2022'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 > 2022's Best and Worst Pro-Wrestling Matches of the Year (plus Recommended)

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

SG Bamboo posted:

TJPW Korakuen January 4th
MOTYC
Hyper Misao vs Shoko Nakajima
- Save the tiger, save the world

Miyu Yamashita (c) vs Mizuki - Princess of Princess Championship
- Kill the Rabbit. Rabbit won't die? Kick her again. Oh poo poo, Rabbit's fighting back

HM
AriSuzu (Arisu Endo and Suzume) vs Moka Miyamoto and Mahiro Kiryu
- Much love for the rookies, they both had new gear and a fresh attitude. Want more Endo vs Moka

DayDream (Miu Watanabe and Rika Tatsumi) vs Kamiyu and Kakuta Nao
- Outside of Nao's head slamming into the corner post in a scary fashion this was a bunch of fun. Miu remains real cool and real strong

NekoRetsu (Yuki Aino, Nodoka Onesan and Haruna Neko) vs Raku, Pom Harajuku and Marika Kobashi
- Onesan's final performance was great. Going to let out a single manly tear when she retires in March

Yuka Sakazaki vs Yuki Arai
- Yuka gonna haze the rookie. Too bad she didn't know that Arai loves that poo poo

Hikari Noa (c) vs Maki Itoh - International Princess Championship
- First 10 minutes were pretty bland, but it really picked up in the second half and had a cool finishing sequence

I know it's not for everyone, but TJPW continues to be just.so.fun

Nth

Also gonna throw an HM to

Chris Brookes v Pokotan 1/3 DDT

# ¿ Jan 5, 2022 05:20

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 18:33

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

SG Bamboo posted:

TJPW Winter in Shinjuku January 20th
HM
Magical Sugar Rabbits (Yuka Sakazaki and Mizuki) and Cat and Bird (Haruna Neko and Kaya Toribami) vs Raku, Pom Harajuku, Mahiro Kiryu and Marika Kobashi
- A real fun 8 person tag to start the show, everyone got a chance to show off and the tag champs didn't look too dominant over the field

AriSuzu (Arisu Endo and Suzume) vs Rival Schools: United by Fate (Moka Miyamoto and Yuki Arai)
- Goddamn Arai is so loving cool, she already a star and she's been doing this less than a year. This was a great rookie battle and shows that the TJPW dojo is really good at developing talent, the most experienced person here was Suzume and she only debuted in August 2019

121000000 (Miyu Yamashita and Maki Itoh) vs VenYu (Asuka and Kamiyu)
- This was heckin rad, they gave us a taste of the rad kickladies beating the hell out of each other and left us wanting more. Itoh and Kamiyu more than held up their end of the match as well.

DayDream (Miu Watanabe and Rika Tatsumi) vs Kyoraku Kyomei (Hyper Misao and Shoko Nakajima)
- Miu is strong, match is good

A very fun card that should have had the big show treatment with commentary

Thanks for posting this, pretty much echoes my thoughts. Daydream v KK was pretty close to MOTYC for me.

# ¿ Jan 22, 2022 14:27

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

forkboy84 posted:

HM
29th January
Stardom 11th Anniversary Nagoya Supreme Fight 2022
Goddesses Of Stardom Titles
STARS (Hazuki & Koguma) vs Donna Del Mondo (Himeka & Maika)

HM
29th January
Stardom 11th Anniversary Nagoya Supreme Fight 2022
Wonder of Stardom Title
Saya Kamitani vs Unagi Sayaka

MOTYC
29th January
Stardom 11th Anniversary Nagoya Supreme Fight 2022
World Of Stardom #1 Contendership
Giulia vs Mayu Iwatani

MOTYC
29th January
Stardom 11th Anniversary Nagoya Supreme Fight 2022
World Of Stardom Title
Syuri vs MIRAI

Really great show

Hell yeah, nth. What the gently caress Mirai!

# ¿ Feb 1, 2022 06:11

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

GEORGE W BUSHI posted:

MOTYC: Starlight Kid (c) vs. AZM - Stardom Cinderella Journey in Nagaoka (2/23)

Absolutely their best match together, and I'm not as high on SLK as a lot of people are. If you like Japanese junior heavyweight stuff then this for you

This match was awesome, nth

# ¿ Feb 25, 2022 02:43

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

fez_machine posted:

MOTYC
26th of February
ChocoPro #204
ASIA DREAM TAG CHAMPIONSHIP (60 Minute Time Limit)
Best Bros (Mei Suruga & Baliyan Akki) (c) VS CDK (Chris Brookes & Masa Takanashi)

These ChocoPro single match shows are usually high quality and this was no exception. A hard hitting match that serves as an example of everything that makes ChocoPro great with reversals, counters and innovative use of the environment.

Plus a finish that has to be seen to be believed.

I felt out of breath after this! What a loving match! What a finish!

If you can deal with the ChocoPro aesthetic at all, you should not miss this match.

Nth

# ¿ Feb 26, 2022 15:59

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

SG Bamboo posted:

Prominence Flag-Off Event ~ Scarlet Flame of the Beginning ~ April 24th
MOTYC
RIsa Sera vs Takashi Sakaski
- gently caress yeah, blood for the blood god. The three matches gave us a false sense of security that these deathmatches would be tame, then Risa came along and got a couple dozen lightubes smashed open on her

Suzu Suzuki and Jun Kasai vs Akane Fujita and Violent Jack
- A tough ask having to follow the Sera deathmatch, and luckily there were a couple of sick fucks waiting in the wings to help the Prominence ladies try to realise it. Not as good as the previous match, but still an awesome way to finish off their launch show

HM
Itsuki Aoki & Miyako Matsumoto vs Ryo Mizunami & Yukari Hosokawa
- A very fun opener that had the crowd very loud. Aniki was the standout but all four had some great moments

Takayuki Ueki vs Mochi Miyagi
- Comedy deathmatches can be hit or miss, but the combination of laughs and painful spots made this a winner. Ueki is a very silly man who is also a maniac of the highest order

Great first show, though maybe not if you're turned off by women's deathmatches

Nth, really cool show!

# ¿ Apr 25, 2022 03:32

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

GEORGE W BUSHI posted:

MOTYC: Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto - SEAdLINNNG Golden Moment (4/29)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRt1uXu1SKQ

When you have a match with your best friend, there are three ways you can go about it, you can fool around with shenanigans like TAKA and Taichi, you can have a competitive but respectful match like FTR, or like Arisa and Tsukka you can take the third option and commit attempted murder on each other and then hug it out after.

This was an absolute brutal war between two of the best wrestlers in the world, the original Best Friends, and it made me all the sadder that Tsukka will be gone for a long time soon.

Also they went out and wrestled each other again the next day. (This one was better though because they wrestled the SEAdLINNNG house style and today's was more Ice Ribbon)

MOTYC: Las Fresas de Egoistas (Asuka & Makoto) (c) vs. Yoshiko & Ryo Mizunami for the Beyond the SEA Tag Team Championship - SEAdLINNNG Goldem Moment (4/29)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAAj_k_QtNk

Yes, that is Yoshiko, I didn't make a mistake.

It's probably a stretch to call SEAdLINNNG's tag division one of the best in the world because there's only two active regular tag teams and they're in the same faction, but for my money they have the best big tag team title matches in the world, and that is in no small part to the hard work Asuka and Makoto have put in.

Makoto is once again the workhorse of the match and has gone from being pretty awful in Ice Ribbon and Reina to one of my favourite wrestlers in the world in SEAdLINNNG.

Nth, gently caress yeah! These matches ruuullllleeeee

# ¿ Apr 30, 2022 21:58

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

Lamuella posted:

Honestly and truly I think that in their own way each of the original 4 members of 37KAMIIINA are as or close to as good as Takeshita.

I think Shunma is the worst of the lot and that's nuts

# ¿ Jun 1, 2022 16:06

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

forkboy84 posted:

OK, this is one of the best matches of 2022 and I highly recommend you find time to watch it.

MOTYC
1st July
Michinoku Pro Wrestling 2022 Tokyo Vol.1 Matching Words & Deeds
MPW Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Title
MUSASHI vs Fujita "Jr" Hayato

Show link with the timestamp included. But bring your own tissues (for wiping the tear out of your eye you sicko)

Nth!

# ¿ Jul 13, 2022 03:03

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

forkboy84 posted:

Ospreay isn't even the best in that match.

Pre-G1 has Ospreay been doing his best work in America? Because I'm looking at my spreadsheet and Ospreay's case seems weak based on what I've watched. I should probably see the stuff he did in the US

His match with Orange Cassidy was probably the best on Forbidden Door.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2022 19:25

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

SG Bamboo posted:

TJPW Go Girl 3 ~ Free Show for Women ~ August 28th
HM
Daisy Monkey (Arisu Endo and Suzume) vs Cat and Clown (Haruna Neko and Pom Harajuku)
- Neko and Pom made the most of a vocal crowd made up of a bunch of first time watchers by working real hard and putting on a great opener

Raku vs Hyper Misao
- Two good Raku single matches in a row, what is this sorcery

Yuki Aino vs Maki Itoh
- Crowd loved Itoh, and also Aino being a hoss

Yuki Arai vs Kamiyu
- Two long legged ladies kick each other real hard

Shoko Nakajima and DayDream (Miu Watanabe and Rika Tatsumi) vs Miyu Yamashita and Magical Sugar Rabbits (Yuka Sakazaki and Mizuki)
- So many great interactions in this one, my favourite being Yuka's disdain for her own partner Miyu

Hell of a show, crowd were great the whole way through

Nth, show was great!

# ¿ Aug 28, 2022 05:57

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

Pylons posted:

AEW Dark Elevation 8/29

HM: Hikaru Shida vs. Emi Sakura

Ruled

Nth

# ¿ Aug 30, 2022 02:15

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

Penguin Patrol posted:

Gatoh Move 10th Anniversary ~ Phoenix Rises 9/19
HM: Emi Sakura vs Miya Yotsuba
HM: Riho, SAKI & Baliyan Akki vs Minoru Fujita, Kid Lykos & Kaori Yoneyama
HM: CDK (Chris Brookes & Masahiro Takanashi) (c) vs Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto - Asia Dream Tag Team Championships
MOTYC: Yuna Mizumori vs Mei Suruga

Not as impressed by the tag match, but nth the rest with that one marked down.

Yuna stepped up big time!

# ¿ Sep 21, 2022 18:19

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

SalTheBard posted:

MOTYC: The Mega Bastards (Colon and Murdoch) (c) vs Second Gear Crew (Mancer and Justice) vs. Los Mazisos (Ciclope and Miedo Extremo) - GCW: Drop Dead - 10/22/22

Holy loving poo poo this match owns. Just a solid fun, hardcore gently caress fest, 6 person deathmatch.

This might have been better on video (or maybe the stage seats were really just that bad), match was good with some absurd spots but had a lot of dead time. I'll give it an HM

From the same show:

HM: Cole radrick v Blake Christian
HM: Jimmy Lloyd v Hoodfoot
MOTYC: Yamato v Johnathan Gresham
MOTYC: Nick Wayne v Komander v Gringo Loco v Antonio San Francisco
HM: Tommy Vendetta v Shane Mercer
HM:Shiho Hong v Jordan Oliver

Really good show!

# ¿ Oct 23, 2022 05:05

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

Stardom Gold Rush 11/19
HM: Maika and Himeka vs Nanae Takahashi and Yuu
MOTYC: Utami Hayashishita v Syuri (c) - World of Stardom championship

I'm going to watch Kamitani v KAIRI tomorrow

# ¿ Nov 25, 2022 04:25

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

SG Bamboo posted:

Dragongate Fantastic Gate Night 4 December 6th
MOTYC
Yuki Yoshioka (c) vs Masaaki Mochizuki - Open the Dream Gate
- Mocchy is still an absolute monster 28 years into his career, Yoshioka really impressed me too

real good, nth

# ¿ Dec 7, 2022 07:36

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

Dango Bango posted:

MOTY: Darby Allin vs. Samoa Joe - AEW Dynamite, 12/7

_{_{(This is an actual MOTYC nomination)}}

Nth

# ¿ Dec 8, 2022 04:00

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

Chris James 2 posted:

MOTY
Josh Alexander vs Speedball Mike Bailey
Impact Wrestling 12/8

Nth!

World's Strongest Slam on the apron

:stonk:

# ¿ Dec 9, 2022 14:00

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

graph posted:

is it really an hour

This match is absolutely worth your time and won't feel like an hour

The stuff they cut out in the ad breaks is enough for a HM

# ¿ Dec 12, 2022 07:19

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

SG Bamboo posted:

JTO TakaTaichi 50th Anniversary Show December 19th
MOTYC
Tomoko Inaba vs Suzu Suzuki
- I already knew Suzu was rad as hell from her deathmatches, but Inaba went from me not knowing her to wanting her on every show I watch. Just a brutally physical match where both ladies came out looking tough as nails

Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki and DOUKI) vs Jun Kasai and Tomoaki Honma
- Old man MiSu has a few more wars left in him, not as crazy as Kasai's Freedoms stuff but the blood poured freely here

Shingo Takagi (h) vs Taichi - KOPW 2022 Trophy
- First half or so wasn't really grabbing me but then these two stepped it up in a big way and didn't let off

Hot crowd, great matches, TakaTaichi shows remain fantastic

I thought these must have already gotten there, nth!

# ¿ Dec 24, 2022 16:53

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

forkboy84 posted:

MOTYC
15th December
Michinoku Pro Michinoku 2022 Tokyo Conference Vol. 2 ~ Kotsuniku Aihamu
Brahman Kei, Brahman Ota, Brahman Shu, Brother Moon & Ultraman Robin vs BLACK On The Outside Blue On The Inside Hikaritaro Nohashi, Chris Drago, Daniel LaRusso No. 2, Mr. Miyagi No.1 & The Great Sasuke

There is nothing else in wrestling like this annual absolute loving nonsense that Michinoku Pro do. Chris Brookes as Ivan Drago is one of the less silly things. Sasuke continues his apparently unsuccessful attempt to end up in a wheelchair with the most bewildering & stupid bumps.

Is it good? Does it matter? It's essential viewing, wrestling as spectacle in the purest sense.

WHAT THE gently caress

Nth

# ¿ Dec 28, 2022 03:30

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 18:33

The Taxman: Jan 2, 2007; greetings sweeties, let me give you a back massage. for i am a whiz!

12/06 | Yuki Yoshioka (C) vs Masaaki Mochizuki for the Open the Dream Gate Title - Dragongate Fantastic Gate Night 4 (4 votes)

12/29 | Utami Hayashishita vs. KAIRI - Stardom Dream Queendom (4 votes)
12/29 | meltear (Tam Nakano & Natsupoi) (C) vs. 7UPP (Nanae Takahashi & Yuu) for the Goddess of Stars Championship - Stardom Dream Queendom (4 votes)
12/29 | Cara Noir vs. Chris Brookes vs. MAO vs. Daiksuke Sasaki - DDT Never Mind (4 votes)
12/29 | Kazusada Higuchi (C) vs. Yuki Ueno for the KO-D Openweight Championship - DDT Never Mind (4 votes)

I know this isn't standard format, but I'm Nthing these (as MOTY) because they ruled and deserve the spot

Also MOTY Shinya Aoki v Chihiro Hashimoto - Wrestle Queendom 12/29

# ¿ Jan 3, 2023 18:30

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Sports Argument Stadium > The Hammer House: Stinger Splash Zone > 2022's Best and Worst Pro-Wrestling Matches of the Year (plus Recommended)