wrestling / Columns

Pantoja’s Top 100 Matches Of 2024 (#100 – 91)

January 27, 2025 | Posted by Kevin Pantoja
WWE Survivor Series Image Credit: WWE

I can’t believe it but we have reached the 10th year of this list. Like last year, no match that sat at just **** made the list since we just have so many great matches these days. In fact, there were 101 matches at ****1/4, so only one will be included among the honorable matches. There’s also a new promotion included as alongside WWE, AEW, STARDOM, and New Japan is Marigold.

Like we do every year, let’s have a good time looking back at the highs of the past wrestling year!

WWE

World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins [c] vs. Drew McIntyre – Day 1

NXT Championship: Ilja Dragunov [c] vs. Trick Williams – Vengeance Day

Cody Rhodes vs. Drew McIntyre – Raw 2/19

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Gunther [c] vs. Jey Uso – Raw 2/19

Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan – Raw 3/11

#1 Contender’s Qualifying Tournament: The Creed Brothers vs. DIY – Raw 3/18

WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: Judgment Day [c] vs. Awesome Truth vs. Austin Theory & Grayson Waller vs. DIY vs. New Catch Republic vs. New Day – WrestleMania XL

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn [c] vs. Chad Gable – Raw 4/15

NXT Women’s Championship: Roxanne Perez [c] vs. Jordynne Grace – Battleground

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn [c] vs. Chad Gable – Clash at the Castle

Street Fight: Jaida Parker vs. Michin – NXT 7/2

Money in the Bank: Chelsea Green vs. IYO SKY vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Zoey Stark – Money in the Bank

NXT Championship: Trick Williams [c] vs. Ethan Page vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Shawn Spears – Heatwave

Axiom, Je’Von Evans and Nathan Frazer vs. The Rascalz – NXT 7/23

World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest [c] vs. Gunther – SummerSlam

Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes [c] vs. Kevin Owens – Bash in Berlin

World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther [c] vs. Randy Orton – Bash in Berlin

NXT Tag Team Championship: Chase U [c] vs. Axiom and Nathan Frazer – No Mercy

Bianca Belair vs. IYO SKY – Raw 9/16

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Bron Breakker [c] vs. Jey Uso – Raw 9/23

World Heavyweight Championship: Gunther [c] vs. Sami Zayn – Raw 10/7

Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez vs. Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer – Halloween Havoc

  • AEW

Steel Cage Elimination Match: Daniel Garcia and FTR vs. The House of Black – Collision 1/27

Bryan Danielson vs. Hechicero – Collision 2/3

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Will Ospreay – Dynamite 3/27

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Will Ospreay – Dynamite 4/17

Bunkhouse Brawl: Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher – Collision 4/20

AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland [c] vs. Claudio Castagnoli – Collision 4/27

AEW International Championship: Roderick Strong [c] vs. Will Ospreay – Double or Nothing

#1 Contender’s Gauntlet Match: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Hechicero vs. Jay White vs. Lio Rush vs. Mistico vs. Orange Cassidy vs. PAC vs. Shota Umino vs. Will Ospreay – Dynamite 5/29

AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Kyle O’Reilly – Collision 6/1

Dante Martin, Kyle O’Reilly, Mark Briscoe & Orange Cassidy vs. Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Roderick Strong & Zack Sabre Jr. – Dynamite 6/19

Hiromu Takahashi, Titán and Yota Tsuji vs. The Lucha Brothers and Mistico – Forbidden Door

Orange Cassidy vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Forbidden Door

AEW TNT Championship Ladder Match: Dante Martin vs. El Phantasmo vs. Jack Perry vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Lio Rush vs. Mark Briscoe – Forbidden Door

AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Daniel Garcia – Beach Break

AEW Trios Championship London Ladders Match: The Patriarchy [c] vs. The Bang Bang Gang vs. The Blackpool Combat Club & PAC vs. The House of Black – All In

Casino Gauntlet Match – All In

Hangman Page vs. Tomohiro Ishii – Dynamite 8/28

Claudio Castagnoli, PAC and Wheeler Yuta vs. Kyle O’Reilly, Orange Cassidy and Will Ospreay – Collision 9/4

AEW World Title #1 Contender’s Match: Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley- Grand Slam

Hangman Page vs. Jay White – WrestleDream

Darby Allin vs. Komander – Collision 12/7

Brody King vs. Will Ospreay – Dynamite on 34th Street

Continental Classic Semifinals: Kyle Fletcher vs. Will Ospreay – World’s End

STARDOM

Giulia and Mayu Iwatani vs. Maika and Saori Anou – New Years Stars

World of Stardom Championship: Maika [c] vs. Saya Kamitani – Supreme Fight

New Blood Tag Team Championship: Hanan and Saya Iida [c] vs. Chanyota and Mai Sakurai – STARDOM in Korakuen 2/17

NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship No Disqualifications Match: Giulia [c] vs. Natsuko Tora – STARDOM in Korakuen 2/17

AZM and Saya Kamitani vs. Maika and Mina Shirakawa vs. Mayu Iwatani and Tam Nakano – Cinderella Tournament 3/9

Cinderella Tournament Second Round: Hanan vs. MIRAI – Cinderella Tournament 3/10

Giulia vs. Tam Nakano – Cinderella Tournament 3/20

World of Stardom Championship: Maika [c] vs. Utami Hayashishita – Cinderella Tournament 3/20

World of Stardom Championship: Maika [c] vs. Megan Bayne – American Dream

Hanan and Saya Iida vs. meltear – STARDOM in Numazu 4/13

Goddesses of Stardom Championship: Crazy Star [c] vs. 02line vs. FWC vs. YoungOED – All Star Grand Queendom

HANAKO, Maika and Mina Shirakawa vs. Mayu Iwatani, Starlight Kid and Tam Nakano – Golden Week Fight Tour 5/3

Crazy Star vs. Team Mutual Love – Flashing Champions

Crazy Star vs. wing*gori – STARDOM in Osaka 5/28

Mei Seira vs. Starlight Kid – The Conversion

Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saori Anou [c] vs. Mika Iwata – The Conversion

Goddesses of Stardom Championship: FWC [c] vs. Konami and Syuri – STARDOM in Korakuen 6/29

Manami and Mika Iwata vs. Natsupoi and Saori Anou – Nighter in Korakuen 7/4

Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saori Anou [c] vs. Natsupoi – Sapporo Wonder Rendezvous

Mayu Iwatani vs. Saya Iida – 5STAR Grand Prix 8/11

Saya Iida vs. Tam Nakano – 5STAR Grand Prix 8/12

AZM vs. Tam Nakano – 5STAR Grand Prix 8/15

Mayu Iwatani vs. Mei Seira – 5STAR Grand Prix 8/23

Hazuki vs. Natsupoi – 5STAR Grand Prix 8/25

Blue Stars B Block Play-In: Hanan vs. Suzu Suzuki – 5STAR Grand Prix 8/28

5STAR Grand Prix Quarterfinals: AZM vs. Maika – 5STAR Grand Prix 8/28

5STAR Grand Prix Semifinals: Maika vs. Mayu Iwatani – 5STAR Grand Prix 8/31

5STAR Grand Prix Finals: Maika vs. Saya Kamitani – 5STAR Grand Prix 8/31

High Speed Championship: Mei Seira [c] vs. Yuna Mizumori – Goddesses of STARDOM Tag League 10/27

REStart vs. wing*gori – Goddesses of STARDOM Tag League 11/4

REStart vs. Starlight Kid and Suzu Suzuki – Goddesses of STARDOM Tag League 11/20

Two Out of Three Falls Match: Aya Sakura, Natsupoi, Saori Anou, Sayaka Kurara & Yuna Mizumori vs. AZM, Mei Seira, Starlight Kid & Suzu Suzuki – Goddesses of STARDOM Tag League Finale

No Disqualifications Match: Maika vs. Natsuko Tora – Dream Queendom

World of Stardom Championship: Tam Nakano [c] vs. Saya Kamitani – Dream Queendom

Marigold

Marigold United National Title Tournament First Round: Miku Aono vs. MIRAI – Grand Opening Wars 6/23

Marigold Super Flyweight Championship Tournament Finals: Misa Matsui vs. Natsumi Showzuki – Summer Destiny

Giulia vs. Mai Sakurai – Summer Gold Shine

Mai Sakurai vs. Sareee – Dream Star GP 9/8

Miku Aono vs. Sareee – Dream Star GP 9/16

Kouki Amarei vs. MIRAI – Dream Star GP 9/20

Dream Star Grand Prix Finals: Mai Sakurai vs. Utami Hayashishita – Dream Star Finals

NJPW

NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi [c] vs. Tama Tonga – Wrestle Kingdom 18

No Disqualifications Match: Jon Moxley vs. Shingo Takagi – Battle in the Valley

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii [c] vs. Kosei Fujita & TMDK – Road to the New Beginning 1/24

New Japan Cup First Round: Jeff Cobb vs. Yota Tsuji – New Japan Cup 3/10

New Japan Cup Second Round: Gabe Kidd vs. Shingo Takagi – New Japan Cup 3/13

NJPW Strong Women’s Championship: Stephanie Vaquer [c] vs. AZM – Windy City Riot

NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi [c] vs. HENARE – New Japan Soul 6/16

G1 Climax A Block Qualifying Tournament Semifinals: Tomohiro Ishii vs. YOSHI-HASHI – New Japan Soul 7/3

Jeff Cobb vs. Konosuke Takeshita – G1 Climax 7/23

NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship: Mercedes Moné [c] vs. Momo Watanabe – Capital Collision

Honorable Mention – Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Semifinals: Hangman Page vs. Jay White – AEW Collision 7/6/24

Image Credit: AEW

My biggest gripe with the Owen Hart Tournaments is that they really didn’t mean anything. It was like the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in that it was just a thing people could say they won. Thankfully, that got fixed in 2024 with the winner of each getting World Title shots at All In. That upped the stakes (though it does minimize who could realistically win it) and you felt it when Jay White took on Hangman Page. Ahead of their great matches later in the year on PPV, this was a chance to either give Jay his first bit of momentum in forever in AEW or move Hangman to within one match of facing his rival Swerve. They delivered here for 15:42 and put one of the better TV matches of the year. It was interesting to see Jay working like a face while Hangman was coming into his own with his more unhinged personality. He became more vicious and violent as the match progressed, helping this feel different from their past encounters. The finish was a bit riddled with some shenanigans as both Jeff Jarrett and Christian Cage got involved ahead of Hangman winning with the Buckshot Lariat. [****¼]

100. IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: David Finlay vs. Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18

Image Credit: NJPW

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER. Gedo fumbled the bag with another star as Ospreay was on his way out here. Moxley had Red Hood inspired gear for his entrance while Ospreay’s was from Assassin’s Creed with the addition of a Rey Mysterio jump. To start, Moxley and Ospreay had a truce so they could beat up Finlay since they both owed him an ass kicking in and around the ring. That was a good way to start but once we got the Moxley/Ospreay battle everyone wanted, this took a step up. Their exchanges were great and it acted as a preview for their eventual clash. Their fight opened the door for Finlay to sneak in as they were so focused on each other. He’d bring the shillelagh into play since there aren’t DQs in this kind of match. It’s a Moxley match, so of course he bled. Ospreay’s moonsault spot could’ve been cool but it was one of those dives where the person completely misses the targets. However, Moxley’s Death Rider looked awesome. From that point on, the match took things up yet another notch. Big offense from everyone and Finlay nearly stealing it after Ospreay hit Moxley with the Hidden Blade made for a great close call. It was exactly the kind of way that nobody wanted this to end. Then, we got the run-ins with the War Dogs or whatever they’re called showing up to fight Moxley and Ospreay. Of course, the big stars easily fought them off and the image of Coughlin stuck seated in the broken table was hilarious. Some of the late near falls and finisher kickouts were a bit much before Finlay put down Will with Oblivion in 22:17. A great match though it fell victim to some tropes of the match type and had some overdone kickout spots. [****¼]

99. Women’s World Heavyweight Championship: Rhea Ripley [c] vs. Becky Lynch – WWE WrestleMania XL

Image Credit: WWE

Rhea used her power to gain control early on with things like a Northern Lights Suplex and turning an inside cradle into a suplex. Commentary talked about how Becky has been battling strep throat over the past few days. It made sense then that she went for bigger impact offense like a tornado DDT and Bexploder on the outside to try and get a win as early as possible. Rhea could just catch her with something using her strength though and turn the tide from a trio of powerbombs to a press slam into a knee. However, as this passed 10 minutes, Rhea grew frustrated that Becky wouldn’t stay down. Becky survived the Prism Trap and got a near fall with the Manhandle Slam before kicking out of a well setup Riptide that should’ve been the finish. Rhea powered out of the Dis-Arm-Her with an Electric Chair but Becky flipped them both to the outside, only for Rhea to land on her feet and finish the Electric Chair Drop. It was the coolest spot of the match. Rhea blocked an avalanche Manhandle Slam, hit a Riptide into the corner, and then finished with another Riptide in 17:10. Hell of a match, especially considering the illness that Becky was dealing with. Though I didn’t love every finisher kickout, I thought this was a fantastic match. [****¼]

98. Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe – AEW Winter is Coming 12/14/24

Image Credit: AEW

A win for Kyle would make him nearly uncatchable in the block. A subdued start here as they killed some time and Kyle talked smack to fans. However, once Mark got going, this kind of took off. He had a ton of energy behind everything from his red neck kung-fu to his dives outside. Kyle hitting a modified Brainbuster onto the top of the guardrail was a cool spot but it did feel kind of wasted. Mark’s suplex off the guardrail was a better mid-match spot though still wild. What boosted this was the crowd being so behind Mark Briscoe. Kyle entered this match on a tear, yet Mark is exactly the kind of lovable face who the fans were dying to see shut him up. Mark just kept fighting through it all and every big shot he got caused the crowd to pop. Every flash pin attempt worked because the crowd really wanted him to pull it off. I loved when the ref caught Kyle using the ropes for leverage since he used that earlier in the tournament to success. Then Mark kicked out of the Brainbuster and you got the feeling he’d do it. That’s a move that put down Okada. When they called that one minute was remaining, I thought time limit draw. Thankfully, it was only a tease as Mark hit the Jay Driller to win in 19:44. Best match of the tournament to this point. [****¼]

97. G1 Climax Quarterfinals: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yota Tsuji – NJPW G1 Climax 8/15/24

Image Credit: NJPW

Their first outing ruled and this got off to a faster start than the previous match, with Konosuke hitting an apron DDT in the opening minutes. They attempted some leg work since Konosuke came in with it damaged though it wasn’t the most convincing. This was better when they opted for the bigger blows like Takeshita hitting a flipping senton to the outside onto a pile of chairs. I love that he’s an absolute madman. New Japan desperately needs him to stick around. It’s not like he’s doing anything in AEW. Yota is just as much of a madman though, rallying after that and smiling at Konosuke as they started to jockey for power. Yota won out with Raging Fire, kicking things into next gear for the closing stretch. The big moment came as they fought for position up top and, with both standing, Konosuke hit a lariat that sent them both to the mat. It looked awesome. From there, they proceeded to trade forearms, knee strikes, and lariats before Yota connected with the Gene Blaster to win in 21:30. About on par with their first meeting though I think I prefer that one. This was filled with action, had a bit of a lull around the middle but ended on a high note. [****¼]

96. Hazuki vs. Maika – STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 8/23/24

Image Credit: STARDOM

A win for Maika would clinch a playoff berth. A win for Hazuki would end Maika’s streak, give her a victory over the former World of Stardom Champion, and set up a three-way tie atop the block between these two and Natsupoi. They came right out of the gates trading blows, setting the tone for an intense battle. They did a great job of moving from strike exchanges to submission attempts to bigger offensive moves, with it all being seamless. Hazuki was in control for longer than expected, feeling more like the top star than Maika. I liked the spot where they traded superplexes because I feel like you never see those back-to-back in a match. The closing stretch saw them go off with some big moves and I believed Hazuki pulled it off numerous times. Maybe it’s because I like her so much that I was invested in every near fall the way you want to be when it comes to a match like this. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be as Maika won with the Michinoku Driver in 14:39, clinching a playoff spot. A great main event and one of the best matches of the tournament. [****¼]

95. Steel Cage Match: Bullet Club vs. The United Empire – NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka

Image Credit: NJPW

The setup for this was kind of like Cage of Death. It was about an 8-foot high cage that was constructed on the floor rather than the ring, giving them room to fight at ringside. There was also no roof. War Games rules here with two guys starting and then others coming in at timed intervals. They gave us the typical War Games trend of this being a series of hot tags and heat segments. It’s a tried and true formula that works really well, so no need to change it. What they did well was incorporate the hardcore spots like using tables and barbed wire. That really helped this stand out because things like that aren’t common in New Japan. Will got busted open and was bleeding heavily for most of this contest. TJP’s facewash spot with barbed wire around his boot was a pretty sick moment, I popped for Coughlin showing up carrying like 20 chairs draped on his arms, Akira hitting an immediate dive as he entered was cool, and I loved Kidd just launching chairs at people. The Bullet Club had their biggest advantage when Cobb entered as the final participant. The lads upped the ante in the final 15-20 minutes, going for bigger and bigger spots, with the HENARE/Kidd battle being the high point for me. Connors taking a face first tacks bump after pouring whiskey onto an open wound was WILD. I feel like that was the point where this should’ve ended. Maybe a move or two after. Instead, they kept this going and dragged it on to involve run-ins from Gedo and The Great-O-Khan and the subsequent close calls and near falls had diminishing returns. Ripping the ring up for some spots late helped as that’s not something you see every day. I did really like how in the end, after a sick spike piledriver on Akira, Ospreay pulled his boy to safety and took on the Bullet Club by himself. He had no shot but he went out on his shield which is fitting. Finlay got the win in 64:05. I don’t think this was an all-timer but I appreciated how it was different in a company where everything feels too familiar and same-y. I think a lot of this was great though it should’ve capped around 45-50 minutes. Do the ring ripping and Ospreay going out on his shield much sooner after the tacks spot rather than include so much of the middle. Still, great, epic war. [****¼]

94. Best of the Super Juniors Semifinals: El Desperado vs. DOUKI – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/3/24

Image Credit: NJPW

It’s no secret that the junior heavyweight division in New Japan is nowhere near what it was in its heyday or even a few years ago. But if there are two guys you can consistently count on to deliver, it’s El Desperado and DOUKI. They met with a spot in the finals of the Best of the Super Juniors on the line and they delivered in the main event. This was one of those matches where they packed a lot of action into the 22:28 timeframe. The TJP/Taiji Ishimori match that came right before was better paced but that made this one so different by comparison. They still kept things focused on the mat a lot of the time, which worked since both men have signature submissions. What helped put this over other tournament matches (and TJP/Taiji) was that there was drama. You believed it could go either way. Desperado had a chance to finally win this tourney while DOUKI could take the next step toward being a top guy in the division. In the end, it was Desperado who came out on top but DOUKI got revenge when he dethroned him of the title a few months later. There’s a reason they booked this again at Wrestle Kingdom 19. [****¼]

93. Cora Jade, Fatal Influence and Roxanne Perez vs. Giulia, Jordynne Grace, Kelani Jordan, Stephanie Vaquer and Zaria – NXT 11/6/24

Image Credit: WWE

If there was ever any question about who had the best women’s division in 2024, NXT cemented that with this main event in the old ECW Arena. The amount of talent in this match is wild and what’s impressive is that there are obvious imports like Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, and Jordynne Grace but there were also some impressive homegirl talents like Kelani Jordan or girls who didn’t have a huge impact outside of WWE like Cora Jade and Jacy Jayne. Everyone got a chance to shine in this 14:57 match with things moving smoothly throughout. Roxanne Perez and Giulia reignited their feud while Kelani’s issues with Fatal Influence got furthered. On top of that, there was Cora and Roxanne working as a team again, the dominance of Zaria, and the ever-impressive Vaquer really getting an early opportunity to showcase just how good she is. Kelani had a nice moonsault outside but then Fatal Influence used their teamwork to turn the tide, take out Giulia and Vaquer, and isolate Kelani. They built the hot tag to Jordynne well before things broke down with everyone coming in and hitting a signature spot. And in the end, after accidentally knocking out her partner Jordynne Grace, Zaria beat Roxanne Perez, giving her a huge win over the Women’s Champion. Just a fantastic match filled with some standout talents in front of a molten crowd. [****¼]

92. War Games: The Bloodline and Bronson Reed vs. CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn and The Usos – WWE Survivor Series

Image Credit: WWE

I thought this was laid out well. Jey starting against Tama made sense. Tama isn’t the best worker but guys like Reed, Solo, and Fatu work best in shorter bursts and Tanga is, well Tanga. They followed the classic War Games formula with the heels having the advantage and the faces getting a series of “hot tag” spots. The intrigue came from the Roman/Punk drama with Roman stopping Punk from entering and sending Sami instead and then Punk stepping in front of Roman to go in when he wanted to. Some of the spots were contrived or didn’t come off too well with the biggest being Solo locking the cage. I don’t get the idea there. You can’t win until Roman officially enters, right? So locking him out means no result and no win. Unless the match “starts” when Roman gets out of the little cage and not actually into the cage. Then Roman just simply climbed in, meaning the whole thing had no impact anyway. The spot of Punk saving Roman was cool, as was seeing The Usos do their splashes together. I do think Fatu went to the double jump moonsault spot one too many times and it lost some steam. That said, the ending where Solo got left alone to eat finishers from everyone was fantastic, and saw Roman pin Solo after 41:55. That was really good. It maybe needed another wild or memorable spot but it worked, especially in terms of storytelling. [****¼]

91. Hirooki Goto vs. Konosuke Takeshita – NJPW G1 Climax 8/4/24

Image Credit: NJPW

For most of the year, Hirooki Goto is a dude who is just there and I couldn’t care less about him. But once or twice a year, he turns back the clock and puts on a show. This was one of those nights. With the crowd completely behind him, Goto became the veteran you rooted for against the cocky youngster and it made for one hell of a compelling bout. Takeshita was able to get the upper hand throughout by being explosive, using his speed, and taking to the skies. Yet Goto never backed down and kept coming back for more with lariats, veteran knowhow, and some of his classic offense. Like, Goto decided to do a Code Red variation from the top which I don’t think I’ve seen him pull off since the mid-2010s. Takeshita’s offense looked great but then he’d get turned inside out by a Goto lariat and you knew you were watching a VINTAGE Goto performance. Goto survived things like a Brainbuster before delivering GTR to secure an upset in 14:20. One of the better matches of the tournament. Takeshita was the easy MVP of the G1 and Goto was on his game more than he has been in a long time. [****¼]