Kevin’s Top 100 Matches Of 2021 (#20-11)

20. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom Night Two

Credit: NJPW

I’ll never forget their BOSJ Finals a few years ago that wowed me. Like most of their matches, this got off to a pretty wild start with tons of action and a ridiculous pace. It’s just how these two operate and it is stellar to watch each time out. They had counters for everything and it never felt like they were doing it for the sake of cool moves. Their history made it so they knew each other well and everything made sense. It wasn’t just the exchanges though. They also managed to sprinkle in some surprisingly brutal stuff, playing into their rivalry. You got the sense that it was both about being better and also about how much they disliked each other. Hiromu basically begging for more forearm shots was the kind of thing you only usually see in NEVER Title matches. Big Match Hiromu once again delivered in the Tokyo Dome and feels like the top star of the division, while Ishimori is no slouch. Hiromu regained the title after 25:31 with Time Bomb 2. Just spectacular pro wrestling. [****½]

19. Darby Allin vs. MJF – AEW Full Gear

Credit: AEW

I was not excited about this match. While both guys are talented, their feud missed the mark for me and the long-winded MJF promos took me out of things. However, they more than won me over. MJF demanded he be announced as the man who can beat Darby with a headlock takeover and they built the match around it. The opening exchange was great and wasn’t just done for the sake of it. It played into the story as MJF has insinuated that Darby isn’t on his level as a wrestler but Darby proved he could go toe-to-toe with him. Of course, Darby took risks first and MJF used that to get in the driver’s seat. MJF worked the back a lot and some of the bumps Darby took on backbreakers were wild. On the other side, MJF’s knee was his issue and there was a hiccup where the wrong one was attacked/sold. Just when Darby seemed to get going, MJF hit a Tombstone on the apron, though it hurt his knee as well. Back inside, they went into a wild series of counters on pin attempts, headlock takeovers, and a Code Red. MJF tried to get Darby to use the skateboard as a weapon and when Darby declined, MJF used the Diamond ring gimmick to knock him out behind the referee’s back. Then, he used a headlock takeover to win in 22:01. Excellent match and a masterful ending. They built the majority of that around a damn headlock takeover and made it the finish while keeping Darby strong and being sure that MJF remained a clear villain. I didn’t care about this match/rivalry coming in but I loved that and they totally hooked me. [****½]

18. IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam

Credit: NJPW

Hiroshi Tanahashi stepped in for Kota Ibushi at the last minute due to injury and it’s his 11th Tokyo Dome main event. Considering Tanahashi’s age and that he worked 25 minutes the previous night, he’s a trooper for this. Early on, it seemed to be a case of Tanahashi working the leg with his trademark dragon screws while Shingo could just overwhelm him with his power advantage. That was a smart way to build this match and it worked because both guys excel at that stuff. Shingo survived in the Texas Cloverleaf for a long time, giving us some mid-match drama. Shingo looked to respond by returning the favor and targeting Tanahashi’s knee, which has a history of injuries. When Shingo took over, it was Tanahashi’s turn to survive things like Last of the Dragon. Tanahashi is so good at selling and he made this work wonders. They went into a big strike exchange and started throwing offensive bombs at one another for close calls and near falls. In the end, Shingo nailed Last of the Dragon to retain in 37:26. THAT is how you use 37 minutes. A match that felt epic and like two warriors competing for the biggest prize. Tanahashi is so the GOAT that he had this banger and made me believe he’d score the win despite being a last minute replacement. Shingo remains the top of the class too. [****½]

17. NXT North American Championship: Johnny Gargano [c] vs. KUSHIDA – NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

Credit: WWE

Even when the build-up to a match doesn’t fully grab you, there are some cases where you just know the match will deliver. That was the case early in 2021 when Johnny Gargano put up his North American Title against KUSHIDA at TakeOver: Vengeance Day. I appreciated that this was just simple. I’ve said it before and I keep saying it because it rings so true but all you have to do sometimes is have great wrestlers go out there and wrestle. That’s it. That’s what this was and for 24:28, it was glorious. KUSHIDA put a target on Gargano’s arm and attacked it viciously from wrenching at it to dropkicking it. Some of the stuff they did was incredibly smooth like KUSHIDA catching the slingshot spear into a suplex with a bridge. Although he was working as a heel, Gargano didn’t go into tired heel tropes and instead mostly wrestled a straight wrestling match. He had to throw everything he had at KUSHIDA and still couldn’t keep him down. He finally found a way to do so after snapping KUSHIDA’s neck on the ropes and hitting One Final Beat outside and inside, retaining in what was one of WWE’s best matches of the year. [****½]

16. Hell in a Cell: Edge vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Crown Jewel

Credit: WWE

WWE’s Saudi Arabia events have never been a place to find terrific matches. The best ones seemed to come back at Greatest Royal Rumble and only one in history have ever made this list before (the Ladder match at that event). That changed this year as Crown Jewel was actually good and it started with a bang. Edge and Seth Rollins had a great series, with matches at SummerSlam and Smackdown getting progressively better. They topped them both inside Hell in a Cell. This was a case where the cell fit the personal nature of the rivalry, and the match lived up to that with some serious violence. From Seth taking a huge bump through a table to the use of weapons to Edge doing a crossface with a wrench for added leverage, this was absolutely wild. I also loved the story aspect of the ending as Edge let go of the crossface and opted for something else. He Curb Stomped Seth onto a chair, which was so fitting. That was the move Seth threatened him with in 2014 and the one he injured him with a month or so prior. Edge got him back in the most vicious way possible and with his own move, capping this after 27:40. [****½]

15. WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Fastlane

Credit: WWE

This got off to an excellent start. Bryan was actually toying with Roman. He wasn’t scared and knew he had the upper hand in terms of mat wrestling, so he would stick and move. it was similar to how he opened things against Brock Lesnar a few years ago. Of course, once Roman managed to get a real grasp of him, Bryan was in trouble. He got his ass kicked but found just enough little openings to get offense going. His hope spots were great as they felt realistic and made you believe he had a shot. He started really gaining momentum and Roman was in trouble. He even got trapped in the Yes Lock but, as he said in the buildup to this, he’d rather lose his arm than tap out. A ref bump led to special enforcer Edge being in the ring. Bryan had another submission on and Jey Uso showed up to superkick Edge and then Bryan, saving his cousin. It ended up backfiring somewhat as Bryan used a chair to take him out. However, Bryan’s attempt to use it on Roman missed as he hit Edge in the arm by mistake. He then countered Spear into the Yes Lock and Roman tapped out lightly with his hand, only for Edge to not see it as he hit Edge with the chair multiple times. Reigns covered to retain in about 29:57. Outstanding match between two of the best in the world. The finish was a bit cheap but it set something up going forward. [****½]

14. NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi [c] vs. Jeff Cobb – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 Night Two

Credit: NJPW

Before 2021, Jeff Cobb was someone who hasn’t clicked much for me in NJPW. He was always good but not great. This was a big opportunity to change that and he delivered. They opened by trading blows but quickly progressed to bigger moves. Shingo seemed to realize that he was in trouble and opted for rare offense like a tope con hilo. Cobb is known to toss people around, regardless of size, with relative ease but Shingo was doing it back to him here. These guys went at it. I loved moments like Cobb catching the sliding lariat, Shingo busting out a superplex, and Cobb doing a goddamn moonsault slam. When Shingo turned him inside out on a Pumping Bomber, you could sense that it was nearly over. Last of the Dragon followed to wrap this one up in 21:11. Outstanding stuff. Shingo is one of the few guys carrying NJPW and making me care still. That was Cobb’s official coming out party and the stellar match he needed to have. This is when the NEVER Openweight Title is at its best. Two guys stiffing each other for 10-20 minutes and having a hard hitting battle. [****½]

13. NXT Championship: Finn Bálor [c] vs. Pete Dunne – NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

Credit: WWE

As soon as 2021 was getting started, I wanted nothing more than the chance to see Finn Bálor defend the NXT Championship against Pete Dunne. It was the perfect setup for a big TakeOver match and we got it at Vengeance Day. Everything these two did felt like it had purpose and was intense. Even basic mat work had extra snap and viciousness to it. For 25:11, these two put on a clinic and Bálor once again showed why he’s one of the best big match wrestlers around. He sold the hell out of the brutal offense that Dunne dished out. I love that whenever Finn got going, Dunne could just cut him off by snapping at or stomping on the fingers. It’s different and cool for an offensive move. The closing stretch was filled with fantastic moments that never felt overdone or like it was done to simply get to the ending. It felt like a natural case of them doing whatever they could to beat the other. Dunne ripping out the mouthpiece was a nice added touch but he was then taken down by Coup de Grace and 1916, allowing Finn to retain. Man, it really doesn’t feel like this year where Finn was champion. [****½]

12. CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston – AEW Full Gear

Credit: AEW

In about two weeks, CM Punk and Eddie Kingston built something special for a PPV match. No big entrance or CLOBBERING TIME from Punk as this was no frills. Bryce Remsburg tried to keep them apart before the bell and Eddie just laid him out with a back fist. Eddie’s proud reaction was great. Once the bell rang, they went right after each other and this felt like a fight. Punk would fire off shots and Eddie would just hit an exploder. Punk kicked Eddie, who flipped him off and mocked him before just poking him in the eye. Fantastic. Punk got busted open and Eddie rubbed the blood on himself. The blood seemed to trigger Punk, who started to get going. He teased going for the Five Knuckle Shuffle but flipped off Eddie instead, who did it right back. Punk’s stretch of offense was followed by the two of them trading shots, including Eddie faking like he was going down on a punch and just laughing at Punk. Eddie mocked the GTS call in hilarious fashion but then got hit with one only for Punk to not be able to cover. As Punk got going again, he was getting booed. He hit GTS a second time and Eddie sold it like death. That got Punk the win in 11:08. That was everything I wanted. They packed so much into that 11 minutes. It was intense, came off like a legitimate war, and didn’t do any of the nonsense overkill and false finish stuff. Just an absolute battle that fit the storyline so well. [****½]

11. WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Edge – WWE WrestleMania Night Two

Credit: WWE

This was instantly special given who was in it. Two of them retired and thought they’d never wrestle again, while the other beat leukemia. After Jey Uso was taken out by Edge, we got treated to Edge against Daniel Bryan for a bit, which is two of my all-time favorites. I absolutely loved the spot where Roman and Edge collided shoulders on Spear attempts. It made sense and looked brutal. Bryan had a hot run hitting kicks and slapping on submissions before Roman powerbombed him through a table, only for Edge to Spear him off the steel steps. It was wild and glorious. There was a really cool spot where a chair broke and Edge used the piece of it for extra leverage on a crossface on Roman. Everyone had huge close calls at several points. Bryan even took a Con-chair-to, which is nuts. Jey Uso got involved but Edge got rid of him only for Roman to Spear him. A con-chair-to later and Roman dragged Edge onto Bryan, pinning both to win in 21:40. Outstanding pro wrestling. It hit some expected tropes and had the heel win but what a ride to get there. They wrestled this like it was their last match, which is fitting given who was involved. Wild spots, huge drama, tons of emotion, and three of the best wrestlers ever putting on a showcase on the biggest stage. [****½]