Found it really interesting that when discussing WWE matches, it's a lot of talk of feeling and build and story. But when talking about the AEW and NJPW matches, it's spots and physical story telling that get discussed. Neither is wrong, it's just a different flavour of wrestling. Also, yes there will be exceptions, but in general this is what I noticed.
I was thinking about this myself when I was wondering why for me Osprey vs Omega (Wrestle Kingdom) didn't really resonate with me, like it was technically very good but I just didn't care and it's just that I guess that WWE style of feeling, build and story is what I personally like about my wrestling. As you say neither is wrong and it's wonderful people like the other style as well and that it's there for those people.
@james Yeah, I think a lot of it is to do with audience conditioning, WWE have created a blueprint that everything fits in to and when they deviate from it, it's quite shocking, I think Lesnar Vs Cena at Summerslam 2014 and Lesnar Vs Goldberg at Survivor Series as prime examples of this. Whereas AEW tend to remove a lot of that structure and allow things to play out differently so there's a lot more variance in how the matches play out but it means some audience members get uncomfortable with it. We're all on our own journeys within wrestling, myself, I actually hated Jey Uso Vs Roman Reigns in Hell in a Cell and was the reason I cancelled my network subscription. But there are a lot of people that laud it as one of the best matches in the last few years.
Top 5 WWE 1. IC Triple Threat 2. Roman vs Sami 3. Rhea vs Charlotte 4. Usos vs Sami & KO 5. Bianca vs Iyo Sky Backlash Top 5 AEW 1. MJF vs Bryan Danielson 2. Will Ospreay vs Kenny Omega 3. Swerve vs Hangman 4. MJF vs Adam Cole 5. Orange Cassidy vs Jon Moxley All Out
I personally think FTR vs Bullet club gold was a better match than Cassidy vs mox. Dunno, but mox has had a down year for me. Idk if it's because he's had quite a lot "his style" matches that he's sorta lost me as a fan a bit. And I don't think I'm the only one in thinking this. 2020 mox was awesome. Late 2021- early 2022 mox was so awesome. Then he became way too much of a nick gage cosplayer and he just lost me. Because when mox is just a wrestler, he's great
My top 10: Honourable mention to Fuminori Abe vs Takuya Nomura, Danielson vs Bandido, Mascara Dorada vs Rocky Romero, and Roman Reigns vs Sami Zayn. 10. FTR vs Bullet Club Gold (Collision July 8th) 9. Darby Allin vs Samoa Joe (Dynamite January 4th) 8. Sheamus vs Gunther vs Drew McIntyre (Wrestlemania) 7. Hangman Page vs Swerve Strickland (Full Gear) 6. Jon Moxley vs Hangman Page (Revolution) 5. MJF vs Bryan Danielson (Revolution) 4. Will Ospreay vs Kenny Omega (Forbidden Door) 3. Bryan Danielson vs Ricky Starks (All Out) 2. Kenny Omega vs Will Ospreay (Wrestle Kingdom) 1. Bryan Danielson vs Zack Sabre Jr. (WrestleDream)
It's crazy that earlier this year we were talking about how good the Hangman vs Moxley deathmatch was, and then the swerve match was so good that it essentially erased the Revolution match from everyone's memory.
For me, my MOTY was MJF/Cole From All In; a perfected blend of storytelling, work rate and comedy. Hoping it makes the top 10 Edit: to shout out a couple matches that were underrated this year, the Hayes/Dragunov PPV duology (just a phenomenal set of matches; loved the first one for some of the spots), Vikingo/Komander (ROH Supercard of Honour; just good lucha things) and Elite/BCC at Anarchy in the Arena (hot take: this was better than last year's iteration. Just pure fun pro wrestling violence)
For me i thought this list was very accurate for the year but also very tough as 2023 has been one of the better years of wrestling matches. I think for me the only thing that kinda made me sad is that there wasnt any NXT matches as i felt NXT delivered some bangers this year like Wes Lee vs Dijak, the fatal 5 way at Stand and Deliver, Dijak vs Dragunov, Carmelo vs Dragunov 1 and 2 although i prefer 2, the mens iron survivor match to name a few. But all in all very great list
It's a testament to how good this year was that there were so many more nominations floating around in my head that I was surprised didn't even crack the top 15 let alone the top 10. Ospreay vs Naito, Omega vs Vikingo, Omega vs MJF, Page vs Moxley, the Four Pillars 4-way, the Forbidden Door 4-way, House of Black vs The Elite, and that doesn't even crack the surface cause I know there was wayyyy more great stuff I didn't get around to watching. We seriously live in the best time to be a wrestling fan and I think I take that for granted too often.
Imo, this is one of the best lists you guys have made. I can't dispute really any of it and I'm on board with the top 6 basically in that order. I ordered New Japan world just to watch wrestle kingdom specifically for the ospreay vs omega match. And much like Luke, after that match I said "well, we're 4 days into the year and I've already seen the match of the year" lol great list guys.
I am not a big death match fan, my god. Hangman vs Strickland, Texas Death Match, was a gory brutality masterpiece. With the phrase “I am going to f’ing KILL YOU” scratched into every move
What a year for in-ring action, regardless of how you feel about some of the booking. For me: #1 - Danielson vs MJF because nothing had me more ready to run through a wall than the last 5 minutes of that match. #2 - Omega vs Ospreay (Wrestle Kingdom 17) - All time great babyface performance from Will and Kenny at his absolute best. Told an insanely good story for two guys that get accused of not being good at that. #3 - Oedo Tai vs Queen’s Quest (Steel cage match) - Another story rich match with an incredible babyface performance, this time from Utami Hayashishita. #4 - Danielson vs Zack Sabre Jr. - Been a dream match for me for ages which delivered and then some. The pinnacle of technical wrestling #5 - Adam Page vs Swerve Strickland (Texas Death Match) - I’ve never seen a match quite like this. Gruesome violence but I adored it. Just insanely absorbing to watch. Honourable mentions to: Drew vs Gunther vs Sheamus Ospreay vs Umino Shirakawa vs Kamitani Dijak vs Dragunov Kingston vs Castagnoli (the ROH one)
Gunther's matches this year are exactly why I love wrestling. For me, he's done what Reigns has struggled with; make matches that elevate the title and the challenger as well.
A solid list here For a solid year Haven't been following wrestletalk for most of the year Took a well needed break from several Wrestling ytube channels in January just after the rumble Came back in September for the all out review Been on and off since then But as I think I wrote last year Really enjoy these end of the year lists
What a damn year for pro wrestling. Great stuff across the board. My top 5 would be 5.) Flair Vs. Ripley 4.) Ospreay Vs. Omega II 3.) Reigns Vs. Zayn 2.) GUNTHER Vs. Sheamus Vs. Drew McIntyre 1.) Ospreay Vs. Omega I
Going to give my takes on the top ten, cause why not: 10) This came from outta nowhere for me; the most brutal strap match I've ever seen and one that I respect a lot. Starks looked like a star coming out of that match 9) Hot take, but I wasn't as keen on FTR/BCG 2 out of three falls as everyone else; actually preferred the first match. Can see why it was voted, just not for me 8) The best woman's match of the year by far; loved that it cemented Ripley as a megastar and that Charlotte didn't win again lol 7) The best tag match of the year; the most emotionally satisfying result of the year and loved Sami/KO's attire for the match 6) Honestly shocked Ospreay/Omega 2 wasn't either 1 or 2, but the Callis stuff was a turn off for people, so I get it. Still a cracking match tho despite that bit 5) As someone who isn't too fussed on technical wrestling, I loved Danielson/Sabre Jr; everything being done so intricately was incredible to see 4) THREE BEEG MEATY MEN SLAPPIN MEAT(with minor story wrinkles between Sheamus and Drew)! Put some respect on Titus' commentary, he added to the match imo (Call the police is the call of the year) 3) -MJF unintentionally throwing vodka on a kid? Perfect- just lovely wrestling for an hour; the tombstone onto the broken table made me mark out massively 2) The most brutal Texas Deathmatch of the year; the first ten minutes alone will be stuck in my head forever. Swerve stapling his chest VOLUNTARY cemented himself as a megastar imo 1) Omega/Ospreay 1; completely fair and deserved. So many crazy spots that I've seen before, fully deserved. Not my favourite match of the year personally, but it's my number 2.
Its a bit annoying no nxt matches where mentioned because i genuinely feel nxt desevered at least 1 NXT matches shouldve made the list with the mens iron survivor the north american championship 5 way from stand and deliver any of the melo vs draganov trilogy dijak vs draganov hell even melo vs breakker from battleground
i believe the Bad Bunny and Damien Priest match should of been higher. Probably like 10 or 9. The atmosphere and the way Bad bunny performed was crazy. Either way it’s a good list
I've been a fan of Swerve and Orange Cassidy for a minute now, but this year I became BELIEVERS in both those wrestlers. GodDAMN, they have had such a wild year completely separately from one another.
I completely forgot about Swerve nailing himself in the chest, that was so badass, that 100% made him a top guy. He didn’t even flinch, he just no sells it like an absolute badass.
It is a travesty that Roman vs Cody didn't even crack the top 15. I watched the match live, it felt like 20 mins, and I couldn't believe when I checked later that it was nearly 40 mins long, that's a high praise. The electricity in the air in that match was rivaled by very few other matches imo. Screwy finish aside, that match fucking excellent.
So I was torn between two matches... between MJF vs Bryan Danielson and Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs The Usos... I am going with the latter.... both outstanding matches however (and this may have to do with me being more pro wwe than pro aew) is that the Tag match wasn't just great technical pro wrestling. It was a great story being told during the build during the match and a bit afterward... that was a fun match to watch... i teared up in happiness during the end and the tribute to Jay Briscoe after by Kevin and Sami really made feel like i had butterflies (honourable mention at 3 would be the Blood line civil war)
This last month has had some really great wrestling. Any thoughts on making the awards start next year to include all of December or perhaps have an "honorable mentions" section? Just have a follow up survey a couple days into the year to end in the first week, and any matches that get multiple responses get a shout out.
Obviously including every pick would make the video too long, but could we get the full list of voted matches in the description or a pinned comment or something. Even the matches that only get 1 point are interesting to see
1. Swerve Strickland vs. Adam Page-Full Gear 2. Bad Bunny vs. Damien Priest-Backlash 3. Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos-MITB 4. Swerve Strickland vs. Adam Page-Wrestledream 5. Brian Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr-Wrestledream 6. Brian Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada-Forbidden Door 7. Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus-Wrestlemania 8. MJF vs. Brian Danielson-Revolution 9. Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay-Forbidden Door 10. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. The Usos-Wrestlemania 11. MJF vs. Adam Cole-All In 12. Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn-Elimination Chamber 13. Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay-Wrestle Kingdom 14. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada-G1 Climax Finals 15. Jon Moxley vs. Adam Page-Revolution 16. Anarchy in the Arena 17. Stadium Stampede-All In 18. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns and Solo Sokoa-Night of Champions 19. Jey Uso and Jimmy Usos (replaced by Sami Zayn) vs. Judgement Day-Raw 20. Blood and Guts 21. El Desperato vs. Francesco Akira-Battle of the Super Juniors 22. Men's War Games 23. Ilja Draganuv vs. Dijak-Battleground 24. Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair-Wrestlemania 25. Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay-G1 Glimax 26. Carmelo Hayes vs. Ilja Draganuv-Great American Bash 27. Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky-Backlash 28. Jon Moxley and Homicide vs. Jun Kasai and El Desperato-NJPW Independence Day 29. Women's War Games 30(a). Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus-Payback 30(b). Will Ospreay vs. KENTA-G1 Climax
well here is my TOP 10 of the Best/Favorite Matches of 2023 (+5 Matches in the HM section) 1: Kento Miyahara vs Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH One Night Dream) (15/07/2023) 2: Arisa Nakajima vs Sareee (SEAdLINNING 8th Anniversary) (25/08/2023) 3: Queens Quest vs Oedo Tai (STARDOM Sunshine) (25/06/2023) 4: Swerve Strickland vs Hangman Page (AEW Full Gear) (18/11/2023) 5: Kazusada Higuchi vs Yuji Hino (DDT Sweet Dreams) (29/01/2023) 6: Kaito Kiyomiya vs Kenoh (NOAH The New Year) (01/01/2023) 7: Fuminori Abe vs Takuya Nomura (Kakuto Taniteidan: We are Fighting Detectives) (12/10/2023) 8: Syuri vs Chihiro Hashimoto (STARDOM Grand All Star Queendom) (23/04/2023) 9: Miu Watanabe vs Rika Tatsumi (TJPW Grand Princess) (18/03/2023) 10: Takuya Nomura & Kento Miyahara vs Naoya Nomura & Yuma Aoyagi (22/01/2023) 11: Violent Giants vs Strong BJ (AJPW Dynamite Series: New Age Mania) (17/06/2023) 12: Yuji Okabayashi vs Yuya Aoki (BJW Endless Survivor: Infinity Independent) (04/05/2023) 13: Saya Kamitani vs Hazuki (STARDOM Triangle Derby Finals) (04/03/2023) 14: Kento Miyahara vs Yuji Nagata (AJPW Excite Series Night 2) (19/02/2023) 15: Yuma Aoyagi vs Kento Miyahara (AJPW Raising an Army Memorial Night 4) (21/10/2023)
Recency bias, possibly -- I think Athena vs Billie Starkz is the best women's match of the year. Also my top five: 1) ZSJ vs Danielson (some bias because I was here live for this and it was just electric) 2) Kenny vs Will at Forbidden Door 3) Danielson vs MJF 4) Hangman vs Swerve TDM 5) Kenny vs Will at WK I'd also go on to say that this might be the best year for bell-to-bell action... at least in the last decade? If not maybe... ever?
Your voters vote for matches from COLLISION & IMPACT but don't watch ANY NXT PLE Matches??? 1. Dragunov vs Hayes I 2. Dragunov vs Hayes II 3. Dragunov vs Dijak 3 absolute bangers which deserve to be Top 10 Matches of 2023. Just absurd that weekly matches from AEW make it to your list but NXT PLE Matches don't.
I like their list. My only surprise is how low the Omega v Ospreay - Forbidden Door match was ranked. I would have had it at #5, and move Gunther v Shaemus v Drew match down.
Shame that Sareee vs Arisa Nakajima, Giulia vs Tam Nakano, QQ vs Oedotai cagematch and Hazuki vs Saya Kamitani didn't get a mention. All guaranteed top 10 matches. Hell Suzu Suzuki vs Maika might blow the doors off on the 29th 😊
So crazy to think that while AEW and Njpw have had the better matches overall but WWE is the overall promotion of the year bcoz of how consistently good they have been.
It's because they're only looking at the in-ring matches. Look at the way they described the WWE great matches. Story, lead-up, moments... That's where WWE shines.
My prediction for next year Osprey is champion heading into all in. Comes out on dynamite “who’s next bruv?” Music hits: I hear the battle cry Under the devil's sky The one winged angel screams It fuels my hopes and dreams The best battle machine
The match of the year should be Omega v Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom, but im going to give it to SANADA vs Okada at Sakura Genesis because SANADA gas always been my dark horse favorite and him winning the belt made me cry. The match is also super good
I am absolutely perplexed that the Four Pillars 4-way match was never even mentioned here... That was probably my MotY, tbh Omega vs Osprey from Forbidden Door would've likely been my #1 if that Callis run-in didn't happen - it just took me completely out of the match, unfortunately (it's honestly up there with Fiend/Rollins for one of the most baffling agent/booking decisions I've ever seen in wrestling... Seriously, who thought that'd be a good idea?!). And their WrestleKingdom match was great but not near my top 10 for this year (too many stronger matches imo)
Perhaps Sami pinning Jey is the predictable finish on paper, but with WWE booking how it has been and can be, what isn't predictable is if they will actually give the fans that outcome.
Given the context of the last 4 months and even the fact that Roman retained, so the whole 2 night main event sweep never even happened, I actually do wish Rhea and Charlotte main evented, the match was just as good as the tag imo and unlike the Bloodline narrative that died in August, Rhea is one of the hottest acts and most over people in the company. Just seems like a waste now
There are four possibilities... 1: Tempest has flown back from Canadaland 2: This was a pre-tape 3: The gang flew to Canadaland 4: Timey-Whimey bullshit.
Something I don't understand, that maybe someone at Wrestletalk can confirm for me: #1 pick got 10 top-level nominations from 14 nominations total, but how many nominations were there? I seem to remember you said 30 people at some point. Does that mean that 16 people didn't even have that match in their top 5??
My five in no particular order Swerve/Hangman- it awoke something in me. Nana got Deadeyed Queens Quest Cage- I cried. Most perfect blend of in ring wrestling and storytelling ive ever seen Fumenori Abe vs Takuya Nomura- The best comedy match of the year. Most fun ive had with wrestling. Easy smiles Shooter vs Ospreay- Shooter finally earned the name roughneck Astronauts vs Strong Bj- Saw some fantastic matches live in Japan but ill say this one for now
