Top Ten Matches of the Year for 2010
I’m about ready to drop my top 25 wrestlers of the year 2010, so in prep for that here is my top 10 matches of that year.
2010 is a bit of an odd year for me in terms of viewing wrestling. I was still low post Benoit and it was before I started my spreadsheet which tracks matches. As I started with 2010, the amount of matches on that spreadsheet was very low. Therefore most of the matches on this list are very fresh. One more note is I didn’t watch every single match that took place in 2010, just focused on the wrestlers I thought could be great and the hyped matches that had any shot with me.
Honourable Mentions
Here are five more matches that could easily had made it to the bottom of my list, but just were kept off:
- Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker – “Streak vs Career”, WWE WrestleMania XXVI, March 28
- Colt Cabana & El Generico vs Kevin Steen & Steve Corino – “Chicago Street Fight”, ROH Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 2, April 24
- Kaori Yoneyama vs Tanny Mouse – NEO Summer Stampede, August 1
- Ayumi Kurihara vs Madison Eagles – SHIMMER Volume 34, September 11
- Claudio Castagnloi & Sara Del Rey vs Manami Toyota & Mike Quackenbush – Chikara Through Savage Progress Cuts The Jungle Law, September 19
Final Note
This list is based off of matches I have watched in the last few months and based off of my own personal biases. Take everything with all of the salt.
#10
Chris Hero vs Ikuto Hidaka
EVOLVE 2
March 13
This match is one I have always heard about, but never saw until recently. It was everything it was hyped to be, a great technical battle. I loved how Hero used his size to gain advantages, while Hidaka had to use his speed and smarts to get control. A very smart match.
#9
Emi Sakura & Kaori Yoneyama vs Kana & Syuri
SMASH.10
November 22
Emi Sakura and Kaori Yoneyama at this time were one of the best tag teams ever, they just worked so well together. Their opponents were a team of bad asses. Kana, who is now Asuka in the WWE, and Syuri, who is now the top dog in Stardom. They brought their MMA killer instincts and kicks against the nonstop barrage of speed and bombs by Sakura and Yoneyama. A great exciting tag match.
#8
L.A. Park vs La Parka
“Name Rights Match”
AAA TripleMania XVIII
June 6
This is AAA’s version of Dude Love vs Steve Austin from Over The Edge ’98. Each La Parka has an authority in the corner to fulfill the story I don’t quite get. What I do understand is a bloody L.A. Park war and this was amazing here. The interference and story aspects seem to help the match out, including when Park destroys them.
#7
Command Bolshoi vs Nanae Takahashi
“JWP Openweight Title Match”
JWP Never Give Up!
June 13
This match is awesome and a well built main event match. That kept getting better and better as it went along with some outstanding nearfalls. I bit on many of them. I love seeing Bolshoi work the main event style for a change. The desperation on her trying to get the title was so great! Bolshoi really tried to strike her way to victory.
#6
Kana vs Meiko Satomura
Kana Pro, April 29
This is similar to the Hero and Hidaka match, but instead of based on submissions it’s based on strikes. A traditionally built match, but the expert level they do it turns this into a classic. It does leave you wanting more, which is great because they have a whole series of matches after this one.
#5
L.A. Park vs El Mesias
AAA Guerra de Titanes
December 5
This is one of the most brutal stadium brawls I have ever seen. This is doesn’t have the story parts from the other Park match on the list, so it’s a lot more serious and deadly. At one point Mesias attempts one of the most brutal topes ever. It’s bloody and brilliant.
#4
Chris Hero vs Big Van Walter
“Tournament Finals”
wXw 16 Carat Gold
March 7
Two heavyweights going toe to toe to win the tournament with a ruckus German crowd, what is not to love? After so many brutal strikes this match built to a great finish.
#3
Emi Sakura vs Meiko Satomura
Ice Ribbon Knights of Ice Ribbon
September 23
There is almost nothing written about this match online, but luckily I came across it in a YouTube search. It does start off slow with some early comedy, but soon Satomura scientifically picks Sakura apart with only a few hope spots built in. Until, Sakura makes an amazing comeback and throws everything she has at Meiko, until an amazing finish. A real sleeper of a great match.
#2
Akira Tozawa vs Chris Hero
“Tournament Quarter-Finals”
PWG The Battle of Los Angeles
September 5
I’m generally not a huge fan of the Dragon Gate style, nor the finishing spamming many kick outs type matches, but… this is one of the best versions of that match I have ever seen! Tozawa brought so much speed and amazing spots, while Hero kept up with him and grounded the whole affair. Almost the best match of the year.
#1
Emi Sakura vs Kaori Yoneyama
“JWP Openweight Title – Hair vs Hair Match”
JWP Revolution
September 19
The only match from 2010 that is making my top 100 greatest matches ever list.
This is everything I want from a big hair match in Mexcio, but done in Japan instead. After years of this great tag team, we get them at each other’s throats trying to destroy each other to win the title and keep their hair. The intensity early one was unreal. The finishing stretch was everything Hero vs Tozawa was, but only more so with better counters and higher emotions and stakes. An all time classic!
There you have it, my top 10 matches of 2010 at this very minute. Always subject to change as I find more.
What did you think of this list? Hit me up on twitter and let me know.
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Tune in next time for my top 25 wrestlers of 2010.
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Top Ten 2016 Matches of the Year
It’s that time of the year where we talk about the matches of the year! 2016 was a great year with streaming services emerging, amazing tag wrestling, women’s cage matches, and great mask lucha matches!
Honourable Mentions:
Chris Hero & Tommy End vs Sami Callihan & Zack Sabre Jr. (EVOLVE 53, 1/22)
Zack Sabre Jr. vs Chris Hero (WWN, 4/2)
Rey Hechicero vs Negro Casas (Monterrey, 4/24)
Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles (“Extreme Rules”, WWE Extreme Rules, 5/22)
LA Park vs Rush (Liga Elite, 7/14)
Now onto the list:
10) Allie vs Rosemary
(“Cage”, SMASH Canusa Classic, 10/22)
*available on Smash on Demand
The blow off of an 18 month feud and the conclusion of a one night USA vs Canada series. This is everything you want in a feud ending match, as these two beat the crap out of each other. It’s a match that pays off it’s history with a lot of call backs and nuances that can only exist at the end of an epic feud.
9) Sasha Banks vs Charlotte vs Becky Lynch
(WWE WrestleMania XXXII, 4/3)
*available on the WWE Network
After a year of horrible booking in the women’s revolution, the three top women in the WWE stepped onto the big stage at WrestleMania and stole the show. It needs to be seen again, as it was hurt the night of after such a long weekend and show.
8) Chris Hero vs Gunner Miller vs Jimmy Rave vs Anthony Henry
(Scenic City Invitational, 8/6)
*available here
The finals from an amazing tournament saw some of the best psychology in a single match this year. All four men shined and it even played off the finals from the previous year’s touranament. The whole tournament might be the best show’s of the year and are available for a cheap price.
7) Black Terry vs Wotan
(Chilanga Mask, 8/21)
This is a throwback to the Steven Regal vs Fit Finlay feud in the mid 90’s in WCW. These two beat the crap out each other in a realistic and violent fashion. The full match is available by contacting Black Terry Jr.
6) #DIY vs The Revival
(NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, 8/20)
*available on the WWE Network
These two produced the best tag team feud in WWE history. Is there anything in wrestling better than a proper heel and babyface southern tag match? This is about the best version of that style that you can have.
5) Delta vs Galactar
(“Mask vs Mask”, MDA, 11/26)
What more can you ask from in a mask vs mask match, then insane drama, broom attacks, blood, and it ending with a wedding proposal?
4) Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn
(NXT TakeOver: Dallas, 4/1)
*available on the WWE Network
WrestleMania weekend was magically with WWN Live putting out great show after great show, however this NXT show was the highlight of the weekend for me. Nakamura’s debut in the WWE was a special moment and this match has a special aura about it.
3) Sasha Banks vs Charlotte
(“Hell in a Cell”, WWE Hell in a Cell, 10/30)
*available on the WWE Network
The chemistry between Charlotte and Sasha is at an all-time level and this feud has produced as many great matches as any feud in WWE history. If you want to hear more about this match listen to this amazing episode of “Stacey & Elliot’s Bogus Journey” where they talk this match for 90 minutes.
2) #DIY vs The Revival
(“2/3 Falls”, NXT TakeOver: Toronto, 11/19)
*available on the WWE Network
This match has the advantage of me being there live, but this match has enough praise from others for me to feel confident going the full five stars on it. This is the best tag match in WWE history and perhaps in North American history. It played off their previous matches, it built suspense, had high end moves, and insane crowd heat. I love this match and it was incredibly special. It was so special, that my friends I was with rushed to the merchandise stand to purchase a #DIY shirt immediately following it.
1) Trauma I vs Canis Lupus
(“Mask vs Mask”, IWRG, 9/4)
This is on par with the Atlantis vs Ultimo Guerrero match from a few year’s ago, but it’s different. While they both had the drama, this one brought the blood and hatred. A real throwback to the classic mask matches of the 80s and 90s. A five star classic that will stand the test of time.
There you have it, my top matches of 2016. Was there any matches I missed or you hated the placement of? I will take those comments and any others on my twitter.
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