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Kevin’s Top 500 Matches Of The 2010s (#40 – 31)
Image Credit: WWE
40. The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family – WWE Elimination Chamber 2014
Okay, that was damn near perfect. This is your WWE main roster 2014 match of the year. It had a big fight feel and absolutely delivered. All six guys got to do their thing and looked awesome. There were some absurdly big spots and they managed to do something really difficult here. It was mostly a traditional six-man tag but it managed to include a massive brawl-style environment that featured wild action. For 22:43, the hottest stables of the era went to war and it worked wonders. The fact that Bray Wyatt pinned Roman Reigns to win should tell you how high the company was on him at the time. This is how you book two dominant factions facing each other.
39. Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: War Games 2018
There are times when Johnny Gargano can overact. With that small criticism out of the way, I feel that he nailed every little aspect of this match. The issues with Tommaso Ciampa drove him to a dark place. It made him attack Aleister Black and put him on the shelf. Many expected him to come in and get his ass kicked for his actions. Instead, we witnessed something of an evil genius in this one. He got in Aleister’s head by stealing his cross legged sitting pose. From there, he continued to stick and move, always finding himself one step ahead of the former NXT Champion. Gargano was willing to go the extra mile and do whatever it took to win this match. He tried everything during the 18:09 runtime. When he got in true trouble, he begged off and apologized. He left himself open for the Black Mass, only to dodge and go for a cheap rollup right into the Gargano Escape. It was a last ditch effort to be a sneaky little shit. Aleister survived that and hit the Black Mass. A beaten Johnny fell onto Aleister’s chest, only being held up by him. Aleister absolved Gargano of his sins and drilled him with another Black Mass to win. The storytelling in this was off the charts. Probably the best anywhere this year.
38. Number One Contender’s Match: CM Punk vs. John Cena – WWE Raw 2/25/13
The rivalry between John Cena and CM Punk is one of the best in the history of either man’s career. After countless battles over the WWE Championship, they had one final meeting in 2013. CM Punk was fresh off of losing the gold and John Cena was on the road to regaining it against The Rock at WrestleMania 29. They had a match on Raw where the winner would go on to the grandest stage of them all. Some call it their best work ever. In some ways, it was as the actual action was great but the atmosphere couldn’t match Money in the Bank. They busted out unexpected things like a piledriver en route to Cena winning after 26:50. As good as this was, it did get held back by the lack of drama since everyone knew Cena/Rock was happening again.
37. AJ Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki – NJPW G1 Climax 24 8/1/14
I’ve often called the G1 Climax 24 the greatest tournament in wrestling history. It should be telling of how good this match is that it’s my favorite and the best from that tournament. Everything about this was so good. Sure, there was interference from AJ Styles’ Bullet Club buddies and Minoru Suzuki’s Suzuki-Gun friends but this was a match featuring the two leaders of two heel stables, so it playing a factor made sense and at least it was kept short. The arm work done by Suzuki was smart, brutal and they constantly went back to it, with AJ’s selling being top notch. This is just fantastic pro wrestling between two of the best of the decade. Styles won after a second Styles Clash in 16:20.
36. Unsanctioned Match: Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – NXT TakeOver: New Orleans
With about a year of build, there may not have been a more anticipated match in 2018. Watching as Tommaso Ciampa came out with no music and have a chorus of boos rained down on him was the perfect start for this. He was our hated villain and Johnny Gargano was our hero. Despite this going 37:00, there was no wasted motion. It also never felt like they were going this long for the sake of it or to pump up star ratings. They hit each other with stiff strikes, brought weapons into play, and threw their best offense at one another. Even the weapons used, like the crutch, had backstory to it. The spot where Gargano took a suplex off the announce table remains hard to watch. I appreciated the old school use of things like the exposed concrete. Ciampa was a masterful villain in this. It was a sign of things to come in 2018. The little elements like clapping on offense or bringing back the #DIY taunt before hitting the knee. He gets it. Gargano used Ciampa’s knee brace for some brutal offense, but stopped just short of ending his friend. He looked at a sad Ciampa and couldn’t bring himself to do it. This was his best friend. They sat next to each other like all their other matches, but Johnny had learned. He avoided the sneak attack and rolled into the Gargano Escape, which then transitioned to an STF with the knee brace for leverage to win. If I had to nitpick, they did go a bit overboard once or twice (the avalanche Project Ciampa near fall for example), but I liked this even more the second time. The wrestling was top notch, but the story elements from throughout their history made it special.
35. G1 Climax Finals: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – G1 Climax 25
Epic is a word that gets tossed around way too often. When it comes to this match though, I’m okay with using it. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura are two of the five best wrestlers in the world. They’ve faced off numerous times in the past, including a match in the G1 Climax the year before. Thanks to an injury, Nakamura didn’t have the best of tournaments until his final two matches, while Tanahashi, after taking it easy the first half of the year, had an excellent tournament. Their past matches have been great (Invasion Attack 2014) and slightly disappointing (Wrestle Kingdom 8), but this was quite possibly the best. A staple of their series, Tanahashi worked the leg in creative and vicious ways. It’s a Tanahashi specialty, which works extra well here because it takes away the Boma Ye. Nakamura was excellent at selling the leg work, at one point only using the good one for a backstabber, and his exhaustion. The mannerisms from both men are on point. They called back to past matches, including a false finish that directly matches the finish to their G1 match in 2014. By the time the 32:15 match is over, you realize that you’ve just witnessed something special. A tournament as good as this deserved a final like this, which was an instant classic.
34. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Battleground 2016
Former best friends and tag team partners, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn went on to be even better rivals. Their main roster story saw Zayn eliminate Owens from the Royal Rumble and their feud cost each other the Intercontinental Title and the Money in the Bank briefcase. Owens beat Zayn at Payback, but this was billed as the end of the rivalry, for now at least. Sami went for the Helluva Kick at the opening bell but Owens avoided it. Owens wore him down and in classic Owens fashion, so he even made a simple chinlock entertaining. A scary moment came when Sami tried a springboard moonsault and landed badly on his previous injured shoulder. Brilliantly, they worked it into the story when Owens attacked it. There were so many callbacks to their past and fantastic sequences in this. Sami busted out a freaking apron brainbuster! I loved that Sami didn’t kick out of the Popup Powerbomb either, since matches tend to rely on the finisher kickout gimmick too much. Instead, he got his feet on the ropes. Surviving, not overpowering. What put this match over the top was the emotion and story. Owens shouting for his former best friend to “STAY DOWN”, only for Sami to catch him in two suplexes was great. Even better was Sami stopping to close his eyes and take in the Helluva Kick he was about to hit. He caught a falling Owens and played the conflicted role so well. Did he want to win there or did he want to inflict more punishment? That moment made you think Sami was going to be compassionate but he finally decided to get his revenge, hitting a second Helluva Kick to win at 18:21. This had the hot crowd, intense exchanges, great story, emotional impact and all around excellence. When done right, wrestling can be a beautiful thing.
33. Best of the Super Juniors Finals: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2018
When it was announced that Bone Soldier was returning to NJPW, people groaned. Dubbed “Boner” by Bullet Club teammate Kenny Omega, he was a source of bad matches when he was around. So, when it was revealed that the new Bone Soldier was actually Pro Wrestling NOAH standout Taiji Ishimori, it was a nice surprise. He won the A Block of the Best of the Super Juniors, setting up a clash with the best junior heavyweight on the planet, Hiromu Takahashi. This first time ever matchup shattered expectations. When Hiromu waged war with El Desperado in Korakuen Hall in the tournament, they fought into the crowd for a wild match. This had a similar feel, with some early brawling out there. Once Hiromu took a rana down a flight of stairs, it set the tone that this was going to be something to behold. It was the Hiromu Takahashi special. Two guys just throwing their bodies at each other in absurd fashion and leaving the viewer breathless. One thing that helped this stand out from other long NJPW main events (this one went 34:09) was how organically it built. It never felt like time was just being filled. People seem to think I don’t like long matches, but I actually really like them. If they make sense. This one had highs and lows that were perfectly built. There was a ton of drama and emotion throughout. To win, Hiromu countered the Bloody Cross and used a combo of his triangle choke and the Time Bomb to win. Hiromu is just the best, isn’t he?
32. WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship TLC Match: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte – WWE TLC 2018
There was absolutely a big fight feel here, giving this a unique atmosphere. The women were not only put into their first TLC match, but given a PPV main event and delivered big time. At no point did this slow down or feel boring. They went all out for the entire duration. All three women took MAJOR bumps. Charlotte nearly had her ribs crushed by a Becky senton off a ladder through a table. I thought she was legitimately hurt, but she was up shortly after and wrecking everything. She hit a somersault through a table on Becky and speared Asuka through the guardrail. On that note, I loved the barricade spot in this one as it felt more realistic than the one we usually get. The “C” in this TLC seemed to stand for canes, as the women used kendo sticks often. It made sense since that was part of their build more than chairs. The match was brutal, laid out brilliantly, kept escalating, and had a MOLTEN crowd throughout. After a handful of teases for each winner, Becky and Charlotte battled atop a ladder. Out came Ronda Rousey to tip their ladder over and send them crashing to the floor. I love that Ronda didn’t do anything else. Short and simple. Asuka climbed and won the title at 22:31. A top five TLC and top five women’s match I can recall. From a booking standpoint, it was phenomenal as well, with Asuka getting the big win, while her opponents stayed strong and keep their feud with Ronda going.
31. 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.
