The year may be winding down but the standard of wrestling remains as high as it has for the rest of the year. Part of this was due to PWG finally releasing BOLA, part of it is the insane quality of wrestling the world over.
Honourable Mentions
Chris Jericho vs EVIL (IWGP IC Title) - NJPW Power Struggle ****
Pentagon Dark vs Marty 'The Moth' Martinez (Lucha Underground Title, Cero Miedo) - Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha IV ****
Daniel Bryan vs AJ Styles (WWE Title) - WWE Smackdown 13th November ****
Buddy Murphy vs Mustafa Ali (Cruiserweight Title) - WWE Survivor Series ****
Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey - WWE Survivor Series ****
Puma King vs Flamita - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 1 ****
WALTER vs Mark Haskins (PROGRESS Title) - PROGRESS Chapter 78: 24 Hour Progress People ****
Mustafa Ali vs DJZ - Evolve 115 ****
Street Profits vs Work Horsemen (Evolve Tag Titles) - Evolve 115 ****
Fabian Aichner vs Kassius Ohno (Evolve Title) - Evolve 115 ****
SoCal Uncensored vs Super Smash Bros (ROH Tag Titles) - ROH Global Wars Toronto ****
Juice Robinson vs Beretta - ROH Global Wars Toronto ****
El Phantasmo vs El Desperado - RPW Uprising ****
Tomohiro Ishii vs David Starr (RPW British Title) - RPW Uprising ****
Tetsuya Naito vs Zack Sabre Jr - NJPW Power Struggle ****1/4
Undisputed Era vs Pete Dunne, Ricochet & War Raiders (WarGames Match) - NXT Takeover: WarGames II ****1/4
Bandido vs T-Hawk - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 1 ****1/4
Ilja Dragunov vs Shingo Takagi - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 2 ****1/4
Shingo Takagi vs Robbie Eagles - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 3 ****1/4
Rascalz vs Lucha Bros (PWG Tag Titles) - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 3 ****1/4
David Starr vs Ilja Dragunov - PROGRESS Chapter 78: 24 Hour Progress People ****1/4
Young Bucks vs Time Machine - ROH Global Wars Toronto ****1/4
Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr vs Aussie Open (RPW Tag Titles) - RPW Uprising ****1/4
Bandido vs T-Hawk - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 1 ****1/4
Ilja Dragunov vs Shingo Takagi - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 2 ****1/4
Shingo Takagi vs Robbie Eagles - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 3 ****1/4
Rascalz vs Lucha Bros (PWG Tag Titles) - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 3 ****1/4
David Starr vs Ilja Dragunov - PROGRESS Chapter 78: 24 Hour Progress People ****1/4
Young Bucks vs Time Machine - ROH Global Wars Toronto ****1/4
Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr vs Aussie Open (RPW Tag Titles) - RPW Uprising ****1/4
15. Pete Dunne vs Jordan Devlin - NXT UK 28th November
This was the best match that has taken place on the, still new, NXT UK brand. It is absolutely no surprise that it involved Pete Dunne, and Jordan Devlin came out of this looking like a star, something that has been apparent to anyone who has seen his main event run in OTT. ****1/4
14. Daniel Bryan vs Brock Lesnar - WWE Survivor Series
Well, we waited a long time for this and thankfully it delivered. It's matches like this that make me annoyed that Lesnar puts so little effort in for the majority of the year. I'm gonna be honest though if I was paid millions to hop from foot to foot, I would probably be milking it too. Bottom line, Lesnar showed up and it was nice. ****1/4
13. Bandido vs Flamita - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 3
This was as smooth as silk from start to finish. These two have great chemistry, which means that even when they try crazy things they nail it. If you enjoy seeing wrestling that pushes the envelope with regards to the high flying side of things, check this out. ****1/2
12. WALTER vs Shingo Takagi - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 3
This fell beautifully into WALTER's wheelhouse, with both men throwing strikes until suplexes at each other until one of them couldn't get back up. It was a chunk of delightful violence. ****1/2
11. Joey Janela vs Bandido - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 3
Joey Janela, wrestling's most affable lunatic. This is the second year in a row that Janela has just thought 'fuck it' and put together something that almost defies explanation. This was completely bonkers, featuring a shit ton of crazy spots interspersed with great wrestling. ****1/2
10. WALTER vs Timothy Thatcher - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 2
These two had one of the best matches of the year in February and, while this wasn't as good as that, it was still a hell of a match. These two go all out against each other every time, in a way that only good friends can. Another hard-hitting WALTER match in a year that is chock full of them. ****1/2
9. Jordan Devlin vs Chris Ridgeway - PROGRESS Chapter 78: 24 Hour Progress People
I went into this match thinking that it would be good but it far exceeded my expectation. Devlin has become one of the best wrestlers on the European scene this year and this was another example of why. These two put together a wonderful back and forth match that you should go out of your way to check out. ****1/2
8. Jeff Cobb vs Shingo Takagi vs Bandido (BOLA Final) - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 3
This was a wonderful way to finish off a great tournament. It started off quite slowly but the latter half, featuring Cobb and Bandido, was an absolute joy to behold. Bandido is one of the most exciting wrestlers I have seen in some time and Cobb is perfect in the role of the athletic big man. Definitely check this out. Check out the whole tournament. ****1/2
7. Minoru Suzuki vs Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW Power Struggle
This match was just two no-nonsense badasses kicking lumps out of each other, and it was delightful. Quite often in Suzuki matches, you get outside interference, which can get very tiring, but there was none of that shit here. I love crazy, violent Suzuki. ****1/2
6. Tommaso Ciampa vs Velveteen Dream (NXT Title) - NXT Takeover: WarGames II
I wasn't sure how well this match was going to play out when it was announced but the personalities of both men made this into an excellent title match that became more intense throughout and built to a superb finishing stretch. Both men gave their all in both ring work and storytelling. It's matches like this that highlight just why NXT is so fucking good. ****1/2
5. Ringkampf vs Ilja Dragunov & Shingo Takagi - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 1
The main events of the first two nights of BOLA are usually some kind of dream match and this one was something I hadn't even thought about until it was announced. This was Dragunov's first match outside of Europe and he nailed it. This was one of my favourite tag team matches this year, containing some great wrestling, hard strikes, and superb near falls. Excellent stuff all around. ****3/4
4. CIMA, Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles Night 2
This was Night 2's main event, and it managed to be as good as Night 1 while being a near polar opposite in terms of style and structure. This match felt like it had the speed turned up by 50%, all without missing a beat or misjudging a single move. Some of the moves these guys do are out of this world and if this is a style you enjoy, this is one of the best examples of it this year. ****3/4
3. Kenny Omega vs Rey Fenix - NEW Redemption
There are dream matches all over the place this month. This match was structured very much like an IWGP Title match, albeit one that took place on a small indy show in New York. This had all the high intensity wrestling and great false finishes that you would expect from two of the world's best, played in front of a crowd that was delighted to have a match of this quality at their show. You can check out the match here, and you definitely should. ****3/4
2. Johnny Gargano vs Aleister Black - NXT Takeover: WarGames II
This was the culmination of Gargano having the greatest year of Takeover matches we have ever seen. Whether he is playing the sympathetic babyface or the cocky heel he does it brilliantly, which means there is always investment from the crowd. Some of the exchanges in this match were of the very highest calibre and they threw in some innovation and quality storytelling to top it off. This was spectacular stuff. ****3/4
1. WALTER vs Zack Sabre Jr (PROGRESS Title) - PROGRESS Chapter 77: Pumpkin Spice Progress
These two are physically incapable of having a bad match against each other, and quite frankly WALTER seems incapable of having a bad match in general. This was meant to be the main event of the Wembley show but due to extraneous circumstances, it had to take place here instead. It probably worked out for the best too as this match deserved to shine on its own. They took everything that they had done in their previous matches and laced that into this one, creating a match that works both as a singular entity and as a part of a greater whole. Make no mistake about it, this was masterful pro wrestling. *****
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