Match of the Year 2019

Match of the Year 2019

10) Tetsuya Naito vs Kota Ibushi (NJPW) 6/9/2019

This match is a counter-argument to anyone who says there are no feuds in wrestling anymore. The utter hatred between both wrestlers is exemplified by the devastating strikes and moves. They tried to kill each other. No where was this match by any means slow. Ibushi's selling was really great. Naito played to the Osaka crowd perfectly. The apron spot only added to the drama and to the importance of the match. Naito's arc with the IC title pretty much climaxed here as from this point forward it was now about getting both titles. Ibushi was an excellent babyface here. Just an outstanding match.

Final Rating - ****¾

9) Jungle Kyona vs Momo Watanabe (STARDOM) 3/3/2019

This match saw two incredible performances from both women. Momo was outstanding as the cocky champion most notably when she no-sold Jungle's early leg work by repeatedly kicking her with the same leg. Jungle, who is already great, was just on another level here in her hometown. She was right there with Momo in terms of intensity and timing. Transitioning from working on Momo's leg to her back when it was obvious that her leg work was not effective showed great ring psychology. The closing stretch was phenomenal with both ladies trading signature moves until the better woman won. This was hard-hitting and viscous at times but also very technical. Momo showed why she should be getting a monster push in this promotion and why she is one of the best wrestlers in the world.

Final Rating - ****¾

8) SANADA vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW) 8/3/2019

This match is why I love the G1, especially towards the end where the stakes are even higher. SANADA proved in this match that he belongs among the top wrestlers of the company. The match was a prime example of how to effectively build to a climax. Even the slow parts were engaging enough thanks to Okada's offense. The last 5 minutes of the match was one of the hottest stretches all year. That crowd was firmly behind SANADA. The story was continued with SANADA finally getting a win over Okada.

Final Rating - ****¾

7) Kento Miyahara vs Naoya Nomura (AJPW) 9/3/2019

An incredible match. Miyahara as a subtle heel here was fantastic. Every move and every little detail he made was great and it shaped up the story for Nomura. Kento as the dominant champion looking to get everything he can out of his opponents to get great challenges out of them was perfect for Nomura's rise from a upper mid-card contender to a legitimate threat to Miyahara. Nomura was also excellent. The way he reacted to Miyahara's crap was very entertaining. The slaps and chops were hard and Miyahara deserved every one of them. The selling was a little drawn out but it was still great. The stretch between when Nomura broke free of the straight-jacket German suplex and the finish is what really put this match over for me. Korakuen was very hot for that. This match proved that Nomura should be the one to take the Triple Crown from Miyahara.

Final Rating - ****¾

6) Shingo Takagi vs SHO (NJPW) 5/13/2019

I may be the only person on this planet to go the full 5 on this match but it was perfect. These two had been feuding all year in the Junior Tag division at this point with Shingo being the overbearing and dominant wrestler. From the opening lock up you can derive all of that. It is an aggressive lock up showing that while the feud is heated, it still revolves around athletic competition as opposed to your traditional blood feud. The whole match was designed to get SHO over to a next level. He went from tag wrestler to a serious contender to win his block. The story of the match progressed seamlessly through the great back-and-forth battles throughout. SHO had an answer for everything Shingo did. SHO proved to Shingo that he was better than Shingo made him out to be. Shingo had great reactions to SHO's flurries of offense. SHO's intensity here was great. Everything each wrestler did was met with a great reaction by the other and this really drove home the story that SHO was surprising Shingo. In the end it was Shingo's experience that allowed him to emerge victorious. Shingo was reassured that he was better than SHO but SHO had elevated his position on the roster through this match. After the match Shingo confronts SHO gives him a pat on the back as to say "You almost had me there but I'm still better." It was a perfect story with great heat coming in that was told solely through the actions and reactions of the wrestlers. THIS IS PRO WRESTLING!

Final Rating - *****

5) Konosuke Takeshita vs Tetsuya Endo (DDT) 7/15/2019

This was an incredible match with an interesting heel/face dynamic. The entire match was built with the roles reversed seeing Endo as the sympathetic face and Takeshita as the heel. Endo's selling of his back was brilliant as it played a factor in the finish of the match and other key moments of the match as well. The match was fast-paced and hard-hitting. There were some very well executed moves all throughout the match. The crowd was hot and firmly behind Endo. This was amazing. 

Final Rating - *****

4) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kenny Omega (NJPW) 1/4/2019

It was an incredible epic. It was hate-filled and had a good story coming in. The outcome was the most intriguing thing as Omega's future in NJPW was in question. That definitely gave the match more heat. Each man’s offense looked really brutal. You had your standard Omega moveset with some added hate. The crowd was very hot. This match concluded a turbulent year for Tanahashi and peaked with a world title win.

Final Rating - *****

3) Shingo Takagi vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW) 8/4/2019

This match was an incredible showcase of in-ring psychology and storytelling. All of the backstory coming played into the story of the match. Naito is trying to best an old rival that was always better than him. They work around their differences with Naito going for faster paced maneuvers while Shingo is overpowering. This story plays into Naito's character arc. He has to find ways to adapt to Shingo in order to not make the same mistakes again. That is the gist of Naito's arc: learning from his past mistakes to better himself. There was also a lot of awesome moves, Shingo did a great job selling and the crowd was hot from the beginning. All of that plus the stakes of a late G1 match makes for a special bout.

Final Rating - *****

2) Shingo Takagi vs Will Ospreay (NJPW) 6/5/2019

This match was a perfect culmination of the entire Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Both men had incredible runs with Shingo going undefeated and Ospreay only losing twice. That shaped the dynamic of the match as Ospreay was the underdog looking to stop the monster Shingo. The match was just incredible. Some of the reversal sequences were outstanding. The technical aspect was just unbelievable. 

Final Rating - *****

1) Arisa Nakajima vs Nanae Takahashi (SEAdLINNNG) 11/2/2019

What an amazing match. Two great performances from two amazing wrestlers. The strikes in this match were insane. This was a proper heated match from two rivals. It was vicious and intense. The hair vs hair stipulation made it that much better. Being for the title, a hair vs hair match and a blow-off to a long feud, it was the perfect recipe for a professional wrestling match. The pace in which they worked was outstanding. There was not one dull moment in the entire match. If you've seen previous matches in this feud the drama of this match is better than anything this year. This is encapsulated by the moment after the match when Takahashi is getting shaved by Nakajima while Nakajima is in tears. Takahashi's face is one that says that she's accepted her failure and is willing to endure the consequences. Incredible stuff.

Final Rating - *****