Pantoja’s Top 100 Matches Of 2024 (#80 – 71)

80. Arisa Nakajima and Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Hanan and Mayu Iwatani – STARDOM Flashing Champions

Image Credit: STARDOM

This didn’t main event but it was basically the selling point for this show. Nakajima was on the verge of retirement and they seemed to be building toward Fujimoto vs. Iwatani. It was interesting to have Hanan in there since everyone else is a veteran and she’s still so young but she has had one hell of a 2024 so I dig it. After a bit of a feeling out process, which was very good, we got to the meat of the match. That saw both Nakajima and Fujimoto beat the hell out of Hanan. They delivered some stiff kicks (especially Fujimoto) and really made Hanan feel like a face in peril. Of course, Hanan has excelled in every role she’s had recently and this was one of them as she sold well and delivered with the hope spots. Best Friends (Nakajima and Fujimoto) worked so well together. Even simple moves like a double dropkick in the corner came off well because of their timing and precision. The main focus at times was on Mayu and Tsukasa, giving us a preview of what’s sure to be an upcoming bout. Mayu came across as pissed off at points and laid into Tsukasa with more aggression than I’m used to seeing from her. It felt like Mayu was a mother hen protecting/avenging Hanan. I did love how Hanan refused to back down despite the level of opposition she was facing here. It was Tsukasa who got the win, beating Hanan with what looked like a Code Red in 21:17. That lived up to the hype. Got me excited for Fujimoto/Iwatani and Hanan looked impressive again, adding another feather to her impressive 2024 cap. One of the better tag matches of the year. [****¼]

79. King of the Ring Finals: Gunther vs. Randy Orton – WWE King & Queen of the Ring

Image Credit: WWE

I really liked how WWE brought this tournament back. In the past, they’ve used it as a nostalgia trick and then gave the winner a stupid royalty gimmick that almost never works. This time, it meant something, had big names, great matches, and led to a major title shot at SummerSlam. Having it come down to Randy Orton and Gunther was perfect. A legend against a guy who was on the cusp of greatness in a first time ever meeting. For 21:48, these two put on a showcase. It had the feeling out process to start that you expect from guys who don’t know each other well and it was Gunther who moved it to the next level with his array of loud chops. Gunther bruised up Orton’s chest and wore him down in methodical fashion, yet as always with Gunther, it was never boring. Orton made the babyface comeback but Gunther had the RKO well scouted. When it finally connected, Orton was too battered to cover instantly, giving Gunther the chance to survive. The finish was weird as Gunther turned Orton’s pin over into a crucifix to win even though Orton’s shoulder was up. Whether it was a botch or not, they managed to use it to set up a title match down the line. As for this match, it was, as noted, pretty great. [****¼]

78. NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi [c] vs. Dijak vs. Josh Briggs – NXT Stand & Deliver

Image Credit: WWE

Oba Femi’s entrance rules. That man looks like a star. He’s typically dominated though here he was facing dudes who are a lot bigger than most opponents. The challengers teamed up to send Oba outside but the partnership didn’t last long. This was filled with BIG MEATY MEN SLAPPING MEAT spots. From Oba using Dijak as a battering ram on Briggs to them just trading shoulder blocks to Briggs doing the Undertaker KOTR 2000 avalanche chokeslam spot, sending Dijak onto a seated Oba. That last spot was sick. From there, these three beefy men just beat the hell out of each other with stiff shots and big offensive moves. The biggest moment came when Dijak went for an avalanche DVD on Briggs only for Oba to hoist him up in an Electric Chair. From that position, he dropped Dijak who hit a massive DVD on Briggs. Dijak got going afterward, hitting several Feast Your Eyes but always having something interrupt the follow-up. The final case of that was Oba cutting off a pin on Briggs by picking Dijak up and powerbombing him onto Briggs for the win in 15:00. An outstanding clash of the titans with a ton of action. [****¼]

77. Miku Aono vs. Nanae Takahashi – Marigold Dream Star GP Finals

Image Credit: Marigold

Miku may not have had a chance to win anymore but she could stop Nanae and step up as the United National Champion. They started with a handshake and this was just awesome from that point on. They were throwing strikes and big moves right from the start. Miku looked more determined than to stand up to Nanae and show that she could hang with the veteran. The pace slowed only for things like submissions, with Nanae working a Figure Four for a bit. The limb work wasn’t all that important though and Miku shrugged it off a bit. From there, Nanae started throwing bombs like vicious forearms, stiff kicks, and suplex variations. Miku did her best to throw kicks right back at her and that’s when this match was at its best. Just Miku and Nanae beating the shit out of each other. Miku surprised me with a spot where she actually slammed Nanae, which I don’t think I’ve seen many people do, especially someone of Miku’s size. As this neared the time limit, they started throwing lariats. Miku hit a double underhook suplex but Nanae was too big for her to cleanly cover and those few seconds were costly as time expired at the 15:00 mark. A hell of a match that gave me everything I wanted. Nanae continues to deliver in this role and Miku put on what was probably the best effort of her Marigold run. Great stuff all around. [****¼]

76. AEW TBS Championship: Mercedes Moné [c] vs. Kris Statlander – AEW Worlds End

Image Credit: AEW

The first meeting between Mercedes Moné and Kris Statlander proved to be something special and reminded the world of how great Mercedes can be even when her AEW run was off to a rocky start. She retained by a fluke, beating Kris with a rollup. The rematch was set and the two delivered on a big stage yet again. They also made history as, at 24:35, this was the longest women’s match in AEW history. They played off the previous encounter, with the idea being that Mercedes couldn’t keep Kris down. After failing to beat her with her best shots at Full Gear, Mercedes threw everything at her again and still couldn’t get it done that way. Kris was basically an unstoppable babyface monster, which is rare. Mercedes even resorted to hoping for a countout victory out of sheer desperation. Kris came close on several occasions and, honestly, I think she should’ve won here but there was a title defense set for a week later so that couldn’t happen. In the end, after an unfortunately sloppy exchange, Mercedes stole the win again with a pinning combination. I’m all for Statlander to be the one to ultimately beat her after their first two meetings. [****¼]

75. Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. Sheamus – WWE Raw 7/1/24

Image Credit: WWE

Nobody was better on in TV matches on Raw this year than Ilja Dragunov. He had a nice little collection of bangers and it should come as no surprise that this was another in a long line of them. He was in there with two of the best in Drew McIntyre and Sheamus but it was also two guys who fit his style. Hard hitting, tough dudes who are willing to beat the hell out of their opponents. Add in the stakes of the winner getting into Money in the Bank and this was a recipe for success. They worked through multiple commercial breaks and kept up the action the entire time. Ilja didn’t look out of place at all despite being in there against two of the company’s best. The H-Bombs he landed were brutal and right in line with what we’ve come to love about him, Sheamus, and Drew. I like that Ilja got close calls several times and was given the chance to hit the Constantin Special and some of his other big moves in this setting. In the end, he got knocked outside, leaving it down to the veterans/real life friends with history. They went at it and both went for their finishers but the Claymore hit first, giving Drew the win in 17:43. [****¼]

74. Gabe Kidd vs. Shingo Takagi – NJPW G1 Climax 7/29/24

Image Credit: NJPW

They may not have a long history but you know their styles so you knew this was going to be hard hitting right out of the gate. I love that Gabe speaks English because it really hits when I can understand him as he shouts “FUCK YOU” to Shingo. There’s not a lot for me to go into detail with because this was just a war. Two guys beating the shit out of each other for 13:50 and it was glorious. This was one of those cases where it felt like the best the NEVER Openweight Title used to offer. Gabe kept daring Shingo to hit him harder and he’d randomly pop up to give it right back to him. His rebound lariat variation came off so well. Gabe stopped Shingo’s momentum with a headbutt before winning with a piledriver, capping one of the best matches of the tournament. If you don’t care for strong style, this won’t be for you. It’s one of the best uses of that style in recent memory. After the match, Gabe offered a handshake and got it, only to low blow Shingo. [****¼]

73. NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi [c] vs. Wes Lee – NXT Heatwave

Image Credit: WWE

On paper, this is an ideal matchup. I love a good David vs. Goliath and both guys here play those roles so well. Wes used his speed to avoid Oba and get in high impact aerial moves. I also think he did a good job turning a botch into something solid on his first springboard. Everything Oba does looks fantastic does. His release F5 of sorts that launched Wes sparked “holy shit” chants in the opening minutes. That sparked a long segment of Wes getting his ass kicked but it was entertaining because of his bumping and Oba’s sheer presence. Wes’ comeback was filled with fire and his offense is creative enough that it wasn’t some typical rally. I loved Oba catching the Meteora, which I don’t ever remember seeing, and Wes finding a way to turn that around in his favor. They did seem to flub the Facebuster off the top spot but I kind of liked that because not everything should come off clean. Wrestling can be a bit messy due to exhaustion and things like that. Wes managed to weaken Oba but in the end, he just launched him once more and won with the sitout powerbomb in 16:19. Oh that was awesome. One of the better David vs. Goliath matches in recent memory. [****¼]

72. Marigold World Championship: Sareee [c] vs. Bozilla – Marigold Fantastic Adventure 10/24/24

Image Credit: Marigold

Bozilla has shined as a powerhouse while Sareee is in the conversation for the best wrestler of 2024. This was booked because Bozilla handed Sareee her first loss in the promotion during the Dream Star GP. It’s a David vs. Goliath battle and anyone who has read my reviews knows this is a story I’ve always liked because it’s so simple and when done right, makes for something great. Early on, Bozilla couldn’t be stopped, tossing Sareee around with ease and being a dominant presence. Sareee had to rally and use her speed to combat her size disadvantage (which was about a foot and probably 100 pounds). Sareee managed to hit a rebound German suplex followed by applying an armbar as she looked to ground Bozilla. Some of the headbutts Sareee had to throw, combined with Bozilla throwing chairs at her, led to Saree being busted open. That added to the visuals of the match making everything Sareee did seem more desperate. When Bozilla hit the moonsault, Sareee got her foot on the ropes to break the pin which I love because it protects that big Bozilla move. Sareee fought out of the powerbomb with vigor and like she was a madwoman, which was needed in this situation. A table got brought into play and Sareee hit a sunset flip bomb onto it. She fired off a series of moves from there and when that wasn’t enough, trapped Bozilla with another armbar to get the submission victory after 18:47. One hell of a main event. Another great outing for Sareee and Bozilla’s best performance as they told the right story in front of a hot crowd. [****¼]

71. NJPW Television Championship: Jeff Cobb [c] vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW Dominion

Image Credit: NJPW

When I discuss the things I miss about New Japan back when it was good, among them is the 15 or so minute wars for NEVER Title. That’s basically what this was, just over a different belt. These two BIG MEATY MEN went right after each other, having exactly the kind of match you’d expect from them. Hard hitting, impressive feats of strength, and almost no down time. It’s the kind of thing I’ve seen a lot but it’s been a while in NJPW so I appreciated it. Cobb nearly dropped Ishii on his head on a belly to belly only for Ishii to pop right back up and keep fighting. I don’t understand how that man does what he does. When he busted out a pop up Frankensteiner, I nearly lost my shit. At 48, he’s outperforming 90% of wrestlers in the world. Alas, Cobb countered his next big move and hit Tour of the Islands to retain in 11:47. This is basically all I ever want from a lot of New Japan matches. Just give me a great match that doesn’t go too long. These two did just what I wanted and delivered. [****¼]