2015 Match of the Year (Updated)
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.
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Coming soon my top 25 wrestlers of 2015.
2015 Matches of the Year
For the second year in a row Voices of Wrestling has asked me to contribute to their annual Match of the Year article. Picking ten matches is very difficult, so here are a few that just missed the cut.
Honourable Mentions:
Bullet Club vs ROH All-Stars (ROH Global Wars, 5/15)
Timothy Thatcher vs Zack Sabre Jr. (EVOLVE 47, 8/15)
Low Ki vs Rey Mysterio Jr. (JAPW 19th Anniversary Show, 11/14)
Now onto the list, as submitted to Voices of Wrestling.
10) Jimmy Rave vs Anthony Henry
(Scenic City Invitational, 8/7)
The Scenic City Invitational was a real eye opener on southern indie wrestling for myself. Two amazing nights of a tournament filled with great matches and booking. Add amazing commentary and it being available on Vimeo for a very affordable price, I recommend everybody picks it up.
The highlight of the tournament was the main event of night one. You have the veteran of Jimmy Rave versus the youngster in Anthony Henry which is a favourite troupe of mine. These two delivered big time, even if Jimmy Rave was legit knocked out in the match. This was my first time seeing Henry and he impressed with this 1990’s Sean Waltman vibe. He really is a wrestler to watch going forward.
9) Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi
(CMLL, 8/30)
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.
8) Pentagon Jr. vs Vampiro
(“Zero Fear”, Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha, 4/20)
Vampiro has never been very good and the thought of him stepping into a ring after years of retirement scared me. However what we got was the most insane and vicious match of the year. Pentagon Jr. was on a mission in this one to prove to his master that he was evil enough and to accomplish that he used light tubes, thumb tacks, tables and fire. I know this match was cut in half to air on television, but what we got was some of the most griping wrestling of the year. The post match angle doesn’t even bother me.
7) AJ Styles vs Jimmy Rave
(PSW, 5/8)
Two legends in the Southern indie area colliding for the first time in years. This was just a great mix of traditional wrestling with new school flare. About thirty minutes of two of the best wrestlers in 2015 putting on a clinic. Check it out on vimeo.
6) Atlantis vs Sombra
(“Mask vs Mask”, CMLL, 9/18)
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.
5) Sasha Banks vs Bayley
(“Iron Man”, NXT Take Over: Respect, 10/7)
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.
4) Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns
(WWE WrestleMania XXXI, 3/29)
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.
3) Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch
(NXT Take Over: Unstoppable, 5/20)
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.
2) Shinsuke Nakamura vs Kota Ibushi
(NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 9, 1/4)
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.
1) Sasha Banks vs Bayley
(NXT Take Over: Brooklyn, 8/22)
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.
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