2023's Best and Worst Pro-Wrestling Matches of the Year (plus Recommended)

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Hammer House: Stinger Splash Zone > 2023's Best and Worst Pro-Wrestling Matches of the Year (plus Recommended)

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Jerusalem: May 20, 2004; Would you be my new best friends?

HM: Hikaru Shida vs. Ruby Soho - AEW Rampage 9/29

This loving ruled, it made little sense but it was loving awesome.

# ? Sep 30, 2023 04:00

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 16, 2024 09:59

Pylons: Mar 16, 2009

AEW Rampage 9/29

HM: Eddie Kingston vs. Rocky Romero
HM: Hikaru Shida vs. Ruby Soho

# ? Sep 30, 2023 04:00

MassRafTer: May 26, 2001; BAEST MODE!!!

AEW Rampage 9/29
HM: Eddie Kingston vs Rocky Romero
HM: Hikaru Shida vs Ruby Soho

Two really good matches, very good show overall!

# ? Sep 30, 2023 04:00

graph: Nov 22, 2006; aaag peanuts

Jerusalem posted:

HM: Hikaru Shida vs. Ruby Soho - AEW Rampage 9/29

This loving ruled, it made little sense but it was loving awesome.

nth

# ? Sep 30, 2023 04:15

SG Bamboo: Aug 21, 2013; Smile. Win. Yay!

forkboy84 posted:

MOTYC
28th May
Big Japan Death Market 73
Daisuke Sekimoto vs Takuya Nomura
Watch this here

MOTYC
28th May
Big Japan Death Market 73
Fuminori Abe vs Yuji Okabayashi
Watch this here

MOTYC
28th May
Big Japan In Korakuen
BJW Tag Team Titles
Astronauts (Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura)(c) vs Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi)
Watch this here

Heck of a day for these 2 teams as they start the day in Nagoya with 2 teaser singles matches followed by a trip back to Tokyo where we get a tasty Tag Title match. Personally I'd rate the 3 matches 1) Abe vs Okabayashi 2) Nomura vs Sekimoto 3) Astronauts vs Strong BJ, all are worth watching though.

Nth these three, the Korakuen crowd pushed the tag match up to MOTYC for me. Nomura vs Sekimoto was the weakest of the three for me, but goddamn all these matches were rad, what a loving sendoff for Okabayashi as he gets closer to his indefinite leave of absence

# ? Sep 30, 2023 18:32

Rarity: Oct 21, 2010; ~*4 LIFE*~

HM: Ruby Soho vs. Hikaru Shida, AEW Rampage, 29/09

# ? Sep 30, 2023 19:09

SG Bamboo: Aug 21, 2013; Smile. Win. Yay!

Stardom New Blood 10 August 18th
HM
Nanae Takahashi vs Saya Iida
- https://vk.com/video-4499945_456251434?t=1h23m10s

Very enjoyable match, it was cool to see Iida two years on from the SEAd match that first made me take notice of her

# ? Sep 30, 2023 19:13

Punch McLightning: Sep 19, 2005; you know what that means; Grimey Drawer

HM: Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr. & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Mistico, Soberano Jr. & Volador Jr., CMLL 5/12
HM: Hechicero, Stuka Jr., & Yota vs. Panterita del Ring Jr., Valiente, & Volador Jr. CMLL 5/28
HM: Atlantis Jr., Star Jr. & Volador Jr. vs. Euforia, Hechicero & Mephisto CMLL 6/2

# ? Oct 1, 2023 01:22

Pylons: Mar 16, 2009

AEW Collision 9/30

HM: Juice Robinson vs. Andrade el Idolo
HM: Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun) vs. Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho
HM: Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, & FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis), Ricky Starks, & Big Bill

# ? Oct 1, 2023 03:03

graph: Nov 22, 2006; aaag peanuts

Pylons posted:

AEW Collision 9/30

HM: Juice Robinson vs. Andrade el Idolo
HM: Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun) vs. Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho
HM: Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, & FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis), Ricky Starks, & Big Bill

adding HM: Best Friends vs. The Kingdom

whole show was pro wrestling as gently caress

# ? Oct 1, 2023 03:20

SatoshiMiwa: May 6, 2007

Pylons posted:

AEW Collision 9/30

HM: Juice Robinson vs. Andrade el Idolo
HM: Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun) vs. Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho
HM: Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, & FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis), Ricky Starks, & Big Bill

Yup agreed

# ? Oct 1, 2023 03:26

Captain Foo: May 11, 2004; we vibin'
we slidin'
we breathin'
we dyin'

Pylons posted:

AEW Collision 9/30

HM: Juice Robinson vs. Andrade el Idolo
HM: Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun) vs. Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho
HM: Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, & FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis), Ricky Starks, & Big Bill

graph posted:

adding HM: Best Friends vs. The Kingdom

whole show was pro wrestling as gently caress

yeah nth

# ? Oct 1, 2023 03:33

apophenium: Apr 14, 2009; Cry 'Mayhem!' and let slip the dogs of Wardlow.

AEW Collision 9/30

HM: Juice Robinson vs. Andrade el Idolo

# ? Oct 1, 2023 03:49

KungFu Grip: Jun 18, 2008

HM: Tiffany Stratton vs Becky Lynch Extreme Rules for NXT Womens Title - NXT No Mercy 9/30

# ? Oct 1, 2023 03:55

Punch McLightning: Sep 19, 2005; you know what that means; Grimey Drawer

HM: Atlantis, Gran Guerrero, & Stuka Jr. vs. Euforia, Soberano Jr., & Valiente, CMLL 6/9
MOTYC: Mistico vs. Titan, CMLL 6/16

# ? Oct 1, 2023 04:23

Chinston Wurchill: Jun 27, 2010; It's not that kind of test.

Stardom Five Star Finals September 30th

HM: AZM vs. Momo Watanabe
HM: Mina Shirakawa vs. Saori Anou
HM: Tam Nakano vs. Natsupoi

MOTYC: MIRAI vs. Maika
MOTYC: Finals (Maika vs. Suzu Suzuki )

# ? Oct 1, 2023 04:54

SG Bamboo: Aug 21, 2013; Smile. Win. Yay!

Ganbare Pro Giri Giri Chop October 1st
HM
Koji Doi and Kuma Arashi vs Ken Ohka and Shota - Hair vs Hair
Shuichiro Katsumura and Takuya Wada (c) vs Hentai Punch Drunkers (Hikaru Sato and Taison Maeguchi) - Spirit of Ganbare Tag Team Championship

# ? Oct 1, 2023 06:23

SG Bamboo: Aug 21, 2013; Smile. Win. Yay!

It's that time again, we're three quarters of the way through the year so it's time to dump my MOTYC stats in a futile attempt to get people to watch the Japanese indies I enjoy. I'm currently at 208 nominations spread across 230 wrestlers and 22 promotions, ecplising the total from 2021 already but not on track to top last year's total of 281.

By Promotion
64 - New Japan
36 - All Japan
20 - DDT
18 - TJPW
12 - Interpromotional matches
10 - Big Japan
8 - SEAdLINNNG
7 - GLEAT
6 - Ganbare Pro
4 - FREEDOMS, Stardom
3 - NOAH
2 - 2AW, Marvelous, Sareee-ISM, wXw, Zero1
1 - BAKA Office, EPW, Kyushu Pro, Prominence, Tenryu Project, Triple 6

New Japan lapping the field is not surprising, the G1 produced a ton of quality matches while All Japan's Champion Carnival this year was largely disappointing. This big winner here is Big Japan cracking the top 5 promotions largely off the back of a small handful of guys in the Strong BJ division.

Top Wrestlers
22 - Kento Miyahara (AJPW)
18 - Yuma Aoyagi (AJPW)
12 - Kazuchika Okada (NJPW)
10 - Will Ospreay (NJPW)
9 - Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW), Yuji Okabayashi (BJW)
8 - SANADA (NJPW), Takuya Nomura (BJW)
7 - Arisa Nakajima (SEAd), Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH), Yuma Anzai (AJPW), Zack Sabre Jr (NJPW)

Kento is still leading the pack as one half of the tag champs and the most popular guy in the company but Yuma isn't far behind him as the other half of the tag champs and Triple Crown champion. Strong BJ continue to absolutely rule as both guys hit the other side of 40 though Okabayashi has been publically considering retirement so this might be the last year for one of my favourite ever teams. Arisa is the only lady to make the top cut but Sareee and Shoko Nakajima are sitting just below at 6 each

Top 5 Matches
1. Kento Miyahara vs Katsuhiko Nakajima - NOAH July 17th
2. Kenoh and Manabu Soya vs Kento Miyahara and Yuma Aoyagi - AJPW June 15th
3. Kazusada Higuchi vs Yuji Hino - DDT January 29th
4. Will Ospreay vs Kenny Omega - NJPW January 4th
5. Naoya Nomura and Yuma Aoyagi vs Kenoh and Manabu Soya - AJPW March 21st

Also for funsies my backlog, the tab group for shows I swear I will get around to watching any day now in addition to all the live shows
- NJPW Strong Independence Day July 4th and 5th
- Stardom 5Star GP Opening Round July 23rd
- Stardom x Stardom ~ Osaka Summer Team ~ August 13th
- Hikaru Sato Produce ~ Hentai Wa Yume O Mita ~ August 26th
- 2AW Grand Slam in Oriental Hotel Tokyo Bay August 27th
- BJW Death Mania XI September 10th

# ? Oct 1, 2023 08:26

Punch McLightning: Sep 19, 2005; you know what that means; Grimey Drawer

MOTYC: El Desperado vs. Mascara Dorada 2.0, CMLL Presents FantasticaMania Mexico 6/30

# ? Oct 1, 2023 08:29

Rarity: Oct 21, 2010; ~*4 LIFE*~

HM: Best Friends vs. The Kingdom, AEW Collision, 30/09
HM: Big Bill/Ricky Starks/Aussie Open vs. FTR/Wheeler Yuta/Bryan Danielson, AEW Collision, 30/09

# ? Oct 1, 2023 09:58

forkboy84: Jun 13, 2012; Corgis love bread. And Puro

HM
27th August
DDT Memories of Summer Vacation Tour Night 3
Daisuke Sekimoto, Sanshiro Takagi & Yukio Sakaguchi vs HARASHIMA, Ken Ohka & Yasu Urano

# ? Oct 1, 2023 11:56

SG Bamboo: Aug 21, 2013; Smile. Win. Yay!

NJPW Road to Destruction October 1st
HM
Guerillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Hikuleo and El Phantasmo) and Intergalactic Jet Setters (KUSHIDA and Kevin Knight) vs Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay, Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, Alex Coughlin and Gabe Kidd) and Chase Owens
- A very fun elimination match with some neat twists on the expected Rumble spots

# ? Oct 1, 2023 12:59

Taffy Torpedo: Feb 2, 2008; ...Can we have the radio?

KungFu Grip posted:

HM: Tiffany Stratton vs Becky Lynch Extreme Rules for NXT Womens Title - NXT No Mercy 9/30

Nth. I thought their last match was a bit sloppy but this one was a lot of fun.

# ? Oct 1, 2023 13:41

KungFu Grip: Jun 18, 2008

yeah Tiffany is still pretty green, but if there were more experienced talent in nxt to help her work that out in the ring she'd be as good as Bianca probably. She's got great mannerism and was bumping like crazy.

# ? Oct 1, 2023 15:42

A Fancy Hat: Nov 18, 2016; Always remember that the former President was dumber than the dumbest person you've ever met by a wide margin

Pylons posted:

AEW Rampage 9/29

HM: Eddie Kingston vs. Rocky Romero
HM: Hikaru Shida vs. Ruby Soho

Pylons posted:

AEW Collision 9/30

HM: Juice Robinson vs. Andrade el Idolo
HM: Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun) vs. Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho
HM: Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, & FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis), Ricky Starks, & Big Bill

graph posted:

adding HM: Best Friends vs. The Kingdom

whole show was pro wrestling as gently caress

Nthing these.

# ? Oct 1, 2023 16:31

Truther Vandross: Jun 17, 2008

MOTYC: Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page, AEW Wrestledream, 10/1

This ruled

# ? Oct 2, 2023 02:34

The Berzerker: Feb 24, 2006; treat me like a dog

sportsgenius86 posted:

MOTYC: Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page, AEW Wrestledream, 10/1

This ruled

Nth

# ? Oct 2, 2023 02:34

maruhkati: Sep 29, 2021; NAZ REID

MOTYC: Hangman Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland, AEW Wrestledream, 10/1

# ? Oct 2, 2023 02:34

Daniel Bryan: May 23, 2006; GOAT

sportsgenius86 posted:

MOTYC: Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page, AEW Wrestledream, 10/1

This ruled

nth

# ? Oct 2, 2023 02:35

closet statist: Mar 9, 2010

maruhkati posted:

MOTYC: Hangman Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland, AEW Wrestledream, 10/1

I think this is the best thing Ive watched all year. nth

# ? Oct 2, 2023 02:36

Kvantum: Feb 5, 2006; Skee-entist

sportsgenius86 posted:

MOTYC: Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page, AEW Wrestledream, 10/1

This ruled

Nth. Perfect example of the hometown heel being a babyface.

# ? Oct 2, 2023 02:37

flashy_mcflash: Feb 7, 2011

maruhkati posted:

MOTYC: Hangman Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland, AEW Wrestledream, 10/1

Holy moly nth

# ? Oct 2, 2023 02:39

flatluigi: Apr 23, 2008; here come the planes

sportsgenius86 posted:

MOTYC: Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page, AEW Wrestledream, 10/1

This ruled

# ? Oct 2, 2023 02:41

Erin M. Fiasco: Mar 21, 2013; Nothing's better than postin' in the morning!

sportsgenius86 posted:

MOTYC: Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Page, AEW Wrestledream, 10/1

This ruled

yeah

# ? Oct 2, 2023 02:49

Jerusalem: May 20, 2004; Would you be my new best friends?

MOTYC: Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - AEW WrestleDream 10/1

My WrestleDream came WrestleTrue :shobon:

# ? Oct 2, 2023 03:17

flatluigi: Apr 23, 2008; here come the planes

Jerusalem posted:

MOTYC: Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - AEW WrestleDream 10/1

My WrestleDream came WrestleTrue

-- "holy poo poo"

# ? Oct 2, 2023 03:18

Maxwell Lord: Dec 12, 2008; I am drowning.
There is no sign of land.
You are coming down with me, hand in unlovable hand.

And I hope you die.

I hope we both die.; Grimey Drawer

Jerusalem posted:

MOTYC: Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - AEW WrestleDream 10/1

My WrestleDream came WrestleTrue

Nth

# ? Oct 2, 2023 03:18

closet statist: Mar 9, 2010

Jerusalem posted:

MOTYC: Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - AEW WrestleDream 10/1

My WrestleDream came WrestleTrue

nth

# ? Oct 2, 2023 03:18

Saucer Crab: Apr 3, 2009

Jerusalem posted:

MOTYC: Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - AEW WrestleDream 10/1

My WrestleDream came WrestleTrue

Holy poo poo, nth

# ? Oct 2, 2023 03:19

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 16, 2024 09:59

PlasticAutomaton: Nov 12, 2016; Artoria Pendonut

Jerusalem posted:

MOTYC: Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - AEW WrestleDream 10/1

My WrestleDream came WrestleTrue

# ? Oct 2, 2023 03:20

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Hammer House: Stinger Splash Zone > 2023's Best and Worst Pro-Wrestling Matches of the Year (plus Recommended)

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