Greatest Match Since 2019 Tournament

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Edward Mass: Sep 14, 2011; 𝅘𝅥𝅮 I wanna go home with the armadillo
Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene
Friendliest people and the prettiest women you've ever seen𝅘𝅥𝅮

We're both to blame - I got the year wrong, while you got Day/Month confused for Month/Day. Europeans :argh:

# ? Jan 31, 2024 03:38

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# ? Apr 29, 2024 18:27

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

fez_machine posted:

Mizzle Assault Ant

I'd be shocked if you don't see this user's name a few more times.

# ? Jan 31, 2024 05:40

Glass Punkbull 141: Jan 9, 2008; This is the face of a winner. This is what winning looks like.

Can't believe The Miz blew up a bus.

# ? Jan 31, 2024 05:42

Edward Mass: Sep 14, 2011; 𝅘𝅥𝅮 I wanna go home with the armadillo
Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene
Friendliest people and the prettiest women you've ever seen𝅘𝅥𝅮

With 52.94% of the vote, Naito/Ospreay advances.

OUR NEXT CONTEST...

Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. from RevPro High Stakes against Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz from AEW Dynamite

# ? Feb 1, 2024 04:43

fez_machine: Nov 27, 2004

Match 2: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. - February 14, 2020 (RevPro High Stakes) against Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz - September 16, 2020 (AEW Dynamite)

Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. - February 14, 2020 (RevPro High Stakes)

What We Said

Qualified as a MOTY in the 2020 Thread

Ziggy Tzardust posted:

Everything their recent NJPW match was and more. They teased things from the first match, they clearly love working together and the crowd was absolutely nuclear. These two are barely in their primes yet and they're making a case for them being the two best British wrestlers of all time

Rarity posted:

Don't let this one get lost in the shuffle, it's totally worth your time. It's like if wrestling was chess. The only issue I had with it is RevPro's production is kinda shite. They had a hardcam set up but hardly ever used it in favour of really awkward angles that sometimes miss the action.

Akileese posted:

Ospreay vs ZSJ would have been even better if the production was on NJPW level and not revpro. I felt like I missed some really big spots.

Jerusalem posted:

what a match. Even RevPro's not particularly good production values brought it down.

Quantum of Phallus posted:

These RevPro commentators need to learn how to monitor mic levels, Jesus Christ

forkboy84 posted:

Was sat watching on my phone while getting madder & madder that my bus didn't turn up. Worse ways to kill 45 minutes or however long the video was but mate, the bus was due at 7:20 & I didn't get on a bus until 8:40 so Stagecoach right now can jump in a fire. Unlike Ospreay & ZSJ who deserve better than being watched on a phone with one eye on the rapidly depleting battery.

Jerusalem posted:

It reminded me of the old ROH DVDs I'd get which would open by blasting out the sounds levels and whose mics always sounded like they were peaking.

Lumbermouth posted:

RevPro's production values are the whole reason I haven't been able to get into them. They're so loving amateurish for a promotion their size.

Quantum of Phallus posted:

Yeah NGL, the camera work, lighting and audio were loving atrocious. Really took me out of the match. By comparison of the indie stuff I've seen, OTT stuff looks and sounds leagues better.

What They Said

Meltzer Stars: ***** Cagematch Ratings: 9.29 based on 190 votes. Voices of Wrestling Match of The Year Rank: 27 with 61 points from 15 votes

Voices Of Wrestling Match of The Year posted:

�There�s a very good reason this is second on my list, aside from it being one of the best matches of the year. It was the main event of the only live show I got to attend. That was 11 months ago. What I wouldn�t give to soak up that atmosphere for a few more minutes. Ospreay and Sabre have always meshed well together, the old boxing adage that styles make fights holding true as Ospreay�s high-flying style is the perfect foil for Sabre�s technical, submission game. The match was replete with spots from all of their previous matches but seemingly with new kinks � the evolution of their respective games pushing them to a new level. The finish seemed a little sudden but it showed the evolution of Ospreay, as it was the Hidden Blade and Stormbreaker that finally put Zack away and brought him his first British Heavyweight title reign.� -Andrew Sinclair

�The best examples of modern UK wrestling and the evolution that has happened there culminating in a classic match.� -Dave Musgrave

Lowest Cagematch Rating posted:

Mizzle Assault Ant - 3.0
"Another hyped Ospreay match that I didn't get much out of. I actually liked their New Japan match around the same time, but this one just seemed just showy for the sake of itself, and the lack of selling by Ospreay really makes a guy like Sabre's techniques seem pretty much useless. A full half hour of just moves moves moves."

Scott Kobayashi - 4.0
"This match frustrates me so much. It IS good. In theory. In execution, it comes off as indulgent and about as un genuine as it gets. I have no clue what it is, but I despise this match. It just comes off as two guys doing moves with no fluidity in between the movements even if there is technically moves in between. Ospreay tanks this match HARD and it was the first match that snowballed into him becoming one of the most frustrating wrestlers on the planet. The Sapporo match is special because of escalation, timing, and the dynamicness of the match. This is long, indulgent, and boring. Again, I can see why people like it, but this match is just not for me and probably my least favorite good match of 2020. **3/4"

Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz in a Parking Lot Fight - September 16, 2020 (AEW Dynamite)

Qualified as a MOTY in the 2020 Thread

What We Said

Jerusalem posted:

Ahem, in the words of a Japanese commentator..... "AHHHH! DANGEROUS! DANGEROUSSSSSS!"

karmicknight posted:

Orange Cassidy did a run in from a loving trunk

SatoshiMiwa posted:

Was going to HM it till we got to the end but Orange Punch and Sue middle finger put up to MOTYC yes

Trying posted:

sue hugged her bloody son. wrestling is about emotions

Dango Bango posted:

This match was one of the most intense I've ever seen.

Majinfoose posted:

It was such a perfect end to the feud. The middle finger deserves MOTY on it's own.

ICR posted:

It�s the best match I�ve seen all year. It was gripping. It was brutal. It is the best street fight I�ve seen.

It�s the best the best the best the BEST THE BEST THE BEST.

And it made me a believer in both these teams. They both need to hold the belts, simultaneously.

Lamuella posted:

Absolutely agreed, this was utterly fantastic.

Cerebral Bore posted:

Holy hell what a show. And what a loving main event, easily one of the top five matches that I've seen all year.

What They Said

Meltzer Stars: ***** Cagematch Ratings: 8.97 based on 313 votes. Voices of Wrestling Match of The Year Rank: 14 with 142 points and 29 votes

Voices of Wrestling Match of The Year posted:

�What an absolutely brutal, different kind of a match. It wasn�t the street fight I was expecting, nor was it a cinematic match. It was instead a brutal match that treated cars the way a normal match would treat tables. Great use of Orange Cassidy as well.� -Mongo Underscore EBooks

�One of the best street fights I�ve ever witnessed � they built this match up perfectly as you felt these four men wanted to beat the bloody pulp out of each other. Spots felt so realistic, the Orange Cassidy spot was a huge moment and the Sue payoff at the end was a chef�s kiss.� -Bill Bodkin

�This was in my opinion the best cable television match of the year. It easily could�ve transpired into a Attitude Era hardcore match with a bunch of backstage nonsense, but it was instead a well drawn out match that used the hardcore elements to progress things. Really fun to watch and left me looking forward to the next episode of Dynamite.� -Nick Davidson

Lowest Cagematch Rating posted:

UltraNano54 - 3.0
"It's essentially no different from any of those random attitude era backstage brawls which I was never a fan of and is one of the many reasons I don't really miss that era of wrestling. Also Chuck and Taylor are very out of place in this match."

# ? Feb 1, 2024 04:44

Barry Bluejeans: Feb 2, 2017; ATTENTHUN THITIZENTH

gotta be BF/PnP, ZSJ/Ospreay was incredible but the parking lot brawl was a singular match and represents a special night in the history of AEW

# ? Feb 1, 2024 05:19

Kvantum: Feb 5, 2006; Skee-entist

Barry Bluejeans posted:

gotta be BF/PnP, ZSJ/Ospreay was incredible but the parking lot brawl was a singular match and represents a special night in the history of AEW

# ? Feb 1, 2024 06:23

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

I loved Ospreay vs. ZSJ but this was an easy pick for Best Friends vs. Proud 'n' Powerful in the Parking Lot Fight. That was an amazing, amazing spectacle of a match.

# ? Feb 1, 2024 08:18

Tampa Bae: Aug 23, 2021; Please, this is all I have

I love that even tho it was all fake glass you could still catch Trent blading his biceps to sell the match and it also led to OC and Sue meme spots. Best Friends vs P&P has my vote

# ? Feb 1, 2024 08:48

Numero6: Oct 10, 2012; ここは地の果て　流されて俺
今日もさすらい　涙も涸れる
ブルーゲイル

Going for the match that had Chuck and Taylor.

# ? Feb 1, 2024 15:11

kalensc: Sep 10, 2003; Only Trust Your Respirator, kupo!
Art/Quote by: Rubby

bloodysabbath posted:

Overall it’s the Omega/Ospreay matches from 2023. I give the edge to the first one just because I got to go to the Tokyo Dome for the first time and it was amazing and also holy poo poo they got the FF7 rights.

In my heart it’s Omega/Page at full gear because it was the climax of the greatest story AEW has ever told.

Did they license OWA or stuff beyond that?

Edward Mass posted:

We're both to blame - I got the year wrong, while you got Day/Month confused for Month/Day. Europeans

Much like Imperial vs Metric, this is actually a case of USA & very few others using mm/dd Versus 5+ Continents using dd/mm

Edit:

I only saw this thread today (the downside to being a Bookmarks-Only poster 98% of the time) so missed the noms and first vote, but I'm in for the remainder. Awesome thread concept Edward Mass & spectacular write-ups fez_machine! Love the 1-minute spacing between your posts for the BF-S&O vs WO-ZSJ match-up!

Voted the match with Sue, gotta support wrestling moms driving their boys around in minivans.

kalensc fucked around with this message at 18:31 on Feb 1, 2024

# ? Feb 1, 2024 18:17

Kvantum: Feb 5, 2006; Skee-entist

kalensc posted:

Did they license OWA or stuff beyond that?

Oh come on, you think Kenny would just settle for the music?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_WNaso8A_w

# ? Feb 1, 2024 20:13

Maigius: Jun 29, 2013

Kvantum posted:

Oh come on, you think Kenny would just settle for the music?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_WNaso8A_w

Square Enix Japan also tweeted out a congratulations that the match got over 5 stars.

# ? Feb 1, 2024 23:34

kalensc: Sep 10, 2003; Only Trust Your Respirator, kupo!
Art/Quote by: Rubby

Kvantum posted:

Oh come on, you think Kenny would just settle for the music?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_WNaso8A_w

Oh

Well then

14-year-old me just started marking the gently caress out inside my 40-year-old body :swoon:

# ? Feb 2, 2024 02:53

super macho dude: Aug 9, 2014

Voted for the most based match of this round, the Parking Lot Brawl. Will vs Zack was incredible, INCREDIBLE I SAY, but it didn't have the EMOTION of the Brawl.

Also, Meltzer giving 5 stars to a TV backstage brawl match :lol:

nuff said

# ? Feb 2, 2024 13:21

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

Gotta go with that parking lot brawl, just wild poo poo.

# ? Feb 2, 2024 15:13

Edward Mass: Sep 14, 2011; 𝅘𝅥𝅮 I wanna go home with the armadillo
Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene
Friendliest people and the prettiest women you've ever seen𝅘𝅥𝅮

With 75% of the vote, Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz advances.

OUR NEXT CONTEST...

Aereo vs. Villano III, Jr. from AAA Lucha Juarez against Will Ospreay vs. Yota Tsuji from NJPW Destruction in Kobe

# ? Feb 3, 2024 05:00

fez_machine: Nov 27, 2004

Match 3: Aereo vs. Villano III, Jr. - March 1, 2020 (AAA Lucha Juarez) against Will Ospreay vs. Yota Tsuji - September 24, 2023 (NJPW Destruction in Kobe)

Aereo vs. Villano III, Jr. in a Mask vs Mask match. Best Two out of Three Falls - March 1, 2020 (AAA Lucha Juarez)

Note if you're going to watch* this one fresh, it's probably best to watch it unspoiled, the crowd reactions to the twists and turns are what elevate the match
*links at the end of this entry

What We Said

Did not qualify for MOTY

Punch McLightning posted:

Great lucha de apuestas match, with Villano in particular doing some really crazy moves.

Oil! posted:

I did a quick look around when this match happened and saw nothing. This deserves to be a MOTYC. It is a rematch of their fathers, and keeps going.

What They Said

Meltzer Stars: Unrated Cagematch Ratings: 9.17 based on 34 votes. Voices of Wrestling Match of The Year Rank: 13 with 145 points from 24 votes

Voices Of Wrestling Match of The Year posted:

�The long historical lore attached to this. The Visceral nature of the match. The uniqueness of the lucha style.� -Franky DeJesus

�Luchas de apuestas between two masked wrestlers are my favourite thing in professional wrestling. Even a bad apuestas has a gravity born of real stakes � somebody�s life is going to change. The stakes are real and defined, and every element of the match is filtered through and elevated by them. For Villano III Jr., that pressure is even greater, for he seeks to defend the mask given to him by his father; to build his own legacy, he must risk the legacy of his heritage. Throughout the match that pressure mounts, until finally Villano decides that victory is more important than honour. He leaves with the mask of Aereo, and, vitally, his own. That is what matters.� -Jeff Martin

�It�s not often that you see long-term storytelling in lucha libre. This was a battle with hate, drama in every fall, an extraordinary blend of styles and callbacks to the historic Atlantis vs. Villano Mask match 20 years ago. An unforgettable match between two rivals and a coming-of-age for Villano III Jr..� -Ricardo Gallegos

�This match was unique in that it combined all of the elements of AAA into one match. It was two out of three falls, it featured a ton of high-flying, as well as the typical hardcore spots and some great technical wrestling as well. A cool thing about the match is that it was the culmination of a feud that had been lasting for years, something that is mainly seen in wrestling involving main event wrestlers, but Aereo and Villano III Jr. are not main event wrestlers, they are mid-card young guys on the rise. While neither Aereo or Villano III Jr. have been able to do much this year after this match, it was a tremendous showcase for young talent in front of a really hot crowd.� �Jesse Collings

Lowest Cagematch Rating posted:

Javichohervas - 7.0
"I was going to rate and comment the match but it's word for word what Makai Club said. I feel EXACTLY the same way about this match."

Makai Club - 7.0
"Sadly going against the grain on this one. I wanted to LOVE it but it wasn't to be. The first fall was decent. There was some good lucha mat-work, with the headstand slap exchange sequence to boot. The second fall wasn't great but it set up some good elements like Villano showing more rudo tendencies with Villano III Jr injuring his leg seemingly but it turning out that he was faking it and then captalized on that when Aereo was distracted. And the blood being drawn with Villano III Jr hitting a tope that nailed Aereo in the face. Both looked to have drawn blood from it. And I'm not comparing it to Atlantis vs Villano III as a whole match but that spot was pretty much the same - now that's a good way to emulate a great match. Villano III Jr didn't take long to finish the fall after that. The third fall was good in parts. Villano throwing Aereo in the crowd ruled. He did it so recklessly too. And with the camera being fixed to a certain point, we only saw him being thrown and if he landed on anyone which was probably for the best. This big tin thing was thrown at both guys heads. The brawling was pretty violent and honestly chaotic in ways most brawls aren't. Villano took a nutty bump onto some chairs which transitioned into a crazy dive Aereo took from the light structure. But I oddly felt uninvested in the nearfalls and the big final struggle for the win. The key for the apuestas matches is their high level drama and maybe it's just not really being into either luchador but this didn't have that. And that gave the entire match a ceiling for how much I enjoy the match overall. And that finish. I'm unsure if it was a shoot but that was a lame duck of a finish. A count out? What a way to lose your mask. Ah. This had me and then it didn't by the end. Good match that probably needs revisiting but right now, it's good to a point but not great like you'd expect. ***1/2"

AfRotaker - 7.0
"Also ich seh da schon das Positive, die beeindruckende Stimmung. die Dramatik, auch die Athletik. Ich seh aber auch viel Leerlauf, einige Aktionen die daneben gingen und ein sehrt fragw�rdiges Finish. Ich habe Aereo nie wieder vorher oder nachher gesehen."

Watch For Free
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Full Match With Build

Will Ospreay vs. Yota Tsuji - September 24, 2023 (NJPW Destruction in Kobe)

What We Said

Qualified for MOTY

Rarity posted:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Jerusalem posted:

Holy poo poo this match.

Taffy Torpedo posted:

Tsuji is a fucken star, baby.

YourHumbleMessiah posted:

Tsuji might be that fuckin guy

gripebomb posted:

Dear mother of god....

SG Bamboo posted:

Yota fuckin Tsuji, cannot wait until that man is the top champ of the company. Bill is pretty good too I guess

What They Said

Meltzer Stars: ***** Cagematch Ratings: 9.22 based on 315 votes. Voices of Wrestling Match of The Year Rank: 41 with 45 points from 13 votes

Voices of Wrestling Match of The Year posted:

�While Yota Tsuji returned from excursion far ahead of his peers, I couldn�t help but feel there was something missing in his work. His aura was undeniable and his moveset was flashy, but his matches lacked a certain connective tissue. However, his encounter with Will Ospreay at Destruction in Kobe was a true star making performance. Coming out of this show, I felt very optimistic about the future of New Japan, as a match with one of the promotion�s bright young stars hit the same peaks as several of my all time favorites� -Ry Harrison

Lowest Cagematch Rating posted:

Mizzle Assault Ant - 3.0
"What can I say? Another virtually identical Ospreay match. Its what the people want to see so I cant really criticize it, but at this point I just have interest in it, theres just not one thing different or memorable about this match compared to the last two dozen big Ospreay matches or more, they just seem flat out interchangeable to me. Just feels totally soulless to me, Ospreay could be wrestling his worst enemy, his best friend, or a pile of lint and it would be pretty much the same. Way too long for my taste, counters Ive sen before, spots Ive seen before, Yota really had no opportunity to show what makes him unique because he was just wrestling the Ospreay formula. Its not the worst Ive seen or anything but I just cant muster much enthusiasm for it."

SoundwaveAU - 4.0
"Did you watch Ospreay/Naito, Ospreay/Okada or Ospreay/ELP from the G1 this year? Or any other standard Ospreay epic? Then you've basically seen this match, congratulations. This match was worse though, it felt like a parody of an Ospreay match, taking a bit of all the big Ospreay matches this year and combining it into something truly gross. It was structured similarly to Ospreay/Omega 1 (Ospreay wasn't as dominant as Omega was, but was still in complete control of this match until a desperation Gene Blast hit near the end) and had the loser doing the show of defiance before getting finished off at the end, had the stolen finisher kickout at 1 of Ospreay/Omega 2 (I don't know why there were stolen finishers in this match, it was nowhere near personal enough to warrant it) except completely soulless, and, well, I guess it's a pointless exercise to reference things like the counters and big spots, because that's literally every Ospreay match, so why bother? You know what this match is. It was too long, hit the point of diminishing returns way before the end. It featured the same predictable counters and spots as all the other big acclaimed Ospreay matches. Tsuji looked good, but not like, spectacularly so. He just held up his end of the bargain, but didn't bring anything unique to it. Which to be fair, is really hard to do when the Ospreay match structure is so defined and set in stone, and rarely ever deviates from a specific formula. I wish I could apparently wipe my mind clean like everybody else apparently does after an Ospreay match and pretend like I've never seen any of these exact same moves before in the same context in a different match. This is, what, the 10th-15th Ospreay match this year alone that was exactly like this (except most of them were mercifully shorter, around 20 minutes seems to be the optimal time for Ospreay's style of match) and you can't jingle keys in front of my face so many times and keep expecting me to be impressed by it. I'm so tired, bros."

# ? Feb 3, 2024 05:01

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

That one dude gets absolutely no joy out of Will Ospreay

# ? Feb 3, 2024 05:39

thatguyclint: Apr 11, 2005; See, I didn't know that...ducks eat for free at Subway.

SG Bamboo posted:

That one dude gets absolutely no joy out of Will Ospreay

His entire Cagematch profile is...something.

# ? Feb 3, 2024 06:07

fez_machine: Nov 27, 2004

If people would prefer I ignore him, I can.

It's low hanging fruit anyway.

# ? Feb 3, 2024 06:09

thatguyclint: Apr 11, 2005; See, I didn't know that...ducks eat for free at Subway.