Ongoing 2022 Matches Of The Year

 #12. Jon Moxley vs Biff Busick, GCW Bloodsport 8 31/3

Pretty much what you want from this. Those elbows looked nasty, and they stuck to the heirarchy well with Mox being all over Biff, but with enough battle that it was competitive. Some of Biff's chops are thunderous. This is 2022, year of the epic bladejob (about 90% of the matches on this list will be bloody by the look of it), and Biff leaked like a faucet again. His whole dome was slick with blood by the end. Obviously loads of fire and heat and that knee finish was a finish.

#2. The Briscoes vs FTR, ROH Supercard Of Honor

On first watch I thought this was as good as the famed Briscoes vs MCMG match from 15 years ago. They successfully had a long, epic, workrate heavy tag match in 2022 that didn't feel too cutesy or overboard despite it's length and ambition, which is a real achievement. That they spent the vast majority of the match throwing hands and working exciting strike exchanges made that possible. Very physical, hard-hitting match with a lot of beef, but also thought they paced it really well, letting the small moments breathe, and it had more structure than most matches of this length these days. FTR are unabashed '80s heel fanboys, and they have plenty of dubious tactics to gain the advantage, and once again the colour red added a lot to the middle of the match. Dax had some great hard punches right to Jay's open wound, and Mark is an awesome hot tag guy with energy to spare. All the big spots down the stretch felt organic and unpredictable, and the bombs dropped on the outside (especially that suplex) were nuts. Of course Dax vs Jay was the centre of the match, but both Mark and Cash are great in secondary roles, and Mark's surprise corkscrew senton to the floor was a genuine holy shit moment. Great match that is a big notch on both team's legacies. That the Briscoes are in their 3rd decade as a team and still having matches at this level really begs the question if they are the best of all time, and if this was their swansong in ROH then they couldn't have asked for a better exit.

#6. Ilja Dragunov vs Roderick Strong, NXT UK 7/4

NXT UK is such a blindspot these days I have to wonder how many are even watching it, which is a shame because Ilja's title run has been good so far. He has really developed into a near total package, and against a reliable guy like Roddy they delivered a banger. Both guys absolutely lace each other with chops, and I am a fan of Ilja busting out his swank judo throws. This was a match with not just stiffness, but some smarts too as they both target a body part on the other, with Roddy working Ilja's shoulder and Dragonov going for Roddy's knee. I was really surprised with how good of a job Dragunov did, he has always been a guy who is best when working from below, but he made a massive effort to sell the damage he was taking even he was on the offence. The Torpedo to the knee could have looked dumb but made sense with his strategy and I thought his work on the leg was great. I am always a fan of the stretch muffler in particular. Roddy was there and had a good showing, busting out his usual bombs, but this was Dragunov's match and he reminded us all we should still be keeping an eye on this brand for now.

#7. Jon Moxley vs Wheeler Yuta, Rampage 8/4

This was not a match without it's flaws, but they still pulled it off and achieved a star making showing for Wheeler. That table spot was goofy and the last finisher kicked out was excessive, but otherwise was a great payoff and a testament to pro wrestling story-telling done right. Wheeler has progressed from comedy unit geek who got crushed in a minute, to getting more and more in as he has progressed, to taking Moxley to deep waters and earning his respect. For his part, Yuta had the type of performance needed, bringing it to Mox from the bell with a great tope and brawling with him around the floor. Just like the Biff match, the blood and the hierarchy were key to making Yuta strong in defeat, and I did really love him paying Moxley back with both the Danielson stomps and the biting and back raking. To me, that did more than the blood in showing Yuta was operating at a different level, though the visual of him covered in blood screaming for Mox to tap while in the choke was also fantastic. Whether Wheeler is That Guy remains to be seen, but they have set the stage for him now.

Ongoing 2022 Matches Of The Year List

Akira Nogami, a career in 3 parts (cont.)

 AKIRA vs Yoshihashi, BOSJ 30/5/10

Yoshihashi is a guy who’s gained something of a following as his rise up the card coincided with New Japan’s expansion to Western audiences, but personally I’ve always seen him as mediocre. Here he is a black trunks rookie getting carried by our wiley veteran. One thing I have learned rewatching these matches is that AKIRA hates kneecaps. He must destroy them. Yoshihashi has some young lion gusto but AKIRA completely schools him on the ground, stretching him out and tying him in submissions. However he does survive long enough to find an opening and pay AKIRA back in kind with some leg attacks of his own with a sense of urgency. Yoshihashi winning was definitely an upset and a nice rub for the kid, and the finishing rub-crunching swanton would have made Jeff Hardy proud. Has Grown Man Yoshihashi had a singles match as good as this?

Yuki Ishikawa vs AKIRA, Kana Pro 17/6/12

Really interesting clash of hybrid styles. Both guys are obviously very technically skilled but there’s a difference between BatttlARTS and New Japan. This starts very much an Ishikawa match and slowly becomes more of an AKIRA match as it progresses, but it’s all quality. A lot of the way through is entirely on the ground, and there’s plenty of struggle for holds and counters. When AKIRA goes up to the top for a spot, Ishikawa cool-y rolls out the way and taunts him, only to get a dropkick to the face for his trouble. Great finishing sequences as AKIRA hits the belly flop splash but can’t finish due to the pain in his arm, Ishikawa ever the master of snatching a guy in hold tries to capitalise only for AKIRA to catch a counter-attack. This was just as much as that pairing looks on paper.

TAJIRI vs AKIRA, WNC 27/12/12

TAJIRI is another guy who had a late career resurgence in his veteran years by relying on grappling and ring smarts, so these two are a great fit together. There’s plenty of solid grappling and struggle, but it’s actually who takes charge of most of the match. He focuses on AKIRA’s arm and picks it apart with a bunch of interesting and varied attacks. The smart arm-work and TAJIRI’s kicks make for a great prolonged heat section, and AKIRA’s selling is top tier. He has to rely on enziguris and headbutts and ends up busting himself open in the process, which just further puts over the struggle and grit of the match. He has to get fired up deep in the match and switch his strategy up. Both guys were still agile and doing high spots, but considering they were in their 40s and not working at the pace of juniors in their prime, this is a great example of 2 vets having a really compelling match using their wrestling IQ and cleverness rather than their athleticism. TAJIRI was on a roll with his WNC promotion at this time and this match is a notch in both men’s belts.

Akira Nogami, a career in 3 parts (cont.)

 

AKIRA vs Kanemoto, 20/2/00

This one rocked. They go at it from the bell, and Kanemoto opens things up blasting AKIRA with a bunch of full pelt kicks and ripping off his jacket and mask. AKIRA must have really loved that jacket because he had a fire lit under him from the off, and these guys were trying to tear each other’s heads off. Scrappy match with both guys getting as many shots in as they can. I always dig Kanemoto putting the boots in while working the ankle lock, and I have to say I enjoy the way AKIRA does his to rope splash in all these matches. He isn’t a big guy but he looks like a kid belly flopping into the pool, just full weight on a guy. Towards the end AKIRA rips off Kanemoto’s knee pad and tries to dislocate his kneecap with a bunch of stomps, really spiteful shit. Kanemoto could have sold the damage better for his brief come back but fuck it he didn’t win, and this was only 10 minutes so it was go-go from the start. I have no idea who started this beef but fuck me did they both try and end it.

Tanaka vs AKIRA, 10/12/00

This version available is JIP after the first 3^rd so we don’t get the full match, but what we do get is awesome. AKIRA’s first Jr title shot in years and he is super motivated. We open up with a great tope into the crown and when in the ring he takes off all his wrist tape and other shit before going to town on Tanaka, like a mobster taking off all his jewellery before working a guy over. Already the 2^nd match in the post I’m revisiting there are clear themes running through these matches – a mix of aggression, targeted leg attacks, and clever technical spots. All things AKIRA brings to the party and Tanaka can hang with them all too. Finals minutes get very hot and I really dug the final scramble with both guys trying to catch the other in an arm or leg bar. No idea what we missed but as long as it wasn’t a stinker there’s a good chance this is one of the best IWGP Jr title matches of the 2000s.

AKIRA vs Tanaka, BOSJ 28/5/01

This was more of the same goodness, albeit not as big and dramatic as it’s a mid-tourney match rather than for a belt. This was much more deliberately paced, with AKIRA being happy to slow things down and stretch Tanaka out for a lot of the way. These two just meshed very well stylistically and we get some nice work on the mat with it feel like a game of chess. AKIRA going for a big dive to the floor only for Tanaka to snatch him into an armbar mid-flight was a pretty cool spot, and once again they finish with each other trying to grab tricky submissions on each other. I haven’t watched a New Japan Jrs match in quite some time, as a division it could really do with an AKIRA-like veteran for a new generation.

Kanemoto vs AKIRA, 23/3/03

Kanemoto for his part doesn't do much you wouldn't see him do anything you wouldn't see in any other Kanemoto match. But the story is AKIRA being all fired up for a big title match and putting on a strong Big Match effort to make this feel important. The first half is all good if nothing special, but the second half sees both guys target each other's legs and that's when we start getting some very cool stuff. They get some good drama out of an STF, and I love how when in the Ankle Lock AKIRA is basically climbing over the ref in desperation. AKIRA later escaping another Ankle Lock by pulling Kanemoto's pad down and BITING HIS KNEE is tremendous. Kanemoto goes for a moonsault, AKIRA gets his legs up and both guys take the damage. AKIRA slamming Kanemoto's knee into the mat repeatedly while in an Ankle Lock is also very cool and something I cannot believe I've never seen anyone else do. Finish has Kanemoto busting out some swank wishbone submission. Good shit, definitely Nogami’s career match!

Akira Nogami, a career in 3 parts

 

Akira Nogami (aka just AKIRA) is a guy with a bit of a strange career. He debuted for New Japan in the mid-'80s and floated in and out of prominence for the better part of 20 years, having odd spells of pushes and popularity before drifting into the background due to injuries or other reasons. He was a small heavyweight and a big junior, but only ever held the IWGP belt once in his career and seemed to have an obvious ceiling. He spent the majority of the '90s solidly in the shadows of giants like Liger, Ohtani and even Ultimo and Samurai. A technically gifted worker on the mat, with personality and ring-smarts, by the time the 2000s rolled around he was a respected veteran who saw a resurgence in popularity. It is unusual for someone to hit their peak 17 years into their career, but AKIRA was that guy. Here I will revisit some matches from 3 different periods of his career – the early '90s, his resurgence in the early '00s, and his later freelance years in the '10s.


Fujinami/Nogami vs Ishikawa/Kitahara, 14/12/92

Nice under the radar match that happened on the mid card of the show that also had the infamous Muta Scale match. The New Japan vs WAR feud was so, so great. I mean Nogani’s showing here a classic example of a guy who is technically proficient but (at the time) toothless, getting elevated by the inter-promotional hatred. He’s the lowest ranked guy and gets worked over during a FIP section, but everyone here is good. Ishikawa in particular is a heat machine, dude get booed every time he tags in. The WAR guys work well as a unit and are a constantly running interference to keep the NJ team on the back-foot. Lots of bad feelings and the final minutes get really hot as everything breaks down – Nogami is back in after getting worked over, Fujinami is a badass, and Ishikawa has the NERVE to use the Dragon Sleeper. The outcome was never really in doubt but this feud is always worth a revisit.

Hashimoto/Mutoh/Nogami vs Tenryu/Ishikawa/Hara, 5/2/93

God damn is Hashimoto vs Tenryu one of the all-time great wrestling feuds, even the pre-match showdown here between them is epic. Mutoh didn’t really dip his toe much into this war with WAR, and the crowd are clearly pumped for his involvement and he is super over and fired up. He is a not a guy you think of for throwing hands or hate-filled battles, but he brings enough energy and personality that he adds to the match. There is one section where all the New Japan guys gang up on Tenryu and it is glorious after how much of a shit weasel he was at the start. This is a thread to talk about Nogami, and even though he is clearly the loss post again he is still really fired up and brings it. Tenryu vs lower ranked guys is a constant, and Nogami had some fire in his belly. There is this great moment towards the end as Tenryu powerbombs Nogami and cockily covers him with one foot, only for Hashimoto to blast him in the chops with a roundhouse kick. Final minutes were a bit one sided, I guess there were only so many times Hash and Mutoh could prolong the inevitable, but it’s not long after the bell that Tenryu and Hash are going at it again. Is Hashmoto the most badass wrestler ever? I am pretty sure he is the most badass wrestler ever. Oh yeah this is a thread about someone else.