, Naruki Doi & Takehiro Yamamura vs. Brother YASSHI, El Lindaman, Punch Tominga, Shingo Takagi & T-Hawk – Dragon Gate Glorious Gate 3/8/17 2016 Match #79: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Invasion Attack 4/10/16 2015 Match #79: Hiroshi Tanahashi and Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchika Okada and YOSHI-HASHI – World Tag League 11/21/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 6, 2021 23:52:10 GMT -5
78. Minoru Suzuki vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 9/19/20
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| If you see Minoru Suzuki and Tomohiro Ishii on a card, you know they’ll deliver. That’s especially true against each other because they’re both prone to matches that are absolute wars. As you’d expect, they went right into it by hammering away at each other. There’s no wasting time with these two. They are there to beat the hell out of each other and go home. I love that mentality. This reminded me a lot of Suzuki’s New Japan Cup bout against Yuji Nagata in that it just felt angry. You got the sense that they disliked each other even if they don’t have a long history. There were points where they weren’t even hitting each other hard. They were just slapping and kicking each other as a way to talk shit. After tons of strikes, they moved into counters, blocking each other’s suplexes and such. Eventually, Suzuki used the Gotch Style Piledriver to win in 13:00. We’ve seen it a ton from these guys and together, they do it well. A sprint where two guys tried to murder each other. Look NJPW, just keep things short and sweet. [****] |
2019 Match #78: Money in the Bank: Ali vs. Andrade vs. Baron Corbin vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor vs. Randy Orton vs. Ricochet – WWE Money in the Bank 2018 Match #78: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Jay White [c] vs. Juice Robinson – NJPW G1 Special in San Francisco 7/7/18 2017 Match #78: WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships: The Usos [c] vs. The New Day – WWE Battleground 7/23/17 2016 Match #78: WWE Intercontinental Championship vs. Career Match: The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE No Mercy 10/9/16 2015 Match #78: Hell in a Cell: Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Hell in a Cell 10/25/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 7, 2021 10:04:43 GMT -5
77. The New Day vs. The Street Profits – WWE Survivor Series
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| Remember when AOP and The Bar disappointed in this champions vs. champions match a few years ago? Thankfully, these teams lived up to the hype. New Day was out in Gears of War attire to celebrate their inclusion in the game. Big E was with them. There was a friendly respect at the start between the teams. However, it quickly became clear that the more experienced New Day duo had the upper hand. They dominated at times. Kofi even stopped to pose with the Solo cup. Finally, Ford managed to make the hot tag and Dawkins turned the tide for them. I liked this New Day combo hitting Midnight Hour when that move usually needs Big E. Ford’s Frog Splash remains outstanding by the way.. He also busted out Trouble in Paradise on Kofi, which was sick. After Woods also got to deliver a sweet press slam, the Profits beat him with their Doomsday Blockbuster in 14:05. Tremendous. There was some stellar storytelling in there as you got the sense that New Day wanted to pass the torch of sorts. The action matched up to it and this delivered. [****] |
*This is the last appearance for both New Day and the Street Profits.
2019 Match #77: El Phantasmo vs. Rocky Romero – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/24/19 2018 Match #77: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. El Desperado – NJPW Kizuna Road 6/18/18 2017 Match #77: GHC Heavyweight Championship: Katsuhiko Nakajima [c] vs. Go Shiozaki – Pro Wrestling NOAH Great Voyage in Yokohama 3/12/17 2016 Match #77: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Michael Elgin – NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku – 4/27/16 2015 Match #77: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Karl Anderson – NJPW Power Struggle 11/7/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 7, 2021 13:52:10 GMT -5
76. Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 9/30/20
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| Their G1 match last year was my NJPW MOTY. Needless to say, I was hyped for this. They immediately came out tackling and hitting each other hard, so it was going to be that kind of Ishii match, which are the ones that I’m usually way into. They put on a show and I’m not going to recap it a ton because it was really just two dudes beating the shit out of each other. However, and I’m sure you’re over me saying this, but I felt this went on too long. There’s something about these two that I think would be ideal in a 15-17 minute setting. All of their matches have passed 20 minutes and this one hit 26:01, which I just didn’t think was needed. There was greatness here but it seemed like they were trying a bit too hard to deliver some kind of epic. NJPW has that problem from time to time and I think because last year’s G1 outing was stellar, they tried to recreate it and fell short. I don’t want this to sound like I disliked this because I really enjoyed it. It’s two of my favorite going to war in the main event and feeling like a true fight at times. The wild closing stretch saw Ishii finally get on the board with the Brainbuster. It also lacked some drama since I couldn’t’ see Ishii starting the tourney 0-4. Great but not the all-timer it could’ve been. [****] |
2019 Match #76: NXT North American Championship: Velveteen Dream [c] vs. Buddy Murphy – NXT 4/17/19 2018 Match #76: WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Zack Gibson – NXT United Kingdom Tournament 6/26/18 2017 Match #76: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/6/17 2016 Match #76: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Yuji Nagata – NJPW G1 Climax 7/30/16 2015 Match #76: NEVER Openweight Championship: Togi Makabe (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/12/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 7, 2021 16:01:06 GMT -5
75. AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley [c] vs. MJF – AEW All Out
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| For the most part, the win/loss records in AEW haven’t meant much in terms of storytelling. However, entering this, neither man had lost a singles match in AEW. If Moxley used the Paradigm Shift, he would lose the title. MJF had a plan, going after Moxley’s arm almost immediately. However, he was also not quite ready for the ass kicking that the champion was handing out. I loved that story. MJF is a prick but he’s never been booked as a tough guy. That means someone like Moxley should beat his ass when given the chance. MJF even got busted open, adding to the visual aspect of this encounter. When his best offense couldn’t keep Moxley down, MJF resorted to cheating. That meant using things like the Diamond Dozen (I don’t remember the exact name) ring, though Wardlow fumbled that. With the referee distracted, Moxley was able to nail the Paradigm Shift to retain after 23:49. Combined with his performance against Jungle Boy at the previous PPV, MJF proved his skills. The match lacked drama due to an earlier match because there was no way MJF/Lance Archer would be a title match, but the rest of this told a really good story and was highly entertaining. [****] |
*This is the final appearance of MJF. *It is the last match for the AEW World Championship.
2019 Match #75: Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 2018 Match #75: Three and In Finale: Mark Haskins vs. Tyler Bate – PROGRESS Chapter 75: These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends 8/27/18 2017 Match #75: RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. [c] vs. Will Ospreay – RevPro Global Wars UK 11/10/17 2016 Match #75: Number One Contender’s Match: AJ Styles vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens – WWE Raw 4/4/16 2015 Match #75: Falls Count Anywhere: Cage vs. The Mack – Ultima Lucha 7/29/15
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