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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 8, 2021 7:04:41 GMT -5
245. British Strong Style vs. The Undisputed Era - WWE United Kingdom Tournament 6/25/18
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| To be honest, WWE could’ve just put these two stables in a match with no build and it would’ve been great. Instead, they chose to give it some actual hype. That was especially true for Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong, since Strong turned on Dunne earlier in the month. That rivalry played a role early, with Strong doing everything in his power to avoid Dunne. It was to no avail as Dunne kicked his ass several times. Trent Seven took the heat segment, but even that featured a lot of action. The best moment was probably Tyler Bate hitting an airplane spin and giant swing on two UE members at the same time. He’s an incredibly STRONG BOI. This only went 12:21, but had enough action to fill half an hour. It just never slowed down. Bate capped a tremendous match by pinning Kyle O’Reilly following a springboard clothesline/dragon suplex combo. This had a ton of nonstop action, furthered some existing storylines, and gave us some awesome exchanges between six of the best guys going today. Arguably the two best stables in wrestling coming together for one of the better six man tags you’ll find anywhere.
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244. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Naomichi Marufuji- NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2016
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| On the first night of this year’s G1 Climax, Pro Wrestling NOAH standout Naomichi Marufuji beat NJPW’s top champion, Kazuchika Okada. He didn’t just beat him though. Marufuji dominated him. That didn’t sit well with the champ, so Okada challenged Marufuji to this match. Ace of NOAH vs. Ace of NJPW. At the start of this 28:00 match, Okada tried to use his size advantage but Marufuji was too quick. They continued to tell the story of Marufuji having his number and always being one step ahead. I loved Marufuji just kicking and striking the shit out of Okada. Okada is often a smug son of a gun, so him getting his ass kicked is always great. Then, in one of the sickest spots all year, Marufuji delivered a piledriver ON THE APRON! Though Okada beat the countout, he looked dead. I even thought Marufuji pulled off the upset after hitting Shiranui. Okada busted out the Rainmaker but his attempt at a second was countered into a small package for another near fall. Okada went into a desperate flurry, even stealing Marufuji’s Emerald Flowsion, before winning with another Rainmaker. Just great pro wrestling here. Marufuji having guys from NOAH in his corner added to the importance of this match. When Okada is placed with a guy that’s better than him (Tanahashi, Ishii, Styles, Naito, Marufuji, etc.) he delivers top notch matches and this was no exception. It was the second best IWGP Heavyweight Title match of the year and a must-see performance from both.
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243. WWE United States Championship: John Cena [c] vs. Cesaro – WWE Raw 7/6/15
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| The pinnacle of the John Cena US Open Challenge took place in Chicago on a fateful night in July. One week earlier, Cesaro answered the challenge but Kevin Owens interfered and cost him the match. This time around, Cesaro chased off Owens before the match began, leaving him and Cena to have a classic over the next 23:13. There was almost no slow down as these two just put on a great match. The match was fast and furious, with tons of counters, near falls and fantastic exchanges. Cena showed off some of his newer offense, even though some of it looks bad, particularly the springboard stunner. Cesaro kept going back to the crossface submission, which I liked since he found something that was working to wear down Cena and kept going to it. He threw out a Sharpshooter in honor of Tyson Kidd too. As usual with the US Open Challenge, one Attitude Adjustment wasn’t enough, but a second off the middle rope was finally enough to keep the Swiss Superman down. This kind of performance, in front of this kind of crowd, to close a Raw against Cena, was the perfect situation of really getting a guy over in a loss. Cesaro looked like a major player. Sadly, the booking team completely mishandled him after this. This will be remembered as a classic, but the lack of follow-up impacted the significance of it.
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242. NEVER Openweight Championship: Yuji Nagata [c] vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Dominion 2016
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| Shortly after Katsuyori Shibata won the NEVER Openweight Title, he embarked on a war with the old guard of New Japan. In the previous three years, Shibata lost to legends Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata and Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the G1 Climax. In 2016, Shibata put Kojima down on a Road to Invasion Attack show before beating Tenzan at Invasion Attack. He disrespectfully kicked Nagata, setting up a title match at Wrestling Dontaku. Nagata shocked the world when he beat Shibata and took the title. This was Shibata’s rematch and the buildup saw the two just go to war. Yuji brought the rest of the New Japan Dads with him to the ring. Shibata went after the arm early and often, but once this got past the early mat stages, this kicked into next gear. The rest of the 14:56 runtime saw these two beat the hell out of each other. Nagata sold his arm like it was going to fall off and Shibata kept attacking it. Nagata survived the sleeper, while Shibata did the same for the armbar. The battle waged on until Shibata’s next sleeper. Nagata fought and fought but couldn’t break it. Shibata reclaimed the gold after a PK. Not only was the match fantastic, but afterwards, Shibata shook hands with the old guard in a sign that he earned their respect. Even the commentator was in tears. Great storytelling and emotion.
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241. WWE Raw Tag Team Championship: Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre [c] vs. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins – WWE Hell in a Cell 2018
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| Last fall, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins put on bangers for the Raw Tag Team Titles against The Bar. With Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre as their new opponents, the hits just kept on coming. Dolph and Seth had a string of solid but unspectacular matches over the summer for the Intercontinental Title. Injecting Drew and Dean into their battles is just what they needed. Both teams played their roles perfectly and gave us an exciting match from bell to bell. The fans were completely engaged for the entire 22:57. The champions did all the classic tag tactics so well. They cut the ring off at every turn, isolating Seth. Dean’s hot tag was filled with fire and it was great to see him back in a high profile match after almost a year. The final third of this match is downright ridiculous. So many great exchanges and close calls by both sides. There were several moments where I legitimately believed the finish had come. When it arrived, it was awesome. Seth was in the middle of his superplex/falcon arrow combo, when Drew snuck in and hit him with the Claymore. Dolph draped his arm over Seth to retain the titles. This ruled.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 9, 2021 6:50:12 GMT -5
240. AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon – WWE WrestleMania 33
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| The debate over who the best wrestler in the world was in early 2017 started and ended with AJ Styles. This match might be Exhibit A. It’s one thing to have great matches when working with your most talented peers. It’s one thing to have a great gimmick match with Shane McMahon. Yet here, on the biggest stage possible, AJ and Shane had a straight up wrestling match. And for 20:28, it was awesome. They didn’t rely on smoke and mirrors or tons of shenanigans. AJ was overconfident because the ring is his domain. Shane showed off some grappling skills of his own, but never to where it made AJ look bad, just like AJ took him too lightly and it cost him. That’s an important distinction. I must admit, I popped when Shane did some submission transitions and even caught a springboard 450 splash into a triangle choke. We did get a ref bump, so it wasn’t completely devoid of stunts. However, it only set up a coast to coast spot, so it wasn’t overdone. Shane eventually missed an impressive Shooting Star Press, which set up the Phenomenal Forearm to give AJ his first Mania victory. AJ had a fantastic match with a non-wrestler and didn’t rely on the expected tropes.
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239. Cero Miedo: Pentagon Jr. vs. Vampiro – Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha
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| Lucha Underground was easily one of the best things about 2015 in general. Pentagon Jr. was then one of the best things about Lucha Underground. When it came time to build his match for the big Ultima Lucha event, I was disappointed to see it set up to be against Vampiro. While I initially thought Vampiro was cool as a kid, looking back, he never seemed very good in the ring. Add in his age and his weight, and I felt like this was a waste of Pentagon. Boy did the two of them prove me wrong. In no way did I ever expect to see Vampiro on any top list of the year 2015. He was better than I ever expected in what is the most violent match on this list. Light tubes, flaming tables and blood were all involved. Normally, that isn’t my style but it fit what they wanted to accomplish here. Pentagon won after 14:20 when he put Vampiro through a flaming table, but that wasn’t the end. Vampiro demanded Pentagon break his arm before revealing that he was the mysterious “master” whose orders Pentagon had been following all season. Chilling stuff. If we were just talking pure angle, this would rank way higher as it was one of my favorite storylines.
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238. NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata [c] vs. Kyle O'Reilly – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2016
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| After the Best of the Super Juniors, Kyle O’Reilly bulked up to become a heavyweight. At ROH’s Field of Honor event, O’Reilly defeated Katsuyori Shibata and got this shot about a month after Shibata beat his partner, Bobby Fish. There weren’t many matches in NJPW this year that excited me more than this one. Shibata and O’Reilly are two of my favorite wrestlers in the world. They started this by exchanging holds and trying to gain a grappling advantage on the other guy. All of it felt gritty and earned, like there was a true struggle going on. As the match progressed, they moved into strikes and bigger offense. Surprisingly, it was O’Reilly who connected on big strikes first. Shibata did his thing where he fired up and just wanted more kicks from Kyle. O’Reilly responded by no selling a boot shortly after and they just went to war for the rest of the 18:06. The final few minutes were classic NEVER Title match stuff. Brutal strikes, kickouts at one and dudes using FIGHTING SPIRIT to power up from suplexes. Kyle was on the verge of winning with the penalty kick but Shibata survived. From out of nowhere, Shibata leveled him with a sick slap. He used the sleeper and won when Kyle passed out. This was exactly what I wanted it to be. A war and the star making performance for Kyle in the heavyweight ranks. Kudos to Fish as Kyle’s corner man shouting “BITE THE HAND” whenever Shibata applied the sleeper.
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237. PROGRESS World Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Tyler Bate – PROGRESS Chapter 76: Hello Wembley!
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| It was PROGRESS’ biggest show ever. There were issues getting here and this was basically their backup main event, but it still felt like a big deal. WALTER got a special entrance where violinists played his theme live. It was cool. You’d consider Tyler the underdog based on size but he managed to match WALTER in power in a lot of spots early on. It looks cool because of the huge size difference, but Tyler is a STRONG BOI. It took a huge chop for WALTER to finally put him in his place. British Strong Style was at ringside to cheer on their buddy but they didn’t get involved. That made it a straight up main event with no frills. Bate found openings and noticed that whatever worked needed to be done more than once because WALTER is a tough man. It did cost him a few times as he went to the well too often. His airplane spin was a clear highlight. The closing set of counters, strikes, and near falls were incredible. It’s especially true for Bate’s wild German suplex, his second airplane spin spot, and the unbelievable Tyler Driver ’97 he busted out. I didn’t think that was even possible. I also lost it for the Bret Hart WM8/SS96 finish tease. Tyler fired up while in the choke, only to get hit with a Fire Thunder Driver that ended this after 30:08. A rocking match. Great exchanges and a fantastic story.
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236. WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar [c] vs. Finn Balor – WWE Royal Rumble 2019
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| It’s no secret that Brock Lesnar works better with smaller opponents. Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, CM Punk etc. Or maybe he just has no respect for Braun Strowman and chooses to squash him each time out. Anyway, given his track record, it should come as no surprise that Lesnar put on a stellar match with Finn Balor. I saw some people complain that Balor didn’t bring out the “Demon.” While I get that it would help him, he has mostly used it for bitter rivalries since leaving NXT and this wasn’t that. Balor came out with a dropkick to try and overwhelm Lesnar. Brock turned the tide but then Finn got an opening when one of Brock’s weaknesses got hit. He hit the announce table and saw his diverticulitis flare up. There’s that, kicks to the dick, banging his head into the ring post, and steel steps. His only weaknesses. Having that cause problems meant Brock couldn’t dominate the way he usually does. It allowed Balor to score some near falls and give fans hope that he might pull this shocker off. Balor also brought a little something extra for every bit of offense he got. Alas, he got caught in the Kimura and tapped out in 8:36. One of the best sprints of all time. They told a hell of a story in under ten minutes, gave us great action, and I bought into some of the drama.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 10, 2021 9:05:10 GMT -5
235. NXT North American and WWE United Kingdom Championships: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Ricochet [c] – WWE NXT 9/19/18
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| Two of the top wrestlers in NXT in 2018 were been Pete Dunne and Ricochet. Ricochet has been a highlight since his debut WrestleMania weekend, while Dunne makes the most of every sporadic appearance. Both men held titles and wanted more, leading to this clash. I love the idea that these champions just wanted more gold. It should be about titles. Simple, yet effective. The match proved to be one of the best for either man this year. Ricochet was happy to play Dunne’s game early, wanting to show that he was more than high spots. It worked to an extent until Dunne took things to the next level and picked him apart. Dunne’s time in control and Ricochet’s fiery comeback were both awesome, as they’re two wrestlers who give you little to no slow down in what they do. The closing stretch was out of this world. You felt the importance of this match in how hard these guys went, which is exactly what you want from something of this caliber. The late counters and exchanges were out of this world. I know a lot of people were upset at the finish, since the Undisputed Era ran in for a double DQ or no contest at 21:41, but I was okay with it. It served a purpose to build something coming up and isn’t something NXT relies on too often. Incredible pro wrestling.
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234. Money in the Bank: Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Money in the Bank 2014
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| Since its inception, the Money in the Bank ladder match has consistently been among the better bouts of any given year. 2014 boasted one of the best ever, even if it has flown under the radar. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins were the obvious favorites given the recent split of The Shield and they were indeed the central focus. However, everyone else also did their part to make this stand out. From huge spots to the some great drama, there was a lot to like. Kofi Kingston had a particular moment where he actually came close to winning despite being nowhere near a push at the time. The biggest highlight was a superplex spot off a ladder involving Rollins and Ambrose. In the end, Kane got involved to help Rollins retrieve the briefcase after an outstanding 23:13.
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233. Cruiserweight Classic First Round: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/3/16
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| Looking at the Cruiserweight Classic brackets, the most intriguing match of the first round was easily this one. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa had been having a really good year as a tag team in NXT and were on the road to a shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles. However, they were pitted against one another to close out the first round. They began with some wrestling exchanges until Ciampa hit a loud elbow and things got more physical. Gargano did his best but couldn’t match Ciampa in terms of hard strikes. To combat it, he went to quickness, reeling off move after move in succession. Ciampa came so very close to winning several times, including when he got a knee up on an incoming Gargano slingshot and on a brutal Project Ciampa. Despite being vicious at times, after removing his knee pad for a knee strike, Ciampa decided against it. He held back because Johnny is his friend. Ciampa couldn’t believe Johnny’s resilience. Gargano started demanding shots from Ciampa and caught one into a backslide. Ciampa countered into his armbar, only for Gargano to counter back into another pin to win it at 10:46. Just a tremendous blend of hard hitting action with great storytelling. Gargano is an awesome underdog babyface and played the role to perfection here. They embraced after the match, with their partnership strengthened, in the first of many emotional moments from the CWC.
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232. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. Ricochet – NJP Wrestling Toyonokuni 2017
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| Ricochet’s list of NJPW accolades includes the Jr. Tag Titles and BOTSJ trophy, but the Jr. Heavyweight Title has eluded him. He took down Hiromu Takahashi with a flurry of offense, capped by a springboard 450 splash to nearly win in the opening minute. It was a great showcase of how badly he wanted it and a turnaround from how Hiromu squashed KUSHIDA twenty days earlier. That set the tone for a match filled with big spots and worked at a breakneck pace. Ricochet had the champ well scouted, having counters and answers for everything. At one point, he turned a Hiromu dive into a Northern lights suplex, before transitioning right into a brainbuster on the outside. The wildness continued inside with Germans, DVDs, and more counters. Ricochet hit the Benadryller, but didn’t get all of it, so Hiromu managed to kick out. There was tremendous camerawork as it panned from a bewildered Ricochet to the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. Desperate, his high risk 630 splash didn’t pay off, as he crashed and burned. Hiromu hit a Destroyer, corner DVD and Time Bomb to retain in 16:29. This was frantic and had a sense of urgency that too many matches lack. It was batshit insane, which is what I want and expect from Hiromu. Ricochet was great too, with possibly his best performance all year, but it’s Hiromu’s world and we’re just living in it.
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231. Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Fastlane 2015
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| Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble to one of the worst fan receptions I’ve ever heard for a face. The fans just didn’t believe he was a guy that was ready to main event WrestleMania. Up to that point, his only singles match on PPV was against Randy Orton and I found it to be pretty mediocre. Reigns needed to have a big performance in a big match. That’s where Daniel Bryan came in. He never got his rematch for the WWE Title that he never lost, setting up a match with Reigns with the shot at WrestleMania on the line. Bryan was the perfect opponent for Reigns because he is great enough to lead the way. I’m not saying Bryan carried him, because that’s not the case, but he is the more experienced wrestler. The booking of the match was spot on. The fans would never buy Reigns dominating Bryan or vice versa, so they didn’t. They played power vs. technical ability but neither guy truly gained an upper hand throughout the entire 20:10. They didn’t overdo the false finishes and even brought Reigns’ hernia injury into play. Reigns would win and, more importantly, deliver in a big match, setting the stage for a year full of good to great matches on PPV.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 11, 2021 9:18:38 GMT -5
230. Matt Riddle vs. Travis Banks – PROGRESS Chapter 52: Vote Pies 7/23/17
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| Heading into the big Alley Pally show in September 2017, Pete Dunne and Travis Banks got to pick opponents for one another. Dunne selected Matt Riddle for Banks’ opposition on this show and we should all thank him. They delivered a nonstop, action-packed 12:18. It was the Riddle formula, done as well as I can recall. Competitive mat work, intensity laced strikes and big spots. If you want to know how brutal this was, Riddle’s cornrows got knocked loose from being hit so hard. Banks survived the Bro to Sleep. Riddle survived the Kiwi Krusher. What would be enough to keep the other man down? They showed off seamless transitions when Riddle caught the Slice of Heaven into an ankle lock that Banks then turned into the Lion’s Clutch. In a great moment, Banks kicked out of a jumping tombstone at one, prompting the commentator to flat out say, “f*** off.” My only gripe with this match was the finish. Pete Dunne came out and caused a distraction that allows Riddle to win with a Gotch piledriver. Even so, it wasn’t a bad finish, as it kept Banks strong heading into a title match, while setting up Riddle as a challenger for him once he won the title. Stellar wrestling.
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229. Charlotte vs. Ronda Rousey – WWE Survivor Series 11/18/18
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| I originally expected this to be the Mania main event. It was surprising that it didn’t even main event this show. Anyone who knows me knows that Charlotte ranks among my least favorite wrestlers in the world. But make no mistake, I know she’s good. Her week to week stuff lacks, but for big matches, she delivers. This was one of them. There was a level of intensity to this that was unmatched on the show. You’d think these two had a long rivalry. It felt like a fight and not just two people throwing out a collection of moves at one another. I saw some people complain about a few spots being sloppy late but I actually liked that. The match felt like a true struggle and when athletes get worn down, things aren’t going to be super crisp. It gave the match a more realistic feeling. At 14:10, from out of nowhere, Charlotte pulled out a kendo stick and hit Ronda for the DQ. A furious battle that was the best singles match of Ronda’s career to this point. Charlotte brought out her best for a big match. The post-match angle only helped add to make this special.
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228. Prince Puma vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. – Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha Dos
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| Ultima Lucha Dos didn’t quite live up to its incredible predecessor, but the main event proved to be one of the best matches in Lucha Underground history. A match so big that it headlined their biggest show of season two over the Lucha Underground Championship. From the very first episode, Prince Puma was THE MAN of Lucha Underground and became the first champion. Rey Mysterio Jr. showed up early in season two and is pretty much the godfather of lucha. The face of Lucha Underground against the face of lucha libre. Puma wanted to prove he could beat the best and Rey wanted to show he could still hang. Early on, Puma’s ramped up cockiness showed when he outworked Rey. Outmatched in the speed and quickness departments, Rey had to utilize his veteran instincts. That was the story throughout and it was wonderfully told. Rey reached into his bag of tricks at times, like on a super reverse rana that we haven’t seen from him in a long time. Puma had counters ready, knowing Rey’s offense so well because Rey is his idol. He even hit Rey with his own 619, followed by a springboard 450 splash for a near fall. He stopped to basically apologize to his hero before trying a 630 and it cost him as he crashed and burned. Rey bested him shortly after with a diving rana at 16:37. I originally didn’t like the decision, but it set up a great season three arc for Puma. These two told a beautiful story and the match was full of twists, turns and counters at the right time. Awesome stuff.
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227. PROGRESS Championship No Disqualifications Match: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Jimmy Havoc – PROGRESS Chapter 45: Galvanize 3/19/17
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| Jimmy Havoc defeated Pete Dunne via disqualification in their first title match. Havoc earned another shot at Chapter 44 and this one would be contested under No Disqualifications rules. That format is perfectly suited for the challenger. Knowing that (and because he’s a dick) Dunne jumped Havoc during his entrance. They brawled all around the Ritz, using weapons like a steel chair, the PROGRESS Title and even a frying pan. The violence escalated to include Dunne wrapping barbed wire around Havoc’s legs and stomping them, as well as Dunne stapling Havoc’s forehead, elbow and FINGER. That looked like it hurt so much. But, it was nothing compared to Havoc’s retaliation. He gave Dunne several PAPER CUTS in the webbings between his fingers and made it worse by pouring ALCOHOL on the wounds. It was legitimately hard to watch. They weren’t done. They traded shots with their forearms wrapped in barbed wire and Havoc hit a Canadian Destroyer onto thumbtacks. Will Ospreay got involved, continuing his feud with Havoc and costing him the match. Dunne nailed him in the ribs with a barbed wire bat and retained via Bitter End in 25:56. A magnificent hardcore match that only got bogged down by a bit of an overbooked finish.
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226. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Time Splitters [c] vs. reDRagon – NJPW Power Struggle 2014
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| I've said before that I truly believe the best tag team in wrestling in the mid-2000s was reDRagon. On the other side, you have one of my favorite wrestlers in Alex Shelley and his partner KUSHIDA, entering as the reigning IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Other than those obvious reasons, I chose to watch this because they actually have a match coming up in a few weeks for those same belts. Before watching this, I saw their first match, which took place in August of 2014. The match was a bit of a disappointment and the Time Splitters retained. reDRagon returned with a force, winning the Super Junior Tag Team Tournament to earn another shot. That's where we enter here. This was the match I wanted between these teams. You see, a lot of the IWGP Jr. Tag matches I've seen (which isn't that many to be honest) are very spot heavy and, while that can be fun, it's not something I want all the time. Here, they tease the high spots multiple times. Both teams stop the other from getting in big spots, so when those finally do hit, they mean more and get a better reaction. The focus from KUSHIDA and O'Reilly on the arms of their opponents is great and really makes me wonder if their interactions here sparked some intrigue to give them a big singles match the following year. The finishing sequence is excellent as a furious run is needed to win.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 12, 2021 9:43:04 GMT -5
225. PROGRESS Atlas Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. WALTER – PROGRESS Chapter 51: Screaming for PROGRESS 7/9/17
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| Matt Riddle captured the PROGRESS Atlas Championship, a title exclusively for wrestlers over 205 pounds, in January. During his 175 days as champion, he made 11 defenses, across three countries. A successful defense came against WALTER, in one hell of a match at Chapter 46. They went out and bested it at Chapter 51. To know what this match was all about, just know that within the first minute, both of their chests were bright red. By the time it was over, Riddle’s looked like ground meat. They chopped each other from bell to bell and brought the kind of strong style match that would rival even the best ones NJPW could put on. Riddle got dominated at times, getting himself into trouble because he was simply outmatched. WALTER also brought his wits, as he wisely kicked out Riddle’s leg to setup an ankle lock. Well done. Riddle refused to die, so WALTER just had to try harder to kill him, finally hitting a series of powerbombs and applying a rear naked choke. Riddle knew it was over and tapped out after 11:38 of incredible action.
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224. Hell in a Cell: Triple H vs. The Undertaker – WWE WrestleMania XXVIII
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| Shawn Michaels is the special referee. This show needed this big match feel. It’s cool that the cell gets its own theme. They slug it out from the start and things spill outside. Undertaker starts by basically kicking Triple H’s ass. It’s a great reversal of last year’s match where Triple H beat the shit out of the Undertaker and he couldn’t walk out on his own. Steel steps come into play, where Triple H’s Pedigree is countered to a backdrop. To level the playing field, HHH gets a steel chair. He starts wailing away on the Undertaker and its shades of WrestleMania 27. Shawn even steps in to try and get him to stop. Undertaker stops Shawn from calling the match despite HHH demanding it happen. He shouts “STAY DOWN” but Taker won’t. HHH gets a sledgehammer, still wanting Shawn to call it. Taker refuses so he eats a sledgehammer but kicks out. Shawn takes it from HHH before he can do it again. Before Shawn can call it, Taker pulls him into Hell’s Gates! He kicks HHH low and puts him in the submission too. All three men are down as Charles Robinson runs in. Taker gets mad that a chokeslam doesn’t end it, so he does it to Charles too. Then, in one of the greatest near falls ever, Undertaker kicks out of Sweet Chin Music into a Pedigree. I remember watching live and totally biting on that finish. An angry HHH dumps Shawn outside and Undertaker sits up with a wild look on his face. He hits a Tombstone for another strong near fall. More brawling leads to a Pedigree near fall. Taker sits up and starts in with a chair himself. He beats HHH with it like this is Austin/Rock eleven years earlier. HHH sells like he’s dying but is forever a rebel so he crotch chops the Deadman. Shawn turns away as Undertaker hits him with the Tombstone and wins with the Tombstone at 30:53. Top notch storytelling from three legends. Parts of the early goings were slow but it worked out in the end. The Pedigree/SCM near fall was arguably the best ever. It didn’t technically end an era though.
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223. Six to Survive: Fenix vs. Ivelisse vs. Johnny Mundo vs. King Cuerno vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Taya – Lucha Underground 6/15/16
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| In an effort to see who would earn a shot at the Lucha Underground Title at Ultima Lucha Dos, two teams of six competed a week earlier. The winning team would then meet here, in a six-person elimination match that took up the entire episode. There were some intriguing storylines from the star, like Taya and Johnny Mundo’s relationship, Taya and Ivelisse’s feud and the past between Fenix and King Cuerno. All six participants went at it, but the first elimination came within five minutes. Mil Muertes returned to the Temple and took out his rival, Cuerno, allowing Mundo to eliminate him. The interactions between Ivelisse and Taya were the low point of this match unfortunately. Taya got rid of her just shy of eight minutes in. She would go next following a Package Piledriver, leaving it up to three of LU’s top guys in Fenix, Pentagon and Mundo. These three were good together, but it wasn’t until after Mundo got eliminated that the match got taken to the next level. Real life brothers Pentagon Jr. and Fenix put on a spectacle of a show to close out the match. Their chemistry as opponents (and teammates) is top notch and it showed here. I won’t go into too much detail about their work here but it was very fast paced and pretty incredible. I would honestly put that final stretch between them up against any other ten or so minute stretch in wrestling this year. Pentagon got the win to earn the title shot following a Mexican Destroyer into a Package Piledriver, capping a 35:27 war.
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222. Moustache Mountain and Ricochet vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT 6/27/18
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| Moustache Mountain, fresh off winning the NXT Tag Team Titles, were scheduled for a match against some local jobbers. It was going to be nothing special. The Undisputed Era jumped those scrubs and looked to put a hurting on the champions. Ricochet, gunning for a shot at Adam Cole’s North American Title, hit the ring and a six man tag spawned. We had recently been treated to basically the same match, but with Pete Dunne instead of Ricochet. Somehow, Ricochet came in and improved things. He played perfectly off his teammates by joining them in their signature spots and adding a flair to them. Tyler Bate was isolated for a good chunk of the match. Once he made the hot tag, this kicked into next gear. The match just throws a ton of great stuff at you for the remainder of the 13:31 runtime. Ricochet does some stuff here that is honestly jaw dropping. The spot where he avoided Total Elimination with a backflip will never not be impressive. He nearly won it with a 630 splash, but Kyle O’Reilly pulled Cole to break up the pin. Ricochet went after him, but got taken out by Roderick Strong and Cole pinned him to win one of the best TV matches in years.
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221. Number One Contender's Match: Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Raw 5/1/17
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| The Intercontinental Championship isn’t usually a focal point of Raw main events, but the night after Payback was different. With Brock Lesnar sitting at home with the Universal Championship, the IC Title took center stage (and it absolutely should more often with Brock’s schedule). Though they staked their claim for a shot at the Universal Title, former WWE Champion Seth Rollins and former Universal Champion Finn Balor got into it with The Miz and IC Champion Dean Ambrose, leading to this main event. Miz played his role masterfully in this, which is typical of him. He avoided action early, tried making deals with his opponents and literally hid behind Maryse. Seth and Finn brought the goods as well. It was Seth’s best performance of 2017 and Finn’s best since returning from injury. The final stretch was great, with lots of close calls, without going into the overused finisher kickout barrage. My only true gripe with this was that interference riddled this as it reached its peak. Samoa Joe ran in to take out Seth and just when Balor had it won, Bray Wyatt appeared and attacked him (that angle was randomly dropped for a while). Miz stole the win at 22:23 and got to face Ambrose in a lackluster rivalry. Regardless of what came next, this was excellent. It was the best match for the Raw brand since the split in July 2016. Yes, I’m even including PPVs, at least until the SummerSlam Universal Title match.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 13, 2021 9:40:16 GMT -5
220. ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Lio Rush – ROH Supercard of Honor 4/1/16
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| It’s okay if you don’t know who Lio Rush was at this point. A lot of people didn’t coming into this match. He won ROH’s Top Prospect Tournament and in ROH history, that is enough to earn a new star a shot at the ROH Television Championship. But, with Tomohiro Ishii holding that title in Japan, Rush was granted a shot at the ROH World Title in his first officially contracted match for the company. And a lot of the story of this match was Lio Rush but it is the single most impressive performance I saw from Jay Lethal during his title reign. He nailed every facial expression, reaction and bump to make sure Rush looked like a million bucks. Lethal didn’t take Rush seriously at all. He toyed with the youngster but Rush was confident. He stole Lethal’s signature taunt at one point and even slapped him at another. Rush showed no intimidation of Lethal, even though Jay had been champion for ten months to this point (not counting the 500+ day reign of the Television Title). The more confident the challenger got, the more vicious the champion was. Rush’s final few attempts at winning the title were perfectly done. He came close a ton and got to shine in the biggest match of his life. Of course, he fell just short after an awesome 19:36, but it was his performance that mattered. It reminded me of Tyler Black’s early attempts to win the ROH Title from Nigel McGuinness and we all know how great Black’s career turned out. I’m not saying Rush will ever reach Seth Rollins levels, but he has a bright future and this is proof.
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219. CM Punk vs. The Undertaker – WWE WrestleMania 29
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| It was always weird when they set up a WrestleMania match for The Undertaker based on someone qualifying to earn the opportunity. That was the case in 2013 with CM Punk, though Punk did his best to make the match matter with the Paul Bearer angle, even if it wasn’t the most tasteful. When it came time for the big match on the big stage, the two delivered. I’d rank this below Undertaker’s bouts with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania and above the WrestleMania 27 one with Triple H. There was a lot of great action and Punk’s character work was top notch. It was only really hurt by the lack of drama as everybody knew Undertaker would come out victorious. For 23:07, they put on what ended up being The Undertaker’s last great traditional WrestleMania match.
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218. TNA Tag Team Championship: Beer Money [c] vs. The Motor City Machine Guns – TNA Victory Road 2010
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| Honestly, it would be impossible to do this kind of list and not include one of the matches between these teams. There was almost nobody better than Beer Money and the Motor City Machine Guns. 2010 was a mess for TNA thanks to the Hulk Hogan/Eric Bischoff era but getting to see these teams together made up for some of it. It helped reiterate that TNA had a great tag team division at times. For 15:55, they proved why they were so special as duos. We were lucky to get to witness this because there’s a good chance that we never see anything like it again.
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217. CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, Goldust and The Usos vs. The Shield and The Wyatt Family – WWE Raw 11/18/13
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| Random Raw main events can often get overlooked for greatness. That’s especially true when the show happens during the fall, as WWE usually makes those shows unimportant given the start of the NFL season. So, not many might remember this. Just look at those teams. Daniel Bryan and CM Punk were a fun duo in 2013, The Brotherhood was on an outstanding run, and The Usos were on the rise. On the other side, you have the top two factions of the 2010s in WWE. These twelve men put on a spectacular match that went for 24:04 and is worth going back to watch right now. The post-match was also a blast as Rey Mysterio made a surprising return.
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216. NXT Tag Team Championship: Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong [c] vs. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan – NXT TakeOver: Chicago II
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| During the entrances, I had concerns about this match. The Undisputed Era were insanely popular, but when the challengers walked out, you could almost hear a pin drop. That could have made for an awkward atmosphere. Early on, it kind of did. The champs controlled the majority of the match and the comeback sequence by the challengers led to some boos. Luckily, Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan brought their best stuff to win over the Chicago crowd. They succeeded. It all began with a huge Oney dive onto the champs. From there, the crowd was split and was just rooting for the fantastic stuff happening. Oney was a wild man, taking an insane back bump on the apron and hitting a huge double Blockbuster to the outside. This was a man willing to put his body on the line to win the titles. They had the match won until Adam Cole pulled Kyle O’Reilly to safety and got himself ejected. It set up a wild closing stretch with all sorts of twists and turns. Total Elimination, a favorite move of mine, ended a strike exchange and the match as Undisputed Era retained in 16:02. There’s a reason the Undisputed Era was the best tag team in wrestling. It’s matches like this.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 14, 2021 9:07:04 GMT -5
215. WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena – WWE No Mercy 2016
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| It was a surprising call, but the WWE decided to have this match open their No Mercy Pay-Per-View. The build to this was awesome as all three men fired some pretty personal shot s at one another. Dean Ambrose and John Cena were especially insulting. You also had the intrigue of Cena going for World Title #16 and AJ being 2-0 against him. Unlike a lot of triple threat matches, this wasn’t just two guys competing while one rests outside. I mean, it happened a few times but for the most part, all three men were consistently involved. Due to that, there were plenty of great sequences, with the first being a double German suplex by Cena. They all knew each other so well that they were ready with counter after counter. There was a moment where Dean and Cena had a calf cutter and STF applied at the same time, causing AJ to tap out. Of course, that couldn’t end the match because there must be one winner in a triple threat match, so things continued. Cena would hit Ambrose with the AA but AJ laid him out with a steel chair and retained the title at 21:07. Cena doing the job on his way out to film a TV show was perfect and allowed for the Dean/AJ feud to continue. I also love that AJ isn’t they typical coward heel, but still resorts to low blows and chair shots when he gets desperate. Not only did this match make this list but I have it as the third best WWE PPV opener ever behind only Bret/Owen at WMX and Bryan/HHH at WMXXX.
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214. NXT UK Tag Team Championship: James Drake and Zack Gibson vs. Moustache Mountain – NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool
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| While I enjoyed the first TakeOver: Blackpool, I’d say the show only featured one match that I would consider great. And that’s the one it began with. Moustache Mountain was the most popular duo on the brand while Grizzled Young Vets were easily the most hated. It’s an easy recipe yet it works so well when done right. It made for such a great atmosphere. One thing I love about Moustache Mountain is how the bigger guy takes the heat. Trent Seven was the one who got isolated during this match, setting up the hot tag for Tyler Bate. Seven took a nasty elbow from James Drake that busted him open, adding to the drama and desperation. When we finally got Tyler’s hot tag, it was one of the best all year. His BIG STRONG BOI spot where he lifted both opponents was insane. How is Tyler Bate even a real human? The final 5-10 minutes are some of the best stuff you’ll see anywhere. I lost it on the Helter Skelter/450 splash combo that led to a near fall. I didn’t even know Drake could do a 450 splash. Eventually, after 23:46, the Grizzled Young Vets used Ticket to Mayhem to become the first NXT UK Tag Team Champions. I love tag team wrestling.
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213. AJ Styles vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW G1 Climax 25 8/14/15
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| As noted earlier in the list, the later days of the G1 Climax this year saw the “A” Block match quality fall while the “B” Block rose. On this, the final “A” Block show, we were treated to a main event that more than delivered. AJ Styles and Hiroshi Tanahashi are possibly the two best wrestlers on the planet and are no strangers to each other. Heading into this, they were tied with 12 points and the winner would win the block, heading to the finals. With the stakes high, neither man took an early risk. They fought hard for every hold, with each and every single thing they did meaning something. There wasn’t just points where they did stuff for the sake of filling time. It all had a purpose. While that start was a bit slow, they worked the crowd into a frenzy when things started to pay off. During the tournament, Styles’ Calf Killer submission was established as a secondary finisher. When he applied it here, the fans totally bough it as a potential finish. AJ would hit a low blow, only for Tanahashi to do one back because that’s how much this win meant. Tanahashi used the Styles Clash, so AJ hit High Fly Flow (or a regular frog splash but still). The back and forth here was top notch. Tanahashi had to finally use multiple High Fly Flows to win the block after 27:56. Just a well done big time match.
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212. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11
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| Hiromu Takahashi did all he could to save NJPW’s junior heavyweight division. His arrival at the end of 2016 was the shot in the arm it needed. It set up this awesome, fresh rivalry for the title. He attacked KUSHIDA during his entrance, but the champion was no slouch, and turned it around to hit an insane dive. The stuff they did in the ring was crisp, until Hiromu tried a diving rana to the outside. They flubbed it, but Hiromu made up for it with a bonkers senton to the outside. He’s interesting because his wild style allows for things like that to actually be fitting. KUSHIDA learned and adapted, blocking a second sunset flip bomb and catching Hiromu in an armbar. He held it for as long as possible without getting DQed. It was clear that KUSHIDA had to get aggressive to beat this new challenger. The focus remained on Takahashi’s arm, with him having to escape the Hoverboard Lock on multiple occasions. One of those was off the top and countered into an inverted destroyer. Hiromu then used a corner DVD and the Time Bomb to capture his first Jr. Heavyweight Title at 16:14. This was the great Tokyo Dome Jr. Title match we’ve needed for years. It was the catalyst for Hiromu “Wrestler of the First Half” Takahashi. They’d go on to have an even better match in June.
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211. Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Survivor Series 11/18/18
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| Daniel Bryan came out with a smug look like he was in complete control. His new character is amazing. When the match started, he hit and moved like he did against Takeshi Morishima back in 2007. Then, Brock went into Brock mode. He dominated for the next eight or so minutes. He hit an F5 and could have won, but pulled Bryan up. It felt like it was just going to be another lazy Brock squash. The crowd hated it. I hated it. Then, the ref bump came. It was a case of a good ref bump, too. It opened the door for Bryan to hit a low blow and the Busaiku Knee. Though Brock survived, Bryan spent the rest of the match using his wits and speed to find brilliant ways to get the upper hand. They swept everyone up in the drama. Brock’s three weaknesses came into play, including the low blow, steel steps, and ring posts. When Bryan put on the Yes Lock, the fans bought Brock possibly doing the unthinkable and tapping. Alas, he got free, powerbombed out of a triangle choke, and won with the F5 in 18:40. The first segment of Brock dominating went on way too long. I get what they were going for, but if you cut that back a bit, the whole match would be tighter. Either way, this was a banger and some of the best stuff Brock’s been a part of.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 15, 2021 7:01:10 GMT -5
210. Falls Count Anywhere: Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Raw 8/18/14
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| The rivalry between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins heated up after Rollins turned heel and broke up The Shield. While Roman Reigns ignored this mostly, Ambrose was out for revenge. The two collided at SummerSlam2014 was very good and probably the best lumberjack match ever. They managed to best it the following night on Raw in a Falls Count Anywhere match. It was filled with brutal spots, including a sick powerbomb onto a pile of steel chairs. After 18:50, Rollins came out on top and scored one of his many wins during this feud, though things would ultimately wrap up by the time Hell in a Cell came around before being reignited in 2015.
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209. Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Bragging Rights 2010
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| Neither title is on the line. Bryan was fresh off his first title win. Dolph tried taking things to the mat but got schooled. He hid behind Vickie outside, so Bryan just jumped over her to take him out with a knee. The hits kept coming, with Bryan hitting a stiff corner dropkick. Dolph took control, while Lawler made jokes at Vickie’s expense. Striker got in some jokes too, even though I recall him loving Vickie. Dolph kept the pressure on Bryan and grounded him. Bryan had an opening, but missed a dropkick and was back in trouble. He made a real comeback with kicks and knee strikes. His springboard single leg dropkick looked great. Both guys were bumping like crazy for one another. They went up for a super back suplex, but Dolph shifted and landed on Bryan. They both picked up near falls from it in a great sequence. Bryan escaped the sleeper and they collided on sick looking cross body attempts. After exchanging flash pins, Dolph hit the Fameasser, only for Bryan to get his foot on the bottom rope. Bryan escaped another sleeper, angering Dolph. He slapped Bryan around and talked smack, leading to him getting pulled into the LeBelle Lock for the finish in 16:14. Excellent opener and my personal favorite match of 2010. They came out wanting to steal the show and bumped like hell for one another. They put together a quality match with stiff shots, a hot crowd and great near falls. Awesome.
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208. Best of the Super Juniors Finals: KUSHIDA vs. Ricochet – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors Finals 2014
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| Before they both showed up in WWE, KUSHIDA and Ricochet were two of the best junior heavyweights in NJPW. 2014 saw them compete in the finals of the prestigious Best of the Super Juniors Tournament. They beat Ryusuke Taguchi and Taichi to reach the finals. Once there, they put on a classic. Although this 23:06 encounter started a bit slow, everything was crisp and once it kicked into high gear, there was no stopping it. It may have come as a surprise that Ricochet won given KUSHIDA’s history with the company but that only added to the greatness.
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207. WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: The New Day [c] vs. The Lucha Dragons vs. The Usos – WWE TLC 2015
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| Another mediocre WWE Pay-Per-View that had one standout match. The opening match featured the New Day defending their WWE Tag Team Titles against both the Lucha Dragons and the Usos. Similar to TLC the year before, we were treated to a great ladder match that kicked things off. It was a bit messy at first, but they settled into bringing the big spots quickly. Not only did they do the typical ladder spots we’re used to, but they managed to do some new ones. Big E had a great moment when he basically bench pressed the ladder with both Lucha Dragons on it. Kalisto stole the show by hitting Salida Del Sol off the ladder and through another bridged ladder. That was honestly, the best spot I’ve seen all year, regardless of promotion. It was absolutely insane. Major props to both Kalisto and Jey Uso for taking the spot, especially considering Jey just coming off the injured list. Xavier Woods was golden on commentary, before getting involved himself because it’s NO DQ! As Kalisto neared the belts, Woods threw his trombone at him. This opened the door for New Day to retrieve the belt and retain at 17:56. Another great ladder match in a year for really good ones.
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206. Money in the Bank: Cesaro vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Damien Sandow vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Fandango vs. Jack Swagger vs. Wade Barrett – WWE Money in the Bank 2013
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| One of my favorite Money in the Bank matches ever. The action is non-stop and the performance by Cody Rhodes was tremendous. Having all heels made for an interesting dynamic, but in Philadelphia, the fans were hot for a few guys. Cody getting the crowd completely behind him was the show stealer and this should have led to a great Sandow/Rhodes feud and Cody as a major face. Not only were there great spots here but the teams working as a unit until the end and the interference were all very well done.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 16, 2021 7:11:55 GMT -5
205. Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 24 7/28/14
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| Tetsuya Naito won the G1 in 2013. At Wrestle Kingdom 8, Naito lost his shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Title to Okada, so this was the rematch. They start incredibly quickly, just bouncing off the ropes and each other. Okada dropkicks Naito from the top and to the floor. Okada takes over from there, and again, I have to point out how good he is when playing the cocky heel. Naito starts the rally but Okada is ready. He hits the elbow and signals for the RAINMAKA! Naito ducks it and hits a nice tornado DDT. Okada hits a dropkick to the back of the head though, as the back and forth continues. Okada hits a tombstone but again misses the Rainmaker, allowing Naito to hit a dragon suplex. Naito then again counters the Rainmaker into an arm drag, before getting his win back from the Tokyo Dome with the Stardust Press in 13:54. Everything that these two did looked crisp and they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. Okada is five times better than normal when he gets to play the heels role more and that was the case here. After a slow start, Naito has turned it up on the last two shows, delivering in a big main event performance here. The pace was fast, the counters were great and the match was exciting.
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204. Lucha Underground Championship: Mil Muertes [c] vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 3/9/16
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| To start Lucha Underground’s incredible second season, Mil Muertes held the Lucha Underground Title. He seemed unstoppable and sent back all challenges. The two biggest threats to the title were Pentagon Jr. and Prince Puma, who were in the midst of a rivalry of their own as well as having their issues with Mil. It led to this awesome three-way match. Puma and Pentagon worked together early on but Muertes was too much of a beast for them. The champion even did a plancha, which we never see from him. Pentagon and Puma were not far behind with dives of their own. This match had so much going on, from the aforementioned aerial attacks to creative use of the environment to great brawling. Each guy played to their strength for the entire 11:56. Puma stole the show with a sick shooting star press off the guardrail. Near the end, they built to several near falls that the fans totally bit on. Pentagon went to break Puma’s arm but Mil speared him. He also speared Puma before using a double Flatliner to retain the title. Not only was this one of my favorite matches all year, it was the best triple threat match of 2016. A non-stop blast.
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203. Number 1 Contender's Tournament Final: Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor – NXT TakeOver: Rival
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| With Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a heated rivalry involving the NXT Title, a tournament was held to determine the next number one contender. Adrian Neville and Finn Balor were the final two men remaining, meeting at TakeOver; Rival. I’m not 100% sure but I believe it was a match against each other in Japan that got both men on WWE’s radar. There was a special feel to this that wasn’t simply because of the high stakes. This was the longest reigning NXT Champion in history against the guy that many, correctly, pegged as the next face of NXT. Finn brought out the “Demon” for the first time two months earlier and it rattled his opponents. Neville refused to be intimidated, looking at Finn as a man in paint rather than a “Demon.” There were little moments during the 13:45 of this match where Finn showed that he’s a different entity in the paint, like crawling/stalking Neville around the ring. I’d love to see more of that from him to differentiate the “Demon” from normal Finn. There were well placed near falls that weren’t overdone before Finn won with the Coup de Grace. This would be Neville’s last high profile NXT match before heading to the main roster and it worked as a passing of the torch in some ways. ****¼ With Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a heated rivalry involving the NXT Title, a tournament was held to determine the next number one contender. Adrian Neville and Finn Balor were the final two men remaining, meeting at TakeOver; Rival. I’m not 100% sure but I believe it was a match against each other in Japan that got both men on WWE’s radar. There was a special feel to this that wasn’t simply because of the high stakes. This was the longest reigning NXT Champion in history against the guy that many, correctly, pegged as the next face of NXT. Finn brought out the “Demon” for the first time two months earlier and it rattled his opponents. Neville refused to be intimidated, looking at Finn as a man in paint rather than a “Demon.” There were little moments during the 13:45 of this match where Finn showed that he’s a different entity in the paint, like crawling/stalking Neville around the ring. I’d love to see more of that from him to differentiate the “Demon” from normal Finn. There were well placed near falls that weren’t overdone before Finn won with the Coup de Grace. This would be Neville’s last high profile NXT match before heading to the main roster and it worked as a passing of the torch in some ways.
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202. WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing Match: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Charlotte – WWE Evolution
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| I’ve seen some call this an overdone mess and others call it the Match of the Year. I’m not fully in either camp. I saw a match that had moments of being absolutely brutal and hated filled. I also saw a match that kind of fell into some of the tropes that hurt this stipulation in the past, like a lot of time spent counting women down in the early stages when the match clearly wouldn’t end and overkill at some late spots. Charlotte’s ability to get up from so much came across as the overkill. This isn’t a knock on her, as WWE has done it in almost every match like this, including with AJ Styles earlier this year. That out of the way, this was great. The violence level was high and we got some truly stellar spots like the announce table leg drop, stuff with the ladder, and some loud kendo stick shots. I loved how Becky didn’t become a coward late. When she couldn’t keep Charlotte down, she just moved on to try a bigger spot and it eventually worked with a powerbomb off the top and through a table outside, ending this at 28:38. One other issue was the officiating. Charlotte wasn’t truly up after getting buried in chairs, but was credited with beating the count. She got up further in the end, but lost. Strange. Still, a fitting end to a great rivalry.
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201. WWE Smackdown Tag Team Titles: The New Day [c] vs. The Usos – WWE SummerSlam 2017
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| SummerSlam was a night for tag team wrestling. Actually, all of SummerSlam weekend was, because the NXT Tag Title match in Brooklyn was lots of fun. At Battleground the previous month, these teams stole the show. This was even better. In the first match, Xavier Woods replaced Big E to help give it a more frantic pace. Big E replaced Kofi Kingston in this one, but again, it felt like Woods was the star. He’s in no way the weak link of the team like some thought a while back. He played the face in peril so well and his rope walk assisted Big Ending spot got me out of my seat. As for the Usos, not only did their heel turn freshen them up, but they busted out new stuff here. It was highlighted by their Alley-Uso assisted Samoan Drop, except Woods was tossed over the top and to the outside. Some superkicks and a series of splashes led the Usos to win at 19:12. The best Kickoff match in history. Also, kudos to the Usos for joining the Hardys, Edge & Christian, the Dudleys and the New Age Outlaws as four-time Tag Team Champions.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 17, 2021 10:03:19 GMT -5
200. World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton [c] vs. Christian - WWE Over The Limit 2011
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| The story coming into this was great. Christian finally won the World Title after 17 years and then lost it to Orton cleanly in five days. Here, he was trying to win it back. This started slowly but in a way that made sense. Christian had a game plan and he was going to wear down Orton knowing his explosive nature. When they started throwing bigger offense at each other, Orton got the upper hand. I liked how Orton was going for flash pins, as he was totally happy to just beat Christian on a whim. As they got near the end, Christian went for the move that lost him the title, only to fake out Christian and then use a sunset flip for a very close near fall. Great storytelling. Orton could’ve won with the Punt but had a change of heart due to not wanting to hurt Christian, which set him up to eat a Spear for a great near fall. That led to a great closing stretch where Orton hit the RKO after a series of counters to retain in 16:49. Incredible match that delivered and didn’t go overly long. They told a hell of a story, featured great in-ring action, and their chemistry was remarkable. Plus, no Cole and Lawler was a bonus.
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199. Team Authority vs. Team Cena – WWE Survivor Series 2014
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| Team Cena kind of dominated for the first five minutes until the undefeated Rusev entered. Ryback had spent the prior few weeks being built back up, only to be the first guy eliminated for his team. He fell to a Curb Stomp and Machka Kick. Then came a lengthy segment without an elimination. Ziggler took the heat until Cena got the hot tag and the match broke down into a brawl. Rusev cleared off the announce tables and looked to put Ziggler through one. However, Dolph moved and Rusev crashed through on his own, getting counted out. The match remained hectic as we got former teammates Harper and Rowan as the legal men. Rightfully, it was Harper who won out (with help from Seth) using a lariat to beat Rowan. Then, the twist of the century came. That was sarcasm, because it was Big Show knocking out Cena to cause his 572197th alignment turn. Seth pinned Cena. Show, who seemed to have struck a deal with the Authority, walked away to get counted out. That left Ziggler alone down 3-on-1. Team Authority played with their food, taunting Dolph for being alone. Dolph was getting dominated, yet found a way to hit a desperation Zig Zag and eliminate Kane. Again, out of desperation, Dolph survived some Harper shots and rolled him up to even the score. It was down to him and Rollins. Dolph nearly pulled out more upsets with rollups but Seth survived. Triple H sold the hell out of each near fall. When Dolph hit the Zig Zag, HHH pulled the referee out and clocked him. That set up shenanigans with the Authority throwing everything at Dolph, including J&J Security. When a new ref showed up, HHH also took him out. HHH attacked Dolph and hit the Pedigree. He draped Seth over Dolph and brought out crooked ref Scott Armstrong. Before Scott could count, a crow sound was heard and for the first time in WWE history, STING HAD ARRIVED! I remember seeing this and losing my mind. It was such a surreal moment. He and HHH had a LONG staredown before Sting hit the Scorpion Death Drop. He then placed Dolph over Seth to end the match at 41:07. A great match that I overhyped on my initial viewing because I was going nuts about Sting. It’s still damn good, with plenty of emotional highs and lows. Dolph’s last stand was great and the Sting appearance was a stellar surprise. However, it was odd to just have Dolph and Seth out for several minutes leading to the finish. There should’ve been a move or something to punctuate Dolph’s win.
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198. NXT Championship: Kevin Owens [c] vs. Finn Balor – WWE Beast in the East
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| Beast in the East was unlike any other show in the WWE this year. Besides the fact that it was broadcast live from Japan, this just felt so different. The production, presentation and even commentary was all so refreshing. Finn Balor and Kevin Owens met for the NXT Title earlier in the year, though it was rather disappointing. This time, Finn had home field advantage due to his history in Japan, and he also brought out the “Demon.” There was a big fight feel to this one and the streamers thrown into the ring by the crowd just added to that. Using the emotional upper hand, Finn attacked from the bell, trying to overwhelm the champion and maybe even score a quick win. Owens weathered the storm, slowing the match to a pace that he liked. Owens was phenomenal here, doing all of the little things that he needed to do as a hated heel. From smack talk to purposely doing rest holds to stealing John Cena’s signature moves and more, Owens was on point. They didn’t overdo the false finishes, with Balor not even taking a popup powerbomb, protecting that move. It did take him two Coup de Graces, but it earned him the NXT Title in 19:25. A great, feel good moment capping a great match.
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197. Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey vs. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H – WWE WrestleMania 34
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| The definition of a spectacle. As soon as Triple H and Stephanie McMahon came out on motorcycles and did dual water spit spots, I was hooked. Everyone has praised Ronda Rousey for her debut performance here and it’s certainly granted. She was fantastic. But more love needs to go to Stephanie. She was perfect in this. Right at the start, she slapped Ronda and got in several cheap shots before bailing. She was an expert heel, causing fans to salivate at the chance to see Ronda destroy her. They made everyone wait, but once we got it, Ronda delivered. Not only did she get her hands on Stephanie, but the fans erupted when she squared up to Triple H. It was nuts. Angle and HHH were more in there to play ring generals and kind of lead this thing, but it was all about the women. They did go a bit overboard in having Stephanie be able to counter and avoid the armbar, as that felt super unrealistic. Other than that, this was brilliant storytelling. Ronda was tough, but got outsmarted by her wrestling savvy opponents. She shined against excellent heels. Seeing her beat up HHH and then hoist him onto her shoulder was wild. She finally got Stephanie in the armbar to win after 20:37. Probably the smartest worked match of 2018.
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196. WWE Championship Elimination Chamber: Randy Orton [c] vs. Cesaro vs. Christian vs. Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena vs. Sheamus – WWE Elimination Chamber 2014
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| A fantastic Elimination Chamber. One of the best in history as everyone did their part well. I just wish that Randy Orton was booked a bit stronger. He played his role right, but the role should have allowed him to look better. Still, an absolute scorcher with big spots, good wrestling, cool moments and they took the crowd on an emotional roller coaster. For my full writeup, you can find the review at 411mania.com/wrestling/random-network-reviews-elimination-chamber-2014/.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 18, 2021 8:24:08 GMT -5
195. Extreme Rules Match: Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black – NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia
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| When Adam Cole was first brought into NXT, I was very negative about it. I thought his work in ROH, PWG, NJPW, and everywhere else was mediocre at best. However, he’s been great in NXT and though he had a strong showing near the end of 2017, it was this match that truly solidified him for me. You wouldn’t expect it, but Cole is fantastic in hardcore matches and this may have been his best. The weapons were brought into play early and often, yet they still managed to gradually use them. It wasn’t just wailing on each other for the sake of it. The spots got bigger as the match progressed, with each man attempting to find a new way to overcome the other. Cole took huge bumps onto a ladder and the tops of two steel chairs, while Aleister Black got superkicked and fell through two tables. Neither man was holding back. The Undisputed Era and SAnitY got involved in a sensible way that added to the match, rather than take away from it. With the odds evened up, Black was able to find the opening he needed to win. All it took was a Black Mass and it was over in 22:03. One of the best Extreme Rules matches in history.
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194. Lucha Underground Championship All Night Long Match: Prince Puma [c] vs. Johnny Mundo – Lucha Underground 6/17/15
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| On the first ever episode of Lucha Underground, Prince Puma and Johnny Mundo were the main event. Then, to crown the first ever Lucha Underground Champion, the Aztec Warfare match came down to Mundo and Puma, with Puma coming out on top. There was respect between the two rivals, which changed after Mundo turned heel. Dario Cueto, the best authority figure in wrestling since Vince McMahon, liked this new attitude and put them in the first ever All Night Long match. I wouldn’t really consider this an Ironman match since there was no set time, but they were basically given Ironman match rules. For the entire duration of an episode of Lucha Underground, Mundo and Puma would compete and the winner would be the man to win the most falls in that time. The entire thing ran for 38:35 and almost never stopped. It was one of, if not the smartest worked match in Lucha Underground history. Mundo used a lot of tricks to take a commanding 4-1 lead. While he was cunning enough to take the lead, his ego was too big to be wise the rest of the way. He wanted to hurt Puma and set up some tables. This would cost him as both men went through it and Puma cut the lead to 4-3. Mundo realized he made a mistake and started to be smart, running away to let the clock expire. Alberto El Patron returned and attacked Mundo, leading to the tie score. With three minutes remaining, both guys tried many pin attempts until finally, Puma was able to score on the 630 and retain. Keeping viewers completely enthralled throughout is a testament to both men and how the match was laid out.
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193. NXT Women's Championship: Shayna Baszler [c] vs. Rhea Ripley – NXT 12/18/19
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| This match was gloriously built up. Shayna Baszler had been champion since the previous October. And outside of a short two or so month reign by Kairi Sane, you could go back to the previous April to see Shayna’s time as champion begin. She beat Dakota Kai, Candice LeRae, Io Shirai, Mia Yim, and everyone thrown in front of her. She even beat Bayley and Becky Lynch in the main event of Survivor Series. Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley quickly became the hottest thing in wrestling. She was scorching hot following wins at TakeOver: War Games and Survivor Series. Their singles meeting main evented a huge episode of NXT and more than lived up to the hype. Shayna’s usual tactics failed because Rhea wasn’t intimidated. She resorted to help from Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke but that wasn’t enough. Nearly taking Rhea out by injuring her arm still wasn’t enough. It seemed like the unstoppable champion would still prevail when she trapped Rhea in the Kirifuda Clutch. However, Rhea fought through and survived to the crowd’s approval. The avalanche Riptide that ended it in 20:50 was spectacular and led to one of the best moments of the year. Rhea Ripley is the future of wrestling. And yes, I purposely didn’t just say “women’s” wrestling. She’s that good.
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192. WWE Tag Team Championship Two Out of Three Falls Match: The Usos [c] vs. Erick Rowan and Luke Harper – WWE Battleground 2014
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| Many consider this to be the straight-up tag that Harper and Rowan had. I’d have to agree. Their Money in the Bank match the previous month was also a banger. The first fall was relatively quick paced, with Harper and Rowan overwhelming The Usos with their size and strength. You got the sense that they learned from the loss at the prior PPV. In fact, Harper scored the first fall in mere minutes, really putting The Usos on the defensive. I wish the second fall had a bit more to it to really show The Usos fighting from behind. Still, it was cool that they tied it up without fully coming back. It was basically luck. The final fall was absurd, filled with tremendous close calls and near falls without ever overdoing it. Stopping the discus lariat with a superkick only for Harper to hit the lariat anyway is the stuff of legend. It’s so goddamn good. The champions finally retained with a double splash on Harper after 18:50. Tag team wrestling needs more love in WWE. This was spectacular and ended up being the only good thing on the entire show.
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191. NXT Championship: Sami Zayn [c] vs. Kevin Owens – NXT TakeOver: Rival
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| The story of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens is one of my favorites ever, dating back to Kevin Steen vs. El Generico. After finally winning the NXT Title at R-Evolution, Owens turned on his best friend, setting the stage for this match. Despite only being in NXT for a short time, Owens goaded Sami into putting the belt on the line here. An angry Sami came out firing but made some mistakes and fell victim to just how vicious and brutal Kevin Owens can be. He beat Sami from pillar to post, prompting Corey Graves to compare it to the Brock Lesnar/John Cena beating from SummerSlam 2014. Sami is the best at playing the face in peril though and made some spirited rallies to the crowd’s delight. He blocked the apron bomb that took him out in the past and hit a moonsault, but his head snapped back onto the steel ramp. That made him too dizzy to do some things and he ran into a popup powerbomb. Sami would kick out, so Owens relentlessly pummeled him and hit four more powerbombs causing the referee to stop the match at 23:27. A fantastically told story that solidified Owens as a dominant heel, while keeping Sami as the resilient babyface. |
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 19, 2021 8:39:23 GMT -5
190. World Heavyweight Championship: Dolph Ziggler [c] vs. Alberto Del Rio – WWE Payback 2013
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| Dolph Ziggler cashed in Money in the Bank successfully on Alberto Del Rio the night after WrestleMania. He then suffered a concussion and missed a PPV, leading to this being his first PPV defense. The crowd is very hot from the start. Del Rio causes Dolph to take some early breathers outside as he comes at him aggressively. Dolph sells everything like the concussion is affecting him. Every shot from Del Rio targets the head. Big E steps in to help his buddy, only to get ejected even though it was Del Rio who went after him. The kicks to the skull from Del Rio are brutal. Out of desperation, Ziggler locks in the sleeper hold. Brilliantly, Del Rio’s counter to this sends Ziggler’s head into the turnbuckle. Dolph tends to over bump often, but it’s more subtle here as he sells the head. AJ Lee’s look of concern is perfect. He botches a Fameasser for a near fall. Del Rio comes back with a second rope reverse suplex for two. The fans bit on the near fall. Each Del Rio kick is getting more vicious. The crowd is turning on Del Rio as a medic checks on Dolph, who wants no help. Not only are the shots getting more vicious but they’re getting dirtier. He even kicks AJ’s Divas Title across the floor. Ziggler continues to fight valiantly and busts out the Zig Zag. He can’t cover due to the head trauma, allowing Del Rio to get up and kick him in the head again. That’s enough to crown a new champion in 13:49 For two guys that are more known for their skill in the ring, this was pure storytelling and it was masterfully done. Everyone completely bought into the sympathy for Dolph Ziggler, who gets a ton of credit for his selling being just right here. Alberto was great at slowly building towards getting more heelish by the move. Unsung credit goes to AJ Lee as well, who continued her brilliant night by reacting perfectly to everything that was going on. The best double turn since Austin/Hart at WrestleMania 13.
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189. World Heavyweight Championship Two Out of Three Falls Match: Sheamus [c] vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Extreme Rules 2012
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| At WrestleMania 28, Daniel Bryan famously lost the World Heavyweight Title to Sheamus in a mere 18 seconds. It changed everything as the fans rallied behind Bryan due to feeling like he was buried. The two men got to have a rematch in a Two out of Three Falls stipulation at the following pay-per-view and delivered in a major way. They proved that had they gotten to do this on the Mania card, they would’ve stolen the show. Bryan got to look like the cunning heel who knew he was outmatch but used his wits to his advantage. Sheamus looked like the powerful fighting champion. In the end, after an outstanding 22:55, Sheamus retained the gold in what might have been his best singles match ever.
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188. No Holds Barred Elimination Match: Evolution vs. The Shield – WWE Payback 2014
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| The Shield beat Evolution in a dream match at Extreme Rules 2014. The feud continued on and fans were as engaged as ever by the time Payback rolled around. They would meet again but with elimination rules. Many fans probably expected this to be a hard-fought battle with major eliminations. While it was vicious, violent, and indeed hard-fought, the result was surprising. After a 30:56 war of a main event, The Shield won by sweeping Evolution. Each member of the Shield eliminated one member of Evolution, showing they were equals. It was a masterful way to put them over, only for Seth Rollins to turn on the Shield the following night.
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187. WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz [c] vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins – WWE WrestleMania 34
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| People didn’t talk about it enough, but these three had one of the best matches in Raw history during 2017. They got to do it again on the biggest stage possible with higher stakes. At WrestleMania with the Intercontinental Title on the line. Each guy had a cool entrance, with Miz getting impressive graphics, Finn Balor having a bunch of fans dressed in pride colors, and Seth Rollins as the Night King from Game of Thrones. They went out and had the third best Mania opener ever. It was filled with bell to bell action and it didn’t fall into the usual tropes of Triple Threat matches. Instead, they made sure all three guys were usually involved and gave us inventive spots while managing to provide callbacks to their history. The spot where Seth teased powerbombing Finn into the guardrail was perfectly done, as was Finn continuing to have a counter for Seth’s superplex/Falcon Arrow combo. Seth wowed us with the RVD like height he got on a frog splash he used to break up a Figure Four. Miz was fantastic at every single thing he does. He’s an all time great. In the end, just as Finn seemed to have the match won, Seth cut him off and won the title with the Curb Stomp on both men at 15:27. A fantastic match between three of the best in the world.
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186. Lucha Underground Championship Aztec Warfare – Lucha Underground 1/7/15
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| To crown the first ever Lucha Underground Champion, we were treated to an Aztec Warfare match. It was similar to a Royal Rumble with a new entrant entering the fray every 90 seconds. However, unlike the Royal Rumble, eliminations could only occur via pinfall or submission. That little tidbit allowed for this to be better than any Rumble match in a long time. Also, the match was contested under “Anything Goes” rules. The luchadores were given the freedom to compete in and out of the ring. Talent wise, this was stacked, including the likes of Johnny Mundo, Prince Puma, Pentagon Jr, Ivelisse, Mil Muertes and many others. The action was non-stop for the most part, making the 53:24 move along quickly. They were also wise enough to build this around the storytelling from the first few episodes, making sure that rivalries were touched upon. Storytelling was such an important aspect of LU so it was nice to see it was a big deal even early on. Mundo and Puma, the two men who main evented the first ever Lucha Underground show, were the final two competitors, even though Mundo entered at number two. Their exchange was a blast and ended when Puma won with a 630 to become the first champion.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 20, 2021 8:43:33 GMT -5
185. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Kenny Omega – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11
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| Before this ever happened, I joked that Dave Meltzer would find a way to give it six stars. He did. More on that later, though. This rightfully had a big fight feel. Like most Kazuchika Okada matches, I didn’t love the opening portions. It reminded me of the WK10 main event, where it felt like filler to just kill time. It wasn’t until a table came into play that things picked up. The spots were great, like Omega taking a back body drop through a table outside, or busting out an Ibushi moonsault. Omega joined Tanahashi and Naito as the only men to kick out of the Rainmaker. When you protect a finisher, everything just means so much more. It took several more Rainmakers for Okada to finally retain. I know I didn’t write most of the moves done in this match, but if I did, it would probably take up this entire list. I can’t commend them enough for the absurd pace they kept for 46:49. It was an incredible display of athleticism. I loved that Omega never got to hit the One Winged Angel, which was a great ace in the hole for the rematches. In the end, I think shaving some time off the beginning would’ve greatly benefitted this. The early portions didn’t add a ton, but that final two-thirds were wild. Six stars and best match ever? Not a chance. One hell of a match? Damn right.
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184. WWE Championship Extreme Rules Match: Roman Reigns [c] vs. AJ Styles – WWE Extreme Rules 2016
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| Similar to John Cena, a lot of Roman Reigns matches feature a hot, vocal crowd. Especially when he’s going against someone that is as popular as AJ Styles. After their first title match got overbooked and ended like a wet fart, they were given another PPV main event, with an Extreme Rules stipulation. Since Payback, their rivalry had escalated and they worked this match to fit that story. They fought through the crowd, by the kickoff panel and AJ took a ridiculous back body drop through an announce table. AJ bumped like a madman, taking that spot, a sick powerbomb in the ring and being thrown into the barricade, apron and another table. Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson and the Usos all got involved to help their respective buddies. Styles scored on the Styles Clash for a near fall that most fans really bought into. He hit a second on the chair and one of the Usos broke up the pin, making him the most hated guy in the building. My main gripe with this was that Reigns kind of superman shrugged a lot of the work done to him throughout the match to pick up the win at 22:12. This was better than I remembered. A great match and easily the best singles Reigns performance of the year.
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183. WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber: The Boss-n-Hug Connection vs. Fabulous Glow vs. Fire & Desire vs. The Iiconics vs. The Riott Squad vs. Samoan Slaughterhouse – WWE Elimination Chamber 2019
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| History was made at Elimination Chamber as six teamed entered the infamous structure to crown the first WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. In 2018, the women put on a great match inside the Chamber for the Raw Women’s Title. Usually, adding an additional six competitors would cause problems. Instead, it made everything better in this case. Things started with Sasha Banks and Bayley against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. That was perfect since all four women were part of the previous women’s Chamber. Also, they were the best two teams. I loved so much about this. Carmella and Naomi had a short run that was fun. Nia and Tamina were surprisingly solid powerhouses who played their roles well. The always impressive Liv Morgan took huge bumps. Sonya and Mandy were great. The IIconics were awesome during the middle portion of this, completely owning it and showing outstanding character work. I appreciated the callback to last year with Sasha helping Bayley up onto the pod instead of kicking her down. Great character growth. It came down to the two teams who started it. Sasha fought through a bad shoulder to trap Sonya in the Bank Statement and win the titles after 32:55. One of the best Elimination Chambers in history.
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182. NXT Women's Championship: Charlotte [c] vs. Bayley vs. Becky vs. Sasha Banks – NXT TakeOver: Rival
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| Women’s matches on NXT TakeOver specials are just that. Something special. At previous TakeOver events, both Bayley and Sasha Banks fell short in dethroning Charlotte but got another shot here. Becky Lynch made her TakeOver debut and was in an alliance with Sasha. That quickly dissolved with the belt on the line as Becky suplexed her nearly out of her boots early on. Four of the best female wrestlers on the planet just went all out in 12:28 of nonstop action. Some of what they do here had never been attempted by the Divas. The work here is so smooth and crisp, never missing a beat despite all of the moving parts. The underlying story of the Sasha/Becky partnership, the crowd being behind Bayley as the underdog, the dominant fighting champion and the history between former BFFs Charlotte and Sasha all came into play here. After seeing this, I knew that it was the best women’s match I had seen up to this point, though they would best themselves later in the year. My favorite thing is that they didn’t use the Fatal Four Way stipulation to have Charlotte not eat a pin or go with a fluke finish. Sasha pinned Charlotte to become champion, starting the best women’s title reign in WWE history.
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181. NXT Tag Team Championship: Moustache Mountain [c] vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT 7/11/18
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| During the Royal Albert Hall shows, Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong lost the NXT Tag Team Titles to Trent Seven and Tyler Bate. Citing luck and homefield advantage, Undisputed Era got their rematch in the friendly confines of Full Sail University, even though the fans there were pro-Mustache Mountain. Undisputed attacked before the bell, looking to get a cheap upper hand. The champions fought them off and took control until one big moment changed everything. Strong dropped Seven’s previously damaged left knee onto the steel steps. From there, this was an absolute master class of tag team wrestling. Undisputed worked the leg like sharks smelling blood. It was incredible. They deprived the fans of the hot tag to Tyler Bate at every single turn. Bate was a huge factor in the title change, so they couldn’t allow him to get in there. When it finally came, the place erupted and Bate did his thing. There’s a reason he’s one of the best in the world. However, Seven was still hurt and getting checked on by the medical staff. Bate found himself in trouble because of the two on one disadvantage and Seven got back on the apron to help his buddy. He tried his best but as the legal man, found himself back in submission predicaments. Despite his efforts and refusal to quit, Seven was in no man’s land. Bate waited and waited, but was forced to throw in the towel to save his partner’s career, yet lost the titles in 17:29. This is tag team wrestling, people. Utterly brilliant.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 21, 2021 8:33:26 GMT -5
180. PROGRESS Championship No DQ Match: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Marty Scurll – PROGRESS Chapter 25
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| The rivalry between Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay has spanned several promotions including Rev Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor and PROGRESS. Considering the title on the line and the no DQ stipulation, this was their biggest and most heated altercation. Within the first few minutes of this 30:16 war, Ospreay was bloodied and Scurll had used his signature umbrella as a weapon. They did a wonderful job of blending their past battles of counter after counter with several hardcore aspects. Ospreay’s moonsault off a railing and the two men both taking powerbombs through tables were great. Their chemistry is always top notch and it showed during several fast paced moments of back and forth. After a referee bump, Ospreay applied a crossface with an umbrella for added leverage. Scurll tapped but of course no ref saw it. Scurll would retaliate with some barbaric shots with umbrellas. When Ospreay refused to stay down, Scurll retrieved handcuffs and trapped the champion. He proceeded to beat the hell out of him with umbrella after umbrella. Ospreay was defiant as ever and spat at Scurll. Even with more umbrella strikes, Ospreay still found a way to barely get his shoulder off the mat. Scurll finally used the chicken wing and the referee called the match, giving Scurll the title. This was a grand match with a lot going on. It felt like the kind of match I’d do with my action figures as a kid in the best possible way. Alas, both guys are canceled now so this didn't age well.
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179. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Michael Elgin (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2016
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| This was about more than the Intercontinental Title. It had to do with respect. Michael Elgin dreamt of working in Japan for years and has found success there. He loves it. Tetsuya Naito disrespects NJPW as often as possible, from attacking officials to badmouthing top stars to treating the Heavyweight Title like garbage when he held it earlier in the year. Elgin didn’t want that to happen to the Intercontinental Title and he was out to teach Naito some respect. There were some early mind games with Naito avoiding Elgin and taunting, only for Elgin to return the favor. Naito made Elgin’s leg his target, which made sense since it was attacked often during the buildup to this match. Elgin sold the leg well and struggled to hit some of his power moves because of it. Naito continually wore it down with his knee bar submission. When it looked like Elgin had things in control, out came LIDJ only for Elgin’s buddies KUSHIDA and Tanahashi to make the save. With things back to one on one, Elgin survived Destino and again was on the brink of a win. Naito would counter the Elgin Bomb into Destino and add a third to win the title at 30:36. The crowd ate this up. The match had twists, turns and was full of drama. The win made Naito the only man to win the IC, Heavyweight, NEVER, Tag and Jr. Tag Titles, as well as the New Japan Cup and G1 Climax tournaments.
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178. Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW G1 Climax 29 7/18/19
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| I first saw these two square off during a six man tag at WWN Mercury Rising in 2016. I had only just been introduced to Will Ospreay but had enjoyed Kota Ibushi for a while. Watching them interact made me think they were ideal opponents for each other. Two guys who were freaks of nature athletically and had similar styles. Their match at Wrestle Kingdom was pretty damn good and nearly made this list. However, they bested it in the G1 Climax. I wouldn’t call them perfect opponents but they worked incredibly well together. I wasn’t a fan of the early clichés like the fast-paced standoff and stuff. It has been done to death and doesn’t add much to a match for me at this point. I will admit that I appreciated how it showed their similarities. Both men came in damaged, as Will’s neck is usually hanging on by a thread and Ibushi had a bad ankle. Ibushi was uncharacteristically sadistic, taking pleasure in dumping Ospreay on his neck. When Ospreay responded with the Hidden Blade, it had added drama because that knocked Ibushi out at WK. The near fall was great because Ibushi’s lifeless arm barely made it to the ropes to break the pin. After 27:16, Ibushi won a match where both guys were recklessly attacking each other’s injury. It was scary but great.
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177. Tomoaki Honma vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 25 8/12/15
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| After their match at New Beginnings in February, people were clamoring for the rematch. Many gave that match five stars and consider it a legit Match of the Year contender. On a show featuring two of the top three guys in New Japan, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada, these two guys were given the main event slot. As noted before, the G1 style fits the style of a guy like Tomoaki Honma, who works best in short, hot bursts. They had a great match in the G1 Climax the year before as well but of all of their matches, this was my favorite. As you’d expect from these two, this was the hard hitting contest they’ve become well known for. The chops they dish out to each other are just absolutely brutal. To give some added intrigue here, Honma went winless in the G1 in 2014 and was winless coming into this match. The crowd is always red hot for him but this was on another level. One of the main reasons Honma loses so often is his over reliance on the Kokeshi headbutt. He misses it so often, especially in big moments. Finally, after 16:13, nearly twenty G1 losses in two years and multiple Kokeshi headbutts, HONMANAIA RAN WILD and he scored his first ever G1 win. Having it happen in the main event in Korakuen Hall was such an added bonus making this one of my favorite moments all year long.
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176. WWE Cruiserweight Classic Quarterfinals: The Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/31/16
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| File Brian Kendrick under the list of guys that I never thought I’d see on this list in 2016. Not because he isn’t good, but because I didn’t see him returning to the WWE. He did though and was a great addition to the CWC. Kendrick brought a different style to the show. While there were mat technicians, hard strikers, fun charismatic guys and high fliers, Kendrick was the wily veteran who did whatever it took to win. Kota Ibushi was a heavy favorite to win it all though. Knowing he was outmatched in a lot of ways, Kendrick played mind games, trying to get in Kota’s head. He did little things like trapping Kota’s foot in the guardrail to try and steal a countout win. He targeted Kota’s neck, hitting a neckbreaker on the ring post. I’ve never seen that before and it made sense considering Kota’s neck surgery. He hit Sliced Bread and a goddamn BURNING HAMMER for two very close near falls. You could just feel his desperation. The reaction when Kota missed a Phoenix Splash and Brian immediately applied the bully choke was perfect. Ibushi proved to be too much though, escaping that and winning with the sitout powerbomb at 13:57. An incredible match that got better on a second viewing. Not only was the action top notch but the story of Kendrick’s last stand and the neck work were excellent. Extra points to Daniel Bryan for trying to will his friend to victory on commentary.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 22, 2021 6:58:02 GMT -5
175. Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong – NXT TakeOver XXV
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| I remember when these two met in EVOLVE a few years back. I thought it was a very good match but it didn’t quite reach that greatness level that I wanted. They gave me that here. Matt Riddle is almost always a safe bet for a very good match, while Roderick Strong is incredible. Seriously, is there a more underrated wrestler than Roddy? He has been one of the best in the world for a long time and people always overlook him. Anyway, they opened TakeOver XXV and stole the show. This match was simple and I mean that as a compliment. Strong delivered an array of backbreakers, which is his specialty. Riddle sold the hell out of it and made sure the audience never forgot about it. Then, he’d get in his bursts of offense at just the right time. It was masterfully laid out to play to both of their strengths. They made it so that something as basic as Strong getting his knees up on a Riddle aerial move meant so much. The work on the midsection played into the finish, as Riddle couldn’t apply the Bromission properly. He had to pivot and use the Bro Derek to win after 14:42. A stellar match that hasn’t been getting as much love as it should.
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174. Michael Elgin vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 25 8/15/15
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| Sometimes, all you need in wrestling is for two big dudes to collide and just go to war. That’s what this was. Michael Elgin silenced tons of doubters at the time with a phenomenal G1 Climax run and was arguably the MVP considering his consistency. Tomohiro Ishii is almost always someone to count on for good to great matches. Pair them together, given their size and styles, and you’re treated to the best hoss match of the year. Thank the G1 style for giving this the perfect amount of time at 14:33. I was in awe at some points, watching these two guys hammer away on each other. This wasn’t the typical “no selling” that some point to, rather it was two guys that can take punishment. Elgin got to shine, hitting an apron Death Valley driver, deadlift falcon arrow and a running powerbomb into the guardrail. Ishii sold the damage well even if he did have to power up a few times to get some shots back. Ishii couldn’t put Elgin down with some lariats, so he did so with a Brainbuster..
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173. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW G1 Climax 29 8/10/19
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| I have seen some people call Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay a match of the year contender. That’s strange to me since it wasn’t even close to the best thing either guy did during the G1 Climax. For example, Ospreay easily had his shining moment here. The match with Kota Ibushi was great but that’s a style we know Ospreay can excel at. This was different. It was a case where Willy had his hand held and he was led through the match by Tanahashi. Before the Ospreay lovers jump at me, that’s not a knock on him. Think back to every Okada/Tanahashi match pre-2016. They all were clearly led by Tanahashi. He’s an all-time great for a reason. He understands how to incorporate something that will work for someone into his style of match. That’s what happened here. Though Tanahashi was eliminated, his pride was on the line. He did things like bridge on a submission because he wanted to show that he could still hang with a guy like Ospreay. They told a wonderful story based around that. This did had some clear issues (Ospreay inconsistently sold the leg and his Hidden Blade was laughably bad) but it was okay because everything else rocked. In the end, Tanahashi did the job to the Jr. Heavyweight Champion, falling to Storm Breaker in 17:12. Yet again, Ospreay can impress when kept to the right match length and working with someone superior to lead the way. Tanahashi is the God.
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172. New Japan Cup First Round: Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/10/19
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| When you put Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito together, you’re almost guaranteed to get something special. I’ve never given any of their encounters less than four stars. They wrestled multiple times in 2019 but this first meeting was easily the best one to me. Putting them together in the first round of the New Japan Cup meant that a potential favorite would be gone immediately. High stakes indeed. Naito was aggressive from the start here. These two seem to be way into the idea of hurting each other. I saw them drop each other on their necks in vicious ways from bell to bell. Naito busted out a ridiculous sitout piledriver on the apron at one point. He followed it with a sly smirk that let you know how much he was enjoying taking this whole thing to the next level. They had plenty of callbacks to their brutal history and brought out the kind of closing stretch that New Japan is famous for. Ibushi had Destino scouted, countering it at every turn. However, Naito countered Kamigoye into one for a fantastic near fall. That seemed to ignite Ibushi, who went on a flurry to win and advance at the 20:38 mark.
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171. NEVER Championship: Tomohiro Ishii [c] vs. Hirooki Goto – Power Struggle 2014
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| There were brutal strikes from the opening bell. That’s Ishii’s domain and, though Goto can hold his own there, he got outmatched early. A chop exchange led to him crumpling to the mat in pain. Goto manned up and returned the favor to Ishii in the next few minutes, setting the tone that he would dish out as good as he took. The sheer brutality in this never wavered. Strike after strike. Chop after chop. Lariat after lariat. It seemed to become about more than the title, it was a test of who was manlier. A great exchange saw Goto finally send Ishii down with a lariat, only for him to pop up and return the favor. Goto got up instantly and they took each other out with simultaneous lariats. With each move someone survived, the crowd got louder and more invested. They continued to stiff each other and I honestly have no idea how they kept the pace they did. Goto nearly decapitated Ishii with a lariat, only for Ishii to kick out at one. That really took the crowd to the next level. Goto put the focus on Ishii’s neck and head, hitting several neckbreakers and USHIGOROSHI (shoutout to Mauro). Ishii had blood in his mouth and I’m not sure if it was something internal or a busted lip. After surviving the very best they could throw at each other, Ishii put Goto down and retained in 17:15. This is what the NEVER Openweight Title was built on. Two warriors doing battle to not just win, but outlast the other. They worked the crowd into a frenzy and never stopped. It’s the Tomohiro Ishii special. 12-20 minutes of non-stop, hard hitting action and a never say die attitude. Goto gave him everything in his arsenal, but Ishii weathered the storm and retained the gold. A must-see match that’s probably their second best encounter ever.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 23, 2021 7:04:17 GMT -5
170. Juice Robinson vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 29 7/28/19
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| One of the more interesting storylines during the G1 Climax this year was the redemption of Juice Robinson. Last year, he entered as the United States Heavyweight Champion but proceeded to struggle, finishing with a mere six points. Coming into this match, which was only his fifth, Juice already had six points. He went toe to toe with the NEVER Openweight Champion in a match that exceeded expectations. Juice didn’t back down at any point during this 17:42 contest. He threw everything he could into a chop duel even if he was severely outmatched. That’s pretty much Juice Robinson in a nutshell. The ultimate babyface fire. It was interesting that the chops took something out of Tomohiro Ishii, as if it gave him nerve damage. I will say that I feel they might have gone a bit overboard with the firing up and no selling spots but that’s kind of something I’ve come to expect from Ishii matches. Still, this was a banger. They added a lot by throwing in big bumps and smooth counters, so it wasn’t just a hard hitting affair. Ishii won this war with the Vertical Drop Brainbuster. Consider this another shining example of how improved Juice has become over the past few years.
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169. WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Brock Lesnar [c] vs. Roman Reigns – WWE WrestleMania 31
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| Like the rest of WrestleMania in 2015, this was poorly built. Like most of the rest of WrestleMania this year, this exceeded expectations. The fans were firmly behind Brock Lesnar as Roman Reigns was not getting many favorable responses at the time to say the least. The WWE did a pretty great job in booking this match. Brock had been a dominating presence for over a year by this point and fans weren’t into the idea of Reigns kicking his ass. So he didn’t. Brock abused him for the better part of this match. Reigns hit Brock hard more than a few times, busting him open, but Brock came back and coined the Suplex City Bitch phrase. I think the bit of Reigns laughing at Brock’s offense wasn’t great. I got the idea, but it didn’t come off as well as they probably hoped. Still, Reigns as the resilient fighter was good and then he found an opening when Brock hit the post outside. It was an instance where blood really added something. This was when things picked up as Reigns hit big move after big move and came so close to winning. Then Brock hit a fourth F5 and both men were down. Enter Seth Rollins. Mr. Money in the Bank ran out and cashed in, pinning Roman at 16:43. It kept Brock from getting pinned, didn’t overdo the Reigns push at that point and sent the fans home happy with the shocking title win for the MVP of the prior year. Excellently done.
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168. Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 28 7/15/18
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| The greatest single block in G1 Climax history got off to a hot start with this as the semi-main event of their first night. Kota Ibushi beat Zack Sabre Jr. in last year’s G1 (****½) and Sabre evened the score during this year’s New Japan Cup (****½). Sabre came in as the favorite thanks to tournament success, having won the New Japan Cup, Battle of Los Angeles, and Super Strong Style 16. Surprisingly, Ibushi attempted to match Sabre on the mat in the early stages. He tried his best but once he saw that wasn’t working, he changed to strikes. One roundhouse kick and Sabre was instantly in trouble. However, Sabre came prepared. He had Kota scouted like a master. He’d bend and twist his leg in vicious ways, looking to take out the kicks of his opponent. Whenever Ibushi would get something going, Sabre had an answer and it was usually targeted at the leg. Some of the submissions Zack did were just ungodly. I loved the moment where Kota powers out of a PK at one, and when hit with another he tried again but couldn’t muster the strength and had to wait until two. The same goes for Sabre checking the Kamigoye to avoid it. It’s the little things that count. Of course, after a wild final few minutes, Kota successfully hit Kamigoye to win in 22:58. These guys can do no wrong together. Counter wrestling, hard strikes, good mat work, and drama.
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167. Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 28 7/28/18
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| I love these guys. They’re two of the best in the world and they were basically the MVPs of the G1 Climax. Pitting them against each other always works. Their past matches have gotten ****¾ and ****¼ from me. They split those contests. As you expect and want from them, they went to war as soon as the bell rang. No motion was wasted in this strong style battle. Kota Ibushi even found a way to bust out one of his trademark balcony moonsaults and yet it never felt out of place. That’s because this match had a bit of everything. Ibushi took it right to Ishii, who responded by throwing bombs back. Ishii seemingly was letting him know that this is his area of expertise. The physicality got kicked up to the next level in the closing third of the match, though they may have gone a bit overboard. Looking back, it never felt as natural as it did in their 2014 classic. Still, this was a banger with some great moments throughout. I loved how they just began throwing disrespectful slaps at each other. The crowd hung on every strike, move, and near fall in this 16:13 encounter. It didn’t need to go long, because they packed it with action. Ibushi won with Kamigoye, adding another feather to the cap of his wild G1 run.
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166. PROGRESS Tag Team Championship: Calamari Catch Kings [c] vs. LAX – PROGRESS: New York City 8/7/18
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| PROGRESS’ Coast to Coast Tour provided us with a string of good shows featuring mostly good matches. Only one stood as truly being great. #CCK has been ravaged by injuries to Kid Lykos and it again took him out of the Thunderbastard Tag Team Series. Chris Brookes chose Jonathan Gresham as his replacement partner and they won the Tag Titles during the series. The Calamari Catch Kings put those titles on the line in New York against LAX and it proved to be a doozy. LAX was massively over in New York and it added a lot to the match. This was filled with creative spots by four hungry guys looking to steal the show. Santana had his leg worked on and did a masterful job of selling it. He could barely get his offense in and fell several times because he couldn’t put weight on it. The closing stretch of this 21:19 was out of this world. Tons of close calls, pins getting broken up, and fast paced exchanges that will leave you breathless. The final shot of Santana trapped in an inverted cloverleaf, with his bad leg, grasping at the hand of his partner Ortiz, who was being held at bay, is unbelievable. Santana had no choice but to tap out, ending one of the best tag team matches I have ever seen. It’s that good.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 24, 2021 8:53:56 GMT -5
165. WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. AJ Styles – WWE TLC 2018
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| They had some really good matches on Smackdown but they bested them all in this rematch. AJ Styles was dying to get his hands on Daniel Bryan, but the champion stalled and played mind games early. There was a lot to love about this. They played well off their previous match with callbacks, yet also threw in some stuff to remind you of matches they had with others. AJ is at his best as the fiery babyface and even though he’s the bigger guy here, Bryan’s persona was a perfect foil. Bryan was ruthless, precise, and the right amount of aggressive. It’s like I’m watching bits of his ROH heel run. Often, AJ’s slow build matches this year have missed the mark, but this worked expertly from start to finish. Everything they did mattered and felt like it had a purpose. That needs to happen more often in matches. Not just doing stuff for the sake of it. Styles would hit big blows, like the springboard 450 splash, but had so much damage done that he couldn’t capitalize and Bryan remained alive. The Calf Crusher close call was outstanding. Then, the most perfect moment of all came in the finish. AJ missed the Phenomenal Forearm but went for the small package. However, Mr. Small Package countered into one of his own to retain in an outstanding 23:54. It’s a finish from a favorite match of mine (Bret/Perfect at KOTR 93) and also made sense given how Bryan won the title. The best WWE Championship match since 2016.
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164. New Japan Cup Quarterfinals: Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/15/18
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| Last year, these two had a phenomenal match in the G1 Climax (****½), won by Kota Ibushi. Zack Sabre Jr. was out for revenge. Fresh off a win over Tetsuya Naito in the opening round, momentum was on his side. According to commentary, Ibushi said he’d rather face Naito because Sabre’s style is troublesome for him. I like little tidbits like that. Indeed, Sabre slowed the pace and took Kota to the mat. It took away the explosiveness that makes Ibushi so deadly. One thing I love about Sabre is that he will attack any body part he can get his hands on. Sometimes, it can impact the overall story, but it makes sense against Ibushi since he has so many weapons. Their exchanges, especially with strikes, were fantastic. Sabre had the Kamigoye scouted at every turn even though Ibushi hadn’t debuted it when they last met. The man does his homework. They used the finish from their last encounter for a great near fall down the stretch. Ibushi refused to give in, while Sabre grew frustrated that his best submissions couldn’t get the job done. That played into the finish, as Sabre locked in a sadistic octopus hold variation and when Ibushi didn’t quit, the referee was forced to call for a stoppage at 21:02. Stellar prof wrestling by two of the best on the planet. All without going too long.
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163. NXT North American Championship: Adam Cole [c] vs. Ricochet – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV
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| It’s amazing what the WWE machine can do for you. I am way more invested in the NXT versions of Adam Cole and Ricochet than I ever was of them beforehand. This match showed exactly why. This wasn’t a collection of moves, it was an expertly crafted story. Cole was champion but was insecure. Though he won the title in New Orleans, many were talking about Ricochet stealing the show that night. That’s why Cole did his best to ground Ricochet and continually told him that he wasn’t special. Cole needed to believe it. Ricochet would find bursts to hit his impressive aerial offense, but Cole would either survive or have an answer. He did his homework. The fans were completely into everything. When a superkick exchange saw Cole get lucky and land on top of Ricochet, they totally bit on that being the finish. The spot where Cole stopped a moonsault with a midair superkick was legendary. I loved that even with all the great spots, it was about two guys outsmarting each other. Ricochet goaded Cole into thinking he wasn’t ready for the Shining Wizard and countered it. Cole rolled away to avoid the 630 splash. Tit for tat. Ricochet had to take one final risk, with a massive rana to the outside, before successfully hitting the 630 and winning the title in 15:21. An outstanding combination of action and storytelling.
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162. PWG Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PWG Don’t Sweat the Technique
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| My first look at PWG in 2015 was this match. I had heard some rave reviews and made sure to find a way to give it a look. Despite the hype, it managed to deliver. Both Roderick Strong and Zack Sabre Jr. had tremendous 2015s and they saved their best work for each other. The PWG audience is almost always boisterous but they were on another level for this. The atmosphere really added to this, giving it a big fight feel. The setup was simple as Sabre, with his Kimura finisher, attacked the arm and Roderick, with his backbreakers and Stronghold, went after the back. The work done on both body parts combined with the selling was enough to take that basic concept and really make it work. It’s kind of a master class in pro wrestling for the most part that kicks into high gear near the end. For the final ten or so minutes of the 24:25, the fans are completely on their feet and buying into every close call. Heel Roderick proved to be too vicious, stomping on Sabre and going into a badass flurry before making him tap out to the Stronghold to retain.
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161. WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton [c] vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE WrestleMania XXX
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| Rev Theory performs “Voices” as Randy Orton makes his entrance. Bryan attempts to start hot but his injury quickly comes into play. While Bryan recovers outside, Batista beats Orton up around the ring. Orton ends up back dropping Batista onto the steel steps. They continue to go at it until Bryan gets involved, waking the crowd up. It’s a testament to Bryan’s popularity that he was able to get the crowd going after Undertaker. Bryan starts a rally but gets thwarted by the heels, freeing up Orton to hit a superplex on Batista. Bryan is back up and hits the diving headbutt on Orton. He gets the Yes Lock on but here come Stephanie and Triple H through the crowd for some reason to pull the referee out. They bring crooked referee Scott Armstrong with them and Bryan eats the Batista Bomb for two. Bryan ends up taking out Armstrong, HHH and even Stephanie with a suicide dive. The crowd comes unglued for it. HHH tries bringing a sledgehammer in but it backfires when Bryan levels him with it. Orton is now back up and sends Bryan outside. Batista and Orton channel their Evolution roots and work together to take out Bryan. The crowd chants for CM Punk as Batista and Orton murder Bryan with a Batista Bomb/RKO combination through the announce table. It was more of a neckbreaker from Orton, but it still looked rad. Orton took a sick bump on one of the monitors. Batista and Orton go at it while the crowd chants for Bryan. They do the stretcher job for Bryan but he pulls a Mick Foley and hops off, trying to fight for his life. Orton looks to take advantage but Bryan puts him in the Yes Lock. Cole shouts that it’s Bryan’s last chance and Batista interrupts. Bryan gets taken out and Orton hits the RKO for a near fall that the fans bite on. Orton looks for the punt on Batista but Bryan lays him out with the knee. Batista tosses him out and tries to steal the pin, which the fans again bite on. Batista Bomb connects but Bryan charges in with the knee. He slaps the Yes Lock on Batista, who submits after 23:19. Remember how Stone Cold used to have these great main event matches with the deck stacked against him and overbooking done right? That’s what we got here. They threw everything at Bryan in this match from the Authority interference to the stretcher job to the close near falls for Batista and Orton when they looked like they would steal it from him. The more I watch this match, the more I love it. Plus, that emotional finish was outstanding.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 25, 2021 8:30:57 GMT -5
160. Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 25 8/9/15
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| Since I began watching New Japan Pro Wrestling, two guys that are almost always a guarantee for a good to great match are Hirooki Goto and Tomohiro Ishii. So when I looked at the G1 Climax schedule and saw they were going to main event a show in the Korakuen Hall, I was stoked. They went out and, for 17:11, showed that they belonged in a top spot with one intense battle. I really enjoyed their chemistry together as things just clicked between them. Ishii is one of my favorite sellers in all of wrestling, which he got to showcase here. Goto, the reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion and with a win over IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, looked to have a ton of confidence. While both men are versatile enough to work different styles, they went strong style here, which is their strong suit. The action was stiff, the crowd was hot, the exchanges were great and the near falls were believable. There were multiple times where I noticed my jaw was hanging because they just went so hard. Goto won in yet another performance that proves he deserves a higher spot in New Japan. I believe I underrated this the first time around.
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159. NXT Championship: Tommaso Ciampa [c] vs. The Velveteen Dream – NXT TakeOver: War Games 2018
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| This was something special. Dream came out dressed like Hollywood Hogan setting the tone for his actions throughout the contest. Dream sees himself as a legend already. He busted out offense from legends like Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and even Hogan himself. It was fitting for who he is as a character. Meanwhile, Ciampa is a paranoid champion who will do anything in his power to remain on top. They had a great back and forth in terms of mind games. Ciampa stole Dream’s “Hollywood” headband, so Dream took the title, messing with what Ciampa loves most. Dream’s use of moves popularized by others could end up being the thing that cost him and he may need to regroup following this. Some of the near falls late went a bit overboard for me, but the fans ate them all up. They were engaged throughout. Dream missed a huge Purple Rainmaker on the apron, ultimately leading to Ciampa hitting the draping DDT onto the steel platform holding the two rings together at 22:25. I love how they keep finding innovative ways to do that DDT. Great match.
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158. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW The New Beginning In Sapporo 1/27/18
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| My list of perfect ***** matches is exclusive. In the entire history of wrestling, I’ve only given out the score about 30 times. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Minoru Suzuki have one of those back in 2012. While they didn’t recapture that magic in 2018, this was still phenomenal. There was no Suzuki-Gun attack or shenanigans. Minoru was aggressive from the start, which Tanahashi used against him. However, the challenger weathered the storm and got downright violent. Slaps, kicks, chair shots, submissions. You name it, Suzuki did it. He also got in Tanahashi’s head, laughing it off when the champion gave him his best shot. Tanahashi came in with an injured arm, but also messed up his leg during the battle. The sadistic Suzuki now had two targets. He applied a LONG Figure Four, but unlike last year’s New Beginning event (when he faced Okada), the babyface didn’t make some cheesy and generic comeback after it. Tanahashi survived, but was basically useless. The effort was there, but he was too damaged. Suzuki hit the Gotch Piledriver and could’ve won. But, that’s not Suzuki. Instead, he went back to the knee bar, wanting to destroy Tanahashi. The Ace lasted a few more minutes but once rolled to the center of the ring, the referee had no choice but to call it. Suzuki won the title at 33:28. Like most NJPW main events, this went longer than it needed to, as the same story could’ve been told in about 25-27 minutes. Still, that story was fantastically done by two of the best to ever lace up the boots.
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157. IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Special in USA Night One
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| Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a sucker for a great sprint. For 11:42, these two did just that and had the best match of the entire weekend in NJPW’s first US appearance. Zack Sabre Jr. made the mistake of trying to match Tomohiro Ishii for strikes. He quickly learned his lesson and went to his specialty, submissions. Ishii’s one of the best babyfaces in the world and he expertly drew in the crowd. They believed in him completely, which helped him rally free of Sabre’s grasp on several occasions. Some of Sabre’s submissions were brutal. There were two specific ones that saw Ishii’s limbs held, so he had to roll into the ropes to break it. The tease and suspense as he inched closer to the ropes was done better than any other match in recent memory. Since the ultimate babyface Ishii refused to submit, Sabre got frustrated. He went back to strikes and it cost him. Ishii floored him with a huge lariat and nailed the Brainbuster to advance to the finals. Ishii didn’t beat Sabre, he survived him. That helped solidify Sabre as a threat, while adding another chapter to Ishii’s incredible 2017. It’s one of the best sub-15 minute matches I can recall.
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156. NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: The Authors of Pain [c] vs. #DIY – NXT TakeOver: Chicago
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| NXT’s tag team division was a highlight of 2016. They consistently put on stellar matches that almost always stole the show. That trend continued into 2017 and none were better than this classic Ladder Match. The stipulation is kind of overdone, but these four found innovative ways to make the match work. They blended in great spots to wow the crowd with excellent moments of storytelling. #DIY used their speed and the ladders to even the playing field against their larger opponents. Their stereo dives off the ladder onto AOP and other ladders was absolutely insane and I can’t believe they didn’t get hurt. Gargano got close to winning, only to be thwarted by Paul Ellering. Kudos to Paul for being willing to take the superkick he got hit with. There were also the great moments of Ciampa hitting a super German on Rezar onto a ladder and Gargano sacrificing himself to take a ladder shot so his partner didn’t. AOP cut off DIY being so close to the titles and used the Super Collider to take them out before retaining at 20:08. An incredible match that once again showed how good this division was. The Authors were arguably the best team in wrestling, at the time while #DIY had a stellar final showing. Ciampa would turn on Gargano in one of the biggest emotional gut punches in years.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 26, 2021 9:22:49 GMT -5
155. Fenix and Pentagon Jr. vs. Heroes Eventually Die – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 9/3/16
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| Lucha Underground stars Fenix and Pentagon Jr. are brothers in real life though it isn’t mentioned on the show. It was front and center in this non-tournament tag match during PWG’s annual Battle of Los Angeles weekend. They sported matching masked that fused their normal masks together for a dope visual. Heroes Eventually Die consists of Chris Hero and Tommy End. Almost everything about this match ruled. Pentagon yelling obscenities in Spanish at everyone, Fenix and End going at each other viciously and the insane spots from the brothers. At one point, Pentagon launched Fenix up onto his shoulders and Fenix then moonsaulted off onto Hero and End on the outside. Heroes Eventually Die took over as the brute tag team, while Fenix and Penty got to play the resilient babyface duo. Fenix took a beating like a champ before doing some cool double team moves. In the end, it came down to Fenix and End, who just destroyed each other. Fenix scored on a super rana and then a springboard 450 splash to pick up the win at 18:22. This was the second-best tag team match of the year and the best match of PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles weekend. Pentagon Jr. and Fenix should team up more often around the indies because they are fantastic together.
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154. New Japan Cup Finals: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/21/18
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| Coming into this, these guys were 1-1 against each other. Hiroshi Tanahashi was banged up, but made it through to the finals. Zack Sabre Jr. dominated and made all three previous opponents (Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi, and SANADA) tap out. Here is the perfect example of a match that goes long and makes the most of it. The reason it lasts 34:02 is because it is the definition of a human chess match. Sabre had him perfectly scouted. He obviously went after Tanahashi’s damaged arm, but also threw in some work to the leg, playing off another prior injury and doing so to cut off stuff like the High Fly Flow. He didn’t let Tanahashi get into his rhythm, cutting off stuff like the skin the cat spot. Tanahashi’s comeback was great, as he continued to sell the work done. Sabre grew angrier that his game plan couldn’t seem to keep this old, injured man down. Tanahashi dishing back the European Clutch pin made for a tremendous near fall. Despite his best efforts, though, Tanahashi got trapped in a submission he couldn’t escape and tapped out. A layered match with strong storytelling elements, and a great pace. Everything they did mattered and they nailed the little nuances to make this special.
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153. WWE Universal Championship: Seth Rollins [c] vs. AJ Styles – WWE Money in the Bank 2019
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| Here was a dream match that I wanted since the day AJ Styles stepped out at the 2016 Royal Rumble. Two of my all-time favorites competing in a one on one encounter for a major title. What’s not to love? To make it better, this wasn’t hampered by overbooking or shenanigans. WWE opted to just let them do their thing. Still, I was worried. Seth Rollins put on a few stinkers in 2019 and AJ Styles hasn’t been consistently great since early 2017. Yet this came together wonderfully to deliver exactly what I was hoping for. They started off slowly, almost like they were going for impressing the NJPW crowd. They picked up the pace as things progressed before getting wild late. However, the early portions here felt important. It showed how evenly matched they were and let us know how level the playing field was. As soon as AJ went for a Styles Clash off the apron, this became something special. The Curb Stomp countered into a Styles Clash was one of the best spots all year. After Seth survived that, he used the Ripcord Knee, superkick, and Curb Stomp to retain in a stellar in 19:51. Easily the best singles match either man had in 2019.
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152. WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. WALTER – NXT TakeOver: New York
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| Pete Dunne reigned as WWE United Kingdom Champion for nearly 700 days. It began way back in the match that topped this list in 2017 against Tyler Bate. Nobody could dethrone him. Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Jordan Devlin, Roderick Strong, and many others tried but came up short against the “Bruiserweight.” Enter WALTER. The big man arrived at TakeOver: Blackpool and immediately became Dunne’s biggest threat. They met here and lived up to the lofty expectations. Dunne struggled to face someone so different. WALTER could drop him with a chop, leap over him impressively, and dominate him like no other. Dunne took a while to adjust before busting out things like a ridiculous sitout powerbomb and diving stomp to the outside. The best moment came when he snapped at WALTER’s fingers to negate his chops. Even when WALTER had to resort to something different, you never felt like he was in true trouble. And that’s okay. The story being told was that Dunne had met someone who could finally beat him. A powerbomb off the top and a splash was finally enough to keep Dunne down, giving us a new champion in 25:31. An incredible match worthy of ending Dunne’s outstanding title reign. The WALTER era began and we were all here to enjoy it.
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151. El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/22/18
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| Talk about a match that came from out of nowhere. Hiromu Takahashi is among the best in the world, so he was no surprise. El Desperado is easily the best Suzuki-Gun member not named Minoru or Zack, but I just wasn’t expecting this. They had the match of the Best of the Super Juniors (not counting the finals) tournament. Their previous singles meeting came over six years ago when they were both Young Lions. What we got in this one was a war. Hiromu attacked before the bell, turning the tables on his Suzuki-Gun opponent. They brawled into the crowd, where Hiromu busted out a memorable and aggressive dropkick. When chairs were brought into play, Hiromu took one to the back, setting up Desperado’s focus. As part of his attack, I loved Desperado bringing out the Young Lion crab, looking to beat him with the same move that worked all those years ago. Down the stretch, they began to throw their best shots at one another, while managing to never hit the overboard level that too many matches reach. There were some top notch near falls, like when Desperado used El Guitarra de Angel and Hiromu hit the corner DVD. Desperado pulled it out by nailing Pinche Loco after 22:48. This was different from anything else in the tournament. Two guys going to war over two points in an important tournament.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on May 27, 2021 9:00:28 GMT -5
150. Super Strong Style 16 Quarterfinals: Jeff Cobb vs. Matt Riddle – PROGRESS Chapter 49: Super Strong Style 16
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| The Chosen Bros explode! Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb are buddies and partners, but were matched up to meet in the excellent Super Strong Style 16 tournament. Riddle won his first round match in six seconds with a knockout knee. He went for that here, but Cobb was wise and knew to avoid it. There was a great moment where Riddle used Cobb’s own rolling gutwrench suplex spot. It was an impressive show of strength from Riddle, but then Cobb countered and threw him around like nothing. That signaled the pace picking up, as the rest of the 13:39 saw them throw non-stop bombs. Cobb survived a Bro to Sleep, before hitting a huge Tombstone. Riddle was so hurt, he could only instinctively kick out. It was incredibly weak. Think Sami Zayn at TakeOver: Rival. They got a standing ovation after Riddle hit a series of fisherman busters and an even louder one when Cobb hit a Canadian Destroyer followed by a ridiculous popup German. Somehow, that wasn’t the finish. Riddle escaped Cobb’s next move and used that knockout knee to advance to the semi-finals. An absolutely absurd match in the best possible way.
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149. Hirooki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Dominion 2013
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| These two have a long history of friendship and as partners. They had a match a few months earlier that ended in a double knockout. Right at the bell, Hirooki Goto charges and lays out Katsuyori Shibata with a big lariat, setting the tone. Shibata turns the tide with some of his vicious kicks. He applies a figure four that sees Goto sit up and just lay into him with slaps. Shibata seems to urge him to hit harder. Shibata continues with hard strikes until Goto lifts him for a stalling back suplex. This leads to both guys hitting those on each other, getting up nearly instantly. Goto stops that with a lariat to the back of the head but before falling, Shibata gets in a Pele like kick. When both men get up, it’s an exchange of strikes. The final blows being stereo slaps that send both men to the mat. The fans applaud the fact that they can just stand up. Shibata hits a kick and headbutt that both sound incredible painful. The headbutt brings a double KO tease that the crowd comes alive for. Goto scores a near fall on a signature move that the fans bite on. Shibata now brings the big offense with a Death Valley Driver and then uses Goto’s own neckbreaker on him. The sleeper and Penalty Kick put Goto down for the count after 13:16 This is pretty much the Shibata special. Give this man 12-15 minutes and you’re almost guaranteed a tremendous hard hitting match. These guys know each other well enough for things to move along smoothly. The fact that both men were able to walk out after is amazing considering the sheer brutality of this match. There’s something about Shibata matches that just feel more real than anything else in wrestling.
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148. Hair vs. Hair Match: Ethan Carter III vs. Rockstar Spud – TNA Impact 3/13/15
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| Ethan Carter III was one of the few things TNA did right around this era. Along with Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, he was the best heel in wrestling of the time. His former little buddy Rockstar Spud met him in this main event match. The atmosphere in England was electric, as the crowd was firmly behind the home country underdog in Spud. This was well laid out, with them building to bigger things that the crowd ate up. They got Tyrus and Mr. Anderson involved, which made sense given the feud coming into this match. Jeremy Borash also got in, hitting a low blow, which again played into the rivalry. Carter would use his arm brace to bust Spud open, giving the rest of this contest a great visual. Seeing Spud take a beating, only to rally with a crimson mask, completely added to this. It was the kind of star making performance for both men that the company could use more often. After 17:03, Carter won but had a concerned look on his face. He seemed to cut a positive promo about Spud, only to stay in full heel mode and turn it right back around on him, attacking him. He’s such a dick and it’s wonderful.
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147. RevPro British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata [c] vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 2017
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| I’ve made my feelings on Will Ospreay well known in this list. However, he was at his very best in 2017 on this night. With their penchant for high octane stuff, you’d expect them to go after one another like Shibata and Ishii usually do. Instead, Ospreay played it smart, knowing he’d get his ass handed to him if he went at Shibata. After a bit of grappling, they picked up the pace and it was pure insanity. With that style taking over, Ospreay gained enough confidence to steal Shibata’s signature taunt and do his corner dropkick. When he lost the strike battle, he found ways to combat it, like kicking Shibata’s head into the ring post. Ospreay even went for his own version of the Rainmaker (with Okada watching on commentary), but nothing he could do was enough to keep Shibata down. Shibata was too much and he used the sleeper/PK combo to retain the title after an awesome 13:51. Other than his matches with KUSHIDA, this was probably the best Ospreay outing I’ve seen. He gave it his very best, it just wasn’t enough on this night. An excellently paced match that was an incredible first time outing.
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146. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW G1 Climax 23 8/10/13
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| The stakes are high as the two top guys in New Japan face off and with a loss, either guy would be eliminated from winning their block. These two have traded the IWGP Heavyweight Title for a little over a year at this point. Their feeling out process is fun since they know each other so well. It’s great watching them try to outmaneuver the other with something that they haven’t brought to the table yet. Okada grabs the first real advantage, hitting a rope hung DDT in the corner. He comes close to a countout victory, which he would love to take. Okada wears down Tanahashi in the ring. It’s as if Okada, who just won the belt from Tanahashi a few months earlier, has Tanahashi’s number. Ever resilient, Tanahashi starts a rally and connects on High Fly Flow to the outside. He mercilessly goes after Okada’s leg, hitting a dragon screw and then just stomping on it relentless. They get into a battle of strikes that has the crowd on the edge of their seats. Okada’s arm is busted as he calls for the Rainmaker, which Tanahashi avoids. Tanahashi goes back to the leg with more dragon screws and a cloverleaf. Tanahashi does his own Rainmaker pose but Okada sends him over, where he skins the cat back in and nails slingblade. He misses High Fly Flow however. Okada tries for the tombstone but his arm gives out, so he goes with a dropkick. This time, the tombstone connects, but Tanahashi counters the Rainmaker into one of his own! Near falls from both men come as we reach a boiling point. Tanahashi hits the Styles Clash, a sign of things to come, but Okada gets his knees up on High Fly Flow. They continue to go at it and Okada scores on a dropkick. Tanahashi manages to again avoid the Rainmaker as time expires at 30:00. It’s pretty much impossible for these two to have a bad match. I’ve loved all but one of their matches and this was excellent. It did start a bit slow, but it made sense given their history. When things got going, it really was incredible. Such good and forth, with some top notch selling and great counters. Add in the drama of the clock winding down and the desperation of both men needing this win and you’ve got a classic.
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