1001 MATCHES: Big One (2010-Present)
(by PHIL RIPPA)
Four and final part of THE BIG ONE~! All matches are from 2010 to present day.
471) BLACK TERRY/DR. CEREBRO vs. EL HIJO DEL DIABLO/GRINGO LOCO – IWRG (01/24/10)
http://dai.ly/xc3yto
Phil and Tom’s review on Segunda Caida
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472) DAISUKE IKEDA vs. TAKESHI ONO – FUTEN (09/26/10)
This is an awesome fucking sprint made even better by the gritty Grindhouse-esqe Futen production values.
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473) KANA/YOSHIAKI FUJIWARA vs. YUKI ISHIKAWA/CARLOS AMANO – KANA PRO (01/10/11)
“A total out of nowhere awesome match. I have very little interest in current Joshi, I haven’t seen Carlos Amano in years and I don’t think I had ever seen Kana, but they were just killing it in this match. Their early grappling was very slick, with some really nasty ankle locks and armbar transitions. Very good stuff, as intricate and interesting as that kind of shoot mat work gets. Ishikawa and Fujiwara click together like puzzle pieces. There is a great moment where Fujiwara tags in and slaps Ishikawa in the mouth, and when Ishikawa tries to respond Fujiwara grabs his arm and wrenches in the namesake armbar. After watching and reviewing this many Fujiwara matches it is great that he still breaks out new neat shit. As good as everyone else is, this was the Ishikawa show. Every once in a while Ishikawa shows up on DVD or youtube and reminds you he is the best wrestler in the world. Starting out he is such a nasty fucker, smacking around Kana like Billy Campbell in Enough. However Kana fires back and his selling is so good that by the end we have a full on epic Ishikawa v. Ikeda finish with the role of Daisuke Ikeda played by a 97 pound girl. Kana is throwing bombs and Ishikawa is desperately fighting back. Excellent match as good as the best stuff from 2011.” – Schneider
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474) SARA DEL RAY/MADISON EAGLES vs. AYUMI KURIHARA/AYAKO HAMADA – SHIMMER (October 2, 2011) – SHIMMER TAG TEAM TITLES
Reviewed in DVDVR #172
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475) BOBBY ROODE vs. AUSTIN ARIES – TNA “DESTINATION X ’12” (07/08/12 – TNA World Championship Match)
http://dai.ly/xzd6ak
The culmination of Austin Aries’ rise to TNA World Champ as he selects “Option C” and cashes in the X-Division Title for a World Title shot. He and Roode always had good chemistry – either as opponents or partners. This was during one of the like three good six month periods TNA has had in the last seven years.
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476) DINASTIA/MASCARITA DORADA/OCTAGONCITO vs. MINI CHARLY MANSON/MINI HISTERIA/MINI PSICOSIS – AAA (07/27/12 (Taped), 08/12/12 (Aired))
Minis still aren’t getting enough love and I think I have picked like four matches so far. I think I got the right one of this set because I mean this is lucha and the same match up will happen a half dozen times in the span of two months.
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477) RUSH vs. TERRIBLE – CMLL (09/14/12 (Taped), 09/22/12 (Aired) – Hair Match)
Rush and Terrible had an eternal feud when both were coming into their own. Terrible tends to be the “forgotten” guy in the new crop of luchadores who have emerged in 2010s which is a shame. I could have probably picked any of like five matches between the two. I have a bias towards hair matches so there.
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478) KEVIN STEEN vs. MICHAEL ELGIN – RING OF HONOR (10/13/12)
The main even of the first Ring of Honor show with Delirious as booker. Steen and Elgin have a super hoss fight that goes 30 minutes and is outstanding. Added bonus is the post-match that sets up the next chapter of Steen vs. Generico.
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479) SHINSUKE NAKAMURA vs. LA SOMBRA – CMLL (05/31/13 (Taped), 06/08/13 (Aired) – IWGP Intercontinental Championship)
Because of how much this was shared at the time – I fell like this was the first exposure people got on both Nakamura and Sombra. Now almost four years later – these two could have a title match in NXT. Didn’t see that coming.
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480) VIRUS vs. GUERRERO MAYA JR. – CMLL (10/06/13 (Taped), 10/12/13 (Aired) – CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship)
In 2011 – these two had a MOTY contender over the World Super Lightweight Championship. Two years, later they do it again. So so good.
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481) RHODES BROTHERS (CODY RHODES/GOLDUST) vs. THE SHIELD (SETH ROLLINS/ROMAN REIGNS) – WWE RAW (10/14/13 – NO DQ, WWE Tag Team Titles Match)
http://dai.ly/x163mry
While the Rhodes boys trying to save Dusty’s job was great – the tag title feud with the Shield is even better. Why the WWE refuses to let Roman Reigns be this Roman Reigns is as baffling as it is infuriating. Goldust is a Top 20 of all timer.
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482) WILLIAM REGAL vs. ANTONIO CESARO – NXT (12/25/13)
The last epic match of Lord William Regal’s career. And he goes out with an epic promo and performance against Cesaro who is more than happy to bring against one of his mentors.
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483) THE SHIELD (DEAN AMBROSE, SETH ROLLINS, ROMAN REIGNS) vs. THE WYATTS (BRAY WYATT, LUKE HARPER, ERIK ROWAN) – WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER ’14 (02/23/14)
http://dai.ly/x1dfv66
I still can’t believe the WWE didn’t fuck up The Shield vs. The Wyatts. You knew this was going to be amazing two months earlier just when the Wyatts got involved in a Shield match in London. Then they get in a match together and fucking bring it. Quite possibly the best WWE match of the decade so far.
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484) KOHEI SATO vs. TAKASHI SUGIURA – ZERO-1 (3/9/2014)
(available via the ARCHIVE~!)
Reviewed by DEAN in DVDVR #172
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485) IO SHIRAI vs. CHEERLEADER MELISSA – STARDOM (03/16/14 – World of Stardom Title)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1jbd06_io-shirai-c-vs-cheerleader-melissa-stardom_sport
Did you all miss the part where it is Io Shirai vs. Cheerleader Fucking Melissa? Technically this match could now take place in Lucha Underground too.
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486) CHARLOTTE vs. NATALYA – NXT TAKEOVER (05/29/14 – Finals of NXT Women’s Championship Tournament)
http://dai.ly/x2dni6d
For the 2nd time in the early history of NXT – the finals of a tournament for the NXT Women’s title was the best women’s match (at the time) in NXT history. A coming of age match for Charlotte. This is the match that had Dave Meltzer basically calling Nattie Jumbo Tsuruta with tits.
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487) AJ STYLES vs. MINORU SUZUKI – NEW JAPAN (08/01/14 – G1 Block B)
https://vimeo.com/102825529
One of the best things that ever happened in professional wrestling was TNA being cheap and pissing off AJ Styles and letting him go off to work the indies and eventually New Japan. And God Bless New Japan for putting him in the same G1 Block as Minoru Suzuki. Suzuki thus spends the match trying to beat the soccer mom and stupid fucking gloves off of AJ.
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488) MATT & JEFF HARDY vs. YOUNG BUCKS (NICK & MATT JACKSON) – NORTHEAST WRESTLING (08/02/14)
Ironically doing this right after Matt Hardy’s surprise appearance to challenge the Young Bucks. This was the first Hardys vs. Bucks match and it is hella fun and that is coming from someone who really really really could live with out the Young Bucks’ shtick.
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489) DEAN ALLMARK vs. JACK GALLAGHER – NGW (09/14/14)
Dean’s boy Dean Allmark vs. all of our’s boy Jack Gallagher.
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490) SAMI ZAYN vs. ADRIAN NEVILLE – NXT TAKEOVER [R]-EVOLUTION (12/14/14 – NXT World Title)
http://dai.ly/x2hoqbp
The quality of this match is often forgotten due to the post match. Another example of how NXT could figure out how to make both of these guys fell big time while the main roster brain trust has their thumbs up their butts.
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491) PRINCE PUMA vs. MIL MUERTES – LUCHA UNDERGROUND (04/20/15 (Taped), 08/05/15 (Aired) – Lucha Underground Championship)
For fans of Lucha Underground – the final match of Season One delivered everything they hoped it would. I think this match tends to get forgotten since it wasn’t Muertes best match of the season (that was the Grave Consequences match previously picked) AND this match happened on the same show as the Vampiro/Pentagon Jr match that was so divisive.
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492) SHINGO TAKAGI vs. MASAAKI MOCHIZUKI – DRAGON GATE (11/01/15 – Open the Dream Gate Championship)
http://dai.ly/x3byvcp
Meltzer said Mochizuki’s performance in this match was one of the best he has ever seen. Take that for whatever it is worth.
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493) HIDEKI SUZUKI vs. MASATO TANAKA – ZERO-1 (01/01/16)
“The awesome thing about this match was that the ending stretch (the final three or four minutes) was exciting, concise, and satisfying all at once. The fear in a Tanaka/Suzuki title match is that the ending is going to contain an excessive level of near falls and fighting spirit spots. There was some of that, but not even approaching the point of excess. The near falls were well spaced and made good use of Suzuki’s interesting offense.” – Cross Arm Breaker
And for the record – Voices of Wrestling called Suzuki “the best wrestler you aren’t watching”
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494) KATSUYORI SHIBATA vs. TOMOHIRO ISHII – NEW JAPAN WRESTLE KINGDOM 10 (01/04/16 – NEVER Openweight Title Match)
The novelty of walking fire hydrant Ishii will never get old. Shibata and Ishii try (and probably succeed) in shortening each other’s careers.
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495) ZEUXIS vs. SILUETA – CMLL (02/23/16 – Mexican National Women’s Championship)
Talk about two good wrestlers that no one is watching. Might be my hidden gem of the year.
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496) TREVOR LEE vs. ROY WILKINS – CWF MID-ATLANTIC (03/09/16 – No DQ, No Time Limit)
CWF Mid-Atlantic is the best US indy right now. Here – Trevor Lee and Roy Wilkins go almost two hours and it is nowhere a preposterous as you think it would be. Pack a fucking lunch.
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497) RONALD MCDONALD vs. GRANDPA GRAHAM – SNAKEPIT ADELAIDE PRO WRESTLING (03/12/16)
I am still not sure what I watched. Australia is a weird place.
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498) MASCARA DORADA vs. BARBARO CAVERNARIO – CMLL (03/28/16 – CMLL World Welterweight Championship)
Our favorite wrestling caveman vs. the man who is now Gran Metalik. A fantastic match and a good place to start if you are looking to see more Dorada after seeing him in the CWC.
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499) SAMI ZAYN vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA – NXT TAKEOVER: DALLAS (04/01/16)
https://vimeo.com/162150649
The best WWE match Mania weekend. Nakamura’s first match with the WWE. Zayn’s final NXT match.
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500) NEGRO CASAS vs. REY HECHICERO – CMLL (04/24/16 (Taped), 05/08/16 (Aired)
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