We start 2019 with some very good wrestling. There weren't as many great matches as most months in 2018 but trying to maintain that level of quality was going to be near impossible, because of that there are no honourable mentions.
15. AR Fox & Johnny Gargano vs Austin Theory & Josh Briggs - Evolve 119
This was a good tag match that had a good crowd due to the appearance of Gargano. They told a good story with some very good wrestling and the finishing stretch was lovely. ****
14. Anthony Henry vs AR Fox - Evolve 120
Back to back matches for AR Fox, who really is very good when he is on it. Anthony Henry is great too. They have a great back and forth here with Henry working over the neck and Fox trying to hit the most different variations of the Ace Crusher that you can. Top stuff. ****
13. Pete Dunne vs Joe Coffey (WWE UK Title) - NXT UK Takeover
I originally gave this match a higher rating on first viewing, but having watched it again I don't think that it was quite as good as I originally thought. Having said that, I still think it was an intriguing match that felt a lot more real than most matches you will see, especially in WWE. Dunne is always excellent. ****
12. Asuka vs Becky Lynch (SD Women's Title) - WWE Royal Rumble
This was the best match on a solid Royal Rumble PPV. I never really thought that Lynch was going to win as it seemed like there was always going to be a bigger story for her. That didn't stop them putting together a really fun match though and they stole the show. ****
11. Strong BJ vs Violent Giants (AJPW Tag Titles) - BJW To Was Gat Early
It is great to see Strong BJ back putting on superb tag matches. I do love big guys throwing bombs at each other so this was right up my street. It was up the crowd's street too as they were on board throughout. This is the good violence. ****1/4
10. Andrade vs Rey Mysterio (2 Out Of 3 Falls) - WWE Smackdown Live 22nd January
Before this feud, it had been a while since we had seen what Andrade is really capable of. It was good to see Rey on top of his game too. I t makes perfect sense that these two have great chemistry but that doesn't take anything away from how nice of a surprise it was to see it go down on TV. For me, this was slightly weaker than the match they had a week earlier due to the finish. ****1/4
9. Tomohiro Ishii vs Zack Sabre Jr (RevPro British Heavyweight Title) - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
This match was a perfect example of how to do a shorter title match while keeping all of the things that make them feel big. Sabre Jr did some great limb work and Ishii sold it as brilliantly as he always does. This was another quality outing in their history of great matches. ****1/4
8. Kota Ibushi vs Will Ospreay (NEVER Openweight Title) - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
This was a great way to open a main card, and put over Ospreay as a legitimate heavyweight threat. They worked a different match than most people expected, with a lot of the high flying replaced with them beating the shit out of each other. It worked out though and they produced a great piece of wrestling. ****1/4
7. Andrade vs Rey Mysterio - WWE Smackdown Live 15th January
It was really nice to see a match of this quality come out of nowhere on free TV. This was top notch wrestling from start to finish, and it featured moves that you don't really see on WWE programming. Hopefully matches such as this make those in power realise that Andrade is fucking brilliant, and deserves to be in the upper echelons of the SD card. ****1/4
6. Kazuchika Okada vs Jay White - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
The only match on the WK card that wasn't for a title was also one of its most important. It had to establish White as a major top-level player on the New Japan roster by having him win a great match on their biggest show. They tried this a year earlier and it didn't really work like they wanted, but here it worked like a charm. This was near perfect wrestling storytelling. ****1/2
5. Grizzled Young Veterans vs Moustache Mountain (NXT UK Tag Titles) - NXT UK Takeover
The first NXT UK Takeover match may well end up being its best for quite some time. This was prime tag team wrestling, with big spots and innovative moves scattered throughout. The crowd was white hot throughout too, giving it a great atmosphere. As far as setting out a stall for the brand's big shows goes, this was about as good as you could ask for. ****3/4
4. Undisputed Era vs War Raiders (NXT Tag Titles) - NXT Takeover Phoenix
The consistent quality of the tag title matches on Takeover events is a thing of wonder. You would think that there would be the occasional average match, but no. This was stunning too. Both teams put it all out there and the second half of the match is outstanding. Roderick Strong, in particular, put in one hell of a shift. Wonderful. ****3/4
3. Chris Jericho vs Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC Title) - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
Jericho, the wrestling chameleon that he is, turned into a madman in this match, as is his way in NJPW. This was right up there among the best Jericho matches, and in retrospect, it might be better than the Omega match from last year, even though I rated that higher at the time. Between the action and Jericho's banter, this was an absolute blast. It acted like a mirror of sorts to their first match but surpassed that and established itself as something brilliant. ****3/4
2. Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (IWGP Title) - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13
This was a spectacular main event. It had an engrossing story, fantastic wrestling, and a great feel good moment to finish it off. This was slightly different to the regular NJPW main event, having a little bit of a more old school feel, but it worked out really well. Some of the reversal sequences on show here were of the highest calibre and the image of Tanahashi having what may well be his last championship winning performance at Wrestle Kingdom was fantastic. This was amazing wrestling. *****
1. Ricochet vs Johnny Gargano (NXT North American Title) - NXT Takeover Phoenix
Put two of the best wrestlers on the planet against each other and what you get is this slice of fried gold. The chain wrestling was great, and took up the start of the match, building a base from which they could launch. And launch they did. The speed and precision with which they executed some of the exchanges was a joy to behold and there are very few wrestlers in the world that are physically capable of doing this. The slower moments in the match are there to tell a story and it all ties together beautifully. If for some reason you haven't watched it yet, do it now. *****
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