Kevin’s Top 500 Matches Of The 2010s (#180 – 171)

180. PROGRESS Championship No DQ Match: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Marty Scurll – PROGRESS Chapter 25

The rivalry between Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay has spanned several promotions including Rev Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor and PROGRESS. Considering the title on the line and the no DQ stipulation, this was their biggest and most heated altercation. Within the first few minutes of this 30:16 war, Ospreay was bloodied and Scurll had used his signature umbrella as a weapon. They did a wonderful job of blending their past battles of counter after counter with several hardcore aspects. Ospreay’s moonsault off a railing and the two men both taking powerbombs through tables were great. Their chemistry is always top notch and it showed during several fast paced moments of back and forth. After a referee bump, Ospreay applied a crossface with an umbrella for added leverage. Scurll tapped but of course no ref saw it. Scurll would retaliate with some barbaric shots with umbrellas. When Ospreay refused to stay down, Scurll retrieved handcuffs and trapped the champion. He proceeded to beat the hell out of him with umbrella after umbrella. Ospreay was defiant as ever and spat at Scurll. Even with more umbrella strikes, Ospreay still found a way to barely get his shoulder off the mat. Scurll finally used the chicken wing and the referee called the match, giving Scurll the title. This was a grand match with a lot going on. It felt like the kind of match I’d do with my action figures as a kid in the best possible way. Alas, both guys are canceled now so this didn’t age well.

179. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Michael Elgin (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2016

This was about more than the Intercontinental Title. It had to do with respect. Michael Elgin dreamt of working in Japan for years and has found success there. He loves it. Tetsuya Naito disrespects NJPW as often as possible, from attacking officials to badmouthing top stars to treating the Heavyweight Title like garbage when he held it earlier in the year. Elgin didn’t want that to happen to the Intercontinental Title and he was out to teach Naito some respect. There were some early mind games with Naito avoiding Elgin and taunting, only for Elgin to return the favor. Naito made Elgin’s leg his target, which made sense since it was attacked often during the buildup to this match. Elgin sold the leg well and struggled to hit some of his power moves because of it. Naito continually wore it down with his knee bar submission. When it looked like Elgin had things in control, out came LIDJ only for Elgin’s buddies KUSHIDA and Tanahashi to make the save. With things back to one on one, Elgin survived Destino and again was on the brink of a win. Naito would counter the Elgin Bomb into Destino and add a third to win the title at 30:36. The crowd ate this up. The match had twists, turns and was full of drama. The win made Naito the only man to win the IC, Heavyweight, NEVER, Tag and Jr. Tag Titles, as well as the New Japan Cup and G1 Climax tournaments.

178. Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW G1 Climax 29 7/18/19

I first saw these two square off during a six man tag at WWN Mercury Rising in 2016. I had only just been introduced to Will Ospreay but had enjoyed Kota Ibushi for a while. Watching them interact made me think they were ideal opponents for each other. Two guys who were freaks of nature athletically and had similar styles. Their match at Wrestle Kingdom was pretty damn good and nearly made this list. However, they bested it in the G1 Climax. I wouldn’t call them perfect opponents but they worked incredibly well together. I wasn’t a fan of the early clichés like the fast-paced standoff and stuff. It has been done to death and doesn’t add much to a match for me at this point. I will admit that I appreciated how it showed their similarities. Both men came in damaged, as Will’s neck is usually hanging on by a thread and Ibushi had a bad ankle. Ibushi was uncharacteristically sadistic, taking pleasure in dumping Ospreay on his neck. When Ospreay responded with the Hidden Blade, it had added drama because that knocked Ibushi out at WK. The near fall was great because Ibushi’s lifeless arm barely made it to the ropes to break the pin. After 27:16, Ibushi won a match where both guys were recklessly attacking each other’s injury. It was scary but great.

177. Tomoaki Honma vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 25 8/12/15

After their match at New Beginnings in February, people were clamoring for the rematch. Many gave that match five stars and consider it a legit Match of the Year contender. On a show featuring two of the top three guys in New Japan, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada, these two guys were given the main event slot. As noted before, the G1 style fits the style of a guy like Tomoaki Honma, who works best in short, hot bursts. They had a great match in the G1 Climax the year before as well but of all of their matches, this was my favorite. As you’d expect from these two, this was the hard hitting contest they’ve become well known for. The chops they dish out to each other are just absolutely brutal. To give some added intrigue here, Honma went winless in the G1 in 2014 and was winless coming into this match. The crowd is always red hot for him but this was on another level. One of the main reasons Honma loses so often is his over reliance on the Kokeshi headbutt. He misses it so often, especially in big moments. Finally, after 16:13, nearly twenty G1 losses in two years and multiple Kokeshi headbutts, HONMANAIA RAN WILD and he scored his first ever G1 win. Having it happen in the main event in Korakuen Hall was such an added bonus making this one of my favorite moments all year long.

176. WWE Cruiserweight Classic Quarterfinals: The Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/31/16

File Brian Kendrick under the list of guys that I never thought I’d see on this list in 2016. Not because he isn’t good, but because I didn’t see him returning to the WWE. He did though and was a great addition to the CWC. Kendrick brought a different style to the show. While there were mat technicians, hard strikers, fun charismatic guys and high fliers, Kendrick was the wily veteran who did whatever it took to win. Kota Ibushi was a heavy favorite to win it all though. Knowing he was outmatched in a lot of ways, Kendrick played mind games, trying to get in Kota’s head. He did little things like trapping Kota’s foot in the guardrail to try and steal a countout win. He targeted Kota’s neck, hitting a neckbreaker on the ring post. I’ve never seen that before and it made sense considering Kota’s neck surgery. He hit Sliced Bread and a goddamn BURNING HAMMER for two very close near falls. You could just feel his desperation. The reaction when Kota missed a Phoenix Splash and Brian immediately applied the bully choke was perfect. Ibushi proved to be too much though, escaping that and winning with the sitout powerbomb at 13:57. An incredible match that got better on a second viewing. Not only was the action top notch but the story of Kendrick’s last stand and the neck work were excellent. Extra points to Daniel Bryan for trying to will his friend to victory on commentary.

175. Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong – NXT TakeOver XXV

I remember when these two met in EVOLVE a few years back. I thought it was a very good match but it didn’t quite reach that greatness level that I wanted. They gave me that here. Matt Riddle is almost always a safe bet for a very good match, while Roderick Strong is incredible. Seriously, is there a more underrated wrestler than Roddy? He has been one of the best in the world for a long time and people always overlook him. Anyway, they opened TakeOver XXV and stole the show. This match was simple and I mean that as a compliment. Strong delivered an array of backbreakers, which is his specialty. Riddle sold the hell out of it and made sure the audience never forgot about it. Then, he’d get in his bursts of offense at just the right time. It was masterfully laid out to play to both of their strengths. They made it so that something as basic as Strong getting his knees up on a Riddle aerial move meant so much. The work on the midsection played into the finish, as Riddle couldn’t apply the Bromission properly. He had to pivot and use the Bro Derek to win after 14:42. A stellar match that hasn’t been getting as much love as it should.

174. Michael Elgin vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 25 8/15/15

Sometimes, all you need in wrestling is for two big dudes to collide and just go to war. That’s what this was. Michael Elgin silenced tons of doubters at the time with a phenomenal G1 Climax run and was arguably the MVP considering his consistency. Tomohiro Ishii is almost always someone to count on for good to great matches. Pair them together, given their size and styles, and you’re treated to the best hoss match of the year. Thank the G1 style for giving this the perfect amount of time at 14:33. I was in awe at some points, watching these two guys hammer away on each other. This wasn’t the typical “no selling” that some point to, rather it was two guys that can take punishment. Elgin got to shine, hitting an apron Death Valley driver, deadlift falcon arrow and a running powerbomb into the guardrail. Ishii sold the damage well even if he did have to power up a few times to get some shots back. Ishii couldn’t put Elgin down with some lariats, so he did so with a Brainbuster..

173. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW G1 Climax 29 8/10/19

I have seen some people call Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay a match of the year contender. That’s strange to me since it wasn’t even close to the best thing either guy did during the G1 Climax. For example, Ospreay easily had his shining moment here. The match with Kota Ibushi was great but that’s a style we know Ospreay can excel at. This was different. It was a case where Willy had his hand held and he was led through the match by Tanahashi. Before the Ospreay lovers jump at me, that’s not a knock on him. Think back to every Okada/Tanahashi match pre-2016. They all were clearly led by Tanahashi. He’s an all-time great for a reason. He understands how to incorporate something that will work for someone into his style of match. That’s what happened here. Though Tanahashi was eliminated, his pride was on the line. He did things like bridge on a submission because he wanted to show that he could still hang with a guy like Ospreay. They told a wonderful story based around that. This did had some clear issues (Ospreay inconsistently sold the leg and his Hidden Blade was laughably bad) but it was okay because everything else rocked. In the end, Tanahashi did the job to the Jr. Heavyweight Champion, falling to Storm Breaker in 17:12. Yet again, Ospreay can impress when kept to the right match length and working with someone superior to lead the way. Tanahashi is the God.

172. New Japan Cup First Round: Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/10/19

When you put Kota Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito together, you’re almost guaranteed to get something special. I’ve never given any of their encounters less than four stars. They wrestled multiple times in 2019 but this first meeting was easily the best one to me. Putting them together in the first round of the New Japan Cup meant that a potential favorite would be gone immediately. High stakes indeed. Naito was aggressive from the start here. These two seem to be way into the idea of hurting each other. I saw them drop each other on their necks in vicious ways from bell to bell. Naito busted out a ridiculous sitout piledriver on the apron at one point. He followed it with a sly smirk that let you know how much he was enjoying taking this whole thing to the next level. They had plenty of callbacks to their brutal history and brought out the kind of closing stretch that New Japan is famous for. Ibushi had Destino scouted, countering it at every turn. However, Naito countered Kamigoye into one for a fantastic near fall. That seemed to ignite Ibushi, who went on a flurry to win and advance at the 20:38 mark.

171. NEVER Championship: Tomohiro Ishii [c] vs. Hirooki Goto – NJPW Power Struggle 2014

There were brutal strikes from the opening bell. That’s Ishii’s domain and, though Goto can hold his own there, he got outmatched early. A chop exchange led to him crumpling to the mat in pain. Goto manned up and returned the favor to Ishii in the next few minutes, setting the tone that he would dish out as good as he took. The sheer brutality in this never wavered. Strike after strike. Chop after chop. Lariat after lariat. It seemed to become about more than the title, it was a test of who was manlier. A great exchange saw Goto finally send Ishii down with a lariat, only for him to pop up and return the favor. Goto got up instantly and they took each other out with simultaneous lariats. With each move someone survived, the crowd got louder and more invested. They continued to stiff each other and I honestly have no idea how they kept the pace they did. Goto nearly decapitated Ishii with a lariat, only for Ishii to kick out at one. That really took the crowd to the next level. Goto put the focus on Ishii’s neck and head, hitting several neckbreakers and USHIGOROSHI (shoutout to Mauro). Ishii had blood in his mouth and I’m not sure if it was something internal or a busted lip. After surviving the very best they could throw at each other, Ishii put Goto down and retained in 17:15. This is what the NEVER Openweight Title was built on. Two warriors doing battle to not just win, but outlast the other. They worked the crowd into a frenzy and never stopped. It’s the Tomohiro Ishii special. 12-20 minutes of non-stop, hard hitting action and a never say die attitude. Goto gave him everything in his arsenal, but Ishii weathered the storm and retained the gold. A must-see match that’s probably their second best encounter ever.