Matt's Mat Musings: My 100 Favourite Wrestling Matches, Part 9
We're into the Top 20 now and we have not one, but two Lucha Underground appearances. Only one more to go after this...
20) Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuiness
ROH Driven 2007
Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuiness were perfect opponents for each other. Both men favoured highly technical ringstyles with strong European influence and an emphasis on strikes with Danielson's slight skill advantage balanced out by McGuiness size advantage. Yet despite how hard they worked, they were never quite portrayed as equals. Danielson was the "once in a generation" genius with McGuiness trapped in his shadow, the Mozart to Nigel's Salieri, and each bout between the two built upon this relationship. But they were never closer to being considered equals than in this No 1 Contender's match. Danielson was rebuilding himself after losing the ROH World Title to Homicide and taking time away from the ring due to injury. McGuiness meanwhile had spent that time going from strength to strength, and firmly established himself as one of the top stars of the company. Other matches between the two would provide more drama and consequence, but from an in-ring standpoint, they were rarely better together than this.
Full Match: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av13970684/
19) The Dudley Boyz vs The Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian (TLC Match)
WWF WrestleMania X7 2001
Over the years I've watched this match more than any other on this list, hell I'd probably watched it dozens of times in 2001 alone. A lot of the matches on this list earn their place by the strength of their storytelling or the quality of the ringwork on display, this is not one of those matches. This is pure spectacle. These 3 teams had wrestled in VERY similar matches at both WrestleMania 2000 and SummerSlam 2000, so expectations were relatively low going in. However these 6 competitors, as well as the additional factors of each team's respetive allies (Spike Dudley. Lita and Rhyno) somehow managed to raise the bar again, producing dramatic stunts beyond anything they's done before. This was a real watershed moment for the WWF/WWE as they have had many Ladder matches in the 20 years since, but none have been able to meet the standards set by the second ever TLC match. It's hugely entertaining to this day.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmzaf4
18) Roddy Piper vs Bret Hart
WWF WrestleMania VIII 1992
In 1992, 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper was already a legend in the wrestling industry, and thanks to his acting excursions (such as the absolute classic THEY LIVE) was a bonfide celebrity outside of it. Part of Piper's mystique came from the fact that he simply didn't lose matches cleanly. Prior to this match, Roddy had not been pinned or forced to submit on television in the entirety of his WWF career, any losses he suffered coming through disqualification or count out. It was a strange occurance then, when he one his one and only WWF championship, the Intercontinental title, in January 1992 as the title can only be lost by pinfall or submission. At the same time, Bret Hart was a star on the rise who had lost that same title under dubious conditions to the man Piper defeated to win it. The stage then was set between the legitimate legend Roddy Piper and the rising star Bret Hart. Adding to the anticipation for the match was that both men were good guys and expressed their respect for each other in the build up to the match, yet their were undercurrents of palpable tension. The story that unfolds is one of veteran instincts versus technical ability, with the added drama of which man would resort to dishonorable measures first. Piper's growing frustration at Hart's prowess would up the tension considerably, and when Bret begins to bleed profusely a truly dramatic story unfolds. Piper's willingness to work with Hart and treat him as an equal helped to establish Bret as a main eventer and would be an essential step on his path to winning the WWF Championship later that year. This is the best match of Roddy Piper's career in my opinion, and one of the best of Bret Hart's too.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7iwcil
17) Sami Zayn vs Cesaro
NXT Arrival 2014
Sami Zayn and Cesaro clashed many, many times throughout their careers. Their previous contest created enough hype to draw new eyes to the product (including mine) and seemingly brought a conclusion to that edition of their rivalry. It was somewhat dubious then that when they were matched together again at NXT's first ever "supershow", NXT Arrival, that they would be able to surpass their titanic 'Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls' contest from the previous summer. But somehow, they did. This match doesn't just play out as a greatest hits of their previous contests, it builds upon them to show how much each competitor has grown in the interim. They provide references and callbacks to their previous collisions, and also throw in new moves and developments. If the point of NXT Arrival was to crown NXT as a brand in it's own right, then starting the show with this match was an excellent statement of intent.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2gy7dr
16) Royal Rumble Match
WWF Royal Rumble 1992
I still maintain that the 2020 installment of the Royal Rumble was the best ever from a match standpoint, but it's hard to argue that this is the most iconic. First and foremost, this is undoubtedly the most star-studded Rumble of all time featuring appearances from legitimate legends such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper. Jake Roberts and The Undertaker alongside hugely memorable figures such as Ted Dibease, The British Bulldog, Kerry Von Erich, Haku, The Big Bossman, Jimmy Snuka, Sgt Slaughter, Sid and even a freshly villainous Shawn Michaels. The fact that this was the first Rumble with a definitive prize at stake (the vacant WWF Title) and the dramatic potential was high from the start. However, as talented as all those men might be, the most important players in the success of this match is the all time classic commentary of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan. While Gorilla's classic tandem with Jesse Ventura is my personal favourite commentary team, Gorilla and Bobby's natural chemistry was second to none, and with Heenan firmly in the camp of Ric Flair what unfolded over the hour of this match is pure magic. I'd honestly say this is the first and only match in the history of the business that could work as a radio play, as the commentary these two men provide is a dramatic and comedic masterpiece in it's own right.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2dzjka
15) Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust & The Legion Of Doom vs Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart & Brian Pillman
WWF Canadian Stampede 1997
The feud between Steve Austin and Bret Hart began as a rivalry to decide who the best wrestler in the WWF was, saw both men switch moral alignments, and ended with all out gang warfare. Follow his turn to the dark side at WrestleMania 13, Bret Hart reforged the onscreen connections with his former rivals, and family members, brother Owen Hart and brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith. The trio would work together to assault Steve Austin throughout the summer and would add to their ranks Bret's former tag partner and current brother-in-law Jim Neidhart as well as Steve Austin's former partner turned bitter rival, Brian Pillman (who also trained to wrestle under the Hart family patriarch, Stu Hart). Together these 5 men formed one of the greatest, if short-lived, heel groups of all time and were the backbone of the WWF in 1997. What made them wholly unique though was that due to their explicitly ant-American sentiment, they became hugely popular across the world, particularly in Canada. So, come the Canadian Stampede showdown with Steve Austin's team of edgy anti-heros, the Hart Foundation were treated as conquering heroes. The match itself was a good a 10 man tag as you're ever likely to see but it was the atmosphere provided by the crowd that really elevated proceedings into an all time classic confrontation. Circumstances would deny Bret Hart and Steve Austin a final decisive battle, but this bout remains as good a conclusion as they could possibly have hoped for.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5w6vdp
14) Mil Muertes vs Fenix (Grave Consequences Match)
Lucha Underground (S1E19) 2015
&
13) Mil Muertes vs Matanza Cuerto (Grave Consequences Match)
Lucha Underground (S2E16) 2016
I've decided to write about these two matches in one entry as otherwise there would be a degree of duplication regarding the matches themselves. Also, I don't think anyone could handle me writing two instalments about the sheer lunacy of Lucha Underground in one post. I've previously discussed the promotion's somewhat bizarre approach to pro-wrestling storytelling as being akin to a violent telenovela and these two matches represtent that approach at its best. Let's start by introducing the players. Mil Muertes (literally "thousand deaths") was the resident 'hoss' of the early days of LU, with a considerable size advantage over the rest of the roster and a brutal ring style. Added to this package, was Mil's manager Catrina, who seemed to be able to control the beast using a strange stone. But as the weeks passed, that control took on a darker edge and Catrina began to express a more "supernatural" nature. It would be revealed that as a child, Mil was killed in an earthquake and brought back by to life by Catrina, who herself would be refealed as a semi-immortal ghostly witch. Naturally, a figure so enteined with death that it's part of his name, would take issue with "the man of a 1000 lives" Fenix. Added to the potential of this drama, was Catrina leaving Mil's side to begin a romantic relationship with Fenix. When the two men would finally clash, it would be in a match dubbed "Grave Consequences". The match itself, is a variation of the Undertaker's signature Casket Match, but with a greater degree of physical violence and narrative drama. You see, within the world of Lucha Underground, if you lose "Grave Consequences" you LITERALLY DIE. I'm not exaggerating, characters were written off the show by losing these matches. So the battle between the "man of a thousand deaths" and "the man of a thousand lives" was symbolically, a battle to the death. Yet, as we've already seen, death is not necessarily the end for Mil Muertes, and his defeat and "death" in this match was all part of Catrina's larger plan to make him even stronger. Yes, "dying" makes Mil Muertes stronger and when he returned after a brief absence, it was with a new look and more violently powerful ring style that saw him become Lucha Underground Champion, take over the Temple and build a throne of skulls out of the show's enhancement talent (that wouldn't be returning for the next season). Lucha Underground was metal as fuck is the point I'm making. Mil's dominance would stretch on into season 2, until promoter Dario Cuerto decided he'd had enough and wanted to take his Temple back. Enter: Matanza Cuerto. Throughout season 1, we had seen that Lucha Underground's sinister, manipulative promoter Dario had some kind of monster that he kept in a cage and on occasion "fed" people too. This monster would be revealed to be Dario's younger brother Matanza who. thanks to greed of their father and the machinations of their mother (a witch, of course), had become the host for an Aztec God Of Destruction. I repeat, Aztec God Of Destruction. When Matanza finally debuted in Lucha Underground he went on a path of destruction that ultimately brought him into conflict with Mil Muertes and lead to the two men/monsters squaring off in "Graver Consequences" (their pun not mine) and somehow raising the levels of violence that had unfolded in the original match. Taking a step away from the narrative madness for a second, both of these matches are really solid brawls between talented competitors, but with the added insanity of the storytelling involved and the utter commitment to character of all involved they become truly special. Literally my only complaint is that when the stipulation was inevitably used for a 3rd time, they didn't name it "Gravest Consequences". I love you Lucha Underground, you were too good for this world.
Grave Consequences Full Match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icvizxc3UB0
Graver Consequences Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ugwcb (Skip to 28 mins)
12) The Revival vs DIY (Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls)
NXT Takeover: Toronto 2016
I covered the history of Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa in the previous installment of this list so instead of repeating their epic history, I'll focus a little bit on The Revival. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder are pretty far from the typical WWE superstar mold. Both men stand under 6ft tall and lack the superhuman physiques that one would usually associate with a pro-wrestler. Yet, what they do possess is an uncanny understanding of and passion for "old-school" tag team wrestling. When they first began teaming in 2014 it was with little to no expectation of success, yet by 2017 they had worked themselves into the conversation of being the "best tag team in the world". While whether or not that is the case is up for debate, their excellent ring psychology and storytelling instincts are not. The Revival had already defeated DIY at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II but a non-title loss necessitated a rematch between the two teams at NXT Takeover: Toronto. Both teams entered the match with clearly defined strengths and weaknesses rooted in their establish characters and personalities, and when the bell rings they work overtime to surpass expectations. To say they succeed would be an understatement. This isn't just one of the NXT Matches Of The Year, it is possibly the best tag team match in the history of the WWE and the type of match that all 4 men can be proud of for the rest of their careers. It was the intent of The Revival to revive tag-team wrestling, and while history (and the whims of a septuagenrarian billionaire) would prove them unsuccesful in that aim, this match shows that they gave it their all.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60rh7x
11) Samoa Joe vs Kenta Kobashi
ROH Joe vs Kobashi 2005
Kenta Kobashi first rose to prominence in All Japan Pro-Wrestling as a supporting player in the epic wars between company ace Misuharu Misawa and the legendary Jumbo Tsuruta and earned himself a reputation for in-ring excellence. By 2005, Kobashi had graduated to the main event and surpassed Misawa as the star of the Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion, which is to say, he was a big deal. Meanwhile, Samoa Joe had achieved everything he could on the US independent scene and was in the process of going full time TNA. When ROH arranged for Kobashi to make an incredibly rare appearance outside, Joe was realistically the only suitable opponent for the Japanese legend and such was the hype for the match up, the event simply carried the name 'Joe vs Kobashi'. The reality of the situation was that Kobashi was approaching the end of his full time career and had received multiple operations on both of his knees, drastically limiting what he could do in the ring. Yet, if he wasn't quite the athlete he once was, there were still few in the business who understood how to pace a match better than Kobashi, and he found a worthy opponent in Joe. The match between the two men is solid, but is elevated by a red hot New York crowd who are in a fever almost from the outset. Even if Japanese wrestling isn't your style I still recommend you skip to 23 mins 50 seconds in the link I've attached to witness the most impressively brutal sequence of chops and strikes I've ever seen. A truly monumental match and a wonderful highlight of both men's careers.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7n1q2q
20) Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuiness
ROH Driven 2007
Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuiness were perfect opponents for each other. Both men favoured highly technical ringstyles with strong European influence and an emphasis on strikes with Danielson's slight skill advantage balanced out by McGuiness size advantage. Yet despite how hard they worked, they were never quite portrayed as equals. Danielson was the "once in a generation" genius with McGuiness trapped in his shadow, the Mozart to Nigel's Salieri, and each bout between the two built upon this relationship. But they were never closer to being considered equals than in this No 1 Contender's match. Danielson was rebuilding himself after losing the ROH World Title to Homicide and taking time away from the ring due to injury. McGuiness meanwhile had spent that time going from strength to strength, and firmly established himself as one of the top stars of the company. Other matches between the two would provide more drama and consequence, but from an in-ring standpoint, they were rarely better together than this.
Full Match: https://www.bilibili.com/video/av13970684/
19) The Dudley Boyz vs The Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian (TLC Match)
WWF WrestleMania X7 2001
Over the years I've watched this match more than any other on this list, hell I'd probably watched it dozens of times in 2001 alone. A lot of the matches on this list earn their place by the strength of their storytelling or the quality of the ringwork on display, this is not one of those matches. This is pure spectacle. These 3 teams had wrestled in VERY similar matches at both WrestleMania 2000 and SummerSlam 2000, so expectations were relatively low going in. However these 6 competitors, as well as the additional factors of each team's respetive allies (Spike Dudley. Lita and Rhyno) somehow managed to raise the bar again, producing dramatic stunts beyond anything they's done before. This was a real watershed moment for the WWF/WWE as they have had many Ladder matches in the 20 years since, but none have been able to meet the standards set by the second ever TLC match. It's hugely entertaining to this day.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmzaf4
18) Roddy Piper vs Bret Hart
WWF WrestleMania VIII 1992
In 1992, 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper was already a legend in the wrestling industry, and thanks to his acting excursions (such as the absolute classic THEY LIVE) was a bonfide celebrity outside of it. Part of Piper's mystique came from the fact that he simply didn't lose matches cleanly. Prior to this match, Roddy had not been pinned or forced to submit on television in the entirety of his WWF career, any losses he suffered coming through disqualification or count out. It was a strange occurance then, when he one his one and only WWF championship, the Intercontinental title, in January 1992 as the title can only be lost by pinfall or submission. At the same time, Bret Hart was a star on the rise who had lost that same title under dubious conditions to the man Piper defeated to win it. The stage then was set between the legitimate legend Roddy Piper and the rising star Bret Hart. Adding to the anticipation for the match was that both men were good guys and expressed their respect for each other in the build up to the match, yet their were undercurrents of palpable tension. The story that unfolds is one of veteran instincts versus technical ability, with the added drama of which man would resort to dishonorable measures first. Piper's growing frustration at Hart's prowess would up the tension considerably, and when Bret begins to bleed profusely a truly dramatic story unfolds. Piper's willingness to work with Hart and treat him as an equal helped to establish Bret as a main eventer and would be an essential step on his path to winning the WWF Championship later that year. This is the best match of Roddy Piper's career in my opinion, and one of the best of Bret Hart's too.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7iwcil
17) Sami Zayn vs Cesaro
NXT Arrival 2014
Sami Zayn and Cesaro clashed many, many times throughout their careers. Their previous contest created enough hype to draw new eyes to the product (including mine) and seemingly brought a conclusion to that edition of their rivalry. It was somewhat dubious then that when they were matched together again at NXT's first ever "supershow", NXT Arrival, that they would be able to surpass their titanic 'Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls' contest from the previous summer. But somehow, they did. This match doesn't just play out as a greatest hits of their previous contests, it builds upon them to show how much each competitor has grown in the interim. They provide references and callbacks to their previous collisions, and also throw in new moves and developments. If the point of NXT Arrival was to crown NXT as a brand in it's own right, then starting the show with this match was an excellent statement of intent.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2gy7dr
16) Royal Rumble Match
WWF Royal Rumble 1992
I still maintain that the 2020 installment of the Royal Rumble was the best ever from a match standpoint, but it's hard to argue that this is the most iconic. First and foremost, this is undoubtedly the most star-studded Rumble of all time featuring appearances from legitimate legends such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper. Jake Roberts and The Undertaker alongside hugely memorable figures such as Ted Dibease, The British Bulldog, Kerry Von Erich, Haku, The Big Bossman, Jimmy Snuka, Sgt Slaughter, Sid and even a freshly villainous Shawn Michaels. The fact that this was the first Rumble with a definitive prize at stake (the vacant WWF Title) and the dramatic potential was high from the start. However, as talented as all those men might be, the most important players in the success of this match is the all time classic commentary of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan. While Gorilla's classic tandem with Jesse Ventura is my personal favourite commentary team, Gorilla and Bobby's natural chemistry was second to none, and with Heenan firmly in the camp of Ric Flair what unfolded over the hour of this match is pure magic. I'd honestly say this is the first and only match in the history of the business that could work as a radio play, as the commentary these two men provide is a dramatic and comedic masterpiece in it's own right.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2dzjka
15) Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust & The Legion Of Doom vs Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart & Brian Pillman
WWF Canadian Stampede 1997
The feud between Steve Austin and Bret Hart began as a rivalry to decide who the best wrestler in the WWF was, saw both men switch moral alignments, and ended with all out gang warfare. Follow his turn to the dark side at WrestleMania 13, Bret Hart reforged the onscreen connections with his former rivals, and family members, brother Owen Hart and brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith. The trio would work together to assault Steve Austin throughout the summer and would add to their ranks Bret's former tag partner and current brother-in-law Jim Neidhart as well as Steve Austin's former partner turned bitter rival, Brian Pillman (who also trained to wrestle under the Hart family patriarch, Stu Hart). Together these 5 men formed one of the greatest, if short-lived, heel groups of all time and were the backbone of the WWF in 1997. What made them wholly unique though was that due to their explicitly ant-American sentiment, they became hugely popular across the world, particularly in Canada. So, come the Canadian Stampede showdown with Steve Austin's team of edgy anti-heros, the Hart Foundation were treated as conquering heroes. The match itself was a good a 10 man tag as you're ever likely to see but it was the atmosphere provided by the crowd that really elevated proceedings into an all time classic confrontation. Circumstances would deny Bret Hart and Steve Austin a final decisive battle, but this bout remains as good a conclusion as they could possibly have hoped for.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5w6vdp
14) Mil Muertes vs Fenix (Grave Consequences Match)
Lucha Underground (S1E19) 2015
&
13) Mil Muertes vs Matanza Cuerto (Grave Consequences Match)
Lucha Underground (S2E16) 2016
I've decided to write about these two matches in one entry as otherwise there would be a degree of duplication regarding the matches themselves. Also, I don't think anyone could handle me writing two instalments about the sheer lunacy of Lucha Underground in one post. I've previously discussed the promotion's somewhat bizarre approach to pro-wrestling storytelling as being akin to a violent telenovela and these two matches represtent that approach at its best. Let's start by introducing the players. Mil Muertes (literally "thousand deaths") was the resident 'hoss' of the early days of LU, with a considerable size advantage over the rest of the roster and a brutal ring style. Added to this package, was Mil's manager Catrina, who seemed to be able to control the beast using a strange stone. But as the weeks passed, that control took on a darker edge and Catrina began to express a more "supernatural" nature. It would be revealed that as a child, Mil was killed in an earthquake and brought back by to life by Catrina, who herself would be refealed as a semi-immortal ghostly witch. Naturally, a figure so enteined with death that it's part of his name, would take issue with "the man of a 1000 lives" Fenix. Added to the potential of this drama, was Catrina leaving Mil's side to begin a romantic relationship with Fenix. When the two men would finally clash, it would be in a match dubbed "Grave Consequences". The match itself, is a variation of the Undertaker's signature Casket Match, but with a greater degree of physical violence and narrative drama. You see, within the world of Lucha Underground, if you lose "Grave Consequences" you LITERALLY DIE. I'm not exaggerating, characters were written off the show by losing these matches. So the battle between the "man of a thousand deaths" and "the man of a thousand lives" was symbolically, a battle to the death. Yet, as we've already seen, death is not necessarily the end for Mil Muertes, and his defeat and "death" in this match was all part of Catrina's larger plan to make him even stronger. Yes, "dying" makes Mil Muertes stronger and when he returned after a brief absence, it was with a new look and more violently powerful ring style that saw him become Lucha Underground Champion, take over the Temple and build a throne of skulls out of the show's enhancement talent (that wouldn't be returning for the next season). Lucha Underground was metal as fuck is the point I'm making. Mil's dominance would stretch on into season 2, until promoter Dario Cuerto decided he'd had enough and wanted to take his Temple back. Enter: Matanza Cuerto. Throughout season 1, we had seen that Lucha Underground's sinister, manipulative promoter Dario had some kind of monster that he kept in a cage and on occasion "fed" people too. This monster would be revealed to be Dario's younger brother Matanza who. thanks to greed of their father and the machinations of their mother (a witch, of course), had become the host for an Aztec God Of Destruction. I repeat, Aztec God Of Destruction. When Matanza finally debuted in Lucha Underground he went on a path of destruction that ultimately brought him into conflict with Mil Muertes and lead to the two men/monsters squaring off in "Graver Consequences" (their pun not mine) and somehow raising the levels of violence that had unfolded in the original match. Taking a step away from the narrative madness for a second, both of these matches are really solid brawls between talented competitors, but with the added insanity of the storytelling involved and the utter commitment to character of all involved they become truly special. Literally my only complaint is that when the stipulation was inevitably used for a 3rd time, they didn't name it "Gravest Consequences". I love you Lucha Underground, you were too good for this world.
Grave Consequences Full Match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icvizxc3UB0
Graver Consequences Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ugwcb (Skip to 28 mins)
12) The Revival vs DIY (Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls)
NXT Takeover: Toronto 2016
I covered the history of Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa in the previous installment of this list so instead of repeating their epic history, I'll focus a little bit on The Revival. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder are pretty far from the typical WWE superstar mold. Both men stand under 6ft tall and lack the superhuman physiques that one would usually associate with a pro-wrestler. Yet, what they do possess is an uncanny understanding of and passion for "old-school" tag team wrestling. When they first began teaming in 2014 it was with little to no expectation of success, yet by 2017 they had worked themselves into the conversation of being the "best tag team in the world". While whether or not that is the case is up for debate, their excellent ring psychology and storytelling instincts are not. The Revival had already defeated DIY at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II but a non-title loss necessitated a rematch between the two teams at NXT Takeover: Toronto. Both teams entered the match with clearly defined strengths and weaknesses rooted in their establish characters and personalities, and when the bell rings they work overtime to surpass expectations. To say they succeed would be an understatement. This isn't just one of the NXT Matches Of The Year, it is possibly the best tag team match in the history of the WWE and the type of match that all 4 men can be proud of for the rest of their careers. It was the intent of The Revival to revive tag-team wrestling, and while history (and the whims of a septuagenrarian billionaire) would prove them unsuccesful in that aim, this match shows that they gave it their all.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60rh7x
11) Samoa Joe vs Kenta Kobashi
ROH Joe vs Kobashi 2005
Kenta Kobashi first rose to prominence in All Japan Pro-Wrestling as a supporting player in the epic wars between company ace Misuharu Misawa and the legendary Jumbo Tsuruta and earned himself a reputation for in-ring excellence. By 2005, Kobashi had graduated to the main event and surpassed Misawa as the star of the Pro Wrestling NOAH promotion, which is to say, he was a big deal. Meanwhile, Samoa Joe had achieved everything he could on the US independent scene and was in the process of going full time TNA. When ROH arranged for Kobashi to make an incredibly rare appearance outside, Joe was realistically the only suitable opponent for the Japanese legend and such was the hype for the match up, the event simply carried the name 'Joe vs Kobashi'. The reality of the situation was that Kobashi was approaching the end of his full time career and had received multiple operations on both of his knees, drastically limiting what he could do in the ring. Yet, if he wasn't quite the athlete he once was, there were still few in the business who understood how to pace a match better than Kobashi, and he found a worthy opponent in Joe. The match between the two men is solid, but is elevated by a red hot New York crowd who are in a fever almost from the outset. Even if Japanese wrestling isn't your style I still recommend you skip to 23 mins 50 seconds in the link I've attached to witness the most impressively brutal sequence of chops and strikes I've ever seen. A truly monumental match and a wonderful highlight of both men's careers.
Full Match: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7n1q2q
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