My Top 100 Matches of 1996

[Loss]

Honorable mentions!

 

#105 - Volk Han vs Masayuki Naruse (RINGS 10/25/96)

#104 - Jerry Lawler vs Jeff Jarrett (USWA TV 04/20/96)

#103 - Jushin Liger vs Great Sasuke (World Wrestling Peace Festival 06/01/96)

#102 - Hulk Hogan & Scott Hall & Kevin Nash & NWO Sting vs Ric Flair & Arn Anderson & Lex Luger & Sting (WCW Fall Brawl 09/15/96)

#101 - Steven Regal vs Psicosis (WCW Monday Nitro 12/16/96)

[Loss]

#100 - Shawn Michaels vs Owen Hart (WWF Monday Night RAW 08/12/96)

-- One of the more fun TV matches of the year. These two worked well enough together that I think their feud should have been extended a little longer. Plus, Owen Hart wasn't the kind of heel that was going to turn a crowd on Shawn. It would have worked out.

 

#99 - Steve Austin vs Marc Mero (WWF King of the Ring 06/23/96)

-- That this is #99 for the year shows how great of a year it was. Austin is a guy who doesn't have a huge range of offense, but he does have a huge range of "stuff". He was a different kind of heel than your typical Flair clones that dominated the U.S. scene most of the time, which is probably why he got over. He was different. What made Austin great was that he was refreshing, and this match is a nice display of that. He's doing such basic mat stuff that no one has bothered to do in years, and because it's been dormant so long, it's completely fresh. Austin rocked.

 

#98 - Hayabusa & Masato Tanaka & Koji Nakagawa vs W*ING Kanemura & Mitsuhiro Matsunaga & Hidoh (FMW 01/10/96)

-- This is one of my three favorite FMW matches of the year, and this was my first real exposure to FMW aside from maybe 1-2 matches I had watched randomly over the years. The reason I liked this as much as I did is that it surprised me in how true it was to the American idea of faces and heels. Without Memphis wrestling, there would be no FMW style, and this match is the best display of that. I also thought it was a nice contrast to some of the more modern spotfests, which have the athletically impressive stuff but sometimes lose any semblance of working a match. This didn't.

 

#97 - El Dandy & El Hijo del Santo & Silver King vs Negro Casas & Apolo Dantes & El Satanico (CMLL 02/10/96)

-- I was blown away by this early on, but ended up seeing quite a bit of lucha that I liked better. Still, the match layout of this was memorable. Silver King had a lot of time in working with all three guys on the other side and looking really good, and they did a nice job teasing specific altercations early in the match and delivering them later.

 

#96 - Jushin Liger vs Dick Togo (NJPW Skydiving J 06/17/96)

-- Noteworthy for Liger getting special pleasure out of mocking Togo. Liger's Fargo strut is awesome. This is what I think is one of the two best matches on a Skydiving J show that always seemed lackluster to me.

 

#95 - PG-13 vs Tracy Smothers & Jesse James Armstrong (USWA TV 02/17/96)

-- Tremendous old style Southern tag, with the best part being the teased finishes that are almost always the finish in these types of matches that weren't here. Nice to see an old-fashioned US 80s style match tucked away in the corners of the year, with a few twists at the end to make it stand out.

 

#94 - Rey Misterio Jr & Konnan vs Juventud Guerrera & Jerry Estrada (AAA 08/17/96)

-- Uneven at times, but the best parts are really good. I was a little down on this in discussing it, but it was a strong match. I thought it showed an interesting glimpse of how the luchadores could have revitalized the tag scene in WCW, even paired with wrestlers you'd never expect to see them with, as Rey and Juventud both can do way more things when they have someone else in the ring who does very little except help them set up spots.

 

#93 - Steven Regal vs Fit Finlay (WCW Uncensored 03/24/96)

-- These guys beat the hell out of each other in an excellent slugfest where the fans are actually in kind of a silent awe because they don't quite know what to make of the brutality.

 

#92 - Masa Chono vs Keiji Muto (NJPW G-1 Climax 08/06/96)

-- I love this for opening my eyes to Masa Chono as a grumpy asshole who sneaks in low blows and is otherwise just not a pleasant person. There were better matches in the G-1, but this was one of the most fun ones just because of Chono really going as all out in a heel role as he possibly could.

 

#91 - Shawn Michaels vs Diesel (WWF Good Friends Better Enemies 04/28/96)

-- Memorable Shawn title defense, and a reminder of what his reign could have been if some of his most logical opponents had stuck around. But beyond that, this isn't a total carry job. Diesel is more than capable here, and this is one of the few times where I'd say he wrestles in a way where he actually does seem like quite the threat. More than the fire extinguisher, the table spot or the prosthetic leg thing, I always thought Diesel countering the superkick into a lariat was the best moment of the match. Worth seeing.

[El-P]

I didn't get the yearbook for several reasons (one being I'm broke.), but I really enjoy reading your thoughts about all of this (except your thoughts about anything about Raven of course...).

[Guest kowking]

#93 - Steven Regal vs Fit Finlay (WCW Uncensored 03/24/96)

-- These guys beat the hell out of each other in an excellent slugfest where the fans are actually in kind of a silent awe because they don't quite know what to make of the brutality.

How do you know that to be true?

 

I do mean that critically but also just out of sheer curiosity.

[Loss]

#93 - Steven Regal vs Fit Finlay (WCW Uncensored 03/24/96)

-- These guys beat the hell out of each other in an excellent slugfest where the fans are actually in kind of a silent awe because they don't quite know what to make of the brutality.

How do you know that to be true?

 

I do mean that critically but also just out of sheer curiosity.

 

I don't. But the reasons I assumed it are:

 

(1) There were no "boring" chants.

(2) If you look at people in the audience, they weren't uninterested. They were watching the match.

(3) They did "ooh" and "ah" at specific times.

 

It was weird, because the show was in Tupelo, but it almost felt more like a Japanese crowd reaction.

[Loss]

#90 - Jushin Liger & Black Tiger vs Shinjiro Otani & Koji Kanemoto (NJPW 02/15/96)

-- Tremendous TV tag match with tons of dramatic saves and a strong face-heel dynamic. One of Otani's many great matches in '96.

 

#89 - Chris Jericho vs 2 Cold Scorpio (ECW Doctor Is In 08/03/96)

-- Really fun wrestling match. Jericho and Scorpio work hard to do something different from their normal style. This is definitely one that could have been better had they worked together a few more times. A series would have been terrific.

 

#88 - Vader vs Antonio Inoki (NJPW 01/04/96)

-- The match is famous for Vader's German suplex, but it's actually a compelling match outside of that and my personal favorite spot is the desperation sleeper from Inoki. Vader's best singles match of the year.

 

#87 - Daisuke Ikeda & Takeshi Ono vs Taka Michinoku & Shoichi Funaki (BattlARTS 12/04/96)

-- One of the first clues that BattlARTS could be more than shooty matwork, as Taka and Funaki bring their Michinoku Pro style to the match and the styles mix really well.

 

#86 - Sabu & Rob Van Dam vs The Eliminators (ECW November To Remember 11/16/96)

-- A gratuitous spotfest, but a fun, well-executed one with lots of drama and terrific booking.

 

#85 - Shawn Michaels vs Owen Hart (WWF In Your House VI 02/18/96)

-- Great match that played off the concussion angle really well, with Owen's missed enzuigiri getting one of the bigger pops of the match. I also love the hair pulling headlock stuff at the beginning. Shawn and Owen worked very well together.

 

#84 - Rey Misterio Jr vs Juventud Guerrera (AAA 03/16/96)

-- Two falls of terrific wrestling, followed by a third fall loaded to the brim with run-ins. Overbooking silliness aside, this is an outstanding match that provides a nice glimpse of what Rey and Juvi could have done to change the wrestling style had they been given the chance.

 

#83 - Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata vs Yoshihiro Takayama & Yoji Anjo (NJPW 02/25/96)

-- Hashimoto in 1996 had more charisma than any wrestler in the world, and this match is a tremendous example of that, as the crowd goes crazy for his every move. Fun, well-paced and stiff wrestling.

 

#82 - Kazushi Sakuraba vs Hiromitsu Kanehara (UWFI 12/25/96)

-- Kanehara looks amazing in this match, doing some beautiful mat exchanges. Most frightening ankle lock ever.

 

#81 - Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue (AJPW 05/24/96)

-- Taue wins the Triple Crown in a match that appears to be Misawa and Taue largely going through the motions, but this style was so awesome at this point that even a basic match could be a great one.

[jdw]

This is cool.

 

John

[Loss]

#80 - Shiro Koshinaka vs Satoshi Kojima (NJPW G-1 Climax 08/06/96)

-- Great big show feel, with lots of clotheslines and powerbombs, and some tremendous nearfalls. Short, but full of life.

 

#79 - Taka Michinoku vs Super Delphin (NJPW Skydiving J 06/17/96)

-- I prefer Taka in Michinoku Pro, but that's not to say he's a slouch elsewhere. Taka and Delphin work one of the best NJ juniors style matches of the year on a show full of New Japan juniors. Go figure.

 

#78 - Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata vs Kazuo Yamazaki & Takashi Iizuka (NJPW 06/12/96)

-- Hashimoto vs Yamazaki is awesome every time they encounter each other in 1996, and this is no exception. They're given more time to develop their stuff here than they were at the Tokyo Dome, and they're the focus of this tremendous tag match.

 

#77 - Rey Misterio Jr vs Dean Malenko (WCW Monday Nitro 07/08/96)

-- Misterio wins the WCW cruiserweight title in a tremendous Nitro match that's actually given time to develop. Rey gets in more offense on Dean than he usually would in their matches, as Malenko seems motivated to put over the title change as a big deal, while also telling the story that Dean's arrogance cost him the match. Nice match.

 

#76 - Vader, Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith vs Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson & Sid (WWF International Incident 07/21/96)

-- Really more overlooked than it should be, as they do all sorts of quirky things you don't normally see in a WWF ring, and Shawn does a clean job for Vader. The highlight is Owen doing a rolling cradle on Shawn and Vince McMahon having no idea what's happening!

 

#75 - Jushin Liger vs Shinjiro Otani (NJPW 03/17/96)

-- Otani is good. He knows he's good. We know he's good. But he's his own worst enemy. He has Liger beaten, but doesn't know how to quit while he's ahead and when he finally goes for a pinfall, Liger is too close to the ropes. Great match, and a key part of Otani's story during the year that sadly never went anywhere.

 

#74 - Masahito Kakihara vs Yoshihiro Takayama (UWFI 09/30/96)

-- Matwork vs footwork: which will prevail? Takayama is the master of making your UWFI match an emotional struggle, which he certainly does here, and Kakihara impresses me immensely with his great kicks.

 

#73 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Kenta Kobashi & The Patriot (AJPW 11/22/96)

-- A good opening and an epic final stretch. The match starts off slow, but builds to a very exciting climax.

 

#72 - Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels (WWF Wrestlemania XII 03/31/96)

-- Much has been written about this match. Since this is a countdown of the best matches, I'll focus on the positives. It's a good title match transitioning from Bret to Shawn, and I do admire the sentiment behind it. Nice, early 80s US style match, with some nice, basic wrestling. You pretty much see everything Bret and Shawn can do here, which despite it not being either guy's best match, makes it career defining for both in some ways.

 

#71 - Riki Choshu vs Shinya Hashimoto (NJPW G-1 Climax 08/02/96)

-- One of the most emotional matches on the set, as Choshu is out to recapture past glory, but first he has to get through New Japan's best wrestler. As good as Choshu looks here, this is really a brilliant Hashimoto performance in making Choshu look like he's still in his prime. Terrific match.

[jdw]

Where did Loss run off to? This and the WOTY were getting really interesting.

 

John

[Loss]

I realized that myself last night.

 

Way to stop the countdown midstream and also the WOTY just short of picking someone.

 

I will return to them tonight for sure.

[Loss]

#70 - Jushin Liger, Gran Naniwa & Gran Hamada vs Dick Togo & Taka Michinoku & Shoichi Funaki (Michinoku Pro 08/18/96)

Incredibly hot crowd, and Liger seems to be having the time of his life working in front of a Michinoku Pro crowd, and adjusts to the style quickly and easily.

 

#69 - Psicosis vs Ultraman (AAA 03/16/96)

My personal favorite match from this show. Psicosis shows why he was one of the best wrestlers of the 90s despite a bunch of booking nonsense.

 

#68 - Nobuhiko Takada vs Shiro Koshinaka (NJPW 03/01/96)

Really fun match between two old rivals, and a nice blend of UWFI stuff and Koshinaka's more pro wrestling based offense. The crowd is amped to see this too.

 

#67 - Manami Toyota vs Sakie Hasegawa (AJW 03/20/96)

Hasegawa makes all of one appearance on the yearbook, but makes it count in a big way, having what I'd consider Toyota's best title defense of the year and demonstrating some terrific command of matwork and basics while mixing in enough high-end stuff to keep up with Toyota. Great performance.

 

#66 - Rey Misterio Jr vs Psicosis (WCW Bash at the Beach 07/07/96)

Terrific match. Perhaps the best "showcase" match of this feud in '96.

 

#65 - Devil Masami & Kyoko Inoue vs Dynamite Kansai & Aja Kong (JWP 10/13/96)

Devil Masami is awesome in adding little veteran touches to her matches that elude most of the younger women working this style, and Kong and Kansai are a tag team for the ages. One of my favorite Joshi matches of the year.

 

#64 - Yoshihisa Yamamoto vs Buzariashville Ramazi (RINGS 05/25/96)

Excellent match between two guys who probably lurked in the shadows of Han, Tamura, Kohsaka and others most of the time, but not in this one. This is the match that actually excited about me about the RINGS style when watching this set.

 

#63 - Steven Regal vs Shinya Hashimoto (NJPW 09/21/96)

As far as I know, these two have had two matches against each other. I haven't seen the '95 one, but this one is terrific, as these two have great chemistry. Stiff with lots of nifty, attention-to-detail matwork.

 

#62 - Shane Douglas vs 2 Cold Scorpio (ECW Matter of Respect 05/11/96)

Far and away the best ECW match of the year, and maybe my favorite ECW match ever. The closest I've seen ECW come to thinking man's wrestling, even if that's not quite what this is. Scorpio looks like a future star, and it's a shame he never quite hit that level.

 

#61 - Masato Tanaka vs W*ING Kanemura (FMW 08/01/96)

Nice mix of wrestling and brawling. My second favorite FMW match of the year, and one that is a more fundamentally sound wrestling match than you'd expect.

[Loss]

#60 - Billy Scott vs Kenichi Yammamoto (UWFI 10/23/96)

-- Closer to a traditional wrestling match as far as layout than any UWFI on the set. Feels like a 70s NWA title match, and Yammamoto doing a backslide in the middle of the tricked out matwork is spectacular.

 

#59 - Rey Misterio Jr vs Juventud Guerrera (AAA 07/15/96)

-- A pro-shot version of the more widely praised 3/16 match, that once again is tremendous until the overbooking nonsense at the end.

 

#58 - Black Tiger & El Samurai & Gran Hamada vs Shinjiro Otani & Koji Kanemoto & Dean Malenko (NJPW 02/25/96)

-- Otani continues to beat himself by not keeping his emotions in check. Everyone is great here, but the Samurai/Otani stuff continues to be awesome.

 

#57 - Ultimo Dragon vs Great Sasuke (NJPW J*Crown 08/05/96)

-- It's a shame the match got cut short, as everything prior to Sasuke's injury is fantastic, in spite of Sasuke cracking his skull near the end. Not the best match on the show, but one that was on its way to becoming that before the injury.

 

#56 - Rey Misterio Jr vs Dean Malenko (WCW Great American Bash 06/16/96)

-- Forget what you've heard, this was a GREAT way to debut Rey in WCW. Undersized babyfaces get over by selling and that's what Rey does here in spades. While I really enjoy Dean's matwork, Rey is the glue that holds this together. The proof in that is that Dean would try this layout against many other opponents throughout the year, and it never had the same effect that it did here.

 

#55 - Dynamite Kansai & Takako Inoue vs Mayumi Ozaki & Kyoko Inoue (JWP 04/20/96)

-- Terrific match in an interesting year for Joshi. This was the first JWP match I saw on the set, and another notch in the belt of Kyoko Inoue, the likely WOTY for Joshi.

 

#54 - Ultimo Dragon vs Great Sasuke (WAR 10/11/96)

-- A better glimpse of what a long term feud between these two might have been than the J*Crown match, and I love that the focus here is on cool pinning combos more than offense.

 

#53 - Toshiaki Kawada vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW 05/24/96)

-- Really terrific wrestling. I always felt like of the Misawa/Kawada/Kobashi rivalries, Kawada/Kobashi was at times the least discussed. Perhaps that's rightfully so considering Misawa/Kawada and Misawa/Kobashi are the competition, but these two still had so many excellent matches. There's lots of attention to detail in the matwork and bumping here, and this is a good overlooked match to check out.

 

#52 - Shinya Hashimoto vs Shiro Koshinaka (NJPW 09/23/96)

-- Koshinaka goes over in a strong match, and Hashimoto is the master of making another guy's win seem as meaningful as possible. Hashimoto always goes out of his way to make sure that if he's losing a match, the win the other guy gets is a convincing one, which in turn puts Hashimoto over even stronger. I love it!

 

#51 - Great Sasuke & Tiger Mask IV & Shiryu vs Taka Michinoku & Super Delphin & Gran Naniwa (Michinoku Pro 03/16/96)

-- A nice preview of what would come later in the year and the potential of this style. Super Delphin does some amazing comedy and the nearfalls toward the end are pretty epic.

[soup23]

I know sometimes it can seem cliche that wrestling is not like it used to be, and I think I am more of a defender than most that the current amount of available quality wrestling right now is at the highest point it has been in twenty years, but seeing a match like Kawada/Kobashi be the 53rd ranked match in a given year when I would have a hard time finding 10 matches I liked better last year is mind boggling to me.

[Loss]

Even some of the honorable mentions might be in a top 40 in other years. 1996 was just that loaded.

[Loss]

#50 - Mitsuharu Misawa vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW 03/31/96)

-- I can't get into this match as much as most, but I still acknowledge that it was an excellent performance, specifically from Misawa, but Kobashi as well. Both guys do many things they could never do with anyone else.

 

#49 - Genichiro Tenryu vs Great Muta (WAR 10/11/96)

-- Muta puts on a true 70s-style madman performance, and Tenryu responds by kissing his punches! This is quite the spectacle, and a very Memphis-style brawl.

 

#48 - Masa Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Kazuo Yamazaki & Takashi Iizuka (NJPW 09/23/96)

-- One of my favorite New Japan tags of the year, with Chono and Tenzan being a really fun heel pairing, and Yamazaki and Iizuka doing a good job of feeding them spots and playing for sympathy.

 

#47 - Chris Benoit vs Dean Malenko (WCW Hog Wild 08/10/96)

-- Yeah yeah, the crowd sucks, but the match most definitely does not. In the end, Benoit and Malenko weren't successful at doing a "this is wrestling" match for casuals, which this match seemed to be booked to do, but that doesn't stop me from appreciating the effort. This has more bomb throwing and less psychology than you'd expect a long match with these two to have, but this is charming in its own way.

 

#46 - Hayabusa & Masato Tanaka vs Terry Funk & Gladiator (FMW 09/24/96)

-- Funk Masters of Wrestling debuts. Crazy finish, but like most FMW, pretty solid and more logical than you'd think.

 

#45 - Keiji Muto vs Shiro Koshinaka (NJPW G-1 Climax 08/05/96)

-- My favorite match in a loaded G-1 Climax. I love Muto's call back being the dragon screw leg whip from just about any angle, which builds to a meaningful finish.

 

#44 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Johnny Ace & Gary Albright (AJPW 04/20/96)

-- One of those typically great, disposable AJ six-mans. Kawada and Akiyama are my favorites here, but everyone puts in a good performance.

 

#43 - Great Sasuke & Gran Hamada & Super Delphin & Gran Naniwa & Tiger Mask IV vs Dick Togo & Mens Teoh & Taka Michinoku & Shiryu & Shoichi Funaki (Michinoku Pro 12/09/96)

-- Elimination rules rob the match of guys who can do cool stuff in some ways, but this is still a really strong match, kind of the best possible Survivor Series match.

 

#42 - Volk Han vs Kiyoshi Tamura (RINGS 09/25/96)

-- Beautiful match with some amazing struggle. Probably a great intro for anyone who wants to get into RINGS. Han's the aggressor, but Tamura thinks quickly on his feet. Wonderful dynamic.

 

#41 - El Hijo del Santo & El Dandy & Dos Caras vs Blue Panther & Apolo Dantes & Emilio Charles Jr (CMLL 02/16/96)

-- El Dandy and Emilio Charles Jr! Don't confuse it for nostalgia, as it's some of the best wrestling on the set.

[Loss]

#40 - Nobuhiko Takada & Masahito Kakihara vs Tatsumi Fujinami & Yoshiaki Fujiwara (UWFI 06/26/96)

-- Flashy, stiff and visceral. Really accessible with a nice pro/UWFI styles contrast.

 

#39 - Toshiaki Kawada vs Akira Taue (AJPW 03/31/96)

-- Tremendous build to the series of powerbombs in this 30-minute draw.

 

#38 - Genichiro Tenryu vs Yoji Anjo (WAR 07/21/96)

-- Hell of a spectacle, with Anjo's facial expressions being awesome! Short, but they do a lot with the time they have.

 

#37 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 05/23/96)

-- Great match designed to get over the Misawa/Akiyama tag team, or more specifically Akiyama, and it worked really well. Akiyama secures the win and tag titles for his team.

 

#36 - Yuki Ishikawa & Alexander Otsuka vs Daisuke Ikeda & Takeshi Ono (BattlARTS 10/30/96)

-- The match that sold me on BattlARTS. Because of the crowd, more heat than any BattlARTS match on the set, and lots of surprises in offense that caught me off guard.

 

#35 - Genichiro Tenryu vs Nobuhiko Takada (UWFI 09/11/96)

-- Another tremendous spectacle, this time centered around Tenryu's chops and Takada's kicks.

 

#34 - Manami Toyota & Mima Shimoda vs Mariko Yoshida & Kaoru Ito (AJW 09/28/96)

-- All out spotfest, and one of the best ones you'll ever see. Kaoru Ito has tons of fun double-stomp offense. Relentlessly paced.

 

#33 - Steve Williams vs Akira Taue (AJPW 04/20/96)

-- This is all about the storyline of Doc's big comeback to me, but what a storyline. Really heated Carny final, and one of my favorite matches of the year.

 

#32 - Mayumi Ozaki vs Takako Inoue (JWP 05/18/96)

-- Texas Death match rules! Not quite as much emotion and drama as Kudo/Toyoda, but probably better wrestling sequences. Violent and heated.

 

#31 - Nobuhiko Takada vs Genichiro Tenryu (WAR 12/13/96)

-- Better match than the UWFI one, if only because they had more freedom to brawl around the ring and tease chairs. Just as heated and as much of a spectacle as the UWFI match with a superior match layout.

[Loss]

#30 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Steve Williams & Johnny Ace (AJPW 11/16/96)

-- 30 minute draw that tells a nice story of Doc & Ace trying to isolate Misawa on the outside while taking out Akiyama on the inside.

 

#29 - Katsumi Usuda & Takeshi Ono vs Daisuke Ikeda & Alexander Otsuka (BattlARTS 12/25/96)

-- Shooty matwork and stiff wrestling mixed in pro wrestling moves like powerbombs. Great match.

 

#28 - Rey Misterio Jr vs Ultimo Dragon (WCW World War 3 11/24/96)

-- Ultimo Dragon is fantastic in this one. You may have heard it called a one-sided match, which I don't see at all.

 

#27 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Steve Williams & Johnny Ace (AJPW 06/07/96)

-- Excellent match that from a story and action standpoint sets up many interesting things that pay off throughout the year.

 

#26 - Dynamite Kansai & Kanako Motoya vs Mayumi Ozaki & Reiko Amano (JWP 06/16/96)

-- Matwork heavy Joshi match in a relatively quiet year.

 

#25 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Steve Williams & Johnny Ace (AJPW 09/05/96)

-- The best performance you'll ever see from Johnny Ace, as he and Doc win the tag titles.

 

#24 - Rey Misterio Jr & Ultimo Dragon vs Heavy Metal & Psicosis (World Wrestling Peace Festival 06/01/96)

-- Has a rhythm and creativity that every spotfest should of comedy, bumping and some great moves.

 

#23 - Aja Kong vs Kyoko Inoue (AJW 08/30/96)

-- Not a world title match, but it sure feels like one. Paced really well, and a bit of a lost classic.

 

#22 - Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue vs Steve Williams & Johnny Ace (AJPW 11/22/96)

-- Kawada puts on quite the show, selling knee damage beautifully, and waking up an anemic crowd.

 

#21 - Kenta Kobashi vs Akira Taue (AJPW 07/24/96)

-- Kobashi wins the Triple Crown in a fantastic match with some great counter wrestling between the big spots.

[Loss]

#20 - Bret Hart vs Steve Austin (WWF Survivor Series 11/17/96)

-- Bret returns after being gone for over six months to wrestle his greatest opponent. The match has some excellent old-style matwork that wasn't anything new, but also wasn't really being used by anyone anywhere in the world at this point. Great drama and pacing. Kind of a throwback match of sorts.

 

#19 - El Hijo del Santo & Bestia Salvaje & Scorpio Jr vs Negro Casas & El Dandy & Hector Garza (CMLL 11/22/96)

-- Santo turns heel and brutalizes Casas and Dandy in an amazing match with tons of blood and heat.

 

#18 - Stan Hansen vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW 09/05/96)

-- It's not the '93 match, but it's a great match in its own right, as Hansen shows he's still got it.

 

#17 - Gran Hamada & Super Delfin & Tiger Mask IV & Gran Naniwa & Masato Yakushiji vs Dick Togo & Mens Teoh & Shiryu & Taka Michinoku & Shoichi Funaki (Michinoku Pro 10/10/96)

-- The most famous of the big Michinoku Pro matches, and an excellent way to get interested in the style, with pacing and highspots that were pretty mind-blowing by the standards of the time.

 

#16 - Shawn Michaels vs Mankind (WWF Mind Games 09/22/96)

-- The best match of the year for Michaels, as he works with a game opponent capable of getting over as a heel who prompted him to show more aggression. Shawn has tons of offense, most of which looks really good, and looks like a deserving, tough champion. He needed more stuff like this.

 

#15 - Great Sasuke & Masato Yakashiji & Naohiro Hoshikawa & Gran Hamada & Super Delphin vs Taka Michinoku & Dick Togo & Mens Teoh & Shiryu & Shoichi Funaki (Inoki Festival 12/01/96)

-- Take everything about the 10/10 match and add a sharper focus, as Yakushiji takes an incredible beating.

 

#14 - Toshiaki Kawada vs Kenta Kobashi (AJPW 10/18/96)

-- One of the most exciting uses of 60 minutes of time I've ever seen in a wrestling match. While there are a few things that keep it from achieving legendary status, it's still one of the best matches of the year and is dynamic at times.

 

#13 - Ultimo Dragon vs Shinjiro Otani (NJPW J*Crown 08/05/96)

-- A great example of two wrestlers being completely in tune with each other. Both guys instinctively have counters ready for just about everything the other guy tries, which is awesome.

 

#12 - Volk Han vs Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (RINGS 08/24/96)

-- Typically awesome matwork, which is a given, but also more drama and momentum shifts than any RINGS match of the year.

 

#11 - Wild Pegasus vs Black Tiger (NJPW 06/11/96)

-- The sleepers match! Maybe the best match in the career of Benoit, and near the top for Eddy.

[Loss]

#10 - Shinjiro Otani vs El Samurai (NJPW 01/21/96)

-- A strong philosophical statement about what the juniors division could be, full of tremendous matwork.

 

#9 - El Hijo del Santo & Atlantis & El Dandy & Lizmark vs Blue Panther & Felino & Dr Wagner Jr & Negro Casas (CMLL 03/15/96)

-- Santo, Casas and Dandy was great in just about any form in the same match, as evidenced by this top ten. Factoring out heat and drama, this was the best trios match on the set in the purest sense, especially because of Dandy and Casas having some great mat exchanges.

 

#8 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 07/09/96)

-- This is filled with great moments. Misawa gets pummeled most of the way, and Akiyama sells on the apron.

 

#7 - El Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas vs El Dandy (CMLL 12/06/96)

-- The crowd doesn't see it this way, but Santo gives an inspired and memorable heel performance. Casas gets out of the way quickly and we get an extended Santo/Dandy match, which had been the primary focus at this point.

 

#6 - Great Sasuke & Gran Hamada & Super Delphin & Gran Naniwa & Masato Yakushiji vs Dick Togo & Mens Teoh & Taka Michinoku & Shiryu & Shoichi Funaki (Michinoku Pro 12/16/96)

-- A greatest hits of the elements of the other Michinoku Pro tags on the set, which when combined with some awesome psychology go to an entirely new level.

 

#5 - El Hijo del Santo & Bestia Salvaje & Scorpio Jr vs El Dandy & Negro Casas & Hector Garza (CMLL 11/29/96)

-- Insane pace and tons of blood and heat, with Santo doing one of the best dives in wrestling history and putting on a great performance.

 

#4 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 11/29/96)

-- Action-packed and totally different from any of their other tag matches throughout the year. This is a classic in its own right.

 

#3 - Megumi Kudo vs Combat Toyota (FMW 05/05/96)

-- What makes this stand out so much is that they really did milk the drama for everything it was worth. Things that should be sold are sold for an extended period of time, so everything has meaning. The best death match in wrestling history.

 

#2 - El Dandy vs Black Warrior (CMLL 11/02/96)

-- Feels like Mexico's version of a Flair/Steamboat match, but at a higher level. A nice mixture of basic and tricked out matwork, and a constant focus on winning, thus all the two counts.

 

#1 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (AJPW 12/06/96)

-- The payoff to a year of excellent matches and moments are all pulled together in what may be the best match in wrestling history.

[jdw]

Despite what ended up #1, it's very much *not* a Usual Suspects list.

 

John

[smkelly]

#2 - El Dandy vs Black Warrior (CMLL 11/02/96)

-- Feels like Mexico's version of a Flair/Steamboat match, but at a higher level. A nice mixture of basic and tricked out matwork, and a constant focus on winning, thus all the two counts.

I've never heard about this match before. Comparing it a Flair/Steamboat match and being #2 on your list makes me want to see it really bad.

[jdw]

Anyone have the WON MOTY Award results listing for 1996 handy?

 

John

[Ditch]

http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/p...her/match90.htm

1. Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs. Steve Williams & Johnny Ace (6-7) Tokyo

2. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera (3-9) Philadelphia

3. Dick Togo & Mens Teioh & Shiryu (Kaz Hayashi) & Taka Michinoku & Shoichi Funaki vs. Gran Hamada & Super Delfin & Tiger Mask & Gran Naniwa & Masato Yakushiji (10-10) Tokyo

4. Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue (5-23) Sapporo

5. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels 3-31 Anaheim

6. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Psicosis 7-7 Daytona Beach

7. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin 11-17 New York

8. Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel (Kevin Nash) 4-28 Omaha

9. Ultimo Dragon vs. Shinjiro Otani (8-4) Tokyo

10. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Psicosis (12-13-95) Tokyo

11. Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind (9-22) Philadelphia

12. Bas Rutten vs. Masakatsu Funaki (9-7) Tokyo

13. Kenta Kobashi vs. Toshiaki Kawada (10-18) Tokyo

14. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Ultimo Dragon (11-24) Norfolk

15. Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Dean Malenko (10-27) Las Vegas

16. Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs. Steve Williams & Johnny Ace (9-5) Tokyo

17. Don Frye vs. Amoury Bitetti (5-17) Detroit

18. Antonio Inoki vs. Vader (1-4) Tokyo

19. Manami Toyota & Mima Shimoda vs. Mariko Yoshida & Kaoru Ito (8-6) Hakata

20. Sabu vs Rob Van Dam (4-20) Philadelphia

21. Rey Misterio Jr. & Ultimo Dragon vs. Psicosis & Heavy Metal (6-1) Los Angeles

[rzombie1988]

I am not able to find Hashimoto/Takada. I'm sure it's on here, but where?

[Loss]

Thought it was a good match when I watched it, but not Top 100 material. I will be rewatching all of this after all the 90s are done to try to take another look at stuff like that and see if I had a brainfart or if I stand by what I thought the first time around.