Tag Archives: NXT

The Best Matches of WrestleMania Weekend 2024

By Grimmas on April 8, 2024 | Leave a comment

I didn’t watch every show of WrestleMania weekend, but I did watch a bunch. Here are my top matches from Philadelphia and the surrounding area!

Honourable Mentions

Masato Tanaka & Minoru Suzuki vs Masha Slamovich & Rina Yamashita, GCW Joey Janella’s Spring Break 8, April 5
Billie Starkz vs Queen Aminata, ROH Supercard of Honor, April 5
Danhausen & Ram Kaicho vs Maki Ito & Nick Gage, GCW Joey Janella’s Spring Break 8, April 5
Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, & Naomi vs Asuka, Dakota Kai, & Kairi Sane, WWE WrestleMania XL: Saturday, April 6
Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns & The Rock, WWE WrestleMania XL: Saturday, April 6
Drew McIntyre vs Seth Rollins, WWE Wrestlemania XL: Sunday, April 7

#15
Dr. Cerebro vs Gringo Loco
“No DQ”
ACTION DEAN~!!!
April 4

Thoughts here, on my review for the full DEAN show!

#14
Athena (c) vs Hikaru Shida
“ROH Women’s World Championship”
ROH Supercard of Honor
April 5

I really like Athena, and her dressing like Karlach was cool as shit, but this match was just good, not great. The leg work was good by Athena, but a lot of the match was not really focused enough and had a lot of kickouts that took me out of the match. It was definitely a good match, but maybe a little too much.

#13
Maika (c) vs Megan Bayne
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom American Dream in the Keystone State
April 4

Thoughts here, on my review of the full Stardom show.

#12
Jacob Newman & Tank vs Manders & Tom Lawlor
“Gypsy Joe Rules”
ACTION DEAN~!!!
April 4

Thoughts here, on my review for the full DEAN show!

#11
Adam Priest vs Slim J
ACTION DEAN~!!!
April 4

Thoughts here, on my review for the full DEAN show!

#10
Masha Slamovich vs Shayna Baszler
Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X
April 4

I generally wouldn’t like a no-ropes match wrestled in shoot-style, but this is less shoot-style and more early UFC, which I loved back in the day. Baszler came to play and was vicious here, and Slamovich is so good as a badass. It’s short and violent and a joy to watch.

#9
AZM, Saya Kamitani, & Tam Nakano vs Maika, Mei Seira, & Mina Shirikawa
ROH Supercard of Honor
April 5

One of my absolute favourite wrestling matches are showcase matches. It’s so cool to see normal everyday moves. The Stardom wrestlers do get giant reactions because it’s in front of a new audience. This was super fun, all action, everyone getting their spots to stand out match.

#8
Daniel Makabe vs Timothy Thatcher
ACTION DEAN~!!!
April 4

Thoughts here, on my review for the full DEAN show!

#7
Lyra Valkyrie (c) vs Roxanne Perez
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT Stand & Deliver
April 6

The Champion came into the match with an injured arm by Perez, and that was the story of the match. Perez attacked it so well all match, and the selling was tremendous. Valkyrie only used her other arm and fought so hard but could not overcome the injury and had to tap out. Great match!

#6
Roman Reigns (c) vs Cody Rhodes
“WWE Undisputed Universal Championship”
WWE WrestleMania XL: Sunday
April 7

Thoughts here, on my review of the full WrestleMania show.

#5
Masha Slamovich (c) vs Syuri
“JCW World Championship”
GCW/JCW vs The World
April 4

This was one of the matches I was most looking forward to all weekend, and it did not disappoint. Even though it took place at 1 AM, these two came to work!

For a 30-minute draw, it didn’t drag or feel like a draw until the last two minutes, when they were frantically going for the win. Up until that point, it was a well-built match between two wrestlers who were almost perfectly built for each other. Both are tough as nails, with great kicks, submissions, and suplexes. It had a kind of old-school feel, too, where it was just built so well!

#4
Rhea Ripley (c) vs Becky Lynch
“WWE Women’s World Championship”
WWE WrestleMania XL: Saturday
April 6

Thoughts here, on my review of the full WrestleMania show.

#3
Gunther (c) vs Sami Zayn
“WWE Intercontinental Championship”
WWE WrestleMania XL: Saturday
April 6

Thoughts here, on my review of the full WrestleMania show.

#2
Demus vs Mad Dog Connelly
“Dog Collar”
ACTION DEAN~!!!
April 4

Thoughts here, on my review for the full DEAN show!

#1
IYO SKY (c) vs Bayley
“WWE Women’s Championship”
WWE WrestleMania XL: Sunday
April 7

Thoughts here, on my review of the full WrestleMania show.

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Posted in: Lists, Reviews | Tagged: Athena, azm, gcw, Hikaru Shida, lyra valkyrie, Maika, masha slamovich, Mei Hoshizuki, Mina Shirakawa, NXT, ROH, Rok-C, Saya Kamitani, Shayna Baszler, Syuri, tam nakano, wrestling

The Best Matches I’ve Watched This Month (February 2024)

By Grimmas on March 1, 2024 | 1 Comment

A fun month of watching as I transitioned from 1996 to 1992. The current stuff is weird. Stardom is dying. CMLL brought in Tessa. WWE is hot, but maybe with Mania closer, I’ll watch more. AEW is hinting at pushing women more, so maybe. I don’t know. 1992 has been a lot of fun, though!

#25
Miyuki Takase (c) vs Nagisa Nozaki
“AWG Championship”
AWG Beginning Pro
March 15, 2020

From the 2020 Joshi Yearbook Volume 3 post:

I loved the early brawling in this. After the brawling segment, it became a fun go for the win type title match that was very enjoyable and high energy!

Rating: 7/10

#24
Mr. Hughes & Vader vs Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner
WCW Clash of the Champions XVIII
January 21, 1992

Steiners throwing around huge dudes is always a fun match. This is before the big Vader push, so it feels kind of weird seeing him losing in the opener, although they did keep him looking strong.

Rating: 7/10

#23
Konami & Unagi Sayaka vs Masato Tanaka & Minoru Suzuki
Unagi Sayaka Produce Tono Wa Goranshin: 1-Ban Venus
January 7, 2024

A fun match where Konami and Sayaka work from underneath and do a great job of inserting hope spots throughout. Sayaka is one of my favourite underdog working around, and she shone here. I really want to see a Minoru Suzuki vs Unagai Sayaka singles match now!

Rating: 7.25/10

#22
Devil Masami & Hikari Fukuoka (c) vs Mayumi Ozaki & Reiko Amano
“JWP Tag Team Championship”
JWP on February 9, 1997

The future Carlos Amano stepped it up big time in this match. A really cool moment had Devil on so match of a rampage that she had to be held back. She’s really the master of getting the most out of these JWP tag matches! The finishing segment was absolutely great!

Rating: 7.25/10

#21
Mankind vs The Undertaker
“Buried Alive Match”
In Your House: Buried Alive
October 20, 1996

The WWF was so sanitized at this time, but this had a real fight feel. Maybe the dirt and shovels tricked my brain. The weapons and vicious moves around ringside looked really gritty though. There was even a nice nearfall in this, which was surprising. The finish was a little abrupt, and the post-match stuff was super silly, but this is pretty damn good.

Rating: 7.25/10

#20
Chihiro Hashimoto (c) vs Syuri
“Sendai Girls World Championship”
Sendai Girls Don’t Forget That Day
March 8, 2020

From the 2020 Joshi Yearbook Volume 3 post:

These two are always awesome against each other: the kickboxer vs the wrestler. They didn’t hit the high levels they had in other matches, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good match.

Rating: 7.25/10

#19
Jushin Liger vs Rey Misterio Jr.
WCW Starrcade
December 29, 1996

A real dream match at the time that was both disappointing but really good. The expectations for the two greatest juniors of all time squaring off for the first time were probably too high. Liger plays bully heel, which is fun, and Rey was amazing working underneath. There was a little disconnect between them and definatelwy the crowd that drags this down.

Rating: 7.25/10

#18
Kenta Kobashi (c) vs Stan Hansen
“Triple Crown Championship”
AJPW Summer Action Series II
September 5, 1996

These two have had absolute classics before, but this does not hit that level. There are a lot of fun elements, and it’s absolutely hilarious to see Kobashi win with a lariat.

Rating: 7.5/10

#17
Cactus Jack vs W*ING Kanemura
“Barbed Wire Barricade Spider Net Glass Crash Death Match”
FMW Fighting Creation: 7th Anniversary
May 5, 1996

I am always very hit or miss on deathmatches, and I am still not sure what the key ingredient is to make one great or good or bad. It’s one of those undefinable things. This was violent and brutal and looked like it was a bad time for everyone involved. It did build well, but it’s not a match for someone who dislikes deathmatches.

Rating: 7.75/10

#16
Chigusa Nagayo vs Mayumi Ozaki
GAEA Victory Road
February 23, 1997

The Oz Academy and GAEA feud wages on, this time with the two head bosses having a vicious brawl. They use a pipe, table, a chain and have blood. Both pull out all the stops and work towards their strengths, speed and flying, with Ozaki and Chigusa being more grounded and power-based. It goes a little long, and at some point, Ozaki has problems with her bottoms and throws on some random pants to finish the match. Ozaki going for a top rope splash and Nagayo catching her with a kick to the head was one of the best versions of that I have ever seen. The finish was cool, too. Post-match, the feud continues!

Rating: 7.75/10

#15
Big Van Vader & Crusher Bigelow vs Masa Saito & Scott Norton
NJPW Masters of Wrestling: DRAGON THE REVIVAL
July 8, 1992

This ruled. Both Norton and Saito did the beat up one guy and call in the other because they proved the dude they were facing was nothing! When Vader came in to face Norton, they did a pose off. The first five minutes ruled of just big stiffs beating the shit out of each other with nobody backing down. It remained cool the rest of the way, although the finish was a tad flat. I think Vader-Norton is magic every time they are against each other.

Rating: 7.75/10

#14
Akira Hokuto & Chigusa Nagayo vs KAORU & Maiko Matsumoto
GAEA Winning Road
February 16, 1997

Hokuto and Nagayo vs a youngster and a rookie is the most OP match ever, but that doesn’t matter as it rules! The first half is Matsumoto getting destroyed by the heelish legends until she can finally make a hot tag to KAORU, who does her awesome flying. The rest is hope spots and the young team trying to battle back, but not having enough to overcome.

Rating: 7.75/10

#13
Arn Anderson, Beautiful Bobby, & Larry Zbyszko vs Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, & Ron Simmons
WCW Clash of the Champions XVIII
January 21, 1992

This is Windham’s return and revenge match against Zbyszko for injuring his hand. It’s fast-paced, with a lot of heat done in a traditional tag format. Dustin plays face in peril, and he’s one of the best at this ever. The heels bump so well for all the babyface hope spots and comebacks, and the finish is perfect revenge, where Windham uses the cast for the win.

Rating: 7.75/10

#12
Akira Taue & Jumbo Tsuruta vs Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
AJPW New Year Giant Series
January 26, 1992

The young underdogs fight like dogs from underneath against the badass team of Taue and Tsuruta. The fire shown by Kobashi & Kikuchi was great but not matched by the badassness of Taue & Tsuruta. Great, more southern style tag, and the only flaw was Kikuchi getting a little too many kickouts at the end. Great match, though!

Rating: 8/10

#11
Black Tiger vs Shinjiro Otani
“Best of the Super Junior III: Block B”
NJPW Best of the Super Junior III
June 5, 1996

Eddie Guerrero starts off with fire and destroys Ohtani’s leg so well with amazing selling by Ohtani. The match progressed very well! Ohtani is just on fire during this period, with his mannerisms setting him above everyone else, and the crowd is so into him, making this feel even more special.

Rating: 8/10

#10
Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs Akira Taue
“Triple Crown Championship”
AJPW Super Power Series
May 24, 1996

It was fun to watch as Taue relentlessly tried to put Misawa down, and it felt like time to end Misawa’s year-long reign. Misawa fights for his life basically just fending off Taue, but never really having control. It’s short and has an absolutely great finish, with Taue catching Misawa, who came off the top into a choke slam. The pop is great for Taue’s win!

Rating: 8/10

#9
Devil Masami vs Sakura Hirota
GAEA War Cry
January 19, 1997

This is the best sub five minute match ever! Hirota throws EVERYTHING at Masami and actually catches her off guard until Masami regains herself and crushes her! Chigusa Nagayo, Hirota’s second, jumps into the ring and hypes her up! Hirota is ready to run through walls and charges, which lasts a few seconds before Masami power bombs her to death!

Rating: 8.5/10

#
Bestia Salvaje vs Negro Casas
“Hair vs Hair 2/3 Falls”
CMLL on Televisa
October 18, 1996

From the opening moments of Salvaje attacking before the bell, this was a whirlwind of a match. A tremendously great selling performance by Casas. He was a great underdog fighting back for his life and to save his hair. Salvaje was relentless, and they kept this shorter and nonstop!

Rating: 8.5/10

#8
Mei Sera (c) vs Hazuki
“High Speed Championship”
Stardom 13th Anniversary Supreme Fight: Osaka Minami Rebellion
February 4, 2024

This was a classic High Speed match, and they work with such intensity and speed it’s a thing of beauty. Hazuki was so great controlling the match, but Sera not only held her own but was amazing in this, too. I loved the segment outside the ring with Hazuki just tossing her like garbage outside before diving on her and the strike exchange, but the submission win nearfalls building to the finish was my favourite.

Rating: 8.5/10

#7
Ilja Dragunov (c) vs Trick Williams
“NXT Championship”
NXT Vengeance Day
February 4, 2024

This was about as good as WWE storytelling can get. Carmelo Hayes at ringside was perfect, supporting his friend but looks shot of envy throughout. Him picking him up to hype him up for the comeback was great too. Dragunov was a beast and Williams is a tremendous babyface who fought so well from underneath.

Rating: 8.75/10

#6
Jushin Liger (c) vs Shinjiro Otani
“IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship”
NJPW Hyper Battle
March 17, 1996

The first segment was Otani working the arm and Liger the leg, which was fine, but the match really picked up after the mat stuff. The nearfalls here were amazing. Liger and Otani were the most Liger and Otani I may have ever seen, as Liger was such a jerk and Otani such a goofball. Any match with a springboard dropkick to the arm is a massive plus for me, too. The selling by Otani of the big moves was unmatched here, especially on the palm strike finish.

Rating: 8.75/10

#5
Sting (c) vs Van Vader
“WCW World Heavyweight Championship”
WCW The Great American Bash
July 12, 1992

Sting starts off hot and takes it to Vader. It’s kind of nice to see Sting as the smaller guy. It allows him to do more of his fun flying. The real bulk and great part of the match is Vader destroying Sting, which was littered with hope spots. All of that is great. The finishing run had one spot I’m not sure I love or hate. Vader is on the top, and Sting puts him on his shoulders and walks him to the middle of the ring, and then just stands there. Forever. Just holds him up, struggling, before finally doing a Samoan drop. It was odd. Anyways, Vader ducked a Stinger Splash, where Sting gets busted open on the post and Vader power bombs him to death. After the post, they did a few moments of Sting having a concussion, which, in retrospect, is not fun to watch. Nitpicks aside, it’s a great star-making title change match!

Rating: 8.75/10

#4
Big Van Vader & Crusher Bigelow (c) vs Hiroshi Hase & Keiji Muto
“IWGP Tag Team Championship”
NJPW Explosion Tour
May 1, 1992

It featured Has had one of the best face-in-peril segments ever, where he bled so much while the monsters destroyed him. A hilarious moment is after Hase makes a comeback; Muto comes in and says, lets so move together and tells Hase to do a bridging suplex on Vader. It’s a few minutes before Muto is actually tagged in! It led to some fun moments, but was funny. It built well from there with nearfalls from both sides. Vader and Hase were the stars here and the finishing choke slam by Vader ruled.

Rating: 8.75/10

#3
Atsushi Onita, El Hijo del Santo, & Tarzan Goto vs Horace Boulder, Negro Casas, & Tim Patterson
“Best 2/3 Falls”
FMW in Los Angeles w/ WWA
May 16, 1992

A famous and insane match. It’s 2/3 Falls with two referees like a lucha match, but this is no lucha match. Well, it kind of is, as Santo and Casas put on a lucha clinic. However, the others do wild and crazy brawling all around them and the arena. It really needs to be seen to be believed.

Rating: 9/10

#2
Big Van Vader vs Sting
“King of Cable Tournament Final”
WCW Starrcade
December 28, 1992

This one takes the blueprint from GAB and ups it! They added a Vader beatdown segment to start the match before Sting unloads! The way Vader gets back on offense, with Sting missing a Stinger splash into the guardrail, is great! Vader’s control segment is even better here, and Sting fights back so well. Although the rope and dope moment was not paid off, the finish of Sting caching Vader off the top into a slam ruled.

Rating: 9/10

“The Best Match I Watched in February 2024”
#1
Masahiro Chono vs Rick Rude
“NWA World Heavyweight Championship G1 Climax Final”
NJPW G1 Climax
August 12, 1992

To me, Rick Rude feels like the most American style wrestler ever. Chono is one of the most NJPW style wrestlers ever. They’ve had a match in WCW that was dogshit, but I knew this was good because I saw it like two decades ago. Watching it now, I was blown away. Rude adjusts to NJPW so well, but doesn’t give up his essence, he just adds more fighting spirit spots and more stiffness. He even still does some of his overselling silliness and his prematch promo! The knack on this match is the middle gets a little routine, before they start hitting their huge moves to bring this home. The crowd was so into Chono which made all the nearfalls hit even harder. Really a tremendous match and an amazing Rude performance.

Rating: 9/10

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Posted in: Best Matches I've Watched This Month, Lists | Tagged: AJPW, Akira Hokuto, Akira Taue, Arn Anderson, Atsushi Onita, awg, bam bam bigelow, barry windham, bestia salvaje, bobby eaton, cactus jack, Carlos Amano, chichiro hashimoto, Chigusa Nagayo, CMLL, Devil Masami, dustin rhodes, Eddie Guerrero, El Hijo del Santo, FMW, GAEA, Great Muta, Hazuki, Hikari Fukuoka, hiroshi hase, horace boulder, ilja dragunov, joshi, Jumbo Tsuruta, Jushin Liger, JWP, kaoru, Kenta Kobashi, Konami, Larry Zbyszko, lucha libre, maiko matsumoto, Masa Saito, masahiro chono, masato tanaka, Mayumi Ozaki, Mei Hoshizuki, Minoru Suzuki, Mitsuharu Misawa, miyuki takase, mr. hughes, Negro Casas, NJPW, NXT, pro-wrestling, rey mysterio jr, Rick Rude, ron simmons, sakura hirota, Scott Norton, Scott Steiner, Sendai Girls, shinjiro otani, Stan Hansen, STARDOM, Sting, Syuri, tarzan goto, the undertaker, tim patterson, trick williams, tsuyoshi kikuchi, Unagi Sayaka, Vader, WCW, wing kanemaru, wrestling, WWE, WWF

The Best Matches I’ve Watched This Month (October 2023)

By Grimmas on October 31, 2023 | 2 Comments

I was really all over the place in October, but one thing kept me excited, and that was going through WCW’s 1996. We are in 1996 for our Joshi weekly watches, and I thought I’d get a head start on the rest of the world. Other GWE years I want to tackle are just not clicking with me right now.

Also, 2023 is turning out to be pretty damn cool, eh?

#25
John Morrison (c) vs CM Punk
“ECW Heavyweight Championship”
ECW on SciFi
September 1, 2007, aired September 4, 2007

These two had a long series, so they knew each other well and did a lot of counters. The crowd is really hot, and it’s a very exciting match with a great finishing stretch.

Rating: 7.25/10

#24
La Catalina vs Stephanie Vaquer
“CMLL World Women’s Championship”
CMLL Noche de Campeones
September 29, 2023

Vaquer’s offense outside the ring was so vicious. They both worked stiff and had a very intense match that was a great counterpoint to a lot of the more high-flying of the rest of the card.

Rating: 7.25/10

#23
Bruno Sammartino (c) vs Stan Hansen
“WWWF Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match”
WWWF on August 7, 1976

A famous match with Bruno getting revenge after Hasnen broke his neck. The crowd is so into Bruno’s revenge, and he gets it here with lots of blood and violence.

Rating: 7.25/10

#22
Becky Lynch (c) vs Lyra Valkyria
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT Halloween Havoc
October 24, 2023

A tremendous main event, with Valkyria playing the big underdog against the legendary Lynch. It was filled with hope spots and nearfalls for Valyria, and Lynch did a great job of controlling the action and trying to find ways to put away the underdog. Some of my favourite types of wrestling matches, and this was a good version of that.

Rating: 7.75/10

#21
Mistico (c) vs Virus
“World Historic Middleweight Championship”
CMLL Noche de Campeones
September 29, 2023

Mistico is so spectacular, and Virus is so well grounded they make a perfect counterpoint for each other and a beautiful match to watch.

Rating: 7.75/10

#20
Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) vs Super Calo
WCW Fall Brawl: War Games
September 15, 1996

Calo works over Rey’s arm so well and also hits some great dives and throws for the first large portion of this match. Rey sells his arm all the way through his comeback. A great stretch of nerfalls and Rey hits a double springboard hurrcanrana for the win utilizing the double ring. It was one of the better Cruiserweight matches in WCW history.

Rating: 7.75/10

#19
Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Duncum (c) vs The High Flyers
“AWA World Tag Team Championships”
AWA on July 7, 1977

It’s a really hot crowd in a very classic tag team format match. Lazna and Duncum bumped huge when The High Flyers were on offense, and The Flyers sold great on defense. It got more exciting as it went along to a great finish.

Rating: 7.75/10

#18
Dean Malenko (c) vs Rey Mysterio Jr.
“WCW World Cruiserweight Championship”
WCW The Great American Bash
June 16, 1996

I’ve felt this match was odd because it’s Rey’s WCW debut, and Malenko grounds him for 3/4 of it by working his arm. The comeback is tremendous, though, and the arm work is really good. Truly the start of the new WCW cruiserweight era.

Rating: 7.75/10

#17
Natsupoi vs Tam Nakano
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
September 30, 2023

Former enemies and current teammates can be really cool in a match against each other, and this one was that. It started with the know each other so well spots, but then they started to dig back into their former hatred. There were great nearfalls before a finish that was a little bit of a surprise, with Natsupoi pinning the Champion.

Rating: 8/10

#16
Suzu Suzuki vs Tam Nakano
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
September 9, 2023

It was an excellent GP match, with Suzuki going for death and Nakano’s amazing selling leading the way. The last third was a tremendous run to the finish.

Rating: 8/10

#15
Umaga (c) vs Jeff Hardy
“WWE Intercontinental Championship”
WWE The Great American Bash
July 22, 2007

It was an amazing David vs Goliath match, with Hardy having awesome hope spots while Umaga killed him throughout. When it got to Jeff’s comeback, it was electric, and when Umaga did the run for the finish, it was death. Perfect wrestling.

Rating: 8/10

#14
Hazuki vs Suzu Suzuki
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
September 23, 2023

It’s all killer, no filler heated GP match.

Rating: 8/10

#13
Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) vs Dean Malenko
“WCW World Cruiserweight Championship”
WCW Halloween Havoc
October 27, 1996

After an amazing shine segment by Rey where he got his stolen mask back, Dean grounds him. The leg attacks are great, as well as Rey’s selling. In 1996, few had better comebacks than Rey. The finishing stretch is so great, ending with a vicious super bomb by Dean!

Rating: 8/10

#12
Mei Seira vs Nanae Takahashi
“Passion Injection”
Stardom New Blood 11
September 29, 2023

One of the highlights of 2023 is Nanae vs younger wrestlers, injecting them with passion. Mei was amazing, fighting to take it to Nanae and pushing her to the limits. Nanae was also great pushing back against it.

Rating: 8/10

#11
Maika vs MIRAI
“5STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
September 30, 2023

The winner wins the Blue Stars block, so there is extra drama here in this awesome hoss battle.

Rating: 8/10

#10
Aja Kong vs Yumiko Hotta
“Japan Grand Prix”
AJW Japan Grand Prix
July 14, 1996

Kong completely brutalizes Hotta’s leg in the most violent way possible, and Hotta sells it so well. Hotta worked from underneath and had some good hope spots. For some reason, Hotta always really steps up against Kong!

Rating: 8.5/10

#9
Mistico vs Templario
“Best 2/3 Falls”
CMLL Super Viernes
October 13, 2023

Mistico might be the best babyface in the world right now. Being so over really helps, but the great selling and hope spots, added with the spectacular moves, make him so loveable. I love that Mistico dominated for a large early portion of this match until Templario got a lucky comeback in the second fall, leading to him destroying Mistsco. The finishing sequence and the comeback by Mistico ruled! I don’t want to discount Templario here; he’s a great rudo, too.

Rating: 8.5/10

#8
Antonio Inoki (c) vs Andre the Giant
“Real World Martial Arts Championship”
NJPW Toukon Series
October 7, 1976

It was a tremendous David vs Goliath contest that was really focused on the strategy of both. Inoki was amazing at finding his spots where Andre would leave an opening.

Rating: 8.5/10

#7
Maika vs Suzu Suzuki
“5STAR Grand Prix: Final”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
September 30, 2023

A surprising final, which had to be changed due to the injuries. However, it added an extra level of excitement because the winner could have been anyone. It was an intense, stiff, and exciting match, with both stepping up their game to win the 5STAR! It was really a perfect tournament final match, as either could have won throughout, and they played it as two equally matched competitors.

I’m very excited to see how far Suzuki can go at such a young age!

Rating: 8.5/10

#6
Ultimate Dragon (c) vs Rey Misterio Jr.
“J-Crown Championship”
WCW World War 3
November 24, 1996

Most of the match is a squash, with Dragon unleashing amazing offense, including one of the best and most brutal running power bombs ever. Rey is amazing at selling, and when he gets a comeback near the end, it’s electric with spectacular moves. The finish is otherworldly, with Rey attempting to complete the comeback with a springboard rana, only for Dragon to catch him and slingshot Rey off the top rope into a vicious sit-down power bomb for the win. It is a classic and very cool, for it does not follow the usual formula.

Rating: 8.75/10

#5
Becky Lynch (c) vs Tiffany Stratton
“NXT Women’s Championship Extreme Rules Match”
NXT No Mercy
September 30, 2023

Stratton is very impressive, with amazing physical skills and tremendous presence. She wasn’t just carried along by Lynch but added a lot. This was one of the better all-over-the-arena weapons matches I can recall from the WWE in a long time. The spots were violent and vicious, and the nearfalls were unbelievable. Great finish, too.

Rating: 8.75/10

#4
Manami Toyota vs Meiko Satomura
“Battlefield WAR Tournament Second Round”
Sendai Girls Live Vol. 8
May 6, 2007

It was really cool to see generational legends go at it, and they delivered. The early portions of Toyota using her veteran status to keep control of Meiko was really great. As they build up to the match, they had a great bomb-throwing segment and finishing rush.

Rating: 8.75/10

#3
Antonio Inoki vs Big Van Vader
NJPW Wrestling World In Tokyo Dome
January 4, 1996

Two legendary though guys stand up and fight each other on the biggest stage with a red-hot crowd. This is amazing. Both really go for the kill throughout, and the Vader German Suplex spot is incredibly memorable.

Rating: 9/10

#2
Titan (c) vs Mascara Dorada
“CMLL World Middleweight Championship”
CMLL Noche de Campeones
September 29, 2023

I haven’t seen too much of the new Mascara Dorada, but for a wrestler who debuted in 2021, he is insanely good. He reminds me of Rey Mysterio Jr., who came around and blew everyone away with his flying, but it never looked like he was showing off, but always competing in a match. Dorada is the same way.

Titan is no slouch, as he’s been great for a long time. With all the great flying, the spot that really hit me was Titan doing a double stomp from the top rope to Dorada on the apron. As it built towards the finish, all the submission nearfalls were amazing. It was a great match and probably in my top ten matches of the year.

Rating: 9/10

#1
Combat Toyoda (c) vs Megumi Kudo
“FMW Independent Women’s & WWA Women’s Title No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Blast Death Match”
FMW Fighting Creation: 7th Anniversary Show
May 5, 1996

Not much to say. It’s the best deathmatch and the best FMW match in history. It’s dramatic, it’s emotional, and it’s great.

Rating: 9.66/10

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Posted in: Best Matches I've Watched This Month, Lists | Tagged: Aja Kong, AJW, Andre the Giant, antonio inoki, AWA, Becky Lynch, blackjack lanza, bobby duncum, Bruno Sammartino, CM Punk, CMLL, combat toyoda, dean malenko, deathmatch, FMW, greg gagne, Hazuki, jeff hardy, jim brunzell, john morrison, joshi, la catalina, lucha libra, Lyra Valkyria, Maika, Manami Toyota, mascara dorada, Megumi Kudo, Mei Hoshizuki, Mei Seira, Meiko Satomura, MIRAI, Mistico, Nanae Takahashi, natsupoi, NJPW, NXT, puroresu, rey mysterio jr, Sendai Girls, Stan Hansen, STARDOM, Stephanie Vaquer, super calo, suzu suzuki, tam nakano, templario, Tiffany Stratton, titan, ultimo dragon, Umaga, Vader, Virus, WCW, wrestling, WWE, wwwf, yumiko hotta

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

Upcoming!

We are damn close to done with our 2019 watching!

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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

The Best Matches I’ve Watched This Week (2023-05-12)

By Grimmas on May 12, 2023 | Leave a comment

I got back on track for watching this week and hammered out a lot of 2019! The Stardom pay-per-view dropped today, so I only got to watch the few biggest matches.

#16
Devil Masami & Mayumi Ozaki vs Hikari Fukuoka & KAORU
JWP
June 16, 1995

This was a really fun tag match with the team of Fukuoaka & KAORU bringing the flying, Devil bringing the power, and Ozaki bringing the violence. A lot of great nearfalls and the moment after Ozaki wins and Devil is just flipping off the losers is awesome!

Rating: 7.25/10

#15
AZM vs Mei Seira
“High Speed Championship”
Stardom Fukuoka Goddess Legend ~Sweet Stardom~
May 4, 2023

The first part of the match felt like a generic defense for AZM, but halfway through she started to focus on Mei’s arm and it got really good.The High Speed counters while someone is entering through the ropes always pop me. The finish worked really well for me and I am excited for the eventual rematch.

Rating: 7.25/10

#14
Shayna Baszler vs Bianca Belair vs Io Shirai vs Kairi Sane
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT TakeOver: New York
April 5, 2019

Although it has the usual problems of four-way matches, this was a lot of fun. All of the interactions between Shirai and KAIRI were awesome, from teaming up at the start to trying to win at the end. Belair was not quite the elite worker she is now, but she really showed her potential, and that double KOD she did was ridiculous! Baszler is such a great badass when booked so well! The finishing sequence ruled too.

Rating: 7.25/10

#13
Maya Yukihi vs Tsukasa Fujimoto
“ICExInfinity Championship Match”
Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #974 ~ Osaka Ribbon 2019 III
August 3, 2019

I am generally not a fan of a 30-minute draw and for the first 3/4 this match was a fine solid match, but the last quarter was awesome and more than made up for it. I love Yukihi’s offense and Fujimoto just has a great way of working that I am not sure how to describe. She fits into matches.

Rating: 7.5/10

#12
Ayako Sato vs Haruka Umesaki
“World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana World Championship”
Diana
April 29, 2019

A tremendous title match that felt like a big changing of the guard. The young underdog Umesaki did a great job fighting from underneath and getting in good hope spots, leading to their eventual comeback. Sato is great at working on top.

Rating: 7.5/10

#11
Command Bolshoi vs Hana Kimura
Command Bolshoi Produce Pure Princess
March 15, 2019

A really good battle with Bolshoi pulling out another new submission hold I had never seen before. Kimura looked like such a star, especially while working on top. Bolshoi is so giving and this was a great match to have a month before her retirement on a show she produced.

Rating: 7.5/10

#10
Miyuki Takase vs Tae Honma
“AWG Title Tournament Semi-Final”
AWG Act In Osaka
November 3, 2019

This is an awesome display of two wrestlers going all out to advance in a tournament for a title. The forearm exchanges were one of the stiffest and best I have ever seen. I like Honma’s strategy of trying to go for the arm since she can’t outstrike Takase. The finish was very well done.

Rating: 7.5/10

#9
Kyoko Inoue vs Unagi Sayaka
Diana
April 29, 2023

I may be biased on this one, but I thought this match was awesome. Unagi was really laying in her kicks, and Inoue fought back with some stiff lariats. They had two awesome segments in the crowd which really ramped up the heat. Down the stretch, there were some great near falls, which I bought on.

Rating: 7.5/10

#8
Sareee vs Tsukasa Fujimoto
Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #992 ~ Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium III
September 14, 2019

This was everything you could want from these two. It was filled with stiff strikes and crushing suplexes. The match kept building up and had a lot of great nearfalls and vicious suplexes and it lead up to a good finish. A perfect undercard Joshi match to steal a show.

Rating: 8/10

#7
Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes
WWE Backlash
May 6, 2023

A fascinating match very laid out. It was a tremendous brawl with a really great finish. Brock was very bloody. 8 minutes is the perfect length of time for a Brock match.

Rating: 8/10

#6
Mio Momono vs Takumi Iroha
Marvelous
November 3, 2019

I loved the story of this match where it seemed like Iroha wasn’t taking Momono seriously, until too late. The crowd was wild and Momono was on fire to prove herself against Iroha who was just killing her with her offense. The powerbomb Iroha hit right before the time expired was so nasty!

Rating: 8.5/10

#5
Candice LeRae vs Io Shirai
NXT TakeOver: Toronto 2019
August 10, 2019

This was tremendous with Shirai as the vicious heel in her more cocky Stardom but more evil form. Candice was a worthy underdog, who took all of Shirai’s vicious offense from her moonsault to an Avalanche Spanish Fly. LeRae brought her own ridiculous offense with a tope DDT and a reverse hurrancanrana. It built to a good finish with everyone playing their roles till the end.

Rating: 8.5/10

#4
Arisa Nakajima vs Nanae Takahashi
“SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Title Hair vs Hair Match”
SEAdLINNNG Dynamic Show Case! ~ Kawasaki Monogatari
November 2, 2019

A great match that weirdly didn’t hit my expectations. I did love Nakajima going after Takahashi’s arm and that limiting Takahashi’s offense throughout the match. The intensity and the violence were there and it was dramatic on the nearfalls with the title and hair on the line. The issue was the kick outs felt like they were going into the epic territory too much, they didn’t fit well into the match. Outside of that, really great and hard to deny.

Raring: 8.75/10

#3
Mina Shirakawa vs Natsupoi
“Wonder of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Fukuoka Goddess Legend ~Sweet Stardom~
May 4, 2023

“Mina is not the White Belt Champion that we wanted, but Mina is the White Belt Champion that we needed.”

What a great change of pace from Kamitani’s title reign, as Mina brings the psychology, emotion, and drama back to the White Belt! Natsupoi upped her game too, bringing pure violence in her strikes and her selling of Mina’s leg attacks was awesome. Mina’s leg attacking legs every big match is great and she does it with such great variety that I love it. Mina mixes in the big moves and nearfalls to put this over the top.

Rating: 8.75/10

#2
Bianca Belair vs IYO SKY
“WWE Raw Women’s Championship”
WWE Backlash
May 6, 2023

These two have had awesome chemistry in the past and that continues here. I loved Shirai’s work on Belair’s arm and Belair’s selling of it throughout especially the one-armed gorilla press of all things. Both played their strengths so well and the crowd was so into it on Shirai’s side! From the finish tease of the finisher to the outside interference is all-time territory. The finish is good and this is an easy MOTY contender. They better do a rematch.

Rating: 8.75/10

“Match of the Week”
Chigusa Nagayo vs Dynamite Kansai
JWP
June 16, 1995

This was a smartly worked war! The first segment was Nagayo and Kasnai trying for a knockout or a submission to really prove who was tougher. When they couldn’t do that, we got a lot of great nearfalls. The teases of the Aavalance Niagra Driver were great, and well thrown into this match. Everything in this was a great struggle to prove who was more badass.

Rating: 8.75/10

Watch Party!

I’ll be back next week with whatever I’m watching. Remember to join the discord for Sunday at 4pm EST for this great Joshi Night lineup:

Double Inoue vs Rie Tamada & Yumiko Hotta, AJW, 1995-06-27
Akira Hokuto & LCO vs Kaoru Ito, Mariko Yoshida, & Reggie Bennett, AJW, 1995-06-27
Aja Kong vs Manami Toyota, WWWA Singles Title, AJW, 1995-06-27
Dynamite Kansai vs Mayumi Ozaki, Dress Up Wild Fight, JWP, 1995-07-09

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Posted in: Best Matches I've Watched This Week, Lists | Tagged: Arisa Nakajima, awg, Ayako Sato, azm, Bianca Belair, Brock Lesnar, candice lerae, Chigusa Nagayo, Cody Rhodes, Command Bolshoi, Diana, Dynamite Kansai, Hana Kimura, Ice Ribbon, Io Shirai, joshi, JWP, Kairi Hojo, Kyoko Inoue, Marvelous, Maya Yukihi, Mei Hoshizuki, Mina Shirakawa, Mio Momono, miyuki takase, Nanae Takahashi, natsupoi, NXT, Sareee, seadlinnng, Shayna Baszler, STARDOM, tae honma, takumi iroha, tsukasa fujimoto, Unagi Sayaka, wrestling, WWE, WWF

The Best Matches I’ve Watched This Week (2023-04-14)

By Grimmas on April 14, 2023 | Leave a comment

I was on vacation for the early part of the week in Montreal, so it’s a light week again.

#7
AZM vs Hazuki
“Cinderella Tournament 2023 First Round Match”
Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2023
March 26, 2023

This is the perfect high speed Cinderella match. They went full speed trying to do quick roll-ups and pins, then had a long extended period on the apron trying to throw each other off with so many nearfalls. They hit a perfect draw going to the floor at the same time. This is everything you want in this tournament.

Rating: 7/10

#6
Arisa Hoshiki vs Konami
“Wonder of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Year End Climax 2019
December 24, 2019

Hoshiki is such an amazing babyface and Konami worked so great from on top in this one. All of the hope spots by Hoshiki were really tremendous and I loved how Konami only really falters because she tried to kick Hoshiki. Nobody out-kicks Hoshiki!

Rating: 8/10

#5
Shayna Baszler vs Rhea Ripley
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT TV
December 18, 2019

A classic story here of the crafty badass veteran champion finally getting their due against the badass upstart. Ripley proves too much early on for Baszler, so her underlings come around and interfere and injure Rhea’s arm before being removed. Baszler takes advantage, but just can’t put her away. The final Ripley comeback and win is so well done and felt like a massive changing of the guard. Perfect booking.

Rating: 8.25/10

#4
Giulia vs Hana Kimura
Stardom Year End Climax 2019
December 24, 2019

It was an absolute joy to see Kimura again and this match reminded me how awesome she was. They went flat-out trying to dethrone each other, including great brawling and intensity. It was really emotional and personal!

Rating: 8.25/10

#3
Tatsumi Fujinami vs Genichiro Tenryu
NJPW Battle Formation In Tokyo Dome
April 29, 1996

Fujinami is someone I always hear is a top GWE contender, but I never saw it. Probably due to limited watching or focusing on the wrong matches, so I wanted to check him out against someone I do love.

Tenryu was the evil invader and Fujinami was the hometown defender between these two legends at the Tokyo Dome, so the canvas they had to paint on was already awesome. They both did those roles well. Tenryu is so great as a smug bastard and he blooded Fujinami up so bad catching one o his dives. He also had an all-time cut-off spot as Fujinami was trying a hope spot of comeback punches, only for Tenryu to violently shove his broken bloody nose to cut it off!

This isn’t about Tenryu though, let’s look at Fujinami. He had great energy as a babyface fighting from underneath. The fire was there and I enjoyed him trying to overcome Tenryu. I found the Dragon Sleeper out of nowhere only to let it go to miss a diving move an odd moment late in the match, but it led to an amazing finishing sequence by Tenryu, so it’s okay.

All in all, I can see some potential for greatness in Fujinami, I’ll give him more shots.

Rating: 8.25/10

#2
Kagetsu vs Mayu Iwatani
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Year End Climax 2019
December 24, 2019

Their chemistry is off the charts! It was a perfect contrast of a great heel and a great babyface. The drama and charisma on display were something else as this kept escalating and escalating towards an amazing finishing sequence. All of the mists by Kagetsu, missed or not, were tremendous. The flying foot stomp from the balcony to the floor was a wild spot during the early outside of the ring brawling segment. That segment was great, but the match did get better. A great moment and a GREAT German Suplex finish. Amazing match.

Rating: 8.75/10

“Fan Favourite”
Fire & Ice vs The Steiner Brothers
WCW The Great American Bash
June 16, 1996

From the discord, see how to join at the end of the article to join in on the fun and give future suggestions.

I haven’t seen this match in years and not since I realized Scott “Flash” Norton is one of my absolute favourites! This feud had a number of matches in a short period that are all super fun because they are ideal opponents. Steiners always look best when they are facing physically imposing folks. Norton is best against a challenge and Ice Train is along for the ride.

The match is really at its best when Norton is in the ring, as Ice Train is just okay. Norton is such a force in this for the Steiners to overcome, which they did with a messed up-looking Frankensteiner at the end. If you love big tough dudes throwing each other around this is the match for you!

Rating: 7.25/10

“Match of the Week”
Mercedes Mone’ vs AZM vs Hazuki
“IWGP Women’s Champion Three Wayy Match”
NJPW Sakura Genesis 2023
April 8, 2023

If there was any doubt that Mercedes could work a High Speed match, that doubt is gone. They started with a great High Speed match but continued on to a tremendous three-way match. All of the usual pitfalls of these matches were gone. If someone would sit on the outside, then when someone got Irish whipped they turned it into a tope onto them. If they would try a tower of doom spot, it would be countered or come out of nowhere. It was tremendous! They interworked all of their offence so well, including such a beautiful finish where AZM went for her finish on Hazuki, but midway through Mercedes caught her hitting her finish. I loved this!

Rating: 8.75/10

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Posted in: Best Matches I've Watched This Week, Reviews | Tagged: Arisa Hoshiki, azm, Genichiro Tenryu, giulia, Hana Kimura, Hazuki, Ice Train, joshi, Kagetsu, Konami, Mayu Iwatani, Mercedes Mone', NJPW, NXT, puroresu, Rhea Ripley, Rick Steiner, Sasha Banks, Scott Norton, Scott Steiner, Shayna Baszler, STARDOM, Tatsumi Fujinami, wrestling, WWE

Best Matches I’ve Watched This Week (2023-03-10)

By Grimmas on March 10, 2023 | Leave a comment

Here are the best matches I watched the last week! From March 4 to March 10, 2023. It was kind of a light week since I started a new position at work and you know how that is.

#9
Roxanne Perez vs Meiko Satomura
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT Roadblock
March 7, 2023

I’ve loved these two in the past, so I had to check this out and it was pretty good. A classic teacher/veteran vs student/youngster match, but with the twist of the youngster as the champion. Well laid out with Meiko being the dominant badass she is. Based on the sudden finish, I’d hope for a bigger rematch where they could put on a truly great match.

Rating: 7/10

#8
Aja Kong & Mariko Yoshida vs Kyoko Inoue vs Takako Inoue
“WWWA Tag Team Title Tournament Semi-Final”
AJW Wrestling Queendom 1995 Success
March 21, 1995

Aja Kong was in full beast mode in this one and Yoshida offered a great contrast to her. Double Inoue was on a mission to regain the titles they forfeited because they were the 99th champions and wanted to be the 100th. That led to an exciting tag match!

Rating: 7/10

#7
Kumiko Maekawa vs Nanae Takahashi
AJW Garage Show
November 11, 2001

These two different heavy hitters had a very fun 15-minute draw. It took place at some festival, where there were tents around the ringside. They took great advantage of the setting and brawled to those areas, plus to the street and used a variety of weapons in fun ways. A draw, that didn’t feel like a draw and a very exciting rush to get the pin at the end.

Rating: 7/10

#6
Chihiro Hashimoto vs Himeka
Stardom Triangle Derby I
March 4, 20223

Not only is this a good hoss battle, but it’s perfect booking. Hashimoto has come to Stardom to destroy Syuri and along the way she is building herself up by taking out the biggest hoss in Stardom, Himeka. They battle and battle hard!

Rating: 7/10

#5
Blizzard Yuki & Manami Toyota vs Kyoko Inoue & Takako Inoue
“WWWA Tag Team Title Tournament Final”
AJW Wrestling Queendom 1995 Success
March 21, 1995

The finals of the tournament to crown the 100th WWWA Tag Team Champions was very nearfall heavy which normally would have brought it down a lot, but it being the finals of a tournament weakened the blow a little. An exciting, all-action tag match!

Rating: 7.25

#4
Ami Sourei, MIRAI, & Syuri vs. Hiragi Kurumi, Risa Sera, & Suzu Suzuki
“Triangle Derby Finals”
Stardom Triangle Derby I
March 4, 20223

This tournament has made one of the most stagnant and boring times in Stardom since I started following it closely, but the final show was amazing including the finals of the tournament. I love how strong Prominence has been booked in Stardom, especially Suzu Suzuki. Suzuki and MIRAI have awesome chemistry and their finishing sequence was tremendous.

Rating: 7.5/10

#3
Giulia vs Maya Yukihi
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Triangle Derby I
March 4, 20223

I haven’t seen Yukihi before, but she is from Giulia’s Ice Ribbon past. Based on this match, they have a lot of beef. This focussed a lot more on brawling on the outside and trying to put the other out than your typical Stardom title match, so this was a nice contrast. I dug the ending as Giulia hit the knockout blow on the outside, which would make Akira Hokuto happy, but is too hurt to enter herself. Looking forward to them continuing this one!

Rating: 8.25/10

#2
AZM vs Starlight Kid
“High Speed Championship”
Stardom Triangle Derby I ~Championship Battle~
March 4, 2023

Watching these two feels like you are watching the future of wrestling. While current people are focussing on huge spots, more flips, and fast action, these two focus on fast action built around going for wins with submissions and roll-ups. It feels so much better and natural! There were some huge spots in this one though, but they felt more impactful and more going for the win.

Although this was great, the match they had last year felt a bit better.

Rating: 8.5/10

“Fan Favourite”
Kazuyuki Fujita & Kendo Kashin vs Manabu Nakanishi & Shinsuke Nakamura
NJPW Toukon Festival
November 13, 2004

RoseGold saw how much I enjoyed the Fujita-Nagata shoot fight last week, so tried to see if I would enjoy it more. If you have a match you want me to watch next week, hit me up on Twitter or the discord.

It is so strange seeing Nakamura be so normal here. It’s also a very nice nostalgia hit when I see Kashin. Back in high school I never watched him but was somehow a big fan. He had a mask and did cool armbars, that’s all I needed!

The highlights of this match were when Fujita was beating the shit out of dudes, especially Nakanishi who was a giant punching bag. Nakanishi is so big he also had a few cool moments. Nakamura was just there, like he was a solid dude, but was not a stand-out in any way. Kashin hit a cool armbar off the top rope, so major bonus points for that.

Altogether, there were some fun moments, but mostly it was an okay tag that didn’t do a whole lot for me. Fujita and Don Frye seem to be my favourite shoot-style dudes, but that’s mostly for the MMA punching and not caring about their opponent’s attitude. It doesn’t always translate to a good match.

Rating: fun in parts/10

“Match of the Week”
Saya Kamitani vs Hazuki
“Wonder of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Triangle Derby I ~Championship Battle~
March 4, 2023

When Saya Kamitani is on, she’s really on. Even better when there is someone in there who keeps her on track and from going too far. Hazuki was just that person and her desperation to win at all costs made was unreal. Every time Kamitani started to drag this down, Hazuki brought it right back on track. It was frantic, and exciting, and had me on the edge of my seat.

Rating: 8.5/10

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Posted in: Best Matches I've Watched This Week, Lists | Tagged: Aja Kong, AJW, Ami Sourei, azm, Blizzard Yuki, Chihiro Hashimoto, giulia, Hazuki, Himeka, Hiragi Kurumi, joshi, Kazuyuki Fujita, Kendo Kashin, Kumiko Maekawa, Kyoko Inoue, Manabu Nakanishi, Manami Toyota, Mariko Yoshida, Maya Yukihi, Meiko Satomura, MIRAI, Nanae Takahashi, NJPW, NXT, Risa Sera, Rok-C, Roxanne Perez, Sakie Hasegawa, Saya Kamitani, Shinsuke Nakamura, STARDOM, starlight kid, suzu suzuki, Syuri, Takako Inoue, wrestling, WWE

The Greatest Wrestlers of 2015

By Grimmas on November 25, 2022 | 10 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, and 1997. You can listen to those here. 1993, 2004, & 2010 are on the blog.

2015

Personally, an important year for my fandom, as it was the year I embraced women’s wrestling. This year started me down a path to where I am now in what I get out of wrestling. Watching the footage now, it is a great year too. NXT gave WWE a new edge and the Indies were running high. Lucha Libre was at a great level too. Joshi was starting to come out of death but was filled with great workers. 2015 turned out to be a great year.

Process

I have a master list of everyone I have considered for each of these top 25 lists and how many matches they worked on each year. I see who worked in 2015 and start watching the footage. I take suggestions and look at other lists to see who needs to be explored.

After watching a ton of footage I start to make a list and cut anyone who either I can’t find 3 matches of their worth recommending or I don’t care to find that many. From there it’s a matter of finding an order that I feel comfortable with based on the quality of output, versatility, and whatever qualities make a great wrestler.

The List

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

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.

The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.

Honourable Mentions

Amazing Kong
Jimmy Rave
Kamaitachi
Kaori Yoneyama
Kofi Kingston
Nikki Bella

#25
Mia Yim
aka Jade

Matches: 50
Places Worked: SHIMMER, TNA, SHINE, AIW, WWN, WSU, Stardom, CZW, HOH, SWE, AAW, EWO, & FIP
Title Held: SHINE Championship
Tournaments: SHIMMER ChickFight Tournament (semi-finals) & SHINE Tag Team Title Tournament with Leva Bates (finals)

Although Mia Yim was great in the Indies and particularly in SHIMMER, it was her TNA work that got her onto the list. The Doll House was not given opportunities to have great matches, but Yim was amazing in the chances she got.

Recommended Matches:

vs Athena, SHIMMER Volume 71, March 28
vs Athena, SHIMMER Volume 72, April 11
vs Eddie Kingston, AIW Battle of the Sexes 2, August 14

#24
Kagetsu

Matches: 81
Places Worked: Oz Academy, FMW, BJW, JWP, WAVE, Osaka Joshi-Pro, REINA, Stardom, KAGEKI, FREEDOMS, Gatoh Move, Diana, Sportiva, & Kirakira Taiyo Project
Titles Held: Oz Academy Tag Team Championship with Kaho Kobayashi (twice)

Kagetsu brought another element to the matches he was involved in. It’s like the intensity was automatically upped the moment he entered the ring.

Recommended Matches:

vs Tsubasa Kuragaki, Oz Academy The Wizard of Oz, January 11
with Kaho Kobayashi vs Kana & Konami, Oz Academy/WAVE ZABUN Joint Event, May 10
with Leon vs Command Bolshoi & Sawako Shinomo, JWP, October 20

#23
Athena
aka Adrienne Reese

Matches: 52
Places Worked: WWE, AIW, MPX, IPW, WSU, ACW, SHIMMER, SHINE, WWN, ROW, AAW, IHWE, Remix Pro, & VIP
Titles Held: AIW Women’s Championship (twice) & ACW American Joshi Championship
Tournaments: SHIMMER ChickFight Tournament, WSU Spirit Title Tournament (semi-finals), & AIW JT Lightning Invitational Tournament

Athena worked so well in 2015, she got herself a WWE contract by the end of it. She had a subtle heel situation going on in SHIMMER which really played to her advantage.

Recommended Matches:

vs Mia Yim, SHIMMER Volume 71, March 28
vs Mia Him, SHIMMER Volume 72, April 11
vs Hania the Howling Huntress, Uncensored, WSU Excellence, September 12

#22
Dragon Lee

Matches: 114
Places Worked: CMLL, LLE, Promociones Tragedias, Lucha Memes, Chilanga Mask, Promociones El Cholo de Tijuana, & Cara Lucha
Title Held: CMLL World Lightweight Championship
Tournaments: CMLL Torneo De Parejas Increibles with Kamaitachi, CMLL Reyes del Aire, CMLL Leyenda de Plata (finals), & Campeon Universal Del CMLL 2015 Tournament

The Kamaitachi feud was a come-out party for Dragon Lee, but there is more to his great year than that. A tremendous flyer and técnico!

Recommended Matches:

vs Kamaitachi, CMLL Super Viernes, January 9
vs Virus, CMLL Titanes del Ring, April 5
vs Kamaitachi, CMLL Lunes Arena Puebla, July 13
vs Kamaitachi, CMLL Domingos Arena Mexico, August 30 (#9 MOTY)
vs Kamaitachi, CMLL Super Viernes, December 4

#21
John Cena

Previous Ranking: 2010 (#11)
Matches: 136
Places Worked: WWE
Titles Held: WWE United States Championship (twice)

After a pretty good feud with Rusev and winning the WWE US Title, John Cena reinvented himself into PWG Cena by doing open challenges for the United States Championship. Week in and week out Cena was trying to put on good matches no matter the opponent. Not the best year of Cena’s career, especially if you aren’t fond of his PWG offence, but he still upped his game when he needed to.

Recommended Matches:

vs Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins, WWE Royal Rumble, January 25
vs Rusev, WWE WrestleManix XXXI, March 29
vs Sami Zayn, WWE Raw, May 4
vs Kevin Owens, WWE Elimination Chamber, May 31

#20
Penatgon, Jr.

Matches: 76
Places Worked: AAA, Lucha Underground, The Crash, Producciones Sanchez, GoMask!, Invasion RCH, AAW, 3 Bat Productions, UWE, MaxProad, Producciones AGZA, Lucha Future, Promociones Kdna, Promociones Juniors, Fusion Ichiban, & Cara Lucha
Titles Held: The Crash Cruiserweight Championship, AAA World Tag Team Championship with Joe Lider, & AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship with Sexy Star
Tournaments: Lucha Underground Trios Title Tournament with Sexy Star & Super Fly & PWG The Battle of Los Angeles

Pentagon, Jr. was a revelation in Lucha Underground with his presence and intense style. The miracle match he pulled out of Vampiro is enough to get anyone onto a list like this.

Recommended Matches:

with Perro Aguayo, Jr. vs Myzteziz & Rey Mysterio, Jr., AAA Rey de Reyes, March 18
vs Vampiro, “Cero Miedo”, Lucha Underground Ultimo Lucha, taped April 19 and aired August 5
vs Chris Hero, AAW Windy City Classic XI, November 28

#19
Arisa Nakajima

Matches: 97
Places Worked: JWP, Ice Ribbon, Oz Academy, REINA, BJW, SEAdLINNNING, Dotonbori Pro, Diana, Sendai Girls, FREEDOMS, Osaka Joshi-Pro, Marvelous, & Kirakira Taiyo Project
Titles Held: REINA World Tag Team Championship with Kana, JWP Openweight Championship, JWP Daily Sports Tag Team Championship with Tsukasa Fujimoto, JWP Tag Team Championship with Tsukasa Fujimoto, & International Ribbon Tag Team Championship with Tsukasa Fujitomo

Arisa Nakajima is a force in the ring with an extra level of viciousness. The Best Friends with Tsukasa Fujimoto is an all-time great time.

Recommended Matches:

with Kana vs Hikaru Shida & Syuri, KanaPro Promania, February 25
vs Risa Sera, Ice Ribbon New Ice Ribbon #675 ~ Ice In Wonderland, August 30
with Tsukasa Fujitomo vs Kayoko Haruyama & Tsubasa Kuragaki, JWP Recapture in Shinjuku, October 25

#18
LA Park

Previous Rankings: 2004 (#9) & 2010 (#5)
Matches: 57
Places Worked: FULL, Lucha Libre Boom, UWE, MDA, Promociones Kdna, Producciones Sanchez, AULL, IWRG, CMLL, FMLL, Promociones Contreras, LLE, LEGEND, MaxProad, Lucha Libre Profesional NET, El Club Producciones, Todo X El Todo, Cara Lucha, Evolucion, XWW, FSW, & Vamper Revolution
Title Held: XWW Universal Championship

The evil dancing skeleton had another tremendous year, although it was lacking in some great showcase matches. He worked a lot of places in 2015, bringing his chaotic madness with him wherever he went.

Recommended Matches:

with Volador, Jr. vs Dr. Wagner, Jr. & La Sombra, LLE All Elite Liga Elite, February 8
with El Hiijo de LA Park vs Mr. Niebla & Rush, Lucha Libre Boom, June 27
with Atlantis & Volador Jr. vs Dr. Wagner, Jr., Rush, & La Sombra, CMLL Super Viernes, August 28

#17
El Mesias
aka
Mil Muertes & Ricky Banderas

Matches: 43
Places Worked: AAA, Lucha Underground, WWL, The Crash, Promociones Kdna, Promociones Juniors, & Producciones Sanchez
Title Held: Lucha Underground Championship
Tournaments: AAA Rey de Reyes (finals) & AAA Victoria Lucha Libre World Cup with Angelico & Drew Galloway

El Mesias was always a cool badass monster brawler, but his stock rose to another level under the Mil Muertes gimmick in Lucha Underground. His aura was something else and his performances were perfect in that role.

Recommended Matches:

vs Fenix, “Grave Consequences”, Lucha Underground, taped January 25 and aired March 18 (#5 MOTY)
Aero Star vs Psycho Clown vs El Texano, Jr., AAA Rey de Reyes, March 18
vs Drago, Lucha Underground, taped March 22 aired June 24

#16
Becky Lynch

Matches: 131
Places Worked: WWE

The first of the Horsewomen to appear on the list, Becky Lynch was limited by having few opportunities, but did deliver when given the chance.

Recommended Matches:

Bayley vs Charlotte vs Sasha Banks, NXT TakeOver: Rival, February 11
vs Sasha Banks, NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, May 20 (#3 MOTY)
vs Sasha Banks, WWE TLC, December 13

#15
Big E

Matches: 183
Place Worked: WWE
Titles Held: WWE Tag Team Championship with Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods & WWE Raw Tag Team Championship with Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods
Tournament: WWE Royal Rumble

The New Day was fantastic throughout the year and Big E was a huge part of that. He had an amazing knack for knowing when to interject a huge spot and that helped make all of the tag matches memorable.

Recommended Matches:

with Kofi Kingston vs Cesaro & Tyson Kidd, WWE Extreme Rules, April 26
with Kofi Kingston vs Cesaro & Tyson Kidd, “2/3 Falls”, WWE Payback, May 17 (#6 MOTY)
with Kofi Kingston vs Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso vs Kalisto & Sin Cara, “Ladder”, WWE TLC, December 13

#14
Atlantis

Matches: 173
Places Worked: CMLL, NJPW, LLE, FULL, MDA, Toryumon Mexico, Lucha Memes,
Promociones Kdna, LyC, ERLL, PWR, LLA, Producciones Sanchez, MaxProad, Cara Lucha, Lucha Libre Boom, Promociones HUMO, & FMLL
Titles Held: Mexican National Trios Championship with Delta & Guerrero Maya Jr., Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship, Azteca Championship, & WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: NJPW Fantastica Mania Tag Tournament with Mascara Dorada (winner), CMLL Torneo De Parejas Increibles with Ultimo Guerrero (semi-finals), NWA World Historic Light Heavyweight Title Tournament (semi-finals), & Campeon Universal Del CMLL Tournament (winner)

The legendary Atlantis finally makes a list, because ultimately there was the right amount of showcase matches and footage. Any year he has a big Anniversario Mask match he’s had a good year.

Recommended Matches:

vs Ultimo Guerrero, NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania, January 18
with LA Park, & Volador, Jr. vs Dr. Wagner Jr., Rush, & La Sombra, CMLL Super Viernes, August 28
vs La Sombra, “Mascara vs Mascara”, CMLL Anniversario, September 18 (#8 MOTY)

#13
Cesaro

Previous Ranking: 2010 (#16)
Matches: 187
Places Worked: WWE
Title Held: WWE Tag Team Championship with Tyson Kidd
Tournaments: WWE Royal Rumble & WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament

Cesaro spent the majority of hte year teaming with Tyson Kidd and they were a tremendous team. After Kidd’s retirement, Cesaro continued being his awesome self.

Recommended Matches:

with Tyson Kidd vs Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso, WWE Fast Lane, February 22
with Tyson Kidd vs Big E & Kofi Kingston, WWE Extreme Rules, April 26
with Tyson Kidd vs Big E & Kofi Kingston, “2/3 Falls”, WWE Payback, May 17 (#6 MOTY)
vs Kevin Owens, WWE SummerSlam, August 23

#12
Mayu Iwatani

Previous Rankings: 2021 (#10)
Matches: 68
Places Worked: Stardom, Sendai Girls, & Toryumon Mexico
Titles Held: Artist of Stardom with Io Shirai & Takuma Iroha & Goddesses of Stardom with Io Shirai
Tournaments: Stardom Cinderella Champions Fiesta (winner), Stardom 5Star Grand Prix (semi-finals), & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League with Io Shirai (winner)

The first of the Stardom workers to make the list. By 2015, Mayu is already the loveable wrestler we all know.

Recommended Matches:

vs Kairi Hojo, Stardom Gold May, May 14
vs Io Shirai, Stardom 5Star Grand Prix, August 23
with Hiromi Mimura, Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo, Kris Wolf, & Momo Watanabe vs Cassandra Miyagi, Chihiro Hashimoto, DASH Chisako, Meiko Satomura, Mika Iwata, & Sendai Sachiko, “Gauntlet”, Sendai Girls vs Stardom, November 12

#11
Chris Hero

Previous Rankings: 2004 (#17) & 2010 (#1)
Matches: 119
Places Worked: NOAH, SMASH, PWG, WWN, Beyond, IWA Mid-South, AAW, HOH, ESW, SWE, 2CW, IWF, AIW, WrestleJam, QPW, APW, Freelance, PWL, PWP, PWC, Discovery, JCW, FIP, ICW, RPW, JAPW, Vintage, FWE, SSW, & RPW
Tournaments: IWF World Title Tournament (finals), NOAH Global Tag League with Colt Cabana (semi-finals), PWG The Battle of Los Angeles (finals), NOAH Global League, & IWA Mid-South Ted Petty Invitational (finals)

The king of the indies, Hero had another great year working all over the world.

Recommended Matches:

vs Chris Hero, EVOLVE 40, March 27
vs Samoa Joe, SMASH Kicks ALS, June 6
vs Pentagon, Jr., AAW Windy City Classic XI, November 28
vs Donovan Dijack, Beyond Tournament for Tomorrow, November 29

#10
Kana
aka
Asuka

Previous Ranking: 20210 (#3)
Matches: 96
Places Worked: WAVE, WWE, REINA, JWP, Osaka Joshi-Pro, Oz Academy, Ice Ribbon, NOAH, & DDT
Titles Held: REINA World Tag Team Championship with Arisa Nakajima & REINA World Women’s Championship
Tournament: Catch the WAVE (semi-finals)

The last year of Kana on the joshi scene and she made the most of it working all over the place facing everyone. She followed that up by going to NXT and instantly feeling like the most special wrestler there.

Recommended Matches:

with Arisa Nakajima vs Hikaru Shida & Syuri, Kana Pro Promania, February 25
with Konami vs Command Bolshoi & Meiko Satomura, JWP MANIA-X, April 5
vs Hikaru Shida, Oz Academy/WAVE ZABUN Joint Event, May 10
with Konami vs Kagestu & Kaho Kobayashi, Oz Academy/WAVE ZABUN Joint Event, May 10
vs Emma, NXT TakeOver: London, December 16

#9
Command Bolshoi

Previous Rankings: 2004 (#19) & 2010 (#14)
Matches: 81
Places Worked: JWP, Oz Academy, Diana, REINA, Marvelous, Dotonbori Pro, Sendai Girls, Gatoh Move, FMW, & BJW
Title Held: JWP Openweight Championship
Tournaments: JWP Tag Leauge The Best with Kyoko Kimura

I’ve written much about Bolshoi over the last year, even here on this blog. She was her regular great technician, great comedian, and great flyer self in 2015.

Recommended Matches:

with Meiko Satomura vs Kana & Konami, JWP MANIA-X, April 5
with Sawako Shimono vs Kagetsu & Leon, JWP, October 20
vs Leon, JWP, October 25

#8
Rush

Matches: 103
Places Worked: CMLL, LLE, Cara Lucha, Producciones Sanchez, Lucha Libre Boom, FULL, MDA, PROLLM, LLA, Promociones Tragedias, Evoucion, Lucha Libre VIP, & Promociones Kdna
Tournaments: CMLL Torneo De Parejas Increibles with Shocker

A rudo Rush is always a site to see. No matter the opponent he brought a brawling style to CMLL that they vastly need sometimes.

Recommended Matches:

with Mr. Niebla vs El Hiijo de LA Park & LA Park, Lucha Libre Boom, June 27
with Dr. Wagner, Jr. & La Sombra vs Atlantis, LA Park, & Volador, Jr., CMLL Super Viernes, August 28
vs La Sombra, CMLL Super Viernes, November 13

#7
Io Shirai

Matches: 72
Places Worked: Stardom, Sendai Girls, DDT, Toryumon Mexico, & Ice Ribbon
Titles Held: Stardom High Speed Championship, Artist of Stardom with Mayu Iwatani & Takuma Iroha, Wonder of Stardom, & Goddesses of Stardom with Mayu Iwatani
Tournaments: World of Stardom Title Tournament (finals), Stardom Cinderella Champions Fiesta (semi-finals), Stardom 5Star Grand Prix (semi-finals), & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League with Mayu Iwatani (winner)

The ace of Stardom, Io Shirai delivered in that role. Although her moves are quite modern, the way she works as a babyface or subtle heel depending on the opponents feels very old school.

Recommended Matches:

vs Kairi Hojo, Stardom The Highest, March 29
vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom 5Star Grand Prix, August 23
vs Kaori Yoneyama, Stardom 5Star Grand Prix, September 4
with Hiromi Mimura, Kairi Hojo, Kris Wolf, Mayu Iwatani, & Momo Watanabe vs Cassandra Miyagi, Chihiro Hashimoto, DASH Chisako, Meiko Satomura, Mika Iwata, & Sendai Sachiko, “Gauntlet”, Sendai Girls vs Stardom, November 12
vs Meiko Satomura, Stardom Year-End Climax, December 23

#6
Bayley

Matches: 119
Places Worked: WWE
Title Held: NXT Women’s Championship

The feud with Sasha Banks is an all-time elite feud where Bayley showed she was an amazing babyface. In 2015 WWE it is hard to be a great babyface, but Bayley delivered.

Recommended Matches:

vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte vs Sasha Banks, NXT TakeOver: Rival, February 11
vs Charlotte, NXT TV, taped July 16 aired August 5
vs Sasha Banks, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, August 22 (#1 MOTY)
vs Sasha Banks, Iron Man, NXT TakeOver: Respect, October 7 (#4 MOTY)

#5
La Sombra

Matches: 119
Places Worked: CMLL, NJPW, LLE, Cara Lucha, AULL, Lucha Libre Boom, FULL, MDA, LLA, Promociones Tragedias, Evolucion, & Producciones Sanchez
Title Held: NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship
Tournaments: NJPW Fantastica Mania Tag Tournament with Tetsuya Naito, CMLL Torneo de Parejas Increibles with Negro Casas, NWA World Historic Light Heavyweight Title Tournament (finals), CMLL Reyes del Aire (winner)

The top luchador of 2015, La Sombra (the future Andrade) was pushed into a top role with CMLL and delivered. Him losing his mask to Atlantis at the Anniversario was a huge moment. He also had great highlights in Japan. His charisma is unreal, his ability to be a jerk is amazing, and he just knows exactly what to do in a lucha match.

Recommended Matches:

vs Mascara Dorada, NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania, January 19
with Dr. Wagner, Jr. vs LA Park & Volador Jr., LLE All Elite Liga Elite, February 8
with Dr. Wagner, Jr. & Rush vs Atlantis, LA Park, & Volador, Jr., CMLL Super Viernes, August 28
vs Atlantis, Mascara vs Mascara, CMLL Anniversario, September 18 (#8 MOTY)
vs Rush, CMLL Super Viernes, November 13

#4
Roman Reigns

Previous Ranking: 2021 (#7)
Matches: 213
Place Worked: WWE
Title Held: WWE World Heavyweight Championship (twice)
Tournaments: WWE Royal Rumble (winner) & WWE World Heavyweight Title Tournament (winner)

The breakout year for Roman Reigns, but a fascinating one. It felt like they wanted to make Reigns the ace of the company, but kept fucking it up all year. He really proved he could hang with anyone, but he had not found his true role quite yet.

Recommended Matches:

vs Bryan Danielson, WWE Fast Lane, February 11
vs Brock Lesnar, WWE WrestleMania XXXI, March 29 (#10 MOTY)
vs Dean Ambrose, WWE Survivor Series, November 22
vs Sheamus, “TLC”, WWE TLC, December 13

#3
Meiko Satomura

Previous Rankings: 2004 (#10) & 2010 (#6)
Matches: 46
Places Worked: Sendai Girls, Stardom, Marvelous, WAVE, Oz Academy, Tenryu Project, SEAdLINNNG, DDT, Diana, & JWP
Titles Held: World of Stardom & Sendai Girls World Championship

Meiko Satomura working with Stardom gave her a whole new crew to have amazing matches with. Picking up the role of the legend invading gave her year a lot of depth! As always she is a beast in the ring who feels like an unstoppable force.

Recommended Matches:

with Takako Inoue vs KAORU & Kyoko Kimura, Marvelous, February 8
with Command Bolshoi vs Kana & Konami, JWP MANIA-X, April 5
vs Kairi Hojo, Stardom Galaxy Stars, June 14 (#2 MOTY)
vs Kairi Hojo, Stardom X Stardom, July 26
with Cassandra Miyagi, Chihiro Hashimoto, DASH Chisako, Mika Iwata, & Sendai Sachiko vs Hiromi Mimura, Io Shirai, Kairi Hojo, Kris Wolf, Mayu Iwatani, & Momo Watanabe, “Gauntlet”, Sendai Girls vs Stardom, November 12
vs Io Shirai, Stardom Year-End Climax, December 23

#2
Kairi Hojo

Matches: 60
Places Worked: Stardom, Sendai Girls, & ZERO1
Titles Held: Goddesses of Stardom with Nane Takahashi, World of Stardom, & Artist of Stardom with Chelsea & Koguma
Tournaments: World of Stardom Title Tournament (winner), Stardom Cinderella Champions Fiesta (semi-finals), Stardom 5Star Grand Prix (winner), & Goddesses of Stardom Tag Leauge Haruka Kato (semi-finals)

Kairi Hojo is an incredible babyface she was unreal in that role in 2015. The undeserving champion who lost the belt to an outsider is a great story to ride out for the year. Her selling, her vicious strikes, her hope spots, and her charisma set her above almost every single wrestler in 2015.

Recommended Matches:

with Nanae Takahashi vs Hudson Envy & Kyoko Kimura, Stardom Queen’s Shout, February 22
vs Io Shirai, Stardom The Highest, March 29
vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom Gold May, May 14
vs Meiko Satomura, Stardom Galaxy Stars, June 14 (#2 MOTY)
vs Takuma Iroha, Stardom Galaxy Stars, July 4
vs Meiko Satomura, Stardom X Stardom, July 26
with Hiromi Mimura, Io Shirai, Kris Wolf, Mayu Iwatani, & Momo Watanabe vs Cassandra Miyagi, Chihiro Hashimoto, DASH Chisako, Meiko Satomura, Mika Iwata, & Sendai Sachiko, “Gauntlet”, Sendai Girls vs Stardom, November 12

#1
Sasha Banks

Previous Ranking: 2021 (#12)
Matches: 151
Places Worked: WWE
Title Held: NXT Women’s Championship

2015 was the year of the women’s wrestling revolution and Sasha Banks was its catalyst. Personally, she changed the way I view pro wrestling. The delivery and big stage presence she had in big matches in 2015 are unmatched in WWE history. She was a star putting on all-time great matches at every opportunity. An all-time great year up there with some of the greatest in history.

Recommended Matches:

vs Bayley vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte, NXT TakeOver: Rival, February 11
vs Charlotte, NXT, March 28
vs Becky Lynch, NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, May 20 (#3 MOTY)
vs Bayley, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, August 22 (#1 MOTY)
vs Bayley, Iron Man, NXT TakeOver: Respect, October 7 (#4 MOTY)
vs Becky Lynch, WWE TLC, December 13

If you want to discuss this you can do it on Twitter:

Tweets by StevenGrahamTWS

We also have a lovely discord community to discuss the greatest wrestler ever project. Also every Thursday/Sunday we do watch parties. Join:

https://t.co/0pOARzaXHD

Trans Rights!

It’s a horrible time to be trans right now, so please donate to the lovely folks here, who save lives:

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Next, I tackle 1983 and 2022, so expect those to come soon.

Before I go, let’s look at my running top 10 for Greatest Wrestler Ever. This is based on my formula, which includes a weighted average for each of the years I ranked, among other things. Obviously, it favours those who were great in the particular years I ranked and after every list it changes massively.

Akira Hokuto, 166.44 pts
Bret Hart, 162.51 pts
Bull Nakano, 152.30 pts
El Hijo del Santo, 146.80 pts
Aja Kong, 132.82 pts
Meiko Satomura, 130.13 pts
Manami Toyota, 129.22 pts
Chris Hero, 126.95 pts
Kyoko Inoue, 119.97 pts
Sasha Banks, 116.67 pts

Posted in: Lists, The Greatest Wrestlers of the Year List | Tagged: Andrade, Arisa Nakajima, Asuka, Athena, Atlantis, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Big E, Cesaro, Chris Hero, CMLL, Command Bolshoi, Dragon Lee, El Mesias, Io Shirai, John Cena, Kagetsu, Kairi Hojo, Kana, LA Park, lucha libre, Mayu Iwatani, Meiko Satomura, Mia Yim, NXT, Pentagon Jr., Roman Reigns, Rush, Sasha Banks, STARDOM, wrestling, WWE

2015 Match of the Year (Updated)

By Grimmas on November 7, 2022 | 1 Comment

Back at the end of 2015, I put together this list. As part of my Greatest Wrestler Ever project I am putting together new match of the year lists, let’s see how much has changed seven years later.

Matches that dropped off the list:

AJ Styles vs Jimmy Rave, PSW, May 8 (Prev. #7)
Bullet Club vs ROH All-Stars, ROH Global Wars, May 15 (Prev. an Honourable Mention)
Anthony Henry vs Jimmy Rave Scenic City Invitational, August 7 (Prev. #10)
Timothy Thatcher vs Zack Sabre Jr., EVOLVE 47, August 15 (Prev. an Honourable Mention)
Low Ki vs Rey Mysterio Jr., JAPW 19th Anniversary Show, November 14 (Prev. an Honourable Mention)

Honourable Mentions:

Kairi Hojo vs Meiko Satomura, Stardom X Stardom, July 26 (Prev. unmentioned)
Pentagon Jr. vs Vampiro, “Cero Miedo”, Lucha Underground Ultimo Lucha, taped April 19 and aired August 5 (Prev. #8)
Io Shirai vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom 5 Star Grand Prix, August 23 (Prev. unmentioned)

#10
Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns
“WWE World Heavyweight Championship”
WWE WrestleMania XXXI
March 29
Levi’s Stadium
(Previously #4)

One of the greatest main events in WrestleMania history. This was a brutal slug fest that was stiff as fuck. Brock took Roman and beat him senseless to such a degree that it got the crowd onto Roman’s side. The comeback was tremendous and Brock blades. If they had a real finish and not a Seth Rollins run in, this might had been the match of the year.

Update: The Rollins run in sours this match for me more and more over time. Add the numerous Brock-Roman rematches to compete with this and it drops down to #10.

#9
Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi
“CMLL World Lightweight Championship
CMLL Domingos Arena Mexico
August 30
Arena Mexico
(Previously #9)

2015 was filled with a lot of great high speed high spot matches and this was the best of the bunch for me. Kamaitachi brought this huge array of vicious dropkicks, including one where he ran the entire ramp to gain speed. There was some great pay off spots from earlier in the contest as well as great drama. However, what really made this stand out was the hate between the two. They had other great matches as well, but this one stood out to me.

Update: An unbelievable feud that was real eye-opening at the time and holds up.

#8
Atlantis vs La Sombra
“Mascara vs Mascara”
CMLL 82 Aniversario
September 18
Arena Mexico
(Previously #6)

The Atlantis mask match at the CMLL Anniversary Show has become the match I most anticipate each year. Although this is not on the level of the Atlantis vs Ultimo Guerrero match from the year before, it’s still filled with great drama. Atlantis’ mask has become the new Undertaker’s streak in wrestling.

Update: I will always be a sucker for big mask matches and this one holds up really well.

#7
Kota Ibushi vs Shinsuke Nakamura
“IWGP Intercontinental Championship”
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9
January 4
Tokyo Dome
(Previously #2)

Nakamura and Ibushi went to war in this match with stomps, elbows, knees. A lot of these viciously to the back of the head. After this war we are treated to an amazing finishing stretch with Ibushi throwing out every trick he had to put down Nakamura, but you can’t put down Nakamura! A match so good it made my top 100 matches list.

Update: In the last half decade I have really fallen off in my enjoyment of this era of NJPW’s style, but with that said this match is still amazing.

#6
Cesaro & Tyson Kidd vs The New Day
“WWE Tag Team Championship 2/3 Falls”
WWE Payback
May 17
Royal Farms Arena
(Previously Unrated)

I have no idea how I missed this match back in 2015, but this is one of the best WWE tag team matches since the 1980s. Big E and Cesaro may had been born to face off against each other, as their chemistry is amazing. Outside these two great power wrestlers doing amazing spots, you have Kofi and Tyson adding the high spots. My jaw dropped many times in this one!

#5
Fenix vs Mil Muertes
“Grave Consequences”
Lucha Underground
taped January 25 and aired March 18
Lucha Underground Arena
(Previously Unrated)

This match is insane and easily the greatest “Casket Match” of all-time. Fenix is doing all the nutty moves and Muertes is the perfect base. Something about Mesias in the Muertes gimmick that just takes him to another level. It’s really an unbelievable match that really lives up to it’s name.

#4
Bayley vs Sasha Banks
“NXT Women’s Chamionship Iron Man”
NXT TakeOver: Respect
October 7
Full Sail University
(Previously #5)

Finally after being the highlight of each NXT special, Sasha Banks got to main event and boy did she deliver. Amazing heel work by her with great story telling using the “Iron Man” rules to her advantage. The heel work on Bayley’s super fan was one of the top moments of the year.

Update: This match has aged really well and is one of the best Iron Man matches ever, maybe the best.

#3
Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable
May 20
Full Sail University
(Previsouly #3)

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 story telling. 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.

Update: I will always feel nostalgia about this match as it was the catalyst to my shift in what I enjoy and what I watch in pro-wrestling.

#2
Kairi Hojo vs Meiko Satomura
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom Galaxy Stars
June 14
Korakuen Hall
(Previously Unrated)

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 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.

I only have 17 matches rated 10/10 all-time and this is one of them, but still not good enough to be #1.

#1
Bayley vs Sasha Banks
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
August 22
Barclays Center
(Previously #1)

If you listened to the Pro-Wrestling Super Show’s Top 100 Matches podcast you would know I had this match in the upper half of my list, so there is no surprise it is the top match of the year for me for 2015.

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. This match was really an instant classic and clearly the best match of 2015.

Update: As time moves I love this match more and more. It went from the upper half of my greatest match ever list to #4.

If you want to discuss this you can do it on Twitter:

Tweets by StevenGrahamTWS

We also have a lovely discord community to discuss the greatest wrestler ever project. Also every Thursday/Sunday we do watch parties. Join:

https://t.co/0pOARzaXHD

Help!

Donate to the lovely folks here, who save lives:

https://translifeline.org/donate/

Coming soon my top 25 wrestlers of 2015.

Posted in: Lists, Match of the Year List | Tagged: Atlantis, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Brock Lesnar, Cesaro, CMLL, Dragon Lee, Kairi Hojo, Kamaitachi, Kota Ibushi, Lucha Underground, Meiko Satomura, Mil Muertes, NJPW, NXT, Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix, Roman Reigns, Sasha Banks, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sombra, STARDOM, The New Day, Tyson Kidd, Vampiro, wrestling, WWE

Top 10 Matches of Year 2013

By Grimmas on August 31, 2017 | Leave a comment

Continuing the process of putting up match of the year lists, we are in the year 2013. The first year I started to keep track of matches on my google spreadsheet. In September I made the initial list that has ballooned out from there.

#10
CM Punk vs John Cena
WWE Raw
February 25

The classic “piledriver” match. I would say Punk is Cena’s best opponent and it’s the best WWE feud of the 2010’s. Another awesome match in that series, and sadly the last.

#9
Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Virus
CMLL
October 6

Two of the best mat workers in the world working a classic lucha title match. Anytime Virus gets the time in these matches they are must watches.

#8
Hirooki Goto vs Katsuyori Shibata
NJPW Dominion
June 22

I feel wrong putting this match on the list, due to what happened to Shibata in 2017. However this is my 2013 list (outside of a small edit later on). These two destroy each other with stiff strikes. Hard to watch in hindsight.

#7
Kota Ibushi vs Shinsuke Nakamura
NJPW G1 Climax
August 4

Shocking to say both of these wrestlers have competed in the WWE. They just have perfect chemistry and work at an extreme pace. Watch out for the kicks!

#6
Cesaro vs William Regal
NXT
November 21

The final match in the great career of Regal as he tried to put the cocky young jerk in his place. Everything you could want in pro-wrestling.

#5
Cesaro vs Sami Zayn
“2 out of 3 Falls”
NXT
August 21

Before NXT was on the WWE Network (and before the WWE Network was a thing) NXT was purely a development territory. However these two didn’t need to develop and they put up an amazing match here.

#4
The Shield vs Cody Rhodes & Goldust
WWE Battleground
October 6

A really underrated match where the Rhodes family had to win to get their jobs back. With an emotional Dusty in their corner, the Rhodes brothers were the perfect babyface southern tag team.

WWE_SummerSlam_2013_poster

#3
Brock lesnar vs CM Punk
WWE SummerSlam
August 18

CM Punk worked as a spunky underdog babyface against the monster here and it really worked. Punk pulled out all the stops and used his brains to make this match competitive. In the end, Lesnar is still the unslayable monster, but the ending was actually put in doubt.

#2
Daniel Bryan vs John Cena
WWE SummerSlam
August 18

My former #1 match of 2013 is an all-time classic. Cena went out there to make Bryan the star, and this is them doing a WWE main event match. The person possible version of that style!

#1
Dr. Wagner Jr. vs LA Park
TxT
May 11

On the original list I made in 2013, this match was #2, but my love for it has grown over time. This match starts out with LA Park lighting a Wagner shirt on fire that is 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!

Posted in: Lists, Match of the Year List | Tagged: Brock Lesnar, Cesaro, CM Punk, CMLL, Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, Dr. Wagner Jr, Goldust, Guerrero Maya Jr., Hirooki Goto, John Cena, Katsuyori Shibata, Kota Ibushi, LA Park, lucha libre, NJPW, NXT, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Shinsuke Nakamura, TxT, Virus, William Regal, WWE

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Tag Archives: NXT

Honourable Mentions

#15Dr. Cerebro vs Gringo Loco“No DQ”ACTION DEAN~!!!April 4

#14Athena (c) vs Hikaru Shida“ROH Women’s World Championship”ROH Supercard of HonorApril 5

#13Maika (c) vs Megan Bayne“World of Stardom Championship”Stardom American Dream in the Keystone StateApril 4

#12Jacob Newman & Tank vs Manders & Tom Lawlor“Gypsy Joe Rules”ACTION DEAN~!!!April 4

#11Adam Priest vs Slim JACTION DEAN~!!!April 4

#10Masha Slamovich vs Shayna BaszlerJosh Barnett’s Bloodsport XApril 4

#9AZM, Saya Kamitani, & Tam Nakano vs Maika, Mei Seira, & Mina ShirikawaROH Supercard of HonorApril 5

#8Daniel Makabe vs Timothy ThatcherACTION DEAN~!!!April 4

#7Lyra Valkyrie (c) vs Roxanne Perez“NXT Women’s Championship”NXT Stand & DeliverApril 6

#6Roman Reigns (c) vs Cody Rhodes“WWE Undisputed Universal Championship”WWE WrestleMania XL: SundayApril 7

#5Masha Slamovich (c) vs Syuri“JCW World Championship”GCW/JCW vs The WorldApril 4

#4Rhea Ripley (c) vs Becky Lynch“WWE Women’s World Championship”WWE WrestleMania XL: SaturdayApril 6

#3Gunther (c) vs Sami Zayn“WWE Intercontinental Championship”WWE WrestleMania XL: SaturdayApril 6

#2Demus vs Mad Dog Connelly“Dog Collar”ACTION DEAN~!!!April 4

#1IYO SKY (c) vs Bayley“WWE Women’s Championship”WWE WrestleMania XL: SundayApril 7

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#25Miyuki Takase (c) vs Nagisa Nozaki“AWG Championship”AWG Beginning ProMarch 15, 2020

#24Mr. Hughes & Vader vs Rick Steiner & Scott SteinerWCW Clash of the Champions XVIIIJanuary 21, 1992

#23Konami & Unagi Sayaka vs Masato Tanaka & Minoru SuzukiUnagi Sayaka Produce Tono Wa Goranshin: 1-Ban VenusJanuary 7, 2024

#22Devil Masami & Hikari Fukuoka (c) vs Mayumi Ozaki & Reiko Amano“JWP Tag Team Championship”JWP on February 9, 1997

#21Mankind vs The Undertaker“Buried Alive Match”In Your House: Buried AliveOctober 20, 1996

#20Chihiro Hashimoto (c) vs Syuri“Sendai Girls World Championship”Sendai Girls Don’t Forget That DayMarch 8, 2020

#19Jushin Liger vs Rey Misterio Jr.WCW StarrcadeDecember 29, 1996

#18Kenta Kobashi (c) vs Stan Hansen“Triple Crown Championship”AJPW Summer Action Series IISeptember 5, 1996

#17Cactus Jack vs W*ING Kanemura“Barbed Wire Barricade Spider Net Glass Crash Death Match”FMW Fighting Creation: 7th AnniversaryMay 5, 1996

#16Chigusa Nagayo vs Mayumi OzakiGAEA Victory RoadFebruary 23, 1997

#15Big Van Vader & Crusher Bigelow vs Masa Saito & Scott NortonNJPW Masters of Wrestling: DRAGON THE REVIVALJuly 8, 1992

#14Akira Hokuto & Chigusa Nagayo vs KAORU & Maiko MatsumotoGAEA Winning RoadFebruary 16, 1997

#13Arn Anderson, Beautiful Bobby, & Larry Zbyszko vs Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, & Ron SimmonsWCW Clash of the Champions XVIIIJanuary 21, 1992

#12Akira Taue & Jumbo Tsuruta vs Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi KikuchiAJPW New Year Giant SeriesJanuary 26, 1992

#11Black Tiger vs Shinjiro Otani“Best of the Super Junior III: Block B”NJPW Best of the Super Junior IIIJune 5, 1996

#10Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs Akira Taue“Triple Crown Championship”AJPW Super Power SeriesMay 24, 1996

#9Devil Masami vs Sakura HirotaGAEA War CryJanuary 19, 1997

#Bestia Salvaje vs Negro Casas“Hair vs Hair 2/3 Falls”CMLL on TelevisaOctober 18, 1996

#8Mei Sera (c) vs Hazuki“High Speed Championship”Stardom 13th Anniversary Supreme Fight: Osaka Minami RebellionFebruary 4, 2024

#7Ilja Dragunov (c) vs Trick Williams“NXT Championship”NXT Vengeance DayFebruary 4, 2024

#6Jushin Liger (c) vs Shinjiro Otani“IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship”NJPW Hyper BattleMarch 17, 1996

#5Sting (c) vs Van Vader“WCW World Heavyweight Championship”WCW The Great American BashJuly 12, 1992

#4Big Van Vader & Crusher Bigelow (c) vs Hiroshi Hase & Keiji Muto“IWGP Tag Team Championship”NJPW Explosion TourMay 1, 1992

#3Atsushi Onita, El Hijo del Santo, & Tarzan Goto vs Horace Boulder, Negro Casas, & Tim Patterson“Best 2/3 Falls”FMW in Los Angeles w/ WWAMay 16, 1992

#2Big Van Vader vs Sting“King of Cable Tournament Final”WCW StarrcadeDecember 28, 1992

“The Best Match I Watched in February 2024”#1Masahiro Chono vs Rick Rude“NWA World Heavyweight Championship G1 Climax Final”NJPW G1 ClimaxAugust 12, 1992

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#25John Morrison (c) vs CM Punk“ECW Heavyweight Championship”ECW on SciFiSeptember 1, 2007, aired September 4, 2007

#24La Catalina vs Stephanie Vaquer“CMLL World Women’s Championship”CMLL Noche de CampeonesSeptember 29, 2023

#23Bruno Sammartino (c) vs Stan Hansen“WWWF Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match”WWWF on August 7, 1976

#22Becky Lynch (c) vs Lyra Valkyria“NXT Women’s Championship”NXT Halloween HavocOctober 24, 2023

#21Mistico (c) vs Virus“World Historic Middleweight Championship”CMLL Noche de CampeonesSeptember 29, 2023

#20Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) vs Super CaloWCW Fall Brawl: War GamesSeptember 15, 1996

#19Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Duncum (c) vs The High Flyers“AWA World Tag Team Championships”AWA on July 7, 1977

#18Dean Malenko (c) vs Rey Mysterio Jr.“WCW World Cruiserweight Championship”WCW The Great American BashJune 16, 1996

#17Natsupoi vs Tam Nakano“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”Stardom 5STAR Grand PrixSeptember 30, 2023

#16Suzu Suzuki vs Tam Nakano“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”Stardom 5STAR Grand PrixSeptember 9, 2023

#15Umaga (c) vs Jeff Hardy“WWE Intercontinental Championship”WWE The Great American BashJuly 22, 2007

#14Hazuki vs Suzu Suzuki“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”Stardom 5STAR Grand PrixSeptember 23, 2023

#13Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) vs Dean Malenko“WCW World Cruiserweight Championship”WCW Halloween HavocOctober 27, 1996

#12Mei Seira vs Nanae Takahashi“Passion Injection”Stardom New Blood 11September 29, 2023

#11Maika vs MIRAI“5STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars”Stardom 5STAR Grand PrixSeptember 30, 2023

#10Aja Kong vs Yumiko Hotta“Japan Grand Prix”AJW Japan Grand PrixJuly 14, 1996

#9Mistico vs Templario“Best 2/3 Falls”CMLL Super ViernesOctober 13, 2023

#8Antonio Inoki (c) vs Andre the Giant“Real World Martial Arts Championship”NJPW Toukon SeriesOctober 7, 1976

#7Maika vs Suzu Suzuki“5STAR Grand Prix: Final”Stardom 5STAR Grand PrixSeptember 30, 2023

#6Ultimate Dragon (c) vs Rey Misterio Jr.“J-Crown Championship”WCW World War 3November 24, 1996

#5Becky Lynch (c) vs Tiffany Stratton“NXT Women’s Championship Extreme Rules Match”NXT No MercySeptember 30, 2023

#4Manami Toyota vs Meiko Satomura“Battlefield WAR Tournament Second Round”Sendai Girls Live Vol. 8May 6, 2007

#3Antonio Inoki vs Big Van VaderNJPW Wrestling World In Tokyo DomeJanuary 4, 1996

#2Titan (c) vs Mascara Dorada“CMLL World Middleweight Championship”CMLL Noche de CampeonesSeptember 29, 2023

#1Combat Toyoda (c) vs Megumi Kudo“FMW Independent Women’s & WWA Women’s Title No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Blast Death Match”FMW Fighting Creation: 7th Anniversary ShowMay 5, 1996

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#15Daniel Makabe vs Fred YehiPizza Party Pro Pizza Party WrestlingApril 3, 2019

#14BLANK & Still Life With Apricots and Pears vs Chuck Taylor & Orange CassidyBeyond Uncharted TerritoryJune 19, 2019

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

#15
Dr. Cerebro vs Gringo Loco
“No DQ”
ACTION DEAN~!!!
April 4

#14
Athena (c) vs Hikaru Shida
“ROH Women’s World Championship”
ROH Supercard of Honor
April 5

#13
Maika (c) vs Megan Bayne
“World of Stardom Championship”
Stardom American Dream in the Keystone State
April 4

#12
Jacob Newman & Tank vs Manders & Tom Lawlor
“Gypsy Joe Rules”
ACTION DEAN~!!!
April 4

#11
Adam Priest vs Slim J
ACTION DEAN~!!!
April 4

#10
Masha Slamovich vs Shayna Baszler
Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport X
April 4

#9
AZM, Saya Kamitani, & Tam Nakano vs Maika, Mei Seira, & Mina Shirikawa
ROH Supercard of Honor
April 5

#8
Daniel Makabe vs Timothy Thatcher
ACTION DEAN~!!!
April 4

#7
Lyra Valkyrie (c) vs Roxanne Perez
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT Stand & Deliver
April 6

#6
Roman Reigns (c) vs Cody Rhodes
“WWE Undisputed Universal Championship”
WWE WrestleMania XL: Sunday
April 7

#5
Masha Slamovich (c) vs Syuri
“JCW World Championship”
GCW/JCW vs The World
April 4

#4
Rhea Ripley (c) vs Becky Lynch
“WWE Women’s World Championship”
WWE WrestleMania XL: Saturday
April 6

#3
Gunther (c) vs Sami Zayn
“WWE Intercontinental Championship”
WWE WrestleMania XL: Saturday
April 6

#2
Demus vs Mad Dog Connelly
“Dog Collar”
ACTION DEAN~!!!
April 4

#1
IYO SKY (c) vs Bayley
“WWE Women’s Championship”
WWE WrestleMania XL: Sunday
April 7

#25
Miyuki Takase (c) vs Nagisa Nozaki
“AWG Championship”
AWG Beginning Pro
March 15, 2020

#24
Mr. Hughes & Vader vs Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner
WCW Clash of the Champions XVIII
January 21, 1992

#23
Konami & Unagi Sayaka vs Masato Tanaka & Minoru Suzuki
Unagi Sayaka Produce Tono Wa Goranshin: 1-Ban Venus
January 7, 2024

#22
Devil Masami & Hikari Fukuoka (c) vs Mayumi Ozaki & Reiko Amano
“JWP Tag Team Championship”
JWP on February 9, 1997

#21
Mankind vs The Undertaker
“Buried Alive Match”
In Your House: Buried Alive
October 20, 1996

#20
Chihiro Hashimoto (c) vs Syuri
“Sendai Girls World Championship”
Sendai Girls Don’t Forget That Day
March 8, 2020

#19
Jushin Liger vs Rey Misterio Jr.
WCW Starrcade
December 29, 1996

#18
Kenta Kobashi (c) vs Stan Hansen
“Triple Crown Championship”
AJPW Summer Action Series II
September 5, 1996

#17
Cactus Jack vs W*ING Kanemura
“Barbed Wire Barricade Spider Net Glass Crash Death Match”
FMW Fighting Creation: 7th Anniversary
May 5, 1996

#16
Chigusa Nagayo vs Mayumi Ozaki
GAEA Victory Road
February 23, 1997

#15
Big Van Vader & Crusher Bigelow vs Masa Saito & Scott Norton
NJPW Masters of Wrestling: DRAGON THE REVIVAL
July 8, 1992

#14
Akira Hokuto & Chigusa Nagayo vs KAORU & Maiko Matsumoto
GAEA Winning Road
February 16, 1997

#13
Arn Anderson, Beautiful Bobby, & Larry Zbyszko vs Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, & Ron Simmons
WCW Clash of the Champions XVIII
January 21, 1992

#12
Akira Taue & Jumbo Tsuruta vs Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
AJPW New Year Giant Series
January 26, 1992

#11
Black Tiger vs Shinjiro Otani
“Best of the Super Junior III: Block B”
NJPW Best of the Super Junior III
June 5, 1996

#10
Mitsuharu Misawa (c) vs Akira Taue
“Triple Crown Championship”
AJPW Super Power Series
May 24, 1996

#9
Devil Masami vs Sakura Hirota
GAEA War Cry
January 19, 1997

#
Bestia Salvaje vs Negro Casas
“Hair vs Hair 2/3 Falls”
CMLL on Televisa
October 18, 1996

#8
Mei Sera (c) vs Hazuki
“High Speed Championship”
Stardom 13th Anniversary Supreme Fight: Osaka Minami Rebellion
February 4, 2024

#7
Ilja Dragunov (c) vs Trick Williams
“NXT Championship”
NXT Vengeance Day
February 4, 2024

#6
Jushin Liger (c) vs Shinjiro Otani
“IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship”
NJPW Hyper Battle
March 17, 1996

#5
Sting (c) vs Van Vader
“WCW World Heavyweight Championship”
WCW The Great American Bash
July 12, 1992

#4
Big Van Vader & Crusher Bigelow (c) vs Hiroshi Hase & Keiji Muto
“IWGP Tag Team Championship”
NJPW Explosion Tour
May 1, 1992

#3
Atsushi Onita, El Hijo del Santo, & Tarzan Goto vs Horace Boulder, Negro Casas, & Tim Patterson
“Best 2/3 Falls”
FMW in Los Angeles w/ WWA
May 16, 1992

#2
Big Van Vader vs Sting
“King of Cable Tournament Final”
WCW Starrcade
December 28, 1992

“The Best Match I Watched in February 2024”
#1
Masahiro Chono vs Rick Rude
“NWA World Heavyweight Championship G1 Climax Final”
NJPW G1 Climax
August 12, 1992

#25
John Morrison (c) vs CM Punk
“ECW Heavyweight Championship”
ECW on SciFi
September 1, 2007, aired September 4, 2007

#24
La Catalina vs Stephanie Vaquer
“CMLL World Women’s Championship”
CMLL Noche de Campeones
September 29, 2023

#23
Bruno Sammartino (c) vs Stan Hansen
“WWWF Heavyweight Championship Steel Cage Match”
WWWF on August 7, 1976

#22
Becky Lynch (c) vs Lyra Valkyria
“NXT Women’s Championship”
NXT Halloween Havoc
October 24, 2023

#21
Mistico (c) vs Virus
“World Historic Middleweight Championship”
CMLL Noche de Campeones
September 29, 2023

#20
Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) vs Super Calo
WCW Fall Brawl: War Games
September 15, 1996

#19
Blackjack Lanza & Bobby Duncum (c) vs The High Flyers
“AWA World Tag Team Championships”
AWA on July 7, 1977

#18
Dean Malenko (c) vs Rey Mysterio Jr.
“WCW World Cruiserweight Championship”
WCW The Great American Bash
June 16, 1996

#17
Natsupoi vs Tam Nakano
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
September 30, 2023

#16
Suzu Suzuki vs Tam Nakano
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
September 9, 2023

#15
Umaga (c) vs Jeff Hardy
“WWE Intercontinental Championship”
WWE The Great American Bash
July 22, 2007

#14
Hazuki vs Suzu Suzuki
“5STAR Grand Prix: Red Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
September 23, 2023

#13
Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) vs Dean Malenko
“WCW World Cruiserweight Championship”
WCW Halloween Havoc
October 27, 1996

#12
Mei Seira vs Nanae Takahashi
“Passion Injection”
Stardom New Blood 11
September 29, 2023

#11
Maika vs MIRAI
“5STAR Grand Prix: Blue Stars”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
September 30, 2023

#10
Aja Kong vs Yumiko Hotta
“Japan Grand Prix”
AJW Japan Grand Prix
July 14, 1996

#9
Mistico vs Templario
“Best 2/3 Falls”
CMLL Super Viernes
October 13, 2023

#8
Antonio Inoki (c) vs Andre the Giant
“Real World Martial Arts Championship”
NJPW Toukon Series
October 7, 1976

#7
Maika vs Suzu Suzuki
“5STAR Grand Prix: Final”
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
September 30, 2023

#6
Ultimate Dragon (c) vs Rey Misterio Jr.
“J-Crown Championship”
WCW World War 3
November 24, 1996

#5
Becky Lynch (c) vs Tiffany Stratton
“NXT Women’s Championship Extreme Rules Match”
NXT No Mercy
September 30, 2023

#4
Manami Toyota vs Meiko Satomura
“Battlefield WAR Tournament Second Round”
Sendai Girls Live Vol. 8
May 6, 2007

#3
Antonio Inoki vs Big Van Vader
NJPW Wrestling World In Tokyo Dome
January 4, 1996

#2
Titan (c) vs Mascara Dorada
“CMLL World Middleweight Championship”
CMLL Noche de Campeones
September 29, 2023

#1
Combat Toyoda (c) vs Megumi Kudo
“FMW Independent Women’s & WWA Women’s Title No Ropes Barbed Wire Current Blast Death Match”
FMW Fighting Creation: 7th Anniversary Show
May 5, 1996

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#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