The Natural Posted July 29, 2023 Share Posted July 29, 2023 (edited) Which is the greatest wrestling match of all time? One pick with honourable mentions. Mine? Easy, Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin at WWF WrestleMania 13. *****. Two of the best entrances ever as well with Austin 3:16 glass panel breaking and Bret stepping across the broken glass as he makes his way to the ring. The opening exchange of punches leading to brawling in the crowd looked legit. An actual fight. Bret attacking Steve's legs with Austin having to use his biggest move, the Stone Cold Stunner early to get breathing space from Bret but Bret recovers and resumes the attack. Bret's vicious streak. We've never seen this side of Bret using steel chairs to the leg and wanting to Pillmanise Austin's ankle. The rare blade job in WWF. Less means more. Bret made them look real organic. See Bret Hart vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper at WWF WrestleMania VIII and Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog at WWF In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings. You may have a different answer to my question but are we all in agreement this is the best finish ever? When Bret Hart locks you in the Sharpshooter, it's over. Here Steve Austin does a press up, blood pouring down his face and knocks Bret Hart off balance but Bret gets it back and Austin passed out from the pain. The double turn. Bret is booed for attacking a defenceless Austin and Austin is cheered for his stubborn refusal to submit. Bret goes face to heel and Austin heel to face. Through it we get Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation reuniting to take on Steve. 1997 is the best year in wrestling history giving us the aforementioned classic, Misawa/Kobashi (AJPW, 20th January) and Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (WWF In Your House 18: Badd Blood, the best Michaels/Undertaker match) and Rey Misterio Jr vs Eddie Guerrero (WCW Halloween Havoc, 26th October). All ***** matches and any other year would beat Bret/Austin for MOTY but not here. Remember this match wasn't supposed to happen, it was meant to be Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship but Shawn lost his smile. Fuck Shawn Michaels, so unprofessional. Thanks for reading. Edited July 29, 2023 by The Natural 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted July 29, 2023 Author Share Posted July 29, 2023 (edited) My honourable mentions: Kenta Kobashi/Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada/Akira Taue. AJPW, 9th June 1995. *****. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart. WWF WrestleMania X. *****. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker. WWF In Your House 18: Badd Blood. *****. Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair. NWA Clash of the Champions VI: Ragin' Cajun. *****. Edited July 29, 2023 by The Natural Can't believe I forgot Bret vs. Owen at WWF WrestleMania X. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted July 29, 2023 Share Posted July 29, 2023 It's Andre vs. Hansen. No question. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphman 3000 Posted July 29, 2023 Share Posted July 29, 2023 Bret vs. Owen at WrestleMania X is the most accessible technical match for non-fans - the pre-match hype video explains the brother rivalry perfectly, and the match doesn't overstay its welcome Samoa Joe vs. Necro Butcher from IWA Mid-South similarly packs all its violence into a tight 10-minute match Ibushi/Jigsaw/Generico/Nick Jackson 4-way from CHIKARA is probably the best "video game" match where they're going a million miles an hour, but they're all still talented enough to make it look realistic (well except Jigsaw - he's a step behind the rest, but dammit he tries!) TLC II from WrestleMania 17 is the best gimmick match - the next 10 years after that match was everyone trying to replicate/top its bumps The Liger PWG 10-man tag is the best comedy match I've ever seen All great matches for different reasons 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefanie Sparkleface Posted July 29, 2023 Share Posted July 29, 2023 (edited) AJW vs. JWP Thunder Queen Battle (Aja Kong, Kyoko Inoue, Takako Inoue, and Sakie Hasegawa vs. Dynamite Kansai, Mayumi Ozaki, Hikari Fukuoka, and Cuty Suzuki). Just an hour of pure chaos. EDIT: If you've never seen it... Edited July 29, 2023 by Sparkleface 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octopus Posted July 29, 2023 Share Posted July 29, 2023 (edited) Hmmmmm. A few elements I enjoy in wrestling that I feel make a good match: I love watching struggle and feeling like each move and moment is earned and the strikes are hard (Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo - 1985). I also enjoy matches rich with references to previous moments and call backs (The Young Bucks vs Kenny Omega & Hangman Adam Page) where the story is progressed by the match and not just segments surrounding the match. I also love drama and spectacle of a large and/ or ridiculous moment (Terry Funk vs Atsushi Onita or Mankind vs Undertaker). It doesn’t even need be a large spot, but could even be that iconic moment you mentally picture when you think of the match (Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin). I feel a match that combines those three things is Mitsuhara Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue - 1995. Ever since I’ve seen it, I go back and watch that match at least twice a year. Each time I pick up new pieces I appreciate and admire. I love Kobashi climbing over Misawa. I love the King Road style of execution. I love how all the characters play off of each other. Honorable mentions being Akira Hokuto vs Shinobu Kandori and MJF vs Bryan Danielson. Edited July 29, 2023 by Octopus 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted July 29, 2023 Share Posted July 29, 2023 I wasn't a part of it, but the GME list just dropped this last week and I think it's a very nice, very varied list: https://gweproject.freeforums.net/thread/2845/top-greatest-matches-2023-results?page=1&scrollTo=16919 Spoiler 100. Shinobu Kandori vs Yumiko Hotta (LLPW - 3/21/1998) Total Points: 427 # of Ballots: 8 High Vote: Cap - 13 2021 Finish: 121 (+21) “It's a beautiful and terrifying match, on one hand it may be the most violent match I've ever seen but at the same time, watching Kandori work is a joy for our eyes, from her guards in defensive position to her offense, she makes all those techniques look so fluid, simple and painful. But like I was saying, it's scary, I've had to take my eyes off the screen more than once with those kicks from Hotta and those disgusting headbutts that made her bleed.” - Gramsci “Fucking hell, this is a violent one. I love the dynamic between grappling and striking and how somehow both Kandori and Hotta still feel like they are murdering each other.” - Cap 99. Jerry Lawler vs Bill Dundee (No DQ, Loser Leaves Town, Dundee’s Hair on the Line - CWA - 12/30/1985) Total Points: 428 # of Ballots: 7 High Vote: KB8 - 4 2021 Finish: 115 (+16) “Just a pair of unbelievable performances, possibly (probably?) the best of both men's careers and the bar on that is HIGH.” -KB8 98. Jun Akiyama vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW - 7/24/1998) Total Points: 429 # of Ballots: 7 High Vote: NintendoLogic - 21 2021 Finish: 91 (-7) “there's plenty of really fundamentally great wrestling here that just about any fan who isn't completely allergic to head drops and pop-up sequences should be able to enjoy. This is probably the best-ever marriage of high-end offense and high-end psychology.” - NintendoLogic 96-T. Manami Toyota vs Aja Kong (AJW - 11/20/1994) Total Points: 436 # of Ballots: 8 High Vote: Grimmas - 10 2021 Finish: 127 (+31) “Perfect match and one of the easiest to rewatch over and over again. These two gel so well with each other, there is an indescribable aesthetic beauty in how they move, how they react to their opponents moves, how Toyota sells everything so well in the moment.” - Gramsci 96-T. Ted DiBiase vs Jim Duggan (LLT, Coal Miner's Glove on a Pole, Tuxedo, Cage - UWF - 3/30/1985) Total Points: 436 # of Ballots: 8 High Vote: Lemming - 9 2021 Finish: 62 (-34) “I watched this match once before, years ago, and remember being pretty cold on it relative to all the praise I'd read about it online. I must have been having a really bad day that day. Or maybe I got confused and watched a different loser leaves town tuxedo street fight coal miners glove on a pole steel cage match by mistake. Whatever the reason, the important thing is that I was wrong before and this match is a total riot. The opening shine is great with Duggan cutting off Dibiase's attempted sneak attack before the bell and unleashing fury from the get go. And the pace and fun basically never let up. The match delivers in every way you could hope and I had a huge smile on my face the whole time. Now it's ended I can't wait to watch it again.” - Lemming “I mean, just look at the name of the fucking match and think about how something like that can be so high for some people. An 80s masterpiece.” - Tetsujin 95. Jumbo Tsuruta vs Mitsuhara Misawa (AJPW - 9/1/1990) Total Points: 443 # of Ballots: 11 High Vote: Cactus - 28 2021 Finish: 59 (-36) “I always had the impression this was a distant second to their June match. Boy, this blew it away. Jumbo not being ready to give up his spot just yet and show the hotshot kid to still wait his turn is something special.” - [Darren] 94. Jerry Lawler vs Bill Dundee (Loser Leaves Town - CWA - 6/6/1983) Total Points: 445 # of Ballots: 7 High Vote: NintendoLogic - 9 2021 Finish: 41 (-53) “The clipping holds this back somewhat, but what we have is about as good as pro wrestling gets. More than anything, this is a battle of attrition. Most of the shifts in momentum come off big counters, but it never feels your-turn my-turn thanks to both men's brilliant fatigued selling. Combine that with the awesome punches you expect from a high-end Memphis bout and you have an undisputed classic.” - NintendoLogic “A battle of simplicity used to tell an amazing story. The structure of the match is great and it is an amazing battle of punches. Two master storytellers tell a masterful story” - puropotsy 93. Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Brian Pillman & Jim Nedihart vs Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock & The Road Warriors (WWF - 7/6/1997) Total Points: 446 # of Ballots: 8 High Vote: Conker - 1 2021 Finish: 126 (+33) “The hottest crowd in wrestling history as Bret Hart returns home the conquering hero. The camera shaking is not a Kevin Dunn affect here, it's fucking legit. The ability Bret and Austin have here to control the crowd is mastery. The story telling is great and it’s a perfect send off for the Hart Family in the WWF.” - Grimmas 92. El Hijo del Santo vs Espanto Jr (Mask vs Mask - Monterrey - 8/31/1986) Total Points: 448 # of Ballots: 8 High Vote: Cap - 9 2021 Finish: 144 (+52) “This had everything I like in an apuesta match. Grit and violence. The only thing I'd add to what others have said is how the camera work gave it a unique vibe in comparision to similar matches. The wobbly handheld, the weird sound levels, the focus on Santo, especially between falls. It felt as if you were watching an arthouse documentary.” - club 91. Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada & Kenta Kobashi vs Jumbo Tsuruta, Akira Taue & Masa Fuchi (AJPW - 10/19/1990) Total Points: 452 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: NintendoLogic - 4 2021 Finish: 69 (-22) “Sublime match. I’ve watched it before and wasn’t feeling it as much for the early portion but everyone got a chance to shine and Kobashi really got elevated here. Jumbo continued to bring the best out in everyone and had a great exchange with Misawa. Kawada and Taue continue to beat the shit out of each other. And Masa Fuchi is a little prick. Love it.” - puropotsy 90. Jumbo Tsuruta vs Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW - 6/8/1990) Total Points: 455 # of Ballots: 7 High Vote: Control21 - 7 2021 Finish: 93 (+3) “This match is transcendent. Jumbo shows how to put someone over. Make you and your opponent look unbeatable and then lose. Misawa brings his full self as well. From the moment that Jumbo hit the knee-strike off the top it was on. The ending with Jumbo catching Misawa with the elbow when he came off the ropes was amazing, leading into a series of pin attempts. Top notch stuff.” - puropotsy 89. Akira Maeda vs Tatsumi Fujinami (NJPW - 6/12/1986) Total Points: 458 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: Control21 - 9 2021 Finish: 91 (+2) “It’s heavy on holds and has a scary shoot kick in the head spot, two things that tend to take me out of a match. But, these two have an ability to make this thing so damn compelling.” - [Darren] 88. Stan Hansen vs Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW - 2/28/1993) Total Points: 464 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: NintendoLogic - 18 2021 Finish: 53 (-35) “I love this match. it is absolutely brutal, it builds well, and they ebb and flow of the match is so natural. Hansen falling out of the ring after hitting a murder lariat is one of the greatest spots in wrestling history. This is one of those that wears you out.” - Cap “Today is the 30th anniversary of this universally beloved classic, making it as good a day as any to revisit it and figure out whether it'll end up in the top 20 of your ballot or just the top 50.” - NintendoLogic, 2/28/23, 11:39am “Terrible match” - Elliott, 2/28/23, 12:47pm 87. Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs Nobuhiko Takada (UWF - 10/25/1990) Total Points: 467 # of Ballots: 8 High Vote: Microstatistics - 2 2021 Finish: 113 (+26) “The ultimate wrestling chess match assessment describes this perfectly. Amazing attention to detail, struggle and violence. Outstanding Takada performance and all time great Fujiwara performance.” - Microstatistics 86. Stan Hansen vs Carlos Colon (Bullrope Match - CWP - 1/6/1987) Total Points: 467 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: KB8 - 25 2021 Finish: 49 (-37) “Just phenomenal work here, great job conveying exhaustion and desperation, making good use of the gimmick and taking it to each other from start to finish.” - mvz 85. Jushin Liger vs Naoki Sano (NJPW - 8/10/1989) Total Points: 471 # of Ballots: 11 High Vote: [Darren] & NintendoLogic - 20 2021 Finish: 107 (+22) “Don't really know what to say except that it has maybe the greatest selling performance in the history of pro wrestling. Must see.” microstatistics 84. Masakatsu Funaki vs Tatsuo Nakano (UWF - 7/24/1989) Total Points: 472 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: [Darren] - 6 2021 Finish: 155 (+71) “I've soured a bit on shoot-style over the years but this, what an absolute banger. There's an intensity and nastiness to it that's rare which really puts it above the other stuff from that style.” - club “I just noticed this has never been voted into the Top 100. I hope we can right this wrong in 2023” - [Darren] 83. Kenta Kobashi vs Samoa Joe (ROH - 10/1/2005) Total Points: 476 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: Cactus - 25 2021 Finish: 66 (-17) “I always expect to come down on this match a bit and every time I'm all in. I don't know if it hits the nostalgia bone just right or if it is really just the best version of a greatest hits match. I always say that no match has ever lived up to the hype like this match. It benefits from that hype, but even approaching expectations keeps it among my greats.” - Cap 82. Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuinness (ROH - 8/12/2006) Total Points: 478 # of Ballots: 7 High Vote: mattsdmf - 8 2021 Finish: 40 (-42) “This was an incredibly engaging and competitive technical classic with an all time brilliant heel performance from Bryan. McGuinness is the hometown hero and Bryan wants to rain on his parade and the crowd might respect Danielson, but they don't like him. The rule with the rope breaks was a great bit of psychology. When Nigel uses up his third and final rope break, he has to pray that he doesn't get caught in another submission as the ropes can't save him anymore. The ring post stuff might be a bit much for a post CTE world, but I'll be lying if I said it didn't hook me into the match even further.” - Cactus 81. Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Nobuhiako Takada, Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Kengo Kimura vs Riki Choshu, Yoshiaki Yatsu, Animal Hamaguchi, Isamu Teranishi & Kuniaki Kobayashi (5x5 Gauntlet - NJPW - 4/19/1984) Total Points: 482 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: Microstatistics - 14 2021 Finish: 153 (+72) “The most impressive thing about this match is that in 90 minutes there is literally no downtime at all. Even the Inoki vs. Choshu matwork was compelling. The crowd heat is insane and the fact that that level of heat was consistently maintained for 90 minutes is even more insane.” - Microstatistics 80. Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW - 8/13/2016) Total Points: 483 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: Tetsujin - 13 2021 Finish: 87 (+7) “This is the best ever heel vs heel match, both are pieces of shit to each other, and then Naito forces Kenny to sell the leg and he delivers in a great way. The fucking best false finish of a match full of crazy bombs is a Naito kneebar to Omega, because they worked around Kenny's leg so well. In retrospective, I'm 100% Naito should have won here to get his win against Okada and long title reign three years earlier, Omega should have never been a main eventer, and New Japan would have regain the levels of popularity of the 90s with Naito as its Ace, but hey, it is what it is. The match is perfect and also represents the rise of two of the most important workers of our generation, definitely the two that affected NJPW's scene the most (and later on, the US scene with AEW).” - Tetsujin 79. Terry Funk vs Stan Hansen (AJPW - 4/14/1983) Total Points: 490 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: [Darren] - 28 2021 Finish: 74 (-5) “40 years on and this match is still shocking and compelling; not a perfect match but one of the most incredible.” - mvz 78. Negro Casas vs El Dandy (EMLL - 7/3/1992) Total Points: 494 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: KB8 - 1 2021 Finish: 128 (+50) “Two of the greatest wrestlers in their prime having a long title match against each other. These are two of the best all around wrestlers in history and here is a great opportunity to see them have a long technical match with each other that shows just how great they are. It is a dream match that happened.” - Elliott 77. Aja Kong vs KAORU (GAEA - 2/13/2000) Total Points: 495 # of Ballots: 11 High Vote: Cactus - 11 2021 Finish: 198 (+121) “Holy balls this was excellent. One of the best things about this project has been discovering all these wild joshi brawls. This was up there with the very best. Maybe the best.” - club 76. Eddy Guerrero and Love Machine vs El Hijo Del Santo and Octagon (AAA - 11/6/1994) Total Points: 500 # of Ballots: 7 High Vote: madwizzzard - 4 2021 Finish: 141 (+65) “When it comes to the heel/face dynamic, build, storytelling, drama, emotion and interesting twists and turns, this is as good as anything I've seen in pro wrestling” - Microstatistics “This match is one of the most dramatic matches that perfectly utilises the 2 out of 3 falls format.” madwizzzard 75. Bryan Danielson vs Takeshi Morishima (ROH - 8/25/2007) Total Points: 501 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: Kadaveri - 16 2021 Finish: 68 (-7) “I love this feud so much. The whole thing is a ton of fun, filled with good to great matches, but this one is still my favorite. Dragon picking his spots and going after the leg was great early on. Obviously everything goes off the rails (in kind of a good way) when Bryan's eye gets detached. It isn't just a great match, it is one of the most memorable matches in all of ROH.” - Cap 74. Aja Kong vs Yumika Hotta (WWWA World Championship - AJW - 1/24/1994) Total Points: 507 # of Ballots: 12 High Vote: CFOS - 9 2021 Finish: 100 (+26) “Hotta's kicks may never have looked meaner and if you know anything about her then that should tell you something. Aja was hurling them too though, really trying to punt teeth into the crowd and mangle spine, adding a little extra mustard with basically every passing minute….There was a brief spell in the middle where they took it down a notch with a headlock segment, but then the ref tells Hotta to get her bloody hand checked by the doctor and Aja, presumably on the fly because I can't imagine this was planned pre-match, decides she's going to punch, stomp, twist and kick the thing into uselessness. Any obscure body part work is going to be cool to me and this was right up there with some of the best ever.” - KB8 “Holy hell, this sucked to watch. Every second of this match I just wanted it to be over. These ladies really hate each other, professional wrestling is real and Aja Kong needs to go to jail for assault. The stiff kicks to the face, ugly head-butts, biting, blood-smeared all over the place, and horrendous high-angle drops on the neck. This was a horror film that I just wanted to be over and I hope I never see this again. Good goddamn.” - [Darren] 73. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Minoru Suzuki (NJPW - 10/8/2012) Total Points: 514 # of Ballots: 11 High Vote: Control21 - 10 2021 Finish: 35 (-38) “Simplicity at it's finest. Both men working each other's legs in a vicious manner, highly technical work throughout, a few nice submission sequences, and fantastic selling on the part of both men. Most famous for the fact that there were no false finishes at all throughout the match, and to have such a dramatic match in spite of that is a testament to the ability of these two.” - KAS 72. Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (WWF - 11/17/1996) Total Points: 527 # of Ballots: 11 High Vote: Grimmas - 2 2021 Finish: 88 (+16) “What I love about this is that it feels like a love letter to old school wrestling and the end of an era. Austin knows Bret and uses his moves through out the match. One of my all-time favourite wrestling moments is Bret Hart’s come back in this match where he wins a first fight after losing one earlier. The emotion here is priceless.” - Grimmas 71. Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk (WWE - 8/18/2013) Total Points: 538 # of Ballots: 11 High Vote: NintendoLogic - 15 2021 Finish: 52 (-19) “This has just about everything you'd want from a match like this: smart transitions, great selling from both men, and hard-hitting action that hardly ever lets up. Likely the high point of both men's careers.” - NintendoLogic “It’s such a great story that Punk could’ve beaten Brock while not giving his full attention and still may have beaten him were it not for Heyman. I think it’s one of the coolest, most magical moments, full of time excitement and heartbreak that WWE produced in this uncharacteristically great period of booking and in-ring work.” - [Darren] 70. Anarchy in The Arena (AEW - 5/29/2022) Total Points: 541 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: puroraisedme - 1 2021 Finish: n/a “My favorite match ever and obviously my pick for greatest match ever. There isn't a whole lot to say about this that hasn't been said by a lot of people already, but this is such an incredible match. This is such a chaotic match in the absolute best way, from Wild Thing playing on loop in the beginning New Jack style to the amount of blood loss between the wrestlers in this match. The image of Eddie Kingston walking down the entrance ramp, almost zombified, covered in his and other peoples blood holding a gas can is one of my absolute favorite images in wrestling ever.” - puroraisedmee “A true successor of the out of control Memphis and Puerto Rico brawls. While the 2023 was a bit of a let down, this holds up very well. So many stories being told at once and having an all over brawl without being too much.” - KB8 69. Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW - 12/3/1993) Total Points: 548 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: Kadaveri - 14 2021 Finish: 17 (-52) “All four guys have great interactions here but Kawada and Kobashi are the stars for me. Kawada’s selling Kobashi going after his leg is what wrestling is about. Misawa has great stuff with Kawada as well and Taue hangs with them. This ended earlier than I expected but was at a perfect pace when it did.” - puropotsy 68. Thunder Queen Battle 60-Minute Match (JWP - 7/31/1993) Total Points: 557 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: mvz - 14 2021 Finish: 202 (+134) “I love this match, a fast paced multi-person ironman tag that got me hooked for the entirety of its run time. I felt like everyone had the performance of a lifetime simultaneously, even the weak links delivered.” - mrjmml 67. Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, & Kenta Kobashi vs Jumbo Tsuruta, Masa Fuchi, & Akira Taue (AJPW - 4/20/1991) Total Points: 560 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: [Darren] - 12 2021 Finish: 42 (-25) “I love the hate between Taue and Kawada. I love how much of a dick Fuchi is. I love Kobashi’s fiery comeback. And I love how Misawa and Jumbo hold things down. The best 6 man tag I’ve ever seen and quite possibly the best AJPW match.” - [Darren] 66. Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk (No DQ - CWA - 3/23/1981) Total Points: 563 # of Ballots: 13 High Vote: NintendoLogic - 13 2021 Finish: 60 (-6) “Two of the greatest wrestlers ever punching the shit out of each other and then bashing each other with a chair. Which results in one of the greatest under 15 minute long matches ever. This is just classic.” - Elliott 65. The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger, & JJ Dillon) vs The Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff, Dusty Rhodes & Paul Ellering (War Games - JCP - 7/4/1987) Total Points: 573 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: mattsdmf - 2 2021 Finish: 85 (+20) “I always thought it was crazy to see other War Games rated over this.” - Elliott “The best War Games and multi-man match ever. Off the wall heat, blood, Four Horsemen at their peak, Dusty Rhodes elbowing everyone, Arn Anderson selling his ass off and Jim Ross screaming himself hoarse.” - KB8 64. Randy Savage vs Ultimate Warrior (Retirement Match - WWF - 3/24/1991) Total Points: 585 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: mvz - 2 2021 Finish: 64 (No Change) “This is the pinnacle of WWF melodrama wrestling. The match itself is good - a near miracle given Warrior's in it - but this era of WWF wasn't really about great in-ring as much as it was about great drama. This is a story of redemption and it hits me on a gut level every time. It straddles the divide between cartoon and real like nothing else from WWF. Savage has to lose his career to regain what is truly important, and yeah I cry every time.” - club 63. Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega (NJPW - 6/9/2018) Total Points: 586 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: KAS, dkuchler31096 - 2 2021 Finish: 81 (-18) “Having to conclude the most highly acclaimed series of matches of this generation is a near-impossible task, yet the intricate and ambitious story-telling alongside the quality of work on display ensured that they smashed the lofty expectations that people had for this match.” - KAS 62. Kiyoshi Tamura vs Volk Han (RINGS - 9/26/1997) Total Points: 591 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: Microstatistics - 5 2021 Finish: 63 (+1) “You need to watch all three matches to get the whole picture and see how one Kiyoshi Tamura starts the series as a promising upstart and ends it as a RINGS legend who's able to tap out the iconic Volk Han. Han looked like a damn anaconda at times when he would wrap his body around Tamura in an effort to tap him out with many types of unique submissions. Tamura felt like the best fighter in the world when he tried to take out Han with his deadly strikes. Just perfect execution and body language. This was the perfect way to wrap up the trilogy.” - Cactus “Here Tamura combines his confidence and improved skill from the previous match with newfound maturity and so is a much bigger threat. Probably the best Volk Han performance ever with the desperation, urgency, incredible submission assaults and even some arrogance. Tamura weathering the storm and cerebrally going for kill shots is excellent. The best of the trilogy” - Microstatistics 61. The Rockers vs Buddy Rose & Doug Somers (AWA - 8/30/1986) Total Points: 592 # of Ballots: 11 High Vote: [Darren] - 10 2021 Finish: 58 (-3) “This had the trademark AWA double face-in-peril structure with lots of blood mixed in. That structure worked perfectly here to get Michaels and Janetty over as more than a rip-off of other tag teams. Rose was amazing of course but I was also really impressed with Somers, especially when he and Jannetty started trading strikes. An AWA highlight for sure, and I like me some AWA.” - puropotsy 60. Sasha Banks vs Bayley (NXT - 8/22/2015) Total Points: 609 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: Grimmas - 7 2021 Finish: 79 (+19) “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.” - Grimmas “Sasha's stamp is one of my favourite moments in wrestling ever. I think that spot resonated so much because it was like a metaphor for Bayley's last year in NXT. She's so close to getting to the rope/title only to have it cruelly stamped out….Even if it was mostly indirect Sasha has been the source of Bayley's woes for two years in the build to this match. It's that and the clash of personalities of the noble and principled vs. the disingenuous and opportunistic that make this such a special match.” - Kadaveri 59. Terry Funk vs Atsushi Onita (Exploding Barbed Wire - FMW - 5/5/1993) Total Points: 613 # of Ballots: 13 High Vote: dkuchler31096 - 22 2021 Finish: 96 (+37) “Terry Funk's best performance since his first retirement. Great drama, teases and bumps. All time great finish. Bonus points for the ref's attire.” - Microstatistics “I'd never been more on the edge of my seat than I was watching these two start the match with the most intense lock-up ever. Funk doing his usual punch-drunk stumbling near the barbed wire made me gasp with horror…. All the emotionally charged post-match stuff with Onita crying and Funk refusing to shake his hands added to the match tenfold….This pro wrestling for people who like gritty yet artsy fartsy cinema.” - Cactus 58. Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker (Hell in a Cell - WWF - 10/5/1997) Total Points: 623 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: Cactus - 5 2021 Finish: 72 (+14) “One thing this match does well is make elements that would ordinarily hurt a match (the complete lack of urgency from Taker, no-selling a finisher, interference-altered outcome) work due to the overarching story.” - Microstatistics “Shawn's heel heat came from how he was able to act like such a prick constantly and always managed to escape the consequences, whether it was DX bailing him out or whatever. The cell was supposed to ensure he finally got what was coming to him. The Kane debut inadvertently saved Shawn once again, it's fitting for the story they were telling with him.” - Kadaveri “The Kane debut is honest to god one of the most vivid memories of my childhood. on a mattress on the floor in the living room so I could watch it on the big TV, and my jaw was on the floor when this giant in red and black came out to the eerie music, Paul Bearer beaming with satisfaction. Kane was real and he was here for the Undertaker. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days and it's still probably the best thing Kane was ever involved in.” - KB8 57. Jumbo Tsuruta and Genichiro Tenryu vs Riki Choshu and Yoshiaki Yatsu (AJPW - 1/28/1986) Total Points: 627 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: NintendoLogic - 6 2021 Finish: 34 (-23) “There is so much hate between the teams in this match and it embodies the Choshu invasion on AJPW. Choshu fights through an injury and we see the further emergence of Grumpo Tsuruta while Tenryu is emerging as a GOAT candidate on his own. One of the better tag matches you’ll ever see.” - puropotsy 56. The Briscoes vs FTR (ROH - 12/10/2022) Total Points: 637 # of Ballots: 13 High Vote: dkuchler31096 - 15 2021 Finish: New Match “The expectations were unbelievably high in this one and somehow, some way they exceeded them. This is a true classic of a match in every sense. Their chemistry and their willingness to do violence to one another are second to none.” - Cap 55. John Cena vs Umaga (Last Man Standing - WWE - 1/28/2007) Total Points: 644 # of Ballots: 13 High Vote: conker - 29 2021 Finish: 43 (-12) “This was gruesome and violence at its finest. Loved Cena's selling in this and Umaga looked like a monster.” - dkuchler31096 “This accomplishes the feeling of importance, of two men truly trying to destroy one another and that isn’t always easy, particularly in the more contemporary wrestling climate.” - Cap “By far the best use of this gimmick and a career-making performance by Cena. Umaga was so good, I can't believe how they didn't push him more after this. Super violent, well structured, superb selling from both men... Cena as the unusual underdog is always the best Cena.” - Tetsujin 54. Team New Japan (Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Kengo Kimura, Umanosuke Ueda & Kantaro Hoshino) vs Team UWF (Akira Maeda, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Nobuhiko Takada, Kazuo Yamazaki & Osamu Kid) (Elimination Match - NJPW - 3/26/1986) Total Points: 650 # of Ballots: 9 High Vote: Cactus - 2 2021 Finish: 98 (+44) “What we got here was a super hot inter-promotional war where everyone gets a chance to shine. There's zero downtime in this match and it well over half an hour. I thought the roof was going to blow off the building when Maeda and Inoki interacted. Inoki is the ace defending the company from those pesky shoot wrestlers, while Maeda is the dickhead renegade who has no issue kicking Kimura when he's down to show dominance. Takada throws strikes so quickly that I thought my video was running on 1.5 speed. What Hoshino lacks in size, he makes up for with pure heart. We finally get a Fujiwara match to match his consistently awesome performance. Ueda is in this for a grand total of around a minute, but the crowd pops huge whenever he was in the ring. The finish with Inoki cleaning house on the last two wrestlers gave me 'John Cena taking out the entire Nexus by himself at Summerslam 2010' vibes, but don't let that stop you from watching one of the best matches NJPW has ever put out. ★★★★★” - Cactus “Faction warfare rules, 80s NJPW multiman matches rule, this whole UWF angle rules. Antonio Inoki looks like the most pro-wrestling wrestler that ever pro-wrestled. Ridiculously hot crowd, fantastic elimination arc, nonstop action, a Damn near perfect match.” - [Darren] 53. Ric Flair vs Ricky Morton (Cage Match - JCP - 7/5/1986) Total Points: 668 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: [Darren] - 4 2021 Finish: 29 (-24) “Just an incredible showing from both men. Blood, drama, heat, character work, selling - it's all here. Morton put on a babyface performance for the ages. Also really enjoyed the spot where Flair mocked Morton by putting on his nose guard mask. Anyway, this is a total must-see.” - silverwidow “Next level babyface performance here from Morton, with something as simple as selling his nose. Flair worked him over savagely and it went a long time but really just the right amount. Morton fought back with brawling and grit rather than high-flying and came off like he could win the title. Flair winning with foul tactics enhanced it that much more. This also had some of the best use of a cage I have seen.” - puropotsy “So this is the very best Flair match, right? Even better than the Funk matches, better than the Steamboat matches, better than the Garvin matches. Better than all of them. This one is the best.” - KB8 “This match is everything I want out of professional wrestling.” - [Darren] 52. El Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas vs El Dandy (CMLL - 12/6/1996) Total Points: 668 # of Ballots: 12 High Vote: Puropotsy - 12 2021 Finish: 90 (+38) “Apuestas matches are really just the best style of wrestling possible. And this is a classic with 3 of the best luchadores ever. This is part of the classic El Hijo del Santo heel turn. The is mostly a long Mask vs Hair match between Santo and El Dandy and it is fucking awesome. This is super violent and is one of the bloodiest matches of all time. Great stuff.” - Elliott “What an outstanding apuestos match. It might be my favorite lucha match after having just rewatched it. Casas bows out early leaving Dandy and Santo in sudden death mode and they bleed like there’s no tomorrow. Great brawling, great dives and great build.” - puropotsy “A bloody brawl, a masterpiece and the best triple threat match I've ever seen.” - mrjmml 51. Shinobu Kandori vs Bull Nakano (Chain Match - AJW/LLPW - 7/14/1994) Total Points: 679 # of Ballots: 13 High Vote: el_wreino - 6 2021 Finish: 64 (+13) “This had some of the best crowd-brawling I’ve ever seen and some of the best work with a chain as well. They both laid it all out there and Bull came on strong at the end with legdrops.” - puropotsy “The way they found a hundred ways to utilise the chain to inflict damage and brutality on each other made this so enthralling to watch. I can't think of a match quite like it.” - Kadaveri “Rewatching this made me even more confident that being stupid high on it is the right thing. 20 or so minutes of violence and mayhem. Bull is so badass and Kandori never gives up the fight.” - mvz “I love this match so much.” - Cap 50. Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (WCW - 5/7/1989) Total Points: 688 # of Ballots: 12 High Vote: Puropotsy - 9 2021 Finish: 32 (-18) “The best of the trilogy for me which is honestly like splitting hairs. I loved the incorporation of the judges in the commentary and obviously with Terry Funk after the match. The physicality was ratcheted up a notch in this match and fed off the storytelling of 2/20 and 4/2. Steamboat’s leg-selling in the end clinches it for me but I also loved his intense pursuit of Flair throughout the match. And I also love a good chop-fest and feel this match is the best version of making it a competitive aspect of the match.” - puropotsy 49. Dump Matsumoto vs Chigusa Nagayo (Hair vs Hair - AJW - 11/7/1986) Total Points: 698 # of Ballots: 13 High Vote: Elliott - 2 2021 Finish: 147 (+98) “This is the Dump/Chigusa hair match I prefer. They are both legendary matches with the most emotionally invested crowds in wrestling history, but I think this one is the better wrestling match to go along with the all time atmosphere they both share.” - Elliott 48. El Satanico vs El Dandy (Hair vs Hair - EMLL - 12/14/1990) Total Points: 703 # of Ballots: 14 High Vote: Mattsdmf - 16 2021 Finish: 54 (+6) “The peak of El Dandy and El Satanico’s 1990. They each had one of the best single years ever in wrestling and then cap the year off having their best match against each other. This is an awesome bloody brawl. Blood, punches, fantastic selling from two of the best ever at their best.” - Elliott “No one better is better at getting their ass whooped and firing back with a bloody comeback than El Dandy was in 1990. This is a wonderful brawl that has all the drama you want. Satanico is an all time performer for me and this is peak work from him. Playing off peak Dandy, this match is must see wrestling, prime stuff.” - Cap “Awesome match with dramatic flourishes and great brawling. Both wrestlers were feeling it and their hatred pulled me in. I was thinking this was a top 20 contender till the ending. Then I read the comments here and watched the October match. People need to see that one if the ending bothers them, plus it’s a great match in its own right.” - mvz 47. Akira Hokuto vs Shinobu Kandori (AJW - 12/6/1993) Total Points: 711 # of Ballots: 11 High Vote: Gramsci - 9 2021 Finish: 95 (+48) “The thing that is great about their earlier match is that we wind up with this singular sense of desperation and urgency as each woman lobs bombs at each other with the express intent of absolutely ending them. This match – against all odds – finds its own version of that. It sort of comes out of the gates carrying that ethos, which then ebbs and flows somewhat through the match. Everything here is done with intent… EVERYTHING. It all looks mean. It all looks painful. The uppercut finish looks brutal and is only amplified by the cuts to those concerned about Hokuto. Even Aja looks a bit upset by what she is seeing.” - Cap 46. CM Punk vs John Cena (WWE - 7/17/2011) Total Points: 724 # of Ballots: 12 High Vote: luke - 1 2021 Finish: 47 (+1) “The greatest WWE crowd outside of Canada. The story going into this was tremendous and it was played so well in the match. Big Match John's best big match opponent and this may be the best of their series.” Grimmas 45. Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (WCW - 2/20/1989) Total Points: 736 # of Ballots: 14 High Vote: conker - 7 2021 Finish: 36 (-9) “This sets an incredible bar for greatness that they would continue to at least match, if not raise….I am going to be really interested in where these fall and how they gain or lose status through the process.” - Cap “A really nostalgic match for me as my cousin who had a satellite dish taped it for me and I had no idea what the card was. Then I watched it over the course of three days and was finally able to watch the main event at lunch time on the third day. I went to school marking out and telling one of the only other guys I knew who followed “NWA” (we didn’t get it on t.v. in Nova Scotia) about the title change and he kept thinking I was talking about Vic Steamboat and he was saying he was such a bum. He then marked out when I said "NO LES, I'M TALKING ABOUT RICKY THE DRAGON STEAMBOAT!!!" Anyways, this is a perfect and simple match. Lots of physicality and intensity with great selling and leaving lots on the table for rematches.” - puropotsy 44. Dump Matsumoto vs Chigusa Nagayo (Hair vs Hair - AJW - 8/28/1985) Total Points: 739 # of Ballots: 12 High Vote: madwizzzard & el_wreino - 3 2021 Finish: 83 (+39) “This is a match I dismissed on first watch but find myself coming back to time and time again. And it’s a match that has really got me thinking about personally what I’m really talking about when I talk about the best matches. It’s rare that I’m just talking about what’s happening in the ring, bell to bell. That’s crowd, the atmosphere, the pre and post match are all part of the equation. Matches like Atlantis vs Villano III and Savage vs Warrior are prime examples of this. Honestly though every kick-ass entrance and post match celebration can elevate a match. On the flip-side an annoying crowd or bad commentary can ruin a great match for me. This might be the starkest example. I'm not saying the match is bad, it's not. It's good in its own right. Chigusa is a brilliant won’t-quit babyface. As is Dump as the sadistic bully. But there’s a level of raw emotion on display here from the crowd, living and breathing this, that makes it an all-timer.” - club “Obviously it is the character work, psychology, crowd and post match that push this up to all time status, but I actually thought the wrestling aspect of this was really enjoyable. Dump gets criticized as a gimmick worker without much talent, but I'd disagree with that. Much like Abdullah, there was a lot more to her game than just stabbing and choking.” - Elliott “Somehow over the top and completely realistic. Dump is the ultimate villain and Chigusa’s selling and effort makes sure everyone knows it.” - mvz “As a spectacle it's sort of incredible. People are losing their minds and it's total chaos from bell to bell, and then even fucking more chaos after the bell.” - KB8 “The post match is legendary. It seriously gave me Passion of the Christ vibes.” - Tetsujin 43. El Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas (Mask vs Hair - EMLL - 9/19/1997) Total Points: 739 # of Ballots: 13 High Vote: Lemming - 2 2021 Finish: 46 (+3) “These two can't have a bad match together and this is one of their best. This is so personal and also so technical all at once. Santo brings such gravity and drama to everything he does, particularly in these big matches, and Casas always makes everything feel unique, personal, and connects it to the crowd.” - Cap 42. Eddie Guerrero vs John Bradshaw Layfield (WWE - 5/16/2004) Total Points: 740 # of Ballots: 12 High Vote: puroraisedme - 6 2021 Finish: 57 (+15) “This match is incredible. Eddie gives a god damner of a performance and JBL put his big boy pants on that day. That bladejob and the ludicrous amount of blood Eddie spilled that day is genuinely horrifying, which makes his performance in this match that much better. He refuses to give up and keeps fighting despite losing loads of blood.” - puroraisedme “The fact of the matter is, this match shouldn’t work for me. It features a lot of things I generally don’t like: screwy finishes, ref bumps, JBL laying in chin locks. Despite all this though, every single time I watch this match I am reminded why this is my pick for single greatest performance in wrestling history. Yes… it’s the blood, but it isn’t just the blood. Eddie absolutely masterful here and this genuinely captures what WWE does best (and inadvertently why its infuriating when they fail to get me invested). They build a larger than life fight that feels like the stakes are enormous. By the end of this match I am always so genuinely invested in every strike Eddie gets in. It is truly accomplished physical storytelling that crescendos with Eddie – covered in blood – doing his little shimmy before firing off on JBL. If I added up the elements and picked them apart it would be a good not great match, but this match is so much more than the sum of its parts. It is everything I want in my big time pro wrestling: a funhouse mirror reflection of the world that hooks me, tells me a story, gives me a payoff, and makes me want to revisit because its timeless.” - Cap 41. Dump Matsumoto vs Yukari Ohmori (AJW - 3/20/1986) Total Points: 742 # of Ballots: 10 High Vote: Elliott - 1 2021 Finish: 84 (+43) “This is an unbelievable match. Dump is at her absolute monsterous peak. This is all brawling, run ins, emotion etc. This is on the level of the best matches ever. Anytime scissors are dangling out of your arm and you keep brawling, youre a legend. But this is a Dump performance for the ages.” - Elliott “This is an absolute horror show of a match. Don't watch it late at night, your screams might annoy the neighbours.” - Kadaveri “JUST WATCHED THIS AND HOLY FUCK ALL THE STARS IN THE WORLD” - dkuchler31096 “Well that was just about the damndest thing I've seen in a long time! One of the most unique matches I've seen and probably the best example of an out of control, riotous crowd brawl without being a legit riot.” - mattsdmf “So yeah. I'm really not sure what to do with this.” - KB8 “Everything about this was completely unhinged and maniacal violence” - KAS “The most horrific match I've ever seen” - mrjmml 40. Ric Flair vs Terry Funk (I Quit Match - WCW - 11/15/1989) Total Points: 776 # of Ballots: 12 High Vote: dkuchler31096 - 7 2021 Finish: 60 (+20) Any match where you give Funk a live microphone in situ is going to be worthwhile and obviously him raving like a nutcase during this was great. The INTENSITY is what I always remembered and that was still there. Flair's chops might've never looked better and rabid animal having to fight and scratch and claw for his life or title (practically the same thing to the Nature Boy) is the very best Flair. I loved the points where he'd just leap on Funk's back and start punching him in the ear and neck. At one point he grabbed Funk by the throat like a man who'd well and truly had enough and it was very amazing. Funk makes every brawl feel wilder just by his presence and there were so many awesome little moments from him here, where he'd eat a shot and crawl out the ring and land on his head, get back up, sprint back in the ring and go toe to toe again, just to get his chest lit up for the thirteenth time. - KB8 39. Ric Flair vs Terry Funk (WCW - 7/23/1989) Total Points: 823 # of Ballots: 16 High Vote: madwizzzard - 5 2021 Finish: 23 (-16) “An all-timer of a match sandwiched between and all-timer build and post-match chaos.” - Tetsujin 38. Kiyoshi Tamura vs Yoshihisa Yamamoto (RINGS - 6/24/1999) Total Points: 838 # of Ballots: 13 High Vote: Gramsci - 4 2021 Finish: 55 (+17) This match’s story was simple. Kiyoshi Tamura was RINGS’ ace and had taken the role from Yoshihisa Yamamoto, who was on the verge of becoming Maeda’s heir in 1996, only for Tamura to come into the company and force Yamamoto down the pecking order. Yamamoto’s award was being squashed in a shoot against Ricardo Morais, and his career was nearly derailed. Only a spirited and focused comeback allowed Yamamoto to recover. In any case, from the opening slap Tamura handed Yamamoto to the thrilling last five minutes where neither man refused to give up, this match was RINGS’ last great masterpiece. “ - Control21 “Without a doubt the greatest shoot style match I've ever seen, it doesn't get better than this.” - mrjmml 37. Sting's Squadron (Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes & Nikita Koloff) vs The Dangerous Alliance (Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko & Bobby Eaton) (War Games - WCW - 5/17/1992) Total Points: 838 # of Ballots: 14 High Vote: Puropotsy - 6 2021 Finish: 47 (+10) “This is probably the most talent-laden match in North American wrestling history alongside perhaps Canadian Stampede in 1987. I’ve loved all of the other Wargames matches but this not having managers in it takes it up a notch. There were also generational talents in Austin and Rhodes and they were having a bleeding contest while veterans like Rude, Windham, Anderson and Steamboat kept things going. I really enjoyed the interactions with Sting and Koloff as well. This was perfect.” - puropotsy 36. Megumi Kudo vs Combat Toyoda (No Rope Explosive Barbed Wire Death Match - FMW - 5/5/1996) Total Points: 842 # of Ballots: 14 High Vote: el_wreino - 1 2021 Finish: 39 (+3) “I'm repeating what folk have been saying about this for years, repeating what I've said about it myself in the past, but this really is all about the way they build anticipation for the big barbed wire spots. I'm not shitting on your crazy deathmatches with gallons of blood and light tubes and psychotic barbed wire bumps or whatever, I can sure get a kick out of those as well. But this was less about the gratuitous violence and more the THREAT of it; the inherent peril lurking in the background. The ambience from the start is quite remarkable. Even being in proximity of the wire felt dangerous here and obviously that was because of how they sold it and brought that danger to life.” - KB8 35. Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW - 4/7/2013) Total Points: 845 # of Ballots: 14 High Vote: KAS - 1 2021 Finish: 27 (-8) “I've largely soured on modern New Japan, but this still holds up as a masterpiece.” - NintendoLogic 34. Sgt Slaughter vs Iron Sheik (Boot Camp Match - WWF - 6/16/1984) Total Points: 848 # of Ballots: 15 High Vote: Grimmas - 11 2021 Finish: 33 (-1) “Man what a brawl. Sheik is a prototype for the wrestler who can have great matches with great wrestlers and Sarge shows himself to be an all-timer here. It has an epic main event feel. The blood and props help with the atmosphere but it is held together with classic psychology as well as great chemistry between these two.” - puropotsy “I had it in my head that maybe I ranked this too high last time around. Nope! This is just about perfect. Sarge’s bumps, selling, and hope spots are out of this world.” - mvz “This is everything you can want in a bloody blow off match. Slaughter gets his bloody revenge, Sheik is a coward. This is a thing of beautiful hateful beauty.” - Grimmas 33. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (WWE - 3/29/2015) Total Points: 850 # of Ballots: 12 High Vote: Microstatistics - 4 2021 Finish: 76 (+43) “Reigns is one of the few guys who looks like a total boss TAKING a beating. He smirks at Lesnar while getting the shit suplexed out of him. Lesnar gets an F5 early but is in no rush to pin as he wants to hurt Roman. He doesn't spam the Germans, instead, he opts to attack Lesnar with an array of violent knees and clotheslines during the early portion of the match. Brock eats a ring post and bleeds like a pig. He sells his injury well, staggering around the place with a glazed facial expression. Reigns gets in a few hope spots before Lesnar catches him in an F5. Seth Rollins' music hits and he cashes in his MITB briefcase and turns this into a 3 way. I knew Rollins was going to get involved somehow, but I didn't expect him to do it while the match was still going on. The ending made Lesnar look strong while losing the belt and opens the door to a future Lesnar vs Reigns match.” - Cactus “Regardless of crowd alignment, Reigns gave one of the finest babyface performances in wrestling history here.” -Microstatistics 32. Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (2/3 Falls - WCW - 4/2/1989) Total Points: 860 # of Ballots: 12 High Vote: Lemming - 5 2021 Finish: 13 (-19) “Great narrative with the 2/3 falls structure. Flair pulling out a roll-up to win the first fall felt typical of this rivalry. Steamboat using the double-arm chicken wing to get the prized submission from Flair for the second fall is all-time storytelling. And the storytelling and physicality throughout is the height of wrestling.” - puropotsy 31. Necro Butcher vs Samoa Joe (IWA Mid-South - 6/11/2005) Total Points: 871 # of Ballots: 15 High Vote: puroraisedme - 3 2021 Finish: 56 (+25) “Pretty much perfect in my eyes. These two went out there and had a goddamn fight with some of the meanest shots I have ever seen and Necro Butcher falling on his head far too many times. Also Punk, Eddie and Prazak on commentary is pretty awesome.” - puroraisedme “This is one of the most brutal ass kickings ever with an absolutely gruesome blade job.” - Elliott “Pure filth” - club 30. Roddy Piper vs Greg Valentine (Dog Collar Match - JCP - 11/24/1983) Total Points: 872 # of Ballots: 15 High Vote: KB8 - 5 2021 Finish: 25 (-5) “I’ve always had it as one of the best chain/strap/collar/anything that attaches the wrestlers matches ever. Piper’s sell of the busted ear is out of this world. It’s probably his greatest performance, and I only say probably because apparently they worked dog collar matches around the horn so there might be something even better in the vaults. The equilibrium selling, blood gushing out the ear, wildly flinging punches to try and make a comeback, all the while Valentine is just massacring him with knees, chain-wrapped fists, posting him directly on the ear, whipping him across the ear with a length of chain, etc. What an unbelievable slice of pro wrestling.” -KB8 “One of the best brawls and bloodbaths ever but the best quality of this for me is the creative use of the chain. From Valentine making Piper wear it as goggles to Piper trying to start a fire on Valentine’s neck with it similarly to the use of the rope in 7/9/83, this was like watching Shawn Michaels use a ladder on PPV for the first time. Both guys are perfect in this match. Sure the finish could be a tad stronger but I’m glad they were able to finish after what they put themselves through.” - puropotsy 29. Akira Hokuto vs Meiko Satomura (GAEA - 4/29/2001) Total Points: 877 # of Ballots: 14 High Vote: Grimmas - 3 2021 Finish: 45 (+16) “The legendary badass Dangerous Queen tries to put down the new badass Satomura, and it feels like a Rocky film right up to the Rocky II finish. The crowd is amazing. The strikes are beyond vicious, and the drama is HIGH! Seeing Hokuto’s second jump into the ring because they felt Hokuto was going to submit is a scene etched into my wrestling mind. A must-watch all-time classic.” - Grimmas “The selling here is second to none. No one sells pain like Akira Hokuto.” - club “This has everything I want in a match. Outstanding dynamic between the two wrestlers that you can sense right away. Powerful offense with selling that gets it across. A real sense that both wrestlers want to win badly. Memorable spots. And this is a case where the ringside seconds and crowd heat add to the match. Just super.” - mvz 28. Holy Demon Army vs Jun Akiyama and Mitsuharu Misawa (Tag League Finals - AJPW - 12/6/1996) Total Points: 882 # of Ballots: 14 High Vote: luke - 3 2021 Finish: 9 (-19) “A classic, the best AJPW match of the year and one of my favourite matches from 90's AJPW, it deserves all the praise.” - mrjmml 27. Chigusa Nagayo vs Devil Masami (AJW - 8/22/1985) Total Points: 908 # of Ballots: 14 High Vote: KAS - 3 2021 Finish: 37 (+10) “This is joshi for people who like 70s and 80s NWA Title matches. But it is also, in parts, joshi for people who like territory brawls… and… well…. joshi. It is a match that I think unintentionally serves a lot of masters, brilliant escalation and story telling from bell to bell. I generally really like this era Nagayo, but Devil Masami is out there showing why she is probably better than your favorite wrestler.” - Cap “This match is a beautiful piece of art. Such a riposte to the notion that Joshi was all about Manami Toyota style go go go athletic movefests with no real narrative.” - Kadaveri 26. Magnum TA vs Tully Blanchard (Steel Cage, I Quit Match - JCP - 11/28/1985) Total Points: 912 # of Ballots: 13 High Vote: Andrew Lacelle - 6 2021 Finish: 16 (-10) “This holds up so well. It’s like the Lawler vs Funk Empty Arena Match with fans. The use of the spike really adds such a layered amount of drama. Tully is so intense going after Magnum with it and feels like Michael Madsen in Reservoir Dogs. Then Magnum valiantly fights out with knees to the ribs and takes over with an all-time great finish. Is Tully quitting because it’s in his eye or because of the fear of it? Finish aside, the whole match holds up as well.” - puropotsy 25. Kiyoshi Tamura vs Volk Han (Mega Battle Tournament Final - RINGS - 1/22/1997) Total Points: 925 # of Ballots: 15 High Vote: Control21 - 6 2021 Finish: 19 (-6) “This match summarizes why Volk Han was so great in my opinion. He had such a natural sense of timing and control during his matches that it not only made him a great shoot-stylist, but a great professional wrestler as a whole. Combine that with his natural grappling skills, you get an unquestionably great practioner of the artform. This is a match I would use to introduce someone to Volk Han and shoot-style. Kiyoshi Tamura plays his part here as well, doing little things like the kip-up that make this a great example of a pro-wrestling match. The term "psychology" gets overused a lot but there is a great sense of struggle in this match, and that alone makes both Han and Tamura great dance partners who understand each other. That's all you need to make a great pro-wrestling match, really. “ - Control21 “This was incredible. Tamura's slightly more polished since the last time they've met, but he still falls victim to Han's devastating wristlock throw minutes into this encounter, even if he is able to recover from it quicker and more efficiently than he did during the '96 match. Volk Han's a master seller. He's able to convey emotions without it making the hyper-realistic grappling look like a total work. He gets caught in an armbar early and he uses the first rope break of the match to escape and he has an ashamed look on his face as if he was a puppy who just shat on the rug. I don't need to tell you how brilliant the matwork was or how every submission looked like it could have ended the match as I'm sure you already know that if you're aware of either Han or Tamura.” - Cactus 24. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy vs Genichiro Tenryu & Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW - 12/16/1988) Total Points: 961 # of Ballots: 16 High Vote: Club - 4 2021 Finish: 20 (-4) “I don't think they created the "Go it Alone" formula here, but this is one of the absolute most memorable examples of it.” - Elliott “The violent organic style is absolutely my thing. Such a simple story told expertly. My second favourite All Japan match.” - club “A classic tag match with all-out bell-to-bell action. Hansen and Gordy show why they’re my favorite ass-kicking tag team and Tenryu and Kawada sell their kicked asses off.” - puropotsy 23. Mayumi Ozaki & Dynamite Kansai vs Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada (2/3 Falls - AJW - 11/26/1992) Total Points: 997 # of Ballots: 14 High Vote: conker - 2 2021 Finish: 38 (+15) “Everything great about pro wrestling encapsulated in about 40 minutes.” - Microstatistics “Goddamn if this isn’t as great as anything I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched if before and loved it but did so even more this time. Even watching it next to all the GOAT candidates I’ve been watching lately it stands out.” - puropotsy 22. Ricky Steamboat vs Rick Rude (30 Minute Iron Man - WCW - 6/20/1992) Total Points: 1000 # of Ballots: 17 High Vote: Andrew Lacelle - 10 2021 Finish: 51 (+29) “This match is as good as any face vs heel match can be.” - Tetsujin 21. Kiyoshi Tamura vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS - 6/27/1998) Total Points: 1010 # of Ballots: 14 High Vote: CFOS - 1 2021 Finish: 24 (+3) “Even as a recent shoot-style convert, this match flew by and the 30 minutes felt like 15. Tamura looks a lot different since I last saw him during the Volk Han trilogy. He's no longer a pretty boy, but he's now more built up and looks like a total badass. This was two mat maestros putting on some of the most impressive matwork and submission wrestling that I'd ever seen in a pro-wrestling match. These two are so proud and headstrong that they refused to give up a rope break unless it's absolutely necessary and we don't see a rope break until 13 minutes into the match! The strikes that followed the first rope break are incredibly intense and you could tell that Tamura was ashamed and pissed off that he was the first fighter to have to use the ropes to break a hold. They mostly stick to grappling after this, but once it's announced that 20 minutes had expired and that there were 10 minutes left on the clock, they start wailing on each other again. They both look exhausted by this point, but they still have a lot of heart and the final few minutes were super tense. I didn't care who won, I just wanted a decisive winner. This was amazing stuff that every fan needs to see once they are accustomed to shoot-style.” - Cactus “Tamura & Kohsaka puts an absolute masterclass of a match with a perfect grappling and an unreal striking part. RINGS have by far the best grappling on the planet and this is the true example of it.” - CFOS “Shoot-style’s answer to the AJPW epics of the 1990s. It is done a bit differently from the classical drama and escalation in “King’s Road,” instead it weaves an equally emotional “war” on the canvas. Two of the finest grapplers of their generation trying to settle a contest through some of the best technical counterwork and grappling waza you’ll find in a professional wrestling match. The RINGS dojo product vs one of the original UWF dojo products and now one of the hottest wrestlers in 1998. The drama unfolds not through high-stakes power moves, but through the RINGS point system. Both men are pushed to their limits and what unfolds is one of the best matches of all time.” - Control21 20. Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa (NOAH - 3/1/2003) Total Points: 1072 # of Ballots: 16 High Vote: Tetsujin - 1 2021 Finish: 14 (-6) “Misawa plants Kobashi on his head with a sickening backdrop within minutes into the match and it looks like Kobashi is already out. Kobashi tries to mount a comeback by resorting to his trusty chops, but Misawa has him figured out and cuts him off with his elbow strikes. In an incredible transitional spot, Kobashi sidesteps a Misawa dive and sends him jaw first into the guardrail. Misawa powering up showed off his often-overlooked subtle charisma. Kobashi's performance here was vicious, but the fans got right behind him after that insane Tiger Suplex spot. As brutal as it was emotional, the only criticism I can throw at this match is that you can see how it influenced the next generation of indy wrestlers to try and replicate this match with mostly mixed results. Misawa and Kobashi see out their rivalry with their best singles match together.” - Cactus “I have some other amazing, spectacular, emotional, technically perfect matches that will be near the top spot on my list. But now that I watched this again, I don't think there's a single chance any other match could beat it as number 1. I get not everyone has to feel the exact same thing as I do, not everyone is gonna be invested in Kobashi's journey as much as I am, not everyone is gonna love the Misawa/Kobashi series as much as I do and not everyone is gonna see this match with the same eyes as I do, although I would say everyone should at least appreciate what they're attaining with this rivalry and this specific match (the same way EVERYONE recognizes what 9/6/95 stands for). This is as perfect as Misawa and Kobash pretended it to be: the ultimate battle between two living legends of the industry, and the decisive victory of the greatest underdog babyface ever built. It has to be my number 1.” - Tetsujin 19. Shawn Michaels vs Mankind (WWF - 9/22/1996) Total Points: 1096 # of Ballots: 16 High Vote: Microstatistics - 3 2021 Finish: 30 (+11) “I remember this being great, but I was shocked by how brilliant this was. A serious contender for the best WWE match ever.” - Cactus “Near perfect structure and pacing and containing everything from strategic limb work to shooty brawling to huge bumps. Ingenious transitions and creative spots. Really interesting character dynamics as well.” - Microstatistics “n my memory this match was simply about Foley’s bumps. And they were a huge part of the match that made it great. But when Foley ended up in the hangman and applied the mandible claw this pole-vaulted into the epic territory. Then Shawn worked over the fingers and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. The pace kept getting more intense and the finish came at the right time even if it was a DQ. I think it speaks to the greatness of the match that it overcomes that. Possibly the best match for either guy.” - puropotsy 18. Brock Lesnar vs John Cena (Extreme Rules - WWE - 4/29/2012) Total Points: 1115 # of Ballots: 17 High Vote: [Darren] & puroraisedme - 5 2021 Finish: 15 (-3) “This is without a doubt in my mind the greatest match in WWE history and a Top 5 lock for me. A perfect Ace defending his territory from the invader match. A more concise and effective Kandori/Hokuto. A bloody, violent spectacle unlike anything in modern WWE. It’s ugly an uncooperative in all the best ways. A match that gets more enjoyable and more perfect on every viewing.” - [Darren] “I remember the feeling I had when watching this for the first time and thinking for a second that Brock was going crazy and that the beating was real. I've never had the same feeling with a match since then. Cena's promo at the end of the match only adds greatness to this act. It's awesome how this guy got Chicago to support him during the match and at the end of it.” - Gramsci 17. Nick Bockwinkel vs Curt Hennig (AWA - 11/21/1986) Total Points: 1181 # of Ballots: 16 High Vote: Tetsujin - 2 2021 Finish: 11 (-6) “Fastest hour in wrestling.This match encapsulates the old school world title match.” - madwizzzard “Anytime I think this match cannot be as perfect as I remember, I watch it again, and each and every single time I confirm I was right.” - Tetsujin “There's no way that my ADD-riddled brain should have been able to handle this 60-minute draw. This was a lengthy match with even lengthier holds and they managed to keep my attention the whole time. They never stop working when they are in a hold, and the exchanges outside of the holds are exciting and quick. All their fundamentals were rock-solid and this match reminded me a lot of Flair vs Steamboat. This was a simple story of experience versus youth. Bockwinkel attacks Hennig at the start of the match when he has his back turned, but that's not enough to stop Hennig from fighting back. Bock incorporates a lot of subtle heel tactics into his arsenal, and this keeps the fans backing Hennig. Just when I thought that they were about to run out of steam at the 50-minute mark, Hennig takes a rough fall to the outside and is cut open badly. This soon breaks down into a fight, with both guys bleed buckets as they strike the hell out of each other as the time limit ticks away. You aren't going to find a better sixty-minute broadway than this.” - Cactus 16. Eddy Guerrero vs Rey Misterio Jr (Title vs Mask - WCW - 10/26/1997) Total Points: 1200 # of Ballots: 21 High Vote: Mattsdmf - 9 2021 Finish: 31 (+15) “i love this match so much. This is a match I am just dumbfounded by. Both of these guys play their parts perfectly and the match is executed like almost no other. This is all time heel work from Eddie. Everything here just feels special.” - Cap “still fucking amazing and both guys are incredible in it.” - KB8 15. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue (Champion's Carnival Final - AJPW - 4/15/1995) Total Points: 1223 # of Ballots: 19 High Vote: Tetsujin - 4 2021 Finish: 12 (-3) “It's so nice to see Taue finally get a chance to shine in singles action. When his unique offense isn't keeping Misawa down, he goes for the eyes to keep control. Taue was never presented as Misawa's equal, but on this night he makes you think that he might actually have the chance to topple the ace, chokeslamming him to the floor and using his new Dynamic Bomb finisher to attempt to get the win. There are parts of this that actually felt like a sprint and the 27 minute match time felt more like 15. This is an underrated gem for AJPW! I've always thought Taue as the weakest of the Four Pillars, but he's fantastic here and this reminded me that I need to check out more of his singles work.” - Cactus “Still the best 90s AJPW match ever to me.” - Tetsujin 14. Jumbo Tsuruta vs Genichiro Tenryu (AJPW - 6/5/1989) Total Points: 1224 # of Ballots: 18 High Vote: KB8 - 2 2021 Finish: 10 (-4) “Classic match and classic title change. I love the Thesz Press into a Hot Shot. The pace built throughout with a sensibly intense exchange of near-falls toward the end. I used to think this was the greatest match of all time and it is still high on my list.” - puropotsy 13. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada (AJPW - 6/3/1994) Total Points: 1260 # of Ballots: 18 High Vote: Control21 - 1 2021 Finish: 5 (-8) “This is the match that made me fall in love with Puroresu all the way back in the early 2000s when I first saw it somewhere. I can’t remember where exactly, but this still holds up extremely well for me. Just a perfectly crafted match in my view, one built on emotion, drama, and physicality. A “total war” in a wrestling match. “ - Control21 12. Akira Hokuto and Shinobu Kandori vs Aja Kong and Bull Nakano (AJW - 3/27/1994) Total Points: 1267 # of Ballots: 17 High Vote: Kadaveri - 1 2021 Finish: 28 (+16) “Just a perfectly orchestrated tag match. The level of difficulty here is through the fucking roof and they knock it out of the park, providing compelling dynamics between every single competitor that somehow work in concern to tell a cohesive and complete story.” - Cap “I love how Hokuto and Kandori don't add too much drama in their transition from hating and ignoring each other to cooperating to win the match. Hokuto is the MVP of the match, his performance is the glue that holds all the parts together and keeps the match from falling apart in some sequences. “ - Gramsci “I thought it was one of the greatest matches ever the first time I saw it without much knowledge of 90s Joshi, and numerous times now I've watched an earlier match including these four which this match calls back to making it even better than I first thought. Like most recently there's the spot where Bull Nakano attempts to break Kandori's submission with a legdrop but Kandori dodges it. Cool spot. Then I watched the 11/09/93 Nakano/Inoue vs. Kandori/Hozumi tag where Nakano successfully breaks up Kandori's submission with that same leg drop. Learned psychology! As for the length, I strongly feel this is a match which NEEDS to be long otherwise it wouldn't work. The central narrative of the match is Hokuto and Kandori gradually turning from sworn enemies into partners working together. The match needs to be of this length to sell that story believably.” - Kadaveri “One of the greatest matches in wrestling history.” - mrjmml 11. Katsuyori Shibata vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW - 4/9/2017) Total Points: 1280 # of Ballots: 15 High Vote: dkuchler31096 - 1 2021 Finish: 18 (+7) “This match is everything I love about pro wrestling. There was an intensity about this that is rarely met in a pro wrestling ring.” - dkuchler31096 “The once-disgraced shooter takes on the golden boy in an effort to finally complete his redemption. I was worried this wouldn't hold up as a lot of the NJPW main events struggle to stay engaging on rewatches as you are just waiting for them to get to the good stuff. Shibata is clearly fucking with Okada as he dominates him during the opening matwork and this keeps the first 15 minutes engaging and is essential to the story they are telling. The finishing stretch is more typical for your usual Okada IWGP bout, but with added legitimacy as some of the strikes are mortifyingly stiff. This is a match you can show someone who scoffs at wrestling for being fake and they would walk away with some newfound respect for this crazy art form we all love. I'm struggling to think of a better 2010's NJPW match and I can comfortably say this is both guys' best match.” - Cactus “I do think Okada was tremendous here, but Shibata absolutely stole the show with his offence, his intensity, his selling, and several of those subtleties that make Shibata stand out as a wrestler.” - Kas “I’ve found that some of my favorite matches of all time reflect what I call a “total war” taking place in a wrestling ring. This is no different. Both of these men left it all in the ring. It wasn’t the highest profile rivalry you would find, but Shibata and Okada both have their visions of what wrestling should look like, and these visions clashed along with both of their egos. The result was basically the end of Shibata’s career, but this was both brutal and emotionally thrilling. I can still hear that headbutt to this very day.” - Control21 10. Atlantis vs Villano III (Mask vs Mask - CMLL - 3/17/2000) Total Points: 1307 # of Ballots: 17 High Vote: Club - 1 2021 Finish: 26 (+16) “In terms of drama, in terms of beauty, in terms of high-stakes, I don't think this is surpassed.” - club “There are few types of wrestlers I have more faith in than old luchadors to put on an entertaining match. Look, the stakes don’t get any higher than this and you don’t even really have to understand the importance of the mask to come away with that. They make you believe it in through the physical storytelling of the match. Two old dudes putting it all out there for one memorable match.” - Cap “What's so great here is that this is all about winning. The mask is so important any chance to pin the other or make them submit is taken. Each get huge reactions, especially when Atlantis is close to losing. Atlantis goes for his torture rack and the crowd and announcers lose their shit. Such a reaction, but Villano counters out of it. What a moment. We then get close ups of their bloody masks and faces and fuck this match is the best! We move into Atlantis getting the win and it's the best reaction to a finish by any crowd in history.” - Grimmas 9. Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW - 7/29/1993) Total Points: 1318 # of Ballots: 19 High Vote: silverwidow & Puropotsy - 5 2021 Finish: 6 (-3) “One of the most physical matches of all time, especially for a non-gimmick match. My second viewing and it is one of my favorite matches. Kobashi comes off as the guy about to be the best taking on the guy who is. The chops and slaps were incredible and the moves on the floor were badass as well. Kobashi seemed about ready to take it and Hansen had to pull out the big lariat and it was all over. A match to be studied.” - puropotsy “Kobashi is almost crying in this match trying not to get beat by the monster and Hansen is like Godzilla and treats Kobashi like he's some small building he's stomping.” - Grimmas “These are two of my top five favorite wrestlers ever at their absolute best. Beyond that though. This has a big fight feel. It is so hard hitting, so intense, and has such urgency. The ending of this is lights out great. It is the type of match that makes me mark out once or twice out loud, no matter how many times I have watched it.” - Cap 8. Bret Hart vs Owen Hart (WWF - 3/20/1994) Total Points: 1346 # of Ballots: 19 High Vote: Mattsdmf - 4 2021 Finish: 22 (+14) “This was such a great job by both guys in probably the greatest brother vs brother match there’s been. I remember watching an A&E Biography on Owen after he passed and Martha was talking about how much he loved when he got to work as a heel because of the facial expressions and I think of that constantly when watching him work that match.” - puropotsy “The best opener in WWE pay-per-view history. The best sibling rivalry feud ever and the match is just about perfect. Maybe if you don’t have a sibling you may not get the story as well, but regardless it rules. The whole layout to make Owen a star with the perfect and shocking finish. Great ***** wrestling.” - Grimmas 7. Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas (AJPW - 5/25/1992) Total Points: 1349 # of Ballots: 18 High Vote: conker - 3 2021 Finish: 7 (No Change) “The best southern-style tag ever worked in front of the maybe the best crowd ever.” - Microstatistics 6. Sangre Chicana vs MS-1 (Hair vs Hair - EMLL - 9/23/1983) Total Points: 1393 # of Ballots: 19 High Vote: Cap - 2 2021 Finish: 21 (+15) “This feels more like a gritty fight scene in a movie than a wrestling match. Chicana at his very best might be the greatest wrestler ever. Chicana’s performance selling in this match is the single greatest selling I’ve ever seen in a match and his transition to offense is the single greatest and most exciting transition I’ve ever seen.” - Elliott “I. It is, to me, the perfect lucha brawl… blood, grit, emotion, violence.This is a master class in getting the most out of every movement, punch, submission. Nothing is wasted, nothing lacks emotional weight. You don’t need to do all that much when you do it this well. This is perfect wrestling.” - Cap “Chicana's selling is extraordinary. MS-1's heel-work is perfect. They milk absolutely everything from an insanely hot crowd.” - KAS 5. Stan Hansen vs Andre the Giant (NJPW - 9/23/1981) Total Points: 1472 # of Ballots: 24 High Vote: mvz & el_wreino - 5 2021 Finish: 8 (+3) “Easily the best Andre match ever and an all-time great brawl. Hansen was someone who was willing to let Andre let loose and he did the same. The mid-match break for the supposed double count-out really helped them crank it up a notch in intensity. There is nothing I would change about this.” - puropotsy “A master class at working the crowd and working with what you have in front of you from both men.” - Cap “The greatest King Kong vs Godzilla match ever. This is a match that really transcends wrestling and is compelling as a pure spectacle. Andre is great beyond words as the evil monster. Andre is so great as a heel in this that STAN HANSEN is a freaking underdog babyface. Everyone’s seen it by now, but watch it again. It is perfect.” - Elliott 4. Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW - 1/20/1997) Total Points: 1811 # of Ballots: 21 High Vote: Puropotsy - 1 2021 Finish: 3 (-1) “This was the first time I’d watched 1/20/97 and I am blown away and will now call it the best match I’ve ever seen (so far). I was thinking that nothing could match Kobashi working Misawa’s arm until Misawa started working his arm. Throughout the rest of the match they both sell their arms and also throw caution to the wind and credibly use them to throw offense that would be possible but very painful. It hit all-time level for me when Misawa did the rana to the floor and Kobashi sold it as impactful rather than just pretty. The finishing stretch held up with the Tiger Suplexes and the Tiger Driver and Misawa having to ram him with his injured elbow for the win.” - puropotsy “The level of complexity in this match is just mind blowing. Kobashi gives absolutely the GOAT performance here.” - Microstatistics “The way they built up to their big moves was magical. Kobashi kicking out of the Tiger Driver '91 shocked me as much as it shocked the two suits in the front row. The Misawa elbow finish could of easily fell flat, but these two made it work. This was a phenomenal face vs face match that did not hold back on the workrate.” - Cactus 3. Akira Hokuto vs Shinobu Kandori (AJW - 4/2/1993) Total Points: 2072 # of Ballots: 23 High Vote: madwizzzard, mrjmml, silverwidow, mvz, Gramsci, Grimmas & Cap - 1 2021 Finish: 4 (+1) “Wrestling doesn’t get much better than this.” - [Darren] “The ultimate battle of attrition in wrestling history with the initial arm injury setup putting it over the top for me. It was a genius decision that really enhanced the drama as Kandori was simply able to apply/grab an arm hold out of nowhere at various points in the match and the crowd completely bought a submission finish.” -Microstatistics “Kandori provides a mountainous obstacle like no one else could. I don’t think Aja or Bull or Dump or anyone could provide the particular type of malice and danger that Kandori does here.” - Cap “Hokuto's performance in this match is by far the greatest maximalist performance in history. Her acting, selling, charisma and aura on display in this match are second to no one in history. But then she throws the fucking kitchen sink at Kandori here trying anything she can think of to stop the terminator. Hokuto shows one of the most diverse and quite frankly bad ass offensive moves you can find in a match noted for her selling, blade job and the beating she takes. She gives you everything you could possibly want from a wrestler.” - Elliott “Man, this is an absolute classic. I'm just absolutely blown away.” - puroraisedme “The greatest match ever.” - Grimmas 2. Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (Submission Match - WWF - 3/23/1997) Total Points: 2119 # of Ballots: 24 High Vote: Mattsdmf - 1 2021 Finish: 2 (No Change) “My pick for the greatest match ever. It has drama, blood, brawling, a hot crowd and the greatest double turn in wrestling history. For a brief amount of time, this feud also helped spark the biggest success in all of wrestling.” = mattsdmf “One of the most important matches of all time and one of the best ones. I remember the write-up on it in Bret’s book showing just how well he understood psychology. Austin was on fire in this match and it is an all-time great example of someone getting over when losing.” - puropotsy “The work itself was great. The heat, the way they built to the big moments, the paybacks and everything else.You could get all poetic and pretentious about symbolism and the story and the way they told it, and to be honest it's one of those matches that warrants it. Bret is sick to death of Austin and needs to be rid of him. Austin is a madman obsessed with making Bret's life a misery. You could say it was a matter of respect but I'm not sure it was, at least not for Austin. I don't think Austin respected anything and I don't think he cared about being respected, not by Bret, not by anyone. He wanted to win because Bret said he couldn't. Even bleeding buckets, locked in a hold nobody escaped from, that obdurance kept him going until he physically couldn't. In the end maybe never earned Bret's respect, but he earned the people's whether he wanted it or not.” - KB8 “The best match in the history of WWE, it escalates quickly and the ending is epic.” - mrjmml 1. Holy Demon Army vs Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW - 6/9/1995) Total Points: 2152 # of Ballots: 24 High Vote: Microstatistics, Cactus, andylfc, Lemming & NintendoLogic - 1 2021 Finish: 1 (No Change) “I watched this again a couple of days ago for the first time in a few years. I don't rewatch it often because I always fear it might not live up to my memory of it. The magic might have worn off. Yeah, it's still the GOAT.” - Lemming “This is tense, gripping and ripe with great storytelling. This is the greatest pro-wrestling match ever, in my opinion.” - Cactus "Quite simply the perfect tag team match. Just perfectly crafted from start to finish. Very few get better than this.” - Control21 “It’s a masterpiece, we all know it, the pace is unreal, the near falls are nail biting and there’s a lot of gnarly bumps that shall never be replicated for the sake of wrestlers’ safety in the ring. How these four men are related to each other is what makes this match stand out above the rest beyond the bumps and the disregard for human life, it’s so emotional watching 5 and a half years of wrestling one another in singles and tag team competition culminating in around 45 minutes, reminds me of Tehching Hsieh’s Time piece where he showed every hour of his life for a year in 10 minutes. This is what peak performance means in wrestling, two different teams or wrestlers with a history together battling and putting their lives for glory only being powered by fighting spirit that motivates them to push forward and always get up, for me is what this art form is all about and very few matches had been able to represent this as well as 6/9/95 did.” - mrjmml “The work on Kobashi’s leg was stellar. His protection of Misawa toward the end was emotional. And Kawada getting that pin on Misawa for the tag titles was so satisfying. Taue did so much as well, including chokeslamming Misawa onto Kobashi’s leg.” - puropotsy “Still #1. Taue chokeslamming Misawa onto Kobashi's injured leg is the greatest moment in the history of this great sport.” - NintendoLogic “Everything comes together and all the pieces fit together so perfectly. It is all earned and the homestretch comes off as unparalleled in terms of meaningfulness and weight. It is just top shelf wrestling between four men who have unbelievable chemistry.” - Cap “The greatest story ever told in a pro wrestling ring.” - Tetsujin “#1” - Microstatistics 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Magnum TA vs. Tully Blanchard I Quit Steel Cage match from Starrcade 85 is everything wrestling should aspire to. It's my favorite match. Second is the first Lawler/ Dundee Loser Leaves Town match from their 80's trilogy. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eivion Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Hokuto/Kandori I, HDA vs. Misawa/Kobashi 95, & Rock/Austin WM 17 have been my top 3 for a decade or two now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zendragon Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 For me it’s the Bret Austin series and the Flair Steamboat series when I think of best ever. Also reading Dynamite & Davey made me remember how much I love those Bret Davey matches( I kinda feel the IYH match has a strong argument for being superior) Perry Saturn / Raven v Benoit / Malenko v Kidman / Rey is probably the best three way match ever other stuff I’d show someone The Hart Brothers v Steiners, Hart Family v itself and The Kliq v itself are all contenders for best WWE tag Sheild v Wyatt’s might be best six man ? I’d show someone the RVD v Lynn series as well yhea they got copied ad nauseam on the Indy’s but truly ground breaking at the time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Nothing will ever top Bull Nakano vs Aja Kong 11/14/90, for me. It’s a match I can watch every few weeks and never get tired of. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nineteen Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 On 7/29/2023 at 10:46 AM, Dolphman 3000 said: Ibushi/Jigsaw/Generico/Nick Jackson 4-way from CHIKARA is probably the best "video game" match where they're going a million miles an hour, but they're all still talented enough to make it look realistic (well except Jigsaw - he's a step behind the rest, but dammit he tries!) I love that match! I don't know, I thought Jigsaw did a fine enough job keeping up but I haven't watched it in a while. Maybe tonight. I know there's probably a huge asterisk on it but I think John Cena vs. The Fiend in the Firefly Fun House gets consideration if your barometer is "did this match accomplish what it set out to." The total deconstruction of Cena's character telling his history with little nods to personal life (Bray's "you can look, but you can't touch) and how he's been perceived by the company vs. how the fans see him and acknowledging that... Cena's really been kind of a bad guy. As far as cinematic matches go, it really did the best with the format and it was the full potential of The Fiend character realized. I rewatched Misawa vs. Kawada 6/3/94 last year and it really is a masterclass. How Kawada finally takes control around the middle section of the match but all the damage Misawa put on him slowly takes it toll. Even knowing the ending, it still hits me the same way each time I watch it. It's like if I had to show a non-wrestling fan ONE match, this would most likely be it. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted July 31, 2023 Author Share Posted July 31, 2023 (edited) On 7/29/2023 at 6:39 PM, Octopus said: Hmmmmm. A few elements I enjoy in wrestling that I feel make a good match: I love watching struggle and feeling like each move and moment is earned and the strikes are hard (Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo - 1985). I also enjoy matches rich with references to previous moments and call backs (The Young Bucks vs Kenny Omega & Hangman Adam Page) where the story is progressed by the match and not just segments surrounding the match. I also love drama and spectacle of a large and/ or ridiculous moment (Terry Funk vs Atsushi Onita or Mankind vs Undertaker). It doesn’t even need be a large spot, but could even be that iconic moment you mentally picture when you think of the match (Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin). I feel a match that combines those three things is Mitsuhara Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue - 1995. Ever since I’ve seen it, I go back and watch that match at least twice a year. Each time I pick up new pieces I appreciate and admire. I love Kobashi climbing over Misawa. I love the King Road style of execution. I love how all the characters play off of each other. 11 hours ago, Eivion said: Hokuto/Kandori I, HDA vs. Misawa/Kobashi 95, & Rock/Austin WM 17 have been my top 3 for a decade or two now. Kenta Kobashi/Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada/Akira Taue. AJPW, 9th June 1995, ***** is second only to Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin from WWF WrestleMania 13, ***** for me. Love both to bits. Edited July 31, 2023 by The Natural 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted July 31, 2023 Author Share Posted July 31, 2023 Thank you to all contributions. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphman 3000 Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 1 hour ago, Nineteen said: I love that match! I don't know, I thought Jigsaw did a fine enough job keeping up but I haven't watched it in a while. Maybe tonight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nineteen Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 11 minutes ago, Dolphman 3000 said: If we're talking great CHIKARA matches where Jigsaw keeps up with 3 more established guys, there's also this. Maaaaybe the best CHIKARA match ever? (Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw vs. Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli). https://youtu.be/A1QzDuhGLbE 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodyChamp Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 (edited) Ric Flair vs Ted Dibiase TV 1985 I haven’t seen so many of these still ugh. The thought Dman had about Bret vs Owen being the most accessible match is true and it’s something important for us to remember in case we have have a friend who…you know lol! I’ll add the above match to that list that’s probably very short. You watch that 1 hour show and get history and heat, all towards a main event match between 2 wrestlers you feel like you know everything about by bell time, let alone what you know about the match they’re about to have. I also think RVD vs Jerry Lynn belongs on the ballot, the 2 I’ve seen anyway. Those matches were that good. The badass HH 99 knucklebuster and the HH 2000 match that was more of a chain wrestling match are the ones I’ve seen. What is the Raven, Saturn and Benoit match? Are you talking about 1 of the 2 very good tag team matches from 1999? I’ll have to think about an original pick of my own for my own reason. Edited August 1, 2023 by BloodyChamp 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zendragon Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shartnado Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 (edited) I have probably seen my "Best Match Ever" and I have a feeling it is most likely a tag team match, but closer than that, I don't think I can narrow it beyond that. But I'll say this: 10 more minutes and a clean ending (either way) and it would probably be The Steiners vs Bret & Owen Hart from late '93. As it stands, I know that's not it, though. Edited August 1, 2023 by Shartnado Grammar 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lounging Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 (edited) The best pro wrestling match ever was Kevin Sullivan / Buzz Sawyer vs. Zan Panzer / Robbie Idol Jobbers suffer ginormously brutal Texas dog whoopin'? Check. Jim Ross and Jim Cornette are en fuego at the commentary booth? Check. Unexpected outcome of jobbers winning by DQ after a hellacious squash as the ref actually enforces the rules? Check. Kevin Sullivan delivers one of the most psychotic promos ever? Check. Edited August 1, 2023 by J.T. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodyChamp Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 The Harts vs The Steiners is so great. There’s another Steiners match just like it that people put at 5 stars so… And it doesn’t have Gorilla Monsoon’s GOAT comedy relief line at the end. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 Don't think I've ever seen the full squash up there! Now, what was the censored dialogue again? I know somebody's posted it here before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said: Don't think I've ever seen the full squash up there! Now, what was the censored dialogue again? I know somebody's posted it here before. "She stopped, squatted, and dropped the dog. Then she bit the cord. She bit the cord and left the dog to die." Edited August 1, 2023 by J.T. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shartnado Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 38 minutes ago, BloodyChamp said: The Harts vs The Steiners is so great. There’s another Steiners match just like it that people put at 5 stars so… And it doesn’t have Gorilla Monsoon’s GOAT comedy relief line at the end. You need to help me out on the Gorilla line, but I'm pretty sure I can recall if it was there or not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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