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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 15, 2021 9:09:20 GMT -5
430. NXT Championship Ladder Match: Finn Balor [c] vs. Kevin Owens – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
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| Having the unenviable task of following a spectacular NXT Women’s Championship match, I think this main event more than delivered. Finn Balor and Kevin Owens had two prior matches, the first not being too great and the second being my favorite encounter of theirs. This lies in the middle, but closer to the second one. I appreciated that it was similar to the really good Ambrose/Rollins ladder match from a few months earlier in that it didn’t need to rely on tons of big spots. For most of the 21:37, Owens beat the hell out of Balor, doing whatever it took to best the unbeaten “Demon” and win back his prize. Balor, under the “Demon” paint, was able to dig down deep and persevere, surviving a lot, including the apron powerbomb that nearly killed Sami Zayn and even took out John Cena for a bit. When they did bring out the bigger spots, it was near the end, and felt very earned. The image of Finn hitting the Coup de Grace off the ladder before going back and retrieving the gold is something to behold.
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429. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Raw 4/11/16
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| Standing alone, this would be an indy fan’s dream match on WWE television. Though they met twelve years earlier, this was the first ever one on one match between AJ Styles and Sami Zayn. Just putting them together would be enough but this had an added edge. Styles had an upcoming one on one WWE Championship match, but if he lost here, Sami would be added and it would become a triple threat match. It started as a respectful battle but a big chop from Sami and vicious dropkick from AJ kicked it into next gear. Sami takes a beating better than anyone in wrestling, which was perfect here. AJ and his offense came off looking great and it had to for the casual audience to buy him as a threat to Roman Reigns in a few weeks. Each one of Sami’s hope spots were done well and I bought into him pulling off the upset more than once. Sami tried landing on his feet on a big sunset flip but ended up hitting his head. He still went for the Helluva Kick, only to miss and lose to the Phenomenal Forearm at the 16:52 mark. A great match between two of my favorites for the first time ever.
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428. World Heavyweight Championship: Alberto Del Rio [c] vs. Christian – WWE SummerSlam 2013
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| SummerSlam 2013 is probably the most underrated show in WWE history. Nobody seems to talk about it but it’s an all-time classic. It makes sense that the event also happens to be host to one of the most overlooked World Title matches ever. In the middle of the show, Christian and Alberto Del Rio reignited their rivalry from 2011. Del Rio may be canceled these days but this was a high point for him. It felt like Christian had no chance to win coming into this, yet they managed to make everyone believe that he’d pull out the win. They brought drama into a match that had no business having any. There were twists and turns and they got the crowd invested in it by the time the final bell rang. That came when Del Rio made Christian tap after an exciting 12:28. One of the most underrated and overlooked matches of the decade.
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427. G1 Climax Finals: Kazuchika Okada vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – NJPW G1 Climax 8/10/14
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| The two top stars in the CHAOS stable met in the finals of the G1 Climax 24. I’ll probably say it a lot during this list but I believe that was the best G1 in history. Kazuchika Okada, winner of the 2012 iteration, faced Shinsuke Nakamura, who won the tournament in 2011. This was the kind of big match that NJPW is known for delivering. However, it was before their era of each main event having to go 30+ minutes. These two managed to put on a great outing in 23:18 that was still filled with drama and felt kind of epic. It’s an early stage of Okada formula, as the opening minutes aren’t all that interesting. However, it gets going soon after since they don’t have to stretch this out to 35 minutes. From there, it’s pretty much a non-stop thrill ride. Nakamura is turned inside out by the Rainmaker, giving Okada his second G1 Climax victory, capping the greatest tournament in wrestling history.
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426. World Heavyweight Championship TLC Match: Kane [c] vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge vs. Rey Mysterio – WWE TLC 2010
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| At first glance, this might be a match that you don’t even remember happening. However, it is actually one of the more underrated TLC bouts in WWE history. Kane was riding his as World Heavyweight Champion but faced his toughest challenge. His current rival Edge, the man he took the title from in Rey Mysterio, and the company’s fastest-rising star in Alberto Del Rio. There were some creative ideas sprinkled in, like Mysterio using one of the stage prop tables as a catapult for offense. The main stories saw Kane trying to get revenge on Edge for abducting Paul Bearer and Del Rio constantly interrupting every chance Mysterio had at winning. Del Rio and Kane took some big bumps through tables near the end of this 22:42 encounter. Edge pulled down the title to mark a historic moment as it put him in rarified air with ten World Title reigns.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 15, 2021 12:33:46 GMT -5
425. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rusev – WWE Raw 7/13/15
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| Even though he wasn’t directly involved in this, the John Cena US Title Open Challenge was responsible for another great match here. A week after a fantastic battle with Cesaro, Cena awaited a new challenger. Rusev answered, looking to reignite their shit feud. Kevin Owens interrupted even though he had a shot in six nights. Cesaro came out next, looking for a rematch, leading to a brawl between the three. It turned into a number one contender’s match, where the winner would face Cena right after. What followed was 24:02 of some awesome action. They made good use of the Triple Threat style, bringing out some really cool spots (specifically Cesaro hitting a double German on both opponents). Owens would walk out near the end because he had an upcoming shot and decided he didn’t need this. The final few minutes between Cesaro and Rusev were tremendous, including a great moment where Rusev reached the ropes in the sharpshooter, only to have to pull Cesaro to the floor because rope breaks don’t work in No DQ matches. Rusev ended up hitting a superkick to win, in an anti-climactic finish. Cena was supposed to be the face but considering the effort Rusev put forth while Cena gladly sat on commentary (doing an uncharacteristically bad job), Rusev was the sympathetic one. That match would last only five minutes and end via DQ. Still, the one preceding it was great.
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424. EVIL vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW G1 Climax 27 8/5/17
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| 362 days. Coming into this match, that’s how long it had been since Kazuchika Okada was last pinned in singles competition. This was the fourteenth night of the G1 Climax and Okada was 5-0, while EVIL was 4-2. With Okada seemingly running away with the block, EVIL needed to win to stay alive. For the first time in a long time, it felt like Okada wasn’t in control of a match. Instead of his usual cross body over the guardrail spot, EVIL beat on him with chairs. He wasn’t allowing Okada to get going. Okada was forced to fight from behind because EVIL always had an answer for him. There was quite the big spot where Okada took Darkness Falls onto a pile of chairs in the crowd. It had to suck for him. When he beat the countout, it set up the traditional Okada closing stretch. High energy, great action and the usual Rainmaker stuff. After hitting one from out of nowhere, he subtlety positioned himself to land on his back so he could do his wrist hold stuff that everyone goes nuts for. I usually hate it, but liked it here because he was in serious trouble and because it finally backfired. EVIL ducked a third Rainmaker (like everyone else after eating two), but won the exchange by avoiding it again and hitting the STO to win at 22:47. Biggest win of EVIL’s career. Though the rematch for the Heavyweight Title disappointed, this was awesome and cemented EVIL as the MVP for the B Block of the G1.
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423. Mae Young Classic Semifinals: Kairi Sane vs. Toni Storm – WWE Mae Young Classic 9/9/17
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| Throughout the Mae Young Classic, Kairi Sane felt like a huge star. Toni Storm didn’t showcase a ton early, but delivered in the Quarterfinals and was set for this huge clash. A staple of the tournament was battles of size against speed, which came into play here. Storm had the power upper hand and used it to her advantage and wore down Sane’s arm. It was a solid strategy to take Sane’s biggest weapon, the elbow drop, away from her. Sane rallied and hit a huge cross body to the outside, smacking her face on the ramp and concussing herself. Still, she competed at a high level for the rest of the 12:23 and sold everything Storm did very well. Storm’s offense looked great, especially a vicious armbar and bridging Muscle Buster. Sane busted out a desperation spinning back fist and went to the top for the elbow. She clutched at it but risked it all to win and it worked. It was the best match of the tournament, featuring a hot crowd, smart work, and a real sense of urgency. It truly felt I was watching something important.
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422. PROGRESS Atlas Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Matt Riddle – PROGRESS: New York
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| In their first match at Chapter 46, Riddle retained over WALTER. WALTER dethroned him at Chapter 51 in an even better bout and this was the rubber match. They began this with mat work that was fairly even. WALTER took to brutally laying in the chops. Never afraid to give back as much as he takes, Riddle responded with chops of his own. It’s a staple of their matches. In their second outing, WALTER had Riddle well scouted and it led him to victory. This time, Riddle was ready, doing just enough to alter his game and avoid a repeat loss. He started deadlifting WALTER and throwing him around, which is never not impressive. Both guys picked up near falls down the stretch that the fans totally bought into. Riddle’s first senton attempt caught knees, but his second worked. He went into the Bromission, adding a series of chops, to make WALTER submit and become a two-time Atlas Champion after 15:58 of action. Not quite on the level of their second match, but better than the first. They played off their previous outings and the sheer viciousness of their strikes was jaw-dropping.
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421. Trios Tournament: Cage, Johnny Mundo and Taya vs. Dragon Azteca Jr., Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio Jr. – Lucha Underground 4/13/16
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| If you know anything about Lucha Underground, you’ll know that owner Dario Cueto loves his unique oddball teams. In that vein, he set up Cage to team with his rival Johnny Mundo, and Mundo’s girlfriend, Taya. The masked trio opposite from them was something of a Lucha Underground dream team. Azteca plays a big part in the overall lore of the series, Puma was the first champion and Mysterio is a lucha legend. This match allowed us to relive the great season one rivalries that Puma had with both Cage and Mundo. Puma played the face in peril and made the hot tag to Mysterio, though some of the biggest spots were still reserved for Puma and Dragon. That included Dragon hitting a mega rana on Mundo, who was sitting on Puma’s shoulders on the top rope. That was followed by a Puma 450 splash and Mundo somehow kicked out. The final few minutes of this 12:51 match just go at a breakneck pace. Miscommunication by the uneasy team led to Rey hitting 619, Azteca nailing a gorgeous tornado DDT and Puma winning it with a 630 splash.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 16, 2021 14:24:24 GMT -5
420. Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins – WWE WrestleMania 31
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| Like the rest of WrestleMania 31, 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 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.
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419. Team Raw Tag Teams vs. Team Smackdown Tag Teams – WWE Survivor Series 2016
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| Some of the most fun on the early Survivor Series Pay-Per-Views came in the giant tag matches involving all of the tag teams. This match was a nice throwback to those and though the quality of the tag division isn’t what it was in the late ’80s, this was still awesome. Breezango got to do a comedy bit before getting eliminated in the first minute or so. That wasn’t really surprising but then a real shocker came when the Raw Tag Team Champions of over 400 days, New Day, got eliminated instantly after. That left a wide open field for the remainder of the 18:55 match. As the match dwindled down, things got better. American Alpha had an especially great stretch that saw Chad Gable hit a Chaos Theory German suplex on Cesaro and a dive outside. Despite not lasting until the end, AA shined. It eventually came down to the Usos vs. Cesaro and Sheamus. They had a great little finishing stretch that honestly could have gotten a bit more time. Cesaro and Sheamus earned the win for Team Raw when Cesaro used a sharpshooter and Sheamus prevented it from being broken up with a Brogue Kick. Chaotic at times but that finishing stretch was killer.
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418. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – NJPW G1 Climax 24 8/3/14
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| The rivalry between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura was a highlight of 2014. They met at Wrestle Kingdom 8, headlining the show over the IWGP Intercontinental Title. They closed out Invasion Attack with a rematch that was a huge improvement. Their third and final meeting of the year came during the G1 Climax. The A Block was pretty much on the line in this Osaka main event. Who would win the feud and come a step closer to taking the entire block? They played well off their history, with each guy stealing moves from the other because that’s how well they knew one another. Tanahashi hit High Fly Flow but ate knees on his second attempt. You could tell the end was near. When Nakamura’s string of offense didn’t wrap it up, either, the finish was kind of perfect. Tanahashi used an O’Connor roll to score a surprise win in 17:00. It was the ideal way to conclude a match between two guys who have thrown everything at each other.
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417. NXT Women's Championship: Asuka [c] vs. Ember Moon – NXT TakeOver: Orlando
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| During WrestleMania weekend in 2016, Asuka dethroned Bayley to become NXT Women’s Champion. 364 days later, her stranglehold on the title was as firm as ever. In stepped undefeated Ember Moon to pose the greatest threat to her reign. Ember wasn’t intimidated, not backing down once during this 12:09 encounter. She was just as confident as the dominant champion. Ember was the only woman able to hang with Asuka in the striking department and we got a fair amount of that here. For a lot of this match, you got the sense that Asuka may have finally met her match. The finish was perfect. Just when Ember might hit her devastating Eclipse finisher, Asuka shoved the referee into the ropes to knock her down. A roundhouse later and Asuka retained, not in superior fashion, but more out of desperation. Thanks to a lack of character development, I came into this not truly caring about Ember. Her performance and finish won me over and made me want to see Ember get revenge. Mission accomplished.
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416. NXT Tag Team Championship: Undisputed Era [c] vs. Moustache Mountain – NXT United Kingdom Tournament 6/26/18
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| I love the Royal Albert Hall. It’s one of the coolest looking venues anywhere for wrestling. To start this show there, we got an NXT Tag Team Title match that began the best trilogy of tag matches in 2018. Moustache Mountain got off to a strong start, but Trent Seven quickly got isolated and the focus of the offense from the champions was on his arm. Kyle O’Reilly deserves a ton of praise for his 2018. Whether it was teaming with Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, or Roderick Strong, he was stellar and had chemistry with all three. When Tyler Bate finally got his hot tag, we were treated to a display of what makes this man so special. He’s way better than anyone his age has any right to be. The spot where he had Kyle on his back and dead lift German suplexed Strong at the same time was out of this world. STRONG BOI THINGS. The teams met in a six man tag (also involving Cole and Pete Dunne) a day prior, so teasing the finish from that show was a great idea. Just when it looked like Undisputed would retain, they had a miscue. It opened the door for a Mustache Mountain barrage that led to them winning the titles in 11:36. The pop for the title change was one of the loudest anywhere all year. A true feel good moment. And these teams were just getting started.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 17, 2021 6:57:15 GMT -5
415. AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels – TNA Destination X 2011
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| TNA doesn’t get love for a lot of what they do but they did pretty damn well with this one. Everything before the bell felt like a big deal. The video package, the entrances, and the atmosphere was spot-on. AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels had one of TNA’s most iconic rivalries and this was one of their later matches, so it needed to feel big. To add to it, they got 28:37 to really put together a contest that fit them. This wasn’t one of their most athletic or impressive matches but it showed something special. Their maturity and growth over the years shined through. This was a brilliantly worked match between two of the best to ever do it. They told a wonderful story based around their history. Surprisingly, the way AJ won was with one of his oldest moves, the Spiral Tap. Great stuff.
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414. NXT Women’s Championship: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Toni Storm – NXT United Kingdom Tournament 6/26/18
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| Toni Storm earned this shot on the first night of this set of shows. Shayna Baszler had proved to be a dominant champion since winning the title, but well-traveled Toni wasn’t backing down at all. In fact, Shayna even seemed impressed at how confident Toni was. Toni more than held her own on the mat. That forced Shayna to go to her vicious striking game and that’s where Toni began to struggle. She hits hard, but Shayna is on a different level. She destroyed Toni’s leg, which was sold brilliantly. The only point where she used her leg for power was on a German suplex and even then it was more out of adrenaline than anything else. Climbing the turnbuckles and running the ropes. Those simple things were almost impossible for Toni. The fans were way behind her and her European Clutch near fall was incredible. It seemed like the end when she was trapped in the Kirifuda Clutch, only for Toni to reach the ropes to a pop. Shayna knew Toni was trouble and rolled outside to put the submission on out there. She let go and returned inside to retain via countout in 12:07. This was masterful. It told a great story, protected both women, the crowd was great, and both ladies played their roles perfectly. Toni’s selling was among the best you’ll see anywhere. It also left the door open for a rematch.
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413. WWE Championship: CM Punk [c] vs. John Cena [c] – WWE SummerSlam 2011
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| Talk about having a lot to live up to. John Cena vs. CM Punk at Money in the Bank 2011 is an all-time classic. Running it back a month later following a convoluted and rushed storyline was daunting. CM Punk left with the WWE Title, Rey Mysterio won a tournament to crown a new champion, and then he immediately lost it to Cena on the same night. Also on that evening, Punk returned to the company and now WWE had two top champions. To add to it all, Triple H would act as the guest referee for this match. This match had a slow build to it, with the guys feeling each other out and not wanting to make a mistake. It all made sense given the storyline. As it progressed, they moved into the bigger offense. Thankfully, there weren’t a ton of issues from having HHH as the referee. An argument here or there but not much else. That was until the end. Punk scored the win after a GTS but Cena got his foot on the ropes. HHH still counted three, giving Punk a tainted win in 24:17. We try to forget about everything that happened after.
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412. Hell in a Cell: Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Hell in a Cell 2014
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| This was one of the most heated and interesting feuds of 2014. When Dean Ambrose started this by climbing to the top of the cell, you knew you were in for a treat. The two brawled up top after Dean beat up J&J Security for a bit. It all led to the big spot where they hit each other and both fell from the side of the cage through the announce tables. Fans saw the stretchers come out and booed, thinking the match wouldn’t ever officially begin. Thankfully, Ambrose got up and dragged Rollins into the ring to start this 15:01 affair, though it’s longer if you count the pre-match action. The actual match saw Ambrose beat Rollins from pillar to post. When it looked like he would finally win and get his true revenge, a Bray Wyatt hologram appeared, as did the real guy. He attacked Ambrose, leading to a Rollins win.
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411. Falls Count Anywhere: Cage vs. The Mack – Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha 7/6/15
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| 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.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 17, 2021 15:54:16 GMT -5
410. Cesaro vs. Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rusev – WWE Raw 7/25/16
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| The first Raw of the post-draft era was one of the greatest episodes in history. To start with a bang, Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon set up two fatal four way matches with the winners meeting in the main event and the winner of that facing Seth Rollins at SummerSlam for the Universal Title. This was the first of those matches and featured the main roster debut of Finn Balor. It got off to a hot start but soon saw Rusev and Owens take control of the faces. It was great to hear Owens shout instructions at Rusev since they’re both very entertaining personalities. Once their partnership ended, Finn got to run wild and hit his trademark dive outside. From then on we got a lot of great combinations of matches. Balor and Cesaro killed it, I always love Cesaro going at it with Rusev, the rekindling of the Owens/Balor feud from NXT, and even some Balor/Rusev stuff, which is a rivalry I’d love to see in the future. As this 20:26 match came to a close, each guy had at least one great chance to win and the suspense built. Finn hit the Coup de Grace on Rusev to score a huge first win in a great match. He then bested it with an even bigger win by cleanly defeating Roman Reigns to end the show. He’d also beat Rollins at SummerSlam to become the first Universal Champion, only to be derailed by a very unfortunate injury.
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409. ROH Television Championship: Roderick Strong [c] vs. Tomohiro Ishii – ROH/NJPW Honor Rising 2016
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| I admittedly wasn't a big fan of the ROH/NJPW partnership and much prefer the old ROH/NOAH deal. However, the best thing about was probably Roderick Strong’s matches with the NJPW guys. One of the guys I badly wanted him to face was Tomohiro Ishii and I got my wish in the main event of this show. The previous October, Strong ended Jay Lethal’s 400+ day reign with the TV Title and put it on the line against one of the best in the world here. Strong entered as the cocky champion but quickly realized that Tomohiro Ishii was a problem. He managed to find some openings, like pulling Ishii off the apron and into a backbreaker, which he then one-upped later with a backbreaker off the apron. They got into the battle of chops that I was hoping for the second this match was announced and it delivered. Strong seemed to be on the verge of a win until Ishii began to lean into shots and fire up. They went into a great back and forth battle that saw Ishii win the title at 20:07. While it wasn’t an upset, the result was surprising since Ishii didn’t work ROH and Strong was in the middle of a feud with Bobby Fish, giving this match an added bonus of shock value.
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408. WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz [c] vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Backlash 2016
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| Talking Smack was a weekly highlight on the WWE Network and the biggest buzz from it came when the Miz cut a scathing promo on Daniel Bryan. That thrust the Miz and the Intercontinental Title into the spotlight and made this match feel like a big deal. We’d seen Miz and Ziggler wrestle a ton, even for this title a few years prior. This was different though. Dolph was rejuvenated after the draft (outside of a lackluster match with Dean Ambrose) and Miz had the best year of his career to that point in terms of performances. Miz did everything right here as they told a great story. He took time to mock Daniel Bryan’s taunts and even did some of his submissions. He expertly nailed all the little things, like asking “WHO’S THE COWARD?” while stomping on Dolph. Dolph brought his best too, playing up the desperation of not wanting to lose yet again. He came close on several occasions and they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. Maryse would play a major factor in the end, spraying Dolph in the eyes with a substance. Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale and retained in 18:17. Up to this point, this was the best singles match of Miz’s career and one of Dolph’s best. It wasn’t the best finish, but it made sense and continued the idea of him using every trick to keep his title.
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407. Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/27/16
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| It is the match that sparked a lot of conversation. It is the match that made Vader relevant again. It is one of the most controversial and divided match in recent memory. Ricochet and Will Ospreay are two of the most athletically gifted wrestlers in the entire world and you know what you’re going to get when they face off. Right off the bat, they flip and fly all over the place and come to a standoff that gets a huge ovation. A lot of people loathe this kind of thing. For some, it is the worst part about wrestling in this era and for others, it is the best. I’m not usually too big on it but I felt it made sense here. Yes, they were doing all sorts of flips but I took it as them trying to not just win a match, but prove who the more athletic guy was. Part of what Vader and the detractors of this match say is true. You don’t need the fancy acrobats to tell a great story. However, if you can add them in as part of the story, that’s fine with me. For 16:48, these two did breathtaking things. Some of them worked better than others but seeing them even attempt some of these things was crazy. Ospreay went on to win with the Oscutter but we don’t like to talk too much about him these days.
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406. WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Ronda Rousey [c] vs. Sasha Banks – WWE Royal Rumble 2019
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| Long before Sasha Banks returned with a vengeance in the summer, she made sure to put on a banger of a singles match at the Royal Rumble. Ronda Rousey was also able to celebrate a year with the company by having another great match. A lot of the early goings saw Ronda do some of Sasha’s signature stuff like the Three Amigos suplexes. It was her way of proving to Sasha that she could indeed wrestle. Sasha responded by hitting her as hard as she could, showing she could hang in Ronda’s world. When Ronda punched the ring post by accident, it gave Banks a target. Ronda sold better in this match than in any other throughout her short career. Sasha looked incredibly dangerous here. At one point she applied an armbar that looked more violent than any I’ve ever seen from Ronda. It was tremendous and reminded me of how good Sasha can be when she’s putting in her best effort. I dug the desperation she showed. If she got a near fall, she would transition right into a submission. While there were some sloppy moments, it came across more like two exhausted warriors struggling than flat out mistakes. That’s important and something I actually like about a match. It makes things feel less scripted and more realistic. When it was all said and done, Ronda couldn’t win by submission. She used Piper’s Pit to retain in 13:48. Sasha was nearly too much for her. It felt different from the rest of her title defenses and was Ronda’s second best singles match ever.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 18, 2021 13:17:09 GMT -5
405. Lucha Underground Championship Graver Consequences: Matanza Cueto vs. Mil Muertes
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| Mil attacked before the bell and continued to show that Matanza wasn’t invincible. Catrina hit Matanza with a chair, which he no sold. He grabbed her so Mil speared him from behind into a ton of chairs. Big spots came at a furious pace, including Mil hitting a Flatliner off the apron and onto two caskets.In a cool call back to the original Grave Consequences match, it is Mil that gets his mask ripped up this time. I loved the touch of Catrina holding up the stone, while Dario did the same with his key. Muertes used a damn lead glove on offense. In what might have been the coolest moment, Matanza nearly had it won but Mil’s hand burst through the coffin! Catrina finally got to strike Dario only for Matanza to hit her in the back with a chair! He took the stone from Catrina and threw it into a coffin. He carried Catrina and placed in the coffin with it. Mil took him out with a dive and nearly locked him in a coffin inside of the ring. Matanza fought him off though. He then powerombed Mil onto it and hit the Wrath of the Gods slam into it, ending the match in 14:46. That was pretty much the war I wanted it to be. It didn’t quite reach the level of the original Grave Consequences match, but worked as a good sequel to me.
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404. WWE Universal Championship: Goldberg [c] vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE WrestleMania 33
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| Talk about a match that I wanted no part of. I came into this show still salty that Kevin Owens dropped the Universal Title to Goldberg just to set up another match with Brock Lesnar. Considering their WrestleMania XX outing sucked and their Survivor Series 2016 bout ended in about a minute, I wasn’t excited. However, as soon as the bell rang, I was so happy to be wrong. This was awesome. Lesnar immediately took down Goldberg who responded by firing off Spears, including one through the barricade. Even after that and a Jackhammer, Lesnar survived. Then Brock started throwing suplexes. The real kicker came when he cleanly jumped over Goldberg’s Spear attempt like a man half his size. He took home the win with the F5 in 4:45. It may be controversial but I love that match. It was the perfect case of playing to the strengths of two guys and riding that to deliver exactly what they needed to.
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403. WWE Championship TLC Match: CM Punk [c] vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. The Miz – WWE TLC 2011
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| It’s the first pay-per-view title defense of CM Punk’s 434-day reign as WWE Champion. It was also Punk’s last PPV main event slot until the following September! With Punk being such a popular babyface, he needed great heels to combat him. Alberto Del Rio was a solid choice as he was pretty disliked for cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase a few months prior. Of course, The Miz is the best heel in the business when he wants to be. That set the stage for Miz and Del Rio to team up on Punk but they didn’t overdo it. You got the sense that they didn’t trust each other either. Punk still had a lot to overcome including Ricardo Rodriguez interfering and being handcuffed to things on two separate occasions. That made for some creative spots before Punk eventually retained his coveted title at the 18:24 mark. One of the more underrated TLC matches in history.
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402. WWE Championship TLC Match: AJ Styles [c] vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE TLC 2016
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| The James Ellsworth saga went on for too long in the eyes of many. He was a major part of the Dean Ambrose/AJ Styles rivalry and played into this match. After an incredible encounter at Backlash and a fantastic triple threat match at No Mercy, AJ’s string of great title defenses continued in his first TLC match. For most of the 31:01 runtime, this was bordering on being their best match. It started with Dean going right after AJ, which made sense given the angle. They used all the weapons creatively and though it went half an hour, it didn’t feel long. Dean’s massive elbow off a ladder through a table was insane but was topped by Styles’ springboard 450 splash to the outside and through at able. AJ had it won when Ellsworth showed up. That distraction allowed Dean to hit Dirty Deeds on steel steps. AJ got up (too quickly) but Dean still fought him off. It wasn’t until Ellsworth turned heel and knocked the ladder over, sending Dean through tables outside, that AJ retained. I would’ve liked a better finish though it made sense within the story. Delusional Ellsworth on Talking Smack right after was great too. Anyway, this was another great match for Styles and Ambrose with some wild moments but they both did better this year.
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401. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens – WWE Money in the Bank 2015
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| The one thing missing from the incredible first match between John Cena and Kevin Owens was a hot crowd. In this, their second of three encounters, the Columbus crowd delivered where the Corpus Christi fans didn’t. Cena was in unfamiliar territory here, losing the first match of a feud completely cleanly. Owens seemed to have his number, even doing Cena’s own “five moves of doom” to him after countering the original attempt. Cena was his usual resilient self, refusing to stay down. However, Owens was doing the same thing. John Cena grew frustrated with the official before realizing he had to dig deep and try some new things to defeat Owens. He would counter the popup powerbomb with a hurricanrana and even bust out Yoshi Tonic, though it didn’t look too great. The fact that some of what they did wasn’t as crisp as it should have been and an overreliance on finisher kicks outs and near falls kept this from being better than their first match to me. Cena won with an Attitude Adjustment at 19:23 and showed respect after the bell. Owens wanted none of that and attacked, hitting an apron powerbomb and leaving with both the NXT and US Titles.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 19, 2021 10:21:46 GMT -5
400. Last Man Standing Match: AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels – TNA Destination X 2012
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| For the third time on this list (not including tag matches), it’s a clash between AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels. The two are synonymous with each other throughout TNA history and for good reason. It marked a notable change from what were used to from them. For instance, this wasn’t a traditional contest. Instead, it was more heated thanks to the Last Man Standing stipulation. The feud at this point was pretty hokey but that didn’t matter once the bell rang. Styles and Daniels were going to deliver each time out. This had their typical quality exchanges with the added bonus of some violence, though it never went over the top in that aspect. It also wasn’t overly long, clocking in at 17:42. The finish with the Styles Clash off the ramp and through a table was pretty fantastic as well.
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399. PWG Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. [c] vs. Kyle O'Reilly – PWG Thirteen
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| Very often, Zack Sabre Jr.’s selling comes into question. That’s quite understandable. On this night though, he put up a strong effort in that aspect. Unfortunately for him, it was completely overshadowed by Kyle O’Reilly’s selling. Sabre attacked the taped-up shoulder of O’Reilly and he sold it like his arm was going to fall off. He writhed around in agony. He left it limp while striking. He was unable to lift Sabre for certain moves because of it. It was masterful. Sabre got more and more heelish throughout the match. Near the end of this 22:00 match, the crowd rose with deafening dueling chants. They had so many great counters and reversals, including Kyle catching a European uppercut into a backslide. The strikes and kicks from both men were brutal. Sabre eventually caught O’Reilly in a submission and at first, I was worried because it didn’t target Kyle’s bad shoulder. Kudos to Sabre for making sure to reach back and involve that shoulder in the hold to make O’Reilly submit.
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398. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA [c] vs. Jushin Thunder Liger – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2016
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| A record eleven-time IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Jushin Thunder Liger looked to turn back the clock and reach the top of the mountain again at the age of 51. The pre-match video package showed an eight-year-old KUSHIDA doing a Liger Bomb to his pillow, which was an awesome touch. KUSHIDA was ace of the division but still had to prove himself one more time against the GOAT. The tag matches leading up to this were great too and saw an aggressive Liger work the knee, while KUSHIDA went after the arm. They wisely continued that here. Liger drove KUSHIDA’s knee into the ring post and then hit a goddamn Brainbuster on the concrete. KUSHIDA limped in to break the count. Once inside, these two continued to go to war in front of a red hot crowd that was more into this than any other juniors match I remember in 2016. Liger nailed a second Brainbuster near the of this 14:37 encounter, which the fans completely bought into. KUSHIDA managed to slap on the Hoverboard Lock and couldn’t force Liger to tap until he locked the knuckles for added leverage. A fantastic effort from both guys as KUSHIDA once again proved why there was nobody in his league in the juniors division, while Liger showed that he was the best wrestler on the planet over 50. Following the match, they bowed to each other in a show of respect.
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397. Number One Contender’s Match: AJ Styles vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens – Raw 4/4/16
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| The Raw after WrestleMania has become a traditional huge event. In 2016, the crowd was one day removed from Roman Reigns winning the "big one" for the third time in just over four months. Reigns showed up and issued an open challenge of sorts. Chris Jericho, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn all responded, prompting Shane McMahon to book a fatal four-way main event. Owens took out Zayn beforehand and, at the last minute, the returning Cesaro replaced him to a thunderous pop. Not only was this four of the best in the world competing, but it was four guys that the crowd would have loved to see dethrone Reigns. I honestly think that anyone could have won and the fans would have been happy. All four men were given ample opportunity to shine and each had their moments throughout. I appreciated that everyone had their finishers protected for the most part, as instead of guys kicking out of them, the pins were broken up. The best thing about this was the fact that you could buy anyone winning since the champion kind of played a tweener. Heel or face, everyone had a legitimate shot. After 16:47, Styles avenged his WrestleMania loss by hitting the Styles Clash on Jericho. It cemented the belief that the WWE had in AJ Styles and he rewarded them with top-notch performances all year long. A great main event in front of a hot crowd featuring awesome workers.
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396. PROGRESS World and Tag Team Championships: British Strong Style [c] vs. Ringkampf – PROGRESS Complicated Simplicity
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| With all the titles on the line and PROGRESS being the British Strong Style show in 2017, the outcome to this wasn’t really in doubt. And yet, they made it work wonderfully. BBS were tremendous douches, which perfectly played against Ringkampf being aggressive. WALTER was especially brutal because he’s awesome. He single-handedly tore apart the opposition with chop after chop. We got a great trio of submission from Ringkampf, but it wasn’t enough. The finishing stretch was wild and featured the absurd spot where Bate deadlift German suplexed WALTER. Sadly, the finish was kind of lackluster, as Dunne used the PROGRESS Title to whack WALTER and allow Seven to score the pin at 28:01. One hell of a match, specifically for the interactions between WALTER and Dunne/Bate.
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Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Apr 19, 2021 10:25:37 GMT -5
Great job on your first 100+ matches. This looks like a hearty task indeed!
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Post by ronnie2hotty on Apr 19, 2021 11:18:09 GMT -5
Awesome reading so far!
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Post by brettappedout (BLM) on Apr 19, 2021 12:44:37 GMT -5
It crazy to look back at these match ups and matches and see where these same people are now in their careers.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 20, 2021 8:32:24 GMT -5
395. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Naomichi Marufuji – NJPW G1 Climax 26 8/6/16
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| Naomichi Marufuji’s inclusion in the G1 Climax 26 was a welcome surprise. Matches like this were exactly why. You see, Marufuji was the ace of Pro Wrestling NOAH. Hiroshi Tanahashi is the ace of New Japan Pro Wrestling. It was a serious case of worlds colliding. These are two veterans who have been at the top for so long for a reason. They put on an exquisite 19:06 match during one of the better G1 Climax tournaments of the decade. They started by feeling each other out before getting a handle on things and moving into the action everyone wanted from them. Marufuji hit a goddamn piledriver on the apron, which I never expected to see in a G1 match. Maybe in a more heated bout but this was a wild twist. These guys were smart enough to pull out other cool surprises like Tanahashi thinking he sent Marufuji into the guardrail, only for him to put on the brakes and attack unbeknownst to Tanahashi. The NJPW Ace survived Emerald Flowsion and vicious kicks to win with two High Fly Flows.
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394. PROGRESS World Title: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Travis Banks – PROGRESS Chapter 55: Chase The Sun
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| I was more excited for this match than anything on the WrestleMania or Wrestle Kingdom cards in 2017. No lie. Perennial jerk champion Pete Dunne against Travis Banks, winner of Super Strong Style 16. This was one of those matches where they didn’t do the flashiest moves and had a fair amount of run-ins, yet it all worked. Dunne did every little thing possible to draw their ire. When Trent Seven and Tyler Bate were taken backstage by #CCK, the fans erupted, realizing Dunne and Banks were alone. Banks survived a ton, even drawing the commentary line of, “Travis Banks just took all of the moves.” It even garnered, “You can’t beat him,” chants towards Dunne. Banks finally hit the Kiwi Krusher for a wild near fall, before applying the Lion’s Clutch to win the title in 24:07. The feel good moment of Banks winning the title and ending the reign of terror of British Strong Style was a perfect way to cap the company’s biggest show ever.
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393. WWE World Championship: Triple H [c] vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE Roadblock
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| With the Royal Rumble in the rearview mirror and WrestleMania’s main event scheduled to be Triple H vs. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose looked to throw a wrench into that plan. These were the final two guys in the Rumble a few months earlier and had some history from the Shield/Evolution days. The crowd was split early on in this 24:43 outing. Triple H was out to show that though he hadn’t made a title defense since 2009, he was still “The Game.” I was surprised to see this start with basic wrestling considering the brawling nature of the rivalry. Ambrose gained control, but Triple H turned it around. About halfway through, they managed to turn the split crowd into a pro-Dean one. Once Dean was able to wear down HHH, he applied a figure four to try and make the weakened champion submit. When that failed, he pleased the Canadian crowd with a sharpshooter, which also didn’t work. They gave us the best tease of a title change all year when Dean hit Dirty Deeds and got a three count, only for the referee to see that his foot was under the bottom rope. They spilled outside, where Dean mocked HHH’s DX taunt. Dean made a mistake by missing an elbow and going through the announce table. Dean beat the countout but lost to the Pedigree once inside. The whole match, especially the last few minutes, was a master class of how to work the crowd.
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392. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/18/17
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| Jushin Thunder Liger declared that 2017 would be his final Best of the Super Juniors. The now 53-yeard old legend came in tied for the most tourney wins with 3. On this, the second night, he met the new ace of the division and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi. After a night one loss, Liger didn’t want to lose his final Korakuen BOTSJ match, so he came out firing and hit a brainbuster in the aisle in the opening minutes, leading to a countout tease. That set the tone for a wild sprint that was 8:05 of pure action. Liger threw everything in his arsenal at the champion. Unfortunately, it was never quite enough. The beauty of this lied in the pin at the end. After Hiromu hit Time Bomb, he got the three count, but you could see Liger kicking his feet and desperately trying to kick out. He wanted nothing more than to continue, he just didn’t have it in him to do so.
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391. WWE Championship Ladder Match: Seth Rollins [c] vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE Money in the Bank 2015
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| A title reign built around shenanigans, false finishes and interference led us to this match. 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 2000s Triple H. He attacked Dean’s leg and just came off as a brutal and cunning heel, unlike the cowardly one 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 men 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 The Kevstaaa on Apr 20, 2021 13:55:45 GMT -5
390. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hirooki Goto [c] vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2015
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| Nobody had more high profile matches against each other in 2015 than Hirooki Goto and Shinsuke Nakamura. Goto won the first two, at Wrestling Dontaku and Dominion, winning and retaining the IWGP Intercontinental Title. During the G1 Climax, Nakamura got one back, making Goto tap and setting up one more rematch. While none of their matches were bad, they did suffer from some issues. While they usually finished very strongly, the first two-thirds of the match could be considered dry. It was on this night that it clicked completely, resulting in their best effort for a complete match. Still, their strength has been the finishing stretch, with this possibly being the best they put together. They called back to previous matches and countered each other seamlessly. It took multiple Boma Ye knee strikes but Nakamura was able to regain his title at the 22:58 mark and even the score for the year with Goto. They saved their best for last.
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389. WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Luke Harper [c] vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE TLC 2014
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| Hey, it’s one of the few matches on this list that I saw live. It was the only good thing on this dire show. They kicked things off with a ladder match at the right time for both men. Dolph Ziggler was red hot after a huge win at Survivor Series and Luke Harper had recently won the title as a newly solo singles star. Almost immediately, you could tell how dangerous this would be. Harper nearly broke his arm on a tope suicida into a ladder. It set the tone for a wild match. They went back and forth for 16:42 in one of the better and more underrated ladder matches of the entire decade. It wasn’t filled with a ton of memorable spots but was a case of one really good big man beating on a guy who can bump his ass off and them telling a story that involved the ladder. Plus, the crowd was way into it. When Dolph pulled down the title, they popped crazy hard and I was one of them. I don’t care for Dolph at all at this point but things were different back then.
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388. WWE United States Championship: The Miz [c] vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Night of Champions 2010
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| I fully understand that some fans may not have loved this as much as I did. That’s okay. It’s a simple case of me being a massive fan of both Daniel Bryan and The Miz. Two of the best to ever do it in a feud that worked expertly for both. The Miz was an ideal choice for Bryan’s NXT Pro because his attitude about his charisma played perfectly off of Bryan’s pure wrestling style. Here, Bryan had returned at SummerSlam to help send back the challenge of Nexus. He didn’t even have proper theme music by this point. The match went on to be way better than expected. The Miz has become an all-time great in my eyes but back then, he wasn’t known for polished ring work. He and Bryan even busted out spots from Bryan’s old matches in ROH with Nigel McGuinness. Michael Cole was annoying on commentary and it’s the biggest negative about this match. Bryan fought from behind and trapped Miz in the LeBelle Lock. He was able to make him tap out after an excellent 12:29. It was the first truly great match in WWE for either man and the rest is history.
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387. WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair [c] vs. Asuka – WWE WrestleMania 34
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| I can admit when I’m wrong. When this match originally finished, I was sour on it. I had it at ***¾ and while I believed it was good, I didn’t see the greatness. That might be because I was just upset that Asuka had her streak ended by someone I don’t care for. I may not be a Charlotte fan but I know how great she is. Watching this back, it’s awesome. It had a big fight feel that is absent in many women’s matches. To be fair, some of my criticisms are still valid. The finish was a bit anti-climactic as they needed to do a bit more work on Asuka’s leg so that I could truly buy into the Figure Eight as a match ender. With that out of the way, there’s a lot to like here. They hit each other hard and busted out some great spots like the superplex off the apron to the outside. Asuka looked great up until tapping out. For example, catching a Charlotte moonsault into a submission was great. Alas, she tapped out and her aura was gone after 13:05.
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386. WWE Championship: Seth Rollins [c] vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Payback 2015
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| 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.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 21, 2021 12:21:43 GMT -5
385. Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Royal Rumble 2014
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| This was the match that seemed to trick everyone into thinking that Bray Wyatt was a good wrestler. It’s not that he’s bad but he’s certainly not someone who I would go out of my way to watch compete in the ring. Originally, I missed this match live as we were visiting family to watch it and accidentally locked our keys in our old car. It took us about an hour to figure out how to get them out. Anyway, this match came after the storyline where Bryan joined the Wyatt Family to infiltrate them from within. It was good stuff. The crowd was hot for this as Bray was still fresh and Bryan was absurdly over. The match saw Bray want to do things without the help of Harper and Rowan. Bryan was aggressive but Bray felt like a totally different animal at times. The Sister Abigail into the guardrail remains one of the best spots I’ve ever seen from Bray. That marked the beginning of the end for Bryan, who fell in 21:29. It was the first big win for Bray.
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384. Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus – WWE SummerSlam 2019
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| When Trish Stratus retired at Unforgiven 2006, she went out with one of her best matches ever. It turns out that she was truly saving her best for another match in Toronto 13 years later. Charlotte Flair has proven herself to be the top big match female wrestler in the world. Hell, she has a strong case for best big match wrestler regardless of gender. She came into this overconfident. Charlotte didn’t take Trish seriously and fell victim to some surprising offense that overwhelmed her. She never expected Trish to be as good as she was. Being in her hometown meant the crowd could help Trish when she was in trouble. They were loud for almost everything. Seeing Trish bust out a super rana was awesome because it showed that she was doing things she never tried in her prime. She wasn’t just in this match for a paycheck. There was effort and thought put into all of this. She used the Figure Eight in a great moment and the Stratusfaction near fall was perfect. The outcome here was obvious but they made us believe in a close call. That’s hard to do. Once Charlotte trapped her in the Figure Eight, Trish had to tap, ending this after an excellent 16:38. A tremendous way for Trish to go out.
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383. WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Kevin Owens [c] vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust vs. Zack Ryder – WWE WrestleMania 32
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| For the second straight year, the Intercontinental Title got thrown into a clusterf*** ladder match at WrestleMania, even though the Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens rivalry was what everyone wanted to see. Sure enough, shortly after this began, the crowd erupted for their faceoff and hockey style fight. Sin Cara, Stardust and Zack Ryder did nothing of note leading into this show and were seemingly added to fill out the match. The true brilliance of this match is that everyone, no matter your position on the card coming in, was given ample time to shine, while still making sure a good focus was spent on the Sami/Owens rivalry. There were all sorts of great spots in this one, including a somersault dive by Sami through an open ladder onto everyone outside, instantly followed by his signature tornado DDT on the opposite side of the ring on Owens. There was a touching moment where Stardust pulled out a polka-dotted ladder in honor of his father. We also got a sick Owens frog splash onto a ladder ridden Sami as well as Zayn hitting a half nelson suplex on Owens onto a ladder. Miz spoiled a Sami win and everyone thought he’d steal it. Ryder appeared, pushed him off and took down the title at 15:23. It was a feel good moment (though it only lasted a night) before giving the fans a night of bad booking decision.
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382. 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 2018
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| There was worry coming into this. WWE seemed to just throw a bunch of guys into one match for the sake of it and that often doesn’t work. Luckily, all six men in this one were game to give us the best possible main event. As soon as the bell rang, John Cena began spamming Attitude Adjustments like he gave himself unlimited finishers in a video game. Cena was an interesting part of this match. After failing to win the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber, he was desperate to win and earn a spot at WrestleMania. It played into most of his spots. Owens and Zayn got a great story moment where Zayn laid down for Owens, only to roll him up. It led to one of their classic hockey style fights. There was definitely a sense of urgency. The pace never slowed for the entire 21:52 duration and everyone got ample opportunity to strut their stuff. We did get the trope of two guys wrestling while everyone else rested until someone came in to break up the pin and it happened a lot. Thanks to Shane McMahon’s feud with Owens and Zayn, he got involved late and ended up costing both of them the match at different points. The wild closing minutes saw AJ finish it off with the Phenomenal Forearm on Owens to retain. A great main event to the final single brand PPV.
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381. WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: Cesaro and Sheamus [c] vs. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins – WWE SummerSlam 2017
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| The saga of the mini-Shield reunion was an interesting one. The fans ate everything they did up in the build and they were totally invested in this match. A lot of SummerSlam featured a lackluster Brooklyn crowd, but this was different. When the Shield was around, it was usually Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns as a team, but Seth and Dean Ambrose were great here. Their chemistry as opponents carried over to their teamwork. Something about tag matches seems to bring out another level of energy in both men. Their opponents, Cesaro and Sheamus, were just as game and have been one of the best tag teams in the world in 2017. Cesaro hopping the guardrail and popping a beach ball that some fans were using was an excellent improvised moment that whipped the crowd into a next level frenzy. It was there that the match kicked into high gear. The rest of the 18:34 featured great spots, close calls, lots of energy and an awesome finish. Seth hit Cesaro with a super rana, sending him crashing into Sheamus and Dean. The Ripcord Knee followed and Dirty Deeds gave us new champions. I loved this and the moment of Seth and Dean doing the Shield fist bump with the titles was tremendous.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 21, 2021 18:11:48 GMT -5
380. WWE United States Championship: Sheamus [c] vs. Cesaro – WWE Night of Champions 2014
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| THEY DON’T SET THE BAR, THEY ARE THE BAR! Their 2016 match at Clash of Champions gets more love than this. It ended their Best of Seven Series and led to the tag team but this is a better match for my money. There was no long backstory or anything really behind this. It was a simple case of two tough dudes beating each other up over a title. The entire thing only goes 13:06 and considering how hard they were hitting each other, it felt like it belonged in the G1 Climax. What was it that Big E said? He watches wrestling to see “BIG MEATY MEN SLAPPING MEAT,” and that’s just what this was. There was a point where Cesaro literally just slapped Sheamus like 15 straight times. Sheamus demanded more violence and caught Cesaro off guard with a Brogue Kick to retain in one of the hidden gems from the decade.
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379. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega [c] vs. KUSHIDA – NJPW Dominion 2015
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| Kenny Omega’s run as a junior heavyweight is often forgotten about in NJPW. To be fair, it wasn’t great but he did have this banger. After winning the Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, KUSHIDA earned a shot at 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.
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378. WWE Tag Team Titles: The New Day [c] vs. AJ Styles & Chris Jericho – WWE Raw 3/7/16
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| Whenever the WWE goes to Chicago, you can usually expect something memorable. This particular episode of Raw wasn’t, but this match certainly was. The Chris Jericho/AJ Styles rivalry was a strange one. They feuded in matches that were good but not great before teaming up. That led to a short program with New Day and this Tag Team Title match. The poorly named Y2AJ came out of the gate on fire and took out their opponents with stereo splashes to the outside. New Day worked the heat on Jericho in their highly entertaining way. AJ’s hot tag was great. Kofi sold the springboard moonsault reverse DDT better than anyone else in the WWE and the crowd ate it up. There were some tremendous false finishes including one where AJ took the Big Ending and one where Big E saved Kofi from AJ’s springboard 450 splash. Jericho caught Trouble in Paradise into the Walls of Jericho for yet another close call. Even when Big E tagged in, they didn’t go the obvious route of just having him break up the Walls. Jericho caught him but Big E blocked the Walls. In an awesome finish, Big E then countered the Codebreaker into the Big Ending to retain at 11:48. After the match, Jericho attacked Styles to break up their short-lived team and set up a final encounter at WrestleMania. Easily the best main roster tag team match in 2016.
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377 NXT Women's Championship: Asuka [c] vs. Ember Moon – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III
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| Over three months prior, Ember Moon came closer to dethroning Asuka than anyone else. Watching this live, I gave it ***¼, and people weren’t pleased. Looking back, I don’t know why I couldn’t get into it, because I thought it was great on the second viewing. Asuka is special. I’ll come into a match thinking I’m okay with her losing and then I see her entrance and am like, “KILL ASUKA KILL!” Onto the match, Ember felt she had Asuka’s number and dropkicked her instantly, not letting the champ get out of the gate. Even when Asuka managed to take control, Ember fought valiantly and it felt like her life depended on winning this match. Asuka wisely targeted Ember’s shoulder, which she injured in between the two matches. In their first meeting, Asuka shoved the referee to the ropes to avoid the Eclipse. This time, Ember hit it and the crowd bought it as the end of Asuka’s run. The reaction to Asuka kicking out was insane. At a loss, Ember went for it again and Asuka used a slight referee distraction to get an opening. She survived a superkick, frustrating Ember more, and then retained via Asuka Lock at 14:46. Way better than I remembered.
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376. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2014
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| The history between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Katsuyori Shibata is one of the most interesting in NJPW history. I’ll get more into it when their other match on this list appears. This is a rematch from their G1 24 outing and was given the full five by mister Dave Meltzer. I prefer the G1 match and wouldn't rate this one at nearly a five but it's still really good. It was a lot of what worked in that previous match, though. From Tanahashi and Shibata being disrespectful to each other to Tanahashi trying to step up to him to Shibata wrecking him with various strikes. That included a ridiculous backfist that basically destroyed Tanahahi's life. Still, the "Ace" rallied and came back to win this in a terrific 17:57.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 22, 2021 10:30:50 GMT -5
375. Women’s Royal Rumble – WWE Royal Rumble 2019
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| The inaugural women’s Royal Rumble in 2018 proved to be one of the most fun matches of the year. It was filled with fun surprise entrants and blasts from the past. The 2019 iteration chose to focus on the present and future of the women’s division. It got off to a rocky start with several awkward exchanges between Natalya and Lacey Evans. But once other entrants started coming out, things picked up. The Naomi/Mandy Rose rivalry played a factor. The IIconics worked as a team. NXT guests like Candice LeRae, Xia Li, Kairi Sane, Io Shirai, and Rhea Ripley all added some flair to the match. Kacy Catanzaro had one of the best moments in Royal Rumble history with the incredible way that she staved off elimination. It was better than anything previously done by Kofi Kingston. There was a really bad sequence involving Maria Kanellis and Alicia Fox that was easily the low point. The Hornswoggle appearance was random and cleverly done. Beyond all of the fun was the main story of Becky Lynch taking the spot of the injured Lana at the tail end of the match. It fittingly came down to her and Charlotte Flair, with Becky winning out after a grand total of 71:24. And it was so much fun.
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374. WWE Tag Team Championship: The Shield [c] vs. The Usos – WWE Money in the Bank 2013
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| We kind of take it for granted these days but there was a time when The Usos weren’t anything special. It’s not that they weren’t good. It’s just that they hadn’t connected with the fans yet and spent about three years toiling away on Superstars and shows like that. Things began changing in 2013 and it was on this night that they truly seemed to breakout and have that star-making performance everyone needs to reach that next level. People don’t talk about it enough because it was on a Kickoff Show but it’s proof that matches on these shows shouldn’t be skipped. It was spectacular all around. The Shield kept cutting off the hot tag in ways that felt fresh. They worked through two commercial breaks and after the second, this got taken up to the next level with some special stuff. The closing stretch is outstanding and The Usos looked close to pulling off the upset before a Roman Reigns Spear ended them in 14:18. In my opinion, the greatest tag team in WWE history was made on this night, even in defeat.
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373. Asuka vs. Sasha Banks – WWE Raw 1/29/18
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| Sasha Banks was on fire in 2015. She had a strong 2016, but then really fell off the map in 2017. She returned to form in early 2018 thanks to this post-Royal Rumble banger. At the Royal Rumble, Sasha entered first and lasted 54 minutes, but it was Asuka who won it all. A confrontation to start this episode of Raw set them on the path to this match later in the evening. This bout kind of came out of nowhere and they gave us one of the best women’s matches of that year. Despite being their first time against each other, their transitions and exchanges were smooth. Sasha found creative ways to pull Asuka into the Bank Statement. Asuka delivered brutal strikes. Both women took nasty spills to the outside that turned the tides at different points. While the outcome was never really in doubt, they gave us a lot to enjoy during this 14:32 encounter. It also had one of my favorite finishes of the year. Asuka, trapped in the Bank Statement, reached for the ropes. Sasha kicked the rope and rolled away, as she’s done in the past. Asuka did her homework and was ready, countering that into the Asuka Lock to remain undefeated for the time being.
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372. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW The New Beginning 2012
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| It is the first chapter in one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling history. Kazuchika Okada had just returned from a TNA stint and had a middle of the card match at Wrestle Kingdom, but challenged the champion, who entered in the midst of a 404-day reign. Nobody took Okada seriously. Tanahashi took the youngster to school in the early stages. Okada showed his heel tendencies by choking Tanahashi on the guardrail outside. Though Okada took control for a while, Tanahashi still had moments where he was one step ahead. Tanahashi had to sell the leg as he prevented a Rainmaker but Okada got his knees up on High Fly Flow. Okada went into his offense but Tanahashi continues to have the Rainmaker well scouted. In the end, he ducked one but Okada ducked his shot and finally nailed it to become champion. This seemed like a match booked so the young guy could hang with the top star and show his worth. You can’t underestimate Gedo’s love for Okada though as he put him over in shocking fashion. This was a great first chapter in their rivalry. At times, Okada looked overmatched and at others, he was rightfully cocky. It isn’t a patch on their best work was much better than their worst (Wrestle Kingdom 10).
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371. WWE Intercontinental Championship: Dolph Ziggler [c] vs. Cesaro vs. Tyson Kidd – WWE Smackdown 11/14/14
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| The absolute definition of a hidden gem. Also, a rare situation where WWE gave fans an elimination rules Triple Threat match. Dolph Ziggler was on the verge of a huge showing at Survivor Series 2014. Cesaro had been on the cusp all year long. Tyson Kidd was fresh off of a stellar run with NXT. The three combined to put on of the better Intercontinental Title matches in recent memory. They came up with so many fun spots. For example, Cesaro was trapped in the Sharpshooter and used his power to drag Kidd over so he could cover a battered Ziggler. Surprisingly, Cesaro was first eliminated as Kidd stole the pin from Ziggler. That set up a rare Kidd/Ziggler duel that was pretty great. Ziggler scored the win in an incredible 17:38. A lot of fans didn’t see this because it was on a Smackdown in London but it absolutely needs to be seen because it’s fantastic. It might be why Cesaro and Kidd were put together as a team the following month.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 22, 2021 16:15:22 GMT -5
370. Hell in a Cell: Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Hell in a Cell 2015
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| 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.
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369. Lights Out Mask vs. Career Match: El Generico vs. Kevin Steen – ROH Final Battle 2012
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| It was the biggest feud in Ring of Honor as soon as it began. It started at Final Battle 2009. I was actually in attendance for that show. After losing to The Young Bucks, Kevin Steen kicked El Generico in the nuts, said he hated him, and the team split. It sparked a bitter rivalry that came to a head a year later with the highest of stakes. El Generico’s mask against Kevin Steen’s ROH career. Within five minutes of this brutal war, Steen was busted open and his face was entirely crimson. Of course, he’s a great bully and Generico can take a beating like no other. So, their roles quickly reversed and Steen beat the hell out of his former partner. There was interference from Steve Corino and Colt Cabana but it didn’t detract much from the battle these two were waging. They built up the corner Brainbuster as something Generico could never hit on Steen. He finally did and still only got a near fall, adding to the drama. A vicious chair shot finally put Steen down after 31:12. It was an epic fitting of the rivalry.
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368. No Disqualifications Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton – WWE Raw 6/24/13
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| As 2013 entered its summer months, no wrestler was hotter than Daniel Bryan. He had been killing it as part of Team Hell No and in matches against The Shield. With the seed planted that Bryan was the weak link between himself, Kane, and their partner against The Shield, Randy Orton, he was out to prove that wasn’t the case. It led to a heated feud with Orton that culminated (until SummerSlam) in this match. There was an intensity to this that you’d expect from a match with months of build. You brought the idea that Bryan was desperate to do anything to win and that Orton could still be the sadistic man he was known for. Orton breaking up the No Lock with vicious kendo stick shots was perfect, especially when you consider how this ended. Orton went to do it again when he got put in the submission a second time, only for Bryan to weather a few shots and then use it for leverage on the hold. It forced Orton to tap out after 15:40, really solidifying that Bryan was on the verge of greatness.
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367. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles [c] vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW Invasion Attack 2015
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| Ever since AJ Styles' run in the G1 Climax 24, he delivered in pretty much every outing in NJPW. Here, against a great performer like Kota Ibushi, Styles knew he had to avoid the high flying attack and looked for his calf killer submission. The threat of the Styles Clash, which is considered such a dangerous finish in New Japan, was always looming, but Ibushi avoided it. The Clash was up there with Okada’s Rainmaker and Fale’s Bad Luck Fall among the most protected finishes in NJPW. There were multiple moments during the 27:01 runtime where you could see just how well each guy had the other scouted. Ibushi countered the calf cutter into an inside cradle at one point. He also tried a top rope rana, only for Styles to block it and try the second rope Styles Clash that won him his Wrestle Kingdom debut earlier in the year. Ibushi blocked it and set up for his gorgeous Phoenix Splash finisher. Now, the Bullet Club interference was mostly kept to a minimum, which is always for the best, but Kenny Omega got on the apron to distract Ibushi in the end. That gave Styles the time to get up and catch the Phoenix Splash, in midair, into a Styles Clash. That was easily the best finish to any match that year.
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366. Team Hell No and The Undertaker vs. The Shield –WWE Raw 4/22/13
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| How incredible was The Shield? They were a constant source of great matches. On this night, they famously arrived to the arena in a helicopter in one of the coolest things they ever did. Facing the undefeated trio was their rivals Team Hell No and the legendary Phenom. At this point, seeing The Undertaker wrestle on Raw was a rare treat, only adding to how special this was. The Shield showcased why they were so good, playing up the gang mentality that made them successful. Meanwhile, The Undertaker proved to possibly be the spark that someone needed to finally stop them. The Undertaker being the one person to kick out of Roman Reigns’ Spear (to that point) made sense. He’s special. Despite facing their toughest test yet, The Shield was able to come out on top by beating Bryan at the 19:07 mark. A hell of a match that felt special.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 23, 2021 11:36:12 GMT -5
365. Cody Rhodes vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Heath Slater vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Kane vs. Sheamus vs. Sin Cara vs. Wade Barrett – WWE Money in the Bank 2011
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| This is one of the weirdest Money in the Bank fields I can honestly ever recall. Sin Cara, Heath Slater, and Justin Gabriel is about as random a group as you’ll find. Kane had won previously, Sheamus was a rising star, Wade Barrett was a threat, and Cody Rhodes was on fire as his “Undashing” character. Daniel Bryan felt like an interesting inclusion as well. Everyone knew he was talented but he wasn’t being booked strongly. Most viewed him as a guy in there to make the match better. That made his eventual win all the more powerful. In what was one of the longest Money in the Bank matches ever, clocking in at 24:26, all eight men put on a show. Sin Cara was sent out on a stretcher because he was put through a ladder. That was just a taste of the level of violence in this. Everyone got a chance to shine, the winner was a welcome surprise, and my only true negative is that it did go a bit too long.
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364. WWE Championship: CM Punk [c] vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane – WWE No Way Out 2012
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| Goddamn, I absolutely loved this storyline. Everything involving Daniel Bryan, AJ Lee, CM Punk, and even Kane was so entertaining. That included this match, which stole the show on the middle of the card at No Way Out 2012. It was fantastically laid out. Bryan and Punk, despite being enemies, had to work together to combat their larger opponent. Kane got to look more like a monster than he ever did in his early 2012 rivalries with John Cena and Randy Orton. They also made sure not to involve AJ Lee too heavily. As much as I love her, the match didn’t need her right until the very end. She got knocked off the apron by Kane, who showed concern for her. That opened the door for Punk to hit him with the GTS and retain after 18:17. He was the man mostly focused on the WWE Title and not the drama surrounding it, so he won. An underrated WWE Title gem from the decade.
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363. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: reDRagon [c] vs. The Time Splitters – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2015
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| In my opinion, these were easily the two best teams in New Japan’s junior tag division at the time. They had 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. They played off their past while showing remarkable chemistry. 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.
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362. WWE Tag Titles: Cody Rhodes & Goldust [c] vs. The Shield vs. The Usos – WWE Hell in a Cell 2013
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| I will forever say it but the babyface run of Cody Rhodes in 2013 was incredible and underrated. He and Goldust were spectacular together in the back half of the year. After winning the titles following two bangers against The Shield, The Usos were added to the mix for Hell in a Cell 2013. This was basically everything I could want from a hot opening contest. It was just about 15 minutes, featured tons of action from start to finish, gave everyone a chance to shine, and was exciting. There’s a spot where Seth Rollins takes a popup Samoan Drop that just looks awesome. These guys all had marvelous chemistry, possibly because five of the six men involved were related to someone else in the match. The finish saw Cody hit Rollins with one of the best Cross Rhodes he ever nailed to retain in 14:39. Pretty much the definition of a hidden gem that deserves more love and admiration.
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361. AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE Survivor Series 2017
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| It’s hard to get excited about Brock Lesnar matches sometimes. He tends to give little to no effort. So, when AJ Styles won the WWE Title and got put in Jinder Mahal’s place for this match, I was concerned. I expected a short, underwhelming outing. Luckily, Brock decided to bring the effort. He dominated Styles for a big early chunk of this 15:19 match. It was reminiscent of the Brock squashes we’ve gotten in recent years. AJ bumped like a madman, making Brock’s already brutal offense look even better. When AJ started his comeback, it felt earned. It was realistic. He didn’t just power up and turn things around. He continued to sell while hitting his offense out of desperation. It led to the fans totally biting on a Phenomenal Forearm near fall. AJ went for a second, only to get caught in an F5 that finished him off. The starting run wasn’t exciting, but it did a masterful job in building sympathy for Styles. Other than a horribly botched DDT spot, everything clicked in this match. I loved it.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 23, 2021 22:22:06 GMT -5
360. Trios Championship: Angelico, Ivelisse, and Son of Havoc vs. The Crew – Lucha Underground 4/22/15
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| One of the very best things about Lucha Underground (and there were a lot) was the dynamic between Angelico, Ivelisse, and Son of Havoc. After weeks of tension and even some matches, they were forced into a Trios team by Dario Cueto. During the tournament to crown the first champions, they had issues but made it to the finals and won. Or so they thought. Dario announced they would have one more match, right after the finals, against the Crew and it would be “Anything Goes.” Now, this isn’t the greatest brawl ever, it isn’t the spottiest of spotfests and, at just 6:41, it is very short. However, it makes this list because of the story and emotion involved. Ivelisse and her bum leg was perfect prey for the Crew, who took out Havoc and Angelico. It wasn’t until Havoc hit a moonsault outside that things started to turn around. Still, with Ivelisse alone inside against two opponents and Angelico near the top of the Temple, hope looked lost. That was until Angelico leaped from the top of the Temple, in one of the coolest spots ever, to save Ivelisse. Ivelisse then got a weapon, took it to the Crew, and her boys hit stereo high flying moves to become the first ever Trios Champions.
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359. NXT Women's Championship: Charlotte [c] vs. Sasha Banks – NXT TakeOver: R-Evolution
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| Everyone knows about the historic rivalry between Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks. While their main roster battles and fights over the NXT Women’s Title in 2015 are the most notable ones, this is actually where it really got started. Charlotte was the champion and riding high as a top star in NXT. Meanwhile, this was Sasha’s first time appearance in a TakeOver match and she had to prove that she was one of the best females in the company. They came in with history as members of the BFFS but not much as opponents. Also, it marked the debut of her “Sky’s The Limit” theme. Sasha did a great job in playing up all the character tidbits like mocking the Flair legacy and talking trash. However, she also outwrestled Flair. Props to Charlotte as well because her impressive flexibility helped sell the hell out of Sasha’s offense. Sasha stepped up in a huge way. She gave Charlotte everything she could handle and it took a top rope Natural Selection for the champion to retain in 12:09. To that point, it was the best women’s match in NXT history.
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358. WWE World Championship: John Cena [c] vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE SummerSlam 2014
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| At the time, this was the biggest match that WWE could book. The franchise and reigning WWE World Champion John Cena against the Beast that ended The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, Brock Lesnar. Even with Cena’s track record, pretty much everyone knew the outcome here. Brock would win to capitalize on the momentum from beating The Undertaker. However, not a single person could have predicted the way this match would go. Brock came out of the gates and hit an F5 in the first minute. Though it only got a near fall, he smiled and realized that he was in control. He dominated at every turn. You kept waiting for Cena to make the Superman comeback but it never happened. The match lasted 17:15 and Cena took 16 German suplexes. That’s a ridiculous rate. Brock won the title and set the stage for who he’d be going forward. This was a rout and was one of the better, more interesting ideas the company ever went with.
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357. Kofi Kingston and Team Hell No vs. The Shield – WWE Raw 5/20/13
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| In case you haven’t noticed, the first year of The Shield was something truly special. This came a night after The Shield won their first titles, beating Kofi Kingston and Team Hell No for the United States and Tag Team Championships. This was also a notable match because it started the storyline of Daniel Bryan trying to prove that he wasn’t the weak link between himself and Kane. This was the kind of match that The Shield was so famous for. There was tons of action from bell to bell and they worked as a well-oiled machine. Dean was chaotic, Roman was the powerhouse, and Seth brought the speed. The opposition worked well and proved to be one of the biggest threats to their unblemished record to that point. Alas, a Roman Reigns spear continued their hot streak after an awesome 21:57. The Shield were guarantees for great matches in this era.
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356. WWE Intercontinental Championship vs. Career: The Miz [c] vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE No Mercy 2016
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| Dolph Ziggler came up short time after time following the brand split. It started against Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam and continued into the feud with the Miz. Miz had no reason to give Dolph another title shot but finally agreed when Dolph, out of desperation, put his career on the line. Their match at Backlash a month prior was a pleasant surprise. WWE chose to have Styles/Cena/Ambrose open this show and with that decision, they should have put this match on last. It would have done wonders for the title and honestly, it felt like a main event program. The rumor of Dolph wanting to wrap up his career added to the drama as it could have gone either way. This started slower than their Backlash match as Miz worked a methodical pace. He garnered heat by mocking Daniel Bryan at every opportunity. Miz tried to win with his feet on the ropes and by pulling the tights but it was not to be. He also got help from Maryse, her spray can, and the Spirit Squad. You felt the desperation in Dolph with each close call. He fought through it all and just as the Spirit Squad and Maryse were ejected, nailed a superkick to win the title at 19:41. The emotion was off the charts here and the fans ate all this up.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 24, 2021 10:16:01 GMT -5
355. Hybrid Fighting Rules: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly – ROH Best in the World 2012
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| Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly have had their careers intertwined for as long as anyone can remember. From arriving in ROH as Future Shock to their current status as members of the Undisputed Era, they’ve been connected. In between their stints as partners, they’ve feuded pretty extensively. That included them meeting at Final Battle 2015 and trading the ROH World Title at the tail end of 2016 and early 2017. However, an argument could be made that their best singles meeting was this one. At Best in the World 2012 in the Hammerstein Ballroom, the two had a unique match contested under Hybrid Fighting Rules. No pinfalls, just submissions or knockouts. That was up O’Reilly’s alley. However, Cole more than stepped up and proved that he was more than just a pretty face. He displayed the kind of toughness that made him a hit with fans. This was 12:38 of two guys trying to make a name for themselves and stealing the show. Despite a bloody mouth, Cole was able to win with the Figure Four.
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354. World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match: Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian – WWE Extreme Rules 2011
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| The retirement of Edge in 2011 came as a shock to the wrestling world. The all-time great (and my personal all-time favorite) was riding high as World Heavyweight Champion. He retained the title against Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania XXVII in what was his last match for nearly a decade. When he relinquished the title, it was held up in a ladder match between Del Rio and Edge’s real life best friend Christian. This is one of those matches that, while great, gets a bit of a boost because of what it means. The action was strong but the drama meant the world. Could Christian finally get over the hump and do so in honor of his friend? When he finally did after 21:04 of action, thanks to help from Edge, it made for one of the most feel-good moments of the entire decade. There are better ladder matches out there but not many more emotional.
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353. Lucha Underground Championship: Prince Puma [c] vs. Mil Muertes – Ultima Lucha
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| The Lucha Underground Championship was on the line in the final match of the first season. Since day one, Prince Puma was pretty much the poster boy for the company, while Mil Muertes spent the entire time being built up as the ultimate monster. It all came to a head when the two collided to close the book on season one. It’s a simple, tried and true formula, but it almost always works and especially does when the two guys play their roles as well as these two did. Early on, they went with the brawling and busted out some cool spots. Puma used Catrina, who by the way, has come very far since her days as Maxine, as a weapon at one point. There was a powerbomb onto steps, spear off the apron through a table and Muertes nailed Puma with a steel chair on a suicide dive. It reminded me of the classic Benoit/Jericho spot from their ladder match. When things got back in the ring, both Muertes and Puma kicked out of each other’s finishers and it meant something here because both moves had been very well protected throughout the season. They built up the drama so very well, with Puma fighting tooth and nail out of desperation to overcome the force that is Mil Muertes. Puma went for another 630 but Catrina powered up Muertes, who nailed a top rope Flatliner to end season one as the new Lucha Underground champion after 17:41. A very fitting finish to an excellent year of television from the promotion.
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352. Women’s Royal Rumble – WWE Royal Rumble 2018
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| The first ever Women’s Royal Rumble proved to be something truly special. They were given the main event slot on the show and delivered in a big way. There were questions coming into this. For starters, the division wasn’t exactly brimming with 30 talents, especially with champions Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair not participating. Thankfully, they filled things out by mostly including women from the past. That made a lot of this Rumble a bit of a nostalgia run but that was okay. It was a ton of fun to see Vickie Guerrero go on a rant, see Molly Holly again, watch Michelle McCool dominate at times, and have Trish Stratus interact with the likes of Sasha Banks. The Bella Twins returned and were the final two left with Asuka. Nikki eliminated Brie and was then dumped out by Asuka, resulting in another win for the undefeated star after 58:59. As I said, it was a huge nostalgia trip but one that absolutely worked.
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351. WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar [c] vs. Seth Rollins – WWE SummerSlam 2019
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| The build for this match was atrocious. After Seth Rollins beat Brock Lesnar in a few minutes at WrestleMania, Brock won back the title by cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase. Brock spent the following weeks abusing the former champion at every turn. Seth looked like a joke and fans were left wondering what the plan was. Needless to say, expectations were low coming into this title fight. Rocking the DDP tape on his ribs, Rollins came in with a target that Brock went after. Then Rollins showed fire with an early Curb Stomp that let us know how this would go. They were going to throw everything at one another. Rollins found his biggest opening after Lesnar hit the ring post and he then put him through a table with an insane frog splash. Lesnar survived a bit more but then Rollins hit enough Curb Stomps to keep him down after 13:19. This was one hell of a contest that played to both of their strengths. Despite the lackluster build, the crowd was completely into it. It had drama, memorable moments, and was a shining performance in an up and down year for Rollins.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Apr 25, 2021 7:35:37 GMT -5
350. Three And In Finale: Mark Haskins vs. Tyler Bate – PROGRESS These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends
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| With NJPW pulling Zack Sabre Jr. from the Wembley show, a new World Title contender had to be set up for that show. PROGRESS put on a “Three and In” series, where someone had to win three straight matches to get in. These were the only two left with a chance, so the winner would go on to face WALTER in Wembley. Bate came in with a bad leg and that was the story of the match. He’s been on a tear since 2017, but the injury held him back, giving Haskins an opening. Being the technical master he is, Haskins wisely went after the leg and Bate sold it beautifully. His one-legged kip-up was wonderful. It’s the little things and Tyler gets them. Usually, leg work in a match gets forgotten about but these guys went all in on it. Even with Bate as the clear favorite, the injury was handled in a way that made you believe he might not get it done. The big spots came later, including a Haskins Destroyer and Bate doing all he could to get an Airplane Spin going. The Sharpshooter counter from that move made for a great moment. Bate survived the hold and delivered the Tyler Driver ’97 to win in 19:14. Fantastic match. Top notch wrestling, from the psychology to the selling to the late drama. All of it worked.
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349. World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus [c] vs Big Show – WWE Hell in a Cell 2012
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| On paper, this had no business working the way that it did. Sheamus was having a strong run as World Champion outside of his lame matches with Alberto Del Rio but nobody expected him to be this good against Big Show. That’s especially true since Show wasn’t doing much of interest during a 2012 that saw him have lame matches and turn heel. The main concept was that the Brogue Kick and WMD were both finishers that were dominant. Hitting either would mark the end. Show destroyed Sheamus at points here and it was a much different position for the champion at this point. Sheamus started turning things around and even hit White Noise. That and the chokeslam failed, furthering that it needed to be the Brogue Kick or WMD. Since those were built up, when Show caught the Brogue Kick and hit the WMD, fans were stunned that Sheamus got a shoulder up. The same goes for Show kicking out of the Brogue. Then, the finish was fantastic as Show slightly dodged the kick and knocked out Sheamus with the WMD to win the title cleanly in 21:18. This blew away expectations and was awesome.
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348. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Invasion Attack 2016
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| Kazuchika Okada was fresh off beating Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom to become the “ace” of NJPW. Tetsuya Naito was the hottest act in Japan and won the New Japan Cup tournament to earn this title shot. At 28 years old, Okada entered as a three-time IWGP Champion and had the world handed to him after a shit run with TNA. Naito, 33, had never held the title, ran into several setbacks, and reinvented his character completely to get to the top. Though the heel, Naito was the heavy favorite. Tons of Los Ingobernables de Japon merchandise dominated the crowd. Following a fair start, Naito’s running buddy BUSHI tripped Okada and Naito took to beating up Okada’s second Gedo. EVIL attacked Okada with a chair and Naito got in the driver’s seat. Okada would take out all three members with a cross body into the first few rows. In trouble, Naito was ready with a low blow to set up a Koji Clutch that nearly ended the match. Okada wouldn’t stay down and rallied. He called for the Rainmaker but Naito threw the referee in the way, opening the door for Los Ingobernables de Japon to jump in and attack Okada. Okada took care of them until a masked man showed up and laid him out. He revealed himself to be the returning SANADA, joining LIDJ. Okada still had fight but Naito countered the Rainmaker into Destino to win the title at 28:22. Naito disrespectfully threw the title in the air as the crowd went nuts. There were better worked matches in 2016, but not many that I was more invested in. The moment of Naito winning also helped put it above their rematch two months later. For the next 70 days, NJPW felt fresh. For one night, Gedo made the absolute right booking move.
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347. WWE Women's Championship: Charlotte [c] vs. Sasha Banks – WWE Raw 7/25/16
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| There have been a lot of Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte matches. They’re almost always good, some great, but they never really got to the level of Sasha/Becky or Sasha/Bayley. Anyway, the first Raw of the new brand split era was one of the best in the history of the program. The best match of that night saw Charlotte defend the Women’s Championship against Sasha. Including her reign as Divas Champion, Charlotte was at the helm of the division since the previous September. During that time though, Sasha never got a one on one title shot until this night. Unlike all of the other times that the WWE bashes how important their matches are over our heads (especially during this feud), this naturally felt like a big deal and was treated as such. For 16:51, they had possibly their best match ever. As with most Charlotte title defenses, she had help at ringside, and Dana got involved quickly. To get rid of Dana, Sasha pulled a page of her idol Eddie Guerrero’s book and made it look like Dana went after her with the title. That just added a little something extra to this. The rest of the match saw them do the spots they’re known for and the fans thought it was over when Charlotte hit her finisher, but Sasha survived by grabbing the ropes. Charlotte survived one Bank Statement but tapped to a second after straight up telling Sasha that she would never beat her. The crowd reacted perfectly and the moment of Sasha realizing her dream was one of the best of the entire year. Sasha’s 2016 wasn’t nearly as good as her 2015, but this was an amazing sight. The feud would be run into the ground for the rest of the year and never reached this level again.
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346. WWE 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 2018
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| I came into this match highly skeptical. Bayley and Sasha Banks hadn’t been on their game for a while, Mickie James hadn’t had a great match in a long time, Alexa Bliss wasn’t putting on classics, and the Absolution girls were inexperienced. But dammit if these six women didn’t do everything in their power to have a great match. What I appreciated here was how WWE took a risk. Instead of going the obvious route like having Banks start and go the distance, they gave Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville a shot. Sonya and Bayley opened with a fine battle before Mandy joined in to team up on Bayley. I remember not liking this segment the first time around, but on the second watch, I felt the new girls did well. They got to work as a team and Mickie performed a dive off one of the pods, showing that they all belonged in this. I liked how it came down to Alexa being against Bayley and Banks. The ways she avoided them were creative and fun. Of course, that all went away when Sasha did her best Lion King and kicked Bayley off a pod. Great moment. In the end, Alexa used their issues against them to eliminate both and retain at 29:38. This was better the second time around. The action moved smoothly, they told several stories, and it was a fun half hour. The women bested the men in the chamber and again later that year at MITB.
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