wrestling / Columns
Kevin’s Top 500 Matches Of The 2010s (#10 – 1)
Image Credit: WWE
10. WWE United Kingdom Championship: Tyler Bate [c] vs. Pete Dunne – NXT TakeOver: Chicago
These two were great everywhere they went in 2017. They were at their best against each other. And they were never better than on this night. Bate won their first match in the finals of the UK Title Tournament. This was proof that a match doesn’t need to go 30+ minutes to be a classic. Dunne and Bate filled 15:27 with masterful storytelling and breathtaking action. Dunne brought even more brutal offense than he did in their first outing. Bate showed a ton of heart, never giving up. With Dunne on another level, he stepped his game up with offense we hadn’t seen from him before. Seeing him bust out the spiral tap and counter the Bitter End into a sick DDT were incredible highlights. There were some sequences during this match that literally had me shaking. It’s a feeling I’ve only had a few times watching wrestling in the past few years. Bate’s risks proved too risky, as a dive outside saw him eat a vicious forearm. Dunne rolled him inside and captured the title with the Bitter End. Crisp mat wrestling, aerial acrobatics, stiff strikes, emotion, a molten crowd, spectacular exchanges and jaw-dropping moments. This match literally had everything.
9. WWE Championship: John Cena [c] vs. CM Punk – WWE Money in the Bank 2011
The video package before this match is one of my all-time favorites. I’ve seen this match so many times but the reaction Punk gets still gives me goosebumps. I absolutely love Cena in matches like this. He knows he was getting booed out of the building so he walks to the ring with no salute or pandering to the crowd. He means business. Cole does a good job talking about history as this was the building where Cena debuted and the one where Punk played a gangster during Cena’s WM22 entrance. As they trade early mat work, the fans chant “you can’t wrestle” causing Punk to clarify that they are indeed talking about Cena. The atmosphere is unbelievable. Everything Punk does gets a massive ovation. They trade a fair amount in the ring until Punk hits a big knee to the back outside, earning a near fall. Cena starts to get a few chants before Punk hits an ugly cross body off the second rope, landing on Cena’s knees. Cena comes back with a suplex from the apron to the outside. Back inside, they trade shots with the crowd going back and forth. Cena goes 1980’s with an abdominal stretch. He goes into the FIVE MOVES OF DOOM but Punk counters and falls on his ass before missing the corner knee. Punk blocks the Five Knuckle Shuffle, sends Cena outside and follows with a suicide dive right in front of his family, Ace Steel and Colt Cabana. Cena still hits the shuffle and tries the AA but Punk lands on his feet and sweeps him up for two. Both men are clearly groggy when Punk hits Cena with two absolutely stiff high knee strikes. The replay shows it connects perfectly on Cena’s jaw. Cena kicks out of the Macho Man elbow before catching Punk in the STF. Punk breaks it with the ropes and gets two on a knockout kick. He goes up top for a cross body that Cena rolls through and hoists him up for the AA. Punk counters into the GTS but Cena catches the knee into the STF in one of the best counters he’s ever done. Punk reverses that into the Anaconda Vice. Cena survives and nails the AA for a huge near fall. Cena goes up for the diving Fameasser but Punk catches it into an ugly powerbomb for two. Cena nails a second AA and Punk still kicks out. Cena talks to the referee in disbelief as the crowd loses their collective minds. Out of desperation, Cena looks for a super AA that Punk fights out of and hits a top rope rana. Punk delivers the GTS but Cena falls outside and again, the crowd’s reaction is perfect. Punk rolls Cena in as Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis come out. He has a word with them before sliding in and Cena slaps on the STF. Vince wants Johnny to pull a Montreal screwjob but Cena lets go and lays out Laurinaitis. He tells Vince that this match isn’t going to end that way. Cena enters the ring and Punk hits the GTS to win the title to a thunderous ovation in 33:44 This match is incredible. I say Cena was the better performer since Punk had a few slip ups but it didn’t hurt the match for me. Their match on Raw two years later is technically better, but you simply cannot match this atmosphere. The build, story, crowd, match itself, counters, result and drama were all absolutely phenomenal. The best match in either man’s career.
8. NXT Championship vs. Career: Adrian Neville [c] vs. Sami Zayn – NXT TakeOver: R-Evolution
This felt like the biggest match in NXT history at the time. It went 23:18 and delivered in a huge way. Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville had a great match a few weeks prior, but it only got 12 minutes despite still telling a tremendous story. They told a phenomenal story that featured plenty of callbacks to their previous encounters. Sami was nearly too compassionate again and he came very close to using the NXT Title in desperation. Would he turn to the dark side? Nope. Instead, he stuck to his guns and finally won the big one in an emotional match. A huge celebration followed with Kevin Owens being the first guy to greet him. The faces held him up, Adrian Neville hugged him and all was right in the world. Of course, Sami’s happy moment barely lasted as Kevin Owens turned on him but the whole thing was glorious.
7. WWE United Kingdom Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Tyler Bate – NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff
Tyler Bate is 22 years old. He has two MOTY winners for me. 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.
6. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2012
I feel like this is the least discussed great match of the decade. Hiroshi Tanahashi proved to be in the conversation for the best IWGP Heavyweight Champion in history thanks to some non-stop standout matches. Among them was this absolute classic against Minoru Suzuki that is pretty much perfection. They told a simple story of working the arm and leg but did so in a way that was thrilling. They managed that without the use of close calls and near falls. It’s a trope that matches use too often now but there is literally just a single near fall in this. That’s remarkable. They told an engaging story with tremendous matches and kept me completely hooked for 29:22. It’s further proof that Tanahashi and Suzuki are two of the greatest to ever do it. Tanahashi retained with the High Fly Flow in a true classic.
5. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 23 8/4/13
Right at the bell, these two just charge at each other and proceed to beat the fuck out of one another. I mean, they literally just destroy each other with forearms, lariats and running kicks. They don’t have your typical forearm exchange, instead seemingly challenging their opponent to hit them harder. Both men literally leave themselves open so the other one can strike. Ishii cracks first, unable to kick because he holds his chest in pain. Shibata pounces, relentlessly delivering forearms in the corner. Ishii screams through the pain, but too many cause him to fall. Shibata follows with a great basement dropkick. After gathering his wits, Ishii now goes on the offensive, just murdering Shibata with vicious shots. Shibata catches a kick from Ishii and hits a big lariat. He applies a Boston crab, but Ishii reaches the ropes, so he pulls him back and works the STF. Ishii survives and then lays out Shibata with a lariat, though he is also down. When they get up, it’s just more abuse from each guy. Shibata takes down Ishii but only gets a count of one! Ishii hits a lariat and also only gets one! They headbutt each other and both just fall out again. The fact that they’re still even able to do anything is nuts. They beat the count and Shibata locks in the sleeper. Ishii looks like he’s about to die in it. He survives that though and we get another series of kick outs at one before Ishii puts Shibata down with a Brainbuster in 12:17 Holy shit. I said that more times than I could count while watching this. This is just a straight up fight in the best possible way. These are two of the very best at what they do and they work so well together. This had pretty much everything I could want in a match. It was stiff, there was a hot crowd, there was drama and it all just worked. I honestly don’t even have enough words to describe it. Watch it now. It is the best sub-fifteen minute match I have ever seen.
4. NXT Tag Team Championship Two Out of Three Falls Match: The Revival [c] vs. #DIY – NXT TakeOver: Toronto
When done right, tag team wrestling is one of the best things in the world. This wasn’t just tag team wrestling done right though. It was done perfectly. It’s honestly hard to sit here and fully express everything about this match that worked. They had an absolute classic and the best tag match in WWE in the past decade plus a few months prior, only to build upon that and best it here. The two out of three falls stipulation is perfect for the old school style of the Revival. The first fall was great and saw #DIY a step ahead, but not quite able to put the champs down. From out of nowhere though, Gargano ate a Shatter Machine and they fell behind 0-1. The second fall was the Revival doing what they do best. They dominated with the best tag work on the planet. They’ve mastered it. Since this was in Toronto, they even busted out the Hart Attack (while wearing punk and black). Ciampa finally got the hot tag and it led to DIY hitting their finish to tie it up. The final fall was incredible. Non-stop action with breathtaking near falls and close calls. Gargano got trapped in the submission he lost to in Brooklyn but survived this time around. The Revival tried doing #DIY’s finisher, only to have it cut off. #DIY then did the Shatter Machine and I absolutely believed it was over, but it was broken up. The finish was brilliant too. #DIY locked in stereo submissions and the Revival stopped each other from tapping before giving up at the same time at 22:16. Everything here clicked. The crowd was hot, the work was crisp, the callbacks to their past, the storytelling and the underlying tease of Gargano possibly failing again and Ciampa turning on him, which was possible considering the Brooklyn match and the CWC. Being invested in characters always helps and #DIY’s win was emotional, hard earned and beautiful. I loved every single second of this.
3. NXT Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks [c] vs. Bayley – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
The women of NXT have continued to top themselves with almost every opportunity. Now, while I’m a massive fan of both girls, especially Sasha Banks, I originally didn’t want this match. I wanted to see Sasha/Becky II after their great match at Unstoppable. Bayley and Sasha absolutely blew my expectations out of the water. In front of the largest crowd in NXT history at the Barclays Center, Bayley and Banks were the co-main event and bested every performer on a loaded weekend. Right from the entrances, you could tell this would be special. The atmosphere in Brooklyn was insane as the crowd was red hot. Bayley’s entrance was a tribute to the late Dusty Rhodes, while Sasha channeled her inner Eddie Guerrero by arriving in an Escalade. The first part of this match sees Sasha talk trash and Bayley has to bring out the more aggressive side that we don’t usually see. When it progressed, Sasha vicious went after Bayley’s injured hand. It was some of the more brutal psychology I saw all year, including stomping on the hand and kicking it into the steel steps. Their exchanges and false finishes during this 18:15 encounter. Bayley survived the Bank Statement and Sasha kicked out of the Bayley to Belly. A top rope rana failed earlier in the match, but Bayley busted out a super reserve rana before scoring with a second Bayley to belly to win the title, capping an emotional roller coaster. Honestly, the number two match on this list is technically better, but this was about on par, with the added bonus of the other things that makes pro wrestling great. The emotional impact of the match was so strong that Seth Rollins was crying at ringside. Hell, I was even nearly moved to tears. Not only was this the greatest women’s match in WWE history, but it was also the most important, cementing it here.
2. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2013
Obviously, both of these guys are among the top in the business. I’ve heard some seriously high praise for this match in particular so I went in with very high expectations. They managed to still blow those out of the water. There is a big fight feel during the match and the guys start fast. Coming into this, they are 2-2-1 against each other. I want to praise Tanahashi instantly as he wrestles in a way I don’t often see from him. Not only did he bust out the heel tactics, but he did so in a desperate manner. He feigns an injury at one point when his early advantage starts to slip. You can see that he is desperate to not give Okada any kind of momentum, no matter what it takes. Tanahashi, knowing his opponent, just obliterates his arm. It’s his goal to make sure that Okada can’t hit his big moves, especially the Rainmaker. He is just vicious and relentless on the attack from start to finish. Okada has to wrestle from behind, which works since the fans switch to getting firmly behind him after Tanahashi acts like the heel. He sells the arm work masterfully as even when he rallies, he can’t capitalize on certain moves because of the arm. It stops him from fully applying submissions and it opens the door for Tanahashi to either take a breather or get back on the offensive. Okada avoids a second High Fly Flow by rolling outside, but Tanahashi just leaps out onto him. Okada comes back with a tombstone outside and you could feel that the finish was near. I knew the outcome going in and still bit on a moment when Tanahashi hit the High Fly Flow on Okada’s back and went for a second, but Okada got his knees up. Tanahashi blocks the Rainmaker at every turn until Okada is finally able to hit one from out of nowhere and retain in 35:17 All of the high praise that I heard about this and guess what? It really was better than expected. This was the epitome of telling a great story, using psychology correctly and having it all come together for a masterful big title fight. This is one of the greatest matches that I’ve ever seen. The desperation of Tanahashi, the resilience of Okada, the arm work coming into play and not over relying on things like false finishes all just do so much to make this an incredible match.
1. NXT Championship: Andrade Almas [c] vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia
A mere 27 days into 2018, the match of the year award was locked up. Andrade Almas and Johnny Gargano put together something truly special. I took extra long writing this piece because it’s honestly hard to put into words what this match means to me. Almas had gone from bust to champion, while Gargano was in the midst of a redemption story following the heartbreaking split of #DIY in 2017. Everything the brand did over the previous few months built to this. Almas threw his entire arsenal at Gargano, wanting to prove that he belonged atop NXT. Johnny survived it all in an effort to prove he was truly past the Tommaso Ciampa situation that helped cost him against Almas the previous August. Zelina Vega was her usual incredible self. Her interference spots were expertly timed, not overdone, and provided perfect emotion. When Candice LeRae hopped the guardrail to finally stop her, you could feel the momentum shift. And yet, Johnny still couldn’t get it done. Almas got more brutal with his manager out of the picture. The running double knees into the ring post was one of the hardest spots of the year. Gargano looked like a battered and beaten man by the end of it all. To punctuate it all, Almas hit a hanging hammerlock DDT and retained in 32:32. Honestly, that’s everything I want in pro wrestling. It was long, yet everything mattered and felt like it belonged in the match. It was emotional, dramatic, fluid, told a story. I could go on and on. I’m not overselling it when I say that this is one of the three greatest matches I have ever seen and the best of the decade.
