Match of The Year: Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi (6/5/19 – NJPW)
Ospreay and Takagi had elevated each of their blocks throughout the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors tournament and they didn’t disappoint in the block finals. This match benefited from either competitor being a capable and believable winner with Ospreay being a slight underdog coming out on top.
2. Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes (5/25/19 – AEW)
This match just felt important to the future of professional wrestling in the United States. Double or Nothing was a defining show for AEW and Cody vs. Dustin defined AEW as something different from the professional wrestling we had seen in the US over the previous 20 years. Even if this is the top of what we could expect going forward from AEW, it was grounds for excitement for where they were headed.
3. Kota Ibushi v. Kazuchika Okada (8/10/19 – NJPW)
It seemed pretty likely that the A block of this year’s G1 was going to end on this match, but that didn’t change the anticipation for this match. Ibushi and Okada hadn’t had a match since 2014 and they hadn’t had a match with stakes like these ever. They delivered on the anticipation and Ibushi’s victory was the result I was hoping for at the end of G1 block action.
4. Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet (1/26/19 – NXT)
This one gets a live bump. Seeing Gargano finally win a singles title in NXT and watching him and Ricochet put together a well paced, high stakes match was a very fun way to begin my honeymoon.
5. Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay (7/18/19 – NJPW)
Kota Ibushi came into this match 0-2 in the 2019 G1 with a formidable opponent in Will Ospreay. This was the turning point for Ibushi. He defeated Ospreay, getting his win back from WK13, but more importantly setting the tone for the rest of his 2019 as he ripped through his singles schedule for an 11 match winning streak.
6. Pentagon Jr, Fenix vs. Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson (8/31/19 – AEW)
With as many Tables-Ladders-Chairs matches I’ve seen in my life, I didn’t expect to be so impressed by being at a match like this live, but I was. These four guys demolished each other and their creativity and willingness to put their bodies on the line did not go unnoticed by me.
7. WALTER vs. Tyler Bate (8/31/19 – NXT UK)
I watched this match in my hotel room after AEW’s All Out while I attempted to wind down, but WALTER and Bate just got me more excited about professional wrestling. This is probably the only match on my top 10 list that I watched in a vacuum as just a match with no pretense of the story or expectations around the finish. Tyler Bate remains one of my favorite wrestlers to watch and WALTER was an awesome foe.
8. Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki (8/31/19 – NJPW)
Another match from a really fun day for professional wrestling, 8/31. I watched this match right before heading over to the arena for AEW’s All Out. This match wildly out performed my expectations. I had enjoyed Okada and Suzuki’s previous efforts, but Okada’s dominance in this one hit the spot and the Royal Quest crowd added a unique, high intensity element to the performance. I have to disclose that it is also a vanity selection, as Kevin Kelly graciously gave me a shoutout during the broadcast of this match for the statistics contributions I had sent over that I was particularly proud of.
9. Shingo Takagi vs. Dragon Lee (5/23/19 – NJPW)
Seeing Shingo and Dragon Lee wrestle a match that took each of them briefly out of their typical style was impressive to say the least. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Dragon Lee was one of the first opponents that could have believably ended Shingo’s unbeaten streak, so the stakes were high. This match had hard hitting, high flying, awesome pacing and Korakuen Hall came alive for them.
10. Becky Lynch vs. Asuka (1/27/19 – WWE)
Being in Chase Field for the pop that Becky Lynch got to kick off the Royal Rumble pay-per-view was awesome. This was really the peak of Becky’s push towards main eventing Wrestle Mania and that energy was palpable. Lynch and Asuka put on a hell of a match and the 40,000+ crowd was genuinely invested. I was surprised, but not disappointed when Asuka ended victorious.