wrestling / Columns
Hawke’s Top 10 Matches of 2018
I watched a lot more wrestling in 2018 than I expected, and it was enough that I felt comfortable making a top ten list. I should make clear though that I was slacking hard this year on joshi, lucha, and AJPW. So, if you were wondering if I left those off for any other reason other than laziness, rest assured it was just laziness.
What follows are the ten matches that I enjoyed the most this year and my reviews of said ten matches. There have been other notable things to happen this year though so I include links to other mini-lists or topics throughout. Feel free to ignore those of course.
As always, if you need a sense of my tastes, check out my list of Five-Star Matches.
Notable Omissions
Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada – 6/9/18
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho – 1/4/18
Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito – 1/4/18
WALTER vs. PCO – 4/6/18
10. Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto – NJPW – 1/4/2018
This is a hair vs. hair death match for MiSu’s NEVER Openweight Championship.
This was fantastic. They combined great physical action and a methodical pace to create a spectacle where it seemed like every shot matter.
Suzuki controlled the majority of the match. He got the advantage after he hung Goto with a sleeper from the top turnbuckle (they botched getting a great camera angle of it sadly – a theme of the night). Suzuki then proceeded to pick Goto apart with heavy shot after heavy shot (all of which were VERY deserved).
Goto of course did not go down easily. He finally threatened to build some momentum so Suzuki went for the sleeper. Goto was ready for it though and reversed it into a backdrop driver in a great moment.
Sensing a danger of losing for the first time in this one, Suzuki continuously went for the sleeper after that point. Goto was constantly fending it off, but an awesome series of strikes from Suzuki led to him finally getting a good sleeper.
It seemed like Suzuki had it won there, but Goto hung in there and managed to reverse a super Gotch Piledriver attempt into an avalanche Ushigoroshi before winning with GTR.
After the match, Suzuki eventually returned to the ring and shaved his own head defiantly.
This was a beautifully blend of in-ring storytelling and physical action. It’s great to have an annual Minoru Suzuki match at Wrestle Kingdom again. The dude knows when people are watching. (****)
ROH – We still exist! (Allegedly!)
Jeff Cobb vs. Adam Page – 12/14/2018
Rey Mysterio, Bandido, & Fenix vs. Kota Ibushi & The Young Bucks – 9/1/18
Kota Ibushi vs. Adam Page – 4/7/18
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Punishment Martinez – 4/7/18
9. WALTER vs. Darby Allin – Evolve – 6/23/2018
A match between Darby Allin and Walter can and should really only be able to go in one direction. Luckily, they did just that, and it became a glorious spectacle and one of the best matches in recent Evolve history. Walter just destroyed Allin throughout in brutal fashion, and all Darby could do was just try to stay alive and very organically fighting back as much as he could.
In a somewhat unexpected decision, Darby managed to survive and fight back enough to actually steal the win. While that may seem like a questionable decision on the surface, Darby was really the closest thing Evolve would soon have as #1 regular so it was clearly the right call. Great stuff. (****1/4)
Darby Allin – The Rise: Darby became one of the very best independent wrestlers around in 2018. He’s now a genuine attraction and someone whom should be booked everywhere.
Darby vs. Velveteen Dream – 9/8/2018
Darby vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 1/13/18
8. Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair – WWE – 11/18/2018
This was fantastic and worked in a completely unique way compared to what WWE usually offers.
They established a real physical tone from the jump. Both women were trying to find an opening to do some damage. Charlotte managed to get a somewhat lucky break in that she was able to send Ronda head-first into a turnbuckle. Then she busted Ronda open with a side elbow. Ronda was knocked off her game, and Charlotte was able to stay ahead of her as a result.
Ronda occasionally had signs of hope, but Charlotte was absolutely relentless throughout. No moment captured this more than when Ronda seemed to have some momentum and decided to hype up the crowd. Charlotte then immediately murdered her with a spear. It was the spot of the year, and it really captured the macro story of the match.
There was more than that going on though. There was also this great subplot of Ronda continuously paying for playing up the performance aspect of pro wrestling. It’s like Ronda is this mark fan who forgets that she had to win the fight first…and Charlotte made her pay every time. It was awesome (and understandably caused the majority of the fans to get behind Charlotte).
Then the finish was kinda shitty but also fitting. Ronda finally seemed to be building a little bit of a more consistent momentum, and so Charlotte snapped. She baited Ronda to the floor and then killed Ronda with some kendo stick shots to get disqualified. From there, Charlotte delivered a massive beatdown on Ronda and the referees who got in her way. It seemed like Charlotte’s tryout to get the Wrestlemania main event spot with Ronda quite frankly.
This was a really cool match. It was super physical and worked in a way more interesting manner than just about 99.9% of WWE matches (and maybe 99.8% of all matches today). Great stuff that deserves a great follow-up. (****1/4)
The Rise of The Man
Becky Lynch vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte – 12/16/18
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte – 10/28/18
Shayna vs. Kairi
7. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW – 7/26/2018
This was a 2018 G1 Climax match.
These are the kinds of matches that make the G1 tournament style so appealing. Instead of trying to go for some NJPW main event style epic, they told a logical story using smart characterization and with urgent action that was all about trying to win the match.
Zack started this match as you would expect. He was acting too big for his britches and was busying himself attacking the limbs of the Stone Pitbull.
Ishii responded to these things as you would also expect. He did not take kindly to Zack’s hubris, and he was rather stubborn about Zack’s plan of attack. By the end of the match in fact, Ishii was leaning into Zack’s strikes focused on the arms despite the noticeable pain that he was in.
The match from there was all about physical action and both men trying to find openings to exploit. It was glorious and built to this fantastic finishing sequence where Ishii started going for big stuff on Zack while the latter was juist trying to keep him at bay with pinning combos and submission attempts. It all came to an end when Zack managed to transition into a brutal-looking armbar (on an arm he was attacking all match and Ishii was selling huge) that made Ishii TAP OUT. Fannnnnnnnntastic battle with a big finish that was totally earned. (****1/4)
The G1 Climax – Still Good! (Ordered from best to least best)
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kenny Omega
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Juice Robinson
Kota Ibushi vs. Juice Robinson
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Hiroshi Tanhashi vs. Kota Ibushi
Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
6. WALTER vs. Timothy Thatcher – PROGRESS – 1/28/2018
This was for WALTER’s Atlas Championship.
While not a perfect match, this was such a breath of fresh air in a professional wrestling environment that has mostly stayed away from an emphasis on violence.
WALTER and The Thatch Man clearly just went in there and decided that they should be as brutal as possible to each other. And it was just so lovely.
They did not just rest on the violence though. They also managed to weave in some nice in-ring storytelling to really make everything seem that much more meaningful.
WALTER seemed to be heading for complete control, as he had the strength and size advantage. WALTER got sloppy though and a chop attempt on the floor caused him to chop a ringpost instead by mistake. The Thatch Man pounced and immediately went after the arm.
WALTER did not go down so easily though, and The Thatch Man was not really able to build any serious momentum. The violence continued from there, and it seemed like WALTER was heading for a victory.
The earlier arm work paid off though, and The Thatch Man nearly walked away with the title after applying an armbar several times. WALTER was able to endure though and managed to put his tag partner away cleanly.
This was some great professional wrestling and should serve as an inspiration to every indie wrestler on the planet. (****1/4)
WALTER – BITW: Big Daddy Walter is now the most consistently great wrestler going today. With him selling out and joining the nazi Trump Fundraiser, his 2019 output will likely not be nearly as good.
WALTER vs. Will Ospreay – 10/13/18
WALTER vs. Jordan Devlin – 8/2/18
WALTER & Low Ki vs. Jordan Devlin & David Starr – 6/2/18
WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 5/18/18
WALTER vs. Ilga Dragunov – 5/5/18
WALTER vs. Ilga Dragunov – 4/14/18
WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 4/7/18
WALTER vs. Tom Lawlor – 4/5/18
WALTER vs. Mark Davis – 2/11/18
WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – 1/14/18
5. Toru Yano vs. SANADA – NJPW – 8/4/2018
This was a 2018 G1 Climax match.
“Someone get Milano Collection. He’s the only one who has the key!” [Sanada won via countout.] (****1/4)
Quack – Over the Hill: Mike Quackenbush is now Actually Not Good. It’s really annoying, as he was becoming a great special attraction, and it seemed like he was now open to taking non-Chikara bookings.
Quack vs. Juan Francisco de Coronado – 5/26/18
Quack vs. Arik Cannon – 5/5/18
Quack vs. David Starr – 4/6/18
Quack vs. Jonathan Gresham – 1/27/18
4. Minoru Suzuki vs. Matt Riddle – GCW – 4/5/2018
This was everything you would want it to be. MiSu brought out the side of Matt Riddle that had been slowly dying over the last eighteen months. Gone were the multiple Canadian Destroyers and no-sell spots. Instead, it was just mean and gritty Riddle looking to win a fight against one of the most violent men in pro wrestling. It was a beautiful battle between two of the most compelling performers in all of professional wrestling. Pro wrestling is goddamn fucking awesome. [Suzuki made Riddle pass out to pick up the win.] (****1/4)
The Return of PAC: He’s real inconsistent so far!
PAC vs. Masato Yoshino – 12/4/2018
PAC vs. Speedball Bailey – 11/28/2018
Cody Rhodes – Still Bad!
Cody vs. Kota Ibushi – 1/4/2018
Cody vs. Kenny Omega – 4/7/2018
Cody vs. Kenny Omega – 7/7/2018
3. Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles – WWE – 10/30/2018
This was for AJ’s WWE World Championship.
In an age when it seems to be nearly impossible for WWE to produce anything on the main roster that feels genuinely great and inspired, this match felt like a near miracle in some ways. Obviously, you see Bryan vs. AJ on paper and expect good if not great, but WWE has been artistically stuck in (self-made) quicksand for so long you forget that genuine greatness is possible.
Both guys easily could have relied on their standard stuff to put on a crowd-pleasing affair. Instead though, they clearly set out to do something unique for WWE programming. This match was as physical and as vicious as a WWE match could possibly be. From the jump, both guys were looking for openings and scouting telegraphed moves to cause as much damage as possible. There was just a meanness to all of their movements that was born, not from a melodramatic story, but instead from an organic sense of competition.
They also included a story to hold the match together when needed. Bryan tweaked his knee on a tope suicida early on in the match. That did not immediately wreck his knee, but his knee got in progressively worse condition as the match wore on.
That decision allowed them to build to this dramatic sequence down the stretch where Bryan desperately went for various submissions to put away AJ before his knee fully gave out. It was all for naught though as AJ managed to reverse a triangle into the Styles Clash and immediately finish Bryan with a calf slicer on the damaged leg. Fantastic match. (****1/2)
They had some inferior follow-ups in the ensuing weeks.
Bryan vs. AJ Styles – 11/13/18
Bryan vs. AJ Styles – 12/16/18
2. Golden Lovers (Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega) vs. The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) – NJPW – 3/25/218
The Young Bucks vs. the Golden Lovers is one of those matches that has always been destined to happen. It was well known that it was a match that the wrestlers wanted (and promotions such as PWG hoped to put on), and the fans of both teams certainly seemed to hope to have it happen sooner rather than later.
With such hype though, it would be easy for the actual match to be a victim of the expectation game. You could even easily envision wrestlers such as these four trying to overcompensate too and then do wayyyyy too much in the match as a result.
Thankfully, the match went in a far more satisfying direction, as they actually decided to emphasize character work and emotion instead of just putting all of the emphasis on the action.
It was clearly the right decision.
Things started out simply enough. The Bucks came in with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. It would not be hard to see why given that they have been one of the most beloved teams in wrestling for years, but they have clearly been eclipsed in the attention department by the reunited Golden Lovers in recent months. Given that the Bucks were the actual people to instigate the match, it’s not hard to conclude that they needed this match more than the Lovers.
And they wrestled like it early on.
The Bucks were more cunning and ruthless with their tactics from the jump. The results paid off, as they got control first and did a lot of damage along the way. It seemed clear that if they stayed on that track and kept their eye on the true prizing of winning, they would be well on their way to victory despite any setbacks they may have encountered during the contest.
The first time they were truly tested in that way though, they failed. And that probably sealed their fate.
Matt had Kota down in the ring. He was all set to deliver a top rope dive onto him. Something stopped him though. You see, Omega was left prone nearby on a table propped up between the apron and the guardrail, and Nick was loudly encouraging his older brother to listen to the devil on his shoulder and dive onto Omega instead.
It was a moment in time that revealed a weakness in the Bucks on this night. Matt’s hesitation over this moment led to Kota having enough time to recover and save his lover. While that moment did not kill the Bucks’ chances, it became clear that they had an Achilles Heel at this moment in time.
Later in the match, a similar situation arose that revealed that the Bucks were not ready to win on this night. They had the clear path victory laid before their feet late. The Bucks had the momentum, and they were getting ready to finish Kota off with a More Bang for Your Buck.
Matt could have completed the sequence that had finished countless wrestlers in the past…but Matt did not do it. He was at the top rope, ready for the moonsault. The moment came and went though; with a moment’s pause to readjust himself, Matt opted out of near-certain victory and dove to the outside to put Omega through the table. Matt ignored his better angels and gave in to the feelings of frustration that he had for Omega.
That gave the Lovers just enough room to stay alive and keep it competitive. Sure, Kenny took a ton of damage on that one. But it was not the knockout blow that More Bang for Your Buck would have likely been.
That room was all the Lovers needed to stay alive and get the momentum back on their side.
It all built to this finishing sequence that was nothing short of beautiful. Kenny was struggling to go through with the One Winged Angel on Matt. Kenny was still full of love for his friends. It seemed like he was not going to go through with it, but Matt, having given in fully to hate on this night, told Kenny to just go ahead and do it. Omega delivered his finisher only for Nick to fly in out of nowhere to save the match.
Matt was down though and not likely to get back up. Nick made one last hopeless comeback. There was a fatalistic tone to what he was doing though. He had to fight back despite knowing defeat would soon follow. And follow it did. As Nick was dispatched of shortly after this moment and then Matt ate the Golden Trigger for the three. The Golden Lovers were victorious in their first match outside of Japan.
After a brief scuffle with Cody Rhodes after the match, Kenny got back into the ring to shake hands with the Bucks. Nick accepted.
But Matt refused and then walked out.
A lesser story would have had Matt turn cartoonishly evil in this moment. Instead, it was more nuanced. Sure, maybe Matt was angry with Kenny, but there was a hint of something else. Perhaps he was disgusted with himself? Not for asking for the One Winged Angel, but instead for not going for the best chance of victory twice in major moments.
Like almost all great first time matches, that post-match sequence made clear how much room there is for these two teams to continue their story. The rematch has an obvious hook and setup: can the Bucks focus enough and not be so up in their feelings? If they really want to prove they’re the best instead of proving something to Kenny, they are going to have to prioritize ruthlessness instead of the bitterness.
What else can there be said about this match that the story does not tell you already? Could the match have been tightened up a little? Probably. But that did not really matter. Yes, this was a match about two teams out to prove which was the better team. They just did so much more with it than almost any other attempt at this type of match ever.
This match redefined creative ambition. This match set the new bar for character development throughout a match. This matched proved that state-of-the-art physical action can simply be a complimentary feature of a match instead of its defining one.
This match was a labor of love. A match that proved bitterness is shortsighted that gets you nowhere. Sometimes hate can feel right in the moment, but it does not lead you to victory. This match was a beautiful reminder for everyone that in the end, Love Wins. (*****)
WWE Sinking to New Depths
1. Matt Riddle vs. Will Ospreay – WWN – 4/6/2018
This was a no rope breaks match for Riddle’s Evolve Championship.
About eighteen months before this battle, these two had a classic in Progress. It was not the kind of the match that would go on to have that “classic status” reputation for reasons that are beyond the scope of this article shit post match review. Instead, it’s worth mentioning because knowledge of that match became immediately important here.
In their first encounter, Matt Riddle displayed all the attributes that made him explode on the indies within months of debuting. He did not work like every other j-brone geek out there. He jumped Opreay during his entrance with a flying knee and then promptly dropped him on his head to kick off the match. That sequence encapsulated everything that made Matt Riddle one of the best wrestlers in the world in his very first year working.
Something happened to Riddle though in his second year. He became far more basic. He began to rely on cliche aspects of US indie wrestling that made him seem like everyone else instead the unique stallion that he could and should always be. All of a sudden he was doing or receiving multiple Canadian Destroyers in a match, doing back-to-back no-sell spots, and turning his matches into finisher fests. All in the same matches mind you. The ordinariness was alarming.
Enter the rematch between Ospreay and Riddle.
While their first match did not develop the reputation it deserved, both men let everyone know of its importance right away in the follow-up. Riddle decided to channel his old self and went for the flying knee to start the match just as he did in the original.
Ospreay was ready for it though.
He avoided the knee and then jumped Riddle with a flurry of offense. Before Riddle knew it*, Ospreay had wiped him out with a tope suicida and had him primed for a one-man Spanish Fly from the apron to the floor.
*In a moment that proved to be prophetic, Ospreay tried to drop Riddle on his head with a German like Riddle would do. Riddle was unaffected though and then hit Ospreay with a knee. Ospreay not relying on his stuff would be his downfall in this match.
Ospreay hesitated though. Less than a week earlier, he nearly decapitated himself delivering this variation of the Spanish Fly on a NJPW PPV. That uncharacteristic hesitation from Ospreay would be his undoing, as it gave Riddle enough time to recover and promptly drop Ospreay on his head with a German on the apron. It looked devastating.
With Ospreay receiving a brutal blow to his already very injured neck, it seemed like a Riddle victory became inevitable. The problem for Riddle was that he was not working like the total killer we all know he could be. He was in control, yes, but he was still moving a bit too methodically for no good reason. That lack of killer instinct on his part gave Ospreay enough room to fight back on occasion and make the match seem competitive.
The Riddle of 2017 may have grown complacent in this spot and began to go for more flashy moves and worry less about decimating his opponent. As the match went forward, Riddle grew progressively more and more violent and brutal. He was finally beginning to unleash his true full potential.
Instead of backing down though, Ospreay simply grew more and more desperate. He match Riddle’s brutal with an equal reaction of desperation. And that just fed Riddle more.
It all build to this horrifying sequence. Riddle had a choke on Ospreay. Ospreay decided to carry him on his back, but Riddle would not let go. Ospreay foolishly began to climb to the top rope in a moment of insane delusion. He nearly paid for it with his life, as Riddle reversed it into what could only be described as an avalanche crucifix bomb that seemed to be the end of Ospreay.
Both men’s true colors were revealed after that. Riddle never has been as violent and relentless in a pro wrestling match as he was in the ensuing moments. The moment Ospreay recovered, Riddle delivered a massive running knee to the back of Ospreay’s neck. He followed it up with a tombstone (to the neck) and more repeated strikes after ripping off Ospreay’s medical tape. The basic-ness in Riddle of 2017 was dead here.
Ospreay continued to keep fighting. In his desperation though, he lost his way and was no longer thinking rationally. In a series of dramatic but misguided moments, Ospreay busted out a triangle choke, a Rainmaker, and a Liger Bomb in an attempt to even things up. Instead of relying on his offense, Ospreay turned to those greater than him. And it became clear that the damage was not truly done.
Ospreay thought he had Riddle ready to finish. He opened himself as much as possible by calling for the springboard cutter. Riddle caught him and then immediately transitioned into the Bro-mission to force Ospreay to submit.
This match was about one man fully rediscovering the violence within himself and simultaneously about how irrationally desperate a person could get when pushed into a corner.
Matt Riddle genuinely has the potentially to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever. It was on full display here.
Will Ospreay, while far from a perfect performer, has delivered in many big spots over the years and plays several roles excellently.
These two almost secretly have the greatest modern in-ring rivalry going at this point. Both of their matches have featured all the classic elements and modern tweaks that come together to make great professional wrestling. It’s a beautiful combination of violence, in-ring storytelling, character development, extraordinary action, and emotion. Can’t wait to see where they go with Round III. (*****)
The inter-promotional trilogy concluded in OTT about a month later.
