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The 2010 MOTYC Thread

214K views 1K replies 189 participants last post by  Granatapersempre 
#1 ·
#843 ·
Angle vs. Hardy was, kinda using the analogy in Maxx Hero's signature, like walking into a cafeteria for breakfast. But at this cafeteria, instead of giving you some toast, some eggs, some orange juice, and all the other essential parts of a good breakfast, they just keep piling bacon on your plate. Now, bacon is good, and sometimes you eat a little too much of it, but generally you're good with two or three slices. So when they pass over all the other food and go straight to the bacon, you start to think "what the fuck?" After the fifth piece of bacon, you kinda just want them to stop, but they don't, until you decide you really don't like bacon any more. And then to top it all off, they dump a pint of syrup on your bacon.

So you've got that gigantic plate of bacon drenched in what is essentially liquid sugar, and you don't think you're going to enjoy eating it. Yet you look around the cafeteria and everyone seems to be enjoying it, and you decide you can try it. And then you do, and it's just as awful as you expected it would be.

Long story short, Angle vs. Hardy made me feel sick and now I'm a vegetarian.
 
#40 ·
I think I would have liked the match more if it had just ended after the first 450. It still was pretty damn awesome match to watch and I thought it was a great to end the show.
***1/2

If I was there live and got to see the whole match I wouldn't surprised at all if I put in the ****+ plus range.
 
#241 ·
I spent a large part of last year trying to explain to people why Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 25 was flawed. Never had I seen so many respected reviewers blatantly ignore botches, sloppiness, and storyline flaws. I still thought the match was good, rating is ****1/4, but I was simply baffled at people who picked it as Match of the Year. People talked about the rematch this is year by asking whether it could be better than last year’s. I would always say: “Of course: all they really have to do is not botch as much as last year.”

So after thinking about their match this year…

This match was incredible.

It a started out with Michael’s chops vs. Taker’s punches, not only a reference to last year’s match, but an awesome way to show that EVEN in their lowest tier attacks, their differences are contrasted perfectly.

I don’t know if Taker’s leg injury after Old School was real: if he was just selling, its one of the greater selljobs of our time. If it’s legit, what an incredible gutcheck. The man is truly a badass. The dive tease was perfect and necessary. Honestly, I think I would have docked a quarter star if they ignored the one moment that set the story of last year’s match into motion.

I did find the moonsault catch a bit awkward, especially in Taker’s mad maneuvering to get Michaels into position for the tombstone. To me, the maneuvering was way too elaborate to get Michaels into position, and I don’t think Michaels had been worked over enough to not be able to get out of so much obvious conjoling. It is my opinion that the plan was probably for Taker to catch Michaels the way he did at last year’s mania, then deliver the tombstone. To me, his failure to do so here cost them.

I don’t think anyone will argue with the fact that this year’s match, like last year’s, is a finisher-fest. I read one review that said last year’s match was special because the finishing stretch incorporated moves that had been built up for 15 years, making the kickouts mean that much more. For me, when a match’s storyline involves using lots of finishers for good nearfalls, there is a right way and a wrong way. Last year’s match was the wrong way. Michaels would literally take a last ride, kickout at two, and then as soon as they are both at their feet, hit Taker with a superkick. For me, this diminished the nearfall and reduced the Last Ride.

This problem, a paramount flaw in their match last year, was less prominent here, but it was still there. For example: Taker’s big tombstone on the outside needed to be defining moment #1 of the match (with Michael’s moonsault on the table as two, and #3 being the finish) Instead, after hitting the tombstone on the outside, Taker he goes for the last ride, which is countered into the X-factor. (Cole completely screwed this up on commentary, saying the leg buckled when it didn’t, and diminishing the awesomeness of the counter) While I’m not crazy about Michaels countering so soon after the tombstone, I will say the X factor is a perfect counter. However after THAT tombstone, Michaels should still be seen as reeling to sell how big of a move that was, and that the X factor, while great, does not at all bring him back to square one. This actually makes it BETTER when Taker immediately counters the top rope elbow. Taker goes to the Hell’s Gate: also great, considering Taker wants to slow the match into his control again. Michaels rolls through, which is, again, great. The problem comes when both pop up from the roll up, only for Michaels to hit the superkick. If the kick came immediately after the attempted roll-up, it might make sense as a quick, desperate move, but the kick wasn’t exactly sudden, and Taker hadn’t taken nearly enough punishment in the minutes preceding to not be able to dodge the kick, especially when Michaels should still be reeling from the tombstone. I know the appeal of Sweet chin Music is his ability to hit it from anywhere: but this didn’t work. People will say I’m nitpicking, but the placement of moves like this are what made Misawa and Kawada great. To ignore the flaw here is to ignore what those two did so perfectly.

The problem continues right after this. Taker takes the superkick, but then Michael’s next move in another one, which Taker catches and turns into the last ride immediately? This is random, and too quick of a control change. It makes Michaels’ first superkick seem like nothing more than a transition move. It’s random usage so early, and so out of nowhere already reduced the nearfall, and this didn’t do any favors. I’ve said it before: if you’re gonna trade finishers, its best if there is a major counter, a move to regain control, THEN the finisher, to make it more believable that the victim is reeling to the point of an inability to escape the finisher. This was a major problem last year, and it does appear, albeit slightly, here. To me, this needs to be done in order to protect finishers in big finisher-fests.

That said…Taker and Michaels then proceeded to the Announce table spots…….and the match was flawless from then on out. It was the perfect place for Michaels’ biggest comeback. It does indeed appear he aimed for the leg with the moonsault, which is amazing: good spot on that one, REAL MP. This all led to the superkick in the ring afterwards, which was absolutely breathtaking; truly as believable as it could ever be that the streak would end. Ever. They made you think Michaels had won with the perfect sequence.

As for the real finish….it was magnificent. Flair and Michaels was too beautiful and reminiscent to not be referenced. It all lined up, it all felt great, and when Taker folded the arms, you knew it was over. You knew no other finish could encapsulate the two careers more beautifully.

I end up at ****3/4. Yes, it could be beaten this year. No, it probably won’t be. It’s not perfect, but the match, as planned, was so beautiful it survives the errors in execution. Leagues better than last years, and a true tribute, especially to Shawn’s career.

Thank you, Shawn.
 
#433 ·

Dragon Gate - DEAD or ALIVE 2010


Naniwa Elimination Match - WORLD-1 vs. WARRIORS - ****

This turned into The Yoshino Show at the end, and it went from pretty good to fucking great because of it. The eliminations are kind of paint-by-numbers, but the end stretch just elevates everything. The Yoshino-lead era of WORLD-1 may be on it's way.


Open the Dream Gate - YAMATO vs. Shingo Takagi - ****1/4

The back-story goes that, after YAMATO won the Dream Gate from Naruki Doi, in-fighting began within the KAMIKAZE stable, lead by Shingo Takagi. Shingo brought back Cyber Kong and won the Twin Gate titles, to the ire of Akira Tozawa. With Tozawa & KAGETORA on one side and Shingo & Kong on the other, YAMATO did not want to choose sides. However, Shingo obliterated the field during King of Gate 2010, heavily relying on his devastating Pumping Bomber lariat. He bested BxB Hulk in the semifinals and Dragon Kid in the finals with said move, earning a shot at YAMATO and DG's top prize. Shingo would call out YAMA, wondering aloud whether he's even worthy of the belt and seemingly trying to push the champion to stop acting fake. YAMATO's rough edges had somewhat rounded off during his face turn, and for a moment, it looked like the maniacal, devil-may-care YAMATO would return at the PPV. There was so much great stuff here that I'll just bullet point the best of it.

- I cannot say that this is EXACTLY what they were going for, just what I got out of it. Wrestling is always up for interpretation, and this was mine. The match is not slow, but quite measured. It definitely isn't for everyone and is not your typical Dragon Gate fare. They don't run nonstop for three day; everything is deliberate and very stiff.

- YAMATO worked almost exclusively on Shingo's Bomber arm in an effort to nullify it as a weapon. But Shingo is perhaps the most stubborn wrestler on Earth; he repeatedly used the arm to elbow and attack YAMA, a trait that has backfired on Takagi in the past. Shingo's arrogance is his greatest strength and weakness; he is able to shrug off the pain, but eventually the abuse he self-inflicts with one-armed powerbombs on strained limbs catches up to him. He sold the arm amazingly, so it worked.

- Shingo works over YAMATO's midsection, believing that he could gas YAMA. Early on, knowing full well that YAMATO would be targeting the arm later, Shingo gets in a few quick head drops before it becomes too difficult. However, he takes time gloat (there's that arrogance) and YAMATO gets to work on the arm. Shingo keeps trying to use the Pumping Bomber, but YAMATO just kicks at the arm when he charges. YAMATO repeatedly tries to lock on a cross armbreaker, but Shingo has it scouted each time and manages to avoid them.

- There's an awesome moment where Shingo bates YAMATO into falling for one of his own spots. He calls for a corner lariat and runs to the opposite corner to build momentum. YAMATO follows, which Shingo was counting on. Takagi moves at the last second and YAMATO runs himself into the corner, and Shingo follows it with a nasty spear, a YAMA move that also works over the ribs. Another awesome spot saw YAMATO block a Shingo lariat with a half nelson, but it's perfect position for Shingo to hit MADE IN JAPAN, and it gets a big two count.

- Near the end of the match, YAMATO manages to nail Shingo with Gallaria, a reverse suplex into a sit-out piledriver, and Shingo kicks out at one, jumps to his feet and immediately falls back down on his face. At first, I was annoyed by this. It just seemed like Hulk-like no-selling. Then I realized that YAMATO had not hit a single move targeting Shingo's head for the entire match up to that point. It made great sense for Shingo to try and demoralize YAMATO by kicking out and making it to his feet, but as he had done with YAMA in the weeks leading up to the contest, he underestimated him and his finisher. Beautiful stuff.

- The ending came when Shingo accidentally hit the referee in the head as he lifted YAMATO for his finisher, Last Falconry, and the ref was delayed to make the count. It was probably a five count in total, but because of the accident, the move only got two. Instead of doing the "I got robbed" routine, Shingo immediately drags YAMA to his feet, nailing a left-armed lariat and then a HUGE Pumping Bomber for two. He went for the Last Falconry once again, but there was nothing left in the right arm. YAMATO shifted from a guillotine choke to a body-locked sleeper to a cross armbreaker in the center of the ring. Shingo couldn't roll free, but wouldn't tap. Finally, the referee called for the bell when Shingo rolled flat and YAMATO looked like he was ready to tear the arm off.

- After the match, every active member of KAMIKAZE was in the ring, and it felt like a tense situation. Shingo, who was now using part of his own singlet as a sling, said he and Kong would do the right thing and leave KAMIKAZE. Taku Iwasa, a KAMIKAZE member on IR, came out and convinced them to get over their shit and reunite. It was great storytelling because, when Iwasa first announced he was injured and had to retire, it was Shingo and YAMATO who convinced him to go on IR and call it an "extended absence". The group got much looser and joked around a bit before posing together in a photo.

 
#681 ·
Not a MOTYC, more like TV MOTYC but Strong/Daniels this week was a tremendous TV match, best storytelling and selling in ROH in a long time. I really dig Daniels new moveset and style utilizing mostly throws/chains and submissions where he uses highspots only when it really adds to the match and actually sells his injuries very well (like when he tried to lift Strong but fell due to selling the back breaker that Roddy performed on him), seeing Roderick dominate almost the whole beginning was a great way to show his new side, I have never heard people boo him and chant "you suck", "roderick sucks" that much and the heel/face dynamics were there for the first time since I don't even remember when in ROH on HDNET. Great chemistry overall, I cheered for Daniels to win so I am not pleased by the DQ result, however since it was a win by cheating I don't think Daniels looked weak and it showed Strongs new side very well.
 
#683 ·
I just watched both top contenders for match of the year back to back and here is my verdict....



Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards = PERFECT

VS

Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels = PERFECT

Winner: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels & Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards, nothing else comes close.
 
#685 ·
Don't get me wrong, I am glad you enjoyed this. I am fine with people saying Michaels/Taker is perfect. I give it ****3/4, but still, that's fine by me. It's close enough.

But Davey and Tyler? I still can't see how a match with a run-in and a botched powerbomb can be called perfect. Actually lets shorten this: I can't see how a match with a botch can be called perfect. Are we seriously just pretending this didn't happen?
 
#701 ·
NOAH - Kensuke Sasaki vs. Go Shiozaki

The Build:
This match has been building for nearly 5 years. 5 years previous to this, a young Go Shiozaki was teaming with his mentor, Kenta Kobashi, against the man seen as his mentor's equal in Kensuke Sasaki along with his protege, Katsuhiko Nakajima. Shiozaki and Nakajima were the weak links in their team but they fought harder than ever and both had the match of their career in that very tag. However, that night, Shiozaki fell to Kensuke Sasaki and Kensuke finally gained a small amount of revenge against Kobashi after his lost to him at the dome.....what was Kensuke victory lead to a young man's career who now seemed to have that one big goal, beat Kensuke. The wars between Burning and Kensuke Office would still rage and Shiozaki finally made his mark several years later.

Fast forward to 2008, Go Shiozaki is coming back full time to Pro-wrestling NOAH after a year tour in North America and his opponent is none other than GHC Champion, Kensuke Sasaki. Year, 2 years, or 3 years, nobody would even process in their minds that Go would even last 5 minutes against Kensuke Sasaki let alone if he was champion. Shiozaki not only lasted but he had Sasaki in jeopardy with one of own maneuvers. The scorecard said that Kensuke won by points but the impression was that night was that Shiozaki had Kensuke beat. Surely this would not be the last each man had seen of each other.

Fast Forward to near mid 2009,Go Shiozaki is now The Man of NOAH and with his fellow Burning peer, KENTA, are the top GHC heavyweight champions of NOAH. They, however, face the unit that none of the Burning combination have been able to beat in Kensuke Sasaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima. A hard fought battle but Go finally put the streak to a end by being apart o the first NOAH team to beat KO. Shiozaki secured the win for his team against that same youngster he stared at from across the ring in 2005, Nakajima. Nakajima, who many felt was at a higher level than Shiozaki for years, was now looking at a man that was now the Gem of Pro-Wrestling NOAH. Nakajima didn't take the loss lightly and disrespected Shiozaki after the match. He isn't about to be under a wrestler who he didn't only believe could beat Kensuke but a man who he believed couldn't even lace his own boots.

As much as it would be such a story for Nakajima to beat Shiozaki, Shiozaki took away the young man's dream. Shiozaki had now put his past behind him and he now proved that his young rival were not his equal anymore. Shiozaki had put away most of his haunted past as he finally went over Morishima, beat KENTA, and even held his own in a toe for toe battle against Kobashi. Now all he had to do for his career was defeat the man that gave him his defining moment as well as lost in his career and that man he needed to beat was Kensuke Sasaki.

2010 and the match is finally signed. Kensuke Sasaki vs. Go Shiozaki. Shiozaki is now seen as one of the aces of Pro-Wrestling NOAH and is fresh off of revenging his loss against New Japan Pro-Wrestling's ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi. If there is anytime Go Shiozaki was going to beat the man that made his career, it would be now. Kensuke Sasaki isn't any slouch and isn't exactly the guy you can just roll through. Had a strong performance in his Global Heavyweight league and even drew with the GHC Heavyweight Champion. Kensuke will not be that guy to just roll over for you. Can Shiozaki finally put that famous lost behind him or will Sasaki take the dream away from Shiozaki?

The Match : Big fight feel and they even have Kenta Kobashi doing commentary. The storytelling in this match is fantastic because it isn't the simple one subject but it's the variety that progresses and it makes segments become memorable instead of forgotten. I came into this match not having much faith in Shiozaki to deliver and in Kensuke to deliver the good but I am glad I was wrong. For my money, this is the best match in NOAH's 2010 year.

First, the match begins with Shiozaki and Kensuke ending up in collar and elbow tie up and they both FIGHT for who gets to decide the clean break. This leads to believing that the first chop is going to be thrown here and then it'll be all hell. Surprisingly though, Shiozaki gives him the clean break to which the announcers are even surprised. It's great to know that people are still great at teasing the inevitable. Match ends up being a power vs power lock up which is acceptable for so many damn reasons and it is quite a play on so many things. They start having a shoulderblock war which leads to one of the most badass moments in the match up. Shiozaki chops Kensuke, Kensuke responds, and they both just stare at each other. I mean c'mon, there is no words, no middlefingers, or anything, they both just eye each other like two cowboys ready for a duel.

The stare ends and they end up STARTING TO HEADBUTT EACH OTHER. Some really sick ones to and Kensuke clearly ends up the victor in all of this. This clearly establishes the point of who really is going to be the big boss in the match but I digress. Shiozaki gets pissed about this and takes Kensuke down. What makes this even better is that Shiozaki starts using Tanahashi's offense on the leg but that really isn't the story. It's just a nice little add in. The story here is that Go isn't going to be a idiot and start fighting like a barbarian but he picks his spots smartly and nicely. He knows if he gets aggressive Kensuke, Kensuke will not take it as lightly as his other opponents would. When he sees the chance, he takes the opportunity to do some damage. When he can't get a piledriver on the apron, he goes for a simple yet effective DDT. When Shiozaki gets chopped on the outside, he doesn't retaliate with a chop of his own but makes sure not to even get that ball rolling.

However, this plan goes all to hell when Kensuke starts giving him shit during a chinlock and Shiozaki gets aggressive. The problem with that is that you don't aggressive Kensuke because Kensuke doesn't play that aggressive shit and getting aggressive with Kensuke means you are going to aggressively get your ass beat. Fuck, even bears don't get aggressive with Kensuke because of fear. Go ends up getting the EPIC shit beat out of him The story is not now if Go can play it smart but if Go can survive this and comeback from this. There is a moment where Go tries to play it smart with elbowing Kensuke to stop the chops but Kensuke just LEVELS him with a monster elbow of his own. There is one EPIC point in which Go tries to get out of this predicament by busting out with a unique Hurcanranna but get his arm TAKEN OFF for giving Kensuke such trouble. I mean Shiozaki damn near gets his whole arm decapitated from Kensuke saying "FUCK YOUR LARIATS"! Badass.

What's great about Go's comeback is that it's a big signature spot from when he came back in the 05 and that spot is a struggle over a suplex. It's so great to see this and it makes Shiozaki's comeback seem so much more damn special. I marked my ass off when he DEADLIFTS a 260 pound built Kensuke the whole way around for a suplex. I would spill into more about how amazing everything was in this match but I'll get down to the one thing I want to get to the most....

Chop fest. This is one the most amazing things I've seen all year next to YAMATO's counter to his own sleeper and Shawn Michaels's rebellious reaction to his inevitable end by Taker. The chop fest here is amazing to me because it basically gives the result. It is labeled on it "Whoever wins this will win the match". While the Kensuke/Kobashi chop fest is amazing, this was it...this was for everything or nothing. A chop duel to decide who would walk out the victor. This made the match more epic than it had any right for it being. Not ever would I have imagined that a chop fest would be THIS DAMN IMPORTANT. It had such a brilliant build the whole match but this solidified why this match deserves every bit of love.


However, the moment, that I believe stands with YAMATO'S counter and the ending to the possible MOTY, was the moment Shiozaki went to the corner and told Kensuke to give him his best. Go fucking Shiozaki MAN UP'ed and told Kensuke to give him the best damn chops he had in him. It keeps replaying in my head because it had no right happening but it did and it was a moment. What makes the moment even better is that Go survives the corner chops and gives him every bit of it back. Shiozaki is a star. That moment proved it. Let me just put it down again to put it in your skulls: Shiozaki took a chop from Kensuke FUCKING Sasaki, walks over to the corner, wraps his arms around the ropes, and yells "BEAT ME"! Chuck Norris has chosen Shiozaki as his disciple after surviving 3 Roundhouse kicks to the face and replying with "Is that all?". Fucking Win.

Anyway I have spoiled enough of this match but feel free to find this match enjoy the epicness. More great things to name than just one.
****1/2+
 
#826 ·
Bryan Danielson vs Bobby Fish - EVOLVE 4
****

Angle/Hardy is legit the worst match I have ever seen btw.
Kurt Angle vs Jeff Hardy - No Surrender 2010

Fucking hell. I went into it knowing I wouldn't like it because I read of all the stupid TNA shenanigans in the match but a lot of people had been saying up to that point it was a brilliant wrestling match. Fuck off btw. This is legit one of the worst matches I have ever had to sit through.

There's literally zero structure or logic to the match. They waste no time getting the mindfuck started. Angle hits a vicous powerbomb on Jeff which they make a huge deal about yet Kurt stands around for like a minute before locking in a sleeper. No pinfall btw afterwards. Fuck. Hardy starts off as he means to go on by botching a dropkick in the corner. Jeff looks a complete tool with that stupid gear and god awful facepaint he has on. He looks legit stoned and without a care in the world for this match. There's another hysterical moment soon after where Jeff supposedly counters an angle slam into a arm drag but he doesn't arm drag Kurt at all. Kurt being the pro he is decides despite Jeff not touching he'll flip over anyway. Brilliant.

They couldn't have possibly killed the idea of a finisher anymore in this one either. Jeff hits a Twist Of Fate on the outside to zero reaction. I dont think the commentators even reference it. Tazz is fucking awful btw. There's so many ex WWE guys in this company that so obviously dont care what they're doing here. Tazz is a goofball at the best of times when he's trying but he's unbearable from what I've heard in TNA which luckily isn't too much. Tenay is Tenay. Just as bad. Jeff then follows this up with a swanton to the outside from the top rope. They get back in the ring as if nothing has happened. Jeff hits another TOF in the ring followed by not one but two swantons off the top rope. Kurt kicks out of every single one. At this point Jeffrey decides lets go for yet another swanton. Kurt gets his knees up this time. Why couldn't he have done that first time around instead of hurting my brain and making Jeff's finisher look like dog shit. Jeff made them look like dog shit enough on his own to be fair. Angle hits a load of angle slams in between all this too which Jeff kicks out of every one. The number of TOF's swantons and angle slams in the match must be in double figures by the end of the match. Not to mention the most ridicoulos ankle lock segment ever. Must have been a complete 5 minutes that Kurt had the ankle lock on Jeff. Jeff never once thinks of selling any offense btw. Neither does Kurt naturally. Total mindfuck.

So after this retarded segment in the match they randomly decide the match has a 20 minute time limit that nobody was told about beforehand. If the match was so important and there needed to be a winner then why was there a time limit in the first place? Angle after having Jeff in the ankle lock for a ludacris amount of time decides to scrap that idea and goes back to working over the ankle, which he didn't even bother doing in the first 20 minutes btw. This 5 minute spell consisted of basically nothing besides Bischoff and Dixie looking bored and nervous at ringside because the match went overtime. I'm clueless as to why Dixie got so much screen time during this match despite contributing niltch to the match. So then we have another 5 minutes. Why not just say this match will carry on until there's a winner because there must be a winner and a loser? Oh no, that requires logic! Fuck me. For some reason out of nowhere Jeff decides it's his turn to have an offense segment. No ankle selling btw of course. He bashes Angle's head onto the steps and to be frank nobody notices what is happening until Kurt gets back in the ring after blading and people realise, oh something must have happened. The biggest mindfuck of the whole shenanigan comes up next when Bischoff decides after ordering not one spell of overtime but two that because Kurt has a minor gash on his head he cant continue. Kurt obviously doesn't sell his injury and acts as normal walking around the ring like it's the start of the match. I dont think Jeff knows what is happening.

I'm calling this the worst match I have ever seen. No structure, no meaning, no storyline advancement, no quality wrestling and absolutely no logic. Literally everything about this is awful. The fans starting numerous "This is Awesome" chants as well as not responding to any of the finishers was terrific. TNA fans literally give every match a "This Is Awesome" chant. Basically if you pull out a big spot you'll get that chant. It is actually worse than the stupid canadian fans using that chant for a ** match at a DGUSA event. Mind boggling. The commentary is abysmal. Tazz makes no sense and the both of them failt to pick up on the majority of what happens in the match. There is no begining, middle and end to the match. Saying they did a load of moves with no meaning has never ever been more true to a match than this. A TOF/Swanton combo on the outside was a passing gesture, as was Kurt using the ankle lock for 5 minutes. Jeff was out of his mind and his head wasn't in the state let alone the arena. Dixie and Bischoff came off as morons that cant run a company. Not in the way they booked the match but they came off like that on screen. Truly brilliant. The match led to nothing either btw. They stressed the importance of having a winner yet they end the match because of a cut. A very minor one at that. I'm pretty sure they did the same match the week after on iMPACT with no winner again.

Quite the spectacle.


DUD
 
#1,361 ·
jawbreaker's Big, Big List of Matches I Saw and Really Enjoyed: 2010 Edition

Note: This is by no means meant to be a definitive MOTY list. Hence the "I Saw" in the title. This limits this list to mostly North American indies: ROH, PWG, Chikara, EVOLVE, etc. because that's all I really watch. There might be a couple matches from various other indies, but no WWE or TNA because I don't have any desire to watch that. I've seen all but the most recent shows for each of the four companies above, so I'd say I'm fairly qualified to make this list. So here we go.

BTW, the criteria is just how much I enjoyed the matches. This means that factors like crowd, atmosphere, even commentary can influence my opinions.

Chronologically.

EVOLVE 1 - TJP vs. Munenori Sawa - ****1/4
Lightning quick, stiff, crisp, innovative action. Like nothing ever before on the indies. Never dragged at any point, which is rare even for a match that goes 13 minutes. Loved every second of this. It had its flaws, but it was easy to look past them and get caught up in the match.

PWG As the Worm Turns - Chris Sabin vs. Roderick Strong - ****1/4
Good limb work and some awesome big spots and an amazing crowd, plus Excalibur on commentary. Probably my favorite Sabin singles match in the last few years. The punt off the apron still stands out in my mind. All around great match, the best on possibly the best show of the year.

PWG As the Worm Turns - Chris Hero vs. Alex Shelley - ****1/4
Technical masterpiece that built well to a good finishing stretch, typical of Hero in 2010 and Shelley all the time. They didn't do too much, but didn't fall short of anything; the match was just as it should have been. And it had the same hot crowd as every other match on the show.

AAW 6th Anniversary Show - The House of Truth vs. The Phoenix Twins (No Ropes Barbed Wire, Loser Leaves Town) - ****1/2
If you've never seen AAW, you missed out on the best work of one of the best teams on the indies: Josh Raymond and Christian Able. Both are injured now and out for a while, Raymond probably retired, but for a while they were fantastic. Their feud with the Phoenix Twins was amazing, and this blowoff was as good as it could have been. The match felt like both teams legitimately wanted to hurt each other, and the loser leaves town stipulation made it even better. Seriously, I think this might be up there with Steen/Generico for feud ender of the year.

EVOLVE 2 - Chris Hero vs. Ikuto Hidaka - ****
If you haven't figured out that I like Chris Hero yet, now you know. Be prepared for lots of Hero on this list. Dude was sick in 2010 and this match, despite the slightly lower star rating, might be the best example. Awesome mat wrestling, limb work, selling from both parties, and then a pretty awesome finishing stretch.

ROH Epic Encounter III - Kevin Steen vs. Player Dos - ****
Originally had this at ***3/4, but bumped it up the additional 1/4* because I really love the character dynamics that created the story here. I was really down on ROH when I first watched this match, but Steen being a crazy motherfucker was perhaps better here than ever and it helped bring me back. Awesome character work from Steen, and Dos was impressive as well, getting the crowd behind him as a mega-underdog. Perhaps the most underappreciated ROH match of 2010.

ROH Epic Encounter III - Chris Hero vs. El Generico - ****1/4
Like Steen/Dos, my love for this match was all about the character dynamics. Generico was still a bit lost after being turned on by Steen, and Hero was just a total dick. The one thing that frustrated me about Hero in ROH was the incessant golden elbow pad finishes, and this match didn't do that, instead making him seem like the ultimate dick heel by choking out Generico when he was already on the verge of passing out. Basically I love Chris Hero.

PWG Titannica - Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong - ****1/2
Not a whole lot of a story here, just two guys trying to beat each other. Awesome technical stuff that built to a ridiculous finishing stretch that teetered on the edge of the overkill cliff but just barely avoided jumping off. It had its flaws, but none of them had anything to do with the action, which was better than anything else to that point this year.

Chikara King of Trios Night 1 - Team Frightning vs. Team Big Japan - ****
Chikara King of Trios Night 2 - The Future Is Now vs. Team Big Japan - ****1/4

Daisuke Sekimoto destroys people.

ROH Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies II - Tyler Black vs. Chris Hero - ****
Tyler's title reign honestly wasn't that good, but it had its share of good matches. This was one of them. Hero, in keeping with his character, acted like a dick, and Black... did his thing too. It was a bit slow in the early going, but Hero's character work kept it interesting and even though Tyler forgot to sell a bit, I still enjoyed this match.

ROH Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies II - Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico (Chicago Street Fight) - ****1/4
Bloody, brutal, awesome. The one potential problem with this match is that maybe it was booked too early, but that doesn't really matter when evaluating the match. Corino's beer bottle thing was great, and the finish fit the storyline really well.

ROH Supercard of Honor V - Kings of Wrestling vs. Motor City Machine Guns - ****1/4
Everyone knows the story of this match: incredible action, as to be expected from these four, only to be ruined by the worst non-finish of the year. Fuck TNA.

PWG DDT4 - Chris Hero vs. Brandon Bonham - ****
Story here was Hero beating the shit out of Bonham, who just kept coming back for more. Easily the best match of Bonham's career to this point. Violent match that didn't hurt Hero at all despite Bonham getting in a lot of offense. If anything, it made Hero look better for dishing out so much on Bonham, as well as Bonham for taking it and fighting back.

ROH Death Before Dishonor VIII - Kings of Wrestling vs. Briscoes - ****
At this point in their career, I have little to no use for the Briscoes. This match was not why I ordered DBD. But it surprised me by being actually really good. No stupid KRS-1 kickouts like in the Big Bang match, and some really good heat segments on the parts of the Kings. The one thing I don't get is that the Kings got a clean win, yet the Briscoes still kept getting title shot after title shot, apparently just by virture of being the Briscoes. Nothing to do with the match, just something that frustrates me.

ROH Death Before Dishonor VIII - Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards - ****3/4
I really want to be different and say this match wasn't all that great, but it really was. Tyler actually added things to his moveset, a reverse rana, a Rubik's Cube, as well as variations on his standard arsenal (Paroxysm to the floor, wrist-clutch God's Last Gift). Davey has worn a bit thin for me this year, but in this match I wanted him to win the world title more than anything. And when he locked on the Cloverleaft, I thought he had. Nearfall of the year right there. Only flaw in this match was the Hagadorn interference, which was just stupid.

CHIKARA We Must Eat Michigan's Brain - Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston - ****
The opening few minutes alone make this match a MOTYC. Kingston's arrogance at trying to chain wrestle Danielson, Danielson's ruthlessness taking advantage of it, all of it played so well off of their characters. Add in the emotion of it being Danielson's first match back on the indies, and this match started off better than anything all year. But then Danielson gave up on the knee, which Kingston sold beautifully, and just started doing submissions for the hell of it. Then Claudio interfered and the match lost a lot of its awesomeness. But CM Skittle red repped me for liking this match, so I know it's really good.

ROH Salvation - Kings of Wrestling vs. Young Bucks - ****
This might have been the most infuriating match of the year. The action was really good, almost as good as KOW-Guns. But the crowd was damn near silent for just about the whole match. It could have been so much better than it was, but through no fault of the wrestlers.

PWG Seven - Brian Cage vs. Brandon Bonham - ****
This came out of nowhere to be really awesome. Nobody was expecting anything from Cage, and he won over the crowd big here. Like Bonham's match with Hero, this was stiff and was basically just two men beating each other up. And I loved it. It took two Hammers of the Gods to put down Cage, and normally that would seem like overkill, but here it fit well. A match that builds to a finish that well deserves MOTY consideration.

PWG Seven - Scott Lost vs. Scorpio Sky - ****1/2
First off, the rating isn't this high because it's a technical masterpiece, or because it was super fast paced, or had a great finishing stretch. It's here because emotionally, it was one of my favorite matches of 2010. This was Scott Lost's last match, and it was a very fitting tribute to one of the best under-the-radar indy wrestlers of the last decade. Lost got all his spots in, some more than once, and Sky played his part very well. The crowd was both loud and respectful, and Excalibur on commentary added to the greatness of the match as well.

PWG Seven - Chris Hero vs. Davey Richards - ****1/2
The best indy wrestler of 2009 vs. the best indy wrestler of 2010. This was always going to be awesome. And then it was. Davey's cartoonish selling at a couple points was all that detracted from an otherwise fantastic match. Hero didn't get into as much character work as he did in some other matches this year, but that was okay, because Richards being Richards didn't really allow for much of Hero's methodical stuff, which was perfectly fine because Hero also counteracted Davey from getting out of hand with some of his stuff. Great match all around.

PWG Seven - Peligro Abejas! vs. Cutler Brothers vs. Young Bucks (Guerrilla Warfare) - ****
Sheer insanity. White hot crowd, crazy spot after crazy spot after crazy spot. No real reason for the Bees to be involved, but London's spots were okay and Generico is never bad, so once you get past their nonsensical involvement and just focus on the match, it's thoroughly enjoyable, even if they do go into overkill a bit.

PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2010 Night 1 - Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ricochet - ****
Claudio against a little flippy guy has always had some potential to it, but this was probably the best one of those matches has ever been. Claudio looked like a total beast, to the point where I was actually legitimately wondering how anyone could beat him ever. And then Ricochet pulled out some spots and I was convinced he had done it. I wasn't expecting it to be this good and it blew me away.

PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2010 Night 2 - Chris Hero vs. Akira Tozawa - ****3/4
Like Hero vs. Bonham from DDT4, not a whole lot of story to this one beyond one guy beating the other up and the other taking it and making a comeback. But this one did it absolutely perfectly. Tozawa was a somewhat annoying comedy wrestler before this match, and after it he was a star. The crowd was hotter than any crowd in wrestling all year as well, which added a lot to the match. Another match that came out of nowhere to be amazing.

PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2010 Night 2 - Chris Hero vs. Joey Ryan - ****1/4
Since it's Joey Ryan in a main event match, I wasn't expecting this to be any good. But it was, oh it was. Ryan sold his shoulder wonderfully all night (the fact that it was legit injured probably helped), and he played the underdog really well here, hanging in there with Hero and then when the superkicks that had gotten him to the final couldn't get the job done, he went to the small package and got the win.

ROH Glory By Honor IX - Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico (Double Chain Match) - ****
Not a ton of spots here, but the ones that there were were built up to well. Beyond that... Steen and Corino are fucking amazing heels. Damn near perfect performance from them, and then the post-match... if I was including that, this would be about ****3/4. Great stuff, by far the highlight of possibly ROH's worst iPPV of the year.

CHIKARA Eye to Eye - Ares & Claudio Castagnoli vs. 3.0 - ****1/2
The emotion in this match was off the charts. 3.0 came in still trying to be taken seriously, having beaten F.I.S.T., who called them a joke leading up to the match, and the Super Smash Brothers, who they had wrestled countless times and never beaten, en route to getting the necessary three points to challenge the Campeones, who had yet to lose a fall as champs. The match started like the rest of the BDK title matches: the BDK jumped 3.0 in the entranceway and got a quick fall within the first ten seconds. But then Scott Parker pinned Ares with a school boy, and the place came unglued. Everyone in the building wanted 3.0 to win, and it showed. The heat on Ares and Claudio was amazing, and 3.0 had the best match of their lives.

CHIKARA The Dark Ciberknetico - Team CHIKARA vs. Team BDK (Torneo Cibernetico) - ****3/4
Remember what I said about the emotion in the last match? Turn that up a bit and you've got this match. As KingCrash said, this match got people to cheer for Icarus. That should say it all, but I'll continue anyway. Everything about this match was right. Tim Donst was put over big, UltraMantis Black beat Delirious, Claudio continued to duck Eddie Kingston, and then Kingston beat Tursas in an incredibly emotional finish.

ROH Final Battle 2010 - Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly vs. the All-Night Express - ****
Super fun spotfest opener that the crowd absolutely lost their shit for. Cole and O'Reilly had never wrestled in NYC before, and now they're pretty damn over. Easily the best opener of the year and big things should happen for Cole and O'Reilly in ROH in 2011.

ROH Final Battle 2010 - Roderick Strong vs. Davey Richards - ****1/2
This was their Titannica match, only with the roles reversed and a different finish. Davey kept throwing everything he had at Roddy, and couldn't put him away. Then Roddy came up with a big flurry and got the win. Assuming the concussion finish was a work, it was unbelievably well done, and Strong being a dick and leaving before giving Richards a chance to shake his hand did more for his character than Truth Martini ever has.

ROH Final Battle 2010 - Kevin Steen vs. El Generico (Mask vs. Career Fight Without Honor) - ****1/2
This had the potential to be a five star match. The buildup was very good, and with it main eventing FB it was set up to be the match of the year. And the feud-ending aspect of the match was really good. I have no complaints with that. But the match itself was just kind of slow and plodding, which didn't really fit with the brutality of the feud. Still, the story was brilliant, about as good as one can tell a story within the confines of a wrestling match, and for that it gets a high rating.

And now for a more traditional list form:

1. ROH Death Before Dishonor VIII - Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards - ****3/4
2. PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2010 Night 2 - Chris Hero vs. Akira Tozawa - ****3/4
3. CHIKARA The Dark Ciberknetico - Team CHIKARA vs. Team BDK (Torneo Cibernetico) - ****3/4
4. PWG Seven - Chris Hero vs. Davey Richards - ****1/2
5. ROH Final Battle 2010 - Roderick Strong vs. Davey Richards - ****1/2P
6. PWG Titannica - Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong - ****1/2
7. AAW 6th Anniversary Show - The House of Truth vs. The Phoenix Twins (No Ropes Barbed Wire, Loser Leaves Town) - ****1/2
8. ROH Final Battle 2010 - Kevin Steen vs. El Generico (Mask vs. Career Fight Without Honor) - ****1/2
9.CHIKARA Eye to Eye - Ares & Claudio Castagnoli vs. 3.0 - ****1/2
10. PWG Seven - Scott Lost vs. Scorpio Sky - ****1/2
11. PWG As the Worm Turns - Chris Sabin vs. Roderick Strong - ****1/4
12. PWG As the Worm Turns - Chris Hero vs. Alex Shelley - ****1/4
13. ROH Epic Encounter III - Chris Hero vs. El Generico - ****1/4
14. PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2010 Night 2 - Chris Hero vs. Joey Ryan - ****1/4
15. EVOLVE 1 - TJP vs. Munenori Sawa - ****1/4
16. ROH Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies II - Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico (Chicago Street Fight) - ****1/4
17. ROH Supercard of Honor V - Kings of Wrestling vs. Motor City Machine Guns - ****1/4
18. Chikara King of Trios Night 2 - The Future Is Now vs. Team Big Japan - ****1/4
19. PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2010 Night 1 - Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ricochet - ****
20. ROH Glory By Honor IX - Kevin Steen & Steve Corino vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico (Double Chain Match) - ****
21. CHIKARA We Must Eat Michigan's Brain - Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston - ****
22. EVOLVE 2 - Chris Hero vs. Ikuto Hidaka - ****
23. ROH Death Before Dishonor VIII - Kings of Wrestling vs. Briscoes - ****
24. PWG Seven - Peligro Abejas! vs. Cutler Brothers vs. Young Bucks (Guerrilla Warfare) - ****
25. PWG DDT4 - Chris Hero vs. Brandon Bonham - ****
26. ROH Epic Encounter III - Kevin Steen vs. Player Dos - ****
27. ROH Final Battle 2010 - Adam Cole & Kyle O'Reilly vs. the All-Night Express - ****
28. ROH Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies II - Tyler Black vs. Chris Hero - ****
29. ROH Salvation - Kings of Wrestling vs. Young Bucks - ****
30. PWG Seven - Brian Cage vs. Brandon Bonham - ****

And there it is. I reserve the right to amend this after watching the six remaining indy shows from 2010 I have yet to watch, though the only things I could see making it into the list are Richards/Daniels and Kings/Wolves. Although I shouldn't count out something from Cyanide making it, 11 of my top 30 matches are from PWG, not bad considering I've seen nine PWG shows this year.

Next year I'll start watching puro regularly, I promise.
 
#4 ·
Why would you make this a 'Matches That Are Pretty Good' Thread? The name is pretty obvious isn't it? Match Of The Year. What is the lowest match you have ever given that award to? ****1/2 would be my low guess, but I assume it is ****3/4 or even ***** if you are a star fairy. If that is the case then why would anyone put non ****1/2 in this thread? The thread name tells you what to do, and in the case above, he even admits he sees the title of the thread and is not following it. If people need an idea of what WWE stuff (that is below ****1/2) they can go to the WWE section, or you can make a 'matches that are good but not MOTYC worthy' thread. How about this year we have a community resolution to keep non ****1/2+ matches out of this thread?
 
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#10 · (Edited)
I like to think of this thead not as a MOTYC thread but as a "you should check out this match, even go out of your way if you have to" thread. If someone recommends a *** match from Raw, you bet your fucking ass I'm gonna thank him and then go check it out. How often do you see that sort of match quality on weekly tv?

Don't be so critical. Its just a fucking thread on a fucking forum ON THE FUCKING INTERNET.

I remember when Other Wrestling wasn't so fucking serious business.

Edit: And for those of us who don't care about venturing into the retard factory that is the WWE sections or TNA section, I welcome people to post WWE/TNA stuff in here.

Also, why should a match have to be **** or more to be considered a MOTYC. Ratings are purely relative and if someone thinks a ** star match is a MOTYC, then post it here. Don't mind the asshats who try to be dicks about ratings.

Sorry to vent.
 
#24 ·
I have Angle/Styles at ***1/2. No rhyme or reason to the ridiculousness, and a weird, yet-to-be-explained run-in stopped this from elevating further. However, what we got was two top-notch pros throwing bombs. I wasn't bored, that's for sure.

Impact as a whole sucked out loud and was FAR inferior to Raw, but the finish to their show kicked Raw's ass simply because they showcased...wait for it...WRASSLIN'! And a very good wrasslin' match at that.
 
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#35 ·
AJ Styles vs Kurt Angle scores a ***1/2 here. It fits as a average good match. Good moves being thrown out every minute, decent counter work. But a classic? Nah. If it is a classic, then I will have to add another 200 American matches to that list.

The psychology through the match was awkward, Kurt Angle match so not to be suprised. AJ didn't seem interest in selling the work throughout the match, constant ankle lock spam by Angle yet he manages to hit a Spiral Tap and win. Yay. Too much upper-body work by Angle, only to be deemed useless by the end.

The story fitted the match well, both trying to prove they are the best in the world. I would say neither are. That is Rey Mysterio, but he hasn't had many opportunities to a good match since his return from injuries and suspensions. Back on topic, the match was a movez showcase, it fitted it. The match was always going to have some great maneuvers, there were. Mission accomplished. The basics of the match were scrapped completely, and they just decided to entertain the fans. Not my type.

***1/2.
 
#51 · (Edited)
Wrestle Kingdom IV

Takashi Sugiura (c) vs Hirooki Goto (GHC Heavyweight Title Match) - 8.8/10

Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs Yoshihiro Takayama (IWGP Heavyweight Title Match) - 9.3 out of 10 - I was rooting hard for Nakamura, Takayama can be a dick!
 
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#64 ·
Agreed. I was at **** initially for the Styles/Angle match because it was so fun, but a second watch got a little tiring, and now I'm down to ***1/2. Strong/Richards was right on the border between ***3/4-**** for me. Probably on the lower end, but I still liked it quite a bit. Stiff kicks, and two evenly-matched guys throwing bombs.
 
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