Pantoja’s Top 100 Matches of 2023 (#20 – 11)

20. Anarchy in the Arena: The Blackpool Combat Club vs. The Elite – AEW Double or Nothing

Image Credit: AEW

The BCC came out to a live performance of “Wild Thing” and the Elite met them as they came out through the crowd, getting the fight started early. They learned from last year as “Wild Thing” played on a loop. This was madness with plunder throughout. Five minutes in and people, obviously including Moxley, were bleeding. The “Wild Thing” loop ended when the Bucks double superkicked the lead singer. I will say that some moments worked better than others, with the exploding superkick spot and Moxley’s fork spot being two that didn’t really work for me. I loved the storytelling callbacks and things like Hangman and Kenny working together but also accidentally hitting each other. The sickest moment saw Matt’s sneaker removed and then his bare foot was slammed onto thumbtacks. The thumbtacks in the mouth for a European Uppercut was another spot that didn’t quite work the way they wanted. We got the great moment of a Dead Eye into the One Winged Angel that nearly ended it but the pin was broken up. Don Callis got in the ring and Omega was ready for the confrontation only for someone with their face covered to jump in the ring and attack him. He revealed himself to be Konosuke Takeshita. Yuta added a shot with a screwdriver and then pinned Omega to win it all in 27:02. A tremendous war that lived up to the hype in terms of violence, pacing, and storytelling. [****½]

19. AEW World Championship: MJF [c] vs. Kenny Omega – AEW Collision 10/28/23

Image Credit: AEW

There were some complaints online that AEW was giving away this match for free with no build and while I would’ve liked a little more hype going into it, these two are big enough stars that it worked either way. The simple idea of MJF and Kenny Omega having a main event match over the World Title because MJF was about to surpass Omega for the longest reign was enough. They went out and had a legitimately huge match. For 30:12, we were treated to two of the best on the planet having a modern classic. From Kenny having the better offense early to MJF being cocky to things getting more intense as this progressed, this had everything you could want from these two. They traded big shots late and while the appearance of Don Callis could’ve caused a major problem, he didn’t do too much and that allowed the finish to basically be clean. MJF slipped free of the One Winged Angel more than once and hit a pair of Heatseekers to retain. MJF’s title reign included an all-time Ironman match, a great fatal four way, a match in Wembley Stadium, and with this, one of the best TV bouts you’ll ever see. [****½]

18. Natsupoi vs. Syuri – STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 8/8/23

Image Credit: STARDOM

The feeling out process was one that gave the sense this was going long. However, as soon as they came out of that, the pace picked up to the point where I didn’t think it would hit the 10 minute mark. That’s how hard they were going. Syuri was a killer and looked like the force who was nearly unstoppable in 2022 and Natsupoi was as good as it gets in terms of being the underdog. Every kick that Syuri threw looked brutal and sounded like death and Natsupoi sold them all masterfully. There was a point where Syuri just stomped on Natsupoi like her name was Stone Cold. Natsupoi’s response was to avoid a Syuri high kick with a spin kick of her own and while it may not like much when explained, the timing to get it just right was so perfectly done. It was seriously impressive. Whatever Syuri threw at Natsupoi, the latter would just find a way to get a shoulder up and survive, frustrating the former top champion. The crowd was invested in everything Natsupoi did late, popping for near falls on everything from flash pins to German suplexes. Natsupoi got one final shot with Fairy-ing Ring but Syuri kicked out and the bell rang at the 15:00 mark for a draw. Phenomenal match Syuri was outstanding while Natsupoi continued to climb the ranks of my current favorite wrestlers. [****½]

17. WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair [c] vs. Rhea Ripley – WWE WrestleMania 39

Image Credit: WWE

Rhea Ripley was among the hottest wrestlers in early 2023 while Charlotte sat atop the division. They also had the added story of Charlotte beating Rhea at Mania in 2020. The two traded some insults and Rhea took control soon after. Rhea shouting “IS THIS YOUR QUEEN?” was a great moment. That took a while and was fun before Charlotte made her rally to a chorus of boos. She did hit some impressive stuff, as usual, like a sweet fallaway slam/suplex hybrid but then Rhea upped her with a sick avalanche German. She nearly died on it and then took a German shortly after where she literally landed on her face. It looked brutal on the replay. Charlotte worked this match as a heel and I think that benefitted it. It’s when she’s at her best and the crowd was pro-Rhea anyway. Rhea delivered Riptide for a telegraphed near fall and Charlotte got one on an inside cradle. Rhea applied the Prism Trap submission but Charlotte clawed to the ropes to break it in a cool spot. They fought to the top where Rhea won with an avalanche Riptide in 23:32. Phenomenal match. Probably only behind Sasha/Bianca for the best women’s match in Mania history. Charlotte working heel was the right move and she remains a great big match wrestler (even if her character is mid). Rhea is the present and future. [****½]

16. Giulia vs. Saori Anou – STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 7/23/23

Image Credit: STARDOM

They tried for some traditional wrestling to start but quickly progressed to violence outside, highlighted by Saori suplexing Giulia from the ramp onto the chairs in the crowd. Like, chairs with backs and everything. Giulia had her own answers with a Brainbuster outside, a piledriver through a table, and by managing to cause Saori to bleed in the first five minutes. Yeah, it was that kind of match. Even with the blood, Saori never slowed down and brought it right to Giulia, even popping up after getting dunked on her head. She looked out of it at times but would find a way to snap off a move, gather the strength to get up, or try for a flash pin. Through it all, Giulia kind of remained in control but Saori’s resilience was on another level. She got her share of near falls but then Giulia hit the Glorious Driver and had this won, only for time to expire at the 15:00 mark. Then after the bell, they were still swinging at each other. Just incredible violence between two women who were out to just hurt one another. I need the rematch in 2024. [****½]

15. Texas Deathmatch: Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley – AEW Revolution

Image Credit: AEW

Hangman Page has kind of made the Texas Deathmatch his specialty hasn’t he? While he’d reach greater heights with this stipulation later in the year, he had a pretty incredible brawl with Jon Moxley on AEW’s first PPV of 2023. For 25:58, Moxley and Page beat the hell out of each other in a match where you felt like these guys truly loathed each other. It’s hard to really sell that but Page has had a few rivalries that pulled that off. Barbed wire, forks, and more were brought out pretty early on, as this escalated quickly. They didn’t just have violence for the sake of it though as everything mattered and added to the drama of it all. The teases of the 10 count were done so well which is important because they can become annoying or stop momentum in this kind of match. Instead, they only increased the tension here. I do think that some of the stuff with the brick in the closing stretch was a bit over the top but it still worked well enough because it basically takes killing Moxley to beat him in AEW. Hangman choked him out with a chain to get the rare tap out and win. [****½]

14. AEW Tag Team Championship 2 Out of 3 Falls Match: FTR [c] vs. Jay White and Juice Robinson – AEW Collision 7/15/23

Image Credit: AEW

FTR against Jay White and Juice Robinson was always going to be good but they shocked many with just how great the match was. Bullet Club Gold pulled off the upset, earning a title shot seven days later under 2 Out of 3 Falls rules. It’s one of my favorite stipulations ever and this is one of the best iterations of it. They took what worked in the first match and expanded on it, delivering 58:10 of pure greatness. Given how the first outing went about 30 minutes, I was surprised to see Jay take the first fall after only 16:34. That put FTR behind and saw them desperately fight their way back against a team that had beaten them twice in a row. Things like the PowerPlex got them near falls but it took the Shatter Machine to even things up after 37:30. The final fall was the best as these teams just continued to build to better things and pay them off at the right time. As this got to the final five minutes, you could feel the crowd tense up. Would they go with the hour draw? It felt possible but just before that 60 minute mark, Dax made Juice tap to the Sharpshooter, in Calgary no less, to retain. In the conversation for the best tag match in TV history [****½]

13. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani [c] vs. Hazuki – STARDOM Triangle Derby Finals

Image Credit: STARDOM

I didn’t come into this excited given I hadn’t loved Kamitani’s title matches and didn’t really connect with Hazuki to this point. Then the bell rang. Hazuki was a step ahead early, matching Kamitani on the mat before hitting her with vicious kicks and a dive outside. Of course, Kamitani is a record-setting champion for a reason. She knows how to weather these storms and came back with her own flurry, busting open Hazuki’s nose and hitting a dive of her own. The trading of pump kicks and pump knees was a standout sequence. Even better was them just throwing suplexes at one another. The intensity only somehow picked up from there and they really made me believe it was Hazuki’s night. When she hit the Brainbuster, it felt like the end but Kamitani managed to get a shoulder up. Kamitani’s rana pin felt like a way to end this without a finisher but it still wasn’t enough. After so much fighting, Hazuki got the shoulder up on a 450 splash but just barely and out of desperation. Kamitani pounced and hit two Star Crushers to retain after an epic 22:48. That blew me away and was what I’ve been hoping for from Kamitani in 2023. Hazuki looked like an absolute star and seemed destined to win but it wasn’t to be tonight. Her desperation was palpable at times only adding to the drama. This made me fall in love with Hazuki. [****½]

12. San Juan Street Fight: Bad Bunny vs. Damian Priest – WWE Backlash

Image Credit: WWE

Bad Bunny’s entrance was an incredible moment with the crowd singing one of his hit songs. It felt like a special moment. I legitimately got chills during it. Though overpowered at the start, Bunny busted out a Michinoku Driver and showed he was bringing his all. The fight went through the crowd and onto some equipment boxes leading to a Falcon Arrow through tables. Bad Bunny is legitimately one of the top stars in music and doesn’t need to do any of this but that madman is out here doing it. Bunny finally got going for real by attacking the leg over and over, which is a sensible and realistic concept for him taking control. Bunny used a low blow that brought out Finn Bálor and Dominik Mysterio to jump the Grammy winner. The crowd popped as Rey Mysterio tried to make the save but the numbers got the best of him. Then, to a MASSIVE pop, we got Carlito in an LWO shirt. He cleaned house and helped Rey hit Dominik with the 619 before spitting the apple at him. As the heels tried to bail, it was Savio Vega time as he got another pop. The LWO joined the fray to beat up Judgment Day, with Savio chopping Finn and hitting him with his classic Kwang kick. Back to the guys in the ring as Priest survived a Figure Four only for Bunny to toss him into a chair, hit a Sliced Bread No. 2 and win with a Puerto Rican Destroyer in 25:05. My personal favorite match of the year. Bunny put on a show, Priest was the perfect opponent, and this was the ideal setting for the match. As a Puerto Rican myself, I really can’t express what this match means to me. [****¾]

11. World of Stardom Championship: Giulia [c] vs. Tam Nakano – STARDOM All-Star Grand Queendom

Image Credit: STARDOM

Not to get too ahead of myself but there are only two issues I had this with this match. The first is that for such a heated rivalry, it starting with headlocks and basic wrestling felt a bit off, especially since they progressed into big moves, tables, and fighting outside so soon after. That made the opening exchanges feel like a formality more than anything else. The other isn’t really a fault of the ladies but in the fact that Japanese audiences seem so conditioned to expect 20+ minute main events that they don’t react to some of the big moments that come before that, which happened a bit here. With that out of the way, I must praise every other aspect of the match. The intensity of the table spot leading to a Glorious Driver attempt on the stage only added to how violent this could be at points. The stiffness of each forearm and strike they threw at each other could be felt through the screen. At one point, the right hand from Giulia looked like it totally took out Tam and earned her a warning from the referee. From there, Giulia threw some of her best shots but Tam was too resilient to stay down. The closing stretch was the stuff of legend as both women came close to winning several times, kicked out at one at different points, and threw big bombs. The crowd hung on every single moment. When Tam hit her own Northern Lights Bomb and then Twilight Dream for two, I thought for sure that was her best shot. She delivered the Screwdriver right after and finally won the biggest title after 23:40. Incredible pro wrestling outside of my minor gripes, capped with the emotional unexpected win for Tam. I thought for sure Giulia would retain but I’m so happy with this result. [****¾]