If you are a fan of professional wrestling, the internet demands you provide a comprehensive list of the best matches at the conclusion of every year. Don’t blame me—it’s in the terms of service you clicked “yes” on without reading.
Most people are content to pick a couple of title matches from New Japan and whatever NXT saw the most wrestlers pulling elaborate faces and emoting the hardest.
Done and done.
Last year I decided to make a running list to ensure I wouldn’t come into awards season unprepared. I ended up with a list of more than 100 matches, the most notable ones marked in bold typeface to distinguish them from the merely good.
It worked, but only to an extent. Sure, I had a list of matches I’d enjoyed. But, if I pulled one at random off said list, could I remember what I’d loved about it in the first place?
If you follow me on Twitter, you already know the answer. It’s a resounding “no.” So, long story short, I’ve decided to add a bit of discourse to what had previously just been a list of names, an attempt to explain just what it was I found remarkable about a chosen match. Hopefully you’ll find these lists helpful, both at the end of the year when you want to pull an obscure one from your own Top 10 to show you’re SERIOUS ABOUT THIS LIFE and for your own amusement when you have a couple of hours to kill one lazy Sunday.
Anyway, on with the list!
February 2021
Legado del Fantasma vs. Lucha House Party (NXT, 2/3): An all-action spotfest, with all that entails both good and bad. It's easy to forget, after years as a WWE meme act, that guys like Gran Metalik can really go when given the chance.
This was the kind of tag match that would have felt comfortable on an episode of Dynamite, if that makes sense. Frenetic, spot-filled and a little wild. There was a similar match the next week between Legado and MSK, but this one was my personal preference.
Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa (AEW, 2/3): We talk a lot about how great Baker's character work is—but her wrestling has improved dramatically since AEW launched in 2019. She's added some muscle, which makes her competence in the ring more believable and her timing and execution are both now television-ready.
Like MJF, I see her eventually making a huge splash in WWE eventually (assuming she wants to choose wrestling over dentistry). This match has a sports entertainment finish, but I implore everyone to find a partner who looks at them the way Rebel looks at Britt. That's real loyalty.
Tomasso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher vs. Undisputed Era (NXT, 2/3): Last month Ciampa and Thatcher made this list in a brutal "Fight Pit" match—now, respect bought with blood, they're teaming in the Dusty Rhodes Classic. This was your standard "NXT tag team main event", full to bursting with interesting double teams and false finishes.
The Undisputed Era (here represented by Strong and Cole) could do this match in their sleep. Excellent wrestling in the modern workrate style. If your'e into that, this is for you.
Kenny Omega/Good Brothers vs. Rey Fenix/Pac/Jon Moxley (AEW, 2/3): This was an incredible sprint, reminiscent in some ways of the Impact six-man the previous month. Fenix and Pac are arguably the two best in-ring wrestlers in AEW, if not on the planet. Their combined excellence forced Omega to bring his A-game and challenged Anderson and Gallows to rise to levels they haven't reached in years.
As great as the match was, and it was excellent wrestling television, the post-match appearance by New Japan's Kenta completely overshadowed it. A partnership with Impact was one thing—combining forces with New Japan made this a night hardcore wrestling fans won't soon forget.
Tony Deppen vs. 2 Cold Scorpio (VXS, 2/7): The best of Scorpio's recent run on the independents and part of Deppen's recent emergence as "the indie guy of the moment." This was just a solid wrestling match. It says a lot about the development of the business that we are relying on 2 Cold Scorpio, once a cutting edge highspot apostate, to provide "old school" wrestling. But here we are.
There are times, especially when he's throwing kicks, where Scoprio looks like a man in his 50s. He remains a gifted wrestler, however, making up for lost athleticism with a new focus on fundamentals. It serves him well against a quasi-traditionalist like Deppen and this is a good match.
Simon Grimm vs. Tom Lawlor (Josh Barnett's BloodSport, 2/13): This reminded me of the UWF as it existed in 1984. They hadn't quite locked down shootstyle as we'd come to know it and still mixed in a lot of traditional pro wrestling. The guys did that here too.
Lawlor has the legitimate MMA chops and knows what a fight actually looks and feels like—but he's also am experienced pro wrestler at this point too, not afraid to embrace the theatrics that make this stuff so much fun.
Chris Dickinson vs. Jeff Cobb (Josh Barnett's BloodSport, 2/13): Experts tell me the hardest thing about transitioning to shootstyle wrestling is finding it in yourself to really go after the other guy in the ring. Pro wrestling is about the illusion of harm.
Shootstyle, all too often abandons the illusion part all together. There has to be an agreement in a shootstyle bout that you're going to go hard and expect the other guy to go hard too. It's a requirement that's made converting modern indie wrestling standouts into the next Tamura or Volk Han particularly difficult—wrestlers today often come from outside the world of traditional sports all together. That kind of competitive fire doesn't come easily to some, especially if it's never been a part of their lives.
None of this, of course, has been an issue for Dickinson, one of the best wrestlers on the independents who has taken to the grappling game like a shark to water. Cobb, a former Olympian, understands what it is to compete for position on the mat. Together, they put together a competent match that could have easily been slotted into a UWF-I commercial tape from 1992. That's the highest of compliments.
Dakota Kai/Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon/Shotzi Blackheart (NXT, 2/14): This was a classic, ovaries-to-the-wall all-action spotfest. These women took exceptional risks to deliver an exciting conclusion to the Dusty Rhodes Classic—now they can reap the rewards, assuming the reward is a place on this prestigious list.
Gonzalez has been a revelation, an extraordinary hoss wrestler in a world that doesn't have much room for a hoss wrestler. We've seen Kai develop over the years on NXT, to the point where she could hold her own against the very best performers in the world. I can't wait to see what's next for her. For all these women. One thing is certain—if you want to do something special in women's wrestling, WWE in the place to be.
Johnny Gargano vs. Kushida (NXT, 2/14): The latest Japanese import to NXT, legendary New Japan junior Kushida, seems to finally be finding his way with NXT after struggling out of the gate adjusting to a new style, new home and new professional life. He has real ring chemistry with Gargano, to the point that Johnny was able to navigate new territory of his own, doing his best to work a mat style that is outside his normal repertoire. This had too many miscues to be great—but it was at least interesting to watch them try to figure it out together.
Toni Storm vs. Io Shirai vs. Mercedes Martinez (NXT, 2/14): I have a personal bias against the triple threat match, but you can't really watch modern American wrestling without trying your best to embrace the form. It's everywhere.
Shirai remains an elite wrestler, always willing to take extraordinary risks when the lights are brightest. This was no exception, with a daring leap off the scaffolding onto her opponents being the apex of a match full of dangerous spots.
Pete Dunne vs. Fin Balor (NXT, 2/14): This was the classic NXT title match, full of false finish, match long storytelling and the occasional hammy overacting and emoting straight out of the "Shawn Michaels School of Wrestling." This was a variation on the form in some ways—instead of filling the first 20 minutes with indie spots, they went to the mat for a series of sequences that borrowed from 70's era Jack Brisco, World of Sport and even the UFC to create a memorable, well-executed blend.
The finishing segment was well done, called back to all the important moments from the beginning of the match and was performed without flaw. Really strong match, good enough to remind fans that the brand they loved pre-AEW is still worth seeking out.
Emi Sakura vs. Venny (AEW, 2/15): AEW is running a tournament to find the next title contender for Hikaru Shida's championship, an ambitious multi-continent affair with some of the best independent wrestling stars in Japan. Airing mostly on YouTube, the first event was a fantastic showcase for both new talent and some returning favorites. The best match on a show full of fun matches. Stiff where it needed to be and smooth in other places, this was a tremendous Young Lion/Grizzled Veteran match that was both passionate and well executed, not always an easy combination to pull off.
Riho vs. Serena Deeb (AEW, 2/17): Riho! She's back! Riho and the Joshi stars added something different to every AEW show we attended (and there were a lot of them). So beyond thrilled to have her on Dynamite. Exciting news for fans of AEW's women's division. Or, really, anyone who watches AEW and wants to see competent professionals on their television screen.
The inaugural champion, Riho is a smooth professional, capable of bringing some order to the often disjointed matches that permeate the division. Most AEW women's matches are packed with good ideas that are often poorly executed, wrestlers with imaginations that outpace their level of expertise. Riho is able to help bridge that gap between the possible and the imagined, bringing a professional sheen to the division that is often missing.
Cara Noir vs. Dan Moloney (PROGRESS, 2/20): I had never seen Cara Noir before and, based on his appearance and gimmick, I was expecting a bit of flounce and the kind of ironic independent wrestling I don't especially care for.
Instead, I was treated to a very crisp, technical wrestler going hard as hell in a great, old school wrestling match. I'll be looking for more from both these guys. Excellent match and a nice addition to the WWE Network.
Jon Moxley vs, Davey Boy Smith Jr (Josh Barnett's BloodSport, 2/20): As much as I enjoyed Moxley's first appearance in Bloodsport, not much about it looked like the traditional shootstyle Josh Barnett is trying to resuscitate. It was good wrestling and hard wrestling—but it wasn't the kind of match you could have inserted onto a UWF card and hoped to pass.
This, however, was much closer to the real deal. This still had the trappings of traditional pro wrestling, but it was all grounded in something real. I absolutely loved this match, both conceptually and in its execution. Possibly the best match in the history of Bloodsport.
Daniel Bryan vs Jey Uso vs.Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Corbin (WWE, 2/21): This was an Elimination Chamber match for an immediate shot at champion Roman Reigns. Everyone went hard and, since the match included most of the promotion's best and most interesting workers, they didn't have any issue filling more than 34 minutes.
Cesaro stole the show, but it was Daniel Bryan who cemented his status as the king of this gimmick with another huge victory.
Yuka Sakazaki vs. Emi Sakara (AEW, 2/22): Yuka has been great on the smaller stage in Tokyo Joshi Pro in Japan but never really managed to transcend more than "fun" in AEW.
This, however, was just a flat out excellent pro wrestling match. Sakara is the definitional solid pro, the perfect sturdy foil for a rising babyface like Yuka. The entire AEW Women's Tournament is recommended viewing.
JD Drake vs. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 2/23): I don't normally watch AEW Dark. Frankly, a 50/50 match where the winner is obvious from the beginning just isn't really my cup of tea. It doesn't serve the purpose a squash does, but neither is it a genuine match. Somehow these guys were able to make me forget all that and suck me into an old-fashioned slugfest of a wrestling match.
Rey Fenix vs. Lance Archer (AEW, 2/24): Rey Fenix is the most exciting, most FUN wrestler in the entire world. That isn't the same thing as best. In Fenix's case, his daring highspots come with too much risk and corresponding mistakes. Still, the spots come at such a madcap pace, you end up forgetting all about the minor miscues. There's no time to stew on any issues—by the time you even process them, he's on to something else.
This was an incredible workrate match, with Archer serving as a fantastic base and Rey darting around like a particularly vicious fly all around him. Tremendous television match.
Chris Dickinson vs. Tony Deppen (Beyond Wrestling, 2/25): A lot of times we damn great wrestlers with faint praise, referring to them as "one of the best in the world who aren't signed by a major promotion." But that doesn't quite cover Tony Deppen and Chris Dickinson, two of the best in the world who happen to work outside the major leagues. Dickinson, in particular, could go anywhere in the world and work the top talent and be believable. He's just that good.
This match was a technical wonder, with Deppen focusing on the arm with both a wide variety of holds and some weird strikes (slaps, headbutts and more) right to the appendage while Dickinson went after Deppen's legs. This was tremendous pro wrestling, well worth going out of your way to see.
Jon Moxley vs. KENTA (NJPW, 2/26): The working relationship between New Japan and AEW appears healthy, as Jon Moxley made his first domestic appearance for the Japanese promotion and defended his title against KENTA in a solid television match. The result guarantees more Moxley in New Japan—so far, a very good thing.
Whether it means further appearances by New Japan stars on AEW programming is anyone's guess. But hope for additional talent sharing remains alive!
Cara Noir vs. Chris Ridgeway (PROGRESS, 2/27): There has been a resurgence of interest in shootstyle wrestling on the independent scene with Paradigm and GCW both trying their hand at a once-extinct style. Believe it or not, PROGRESS champion Cara Noir is a better mat wrestler than anyone I've seen actually attempting shootstyle, moving smoothly and logically through his holds with just enough World of Sport influence to give the work some flair.
That's not to say this was a shootstyle match—it wasn't. But you can see the capacity for it, on another timeline or another life. Anyway, this was really good pro wrestling.
Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, 2/28): While the match culminated in the kind of reversal-heavy ultra-violence you might expect, it was the opening segments that I enjoyed the most. There were extended segments on the mat, with Ibushi resembling an even more vascular Ricky Steamboat and Naito outwrestling him through both will and a willingness to bend the rules. These guys are equal parts glorious and terrifying together.
This particular match never quite reached "I'm worried they might die" heights (or lows) but had enough thrilling moments to satisfy even the most head drop crazy fans out there. Finishing segment was frenetic and furious but the whole match wasn't, which I appreciated. Ibushi's collapsing cover was a great ending.
Hikaru Shida/Mei Suruga/Rin Kadokura vs. Emi Sakura/Maki Ito/VENY (AEW, 2/28): A tremendous all-action sprint to open AEW's Women's Tournament special on Bleacher Report. A potent mix of workrate and over-the-top shenanigans, this was a match that started with 12 feet pressing the pedal to the floor and never let up for almost 20 minutes.
While Ito has been selected by the Twitter cognoscenti for potential stardom, it's Suruga who I see as the most talented of this group. She's a tremendous babyface but also capable of being a smarmy, funny heel as we've seen with her Mei Saint-Michel character in Tokyo Joshi Pro. At 21, her future seems limitless.
Shane Mercer vs. AJ Gray (No Peace Underground, 2/28): Look, this was complete and total nonsense, a shit show of the kind only independent wrestling can provide. I mean that as the highest level of compliment. A ringless, meandering 8 minutes of ultra-violence between two hosses intent on making their dotage uncomfortable for the viewing pleasure of the chronically unwell watching independent wrestling on a Sunday night.
On commentary in the previous match, Joey Janela talked at length about masturbating for the first time to a picture of Sunny in WOW Magazine—and that kind of discourse didn't feel remotely out of place as a prelude to this bout. These were two guys both delivering and receiving punishment they will carry with them for the rest of their days, likely for a three-figure pay day. God bless wrestling.