Pantoja’s Top 100 Matches Of 2022 (#70-61)

70. AEW Interim Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm [c] vs. Jamie Hayter – AEW Full Gear

Image Credit: AEW

They opened things with some mat work because taking the fight to the outside where it got much more intense. Hayter took a shot into the ring post and came back by throwing Toni around. Jamie took control but made the mistake of getting too cocky, which allowed Toni to get going again. It was as if the Britt Baker influence was kicking in for Jamie and it cost her. Both ladies were down after a headbutt spot and Rebel (not Reba) ran down for potential shenanigans. Toni had a busted nose from Jamie’s shots. Rebel hit Toni with the title to set up a massive near fall and Rebel got ejected. Britt Baker also hit a Curb Stomp onto the title and Jamie hit Storm Zero, yet it still only got two. The crowd was 100% behind Jamie by this point. Toni took a shot into the exposed turnbuckle and ate Hayterade to rightfully give us a new champion after 15:16. I don’t think they needed some of the overbooking and I didn’t like the finisher kickouts but that ruled and I was totally invested because of how much I love Jamie. [****]

69. Anarchy in the Arena: Bryan Danielson, Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Santana & Ortiz vs. The Jericho Appreciation Society – AEW Double or Nothing

Image Credit: AEW

So, this started with a brawl in the crowd as “Wild Thing” played. I immediately got New Jack vibes and was looking for Sting to return and jump off of something. This was a FIVE STAR match while the music was playing (especially after it looped) so when Jericho cut it off, it lost some points from me. This match is not for everyone but I really enjoyed it. There were wild spots, brawling all over the place that was too hard to keep up with, and lots of blood was spilled. At times, I did feel like they were padding things out to go long enough for the Game 7 in the NBA Playoffs to finish. Jericho’s got 2007 Shawn Michaels hair going on by the way. Santana and Ortiz jumped off ladders and Moxley took a barbed wire bump. The faces had it won but a bloody Eddie Kingston tried to pour gasoline on Jericho while Bryan had him in in a submission. That led to Eddie and Bryan brawling and gave the heels the upper hand. They eventually made Danielson pass out while in the Walls (with one leg) and getting choked by Hager in 22:31. Had the music kept going this would’ve been five stars. Also, almost any other ending besides Hager choking out Danielson would’ve been better. [****]

68. Anything Goes Match: Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn – WWE WrestleMania 38 Night Two

Image Credit: WWE

Yeah, I put this here. There are some fans online who scoff at this being considered great. I called it a personal favorite and said I’d rather watch it than Omega/Okada and those fans were MAD. But I wasn’t lying. This was so much goddamn fun. As a huge fan of both Sami Zayn and the Jackass franchise, this was perfect. This had everything I could want in 14:29. The mousetrap table, the Partyboy run-in, Wee Man beating up Sami and slamming him, and to top it off, the giant hand gimmick. I was in TEARS watching this. Between this match and Vince selling the Stunner, WrestleMania night two was some of the most fun I’ve ever had watching a PPV. Knoxville won with the help of a taser and I wish there was more. Wrestling is a variety show. I like a good technical showcase, hardcore brawls, high flying action, hoss fights, and everything in between, which includes entertaining comedic matches. It might only get four stars but it’s at least seven stars in terms of entertainment. Hear me out, this is also my personal favorite match of 2022. [****]

67. New Japan Cup Quarterfinals: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/21/22

Image Credit: NJPW

I still stand by my claim that the matches between these guys peaked in 2016. Still, they have great chemistry so the things they did came off pretty seamlessly in the early stages of this one. Their styles also mesh as Willy likes the high impact stuff, while Sabre Jr. wants to keep things grounded, which is usually a combo that works. They played up the fact that both of their characters are assholes, taunting and teasing one another throughout. The main difference between this and their other matches was that Ospreay is much bigger now, so he could have a dominant few minutes where Sabre Jr. would have to stop him by frantically grabbing at a submission or something like that. ZSJ mostly focused on the leg, which led him to success in the end, scoring a surprise tap out with Selected Technical Works Vol.2 in 23:04. I liked that ZSJ was so shocked at the finish because even he didn’t think that Ospreay would submit. A hell of a match that still didn’t reach their 2016 level but was far better than the 2020 outing. [****¼]

66. NXT North American Championship Ladder Match: Carmelo Hayes [c] vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Grayson Waller vs. Santos Escobar vs. Solo Sikoa – NXT Stand and Deliver

Image Credit: WWE

Carmelo Hayes is so good. A lot of this was what you’d expect from a multi-man ladder match. Each guy got a chance to showcase their skills and we got plenty of big spots with the ladder being used as a weapon. That included some big dives. Sikoa had a sweet moment where he did the Umaga ass attack into Santos, Hayes, and Waller with ladders in between them in different ways for more damage. Sikoa also nearly died on a sunset flip bomb off a ladder. The folks at ringside got involved from Legado del Fantasma to Trick Williams to Elektra Lopez, who dove onto Waller in a cool spot. The guys involved just kept building and building to bigger spots. They did it in a way that didn’t just feel like spots for the sake of it though, which is always a tough balancing act. Waller tried his between the legs elbow off a ladder but Hayes and Grimes moved, sending him crashing through a ladder. He looked like he broke something in his arm or dislocated it badly. Shortly after that, Grimes took out Escobar and climbed up to retrieve the title in 21:02. An absolutely wild match featuring a bunch of guys who were out to steal the show. [****¼]

65. JONAH vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW G1 Climax 8/7/22

Image Credit: NJPW

Although this got off to the traditional Okada slow start, it actually felt like it meant something, which is all I ask for. A lot of it centered around Okada struggling with JONAH’s size. They teased a suplex on the apron that was a nice callback to the iconic Bigelow/Taz spot, especially since JONAH idolized Bigelow. Okada took a beating here and made sure that JONAH looked like an absolute monster. Some have said that JONAH doesn’t work like a vicious beast heel but this match made it work. Bad Dude Tito got involved as Okada got going, trying to help his buddy, only for Okada to hit one of the best-looking topes he’s ever busted out. Okada finally found success on a body slam that he attempted several times and it felt like that would set up the finishing Rainmaker sequence. However, we didn’t get that. JONAH stirred and leveled Okada with headbutts and lariats. Okada kicked out at the last second but made a mistake on a missile dropkick attempt. JONAH caught him with a mid-air powerbomb, added a second, and then scored the upset with the Torpedo after 21:53. God, I love when Okada goes outside of his comfort zone. This wasn’t Okada formula, it was something different and it was brilliant. JONAH was great as the vicious big man but this was a masterclass from Okada as he made him look like a million bucks. [****¼]

64. El Phantasmo vs. Robbie Eagles – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/26/22

Image Credit: NJPW

Eagles needed to win to stay alive. ELP was his typical arrogant self to start but Eagles shut him up with some shots and a dive to the outside. ELP used a Lawn Dart into the ring post and DDT on a chair outside to really swing the momentum. Even when Eagles tried to take a powder, ELP was on him with a dive to the outside, though a second one led to him hitting the floor hard. Self-sacrifice became a theme as Eagles also damaged his knees while taking out ELP. Once they took the match back to the ring, they really started trading stuff and both were hurt so you got a sense of desperation from them. These dudes were exhausted as they threw their biggest offensive bombs at each other. ELP even fell while trying CR2. They redid the finish from last year but with ELP kicking out this time. ELP’s neckbreaker off the second rope was seriously impressive and everyone needs to see it. He added CR2 but was too hurt to cover immediately. That allowed Eagles to recover, hit the 450 onto both legs and win with the Ron Miller Special after 24:43. A pretty epic main event that is arguably the best match of the tournament so far. Eagles also gets to stay alive. [****¼]

63. WWE Raw Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair [c] vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch – WWE Hell in a Cell

Image Credit: WWE

In terms of sheer name value, this was one of the most loaded women’s matches in a long time. A lot of this followed the expected triple threat tropes like having one person dumped outside so the others could go at it. However, it’s a trope because it works when done well. The girls kind of just kept things entertaining throughout by trading offense and you got a sense of intensity here too. Becky’s desperation to get back on top was clear. A simple near fall on a diving leg drop had her stressed. It’s like Becky couldn’t grasp who she’ll be if she’s not the top star. They also did a good job of making me buy into near falls, which I wasn’t expecting given that the outcome seemed obvious coming in. Bianca high-stepping while doing a stalling suplex is a sick spot. I loved Asuka’s pair of Codebreakers as the spot was well set up and looked great. The double ankle lock was even cooler. Bianca deadlifting Becky out of the Dis-Arm-Her was outstanding and the Manhandle Slam near fall ruled. My only issue with this match was the finish. After several close calls from everyone, Becky hit Asuka with the Manhandle Slam, only for Bianca to throw her out and steal the pin in 18:56. [****¼]

62. New Japan Cup First Round: Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/7/22

Image Credit: NJPW

These two just have nothing but great matches. Guess what, folks? We’ve got a case of TWO BIG MEN, WITH BIG CHESTS, BUMPING MEAT. This was clearly great but I do think we’re hitting a point where they should avoid each other for a while. I love what they do but there’s only so many times that can I see them fire up against each other or throw bombs and see who is tougher. That’s what a lot of this was and again, while it’s a blast, it didn’t feel all that different from their previous meetings. The majority of what they did was great and if it’s the first time you’re seeing them compete I did get terrified when Ishii got dropped on his head on Made in Japan but I think he ended up fine. He kicked out but then fell to Last of the Dragon after a wild 23:32. Like I said, these guys don’t miss though it might be time to change things up a bit. [****¼]

61. Hirooki Goto vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW G1 Climax 32 8/10/22

Image Credit: NJPW

I didn’t have high hopes for this as it’s a pairing that has never really worked for me. Even back when Goto still mattered, I wasn’t blown away. As expected, the start to this wasn’t anything great or memorable but it had a bit more intensity than you might expect from these two. Goto seemed hellbent on winning and remaining alive as a loss would likely leave the block down to ZSJ and Tanahashi. Tanahashi put a target on Goto’s leg, doing his usual Dragon Screws and such to wear it down. Goto survived submission attempts and tied up Tanahashi in one of his own aimed at the arm. That gave each man a clear problem as the match neared its 19:01 conclusion. They traded forearms to the point where they both collapsed. Goto ended up bleeding badly from the mouth and this was one of those cases where it added to the match. I’m so used to some Moxley matches where the blood doesn’t do much (he’s still my wrestler of the year though) and I really liked it here. Goto looked like a madman as he went into hard kicks and bigger offense. He finally pulled it out with GTR. That far exceeded expectations and was Goto’s best match in a long time. It balanced the technical stuff with the violence expertly. [****¼]