December isn't historically the biggest month for wrestling but there were some great matches that took place. Admittedly half of them were from PWG but still.
15. Young Bucks vs Mark Haskins & Flash Morgan Webster - PWG All-Star Weekend 13 Night 2
This match involved a lot of comedy but it worked well as Haskins played the straight man. There were some great allusions to the cease and desist order in there. Obviously the wrestling was good too, but only good enough to be the 7th best match from All-Star Weekend. ****
14. Flamita vs Sammy Guevara - PWG All-Star Weekend 13 Night 1
This is very much a showcase for two up and coming highfliers. If you like the style, and I do, you will like this. Plenty of crazy flips and dives to keep you entertained. ****
13. Jonah Rock vs Keith Lee - PWG All-Star Weekend 13 Night 1
Literally the opposite of the previous match. This is the classic big bastards showdown. I've only seen Rock a few times but he looked better here than he had at any time previously. Keith Lee is on the top of his game currently and seems to be unable to have a bad match. ****
12. Grizzled Young Veterans vs Aussie Open (PROGRESS Tag Titles) - PROGRESS Chapter 59: Whatever People Say
GYV have quickly become a very good tag team. Zack Gibson is possibly the most unlikable wrestler in the world, in the best way possible. Aussie Open have been impressing recently too, and I feel like this is their best match to date. ****
11. Lucha Brothers vs Chosen Bros (PWG Tag Titles) - PWG All-Star Weekend 13 Night 1
This match was a weird one for me as I found it very entertaining yet still a touch disappointing as I had massive hopes going in. Having said that it is a very good match between two great teams as evidenced by where it falls on this list. It just didn't quite quite reach the heights these teams could have. ****
10. Chuck Taylor vs Ricochet (PWG Title) - PWG All-Star Weekend 13 Night 2
It was nice to see Chuck Taylor finally get a run with the PWG Title but it never felt like it was going to last, though it was still surprising that it was Ricochet that ended it as everyone thought that this would be his last show before leaving for WWE. The match itself is very good, as you would expect from these two. After all they have been on the scene together for a long time. ****
9. Jay Lethal vs Marty Scurll - ROH Final Battle
This was a great match that told the story of Scurll trying to get Lethal to embrace his former heelish ways. It could have seemed too much if done badly but they manage to pull it off really well. The crowd is up for the match too, which helps. Easily the best match on Final Battle. ****
8. Masaaki Mochizuki vs Ryo Saito (Open The Dream Gate Title) - Dragon Gate Final Gate
This was a great way for Mochizuki to finish a year in which he has exceeded all expectations that could be expected for a 47 year old. It is another example of just how good Mochizuki, and a large portion of the DG roster for that matter, really is. ****
7. WALTER vs Keith Lee (WWN Live Title) - Evolve 96
Hoss fight! They go for a full out war here. Both men have been having incredible years and this was no different. This was a different kind of match than most that Lee has as he had to struggle against another wrestler that has the strength and size that he does. Great match. ****1/4
6. Zack Sabre Jr vs DJ Z - Evolve 96
Well, DJ Z is having a much better run in Evolve than he was at the end of his Impact Wrestling one. He is getting the chance to all out against a collection of very good wrestlers and is taking advantage of it. His style and gimmick play well against the more straightforward Sabre. Good stuff. ****1/4
5. Ricochet vs WALTER - PWG All-Star Weekend 13 Night 1
This was an excellent showcase for two of the world's best wrestlers, working the classic speed vs strength dynamic. Ricochet works heel here, as he has been doing in PWG, and that plays into the way the match goes with Ricochet taking shortcuts and winning with a quick roll up. ****1/2
4. Zack Sabre Jr vs Jaka (Evolve Title) - Evolve 97
This was the third match between these two and it may well have been the best. The fact that they have different styles worked very well here as Jaka had an injury so he wanted to end the match quickly with his hard hitting style while Sabre focused on the knee and worked it over throughout the match. The finishing sequence was excellent too. ****1/2
3. Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi & Jason Lee vs BxB Hulk, Kzy & Yamato (Open The Triangle Gate Titles) - Dragon Gate Final Gate
Nobody does 6-man tag matches like Dragon Gate. It is a staple of the company and they have pretty much perfected it. They manage to book matches that are great whether you have the backstory or not. The star of this match was Yoshino who suffered a very bad back injury and is starting to come back from it. ****1/2
2. Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bate (WWE UK Title) - NXT TV
While this wasn't quite as good as their match at TakeOver: Chicago it was still an exceptional match between two wrestlers that know each other inside out. Both men are future stars. The only real negative point was that the crowd were highly disappointing. ****1/2
1. Zack Sabre Jr vs WALTER - PWG All-Star Weekend 13 Night 2
Heading into these PWG shows this was the match that I was most looking forward to, but even I didn't think it would end up this good. It starts off as a wrestling match but it becomes a war, with both men throwing absolutely everything they have into it. WALTER's chops in particular are brutal. Sabre Jr's striking skills are sometimes forgotten because he is such a good technician but he got to unleash everything here. The finish was great too with Sabre going for the European Clutch, that he has won a ton of matches with, only to bridge into a sleeper that ended his night. This was a genuine match of the year contender that you should check out if you can. *****
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