The Best Matches I’ve Watched This Month (September 2023)
I took a little break from GWE watching; I only had two 76/77 matches on the list this month. I was off-wrestling this month, but I got in a lot of the Stardom 5STAR and started to get back into CMLL.
#25
Superstar Billy Graham (c) vs Dusty Rhodes
“WWWF Heavyweight Championship Texas Death Match”
WWWF
October 24, 1977
This was bloody, with a superheated crowd in an intense brawl. It doesn’t really hit high gear, though, and the finish stunk, but a damn good match worth watching.
Rating: 7/10
#24
Hazuki, Shinobu Kandori, & Takako Inoue vs Natsupoi, Saori Anou, & Tam Nakano
Stardom MidSummer Fes
August 19, 2023
It’s a fun match, putting legends with current starts. All the legends hit their stuff and looked awesome, but the current stars carried the bulk of the work. It’s a textbook and is well worth watching stuff here.
Rating: 7/10
#23
Chigusa Nagayo vs Megumi Kudo
FMW New Year Generation
January 10, 1996
An amazing-paced 7-minute match where they fought with a great struggle like warriors! The power bomb finish was brutal!
Rating: 7/10
#22
Kaoru Ito & Manami Toyota vs Double Inoue
AJW Zenjo Strongest
January 3, 1996
This was just a super fun tag with a really hot finishing sequence and an insanely fast giant swing by Kyoko.
Rating: 7.25/10
#21
Akira Hokuto & Mima Shimoda (c) vs Double Inoue
“WWWA Tag Team Championship Best 2/3 Falls”
AJW Ota Ward Champion Legend
January 22, 1996
LCO work as psychotic heels against the sympathetic Double Inoue team, and it helps this tag for the first couple of falls. The third fall is tremendous action.
Rating: 7.25/10
#20
MIRAI (c) vs Konami
“Wonder of Stardom Championship”
Stardom 5STAR Special In Hiroshima
September 3, 2023
I really dug this title defense. Konami’s arm offense and kicks were on point, and MIRAI’s selling was tremendous. I loved her comeback and the finishing sequence, too. MIRAI’s lariats are so brutal.
Rating: 7.25/10
#19
La Jarochita & Lluvia vs Stephanie Vaquer & Zeuxis
“CMLL World Women’s Tag Team Title Match”
CMLL 90 Aniversario
September 16, 2023
A great opener to the Aniversario and a really fun tag match with some amazing dives and great double-team moves. There was a viciousness to this that made it extra appealing.
Rating: 7.25
#18
Momo Watanabe vs Saori Anou
“5STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
August 15, 2023
It was a real blast where Momo was trying to knock out Anou all match, from an opening sneak attack to using her baseball bat and vicious heavy offense. Anou is pretty good from fighting underneath, so it’s worth watching.
Rating: 7.25/10
#17
Mariah May vs Mina Shirakawa
“5STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
August 15, 2023
These two have been the most improved wrestlers on earth in the last two years, and they went out and had a good match between teammates. Mina’s leg work was on point as ever, and Mariah has developed some killer offense.
Rating: 7.25/10
#16
Mayu Iwatani vs Syuri
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Special In Hiroshima
September 3, 2023
These two are just great, and even in an undercard match, they will deliver something awesome. It was intense and stiff and led to a great finish.
Rating: 7.5/10
#15
Aja Kong vs Combat Toyoda
FMW New Year Generation
January 10, 1996
A wild brawl all over the arena with Combat bleeding and weapons. It’s a real fun hoss battle well worth your time.
Rating: 7.5/10
#14
Hazuki vs Syrui
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
August 15, 2023
A full-throttle intense 10-minute sprint that I loved. Two of my favourites doing everything to win their tournament match, but not in an epic way, but in a that put the other away as soon as possible way.
Rating: 7.5/10
#13
Manami Toyota (c) vs Kyoko Inoue
“WWWA World Championship”
AJW Wrestling Queendom
March 31, 1996
Putting aside the horrible design to not have Kyoko win and to have her lose to her own finish, this match was pretty damn good. The crowd really wanted Kyoko to win, which made every nerafall hot. The nerafalls all felt big, and it got better and better as it went.
Rating: 8/10
#12
Bomber Hikari, Chigusa Nagayo, & Sonoko Kato vs Eagle Sawai, Jenn Yukari, & Michiko Nagashima
LLPW
March 12, 1996
This is a rematch from a GAEA match higher on the list, and although it’s still pretty wild and a great match, it doesn’t hit the high levels the other match hit. The clipping makes it harder to rank, too.
Rating: 8/10
#11
Mayu Iwatani vs Tam Nakano
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
August 15, 2023
Two legends of Stardom go at it for 15 minutes straight, trying to knock the other out. It’s as good as a 15-minute tournament match draw could be, really. These two need a big title match one day.
Rating: 8/10
#10
KAIRI & Saori Anou vs Unagi Sayaka & Sareee
AJPW Giant Series
September 8, 2023
Outside of the novelty of seeing these four, some of my favourites, in an AJPW ring, the match delivered. It was a great tag match where everyone was stepping up their game. Each team had really good team chemistry and double-team moves, too. The last few minutes were absolutely tremendous stuff.
Rating: 8/10
#9
CM Punk (c) vs Samoa Joe
“Real World Championship”
AEW All In London
August 27, 2023
This was a great opener and the only match I wanted to watch from this show. There were some nice nods to their previous matches with the headlock before Joe killed Punk into the table and blooded him up. Punk worked amazingly from underneath, and his comeback was fun, especially the Wrestlemania III tribute. A fun finishing stretch ended it. Punk then posed with a trans flag to push the match up even higher!
Rating: 8/10
#8
AZM vs Utami Hayashishita
“5STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
August 15, 2023
The main event in Korakuen Hall delivered in a big way as teammates fought in the 5STAR. AZM used her high speed skills to try to sneak in a victory, while Utami used her power to pick her apart. It was a perfect power vs speed match.
Rating: 8.25/10
#7
Lince Dorado & Samuray del Sol vs. Soberano Jr. & Titan
“Best 2/3 Falls”
CMLL 90 Aniversario
September 16, 2023
The Lucha House Party makes a surprisingly good gringo rudo tag team here, and this was a dynamic, exciting tag. The first two falls were perfect, with great spots and good build-up. The third fall got a little extra, but this was filled with spectacular spots and some good playing character work.
Rating: 8.25/10
#6
Dragon Rojo Jr. vs Templario
“Mask vs Mask”
CMLL 90 Aniversario
September 16, 2023
There’s nothing like a mask vs mask match to end a CMLL Anniversary show, and this was a good one. I loved Dragon Rojo Jr. on offense for the first half; he kind of reminded me of Kikuchiyo in his movement. Templario’s comeback had a lot of spectacular dives, but the finishing stretch seemed like a letdown from what they were building.
Rating: 8.5/10
#5
Angel de Oro vs Volador, Jr.
“Hair vs Hair”
CMLL 90 Aniversario
September 16, 2023
A dramatic and great hair vs hair match made even better with Volador’s shoulder injury, making all his moves look more spectacular. I love these high-stakes matches. It makes everything feel way more important. This wasn’t just a spot fest. There was some great hate and submissions mixed in there.
Rating: 8.75/10
#4
Bomber Hikari, Chigusa Nagayo, & Sonoko Kato vs Eagle Sawai, Jenn Yukari, & Michiko Nagashima
GAEA War Is A Friday Night
February 16, 1996
This is as fun as a wild all over the arena crazy brawl can be. Chigusa and Eagle just killing each other in the audience is a blast, but the story of Kato losing her shit was amazing. Blood and brawling, GAEA is such a great promotion.
Rating: 8.75/10
#3
Jaguar Yokota, Momoe Nakanishi, & Nanae Takahashi vs Momo Watanabe, Starlight Kid, & Yuu
Stardom MidSummer Fes
August 19, 2023
This was an exciting trios match main event. There was so much great action with everyone, especially the legends, getting their chance to shine. The action was really classic Joshi. I’m so blown away by how great Nakanishi was after 18 years of not wrestling a real match. She looked like she could main event today on a consistent basis. Unbelievable.
Rating: 9/10
#2
Terry Funk (c) vs Jumbo Tsuruta
“NWA World Heavyweight Championship Best 2/3 Falls”
AJPW NWA Champion Series”
June 11, 1976
One thing I immediately loved about this match was each fall was built like a regular match, albeit the later ones got shorter and went quicker toward finishing sequences. It has that great feel-out segment that leads to them figuring out what to do. Funk doing Jumbo’s finisher to him was fascinating, as I had no idea people were doing that before the 2000s. It is just tremendously well-built, and once it going going, it is an exciting match.
Rating: 9/10
#1
“Match of the Month”
Becky Lynch vs Trish Stratus
“Cage Match”
WWE Payback
September 2, 2023
This was a perfect WWE cage match. It was not built around trying to do cool moves; it was built around the feud and legacy. For once, no blood, after being rammed into the cage, was perfectly covered, as Trish had a giant welt on her forehead. The tributes to the first-ever WWE women’s cage match and other cage matches in WWE history were perfectly done. They were even somewhat subtle, like the Bret-Owen superplex and the outside interference door slamming into the face. I loved the finishing sequence so much, where Becky had enough of Trish’s lackey, so she locked her in the cage too and took her out, leading to catching Trish on the top of the cage and hitting a super Manhandle slam. It was a brilliant match and will be near the top matches of 2023 for me!
Rating: 9/10
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The Greatest Wrestlers of 1995
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, 1989, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, & 2022 are on the blog.
1995
It was filled with some tremendous wrestlers and one of the most varied years I’ve ranked. Every type of wrestling was at a high level, which made this pretty difficult. I’m okay with my list, though!
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. Each wrestler probably had more matches I could recommend, but I limited it to keep this cleaner.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
- Bam Bam Bigelow
- Hayabusa
- Jeff Jarrett
- Mima Shimoda
- Negro Casas
- Randy Savage
- Takako Inoue
#25
Toshiaki Kawada
Previous Ranking: 1993 (31st)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004, & 2010
Matches: 140
Places Worked: AJPW & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: AJPW World Tag Team Championship w/ Akira Taue
Tournaments: AJPW Champion Carnival, AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Akira Taue (finals)
He was a focal point of the AJPW year and finally got his win over Misawa in a top-20 match of all time.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kenta Kobashi, AJPW, January 19
- vs Akira Taue, AJPW, April 8
- w/ Akira Taue vs Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, June 9 (#1 MOTY)
#24
Yumiko Hotta
Previous Ranking: 1993 (39th)
Years Unranked: 1990, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 244
Place Worked: AJW
Title Won: All Pacific Championship
Tournaments: WWWA Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Toshiyo Yamada, AJW 1st Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda, AJW Japan Grand Prix (finals), AJW Tag League The Best w/ Reggie Bennett
When she brought it, she really brought it. There are some amazing performances mixed in with some disappointing ones.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Rie Tamada vs Double Inoue, AJW, June 27
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, September 3 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Toshiyo Yamada, AJW, December 4
#23
Bull Nakano
Previous Ranking: 1985 (14th), 1989 (16th), 1990 (1st), 1993 (7th), & 1994 (8th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 34
Places Worked: WWF, AJW, WCW, Jd’, NJPW, & Bridge of Dreams
Although she spent a lot of time in the WWF working with Madusa, the moment she had to shine in AJW showed she was a very smart worker, even if her body was breaking down.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, March 26
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, September 2 (#9 MOTY)
- w/ Akira Hokuto vs Cutie Suzuki & Mayumi Ozaki, WCW, November 26
#22
Cactus Jack
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, & 1997
Matches: 124
Places Worked: IWA Japan, ECW, SMW, NWA, MEWF, BTW, Deaf Wrestlefest, Bridge of Dreams, MTW, & CAPW
Titles Won: SCW Heavyweight Championship, NAASW North American Heavyweight Championship, IWA World Tag Team Championship W/ Tracy Smothers, ECW World Tag Team Championship w/ Mikey Whipwreck
Tournaments: King of the Death Matches (winner), NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Tiger Jeet Singh (finals)
Cactus had a tremendous 1995. He spent a lot of it in IWA Japan doing wild death matches, including winning The King of The Deathmatches. Add to that his ECW run, which saw him have a great heel run.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ The Headhunters vs Leatherface, Shoji Nakamaki, & Terry Funk, Bridge of Dreams, April 2
- vs Terry Funk, ECW, April 15
- vs Terry Gordy, IWA Japan, August 20
#21
The 1-2-3 Kid
Previous Ranking: 1990 (19th), 1993 (25th), & 1994 (18th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2001, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 118
Places Worked: WWF, WAR, & Stu Hart Tribute Show
Title Won: WWF World Tag Team Championship w/ Bob Holly
Tournament: WWF World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Bob Holy (winners)
The Kid was the highlight of the WWF undercard, making the most of his few chances. Not only was he an all-time babyface, but he proved he could be a tremendous heel at the end of the year, too.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Bob Holly vs Bam Bam Bigelow & Tatanka, WWF, January 22
- vs The Roadie, WWF, July 23
- vs Hakushi, WWF, August 27
#20
Brian Pillman
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, & 1997
Matches: 75
Places Worked: WCW, NJPW, & Stu Hart Tribute Show
Tournaments: WCW United States Heavyweight Title Tournament, WCW Slim Jim Challenge (finals), NJPW Best of The Super Juniors
Pulling off the quality of matches he did with Alex Wright and Johnny B. Badd on pay-per-view makes him an automatic for this list. They are two of the best carry jobs in wrestling history.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Alex Wright, WCW, June 18
- vs Johnny B. Badd, WCW, September 17
- vs Eddie Guerrero, WCW, November 20
#19
Jushin Thunder Liger
Previous Ranking: 1989 (12th), 1990 (12th), 1993 (32nd), 1994 (16th), 1997 (19th), & 2004 (14th)
Years Unranked: 1985, 2001, 2010, 2015, & 2019
Matches: 53
Places Worked: NJPW, WCW, & WAR
Tournament: Super J Cup (winner)
Liger worked a fun role as the legend of junior heavyweights and got his due by winning the second Super J Cup, although his usual high-end stuff was lacking.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Eddie Guerrero, WCW, September 7
- vs Koji Kanemoto, NJPW, December 11
- vs Ultimo Dragon, WAR, December 13
#18
Devil Masami
aka Super Heel Devil Masami
Previous Ranking: 1983 (9th), 1985 (6h), & 1993 (20th)
Years Unranked: 1994, 1997, 2001, & 2004
Places Worked: JWP, GAEA, & Bridge of Dreams
No matter what boring JWP tag match Devil was put in, she always did something interesting, and to me, that’s really impressive. When she got into high-end brawls, they ruled!
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Candy Okutsu vs Cutie Suzuki & Hikari Fukuoka, JWP, March 17
- w/ Mayumi Ozaki vs Chigusa Nagayo & Dynamite Kansai, GAEA, April 15 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Mayumi Ozaki, JWP, December 9
#17
Rey Misterio, Jr.
Previous Ranking: 1997 (6th), 2001 (23rd), 2004 (21st), & 2010 (15th)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 75
Places Worked: AAA, ECW, & WAR
Titles Won: WWA World Tag Team Championship w/ Rey Misterio, Mexican National Trios Championship w/ Octagon & Super Muneco, WWA World Welterweight Championship (twice)
Tournament:
Rey Jr. started to put it together in 1995, leading to a world tour with Psicosis doing an amazing touring match.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Juventud Guerrera, AAA, April 21
- w/ El Hijo del Santo, Octagon, & La Parka vs Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, Pentagon, & Psicosis, AAA, June 18
- vs Psicosis, AAA, September 2 (#5 MOTY)
#16
Eddie Guerrero
aka Black Tiger
Previous Ranking: 1993 (36th), 1994 (10th), 1997 (13th), & 2004 (1st)
Years Unranked: 2001
Matches: 103
Places Worked: NJPW, WCW, ECW, AAA, & CMLL
Title Won: ECW World Television Championship (twice)
Tournament: NJPW Best of The Super Junior
The Dean Malenko feud is over-rated, but his NJPW and WCW work is better than expected. He was an all-elite talent and did get to show it around the world, albeit in a limited capacity.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Too Cold Scorpio, ECW, April 8
- vs Dean Malenko, ECW, July 28
- vs Shinjiro Ohtani, WCW, December 27
#15
Akira Hokuto
aka Reina Jubuki
Previous Ranking: 1989 (14th), 1990 (4th), 1993 (1st), 1994 (9th), 1997 (24th), & 2001 (9th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 30
Places Worked: AJW, WCW, NJPW, CMLL, & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: WWWA Tag Team Championships w/ Mima Shimoda
Tournament: AJW Tag League The Best w/ Mima Shimoda
Yes, she worked a lot of CMLL that is hard to find footage, but her return to AJW brought instant energy to the company, and she delivered in a more limited role.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Kaoru Ito, Mariko Yoshida, & Reggie Bennett, AJW, June 27
- w/ Chaparita ASARI vs Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda, AJW, August 14
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, September 2
#14
Scott Norton
Previous Ranking: 1997 (25th) & 2001 (16th)
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, & 2004
Matches: 62
Places Worked: NJPW & WCW
Tournament: G1 Climax
No wrestler has impressed me more in this process than Norton! As a dominant badass gaijin, he is perfect, and he even looked cool in WCW.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Hawk, NJPW, January 4
- vs Keiji Muto, NJPW, February 3 (#8 MOTY)
- vs Randy Savage, WCW, September 11
#13
Terry Funk
Previous Ranking: 1983 (1st), 1985 (12th), 1990 (4th), 1993 (17th), 1994 (5th), & 1997 (22nd)
Years Unranked: 1990
Matches: 41
Places Worked: IWA Japan, ECW, NJPW, NWA New Jersey, NWC, Stu Hart Tribute Show, SMW, & Bridge of Dreams
Tournaments: King of the Deathmatches (finals), NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Keisuke Yamada
Funk embraced the death match role this year and spent a great part of his year in IWA Japan doing those, and they all ruled. He was also a big factor in giving ECW credibility and being the most entertaining person there.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Leatherface & Shoji Nakamaki vs Cactus Jacks & The Headhunters, Bridge of Dreams, April 2
- vs Cactus Jack, ECW, April 15
- vs Leatherface, IWA Japan, August 20
#12
Mitsuharu Misawa
Previous Ranking: 1990 (7th), 1993 (38th), & 1994 (14th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1989, 1997, 2001, & 2004
Matches: 140
Places Worked: AJPW & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: Triple Crown Championship
Tournaments: AJPW Championship Carnival (winner), AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Toshiaki Kawada (winners)
The ace of AJPW held up their end of the bargain and delivered when it mattered big time.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Akira Taue, AJPW, April 15 (#6 MOTY)
- w/ Kenta Kobashi vs Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, June 9 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Kenta Kobashi, AJPW, Octboer 25
#11
El Hijo del Santo
Previous Ranking: 1990 (21st), 1993 (15th), 1994 (7th), 1997 (2nd), 2001 (2nd), & 2004 (4th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1989, & 2010
Matches: 50
Places Worked: AAA, CMLL, & WYF
Title Won: NWA World Welterweight Championship
Tournaments: NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament (finals), CMLL Second Generation Tag Team Tournament w/ El Rayo de Jalisco Jr., NWA World Welterweight Title Tournament (winner)
Santo has his usual legendary tecnico self. No notes.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Psicosis, AAA, May 3
- w/ Octagon, La Parka, & Rey Misterio Jr. vs Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, Pentagon, & Psicosis, AAA, June 18
- vs Negro Casas, CMLL, December 1
#10
Chigusa Nagayo
Previous Ranking: 1983 (16th), 1985 (1st), 1990 (15th), 1994 (22nd), & 2001 (15th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, & 2019
Matches: 21
Places Worked: GAEA, FMW, & JWP
Tournament: GAEA Splash J & Running G Tournament w/ Chikayo Nagashima & Tomori Kobayashi
She was good to start the year in JWP, but once she built a promotion around herself and had epic main events each month in GAEA, she cemented herself as having another all-time great year!
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Dynamite Kansai vs Devil Masami & Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA, April 15 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Dynamite Kansai, JWP, June 16
- vs Bad Nurse Nakamura, GAEA, July 29 (#10 MOTY)
- vs Shark Tsuchiya, GAEA, November 3
#9
Mayumi Ozaki
Previous Ranking: 1993 (12th), 1994 (25th), & 2001 (6th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Places Worked: JWP & GAEA
Title Won: JWP Tag Team Championship w/ Hikari Fukuoka
She’s so awesome fighting against Dynamite in wild brawls, and two matches in the top 10 of the year is a great achievement.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Hikari Fukuoka vs Dynamite Kansai & Hiromi Yagi, JWP, January 22
- vs Dynamite Kansai, JWP, March 17 (#7 MOTY)
- w/ Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo & Dynamite Kansai, GAEA, April 15 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Cutie Suzuki, JWP, October 15
#8
Psicosis
Previous Ranking: 1997 (23rd)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2019
Matches: 66
Places Worked: AAA, ECW, & WAR
Titles Won: WWA World Welterweight Championship, WWA World Trios Championship w/ Fuerza Guerrera & Juventud Guerrera, Mexican National Trios Championship w/ Fuerza Guerrera & Blue Panther, Mexican National Welterweight Championship
Psicosis emerged in 1995 with the series with Rey Misterio, but it didn’t stop there. An absolutely insane bumper but an incredible base as well. He proved he could work the mat almost as well as the flying with matches like the one with El Hijo del Santo.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Blue Panther & Fuerza Guerrera vs El Hijo del Santo, Octagon, & Rey Misterio, Jr., AAA, March 17
- vs El Hijo del Santo, AAA, May 3
- w/ Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, & Pentagon vs El Hijo del Santo, Octagon, La Parka, & Rey Misterio Jr., AAA, June 18
- vs Rey Misterio Jr., AAA, September 2 (#5 MOTY)
#7
Aja Kong
Previous Ranking: 1990 (6th), 1993 (8th), 1994 (3rd), 1997 (5th), & 2001 (10th)
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2019
Matches: 242
Places Worked: AJW, WWF, FMW, & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: WWWA World Championship
Tournaments: WWWA Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Mariko Yoshida, AJW 1st Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Reggie Bennett & Rie Tamada, AJW Tag League The Best w/ Takako Inoue
It was another banger year for Kong as she stepped out of the dominant ace role and took on another role which she equally excelled at.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, June 27
- vs Dynamite Kansai, AJW, August 30
- vs Bison Kimura, AJW, September 2
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, December 4
#6
Kenta Kobashi
Previous Ranking: 1993 (11th), 1994 (19th), 1997 (15th), & 2004 (8th)
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, & 2001
Matches: 140
Places Worked: AJPW, & Bridge of Dreams
Tournaments: AJPW Championship Carnival, AJPW Triple Crown Title Contendership League (finals), AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Mitsuharu Misawa (winner)
It was one of the better years for the four pillars, and Kobashi was a huge part of it. His selling and sympathy really set him apart from the other three, making his matches unique. His performance in 6/9/95 is goat level.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, January 19
- vs Akira Taue, AJPW, March 21
- w/ Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, June 9 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, October 25
#5
Kyoko Inoue
Previous Ranking: 1993 (3rd), 1994 (15th), 1997 (7th), 2001 (24th), & 2004 (20th)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 233
Places Worked: AJW, WWF, & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: WWWA Tag Team Championship w/ Takako Inoue
Tournaments: WWWA Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Takako Inoue (winner), AJW 1st Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Takako Inoue & Tomoko Watanabe (winner), AJW Japan Grand Prix, AJW Tag League The Best w/ Tomoko Watanabe (winner)
I know I have a personal bias toward Inoue, but she had another tremendous year in my book. She has a great resume of matches, but it’s not just the great matches for her. No matter the match, she keeps it entertaining with her unique offense, charisma, and energy.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Takako Inoue vs Manami Toyota & Sakie Hasegawa, AJW, January 3
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, May 7
- vs Bull Nakano, AJW, September 2 (#9 MOTY)
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, December 4
#4
Bret “Hitman” Hart
Previous Ranking: 1985 (23rd), 1989 (11th), 1993 (9th), 1994 (1st), & 1997 (1st)
Years Unranked: 1983 &2010
Matches: 149
Places Worked: WWF & Stu Hart Tribute Show
Title Won: WWF World Championship
Pushed way down the card wrestling pirates, ninjas, and dentists most of the year, Bret was tremendous. It might be his most impressive year for the quality he pulled out of non-quality folks. The Diesel matches were the big stand-out for him, but those opportunities were few and far between, keeping him out of the top 3.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ British Bulldog vs Bob Backlund & Owen Hart, WWF, January 25
- vs Hakushi, WWF, May 14
- vs Diesel, WWF, November 19 (#2 MOTY)
- vs British Bulldog, WWF, December 17
#3
Manami Toyota
Previous Ranking: 1990 (8th), 1993 (13th) 1994 (6th), & 1997 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1989, 2001, 2004, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 241
Places Worked: AJW, NJPW, WCW, & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: WWWA World Championship (twice)
Tournament: WWWA Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Blizzard Yuki (finals), AJW 1st Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Mariko Yoshida & Kaoru Ito, AJW Japan Grand Prix (winner), AJW Tag League The Best w/ Kaoru Ito (finals)
The big Toyota year with the title reigns. Her high-end and when she is one is really unmatched by anyone. She’s not the most complete wrestler, but you have to give her credit for pioneering the NJPW/AEW style that is prevalent nowadays.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Sakie Hasegawa vs Double Inoue, AJW, January 3
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, May 7
- vs Akira Hokuto, AJW, September 2
- vs Yumiko Hotta, AJW, September 3 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Dynamite Kansai, AJW, December 4
#2
Dynamite Kansai
Previous Ranking: 1993 (5th) & 1994 (11th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2001, 2004, 2010, & 2015
Places Worked: JWP, GAEA, AJW, & Bridge of Dreams
Titles Won: WWWA World Championship, JWP Tag Team Championship w/ Cutie Suzuki, JWP Openweight Championship
Tournament: GAEA Splash & & Running G Tournament w/ Makie Numano & Yasuko Kuragaki
When Dynamite Kansai got a chance to deliver in a match, she really did. She was unbelievable in those big matches, especially the series with Ozaki. What’s keeping her out of the number 1 spot is the boring JWP booking she mostly worked in.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mayumi Ozaki, JWP, March 17 (#7 MOTY)
- w/ Chigusa Nagayo vs Devil Masami & Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA, April 15 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Chigusa Nagayo, JWP, June 16
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, August 30
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, December 4
#1
“1995 Wrestler of the Year”
Akira Taue
Previous Ranking: 1990 (15th) & 1993 (24th)
Years Unranked: 1989, 1994, 1997, 2001, & 2004
Matches: 140
Places Worked: AJPW & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: AJPW World Tag Team Championships w/ Toshiaki Kawada
Tournaments: AJPW Champion Carnival (finals), AJPW Triple Crown Title Contendership League (winner), AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Toshiaki Kawada (finals)
When I started to watch the non-joshi footage of 1995, I joked with a friend that putting Akira Taue number one would be the funniest pick. I had always loved Taue, but he everybody has him under the other pillars. Watching the footage now, it’s no joke. Taue is the best wrestler of 1995. His story of becoming unleashed in 1995, running through the Carnival on a rampage to take out Misawa and grab the title, was enthralling. He is the highlight of the best match of the year, too, with the four pillars all on display. Taue is the man in 1995 that most of the promotion revolves around! Plus, he doesn’t have the negatives that I associate with the rest of the pillars.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kenta Kobashi, AJPW, March 21
- vs Toshiaki Kawda, AJPW, April 8
- vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, April 15 (#6 MOTY)
- w/ Toshiaki Kawada vs Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, June 9 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, September 10
Coming Soon
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The Best Matches I’ve Watched This Month (August 2023)
August started with a blast as I blew through 1995 and caught up with the Stardom GP and then fell off as I had to study for a test, still I had to cut so much to get this list down to 25 matches. So many matches I rated from 7 to 7.75 that I could recommend, but didn’t make this cut!
#25
AZM vs MIRAI
“5STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
August 5, 2023
AZM taking the high speed go for pinfalls style to the 5STAR is fun and MIRAI hitting back with that, but also using vicious lariats that kept hurting her injured arm even more was a good story.
Rating: 7.75/10
#24
Cactus Jack vs Terry Funk
ECW Hostile City Showdown
April 15, 1995
I loved the majority of this match. It was a weapons filled brawl throughout the arena, but the most natural and organic one ever. Every table, every weapon used had no set up, they were just there. The climax came when Cactus grabbed the arena garbage can and hit Terry with it, which had beer bottles in it. Terry picked up the bottles and broke one over Cactus’ head, and then used the other to carve him up. It fell apart after that as interference against both happened and then a lame botched DDT ends in, but up to that point it was perfect!
Rating: 7.75/10
#23
Giulia vs Saori Anou
“5STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
July 23, 2023
These two tried to kill each other and had a vicious bloody brawl. A good change up for a tournament show and put over how important this tournament is.
Rating: 8/10
#22
Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera & Psicosis vs. El Hijo del Santo, Octagon & Rey Misterio Jr.
“2/3 Falls”
AAA Sin Limite
March 17, 1995, aired, April 23, 1995
A tremendous trios match all around in front of a hot crowd with each member pulling their weight. The rudos, especially Psicosis, were so great at being scummy and really elevated the tecnicos. Some of the spots in the final fall were so well executed and so breath taking. Tremendous match.
Rating: 8/10
#21
Giulia vs Mariah May
“5STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
August 8, 2023
Mariah continues to break out in this tournament and here is the best match of her young career so far. The desire to win was huge from the start with lots of violent slaps and both using biting to get out of submission holds. Mariah threw everything at Giulia to win and it turns out Mariah has some of the best offense around. Her apron power bomb was already great, but this short-armed slap was so cool. Of course Giulia overcame to win, but awesome showing here.
Rating: 8/10
#20
Juventud Guerrera (c) vs Rey Misterio, Jr.
“WWA World Lightweight Championship 2/3 Falls”
AAA Sin Limite
April 21, 1995, aired May 21, 1995
This was an interesting lucha title match, as they forego the matwork and went straight to throwing bombs and dives. It had more of a puroresu influence, and these two delivered. Juventud has an impressive arsenol of throws and suplexes and both were tremendous flyers. It’s held back by a lame double count out finish off a dive that was not the most impressive dive in the match, but still a damn good match.
Rating: 8/10
#19
Cactus Jack & The Headhunters vs Leatherface, Shoji Nakamaki, & Terry Funk
“Barbed Wire Board & Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Bunkhouse Death Match”
Bridge Of Dreams ~ Dome Spring Full Bloom
April 2, 1995
One of the craziest matches in the history of the Tokyo Dome. Everyone is brawling around the whole ring area, bleeding, and using barbed wire boards and baseball bats. Funk and Cactus really go all out, and The Headhunters are damn impressive crushing fools. Dives all look sick, and at one point Leatherface hits all his opponents with the chainsaw making the bleed while sparks fly everywhere. They do fail at setting a board on fire, but it kind of adds to the mayhem.
Rating: 8/10
#18
Hazuki vs Mayu Iwatani
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
July 23, 2023
Two teammates went out there to prove who was better in the tournament and threw all caution to the wind to do so. This was a blast and so well paced, while mixing in the story of them as friends as well as the story of Mayu never being able to win on night 1 of the Grand Prix.
Rating: 8/10
#17
Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs Kenta Kobashi
“Triple Crown Championship”
AJPW October Giant Series
October 25, 1995
The first big stage match for Kobashi and he started off like he was there to prove he belonged. The story was Kobashi was out to prove himself and Misawa, as the ace, just wanted to grind Kobashi down. Kobashi’s selling was tremendous in this and he had the crowd in the balm of his hand, but this match gets long in the tooth and Misawa’s comeback doesn’t seem to fit too well. Great first huge match in their series.
Rating: 8.25/10
#16
MIRAI vs Momo Watanabe
“5STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
July 23, 2023
These two match up so well, as they are both hard-hitting with great impact moves, and MIRAI is a great underdog, and Watanabe is a tremendous heel. Momo really tries to pound MIRAI down in this one, and MIRAI was great at hope spots and comebacks. The finishing sequence was intense.
Rating: 8.25/10
#15
Mayu Iwatani (c) vs Utami Hayashishita
“IWGP Women’s Championship”
Stardom X Stardom
August 13, 2023
I loved the contrast of power and speed/technic that these two use against each other. The first part was good, with Utami trying to put her down, but the match really excels near the end with them going for the kill. The finisher was one of the best, if not the best of the year!
Rating: 8.5/10
#14
El Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas
“NWA World Welterweight Title Tournament Final”
CMLL Super Viernes
December 1, 1995
A wrestling focussed match with dives, cheating, and everything taken out leaving two great athletes trying to the other pin or submit. I loved it for it’s grittnyess and focus.
Rating: 8.5/10
#13
Jushin “Thunder” Liger vs Ultimo Dragon
“Super J Cup Semi-Final”
WAR Super J Cup: 2nd Stage
December 13, 1995
This was a tremendous match that built from some feeling out technical work and ended with great nearfalls and some fo the most creative and cool counters I’ve seen. These two worked like everything was on the line, which it was to get into the final of the tournament.
Rating: 8.5/10
#12
Alex Wright vs Brian Pillman
WCW The Great American Bash
June 18, 1995
This started as a typical technical cruiserweight match, but built into something very special and shockingly great. The little things from Pillman were out of this world, especially the subtle heel moves. While Wright brought really crisp and unique European offense. It never stops being awesome and the finish even tops that. I’m still in awe it’s this good.
Rating: 8.5/10
#11
Headhunter A vs Headhunter B
“Barbed Wire Board Glass Window Death Match”
IWA Japan All I Need “A Chance For Me”
May 1, 1995
It’s two nearly four hundred pound twins hitting each other with glass, barbed-wire, and high flying moves. What else do you want from pro-wrestling? At one point a twin was sandwich between two barbed-irwe boards while the other moonsaulted on top of him. Wrestling is awesome!
Rating: 8.5/10
#10
Aja Kong vs Kyoko Inoue
AJW Monday Night Sensation
December 4, 1995
These two continue to have amazing chemistry and they both tried to take the other out! The near falls were some of the best ever down the stretch. Tremendous match!
Rating: 8.75/10
#9
Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs Akira Taue
“Triple Crown Championship”
AJPW Summer Action Series II
September 10, 1995
After the initial onslaught from Misawa to begin, I loved Taue taking control and the middle third or so is of him destroying Misawa with amazing offense and determination. The match started to falter on the comeback and the bits of back and forth, but still a great showing again from these two.
Rating: 8.75/10
#8
Diesel (c) vs Bret Hart
“WWF World Championship”
WWF Royal Rumble
January 22, 1995
I haven’t watched this since my Bret Hart project, but it is as great as I remember. It’s shocking how great Diesel looks everytime he’s in the ring with Bret. He sells his leg getting destroyed so well and fights back shows his exhaustion so well. Bret is miraclous all match. It’s only really negatives are the interferences, re-starts, and the finish. The foreshadowing of the Survivor Series finish is so clever.
Rating: 8.75/10
#7
Suzu Suzuki vs Syuri
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
July 23, 2023
From the opening bell these two tried to destroy each other with all the vicious moves they could think of. Everything hit and hit hard. It was a beautiful 11 minute sprint showing these two have magical chemistry and just fits so perfectly into a tournament.
Rating: 9/10
#6
Megumi Kudo vs Shark Tsuchiya
“No Ropes Barbed Wire Death Match”
FMW Yamato-Nadeshiko II
December 22, 1995
This was a great version of a barbed wire match with two very memorable moments. One was the lengths Shark went through to get Kudo through the table that wouldn’t break. It was partially funny but got more violent the longer it lasted. The other was Shark using a legit sickle to attack Kudo, including swinging it at her and Kudo blocking it with a piece of a table like a shiled. The sickle got stuck in the table, like it was a movie. Unreal stuff. The dram, outside of that, was high through out and Kudo makes such a great babyface!
Rating: 9/10
#5
Dynamite Kansai (c) vs Manami Toyota
“WWWA World Championship”
AJW Monday Night Sensation
December 4, 1995
A really great start to the match which set the stage for the whole contest. These two contrast very well and they played up the unrelenting risk taking style of Toyota vs the unrelenting badass style of Kansai. A spot that I loved was Toyota getting whipped into the ropes and jumping up and springboarding back into sunset flip for a nearfall. Near the end the nearfalls got every more impressive leading to the crowd being super hot. Although the finish was kind of botched, still a great match!
Rating: 9/10
#4
Psicosis (c) vs El Hijo del Santo
“Mexican National Welterweight Championship 2/3 Falls”
AAA Sin Limite
May 3, 1995, aired May 28, 1995
A tremendous lucha title match with great technical wrestling to start and building to a dramatic match filled with breathtaking but dangerous moves. Especially one hit by Santo.
Rating: 9/10
#3
Raven & Stevie Richards (c) vs The Pit Bulls
“ECW World Tag Team Championship 2/3 Falls Double Dog Collar Match”
ECW Gangstas Paradise
September 16, 1995
This match is absolutely bonkers, but in the best way possible. It’s over booked more than almost any match ever, but it all works as a bunch of stories are all interwined. The spots are nuts and everyone is bloody, it may not make too much sense without context, but damn it’s awesome with it! Plus it ends in a Super Duper Bomb!
Rating: 9/10
#2
Keiji Muto vs Scott Norton
“IWGP Heavyweight Championship #1 Contendership”
NJPW Fighting Spirit
February 3, 1995
Although this started off a little slow, with Muto trying to keep grounded, it sure ended up delivering. After Norton got control, the match was a classic. The offense by Norton was just vicious! The hope spots were so well planned out, and the cut-offs by Norton were perfect. The crowd was rabid for Muto. He got in some nice nearfalls as the match built to the finish, with some that had me bite. The finish was so well done, with Norton just having enough of Muto, who wouldn’t go away, so he goes to the top. Must watch match.
Rating: 9.25/10
#1
“The Best Match I Watched in August 2023”
Goldberg (c) vs Diamond Dallas Page
“WCW World Championship”
WCW Halloween Havoc
October 25, 1998
I watched this again for the first time in a couple of years and it really hit home how special it is. It felt like a legit sporting contest that didn’t completely rely on wrestling troupes to create drama, but there was drama. The huge spots all hit so well and the Diamond Cutter false finish was amazing. This should had been on my Greatest Match Ever list.
Rating: 9.25/10
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