Pantoja’s Top 100 Matches Of 2024 (#30 – 21)

30. AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. MJF – AEW Dynamite 7/17/24

Image Credit: AEW

Maybe I’m weird but I kind of like it when a match on TV is actually better than the bigger, more hyped PPV counterpart. That was the case, for me at least, with MJF vs. Will Ospreay. It was surprising to see their first encounter booked for Dynamite, even if it was the 250th episode. These are two big names. Their rematch at All In was fantastic but I give this one the slight edge. It opened the show and started hot, managing to avoid the problem of so many long matches. Wrestlers seem to think that if they have to go long, that means killing time at the start with rest holds and nonsense. Here, nearly everything felt like it mattered. I will say that a handful of moments dragged a bit, which is why this doesn’t rank higher. That said, the that they made the vast majority of a match that goes 59:58 is impressive because most wrestlers struggle with that. They blended technical stuff with high spots and bits of storytelling from a top heel and babyface who played their roles expertly. The finish also played into their stories with Will being unable to pull the trigger on the Tiger Driver ’91 and MJF using the goofy Dynamite Dozen ring to give himself the cheap win, setting up the rematch. [****½]

29. AEW Continental Championship: Eddie Kingston [c] vs. Bryan Danielson – AEW Revolution

Image Credit: AEW

It seems like forever since we’ve had Eddie Kingston on our screen. Almost to the point where I forgot he was even competing in 2024. Anyway, the setup for this match was simple. Bryan Danielson had disrespected Kingston at every turn to the point where the stipulation here was that he’d have to shake Kingston’s hand if he lost. Eddie came out of the gates with some hard hitting chops that Bryan combated by working the joints and taking him to task on the mat. It was all working in Bryan’s favor as he was in firm control and proving his point against Eddie. Of course, the Continental Champion is often at his best when he’s fighting from beneath as his comeback was filled with fire and some vicious spinning backfists. His popularity added to this as the atmosphere for that comeback was outstanding. When Eddie finally blocked the Busaiku Knee, hit a lariat, and won with a powerbomb at the 19:45 mark, it felt earned. Some found that ending to be a bit flat but I like an out of nowhere finish, especially in a match like that. And in the end, Bryan shook Eddie’s hand, settling their issues and showing respect. [****½]

28. Chicago Street Fight: Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale – AEW All Out

Image Credit: AEW

I love that AEW built this feud without a title being the focal point. Even when they’ve given the women more shine, they’ve often had trouble giving time to anything without a title. I missed the beginning of this but it looks like they got right to the action. Willow took some big bumps, eating a powerbomb through the announce table and falling on her neck when Kris threw her into the guardrail. Kris took her own wile bump when she missed a Swanton off the top through a table and caught Willow with her foot. Stokely Hathaway brought out weapons that Kris used until Willow busted out light tubes. Kris responded by spearing Willow off the stage and through a table. They fought back to the ring where they kept up the intensity. The big spot saw Kris miss an Axe Kick and land on the thumbtacks in a split. That wasn’t enough as these two just kept up with the big spots. They had one final moment where they kind of embraced before Kris hit Saturday Night Fever and then applied a choke with the chain. Willow submitted for the surprising result after 14:57. I loved that. Just an absolutely violent war between two women who deserved this chance to shine. [****½]

27. #1 Contender’s Match: Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland – AEW Dynamite 2/7/24

Image Credit: AEW

Everyone talks about the trilogy of Hangman Page/Swerve Strickland matches that happened on PPV. WrestleDream and Full Gear 2023, as well as All Out 2024 were some of the best matches I’ve ever seen, so that makes sense. But it also means that this outing on Dynamite gets unjustly overlooked. With a shot at the AEW World Title at Revolution on the line, this was different for them. It was about something besides their hatred of one another. That allowed it to be a totally different match though they still made sure to include the proper level of intensity. They fought both in and out of the ring with the crowd hanging on everything they did and they even brought a table into play. That was used for a Deadeye off the apron by Swerve, adding insult to injury. When it was announced that five minutes were remaining, things got amped up even further (with things like that Deadeye). Swerve went for the stomp but landed on his damaged ankle only for Hangman to miss the Buckshot Lariat. Swerve hit the JML Driver but time expired at the 30:00 mark, resulting in a draw. A fantastic match and a case where I loved the draw, especially since Hangman hates Swerve so much that he was okay not getting a shot as long as it meant Swerve didn’t either. That’s hatred. [****½]

26. Bryan Danielson vs. Katsuyori Shibata – AEW Collision 3/16/24

Image Credit: AEW

Given where both men were in 2017, this is a dream match that I never thought I’d see. Bryan Danielson was in the midst of a retirement while Katsuyori Shibata’s future was in doubt after his epic match with Kazuchika Okada. I can’t believe I got to see these two face off some seven years later and they delivered in spades, giving us one of the best TV bouts I can recall. The thing about Shibata is that while he is one of the hardest strikers ever, he can also go on a technical level, hanging on the mat and in exchanges with Bryan for the entire 19:09. For example, they traded ankle locks and Bryan utilized his LeBell Lock. There was still the hard hitting stuff as Shibata nailed the Penalty Kick and Bryan connected on the Busaiku Knee. In the end, Bryan countered the Octopus and Shibata countered the LeBell Lock into pin attempts, leading to a battle over rollups won by Bryan. That match meant something to me. My favorite striker ever against my favorite wrestler ever (and the best to ever do it) in a match I never believed I’d get to see. That was special. [****½]

25. 5STAR Grand Prix Quarterfinals: Mayu Iwatani vs. Natsupoi – STARDOM 5STAR Grand Prix 8/28/24

Image Credit: STARDOM

Oh baby, it’s two of the best on the planet. They had a great short match in last year’s tournament (****). It was clear within the opening minute that these two were bringing it. Fast exchanges and some stiff shots (especially from Mayu) stood out. Mayu even threw herself hard into a tope suicida that Natsupoi avoided. Poi worked over Mayu’s arm from dropkicking it to putting it in submissions. There was an awkward moment when Poi looked for a top rope move but Mayu got up and came close enough that she kind of just calmly got down and booted Mayu. Things to better as this neared its conclusion, with Natsupoi delivering a sick spin kick right as Mayu tried her own kick. The timing on it was something special. They did a great tease on a flash pin (STARDOM has so many matches end that way that it’s a very believable finish). Natsupoi blocked the Two Step Dragon Suplex so Mayu simply hit a wheelbarrow German before nailing the Two Step variation to win in 11:28. Just an absolutely great match and the best of the tournament in my eyes. They did so much with the time given, putting on an excellent back and forth showing worthy of two of the best in the world. [****½]

24. AZM vs. Mayu Iwatani – STARDOM 5TAR Grand Prix 8/18/24

Image Credit: STARDOM

One of my most anticipated matches of the tournament given these are two of my favorites. The High Speed stuff at the start reminded me of when I first saw Mayu and she was in that division. The pace never really slowed here as both women just kept coming right after each other. The way they seamlessly moved from strikes to aerial action to limb work is the kind of thing that should be studied. AZM’s arm submissions, especially the one on the top rope, looked brutal and she followed it up with some loud chops that Saya Iida would be proud of. It’s a little thing but I loved Mayu slipping free of being stuck in place to eat a diving double stomp from the Tree of Joey Lawrence. Most people just sit there awkwardly and take the hit. The close calls and counters for every Azumi Sushi spot were so well done and I believed that basically each pinning combination down the stretch was the finish. AZM blocked Mayu’s finisher, hit a Destroyer, added a double underhook Destroyer (I saw some people online say it was a Tiger Driver Destroyer), and then used Azumi Sushi for the huge win in 9:34. Match of the tournament. Just non-stop action between two of the best in the world. Everything I could want from these two. [****½]

23. Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18

Image Credit: NJPW

Their first match was great but underwhelmed thanks to a reliance on Okada formula. This was interesting on paper because it’s the rare case of a guy wanting revenge despite being up 1-0 in the series. That’s because of Bryan’s injuries suffered at the hands of Okada and he was violent from the start. Bryan slammed Okada’s arm in the guardrail, clearly putting a target on it. He picked that arm apart at every turn in an attempt to take away the Rainmaker. It took a Tombstone on the apron (made all the worse given Bryan’s history) for Okada to really turn things around. He had to get vicious too, removing Bryan’s eye patch and stomping on his face. I loved the spot where Okada blocked a kick only for it to hurt his already damaged arm and then Bryan just kicked him in the head anyway. Okada kept trying to get his usual closing stuff going but Bryan avoided it, countered it, and trapped him in submissions. Okada wasn’t about to tap out like he did in the States though. This is his home. Okada survived and hit the Rainmaker but it hurt too much for him to make the cover. Okada’s next attempts were met with a kick and forearm from Bryan, who had him expertly scouted. The final two or so minutes saw Okada keep going for it and he finally nailed it to win in 23:24. I’m glad they didn’t try to go 40 or some shit. A fantastic match that ended at the right time. Okada falling onto Bryan while holding his arm in pain was a great ending as Bryan had wrestled a perfect match to that point but got caught. Okada risked it all for the win. Better than their first outing. [****½]

22. Darby Allin vs. Will Ospreay – AEW Holiday Bash

Image Credit: AEW

Two guys who take bumps like they don’t want to be wrestling by 35. This kicked off with a stalemate as the idea seemed to be to make them feel like equals in a lot of ways. Will went for a dive outside only for Darby to move and lay him out with a cannonball plancha. Then Darby went for the Coffin Drop on the apron but missed, leading to one of his gnarliest bumps ever, which is saying something. He hit the edge. Darby spent a lot of the break struggling to get up but he beat the count and started taking a beating inside. Darby’s rally sparked sequences that took this to the next level, with some of the best and quickest counters you’ll see anywhere. The series involving the Code Red counter, Hidden Blade, and then a successful Code Red was breathtaking. Just a ridiculous exchange. When Darby got up from a Styles Clash off the apron, Will pounced with the Oscutter for a great near fall. Darby countered Stormbreaker into a Scorpion Death Drop and delivered two Coffin Drops to win in 14:38. Just a bonkers match. A wild match that packs a ton of action into less than 15 minutes is so my shit. [****½]

21. AEW Continental Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. PAC – AEW Dynasty

Image Credit: AEW

AEW is wild for thinking I would order 8-9 pay-per-views a year at $50 a pop. So when I do order them, it’s because the card is something I can’t miss. That was the case with Dynasty and while one match stood out from the rest in terms of stuff I HAD to see, Kazuchika Okada vs. PAC was a major reason for ordering. I’ve discussed my appreciation for AEW Okada. I love that he’s goofy and not doing the same stuff he used to do in New Japan. That includes when he ditches Okada formula as he did for this stellar opening contest. Instead of the overly long and drawn-out opening exchanges to fill time, Okada and PAC went right at it. We’re talking action outside, dives, and massive Brainbusters in the first third, which is unusual for Okada. They kept up that pace throughout, giving us one of the most interesting title matches in AEW all year. They kept building and building to the 21:54 conclusion, which was basically the perfect length for this. Okada avoided the Black Arrow late and the Rainmaker getting countered into the Brutalizer made for a fantastic moment. Okada obviously won with the Rainmaker soon after and the one thing this lacked was drama as nobody ever bought PAC winning. That said, this was still a spectacular match and Okada’s best in AEW. [****½]