2022 Match of the Year
2022 was an excellent year for high-end matches and a significant return for WWE on my list. Stardom, of course, reigned supreme for me. They are my go-to promotion. It was challenging to narrow this list down, so there are quite a lot of honourable mentions. I rated 178 matches in 2022 as 7/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
- AZM vs Starlight Kid, Stardom, February 23
- Giulia vs Syuri, Stardom, March 26
- Mayu Iwatani vs Syuri, Stardom, March 27
- Arisa Nakajima vs Tsukasa Fujimoto, SEAdLINNNG, April 29
- Mayu Iwatani vs Starlight Kid, Stardom, October 1
- Jordynne Grace vs Masha Slamovich, Impact, October 7
- Mayu Iwatani vs Utami Hayashishita, Stardom, October 23
- Syuri vs Utami Hayashishita, Stardom, November 19
#10
Pentagon, Jr. vs Villano IV
“Ruleta De La Muerte Final Mask Vs. Mask Match”
AAA TripleMania XXX: Mexico City
October 15
Arena Ciudad de Mexico
I always love a big mask vs mask match. They always have drama and emotions that are hard to reach otherwise. This one was not like the CMLL ones, as it was a bloody and violent affair. Villano IV was a great underdog. A true throwback to violent mask matches of the past.
#9
Deonna Purrazzo vs Mickie James
“Impact Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match”
Impact Hard to Kill
January 8
The Factory in Deep Ellum
A violent and bloody “Texas Death Match” is a must-watch. Similar to my #10 match, this is a blast from the past with a modern twist. A great feud ending hate brawl.
#8
The Bloodline (Jey & Jimmy Uso, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, & Solo Sikoa)
vs
Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Butch, Ridge Holland, & Sheamus
“War Games”
WWE Survivor Series
November 26
TD Garden
I seem to be alone for the love of this match, but I love great storytelling and the story of Sami Zayn trying to prove his loyalty to The Bloodline in this one was top-notch. Add in his friendship with Kevin Owens and this one had levels. Everyone played their roles well and this was a great brawl too. It was big-time dramatic down the stretch too with such a satisfying conclusion.
#7
Gunther vs Sheamus
“WWE Intercontinental Championship”
WWE Clash at the Castle
September 3
Principality Stadium
These two beat the hell out of each other in their home continent which was really hot. This battle brought the IC Title back to where it should be, the worker’s title held by a future star. Sheamus doesn’t get enough credit for being a great babyface who can draw great sympathy. Let’s not beat around the bush here, this was a stiff war!
#6
The Usos vs The Street Profits
“WWE Raw & SmackDown Tag Team Championship”
WWE Money in the Bank
July 2
MGM Grand Garden Arena
I didn’t see this match get too much hype, but it was the best tag team match of the year. The Street Profits were perfect underdog babyfaces against the Usos who refused to stay down. All of their comebacks were magical and this was a perfect mix of old-school tag team wrestling with modern excitement style.
#5
Giulia vs Tam Nakano
“5STAR Grand Prix 2022 Final Match”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix 2022: Championship Battle
October 1
Musashino Forest Sports Plaza Main Arena
The two long-term rivals reach the finals of the 5Star Grand Prix and have to do it one more time. Giulia and Tam added to their all-time great feud with another classic. Both play their roles perfectly with the high stakes of the tournament on the line.
#4
KAIRI vs Mayu Iwatani
“IWGP Women’s Title Tournament Final”
NJPW/Stardom Historic X-over
November 20
Ariake Arena
A historic match that main evented the first-ever NJPW/Stardom show for the first-ever IWGP Women’s Championship. These two know how to feel special and make matches feel big time and they delivered on that front. Great emotions and great storytelling in this one.
#3
Giulia vs Mayu Iwatani
“Rights to Challenge for the World of Stardom Title”
Stardom Nagoya Supreme Fight
January 29
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
This was the match to determine who would get the World of Stardom Title shot at Stardom’s biggest show ever and they fought like that. It had a very old-school approach, but incorporated modern Japanese wrestling in a fresh way. A thirty-minute draw that felt like a twenty-minute match, and didn’t let on that it was a draw.
#2
Becky Lynch vs Bianca Belair
“WWE Raw Women’s Championship”
WWE WrestleMania 38: Saturday
April 2
AT&T Stadium
The main event of WrestleMania delivered big (Becks?) time! They called back to their SummerSlam match early and then continued with a brilliant heel performance by Lynch. The psychology was great and this was an instant classic.
#1
Giulia
vs
Syuri
“World of Stardom Championship”
December 29
Ryōgoku Kokugikan
I waited on putting out this list until this match had ended and that was a wise decision as it is my match of the year. A very long-term storyline that paid off in a highly emotional moment on a grand stage, this is pro-wrestling!
I loved that this was a different kind of epic. At no point did they try to pad the time with pointless limp work that went nowhere. Nope, these two went to war from the opening bell to the end. So many huge moments and spots including an Exploder suplex from the ramp to the audience!
They had the finishing sequence was perfect. They were struggling for everything. One could say it had “botches” or they were “sloppy”, but it really felt like they were destroyed. Great match, on the same level as the Dream Queendom match between Utami and Syuri last December.
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Coming Soon!
My top 25 wrestlers of 2022.
The Greatest Wrestlers of 1983
In route to putting together my top 100 list of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue”, I put together a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1993, 2004, 2010, & 2015 are on the blog.
1983
Going back to the 1980s was something I needed to do to balance out my overall list. 1983 was before I was watching, I was two years old. but it’s the year supercards really took off in the USA. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed in this year. I knew the finishes would be bad, but that was still difficult to deal with. What really bugged me was the amount of time killing I felt was happening in matches. I doubt that was the purpose of it, but a lot of matches felt like they had a cool start, rested a bunch, then had a great ending. Luckily enough workers and matches overcame that and I have put together a list of 25 great wrestlers!
Process
I have a master list of everyone I have considered for each of these top 25 lists and how many matches they worked on each year. I see who worked in 1983 and start watching the footage. I take suggestions and look at other lists to see who needs to be explored.
After watching a ton of footage I start to make a list and cut anyone who either I can’t find 3 matches of their worth recommending or I don’t care to find that many. From there it’s a matter of finding an order that I feel comfortable with based on the quality of output, versatility, and whatever qualities make a great wrestler.
The List
All of the below stats are from cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect. I have excluded AJW’s number of matches, because cagematch has next to nothing on them.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list, it’s a list of matches I have watched for this process, plus matches on my spreadsheet from before. Starting with this list I will not go beyound 5 matches.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
- Bad News Allen
- Big John Studd
- Junkyard Dog
- MS-1
- Pedro Morales
- Rick Martel
#25
Jake “The Snake” Roberts
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2004, & 2015
Matches: 204
Places Worked: Mid-Atlantic, GCW, Florida, Maple Leaf, WCCW, & Mid-South
Title Held: NWA World Television Championship
Tournament: NWA World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Tournament with Dory Funk, Jr. (final)
Previously I never considered Roberts as a real candidate, but I stumbled across a performance of his that blew me away. The more I dug into his 1983, the more impressed I was. When Jake is an evil wrestler tearing people apart with great psychology, he is fantastic and makes it onto this list.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Brett Sawyer, GCW The Last Battle of Atlanta, October 23
- vs Jim Duggan, Mid-South, December 16
- vs Ron Garvin, GCW, December 17
#24
Itsuki Yamazaki
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#13)
Years Unranked: none
Places Worked: AJW
Tournament: Fuji Television League Cup with Devil Masami
The future Jumping Bomb Angel was already an exciting wrestler in 1983. She was essentially a cruiserweight worker in AJW and gave a different element to her matches.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Noriyo Tateno, AJW, July 9
- vs Mimi Harigawa, AJW, November
- with Jumbo Hori vs Devil Masami & Itsuki Yamazaki, “2/3 Falls”, AJW, November 29 (#5 MOTY)
#23
Mad Dog Vachon
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985
Matches: 97
Places Worked: AWA & International Wrestling
Vachon was in his mid-50s in 1983, but when you are that great of a wrestler it doesn’t stop you from being awesome. He brought a great chaotic brawling energy to all of his matches. The old veteran badass legend as a babyface really fits in great with AWA.
Recommended Matches:
- with Baron Von Raschke vs Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan Kaissey, “Taped Fist”, AWA, March 13
- vs Jerry Blackwell, “Algerian Death Match”, AWA, May 22 (#10 MOTY)
- vs Nick Bockwinkel, AWA, December 25
#22
Dynamite Kid
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 178
Places Worked: Pacific Northwest, Stampede, & NJPW
Titles Held: Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Championship, NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship, & NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship with The Assassin
Dynamite Kid is a precursor of a wrestling style I rather dislike and I’m not so keen on it in 1983, however, he was having great matches in three different countries and that’s hard to deny.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kuniaki Kobayashi, NJPW, April 3
- vs Tiger Mask, NJPW, April 21
- vs Buddy Rose, Portland, September 17
#21
Jumbo Hori
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#25)
Years Unranked: none
Place Worked: AJW
Title Held: WWWA Tag Team Championship with Yukari Omori
Tournament: Fuji Television League Cup with Yukari Omori
As you can tell from the name Jumbo Hori is a big kind of power wrestler in joshi. Watching her power bomb the roster always gets a pop out of me. What really got her onto the list was her team with Yukari Omori, The Dynamite Girls were a perfect foil for the roster and a great tag team.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Devil Masami, AJW, May
- with Yukari Omori vs Devil Masami & Taranutla, AJW, June 14
- with Yukari Omori vs Devil Masami & Itsuki Yamazaki, “2/3 Falls”, AJW, November 29 (#5 MOTY)
#20
Killer Khan
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985
Matches: 175
Place Worked: NJPW
Tournament: IWGP League
The wild “Mongolian” Killer Khan is a joy to watch. He’s so expressive it makes every match just fun! Of course, he’s a violent brawler which helps too. A perfect foil
Recommended Matches:
- vs Seiji Sakaguchi, NJPW, January 14
- vs Andre the Giant, NJPW, June 1
- vs Bad News Allen, NJPW, September 22
#19
Jerry Blackwell
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985
Matches: 159
Places Worked: AWA, St. Louis, Central States, & Memphis
Titles Held: NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship & AWA World Tag Team Championship with Ken Patera
Tournament: NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title Tournament
There isn’t a lot of footage of Blackwell in 1983, but what we do have is awesome. He’s full-on heel-wrecking ball mode this year, spending most of his time as a Sheik meaning with Adnan Kaissey and Ken Patera. The team is a tremendous heel unit that can show dominance, but also bump to really put the faces over.
Recommended Matches:
- with Sheik Adnan Kaissey vs Baron Von Raschke & Mad Dog Vachon, “Taped Fist”, AWA, March 13
- vs Mad Dog Vachon, “Algerian Death Match”, AWA, May 22 (#10 MOTY)
- with Ken Patera vs Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell, AWA, November 24
#18
“Wildfire” Tommy Rich
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1993, & 1997
Matches: 170
Places Worked: GCW, Mid-Altlantic, AJPW, Mid-South, SWCW, St. Louis, & Central States
Title Held: NWA National Heavyweight Championship
Tournament: NWA National Heavyweight Title Tournament
The babyface component of the Buzz Sawyer feud, Rich was a great-selling babyface. He fought with great fire and could mix it up with a bloody brawl as well as anyone.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Buzz Sawyer, “No DQ”, SWCW, July 4
- vs Kamala, Mid-South, July 29
- vs Buzz Sawyer, “Cage”, GCW The Last Battle of Atlanta, October 23 (#7 MOTY)
#17
Tiger Mask
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1997, & 2010
Matches: 102
Places Worked: NJPW & UWA
Title Held: WWF Junior Heavyweight Champion (twice)
I can see why people were so enamoured by Tiger Mask in 1983. The mask and colours made him stand out. The quickness of the kicks and flying was breathtaking. Not to mention some of the moves you never saw in Japan were all of a sudden front and centre in NJPW.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Gran Hamada, NJPW, February 3
- vs Black Tiger, NJPW, February 7
- vs Dynamite Kid, NJPW, April 21
#16
Chigusa Nagayo
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#1)
Years Unranked: 1997 & 2004
Place Worked: AJW
The Crush Gals didn’t fully take off yet in 1983, but you got glimpses of the greatness of Chigusa already.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Lioness Asuka, AJW, January 4
- with Lioness Asuka vs Jaguar Yokota & Noriyo Tateno, AJW, August 21
- with Lioness Asuka vs Jaguar Yokota & Kanako Nagatomo, AJW, November
- vs Jaguar Yokota, AJW, December
#15
Andre the Giant
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 223
Places Worked: WWF, NJPW, Mid-South, AWA, Florida, Mid-Atlantic, International Wrestling, WCCW, Pacific Northwest, UWA, St. Louis, Central States, Maple Leaf, EMLL, WWC, Stampede, & Memphis
Tournament: IWGP League (semi-final)
Andre the Giant is one of the most rewarding wrestlers to work with in the early 1980s. In NJPW he’s a monster force of nature and in America, he is going from territory to territory doing all sorts of fun matchups, of course, centred in the WWF. He’s such a smart worker and gives the fans exactly what they want!
Recommended Matches:
- vs Akia Maeda, NJPW, May 13
- vs Killer Khan, NJPW, June 1
- vs Abdullah the Butcher, WWC Aniversario 10, September 17
#14
Butch Reed
Previous Rankings: 1985 (#15) & 1990 (#20)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 158
Places Worked: Mid-South, GCW, St. Louis, & Central States
Title Held: Mid-South North American Championship (twice) & Mid-South Tag Team Championship with Jim Neidhart
Tournaments: Mid-South North American Title Tournament (semi-final), NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title Tournament (semi-final), & GCW Thanksgiving Day Tag Team Tournament with Pez Whatley (winner)
Butch Reed is one of those wrestlers that just clicks with him. His charisma is great, he works great as an underdog babyface or a beast rough heel, and he looks great. All of that was on display in 1983.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Iron Sheik, Mid-South, April 8
- vs Junkyard Dog, Mid-South, July 29
- vs Junkyard Dog, “Dog-Collar”, Mid-South, November 3
#13
“Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 173
Places Worked: GCW, Mid-South, SWCW, & Florida
Title Held: NWA National Tag Team Championship with Brett Sawyer
Tournament: NWA National Heavyweight Title Tournament
Buzz Sawyer was the catalyst for one of the most famous feuds of 1983, the Tommy Rich feud. He was the perfect violent enemy to torment Rich. What’s impressive about his 1983, was his ability to work babyface as well later in the year. If you are looking for a good brawl, you don’t have to look further than Sawyer in 1983.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Tommy Rich, “No DQ”, SWCW, July 4
- vs Tommy Rich, “Cage”, GCW The Last Battle of Atlanta, October 23 (#7 MOTY)
- vs Abdullah the Butcher, GCW, November 6
- vs Ted DiBiase, GCW, November 4
#12
“The Magnificent One” Don Muraco
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#24)
Years Unranked: 1993
Matches: 218
Places Worked: WWF & Maple Leaf
Title Held: WWF Intercontinental Championship
Don Muraco was at his height as an arrogant heel in 1983. He won the belt in January in a great brawl with Pedro Morales and spent the rest of the year defending the belt and getting massive heat. He had an all-time classic feud to end the year out that had very special moments. The real negative was his feud with Backlund over the World Title. In 1983 those two decided to spend most of the matches in headlocks instead of having a good match.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Pedro Morales, WWF, January 22
- vs Rocky Johnson, WWF, May 23
- plus more
#11
Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, & 1993
Matches: 131
Places Worked: WCCW, Mid-South, AJPW, & SWCW
Titles Held: NWA American Heavyweight Championship, NWA American Tag Team Championship with Michael Hayes, WCCW World Six Man Tag Team Championship with Buddy Roberts and Michael Hayes (twice), & NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship
I have never thought too much about Terry Gordy in the past, but this year was a real eye-opener for me. He’s a whirlwind of destructive beefy energy. He really excels in tags as a complement to others either teaming with Hansen or The Fabulous Freebirds.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kerry Von Erich, WCCW, June 10
- with Buddy Roberts & Michael Hayes vs David Von Erich, Kerry Von Erich, & Kevin Von Erich, “2/3 Falls”, WCCW, July 4 (#8 MOTY)
- with Stan Hansen vs Genichiro Tenryu & Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW, August 26 (#6 MOTY)
- with Stan Hansen vs Dory Funk, Jr. & Terry Funk, AJPW, August 31
#10
Sgt. Slaughter
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 219
Places Worked: WWF, Mid-Atlantic, Maple Leaf, & CWA
Titles Held: NWA World Tag Team Championship with Don Kernodle & NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship
Sgt. Slaughter was a tremendous heel in 1983. He took a nothing guy in Don Kernodle and they headlined the first huge supercard in America because the program with Youngblood and Steamboat was so hot. He then moved on to the WWF and again was a tremendous heel, albeit with fewer opportunites to have stellar matches.
Recommended Matches:
- with Don Kerndodle vs Jay Youngblood & Ricky Steamboat, Mid-Atlantic, January 30
- with Don Kernodle vs Jay Youngblood & Ricky Steamboat, “Cage”, NWA Starrcade, March 12 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Bob Backlund, WWF, May 23
#9
Devil Masami
Previous Rankings: 1985 (#6) & 1993 (#20)
Years Unranked: 1997 & 2004
Place Worked: AJW
Title Held: WWWA Tag Team Championship with Tarantula
Tournament: Fuji Television League Cup with Itsuki Yamazaki
Devil Masami was a stand-out in AJW with her huge presence. She had a great run in multiple tag teams, making both feels like natural teams. Her facial expressions were elite, of course, as well as her dominant heel abilities.
Recommended Matches:
- with Tarantula vs Jaguar Yokota & Mimi Hagiwara, AJW, January 4
- vs Jumbo Hori, AJW, May
- with Tarantula vs Jumbo Hori & Yukari Omori, AJW, June 14
- vs Monster Ripper, “Chain”, AJW, November
- with Itsuki Yamazaki vs Jumbo Hori & Yukari Omori, “2/3 Falls”, AJW, November 29 (#5 MOTY)
#8
Kerry Von Erich
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 150
Places Worked: WCCW, Mid-South, AJPW, St. Louis, & Central States
Titles Held: NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship, WCCW World Six Man Tag Team Championship with David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich (twice), & NWA American Tag Team Championship with Bruiser Brody
Kerry Von Erich is a unique watch. He looks extremely athletic with a great body but seems kind of uncoordinated. He often looks like he is legit fighting for his life and is not in a worked match. He is charismatic though and can build a lot of sympathy and his wild punch comebacks are fun to watch.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Greg Valentine, St. Louis, February 11
- vs Genichiro Tenryu, AJPW, April 7
- vs Terry Gordy, WCCW, June 10
- with David Von Erich & Kevin Von Erich vs Buddy Roberts, Michael Hayes, & Terry Gordy, “2/3 Falls”, WCCW, July 4 (#8 MOTY)
#7
Sangre Chicana
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1993, 1997, & 2004
Places Worked: EMLL & UWA
Titles Held: UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (twice)
Sangre Chicana in 1983 was one of the great lucha-brawling tecnicos in wrestling history, which was highlighted by the MS-1 main event match at the 50th Anivesario. He was a special underdog who never backed down and luckily one of the few luchadores with enough footage remaining.
Recommended Matches:
- vs MS-1, “Cabellera vs Cabellera”, EMLL 50. Aniversario – C, September 23 (#1 MOTY)
- vs El Satanico, EMLL, September 24
- with La Fiera & Mocho Cota vs Espectro, Jr., MS1, & El Satanico, EMLL, September 30
- vs Ringo Mendoza, EMLL, October 28
- vs Villano III, EMLL, November 18
#6
“Playboy” Buddy Rose
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1990
Matches: 188
Places Worked: Pacific Northwest, WWF, NJPW, & Maple Leaf
Title Held: NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship with Brian Adidas & NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship with Curt Hennig
Buddy Rose has always been an amazing ace heel in Portland and in 1983 he showed even more with a great babyface run. The real joy of Buddy is watching him a week to week in the same venue and not having it get old.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Pedro Morales, WWF, February 18
- vs Chris Adams, Portland, February 28
- vs Curt Hennig, Portland, March 26
- vs Dynamite Kid, Portland, September 17
#5
Jaguar Yokota
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#2)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2021
Place Worked: AJW
Title Held: WWWA World Championship
Jaguar Yokota feels like a wrestler working at another level in 1983. The speed, the innovative moves that men won’t be doing for decades, the intensity, and power. Watching Jaguar in 1983 feels like you are watching Rey Mysterio in 1995, it is special and the future.
Recommended Matches:
- with Mimi Hagiwara vs Devil Masami & Tarantula, AJW, January 4
- vs La Galactica, “Hair vs Mask”, AJW, May 7
- with Noriyo Tateno vs Chigusa Nagayo & Lioness Asuka, August 21
- with Kanako Nagatomo vs Chigusa Nagayo & Lioness Asuka, AJW, November
- vs Chigusa Nagayo, AJW, December
#4
Nick Bockwinkel
PreviousRanking: 1985 (#19)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 107
Places Worked: AWA, Memphis, Mid-South, AJPW, International Wrestling, & Stampede
Title Held: AWA World Heavyweight
Bockwinkel is one of the smartest wrestlers of all-time and spending the year as the AWA World Champion really allowed him to show that off against a variety of opponents in a variety of different promotions.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Rick Martel, AWA, March 13
- vs Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW, July 13
- vs Wahoo McDaniel, AWA, August 28
- vs Junkyard Dog, Mid-South, September 23
- vs Mad Dog Vachon, AWA, December 25
- plus more
#3
Stan Hansen
Previous Rankings: 1985 (#9), 1990 (#22), & 1993 (#2)
Years Unranked: 1997
Matches: 124
Places Worked: AJPW, GCW, Memphis, SWCW, & Florida
Titles Held: NWA International Tag Team Championship with Ron Bass, CWA Television Championship, AWA International Heavyweight Championship, & PWF Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: AJPW World Tag Team League with Bruiser Brody (winner), NWA National Heavyweight Title Tournament (semi-final), & AJPW Real World Tag League with Bruiser Brody (winner)
Hansen is as rough and badass in 1983 as I’ve seen him in any other year. Every Hansen match is chaotic and wild, no matter what promotion he’s working in. Starting an instant classic team with Terry Gordy really helps his case as well. Heck, he even made a team with Bruiser Brody enjoyable.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Giant Baba, AJPW, April 11
- vs Terry Funk, AJPW, April 14 (#2 MOTY)
- with Terry Gordy vs Genichiro Tenryu & Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW, August 26 (#6 MOTY)
- with Terry Gordy vs Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk, AJPW, August 31
- vs Giant Baba, AJPW, September 8
#2
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#5)
Years Unranked: 1990, 1993, & 1997
Matches: 255
Places Worked: Mid-Atlantic, St. Louis, Central States, Maple Leaf, GCW, & Florida
Title Held: NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (twice)
Tournaments: NWA World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Tournament with Gene Anderson & NWA Florida Heavyweight Title Tournament
There is something about Greg Valentine’s style that really hits home for me. He picks apart his opponent in a brutal but well-planned-out style. The Piper feud is an all-time classic feud that is a must-watch, but I would say you get something out of every one of his matches, even the television squashes.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kerry Von Erich, St. Louis, February 11
- vs Roddy Piper, Mid-Atlantic, July 9
- vs Roddy Piper, “Dog Collar”, NWA Starrcade, November 24 (#3 MOTY)
- plus more
#1
Terry Funk
Previous Rankings: 1985 (#12), 1993 (#17), & 1997 (#22)
Years Unranked: 1990
Matches: 76
Places Worked: AJPW, Mid-Atlantic, SWCW, Maple Leaf, WCCW, & Memphis
Tournaments: AJPW World Tag Team League with Dory Funk Jr. & SWCW World Heavyweight Title Tournament
What a versatile year by Funk. Not only was he an elite heel working almost everywhere, but he also proved he was an all-time great babyface while working in AJPW. This is very evident in the Hansen feud and leading up to his “retirement” at the end of August. To add to the versatility, he had amazing brawls like the Singh match and amazing technical displays like the Orton match. There was a little bit of everything by Funk in 1983 that puts him #1.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Stan Hansen, AJPW, April 14 (#2 MOTY)
- vs Bob Orton, Jr., SWCW, May 21
- vs Tiger Jeet Singh, AJPW, July 19 (#9 MOTY)
- with Dory Funk, Jr. vs Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy, AJPW, August 31
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Next time we tackle 2022!
Mariko Yoshida vs Megumi Fujii (ARSION, 2003-05-24)
On the Greatest Wrestler Ever discord, I received this match for our “Secret Santo.”
I have never seen, that I am aware of, Megumi Fujii. On the other hand, my thoughts on Mariko Yoshida are a little odd. Mid 1990s Yoshida is great, with her shoulder pads and intense hybrid style. 2000s Yoshida is the Yoshida everybody loves, but my complete apathy towards shoot style sours me on her. Maybe this will be the match that turns me around?
Background
ARSION’s full promotion name is “Hyper Visual Fighting Arsion.” Just another reminder that Joshi has the best promotion names. Speaking of awesome names this show is called “ARSION Artist ~ One ~ The New World Of The Holy Battle,” according to cagematch which is amazing and so freaking odd. I love it. It takes place in Differ Ariake with over a thousand fans and aired on Samurai TV. It’s fought under “MMA Rules” with a round system.
The Match
The first round is 5 minutes and Fujii is wearing an MMA outfit, so she’s already cool in my books.
I rather enjoyed this first round. Usually, in shoot style, I get a feeling of, this is the shooty part and this is the worky part, but there was none of that here. This felt like an MMA fight where pro-wrestling is a style within MMA. Some MMA folks use boxing, some jiu-jitsu, and Yoshida used pro-wrestling. I buy that. I’ll score it 10-9 Yoshida.
Yoshida countered an Emerald Erosion with a takedown into an armbar, so big bonus points there. After some struggle on the mat, Yoshida picked her up and rammed her into the turnbuckle. If UFC was this cool, I’d still be watching it. I was really buying this MMA vs pro-wrestler in an MMA match concept and then at the halfway mark of the round Yoshida gets a two count. I guess, not only the styles, but the rules are a hybrid. Fujii rolled to the floor to recover which added to me having to completely adjust to what I was watching.
A second Emerald Erosion attempt by Yoshida was countered by a chokehold this time, for some more bonus points. After an escape the most shocking moment of the match happened, Fujii hit a hurracanrana into a leg bar! Before the round ends, Yoshida regained control and Fujii survived. I think that’s another 10-9 round for Yoshida, although Fujii looked better.
This was the best round of the match! Yoshida was really aggressive going for kicks and suplexes, but Fujii had a counter for everything all leading to submissions. Her counters were all so slick and quick, a real work of art. She even quickly got out of two more Emerald Erosions!
As the round was closing, I was ready to give Fujii her first round, but she got rolled up for the loss.
Conclusion
I will always struggle with shoot style, but I did find this very enjoyable. This felt more like a pro-wrestling match with modified MMA rules than almost every shoot-style match I ever saw. Yoshida was an MMA fighter who trained in pro-wrestling.
The final round was great exciting action. I’ll go 7/10.
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1983 Match of the Year
1983 was a year when we were fully in the territorial days, but we started to get our first supercards in America (Final Conflict and Starrcade.) A start of a transition towards where we are today. There is also a footage issue, so putting together this list was an interesting exercise.
Honourable Mentions
- Don Muraco vs Pedro Morales, WWF, January 22
- Bob Orton, Jr. vs Terry Funk, South West, May 21
- Buddy Rose vs Curt Hennig, Portland, May 26
- Greg Valentine vs Roddy Piper, Mid-Atlantic, July 9
- Brett Sawyer vs Jake Roberts, GCW The Last Battle of Atlanta, October 23
#10
Jerry Blackwell vs Mad DogVachon
“Algerian Death Match”
American Wrestling Association
May 22
Bloomington, Minnesota
A grizzled old veteran battling a monster of a man in a Death Match? Yes, please. This match is a joy to watch and it felt like a special fight!
#9
Terry Funk vs Tiger Jeet Singh
AJPW Grand Championship Carnival III
July 19
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
The old-of-control wild Terry Funk brawl. This match felt like 1993, not 1983. Weapons and violence and a major surprise.
#8
Buddy Roberts, Michael Hayes, & Terry Gordy
vs
David Von Erich, Kerry Von Erich, & Kevin Von Erich
“WCCW Six Man Tag Team Championship 2/3 Falls”
WCCW Independence Day Star Wars
July 4
Tarrant County Convention Center
American Day with a super hot crowd with the beloved hometown boys vs the evil Fabulous Freebirds. The drama was high and this was the height of the American tag team wrestling style. Kerry was tremendous!
#7
Buzz Sawyer vs Tommy Rich
“Cage”
GCW The Last Battle of Atlanta
October 23
Omni Coliseum
The former “holy grail” match surfaced on the WWE Network a few years ago and it DELIVERED. A violent and bloody feud comes to a violent and bloody end in a cage. This was a classic!
#6
Genichiro Tenryu & Jumbo Tsuruta
vs
Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy
AJPW Super Power Series
August 26
Kourakuen Hall
There is another tag match in AJPW a few days later that everyone raves about, but this is the one that really connected with me. Gordy’s second night in Japan and he forms a team with Hansen that instantly clicks! The perfect AJPW tag with two rough gaijins taking on the local heroes in a classic tag match. Great teamwork all around and the Gordy Power Bomb was just vicious!
#5
Devil Masami & Itsuki Yamazaki
vs
Jumbo Hori & Yukari Omori
“Fuji Television League Cup Semi-Final 2/3 Falls”
November 29
Oto Ward General Gymnasium
A recently released unearthed match that nobody has talked about. A real precursor to the AJW tag-team style that produced so many classics in the future. Dramatic and exciting. Both teams work really well with one being a great dynamic and the other being a great badass mix.
#4
Don Kernodle & Sgt. Slaughter
vs
Jay Youngblood & Ricky Steamboat
“NWA World Tag Team Championship Cage Match”
NWA The Final Conflict
March 12
The feud that created the very first supercard, this cage match was the finale of a tremendous feud. Slaughter was outstanding in this match, directing and carrying everything and doing a wild dive off the top of the cage. Steamboat and Youngblood were good underdog babyfaces. A true classic.
#3
Greg Valentine vs Roddy Piper
“Dog Collar”
NWA Starrcade
November 24
Greensboro Coliseum
The greatest dog collar match of all time. The Hammer focuses his offence on Piper’s ear, taking out his equilibrium making for a fun dynamic. Bloody and violent with a super hot crowd on the very first Starrcade.
#2
Stan Hansen vs Terry Funk
AJPW Grand Championship Carnival
April 14
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
A wild brawl with lots of blood. A true masterclass of a brawl with great psychology. Funk tries to dismantle Hansen’s leg, which leads to the ending of this. Funk shows he can be a perfect babyface here!
#1
MS-1 vs Sangre Chicana
“Cabellera vs Cabellera 2/3 Falls”
EMLL 50. Aniversario – C
September 23
Arena Mexico
The greatest lucha bloody brawl in history at one of the biggest shows in lucha libre history. These two fought for their life in this all-time classic and a must-see 10/10 classic.
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Coming soon my top 25 wrestlers of 1983.
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