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It all started with this bout during WrestleMania weekend with neither Superstar leaving a stone unturned while composing a symphony of gasps and sighs from the Barclays Center crowd. For only the second time in my life, wrestling brought an unabashed tear of joy to my eye. — RYAN PAPPOLLA Though not quite matching the lofty levels of the original, Part II was still a thrilling bout.Six of the finest luchadores came together to produce one of the most thrilling matches ever seen in cult indie playground, PWG. Mirror Sport's wrestling expert Mo Chatra picks out his best bouts from the last 12 monthsThis decade has ended on a high with another terrific year full of fantastic wrestling matches.Promotions around the globe hosted an abundance of spectacular contests that made 2019 one of the best ever for in-ring action.From WWE NXT and NXT UK, to the likes of New Japan, AEW and OTT, we were treated to outstanding bouts, month after month.Our resident wrestling expert, Mo Chatra, watched thousands of matches from dozens of wrestling companies throughout 2019.Here he presents the final list of his top 20 along with the promotion that hosted the bout, the date it took place, where you can watch it and also a star rating out of six (any match rated five stars or more is generally considered to be an all-time classic).Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville was making the defence of the Open the Dream Gate title against Dragon Gate stalwart Kzy. Kofi Kingston’s run to the WWE Title is full of memorable matches.
And Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega, while not as good as their 2018 match in NJPW, was very good, too.
The magnitude of what’s about to be created is ever-present in the leadup to the moment. Tommaso Ciampa’s unfortunate injury left NXT temporarily without a champion, but it also set up one of the more unforgettable trilogies in sports-entertainment history. Though not quite matching the lofty levels of the original, Part II was still a thrilling bout.Six of the finest luchadores came together to produce one of the most thrilling matches ever seen in cult indie playground, PWG. Lynch willed it into existence by being so damn good, from her character work, to her ring generalship, to her social media.
The pair assembled a 25-minute scorcher in Fukuoka, Japan, in a contest that showed PAC hadn't lost a step since departing from the WWE.The irresistible force met the immovable object when powerhouses Daisuke Sekimoto and Michael Elgin locked horns for the Big Japan outfit in August. There were fast-moving exchanges which recalled the most mesmerizing fight scenes of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” The offense was innovative, the feats of strength incredible, the impacts extreme, and the competitors’ fortitude staggering. It looked like something out of a John Wick movie, except in one take in front of a sold-out crowd at Sumo Hall. After being sidelined due to requiring neck surgery shortly before NXT TakeOver: New York, Tommaso Ciampa was forced to relinquish his NXT Championship. The transitions, moves and counters were state-of-the-art and helped to redefine pro wrestling as we move into a new decade. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks — Hell in a Cell Raw Women’s Championship Match (WWE Hell … In Japan, Arisa Hoshiki and Sareee had exceptional years in ring for Stardom and Sendai Girls (among other joshi indies), respectively.This is Lynch's time, though. Without a doubt, 2019 was the year of ‘The … Baszler's biggest highlights of 2019 include her rivalry with Io Shirai (and the cage match that ended it) and her title defense against Candice LeRae.Between IMPACT and Women of Wrestling, Blanchard has been doing stellar work throughout the year, and she doesn't feel a hair out of place being in position to become the first woman ever to hold the IMPACT heavyweight championship this coming January. So, I’m here with the friendly reminder that Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw Women’s Championship at Royal Rumble 2019 was ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. Rating the 5 best wrestling matches so far in 2019.
Let us agree that although this saga was certainly wrestling at its finest, dragons (wink) and dragonslayers, the sight of the Ghananian-born Kingston hoisting the WWE Championship in the shadow of New York City carries a significance that goes beyond a 20’ x 20’ ring.
Jungle Kyona from STARDOM on March 3 (all three bouts earned a ****1/2 rating).Like 2018, the final year of this decade was an exceptional one for top quality pro wrestling matches - and the signs are that 2020 should be every bit as impressive.Johnny Gargano tries to submit Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver: New YorkWhen you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. If this had happened two days later, we’d be calling it one of the greatest WrestleMania matches ever. Brothers Cody and Dustin Rhodes collided in the semi-main event of AEW's inaugural show, Double or Nothing. Making history in WWE is a unique beast. Jaw-dropping aerial exploits were interspersed with incredible counters to make this an unforgettable outing.The second of Big Japan's entrants in this year's top 20 list, company world champion Yuji Okabayashi faced the promotion's most exciting young star, Takuya Nomura. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi (IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match) (Dominion; New … This best-of-three-falls encounter featured some of the most amazing near-falls you will ever see.
“Who is this guy?” That’s the question that the normally unflappable Roman Reigns — and probably more than a handful of WWE fans — asked after a Superman Punch by The Big Dog failed to earn a three-count against It had significance for Omega, too -- it was his final NJPW match, at least for now, as he signed with AEW after a brief flirtation with WWE.There were so many great matches this year all over the wrestling world. Here are some other opponents Ospreay tore the house down with in 2019: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Jay White, Bandido (twice), El Phantasmo (twice), SHO, Amazing Red, A-Kid, Zack Sabre Jr. and Eagles.There might be some people reading this who watch WWE exclusively and have only heard of Ospreay in Seth Rollins' tweets or rants from wrestling "purists" who call him out for over-choreographed sequences.