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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 13, 2021 12:19:28 GMT -5
45. Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak – WWE Elimination Chamber
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| I was all for this match. I wish it had more build though. Fantastic technical wrestling as soon as this started. Bryan seemed to go out of his way to make sure that Gulak looked like more than a threat. Gulak had an answer for everything Bryan did. The story of him having pointers for Bryan’s opponents made sense because he did have a game plan. There were tons of smooth counters and quality grappling from both men. Bryan took a sick bump on his neck on a German suplex that was pretty hard to watch. Gulak added a super reverse suplex and rolled it into a Dragon Sleeper. He added elbows and rolled again, only for Bryan to slip out and counter into the Yes Lock. It was smooth as hell. Gulak passed out to lose in a fantastic 14:19. They had a stellar match that played off of the existing angle coming in, Gulak looked like a beast, and Bryan picked up the win. Phenomenal all around. [****¼] |
*This is the final match from Elimination Chamber. *It is the last appearance of Drew Gulak.
2019 Match #45: Aleister Black vs. Buddy Murphy – WWE TLC 2018 Match #45: NXT Championship vs. Career Match: Andrade Almas [c] vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT 2/21/18 2017 Match #45: Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 77 1/28/17 2016 Match #45: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/18/16 2015 Match #45: WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns – WWE WrestleMania 3/29/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 13, 2021 15:47:28 GMT -5
44. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14 Night One
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| Okada got a sweet fancy entrance. He also sported shorter shorts than usual and brought out more thigh meat. He’s a man of the people. As much as I love Ibushi, he’s not the kind of guy to take Okada out of his comfort zone. My favorite Okada matches in the last few years are when he’s forced to be different (vs. Shibata, the G1 match with Omega, vs. Sabre Jr., etc.). That meant we got the methodical beginning before things picked up. It’s another case where you could probably cut out the first third and not miss much. Of course, once it got going they delivered the goods. A few spots missed the mark, like the mistimed Ibushi double stomp where Okada basically took a back bump on his own. I loved how Ibushi would just fire up and beat the shit out of Okada. It’s something he should have focused on more because he has a huge advantage there. I popped when he pulled out his own Rainmaker. The finishing stretch is the stuff you love about Okada. Tons of Rainmakers, counters, near falls, drama, etc. He finally hit one that was enough to retain after 39:16. Great stuff here but it wasn’t different enough to make it special. Ibushi is far better than the likes of SANADA, so he can add just enough of his flair to make the formula work for him. This also lacked drama since Okada/Naito seemed obvious as soon as they started this double title talk. [****¼] |
2019 Match #44: Taichi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/11/19 2018 Match #44: Moustache Mountain and Ricochet vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT 6/27/18 2017 Match #44: WWN Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. Kyle O’Reilly – Evolve 84 5/20/17 2016 Match #44: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Extreme Rules Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles – WWE Extreme Rules 5/22/16 2015 Match #44: AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9 1/4/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 13, 2021 21:56:15 GMT -5
43. NXT North American Championship: Keith Lee [c] vs. Dominik Dijakovic – NXT TakeOver: Portland
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| It’s only fitting that this rivalry made its way to an NXT TakeOver event. These two first met back in EVOLVE during WrestleMania weekend a few years ago. They wowed everyone by doing things that people of their size shouldn’t even be able to pull off. That trend continued everywhere they went and led to NXT. After a few good matches on TV, they saved their best for a big stage. Opening up the best TakeOver of the year, these two did what they do best. Lots of back and forth action, huge spots, and jaw-dropping moments. For 20:22, they looked like they might steal the show, though the rest of the night was about as good, if not better. Lee managed to retain his gold after a hard fought battle that added another storied chapter to their rivalry. They’d meet again for both this and the NXT Title later in the year but this was their peak. [****¼] |
*This is the final NXT North American Title match. *It is the last appearance of Dominik Dijakovic.
2019 Match #43: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Supercard 2018 Match #43: Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 8/1/18 2017 Match #43: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. Ricochet – NJPW Wrestling Toyonokuni 4/29/17 2016 Match #43: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 7/30/16 2015 Match #43: ROH World and Television Championships: Jay Briscoe (c) vs. Jay Lethal (c) – ROH Best in the World 6/19/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2021 0:03:39 GMT -5
42. NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto [c] vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW The New Beginning in Sapporo Night One
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| Hirooki Goto is often at his best in this environment. Put him in there against a hard hitting dude and let them beat the piss out of each other. Right off the bat, that’s what they did. This was brutal and in the same vein as the Ishii/Shingo match from last year’s G1 that I loved so much. Most of this came across as these guys being evenly matched. As it progressed the bigger blows started getting thrown. They were going to hoss it up and we were going to like it. After an avalanche DVD, this picked up for a wild finishing stretch. The GTR counter into Made in Japan was pretty fantastic. Goto kicked out but was then hit with Last of the Dragon, giving us a new champion after 20:10. I loved that. It had all the aspects I want from these two and they had their great match that I wanted. They did it all without going too long or overdoing a lot of the big spots. And we got the right winner. Push Shingo to the top, baby. [****¼] |
*This is the last appearance of Hirooki Goto. *It is the final match from New Beginning in Sapporo.
2019 Match #42: The Revival vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT 11/20/19 2018 Match #42: WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre [c] vs. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins – WWE Hell in a Cell 9/16/18 2017 Match #42: Donovan Dijak vs. Keith Lee – Evolve 81 3/31/17 2016 Match #42: ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Lio Rush – ROH Supercard of Honor 4/1/16 2015 Match #42: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazushi Sakuraba – NJPW Dominion 7/5/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2021 9:39:53 GMT -5
41. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. Taiji Ishimori – NJPW Summer Struggle in Jingu
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| These two put on an all-time classic in the Best of the Super Juniors finals in 2018. It’s the best BOSJ Finals I’ve ever seen and is LEAGUES ahead of last year’s. Hiromu came in with his shoulder banged up, giving Ishimori a target. I loved the way these guys knew a lot about each other. One great spot saw Hiromu go for his corner belly to belly, only for Ishimori to know how to land safely and turn things around. The shoulder setup was perfect because of Ishimori’s use of the Yes Lock. It made every application of that submission feel like it could be the finish. Similar to Shingo, you got the sense that Hiromu was doing things out of desperation at times. Ultimately, Ishimori was able to make him submit to the Yes Lock after 13:30. A tremendous sprint featuring two guys who work well together. They’re so quick. It wasn’t as wild as their previous outing but used the built-in shoulder story well. I just wish Gedo could book a good title reign for someone not named Okada. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Taiji Ishimori. *It is the last Summer Struggle in Jingu match.
2019 Match #41: RevPro British Heavyweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii [c] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 2018 Match #41: Ricochet vs. The Velveteen Dream – NXT TakeOver: Chicago 6/16/18 2017 Match #41: Kazuchika Okada vs. Satoshi Kojima – NJPW G1 Climax 7/27/17 2016 Match #41: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Payback 5/1/16 2015 Match #41: Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Fastlane 2/22/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2021 11:47:59 GMT -5
40. AEW Tag Team Championship: FTR [c] vs. The Young Bucks – AEW Full Gear
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| I’m sure plenty of folks had five stars penciled in before this began. For many, it’s a dream match. With a better build, this could’ve headlined a PPV. Right off the bat, many little things were right. I dug FTR rocking Celtics green against the Bucks in their Lakers colors. Given the history of those franchises, the teams wearing these colors made sense. Matt came in with a bad leg that was obviously targeted, while Dax’s hand proved to be a huge problem for the champions. I appreciated that these guys weren’t just doing tag moves of old teams. They used the tandems that inspired them. You had offense from the newer generation (Dudleys/Hardys) by the Bucks, while FTR did the Hart Attack and Steiner Bulldog. That plays perfectly into what makes these two teams who they are. They’re built on such different styles. I’ll admit, though, I popped when FTR did #DIY’s finisher. In the end, Cash attempted a 450 splash, going with flips over fists, and it cost him. He fell to a superkick in 28:41. There was a lot of great things to like here from the action itself to the storytelling and selling. I do think it lacked some drama due to the unnecessary “Bucks never challenge again” angle and it went a bit long for what they did. As tremendous as it was, I preferred Bucks/Omega & Page, as well as FTR’s work with the likes of #DIY. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of FTR.
2019 Match #40: Best of the Super Juniors Finals: Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/5/19 2018 Match #40: Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H – WWE WrestleMania 34 4/6/18 2017 Match #40: Flash Morgan Webster, Jimmy Havoc and Mark Haskins vs. Pete Dunne, Trent Seven and Tyler Bate – PROGRESS Chapter 44: Old Man Yells at Cloud 2/26/17 2016 Match #40: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/3/16 2015 Match #40: Aztec Warfare – Lucha Underground 1/7/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2021 15:44:59 GMT -5
39. WWE Universal Championship TLC Match: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Kevin Owens – WWE TLC
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| The build to this was fantastic. Kevin Owens jumped Roman Reigns before the bell, doing something we haven’t seen yet. Jey Uso put up a fight but KO hit Roman in the mouth and put him on the defensive. He even sent Paul Heyman scurrying and beat up an interfering Jey Uso. That still allowed Reigns the opening to get going as he started beating the hell out of KO. Similar to their Royal Rumble match back in 2017, this was brutal and was a case of two guys going to war. Owens fought hard but Jey Uso remained involved, making this a 2-on-1 situation. I loved that because it makes sense for Jey to get involved in a match with no DQs. He had to take Jey out with a table spot to combat him. Of course, that just pissed off Roman even more. He brutalized Owens. It followed the storyline of Owens not staying down no matter how much was thrown at him. They also made it so whenever Owens got a chance, it didn’t feel like he was Superman or something like that. He avoided a Spear that sent Roman through a guardrail and caught him with a flash Popup Powerbomb through a table. Owens nearly had it won but more Jey Uso interreference stopped him. Roman put him down once more to finally grab the championship after 24:44. Roman Reigns is better than your favorite wrestler. He’s on another level right now and nobody is touching him. That’s yet another PPV banger. They had an absolute war that played into the storyline and even the Jey Uso stuff worked beautifully. [****¼] |
2019 Match #39: New Japan Cup Semifinals: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/23/19 2018 Match #39: Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Survivor Series 11/18/18 2017 Match #39: NXT Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing Match: Asuka [c] vs. Nikki Cross – NXT 6/28/17 2016 Match #39: Trios Championship: Ivelisse and Son of Havoc (c) vs. The Crew and Joey Ryan vs. Dragon Azteca Jr., Rey Mysterio Jr. and Prince Puma vs. Fenix, Jack Evans and PJ Black – Lucha Underground 4/27/16 2015 Match #39: Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 8/29/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2021 19:45:52 GMT -5
38. NXT UK Women's Championship: Kay Lee Ray [c] vs. Piper Niven vs. Toni Storm – NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II
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| As much as I enjoy the NXT UK women’s division, I was still waiting on them to have a TakeOver banger. Rhea/Toni and KLR/Toni both underwhelmed. I’ve enjoyed the story of this including their friendship, Niven’s desire for a big opportunity, KLR pulling the strings, and Toni’s obsession with the title. It all works. Those concepts played into the match. Toni attacked KLR at the bell to set up a hot start, though Niven quickly took control. You got the sense that Toni was being the aggressor, KLR was willing to lay back and let them beat each other up, and Niven kept coming in to try and steal the show. I loved the moment of Niven saving her friend, despite their differences, from KLR injuring her with a chair. Again, it fit the roles they had coming into this, especially with Toni possibly using the chair on Niven right after. Down the stretch, they started in with the bigger spots and this got better as it went on. Toni stopping the refereeing from counting three was another perfect moment for her. The Destroyer from Niven was insane and Toni trying to immediately steal it with Storm Zero after made for a fantastic near fall. Toni resorted to a frog splash late, only for KLR to superkick her and steal the pin, retaining in 13:11. They delivered. That was fantastic. I loved the way it played into their characters coming in, it had great action, and phenomenal late drama. My only real issue is that the finish is overdone in this kind of match. [****¼] |
*This is the final NXT UK Women's Title match. *It is the last appearance of Kay Lee Ray and Piper Niven.
2019 Match #38: NXT Women's Championship: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Rhea Ripley – NXT 12/18/19 2018 Match #38: WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz [c] vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins – WWE WrestleMania 4/8/18 2017 Match #38: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17 2016 Match #38: Chris Hero vs. Tomohiro Ishii – RPW Global Wars UK 11/10/16 2015 Match #38: KUSHIDA vs. Roderick Strong – ROH War of the Worlds 5/12/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 14, 2021 22:10:57 GMT -5
37. Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinals: Penta El Zero M vs. Ray Fenix – AEW Dynamite 10/21/20
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| One of the things I’ve taken issue with regarding AEW is the treatment of the Lucha Bros. Ray Fenix and Pentagon are two of the company’s best wrestlers and certainly one of their best tag teams. Despite that, they hovered around .500 with their record and were mostly afterthoughts. They were finally given a big opportunity on this episode of Dynamite, headlining the show in singles action as part of a tournament for an AEW World Title shot. The action was fierce, harkening back to their Lucha Underground days. They went at it for 14:21 and showed the entire world just how great they are. There were some ridiculous sports, counters, and exchanges throughout. The stuff blew minds and ended up trending on Twitter. Fenix came out on top in the end but got injured and couldn’t compete in the next round. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of The Lucha Bros.
2019 Match #37: Dragon Lee vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/23/19 2018 Match #37: Extreme Rules Match: Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black – NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia 1/27/18 2017 Match #37: Number One Contender’s Match: Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Seth Rollins – Raw 5/1/17 2016 Match #37: Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown – WWE Survivor Series 11/20/16 2015 Match #37: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 7/20/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2021 0:29:29 GMT -5
36. Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Portland
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| Long before Finn Balor won back the NXT Championship and even before Johnny Gargano turned to the dark side, they met in what was at least Johnny's best singles match of 2020. When Balor returned to NXT in late 2019, he shockingly turned heel by attacking Gargano and putting him on the shelf. It took months for them to clash and they delivered when the time came. Balor was more vicious than usual, showing that his new villainous edge was a successful one. Gargano countered with his trademark resiliency, never giving up and fighting back even when he seemed to be finished. They threw in callbacks to their rivalry, which are always appreciated in matches like this. Gargano fought hard but in the end, he fell victim to the Coup de Grace and Bloody Sunday after an excellent 27:23. [****¼] |
2019 Match #36: NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan vs. The Forgotten Sons vs. The Street Profits vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT TakeOver XXV 2018 Match #36: Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 7/21/18 2017 Match #36: PROGRESS Atlas Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. WALTER – PROGRESS Chapter 51: Screaming for PROGRESS 7/9/17 2016 Match #36: Lucha Underground Championship: Mil Muertes (c) vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 3/9/16 2015 Match #36: NXT Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks – NXT TakeOver: Rival 2/11/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2021 10:08:59 GMT -5
35. NXT Title No. 1 Contender's Match: Kyle O'Reilly vs. Pete Dunne – NXT 12/16/20
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| As soon as Kyle O’Reilly geared up for his opportunity at the NXT Title at TakeOver 31, he stepped up to become one of the company’s best wrestlers. I’ve known how fantastic he is in singles competition for years but now NXT fans could see too. One of his best showcases came on this episode of NXT where he clashed with Pete Dunne for a shot at the NXT Championship. This was vicious, hard hitting, and unlike most of what was happening on weekly TV. For 22:47, these two went to war and had a brutal encounter that was one of the best televised matches of the year. Pete Dunne also got to remind people of how fantastic he is after he missed most of the year during the pandemic. Kyle O’Reilly earned another shot at Finn Balor with a hard fought victory in this TV classic. [****¼] |
2019 Match #35: Worlds Collide Tournament Finals: Tyler Bate vs. Velveteen Dream – WWE Worlds Collide 2/2/19 2018 Match #35: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW The New Beginning In Sapporo 1/27/18 2017 Match #35: Andrade Almas vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 8/19/17 2016 Match #35: NEVER Openweight Championship: Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Dominion 6/19/16 2015 Match #35: Adam Cole vs. AJ Styles – ROH War of the Worlds 5/12/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2021 12:21:43 GMT -5
34. WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Jey Uso – WWE Clash of Champions
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| The build for this was spectacular. ROMAN GOT THE TITTIES OUT! TITTIES ROMAN > THIGH MEAT OKADA! Jey was a bit cocky, stopping to dance at the start. Once Roman started in on offense, he dominated and got irritated that his cousin was kicking out. Jey would get in a hope spot only for Roman to bring the ass kicking again. He’d also talk trash and question Jey for even trying this fight. The close calls for Jey were well done, like on a rollup and the splash. I loved how Reigns kicked out of the splash by low blowing Jey. Reigns hit the Spear and demanded that Jey call him the chief. When Jey declined, another Spear came. Jey refused again so Roman added more of a beating. Even when the referee tried to stop the match, Roman said he’s been doing this his whole life. Jimmy Uso came out to throw in the towel but Jey pleaded with him not to do it. Roman added more right hands until Jimmy did the deed, ending this in 22:57. Holy shit. That was spectacular from a storytelling perspective. The action itself was strong but that story put it over the top and I’m a big sucker for that kind of stuff. Hell yeah. Big Dog. [****¼] |
2019 Match #34: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Finals – 6/5/19 2018 Match #34: WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles – WWE TLC 12/16/18 2017 Match #34: PROGRESS Championship No Disqualifications Match: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Jimmy Havoc – PROGRESS Chapter 45: Galvanize 3/19/17 2016 Match #34: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/3/16 2015 Match #34: Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor – NXT TakeOver: Rival 2/11/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2021 16:50:07 GMT -5
33. Edge vs. Randy Orton – WWE Backlash
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| THE GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER! This was done with “enhanced audio,” which meant piped in crowd noise. Charles Robinson was even in an old school ref shirt with a bowtie and they used Fink’s voice for the intro. The idea of the match is that Orton has been wrestling for years while Edge has been hurt. It made sense that Orton could best him with the simplest of things. For example, he just stopped short to avoid an arm drag and it worked to perfection. As this progressed, it got more aggressive. Orton got busted open and Edge kept the pressure on. As this neared the 30 minute mark, you could tell that it was a pretty great wrestling match. The stuff done by Orton and Edge was actually quite good but the added-in crowd noise and weird angles made it hokey. I really liked them resorting to moves from those close to them like Edge using the Killswitch and Orton hitting the Pedigree. They went overboard with the kickouts late, as Edge survived multiple RKOs and Orton kicked out of a bunch of Spears. Orton finally took it home with a low blow and the Punt after 44:47. That’s a great idea for the ending as Orton, who bragged about being the better wrestler, resorted to underhanded tactics. That was fantastic overall. They went too far with the false finishes late and the presentation was odd but everything else worked wonderfully. [****¼] |
*This marks the final match from Backlash.
2019 Match #33: NXT UK Tag Titles: Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Moustache Mountain – NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool 2018 Match #33: G1 Climax Finals: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/12/18 2017 Match #33: WWN Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. Keith Lee – Evolve 87 6/25/17 2016 Match #33: IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Naomichi Marufuji – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/10/16 2015 Match #33: AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/14/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 15, 2021 23:13:40 GMT -5
32. AEW TNT Championship: Cody Rhodes [c] vs. Darby Allin – AEW Full Gear
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| The Nightmare Family seems to now also include Lee Johnson and The Gunn Club. Cody has his last name back officially. Darby clearly learned from their past. He used his quickness to frustrate Cody and even slapped him in the back of the head at one point. It’s a small thing but one of my favorite aspects of Arn Anderson being there is when Cody goes to him for advice and they use the clipboard to hide it. A pissed Cody got vicious with the hammerlock toss to the outside. That put the champ in the driver’s seat and they kind of built this around the hammerlock, so you know Cody watched some old ass match with similar psychology and was inspired. Darby sold the hell out of the arm and Cody got more heelish throughout. He wouldn’t end this mercifully and then teased using the weight belt. The resilient Darby kept coming at Cody and then scored a surprise three count after a series of pin counters in 17:09. That was so very much my shit. Building the match around the hammerlock was tremendous, as was Darby’s selling and Cody playing his role expertly. Darby proved he could be the face of TNT and finally got his moment. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin. *It is the last match from Full Gear. *There are no more TNT Title matches.
2019 Match #32: NXT Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Matt Riddle – WWE NXT 10/2/19 2018 Match #32: Tyler Bate vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PROGRESS Chapter 63: Take Me Underground 2/11/18 2017 Match #32: Matt Riddle vs. Travis Banks – PROGRESS Chapter 52: Vote Pies 7/23/17 2016 Match #32: WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena – WWE No Mercy 10/9/16 2015 Match #32: NXT Championship: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Finn Balor – WWE Beast in the East 7/4/15
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Gus Richlen Was Wrong
Patti Mayonnaise
Metal Maestro: Co-winner of the FAN Idol Throwdown!
Fun while it lasted
Posts: 38,466
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Post by Gus Richlen Was Wrong on Jan 15, 2021 23:19:00 GMT -5
34. WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Jey Uso – WWE Clash of Champions
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| The build for this was spectacular. ROMAN GOT THE TITTIES OUT! TITTIES ROMAN > THIGH MEAT OKADA! Jey was a bit cocky, stopping to dance at the start. Once Roman started in on offense, he dominated and got irritated that his cousin was kicking out. Jey would get in a hope spot only for Roman to bring the ass kicking again. He’d also talk trash and question Jey for even trying this fight. The close calls for Jey were well done, like on a rollup and the splash. I loved how Reigns kicked out of the splash by low blowing Jey. Reigns hit the Spear and demanded that Jey call him the chief. When Jey declined, another Spear came. Jey refused again so Roman added more of a beating. Even when the referee tried to stop the match, Roman said he’s been doing this his whole life. Jimmy Uso came out to throw in the towel but Jey pleaded with him not to do it. Roman added more right hands until Jimmy did the deed, ending this in 22:57. Holy shit. That was spectacular from a storytelling perspective. The action itself was strong but that story put it over the top and I’m a big sucker for that kind of stuff. Hell yeah. Big Dog. [****¼] |
2019 Match #34: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Finals – 6/5/19 2018 Match #34: WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles – WWE TLC 12/16/18 2017 Match #34: PROGRESS Championship No Disqualifications Match: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Jimmy Havoc – PROGRESS Chapter 45: Galvanize 3/19/17 2016 Match #34: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/3/16 2015 Match #34: Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor – NXT TakeOver: Rival 2/11/15
....TITTIES ROMAN!!!!
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Post by Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED! on Jan 16, 2021 0:00:06 GMT -5
32. AEW TNT Championship: Cody Rhodes [c] vs. Darby Allin – AEW Full Gear
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| The Nightmare Family seems to now also include Lee Johnson and The Gunn Club. Cody has his last name back officially. Darby clearly learned from their past. He used his quickness to frustrate Cody and even slapped him in the back of the head at one point. It’s a small thing but one of my favorite aspects of Arn Anderson being there is when Cody goes to him for advice and they use the clipboard to hide it. A pissed Cody got vicious with the hammerlock toss to the outside. That put the champ in the driver’s seat and they kind of built this around the hammerlock, so you know Cody watched some old ass match with similar psychology and was inspired. Darby sold the hell out of the arm and Cody got more heelish throughout. He wouldn’t end this mercifully and then teased using the weight belt. The resilient Darby kept coming at Cody and then scored a surprise three count after a series of pin counters in 17:09. That was so very much my shit. Building the match around the hammerlock was tremendous, as was Darby’s selling and Cody playing his role expertly. Darby proved he could be the face of TNT and finally got his moment. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin. *It is the last match from Full Gear. *There are no more TNT Title matches.
2019 Match #32: NXT Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Matt Riddle – WWE NXT 10/2/19 2018 Match #32: Tyler Bate vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PROGRESS Chapter 63: Take Me Underground 2/11/18 2017 Match #32: Matt Riddle vs. Travis Banks – PROGRESS Chapter 52: Vote Pies 7/23/17 2016 Match #32: WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena – WWE No Mercy 10/9/16 2015 Match #32: NXT Championship: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Finn Balor – WWE Beast in the East 7/4/15
I’m shocked that the Dog Collar match didn’t make it.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2021 7:57:47 GMT -5
31. Street Fight: Dakota Kai vs. Tegan Nox – NXT TakeOver: Portland
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| My five favorite female wrestlers in WWE are Sasha Banks, Dakota Kai, Sonya Deville, Io Shirai, and Tegan Nox. Having two of them in this match was lovely. It also helped that they had yet to get their opportunity to shine on a TakeOver and the heated nature of the feud and it became arguably my most anticipated NXT match of the year. I loved that these ladies came out in gear for a street fight and not a traditional wrestling match. That’s so important for something as heated as this. Dakota attacked before the bell, setting the tone. She would take any cheap way out that she could, while Tegan wanted revenge. They told a remarkable story and blended it with the brutality from this kind of match. They used plenty of weapons but never went overboard. After an outstanding 13:26, Tegan seemed to have it wrapped up. However, Raquel Gonzalez showed up and chokeslammed her off the top and through a table. Dakota covered to win and align herself with Raquel. I loved that these two got the chance to deliver on a big stage and succeeded. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Tegan Nox. *It is the last match from TakeOver: Portland. *There are no more Street Fights on the list.
2019 Match #31: WWE United States Championship: Samoa Joe [c] vs. Andrade vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio – WWE Fastlane 2018 Match #31: Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/28/18 2017 Match #31: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals: Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/2/17 2016 Match #31: Johnny Gargano, Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins vs. Marty Scurll, Tommy End and Will Ospreay – WWN Mercury Rising 4/2/16 2015 Match #31: Lucha Underground Championship: Prince Puma (c) vs. Mil Muertes – Ultima Lucha 8/5/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2021 10:13:20 GMT -5
30. WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals: AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Smackdown 6/12/20
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| There were actually people who were calling this the greatest Intercontinental Title match ever. I certainly wouldn’t go that far but it was one of the best in recent memory. After Sami Zayn took time away during the pandemic, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan met in the finals of a tournament to crown a new champion. These two had some disappointing encounters like at Royal Rumble 2019 and some bangers like at TLC 2018 or when Bryan took the WWE Title from Styles. This was one of their better bouts. It had the feel of an epic, lasting 38:06 and feeling like what the “workhorse” championship should be. Two of the best wrestlers in history putting on a stellar match to hold that gold. The battle saw tons of close calls but never really felt like it was going overboard with the idea. A few of the commercial breaks hurt the momentum at times but that’s it. Styles won with the Phenomenal Forearm in a contest that stole the show mere days before THE GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVER.” A high point for Styles, who hasn’t had many greats over the past few years. [****¼] |
*This is the final match from Smackdown. *It is the last appearance of Daniel Bryan.
2019 Match #30: Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black vs. Matt Riddle vs. Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream – NXT 3/20/19 2018 Match #30: Men’s Royal Rumble Match – WWE Royal Rumble 1/28/18 2017 Match #30: Keith Lee vs. Tomohiro Ishii – RevPro Global Wars UK 11/9/17 2016 Match #30: RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Chris Hero – RPW Global Wars UK 11/11/16 2015 Match #30: AJ Styles vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW G1 Climax 7/20/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2021 15:01:23 GMT -5
29. IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito [c] – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14
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| Their 2012 match remains their best (****½). In 2014, they met at WK 8 (***¾) and the G1 (****¼). Naito beat him for the title at Invasion Attack 2016 (****) but Okada regained it at Dominion (****) and ended Naito’s threat as a top guy at WK 12 (***½). I stand by that statement regardless of who takes home both titles. I’ll give you three guesses on how this started? Slowly like all big Okada matches. At least make it interesting and useful. They don’t even do much with Naito’s leg, which was a major storyline in yesterday’s match. He should still be hampered by it here. Once the big spots came, they were notable. Okada landing on his head on a poison rana was rough. I don’t know how these guys do it. Props to Okada for how late he kicked out of an early Destino. I never bought it as the finish because that move never ends a match on the first try but Okada tried his best. I think Naito did a great job in stressing the importance and his desperation. I also dug the callbacks, like Naito busting out the Stardust Press just as he did at WK 12. The knee seemed to come back into play after it though that was inconsistent. Eventually, enough offense capped by another Destino ended this in 35:37. Not an all-time classic but a great main event. I wish the early stuff felt like it meant more rather than come across as filler to kill time so they could go 30. That being said, there were plenty of great callbacks and story elements to make this work a bit better than the night one headliner. [****¼] |
*This is the final IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Title match. *It is the last appearance of Kazuchika Okada.
2019 Match #29: IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Juice Robinson [c] vs. Jon Moxley – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Finals 2018 Match #29: El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/22/18 2017 Match #29: Super Strong Style 16 Quarterfinals: Jeff Cobb vs. Matt Riddle – PROGRESS Chapter 49: Super Strong Style 16 5/28/17 2016 Match #29: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Michael Elgin (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 9/25/16 2015 Match #29: WWE United States Championship: John Cena (c) vs. Cesaro – WWE Raw 7/6/15
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jan 16, 2021 17:14:33 GMT -5
28. Kota Ibushi vs. Taichi – NJPW G1 Climax 10/16/20
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| They’ve met twice, splitting them. Ibushi won in the 2009 BOSJ, while Taichi won in this year’s NJC (***½). Ibushi needed to win to stay alive. Taichi went after Ibushi and tried trading kicks with him. You could see that it was hurting him more than Ibushi but he still went after it. Honestly, this went on forever but I actually really enjoyed it. As it went on, Taichi started delivering stronger kicks and he seemed to be really into the idea of proving his toughness. There was a stubbornness to this that I loved. After 15 minutes of kicks, they were stuck holding each other up due to the damage and pain. Finally, after only throwing kicks the entire time, Ibushi won with Kamigoye in 17:12. Outstanding. I’ve watched thousands of matches in my lifetime so it’s rare to give me something that I’ve never seen before and this was that. I loved it. [****¼] |
*This is the final appearance of Taichi.
2019 Match #28: NXT North American Championship: Velveteen Dream [c] vs. Matt Riddle – NXT TakeOver: New York 2018 Match #28: NXT North American Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Ricochet – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 8/18/18 2017 Match #28: RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata [c] vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 2/11/17 2016 Match #28: The Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/31/16 2015 Match #28: Lucha Underground Championship All Night Long: Prince Puma (c) vs. Johnny Mundo – Lucha Underground 6/17/15
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