cactus

It's been a month since Sheamus beat Bryan in 18 seconds and they play off that brilliantly here. Sheamus attempts a Brogue Kick early, but Bryan avoids it and they work a smash-mouth technical clinic with plenty of stiff strikes. Sheamus can actually hang with Bryan on the mat and he can obviously bring the beef whenever he would trade strikes with him. I dug how the falls were structured, with the first one ending after Bryan zones in on Sheamus' arm after he missed a charge into the corner and eats the ring post. Bryan refuses to back off from Sheamus and gets disqualified. This doesn't bother Bryan as he has more than enough damage to score an easy submission win for the second fall. I love how they open the final fall, with Bryan once again getting hit with a flash Brogue Kick for another nearfall. Bryan's pitbull-like tendencies and smug facial expressions whenever he had the match in his control were fantastic, but I also thought that Sheamus put in a hell of an effort here too. ★★★¾

That's Brock's brief time in Japan done. Don't sleep on his Akebono match! Brock Lesnar vs Masahiro Chono vs Kazuyuki Fujita (NJPW - 10/8/2005) With the big entrances and the USA and Japanese national anthems playing before the match, NJPW sure knows how to make a match feel special. The match itself isn't anything to write home about. Chono feels like he's only here to take the pin and there isn't much he can do physically by 2005. Fujita and Brock getting into a shoving contest made me realize how much better this could have been if they kept this as a singles match. Fujita is seen as a big guy in NJPW usually, so watching Lesnar suplex him with ease made for a very striking visual. Brock gets Chono up for the F5, but Fujita blindsides Lesnar and this causes Chono to come crashing to the outside area in his only big bump of the match. Lesnar is booked incredibly strong here, with him only every feeling in jeopardy after he accidentally clotheslines the ring post. Lesnar wins the IWGP strap in his first match for the company, although he feels unmotivated and that he's only here for the paycheck. ★★½ Brock Lesnar vs Manabu Nakanishi (NJPW - 12/10/2005) Nakanishi wastes no time and jumps Lesnar as soon as the match starts and the pace is kept quick until Lesnar decides to go home just four minutes later and wins with the Verdict. Lesnar throws Nakanishi around like he was a cruiserweight and Nakanishi being able to get Lesnar up for the Torture Rack was impressive. Lesnar looked incredibly lazy here and Nakanishi isn't a guy known for his ring skills, but this was decent for what it was. On top of having a hot crowd that is rooting for a Nakanishi victory, it also turns out that smacking each other hard can cover up a lot of shortcomings. ★★¾ Brock Lesnar vs Yuji Nagata (NJPW - 12/11/2005) I can only find this in clipped form, so I only have two and half minutes of this nine-minute match to judge this from, but this looks like yet another easy day at the office for Brock where he takes some punishment before he decides he has given enough and abruptly ends this with little build-up. The crowd loves Nagata and Brock does sell his strikes quite well, but there isn't a point during this match where it looked like Nagata had Brock in any real jeopardy. Brock Lesnar vs Shinsuke Nakamura (NJPW - 1/4/2006) This was meant to be Lesnar facing Fujita, but Fujita had left the company so Nakamura is drafted in to face Lesnar instead. Lesnar came off as a complete bully here and he reminded me of post-2012 MMA badass Brock who just gets off on playing with his prey. These two weren't afraid of working stiff and they just clobber the piss out of each other. Brock feels slightly more motivated than he did when he won the belt, but we are still a while away from 2003 Brock in terms of giving a shit. Nakamura shows a lot of heart and has a lot of fire in his strikes, but Lesnar is able to counter them by catching his leg and violently shoving him to the mat. I can't say there was any time when I thought that Nakamura might have had a chance. He gets in a triangle choke, but Lesnar is able to easily power out of it and hit him with the Verdict to carry on his reign. ★★★ Brock Lesnar & Shinsuke Nakamura vs Riki Choshu & Akebono (NJPW - 2/19/2006) Akebono is Lesnar's next challenger and this match is solely here to further build up to the match. Anytime they were the two legal men it felt like something out of a monster movie. Even in a protected environment like this, you can tell that Akebono can't work to save his life as the guy is just too big. Good psychology (which isn't something Akebono has a lot of) can only take you so far and there's only so much you can do when you are over 500lbs and 6ft 8. I also thought Lesnar was too giving with Choshu. There's just no way that I can suspend my disbelief that a 55-year old who's half a foot shorter than Brock can stand a chance against him. I wasn't expecting to see Choshu bust out a vaulting body press though! Choshu and Nakamura's interactions felt like filler, but I did enjoy some sequences, such as the Scorpion Death Lock to heel hook counter by Nakamura. This was a mixed bag overall, but it made me curious to see Brock and Akebono's singles match, so I guess that they did their job. ★★¾ Brock Lesnar vs Akebono (NJPW - 2/20/2006) This is Brock's Flair vs Broomstick moment. Akebono gets absolutely gassed within minutes and it's up to Lesnar to make something salvageable out of this. For the first time since joining NJPW, Brock has brought his working shoes with him and he actually looks motivated! He bum rushes his massive opponent and frantically tries to choke him out and take out his legs. The poor referee ends up getting sandwiched in between Brock and Akebono! Akebono lands a banzai drop, but there is no referee to count the pin. Lesnar recovers and hits Akebono with his title belt for a nail-bitingly close nearfall. Brock never forgets to sell his back during his comeback. Akebono finally falling to a DDT was a bit of a flat finish. Akebono didn't want to take an F5 as he didn't want to risk injury because he had a kickboxing match coming. This had a big fight feel and I enjoyed it a lot more than I could have ever imagined. ★★★½ Brock Lesnar vs Giant Bernard (NJPW - 5/3/2006) Lesnar's final NJPW match sees him face the former A-Train/Albert in a so-so match that never really got going. Bernard's coming into this with a taped-up arm and it plays into the first half of this match before being forgotten about during the finishing stretch. Bernard looks to be on Brock's level during the opening brawling segment, but Lesnar cuts him off and works over his arm. The strikes here are quite stiff here. In a callback to his match with Akebono, Lesnar tries to pick up the win with a DDT, but Bernard kicks out. Lesnar is able to land an F5 after a cool sequence and is victorious. Lesnar would end up leaving NJPW not too long after this and he takes the IWGP belt with him. ★★¾ Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (IGF - 6/29/2007) It's been a year since Lesnar walked out of NJPW, and since then Antonio Inoki has left NJPW and formed his own promotion. This match was solely booked to get the belt from Lesnar, who wants to retire from wrestling and pursue MMA. With the Benoit tragedy taking place only days previously, it's understandable that both guys weren't performing at their best. Brock decides to launch Angle to the outside after Angle manages to block an early F5 attempt by holding onto the ropes. Angle clutches his knee and sells his injury, but Angle's bad knee is never touched on again and is quickly forgotten about. The first half of this feels phoned-in with even Angle's ankle lock lacking its usual intensity, but they pick things up during the final minutes with some exciting counters and sequences. Angle countering Brock's powerbomb attempt into an ankle lock was my favorite spot of the match. Clocking in at a mere 10 minutes, this match never dragged even if it took a few minutes for them to get warmed up. ★★★¼

Let's finish off Lesnar's first WWE run. Next time I'll be having a look at Lesnar's brief time in Japan! Brock Lesnar vs Big Show vs The Undertaker (WWE Smackdown - 8/26/2003) This is a 1# contender's match for Kurt Angle's WWE championship and he joins the commentary team just as this one starts. I was surprised by how bad at commentary Angle was. He sounds like he's struggling to have a normal conversation without it sounding awkward. Anyway, the match itself is a good TV main event with plenty of close calls. Show and Lesnar try to work together, but that alliance is short-lived as Lesnar starts attacking Show as soon as Undertaker is kicked out of the ring. We see Lesnar failing to F5 Undertaker into the ring post. Just like the Vengence triple threat from the same year, Show is treated like a massive threat here. Everything here was decent and had a quick pace, but it wasn't exactly memorable. I did love the finish though. Brock and Show tease another superplex, but Undertaker is able to sneak under Lesnar and hit the Last Ride to score the victory. ★★★¼ Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (Iron Man) (WWE Smackdown - 9/18/2003) The first 15 minutes show off Lesnar's brilliant character work. Just like in their Summerslam match, Angle has Lesnar beat on the mat, and this causes Lesnar to throw a tantrum on the outside. Lesnar stalls outside the ring and this gets under Angle's skin and soon the crowd are calling for Lesnar's head for wasting their time. Lesnar soon gets himself disqualified for hitting Angle with a barrage of chair shots. This was worth it in the end for Lesnar, as he's quickly able to scoop up two points. After this, the match begins to lose me and they don't win me back until the final five minutes. They really start overusing suplexes and spend way too much time on the mat selling the damage. Angle lifts up his straps so he can pull them down immediately after yet again. They are able to get into a groove yet again and create some meaningful drama during the final moments of the match, with Angle desperately trying to even the score. There is plenty of stuff that I like during this match, but I don't think either man had enough stuff to fill a full hour if I'm honest. This was the weakest bout of the Angle/Lesnar trilogy. ★★★ Brock Lesnar & John Cena vs Kurt Angle & The Undertaker (WWE Smackdown - 10/2/2003) Cena starts the match and gets schooled by both Undertaker and Angle. We don't get much Lesnar involvement until he pulls down the ropes as Angle is running into them and causes him to take a violent tumble to the outside. The match then goes to break and it comes back to Angle getting worked over by the heels, who make quick tags to keep Angle in their grasps. Undertaker doesn't get enough credit as a tag worker. Not only is he great at clearing house after making the hot tag, but it's also the small things like rushing around the apron and bashing on the ring post to wake up the crowd and his partner that really put him over. Lesnar gets knocked on his head after Undertaker rushes in and clotheslines him out of the ring. Cena takes advantage of all this commotion going on in the ring and nails Angle with his chain to steal the victory. This was a total sprint with an unrelenting pace. The No Mercy PPV is just a few weeks away, and this match is here to hype up the two biggest singles matches on that card. If I was watching this at the time and I wasn't sure if I was going to order the PPV, this match would easily convince me to part with my cash. ★★★¾ Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker (Biker Chain) (WWE No Mercy - 10/19/2003) I thought the stipulation also held this one back massively. Anyone who grabs the biker chain can use it, but the match is already no disqualification, so why would you put yourself in a vulnerable position and try and grab the chain instead of just walloping your opponent with weapons that are more easily accessible' Not to mention, the biker chain isn't pulled down until the last minute of the match, meaning all nearfalls before that lack drama as you know for sure this match isn't going to end before that chain comes into play. Barring my complaints about the stipulation, the match itself is solid if not a little too slow-paced for my liking. Undertaker and Brock work well with each other put on a hoss fight that has plenty of struggle, even if it's lacking the pure hatred and intensity from their previous outings. Undertaker impressed me here, he sells Lesnar strikes well by being punch-drunk and I thought that Undertaker using a triangle choke to stop Lesnar from pushing him off the turnbuckle was a creative spot. Undertaker uses a la magistral like he's channeling his inner Negro Casas! There are moments here when I wish they would quicken the pace up and it never felt like they got into their second gear. Trim 5-10 minutes from this match and pick a better stipulation and you would most definitely have a better match. ★★★ Brock Lesnar, Matt Morgan, Nathan Jones, The A-Train & The Big Show vs Bradshaw, Chris Benoit, Hardcore Holly, John Cena & Kurt Angle (Survivor Series) (WWE Survivor Series - 11/16/2003) Holly, who's back after having his neck broken by Brock, gets himself disqualified immediately after attacking Brock and shoving the referee in the process. A-Train and Bradshaw are quickly eliminated after, putting the babyfaces at a 3 vs 4 disadvantage. Morgan and Jones are able to use quick tags as a way to hide their weaknesses and not completely stink up the match. Benoit looked very scrappy and intense when he was working against Lesnar and it made me look forward to their singles match together. Benoit and Cena working together to eliminate both Show and Lesnar after their team captain had been eliminated put them over big time as ones to watch on the blue brand. This match certainly felt rushed given the quick eliminations (3 wrestlers are eliminated a minute into this! ), but I can't say that I didn't find this enjoyable due to its quick pace. ★★★ Brock Lesnar vs Chris Benoit (WWE Smackdown - 12/2/2003) Benoit and Brock's styles mesh incredibly well and made for a super physical and back and forth hidden gem. It's the little things like Lesnar bumping like crazy into the steel steps or showing his fear whenever Benoit was close to locking on the crossface that show that Lesnar is an insanely giving and unselfish worker, who will go out of his way to make his opponent look like a million bucks. Ever since Lesnar tapped out at Summerslam, fans mock him for it and Brock plays into it well and it adds a nice little wrinkle of psychology into his matches whenever he's facing a guy who is well-versed in submissions. Benoit is able to make Brock tap, but the referee is down. Brock never forgets to sell the arm as he hits Benoit with a brutal F5. Benoit kicks out to a monster pop. Lesnar, who is still embarrassed by his Summerslam lose, debuts the Brock Lock and is able to escape with his title. ★★★★¾ Brock Lesnar vs Rey Mysterio (WWE Smackdown - 12/9/2003) This is in Rey's hometown and if he can beat Lesnar here, he will get a title shot next week. This was a damn fine TV match that was a refresher for me on the talents of Rey Mysterio. I've always thought Rey was great, but a few steps below being considered as a GOAT tier worker. However, this match made me reconsider my views, as he was fantastic at fighting a massively overpowered opponent and believably getting some big blows in. Even when he botches, he's able to quickly recover and not have any mistakes damage the flow of the match, My favorite moment of this was when Rey would get Lesnar to wear himself out by running all over the ringside area. Seeing Brock mock Rey for being undersized was fantastic and a great way of pissing off the crowd. The sight of Lesnar throwing Mysterio around by his leg was beyond scary. Brock shows so much ass for Mysterio and I actually thought that Rey might actually pull this one off, but Brock is able to pulverize Rey with a stiff powerbomb, before bending him in half with the short-lived Brock Lock to end the match. Stop sleeping on this and check this match out! ★★★★½ Brock Lesnar vs Hardcore Holly (WWE Royal Rumble - 1/25/2004) Although Holly coming back for revenge after Lesnar broke his neck is a tailor-made wrestling storyline, the sad fact of reality is that Holly just isn't popular enough with the fans for it to work. Holly jumpstarts this by attacking Lesnar as he jumps up on the ring apron. His assault is short-lived after Lesnar dodges Holly's dive from the top rope. I understand that Lesnar using waist locks to keep his fired-up opponent grounded was a completely logical move, but it's also boring to watch. Holly eventually makes the coldest comeback ever and hits the Alabama Slam. Holly decides against going for the pin and attempts to break Lesnar's neck with the full nelson. This backfires and Brock is able to slip out of it and land a quick F5 in a smooth as silk sequence. A solid title defense for Lesnar, even if the winner was never in doubt. ★★½ Brock Lesnar vs Eddie Guerrero (WWE No Way Out - 2/15/2004) This opens up with an intense lock-up with plenty of shit-talking from both men. Guerrero is able to gain an advantage by hitting shots to Lesnar's leg and this bit of limbwork keeps reappearing in creative ways. Brock might be able to power Guerrero around with a wide array of nasty suplexes, but one basement dropkick by Guerrero is enough to send Lesnar to the ground in agony. The worst quality of Lesnar is his reliance on that body scissors choke he does. He works over his opponent's midsection with suplexes and throws, so it makes sense from a kayfabe perspective to why he would do that, it's just clear as day that he's doing it as a rest hold and it drags down parts of this match by making them overly long. Eddie is also guilty of overusing holds, but at least he mixes up the moves to keep his control segments feeling fresh. I didn't have much of an issue with the Goldberg interference and I didn't think it distracted or took away from Eddie's big win. The fans might be looking for him to pop up as soon as the ref goes down, but they are back to cheering for Eddie as soon as Goldberg had left the arena. I love how they faked out the fans, by having Lesnar kick out of Goldberg's spear. An F5 counter and a Frog Splash later, Eddie wins the big one and is heading to Wrestlemania. This is one of my all-time favorite feel-good moments. I still get a lump in my throat watching Eddie celebrate with his friends and family, but I do have gripes with a few things here. ★★★★¼ Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg (WWE Wrestlemania - 3/14/2004) Urgh. I wasn't looking forward to rewatching this one. Although it was disrespectful for the fans to shit on this straight out the box, Lesnar and Goldberg refusing to do anything for minutes and deliver an awful match like this felt like a slap in the face. Lesnar gives the fans the finger, both figuratively and literally. Most of this consisted of stare-downs and grapples that went nowhere. Austin being the special guest referee is the only saving grace here and the look on his face when he realizes the whole segment was screwed was priceless. The fans start to come alive once Goldberg hits his cool press slam and wipes himself out after a failed spear attempt, but it's not long until they back to heckling the wrestlers. Goldberg wins as the crowd shows their disapproval. Austin stuns Goldberg in one last attempt to save this. Never before had a WWE marquee match shit the bed as badly as this one did! DUD

Brock Lesnar vs John Cena (WWE Backlash - 4/27/2003) This felt like a filler title defense and there wasn't one moment where I thought that Cena was going to win. Brock felt like too much of a bully during the opening exchanges for a babyface. Cena is able to take control of Lesnar by countering a whip into the steel steps, which cuts Lesnar open. The fans get restless once Cena locks on a rest hold for over two minutes. Lesnar makes it to his feet and does that spot where he runs into the corner with Cena still on his back. We've seen Lesnar do that spot a few times now and it wasn't enough of a satisfying pay-off after having to sit through that long and dull Cena control segment. Lesnar makes a comeback using STOs and clotheslines, but there are plenty of awkward mishaps along the way. I found this to be disappointing given how great their later matches would be. ★★¼ Brock Lesnar vs Big Show (Stretcher) (WWE Judgement Day - 5/18/2003) A stupidly entertaining match that sees Lesnar and Show wack the piss out of each other with stretchers and come up with all sorts of creative spots. Lesnar struggles to get Show onto the stretcher, so he has to get resourceful. He first chokes out Show onto the stretcher with a cable, but when Lesnar goes to move the stretcher the cable gets stuck and ends up pulling Show from the stretcher in a twist of irony. Show takes a lot of nasty bumps here. I wasn't sure about the Mysterio involvement at first, but seeing Lesnar come back to the arena in a god-damn forklift made up for it. Lesnar launched himself from the forklift to the ring and looked like the biggest babyface ass-kicker in the world. I thought this stipulation would be too gimmicky and that they wouldn't be able to match the level of brutality that the commentators were trying to put over, but these two made it work. ★★★★ Brock Lesnar vs Big Show (WWE Smackdown - 6/10/2003) This is the match where they break the ring with a suplerplex. Show clobbers Lesnar with elbows and Lesnar sells this well by stumbling around the place. Lesnar's back is worked on, and it's not forgotten about as Lesnar is unable to land an F5 later in the match. Show cuts Lesnar off with a gloriously stiff clothesline and he gets a nearfall with a chokeslam. A frustrated Show then climbs the top rope and tries to take Lesnar with him for a top rope chokeslam, but Lesnar is able to counter and hits wrestling's most famous superplex. Although it might be lacking the explosiveness of their other outings and it's their weakest match yet, this was still another corker between these two big men. ★★★¼ Brock Lesnar vs Big Show (WWE Smackdown - 6/17/2003) Show and Lesnar broke the ring the week previous, and I liked how they played off that multiple times. Lesnar starts the match by climbing the turnbuckle and trying to get Show to climb up again. Once Show starts to make his way over to the corner, Lesnar leaps over him and they kickstart this match. Lesnar shows a lot of personality as a babyface and I don't think enough people give him credit for his work as a good guy. Not a whole lot of interest happens here before Haas & Benjamin rush in and cause a DQ. Chaos ensues as Kurt Angle and Mr. America get involved, but it's Big Show standing tall as Smackdown goes off the air. The weakest match from the Show/Lesnar feud, but this was mainly here to set up things heading into Smackdown's first-ever PPV. ★★½ Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle vs Big Show (WWE Vengence - 7/27/2003) Angle and Lesnar work together to try and take out Show. Angle puts Show through the announce table and makes his way back to the ring. Lesnar and Angle meeting back in the ring with both of them realizing they have a chance to fight it out without Big Show interfering was a cool moment. All the nuggets of story-telling with Show being the most dangerous man in the match stopped this from feeling like a spotfest. This was a fun, fast-paced triple threat hindered by the usual issues that come with multi-man matches. You can't invest in a lot of the near falls as you know the third man is lurking in the background. Aside from that, this was an entertaining way to spend 20 minutes. ★★★¼ Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (WWE Summerslam - 9/24/2003) A rematch from Wrestlemania, only with the face and heel roles reversed. These two ripped into each other with some impressive amateur-styled wrestling with Angle schooling Lesnar on the mat. Lesnar has the power advantage and he tries to lean into that, but Angle blindsides him and Lesnar leaves the ring and starts trashing up the ringside area. They really brought the intensity during the opening exchanges, but they start to lose me as the match progresses. Lesnar's selling is incredible here and it's always consistent. After his ankle has been torn to shit by Angle, he manages to power through and hits a one-legged F5! Angle's performance was a lot more spotty. He would bring a lot of cool transitions to the table, but this also featured some of his worst tendencies. The dumbest moment of the match had to be him pulling his straps up, only to pull them back down seconds later. Angle sold his beating, but he wouldn't milk sympathy from the crowd as all great babyfaces would. I could take or leave the Vince interference and the excessive usage of ankle locks. Not quite on the level of their Wrestlemania bout, I'd still recommend you check this one on the strength of Lesnar's performance alone. ★★★½

Brock Lesnar vs Big Show (WWE Royal Rumble - 1/19/2003) I am really surprised how much I love this pairing! Big Show is starting to let himself go and he's not quite as agile as he was during their first encounter, but he more than makes up for his shortcomings by pummeling the ever-loving shit out of Lesnar. Like their Survivor Series match, Lesnar overhead suplexes Show multiple times, but Show is able to counter Brock's third attempt by grabbing Lesnar's head and throwing him out of the ring as if he was a bag of feathers. I loved Lesnar's counter to the chokeslam, where he flawlessly arm dragged Show into a pinning position. Heyman gets involved, and the fans lost their minds once Lesnar got his hands on him. This was yet another hoss fight from these two and it made for a hell of an opener. ★★★¾ Royal Rumble Match (WWE Royal Rumble - 1/19/2003) Lesnar enters the match at number 29 and immediately starts kicking ass. He throws out Haas and Benjamin and then F5s Matt Hardy from the ring and onto the two wrestlers he just eliminated. The last person to enter this match is Undertaker. Like Lesnar, he also clears house and it becomes very apparent that Undertaker and Lesnar were the only two men that felt like they had a chance of winning this match. After being eliminated by Undertaker, Batista rushes in with a chair and this distraction is all Lesnar needs to toss Undertaker out of the ring. Undertaker giving Lesnar props after winning the match was a neat way to wrap up their rivalry and cement Brock as a 100% full babyface. A super fun Rumble all in all. Brock Lesnar vs John Cena (WWE Smackdown - 2/11/2003) Seeing as their Extreme Rules match 9 years later would end up being one of my all-time favorite matches, I had to see this one even if I knew it wouldn't be anywhere near the quality of that match. This was an entertaining enough TV bout, which had the sole purpose of giving Brock more momentum as he heads into No Way Out against Team Angle. The result is never in question. Brock dominates and Cena is only able to take control after hitting Lesnar with a chain behind the referee's back. Cena using Angle's scissored sleeper to wear down Lesnar was a neat touch, but I'm less than pleased about Cena's extremely obvious spot-calling as he works the hold. I always assumed that he only started doing that when he was a main eventer that was untouchable and I didn't realize he was doing it as early as 2003. Lesnar looked like a monster and Cena showed promise, so this did what it set out to do. ★★¾ Brock Lesnar & Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas (WWE No Way Out - 2/23/2003) Edge was meant to be on Lesnar and Benoit's team, but he was ambushed at the show and this is now a handicap match. The pace of this one was electric, with them not slowing down for the entire duration of this 13-minute bout. Both Haas and Benjamin looked comfortable mixing it up with Benoit and Lesnar, despite their inexperience. Any time we get to see Angle and Benoit slug it out, you are guaranteed a good time. Something that I thought was lacking in their Royal Rumble 2003 match was that Angle didn't act like a heel. That's not a problem here as he's always looking for shortcuts to keep Benoit in Team Angle's corner. Benoit's fake-out enziguri to mule kick spot was a fantastic way for Benoit to bide himself enough time to make the tag. Lesnar looked unstoppable when he was cleaning house. The interactions between Angle and Lesnar were limited, but they gave us just enough to leave us salivating for their Wrestlemania match next month. Although this felt like a Smackdown main event. the quality of the match was good enough to not bother me. ★★★¾ Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (WWE Wrestlemania - 3/30/2003) Although it's overshadowed by the freakish Shooting Star Press botch, this was the most physical main event of a Wrestlemania up to this point. This was two lads without fancy gimmicks going out there and putting on a rugged and aggressive wrestling match. Angle is more focused on putting on a clinic and doesn't get many chances to show his huge personality and plays this one straight. Lesnar goes into this with injured ribs and Angle sets his sights on his injury by going after them with many German suplexes, including one onto the turnbuckle. Although you could tell that some fans weren't into this and maybe having a slow burn technical clinic in front of a tired stadium crowd wasn't the best way to keep the fans engaged, I enjoyed this a ton and seeing Lesnar getting a chance to show off his technical chops and sell like a sympathetic babyface made for compelling viewing. This was a changing of the guard moment with the work rate feeling more important than the big gimmicks and characters. ★★★★

I've gone back and gave a Test vs Lesnar a rewatch and it's still not doing much for me, although I appreciated how hard those two were clobbering the hell out of each other. Test just bores me to tears. What are some of Lesnar's better TV matches? I don't want to cover every TV match of his, but I do want to touch on his most memorable matches. I'll definitely cover his 2003 matches with Rey, Angle, Show, and Benoit. Is there any I'm missing? Brock Lesnar vs Hardcore Holly (WWE Smackdown - 9/10/2002) Yup, this is the match where Holly sandbags Lesnar and ends up with a broken neck. I don't feel too bad for him. It's well known that he would bully and stiff younger talent and he would end up with a PPV title match out of this when he was able to return a year later. Despite the injury, this was a fun compact TV match where Brock wasn't afraid to stiff Holly back and it caused this one to feel very competitive. After Lesnar wrestles Holly to the ground, Holly takes a chance on mat-wrestling Lesnar and ends up tackling him out of the ring. I've always assumed this one ends once Holly breaks his neck, but Holly carries on and finishes the match as planned! He hits a goddam dropkick and takes an F5 with a broken neck, you've got to respect him for that! ★★¾ Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker (WWE Unforgiven - 9/22/2002) Fans of Lesnar/Undertaker's legendary Hell in a Cell match shouldn't sleep on this match, as it's great in its own right. In his first title defense, Lesnar is look a lot more comfortable in-ring than he was just a few months prior. I liked him trying to play the power game during the opening exchanges, only to become frustrated when Undertaker showed him that he could match him in that department. This forces Lesnar to try and rely on his wrestling skills to mixed results. This was a fun hoss fight with plenty of intensity and hatred to boot. Undertaker's match quality was spotty around this time, but this was one of his better matches of 2002 and it's clear that he and Brock work well together. The non-finish might have pissed off the live crowd, but it was necessary for building up to the HIAC rematch and they made up for the fans in the building by having a cool spot in the post-match which saw Undertaker throw Lesnar through the stage. ★★★¾ Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell) (WWE No Mercy - 10/20/2002) This was a slow and bloody epic that was rife with psychology. Undertaker's hand is in a cast and that's a crucial part of this match. Lesnar wants to rip it off and do more damage. Undertaker dominates early on and wasn't that interesting when doing so, but Brock makes up for this by bumping into the cell like a madman. This is the first time in Brock's WWE run that he showed fear, as he backs off from 'Taker multiple times during the match. This was so chaotic that even Heyman got color! That visual of him being violently pulled by his tie into the cage wall will stick with me for some time as did Undertaker's horrific bladejob that had him pissing blood all over the place. I wish they didn't forget about Undertaker's hand injury during the last few minutes (he stops selling his hand after landing a barrage of punches on Brock), but that's only a minor gripe. ★★★★½ Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman vs Edge (WWE Rebellion - 10/26/2002) Excluding the few high points during the go-home stretch, there's not a whole to say about this match. Perhaps it's the jetlag, but these two felt like they were stuck in house show mode. They open with some stalling, which leads into a dull control segment by Lesnar where he works over Edge's ribs. Heyman hamming it up and getting kicked about by Edge saved this from being mediocre. Heyman being in the match means that Edge can pin Heyman to win the title instead of having to conquer Lesnar, which is a small touch that added a touch more drama, even if everyone deep-down knew that Edge would not be leaving with the title. Edge scoring a near fall on Heyman when he wasn't the legal man bothered me more than it should of. Lesnar sidesteps an Edge crossbody from the top rope and causes the referee to be pancaked in a great bump. Edge is able to score a convincing near fall after a Spear, but Lesnar is able to land an F5 to retain. ★★ Brock Lesnar vs Big Show (WWE Survivor Series - 11/17/2002) Lesnar is now a babyface and the MSG faithful are going insane for him. Show keeps trying to cut him off, but Lesnar fights back with plenty of fire and shows that he can brawl from underneath just as well as he can dominate from the top. The story going into this is that Lesnar is the underdog for the first time in his career and Heyman is starting to doubt his client. Heyman doesn't think Lesnar can do three things: suplex Big Show, F5 Big Show, and finally beat Big Show. Lesnar ticks the first box by hitting a back suplex and following it up with an impressive overhead belly-to-belly. After a ref bump and a chair shot, Lesnar is able to F5 Show and tick the second box. Just as Lesnar is about to win, Heyman betrays Lesnar by attacking the referee. This swerve was memorable and I don't think anyone saw it coming. This is the birth of the Big Match Brock Sprint. This goes just four minutes and change and it is thrilling stuff. It's a high-energy back and forth hoss fight. This is the moment where it becomes clear that Lesnar's monster push was a roaring success, even if he did lose on this night.. ★★★½

Brock Lesnar is one of my all-time favorites. Let's do this. Recommended Brock Viewing (plain = very good, bold = great, red = exceptional) Brock Lesnar vs Jeff Hardy (WWF Backlash - 4/21/2002) Brock Lesnar vs Hulk Hogan (WWE Smackdown - 8/6/2002) Brock Lesnar vs The Rock (WWE Summerslam - 8/25/2002) Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker (WWE Unforgiven - 9/22/2002) Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell) (WWE No Mercy - 10/20/2002) Brock Lesnar vs Big Show (WWE Survivor Series - 11/17/2002) Brock Lesnar vs Big Show (WWE Royal Rumble - 1/19/2003) Brock Lesnar & Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas (WWE No Way Out - 2/23/2003) Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (WWE Wrestlemania - 3/30/2003) Brock Lesnar vs Big Show (Stretcher) (WWE Judgement Day - 5/18/2003) Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (WWE Summerslam - 8/24/2003) Brock Lesnar & John Cena vs Kurt Angle & The Undertaker (WWE Smackdown - 10/2/2003) Brock Lesnar vs Chris Benoit (WWE Smackdown - 12/2/2003) Brock Lesnar vs Rey Mysterio (WWE Smackdown - 12/9/2003) Brock Lesnar vs Eddie Guerrero (WWE No Way Out - 2/15/2004) Brock Lesnar vs Akebono (NJPW - 2/20/2006) Brock Lesnar vs John Cena (Extreme Rules) (WWE Extreme Rules - 4/29/2012) Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk (No Disqualification) (WWE Summerslam - 8/18/2013) Brock Lesnar vs John Cena (WWE Summerslam - 8/17/2014) Brock Lesnar vs John Cena (WWE Night Of Champions - 9/21/2014) Brock Lesnar vs John Cena vs Seth Rollins (WWE Royal Rumble - 1/25/2015) Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (WWE Wrestlemania - 3/29/2015) Brock Lesnar vs Kofi Kingston (WWE Live From Tokyo: The Beast From The East - 7/4/2015) Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker (WWE Summerslam - 8/23/2015) Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker (Hell in a Cell) (WWE Hell In A Cell - 10/25/2015) Brock Lesnar vs Sheamus (WWE Live - 1/8/2016) Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns vs Dean Ambrose (WWE Fastlane - 2/21/2016) Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg (WWE Survivor Series - 11/20/2016) Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg (WWE Wrestlemania - 4/2/2017) Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman vs Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns (WWE Summerslam - 8/20/2017) Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles (WWE Survivor Series - 11/19/2017) Brock Lesnar vs Daniel Bryan (WWE Survivor Series - 11/18/2018) Brock Lesnar vs Finn Balor (WWE Royal Rumble - 1/27/2019) Brock Lesnar vs Rey Mysterio (No Holds Barred No Disqualification) (WWE Survivor Series - 11/24/2019) Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins vs Big E vs Kevin Owens vs Bobby Lashley (WWE Day 1 - 1/1/2022) Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (Last Man Standing) (WWE Summerslam - 7/30/2022) Brock Lesnar vs Bobby Lashley (WWE Crown Jewel - 11/5/2022) Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes (WWE Backlash - 5/6/2023) Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes (WWE Night Of Champions - 5/27/2023) Brock Lesnar vs Cody Rhodes (WWE Summerslam - 8/5/2023) Brock Lesnar vs Jeff Hardy (WWF Backlash - 4/21/2002) A damn fine main roster debut for Lesnar. He looked like a world-beater here. Jeff Hardy is established enough that Lesnar's win over him feels like a massive deal. Hardy bumps his ass off for all of Lesnar's shit. Heyman trash-talking and blaming Lita at ringside for Jeff's beating because she refused to sleep with him was creepy and it added another layer to the villainous Lesnar/Heyman pairing. Hardy is able to hit a few hope spots and Lesnar even kicks out of the Swanton Bomb, which I don't think anyone had done up to that point. Jeff soon realizes that he can't beat Lesnar, so he grabs a chair and attempts to lay him out, but Lesnar is able to catch him with an F5. Lesnar then keeps assaulting Jeff until the referee decides to call this off. The referee stoppage finish hadn't been used in a while and it made Lesnar's dominating victory feel even more special. ★★★½ Brock Lesnar & Shawn Stasiak vs The Hardy Boyz (WWF Insurrextion - 5/4/2002) The story going into this is that Lesnar wanted to face Matt and Jeff by himself, but the Hardyz had signed up for a tag match so Lesnar has to find a partner. Lesnar and Heyman pick Stasiak and hope he's smart enough to stay out of the way and let Lesnar do all the work, but this doesn't go to plan as the voices in Stasiak's head tell him to take matters into his own hands. Stasiak rushes the ring to start the match, much to Lesnar and Heyman's disapproval. He has some pretty decent comedy chops. Stasiak doesn't fare too well and Lesnar tags himself after saving Stasiak from a Hardyz double-team move. Lesnar kicks ass and looks good doing it. He looked like a lion playing with his food when he was working over Matt Hardy. Lesnar misses a charge into the corner and Stasiak tags himself back in and loses the match for his team. Lesnar wrecks shop after the match and takes out Stasiak. Lesnar loses, but his aura hasn't been damaged because of the circumstances of his loss. ★★½ Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman vs The Hardy Boyz (WWE Judgement Day - 5/19/2002) Lesnar continues to wreck shop as the crowd throws some Goldberg chants at him. Jeff's hot tag lacked in fire and the crowd doesn't seem too invested in this as they know who's winning this. Heyman excels at being the greasy chickenshit manager. After the Hardyz work together to get Lesnar out of the ring, they turn their attention to Heyman. Heyman runs away until the Hardyz are able to catch him and give him a beating. Lesnar recovers just as Jeff is about to go for the Swanton Bomb on Heyman. The stare-down between Jeff and Brock made for a cool visual. Lesnar hits the F5, but Heyman insists that he gets tagged in and gets the deciding pinfall. Fun stuff. ★★★ Brock Lesnar vs Test (WWE King Of The Ring - 6/23/2002) These two just didn't click. Lesnar is still receiving Goldberg chants and the fans couldn't give a toss about Test, so this was a dull affair with a dead crowd for the most part. Expect a lot of lifeless brawling. Lesnar is still green and Test has never been good in-ring, so this match doesn't have anyone to steer the ship. The highlight of this would have to be Test scoring a very convincing nearfall after a gloriously stiff big boot. Lesnar scooping and powerslamming Test with ease was another high point. Aside from that, I'm not seeing a great hoss fight here. I wasn't too keen on Lesnar needing Heyman's help to win either as a world-beater like Lesnar shouldn't have to rely on his manager to help him beat a lower midcarder like Test. ★★ Brock Lesnar vs Rob Van Dam (WWE King Of The Ring - 6/23/2002) I'm a tad let down by this and I'm hoping their next match together will be better. This became an extended squash once Lesnar countered an RVD monkey flip into a powerbomb. Lesnar works a long bearhug on RVD. RVD makes a brief comeback once Lesnar misses a charge and goes shoulder-first into the ring post. Watching Brock sell RVD's kicks is quite entertaining. RVD hits a frog splash, but Heyman distracts RVD and it results in a unique nearfall where Heyman accidentally knocks RVD onto Brock after pulling his throat onto the ropes. Lesnar catches another RVD aerial attack and turns it into an F5 for the win. ★★¼ Brock Lesnar vs Rob Van Dam (WWE Vengeance - 7/21/2002) This was much better than their King Of The Ring match as they got a lot more time here. Lesnar and RVD's styles compliment each other well. Brock dominates until RVD is able to hit an incredible flurry moves and it all flowed perfectly and you got the feeling that RVD might actually pull off the biggest miracle in his career. RVD hits the Five Star, but Heyman pulls the referee out and ends up getting Brock disqualified. The post-match angle sees the referee attack Heyman in a humourous spot. Lesnar picks up the ref and launches him as if he was a bag of flour. RVD tries to take advantage of Brock being distracted but eats an F5 for his troubles. The DQ finish wasn't great, but there wasn't much they could have done as they had booked themselves into a corner. ★★★ Brock Lesnar vs Hulk Hogan (WWE Smackdown - 8/6/2002) Hogan mostly coasts on by his charisma as his body is too banged up to do anything too physical. He still knows how to work a crowd and they go mental for him. Hogan keeps hulking up whenever Lesnar would try and beat him down, but it's a distraction from Paul Heyman that is enough for Lesnar to hit an F5. Instead of pinning him, he decides to lock in a bear hug. The fans were expecting for Hogan to hulk up once again, but Hulk bleeds from the mouth and is unable to make the referee's count. Lesnar brutalizes Hogan after the bell and the show goes off air as Lesnar wipes Hogan's blood onto his own chest. Has Hogan ever put over anyone as cleanly as he did for Lesnar here' Even Warrior didn't get a rub as big as Lesnar got here! Lesnar not only kicked out of a leg drop, but he also defeated Hogan by submission! ★★★½ Brock Lesnar vs The Rock vs Triple H (WWE Global Warning - 8/10/2002) Nothing to see here. The first half of the match featured nothing but punches, kicks, and not much else. The second half sees each wrestler hitting their finish before the free man breaks up the pin. This featured the worst trope of multi-man matches, where one worker gets hit with a basic move and lays outside the ring for minutes at a time so the two other guys can do their thing. We get a rare instance of Brock showing that he's still green when he just stands there and watches Triple H attempt a pin. Triple H goes the extra mile and gets some color, even if it didn't add anything to the match. I'm not expecting guys to bring their A-game when they are working house shows (this was pretty much a televised house show) and I'm sure the live crowd loved this, but there's no reason to seek this out. ★★ Brock Lesnar vs The Rock (WWE Summerslam - 8/25/2002) This is a star-making match for Lesnar, but I also thought that Rock's performance here was one of his best. Despite being the babyface going into this, the fans have soured on him so he instead decides to rile them up instead of being the babyface that he thought he was going to be when he stepped through the curtain on this night. After using it to score a clean win over Hogan, Brock's bear hug feels like it might actually end the match instead of feeling like a rest hold. Rock fighting out of the move was the last babyface thing he did before he embraces being a heel and striking Lesnar square in the balls. Rock's punch combo features extra taunting, a neat addition added solely to get under the audience's skin. Brock was decent here and he jumped through all the hoops that Rock (and Heyman to a lesser extent) set up for him. You start to see Lesnar's formula in play once you watch his old matches in order, but he's still got exceptional timing and pacing so such a young wrestler. ★★★★

After the KAORU's quick opening rush sees her eat shit and crash through a table to the outside, Aja wants to make her pay by introducing KAORU's skull to a shard of a table that her body had just broken. KAORU's performance as a resourceful underdog made me a fan of her. After her attempt to moonsault Kong fails, she quickly recovers by hitting Kong's arm with a shattered bit of the table. Kong sells this like a wounded lion and KAORU has her opening. With all the plunder used here, it might come to surprise you that the most brutal parts of this match feature Kong's strikes. They are nasty! This was an insane garbage brawl which left me wondering what kind of brutality they would inflict on each other next. ★★★★★

After being disillusioned with the product that NJPW has been putting out the last few years, I decided to skip watching Wrestle Kingdom for the first time in a decade. Instead, I watched the big 1/1 NOAH show and I had a blast with it. I've caught a handful of shows since they rebranded in 2019, but I think I will try and catch all their big shows from now on. Kenou/Kiyomiya was my MOTY. Despite my criticisms of it, Go/Nakajima was a fun watch too. KENTA returning and looking like the coolest motherfucker on the planet was another highlight. NOAH is definitely putting out a product that is exactly what I want out of my puro.

This is a star-making match for Lesnar, but I also thought that Rock's performance here was one of his best. Despite being the babyface going into this, the fans have soured on him so he instead decides to rile them up instead of being the babyface that he thought he was going to be when he stepped through the curtain on this night. After using it to score a clean win over Hogan, Brock's bear hug feels like it might actually end the match instead of feeling like a rest hold. Rock fighting out of the move was the last babyface thing he did before he embraces being a heel and striking Lesnar square in the balls. Rock's punch combo features extra taunting, a neat addition added solely to get under the audience's skin. Brock was decent here and he jumped through all the hoops that Rock (and Heyman to a lesser extent) set up for him. You start to see Lesnar's formula in play once you watch his old matches in order, but he's still got exceptional timing and pacing so such a young wrestler. ★★★★

Lesnar continues to wreck shop as the crowd throws some Goldberg chants at him. Jeff's hot tag lacked in fire and the crowd doesn't seem too invested in this as they know who's winning this. Heyman excels at being the greasy chickenshit manager. After the Hardyz work together to get Lesnar out of the ring, they turn their attention to Heyman. Heyman runs away until the Hardyz are able to catch him and give him a beating. Lesnar recovers just as Jeff is about to go for the Swanton Bomb on Heyman. The stare-down between Jeff and Brock made for a cool visual. Lesnar hits the F5, but Heyman insists that he gets tagged in and gets the deciding pinfall. Fun stuff. ★★★

A damn fine main roster debut for Lesnar. He looked like a world-beater here. Jeff Hardy is established enough that Lesnar's win over him feels like a massive deal. Hardy bumps his ass off for all of Lesnar's shit. Heyman trash-talking and blaming Lita at ringside for Jeff's beating because she refused to sleep with him was creepy and it added another layer to the villainous Lesnar/Heyman pairing. Hardy is able to hit a few hope spots and Lesnar even kicks out of the Swanton Bomb, which I don't think anyone had done up to that point. Jeff soon realizes that he can't beat Lesnar, so he grabs a chair and attempts to lay him out, but Lesnar is able to catch him with an F5. Lesnar then keeps assaulting Jeff until the referee decides to call this off. The referee stoppage finish hadn't been used in a while and it made Lesnar's dominating victory feel even more special. ★★★½

Wake up, babe. New Black Terry just dropped. This was a deathmatch taking place in a literal junkyard between a 64-year-old and a 69-year-old. If that's not enough to pique your interest, then I don't know what will. Like Terry's match with Wotan five years previously, this was an insane spectacle where salty men attack each other with stiff strikes and beer bottles in an arena that will make you want to take a bath just looking at it. The moment in this where they get into a stand-off with both men holding broken beer bottles was wild, only to be topped a few minutes later when a near-septuagenarian gets leveled by a pane of glass. The amount of blood both guys bleed is insane. It's hard to say whether this is a great match or this is just outlaw barbarism, but I guarantee that this will enthrall you every step of the way.

This had every Attitude Era big match cliche that you could think of. With outside interference, referees getting knocked down, and finisher stealing, this shows that even if the Attitude Era is officially over, some of the worst hang-ups of that era are still going to be sticking around for a while. What I did like about this is that Jericho played this one straight and he actually felt like a cocky heel instead of a comedic midcarder. The posturing to the crowd got the fans to hate Jericho and them to root for Rock. Although the fans brought into all the false finishes and the performances from both men were solid, this was way too overbooked to rate anything higher than good. ★★★

We actually get a chance to see how Vince is as a worker here, as barring all the weapon spots and blood, he actually wrestles this a lot straighter than how he did during his matches with Hogan and Shane. There's zero interference here and it's actually worked as a straight street fight. Vince's strikes aren't the prettiest, but he got great psychology and knows how to make the crowd hate him and when to show himself in danger. Flair's kids are at ringside and Vince stealing the future Charlottle Flair's camera to take a photo of her bloody father was hilarious and I love how they played off that by having Flair making Charlottle snap a picture of a busted-up Vince later in the match. Flair still has to take more time to find his footing as a full-time wrestler, but this was a satisfying way to bring him back to the WWF after a nine-year absence. ★★★½

The glory days of the Attitude Era tag team division sure have faded as we now have the thrown-together team of Spike and Tazz as champions, who the fans aren't buying as champions. The Dudleyz make great bullies and Spike sells all their offense by taking some big bumps, but the crowd doesn't come alive until Taz hits a hot tag and starts suplexing Bubba and D'von. The individual performances from the wrestlers were decent enough, it's just that they didn't have that great of chemistry together and the fans seem done with the storyline of Spike facing his brothers and would rather ogle Stacy Keibler instead. ★★

Bobo is in his mid-50s and feels every second of it by this point. Stasiak is a few months from turning 40, but he feels just as washed-up and ancient as Bobo here. Stasiak goes for the heart punch early, but Bobo fights back and we get a lot of bad brawling here. They fight on the apron, and Bobo punches Stasiak back into the ring. Stasiak fights Bobo when he is in the corner and refuses to let Bobo out so the referee calls for the DQ. Shit finish, shit match. DUD

This was a fun WWWF title defense built around Patera's power and seeing if it's enough to conquer Bruno. Expect a lot of tense Greco-Roman knuckle locks and bearhugs during this one! I'm not much of a Bruno guy, but I thought that this was one of his better performances. He lets Patera get a lot of his shit in and he sells exceptionally well for it. He sells his pain by grimacing and groan and the MSG faithful get right behind him. Bruno's strikes on his comeback are basic, but they look snug and Patera flops around like a fish for them. We get a weak count-out finish, which would lead to them doing a Texas Death match at the next MSG show (which we sadly don't have on tape). I don't mind the idea of the count-out finish, but Patera striking Bruno with a chair right in front of the referee right before the ref decides to award the victory to Patera was certainly mind-boggling! ★★★¼

Savage is still in prime stalling mode here, so don't go in expecting a match on the same level as their Wrestlemania V encounter. This was still a fun match where Savage looks like a worthy opponent for Hogan, even if he's only a few months into his run at this point. Hogan gets a chance to show off his actual wrestling chops by working the arm and hitting a textbook suplex and backbreaker. Savage gets a near fall from his top rope elbow drop and Hulk doesn't even hulk-up after it! Savage's second attempt at an elbow drop is spoiled by Hogan getting his leg up and hitting him with a big boot while lying on his back. Savage gets pinned, but kicks out just as the referee counts three. This had a cool finish that protected Savage, even in defeat. ★★¾

Thanks BigBadMick! Let's get this finished. 19. Terry Funk & Dory Funk Jr vs Terry Gordy & Stan Hansen (AJPW - 31/8/1983) (2020 GME Ranking: 16) You know you have a hot crowd when they are going apeshit for Dory Funk Jr. of all people! The match starts off with Dory being worked over by the heels. They mostly keep him immobilized with an armbar and strikes. Dory gets the crowd pops big whenever he gets in a lucky jab. Terry was sublime in this, egging his brother on and pacing up and down the apron when he's not tagged in and throwing some great punches and doing a marvelous selljob of his leg when he is the legal man. Everything looks snug and not one move looks phony. This is yet another hellish brawl that we need more of in today's wrestling. Above all the great strikes and well-done tag team wrestling, the emotion is off the charts. 18. Jumbo Tsuruta vs Genichiro Tenryu (AJPW - 6/5/1989) (2020 GME Ranking: 12) An absolute masterclass on how to wrestle as a heel by Jumbo. He stiffs Tenryu and takes a few liberties here and there, but it's never over the top. It's always subtle and feeds fuel to Tenryu's comeback. Tenryu sneaks in a quick German for a two-count early into this, but it's mostly Jumbo taking control after that. Watching the faces in the crowd looking more and more shocked every time Tenryu kicked out made me realize I was watching something truly special. This blew me away when I watched it for the first time and it gets even better with age. This is where King's Road began. 17. Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW - 8/13/2016) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) This starts the same way that all Naito matches start, with Naito trying to psych out Omega. This works and the two end up spitting at each other. I might be down on Omega's work in AEW, but he was magnificent here. Naito works over his knee and Omega does a masterful job at selling it. He'd attempt to make a comeback and only for his knee to give out on him and Naito would take back control. Even during the work-rate heavy home-stretch, he'd never stop selling and he even changes his V-Trigger up so that he uses his good knee to deliver the devastating blow. Everything they did had a purpose and this never felt like a spotfest, even though all the big highspots here were spectacular. That One-Winged Angel to Destino counter caught me off-guard and they couldn't have pulled that off anymore smoother. 16. Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue (AJPW - 5/21/1994) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) Man, any time you throw these four men in the ring together and you are going to get magic. We are just weeks before Kawada and Misawa have their iconic match and they really brought the hate to each other here. Misawa brushing off Kawada's trademark kicks are one of the many highlights to be found in this 40+ minute classic. Kobashi puts on a tremendous babyface performance here, and Taue looked like he was having the time of his life being a massive bully. This had so many ebbs and flows to it, and they never went overboard with the near-falls. It's a long watch with plenty of explosive moments, but this never felt excessive. A top 10 match of the 1990s, my only complaint is that their 6/9/1995 encounter is just a touch better. 15. Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW - 1/20/1997) (2020 GME Ranking: 13) They start this one out with both Kobashi and Misawa getting a brief shine segment. They fight back and forth until Misawa elbows the guardrail in a failed dive attempt and Kobashi focuses his attack on taking out Misawa's arm. Misawa tries to fight back the only way he knows how, by elbowing his enemies in the face. Initially, this seems like a bad idea as it's clearly hurting Misawa, but one lucky shot to Kobashi's lariating arm is all he needs to change the tide of this match. The way they built up to their big moves was magical. Kobashi kicking out of the Tiger Driver '91 shocked me as much as it shocked the two suits in the front row. The Misawa elbow finish could have easily fallen flat, but these two made it work. This was a phenomenal face vs face match that did not hold back on the workrate. 14. Megumi Kudo vs Combat Toyoda (No Rope Explosive Barbed Wire Death Match – FMW – 5/5/1996) (2020 GME Ranking: 10) If I had to pick one match to show someone to people that deathmatch isn't just a vulgar display of very real violence, I'd pick this match. Kudo and Toyoda tease the big barbed wire spots well and there are only four occasions when they take a bump into the barbed wire. Toyoda is retiring and wants to go out with a literal bang. After eight minutes of teasing that someone is going boom, the much smaller Kudo takes the plunge and she sells it like death. The later part of this match felt like Manami Toyota bombfest, but if they took the time to slow things down and sell their arses off. Toyoda takes one of the nastiest head drops I think I've ever seen. All this complemented with a pained Onita looking on from the commentary, makes this one of the best women's and one of the best deathmatches ever. 13. Shawn Michaels vs Mankind (WWF - 9/22/1996) (2020 GME Ranking: 8) I'm starting to feel like Mick Foley might be a better worker than Shawn Michaels. Shawn beats on Mankind's leg for a solid ten minutes and never once do I feel like that I'm meant to be rooting for the psychotic Mankind. He puts himself through hell and only he could make it work because of his gimmick. I'd find any other wrestler getting up from the damage that Mankind takes here would take me out of the match. That table bump might be one of the best ever as it felt organic and not forced. Even the run-in finish couldn't sour this for me. I remember this being great, but I was shocked by how brilliant this was. A serious contender for the best WWE match ever. 12. Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue vs Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama (AJPW - 12/6/1996) (2020 GME Ranking: 9) There's so much to unpack here. Taue is here to be the brains to Kawada's brawn. He needs to keep Kawada's temper in check, much like in the 6/9/95 tag. Akiyama is lacking in experience, but he has a lot of heart and is a much better tag partner than Kobashi ever was to Misawa. Some of the head drops here were nasty, especially the spike Backdrop Drivers that Misawa ate. The strike exchanges between Kawada and Misawa show us that their epic rivalry is far from over. Akiyama and Misawa isolate Kawada and it's all up for Taue to save the day. This was probably my favorite AJPW King's Road match, behind the 6/9/95 tag of course! 11. Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuinness (ROH - 8/12/2006) (2020 GME Ranking: 24) This was an incredibly engaging and competitive technical classic with an all-time brilliant heel performance from Bryan. McGuinness is the hometown hero and Bryan wants to rain on his parade and the crowd might respect Danielson, but they don't like him. The rule with the rope breaks was a great bit of psychology. When Nigel uses up his third and final rope break, he has to pray that he doesn't get caught in another submission as the ropes can't save him anymore. The ring post stuff might be a bit much for a post CTE world, but I'll be lying if I said it didn't hook me into the match even further. 10. Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa (NOAH - 3/1/2003) (2020 GME Ranking: 5) Misawa plants Kobashi on his head with a sickening backdrop within minutes into the match and it looks like Kobashi is already out. Kobashi tries to mount a comeback by resorting to his trusty chops, but Misawa has him figured out and cuts him off with his elbow strikes. In an incredible transitional spot, Kobashi sidesteps a Misawa dive and sends him jaw first into the guardrail. Misawa powering up showed off his often-overlooked subtle charisma. Kobashi's performance here was vicious, but the fans got right behind him after that insane Tiger Suplex spot. As brutal as it was emotional, the only criticism I can throw at this match is that you can see how it influenced the next generation of indy wrestlers to try and replicate this match with mostly mixed results. Misawa and Kobashi see out their rivalry with their best singles match together. 9. Katsuyori Shibata vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW - 4/9/2017) (2020 GME Ranking: 7) The once-disgraced shooter takes on the golden boy in an effort to finally complete his redemption. I was worried this wouldn't hold up as a lot of the NJPW main events struggle to stay engaging on rewatches as you are just waiting for them to get to the good stuff. Shibata is clearly fucking with Okada as he dominates him during the opening matwork and this keeps the first 15 minutes engaging and is essential to the story they are telling. The finishing stretch is more typical for your usual Okada IWGP bout, but with added legitimacy as some of the strikes are mortifyingly stiff. This is a match you can show someone who scoffs at wrestling for being fake and they would walk away with some newfound respect for this crazy art form we all love. I'm struggling to think of a better 2010's NJPW match and I can comfortably say this is both guys' best match. 8. Kiyoshi Tamura vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS - 6/27/1998) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) Even as a recent shoot-style convert, this match flew by and the 30 minutes felt like 15. Tamura looks a lot different since I last saw him during the Volk Han trilogy. He's no longer a pretty boy, but he's now more built up and looks like a total badass. This was two mat maestros putting on some of the most impressive matwork and submission wrestling that I'd ever seen in a pro-wrestling match. These two are so proud and headstrong that they refused to give up a rope break unless it's absolutely necessary and we don't see a rope break until 13 minutes into the match! The strikes that followed the first rope break are incredibly intense and you could tell that Tamura was ashamed and pissed off that he was the first fighter to have to use the ropes to break a hold. They mostly stick to grappling after this, but once it's announced that 20 minutes had expired and that there were 10 minutes left on the clock, they start wailing on each other again. They both look exhausted by this point, but they still have a lot of heart and the final few minutes were super tense. I didn't care who won, I just wanted a decisive winner. This was amazing stuff that every fan needs to see once they are accustomed to shoot-style. 7. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (WWE - 3/29/2015) (2020 GME Ranking: 6) Reigns is one of the few guys who looks like a total boss TAKING a beating. He smirks at Lesnar while getting the shit suplexed out of him. Lesnar gets an F5 early but is in no rush to pin as he wants to hurt Roman. He doesn't spam the Germans, instead, he opts to attack Lesnar with an array of violent knees and clotheslines during the early portion of the match. Brock eats a ring post and bleeds like a pig. He sells his injury well, staggering around the place with a glazed facial expression. Reigns gets in a few hope spots before Lesnar catches him in an F5. Seth Rollins' music hits and he cashes in his MITB briefcase and turns this into a 3 way. I knew Rollins was going to get involved somehow, but I didn't expect him to do it while the match was still going on. The ending made Lesnar look strong while losing the belt and opens the door to a future Lesnar vs Reigns match. 6. Nick Bockwinkel vs Curt Hennig (AWA - 11/21/1986) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) There's no way that my ADD-riddled brain should have been able to handle this 60-minute draw. This was a lengthy match with even lengthier holds and they managed to keep my attention the whole time. They never stop working when they are in a hold, and the exchanges outside of the holds are exciting and quick. All their fundamentals were rock-solid and this match reminded me a lot of Flair vs Steamboat. This was a simple story of experience versus youth. Bockwinkel attacks Hennig at the start of the match when he has his back turned, but that's not enough to stop Hennig from fighting back. Bock incorporates a lot of subtle heel tactics into his arsenal, and this keeps the fans backing Hennig. Just when I thought that they were about to run out of steam at the 50-minute mark, Hennig takes a rough fall to the outside and is cut open badly. This soon breaks down into a fight, with both guys bleed buckets as they strike the hell out of each other as the time limit ticks away. You aren't going to find a better sixty-minute broadway than this. 5. Daniel Bryan vs Triple H (WWE - 4/6/2014) (2020 GME Ranking: 94) The winner of this match will go on to join Batista and Randy Orton in the main event world title match. Bryan's massively over, but it feels like WWE might hold him back yet again.Triple H's NWA Champion cosplay wrestling style worked wonders for this match, keeping Bryan down with crossfaces and chickenwings in an effort to further damage his bad arm. Bryan bumps like a madman here, that Tiger Suplex spot had me wincing. We are used to seeing the big stars like Undertaker and Shawn Michaels kick out of a Pedigree, but seeing a guy like Bryan getting a second wind felt shocking. After managing to fight out of every attempt of a second Pedigree, Bryan uses his own momentum from countering Triple H's backdrop to perfectly set himself up to nail his big knee to get the win. This was an emotional rollercoaster packed with the physicality of an 90's AJPW match. 4. Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Kengo Kimura, Umanosuke Ueda & Kantaro Hoshino vs Akira Maeda, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Nobuhiko Takada, Kazuo Yamazaki & Osamu Kid (Elimination Match – NJPW – 3/26/1986) (2020 GME Ranking: 4) What we got here was a super hot interpromotional war where everyone gets a chance to shine. There's zero downtime in this match and it well over half an hour. I thought the roof was going to blown off the building when Maeda and Inoki interacted. Inoki is the ace defending the company from those pesky shoot wrestler, while Maeda is the dickhead renegade who has no issue kicking Kimura when he's down to show dominance. Takada throws strikes so quick that I thought my video was running on 1.5 speed. What Hoshino lacks in size, he makes up for with pure heart. We finally get a Fujiwara match to match his consistently awesome performance. Ueda is in this for a grand total of around a minute, but the crowd pop huge whenever he was in the ring. The finish with Inoki cleaning house on the last two wrestler gave me 'John Cena taking out the entire Nexus by himself at Summerslam 2010' vibes, but don't let that stop you from watching one of the best matches NJPW has ever put out. 3. Brock Lesnar vs John Cena (Extreme Rules - WWE - 4/29/2012) (2020 GME Ranking: 3) This was as good as I remembered it. Lesnar is back in the WWE after an eight-year absence and he feels like a video game boss that feels nigh on impossible to beat. After cutting open Cena with shoot nasty elbows, Lesnar controls 90% of the match. I don't even mind the ref stoppages as they give us time to reflect on how brutal Brock's offense is as they replay the elbow multiple times, all while Lesnar is pacing around like a caged animal. Cena sells his injuries well and all of his hope spots feel organic and he even makes a usually anti-Cena crowd root for him. This was a violent spectacle between two of the best ever. 2. Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (Submission Match - WWF - 3/23/1997) (2020 GME Ranking: 2) Even watching these two trade punches is elite tier stuff. They brawl throughout the crowd and it feels organic. The crowd, who have been quiet all night, wake up as soon as the crowd brawling starts. Once their back in the ring, Bret starts his assault on Austin's leg. Austin sells this so well, flailing all over the place. Austin tries to keep with Bret, but Bret keeps cutting him off. After getting cut open, Austin doesn't have much more to give. He tries to choke out Bret with an electrical cord, but Bret wails him with a ring bell. All the weapon spots have meaning and aren't just used to add a nice spot here and there. Austin passes out in the Sharpshooter, and Shamrock calls for the bell. J.R's call of Austin never giving up adding a lot to his face turn. This is so much more than just a good bladejob. So glad this holds up. The best match in company history. 1. Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue vs Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW - 6/9/1995) (2020 GME Ranking: 1) The main reason I love this match is Kobashi's performance. His knee problems are no secret to anyone. When a simple kick sends Kobashi to the floor, Kawada and Taue devise their strategy to tear his leg to shit. Kobashi takes so many nasty shots to his knees and he makes you wonder if he is actually hurt. In the last 10-15 minutes of the match, Kobashi is barely walking. He tries to save Misawa from a beating by protecting him and it's just brilliant storytelling. This is tense, gripping, and ripe with great storytelling. This is the greatest pro-wrestling match ever, in my opinion. I think I am going to struggle to find a match better than this. It's almost annoying how perfect this match is.

Chono is broken down and looks gassed-up by the time this match is reaching its conclusion, but he has unlimited charisma and he's more than happy to take every big move that Kobashi throws at him. They tried to make this a slow burner of the match by having them work a lot of holds and headlocks and make this feel like a big-time heavyweight clash. Truth be told, I found this a lot more entertaining when they were throwing strikes instead of working holds. Chono kicking Kobashi in the face is always going to be entertaining and Kobashi sold his beating well. Some of the bumps these guys took were insane, with Kobashi spiking himself on his head three times after a trio of backdrops by Chono. Chono eats an excessive amount of half-nelson suplexes before Kobashi finally puts him away with the lariat. Chono was so exhausted by the end, that he wasn't able to bump well enough of Kobashi's lariat, so Kobashi picks him up and makes sure that he sells his finish properly. This would have been much better if they didn't go overboard with the finish and trim 5-10 minutes off the total match time, as even though I can recognize that there is some good stuff here, parts of this felt like a chore to get through. ★★½

Misawa plants Kobashi on his head with a sickening backdrop within minutes into the match and it looks like Kobashi is already out. Kobashi tries to mount a comeback by resorting to his trusty chops, but Misawa has him figured out and cuts him off with his elbow strikes. In an incredible transitional spot, Kobashi sidesteps a Misawa dive and sends him jaw first into the guardrail. Misawa powering up showed off his often-overlooked subtle charisma. Kobashi's performance here was vicious, but the fans got right behind him after that insane Tiger Suplex spot. As brutal as it was emotional, the only criticism I can throw at this match is that you can see how it influenced the next generation of indy wrestlers to try and replicate this match with mostly mixed results. Misawa and Kobashi see out their rivalry with their best singles match together. ★★★★★

39. Yuki Ishikawa vs Carl Greco (Battlarts - 6/1/2008) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) I didn't even think I was much of a matwork guy until I watched this. Some of the ground game here was so convincing that I think it could fool some MMA fans into thinking this was a shoot. Carl Greco is everything Kurt Angle thinks he is. A total wrestling machine. He's more of an MMA-style grappler than Ishikawa is, who could be described as a Battlarts traditionalist. This was built entirely around the ground game and they kept it gripping for 15 whole minutes. Not a single strike was thrown here and only one suplex was landed. Both guys volunteering to give up their final rope break was a badass move. I want you guys to check this out, so I'm not going to spoil the ending, but the grappling feels even more intense when you know that the ropes can't save them anymore. 38. Francis Sullivan & Albert Sanniez vs Bernard Caclard & Tony Martino (France - 10/21/1967) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) I've only seen three French catch matches and two of them made my ballot. I need to make time to watch a lot more of that stuff. The next time I see someone complain about old matches being slow, I'm going to show them this incredible match. It's amazing how a fantastic match can suck you in, even when you have no idea who the wrestlers are. This goes just over thirty minutes and there's ZERO downtime! The action is quick and a lot of exchanges feel like they were ripped right out of a World Of Sport match, only with some insane aerobics thrown in! This isn't just a spotfest though. The guys in the darker trunks are the heels and they get more and more frustrated as the faces out-shine them. They eventually show their vicious side by laying in some snug strikes and by the third fall, this is an all-out brawl. This was even better than the Catanzaro/Cesca match. 37. Daniel Bryan vs Brock Lesnar (WWE - 11/18/2018) (2020 GME Ranking: 100) A rare heel vs heel pairing that actually worked. This is as dominant that Lesnar had looked since he squashed Cena at Summerslam 2014. Bryan teasing Lesnar was brilliant and Brock had me creasing when he planted Bryan after the first German. The prolonged beating of Bryan added fuel to the fire and seeing him finally get his comeback after knocking the referee down made for a cool moment. This is a rare match that made me feel like a kid, with every interaction feeling like it could result in the match ending. Lesnar's selling of the leg was sublime, him crumbling to the ground after attempting an F5 was a nice bit of wrestling psychology. This was something special. Even with no build, this blew everything on this show out of the water. 36. Bryan Danielson vs KENTA (ROH - 9/16/2006) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) In the first few exchanges, they establish everything you need to know about this match. Bryan's shoulder is naff and these two aren't afraid to bully each other and get nasty. Bryan starts to heel things up when he gains control and he is amazing at being a smug asshole who takes joy in hurting people. His reaction to the fans teasing him about botching a Mexican Surfboard was golden. Although I've seen this before, the finishing stretch had me on the edge of my seat with some of the most convincing near falls I've ever seen. 35. Clive Myers vs Steve Grey (JP - 11/20/1975) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) This was a fantastic display of technical wizardry and one-upmanship, with some tasteful comedy moments too. These guys paced this match well, and they threw the crowd a lightning-quick exchange before going back to the mat game. Clive Myers is agile as a cat and I love his delayed enziguri. The final round is incredibly tense. You never got the impression that these two hated each other during this and it just feels like two pros having a competitive bout to see who is the better man and it makes for a wholesome 20 minutes of wrestling. 34. Necro Butcher vs Samoa Joe (IWA Mid-South - 6/11/2005) (2020 GME Ranking: 35) This is about as far away from the previous match as you can get. This is the pinnacle of scummy wrestling. This was a bloodbath and I'd say it's probably my favorite straight-up brawl ever. I can't wrap my head around the beating that Necro took. It's hard to watch, but it made for some great visuals. I'm torn in two deciding if this match had great punches just on the fact that they didn't look worked at all. Ah well, who cares? I was extremely entertained either way. All done and dusted in 10 minutes too. 33. Stan Hansen vs Carlos Colon (Bullrope Match - CWP - 1/6/1987) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) I was blown away by how good this was and it sent me down a Puerto Rico rabbit hole. Colon isn't the best brawler in the world, but he more than makes up for it by being charismatic and knowing how to milk the drama with the bull rope. Colon cartwheeling to start his comeback popped me big time! A cartwheel in a bloodbath like this could have felt out of place, but Colon made it work. These two just pounded the shit out of each other, using the bull rope to batter and choke each other. They both get juice and the crowd went apeshit for them. Hansen was exceptional here. His body language was top-notch and he falls over like a big redwood whenever Colon was able to best him during the struggle with the rope. Never had a tug of war felt tenser than it did when these two were pulling away! 32. Jumbo Tsuruta vs Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW - 6/8/1990) (2020 GME Ranking: 23) Jumbo ruled the 80s and is the ace of AJPW. The recently unmasked Tiger Mask II is now going by his real name and has something to prove. Jumbo bullies the new guy unmercifully. Tsuruta never had the flashiest arsenal, but every strike and slam looks brutal. He ain't giving up his spot that easily. The crowd eats up every nearfall, they are all rooting for the underdog. The finish wasn't completely decisive, leaving the door open for a rematch, yet it still made Misawa look like a big deal. This was the first-ever AJPW match I watched and I was hooked on anything Misawa/Kobashi related and I'm happy to say this holds up. 31. Kenta Kobashi vs Samoa Joe (ROH - 10/2/2005) (2020 GME Ranking: 20) I've always been cautious of rewatching this as I don't think it would ever live up to my first viewing and boy, was I wrong! Kobashi is shocked by how crazy the crowd is for him and you can tell it by the bewildered look he has in his eyes as he comes through the curtain. It's his first time in the US and he had no idea what to expect. Kobashi is pretty banged up here, but he gives the crowd what they want by chopping Joe's chest into oblivion. This isn't Kobashi's best performance from a strict workrate perspective, but he brings out his greatest hits and that's all this crowd needed to see. I don't think Joe could have gotten a better rub by looking like Kobashi's equal here, even if he did lose the match. The atmosphere is like nothing else and the audience is molten hot throughout the entirety of this 23-minute match. This felt like the best ever game of Fire Pro ever! 30. Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Brian Pillman & Jim Neidhart vs Steve Austin, Goldust, Ken Shamrock & The Road Warriors (WWF - 7/6/1997) (2020 GME Ranking: 19) This is the only match on my ballot that I haven't rewatched since doing these lists, but I'm pretty confident that it would still place high on my list. This had everything. From the frantic crowd to the quick pace, it's impossible to be bored by this. The weaker workers in the match don't have a chance to hinder the match as the tags are so quick. I'll have to rewatch the whole PPV at some point as it's one of the best ones that the WWE ever put on. 29. The Hardyz vs The Dudleyz vs Edge & Christian (TLC Match - WWF - 4/1/2001) (2020 GME Ranking: 66) I initially have both TLC 1 and 2 on my ballot, but I scrapped the first one making the cut as this one improved on everything that they attempted on the first match. This was more of the same from Summerslam with a few added bells and whistles. Each team has an interfering wrestler/valet to help them out and the spots are crazier than those saw in the Summerslam match. They perfected the car crash spotfest formula and they would never come close to this brilliance again. Despite WWE having a PPV named after this match for a decade, I can't name a single excellent TLC or ladder match that wowed me anywhere close to the level of this. 28. Cody vs Dustin Rhodes (AEW - 5/26/2019) (2020 GME Ranking: 74) I can't say much more than what's already been said. This was a Mid-South flavored brawl with buckets of emotion. Cody looked like a big star during his entrance. Dustin's bladejob! Dustin's punch-drunk selling! That post-match stuff that could make a rock shed a tear! Cody really stepped up here and Goldy got a chance to show why he's one of the GOATs on a big platform. This was perfectly paced and everything flows exceedingly well, from the Brandi interference to the horrific bladejob by Dustin. Two years on and AEW still hasn't been able to top this. 27. Toshiaki Kawada vs Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW - 6/3/1994) (2020 GME Ranking: 18) What more needs to be said about this? I might prefer the first Misawa/Tsuruta, Tsuruta/Tenryu, and the 6/9/95 tag over this, but this is an absolute classic. The finishing stretch in this in insane and it feels very modern for 1994. 26. Kenta Kobashi & Yoshihiro Takayama vs Mitsuhara Misawa & Jun Akiyama (NOAH - 12/2/2007) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) I might catch some flak for ranking this higher than 6/3/94, but I simply don't care as this was one of the most emotional pro-wrestling matches ever. Pro-wrestling shouldn't make you think. Instead, it should make you feel and this match is the perfect example of that theory. Kobashi's returning from cancer and he wants to prove to the fans that he can still go. I had a lump in my throat when Kobashi hits his famous corner chops on Akiyama. I completely forgot about how physical the finishing stretch of this match was. From Tiger Drivers to Moonsaults to the Avalanche Emerald Flowsion that finally finishes Kobashi off, they brought out the big guns even if they really should have been looking after their bodies and work a more simplistic match given the health of two of the wrestlers. There are so many little things I love about this. From that shot of amon Honda crying his eyes out to the fans chanting Kobashi's name over Misawa's music, this was beautiful stuff. 25. Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect (WWF - 26/8/1991) (2020 GME Ranking: 84) This shot right up my list after I gave it a watch after listening to Last Match Standing's episode breaking down this bout. These two have insane chemistry together and work at a speedy pace that never lets up for the duration of the bout. Bret hit some of the smoothest headlock throws ever during his shine. Perfect's known for being a great bumper, but his selling is turned up to 11 here. He cuts off Bret at just the right time, sending the MSG crowd and the babyface commentators into a rage. Bret hits Perfect with everything in his arsenal and begins to gets frustrated with himself, which leads to an amazing false finish that sees Perfect roll up Bret when he's arguing with the referee. In an era where a finisher ended the match 99% of the time, Bret finding the strength to kick out of the Perfect-Plex was a huge deal, as was Bret displaying his ring IQ to start to lock on the Sharpshooter when both men were down. 24. Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham & Nikita Koloff vs Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton & Larry Zbyszko (War Games - WCW - 5/17/1992) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) This lives up to the ridiculously high expectations that I had for this. I can't remember the last time I was suckered into a babyface showing some fire as much as was when Dustin Rhodes entered the match. The War Games stipulation hid Sting's limitations well and they had me hooked with the Nikita storyline about whether or not he was going to turn or not. This had the right amount of bells and whistles enhancing an already action-packed match, such as Madusa climbing the cage and the heels using part of the ring post as a weapon. This had picture-perfect pacing and everyone played their roles to a tee. 23. Kenta Kobashi vs Jun Akiyama (NOAH - 7/10/2004) (2020 GME Ranking: 17) I'll never forget the big exploder that Akiyama gives Kobashi from the second rope to the outside, but Kobashi's vertical suplex from the apron was so nasty that Kobashi ends up spitting up blood, and he's the one delivering the move! After this massive spot, Kobashi wants to take this one home. He gives Akiyama an Orange Crush and a Burning Lariat, but he's not going down that easy. Kobashi attempts a rare Burning Hammer, but Akiyama counters and lays in a brutal assault. These guys sell everything to perfection and they never go overboard with the false finishes. This was a match that was designed to be enjoyed by everyone in the building. The big chops, big gestures, and even bigger suplexes were so massive that you could see them even in the cheapest of cheap seats. They waste no motion doing anything that would have only been picked up by the first few rows. That's what makes a perfect Dome match. 22. Sgt Slaughter vs Iron Sheik (Boot Camp Match - WWF - 6/16/1984) (2020 GME Ranking: 15) What sets this apart from the many other bloody brawls from this time period is the amount of character and personality both men bring to the table. The sctick with Sheik's loaded boot stopped this from just being two guys trading punches. Sheik's selling is almost comedic as flops all over the place for Slaughter. You could call this goofy, but I loved it as it makes it clear that his opponent is the babyface and it's not too different from Ric Flair's selling. The crowd is going apeshit throughout the entire match, even throwing garbage into the ring when Sheik is in control, further adding to the atmosphere. I really loved this. It might be one of the best matches that WWE has ever put out. 21. Terry Funk vs Atsushi Onita (No Rope Explosive Barbed Wire Death Match - FMW - 5/5/1993) (2020 GME Ranking: 11) I loved everything about this, even down to the little things like how this was shot. There is a lot of barbed wire spots in this, but they treat them all with respect and I'd never been more on the edge of my seat than I was watching these two start the match with the most intense lock-up ever. Funk doing his usual punch-drunk stumbling near the barbed wire made me gasp with horror. Onita, bloodied and his clothes torn by the barbed wire, looked like a total badass. Onita scoring the win before the explosions go off doesn't bother me one bit, as it gives way to the highly emotional climax of Onita failing to save Funk from the explosion going off. The guitar solo that played as the smoke cleared was a neat touch that made the moment feel even bigger. All the emotionally charged post-match stuff with Onita crying and Funk refusing to shake his hands added to the match tenfold. This felt like part-short film, part wrestling match. Screw your Firefly Funhouses and your Boneyard matches, this is how you do cinematic wrestling! 20. Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat (WCW - 2/20/1989) (2020 GME Ranking: 14) This is the only Flair vs Steamboat match that I think is top-tier stuff. The WrestleWar and the Landover match are great, but not top 100 material. This is simple pro-wrestling storytelling done to perfection. The high roller yuppie versus the humble family man. This technical masterclass starts out with some simplistically brilliant matwork. The audience lets out a loud gasp when Steamboat gets an early nearfall on a headlock. A HEADLOCK! The knife-edge chops start getting busted out by both men and they are nasty, even 30 years on. Ric's heel work is sublime. It never goes into cartoon territory. The spot where Flair flops over the top rope and sprints to the other side for a cross body always catches me off guard.

59. Bayley vs Sasha Banks (Iron Man - WWE NXT - 10/7/2015) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) Forget just calling this the greatest women's match to take place in a WWE ring, I'd also call this the greatest Iron Man match in history too. I think I'm in the minority that prefers this match to their Brooklyn match. I loved Sasha's heel performance in their Takeover: Brooklyn match, but she was next-level evil here. Her teasing of the Bayley superfan was awesome, only damped by some of the smarky crowd's insistence on still cheering Banks despite how much of a heel she was. Sasha goes from aggressively competitive to full-on bitch mode in one motion as she takes advantage of Bayley's kindness by pulling her to the ground after Bayley offers her a hug after a stalemate. The sloppy moments of this match stop this one from getting the full five stars from me. 58. Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho vs Steve Austin & Triple H (WWF - 5/21/2001) (2020 GME Ranking: 38) Austin is so good in this and I don't think any wrestler has had a better year than he did in 2001. He keeps Benoit under control with eye pokes so subtle that Jim Ross doesn't even pick up on them the first time around. The heels isolating Benoit and keeping him away from his partner is one of the best examples of a building up for a hot tag I've ever seen. Props to Triple H for carrying on after tearing his quad. My only gripe in this is that Earl Hebner's officiating feels rather inconsistent. Aside from that minor nitpick, this is probably the best straight-up tag match WWE has ever put on and one of the best RAW matches of all time. 57. Antonio Inoki, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Seiji Sakaguchi, Kantaro Hoshino & Keiji Muto vs Tatsumi Fujinami, Riki Choshu, Akira Maeda, Kengo Kimura & Super Strong Machine (Elimination Match - NJPW - 8/19/1987) (2020 GME Ranking: 30) I always get these NJPW 80's elimination tags mixed up. I need to find the time to watch all of them as I haven't been let down by one yet. This was excellent, but I remember the UWF vs NJPW one from a year previous being even better than this. This was all kinds of brilliance with a pace that never lets up. Think Canadian Stampede 10 man tag on crack. Everyone makes quick tags and thus the action never gets a chance to stagnate. Inoki looks like the dog's bollocks, Maeda effortlessly plays the dickhead and Mutoh is the rookie with a lot of heart who has a star-making moment during the finishing stretch. 56. Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk (WWE - 8/18/2013) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) This was another late addition to my ballot (it might have been the last addition to my list, actually). I gave it a rewatch as I thought my list was lacking in CM Punk matches and I'm glad to say that this holds up. Lesnar feels so god-damn unbeatable here, but the fans believe in Punk and he puts in a hell of an underdog performance here. We get a lot of great trash talk and Lesnar's wounded lion selling is one example of why he is one of the best ever. Some of the Heyman interference hurt the match, but it's only a small criticism. 55. Steve Austin vs Kurt Angle (WWF - 8/19/2001) (2020 GME Ranking: 49) The only Kurt Angle match on my ballot. If this was a top 200 list, then his matches with Benoit at the 2003 Rumble and maybe his first match against Samoa Joe would make the cut. While this isn't a total Austin carry job, Austin calling this match stopped Angle from leaning back on his worst tendencies. I love how they could work this as a technical match while still keeping the hate flowing. The ending is overbooked with multiple referees going down, but it's the good kind of overbooking. Austin looks like a psychotic monster and Angle looked like the biggest babyface on the planet once this was all wrapped up. 54. Andrade Cien Almas vs Johnny Gargano (WWE NXT - 1/27/2018) (2020 GME Ranking: 29) NXT was fantastic before it became a parody of its glory years and this was one of the first matches that made me realize that the product that they were putting out during this period was some elite-tier stuff. This is one of the rare few times you get a smark-heavy crowd fully immersed with the traditional face/heel dynamic. None of that 'Let's go Gargano, Let's go Almas, ' dueling chant bollocks here. Every time Almas would look for a shortcut or his manager would interfere with the match, the crowd was calling for their heads. Johnny Gargano was one of the best babyfaces in wrestling at this time. His facial expressions were next level whenever he takes a brutal move and looked concussed. I didn't think these guys had it in them to keep a half-hour match interesting, but they sure showed me. 53. Jushin Liger vs Great Muta (NJPW - 10/20/1996) (2020 GME Ranking: 28) This is a very personal pick to me and I can see why I'm the only person who voted for it. This was one of the first puroresu matches that I saw and it holds a special place in my heart, but I still think it holds up as a cracking match in its own right. This is the perfect Dome match. From the larger-than-life entrances to, the emphasis on hardcore wrestling and the special moments like Liger getting his mask ripped off, this was New Japan doing sports entertainment and it pays off supremely well. I can't name a better you a better performance from Mutoh as Muta either. He gets frustrated that Liger has got his number and he's a treat to watch. I can't find any faults with this and it's my first five-star match on my ballot. 52. Andre The Giant vs Stan Hansen (NJPW - 9/23/1981) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) I've always struggled to love this one as much as everyone else did. I'm a huge fan of both guys, but this one didn't click with me until I watched this with Jim Cornette's commentary over this, and that helped me appreciate what a monster movie of a match this is. This isn't the Andre of the WWF who fought Hulk Hogan. He's full of piss and vinegar here and Stan is incredible at being an ass-kicker who has to fight from underneath. All the transition spots worked to a tee, I particularly love the spot where Andre catches a Hansen elbow drop. Andre sells well whenever Hansen would get an advantage. The non-finish worked, considering how hectic the match was. 51. Mankind vs The Undertaker (Hell In A Cell - WWF - 6/22/1998) (2020 GME Ranking: 27) Outside of all the nostalgia I have for this, I still think it's one of the best Attitude Era matches ever. Everyone involved in this got over. Foley's career was made because of his performance and The Undertaker looked like a monster. Because of the two horrific bumps, many people forget that the brawl they have once they are both locked in the cell is great stuff. From the bloody Foley smile to the steel steps and thumbtack spots, it completes this nasty little package. Every cell match owes something to this and WWE will try to recapture the magic of this night again and again, but they never will. There's a reason why WWE still shows that bump in their video packages 20+ years on. 50. The Four Horsemen & JJ Dillon vs The Super Powers & Paul Ellering (Wargames - JCP - 7/4/1987) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) Oh man, this was complete chaos! Seeing this in person must have been a hell of an experience. Dusty and Arn start the match and it's about as brilliant as you can expect from these two. Dusty attacks, while Arn tries to back away. The heels win the coin toss and Tully enters. This was the perfect stipulation to hide the limitations of certain wrestlers. Lex Luger was still very green here, but he's only really in this to rush in and hit a few great-looking power spots before he disappears into the crowd of wrestlers. The Road Warriors looked phenomenal here, coming in to kick ass as the crowd roared with approval. I'd rate the 1992 War Games match over this, but this is still a legendary match that every fan needs to see. 49. Sgt. Slaughter vs Bob Backlund (Cage - WWF - 3/21/1981) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) I need to give Slaughter a deep dive at some point, because he's never let me down so throw some Slaughter recs down and we will see which other matches of his that might make my 2022 GME ballot. I've never been a fan of the escape-only cage matches, but I'd make an exception for this! Slaughter and Backlund are pros at milking the escape teases. Backlund had Slaughter's leg hanging on by a thread as he tried to leave via the door and you could cut the tension with a knife! The pace of this never let down and the crowd was nuclear-hot the entire 15 minutes that this bloodbath lasted. 48. The Midnight Rockers vs Doug Somers & Buddy Rose (AWA - 8/30/1986) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) This was tag team psychology worked to perfection. Shawn starts this one out and gets some shine in. He gets a few near-falls in before he is driven headfirst into the ring post and bleeds a gusher. Shawn starts losing blood quickly and it's up to him to tag out or The Midnight Rockers will have to kiss their tag title shot goodbye. I used to find people who thought that Rockers Shawn was better than 2000s Shawn to be insane, but this match showed me what a hell of an undersized ass-kicker Shawn could be when the odds were stacked against him. He throws some mean desperation shots trying to tag out and the crowd erupts when he finally gets to Marty. That was one of the most perfect hot tag segments ever. Marty also starts to bleed and all kinds of pandemonium break loose before the referee has to throw this one out. 47. Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura (RINGS - 9/26/1997) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) I used to struggle with shoot-style as I thought it was too focused on hyper-realism and not the story-telling and character work that I love in my wrestling, but I was so wrong about shoot-style not having good story-telling after sitting down and watching all three of the Han/Tamura trilogy. You need to watch all three matches to get the whole picture and see how one Kiyoshi Tamura starts the series as a promising upstart and ends it as a RINGS legend who's able to tap out the iconic Volk Han. Han looked like a damn anaconda at times when he would wrap his body around Tamura in an effort to tap him out with many types of unique submissions. Tamura felt like the best fighter in the world when he tried to take out Han with his deadly strikes. Just perfect execution and body language. This was the perfect way to wrap up the trilogy. 46. Gilbert Cesca vs Billy Catanzaro (France - 5/2/1957) (2020 GME Ranking: 26) Imagine that feeling you got when you first saw Dynamite Kid vs Tiger Mask and multiply that by 10. That's what this match did for me. Some of these exchanges are so ahead of their time, it makes you think how the crowd back then would have reacted to them. Every hold feels like a struggle and you are left on the edge of your seat wondering how they are going to get out of the hold. They trade some neat uppercuts that get more intense as the match goes on until one of them gets fed up and starts headbutting like they think they're Zinedine Zidane! We see them bust out hurricanranas, monkey flips, powerbombs, and even a motherfuckin' Ganso Bomb! After every big exchange, they would shake hands, but you can tell they're each getting frustrated at each other for not being able to score an advantage. I went into this with zero context, I don't know which one was Cesca and which one was Catanzaro, but I was still enthralled with this. 45. Akira Taue vs Mitsuharu Misawa (AJPW - 4/15/1995) (2020 GME Ranking: 25) It's so nice to see Taue finally get a chance to shine in singles action. When his unique offense isn't keeping Misawa down, he goes for the eyes to keep control. Taue was never presented as Misawa's equal, but on this night he makes you think that he might actually have the chance to topple the ace, chokeslamming him to the floor and using his new Dynamic Bomb finisher to attempt to get the win. There are parts of this that actually felt like a sprint and the 27 minute match time felt more like 15. This is an underrated gem for AJPW! I've always thought Taue as the weakest of the Four Pillars, but he's fantastic here and this reminded me that I need to check out more of his singles work. 44. Daniel Bryan vs John Cena (WWE - 8/18/2013) (2020 GME Ranking: 22) Think of this as a more polished version of Cena vs Punk from MITB 2011. The crowd chanting 'You can't wrestle' at Cena is laughable, as he can more than hold his own when grappling with Bryan. Cena works well as a quasi-heel. He overpowers Bryan and takes just a little bit longer to do his signature taunts, which really rile up the crowd. I have to give credit for Triple H being a great special referee too, you completely forget he's there, which makes the swerve more unpredictable. This is a technical classic with a story that's easy to get sucked into. A five-star classic that's not even either guy's best match! 43. Jushin Liger vs Great Sasuke (NJPW - 4/16/1994) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) Liger has been donning his gimmick for five years at this point, and he is firmly placed as ace of the division. Sasuke is new to NJPW and he's been slaving away in the independent circuit, looking for his big break. After a surprisingly brilliant mat wrestling segment, Liger starts to torture Sasuke by stretching him all over the place and going to town on his arm. Sasuke has to find openings which usually involve him hitting some kind of insane dive. The finish might have one of the most infamous botches in puro history, with them covering up for it in a way that actually enhances the match. Sasuke slips on the ropes when going for a springboard, Liger mocks him, only for Sasuke to kip up and roll Liger up for the win. A wonderful ending to the best juniors match ever. This is simple pro-wrestling storytelling pulled off perfectly, with high octane juniors action. 42. Jerry Lawler vs Terry Funk (No DQ - CWA - 3/23/1981) (2020 GME Ranking: 41) I wish I liked Lawler as much as all you guys seem to do, but this is him at his absolute best. This was two bloodied-up southern men throwing some of the best punches you're going to ever see in a wrestling ring. They sell them well and this was a good example of having a match with the most basic of moves and making the most of them. This went into 'epic' territory when Lawler hulked up and the Mid South Coliseum came unglued, one of the best comebacks I've ever seen. 41. Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat (WWF - 3/29/1987) (2020 GME Ranking: 21) Yeah, this is a boring pick, but it's a classic for a reason. I might leave this off my list next as while I think it's a stone-cold classic, it's one of those matches that I've seen so many times that I don't have the urge to watch it again. Savage works a great segment over Steamboat's throat. The crowd is right behind Steamboat, even the ones that were cheering Macho when he made his entrance. These guys work at such a fast pace, even the referee looks worn out. This really is a masterclass in pro-wrestling and it's one of the most highly influential matches of all time and I can't see it ever aging. 40. Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura (RINGS - 1/22/1997) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) The second bout in the Han/Tamura trilogy and their best outing. Tamura's slightly more polished since the last time they've met, but he still falls victim to Han's devastating wristlock throw minutes into this encounter, even if he is able to recover from it quicker and more efficiently than he did during the '96 match. Volk Han's a master seller. He's able to convey emotions without it making the hyper-realistic grappling look like a total work. He gets caught in an armbar early and he uses the first rope break of the match to escape and he has an ashamed look on his face as if he was a puppy who just shat on the rug. I don't need to tell how brilliant the matwork was or how every submission looked like it could have ended the match as I'm sure you already know that if you're aware of either Han or Tamura

79. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jun Akiyama (AJPW - 2/27/2000) (2020 GME Ranking: 54) This is how you groom a guy for a run at the top. Misawa is quickly becoming the grumpy Misawa that we all know and love. His best days are behind him, but he isn't about to let a young whippersnapper like Akiyama take his spot easily. He can still throw a mean elbow and an Emerald Flowsion will still put anyone away providing Misawa is able to hit it. Although this entire match could be described as a sprint, they really take things to 11 during the later stages of the match. Misawa pops right up after a couple of Exploders and Akiyama is forced to bring something new to the table. The '90s might be over and the glory days of AJPW are quickly coming to an end, but this deserves to be talked about when discussing any of the big King's Road classics. 78. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Minoru Suzuki (NJPW - 10/8/2012) (2020 GME Ranking: 33) This was two pros putting on a classic that goes against the established formula for what a 2010s NJPW main event should look like. There's not an overabundance of near-falls here, just simple wrestling that's ripe with psychology. Suzuki wants to tear Tanahashi's already-injured arm from his body. One of my main gripes of the modern NJPW style is that submissions never feel dangerous enough to end the match, but I could have easily seen either man picking up a submission victory as this match went on. 77. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW - 4/7/2013) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) I had forgotten how smug and arrogant Okada was when he was a baby Rainmaker. His facials here are so damn smackable. Despite his arrogance, the NJPW fans are starting to get behind him and start to wear tiresome of Tanahashi's goody-two-shoes attitude. This means Tana goes into John Cena mode and does all his signature taunts with a touch more pizzazz to really get under his detractor's skin whilst still being a babyface. Tanahashi lands a Fujiwara early and then spends the rest of the match working Okada's arm. Okada sells his injury well and I loved that he switched his elbow pad over so that he could hit his flying elbow without damaging his arm any further. Small touches like that go a long way. The exchanges we get during the final ten minutes are explosive and exciting, and never look cooperative or too cutesy. Throw in the molten-hot crowd and you got yourself an all-time classic. 76. Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura (RINGS - 9/25/1996) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) The first match of the legendary Han/Tamura trilogy is the match that finally got me into RINGS. This was like watching two pissed-off octopuses going head to head. The matwork here is so quick I had to check to make sure my video wasn't sped up! Volk Han locks in a hammerlock in seconds and then decides to scoop Tamura up with it and drop him on his damn head! Tamura is outmatched here. Both guys are able to lock on a submission within seconds and the tide of the match can change with one wrong move. Tamura is eventually able to keep up and this pisses Han right off, so he decides to start laying in the strikes. Han lays in the palm strikes and kicks with a lot of ferocity. Not only was the matwork here god-tier, but the narrative of Tamura having to prove himself against a more seasoned opponent gave me something to really get my teeth into. 75. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kota Ibushi (NJPW - 8/12/2018) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) This was Salty Veteran Tanahashi versus Punk Outlaw Ibushi. Tana is pissed off at Ibushi and boy, does he let it show. Ibushi gave Tana an injury in a previous G1 by hitting him with the Lawn Dart and he attempts to go for this move again to try and secure a G1 victory. That pro-longed slap exchange was brutal and despite its length, it never outwore its welcome. You can expect to see all of Tanahashi's big bombs during the finishing stretch, but it never felt formulaic. My only criticism of this match is that the first 10 minutes just felt kinda there. Aside from that, this was an incredible G1 final, with an excellent atmosphere. 74. The Shield vs The Wyatt Family (WWE - 2/23/2014) (2020 GME Ranking: 44) What I love about this one the most was the pace. It was non-stop from bell to bell, but it never went too quick and started to feel like your run-of-the-mill spotfest. There's plenty of storytelling to help justify the high-end action. This is a stable versus stable match where it feels that every stablemate plays a role. Reigns and Wyatt are the leaders of their respective teams, Ambrose is the unhinged madman, Rollins is the calculated high flyer, and Rowan and Harper serve as the heavies for the Wyatt Family. Reigns trying to fight off the entire Wyatt Family by himself was a great way of having him look strong, even in defeat. 73. CM Punk vs John Cena (WWE - 7/17/2011) (2020 GME Ranking: 36) If I was doing this list in 2012, there would be a strong chance that this would be my #1 pick. There was something in the air during this night and everyone in that Chicago crowd was invested in this. Punk's sloppiness holds this one back from getting the full five stars from me. Slipping and falling on your arse during the biggest match of your career is going to take me out of the match. Aside from that, this was exciting with some well-placed overbooking which saw Vince McMahon trying to screw Punk out of the title. 72. Kenta Kobashi vs Yoshihiro Takyama (AJPW - 5/26/2000) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) Whether he was slowly firing himself up as he takes a beating or if he was showing concern as he steps back into the ring after his arm was savaged, Kobashi's facial expressions and body language were on-point here. Takayama might not be the prettiest or flashiest worker around, but he makes sure his big shots look snug and he's a pro at knowing whether he should be smothering Kobashi or if he should be allowing him to start making a comeback. Takayama takes out Kobashi's chopping arm, so Kobashi has to improvise. This was smartly worked, with a level of physicality that you can expect from any big AJPW match from the '90s. 71. Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 12/3/1993) (2020 GME Ranking: 48) Kawada's turned his back on Misawa and Kobashi and has joined forces with his former enemy, Akira Taue. Kawada starts this one off as an arrogant yet in control turncoat, but as soon as Kobashi starts returning his leg kicks, Massive Dickhead Kawada comes out in full force. The leg kicks from Kobashi send Kawada to the ground, clutching his leg in agony. It's redundant to say what a great seller Kawada is at this point, but this match might feature his best sell job. Him not being able to bridge on a German suplex because of his hurt wheel might be my favorite piece of singular selling ever. Taue plays his role as Kawada's heavy well by holding the fiery Kobashi back while Kawada stretches out Misawa. The finishing stretch is all kinds of fun, with non-stop action and constant momentum shifts. Excellent stuff. 70. Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect (WWF - 6/13/1993) (2020 GME Ranking: 40) I used to think this was so much better than their Summerslam 1991 match, but my opinion on that changed this year. A rare face vs face for its era, this is both men's second match of the night. Mr. Perfect looks like the fresher man, as Bret's hand is injured after his match with Razor Ramon some 30 minutes previously. After the brilliant pre-match promo with the shit-stirring Mean Gene, they open their match with some crisp technical exchanges. You don't need me to tell you how technically sound Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect are. This really gets going once Hennig starts heeling it up. He starts off very subtlety, stomping on Bret when he's down to blindsiding him after assisting him back into the ring. The crowd turns on Hennig and the match transitions beautifully to a more traditional face vs heel dynamic. 69. El Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas (Mask vs Hair – WWA – 7/18/1987) (2020 GME Ranking: 55) Confession time: I'm not much of a lucha guy. I can enjoy a match here and there, but there is a limit to how much I enjoy it. I think that MS-1 vs Chicana brawl that everyone raves about is just okay. One exception to that rule is El Hijo del Santo. Although I prefer him when he's being a Mexican Shawn Michaels instead of a brawler, he's my guy when it comes to lucha. Both wrestlers put in a hell of a shift here. Negro Casas shone here because of his cocky demeanor and insane bumping. I'm surprised Casas didn't suffer any serious injuries from that mental crash and burn failed dropkick attempt that sends him violently snapping back from the ropes. The third fall sees them cram in more near falls than the Steamboat/Savage classic from a few months previous. Like that match, every single one of them felt like they could end the match and they never once felt excessive. 68. Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs Razor Ramon & 123 Kid (WWF - 9/28/1994) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) The Kilq working together to make each other look good created one of the best WWF tags ever. The crowd is molten-hot throughout and everyone plays their role to perfection. Despite being the much bigger man of his team, Ramon does a sublime job at being the face in peril and Kid is the rocket-fuelled fresh man. HBK puts in a top chickenshit heel performance and he sells Ramon's punches well. Diesel didn't stink up this match at all, but I'm wasn't a fan of him being knocked out for minutes on end after a single Sweet Chin Music. At least it put the move over as deadly, at least. 67. Yuki Ishikawa vs Kazunari Murakami (Battlarts - 11/26/2000) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) I had to squeeze at least one Murakami match on my ballot. I love that mad bastard. With his devilish facials and final boss aura, he reminded me of Brock Lesnar and he is here to make the Battlarts poster boy his bitch. Murakami brutalizes Ishikawa until Ishikawa is able to catch a leg and throw one of the best punches ever and change the tide of the match in one of my all-time favourite transitional spots. 66. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW - 1/4/2015) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) I remember being sick of this pairing by the time this match happened, but I really enjoyed revisiting it recently. These two start out trading tight headlocks on each other for the first five minutes, but the dynamic of the match drastically changes when Okada takes a cheap shot after a rope break and they start hitting each other with stiff forearms. They pop the crowd with some massive spots that you could easily see in the cheap seats. The Heavy Rain on the walkway and Tanahashi's barricade-clearing High Fly Flow were two of the biggest highlights here. I love how this match built up, but my usual complaint of the main event NJPW style still applies here. Submissions and roll-ups do not feel like a threat and you can bet your last dollar that this is ending after either a Rainmaker or a High Fly Flow. Despite my criticisms of the NJPW style as a whole, these two went out there and still managed to have one of the best matches of the decade. 65. Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker (Hell in a Cell - WWF - 10/5/1997) I could see myself going higher on this if I rewatched this as I can't think of any criticisms of this match. Everything falls into place perfectly. Kane's debut is iconic. Shawn going to drastic measures to escape the cell made for one of his best performances ever. Undertaker works best in an environment like this, with all the bells and whistles hiding all his weakness as a worker well. Shawn's bladejob is disgusting and even if his cell bump was overshadowed by Mankind the next year, it is still a sight to behold. 64. Samoa Joe vs CM Punk (ROH - 12/4/2004) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) My list wouldn't have felt complete if I hadn't found the three hours to sit down to watch the entire Joe/Punk trilogy. Even though their second encounter is more celebrated, I think this was their best match together. Although Punk comes into this acting arrogantly, the fans are soon behind him after Joe cracks his skull open and he's still fighting his heart out. There's no time limit here, so Punk goes back to his headlock strategy once again. Joe knows this so he fires on all cylinders and busts out his biggest strikes, but Punk is able to hold his own against Joe. Punk gets some nail-bitingly close hope spots on Joe. After 2 and a half hours of total match time between these two, we finally have a winner. Seeing all the callback spots get satisfying pay-offs brought this one to the next level. 63. William Regal vs Cesaro (WWE NXT - 11/21/2013) (2020 GME Ranking: 46) If you're going to watch this match, make sure you watch Regal's pre-match promos. It sets the stage perfectly and it might be one of Regal's best. The matwork channels back to Regal's days working the WoS style of grappling. He throws in a kip-up to let us know that he's still got a lot of fuel left in his tank. After hitting the first strikes of the match, Cesaro is slouched in the corner and Regal illegally stomps on him whilst chatting to the referee. He's a babyface, but he's still the Villain! Both guys sell exceptionally well in this. Regal audibly screams as his knee is worked over, and Cesaro is always trying to shake off the damage that he's taken to his arm. The ending is WWE Epic Storytelling™ done right. 62. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jumbo Tsuruta (AJPW - 9/1/1990) (2020 GME Ranking: 47) For whatever reason, I was under the belief that this match pales in comparison to their June match. Thankfully that wasn't the case and this more than delivered. There's a lot of callbacks to their last match and the crowd is molten hot and they are dying for Misawa to shock Japan yet again. Tsurata puts in a wonderful performance. He's grumpy and pissed off, but you can see that he's starting to doubt himself. Misawa stuns the audience by kicking out of a Backdrop Driver, but how much more does he have left? 61. Adrian Street vs Jim Breaks (JP - 2/12/1972) (2020 GME Ranking: N/A) After watching some Les Kellet matches to gently ease me into the World Of Sport style, this was the match that blew me away. Street's gay panic gimmick might not have aged well, but he's at least presented as a legitimate wrestler who just happens to be very flamboyant. I used to have an issue getting into WoS as I found that the round system stopped the action from flowing well, but I thought they made great use of it here. Breaks would constantly get close to locking on his finish, but the round would expire before he could fully lock it on and he'd have to break the hold. They built up the tension well, with things getting more aggressive and violent as the match went on and as they got more and more frustrated with each other. For those who find World Of Sport not gritty or violent enough for their tastes, I urge you to give this a watch. 60. Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada & Kenta Kobashi vs Jumbo Tsuruta, Akira Taue & Masa Fuchi (AJPW - 10/19/1990) (2020 GME Ranking: 43) Taue and Kawada hate each other and start brawling whenever they are near each other. Kawada makes a point of throwing Taue out to the floor and slamming him in the crowd area, just because Taue did the exact same thing to him earlier in the match. This really shined when Kobashi is worked over by Tsuruta. Kobashi lands a lucky lariat on Tsuruta when Jumbo tries to save Taue, and now that Jumbo has got Kobashi in control, he's going to make him pay. Fuchi busts Kobashi's nose with a chair and Jumbo makes him eat some brutally stiff clotheslines. Kawada goes for the ace and the Korakuen explodes with joy. Both Kawada and Kobashi benefited greatly by being able to stand with the mighty Jumbo. This gives the 4/20/91 tag a run for its money and I think this might be another match that could jump ahead in my list if I give it a rewatch for next year's GME.