Ongoing Best Of 2022 Matches

 #4. Biff Busick vs Slade, Beyond Wrestling 'Day 91' 4/2

What a bloodbath. Slade looks like he belongs in prison and is akin to a horror movie villain, just constantly absorbing whatever gets thrown at him and piling bodies up. Both these dudes hit hard as fuck, and I liked how Biff worked from beneath for all of this. He was coming back from a long lay-off, against the new hotness, and got absolutely mauled. He bleeds a bunch, gets murdered with chairs and door, and for most of the way Slade looks unstoppable, almost to a comic extent. But when Biff blasts him with a chair out of nowhere and Slade did the gig, this kicked into another gear. I don’t know where Slade cut, but he obviously nicked something he shouldn’t have because he was jet-washing the whole place with plasma. I could have totally bought him passing out from the amount of blood he was spilling. He still dominated Biff, but it showed vulnerability, and Biff believably worked his way back in by trading hands. Finish was disgustingly violent as Biff had to murder this guy with a bunch of straight trash can blows to the dome. A triumphant return for Biff and Slade is a scary, scary man.

#2. CM Punk/Jon Moxley vs FTR, AEW Dynamite 9/2

A few cool threads going on here with the setup, being a rare unscheduled match and a classic two great singles guys vs great tag team match. Punk and Mox felt like an all-star team and clicked really well together. We know FTR can be great at old school cut the ring in half wrestling, we know they can be great at big spot-filled home stretches, but often they have a tendency to focus too much on the latter. This was very well structured with the body of the match all being really meaningful, with Punk getting his leg worked, the exciting brawling off the Mox hot tag, then the longer more focused heat section on him after he got put through the table. All that heat building paid off with a really satisfying final run with some big counters and a couple great false finishes that had real peril to them. The Doomsday Device will always, always rock and all the stuff with the stereo finishers was awesome. The only flub was the Tully spot, but god bless him for trying and wanting to take the GTS. I had a blast.

#5. Hangman Adam Page vs Lance Archer, AEW Dynamite 9/2 [Texas Deathmatch]

Hats off to Page, he is beginning to look like the guy AEW wants him to be. A couple lengthy title epics and now a quality garbage match to his reign. This was a slightly above average plunder brawl, elevated by a few things. Hangman has already accumulated enough scar tissue that he can bleed on command and he wore another top tier crimson mask, looked like someone threw a bucket of red paint on him. Page has always been a good athlete and he throws himself into the big bumps, and that Blackout onto the steps was a Darby-level insanity bump. The stuff with the top rope being removed was a clever twist to lead to the finish, which was also imaginative but looked a little silly. Having your big bloody death-match end with a ref being used as a pummel horse is a choice move.

Bobby Lashley Top 5

 

Bobby Lashley has gone from being a guy I haven't cared about for the majority of his career to one of the few highlights of current WWE. An amateur wrestler who also served in the military, when he first hit the scene he was a super green muscle-head freak athlete who Vince attached a rocket ship to, before his career took a really strange turn. Him not getting injured in 2007 may be one of the biggest 'What If' scenarios of the 2000s, but thankfully his return to WWE a decade later has seen him grow into the best run of his career. I've been a low voter on him for a long-time, but in tribute to him reaching his peak only to get done dirty by WWE, I've decided to revisit some of the highlights of his career.

#5. Bobby Lashley vs Finlay, Smackdown 12/5/06

Finlay was the master of working with green meatheads in WCW and helping them develop in the ring, and his series of matches with Lashley was a further use of this skillset. None of those matches had a lot of fireworks or big drama, but they were tightly worked, well put together affairs which helped acclimatise a very green guy to working the longer, more competitive matches need to progress to the upper card. This was the KOTR semi-finals and the longest match Lashley had worked to this point in his career by a considerable margin. Bobby has a great amateur background, and it was cool to see him shoot single legs and control a guy on the ground, something you don’t see a lot of in WWE, especially by big meaty guys. Once Finlay takes over, he really lays it in, all of his clotheslines and uppercuts connecting with a thud. Finlay controls the big guy by grinding him down methodically, and he does a lot of the 'little things' so well, like really digging his elbow into Lashley’s shoulder while in an armbar. We get a very WWE finish with Lashley hulking up from a chairshot and spearing Finlay out of his boots, a sign they really positioning him as a future Hogan-type.

#4. Drew Galloway vs Bobby Lashley, Slammiversary 2016 [Knock Out Or Tap Out]

Interesting to see how these two’s careers have mirrored each other, and what a weird place in time wrestling was here. Two big, athletic dudes beating on each other is a simple recipe for good pro wrestling, and while there wasn’t much else going on, both guys really worked hard to deliver on that. We get some more flashes of Lashley’s amateur wrestling skillset and Drew was lacing him with big chops and hard boots to the grill. A few highlight reel spots with the Air Raid Crash on the steel steps, the armbar lifted into the tombstone, and Drew’s big missed dive through the table, which is a really mad spot for a guy his size. I was really digging the last act as Drew bled, both guys got fired up and more aggressive, but the finish itself felt somewhat abrupt. It’s not often I say a recent match should have gone longer, but they were just reaching their crescendo and could have let it play for a couple more big beats before wrapping up. The crowd were notably deflated at the babyface getting KO’d clean, one last ditch comeback with Drew dying on his sword may have been more satisfying.

#3. Bobby Lashley vs Braun Strowman, Extreme Rules 2019 [Last Man Standing Match]

One of the regular WWE tropes of the last decade is the kaiju city destruction match, and this is a fun iteration of that trope. Two giant guys fighting all over the arena and tossing each other around. Both of them are athletic enough to take some good spills, and I enjoyed the highlight spots of Lashley getting suplexed into the wall and then getting hammer thrown into the Spanish announce area. I liked Braun, always thought he had some intangibles but was largely poorly used by WWE, and he adds a bit of depth to this by coming in with a rib injury and selling the damage throughout. Hardly poet laureate, but it gave the match something more than just the carnage moments. We get your standard WWE memes with the barricade spear and dude getting buried under announce table, and the finish itself was some hammy stuff with Braun powerslamming Bob into a black hole of crash mats before breaking through a not-so-subtlety placed wall of cardboard like an imitation kool aid man, but it wasn’t enough to sour me. For two guys with pretty clear limitations, this exceeded expectations – one of the best of both men’s runs.

#2. John Cena vs Bobby Lashley, The Great American Bash 2007

Real clash of the titans match feel, Lashley was basically being pushed as the new Cena, only even more stacked and muscular. He was clearly being groomed as the future, but Cena was still the present, and he busted his ass to make the future look bright. The opening sections of this are actually the strongest parts of the match and do a great job of establishing their roles and making Lashley look like a phenom. I am always a fan of a good Test Of Strength, and Cena really works his facial expressions to put Lashley over. Then Lashley starts using his superior amateur ability to take Cena down with double legs and swarm him in the mat. This is a really selfless Cena performance, he lets Lashley take like 90% of the match and dominate him. In fairness to Lashley, he also does a good job mixing up his offence with a nice variety of slams and suplexs. It did feel like they missed a few beats in the middle; one minute Lashley is solidly in control, the next Cena is hitting his finishers in desperation – it did work as Cena wanting to end the match ASAP though.

We get the big finish with Cena having to hit a Super FU to put Lashley down, and a post-match handshake to top it off. This was almost Jumbo vs Misawa with 2 WWE meatheads, and while it wasn’t one of Cena’s best matches of 2007, it was another notch on his belt for his banner year. It was also a big show of faith in Lashley, which makes it more hilarious he only had one more match on TV after this before being shelved for 6 months then released.

#1. Bobby Lashley vs King Booker, Smackdown 23/6/06

These guys wrestled on an almost weekly basis for like 3 months, and similar to the Finlay series the goal was to help Lashley develop in the ring, while also elevating Booker as a top heel act. Most of their matches were pretty blah (including their KOTR Finals on PPV) but this is a hidden gem. Booker was always far better as a face, but he clicked as a heel on this night. He was really laying into Lashley, lighting him up with chops and stiff kicks and clotheslines. Lashley comes in with a bum wheel and Book targets it throughout. Bobby has some really explosive power, and all his comebacks felt much more earned after enduring all the damage to the bad leg. We get a stink finish with Finlay and Regal interfering and Lashley standing tall with a steel chair, but who cares when it’s a mid-card match on TV to build to a bigger blow-off. Smackdown 2006 had a lot of painful booking but plenty of sneaky awesome matches on TV, and this is probably the best match from Lashley’s star-making rivalry.

Mil Muertes in Lucha Underground (continued)

 Mil Muertes vs Jerimiah Crane, 9/8/17 [No DQ Match]

Sami Callihan vs El Mesias is a match I never knew I watched until I heard it happened. Sami is best when working from beneath, and Muertes is also best when totally dominating a guy, so this totally played to both guys' strengths. A wild, violent brawl with Muertes in full Monster mode. Every time Sami would take too long, spitting on his hand or playing to the fans, Muertes would crush him. Lots of highlights - the start with Crane getting thrown through the door, Crane getting tossed over the announce table, Muertes' pounce cut-off. I dug how both times a table was set up, the guy who set it up instantly just got put through it. Delivers on the ass-kicking it promises, I had a blast watching this one.

Mil Muertes vs Fenix vs Jerimiah Crane, 27/6/18 [Grave Consequences Match]

This was good fun in the way both of Mil’s matches with these two guys was, but without reaching the heights of either. Really a match of two halves. Starts kinda standard triple threat with a lot of 3 way spots before spilling to the floor and becoming the plunder brawl we want. Mil vs Crane is still good stuff, though this whole section feels more focused on the prop bumps than having any beef or hatred. Granted, the spots all look good, especially Fenix’s big dives. Ivelisse comes out to bash Crane with hammer leading to his elimination, which was fine as an angle, and maybe the most violent thing all match. Have to appreciate Crane blading for it just to get eliminated and taken out 3 seconds later. Once it comes to Mil vs Fenix we get a lot more heat with Mil once again tearing Fenix’s mask up and leaving him bloody. I was into them trading blows and Muertes manhandling Fenix, really felt like he was an unstoppable monster by the end. Now I’m fantasy booking Vader in mid-90s ECW.

Mil Muertes vs The Mack, 31/10/18 [Deathmatch]

Fun blow-off match and also a good reminder of what Willie Mack brings to the table. This was two super heavyweights who can throw hands, hit some crazy high-spots and bump big, and you don’t need a lot more than that for a fun popcorn match. We get that plus some blood. Mack is a really emotive, charismatic guy and his bug-eyed reactions were on the right side of OTT wrestling acting. A guy his size hitting a Coast to Coast is also pretty mad, even if it was kind of treated as a throwaway spot in a match that moved from one moment to the next. I did dig the finish with Mil absorbing 2 Stunners and staying on his feet, leading to Mack braining him with a brick before hitting the third. Really decisive, satisfying win. The only part of this which struck me as goofy was them swinging an axe at each other, that is just too much for me even in a promotion filled with dinosaurs, undercover FBI agents and the Triad.

Mil Muertes in Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground was a real iconoclast in the wrestling landscape of the last 10 years. Similar to WSX, it was a TV show with some pro wrestling rather than a traditional pro wrestling company, and offered a studio 'sports entertainment' product WWE could only wish of re-creating in NXT. It helped elevate the careers of countless guys who were outside the WWE bubble but too big for the indies - Ricochet, Fantasma, Pentagon, Fenix, Shane Strickland to name a few. As a pro wrestling purest, there's always an asterisk watching their shows as you know they have multiple edits and re-shoots, rather than capturing the full lived match with warts and all. Still, when they put on a big gimmick match, it was always an event worth watching, and no one delivered in more of those matches than Mil Muertes.

Muertes AKA Ricky Bandaras AKA El Mesias has been around for over 20 years with an interesting career that features years as a top guy in Puerto Rico, a cup of coffee in TNA and a headline run in AAA amongst others. He's a guy I've always enjoyed wherever he's popped up - a Vader like big man who can brawl but with an impressive amount of agility too. The Mil Muertes character was one of the best acts in LU and his big gimmick matches were some of the highlights of the show. Here I will revisit the best of his run there.


Mil Muertes vs Fenix, 18/3/15 [Grave Consequences Match]

This was a fucking awesome pro wrestling match. Banderas once again delivers in a Big Match and Fenix holds up his end. It plays to their strengths - Fenix gets brutalised and bloodied, gets to hit big highspots for his comeback, Muertes beats the shit out of him and looks like a monster. Loved the brawling, all the big spots, and the tease above the crowd. There was a real sense of danger in places because Fenix is genuinely crazy enough to take a big spill. Perhaps what makes this stand out from the usual LU stuff is that the action between all the big spots was solid and it never felt like a stunt show. We get a real apuestas-style bloodbath with Mil ripping up Fenix’s mask and him bleeding a gusher. Great storyline finish to tie a knot on it, and I loved this. This was Lucha Underground’s absolute peak and probably the best match of this type that I’ve seen to boot.

Matanza vs Mil Muertes, 11/5/16 [Grave Consequences Match]

Dug the old monster vs new monster vibe off this. We’re so used to seeing Muertes be the destroyer, not the guy getting tossed around, but that’s how this goes down. We get plenty of Godzilla vs Mothra destruction of the ringside area and Cobb’s strength is really on show here as he throws Muertes around like he’s a cruiserweight. The big casket bumps all looked pretty great, though the Flatliner off the apron on to the caskets probably came too early and felt like it was brushed off way too quickly for what was the biggest spot in the match. Muertes donning a chainmail glove was pretty unique and lead to an awesome spot where he punched through the casket to escape, real schklocky moment but it was rad. The back end of this kind of lost some steam and there was a bit too much time trying to position the caskets for the spots, but I still dug this as an exposure to a different side of Muertes.

Mil Muertes vs King Cuerno, 13/7/16 [Deathmatch]

I am all for a Monster mauling a dirtbag heel and that’s what this was all about. Cuerno had been built up as one of the top guys in LU, which made it even more surprising just how one-sided this was. I am a low-voter on Fantasma – he’s a 20+ year vet who’s done hardly anything memorable but became quite popular over the last 5 years due to LU and AAA getting more western exposure - but he’s in the tier of guys like Pentagon who only have one or two tunes to play and nothing else to offer. He has a tremendous tope – great velocity and distance for a tall guy – and a couple other nice high spots, but he’s a middle of the road dude in a brawl. More interested in leg-slap enziguris than throwing fists (unlike Muertes, who unloads some great looking meat-hooks).

Still, this was 2 dudes braining each other with any inanimate object they could get their hands on, chairs, bar stools, mics, garbage cans, and it all looked ouchy. It lacked the blood and danger of the Fenix match, and there was a bit too much time spent setting all the various set pieces up, though it did pay off with an awesome ending with Mil power-bombing Cuerno through 3 separate tables one after the other. He just killed this guy, and then cracked him with a crowbar for good measure. Probably Cuerno/Fantasma/Escobar’s career best. I also loved Mil no-selling getting his head put through a glass window, before popping up behind Cuerno to pay him back, that was some real Jason Voorhees shit.

Riki Choshu vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Riki Choshu and Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Two of the most iconic, influential workers in the history of Japanese wrestling. Choshu was the innovator of the Scorpion Deathlock, blazed a trail for a faster pace of heavyweight wrestling, and was probably the first major 'outsider heel' in puro with his All Japan run. Fujiwara was one of the granddaddies of shoot-style, his influence traceable to every current indy fed who runs quasi-shoot stuff, and was also the original guy to come out to Flight Of The Valkyries. They were on opposites sides of the ring plenty throughout their careers, most notably during the late '80s when both guys were at the peak of their ability and popularity, and New Japan was in one of it’s golden eras. I had originally planned on just revisiting their match from 1987, but thought I might as well revisit a couple others too while I’m at it.

Riki Choshu vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara, 9/6/87 

This was an ass-stomping and a half. Fujiwara doesn’t even wait for Choshu to get in the ring and he is all over him with brutal headbutts and punches to the face. Choshu is busted open early and proceeds to eat more of this beating before turning the tide with some stiff blows of his own. These guys were not fucking around and you feel the hatred. Both dudes have like 2 actual wrestling moves all match but use them as well as any minimalist worker, both desperately going for their respective finishes as soon as they get in deep water. The lariat countered into an armbar is such a beautifully simple counter, but it still rocks 35 years on. But we are mostly we are here for the violence, and when Fujiwara gets his comeuppance and starts bleeding, his face is pissing crimson. Choshu then kills him dead with a couple big lariats and the ref calls a KO, which is about as decisive as a stinky 80s finish gets. Fujiwara started this fight, but Choshu ended it. Compact, spiteful, double juice, violence, 2 larger than life superstars – this match rules.

 
Riki Choshu vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara, 4/1/94

Hey it’s these guys at the Tokyo Dome. This started with much more of a feeling out process, with Choshu obviously having the power advantage and Fujiwara using his superior technique. It doesn’t take long for Fujiawara to start being his wonderful dickhead self and adding some spice to the match. Both guys are manly and absorb some big shots while refusing to back down, and we get another big armbar moment after Fujiwara baits Choshu in. Cruddy finish with Fujiwara kicking at out 3.1, but otherwise this was solid, if the least of the 3 matches here.
 
Riki Choshu vs Yoshiaki Fujiwara, G1 Climax 6/8/94

This was a lot more ground-heavy than the previous 2 matches. It reminded me of those UFC bouts where a top tier wrestler keeps a guy with no mat ability down and just keeps on him to neutralise the stand-up. I much prefer the sections with these guys standing up and putting the boots to each other, but Fujiwara containing Choshu and beating him with his superior wrestling was clever. Him trying to bait Choshu in to the Scorpion so he could catch a leg was a crafty little moment. Fujiwara making Choshu tap was an upset, and the way they got there was pretty neat, though I wish there wish there was more ass-stomping to go with it. 

Ongoing Best Of 2022 Matches

#2. CM Punk vs MJF, AEW Dynamite 2/2

I am probably in the camp who thought this was more "very good" than "MOTYC", it seemed to reach a certain level and stay there, rather than boiling over and reaching a crescendo, but there was still a lot of content here I liked spread across the long 40 minutes. MJF once again delivered a really fun heel performance in his quarterly showing, from the obvious stuff like the cheating and running away through the crowd to the smaller stuff like his face-biting and see-sawing in the ropes off Punk’s punches.

The false finish was executed superbly, for once AEW refs looking competent and the crowd trying to rally Punk as he went down was a tremendous moment. All the limb-work stuff was solid and gave the match some focus though I’m not sure it justified the length. Punk’s bar since returning has been very high and this was a great performance built around his selling of the cumulative damage and fatigue. I dug how he folded on himself off that reverse rana, usually guys hit that move too cleanly and suddenly - it’s a high risk move and this one looked like it hurt Punk on it too. I can’t say I have missed the Pepsi Plunge, but it was neat to see it brought back as a big match moment.

I wasn’t too hot on the finish despite it being very well executed, felt like they chose furthering the Wardlow story at the expense of a cleverer finish, and we have seen the Diamond Ring bit done a thousand times now. Still, I thought this was a strong bit of business and a good effort from both men, and you could tell MJF was geeking out by the end.

The Von Erichs vs The Fabulous Freebirds (continued)

Kerry Von Erich vs Terry Gordy, 7/5/84

Kerry’s first title defence 24 hours after winning the belt from Flair. This felt like one of those hot RAW main events the night after a big PPV. The outcome was never up for debate but the crowd were still really hot and they had a really fun match. When it comes to singles, Kerry was always a better guy being lead than the one taking the reigns, but he pushes the pace here and keeps things moving, even if there isn’t any many story beats or memorable moments. Both dudes hit hard and I did love Kerry using the claw when applying the abdominal stretch to Gordy. Good drama at the end with Kerry having to survive the Asiatic spike before using Gordy’s momentum against him for the win. Neither guy was a top tier singles guy but they weren’t slouches either.

The Von Erichs vs The Fabulous Freebirds, 4/7/84 [Badstreet Match]

This was another major 4^th July meeting between these teams and won the WON MOTY for 1984. Absolute firestorm of a sub-10 minute brawl, much closer to a televised scrap outside a bar than a wrestling match. The Von Erichs were just seething with hatred, and this is a swirling whirlwind of fists, eye-gauging, blood, and guys trying to beat the shit out of each other. The leather boot was the weapon of choice, and guys were just cracking each over the craniums with them. This felt as authentic as any pro wrestling brawl as you’ll see. Stink-o finish with Killer Khan knocking Kerry out, but everything up until then was fucking rabid. Not sure where it stands as an all-timer but it’s up there with the best of this feud for sure.

The Von Erichs vs The Fabulous Freebirds, 3/9/84 [Elimination Rules, Steel Cage Match]

This was for the vacant 6-man trophy and worked with elimination rules, but Mike had a shoulder injury and couldn’t compete, so it’s worked as a 2-on-3 handicap match. That dynamic actually really added a lot here and instantly created some drama with the Von Erichs fighting an uphill battle. Plenty of beef, another hate-filled brawl with great punches and guys getting thrown into the cage face first. Buddy’s bleach blonde gets stained red and Kevin takes off Hayes’s leather boots and beats everyone over the head with them. Kerry gets eliminated first after a spike piledriver and the second act with Kevin fighting 3-on-1 is really awesome. He wildly swings the boot around, hitting anything in reach before going gown and the Birds start whipping him with a belt. Great elimination of Hayes as Kevin catches him with a sunset flip in a small window of opportunity, but the finish was really choice. Gordy nails Kevin with a piledriver, pulls him up at 2, Buddy goes up top of the cage for another big spike version but Mike topples him (leading to another great Buddy crotch bump) before diving in the cage himself and the Von Erichs get stereo pins out of nowhere for the win. I can see people poo-pooing that finish with Mike coming in to steal the win, but everything up until that was a barn-burner. Just a super violent, raging fight with a bunch of natural drama, and the 3-on-2 dynamic makes it memorable. Maybe my favourite match from this feud.

The Von Erichs vs Terry Gordy/Buddy Roberts, 12/2/88

The Freebirds returned to World Class in 1988 and the whole storyline with Hayes making amends with the Von Erichs and Gordy/Roberts turning on him (and Gordy later turning on Buddy) sounds really messy and was supposedly not well received. But for this short window they were able to recapture the magic of this feud, like two friends who were catching up after a long time apart. Another wild, heated, violent brawl with tons of hate. Even though this was Badstreet Rules, guys were still on the apron and the ref was trying to enforce some semblance of order. Kevin especially was fucking awesome here, just completely uncontrollable in his single-minded pursuit of beating the shit out of the Birds. Him and Gordy both take some big bumps on the concrete floor, Gordy wastes Kerry with some chairshots and both teams use the belt. They were a little quick to recover from some of the damage being dished out, especially Kerry, but it’s a 10 minute brawl so easy to overlook. Another trash finish with interference causing a DQ in a No DQ match, which was a real cruddy way to cap off such a wild match. Still there was some fizz left in the bottle for this rivalry.