Monthly Archives: June, 2023

The Best Matches I’ve Watched This Month: Live @ AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door (June 2023)

By Grimmas on June 30, 2023 | 2 Comments

Doing this weekly was a little much, so we’ve moved it to a monthly affair. I will also cap the matches reviewed here to 25.

This post will include some of the awesome weekend I had going to Forbidden Door and some local shows! Plus, the Stardom pay-per-view, along with a few GME watches, Joshi Nights, and a 1989 focus!

#25
Bad News Brown vs Brutus Beefcake
WWF
April 22, 1989

I can’t believe I rated this match because, on paper, it’s kind of trash. In reality, it’s awesome. Bad News kicks ass; Beefcake gets in some nice hope spots and really has the crowd on his side before being cut down again. As Bad News is kicking ass, he grabs the mic, cuts a promo, then grabs scissors, and tries to cut Beefcake’s hair, only to be rolled up. Just awesome stuff.

Rating: 7/10

#24
Andre the Giant, Akeem, & The Big Boss Man vs King Duggan & Demolition
WWF SummerSlam
August 28, 1989

It’s so much fun and doesn’t go long enough to outstay its welcome. Ax body slams Akeem, and everyone gets a nice moment before a happy ending.

Rating: 7/10

#23
El Faraon vs El Satanico
“Best 2/3 Falls”
EMLL Super Viernes
June 30, 1989

A gritty lucha brawl, with Satanico standing out as an all-timer. The structure was pretty normal, but they did well with it. The only real drawback was how much the referee got involved. I loved the DQ finish.

Rating: 7/10

#22
CM Punk, FTR, & Ricky Starks vs. Jay White, Juice Robinson & The Gunns
AEW Collision
June 24, 2023

A fun eight-man tag is a good way to main event a TV show. Punk was a tremendous heel, and I had forgotten how much I like Juice Robinson. They did a good job of giving everyone a moment to shine too.

Rating: 7/10

#21
Athena vs Billie Starkz
“Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quater Final”
AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door: Zero Hour
June 25, 2023

Starkz makes such a great babyface, and Athena really pounded her down. The bump to the outside was ridiculous. It was the best match on the pre-show.

Rating: 7/10

#20
Trish Adora vs Vanessa Kraven
Smash X Femmes Fatales Girls Next Door
June 25, 2023

The strikes in this were vicious! What I enjoyed about this was the two power wrestlers going at each other, but they were different power wrestlers. Kraven is a monster, while Adora is just a powerful woman. It was a great contrast.

#19
Tatsumi Fujinami vs Big Van Vader
NJPW New Year Golden Series
February 9, 1989

Vader looked pretty good as a damn monster, and Fujinami’s hope spots were really good. Vader even sold very well to make Fujinami look good before destroying him.

Rating: 7/10

#18
Spike Trivet (c) vs Artemis Spencer
“DEFY Men’s Championship”
DEFY X PROGRESS
June 25, 2023

I had never seen either before, but Spike did a great job working over the hand all match and playing a great heel. Spencer did have some really fun high spots to give up hope before giving up.

Rating: 7/10

#17
Sting (c) vs The Great Muta
“NWA World Television Championship”
NWA The Great American Bash
July 23, 1989

A high-octane sprint that got the crowd wild. Although the finish was shit, the crowd was hot, and they hit a lot of great high spots.

Rating: 7/10

#16
Rick Martel & The Fabulous Rougeaus vs Tito Santana & The Rockers
WWF SummerSlam
August 28, 1989

This is well laid out, with Tito wanting revenge on Martel for turning on him, but Martel only got in there when his team had the advantage. In between that, The Rougeaus are the masters of heat, and all three of the French Canadians put so much heat onto Tito playing face in peril that the crowd can barely contain themselves when the hot tag is finally made. The ROckers have a great run of offence before everything breaks down, and it ends with some amazing heel shenanigans.

Rating: 7/10

#15
Akira Hokuto vs Mima Shimoda
AJW WWWA Champions Night Osaka Queen’s Holy Night
August 30, 1995

A fun battle with Hokuto shows Shimoda she’s still The Dangerous Queen. It included two vicious table spots and some fun time brawling.

Rating: 7/10

#14
Demolition (c) vs Akeem & The Big Boss Man
“WWF World Tag Team Championship”
WWF
July 10, 1989

The feud between these two teams was a lot of fun, just two powerhouse units going at it. It started off hot before a decent heat segment on Smash. The Twin Towers destroying someone is always fun. The hot tag to Ax was great, including Ax body-slamming Akeem! The knife stick comes into play to end this intense tag battle.

Rating: 7/10

#13
Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada
AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
June 25, 2023

Yes, Bryan broke his arm in this, but it’s still a tremendous match. Some of the audibles after the arm break really helped, especially with a tired crowd five hours into a show with it past midnight. Bryan coming out to The Final Countdown was a nice touch.

Rating: 7.25/10

#12
Eddy Guerrero vs Terry Funk
NWA World Championship Wrestling
May 9, 1989, aired May 20, 1989

One of those matches I had heard about forever but never saw. Funk does a giant swing and the most bizarre baseball slide ever, so that puts this into a positive right there! Funk was doing everything to let Eddy look good, but Eddy pumping like a freak for Funk was also great. Funk looked like a killer, and Eddy looked like he had a bright future, which is everything you could want from a match like this.

Rating: 7.25/10

#11
Athena (c) vs Kiera Hogan
“ROH Women’s World Championship Chicago Street Fight”
ROH on HonorClub
June 17, 2023, aired June 22, 2023

This was a brutal street fight with thumbtacks and a bunch of other weapons. The real stand-out was just some brutal spots like a Super Bomb through a table and a superplex through about two billion chairs. Blood and violence and a good one.

Rating: 7.5/10

#10
Giulia, Mai Sakurai, & Thekla (c) vs Hazuki, Koguma, & Mayu Iwatani
“Artist of Stardom Steel Cage Match”
Stardom Sunshine
June 25, 2023

This was kind of an odd one, as it had escape rules. This meant if you left, your team had the advantage of being closer to winning, but also one less person in the ring. That said, there were a lot of tremendous spots, with things like Hazuki hitting a senton from the top of the cage onto Giulia. The finishing segment of Giuliua vs Iwatani was their usual tremendous bout.

Rating: 7.5/10

#9
Vert Vixen (c) vs Mercedes Martinez
“DEFY Women’s Championship”
Smash X Femmes Fatales Girls Next Door
June 25, 2023

Sadly, Masha Slamovich’s flight was cancelled, but thankfully Vixen is an okay substitute. They did an angle where Martinez got a title shot by destroying a young protege of Vixen’s earlier in the night. Vert sneak attacked on the stage for a great visual start. Martinez is such a smart worker and it’s the little things that make things so great. After a great worked contest, they did a good finish playing off the angle earlier, with the protege attacking Mercedes with a chair to cause her to win via DQ.

Rating: 7.75/10

#8
Lex Luger (c) vs Ricky Steamboat
“NWA United States Championship”
NWA The Great American Bash
July 23, 1989

This match is a joy to watch Lex Luger completely manipulate Steamboat to retain his title. First, he got the rules changed, so it was no longer “No DQ.” Then he egged Steamboat on all match to eventually get him to use the chair and cost him the match. Luger was a great dick the whole time, while Steamboat was a perfect fiery babyface.

Rating: 7.75/10

#7
MJF (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
“AEW World Championship”
AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
June 25, 2023

I don’t think either of these two are very good, but hot damn, this match was good. Tanahashi not being able to move really limited them from doing all the stuff they would do, which annoys me. MJF went fully Larry, and Tanahashi is a charismatic babyface with great fire. Weirdly great old-school wrestling. Seeing Tanahashi and MJF on my spreadsheet is so weird, but there you go!

Rating: 7.75/10

#6
Stan Hansen (c) vs Genichiro Tenryu
“PWF Heavyweight & NWA United National Championship”
AJPW Championship Carnival
March 29, 1989

I loved the beginning portion of this match, with big offence from Hansen and Tenryu battling back. It remained good throughout but wasn’t at the level of the start. The finish was very lacklustre, but with that being said, it was still a damn good bout.

Rating: 8/10

#5
CM Punk vs Satoshi Kojima
“Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quater Final”
AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
June 25, 2023

CM Punk revelled in being the ultra heel and did such a great job of using every trick to up the ante. Aping a lot of Tenzan spots to get heat in 2023 is unique, but it really worked. Kojima being treated better in Canada, where he spent time as a rookie, than in Japan kind of warms your heart.

Rating: 8/10

#4
Aja Kong (c) vs Dynamite Kansai
“WWWA World Championship”
AJW WWWA Champions Night Osaka Queen’s Holy Night
August 30, 1995

Not much in wrestling is better than a fired-up Dynamite Kansai, and Aja Kong is also great in that role, so this was an awesome match. They brought the intensity from the get-go and went out to destroy each other, building towards a great Niagra Driver off the top for the finish! These two have had a great series of matches.

Rating: 9/10

#3
Jim Duggan vs Ted DiBiase
“Loser Leaves Town Coal Miner’s Glove On A Pole Steel Cage Tuxedo Street Fight”
Houston Wrestling
March 22, 1985

A tremendous brawl that uses its gimmicks extremely well to pay off a long storyline. It’s a famous match and sounds ridiculous on paper, but it works.

Rating: 9.25/10

#2
Queen’s Quest (AZM, Hina, Lady C, Miyu Amasaki, Saya Kamitani & Utami Hayashishita) vs Oedo Tai (Momo Watanabe, Natsuko Tora, Rina, Ruaka, Saki Kashima & Starlight Kid)
“Loser Must Leave Unit Steel Cage 12 Man Tag Team Match”
Stardom Sunshine
June 25, 2023

I may have a new match of the year after this. The same rules as the other cage match, but the last person in the ring has to leave their unit this time. This works so much better because escaping saves your ass, even if it puts your team behind. Also, each escape felt like a huge accomplishment as they were all battles. After people escaped, they still battled the other unit on the floor!

It was tremendous storytelling with great hatred and drama between the teams. Utami establishing herself as Queen’s Quest’s ass was the stand-out story as she helps Kamitani escape putting herself alone two on-one. That led to a great finishing sequence with Utami bleeding, the teasing of a split between Utami and Kamitani, and Tora destroying Utami to leave, only to have Kashima be the final loser.

How could you not be happy with the love fest between Queen’s Quest to end the show? This was pro wrestling!

Rating: 9.25/10

#1 “Match of the Month”
Jumbo Tsuruta (c) vs Genichiro Tenryu
“Triple Crown Championship”
AJPW Super Power Series
June 5, 1989

I hadn’t watched this match in many years, and with the focus on 1989 and the Greatest Match Ever, I figured I needed to. The nearfalls steal the show in this one, but consistent intensity and excitement make this a classic. Some really cool spots on the outside, too, that I loved.

Rating: 9.75/10

Note

You may notice the Omega-Ospreay match is not on this list. It wasn’t for me. I don’t want to be negative, so we’ll leave it at that.

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Posted in: Best Matches I've Watched This Month, Lists, Reviews | Tagged: aew, Aja Kong, AJPW, AJW, Akira Hokuto, Andre the Giant, artemis spencer, Athena, austin gunn, azm, bad news brown, billie starkz, Brutus Beefcake, Bryan Danielson, cash wheeler, CM Punk, colten gunn, dax haroow, Demolition, Dynamite Kansai, Eddie Guerrero, el faraon, El Satanico, emll, Genichiro Tenryu, giulia, Great Muta, Hazuki, hina, hiroshi tanahashi, jay white, jim duggan, joshi, juice robinson, Jumbo Tsuruta, kazuchika okada, kiera hogan, koguma, lady c, Lex Luger, lucha libre, Mayu Iwatani, Mercedes Martinez, Mima Shimoda, Miyu Amasaki, mjf, momo watanabe, natsuko tora, NJPW, NWA, One Man Gang, puroresu, ricky starks, Ricky Steamboat, rina, rockers, rougeau brothers, Ruaka, Saki Kashima, satoshi kojima, Saya Kamitani, shawn michaels, spike trivet, Stan Hansen, STARDOM, starlight kid, Sting, Tatsumi Fujinami, ted dibiase, Terry Funk, Thekla, TIto Santana, trish adora, utami hayashishita, Vader, vanessa kraven, vert vixen, wrestling, WWE, WWF

The 100 Greatest Matches Ever

By Grimmas on June 22, 2023 | Leave a comment

This is my entry for the Greatest Matches Ever project. A bi-annual vote for the greatest matches ever, plus they do fun other votes in the off years. The ballot is due 2023-06-30. Check them out at GME Board.

What makes a great match?

One of the biggest traits I look for is memorable. Yes, I rate things as I watch them, but what makes something great is looking back at it later and still remembering spots, moments, or even the whole story. My memory is shit, so actually cementing itself in there is a great accomplishment.

Let’s see how I feel in June 2023.

I previously voted in 2021, so I will also note how I voted then for contrast.

Honourable Mentions (all rated 9.25/10)

Jim Duggan vs Ted DiBiase – “Loser Leaves Town Coal Miner’s Glove On A Pole Steel Cage Tuxedo Street Fight” – Houston – March 22, 1985
Angel Azteca vs El Dandy – EMLL – June 1, 1990
Damiancito el Guerrero vs Cicloncito Ramirez – “2/3 Falls” – CMLL – January 7, 1997
Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair – “Last Woman Standing” – WWE – October 28, 2018
Giulia vs Tam Nakano – Stardom – April 23, 2023

9.25/10 Rated Matches

#100
The Great Muta vs Scott Norton
“G1 Climax”
NJPW G1 Climax 1997
August 2, 1997
Ryogoku Kokugikan

2021: 100th

#99
The Ultimate Warriors (Ultimate Warrior, Jim Neidhart, & The Rockers) vs The Heenan Family (Andre the Giant, Bobby Heenan, Arn Anderson, & Haku)
“Survivor Series Match”
WWF Survivor Series
November 23, 1989
Rosemont Horizon

2021: 99th

#98
Kana vs Meiko Satomura
Kana Pro Mania
February 25, 2014
Korakuen Hall

#97
Akira Hokuto vs Bull Nakano
“Steel Cage Match”
AJW on July 30, 1992
Prefectural Gymnasium

2021: 81st

#96
Andrade Almas (c) vs Johnny Gargano
“NXT Championship”
NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia
Wells Fargo Center

#95
Io Shirai (c) vs Mayu Iwatani
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Galaxy Stars
June 21, 2017
Korakuen Hall

2021: 80th

From my 2017 MOTY post:
“I began watching STARDOM this year, and Mayu Iwatani quickly became my favourite. A unique and very loveable babyface, perhaps the best in the business. This match ended years of her chasing Io Shirai and finally toppling her to become the ace. An emotional contest that I cared more about than any other match this year.”

#94
Dynamite Kansai vs Mayumi Ozaki
“Street Fight”
JWP Jazz and Soul
March 17, 1995
Hakata Starlanes

From a Best Matches I’ve Watched This Week post:
“This match was a wild street fight that was bloody, violent, and out of control. The ring was destroyed, and they used a chain like it was a dog collar match just because they wanted to kill each other, not because of the stipulations. This escalated so well and never lit up. The finish was kind of a surprise, but I kind of dug it. An excellent match!”

#93
El Felino vs El Hijo del Snato
“Best 2/3 Falls”
October 18, 1998
Arena Coliseo Monterrey

2021: 49th

#92
Aja Kong & Kyoko Inoue vs Eagle Sawai & Leo Kitamura
LLPW on June 15, 1993
Ota Ward Gymnasium

From my 1993 MOTY post:
“Leo Kitamura is a wrestler I have never even heard of until I started watching all of Joshi, and here she is in the top 10 matches of the year. That’s how great the Aja Kong and partner vs Eagle Sawai and partner feud was in 1993. This is a match of contrasts as the brutes of Kong and Eagle try to destroy each other while the face-painted Kyoko Inoue and Kitamura do weird shit around them. An unbelievable and surprising match you must watch.”

#91
Stan Hansen vs Toshiaki Kawada
AJPW Excite Series
February 28, 1993
Nippon Budokan

2021: 74th

#90
Bull Nakano (c) vs Yumiko Hotta
“WWWA World Championship Steel Cage Match”
AJW on January 23, 1991

2021: 61st

#89
Sasha Banks (c) vs Charlotte Flair
“WWE Raw Women’s Championship Hell in a Cell”
WWE Hell in a Cell
October 30, 2016
TD Garden

2021: 52nd

From my 2016 MOTY post:
“The chemistry between Charlotte and Sasha is at an all-time level, and this feud has produced as many great matches as any feud in WWE history. If you want to hear more about this match, listen to this amazing episode of “Stacey & Elliot’s Bogus Journey,” where they talk about this match for 90 minutes.”

#88
Kyoko Inoue (c) vs Akira Hokuto
“All Pacific Championship”
AJW Dream Rush in Kawasaki
November 26, 1992
Kawasaki City Gymnasium

2021: 48th

#87
Kaori Yoneyama (c) vs Emi Sakura
“JWP Openweight Championship Hair vs Hair Match”
JWP Revolution
September 19, 2010
Shinjuku FACE

From my Joshi Match Recommendations post:
“Oh boy, let’s get right into it! Tag partners turned into enemies fighting for a title and to keep their hair. The intensity is off the page. It gets into counter-intensive and bomb fest but is done really well. It’s from the “dead” era of Joshi, so it’s not well known. That should be changed. Yes, Kaori Yoneyama is currently Fukigen Death in Stardom. The post-match hair cutting is an emotional airfare that Joshi catches really well.”

#86
Lacey vs Sara Del Rey
“SHIMMER Championship Tournament Finals”
SHIMMER Volume 12
June 2, 2007
Berwyn Eagles Club

2021: 86th

#85
Bayley (c) vs Sasha Banks
“NXT Women’s Championship Iron Man”
NXT TakeOver: Respect
October 7, 2015
Full Sail University

2021: 79th

From my 2015 MOTY post:
“This match has aged really well and is one of the best Iron Man matches ever, maybe the best.”

#84
Eddie Guerrero (c) vs John “Bradshaw” Layfield
“WWE Championship”
WWE Judgement Day
May 16, 2004
Staples Center

2021: 58th

From my 2004 MOTY post:
“It’s the bloodbath match for Eddie. JBL had just turned, and Eddie did this amazing job of cementing JBL as a threat through bleeding buckets. A great underdog bloody performance by Eddie.”

#83
Emi Sakura & Kaori Yoneyama vs Arisa Nakajima & Command Bolshoi
“JWP Tag Team & Daily Sports Tag Team Championship”
JWP Pure Slam
August 19, 2012
Korakuen Hall

#82
Becky Lynch (c) vs Bianca Belair
“WWE Raw Women’s Championship”
WWE WrestleMania 38: Saturday
April 2, 2022
AT&T Stadium

From my 2022 MOTY post:
“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.”

#81
Devil Masami (c) vs Chigusa Nagayo
“All Pacific Championship”
AJW Summer Night Festival In Budokan
August 22, 1985
Nippon Budokan

2021: 78th

#80
Carlos Colon vs Stan Hansen
“Bullrope Match”
WWC on January 6, 1987

2021: 87th

#79
Rick Martel vs Terry Funk
“WWC Universal Championship Tournament Semi-Final”
WWC 13th Aniversario
September 20, 1986
Palacio de Recreación y Deportes

2021: 91st

#78
Larry Zbyszko vs Nick Bockwinkel
AWA on July 11, 1987
Las Vegas, NV

#77
Kaientai DX (Dick Togo, MEN’s Teioh, Shiryu, Shoichi Funaki, & TAKA Michinoku) vs Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji, Super Delfin, & Tiger Mask
Michinoku Pro These Days
October 10, 1996
Ryogoku Kokugikan

2021: 73rd

#76
El Dandy vs El Satanico
“Hair vs Hair Best 2/3 Falls”
EMLL Juicio Final
December 14, 1990
Arena Mexico

2021: 76th

#75
Steve Austin (c) vs Dude Love
“WWF World Championship No DQ Falls Count Anywhere Match”
In Your House: Over The Edge
May 31, 1998
Wisconsin Center Arena

2021: 69th

#74
The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Brian Pillman, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart, & Owen Hart) vs Goldust, Ken Shamrock, Steve Austin, & The Legion of Doom
WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede
July 6, 1997
Saddledome

2021: 72nd

#73
Eddie Guerrero (c) vs Rey Mysterio Jr.
“WCW World Cruiserweight Championship vs Mask Match”
WCW Halloween Havoc
October 26, 1997
MGM Grand Arena

2021: 64th

#72
Bull Nakano (c) vs Aja Kong
“WWWA Championship”
AJW Wrestlemarinepiad
April 25, 1992
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

2021: 54th

#71
Akira Taue vs Mitsuharu Misawa
“Championship Carnival Final”
AJPW Champion Carnival
April 15, 1995
Nippon Budokan

2021: 67th

#70
Greg Valentine vs Roddy Piper
“Dog Collar”
NWA Starrcade
November 24, 1983
Greensboro Coliseum

2021: 53rd

From my 1983 MOTY post:
“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.”

#69
Psychosis vs Rey Mysterio Jr.
WCW Bash At The Beach
July 7, 1996
Ocean Center

2021: 66th

#68
Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect
“King of the Ring Semi-Final Match”
WWF King of the Ring
June 13, 1993
Nutter Center

2021: 77th

#67
Atlantis Sr., Brazo de Oro, El Dandy, La Fiera, Mascara Magica, Negro Casas, Shocker, & Ultimo Dragon vs Black Warrior, Dr. Wagner Jr., El Hijo del Santo, Felino, Kevin Quinn, Satanico, Scorpio Jr., Silver King
“Torneo Cibernetico”
CMLL Super Viernes – 41. Aniversario de Arena Mexico
April 18, 1997
Arena Mexico

2021: 65th

#66
Dustin & Dusty Rhodes & The Nasty Boys vs Arn Anderson, Bunkhouse Buck, Terry Funk, & Col. Robert Parker
“War Games”
WCW Fall Brawl
September 18, 1994
Roanoke Civic Center

2021: 60th

From my 1994 MOTY post:
“I know there is no blood, but this is one of the most wild and unpredictable War Games ever. Dustin is a perfect babyface for the Studd Stable to go after, and the dynamic of the loose cannons of The Nasty Boys and Terry Funk mixed in make this one of the greatest War Games ever.”

#65
Arisa Hoshiki (c) vs Tam Nakano
“Wonder of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Shining Destiny 2019
June 16, 2019
Korakuen Hall

From my 2019 MOTY post:
“I am a sucker for great stories in wrestling, and the best story in wrestling in 2019 was Tam Nakano and Arisa Hoshiki. The storytelling in this match then lived up to the overall story, with each having great strategies and it all leading up to a brilliant conclusion. Everything was stiff and crisp and super emotional. A match of the year in most years, but this is a 2019 list…”

9.5/10 Rated Matches

#64
Cutie Suzuki & Mayumi Ozaki vs Kyoko Innoue & Takako Inoue
AJW All-Star Dream Slam
April 2, 1993
Yokohama Arena

2021: 55th

From my 1993 MOTY post:
“The two Dream Slam shows are just filled with classic matches, and this one may have the most exciting nearfalls and finishing sequence of them all. The heel Ozaki adds the dynamic, and I can’t not mention the amazing giant swing Kyoko does here!”

#63
Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada vs Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy
“AJPW World Tag Team Championship & Real World Tag League Final”
AJPW Real World Tag League
December 16, 1988
Nippon Budokan

#62
Sasha Banks (c) vs Becky Lynch
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable
May 20, 2015
Full Sail University

2021: 46th

From my 2015 MOTY post:
“The match that took women’s wrestling in NXT from a really solid and good part of the undercard to the real highlight of the company for me. The two former partners pulled out a classic with some amazing storytelling. Sasha Banks went right for Becky’s arm and destroyed it (which is what Becky usually does). Becky was a great babyface trying to fight through, but The Boss was too much and retained the title here.“

#61
Jumbo Tsuruta vs Mitsuharu Miswa
“Triple Crown #1 Contendership”
AJPW Summer Action Series II
September 1, 1990
Nippon Budokan

2021: 51st

#60
Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada vs Jun Akiyama & Mitsuharu Misawa
“Real World Tag League Final”
AJPW Real World Tag League
December 6, 1996
Nippon Budokan

#59
The Revival (c) vs #DIY
“NXT Tag Team Championship Best 2/3 Falls”
NXT TakeOver: Toronto
November 19, 2016
Air Canada Centre

2021: 47th

From my 2016 MOTY post:
“This match has the advantage of me being there live, but this match has enough praise from others for me to feel confident going the full five stars on it. This is the best tag match in WWE history and perhaps in North American history. It played off their previous matches, it built suspense, had high-end moves, and insane crowd heat. I loved this match, and it was incredibly special. It was so special that my friends I was with rushed to the merchandise stand to purchase a #DIY shirt immediately following it.”

#58
Utami Hayashishita (c) vs Syuri
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Tokyo Dream Cinderella Special Edition
June 12, 2021
Ota City General Gymnasium

2021: 31st

#57
The Bloody & Fang Suzuki (c) vs Sumie Sakai & Hiroyo Muto
“LSD 2001 Match: No Rules Falls Count Anywhere Weapons Death Match for the TWF World Women’s Tag Team Championship”
“Jd’ … and Justice for All!”
July 22, 2001
Korakeun Hall

From my 2001 MOTY post:
“This is one of the most insane matches I have ever seen. They used every weapon imaginable and every part of the arena imaginable to try to kill each other. Heck, they even hung someone. This match has to be seen to be believed, and it will be making my top 100 matches of all-time list the next time I make one.”

#56
Brock Lesnar vs John Cena
“Extreme Rules Match”
WWE Extreme Rules
April 29, 2012
Allstate Arena

2021: 45th

#55
Mercedes Martinez (c) vs Kylie Rae
“Phoenix of RISE Championship No Ropes Submission Match”
RISE 13: Legendary
March 29, 2019
Berwyn Eagles Club

2021: 40th

From my 2019 MOTY post:
“Watching this live, I thought it was great, and it has only improved with time. Kylie is the perfect underdog likable babyface, and there is nobody better in the veteran dominant role than Martinez. The ropes being removed added a level of danger to that match that I really loved. It starts off really great, with Mercedes attacking Kylie while she’s covered in ribbons and only gets better from there. The legwork by Martinez was tremendous, and Kylie sold it so well. The finishing run was so exciting! I must mention that Allysin Kay and Veda Scott were also tremendous on commentary. A real classic that doesn’t get enough love.”

#54
Kenta Kobashi vs Stan Hansen
AJPW Summer Action Series
July 29, 1993
Nippon Budokan

2021: 56th

From my 1993 MOTY post:
“Kenta Kobashi’s selling is a perfect contrast to the bruising Stan Hansen. This match has been talked about to death and has maybe the greatest finish in wrestling history.”

#53
Pat Patterson vs Sgt. Slaughter
“Alley Street Fight”
WWF on May 4, 1981
Madison Square Garden

2021: 43rd

#52
Chigusa Nagayo & Dynamite Kansai vs Devil Masami & Mayumi Ozaki
GAEA Memorial First Gong In Korakuen
April 15, 1995
Korakuen Hall

#51
Cheerleader Melissa vs MsChif
“Falls Count Anywhere”
SHIMMER Volume 4
February 12, 2006
Berwyn Eagles Club

2021: 50th

#50
Bull Nakano & Condor Saito vs Chigusa Nagayo & Lioness Asuka
“Tag League The Best Final”
AJW on October 11, 1987

2021: 37th

#49
Bret Hart (c) vs 1-2-3 Kid
“WWF World Heavyweight Championship”
WWF Monday Night Raw
taped July 1, 1994, aired July 11
Fernwood Resort & Country Club

2021: 36th

From my 1994 MOTY post:
“The most old-school travelling World Champion against local babyface the WWF has ever done. Bret took the underdog 1-2-3 Kid and made him feel like he’d win the World Championship on a random Monday Night Raw.”

#48
El Hijo del Santo vs LA Park-K
“Best 2/3 Falls”
Monterrey on December 23, 2001

From a Best Matches I’ve Watched This Week post:
“This match was the absolute perfect hate-filled, violent, gritty bloody brawls. You know it’s going to be something special when both wrestlers’ costumes are white. By the end, both were wearing pink.

I loved how this naturally felt like a fight. They threw each other into chairs, stomped really hard, punched, etc… This wasn’t about hitting spectacular moves; it was about trying to hurt the other while you are pissed off. That being said, there were plenty of dramatic nearfalls and a few spectacular big spots. Even the rudo and técnico disagreeing referees were done well here, especially in how that came to the finish. A true must-watch classic if you like blood and brawls.”

#47
Aja Kong & Akira Hokuto vs Eagle Sawai & Shinobu Kandori
AJW All-Star Dream Slam 2
April 11
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

2021: 22nd

From my 1993 MOTY blog:
“This was the most shocking discovery of the Joshi chronological watch we are doing on the discord. This match is NEVER talked about, it has no rating from Dave Meltzer, and the usual sights don’t have threads for it. That is bizarre because this rules so hard.

We have the continuation of the Hokuto and Kandori feud, but adding the beginning of the Eagle Sawai and Aja Kong feud, which is also awesome. Kong is at her best in huge tag matches, and this may be the best performance of her career up until this point. The other takeaway is that Eagle Sawai is a great wrestler, and this was a huge wake-up party for me. Hate, drama, and excitement. Watch this!”

#46
Diesel (c) vs Bret Hart
“WWF World Championship No Holds Barred Match”
WWF Survivor Series
November 19, 1995
USAir Arena

2021: 57th

#45
Combat Toyoda (c) vs Megumi Kudo
“FMW Independent Women’s & WWA Women’s Championship No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Blast Death Match”
FMW Fighting Creation: 7th Anniversary Show
May 5, 1996
Kawasaki Stadium

2021: 41st

9.75/10 Rated Matches

#44
Io Shirai (c) vs Mayu Iwatani
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Year-End Climax
December 22, 2016
Korakuen Hall

2021: 29th

#43
Bull Nakano (c) vs Akira Hokuto
“WWWA World Champiosnhip”
AJW on January 4, 1991
Korakuen Hall

2021: 30th

#42
Jumbo Tsuruta (c) vs Genichiro Tenryu
“Triple Crown Championship”
AJPW Super Power Series
June 5, 1989
Nippon Budokan

#41
Sting’s Squadron (Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, Ricky Steamboat, & Sting) vs The Dangerous Alliance (Arn Anderson, Beautiful Bobby, Larry Zbyszko, Rick Rude, & Steve Austin)
“War Games”
WCW WrestleWar
May 17, 1992
Jacksonville Coliseum

2021: 21st

#40
John Cena (c) vs CM Punk
“WWE Championship”
WWE Money In The Bank
July 17, 2011
Allstate Arena

2021: 28th

#39
Bull Nakano vs Shinobu Kandori
“Chain Match”
LLPW/FMW/AJW on July 14, 1994
Tokyo Coliseum

From my 1994 MOTY post:
“A brutal encounter between two badasses hitting each other with chains. One of the best uses of a gimmick being used in a gimmick match ever.”

#38
Syuri (c) vs Giulia
“World of Stardom Championship”
December 29, 2022
Ryōgoku Kokugikan

From my 2022 MOTY post:
“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. This is pro-wrestling, a very long-term storyline that paid off in a highly emotional moment on a grand stage!

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 a finishing sequence that was perfect. They were struggling for everything. One could say it had “botches” or was “sloppy”, but it felt like they were destroyed. Great match, on the same level as the Dream Queendom match between Utami and Syuri last December.”

#37
Bull Nakano (c) vs Aja Kong
“WWWA World Championship”
AJW Dream Rush In Kawasaki
November 26, 1992
Kawasaki City Gymnasium

2021: 26th

#36
The Can-Am Express (c) vs Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
“All Asia Tag Team Championship”
AJPW Super Power Series
May 25, 1992
Prefectural Sports Center

2021: 38th

#35
John Cena (c) vs Umaga
“WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match”
WWE Royal Rumble
January 28, 2007
AT&T Center

2021: 18th

#34
Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada (c) vs Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki
“WWWA Tag Team Championship Best 2/3 Falls”
AJW All-Star Dream Slam 2
April 11, 1993
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

2021: 24th

From my 1993 MOTY post:
“This is the most exciting high-action spot-oriented match in wrestling history. Add to that the badass Kansai and the utter heelness of Ozaki, and you are in for a giant treat. This match set up future generations of wrestling like the Omegas and the Okadas.”

#33
The Shield vs The Wyatt Family
WWE Elimination Chamber
February 23, 2014
Target Center

2021: 24th

From my 2014 MOTY post:

“The first trios match in WWE history that I feel made it to five stars. Some of the greatest booking the WWE has ever produced, having two dominant teams teasing but never touching until the match. The crowd was insane, and the Wyatts doing to The Shield what they have done to everybody else was a beautiful finish.”

#32
Bull Nakano vs Devil Masami
JWP on April 18, 1993
Korakuen Hall

2021: 23rd

From my Joshi Match Recommendations post:
“People often talk about 6-4-94 as the classic among classics, but here we have a match that cut from the same ilk that you could argue is even better. This match really stands out in 1990s Joshi, as it has a real build to escalation like the before mentioned 6-4-94 match, without the relentless pace of Joshi. These two legends add so many small great little touches that help make this match get better and better after multiple viewings.”

#31
Brock Lesnar (c) vs Eddie Guerrero
“WWE Championship”
WWE No Way Out
February 15, 2004
Cow Palace

2021: 39th

From my 2004 MOTY post:
“This match is one of the most classic underdog babyface performances of all time. This was Brock, at his best, a dynamic offensive cocky force. Eddie is in his “home” town, and the crowd is wildly supporting him, unlike almost any other match in wrestling history. A true all-time classic.”

#30
Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, Paul Ellering, & The Road Warriors vs The Four Horsemen
“War Games”
NWA The Great American Bash Tour
July 4, 1987
Omni Coliseum

#29
Utami Hayashishita (c) vs Syuri (c)
“World of Stardom & SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship No Time Limit Match”
Stardom Dream Queendom
December 29, 2021
Ryogoku Kokugikan

#28
Chigusa Nagayo vs Dump Matsumoto
“Hair vs Hair”
AJW on August 28, 1985

2021: 42nd

#27
Dr. Wagner Jr. vs L.A. Par-K
TXT
May 11, 2013
El Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera

2021: 33rd

From my 2013 MOTY post:
“On the original list, I made in 2013, this match was #2, but my love for it has grown over time. This match starts with LA Park lighting a Wagner shirt on fire draped over a chair, and while Wagner makes his entrance, Park is flipping him off. It gets better from there. Blood, chairs, beer bottles, this is everything a brawl could possibly be!”

#26
Sasha Banks (c) vs Bianca Belair
“WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship”
WWE WrestleMania 37
April 10, 2021
Raymond James Stadium

2021: 25th

#25
Atsushi Onita vs Terry Funk
“No Rope Barbed Wire Current Blast Super Large Time Bomb Death Match”
FMW Genten: 4th Anniversary Show
May 5, 1993
Kawasaki Stadium

2021: 34th

From my 1993 MOTY post:
“One of the most dramatic matches and one of, if not the best, deathmatch of all time. Even if you don’t like deathmatches, like myself, this match transcends that.”

#24
Akira Hokuto vs Shinobu Kandori
AJW St. Battle Final
December 6, 1993
Ryogoku Kokugikan

#23
Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen vs Giant Baba & Rusher Kimura
“Real World Tag League Match”
AJPW Real World Tag League
November 29, 1989
Nakajima Sports Center

2021: 27th

#22
Atlantis vs Ultimo Guerrero
“Mask vs Mask Best 2/3 Falls”
CMLL 81. Aniversario
September 19, 2014
Arena Mexico

2021: 17th

From my 2014 MOTY post:
“There is little wrestling I love more than big emotional mask matches, and this one is a great version of that. A long-time-running feud that had audiences crying afterwards. There are few matches that have more drama for nearfalls than this.”

#21
Bull Nakano (c) vs Aja Kong
“WWWA World Championship Steel Cage Match”
AJW Wrestlemarinepiad
November 14, 1990
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

2021: 20th

#20
Dump Matsumoto vs Yukari Ohmori
AJW on March 20, 1986

2021: 35th

From my Joshi Match Recommendations post:
“This is the most visceral match in wrestling history. A truly unstoppable mythical monster versus a never gives up fighter. It’s violent. It’s scary. At one point, Dump slams a pair of scissors into Omori’s arm and just walks away. Don’t watch this late at night, but watch it and show everyone you know! Then watch it again.”

#19
Jaguar Yokota (c) vs La Galáctica
“UWA World Women’s Championship”
AJW on February 27, 1985

2021: 19th

9.99/10 Rated Matches

#18
Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada
“AJPW World Tag Team Championship”
AJPW Super Power Series
June 9, 1995
Nippon Budokan

2021: 16th

#17
Aja Kong, Kyoko Inoue, Sakie Hasegawa, & Takako Inoue vs Cuty Suzuki, Dynamite Kansai, Hikari Fukuoka, & Mayumi Ozaki
“60 Minute Iron Woman First Attack”
JWP Thunder Queen Battle In Yokohama
July 31, 1993
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

From my 1993 MOTY blog:
“The Joshi inter-promotional wars of the 1990s are the greatest thing in wrestling history, and this is one of the highlights. A 60-minute Iron Woman match with Team AJW vs Team JWP. There are a lot of great stories and highlights in these 60 minutes. I normally would never recommend a match this long, but with the rules as they are and the team aspect, it never drags. An all-time classic.”

10/10 Rated Matches

#16
Tully Blanchard (c) vs Magnum TA
NWA United States Championship I Quit Steel Cage Match”
NWA Starrcade
November 28, 1985
Greensboro Coliseum

2021: 7th

#15
Randy Savage vs Ultimate Warrior
“Career Ending Match”
WWF WrestleMania VII
March 24, 1991
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena

2021: 15th

#14
Bret Hart vs Owen Hart
WWF WrestleMania X
March 20, 1994
Madison Square Garden

2021: 10th

From my 1994 MOTY post:
“Every time I go to rewatch this match, I expect to lower it from the high place I have it in my head, then I finish it, and it remains. The story of the young brother trying to update the older brother on his best night always gets me. The care they took in this match to get Owen over as a heel and over from a nothing undercard worker to a main eventer is one of the best performances in history. Greatest opener ever too!”

#13
MS-1 vs Sangre Chicana
“Cabellera vs Cabellera 2/3 Falls”
EMLL 50. Aniversario – C
September 23, 1983
Arena Mexico

2021: 9th

From my 1983 MOTY post:
“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.”

#12
Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada (c) vs Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki
“WWWA Tag Team Championship Best 2/3 Falls”
AJW Dream Rush in Kawasaki
November 26, 1992
Kawasaki City Gymnasium

2021: 14th

#11
Iron Sheik vs Sgt. Slaughter
“Boot Camp Match”
WWF on June 16, 1984
Madison Square Garden

2021: 13th

#10
Aja Kong vs Manami Toyota
“VTOP Woman Tournament First Round Match”
AJW Doumu Super Woman Great War ~ Big Egg Wrestling Universe
November 20
Tokyo Dome

From my 1994 MOTY post:
“The pace that these two put up on such a big stage is unbelievable. An unreal match you need to see to believe! What I love about this is, outside of the big moves and the pace, everything makes sense, and nothing feels out of place.”

#9
Bret Hart vs Steve Austin
“Submission Match”
WWF WrestleMania 13
March 23, 1997
Rosemont Horizon

2021: 12th

#8
Kairi Hojo (c) vs Meiko Satomura
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Galaxy Stars
June 14, 2015
Korakuen Hall

2021: 11th

From my 2015 MOTY post:
“The first of two 10/10 matches on the list, Hojo vs Meiko, is one of my favourite feuds of all time. This is the middle match of the trilogy, with the undeserving Hojo defending the Stardom Title against the superior invading Satomura.

Hojo has one of the greatest babyface sell jobs in wrestling history in this match, as she clings on desperately, trying to survive the legendary Satomura. Meiko is confident, knowing Hojo is beneath her, but gets more and more vicious and frustrated as the match continues. The selling and hope spots by Hojo are unreal.”

#7
Sasha Banks (c) vs Bayley
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
August 22, 2015
Barclays Center

2021: 4th

From my 2015 MOTY post:
“This match is just special, and very few matches have that feel to it. The crowd was amazing from the entrances to the finish. The story they tell is perfect. I loved all the hand work by Sasha and Bayley’s selling of it. They way that comes back towards the end was tremendous as well. This also had some insane moves as well, including the Super Reverse Hurrancanara.“

#6
Andre the Giant vs Stan Hansen
NJPW Bloody Fight Series
September 23, 1981
Denen Coliseum

2021: 5th

#5
Aja Kong & Bull Nakano vs Akira Hokuto & Shinobu Kandori
AJW Wrestling Queendom
March 27, 1994
Yokohama Arena

From my 1994 MOTY post:
“A few years back, we started watching Joshi every Sunday, and I feel one of the goals was to get to this match in context. It was sitting on YouTube as a recommended match for years that kept tempting me, but I held off until I got there in order. It was worth the wait. The two rivals slowly begrudgingly gained respect over the course of the match against two all-time legends in a violent, unrelenting tag war that would be the number one match in almost any other year.”

#4
Atlantis vs Villano III
“Mask vs Mask”
CMLL Homenaje A Dos Leyendas 2000 – Juicio Final
March 17, 2000
Arena Mexico

2021: 2nd

#3
Akira Hokuto vs Meiko Satomura
GAEA Limit Break
April 29, 2001
City Gymnasium

2021: 8th

From my 2001 MOTY post:
“This is a top ten all-time match for me and one I keep watching over and over again since I was introduced to it a few years back.

The legendary badass Dangerous Queen tries to put down the new badass Satomura, and it feels like a Rocky film right up to the Rocky II finish. The crowd is amazing. The strikes are beyound vicious, and the drama is HIGH! Seeing Hokuto’s second jump into the ring because they felt Hokuto was going to submit is a scene etched into my wrestling mind.

A must-watch all-time classic, watch the link above!”

#2
Bret Hart vs Steve Austin
WWF Survivor Series
November 17, 1996
Madison Square Garden

2021: 3rd

The last hurrah for the wrestling Bret Hart grew up loving and performing at MSG. The legend returns to take on the new young badass, and both come out of it looking even better than going into it. It really feels like a throwback match and something you will never see again on this stage

#1
Akira Hokuto vs Shinbou Kandori
AJW All-Star Dream Slam
April 2, 1993
Yokohama Arena

2021: 1st

The greatest match ever.

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Posted in: Lists | Tagged: Aja Kong, AJW, akira hoktuo, Andre the Giant, Atlantis, Bayley, Bret Hart, Bull Nakano, CMLL, joshi, Kairi Hojo, lucha libre, Manami Toyota, Meiko Satomura, NJPW, puroresu, Sasha Banks, Shinobu Kandori, Stan Hansen, STARDOM, Steve Austin, villano iii, wrestling, WWE, WWF

The Greatest Wrestlers of 2019

By Grimmas on June 20, 2023 | 5 Comments

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. 1983, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2022 are on the blog.

2019

I love 2019; it was the year I was so into watching almost every women’s indie match, and the first year, I started to dip into Stardom.

The List

All of the below stats are from Cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect.

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. 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

Arisa Nakajima
ASUKA
Charlotte Flair
Jonathan Gresham
Kairi Sane
Roman Reigns
Thunder Rosa

#25
Kris Statlander

Years Unranked: 2021 & 2022
Matches: 134
Places Worked: Beyond, CAP, NYWC, AAW, QOC, Limitless, WrestlePro, FSCW, AEW, CW, CZW, SHIMMER, WSU, ZERO1 USA, B!P, GCW, WWR, Femmes Fatles, AML, C4, IWTV, MTW, BCW, Dropkick Depression, Bar Wrestling, CHIKARA, EVOLVE, SHINE, REVOLVER, Sabotage, HMW, HOG, ROH, PWM, NOVA Pro, BLP, & WWE
Titles Held: NYWC Starlet Championship, IWTV Independent Wrestling Championship, B!P Bedlam Championship, WSUA Spirit Championship, CAP Television Championship, & AAW Women’s Championship
Tournaments: Queen of the North (finals), Beyond Treasure Hunter Tournament (winner), CZW Best of the Best 18, NYWC/Outlaw Wrestling King & Queen Tournament w/ Orange Cassidy (finals), Making Town Classic Tournament, REVOLVER One Night Tournament, & CHIKARA King of Trios w/ Nick Gage & Thomas Santell

Weirdly, Kris Statlander wasn’t even on my GWE spreadsheet. However, after I put out my match of the year list, Statlander was on their twice! I am saying her year was sneaky good as she completely broke out on the Indies and worked everywhere, bringing a different character and some fresh excitement to the scene.

Recommended Matches:

vs Ashley Vox, “Unsanctioned,” Limitless, January 11 (#5 MOTY)
vs Orange Cassidy, IWTV, May 26
vs Joey Janella, Beyond, June 12 (#8 MOTY)
vs Kimber Lee, “Cage,” Beyond, July 28
vs Mercedes Martinez, Beyond, November 14
plus more

#24
Tsukasa Fujimoto

Previous Ranking: 2021 (13th)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, & 2022
Matches: 125
Places Worked:
Title Held:
Tournament:

The veteran Fujimoto is always a threat for this list, as long as there are enough opportunities and footage of her. If she branched out from Ice Ribbon more to give herself more variety, she would probably be higher on this list. She is a dynamo in the ring with very sound psychology and a knack for having exciting finishing sequences.

Recommended Matches:

vs Maya Yukihi, Ice Ribbon, August 3
vs Sareee, Ice Ribbon, September 14
w/ Tsukushi vs Maya Yukihi & Risa Sera, Ice Ribbon, November 3

#23
Nanae Takahashi

Previous Ranking: 2004 (11th) & 2010 (20th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2001, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 54
Places Worked: SEAdLINNNG, Marvelous, Gatoh Move, WAVE, ZERO1, Ice Ribbon, AWG, Dragon Gate, & NagoJo
Titles Held: SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship & Blast Queen Championship

Always the hard-hitting veteran, it is nice to see Nanae sneak onto the list this late into her career. It does help running a promotion where you can give yourself a lot of cool opportunities.

Recommended Matches:

vs ASUKA, SEAdLINNING, March 20
vs Takumi Iroha, SEAdLINNNG, May 29
vs Arisa Nakajima, “Hair vs Hair”, SEAdLINNNG, November 2

#22
Momo Watanabe

Previous Ranking: 2021 (6th) & 2022 (16th)
Years Unranked: 2015
Matches: 89
Places Worked: Stardom & Tokyo Gurentai
Titles Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship & Goddesses of Stardom Championship w/ Utami Hayashishita
Tournament: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ AZM & Konami, Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix, & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ AZM

The young Watanabe had a great year, winning a variety of championships in Stardom. She was already a bruiser striking this early into her career and really showed up in big match opportunities.

Recommended Matches:

vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, January 14
vs Jungle Kyona, Stardom, March 3
vs Utami Hayashishita, Stardom, April 5
w/ Utami Hayashishita vs Jungle Kyona & Konami, Stardom, July 15

#21
Daniel Makabe

Years Unranked: 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 65
Places Worked: 3-2-1 BATTLE!, WAC, wXw, ECCW, DOA, PPW, SCI, Riptide, BLP, Beyond, Breed Pro, 5CC, OWE, PWA, GCW, ISW, Pizza Party Pro, & Freelance
Tournaments: Scenic City Invitational (winner), wXw AMBITION 11, 3-2-1 BATTLE! Seattle Underground Title Tournament, Riptide Tag Team Tournament w/ Chris Brookes, wXw AMBITION Wildcard Edition (finals), PPW Title Tournament (finals), & 3-2-1 BATTLE! GO! Tournament (winner)

I’ve seen Makabe called the Budy Rose of the Pacific Northwest, and this is a really fun comparison. While mostly focused on matwork and submissions, his ability to story tell really sets him apart. A tremendous heel.

Recommended Matches:

vs Jonathan Gresham, 3-2-1 BATTLE!, April 19
vs Timothy Thatcher, 3-2-1 BATTLE!, July 12
plus more

#20
Konami

Years Unranked: 2015 & 2021
Matches: 93
Place Worked: Stardom
Titles Held: Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Hana Kimura & Jungle Kyona & Goddesses of Stardom Championship w/ Jungle Kyona
Tournaments: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ AZM & Momo Watanabe, Stardom Cinderella Tournament (finals), Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix (finals), & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ Jungle Kyona

I always enjoy Konami, but I didn’t think about ranking until now. She had a tremendous year as one of the big shots in TCS. She had plenty of bigger opportunities and delivered in those situations, including main event title matches. She reminds me of Tajiri, and seeing Tajiri in Stardom is great fun.

Recommended Matches:

vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, February 24
vs Kagetsu, Stardom, May 26
w/ Jungle Kyona vs Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita, Stardom, July 15
w/ Jungle Kyona vs Arisa Hoshiki & Tam Nakano, Stardom, November 24
vs Arisa Hoshiki, Stardom, December 24

#19
Asuka

Previous Ranking: 2010 (3rd) & 2015 (10th)
Years Unranked: 2004, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 120
Place Worked: WWE
Titles Held: WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship & WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship w/ Kairi Sane

Being a non-World Champion in WWE as a woman makes it hard to put together a case, but I think Asuka accomplished it. From the tremendous title match with Lynch at the Rumble to the amazing team with Sane, she was a great performer all year. I can’t reiterate enough how awesome Kabuki Warriors were, and her having another awesome heel run really was much needed.

Recommended Matches:

vs Becky Lynch, WWE, January 27
w/ Kairi Sane vs Dakota Kai & Tegan Nox, NXT, October 30
w/ Kairi Sane vs Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair, “TLC”, WWE, December 15

#18
Chihiro Hashimoto

Years Unranked: 2021 & 2022
Matches: 97
Places Worked: Sendai Girls, DDT, Diana, WAVE, Marvelous, FCP, PURE-J, ZERO1, Dragon Gate, & Oz Academy
Titles Held: Sendai Girls Tag Team Championship w/ Mika Iwata, Sendai Girls World Championship (twice), & DDT KO-D Six Man Tag Team Championship w/ DASH Chisako & Meiko Satomura
Tournaments: Sendai Girls Royal Tag Team Tournament w/ Yuu (finals) & DDT D-Ou Grand Prix

I’m starting to think that any year Hashimoto has enough footage for me to watch, she’ll make the list somewhere. She is such a bruising brute of a wrestler who has a tremendous aura. Her taking on all challenges in Sendai Girls is perfect wrestling.

Recommended Matches:

vs Kyoko Inoue, Diana, February 24
vs Jordynne Grace, Sendai Girls, April 16
vs Sareee, Sendai Girls, June 8

#17
WALTER

Previous Ranking: 2022 (2nd)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, & 2021
Matches: 67
Places Worked: WWE, wXw, PROGRESS, OTT, EVOLVE, FCP, Smash, BJW, & FWF
Titles Held: OTT World Championship, PROGRESS Atlas Championship, wXw World Tag Team Championship w/ Ilja Dragunov, PROGRESS Unified World Championship, & WWE NXT United Kingdom Championship
Tournaments: wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament (finals) & wXw AMBITION 11 (winner)

A mixed bag from WALTER, from his usual hot start in wXw and the shocking match he dragged out of Müller to settling into NXT UK and having to have a rare show to have a great match.

Recommended Matches:

vs Veit Müller, wXw, February 15
vs Pete Dunne, NXT, April 5
vs Pete Dunne, NXT UK, April 19
plus more

#16
Io Shirai

Previous Ranking: 2015 (7th)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 69
Places Worked: WWE
Tournament: WWE Royal Rumble

Having a great run as a face and a heel in a single year is a great way to get ranked. She was still as great as she was in Stardom, just with fewer and different opportunities. Her heel turn and matches in that character were great.

Recommended Matches:

vs Bianca Belair vs Kairi Sane vs Shayna Baszler, NXT, April 5
vs Shayna Baszler, NXT, June 1
vs Shayna Baszler, “Cage”, NXT, June 12
vs Candice LeRae, NXT, August 10

#15
LA Park
aka La Parka

Previous Ranking: 2001 (4th), 2004 (9th), 2010 (5th), & 2015 (18th)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 1997, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 76
Places Worked: AAA, MLW, G21, KAOZ, NLL, Invasion Indy, The Crash, Producciones Sanchez, Lucha Libre Boom, CMLL, PWM, AULL, IWRG, FMLL, Promociones Tao, WrestleRex, LEGEND, DEFY, Martinez Entertainment, Lucha Time, CWFH, LLE, Impact, GCW, TWE, WWW, & Warrior Wrestling
Titles Held: DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Championship, XWW Universal Championship, G21 Heavyweight Championship, & G21 Tag Team Championship w/ El Hijo de LA Park

Park is an all-time great brawler, and even though he was slowly down, he was still great in 2019. He brings that aura of unpredictability and danger that few can bring.

Recommended Matches:

vs Masato Tanaka, GCW
vs Jacob Fatu, “No DQ”, MLW, November 2
vs Blue Demon, Jr., IWRG, December 15

#14
Takumi Iroha

Years Unranked: 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 87
Places Worked: Marvelous, WAVE, SEAdLINNNG, Diana, & DDT
Titles Held: SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship & Regina Di WAVE Championship
Tournament: Catch The WAVE (winner)

I’m so glad I finally got to rank Iroha, as lack of footage or injuries held her back before. The ace of Marvelous got to travel to SEAdLINNING and show them she’s one of the best Joshi workers of this century. With tremendous offence, kicks, and charisma, she is a true protege of Chigusa Nagayo.

Recommended Matches:

vs Nanae Takahashi, SEAdLINNNG, May 29
vs Arisa Nakajima, SEAdLINNNG, Semptember 18
vs Mio Momono, Marvelous, November 3
w/ Kaho Kobayashi vs Hazuki & Kagetsu, Sumire Natsu Produce Forever, December 15

#13
Daniel Bryan

Previous Ranking: 2004 (18th), 2010 (12th), & 2021 (18th)
Years Unranked: 2001, 2015, & 2022
Matches: 90
Place Worked: WWE
Titles Held: WWE Championship & WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship w/ Rowan

The WrestleMania match with Kofi Kingston is a truly great performance which would cement Bryan onto the list. However, adding on his heel work throughout the year, he’s in the top 15.

Recommended Matches:

vs Kevin Owens vs Mustafi Ali, WWE, March 10
vs Kofi Kingston, WWE, April 7 (#3 MOTY)
w/ Roman Reigns vs Erick Rowan & Luke Harper, WWE, October 6

#12
Orange Cassidy
aka Fire Ant

Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 102
Places Worked: GCW, Beyond, CHIKARA, NYWC, Outlaw Wrestling, PWG, AEW, BLP, LVAC, Bar Wrestling, F1RST, ICW, EVOLVE, Flying V, IWTV, A1, HOH, FCP, PWA Black Label, WrestlePro, Smash, WC, SFP, Wild Zero, MCW, OTT, Prestige, Ground Zero, B!P, BTW, Destiny, TRUE, & SLA
Titles Held: IWTV Independent Wrestling Championship (twice), F1RST Wrestling Uptown VFW Championship, & A1 Zero Gravity Championship
Tournaments: NYWC/Outlaw Wrestling King & Queen Tournament w/ Kris Statlander (finals), PWG Battle of Los Angeles, BLP Turbo Graps 16, CHIKARA King of Trios as Fire Ant w/ Green Ant & Thief Ant, PWA Black Label Colosseum Tournament, FCP Infinity Tournament, & AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring

Watching Cassidy transform from a comedy worker to the ace of the northeast indies was a great ride, and if you like his current title run in AEW, you’ll like this as well. He was not only hilarious but also found tremendous ways to bring his character into serious great matches.

Recommended Matches:

w/ Session Moth Martina vs Brian Cage & Jordynne Grace, Beyond, April 3
vs Jonathan Gresham, “European Rounds”, IWTV, April 4
vs Joey Janella, GCW, May 4
vs Kris Statlander, IWTV, May 26
w/ Chuck Taylor vs BLANK & Still Life, Beyond, June 19

#11
Sareee

Years Unranked: 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 85
Places Worked: Sendai Girls, Diana, Marvelous, WAVE, Dotonbori Pro, MBPW, JTO, Ice Ribbon, HEAT UP, ZERO1, & GPS
Titles Held: Sendai Girls World Championship & World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana World Championship
Tournament: Sendai Girls Royal Rag Tournament w/ Nanami

Sareee went from a young up-and-comer to the ace of Sendai Girls in 2019, and it was a great story. Her facing all these legends and not only keeping up with them but surpassing them was impressive.

Recommended Matches:

vs Meiko Satomura, Sendai Girls, April 16
vs Chihiro Hashimoto, Sendai Girls, June 8
vs Giulia, Minoru Tanaka Produce, June 18
vs DASH Chisako, Sendai Girls, July 7
vs Tsukasa Fujimoto, Ice Ribbon, September 14

#10
Tam Nakano

Previous Ranking: 2021 (4th) & 2022 (7th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 84
Places Worked: Stardom & Tokyo Gurentai
Titles Held: Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Mayu Iwatani & Saki Kashima (twice)
Tournaments: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ Arisa Hoshiki & Saki Kashima (finals), Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix, & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ Arisa Hoshiki (winner)

Tam, the queen storyteller in wrestling today, spent most of the year with the Hoshiki story. As amazing as that was, it would be dead without Nakano. I may be biased due to her being one of my favourites, but I don’t think anyone can deny she was a great character in 2019 with some great matches.

Recommended Matches:

vs Momo Watanabe, Stardom, January 14
vs Kagetsu, Stardom, April 29
vs Arisa Hoshiki, Stardom, June 16 (#2 MOTY)
vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, September 7
w/ Arisa Hoshiki vs Jungle Kyona & Konami, Stardom, November 24

#9
Shayna Baszler

Years Unranked: 2021 & 2022
Matches: 80
Places Worked: WWE
Title Held: WWE NXT Women’s Championship

I had completely forgotten that there was a time when Baszler was treated properly in WWE. The badass dominant champion of NXT was a great run for her and put her in a fun contrast with the majority of the roster she faced. When it was finally time for her to lose and move on, she did so, making a new star.

Recommended Matches:

vs Bianca Belair, NXT, January 26
vs Bianca Belair vs Io Shirai vs Kairi Sane, NXT, April 5
vs Io Shirai, NXT, June 1
vs Io Shirai, “Cage”, NXT, June 12
vs Rhea Ripley, NXT, December 18

#8
Jungle Kyona

Years Unranked: 2022
Matches: 86
Places Worked: Stardom, YMZ, & Tokyo Gurentai
Titles Held: Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Hana Kimura & Konami & Goddesses of Stardom Championship w/ Konami
Tournaments: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ Natsuko Tora & Ruaka, Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix, & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ Konami

Jungle in TCS is my favourite version of Jungle. Her getting so close but just coming up short led to dramatic storytelling. This might be the best year of her career.

Recommended Matches:

vs Momo Watanabe, Stardom, March 3
w/ Konami vs Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita, Stardom, July 15
vs Arisa Hoshiki, Stardom, August 10 (#7 MOTY)
w/ Konami vs Arisa Hoshiki & Tam Nakano, Stardom, November 24

#7
El Barbaro Cavernario

Years Unranked: 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 125
Places Worked: CMLL, NJPW, ROH, The Crash, AULL, RevPro, Martinez Entertainment,
Lucha Libre Real, & Promociones Bello
Title Held: Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion
Tournaments: Campeon Universal del CMLL, CMLL Torneo National de Parejas Incredibles w/ Titan (winner), CMLL Torneo Incredible de Parejas w/ Flyer, CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa w/ Espanto, Jr., & RevPro British J Cup

Every single spotlight match he had, he delivered, and he was a lot of fun in the random pointless trios matches as well. They are such a ridiculous bumper with great charisma and real smarts for putting together an exciting match.

Recommended Matches:

vs Dragon Lee, CMLL, January 4
vs Titan, CMLL, February 22
vs Mistico, CMLL, May 24

#6
“The Boss” Sasha Banks

Previous Ranking: 2015 (1st) & 2021 (12th)
Years Unranked: 2022
Matches: 73
Place Worked: WWE
Title Held: WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion w/ Bayley

Banks spent the first half of the year trying to establish a women’s tag division and then moved into a great feud with Becky Lynch. She was great doing both of those things. The Boss, even limited, is one of the greatest in the world.

Recommended Matches:

Elimination Chamber Tag Match, WWE, February 17
w/ Bayley vs Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair, WWE, September 9
vs Becky Lynch, WWE, September 15
vs Becky Lynch, “Hell in a Cell”, WWE, October 6 (#9 MOTY)
plus more

#5
Mayu Iwatani

Previous Ranking: 2015 (12th), 2021 (10th), & 2022 (5th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 78
Places Worked: Stardom, ROH, EVE, Diana, & NJPW
Titles Held: ROH Women of Honor World Championship, Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Saki Kashima & Tam Nakano (twice), & World of Stardom Championship
Tournaments: Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League

Mayu continued to be the GOAT of Stardom and had another great year with the Red Belt and, weirdly, the ROH Title. The ROH trips didn’t yield much, but at least she had some great defences of that belt in Stardom.

Recommended Matches:

vs Kelly Klein, ROH, February 10
vs Konami, Stardom, February 24
vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, September 7
w/ Arisa Hoshiki vs Hazuki & Kagetsu, Stardom, December 1
vs Kagetsu, Stardom, December 24
plus more

#4
Kagetsu

Previous Ranking: 2015 (24th)
Years Unranked: 2010
Matches: 97
Places Worked: Stardom, EVE, ROH, & Tokyo Gurentai
Titles Held: World of Stardom Championship & Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Andras Miyagi & Natsu Sumire
Tournaments: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ Hazuki & Natsu Sumire, Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix, & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ Natsu Sumire

The main heel in Stardom, Kagetsu spent a lof the year as the Red Belt Champion and all of the year kicking ass. He cut a unique presence as he could go with the more dramatic work-rate action, but he mostly enjoyed being a badass. I loved him against lesser opponents being arrogant and just plain mean, but giving them enough to come out looking great.

Recommended Matches:

vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, April 29
vs Konami, Stardom, May 26
w/ Hazuki vs Arisa Hoshiki & Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, December 1
w/ Hazuki vs Kaho Kobayashi & Takumi Iroha, Sumire Natsu Produce Forever, December 15
vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, December 24

#3
“The Man” Becky Lynch

Previous Ranking: 2015 (16th)
Years Unranked: 2021 & 2022
Matches: 131
Place Worked: WWE
Titles Held: WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship & WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Tournament: WWE Royal Rumble (winner)

Becky Lynch really took off in 2019, winning the first WrestleMania main evented by women. Her year stretched far beyond great promos, and being super over, she also had tremendous matches, including the great feud with Sasha Banks. She was must watch every time she was on screen.

Recommended Matches:

vs Asuka, WWE, January 27
w/ Charlotte Flair vs Bayley & Sasha Banks, WWE, September 9
vs Sasha Banks, WWE, September 15
vs Sasha Banks, “Hell in a Cell”, WWE, October 6 (#9 MOTY)
w/ Charlotte Flair vs Asuka & Kairi Sane, “TLC”, WWE, December 15
plus more

#2
Arisa Hoshiki

Years Unranked: none
Matches: 84
Places Worked: Stardom & EVE
Title Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship
Tournaments: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ Saki Kashima & Tam Nakano (finals), Stardom Cinderella Tournament (winner), Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix, Stardom Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ Tam Nakano (winner)

What a wild career Hoshiki had. 2019 was the only year she worked over 15 matches; she debuted in 2018 and retired in 2020, and ended up #2 on this list. Her ability to get kicks off at unique angles and time them perfectly makes her stand out. She had such a great ability to step up in big matches and was instantly likable as a babyface. What a tremendous year as the Wonder of Stardom Champion, working the long-term story with Tam Nakano and Jungle Kyona.

Recommended Matches:

vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, June 16 (#2 MOTY)
vs Hazuki, Stardom, July 24
vs Jungle Kyona, Stardom, August 10 (#7 MOTY)
w/ Tam Nakano vs Jungle Kyona & Konami, Stardom, November 24
vs Konami, Stardom, December 24
plus more

#1
“The Latina Sensation”
Mercedes Martinez

Previous Ranking: 2010 (19th) & 2021 (17th)
Years Unranked: 2004 & 2022
Matches: 65
Places Worked: EVE, SHIMMER, Rise, Shine, NHPW, PPW, AWS, Beyond, AEW, Femmes Fatles, RevPro, AIW, VIP, Ladies Night Out, Hurricane Pro, WAW, UCE, Riptide, UPWA, F1RST, WOW, & APW
Titles Held: Phoenix of RISE Championship, IndyGurlz Australia Championship, PPW Women’s Championship, SHIMMER Tag Team Championship w/ Cheerleader Melissa, AWS Heavyweight Championship, SHINE Championship, Bellatrix World Championship, & Femmes Fatales Championship
Tournaments: NHPW Global Conflict X Tournament (finals), EVE Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Laura Di Matteo (finals), & EVE SHE-1

In 2019 Martinez worked everywhere, having great matches with great wrestlers and wrestlers she had to completely carry. It was similar to Chris Hero’s 2010, a year that also got him to #1 on my list. During that year, she had me ordering all kinds of shows and searching her out. Everything was entertaining to great, and I had 11 or so matches of her’s on my spreadsheet. Bonus, I met her in Toronto at The Summit, and she was the nicest person alive.

Recommended Matches:

vs Kay Lee Ray, EVE, February 9
vs Kylie Rae, “No Ropes Submission”, RISE, March 29 (#1 MOTY)
vs Charlie Morgan, SHIMMER, March 30
vs Thunder Rosa, Hurricane Pro, July 27
vs Jordynne Grace, The Summit, August 10 (#10 MOTY)
plus more

There we have it; after months of watching the footage, I can move on from 2019. Did you love this list, or did you love it? Contact me on Twitter or Discord to let me know.

Upcoming!

As a complete change of pace, let’s explore 1989 next!

Twitter

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Posted in: The Greatest Wrestlers of the Year List | Tagged: Arisa Hoshiki, Asuka, Becky Lynch, Cavernario, Chihiro Hashimoto, Daniel Bryan, Daniel Makabe, Io Shirai, joshi, Jungle Kyona, Kagetsu, Kana, Konami, Kris Statlander, LA Park, lucha libre, Mayu Iwatani, Mercedes Martinez, momo watanabe, Nanae Takahashi, Orange Cassidy, puroresu, Sareee, Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, takumi iroha, tam nakano, tsukasa fujimoto, WALTER

The Best Matches I’ve Watched This Week (2023-06-09)

By Grimmas on June 9, 2023 | Leave a comment

We are into 1989 this week and we say goodbye to watching 2019 wrestling for a while!

#12
Demolition (c) vs The Brain Busters
“WWF World Tag Team Championship”
WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event
April 25, 1989, aired on May 27, 1989

I have always enjoyed this type of match, but for some reason, I never really rated it. However, I do think it’s a match people should watch so why wouldn’t I recommend it? This is all story, Demolition dominates for the first half, till Busters regroup. They come back and cheat like crazy to put Smash as a face in peril. After so much cheating, Ax had enough and throws the referee away to get at The Busters and is thus is disqualified. Demolition destroys them and a rematch is booked. Perfect pro-wrestling.

Rating: 7/10

#11
KAIRI, Natsupoi, & Saori Anou (c) vs Giulia, Mai Sakurai, & Thekla
“Artist of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Flashing Champions
May 27, 2023

This was a fun and exciting Trios match, but the real joy was seeing KAIRI interact with wrestlers I never thought I’d see her interact with. That said, the action was intense and stiff and the Anou-Giulia chemistry is excellent and I want to see more of that in the future!

Rating: 7/10

#10
Orange Cassidy (c) vs Kris Statlander
“IWTV Independent Wrestling Championship”
IWTV The Midwest Mixtape
May 26, 2019

After starting off with some tremendous fun this settled into a really good changing-over-the-guard title match designed to make Statlander look amazing.

Rating: 7/10

#9
Rick Rude vs Tito Santana
WWF
February 11, 1989

I forgot that watching WWF house shows from the 1980s is a big mystery grab bag, you don’t know if you will get a great match or two folks killing time till they get to a bad finish. This one was really good with Rude controlling and Tito doing awesome hope spots then a great comeback. The crowd was heated and this was a blast.

Rating: 7.25/10

#8
Brutus Beefcake vs Randy Savage
WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event
July 18, 1989, aired July 29, 1989

This is the best singles match of Beefcake’s career and I have NEVER seen a worker/manager combination that works harder than Savage & Sherri. Savage bumped around like a freak and brought the offense, while Sherri cheated like crazy. Beefcake kind of stood there and threw some lame offense, but had a great connection with the crowd. Going into the commercial break, Savage took a giant backdrop to the floor that was nuts, and in a cool callback he talked to Sherri and got her to go to the back to get someone like he used to get Elizabeth to go to the back to get Hogan Sherri brings out Zeus who interferes costing Beefcake the win and there is a fun angle to set up SummerSlam from there.

Rating: 7.25/10

#7
Akira Hokuto & Chaparita ASARI vs Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda
AJW Japan Grand Prix
August 14, 1995

This was a super fun house show match with brawling all over the arena. Hokuto ups everyone else’s game with her presence.

Rating: 7.25/10

#6
Randy Savage (c) vs Bad News Brown
“WWF World Championship Harlem Street Fight”
WWF
January 16, 1989

A sub-ten-minute brawl that includes chairs and tables that is a blast. Bad News has it won after the referee goes through the table, but he obviously can’t count. A second referee runs in as Savage does a quick roll-up for the win. The match really cements itself as awesome with a wild post-match brawl that clears out the locker room. Frustratingly it looks like this feud was not really continued, as the other matches seem untaped and repeats of this. I’ll look around though.

Rating: 7.75/10

#5
Akira Hokuto vs Bull Nakano
AJW
April 23, 1989

These two had a lot of tremendous matches in the future, but I wasn’t sure what to expect here. It turns out it was a fast and intense match with Bull being a monster and Hokuto being relentless going for the win.

Rating: 7.75/10

#4
Tam Nakano (c) vs Mina Shirakawa (c)
“World & Wonder of Stardom Double Title Match”
Stardom Flashing Champions
May 27, 2023

The Cosmic Angels collide in a match to unify the main belts in Stardom. Sadly a little disappointing, as the initial brawling on the ramp stuff was just okay before Mina really went for the win that ruled. She went for everything but could not keep Tam down and it felt like we were going for a time-limit draw. Then Tam hulked up and won both belts.

Rating: 8/10

#3
Chigusa Nagayo & Chiyako Nagashima vs Miwa Sato & Shark Tsuchiya
FMW Super Dynamism
August 25, 1995

Nagayo goes after Shark as a follow-up to the Bad Nurse match in GAEA and she brings along one of her trainees with her onto enemy territory. The atmosphere was amazing, and it was a violent great brawl with great use of weapons. Nagayo protecting her rookie, all the while being her badass self made this match.

Rating: 8.25/10

#2
Jushin Liger (c) vs Naoki Sano
“IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship”
NJPW Summer Fight Series
July 13, 1989

This is a great intense sprint filled with amazing spots, like a vertical suplex from the ring to the floor and numerous dives. The opening NJPW Junior matwork is cut short to just go nuts trying to throw everything at each other to win. The finish is a lame double KO, but otherwise, this was really cool to see.

Rating: 8.25/10

#1 “Match of the Week”
The Brain Busters vs The Hart Foundation
WWF SummerSlam
August 28, 1989

I decided to turn on SummerSlam for my first watching of 1989 because it’s been so long and this is the opener and one of the best openers in WWF history. I love this match, it has an amazing crowd and has a real WWF vs NWA dream match feel. Everyone brings their A+ game and it’s about as exciting as a WWF match in 1989 can get!

Rating: 8.5/10

Upcoming!

The 1989 watch continues and the Top 25 Wrestlers of 2019 list is in its final stages.

You can discuss this on Twitter!

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Posted in: Best Matches I've Watched This Week, Lists, Reviews | Tagged: AJW, Akira Hokuto, Arn Anderson, Bad News Allen, Bret Hart, Brutus Beefcake, Bull Nakano, Chaparita ASARI, Chigusa Nagayo, Chiyako Nagashima, Demolition, Etsuko Mita, FMW, giulia, Jim Neidhart, joshi, Jushin Liger, Kairi Hojo, Kris Statlander, Mai Sukurai, Mima Shimoda, Mina Shirakawa, Miwa Sato, Naoki Sano, natsupoi, NJPW, Orange Cassidy, puroresu, Randy Savage, Rick Rude, Saori Anou, Shark Tsuchiya, STARDOM, tam nakano, Thekla, TIto Santana, Tully Blanchard, wrestling, WWE, WWF

The Best Matches I’ve Watched This Week (2023-06-02)

By Grimmas on June 2, 2023 | Leave a comment

In a week where I watched AEW’s Double or Nothing at the movie theatre and realized I hated wrestling, I found my love again with some other awesome matches as shown below.

#15
Daniel Makabe vs Fred Yehi
Pizza Party Pro Pizza Party Wrestling
April 3, 2019

A WrestleMania weekend match here, back when that was cool. Two great technical wrestlers doing great technical wrestling and good focus from both. You can tell these two treat wrestling like a sport and have watched sports, the way they work just feels more “realistic.”

Rating: 7/10

#14
BLANK & Still Life With Apricots and Pears vs Chuck Taylor & Orange Cassidy
Beyond Uncharted Territory
June 19, 2019

Cassidy’s ace of North East Indies run is still one of my favourite things in wrestling and I will always enjoy his matches. BLANK is one of those great characters that I’m sad never took off, and Still Life is the future Edith Surreal. This was a really fun comedy tag match, but with a lot of great action too. Cassidy and Taylor doing a run of famous tag team finishers, but in Cassidy’s way was so much fun! More fun than great.

Rating: 7/10

#13
Chihiro Hashimoto vs Kyoko Inoue
“WWWD Number One Contender League”
Diana
February 24, 2019

A really fun hoss battle with the youth vs the legend. They were throwing bombs that felt gritty and it’s so amazing how great Kyoko’s stuff looks even this late into her career.

Rating: 7/10

#12
Giulia vs Sareee
Minoru Tanaka Produce Minoru Tanaka Debut 25th Anniversary ~ The Special One Vol. 1
June 18, 2019

This was fun, as they kept it short and were both fighting for the win. It was also a cool mix of talent you normally wouldn’t see square off. Saree was tremendous and all of her offense was really crisp, especially the dropkicks. Some sloppy moments, but overall a pretty damn good undercard match.

Rating: 7/10

#11
AEW International Championship Blackjack Battle Royale
AEW Double or Nothing
May 28, 2023

I wasn’t too into the early stuff, as it was a lot of just ridiculous dives. Although cool, wasn’t my thing. Once the story started to play out and some of the best wrestlers started to be the focus, this was really good. Especially the Orange Cassidy segments and the ending was great!

Rating: 7/10

#10
Hyan vs Masha Slamovich
“Queen of Indies – First Round”
West Coast Pro/PWR Queen of Indies 2023
May 13, 2023

I’ve always loved these two and they put up a banger first-round match here. I was really impressed that Hyan was so good as an underdog babyface. Her hope spots were tremendous. Slamovich remained quite the force and this match is well worth your time.

Rating: 7/10

#9
Sareee vs DASH Chisako
“Sendai Girls World Championship”
Sendai Girls
July 7, 2019

This was more of a sprint title defense with some great strikes. The real stand out here was DASH’s strikes which seemed more impactful than usual. The pace was high which worked because this wasn’t a really long match.

Rating: 7.25/10

#8
Masha Slamovich vs Mio Momono
“Queen of Indies – Finals”
West Coast Pro/PWR Queen of Indies 2023
May 13, 2023

A fitting finale to this tournament and a great little battle that had lots of great strikes, counters, and nearfalls. The power versus speed aspect of this match early on was fun, but the match really took off in the last 1/3 with the run to the finish.

Rating: 7.25/10

#7
Dynamite Kansai vs Hikari Fukuoka
JWP
August 10, 1995

Dynamite Kansai is a real master of controlling a match, and Fukuoka is exciting which made a great mix in front of a hot crowd. A little spot I loved so much was Kasnai doing a leg kick trip. It was so cool. The finishing sequence was a hot run to cap off this nice little match.

Rating: 7.25/10

#6
Nanae Takahashi vs ASUKA
“SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship”
SEAdLINNNG Luckiest 2019
March 20, 2019

This was off to the races from the very beginning and held up an exciting pace all match. It was a nice mix of styles with the flying and speed and wildness of ASUKA and the brawling more bomb-throwing style of Nanae. The finishing sequence was good stuff, and ASUKA especially stood out to me.

Rating: 7.75/10

#5
Mayu Iwatani vs Konami
“ROH Women of Honor World Championship”
Stardom New Years Stars 2019
February 24, 2019

Konami’s leg assault was quite great here. This was all about the submissions by Konami and the selling by Mayu. Kind of a nice change of pace on Stardom’s main events, which makes sense as it’s for a ROH Title.

Rating: 7.5/10

#4
Kagetsu vs Konami
Stardom Shining Stars 2019 – Tag 2: Konami’s Homecoming
May 26, 2019

I loved the idea of Kagetsu trying to ruin Konami’s homecoming and starting off the match by trying to outwrestle her. Kagetsu does a great job of making Konami look great, but also being the great badass he is throughout. It’s a 30-minute draw, so it has that disadvantage, but the work was great and the match was compelling throughout.

Rating: 7.75/10

#3
Lyra Valkyria vs Tiffany Stratton
“WWE NXT Women’s Title Tournament Final”
NXT Battleground
May 28, 2023

This was a tremendous match built around Stratton earlier destroying the leg and Valkyria’s selling of it. I loved that Stratton, after causing the damage, moved onto her big offense for the win and how Valkyria had the leg damage affect everything she did, but not in an annoying overblown way. Things like a little hop, or a little touch here. Then she missed her big spin kick finisher. I had never seen these two before, but they both have a lot of potential, especially Valkyria.

Rating: 8/10

#2
STARS (Arisa Hoshiki, Mayu Iwatani, Saki Kashima, Starlight Kid, & Tam Nakano)
vs
Tokyo Cyber Squad (Hana Kimura, Jungle Kyona, Konami, Ruaka, & Zoe Lucas)
“Elimination Match”
Stardom Goddess o Stars 2019
December 15, 2019

This was a tremendous match built around storytelling and great action. It started off with a lot of fun, the usual big multi-person tag spots, but done so well. They had the lucha star with two in-the-middle doing spots, the five-way joined suplex spot, and one of the best chain corner attack spots I’ve seen. The eliminations of Mayu Iwatani and Hana Kimura were done so well, with great accident spots by their teammates and from there the match was just outstanding. The action and storytelling from the final four were so great and the final two put out a great finishing sequence. I know I have a soft spot for elimination matches, but this was one of the best I’ve seen in forever.

Rating: 8.25/10

“Match of the Week”
Kagetsu vs Tam Nakano
“Cinderella Tournament First Round”
Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2019
April 29, 2019

I love how the short time limit forces everyone in the first round of Cinderella to go all-out sprint and this was a marvelous example. It started with great work on the mat and the quick escalation was awesome. By the end, the crowd was going nuts and so was I as I bit on the German Suplex nearfall. The final moments of Tam holding on trying to get the submission as the time ran out as just awesome!

Rating: 8.25/10

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Posted in: Best Matches I've Watched This Week, Lists, Reviews | Tagged: aew, Arisa Hoshiki, Asuka, Beyond, BLANK, Chihiro Hashimoto, Chuck Taylor, Daniel Makabe, DASH Chisako, Diana, Dynamite Kansai, Edith Surreal, Fred Yehi, giulia, Hana Kimura, Hikari Fukuoka, Hyan, joshi, Jungle Kyona, JWP, Kagetsu, Konami, Kyoko Inoue, Lyra Valkyria, masha slamovich, Mayu Iwatani, Mio Momono, NXT, Orange Cassidy, Ruaka, Saki Kashima, Sareee, SEADLINNNING, Sendai Girls, STARDOM, starlight kid, tam nakano, Tiffany Stratton, wrestling, Zoe Lucas

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Monthly Archives: June, 2023

The Best Matches I’ve Watched This Month: Live @ AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door (June 2023)

#25Bad News Brown vs Brutus BeefcakeWWFApril 22, 1989

#24Andre the Giant, Akeem, & The Big Boss Man vs King Duggan & DemolitionWWF SummerSlamAugust 28, 1989

#23El Faraon vs El Satanico“Best 2/3 Falls”EMLL Super ViernesJune 30, 1989

#22CM Punk, FTR, & Ricky Starks vs. Jay White, Juice Robinson & The GunnsAEW CollisionJune 24, 2023

#21Athena vs Billie Starkz“Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quater Final”AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door: Zero HourJune 25, 2023

#20Trish Adora vs Vanessa KravenSmash X Femmes Fatales Girls Next DoorJune 25, 2023

#19Tatsumi Fujinami vs Big Van VaderNJPW New Year Golden SeriesFebruary 9, 1989

#18Spike Trivet (c) vs Artemis Spencer“DEFY Men’s Championship”DEFY X PROGRESSJune 25, 2023

#17Sting (c) vs The Great Muta“NWA World Television Championship”NWA The Great American BashJuly 23, 1989

#16Rick Martel & The Fabulous Rougeaus vs Tito Santana & The RockersWWF SummerSlamAugust 28, 1989

#15Akira Hokuto vs Mima ShimodaAJW WWWA Champions Night Osaka Queen’s Holy NightAugust 30, 1995

#14Demolition (c) vs Akeem & The Big Boss Man“WWF World Tag Team Championship”WWFJuly 10, 1989

#13Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika OkadaAEW/NJPW Forbidden DoorJune 25, 2023

#12Eddy Guerrero vs Terry FunkNWA World Championship WrestlingMay 9, 1989, aired May 20, 1989

#11Athena (c) vs Kiera Hogan“ROH Women’s World Championship Chicago Street Fight”ROH on HonorClubJune 17, 2023, aired June 22, 2023

#10Giulia, Mai Sakurai, & Thekla (c) vs Hazuki, Koguma, & Mayu Iwatani“Artist of Stardom Steel Cage Match”Stardom SunshineJune 25, 2023

#9Vert Vixen (c) vs Mercedes Martinez“DEFY Women’s Championship”Smash X Femmes Fatales Girls Next DoorJune 25, 2023

#8Lex Luger (c) vs Ricky Steamboat“NWA United States Championship”NWA The Great American BashJuly 23, 1989

#7MJF (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi“AEW World Championship”AEW/NJPW Forbidden DoorJune 25, 2023

#6Stan Hansen (c) vs Genichiro Tenryu“PWF Heavyweight & NWA United National Championship”AJPW Championship CarnivalMarch 29, 1989

#5CM Punk vs Satoshi Kojima“Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quater Final”AEW/NJPW Forbidden DoorJune 25, 2023

#4Aja Kong (c) vs Dynamite Kansai“WWWA World Championship”AJW WWWA Champions Night Osaka Queen’s Holy NightAugust 30, 1995

#3Jim Duggan vs Ted DiBiase“Loser Leaves Town Coal Miner’s Glove On A Pole Steel Cage Tuxedo Street Fight”Houston WrestlingMarch 22, 1985

#2Queen’s Quest (AZM, Hina, Lady C, Miyu Amasaki, Saya Kamitani & Utami Hayashishita) vs Oedo Tai (Momo Watanabe, Natsuko Tora, Rina, Ruaka, Saki Kashima & Starlight Kid)“Loser Must Leave Unit Steel Cage 12 Man Tag Team Match”Stardom SunshineJune 25, 2023

#1 “Match of the Month”Jumbo Tsuruta (c) vs Genichiro Tenryu“Triple Crown Championship”AJPW Super Power SeriesJune 5, 1989

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The 100 Greatest Matches Ever

Honourable Mentions (all rated 9.25/10)

9.25/10 Rated Matches

#100The Great Muta vs Scott Norton“G1 Climax”NJPW G1 Climax 1997August 2, 1997Ryogoku Kokugikan

#99The Ultimate Warriors (Ultimate Warrior, Jim Neidhart, & The Rockers) vs The Heenan Family (Andre the Giant, Bobby Heenan, Arn Anderson, & Haku)“Survivor Series Match”WWF Survivor SeriesNovember 23, 1989Rosemont Horizon

#98Kana vs Meiko SatomuraKana Pro ManiaFebruary 25, 2014Korakuen Hall

#97Akira Hokuto vs Bull Nakano“Steel Cage Match”AJW on July 30, 1992Prefectural Gymnasium

#96Andrade Almas (c) vs Johnny Gargano“NXT Championship”NXT TakeOver: PhiladelphiaWells Fargo Center

#95Io Shirai (c) vs Mayu Iwatani“World of Stardom Championship”Stardom Galaxy StarsJune 21, 2017Korakuen Hall

#94Dynamite Kansai vs Mayumi Ozaki“Street Fight”JWP Jazz and SoulMarch 17, 1995Hakata Starlanes

#93El Felino vs El Hijo del Snato“Best 2/3 Falls”October 18, 1998Arena Coliseo Monterrey

#92Aja Kong & Kyoko Inoue vs Eagle Sawai & Leo KitamuraLLPW on June 15, 1993Ota Ward Gymnasium

#91Stan Hansen vs Toshiaki KawadaAJPW Excite SeriesFebruary 28, 1993Nippon Budokan

#90Bull Nakano (c) vs Yumiko Hotta“WWWA World Championship Steel Cage Match”AJW on January 23, 1991

#89Sasha Banks (c) vs Charlotte Flair“WWE Raw Women’s Championship Hell in a Cell”WWE Hell in a CellOctober 30, 2016TD Garden

#88Kyoko Inoue (c) vs Akira Hokuto“All Pacific Championship”AJW Dream Rush in KawasakiNovember 26, 1992Kawasaki City Gymnasium

#87Kaori Yoneyama (c) vs Emi Sakura“JWP Openweight Championship Hair vs Hair Match”JWP RevolutionSeptember 19, 2010Shinjuku FACE

#86Lacey vs Sara Del Rey“SHIMMER Championship Tournament Finals”SHIMMER Volume 12June 2, 2007Berwyn Eagles Club

#85Bayley (c) vs Sasha Banks“NXT Women’s Championship Iron Man”NXT TakeOver: RespectOctober 7, 2015Full Sail University

#84Eddie Guerrero (c) vs John “Bradshaw” Layfield“WWE Championship”WWE Judgement DayMay 16, 2004Staples Center

#83Emi Sakura & Kaori Yoneyama vs Arisa Nakajima & Command Bolshoi“JWP Tag Team & Daily Sports Tag Team Championship”JWP Pure SlamAugust 19, 2012Korakuen Hall

#82Becky Lynch (c) vs Bianca Belair“WWE Raw Women’s Championship”WWE WrestleMania 38: SaturdayApril 2, 2022AT&T Stadium

#81Devil Masami (c) vs Chigusa Nagayo“All Pacific Championship”AJW Summer Night Festival In BudokanAugust 22, 1985Nippon Budokan

#80Carlos Colon vs Stan Hansen“Bullrope Match”WWC on January 6, 1987

#79Rick Martel vs Terry Funk“WWC Universal Championship Tournament Semi-Final”WWC 13th AniversarioSeptember 20, 1986Palacio de Recreación y Deportes

#78Larry Zbyszko vs Nick BockwinkelAWA on July 11, 1987Las Vegas, NV

#77Kaientai DX (Dick Togo, MEN’s Teioh, Shiryu, Shoichi Funaki, & TAKA Michinoku) vs Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji, Super Delfin, & Tiger MaskMichinoku Pro These DaysOctober 10, 1996Ryogoku Kokugikan

#76El Dandy vs El Satanico“Hair vs Hair Best 2/3 Falls”EMLL Juicio FinalDecember 14, 1990Arena Mexico

#75Steve Austin (c) vs Dude Love“WWF World Championship No DQ Falls Count Anywhere Match”In Your House: Over The EdgeMay 31, 1998Wisconsin Center Arena

#74The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Brian Pillman, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart, & Owen Hart) vs Goldust, Ken Shamrock, Steve Austin, & The Legion of DoomWWF In Your House 16: Canadian StampedeJuly 6, 1997Saddledome

#73Eddie Guerrero (c) vs Rey Mysterio Jr.“WCW World Cruiserweight Championship vs Mask Match”WCW Halloween HavocOctober 26, 1997MGM Grand Arena

#72Bull Nakano (c) vs Aja Kong“WWWA Championship”AJW WrestlemarinepiadApril 25, 1992Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

#71Akira Taue vs Mitsuharu Misawa“Championship Carnival Final”AJPW Champion CarnivalApril 15, 1995Nippon Budokan

#70Greg Valentine vs Roddy Piper“Dog Collar”NWA StarrcadeNovember 24, 1983Greensboro Coliseum

#69Psychosis vs Rey Mysterio Jr.WCW Bash At The BeachJuly 7, 1996Ocean Center

#68Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect“King of the Ring Semi-Final Match”WWF King of the RingJune 13, 1993Nutter Center

#66Dustin & Dusty Rhodes & The Nasty Boys vs Arn Anderson, Bunkhouse Buck, Terry Funk, & Col. Robert Parker“War Games”WCW Fall BrawlSeptember 18, 1994Roanoke Civic Center

#65Arisa Hoshiki (c) vs Tam Nakano“Wonder of Stardom Championship”Stardom Shining Destiny 2019June 16, 2019Korakuen Hall

9.5/10 Rated Matches

#64Cutie Suzuki & Mayumi Ozaki vs Kyoko Innoue & Takako InoueAJW All-Star Dream SlamApril 2, 1993Yokohama Arena

#63Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada vs Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy“AJPW World Tag Team Championship & Real World Tag League Final”AJPW Real World Tag LeagueDecember 16, 1988Nippon Budokan

#62Sasha Banks (c) vs Becky Lynch“NXT Women’s Championship”NXT TakeOver: UnstoppableMay 20, 2015Full Sail University

#61Jumbo Tsuruta vs Mitsuharu Miswa“Triple Crown #1 Contendership”AJPW Summer Action Series IISeptember 1, 1990Nippon Budokan

#60Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada vs Jun Akiyama & Mitsuharu Misawa“Real World Tag League Final”AJPW Real World Tag LeagueDecember 6, 1996Nippon Budokan

#59The Revival (c) vs #DIY“NXT Tag Team Championship Best 2/3 Falls”NXT TakeOver: TorontoNovember 19, 2016Air Canada Centre

#58Utami Hayashishita (c) vs Syuri“World of Stardom Championship”Stardom Tokyo Dream Cinderella Special EditionJune 12, 2021Ota City General Gymnasium

#57The Bloody & Fang Suzuki (c) vs Sumie Sakai & Hiroyo Muto“LSD 2001 Match: No Rules Falls Count Anywhere Weapons Death Match for the TWF World Women’s Tag Team Championship”“Jd’ … and Justice for All!”July 22, 2001Korakeun Hall

#56Brock Lesnar vs John Cena“Extreme Rules Match”WWE Extreme RulesApril 29, 2012Allstate Arena

#25
Bad News Brown vs Brutus Beefcake
WWF
April 22, 1989

#24
Andre the Giant, Akeem, & The Big Boss Man vs King Duggan & Demolition
WWF SummerSlam
August 28, 1989

#23
El Faraon vs El Satanico
“Best 2/3 Falls”
EMLL Super Viernes
June 30, 1989

#22
CM Punk, FTR, & Ricky Starks vs. Jay White, Juice Robinson & The Gunns
AEW Collision
June 24, 2023

#21
Athena vs Billie Starkz
“Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quater Final”
AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door: Zero Hour
June 25, 2023

#20
Trish Adora vs Vanessa Kraven
Smash X Femmes Fatales Girls Next Door
June 25, 2023

#19
Tatsumi Fujinami vs Big Van Vader
NJPW New Year Golden Series
February 9, 1989

#18
Spike Trivet (c) vs Artemis Spencer
“DEFY Men’s Championship”
DEFY X PROGRESS
June 25, 2023

#17
Sting (c) vs The Great Muta
“NWA World Television Championship”
NWA The Great American Bash
July 23, 1989

#16
Rick Martel & The Fabulous Rougeaus vs Tito Santana & The Rockers
WWF SummerSlam
August 28, 1989

#15
Akira Hokuto vs Mima Shimoda
AJW WWWA Champions Night Osaka Queen’s Holy Night
August 30, 1995

#14
Demolition (c) vs Akeem & The Big Boss Man
“WWF World Tag Team Championship”
WWF
July 10, 1989

#13
Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada
AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
June 25, 2023

#12
Eddy Guerrero vs Terry Funk
NWA World Championship Wrestling
May 9, 1989, aired May 20, 1989

#11
Athena (c) vs Kiera Hogan
“ROH Women’s World Championship Chicago Street Fight”
ROH on HonorClub
June 17, 2023, aired June 22, 2023

#10
Giulia, Mai Sakurai, & Thekla (c) vs Hazuki, Koguma, & Mayu Iwatani
“Artist of Stardom Steel Cage Match”
Stardom Sunshine
June 25, 2023

#9
Vert Vixen (c) vs Mercedes Martinez
“DEFY Women’s Championship”
Smash X Femmes Fatales Girls Next Door
June 25, 2023

#8
Lex Luger (c) vs Ricky Steamboat
“NWA United States Championship”
NWA The Great American Bash
July 23, 1989

#7
MJF (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
“AEW World Championship”
AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
June 25, 2023

#6
Stan Hansen (c) vs Genichiro Tenryu
“PWF Heavyweight & NWA United National Championship”
AJPW Championship Carnival
March 29, 1989

#5
CM Punk vs Satoshi Kojima
“Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quater Final”
AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
June 25, 2023

#4
Aja Kong (c) vs Dynamite Kansai
“WWWA World Championship”
AJW WWWA Champions Night Osaka Queen’s Holy Night
August 30, 1995

#3
Jim Duggan vs Ted DiBiase
“Loser Leaves Town Coal Miner’s Glove On A Pole Steel Cage Tuxedo Street Fight”
Houston Wrestling
March 22, 1985

#2
Queen’s Quest (AZM, Hina, Lady C, Miyu Amasaki, Saya Kamitani & Utami Hayashishita) vs Oedo Tai (Momo Watanabe, Natsuko Tora, Rina, Ruaka, Saki Kashima & Starlight Kid)
“Loser Must Leave Unit Steel Cage 12 Man Tag Team Match”
Stardom Sunshine
June 25, 2023

#1 “Match of the Month”
Jumbo Tsuruta (c) vs Genichiro Tenryu
“Triple Crown Championship”
AJPW Super Power Series
June 5, 1989

#100
The Great Muta vs Scott Norton
“G1 Climax”
NJPW G1 Climax 1997
August 2, 1997
Ryogoku Kokugikan

#99
The Ultimate Warriors (Ultimate Warrior, Jim Neidhart, & The Rockers) vs The Heenan Family (Andre the Giant, Bobby Heenan, Arn Anderson, & Haku)
“Survivor Series Match”
WWF Survivor Series
November 23, 1989
Rosemont Horizon

#98
Kana vs Meiko Satomura
Kana Pro Mania
February 25, 2014
Korakuen Hall

#97
Akira Hokuto vs Bull Nakano
“Steel Cage Match”
AJW on July 30, 1992
Prefectural Gymnasium

#96
Andrade Almas (c) vs Johnny Gargano
“NXT Championship”
NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia
Wells Fargo Center

#95
Io Shirai (c) vs Mayu Iwatani
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Galaxy Stars
June 21, 2017
Korakuen Hall

#94
Dynamite Kansai vs Mayumi Ozaki
“Street Fight”
JWP Jazz and Soul
March 17, 1995
Hakata Starlanes

#93
El Felino vs El Hijo del Snato
“Best 2/3 Falls”
October 18, 1998
Arena Coliseo Monterrey

#92
Aja Kong & Kyoko Inoue vs Eagle Sawai & Leo Kitamura
LLPW on June 15, 1993
Ota Ward Gymnasium

#91
Stan Hansen vs Toshiaki Kawada
AJPW Excite Series
February 28, 1993
Nippon Budokan

#90
Bull Nakano (c) vs Yumiko Hotta
“WWWA World Championship Steel Cage Match”
AJW on January 23, 1991

#89
Sasha Banks (c) vs Charlotte Flair
“WWE Raw Women’s Championship Hell in a Cell”
WWE Hell in a Cell
October 30, 2016
TD Garden

#88
Kyoko Inoue (c) vs Akira Hokuto
“All Pacific Championship”
AJW Dream Rush in Kawasaki
November 26, 1992
Kawasaki City Gymnasium

#87
Kaori Yoneyama (c) vs Emi Sakura
“JWP Openweight Championship Hair vs Hair Match”
JWP Revolution
September 19, 2010
Shinjuku FACE

#86
Lacey vs Sara Del Rey
“SHIMMER Championship Tournament Finals”
SHIMMER Volume 12
June 2, 2007
Berwyn Eagles Club

#85
Bayley (c) vs Sasha Banks
“NXT Women’s Championship Iron Man”
NXT TakeOver: Respect
October 7, 2015
Full Sail University

#84
Eddie Guerrero (c) vs John “Bradshaw” Layfield
“WWE Championship”
WWE Judgement Day
May 16, 2004
Staples Center

#83
Emi Sakura & Kaori Yoneyama vs Arisa Nakajima & Command Bolshoi
“JWP Tag Team & Daily Sports Tag Team Championship”
JWP Pure Slam
August 19, 2012
Korakuen Hall

#82
Becky Lynch (c) vs Bianca Belair
“WWE Raw Women’s Championship”
WWE WrestleMania 38: Saturday
April 2, 2022
AT&T Stadium

#81
Devil Masami (c) vs Chigusa Nagayo
“All Pacific Championship”
AJW Summer Night Festival In Budokan
August 22, 1985
Nippon Budokan

#80
Carlos Colon vs Stan Hansen
“Bullrope Match”
WWC on January 6, 1987

#79
Rick Martel vs Terry Funk
“WWC Universal Championship Tournament Semi-Final”
WWC 13th Aniversario
September 20, 1986
Palacio de Recreación y Deportes

#78
Larry Zbyszko vs Nick Bockwinkel
AWA on July 11, 1987
Las Vegas, NV

#77
Kaientai DX (Dick Togo, MEN’s Teioh, Shiryu, Shoichi Funaki, & TAKA Michinoku) vs Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji, Super Delfin, & Tiger Mask
Michinoku Pro These Days
October 10, 1996
Ryogoku Kokugikan

#76
El Dandy vs El Satanico
“Hair vs Hair Best 2/3 Falls”
EMLL Juicio Final
December 14, 1990
Arena Mexico

#75
Steve Austin (c) vs Dude Love
“WWF World Championship No DQ Falls Count Anywhere Match”
In Your House: Over The Edge
May 31, 1998
Wisconsin Center Arena

#74
The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Brian Pillman, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart, & Owen Hart) vs Goldust, Ken Shamrock, Steve Austin, & The Legion of Doom
WWF In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede
July 6, 1997
Saddledome

#73
Eddie Guerrero (c) vs Rey Mysterio Jr.
“WCW World Cruiserweight Championship vs Mask Match”
WCW Halloween Havoc
October 26, 1997
MGM Grand Arena

#72
Bull Nakano (c) vs Aja Kong
“WWWA Championship”
AJW Wrestlemarinepiad
April 25, 1992
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

#71
Akira Taue vs Mitsuharu Misawa
“Championship Carnival Final”
AJPW Champion Carnival
April 15, 1995
Nippon Budokan

#70
Greg Valentine vs Roddy Piper
“Dog Collar”
NWA Starrcade
November 24, 1983
Greensboro Coliseum

#69
Psychosis vs Rey Mysterio Jr.
WCW Bash At The Beach
July 7, 1996
Ocean Center

#68
Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect
“King of the Ring Semi-Final Match”
WWF King of the Ring
June 13, 1993
Nutter Center

#66
Dustin & Dusty Rhodes & The Nasty Boys vs Arn Anderson, Bunkhouse Buck, Terry Funk, & Col. Robert Parker
“War Games”
WCW Fall Brawl
September 18, 1994
Roanoke Civic Center

#65
Arisa Hoshiki (c) vs Tam Nakano
“Wonder of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Shining Destiny 2019
June 16, 2019
Korakuen Hall

#64
Cutie Suzuki & Mayumi Ozaki vs Kyoko Innoue & Takako Inoue
AJW All-Star Dream Slam
April 2, 1993
Yokohama Arena

#63
Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada vs Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy
“AJPW World Tag Team Championship & Real World Tag League Final”
AJPW Real World Tag League
December 16, 1988
Nippon Budokan

#62
Sasha Banks (c) vs Becky Lynch
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable
May 20, 2015
Full Sail University

#61
Jumbo Tsuruta vs Mitsuharu Miswa
“Triple Crown #1 Contendership”
AJPW Summer Action Series II
September 1, 1990
Nippon Budokan

#60
Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada vs Jun Akiyama & Mitsuharu Misawa
“Real World Tag League Final”
AJPW Real World Tag League
December 6, 1996
Nippon Budokan

#59
The Revival (c) vs #DIY
“NXT Tag Team Championship Best 2/3 Falls”
NXT TakeOver: Toronto
November 19, 2016
Air Canada Centre

#58
Utami Hayashishita (c) vs Syuri
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Tokyo Dream Cinderella Special Edition
June 12, 2021
Ota City General Gymnasium

#57
The Bloody & Fang Suzuki (c) vs Sumie Sakai & Hiroyo Muto
“LSD 2001 Match: No Rules Falls Count Anywhere Weapons Death Match for the TWF World Women’s Tag Team Championship”
“Jd’ … and Justice for All!”
July 22, 2001
Korakeun Hall

#56
Brock Lesnar vs John Cena
“Extreme Rules Match”
WWE Extreme Rules
April 29, 2012
Allstate Arena

#55
Mercedes Martinez (c) vs Kylie Rae
“Phoenix of RISE Championship No Ropes Submission Match”
RISE 13: Legendary
March 29, 2019
Berwyn Eagles Club

#54
Kenta Kobashi vs Stan Hansen
AJPW Summer Action Series
July 29, 1993
Nippon Budokan

#53
Pat Patterson vs Sgt. Slaughter
“Alley Street Fight”
WWF on May 4, 1981
Madison Square Garden

#52
Chigusa Nagayo & Dynamite Kansai vs Devil Masami & Mayumi Ozaki
GAEA Memorial First Gong In Korakuen
April 15, 1995
Korakuen Hall

#51
Cheerleader Melissa vs MsChif
“Falls Count Anywhere”
SHIMMER Volume 4
February 12, 2006
Berwyn Eagles Club

#50
Bull Nakano & Condor Saito vs Chigusa Nagayo & Lioness Asuka
“Tag League The Best Final”
AJW on October 11, 1987

#49
Bret Hart (c) vs 1-2-3 Kid
“WWF World Heavyweight Championship”
WWF Monday Night Raw
taped July 1, 1994, aired July 11
Fernwood Resort & Country Club

#48
El Hijo del Santo vs LA Park-K
“Best 2/3 Falls”
Monterrey on December 23, 2001

#47
Aja Kong & Akira Hokuto vs Eagle Sawai & Shinobu Kandori
AJW All-Star Dream Slam 2
April 11
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

#46
Diesel (c) vs Bret Hart
“WWF World Championship No Holds Barred Match”
WWF Survivor Series
November 19, 1995
USAir Arena

#45
Combat Toyoda (c) vs Megumi Kudo
“FMW Independent Women’s & WWA Women’s Championship No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Blast Death Match”
FMW Fighting Creation: 7th Anniversary Show
May 5, 1996
Kawasaki Stadium