Kevin’s Top 100 Matches Of 2021 (#80-71)

80. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kota Ibushi [c] vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Castle Attack 2/28/21

Credit: NJPW

This is pretty much the wildest pairing in all of wrestling. It has been said to death but when Tetsuya Naito takes on Kota Ibushi, you can bet that one of them is very likely to get injured and it’s terrifying. After a meeting in the Tokyo Dome, they had a rematch at Castle Attack where Ibushi only put up his IWGP Intercontinental Title and not the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. That made it feel like their past battles. The interesting bit here was that Naito was actively trying to win and save the IC Title from being combined with the Heavyweight belt, which is interesting since Naito previously loathed that championship. Both came in with damaged knees, so this got off to a slower start than some of their prior outings. After trading submissions, they really picked up in the back half of this 27:50 affair, going for the big moves that these two are so well known for. This had actual drama late because there was a real chance that Naito would save the title. Destino got a near fall (as always) and then his second one was countered, setting up an exchange that led to Kamigoye, giving Ibushi the win. That’s another strong entry into their long history. [****]

79. New Japan Cup Second Round: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jay White – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/15/21

Credit: NJPW

I believe that the history of Hiroshi Tanahashi and Jay White is one of the more interesting out there. They had some disappointing matches to start before things picked up as they moved into matches higher on the card, peaking with some 2019 encounters. They reignited the rivalry in 2021 and had a bigger match at Wrestling Dontaku but the better bout is actually this one from the New Japan Cup. Jay came in with confidence given that he held a 3-2 advantage over Tanahashi coming into this. While Tanahashi wanted to wrestle, Jay was content to subvert that and go against the grain throughout this 19:54 match. I think that runtime worked in their favor because they kept things compact and made sure everything mattered. Jay would pull hair or terrorize some Young Lions, drawing the ire of Tanahashi. Once they actually went at it, both men went after the legs, which has become a staple of their work. They were throwing out so many dragon screws that even Gedo ate one. Jay survived the Cloverleaf and raked the eyes to take the upper hand, advancing after hitting Blade Runner. Not on the level of their best work but pretty damn good. [****]

78. Dante Martin and The Sydal Brothers vs. Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks – AEW Dynamite 8/11/21

Credit: AEW

Have you ever watched a match unfold and realized that you were seeing a star being born? That’s the feeling that I got when watching this six-man tag. On paper, it seemed simple enough. The Elite were booked as a dominant trio and they were facing a relatively undercard and unimportant trio of Matt Sydal, Mike Sydal, and Dante Martin. It turned out to be so much more though. The Sydal Brothers played their parts well enough and the trio of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks were their usual selves. But this was all about Dante Martin. The young kid got a chance on his own with partner on the shelf and he made the most of it. Fans everywhere were captivated by some of his offense in this match, doing high flying stuff that was still incredible to see despite happening in an era where that kind of stuff seems commonplace. Martin got left alone with Omega near the end and put on a show, taking the AEW World Champion to the limit. Of course, despite all of his counters and hope spots, he couldn’t survive the BTE Trigger. This was the ideal way to start a hot show, made Martin look like a star, and was kept at the perfect length, only going 12:18. [****]

77. Men’s Royal Rumble – WWE Royal Rumble

Credit: WWE

A Royal Rumble match should always be entertaining because there are so many options and ideas that you can put in there. Of course, that can also make it difficult to book but WWE has done it well since 2018 with all of them ranging from good to great. 2021 was pretty great for a handful of reasons. Edge and Randy Orton started the match and continued their major rivalry, while New Day advanced their feud with Mustafa Ali. Damian Priest and Carlito (who was JACKED) were surprise entrants, while The Miz and Bad Bunny began their issues that would lead into WrestleMania. We also got an incredible Team Hell No reunion and hug. The match was giving me what I wanted, even with no crowd. To top it off, we got Christian making his return, which was surreal as I never expected him to wrestle again and I ended up getting him for the rest of the year. Seth Rollins returning was also pretty cool and previewed his feud with Edge. Speaking of Edge, he won by last eliminating Orton after 58:24 and as someone who has loved Edge for most of his career, that was a really cool moment to end a strong Rumble. [****]

76. IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Championships: Kota Ibushi [c] vs. El Desperado – NJPW Anniversary Event

Credit: NJPW

One of the coolest things about New Japan’s Anniversary Shows is when they feature a main event that pits the IWGP Heavyweight Champion against the Jr. Heavyweight Champion. It has given us cool matches like Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi in 2014. We were set to get Tetsuya Naito against Hiromu Takahashi in what would’ve been something incredible in 2020 but COVID stopped that. 2021 saw the return of the idea with El Desperado getting a shot at Ibushi’s Heavyweight and Intercontinental Titles. The winner of this would walk away as the first IWGP World Champion, which hurt things because you knew it wouldn’t be Desperado. Though it lacked drama, Desperado and Ibushi are both fantastic, so they put together something great. Since Ibushi isn’t the junior he was years ago, he was powerful enough to dare Desperado to hit him as hard as possible while he just ate every shot. He’s a machine at this point. Desperado fired back with even more and his confidence grew with each move. He’s still a junior but he’s still not the same guy he was in 2014. He hung tough but fell to Kamigoye after 20:36. [****]

75. World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals: Bryan Danielson vs. Miro – AEW Full Gear

Credit: AEW

This was worked at a slower pace than a lot of big matches, which I liked. Danielson was looking to strike and move, cutting Miro down to size. Of course, he got caught and thrown around with ease at points. Miro dominated until Danielson sent him into the ring post and hit a running knee off the apron. He then started working the leg and doing grounded strikes like his driving knees to the head. Miro deadlifted Danielson out of a kneebar and it was incredibly impressive. Miro also pointed up to his God, which was a good bit of storytelling. Danielson escaped Game Over but Miro wouldn’t let up and went for it again. Danielson rolled back and countered into a pin for two that he rolled into submissions until Miro gouged his eyes. Miro challenged Danielson to kick him in the ribs and weathered the storm but then fell victim to a tornado DDT off the top and a triangle choke of sorts. Miro passed out in 20:00, continuing the storytelling around his neck. That was a slow burn but one that worked well and everything paid off. Danielson’s great run continues and Miro is awesome. [****]

74. Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly – NXT The Great American Bash

Credit: WWE

The first meeting between these two at TakeOver lasted 40 minutes and dragged on at points, while their final match (also at a TakeOver) was better but didn’t quite find its way onto this list. Thankfully, their bout in the middle gave me everything I wanted from them. At 24:04, it didn’t take too long but still felt worthy of the main event slot and of the bitter rivalry surrounding the Undisputed Era split. Here, they told a concise story that made total sense. Kyle O’Reilly got fired up after the commercial break, laying into Adam Cole with all sorts of strikes and kicks and not holding back at all. Cole still took control until he badmouthed Kyle’s wife, causing him to go off, only for Cole to use it to goad him in. Brilliant stuff. Kyle overcame a damaged knee and won out during a pretty epic closing stretch. He seemed like he’d take this, only for his knee to give out when he used it to stop Panama Sunrise. So, Cole hit it on his next attempt and added Last Shot, giving him his final big victory of his outstanding NXT tenure. [****]

73. Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 31 9/26/21

Credit: NJPW

When Kota Ibushi and Zack Sabre Jr. share the ring, you’re almost guaranteed to get something special. I’ve never gone below ***½ for one of their matches and most clock in at **** or more. Sabre Jr. came into this as smug as ever since he had just destroyed Tetsuya Naito in the tournament opener, putting him on the shelf for the rest of the schedule, and making the IWGP World Champion submit. Meanwhile, Ibushi entered after a somewhat embarrassing loss to Yujiro Takahashi and a recent illness. Sabre Jr. dominated at times but his hubris got him into trouble as he engaged in a striking battle with Ibushi, which he had no shot at winning. Of course, whenever Sabre Jr. got in trouble, he’d catch a body part and trap it into a submission. This was something of a masterclass from him. He started hitting surprising offense like a powerbomb but Ibushi refused to give in. He nailed Boma Ye, yet Sabre Jr. kept countering Kamigoye, eventually turning it into a submission dubbed Clarky Cat, which got him the victory after 19:56, adding another impressive tournament match for him. [****]

72. Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart – NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

Credit: WWE

It’s no secret that NXT in 2021 was at least a notch or two below what fans had become accustomed to. Most TakeOver events stopped feeling special as well but they hit the nail on the head on at least one night. TakeOver: Vengeance Day was a spectacular night of wrestling and was likely my second favorite show of the year. It started with a bang too as Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez took on Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart in the finals of the inaugural Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. What made this match stand out to me was the switch on the traditional tag formula. Instead of having the heel team work over a babyface leading to the hot tag, the heels were the ones in trouble. Dakota played the heel in peril and it was Raquel who got to enter and clean house. That allowed this to feel unique, which is such a fresh rarity when you’ve been watching wrestling for a few decades. The finish was pretty frantic and honestly, there were a handful of flubs or relatively blown spots but they made up for it with high energy and an interesting format. Raquel hit the one-armed powerbomb for the win in 17:39, giving her team the tournament and eventually Tag Team Titles. [****]

71. Adam Cole vs. Jungle Boy – AEW Dynamite 9/29/21

Credit: AEW

When Adam Cole debuted at All Out and immediately superkicked Jungle Boy, that became a match I was dying to see. Jungle Boy is legitimately one of my favorites in AEW and Adam Cole really grew on me during his NXT run. AEW didn’t waste much time on this match, booking it within Cole’s first month and it was only his second singles match. The two opened up Dynamite and for 13:38, delivered the goods. Cole was thrown off his game at the start when Jungle Boy overpowered him and he had to regroup. The two were both brash at different points of this back and forth affair. Unlike a lot of matches, it never felt like this was truly in one guy’s favor only for the other one to make a comeback. The whole thing seemed evenly matched, helping to cement just how far Jungle Boy has already come within just a few short years. They made sure this was entertaining as hell while still telling a simple and effective story. The Panama Sunrise got two and I still don’t like that move only resulting in near falls so much but the live crowd bit. Cole used a cheap low blow to set up the Last Shot and win, leaving me dying for a rematch. [****]