Pantoja’s Top 100 Matches Of 2022 (#90-81)

90. IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Shingo Takagi [c] vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16

Image Credit: NJPW

This was the least excited I’ve been for a Wrestle Kingdom since I started watching New Japan and this main event was part of the reason why. I knew it would be a great match, it’s just that we all knew Kazuchika Okada would win and return things to status quo for the company while Shingo Takagi was a breath of fresh air. As expected, this got a ton of time, going 35:44, which meant there was plenty of time for Okada to do his methodical thing. Shingo is the kind of guy who can make the best of that though, as he’d bust out some big bit of offense from time to time to reengage the crowd. The idea here was that he was a heavy hitter who laid into Okada with everything he had but Okada survived it all and showed the resilience he’s been known for throughout his career. For the most part, this was more of the same from these kind of main events, with the standout being Shingo mocking Okada. I love little character things like that and they’re always a highlight of New Japan matches since they don’t happen as often. Okada regained the title with the Rainmaker and he was right back on top again. [****]

89. Smackdown World Cup Finals: Ricochet vs. Santos Escobar – WWE Smackdown 12/3/22

Image Credit: WWE

When WWE announced the World Cup Tournament, I assumed it would go to someone like Braun Strowman. So, it was a breath of fresh air when it came down to Ricochet and Santos Escobar. I like both guys and their matches in Lucha Underground as Prince Puma and King Cuerno were pretty fantastic. They were given the main event slot and 21:47 to do their thing and they didn’t miss. Capping one of the best episodes of wresting television all year, these two put on a show. Legado Del Fantasma got involved early and were ejected for it which I like. Escobar would use help but get it out of the way early and let these two cook. This played out like their Lucha Underground matches with dives, high impact offense, and great stuff down the stretch. From ranas and moonsaults to near falls, this was intense. Escobar getting his knees up on the 630 made for a fantastic close call. Ricochet busted out a poisonrana and 630 to win soon after, earning a shot at Gunther’s Intercontinental Title and giving us a tremendous TV outing. [****]

88. Ace Austin vs. Taiji Ishimori – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/26/22

Image Credit: NJPW

This should’ve headlined this night of BOSJ action. The X Division Champion against the Jr. Heavyweight Champion and a battle for the top of their block. There was something of a big fight feel here and the guys traded stuff early. Austin was arrogant after sending Ishimori outside and Ishimori returned the favor with his level of brashness. Ishimori put a target on Austin’s shoulder, looking to set put the Bone Lock. Landing on your feet on a Fosbury Flop is pretty cool. Ishimori stayed in control but Austin got in some hope spots. When he got trapped in the Bone Lock, I legitimately thought it was over but Austin made it to the ropes and you could see Ishimori getting frustrated. They went into a great series of counters late with Austin getting the huge win on a pinning combination at the 11:24 mark. There seemed to be a bit of confusion on who had their shoulders down. From the exchanges to the importance of the match to the selling to the result, I loved this. [****]

87. Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita – AEW Fyter Fest 7/13/22

Image Credit: AEW

I was stoked for this one because Moxley is my pick for Wrestler of the Year and Takeshita was so much fun in AEW. Right off the bat, these two were beating the hell out of each other. Moxley, who has taken pride in fighting as a BCC member, was the first to relent and take Takeshita to the mat. They fought to the apron where Moxley took a German suplex just before a commercial. Returning, Takeshita was busted open, adding to the intensity of the bout. Takeshita’s leaping clothesline looks incredible by the way. They went into trading some big blows like a Brainbuster, armbar, hurricanrana, and then a Takeshita no hands dive to the outside. I bit on a bridging German from Takeshita which I shouldn’t have because it’s Moxley but they still made me do it. Bravo. Moxley hit the Death Rider and won with the Bulldog Choke in 13:07. A fantastic outing and I love when AEW randomly gives us a banger. This ruled as Moxley continued his roll and Takeshita proved himself yet again. [****]

86. DOUKI vs. El Desperado – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/28/22

Image Credit: NJPW

This felt different from their previous outings. It was a main event, DOUKI has been better than ever in the tourney, and commentary did a good job of hyping this as his chance to really prove that he’s more than just the guy who replaced Desperado in the tournament one year. They’ve also talked smack and had issues in tags on earlier BOSJ shows. On top of that, Taichi came out for commentary. I have one major gripe with this match in that it started a bit too slow. Given what was going on coming in, I wanted to see them just go balls to the wall with a fight. Now, once they got going, they gave me what I wanted and this brawl was pretty great. We got dives outside and a DDT on the floor before they started attempting to trade submissions inside. The closing minutes were wild, highlighted by DOUKI spiking Desperado with a tornado DDT on the concrete. DOUKI nearly had this won with a submission but Desperado survived and won with a variation of Numero Dos in 21:51. That was excellent and the best match I’ve ever seen from DOUKI. He proved himself in this tourney. [****]

85. Drew McIntyre and RK-Bro vs. Roman Reigns and The Usos – WWE WrestleMania Backlash

Image Credit: WWE

Despite being a six-man tag, this felt like a big deal. Early on, McIntyre wanted Roman Reigns, who gave the tag to a pop only to tag out because he calls the shots. I love that. Eventually, Riddle ended up as the guy taking the heat, with Reigns dominating him. I liked that Roman made a rare mistake (which commentary rightfully hyped up) as he tagged in only for Riddle to do the same and bring in McIntyre, who cleaned house. It showed that Drew was a threat to Roman. The Usos kind of made the save but moments later, Drew still caught Roman with the Claymore and he looked done. Drew was too hurt to capitalize so the tag went to Orton and I was ALL FOR an Orton/Roman program. They hadn’t done it since 2014 and it could’ve been big. Too bad Orton got hurt. Anyway, he ran through the Usos and did so in entertaining fashion. Things continued to escalate throughout this match with great close calls and exchanges from everyone involved, with the crowd hot for all of it. We got table spots and chaos around every corner before Riddle hit a super RKO, only to turn around right into a Spear, giving the Bloodline the win in 22:10. A hell of a main event that delivered in spades, though I would’ve had the faces win over one of the Usos. [****]

84. Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia – AEW Dynamite 2/23/22

Image Credit: AEW

These two ended up being intertwined throughout 2022. Daniel Garcia was not afraid to trade strikes with his idol Bryan Danielson early, bringing that violence he promised. Danielson seemed to be playing with him a bit and that pissed off Garcia. As expected, they fought through the break and Garcia held serve upon return until Danielson hit a huge knee. However, his knee was damaged from a sick looking chop block earlier so he couldn’t fully capitalize. They went into a kneebar where they both just kicked the shit out of each other. Garcia found a way to escape Cattle Mutilation and applied a VICIOUS looking ankle lock. From there they moved onto strikes again and Garcia again hung tough with the best all the way until the 10:24 bell. Danielson blocked a submission and stomped on the head before choking him out to win a hell of a match. It’s like Danielson is hand picking his opponents and making the most of it. This was a tremendous first step in the year’s best trilogy. [****]

83. Ace Austin vs. Alex Zayne – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/25/22

Image Credit: NJPW

I didn’t know a ton about either guy coming into the tournament but both quickly won me over. They were much needed breaths of fresh air in this company. According to commentary, these two have also formed a friendship. You could tell there was chemistry here with both guys exchanging crisp stuff early, countering one another, and bumping well for the other. For example, Alex Zayne did a flip on a springboard kick bump to make sure Ace Austin looked good. Both guys seemed to have the other scouted, avoiding some big moves and that made for some really entertaining exchanges. When Zayne went up top, Austin started pleading with him and bringing up their friendship, pulling him into an inside cradle. The crowd responded with as much enthusiasm as they could when these two both went down following some great kicks and strikes. Since neither guy is a big star, they were only given 11:37 and that was to their benefit. Austin crotched Zayne up top when he went for the Cinnamon Twist, hit a sweet headscissors takeover, and won with The Fold. Austin was the A Block’s most consistent wrestler and Zayne delivered big on two straight nights. [****]

82. WWE Raw Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing Match: Bianca Belair [c] vs. Bayley – WWE Crown Jewel

Image Credit: WWE

These are two of the best wrestlers on the planet but I was wary because this stipulation is one I typically don’t love. This was filled with the big spots you expect from these matches like Bayley doing a clothesline off the guardrail onto a seated Bianca and Bianca hitting a suplex on the ramp. I really liked Bayley feigning an injury, especially as it played into Wade Barrett saying that Bianca was too nice for a match like this. They were creative with the steel steps, used the kendo stick a lot, and would throw in something vicious like a Bayley to Belly on the stage. I didn’t like Bayley using a crossface on the stage and letting go for the count. She should’ve waited until Bianca passed out completely. That would’ve made kayfabe sense. The golf cart spot was a good idea but was just kind of goofy until the big bump Bayley took off of it. As usual, Bianca survived a ton, including a sick bump on a missed 450 splash onto chairs. She managed to trap Bayley in a ladder stuck under the turnbuckle (following a KOD onto a chair) and Bayley couldn’t get out to beat the count, losing in 20:44. A great, creative match that was a lot of fun. [****]

81. ROH Pure Championship: Wheeler Yuta [c] vs. Daniel Garcia – AEW Dynamite 9/7/22

Image Credit: AEW

AEW was in a rough place following All Out. They handled it well with a banger episode of Dynamite, capped by this 16:35 main event. Buffalo’s own Daniel Garcia was the clear babyface here. The guys were evenly matched heading into the commercial and kept things grounded. This got better as it went on and I popped for Yuta’s spot where he hangs out of the ring, pulls himself back in, and hits German suplexes. Following a second commercial, this became more violent with a strike exchange that saw Garcia lay Yuta out with a slap. He tried to get the 10 count with that but Yuta survived. That fire led to Yuta using a closed fist and getting a warning. Pure Title rules make for a fun variation on what we typically see. Garcia used that aggression against Yuta, pulling him into the Dragon Tamer. They traded submissions until the Dragon Tamer got locked in again and Garcia won the title. Again, this is the kind of match I love. The hometown crowd added a lot to this one. [****]