Kevin’s Top 100 Matches Of 2019: #10-1

10. War Games: Team Rhea vs. Team Shayna – NXT TakeOver: War Games 11/23/19

By this point, the women of WWE have competed in almost every gimmick match. Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, Money in the Bank, etc. This year, they added War Games to the mix. And as usual, they outclassed the men. Team Shayna comprised of Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair, and Kay Lee Ray. Team Rhea was Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae, and Dakota Kai, who replaced Mia Yim after she was attacked earlier in the night. The match got off to a hot start. Shirai and LeRae renewed their incredible rivalry before Ripley and KLR brought the weapons into play. The match took a wild turn when Dakota entered, only to turn around and brutally attack her best friend, Tegan Nox. It was one of the best heel turns in recent memory. That left Rhea and Candice in a 4-on-2 situation. No help came either. They had to do it alone. And it was done in a way that made total sense. They never looked like they got “superman” booking. Their hope spots felt realistic. Shayna trapped Rhea in the Kirifuda Clutch and it looked like the end. But Rhea found a way to counter by handcuffing herself to Shayna. From there, she hit Riptide onto a pile of chairs to win in 29:37. One of the best finishes all year ending one of the best matches. [****½]

9. WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship: Asuka [c] vs. Becky Lynch – WWE Royal Rumble

The 2019 Royal Rumble pay-per-view truly was an all-time great. Part of the reason was the insanely hot start that the main card got off to. Asuka, one of the best women to ever hold championship gold in WWE, going one on one with Becky Lynch, who was the hottest thing in wrestling at the time. In a first-time ever clash. Probably due to being so hot at the time, Becky came in confident. She talked smack and acted like she had the match in hand. Asuka is no slouch and made her eat her words. This was hard hitting to the point where you believed Asuka might actually hit a German suplex off the apron. That tells you how legitimate this felt. Everything they did not only came off well but it seemed vicious. There was an intensity in this that was almost unmatched all year. Both women had scouted each other so well that they were able to apply each other’s submissions. The Asuka Lock wouldn’t get it done, so the champion turned it into a modified Cattle Mutilation, bringing me back to the ROH days of Daniel Bryan. This went 17:08 and was another shining example of how great the women of WWE are. [****½]

8. Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/19/19

When Jon Moxley’s G1 Climax entry was announced, more than a few potential matches stood out. This was right near the top of the list. Both men came in with 2-0 records and both were champions at the time. Before the bell, they came face to face for an intense staredown that set the tone for a ridiculously wild match. I’m talking about a match where they wrestled all over Korakuen Hall, battered each other with chairs, headbutted each other like the Junkyard Dog, and Ishii busted out a splash off the top through a table. As good as the G1 Climax usually is, it is often the same kind of match over and over. Variety is welcome (which is why I love Toru Yano in it) and this gave us that. There was nothing else in the tournament like it. This was right up the alley of both men and they made it work by giving us something unexpected. Ishii kicked out of the Death Rider, which I didn’t love, but they made up for it when Moxley added the Regal Knee. An elevated Death Rider later and Moxley secured the win after an incredible 20:36. [****½]

7. Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai – NXT TakeOver: Toronto

My only question mark about this rivalry was that they tried to act like Io Shirai and Candice LeRae were longtime best friends. Other than that, everything about this was masterful. Then the match happened and took it to the next level. I loved this from start to finish. Candice, finally getting a chance to shine on a TakeOver, attacked before the bell because this was a heated rivalry. But within a minute or so, she was getting suplexed on the announce table. Io was ridiculously confident in everything that she did. That was combated perfectly by the babyface fire Candice showed. It was some of the best you’ll see anywhere. They continued to up the ante with each spot and built to something incredible. The big spots came at the right time, never feeling like overkill. When Candice kicked out of an avalanche Spanish Fly and the moonsault, Io lost her mind. She couldn’t believe it. Her answer? Slap on a Koji Clutch until Candice passed out at the 15:01 mark. It was a brilliant move as she realized Candice was too resilient. And the Koji Clutch was done in a manner that kept Candice’s hands from tapping so she had no choice but to pass out. Honestly, this was my personal favorite match of 2019. Simply outstanding pro wrestling from two of the best on the planet, regardless of gender. [****½]

6. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13

Remember Kenny Omega in New Japan? That was a thing that happened. In 2019, no less. He and Hiroshi Tanahashi got to headline the Tokyo Dome and they put on the best Wrestle Kingdom main event since I began watching the company in 2015. This whole match was built on the idea of old vs. new. Omega had the Young Bucks in his corner, while Tanahashi had the New Japan Dads in his. Even things like bringing out a table were done to build this. It was like Omega did that to say his style of wrestling was superior. After Omega took rough landings on his knees, Tanahashi targeted them. It’s his bread and butter. Tanahashi also reached deep into his bag of tricks, even pulling out a Styles Clash. There’s a lot behind that move when you consider Styles’ history with both men in NJPW. I think the best moment came when Tanahashi tried to beat Omega at his own game and missed High Fly Flow through a table. Omega remained a jerk throughout, using some of Tanahashi’s moves only for the challenger to kick out at one. He eventually captured the title after 39:13. GO ACE! There were a few moments of overkill but this still rocked. [****½]

5. NXT Tag Team Championship: War Raiders [c] vs. Aleister Black and Ricochet – NXT TakeOver: New York

Who would have thought that the best tag match of 2019 would come from teams not named the Undisputed Era or the New Day? The winners of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Aleister Black and Ricochet, took on the War Raiders to open this TakeOver and they set a high bar for the night. I often praise when teams use tag formula because it works and makes sense. This match mostly avoided it and that was for the better. I saw things in this match that still blow me away after multiple viewings. The cool character bits like Ricochet and Aleister sitting together, the dope tandem offense from the War Raiders, and the exhilarating finishing stretch. I swear, there were at least five to ten times that I thought this would end as it was filled with breathtaking dramatic near falls. They packed a ridiculous amount of action into the 18:39 runtime. In the end, the War Raiders retained with Fallout to cap what was an incredible tag team match. It was the best of the year and an insane way for Ricochet and Aleister to say goodbye to NXT. [****½]

4. Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/8/19

After Shingo Takagi vs. SHO in the BOSJ, this was my most anticipated match of the year from New Japan. Tomohiro Ishii is kind of the perfect opponent for Shingo. It’s just two dudes who hit hard and will go to war with one another. I’m a simple man with simple pleasures. They laid this match out perfectly to suit their strengths. It was a hell of a battle for all 22:41. If you really want a look at how this match went, there’s one moment that stands out. After Ishii got his ear busted open on a strike, he simply shouted that he wanted to get hit harder. He got so caught up in the battle that he seemingly forgot about the two points on the line and instead looked to prove he was tougher. I loved that Ishii did his no sell gimmick only for Shingo to lay him out with a clothesline. He wasn’t having any of that. This match was helped by the fact that the winner wasn’t obvious. With 8 and 6 points apiece and neither man set to win the tournament, we had no clue who would prevail. That added so much to the drama and is something G1 matches often lack. Shingo finally got the victory with Last of the Dragon. Sadly, Gedo didn’t give us a rematch later in the year. [****¾]

3. WWE Championship: Daniel Bryan [c] vs. Kofi Kingston – WWE WrestleMania

There wasn’t a more important match in all of wrestling in 2019. Kofi Kingston getting a one on one WWE Title match at WrestleMania was a massive deal. Even more when you consider how this whole thing was built. Right off the bat, their contrasting styles came into play. Kofi wanted to take to the air and work a quick pace while Daniel Bryan was more than happy to ground him. I loved the cut to the roster watching on a monitor backstage. This whole tale had the feel of something that everyone would be rooting for. Bryan was great here. He held serve throughout and everything he did looked smooth and was entertaining. For example, countering Kofi’s double stomp into a Boston Crab was phenomenal. This had some amazing late drama, like Kofi’s SOS near fall getting turned into the LeBelle Lock. The New Day took out Erick Rowan, leaving it as a one on one encounter. The final few minutes are as dramatic as it gets. Kingston hit Trouble in Paradise in 23:43 to make history and become the first African-American WWE Champion. The drama, emotion, action, and what it meant all made this a truly special match and moment. I’m happy to have witnessed this. [****¾]

2. NXT North American Championship: Ricochet [c] vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Phoenix

If you want to talk about the best long-term booking and story in wrestling, look no further than Johnny Gargano and NXT. We all remember the way it culminated as he won the NXT Championship at TakeOver: New York. Before we got there, we were treated to this. Gargano getting a shot at the North American Title and desperately trying to win singles gold. This was a glorious clash of styles. Gargano would control the mat but the high flying ability of Ricochet was like his kryptonite. It kept overwhelming him. They took the fantastic action we all knew they were capable of (like you’d see if they wrestled in EVOLVE or something) and combined it with the overarching story surrounding Gargano. It was a master stroke and some of the best wrestling on the planet. They also topped the stuff we’d see elsewhere. For example, nobody had a better “land on my feet on a super rana” spot than Ricochet here. When a reverse rana and slingshot DDT couldn’t end it, Gargano snapped. He exposed the concrete outside to spike Ricochet but remained conflicted on pulling the trigger. Then Ricochet trapped him in the Gargano Escape and that was too much. Johnny got free and hit a brutal brainbuster on the concrete. He added another viciously sold slingshot DDT inside to win the title in 24:22. Johnny finally pulled the trigger and won a title. It was a masterclass in storytelling and I loved it. [****¾]

1. WWE United Kingdom Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Tyler Bate – NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff

Tyler Bate is 22 years old. This is already his second time topping this list. The only other people to have multiple Match of the Year winners for me during my lifetime are Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Nigel McGuinness, The Undertaker, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Johnny Gargano. That’s exclusive company. I remind you again that he’s only 22. This was the ultimate David vs. Goliath match with the added caveat that Bate is a BIG STRONG BOI who can lift WALTER if he needed to. WALTER tried to keep the pace slow and whenever Bate would get something going, he would stop him with a chop or a powerbomb. His back was damaged, which was why he struggled to lift WALTER at times. These guys made every move count. A simple suplex or chop all had meaning behind it that paid off later. They did the little things like Bate knocking WALTER out with a punch, only for WALTER to land on top of him and further damage his back. The late near falls were incredible, from the Tyler Driver after bridging up to Bate kicking out at one on a powerbomb. That final 10 minutes was breathtaking. WALTER was stunned but finally used a lariat to keep Bate down after a grueling 42:12. That is how you do a 40 minute match. They made every moment count, the atmosphere was great, and the performances were unbelievable. Bate gave it his all but took too much damage and his desire to keep trying to lift WALTER further dug his own grave. That was perfect. [*****]