Top 100 Matches of 2024

Top 100 Matches of 2024

by Alex Kalil

Here it is! The Top 100 Matches of 2024! The full list can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SSBfzvVdGYF1Sr1HvQbX-LtH7aqNh3F2C1BDlu641O8/edit?usp=sharing

Enjoy!

1. AEW World Championship vs. Career Match: Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Bryan Danielson at AEW All In 2024: A truly amazing pro wrestling match! Things start off nicely with both wrestling a very technical and mat based style. Danielson wants to go after the arm of Swerve to set up for the LeBell Lock. Swerve responds back by being violent and hits a Death Valley Driver onto the ring bell on the apron! Danielson's neck is very hurt now and he is busted open. Great heat by Swerve as he works over Danielson and even attacks him in front of his family in the front row! Brilliant! Danielson is able to stay alive with some great counters like blocking a Swerve Stomp into a Regal Stretch. Danielson goes high risk and hits a goddamn Tiger Suplex off the top rope! Insane! Swerve goes back to the neck of Danielson by countering out of Cattle Mutilation into a Cop Killa! Nasty! Danielson is trying to wrestle Swerve while Swerve wants to put Danielson down. Swerve Stomp and a series of House Calls on a barely standing Danielson but he still kicks out! Danielson sees his family in the crowd as Swerve kicks at him and Danielson fires up, standing up as he says he loves them! Chills! Danielson slaps the hell out of Swerve! Busaiku Knee by Danielson but Swerve laughs it off! Big Pressure by Swerve! Danielson STILL kicks out! Wembley is rocking! Swerve looks to end it but Adam Page comes to ringside and tries to attack Swerve. Security drags Page off as Danielson hits a distracted Swerve with a Busaiku Knee. Kick out! MY GOD! Swerve tries to fight back only to roll into a second Busaiku Knee! Danielson locks in the LeBell Lock! Swerve is fighting and tries to break the grip. Danielson snaps Swerve's fingers and locks in both arms. Swerve taps!!! Danielson is the new AEW World Champion! YES! What a match! Perfect wrestling and counters from both men. Th0e crowd was so behind Danielson trying to win and save his career and Swerve played a perfect villain here trying to stop him no matter what. A beautiful wrestling match. This is everything I want from my wrestling. Pure Wrestling Magic! *****

2. Will Ospreay vs. Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynasty 2024: This is easily one of the greatest professional wrestling matches of all time! Right from the bell these two start off mat wrestling and working holds at just another level. Danielson is the better pure wrestler and nicely grounds Ospreay early on until Ospreay is able to start picking up momentum.  Love the story of Danielson picking about Ospreay's body piece by piece and forcing Ospreay to work from underneath and dig deep to fight back. Ospreay does fire up and we start getting some breathtaking counters and exchanges. So many great moments: Ospreay countering a hurricanrana off the top and landing on his feet, Tiger Suplex off the top by Danielson, La Mística into a LeBell Lock! Danielson goes for a Busaiku Knee but Ospreay lifts him up for a powerbomb. NO! Danielson with a Dragon Rana! Busaiku Knee! Kickout! Danielson stomps Ospreay's head in! LeBell Lock is in but Ospreay fights out of it. Danielson transitions into a Triangle Choke. Ospreay with a Styles Clash! Both men are on their knees slugging it out. Slap to Ospreay. Hidden Blade to Danielson's face! Oscutter… Danielson counters with a Busaiku Knee in mid-air! MY GOD! Both men stand in opposite corners and lock eyes! They charge! Ospreay is quicker and nails the Hidden Blade! Storm Driver 93!!! Danielson is hurt! Hidden Blade to the back of the head and Ospreay ends it! DEAR LORD! What a match! There are no words to describe this match. It was a perfect bell to bell wrestling match from two of the greatest wrestlers today. 5 FUCKING STARS! *****

3. RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship Match: Michael Oku (c) vs. Will Ospreay at RevPro High Stakes 2024: An incredible story-driven and action-filled match. Match starts off and right away you can tell this match will be different from their match 2 years ago, Oku is older and more mature and doesn't back down to Ospreay's early attempts at head games. Some nice early exchanges with both looking evenly matched here. Brilliant spot with Ospreay seemingly tweaking his knee but walks it off and is fine only for Oku to go after the knee a few minutes later to set up for the Half Crab. Ospreay is done playing around and starts to get violent and vicious with Oku and busts him open. Fantastic heat for Ospreay, who even kicks Oku's girlfriend, Amira when she refuses to throw in the towel for Oku. That sets off Oku who fires up on Ospreay and busts him open in response! More incredible back and forth from these two men before Oku nails a Hidden Blade on Ospreay. Just like Ospreay did last time, Oku picks up Ospreay to keep breaking the count and punish Ospreay more. Ospreay hits one of his own and a Styles Clash for a nice near-fall. Ospreay goes for another Hidden Blade but hits Amira! Oku rolls Ospreay into a Half Crab, but Ospreay grabs his hair to pull him back and break the hold. Storm Driver 93! Hidden Blade and a Stormbreaker but Oku kicks out!!! Oku is able to duck another Hidden Blade and counter Ospreay into a nasty reverse Canadian Destroyer! Frog Splash! And another! Ospreay somehow kicks out but Oku rolls right into a Half Crab! Oku sits back and Ospreay finally taps! Oku finally beats Ospreay in an incredible match! Every moment, every move and every near-fall felt important and earned. Pro Wrestling Cinema! *****

4. Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Revolution 2024: A phenomenal bell to bell wrestling match! Nice simple story all match with Ospreay being the faster and more agile wrestler while Takeshita is more of the powerhouse. Some nice early exchanges highlight the story with both men being lethal with their strikes. Things build and build as the two start going for bigger and bigger offense and at the same time pull off some amazing counters! Oscutter countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb! Turnbuckle Brainbuster! Ospreay gets folded up with a German Suplex only to rush forward and nail a Hidden Blade! These two are going all out! Ospreay is able to block Takeshita's Jumbo Knee and hits a Styles Clash for 2! Tiger Driver 93 before a Hidden Blade ends things! Too much happened here to recap! This may be one of the greatest straight up bell to bell matches I have seen in years. Amazing and breath-taking counters and exchanges to a red hot crowd! This was Pro Wrestling done right! *****

5. Continental Classic 2024 Final Match: Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada at AEW World's End 2024: An incredible back and forth match from these two! Ospreay comes in banged up and hurt while Okada seems perfectly fine after the semifinals. Ospreay looks to move fast and catch Okada off guard but it doesn't take Okada long to counter a Springboard Elbow by Ospreay and hit a DDT on the floor. Now we are in Okada's wheelhouse as he works the neck with DDTs and takes his time toying with Ospreay for some nice heat. Ospreay keeps trying to fight back like a pure babyface but keeps getting cut off by Okada. Ospreay is able to fight out of a Tombstone on the floor and nails an Oscutter! Okada just barely beats the count-out, only for Ospreay to nail him with a dropkick entering the ring. Ospreay has the opening and is keeping his foot on the gas to try and get the win. Okada blocks a Stormbreaker and we start trading big offense with some insane counters back and forth. Rainmaker countered by Ospreay into a powerbomb and a Styles Clash! Ospreay goes for the Hidden Blade but Okada counters into the Rainmaker! Cover! Only 2! Ospreay looks all but done as Okada asks him to hit him. Big German Suplex by Okada right into the Rainmaker... No! Spanish Fly by Ospreay! Ospreay hits Okada with the Rainmaker! Stormbreaker! Kickout! My God, What a match! Both men keep fighting for the killing blow before Okada is able to arm drag out of a Stormbreaker and hit the Rainmaker again to finally end things! What a final match to the tournament. Ospreay fought like a true babyface while Okada looked like the dominant Ace of Japan that he was before AEW. Just an amazing back and forth match and easily the best match of the whole tournament. *****

6. AEW International Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. MJF at AEW Dynamite 7/17: An incredible near hour long match! Things start off and right away we get a clear story: Ospreay is the faster and more dangerous wrestler and MJF needs to work smarter to take apart Ospreay's body. Ospreay is able to control the pace early until MJF fakes a knee injury to score a piledriver to put Ospreay on defense. MJF goes after the knee, looking to slow down the high flying Ospreay. Some nice limb work and heat by MJF while Ospreay sells it all super well. Ospreay fights back all the same but switches from using his speed to using his strikes and big offensive bombs. MJF switches tactics as well and starts to go after Ospreay's shoulder to set up the submission win while going after the strength of Ospreay. The bigger and bigger bombs start coming from both men. Panama Sunrise by MJF. Ospreay hits the Oscutter off the barricade! MJF tries for a Cross Rhodes but Ospreay counters with one of his own! MJF tries to out-smart Ospreay with some nice creative counters, only to get destroyed with a Hidden Blade dive to the back of MJF's head! Amazing looking spot! Ospreay with a Bret's rope Styles Clash but MJF is too close to the ropes. MJF catches Ospreay in the ropes for a Heatseeker! Elbow Drop from the top to the outside through a table! My God! 10 minutes to go and both men are spent but still fight and counter everything the other throws at them! MJF tries for a Bret's rope Tombstone but Ospreay counters out into a cutter. Hidden Blade! Only 2! MJF ducks a second but Ospreay nails a headbutt! Ospreay goes for the Tiger Driver but he won't hit it! MJF shoves Ospreay into the referee and hits Ospreay with the Diamond ring! MJF covers. 3 count with 1 second to spare! MJF is the new champion! An incredible action-filled match! Perfect wrestling from both men with MJF needing to be the smarter wrestler to counter the amazing in-ring talent that Ospreay is. In the end, Ospreay's own hesitation is what cost him as well as MJF willing to use any tactic to get the win. *****

7. AEW American Championship Match: MJF (c) vs. Will Ospreay at AEW All In 2024: An amazing follow-up to these two's first match. We start off hot with both men working at a much faster pace than last time. We get some nice storytelling early on with MJF wanting to counter and ground the high flying Ospreay and work over his neck while Ospreay wants to move fast and strike hard because he knows MJF can go the full hour time limit. Some great counters and exchanges early on from both men like MJF countering a dive into a Tombstone on the floor only to miss a dive of his own and Ospreay hits a Spanish Fly. The bigger bombs and near-falls start coming: Shooting Star Press, Cross Rhodes from MJF and a Super Oscutter isn't enough to end things. Ospreay is able to hit a Stormbreaker seemingly out of nowhere and still MJF kicks out. MJF rolls to the apron to escape and falls backwards to avoid an Ospcutter by Ospreay in a clever spot. Long Island Sunrise on the apron and Ospreay falls to the floor out of it! MJF is willing to take the count-out now. But Ospreay beats the count! MJF is desperate now and uses a distracted referee to hit Ospreay with the belt but still Ospreay kicks out! Referee is taken out and MJF goes to use some knuckles but someone stops him! It's Daniel Garcia! Ospreay with a Hidden Blade. Ospreay finally hits MJF with the TIGER DRIVER!!! Ospreay wins and rebrands the American title as the International Championship again! What a match! Excellent wrestling from bell to bell with smooth counters and exchanges. Loved the storytelling in the end with Garcia returning to stop MJF from cheating and Ospreay finally hitting the Tiger Driver to put him away. *****

8. Hell in a Cell Match: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre at WWE Bad Blood 2024: A brutal and violent feud ending match! Both men come out swinging with Drew having the obvious size and power advantage while Punk is quicker and more experienced. Doesn't take long for the match to spill to the floor with both using the cage and any weapons they can get their hands on to attack the other like Punk choking Drew with a leg of a table. Great little touch. Drew takes over with a Claymore out of nowhere and gets some heat on Punk, including busting him open. Punk rolls out the ring to avoid another Claymore and bashes Drew's head with a toolbox when Drew chases after him. Drew is pouring blood now! Jesus! GTS by Punk but Drew falls out the ring. Great way to protect their finishers. Drew goes for a Claymore, only for Punk to back up which causes Drew to miss and Punk locks the Sharpshooter on him. Drew fights out by hitting Punk with a wrench! YES! More big spots with a suplex off the apron and through a table and an Air Raid Crash on the steel steps. Punk gets Drew in the Anaconda Vice and this time when Drew tries to use the wrench to break the hold, Punk uses the wrench to choke Drew more and hits him with it. This is great! Punk goes for Drew's head but Drew low blows him! Drew pours a bag of beads over Punk to toy with him. Another Claymore but Punk moves and Drew lands back first on the steps! MY GOD! Punk fills Drew's mouth with beads and hits a GTS with a chain wrapped around his knee to end it! WOW! This was a near perfect match! The hatred was felt in every second of the match and some great usage of the Cell as well as the weapons around the ring. This was bloody, violent, brutal and just awesome! My kind of pro wrestling! ****3/4

9. Blood and Guts Match: The Elite vs. Swerve Strickland, Mark Briscoe, Darby Allin and The Acclaimed at AEW Dynamite 7/24 - Blood and Guts 2024: This was a bloody, violent and brutal war! Perry and Darby start off and Perry jumps Darby before he makes it in the ring and we get a nice short brawl around ringside and in the crowd. Once in the cage, Perry works over Darby with some weapons before Darby makes a short comeback as Nick enters. Nick and Perry go to work on Darby before Mark Briscoe enters with a house of fire! Mark runs wild on everyone before Matt enters to once again put The Elite back in control. Bowens enters and Team AEW is able to turn the tide with Mark cutting off Nick's springboard attempt with a big cutter! Darby lands on Matt with a skateboard covered in tacks and Bowens carves up Perry with scissors! My God! Okada enters and wacks the babyfaces with a street sign to cut off their momentum. With the numbers advantage yet again, The Elite take back over and bloody Team AEW. Caster enters but, with so much damage done to the others, he is soon overwhelmed. Bowens is sandwiched between barbed wire boards while Caster gets tacks in his mouth and a double superkick! Page is supposed to enter next but he is nowhere to be found. Team AEW uses the opening to fight back as Swerve enters last. Here comes the Hangman! Page attacks Swerve and handcuffs him to the cage to keep him out. The Bucks yell at Page and threaten to fire him if he doesn't enter and Page does so reluctantly. The Elite take over as Blood and Guts officially begins. Jarrett, Billy Gunn and Nana all help Swerve get out of the cuffs and into the cage. Here we go! Swerve runs wild and takes out everyone before getting face to face with Page! Swerve and Page go at it! Page looks to maul Swerve with a barbed wire board but Darby makes the save. The Elite attack Swerve with staple guns! Jesus! Swerve just laughs it off and gets ahold of one of the staple guns and attacks The Elite! Good Lord! Page comes in with a Buckshot Lariat but Swerve dodges and Page hits Okada! The match spills outside the cage as Swerve and Page knock each other off the stage through some tables. Nick climbs the cage for a big spot and Bowens follows him up only for Nick kicks him off the side through 4 tables! Mark hits Jay Drillers on everyone in the ring! Froggy Bow on Matt through a table! Darby with a Coffin Drop from the roof of the cage onto Perry through another table! This match is insane! Mark handcuffs Perry to the cage and tells him to quit. When Perry refuses, Mark attacks with a kendo stick and a chairshot to the head! Darby pours gas on Perry and threatens to light him on fire! Matt begs Darby to stop and Darby demands a title match against Perry and that they quit. The Elite surrender! Team AEW gets the win and Darby gets a TNT title match at All In! WHAT A FUCKING MATCH! Wild and chaotic with some awesome story progression for Swerve vs. Page, Darby vs. Perry and even Page vs. The Elite. Just an incredible match! ****3/4

10. Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2024: A phenomenal technical wrestling match from two masters. Some incredible mat wrestling early on as both look for openings to try and lock in submissions. Sabre hurts his leg when he is dropped into the ropes and Danielson is all over it. Some great heel work by Danielson while Sabre is forced to work from underneath. Danielson mocks and toys with Sabre, asking him to get to the ropes, only for Sabre to instead wrestle out of the holds and Danielson decides to start lighting him up with strikes as a receipt. Sabre starts to fire back at Danielson and we get to a battle of big bombs from both men. Some really nice near-falls and exchanges from both men before Danielson tries to again go for the LeBell Lock, only for Sabre to counter into a crucifix pin and score the pinfall. Brilliant bell to bell pro wrestling match. Just incredible to watch these two make every movement count and work towards the win. Sabre was able to out-wrestle Danielson in the end to score the pin but yet again neither man was able to make the other submit. ****3/4 

11. AEW International Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. PAC at AEW All Out 2024: An incredible bell to bell display of wrestling! Match starts off with some quick exchanges with both showing how even they are in terms of athleticism. We get some nice storytelling with PAC trying to make things a little more slower paced and on the mat while also going after the hurt neck of Ospreay. Some great exchanges and sequences all match with both men having the best shots of their opponent well scouted. PAC uses the Poison Rana to drop Ospreay right on his neck multiple times to add a bit of storytelling to his offense. PAC tries for a top rope Poison Rana only for Ospreay to counter and land on his feet! Hidden Blade! Ospreay lifts PAC for Stormbreaker but PAC counters into a rana! Cover but Ospreay rolls out at 2 and into a Styles Clash! Hidden Blade and Ospreay gets the win! What a match! These two's chemistry was so smooth with some incredible counters and near-falls all match right before a super hot and exciting finish. Just an awesome match! ****3/4

12. Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18: A brilliant match and worthy rematch to their first encounter. A nice start with Okada mocking Danielson and challenging him to fight him. Danielson wrestles Okada to the mat but Okada's size and power puts him back in the driver seat before a kick to Danielson's bad eye sends him to the outside. Okada is trying to toy with Danielson, and Danielson is not having it. Danielson fires back with a knee to Okada and goes after the arm by slamming it in the guardrail. Danielson is now in control and he is vicious in his attacks on the arm. Okada tries his usual trademark offense but the damaged arm slows him down and Danielson is able to take back control at every turn. A Tombstone on the apron buys Okada time and he goes after the bad eye again; ripping off the eyepatch and hitting vicious kicks to Danielson's face. A missed elbow drop by Okada gives Danielson an opening for a kick that Okada blocks with the bad arm, only to hurt it more and allows Danielson to fire another kick off that lands on Okada's head. Brilliant spot! Hammer and Anvil Elbows but Okada seems to just fire up from the strikes! Danielson with a Busaiku Knee only gets a 2 but he locks Okada in the LeBell Lock. Danielson ties up Okada just like he did in their first match! Okada is able to make it to the ropes this time though! Okada is finally able to hit the Rainmaker but his arm is too hurt to follow up right away with the pin. Okada tries for a second one but this time Danielson blocks it and hits a Busaiku Knee. We get an amazing back and forth sequence of counters and exchanges with both men trying for their finishing blow. Okada is finally able to catch Danielson on an attempt for the Busaiku Knee and hits a final Rainmaker to get the win. Danielson wanted to take away Okada's best weapon, his right arm, and see what Okada does. Danielson did just that and Okada responded by gritting his teeth, fighting through all the pain and landing the killing blow needed to avenge his loss to Danielson last year. What a match! ****1/2

13. AEW Continental Crown Championship Match: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Bryan Danielson at AEW Revolution 2024: Another amazing classic from these two. Match starts off with Danielson trying to stick and move with leg kicks to Kingston's famously bad knee. Kingston does a great job at absorbing the shots while trying to get close enough to hit Danielson with his own shots. Kingston is able to get his hands on Danielson and works him over with some chops and suplexes before a missed chop hits the turnbuckle. Danielson is all over the hurt hand and starts to work over the arm to take away Kingston's best weapons. Kingston does a great job selling and trying to fight back as Danielson picks him apart. Nice touch with Kingston trying to use his right arm but can't use his traditional offense and needs to try and change things up to fight back like using his left arm to throw punches. Lots of big back and forth counters and near-falls even Danielson using the same combination that Kingston passed out to on Dynamite but this time, Kingston is able to fight to the ropes. Awesome! Kingston fires up and tells Danielson to keep hitting him and the two get into a back and forth hockey fight! Danielson tries for a Busiaku Knee, only to get hit with a clothesline. Kingston folds up Danielson with a powerbomb to get the win. A glorious King's Road style match! Kingston was picked apart by Danielson all match but fought through the pain and forced Danielson to abandon his strategy and trade big strikes and bombs with him and Kingston was able to weather the storm to retain. ****1/2 

14. ROH World Championship Match: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Mark Briscoe at ROH Supercard of Honor 2024: An emotional and violent fight! Both men come in with something to prove and the need to win. Great storytelling with Kingston being the more vicious and aggressive heel of the match while Mark is the fiery babyface. Kingston cuts off Mark's early flurry and even busts him open. Kingston does a nice job of getting heat on Mark by just punishing him while Mark tries to keep fighting back as he is pouring blood. Mark is able to get some shots in and just throws himself at Kingston, giving it all he has in the hopes of winning. Big bombs start coming with both men throwing their best shots at the other. Exploder by Kingston off the apron and both men are down! The referee starts the count and Kingston makes it in the ring. Mark tries to get in but collapses! 19! Mark gets in the ring! My God! Both men are exhausted but keep fighting as they trade blows. Mark goes for the Jay Driller but Kingston hits the Backfist! Mark avoids the Sliding Lariat but is tagged with another Backfist. Pele by Mark! Cut-Throat Driver! Only 2! Mark isn't done! JAY DRILLER!!! 3!!! Mark Briscoe is the ROH Champion! Streamers and tears fill the ring! 11 years to the day that Jay Briscoe won the ROH World Title, Mark does the same. Excellent back and forth, hard hitting wrestling match but the emotional ending took it to another level! What a match! ****1/2 

15. Bloodline Rules Match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes at WWE Wrestlemania XL Night 2: A wild and crazy rollercoaster of a match. Things kick off with both men working the typical WWE big match style with some feeling out and working holds. Roman is the first to introduce weapons to the match when Cody starts to get the advantage and Roman tries to make things a fight. A short brawl into the crowd before both men start going for the bigger shots on each other for some good near-falls. Cody hits a Spear of his own on Roman and hits a pair of Cross Rhodes. Cody goes for a third but here comes Jimmy Uso. Jey Uso comes out and the two brothers fight up the ramp before Jey spears Jimmy off the stage through a table! Roman hits Cody with a Spear but only gets a 2! Cody is still in this and spears Roman through the barricade! Cross Rhodes again but Solo Sikoa in and hits the Samoan Spike! Spear/Samoan Spike combo for only 2! Holy shit! John Cena is here! AA to Solo through the announcer's table! The Rock is out! Rock Bottom to Cena! SHIELD MUSIC!!! Rollins from behind but Roman is there with a Superman Punch to take him out! Gong! IT'S THE FUCKING UNDERTAKER!!! Chokeslam to The Rock! It's just Cody, Roman and Rollins left in the ring. Roman has a chair but he hits Rollins instead of Cody! Payback for the Shield betrayal all those years ago! Cody with a Cross Rhodes on Roman! A second one! One final Cross Rhodes and Cody finishes the story! My God! This was a wild ride of a match with so many callbacks to past feuds and angles. An overbooked mess near the end but it all worked here. What a crowning moment for Cody! ****1/2 

16. AEW World Championship Match: Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Will Ospreay at AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door 2024: A phenomenal back and forth match from these two! Right from the bell, these two start off working at a fast pace and showing off amazing chemistry with quick counters and exchanges. Ospreay tries to push the pace being the faster wrestler while Swerve wants to ground and work over Ospreay for a nice bit of storytelling early on. The match has a great flow with both men taking control at times and landing big offensive shots while their opponent does a great job fighting back for their own offense. Brutal looking spot with Swerve hitting a Swerve Stomp from the top to the outside on a standing Ospreay onto the announcer's table! Ouch! More big blows and near-falls from both men. Ospreay with a Stormbreaker but only 2! Ospreay stalls on going for the Tiger Driver and Swerve counters with a roll-up for a close near-fall. Swerve hits Ospreay with a Hidden Blade but misses the Swerve Stomp. Ospreay charges with a Hidden Blade but hits the referee! Another Hidden Blade to Swerve but no referee! Don Callis is here and tries to hand Ospreay a screwdriver. Nana stops Callis! Ospreay looks to attack Nana but stops himself as he gets back in the ring. House Call by Swerve! Swerve Stomp but only gets 2! Another House Call but Ospreay still kicks out! Ospreay is out on his feet trying to fight still but he is done. One more House Call and the JML Driver finally ends it. What a match! The in-ring action from these two was incredible and some of the best counter for counter wrestling all year! Loved the storytelling as well with Swerve going after Ospreay's dominant arm all match and Ospreay struggling to go for that killing blow and in the end his mercy cost him. Amazing match! ****1/2

17. Lights Out Steel Cage Match: Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland at AEW All Out 2024: A brutal, violent and dangerous match from these two bitter rivals. Both men start off fighting before the cage is even lowered and here we go! They both start swinging away and using the cage to batter each other. Page breaks out a staple gun and starts attacking Swerve only for Swerve to turn it back on Page himself, even stapling a picture of Swerve's family on his face! Page is able to crotch Swerve on the ropes to take back over and attacks him with barbed wire to bust him open! We get a fun little spot where Page can't hit the Buckshot Lariat due to the cage, only for Swerve to use the referee to hit one. That was slick. Cop Killa by Swerve onto a cinder block! Jesus! Swerve hits an awesome Swerve Stomp through a table, only for Page to respond back with a Dead Eye! Page tries to stab Swerve with a piece of his burnt house! Swerve is able to take it away and stabs Page! Low blow by Page! Powerbomb onto the cinder block! Jesus! Swerve still keeps fighting back and is able to rock Page with a pair of House Calls. Swerve starts climbing the cage for a Swerve Stomp but Page stops him. Awesome Bomb off the top! Swerve is done! But The Hangman wants more! Dead Eye and more chair shots by Page, who wants Swerve to beg for mercy but Swerve just laughs at Page. Page pulls out Swerve's grill from his mouth and stabs him with a needle! Dear God! A sickening and brutal chairshot to Swerve's head and the referee calls it! MY GOD! These two were looking to kill each other all match. Loved the story with Page going further and further to hurt and punish Swerve until the very end where he clearly went too far in his quest for revenge. Just a brutal match to sell the hatred and violent nature of this legendary feud! ****1/2

18. Triple Threat Match for the AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet at AEW WrestleDream: An absolutely spectacular match! Ospreay and Ricochet work together early to try and take out Takeshita and pick up where they left off with their last match, only for Takeshita to return and drop both men. The match has some great storytelling to it with Ospreay playing the fighting champion and going after both men, Ricochet using more of his agility and high flying and Takeshita being a monster all match. So much amazing back and forth action from all three men. Some insane counters, exchanges and big near-falls that are too many to recall all while all three men play their role of the match to perfection. Takeshita is able to finally take out Ricochet with a Bastard Driver off the apron through a table! Takeshita gets back in the ring and is hit with a Hidden Blade! One count! Another Hidden Blade! Don Callis pulls the referee from the ring to stop the pin! Callis tries to stab Ospreay with the screwdriver but Ospreay stops it and looks for the Tiger Driver! Someone stabs Ospreay in the back of the head with the screwdriver! It's Kyle Fletcher! Powerdrive Knee by Takeshita and we have a new champion! What a match! The action all match was just insane, edge of your seat excitement the whole time. A nice storyline ending with Takeshita getting the much deserved big win. ****1/2

19. Casino Gauntlet Match at AEW All In 2024: A wild and incredible match up! Cassidy and Okada start for a short sprint including Cassidy blocking a Rainmaker by putting his hands in his pockets. Out next is NIGEL MCGUINNESS! OH MY GOD! Nigel is back! O'Reilly out next and we get some great wrestling from everyone. Zack Sabre Jr. is next! Nigel and Sabre going at it! Mark Briscoe and Roderick Strong are out for some great old school ROH vibes. Adam Page enters and clears house! Hangman is not playing games tonight. Jeff Jarrett out and he and Page go at it for a bit. RICOCHET IS ALL ELITE! MY GOD! Christian Cage enters and tries to steal the win a few times. We get a series of big spots: Jarrett takes out Page with a guitar shot, Rainmakers for everyone, Tower of London by Nigel! This match is incredible! Luchasaurus, not Killswitch, is out! Chokeslams for everyone! Luchasaurus turns on Christian! NO! He lets Christian cover O'Reilly and get the win! So many big moments, returns, debuts and action! This match was a rollercoaster before the clever storyline finish of Christian, yet again, getting Killswitch to help him win. ****1/2

20. G1 Climax 2024 Block B Match: El Phantasmo vs. Konosuke Takeshita at NJPW G1 Climax 34 Day 12: An absolutely awesome match from these two! Match starts off with Takeshita able to out-power ELP with his size and strength. ELP is able to make an opening for himself with a big dive and a springboard moonsault into the crowd! ELP is willing to go high risk to win this match. ELP keeps on the gas and is able to keep things more back and forth with Takeshita even getting a big near-fall with a CRII. ELP tries to put Takeshita through a table at ringside, only for Takeshita to counter and hit a Bastard Driver off the apron through the table! ELP is done! He barely makes it back in the ring before the countout but the writing is on the wall. Amazing babyface effort by ELP as he tries to roll up Takeshita or land a knockout blow to get the win. Takeshita won't stay down and lands some big strikes of his own, only for ELP to still kick-out! The crowd is going crazy for ELP but Takeshita hits Raging Fire to finally get the hard fought win. Incredible match and effort by ELP, who went in as the underdog but still fought with everything he had to stay in the match even when defeat was all but certain. Takeshita continues to deliver amazing matches in this G1. ****1/2

21. AEW World Championship Match: Bryan Danielson (c) vs. Jon Moxley at AEW WrestleDream 2024: An emotional and intense fight! Moxley jumps Danielson as he makes his entrance and we are off! The two men brawl around ringside and right away the story is clear: Moxley is here to put down Danielson no matter what it takes and Danielson is fighting to survive. Danielson hits a pair of Busaiku Knees early for a big near-fall. Danielson is coming in hurt and Moxley knows it, so Danielson can not play it safe tonight. Danielson is all over Moxley until Moxley goes to Danielson's eyes and hits a Piledriver on the announcer's table! Moxley takes over from there and gets some great heat on Danielson, who tries to keep fighting back the whole time. Moxley gets frustrated at Danielson's persistence and looks for a piledriver on the concrete floor but Danielson counters with a backdrop! Danielson is back in this as both men start going back and forth with big offense, however Moxley is still able to put Danielson on the backfoot as things keep going. Danielson is able to take over and stomps in Moxley's head before trying for the LeBell Lock but Moxley gets to the ropes and rolls to the outside. Suicide dive by Danielson is caught! Paradigm Shift on the concrete floor! Moxley elbows Danielson and looks for the choke but Danielson still fights out. Danielson tries for the LeBell Lock and a Triangle but Moxley counters out of both. Danielson hits a Busaiku Knee for 2! Moxley responds with a Lariat! And another! Death Rider by Moxley but Danielson kicks out at 1! Moxley tells Danielson to not make him do this but Danielson just spits in Moxley's face! Gotch-Style Piledriver! Bulldog Choke locked in. Danielson fights for the ropes but Moxley traps him! Danielson is out and it is over! The American Dragon has been slayed. This was an emotionally draining match. Moxley came in with a mission: to end Danielson's career and he did just that. No matter how hard Danielson fought and no matter what he did tonight, nothing was enough to slow down Moxley and save his career. Danielson goes down fighting one last time. ****1/2

22. #1 Contendership Match for the AEW World Championship: Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland at AEW Dynamite 2/7: An excellent back and forth match from these two rivals. Slow feeling out section early before Page fires a shot at Swerve and here we go! Story of the match becomes Page wanting to fight Swerve while Swerve uses his quickness and tries to wrestle Page. Excellent back and forth action from both men with a super hot crowd before the big bombs start coming. Page misses a Buckshot and Swerve nails one of his own! Swerve Stomp but only 2! Both men start going for bigger shots to punish the other. Swerve takes too setting up a table on the outside and goes for a 450 but Page gets his knees up. Buckshot Lariat by Page but Swerve gets his foot on the rope! Dead Eye by Page on the apron and Page is willing to take the count-out to beat Swerve now, but Swerve makes it back in at 9! Page is frustrated now and nails Nana with a chair, only for Swerve to kick it into his face. A second Swerve Stomp but Swerve hurts his ankle on the landing. Page is able to block the JML Driver and twists the ankle. Great spot! Swerve rolls to the apron to recover and hits a Dead Eye on Page through a table! My God! Swerve goes for a final Swerve Stomp but misses! The ankle gives out. Page with a Buckshot Lariat but Swerve ducks it! JML Driver by Swerve! Slow cover gets 1... 2... TIME LIMIT EXPIRES! It's a draw! What a battle from these two as they start off slow and build and build to an exciting finish even with the time limit draw. The story of the match was brilliant with Page slowly getting more and more desperate and unhinged to beat Swerve, only to be satisfied with Swerve not winning with the draw. Just incredible stuff all match. ****1/2

23. WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn at WWE Wrestlemania XL Night 1: A perfect David vs. Goliath match! Right at the bell, Zayn tries to take the fight to Gunther but is quickly shut down by Gunther's size and power. Gunther takes his time to work over and just beat down Zayn, who gets in some nice hope spots here and there to stay in things. Zayn is able to string together some big offense on Gunther until Gunther finally has enough and nails a big powerbomb. But Zayn still kicks out! Gunther is pissed now! Hammers Zayn with a Lariat and more powerbombs! Gunther starts yelling and mocking Zayn's wife in the crowd as he hits two top rope splashes to just add insult to injury. But Zayn is still alive! He fires up and Gunther looks shocked as he goes to the top rope! Zayn kicks Gunther's legs out from under him. BRAINBUSTAAAAHHH! OH MY GOD! Helluva Kick to Gunther! Sami does it! A brilliant babyface performance against the monster Gunther! Extra points for the tribute to El Generico with the finish. ****1/2

24. Continental Classic 2024 Semi-Final Match: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher at AEW World's End 2024: Another incredible match from these two. Things start off quick with both men wanting to end things quickly to save their strength for the finals. Ospreay is able to take over early before Fletcher catches a hurracanrana and powerbombs Ospreay onto the apron! Fletcher stays on Ospreay and lawn darts him into the barricade! Ospreay is busted open and pouring blood now! From here, we get some great heat by Fletcher as Ospreay tries to fight through the blood loss. Great selling by Ospreay as he looks wobbly on his feet and desperately looks for any opening to land some offense on Fletcher and get the quick pin. We get some amazing back and forth from both men including Fletcher using the Hidden Blade on Ospreay for a nice near-fall. Both men fight to their feet as they start laying in some stiff headbutts. Fletcher hits the ropes and goes for a jumping headbutt but Ospreay blocks with a superkick! Fletcher goes for the desperate roll-up with the ropes but the referee sees it. Hidden Blade to Fletcher! Kickout! Ospreay tries for another but Fletcher uses the referee as a shield! Brainbuster for another near-fall. Fletcher starts laying in his leg lariats and goes for one last Brainbuster to end it but Ospreay counters with a hurracanrana. Styles Clash by Ospreay! And the 3 count! Ospreay advances! Amazing match once again with Ospreay once again playing the babyface in peril to Fletcher but with the amazing added addition of Ospreay pouring blood most of the match. Great back and forth by both as they worked fast to get the win and move on. Ospreay ends up getting the win by catching Fletcher out of nowhere to nicely set up for a third match. ****1/2

25. Owen Hart Foundation 2024 Men's Tournament Final Match with Special Guest Enforcer Jeff Jarrett: Bryan Danielson vs. Adam Page at AEW Dynamite 7/10: An excellent match from these old rivals. Match starts off with a feeling out process but Hangman is here to win and starts hammering Danielson with big shots. Danielson sees he is in for a fight and tries to use his strikes and wrestling skills to fight back on the more powerful and vicious Page. Great story to the match with Page being the aggressor all match and working over Danielson, even busting him open, all while Danielson keeps fighting back to stay in the match. As the match goes on, both men dig deep into their bag of offense with Page using a Tombstone Piledriver to go after Danielson's bad neck and Danielson hitting a big springboard dive from his ROH days. Page hits Danielson with a piledriver on the floor but still Danielson won't stay down. Page starts getting more and more aggressive, only for Danielson to hit a desperate Busaiku Knee to buy himself time to recover. Danielson tries for a second knee but hits the referee! Page takes the opening to use his belt to whip Danielson and even starts to choke him with it. Jarrett rushes in to stop Page and serve as the referee. Page with a Deadeye only gets 2. Buckshot Lariat to the back of Danielson's head, again going for the neck. Page goes for another Buckshot but Danielson counters it! Page is able to fight into a Crossface on Danielson! Page pulls back on the hold and Danielson is fading! Danielson rolls back on the hold! Cover! Danielson gets the 3 and wins The Owen! Page came in with the perfect gameplan: he worked the hurt neck of Danielson and was vicious and violent in his offense all match. Danielson played the perfect babyface as he fought through everything Page threw at him and did everything he could, including putting his body on the line, to fight for the win. I liked the finish with Page being so focused on choking out Danielson that he left himself open for a quick roll-up by the better wrestler. Amazing pro wrestling! ****1/2

26. Will Ospreay vs. Josh Alexander at TNA Impact 1/18: A phenomenal back and forth wrestling match. Alexander starts off hot looking to take the fight to Ospreay, who is able to use his speed and quickness to frustrate Alexander. Ospreay is able to take over and goes to work on Alexander, cutting him off every time Alexander starts to rally and get some momentum. Alexander starts trying to work the back of Ospreay, as he did in their last match, only for Ospreay to respond with a Tiger Driver through a table off the apron! Alexander looks to be done but somehow fires up to fight back! We get an amazing back and forth of incredible action with Ospreay maintaining control most of the time but Alexander doing everything to stay in the match. The big bombs start coming out as Ospreay hits an Oscutter, Hidden Blade and Tiger Driver 93 but Alexander will not stay down! Alexander blocks a Hidden Blade with a big clothesline and starts hammering Ospreay. Styles Clash by Alexander followed up by a C4 Spike and Alexander gets the win! Amazing match with Ospreay looking a step ahead all match but Alexander refused to give up or stay down and fought back all match to finally get that big win he needed so badly.  ****1/2 

27. G1 Climax 2024 Final Match: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yota Tsuji at NJPW G1 Climax 34 Day 19: A fantastic power vs. technical wrestling match. Some nice in-ring work with Sabre going after Tsuji's arm while Tsuji goes after Sabre's ribs. Tsuji is able to manhandle Sabre early on with his size and power, only for Sabre to cut him off by going to work on the arm with some submissions. Tsuji starts going for the bigger bombs including nailing a Gene Blaster early but Sabre rolls to the ropes to avoid the cover. Tsuji starts bombing on Sabre with more offense but when he goes for Gene Blaster again, Sabre catches him with a Fujiwara Armbar! Tsuji fights out with a powerbomb and starts hammering on Sabre. Tsuji tries for Yuya's Deadbolt Suplex but Sabre blocks, only for Tsuji to hit Zack Driver! Sabre avoids Gene Blaster again and tries for some quick roll-ups. Sabre goes for Zack Driver but Tsuji hits a stunner! Gene Blaster once again but Sabre catches him with a Triangle this time! Sabre ties up Tsuji with all his limbs trapped! Tsuji taps and Sabre wins the G1! What a match! The classic power vs. technical match but some amazing work by both men. Loved Sabre getting with Gene Blaster once and doing everything to block Tsuji from hitting it again. Sabre is able to all but hogtie Tsuji to win the whole tournament. ****1/2

28. Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher at AEW Full Gear 2024: An amazing bell to bell wrestling match with brilliant storytelling! Ospreay comes in with a banged up neck but still goes right after Fletcher, only for Fletcher to cut him off by going right after that neck. Ospreay sells it amazingly as he struggles to use his regular offense and even use his left arm at times. Fletcher stays on Ospreay with all his offense focused on the neck, while Ospreay keeps getting in some nice hope spots to stay in this. Both men start picking up the pace and we get some amazing counters and exchanges from these two including Ospreay sliding out of a Turnbuckle Brainbuster and nailing a Styles Clash! Hidden Blade to Fletcher's face but he still kicks out! Ospreay looks for a Stormbreaker on the steel steps but Fletcher gets out of it and hits a Tombstone Piledriver off the apron onto the steps! Jesus! Ospreay is all but done! Fletcher hits a Grimstone but Ospreay somehow kicks out! Fletcher wants the Tiger Driver but Ospreay manages to fight out of it but his strikes have no power left in them. Fletcher nails a series of Leg Lariats before finally nailing the Turnbuckle Brainbuster and Fletcher pins Ospreay clean! Wow! Huge win for Fletcher as he was able to pick apart a hurt Ospreay, who fought valiantly and went out on his shield. What a match! ****1/2

29. Continental Classic 2024 Gold League Match: Will Ospreay vs. Darby Allin at AEW Dynamite 12/18/24-Holiday Bash: An incredible match from these two! Things start off and Darby looks to try and wrestle Ospreay in the early goings and keep things even on the mat but Ospreay isn't letting that happen and opens up on Darby with his speed and quick strikes. Darby sees that he is outmatched with Ospreay so he goes to his all or nothing style and starts throwing himself at Ospreay. Darby tries for a Coffin Drop on the apron but Ospreay moves and Darby crashes and burns hard! Ospreay shows no mercy and goes right to work on Darby's back. Darby fires back and we start getting some insane back and forth counters and action from both men. Great spot with Darby going for a Code Red but Ospreay flips him off. Hidden Blade to Darby's face! Stormbreaker by Ospreay but Darby counters with a Code Red! Holy shit! Ospreay and Darby fight to the apron and Ospreay hits a Styles Clash off the apron to the floor! Darby barely makes it back in the ring before the count-out but is hit with an Oscutter as soon he gets to his feet! Kickout! Ospreay goes for the Stormbreaker again but Darby fights out and hits the Scorpion Death Drop! Coffin Drop by Darby! And another Coffin Drop! Darby gets the 3! Awesome match with Ospreay having the clear edge in terms of size and power and using both against Darby, who once again, went all out to try and get the win. Some amazing exchanges from these two before Darby was able to find a way to overcome Ospreay, get him down and hammer him with Coffin Drops to get the win. What a match! ****1/2

30. WarGames Match: Roman Reigns, The Uso, Sami Zayn and CM Punk vs. The Bloodline and Bronson Reed at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2024: A fantastic story and character driven violent match! Jey and Tama start off the match with Jey getting the better of him early. Bronson enters next with some chairs, which in a great spot Jey tries throwing at him before getting leveled and worked over by the big man. Jimmy enters next and the Usos are back together! They work as a team and take back the advantage on The Bloodline. Solo orders Jacob to enter next and the tide immediately turns. Jacob wrecks both Usos and allows The Bloodline to take back over. Punk tries to enter next but Reigns stops him and lets Sami enter next. Sami comes in hot and the babyfaces try to mount a comeback but Jacob is still too much to put down. The Bloodline stays in control as Loa enters with more weapons. Reigns tries to enter but Punk pushes past him to enter next. Punk sees he is walking into the lion's den so he grabs a toolbox and enters the cage swinging! Punk hits a Bulldog on Jacob onto the toolbox but Jacob pops right back up! The Bloodline, yet again, takes over, thanks mostly to Jacob being an unstoppable monster. Solo enters and the full Bloodline starts picking apart everyone. Reigns is about to enter but Solo locks the cage door. Reigns climbs the cage and dives onto the Bloodline! The two teams have a standoff as Heyman tells Reigns and Punk to work together and here we go! Uso Splashes to both Tongans. Reigns goes for a Spear on Solo but hits Punk by accident! Bronson lays out Reigns and sets him up on a table. Tsunami off the cage but Punk pulls Reigns from the table at the last second to save him! The babyfaces start taking out the Bloodline one by one. 1D to Jacob by The Usos. Jey spears Loa while Sami hits Tama with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Jimmy with a Splash off the cage onto Jacob through a table! Solo is alone with the whole babyface team. Double Superkick, Helluva Kick, GTS and finally a Spear by Reigns to Solo and the babyfaces win it! What a match! So many great storytelling moments from everyone involved and everyone playing their roles to perfection. A little slow and too long at times but everything clicked here and worked for me. ****1/2

31. IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Shingo Takagi at NJPW Power Struggle 2024: Another amazing match from these rivals. We get some fast back and forth counter for counter offense early on with neither man able to gain the advantage. Both men fall back into their tried and true strategies: Sabre wanting to pick apart Shingo piece by piece while Shingo tries to hammer Sabre into defeat. Sabre starts off going after Shingo's neck before moving to the right arm to try and neutralize Shingo's powerful lariats. Shingo does a nice job trying to adapt to this by using his left arm and even trying for his own submissions on Sabre. Sabre keeps to his strategy and starts going after the left arm of Shingo to take away both arms. Both men start firing off bigger bombs with Shingo hitting a Made in Japan and Sabre using the Zack Driver for nice near-falls. Sabre finally goes to the knees of Shingo with some brutal submissions that seem to finally slow down the Dragon. Shingo is able to fire up and hit a Last of the Dragon but his knees are too hurt to cover right away and Sabre rolls to the ropes. Shingo goes for one more Last of the Dragon but his knees give out! It's over. A German and a PK by Sabre before a Zack Driver ends it and Sabre retains. Loved the story with Shingo being this monster that Sabre had to chip away at bit by bit and limb by limb to finally put him down. Finish was perfect with Shingo trying to fight through all the punishment but it finally took its toll and Sabre was able to end it. ****1/2 

32. Owen Hart Foundation 2024 Men's Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi at AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door 2024: A fantastic submission vs. powerhouse match. Danielson comes in hurt and tries to wrestle Shingo to the mat and neutralize his power and strength early on. Danielson gets hung up going for a dive and Shingo catches him and hits a twisting neckbreaker on the floor, right on Danielson's bad neck. Some great heat by Shingo as he just hammers on Danielson, who does a nice job fighting to stay in the match. Things become a back and forth battle of Danielson trying to rock Shingo with strikes and work submissions while Shingo is all power and big bombs. Some great near-falls and exchanges before Danielson is able to nail the Busaiku Knee but only gets a 2. Danielson stomps Shingo's head in and locks in a Triangle Choke. Shingo somehow powers Danielson up, only for Danielson to hammer him with elbows to drop Shingo again. Danielson locks in a deep armbar and Shingo has to tap. A great match with Danielson working from underneath against the bigger and stronger Shingo and having to find openings to ground him and get the submission win. Excellent stuff! ****1/2

33. G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match: Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. at NJPW G1 Climax 34 Day 9: A great match between the hard hitting brawler Shingo and the technical Sabre. From the start we see the story will be Shingo trying to hammer Sabre into defeat while Sabre tries to pick apart the stronger man. Shingo is able to control early before Sabre is able to counter and go after the neck. Shingo doesn't give up though and fights back nicely before Sabre goes after the right arm, Shingo's best weapon in his offense. The rest of the match is a great back and forth with Sabre looking to tie up Shingo with submissions while Shingo fires back as best he can, even with one good arm. Some great exchanges and near-falls from both men as they land some big bombs like a Made in Japan and Zack Driver. Shingo goes for The Last of the Dragon, but Sabre counters and gets Shingo into a Triangle Choke. Shingo looks to be out as the referee is about to call it but Shingo fights back! Shingo lifts Sabre and hits The Last of the Dragon out of nowhere and gets the win! Excellent comeback by Shingo to get the win from Sabre. Loved this match with the simple storytelling, big bombs and exchanges all while working at a very fast pace. ****1/2

34. G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gabe Kidd at NJPW G1 Climax 34 Day 13: An excellent physical fight from these two! The storytelling was clear from the start with Gabe just chopping the hell out of Sabre's chest and not letting him make this a wrestling match. Sabre tries to work his style of match a couple of times but Gabe isn't letting up and keeps up the aggression. Sabre finally has enough and starts firing off his own stiff shots at Gabe. Some great back and forth exchanges from both men. Loved Sabre suckering Gabe into chopping him more to trap the arm and just start stomping on it. Gabe still tries to fire off blows with his right arm but he is clearly hurt as Sabre starts looking for submissions. Some more big bombs by both including a Zack Driver and Gabe using the Emerald Frosion. Sabre is able to counter Gabe and lock in a sleeper but Gabe just flips off Sabre and says he ain't quitting! Sabre ties up Gabe's arms with his legs and tightens his hold! Gabe is out! Sabre gets the win. Just an awesome and brutally stiff match from these two. Loved the heated style they both worked and the added aggression to every strike exchange before Sabre was able to trap Gabe and give him no chance to escape. Even so, Gabe goes down fighting rather than giving up. ****1/2

35. AEW TBS Championship Match: Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Kris Statlander at AEW World's End 2024: An excellent technical wrestler vs. powerhouse match. Mone starts off trying to out-wrestle Statlander in the early goings but Statlander is too powerful. Statlander easily counters a lot of Mone's offense and just muscles her around. Mone is able to slip out of one of Statlander's power moves and hits an apron powerbomb. Statlander's back is hurt now as Mone goes to work on her for some nice heat. Statlander keeps fighting back with her power as we get a really great back and forth from both women. The fight spills to the outside and Mone hits the Monemaker on the floor! Mone stops the referee from counting Statlander out, only to tie Statlander's foot in the ring frame and hit her with a Meteora. Statlander removes her boot to get out of the ring frame and catches a dive by Mone! F5 on the floor and another in the ring but Mone kicks out! Statlander goes to the top to follow up but Mone cuts her off and hits a Tombstone on the apron! Holy shit! Mone looks for the count out again but Statlander just barely makes it in time! Huge pop for Statlander staying in this! Mone is pissed and locks in the Statement Maker with the hurt leg trapped as well! Statlander is still able to fight to the ropes for the break! Statlander muscles Mone up for the Saturday Night Fever but Mone counters out and into an Ankle Lock. Statlander rolls through and we get a similar spot to how their last match ended, only Mone is able to kick-out and tie up Statlander for the pin and the win. Amazing match with Statlander clearly having an edge to Mone early on until Mone's wrestling ability was able to chip away at the more powerful woman. Loved Mone getting desperate and going for a count-out to get the cheap win before falling back on her wrestling to more or less steal a win out from under Statlander. Just a great match! ****1/2

36. "Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Konosuke Takeshita at MLP Forged in Excellence Night 1: An excellent speed vs. power match. We get some quick back and forth exchanges early that highlight the story of the match: Bailey may be faster but Takeshita is stronger. Bailey is able to use his quick strikes and offence to try and keep Takeshita on defense but time and time again, Takeshita just needs one of his elbow strikes to take back over. Some amazing near-falls and big counters from both men. Love that as the match progresses, Bailey tries to use his long legs to kick at Takeshita and keep his distance. Nice little touch. Bailey is able to land a series of offence including Ultimo Weapon but Takeshita still kicks out. Bailey tries for the Flamingo Driver, only for Takeshita to counter out and hit the Inhuman Driver! Powerdrive Knee but Bailey kicks out! Raging Fire finally gets Takeshita the win. Just an awesome back and forth match from two excellent wrestlers. Loved Takeshita leaning into his elbow strike being such a difference maker and able to use them to constantly cut off Bailey's momentum and force him to fight back again. Great stuff! ****1/2

37. NJPW STRONG Women's Championship Match: Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Hazuki at NJPW Strong Style Evolved 2024: An excellent back and forth match! Mone comes in cocky and sure of herself while Hazuki looks to prove that she belongs. Some great wrestling back and forth early on with Mone getting the early edge by looking for the Statement Maker and forcing Hazuki to play defense. A DDT on the apron puts Hazuki in control as does 3 big dives into Mone. We get a really great sequence as Hazuki locks in the Crossface only for Mone to counter into the Statement Maker and Hazuki counters back into the Crossface. Love it! Both women break out the bigger bombs with Mone hitting a Frog Splash and Hazuki hitting an Avalanche Brainbuster for big near-falls. Mone hits the Mone Maker but Hazuki somehow kicks out! Mone goes for another but Hazuki counters into some super close near-falls that get the crowd on the edge of their seats. Mone finally hits the Mone Maker one more time to end things. Great match! Hazuki comes in somewhat unknown to the crowd but wins them over with her heart and drive to keep fighting. Meanwhile, Mone had a great showing and looked like the star she is all match. ****1/2

38. Triple Crown Championship Match: Yuma Anzai (c) vs. Kento Miyahara at AJPW Super Power Series 2024 Night 1: A fantastic match! A nice slow start with both trying for holds and basic wrestling. Kento lands the first big blow and right away Anzai fires right back only for Kento to start unloading headbutts! Here we go!  A really nice story plays out with Kento being the current Ace and refusing to give up his spot while Anzai is fighting for his place at the top and won't take Kento disrespecting him. Kento has to work smarter and use his experience to find openings and catch the younger Anzai, who does an amazing job of taking a beating but keeps firing up and fighting back every time. Both men keep looking for their biggest shot all match but their opponents have their offense well scouted. Awesome spot with Kento going for a knee, only for Anzai to block it with one of his own! Anzai blocks Kento from hitting Shutdown and hits one of his own! A final knee by Anzai before finally hitting Gimlet to get the win. A fantastic match that firmly cemented Anzai as the new Ace of AJPW, while showing that Kento is still a threat to be feared. ****1/2

39. G1 Climax 2024 Block B Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Konosuke Takeshita at NJPW G1 Climax 34 Day 10: A physical fight between the veteran Goto and younger, more powerful Takeshita. Things start off on even footing before Takeshita uses his quickness to take over. A DDT on the floor and a follow-up DDT on the apron puts Takeshita firmly in control. Excellent story all match with Takeshita easily working over Goto, who fights from underneath and uses all his trademark offense to try and stay in the match. Some great stuff with Goto able to roll back the clock here and really take the fight to Takeshita, only for Takeshita to be able to shut him down time and time again. Goto looks for the GTR multiple times but Takeshita seems to have a counter for it every time. Takeshita winds up for another big elbow but Goto is there with a headbutt to rock Takeshita! Goto finally hits the GTR and gets the win! Big upset as Goto is able to dig deep and uses his fighting spirit to out-strike Takeshita. The crowd was going mental for all the near-falls near the end and for Goto getting the win. ****1/2

40. NXT Championship Match: Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Trick Williams at NXT Vengeance Day 2024: A phenomenal title match between the valiant defending champion and a white hot babyface. Trick comes out swinging and tries to take the fight to Ilja but Ilja's raw power and unrelenting offense puts the champion in control.  Some intense and physical back and forth action with Trick getting a bloody mouth and Ilja a busted nose. Trick is able to fire up on Ilja and mount a brief comeback. Carmelo Hayes gets in Ilja's face and takes a swing at him only to miss and get pushed into chop blocking Trick. Really clever spot. Trick still fights back only for his knee to give out and Ilja to nail a powerbomb. H Bomb by Ilja and a second off Bret's rope but only 2! Trick is still in this and the crowd is going wild! Trick dodges Torpedo Moscow and nails a big kick but still only 2! The referee gets taken out by accident and Trick hits the Trick Knee for the phantom pin. New referee in but still only 2. Ilja fights back now and goes for another H Bomb but Trick gets his knees up to block it. Both men charge and collide with Torpedo Moscow and Trick Knee at the same time but Ilja is able to land on top and gets the cover. Ilja retains in an incredible match. Trick really showed heart here and had a great babyface performance as he kept fighting back through all the punishment and pain and came so close to getting the win, only to fall short. ****1/2 

41. Tornado Tag Match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship: Darby Allin and Sting (c) vs. The Young Bucks at AEW Revolution 2024: A wild and chaotic final match for Sting! Darby and Sting jump the Bucks right away and run wild on them. Sting's sons even get involved hitting Stinger Splashes on the Bucks! So great! The fight goes into the crowd and on the ramp as the Bucks take over by dropping the champions through tables. Darby fights off the Bucks by himself before missing a Swaton off a ladder through glass! JESUS! Sting is back and he tries to fight back but the Bucks are all over him. Powerbomb through a table but Sting is back up! Bucks toss Sting through glass! Steamboat and Flair try to stop the Bucks but are hit with Superkicks for their troubles. Double Superkick to Sting but Sting no sells it!!! Double Scorpion Death Drops only gets a 2. The Bucks cut off Sting and hit the EVP Trigger but only get a 2! Another EVP Trigger and Sting kicks out at 1! Sting is laughing! What is going on?! Darby stops the Bucks from hitting the TK Driver! Sting with another Scorpion Death Drop! Coffin Drop by Darby into a Scorpion Death Lock! Matt taps out! Sting retires as a champion and undefeated in AEW! Bucks bumped like a pair of bosses for Darby and Sting and everyone went all out to make this an epic match, which it was! Maybe the best retirement match of all times! ****1/2 

42. Triple Threat Match for the NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Dijak vs. Josh Briggs at NXT Stand & Deliver 2024: An awesome Hoss match! All three men killed it all match long. Nice story early on with Broggs and Dijak trying to work together to try and take out Oba, only to end up going at it with each other too. Lots of insane big man spots: Oba using Dijak as a battering ram, Briggs chokeslaming Dijak off the top to the outside onto a seated Oba and Dijak hitting a Death Valley Driver on Briggs while on Oba's shoulders! Ridiculous! Dijak starts unloading several Feast For Your Eyes on both men to take them out. Dijak covers Briggs but Oba breaks it up and powerbombs Dijak onto Briggs! Oba covers and retains! This was three meaty men slapping meat and it was fucking awesome! ****1/2

43. Anarchy in the Arena Match: The Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada and Jack Perry vs. Bryan Danielson, FTR and Darby Allin at AEW Double or Nothing 2024: This was an insane fight! All 8 men start off fighting around ringside, into the crowd and around the arena. It is chaos from the jump! Darby tries to drown Perry in a tub of water before Perry tries to hit Darby with a bus! Dax is already busted open as the Bucks and FTR go at it. Danielson gets hit with a TK Driver on the stage! Okada with an elbow through a table while Nick hits a Swanton through another! Perry returns and tries to attack Tony Khan! DARBY LIGHTS PERRY ON FIRE! HOLY FUCK! Darby tries to fight off the Bucks and Okada but the numbers are too much. FTR tries to make the save but Matt hits Dax with an exploding chair and superkicks Cash! Okada puts on a thumbtack sleeve and murders Darby with a Rainmaker! They hang Darby up by his feet from the roof! Superkicks with thumbtack shoes to Darby's face! MY GOD! Danielson comes in and tries to fight off everyone, even taking one of the Bucks' thumbtack shoes to attack them. Busaiku Knee with a chair but Okada breaks up the count. The numbers game is just too much. Rainmaker to Danielson and an EVP Trigger before Perry hits a running knee to get the win. What a match! Awesome energy all match as the crowd was going nuts for everything! Wild spots and some amazing visuals before the heels get the win by literally tying up one of the babyfaces and using the numbers advantage to get the win. Wild as fuck match! ****1/2 

44. AEW International Championship Match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Josh Alexander at MLP Forged in Excellence Night 2: A really great back and forth match! We get some nice mat wrestling early with Alexander having the clear advantage and going for the Ankle Lock from the jump. Takeshita is able to take over with some heel tactics like going to the eyes, hitting a DDT on the apron and running Alexander into the barricade. Takeshita gets some heat before Alexander is able to fight back and we get some amazing back and forth, counter for counter wrestling from both men. As the match goes on, Alexander keeps going for the Ankle Lock until finally Takeshita uncorks a brutal elbow to cut off his momentum! A second and third elbow and Alexander looks out but keeps trying for the ankle even while on the ground. Great spot with Alexander trying for the Ankle Lock but Takeshita just German Suplexes him out of it. Awesome! Takeshita starts laying in the bigger bombs on Alexander, even hitting him with his own C4 Spike but Alexander gets right back up in Takeshita's face! Alexander is able to counter Takeshita and hits a Spinning Tombstone. C4 Spike by Alexander but Takeshita gets his foot on the rope! Ankle Lock again but Takeshita fights to the ropes, only to be German Suplexed into the turnbuckle by Alexander. Alexander goes for a killing blow from the top but Takeshita Lariats him off the top! Powerdrive Knee by Takeshita! Kickout! Another elbow by Takeshita but Alexander rips off his headgrear, throws it at Takeshita and says "Fuck You"! Hell Fucking Yeah! Alexander with a straight right but Takeshita is there with an elbow right back to drop Alexander. Raging Fire finally gives Takeshita the win. What a war between these two! Loved Alexander wanting the Ankle Lock all match and falling back on it time and time again. Meanwhile, Takeshita just landed big shots all match but smartly saved his biggest shot, his elbow, for when it was most impactful to help him get the win. ****1/2

45. Ten Man Steel Cage Tag Team Match: Will Ospreay, HENARE, Jeff Cobb and Catch 22 vs. Bullet Club War Dogs at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2024: An all out war between these two teams! Ospreay and Finlay start off as the War Dogs enter first and keep bringing in weapons: chairs, forks, tables, ladders and barbed wire. United Empire keeps entering to even the numbers up and run wild. Classic WarGames style booking. So many big moments: Cobb entering last and wrecking everyone, HENARE and Kidd renewing their feud, Akira tapping into his violent side, TJP breaking out The Aswang. The violence is upped with the introduction of thumbtacks and a barbed wire wrapped table as the War Dogs work to handcuff the bigger men, Cobb and HENARE, to the cage and neutralize them. Gedo, Callum Newman and Great O-Khan all get involved to help out their teams as War Dogs isolate Catch 22 and tear apart the ring. Ospreay saves Akira from further harm and takes the final blows from War Dogs, ending with an Overkill with barbed wire by Finlay to finally end it. Over an hour of these ten men all killing each other! Maybe a little too long but what a ride this was. A true blowoff for these two teams and felt like a war. ****1/4

46. Forbidden Door Casino Gauntlet Match at AEW Dynamite 5/29: A phenomenal and exciting match!  Jay White and PAC start off and we get some nice action playing off their feud. Mistico is next! Some great lucha action from the CMLL star. Will Ospreay is next! Ospreay and White go at it for a few and we get some good exchanges from everyone. Shota Umino enters! Umino and Ospreay reignite their feud and have an incredible sequence of counters. Claudio Castagnoli is next and clears house and runs wild. Giant Swings for everyone! Lio Rush is out next and pulls off some wild quick offense. Orange Cassidy out followed next by Hechicero. Some crazy wrestling holds and counters by Hechicero as everyone goes at it. Juice Robinson pushes PAC off the top to save White. Ospreay counters Blade Runner into a Stormbreaker! Ospreay and Cassidy go at it and Ospreay hits the Oscutter and gets the win! What a match! A wild roller coaster as everyone gets a big reaction as they come out and got a chance to shine. Super fun match! ****1/4

47. NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Gabe Kidd at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2024 Night 2: A hard hitting and stiff fight between these two! Right at the bell, these two go right at it with big strikes. Match spills to the floor and Kidd takes over running Shingo into the guardrails and nailing him with a steel chair. Back in the ring, the match is nothing but big strikes, headbutts, suplexes and big bombs! Awesome exchanges like Kidd countering out of a Last of the Dragon into a piledriver only for Shingo to stay on his feet long enough to nail a Sliding D! So good! Lots of great near-falls before Shingo wins an exchange of Lariats and hits a Takagi Driver '98 dropping Kidd on his head! The Last of the Dragon is finally enough to get the win. What a match between these two just going out here and giving it everything they had! ****1/4

48. G1 Climax 2024 Block B Playoff Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yota Tsuji at NJPW G1 Climax 34 Day 17: A great follow-up to these two's first match. Things start off a little slower this time with Tsuji not wanting to rush and Takeshita coming in with a hurt knee. Takeshita starts laying in some offense early, while still nursing the knee, before Tsuji gets his knees up to block a senton. Tsuji starts going to work on Takeshita's knee while grounding him for a nice change of pace. Takeshita nicely fights back, only for Tsuji to keep going back to the knee to cut him off. Takeshita starts taking bigger risks to stay in the match like a superplex and a flipping senton to the outside onto Tsuji and some chairs for a nice count-out tease. Tsuji fires back with his own high risk offense before both men collide with dual lariats. The two lock horns like bulls and Tsuji powers Takeshita up for a Falcon Arrow. Tsuji goes for Gene Blaster but Takeshita counters with a knee! The two men start throwing big bombs back and forth for some awesome near-falls. Takeshita tries for a Brainbuster but Tsuji counters with a stunner. Gene Blaster! Cover! Takeshita gets his feet on the ropes! Gene Blaster again but Takeshita counters with a big German Suplex! Takeshita turns around right into Gene Blaster! Tsuji gets the win! What a match! The slower start was nice as it allowed Takeshita to fight from underneath while Tsuji showed off his mat wrestling skills before we got a wild bomb fest at the finish. ****1/4

49. AEW World Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Hook at AEW Dynamite 1/17: An amazing match between the veteran monster champion and the young up and coming wrestler. Bell rings and Hook immediately tries to take the fight to Joe with some fast and heavy shots. Joe gets caught off guard at first but very quickly Joe shuts down Hook's momentum with just a few big blows. Joe wants to send a message to the upstart Hook and slams him into the announcer's table followed by a powerbomb onto the apron. Even with all that, Hook won't stay down. Joe has enough of this and hits a Muscle Buster to end things but Hook kicks out at 1! Holy Shit! Hook fires up on Joe and starts rocking him with some shots. Exploder by Hook! The crowd is going crazy! Hook tries for Redrum but Joe blocks it and locks in the choke. Hook tries to fight out of it but he passes out. Joe retains but Hook made him work for it. An incredible match in under 10 minutes. Joe establishes that he is a dominant champion but Hook showed fire and heart and proved he can stand toe to toe with the champ. ****1/4

50. G1 Climax 2024 Block A Final Match: Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. at NJPW G1 Climax 34 Day 18: Another really good match from these two. Things start off with both working their trademark styles: Shingo wanting to land bombs while Sabre goes after Shingo's hurt arm. In the early going of the match, Shingo changes things up by going after Sabre's neck for a nice bit of limb work; however, it doesn't take Sabre long to respond. Sabre goes to work on Shingo's neck and starts picking apart his legs as well to slow him down. Story becomes Shingo trying to land bombs while Sabre picks at every part of Shingo's body to chip away at him. Shingo tries to push himself and put away Sabre before his body gives out and we get some really great back and forth action. Shingo keeps looking for The Last of the Dragon before countering out of a Triangle and nailing it! Shingo is slow to cover because of the damage done to his knee and Sabre kicks out. Shingo landed his best shot and it still wasn't enough. Sabre is able to rally and lays in some strikes on Shingo before a Zack Driver for a near-fall but Sabre goes right into a kneebar! Shingo tries to fight out but he can't do it and has to tap. Sabre advances to the finals. Great match with Sabre taking some big shots by Shingo but kept picking away at Shingo's limbs to take back over before at long last it paid off for the finish. ****1/4

51. AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Orange Cassidy at AEW Full Gear 2024: Another great match from these two natural opponents. Cassidy nails the Orange Punch before Moxley even gets introduced! And another! Cassidy is here to fight! Moxley is able to cut off Cassidy by going to the eyes and crotches him on the barricade. Moxley then goes to work on Cassidy and busts him open early. Lots of good heat by Moxley as he mauls and manhandles a bloody Cassidy, who keeps trying to fight from underneath. Great added touch with Cassidy needing to land a big blow like an Orange Punch or Beach Break to even rock Moxley. Death Riders come out looking to get involved, only for the Conglomeration to clear them from ringside. Marina Shafir gets in the ring and looks to attack Cassidy but Willow Nightingale takes her out! Cassidy hits Moxley with the briefcase for a massive near-fall! Wheeler Yuta sneaks in and hits Cassidy with a Busaiku Knee behind the referee's back! Moxley nails a Death Rider and gets the win. Really loved Moxley dominating Cassidy and forcing Cassidy to dig deep to fight back. Some great near-falls before the numbers are too much for Cassidy and Moxley is able to retain. ****1/4

52. Champion vs. Champion Match: AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada at AEW Dynamite 10/2-Five Year Anniversary: An awesome and well told story of a match. Bell rings and either man is wanting to rush things; Danielson looks to wrestle Okada to the mat while Okada wants to run down the clock so his title is no longer on the line. We get some really good back and forth with Okada trying to use his size and power to stall things while Danielson pushes the pace and looks to chip away at Okada with submissions and strikes. LeBell Lock by Danielson but Okada is able to make it to the ropes. Okada gets to his feet and is hit by a Busaiku Knee! Okada rolls to the floor though to prevent being pinned as the 20 minute mark is reached and Okada's championship is no longer on the line. Okada immediately turns the tide with a Tombstone to Danielson on the floor onto a chair! Good Lord! Okada is now confident and cocky in his attacks as he has nothing to lose now and is willing to go toe to toe with Danielson. Some nice heat by Okada before Danielson is able to rally and fire back. Danielson goes for another Busaiku Knee but Okada catches him and hits the Rainmaker, only to collapse before he can cover! Both men slowly get to their feet and keep fighting. Great moment with Okada hitting Danielson with a Busaiku Knee, only for Danielson to come back and blasts Okada with a Rainmaker! Hammer and Anvil Elbows by Danielson but Okada gets to his feet and drops Danielson with a Death Valley Driver. Okada starts to Lariat Danielson over and over again as the BCC come to ringside. Okada pauses just long enough for Danielson to counter a Rainmaker into a backslide and steal the win. I loved this match! The slow build with Danielson wanting to wrestle but Okada being so focused on stalling and taking his time until his championship was safe before going all out with his offense. A great back and forth leading into the finish with Danielson taking advantage of a distracted Okada to beat him. ****1/4

53. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Darby Allin at AEW Dynamite 1/3: This was an awesome big man vs. little man match. At the bell, Darby tries to wrestle Takeshita and is quickly manhandled by the larger man. Takeshita does an amazing job of just tossing Darby around with ease. Darby tries to pick up the pace and goes for a dive but is caught with a knee! My God! A rolling German Suplex on the ramp to follow! Takeshita is all over Darby, who keeps trying to fight back. Darby is able to counter Takeshita off the top with a crazy Stunner. Darby has an opening and starts to go all out; throwing himself at Takeshita and going for his biggest and best shots including a Coffin Drop to the outside. Darby goes for the finishing blow with a Coffin Drop but Takeshita gets his knees up. Takeshita starts bombing on Darby with German Suplexes. Darby tries for a desperation pin but Takeshita kicks out of both and just hammers Darby with a Lariat. Takeshita hits an insane Top Rope German Suplex! Good Lord! Darby still wants more! Takeshita ends things with a brutal knee strike for the 3. What a match! Darby as always goes down fighting while Takeshita looks like a monster. ****1/4 

54. Three Way Match for the AEW World Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland at AEW Revolution 2024: A really great and well done 3 way match. Everyone in the match played their role perfectly: Joe is the monster champion who does everything to stop his opponents from winning, Page doing everything to keep Swerve from winning and Swerve being the fan favorite all match. Some great back and forth with everyone staying nicely involved in the match. Swerve hits the Swerve Stomp on Joe but Page pulls the referee from the ring! Page hits Swerve with the title belt! The Hangman has lost it! A pair of Buckshot Lariats to Joe but only gets 2! Nana gives Swerve his crown to use but Swerve throws it away! Page takes out another referee when Joe has a pin only for Swerve to hit a JML Driver on Page for a huge near-fall. Joe is able to take out Swerve long enough to get the choke on Page, who taps out. Joe retains while Swerve has his big babyface moment and Hangman falls further and further into a dark pit. Really well booked match here. ****1/4 

55. WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Chad Gable at WWE Raw 4/15: An excellent match between two babyfaces. Match starts off and right away the story is clear: Sami is faster and more agile while Gable is the better mat wrestler. Some early exchanges highlight this before Gable is able to trip Sami on the top rope and he comes down hard on his knee. Gable is all over the hurt leg and starts going for the Ankle Lock every chance he gets. Sami does an amazing job trying to fight back and keep away from Gable's submission holds. Some excellent back and forth and near-falls for both men. Gable seems one step ahead of Sami as the match goes on but makes a mistake of going to the top rope only for Sami to counter with a powerbomb! Sharpshooter by Sami! But his knees gives out! Gable German Suplexes Sami into the buckle! Gable, again, goes high risk with a Moonsault! Sami gets his feet up but Gable grabs it! Ankle Lock! Roll-up by Sami! Kickout! Gable charges Sami but gets hit with an Exploder in the corner! Helluva Kick! Sami gets the pin and retains! My God, what a finishing stretch! Gable found a weakness and worked over Sami and forced him to work from underneath all match and, like a true babyface, Sami did! Sami looked for the Helluva Kick all match and finally hit it to get the win. Fantastic stuff! ****1/4 

56. G1 Climax 2024 Block B Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yuya Uemura at NJPW G1 Climax 34 Night 4: A great storytelling wrestling match. Things kick off with Takeshita easily controlling the pace of the match with his size and power. Yuya is able to respond back by going after Takeshita's arm with some nice mat wrestling and damages the limb. Takeshita is now working with one arm but is quick to turn things around with one good elbow shot to Yuya's face. We get a really interesting story beat here with Yuya firing off blow after blow on Takeshita to stay on him while Takeshita just needs one good shot to put himself back in control. Yuya is able to duck an elbow on the outside and Takeshita hits the turnbuckle. Now both of Takeshita's arms are damaged! Yuya is able to block Takeshita's strikes in the rings and locks his arms for the Deadbolt Suplex and Takeshita panics and frantically fights to escape it. Takeshita is on borrowed time and Yuya knows it. Takeshita works at a fast and furious pace, using his legs and even headbutts for strikes and trying to bomb Yuya into defeat before his arms fail him. Yuya is able to weather the storm and locks Takeshita's arms for a second time. Takeshtia tries to headbutt his way out but Yuya holds tight and nails the Deadbolt Suplex to get the win. An awesome wrestling match with excellent storytelling. Both men played their roles to perfection with Yuya coming off like a true star in his performance here. ****1/4

57. AEW Women's World Championship Match: Toni Storm (c) vs. Mariah May at AEW All In 2024: A really great heated match. Both women start off swinging for the fences at each other and trying for big bombs. Story of the match is Mariah seemingly having Toni's offense scouted and able to counter or cut her off time and time again to work her over for some nice heat, even slapping her own mother in the crowd. Toni fires back by hitting a Storm Zero on the ring steps to bust open Mariah! The two start trading blows in the ring as the crowd goes nuts! Both ladies start trading bigger bombs for some good near-falls and Mariah gets frustrated at Toni's reliance. Mariah goes for the belt but is stopped by Luther and instead grabs the shoe only for Toni to get her hands on it instead! Toni can't hit Mariah with the shoe though! Toni tries for Storm Zero but Mariah counters and hits two big knees on Toni. Storm Zero by Mariah and we have a new champion! A fantastic match to wrap up this feud for now with Toni not being willing to go to the levels of violence Mariah was willing to. I loved this! ****1/4

58. Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness at AEW Dynamite 9/25-Dynamite Grand Slam: A fantastic match between these two rivals! Match starts off with some classic mat wrestling with both looking for holds and Danielson clearly having the advantage. Nigel responds back by taking cheap shots and is able to target the right arm of Danielson to take away his dominant arm and set up for the London Dungeon. Great heat by Nigel as he takes joy in picking apart Danielson, who fires back with a Busaiku Knee out of nowhere just to even things back up. The match restarts with both men duking it out with big strikes and blows. Jawbreaker Lariat by Nigel! 1 count! Danielson is fired up! But Nigel just pokes him in the eye. Perfect representation of their feud right there! Nigel starts going for his big offense: London Dungeon locked in but Danielson fights out, only to get hit with the Tower of London for a 2 count. London Dungeon again but Danielson punches his way out. Another Lariat by Nigel but Danielson again kicks out. Danielson is able to roll right into the LeBell Lock from the kick-out! Danielson tries to lock in the hold with his bad arm as Nigel fights to escape. Danielson finally locks in the LeBell Lock deep. Nigel taps out! What a match! Danielson came in hurt and Nigel was vicious in his attempt to prove he could beat him by using every cheap trick he could to do so. So many great callbacks and spots from their past matches before Danielson is able to dig deep, fight through the pain to get the win. What a match between these legendary rivals! ****1/4

59. Wonder of Stardom Championship Match: Natsupoi (c) vs. Starlight Kid at Stardom Dream Queendom 2024: A really great battle between two rivals. In the early portions of the match both women target a limb and go after it: Natsupoi going after the arm and Starlight Kid going after the knee. The limb work and submissions play out nicely with both using it as a go to tactic to fall back on when their opponent starts to gain too much momentum. As the match goes on, both start to land bigger and bigger shots including a nasty Bret's rope German that drops Starlight Kid on her head! Amazing near-fall with Starlight Kid locking in the Black Tiger Leg Killer and Natsupoi screams in pain while crawling to the ropes. Just as Natsupoi reaches the ropes, Starlight Kid rolls back to the center to lock it back in but Natsupoi counters with a roll-up only for Starlight Kid to counter right back into one of her own. Wow! That was fantastic! Natsupoi is able to respond back with a nice armbar for a close submission that has Starlight Kid just barely getting the ropes. Both women start landing more and more big bombs but nothing seems to keep the other down.  They try for quick pins to steal a victory but still no. Starlight Kid at long last hits the Star Suplex to finally put down Natsupoi and get the win. While I think this match peaked early with the amazing submission near-fall, the bomb-fest near the finish was so good with the desperation you could feel coming off each woman trying to win. Both women went to war with each other but in the end, Starlight Kid was able to hold on long enough to get the win. ****1/4

60. IWGP Women's Championship Match: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Sareee at Stardom All-Star Grand Queendom 2024:A great back and forth match between these two women. Mayu starts off looking in control with her speed before a dive to the outside misses. Sareee takes over with some nice aggression and grounds Mayu with some brutal looking submissions. Story becomes Mayu having to dig deep and get more furious with her offense to match Sareee, which she does brilliantly. Vicious and stiff strikes from both women along with a lot of big bombs and suplexes that drop their opponents right on their heads! Sareee gets frustrated at Mayu's determination to kick out and keep fighting back, leading to some nasty headbutts. Mayu stays in this and just bombards Sareee with offense before a Two Step Dragon Suplex finally gets the win. Some really nice stuff all match and nicely puts over Mayu having to match Sareee all match to beat her. ****1/4

61. Gabe Kidd vs. HENARE at NJPW Road to the New Beginning 2024 Night 6: A hard hitting and physical match. Both men waste no time going right at it at the bell with heavy shots. The fight quickly spills into the crowd as the two fight among the people for a bit. Awesome spot with Kidd diving over the stairs only for HENARE to knock him out of mid-air. The match gets back in the ring and quickly becomes a war of attrition. Heavy chops, kicks and punches from both men as they try to prove who can take the most punishment before both start dropping big bombs on each other and looking out on their feet. HENARE tries to end things only for Kidd to start headbutting him before HENARE hits a brutal headbutt of his own and both men are out! Neither man is able to answer the 10 count and the match is a draw. A brutal match from these two who went to war with each other and looked to just beat the hell out of each other. Would love to see a rematch down the road. ****1/4 

62. King of the Ring 2024 First Round Match: Sheamus vs. Gunther at WWE Raw 5/6: A hard hitting fight between these two. Right at the bell, the two start going at it with heavy shots. Love the little touch of Gunther grabbing holds on Sheamus when Sheamus starts to fire up too much to slow things down a touch. The two just go at it like two big bulls before Sheamus goes for the Brogue Kick but Gunther is able to dodge it and ties Sheamus' leg in the ropes. Ludwig Kaiser dropkicks Sheamus' leg in the ropes behind the referee's back! From there, the match changes from a Hoss match to Sheamus fighting on one good leg as Gunther works him over for some great heat. Love the little ways Gunther gets heat on Sheamus like ripping off his knee pad and even chopping the knee. What an asshole! Sheamus is able to fight back and goes for the Brogue Kick again but his knee gives out, allowing Gunther to lock him in a Half Crab. Sheamus makes it to the ropes and Gunther goes for the top, only to be cut off by Sheamus. Celtic Cross by Sheamus only gets 2! Sheamus catches Gunther with a knee and hits the Brogue Kick! Slow cover and Gunther kicks out! Gunther spins Sheamus from the kick out and into the Half Crab again! Sheamus fights to the ropes but can't make it this time and has to tap. What a match! Starts off as a hard hitting fight before we get some brilliant selling and an awesome comeback by Sheamus, only to be cut off and beaten by Gunther. Great stuff! ****1/4

63. G1 Climax 2024 Block B Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yota Tsuji at NJPW G1 Climax 34 Night 1: An awesome hard hitting fight from these two! We get some nice early big man spots before Takeshita is able to take over with his impressive speed and agility. Tsuji responds back with his own quick offense and incredible agility for his size. We got a fight here! Both men throw everything they have at each other and we get a really great back and forth all match. Some nice counters and exchanges, even the clunky moments of Tsuji's offense work to show the big risks he is willing to take to put away such a dangerous and experienced opponent. Tsuji counters a Blue Thunder Bomb into a headscissor and hits Takeshita with Marlowe Crash. Only 2! Tsuji charges for Gene Blaster but Takeshita catches him with a knee! Blue Thunder Bomb and Raging Fire by Takeshita gets him the win. A lovely hard hitting and physical fight between these two with the more experienced wrestler getting the win. ****1/4

64. AEW TBS Championship Match: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Mercedes Mone at AEW Double or Nothing 2024: An excellent bell to bell wrestling match! Right from the bell the story is clear with Willow having the clear size and power advantage while Mone is the faster heel who looks to pick apart Willow and work her over. Some fantastic exchanges early on with both women working a more heated style and looking less smooth and more like a struggle. Mone tries to work the legs of Willow to take away her power and get her down to the mat for some submissions but Willow doesn't go down easily and is still able to throw Mone around the ring. Great spot with Willow hitting a shin breaker on the apron to go after the previously broken ankle of Mone to try and slow her down and work her over. Love seeing Willow get vicious here to defend her title. Willow hits the Babe With The Powerbomb but Statlander and Hathaway inadvertently distract the referee and Mone kicks out! Mone counters a second one into a STF variation for a nice near-fall. Mone goes to the top and Willow tries to follow, only to get shoved off. Mone is able to flip over Willow and hits the Mone Maker to get the win! The finish felt a little flat and sudden but the rest of this match was so good with some incredible back and forth wrestling from both women. Willow stepped up and proved to be a fighting champion but Mone was the better woman here. ****1/4

65. Continental Classic 2024 Gold League Match: Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet at AEW Collision 12/21-Christmas Collision: A really great storytelling match from these two. Right from the start, the crowd is firmly against Ricochet and anything he does. Ospreay and Ricochet go through some classic back and forth exchanges but Ospreay is very clearly more in control of the pace of the match and has the edge. Ricochet responds not by being flashy but instead goes to work on Ospreay's neck with some nice subtle heel work. Ricochet is able to take over but still tries to win over the crowd with some impressive agility, only to slip on one of the moves; a botch but one that worked here. We get some great back and forth from these two as always when Ospreay fights back, ending with Ricochet going for the Spirit Gun but is cut off with a Hidden Blade by Ospreay! Ospreay sets up for the Stormbreaker but Ricochet grabs the referee to block it before inadvertently shoving Opreay into the referee. Ospreay is still able to hit the Stormbreaker but no referee. Ospreay goes to the top to try and end things but Ricochet kicks the referee into the ropes and crotches Ospreay! Spirit Gun delivered and Ricochet gets the win! Really solid in-ring action like always from these two but the extra layer with the crowd being against Ricochet and him leaning into a more heel role. In the end, Ospreay had this match won until Ricochet resorted to cheating to steal the win. Really great stuff! ****1/4

66. #1 Contendership Match for the AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin at AEW Dynamite 9/25-Dynamite Grand Slam: A great, hard hitting match. Moxley cuts off Darby at the bell and wastes no time going to work on him. Moxley isn't trying to be pretty; he just stomps on Darby, kicks the ropes into his mouth and mauls him. Moxley is all business. Darby falls back on his classic, reckless style while also being unique in his offense like trapping Moxley's arm in the top of the ring post to work it over. So clever. The match follows this story with Moxley being aggressive with his attacks while Darby takes big risks to try and get the win. Brutal spot with Darby missing a dive and smacking the bare floor! Release Suplex onto the stair! Moxley leaves Darby to be counted out but Darby makes it back in at 9! Darby dodges a charging Moxley, who hits an exposed turnbuckle. Coffin Drop by Darby but Moxley catches him in a choke. Moxley switches to a Bulldog Choke as Darby foams at the mouth! Darby fights to the ropes and forces the break! Moxley gets frustrated and goes to the top, only for Darby to cut him off. A brief distraction by Marina Shafir allows Moxley to hit Darby with a top rope Death Rider! My God! Cover and Moxley gets the win. Loved this match with both men working their style perfectly. Moxley was here to win even if he had to kill Darby while Darby threw himself at his opponent looking for the win. Great stuff. ****1/4

67. GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: Kaito Kiyomiya (c) vs. Gabe Kidd at Pro Wrestling NOAH Grand Ship 2024 in Yokohama: A nice heated fight between these two. Right at the bell, the two men start going right at it. Kaito tries to use his quickness early, only for Kidd to make this a brawl around ringside. Kaito does a nice job trying to fight back and match Kidd only for Kidd to bust him open and mock him. Here comes Kaito! Stiff strikes and an aggressive edge to the champion now to defend his home! Kaito is able to run Kidd into the turnbuckle to bust open Kidd and nails a Tiger Suplex on the apron. But now Kidd fires up at the sight of his blood! These two are in a fight! Lots of strikes and brutal bombs from both men as both seem to be pushing the other to fight back harder and harder. A top rope Tiger Suplex by Kaito and Kidd barely kicks out. Kidd goes down swinging and tells Kaito to hit him. Three Shining Wizard variations by Kaito and the champion retains. Really good stuff. Loved watching both men take a beating only to fire up and keep coming back for more. ****1/4

68. AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: The Young Bucks vs. Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher at AEW Dynamite 9/25-Dynamite Grand Slam: A phenomenal back and forth, fast paced tag match! Things start off and right away the Bucks try to double team their way into control before Ospreay and Fletcher clean house and take over with their fast offense. The match settles into some great back and forth action and near-falls early as both teams look for a quick win. Bucks try for the EVP Trigger but Ospreay leaps up and hits a double Oscutter! Bucks turn it around though by nailing Fletcher with a TK Driver on the apron! Fletcher just makes it back in the ring at 9. Bucks get some heat on him before trying for another TK Driver but Ospreay catches Nick! Double Styles Clashes by Ospreay and Fletcher! Hidden Blade and Stormbreaker by Ospreay! Nick with the save! Bucks cut off Ospreay and go for More Bang For Your Bucks on Fletcher. Ospreay with a Springboard Cutter to Nick! TK Driver to Matt by Ospreay and Fletcher! Kickout! Coriolis! Another kickout! My God! Top Rope Brainbuster by Fletcher!!! Nick with the save! Good God! Callis gives Fletcher the screwdriver but Ospreay stops him! Ospreay gets hit with the title belt by Matt! Fletcher is hit by Nick! Double Superkick and EVP Trigger on Fletcher finally gives the Bucks the win. An insane back and forth match with so many crazy spots and sequences. Just wow! The storyline finish was a nice touch as it gives the Bucks the win and shows Ospreay not willing to use Callis' tactics anymore. ****1/4

69. IYO SKY vs. Utami Hayashishita at Marigold Summer Destiny 2024: A really great battle between the veteran IYO and the new top wrestler, Utami. Some good exchanges early on with Utami looking to use her power to manhandle IYO, only for IYO to counter this by using her speed and experience. IYO is able to take control and we get some nice heat as Utami does everything she can to fight back and stay in this. Finally, Utami is able to mount a comeback and starts bombing IYO with big offense. Even as IYO fights back, Utami just grits her teeth and keeps moving forward and pushes her advantage, but nothing seems to keep IYO down. A frustrated Utami tries for a Lariat but IYO pulls her into a vicious knee to the face! Tombstone Piledriver by IYO and she finally hits the Over the Moonsault and gets the win. A big stiff fight from these two all match. Utami was able to take IYO's best and still come back swinging but IYO was still more experienced and was able to counter Utami late in the match to get the win. ****1/4

70. AEW International Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Ricochet at AEW Dynamite 10/2-Five Year Anniversary: A fantastic back and forth match between these two. Both men start off with some quick counters and exchanges ending with an awesome stand-off. So good! We get some nice storytelling to this match with Ricochet using his experience to counter Ospreay, who looks to be the faster and more powerful wrestler of the two. Excellent back and forth from both men before Ricochet tries for a top rope Hurricanrana but Ospreay lands on his feet! Ricochet says enough of this and uses the Oscutter on Ospreay! Piledriver by Ricochet for a near-fall. This match is now a battle of wills as both men land their biggest shots. Styles Clash by Ospreay followed by an Oscutter. 2 count! Ricochet ducks a Hidden Blade and hits a Lariat before nailing a Shooting Star Press. 2 count! Ricochet looks for Vertigo but Ospreay counters out and both men hit each other with Poison Ranas. Hidden Blade to the back of Ricochet's head! Both men fall and cover each other. Double pin! It's a draw. NO! The match restarts and both men come out swinging! Hidden Blade to Ricochet's face! Takeshita runs in and attacks both men and the match ends in a DQ. The double non-finish was kind of blah but the action and subtle storytelling was amazing. Can't wait to see these two clash again. ****1/4

71. Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli vs. FTR at AEW Revolution 2024: A really great bell to bell tag team wrestling match. Things start off hot with all 4 men working a physical and stiff style of match. Moxley and Claudio are able to isolate Cash and work him over for some heat and, like in the past, try to keep the match a fight and brawl. Dax is able to get the hot tag and runs wild until Moxley runs him into the turnbuckle and busts him open. Match becomes a back and forth battle between the two teams with a lot of big tag team offense and near-falls: Doomsday Device, Big Swing/Dropkick Combo and Shatter Machine all only get near-falls. Moxley is able to lock in a choke on Dax and Cash rushes in for the save but Claudio stops him and locks in a choke as well! Dax passes out and the referee calls it! The BCC gets the win in a great old school style tag match. Fantastic match that builds and builds to a hot finish. ****1/4

72. #1 Contendership Match for the AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland vs. Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Dynamite 3/27: An excellent back and forth match from these two. Match starts off with Swerve using his quickness to try and work over Takeshita before Takeshita's powerful strikes quickly put Swerve on the back foot. A big Brainbuster by Takeshita hurts Swerve's neck and gives Takeshita a target to go after. Great pace and flow to the match with Takeshita being the powerhouse and Swerve trying to find creative ways to chip away at Takeshita all the while the two have an incredible back and forth. So many great counters, exchanges and big near-falls with the Blue Thunder Bomb,  Swerve Stomp and Jumbo Knee all not being enough. Takeshita goes for a powerbomb but Swerve is able to counter it with a standing Swerve Stomp! Big Pressure by Swerve and that gets the 3! Great match with both men looking like either one could have gotten the win here but Swerve was able to find the right counter to get the win on this night. ****1/4

73. ROH Pure Championship Match: Lee Moriarty (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness at ROH Final Battle 2024: This was an excellent back and forth technical match between a veteran and up and coming wrestler. Match starts and we get a clear showing of the story to the match: Moriarty is the younger and faster wrestler but Nigel is more experienced. Nigel is able to force Moriarty into the ropes to burn his first rope break and fakes a punch to the face to cost Moriarty his second rope break. Brilliant stuff. Nigel is able to run through some trademark offense including the London Dungeon, toying with Moriarty to use his last rope break but Moriarty is able to counter out instead and locks in the Border City Stretch and forces Nigel to the ropes. Nigel goes back to trying to outsmart Moriarty, like looking for a count-out and catching him with a Tower of London. London Dungeon locked in but again Moriarty counters into the Border City Stretch and Nigel uses his second rope break. Moriarty stays on Nigel this time and is able to lock in the Border City Stretch once again to force Nigel to use his last rope break. Nigel starts going all out with his Lariats and big bombs. Tower of London again and a cover. 3 count! But Moriarty had the ropes! No more rope breaks for either man. Both men start swinging away at each other with Moriarty even using Nigel's own Lariat against him for a great spot. Nigel goes for any pinning combination he can to try and get the win but Moriarty won't stay down. Border City Stretch again by Moriarity but this time he pushes off the ropes for leverage and Nigel taps! Awesome match! Loved Nigel using the rules of the match to try and get the win and not necessarily beat Moriarty. Meanwhile, Moriarty was able to use the Border City Stretch time and time again to put Nigel on defense and use his rope breaks until Moriarty was able to use the ropes to get the win. ****1/4

74. Continental Classic 2024 Gold League Match: Will Ospreay vs. Brody King at AEW Dynamite 12/25-Dynamite on 34th Street: Another great big man vs. little match. Right at the bell we get a clear story: Brody is bigger and way more powerful so Ospreay needs to use his speed and agility to try and beat him. Some really nice back and forth with Brody just absorbing everything Ospreay throws at him while Ospreay tries to weather the storm of Brody's heavy strikes and offense. As the match goes on, Brody seems to almost toy with Ospreay and mock him for his efforts, which only serves to piss off Ospreay, who comes firing back at Brody for more. Ospreay starts laying in his shots more and more and is even able to get Brody up for a Styles Clash! Brody fires right back with some big Lariats and looks for the Gonzo Bomb but Ospreay fights out of it and finally knocks Brody off his feet with a Lariat. Cover but only a 1! Hidden Blade but Brody still kicks out! Ospreay gets Brody up! Stormbreaker! Cover and 3! Really good stuff with Brody once again being an amazing monster for the valiant babyface to fight and overcome. Ospreay did a great job of showcasing how hard he had to fight to chip away and defeat Brody here. ****1/4

75. No Disqualification Match: Shingo Takagi vs. Jon Moxley at NJPW Battle in the Valley 2024: An all out war between these two men. Both come out swinging for the fences before the weapons come into play. Kendo sticks, chains and trash cans! Shingo tries to fight Moxley, only for Moxley to utilize the weapons to bust Shingo open and stab him with a broken Kendo stick! Shingo is able to block a dive by Moxley by hitting him with a trash can lid to bust open Moxley and now we have a fight! Lots of weapons and brutal shots as these two give everything to kill each other. Moxley chokes Shingo with a chain before elbow dropping him through a table! Moxley tries for another table spot but Shingo with the green mist! Death Valley Driver off the top through a table! Shingo hammers Moxley before a Made In Japan on a chair but still only 2! My God! Moxley responds with a Cutter out of nowhere! Curb Stomp and Death Rider but only 2 again! Moxley tries to choke out Shingo, who fights his way out. Sleeper Suplex by Moxley and a running knee to the head. Death Rider on the chair finally puts down Shingo. What a war as these two went all out here and made full use of the No DQ rules. Shingo looked like a beast but Moxley walked away the winner. ****1/4

76. Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata at AEW Dynamite 3/27: A really great match between these two. Match starts off with some nice mat wrestling before the story of the match unfolds with Ospreay being the faster and more agile wrestler while Shibata looks to tie up Ospreay in submission and punish him with strikes. Some great back and forth action as Ospreay nicely works from underneath and tries to find openings to land some big offense on Shibata. Great touch with Ospreay needing to go to the ropes time and time again to escape Shibata's submission holds. Shibata locks in a Sleeper but Ospreay is able to escape this time and gets Shibata in the ropes and just bombards him with offense. Brutal Hidden Blade to Shibata's face but he is still not staying down! Storm Driver '93 by Ospreay only for Shibata to sit up and get hit with one final Hidden Blade to end things. Great match with Ospreay having to dig deep to defeat the better wrestler and striker that is Shibata. ****1/4

77. Chicago Street Fight: Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale at AEW All Out 2024: A wild, weapons filled brawl from these former friends! We start off hot with Willow out-powering Statlander until a chair to the back allows Statlander to powerbomb Willow through the announcer's table! Statlander misses a follow-up Swanton through a table to even things back up. The women brawl around ringside and up the ramp as Statlander gets more weapons only to be nailed with a light tube by Willow! Statlander doesn't stay down long and spears Willow off the stage through a table! My God! The two fight back to the ring before we get thumbtacks in the ring and a series of big bombs from both women. Statlander hits the Saturday Night Fever before choking out Willow with a chain to get the win. A vicious and violent match with both women going all out from the start with trying to punish and hurt the other. Tons of wild spots with a really nice finish and visual with the two friends turned enemies tied together with the chain. ****1/4

78. AEW Continental Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. PAC at AEW Dynasty 2024: An excellent back and forth match between these two. Some good mat wrestling early on before PAC is able to take over with his quick offense on Okada. Match spills to the floor and Okada nails a brutal looking draping DDT on PAC! My God! Okada looks to keep after the neck while PAC tries to keep the pace fast. Some great back and forth before PAC misses a Black Arrow off the top. Okada goes for the Rainmaker but PAC nicely keeps countering it and even locks Okada in the Brutalizer. Okada goes to the eyes to break the hold but walks into a Tombstone Piledriver by PAC! Black Arrow attempted again but Okada holds the referee in the way and stalls PAC long enough so that when PAC does go for the Black Arrow, Okada gets his knees up. So great! Rainmaker by Okada ends things. A slow start to things but picked up and built to a great finish that really highlighted Okada's new heel antics. ****1/4

79. Orange Cassidy vs. Zack Sabre Jr. at AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door 2024: An incredible back and forth wrestling match! Both men start off with some quick back and forth counters showing off both men's wrestling skills. Sabre doesn't fall for Cassidy's mind games and is able to ground Cassidy and work him over nicely, even does his own mocking kicks to rub it in. Cassidy gets serious though and attacks Sabre's hurt leg with some brutal looking Dragon Screws. Cassidy tries for the Orange Punch, only for Sabre to counter it and go after the hand to take away Cassidy's best shot. Awesome spot with Cassidy getting pissed at Sabre and violently stomping on his bad knee before going for a Cloverleaf but his hand is too hurt to lock it in tightly. The two exchange pinning combinations in an incredible display of wrestling and near-falls. Cassidy goes for the Mouse Trap but Sabre slips out and ties up Cassy's arms in a submission. Cassidy reaches for the ropes with his foot, only for Sabre to trap them as well! Sabre has Cassidy's whole body in a submission and he has to tap! Just an awesome bell to bell match. Cassidy tried to beat Sabre at his own game by out-wrestling him but was outmatched in the end. ****1/4

80. Survival of the Fittest Match for the ROH World Television Championship: Brian Cage (c) vs. Willie Mack vs. AR Fox vs. Mark Davis vs. Komander vs. Blake Christian at ROH Final Battle 2024: A super fun and chaotic match! Everyone in the match had a role to play: Cage the defending champion and the powerhouse, Davis going after Cage for his association with Don Callis, Mack trying to prove himself, Fox the wild high flyer, Blake the opportunistic heel and Komander the fiery babyface. Lots of fast action from the bell with everyone getting some shine on them and highlighting their role in the match. Mack runs wild with Stunners for everyone before Cage spoils the fun and eliminates him with a Discus Lariat. Fox gets his big shine moment and starts hitting everyone with big dives and some impressive high flying offense. Fox tries a top rope move on Cage but Cage is too strong and nails a top rope powerbomb and Fox is gone. Cage and Davis go at it like two big bulls. Really fun spot with Komander and Blake trying to get involved but both are quickly tossed aside so the big lads can go at it.  Davis rocks Cage with a Lariat before hitting a piledriver and Cage is gone! We are gonna have a new champion! Low blow by Blake, who rolls up Davis! It's down to Blake and Komander as the crowd goes nuts! Some insane back and forth action and near-falls from both men as the crowd rallies behind Komander and boos Blake. Komander is able to daze Blake with a Mexican Destroyer and hits the Area Code Kick. Cielito Lindo by Komander! Cover and 3!!! Komander is the new TV Champion! What a match! Super exciting action all match before it came down to a clear babyface and heel with the babyface overcoming all the odds to get the big win. ****1/4

81. AEW International Championship Match: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Will Ospreay at AEW Double or Nothing 2024: A really great back and forth match. Things start off hot with Ospreay going right for Strong's head with a Hidden Blade before the bell and here we go! Ospreay is moving fast before The Kingdom gets involved and drops Ospreay on his head with a Doomsday Device! Jesus! Strong is all over Ospreay from there and starts picking apart his neck, back and knees. Some nice selling by Ospreay as he fights to mount a comeback before The Kingdom and Wardlow get involved again only to be ejected. From there, the match is all great back and forth action from these two and some amazing counters and sequences. Ospreay hits an Oscutter and Strong looks to have hurt his neck. Callis calls for the Storm Driver but Ospreay can't do it and Strong takes advantage of the hesitation. Angle Slam and a Sick Kick only gets a 2 count. Strong goes for End of Heartache but Ospreay lands on his feet and nails a Hidden Blade! Storm Breaker is enough to get the win. The interference early on was unneeded but once it came down to these two going at it, this was a great match with an incredible finish. ****1/4

82. GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. (c) vs. Kaito Kiyomiya at Pro Wrestling NOAH Wrestle Magic 2024: A really great back and forth match. Both men start off with some quick exchanges early on before Kaito goes to the knee of Wagner to try and slow him down. Wagner responds by laying into Kaito with his power and starts to work him over. We get an especially brutal spot with Wagner hitting a dive on Kaito, who gets all but bent over the guardrail! Ouch! Kaito does a nice job of staying alive and fighting back to stay in the match before going after the knee of Wagner again and locking in the Figure Four for a nice false finish. We get an exciting finishing stretch with both men going for their best shots before Kaito hits a Shining Wizard off the top rope! Shining Wizard to the back of the head before one last Shining Wizard ends things. Kaito is the champion again! A really great match that showcased both men well. Very exciting finish with both looking like they could pull off the win. ****1/4

83. Will Ospreay vs. Claudio Castagnoli at AEW Dynamite 4/17: A really great bell to bell wrestling match. We get the classic power vs. speed match up with Claudio looking to ground and work over Ospreay while Ospreay looks for quick offense and powerful blows. Some great opening exchanges from both men with Ospreay using his quickness to start off in control before Claudio goes to work on the back and uses some submissions to try and break Ospreay down. Match picks up with both men pulling off some insane counters and sequences for several near-falls. Claudio goes for the Big Swing only for Ospreay to fight up and hit a DDT to stop it! Insane! Leap of Faith by Ospreay only gets 2 but a Hidden Blade ends things. Incredible chemistry from these two as they go out here and just have an awesome wrestling match. ****1/4

84. 3 Way Match for the IWGP Global Championship: Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley vs. David Finlay at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18: A really fun and exciting 3 way match. Ospreay and Moxley agree to work together in the opening 5 minutes of the match to take out Finlay before the two start going at it. Some really great exchanges with Moxley looking like a monster that Osrepay, the valiant babyface, has to try to slay. Finlay is able to make his way back into the match and plays the role of the sneaky heel looking to steal the win from underneath the two others involved. Some really good sequences and exchanges with all 3 men and some nice near-falls. Things pick up with Moxley tossing chairs into the ring, nailing both opponents as he does. War Dogs try to get involved to take out Moxley and Ospreay, only to get put through a pair of tables by the two instead. More big shots from all 3 men with Ospreay finally able to take out Moxley with a pair of Hidden Blades and a Stormbreaker but Finlay is there to drop Ospreay with Into Oblivion. Ospreay still kicks out! Finlay delivers another Into Oblivion to Ospreay's face to end things and get the win. A very fun 3 way match that did a great job of keeping everyone involved. All three men played their roles in the match perfectly with Finlay being able to survive the onslaught and steal the win. ****1/4

85. IWGP Women's Championship Match: Mayu Iwatani (c) vs. Syuri at Stardom Ittenyeon Stardom Gate 2024: A really great back and forth match. Kick-off and Mayu is able to use her quickness to out-wrestle Syuri in the early going before Syuri starts firing off big strikes and using her power to toss Mayu around. Mayu does a nice job trying to quicken the pace and goes for a big dive but misses and Syuri takes back over. Mayu doesn't stay down for long and starts firing right back with her own strikes. Syrui tries to switch to hitting big power moves but Mayu responds back with her own as well. Syuri is able to lock in a brutal looking Kimura before transitioning into an arm trap sleeper but Mayu is still able to get the ropes. Syuri is running out of ways to fight Mayu, who keeps coming back for more. A sickening headbutt by Mayu before she goes for the killing blow with a pair of Dragon Suplexes but Syuri's feet are in the ropes. That was the only thing that saved Syuri. Mayu goes for a Moonsault but a near lifeless Syuri grabs her feet to stop her. Syuri is able to find the will power and hits Syuri World but only 2! Mayu fights back enough to hit an insane Springboard Reverse Rana and gets the win. An excellent back and forth match with young Mayu refusing to back down the older, and in many ways, better Syuri and somehow finding a way to overcome her. Very good match. ****1/4 

86. Best of the Super Junior 31 Final Match: Taiji Ishimori vs. El Desperado at NJPW Dominion 2024: A really good back and forth battle from these two. Some nice wrestling exchanges early on before Desperado goes after Ishimori's knee. Ishimori ups the pace to take over with his speed and goes after the shoulder of Desperado, including running him into an exposed turnbuckle. Ishimori works on the shoulder for a bit of heat before Desperado fires back for a nice bit of back and forth. Nice touch with both men going back to the limb work later in the match to try and take back control. Ishimori is able to lock in the Bone Lock but Desperado counters out into Numero Dos. Ishimori fights out and hits a Canadian Destroyer! Ishimori gets desperate and low blows Desperado for a nice near-fall. The two are back on even ground as they fight to get the win. Desperado blocks the Bloody Cross and runs Iishmori into the same exposed turnbuckle! Jay Driller right into Pinche Loco and Desperado is the Best of the Super Junior! Really great back and forth action all match. Loved Desperado beating Ishimori by using his own cheating tactics against him for the finish. ****1/4

87. ROH Women's World Championship Match: Athena (c) vs. Queen Aminata at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2024: A really great match between these two. Match starts off fairly even with Athena having the experience edge while Aminata has the size. Some good exchanges before Athena is able to hit a big dive on the floor and makes things more of a brawl to take over. From there, Athena is solidly in control most of the match with Aminata having to fight from underneath for any opening. Some really good exchanges and near-falls from both women. Athena gets frustrated with Aminata staying in for so long so she hits a brutal tombstone onto the ring steps!  Back in the ring, Aminata still kicks out! Athena is shocked as Aminata starts firing back and rocks Athena with a headbutt. Aminata drops Athena on her head with an inverted piledriver! Billie Starkz tries to get involved but Red Velvet stops her. The distraction allows Levi Nair to hand Athena the microphone and she nails Aminata. O-Face ends it and Athena retains. Great stuff with Aminata staying in the match the whole time against the more experienced champion until Athena resorted to cheating to get the win. ****1/4

88. AEW Continental Championship Match: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada at AEW Dynamite 3/20: A great story-telling match from these two. A slow start early on with some nice grappling exchanges before Kingston starts firing off chops. Okada avoids Kingston to force him to give chase and allows Okada to sucker Kingston in close for a DDT on the floor. Okada takes the opening to go right to work on the neck of Kingston. A nice pace and story to the match from there with Okada looking to wrestle and work over Kingston while Kingston wants to swing for the fences with strikes and big bombs. Some nice back and forth offense from both men. Two great moments with Kingston rocking Okada with a Backfist for a near-fall and Okada, from there, starts to work more aggressively and another moment with Kingston raising his arms to block the Rainmaker, only to still get knocked down but not out. Okada goes to Kingston's eyes which causes Kingston to miss a second Backfist and allows Okada to hit the Cobra Flowson and a clean Rainmaker to end things. Okada wrestled his style of match while keeping it in his wheelhouse to get the clean and decisive win. Kingston goes down fighting like always, which was great. ****1/4

89. Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay at NJPW Battle in the Valley 2024: A great finale for these two's rivalry. Ospreay starts off hot and wants to beat Okada one last time on his way out. Okada is able to catch Ospreay on a dive and slow him down with a pair of DDTs on the outside. Okada goes to work on the neck while Ospreay fights from underneath.  Things pick up with both going for bigger and bigger blows and while Ospreay keeps going for pins, Okada knows he needs to do more to put away Ospreay and keeps his cool. Ospreay pulls out a Styles Clash, trying to beat Okada with moves from his past, for a near-fall. Okada cuts off a V-Trigger with a dropkick and hits a Stormbreaker of his own! Rainmaker by Okada but Ospreay kicks out! Okada is shocked! Some more great back and forth action with Okada trying to hit the Rainmaker again. Ospreay nails a Stormbreaker for a huge near-fall! Both men are drained but keep fighting as Okada tries for a Rainmaker again but Ospreay keeps blocking it. Okada with three thunderous Lariats puts Ospreay down to his knees. A Landslide by Okada before a final Rainmaker ends it. Another great match from these two with Ospreay still unable to put away his rival fully but still putting up a hell of a fight. ****1/4 

90. AEW TNT Championship Match: Christian Cage (c) vs. Daniel Garcia at AEW Revolution 2024: A perfectly booked heel champion vs. underdog babyface match. Some nice early mat wrestling with Garcia having the advantage so Christian has to cheat with a thumb to the eye to take over on offense. Some nice heat from Christian before Garcia starts to go after the knee and ankle. Nice little spot with Christian trying to keep Garcia from getting back in the ring and win via count-out. Garcia finally makes it back in and is able to fire up on Christian. Killswitch gets involved and hits a chokeslam on Garcia and Christian covers for a big near-fall. Daddy Magic rushes to ringside and takes out Killswitch, distracting Christian long enough for Garcia to hit a piledriver for a huge near-fall. Garica tries to follow-up only for Nick Wayne to catch him with a Cutter on the top rope. Christian capitalizes and hits a Killswitch to retain. A really well done, and classic style wrestling match. Garcia looked to have the match won until the numbers game allowed Christian to steal the win. ****1/4

91. AEW TBS Championship Match: Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Kris Statlander at AEW Full Gear 2024: A fantastic power vs.speed match. A nice slow build to start off with Mone working over Statlander with her wrestling skills and quickness while Statlander tries to use her power to cut Mone off. Mone hits a big rana off the apron and goes after Statlander's back to try and neutralize her power. Mone starts bombarding Statlander with some big offense including multiple Meteoras and gets increasingly more frustrated at Statlander kicking out. Mone goes for the Meteora once too often and Statlander catches her and nails a big powerbomb. Statlander starts rolling and seems to hurt her knee on a backbreaker but keeps on Mone. 450 by Statlander misses and Mone goes after the knee! Frog Splash right on the knee but Statlander kicks out. Mone Maker but Statlander kicks out again! Statlander counters a second Mone Maker into Saturday Night Fever... but Mone punches at Statlander's knee to block it! Mone rolls Statlander, throat first, into the ropes and steals it with a quick roll-up! What a match. Perfect in-ring storytelling with Mone getting frustrated at Statlander not staying down and Statlander's hurt knee nicely playing into the finish. ****1/4

92. GHC Heavyweight Championship Match: Kaito Kiyomiya (c) vs. YOICHI at Pro Wrestling NOAH Destination 2024: A really great match between the champion and an up and coming wrestler. A good story all match with Kaito being faster and more experienced while YOICHI is bigger and more powerful. YOICHI goes to work on Kaito's midsection and ribs for a bit before Kaito goes after YOICHI's legs to take away some of the big man's power. A nice touch with Kaito almost working heel at this point and toying with YOICHI a bit. Nice comeback by YOICHI, who keeps firing up and hitting Kaito with some big bombs to stay in the match. Lots of back and forth exchanges from both men with YOICHI pulling out all the stops including a top rope splash for a big near-fall. YOUCHI goes for Muso but Kaito counters with a Shining Wizard! Another Shining Wizard but YOICHI isn't going down! Top rope Shining Wizard followed by one to the back of YOICHI's head and one final Shining Wizard ends things! A great match with a star making performance by YOICHI as the crowd got super behind him and his near-falls before the champion was able to get the win and retain. ****1/4

93. Texas Death Match: Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch at ROH Death Before Dishonor 2024: A brutal, violent and bloody match. Leyla jumps Diamante on the ramp to start this match and Diamante throws Leyla off the stage through a table in the opening minute! The match makes it to the ring and chairs are brought in with both women getting busted open. Diamante breaks out thumbtacks, only for Leyla to German Suplex her into them! Leyla covers her in more tacks but misses a moonsault and lands in the tacks! My God! Diamante duct tapes Leyla to the ropes and attacks with a thumbtack covered shoe! Jesus! Leyla escapes and is able to slam Diamante off the apron through a board of barbed wire! Leyla sets up a ladder and table before duct taping Diamante to the table. Moonsault off the top of the ladder! Holy Shit! Leyla barely stands up at 9 to beat the count and get the win. An absolute war between these two as they went above and beyond to try and kill each other. Some brutal and creative spots to this match that really out over both as dangerous. ****1/4

94. Best of the Super Junior 31 Semi-Final Match: TJP vs. Taiji Ishimori at NJPW Best of the Super Junior 31 Night 13: A really great pro wrestling match. Both men start off with some excellent straight up mat wrestling with back and forth holds. Ishimori starts upping the aggression by going after TJP's shoulder and neck with some nice targeted offense. TJP starts firing back nicely and goes to the neck of Ishimori as well, only for Ishimori to throw TJP, shoulder first, into an exposed turnbuckle to take back control. TJP is able to fight back and we get some really nice back and forth exchanges and near-falls. TJP is able to lock in the Pinoy Stretch but Ishimori is able to fight out when TJP adjusts his grip and gets him in the Bone Lock. Ishimori wears down TJP with his hold before a Bloody Sunday and one final Bloody Cross ends things. A really good match with both guys going after hurt body parts from a long tournament but Ishimori was able to pull off the win with his aggressive edge. ****1/4

95. G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match: Shingo Takagi vs. Gabe Kidd at NJPW G1 Climax 34 Day 7: Another stiff hard hitting match from these two. All match is nothing but big forearms, lariats, kicks and headbutts. Shingo is able to gain the momentum and looks to hammer Gabe into defeat but Gabe counters a Last of the Dragon with a piledriver to even the match back up. Great fire from Gabe who takes everything Shingo throws at him, says "Fuck You" and hits him right back. Gabe rocks Shingo with a headbutt and nails a pair of  piledrivers to get the win! This was a beautifully violent match with two men just giving it their all to win. Loved that it was almost all strikes with Gabe only using a piledriver three times to take over and to get the win. ****1/4

96. AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: The Young Bucks vs. Private Party at AEW Dynamite 10/30-Fright Night Dynamite: A fantastic and exciting TV match. Private Party comes in super motivated and starts off aggressive against the Bucks. The Bucks try to use their tag team experience to isolate but Private Party are able to match the Bucks the whole time. Bucks try to cheat with a ring bell shot to Zay but Quen stops it, only to hit Zay by accident! Bucks waste no time isolating Quen and working him over for some nice heat all while preventing the tag to Zay. Quen finally makes the hot tag to Zay, who runs wild for a bit. Bucks are able to fight back and drag Quen up the ramp for Okada to come out and Tombstone him on the stage! Zay is all alone and tries to fight back against the Bucks, who start laying in big offence on him. Gin n Juice and a Superkick Party for big near-falls. Zay avoids the EVP Trigger for a small package, only for Nick to kick out and the Bucks nail an EVP Trigger. Kick-out again! V Trigger and One-Winged Angel by the Bucks! Quen makes the save! Holy Shit! Private Party fights back and blocks the TK Driver! Gin n Juice on Nick! Cover! 3!!! Private Party does it! What a match with Private Party taking the fight to the Bucks this time. Miscommunication almost costs them early, only for them to make a big comeback against the cheating Bucks to finally win the tag titles. What a match and what a moment! ****1/4

97. Super Junior Tag League 2024 Block A Match: Ichiban Sweet Boys vs. Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney at NJPW Super Junior Tag League 2024 Night 3: A very exciting and high energy match. Sweet Boys are able to start off hot and use their tag team skills to control early. The match spills to the floor and the War Dogs are able to turn the match into a wild brawl to take over. Fujita is hit with a chair to be taken out as Eagles is isolated and worked over for a bit. Fujita, somehow, makes it back into the match, gets the hot tag and turns things around for his team. Awesome dual submission spot for the Sweet Boys before Moloney goes to Fujita's eyes to break things up. We get some great back and forth action and near-falls before Fujita is hit with Spears from both War Dogs. Hit n Run on Fujita but Eagles with the last second save! Connors tries to Spear both Sweet Boys but they counter and hit a T Bomb for a nice near-fall. Fujita and Moloney go at it in the ring before Connors takes out Eagles on the outside and helps Moloney hit the Drilla Killa! Cover! Eagles with a Superkick to Moloney to make the save! The save does little to change the outcome as the War Dogs stay on the Sweet Boys before a Full Clip on Fujita finally gives them the win. Great match with a classic babyface vs. heel dynamic. Sweet Boys looked amazing and fought like hell to get that win but the brutal and violent style of the War Dogs was too much here. ****1/4

98. ROH Women's World Championship Match: Athena (c) vs. Hikaru Shida at ROH Supercard of Honor 2024: A really good and heated title match. Shida comes in with a lot of Athena's early offense scouted and plays the role of the veteran against the young champion. Athena does a nice job of quickly going to the knee of Shida when her early tactics don't work in an effort to slow down Shida and take away her powerful kicks. We get some really nice back and forth action as the match builds up. Both women are able to land some big blows but neither are willing to give in. Athena hits the O Face but Shida kicks out! Athena is shocked and tries for another, only for Shida to cut her off at the top for a big Falcon Arrow. Katana by Shida with the bad leg only gets 2! Shida tries again but Athena blocks it and drops Shida on her head with a German Suplex. Big Forearm rocks Shida before one more O Face ends things. Athena finally beats Shida. Really good action with Athena, even as the champion, being the underdog to the more experienced Shida, who has beaten her in the past. Really good stuff. ****1/4 

99. Sareee vs. Chihiro Hashimoto at Sareee-ISM Chapter III: A hard hitting and physical fight between these two women. Match starts out with some nice mat wrestling from both. Hashimoto is able to use her size and power to ground Sareee and work her over. Sareee tries to rally several times but Hashimoto is quick to shut down any momentum by her. Sareee finally gets an opening and starts going full force at Hashimoto with double stomps to the mid-section and some nice high risk offense. Sareee takes the fight to the floor, only for Hashimoto to toss her into the chairs and take back over. Match returns to the ring as Hashimoto goes for a powerbomb, only for Sareee to headbutt her repeatedly! Both women start going all out with big bombs and offense with a great back and forth. Hashimoto uses a sleeper to try and shut down Sareee's momentum again and follows with a powerbomb that still only gets 2! Sareee nails a desperation Crucifix Bomb to rock Hashimoto. A trio of Uranages, ending with a hammerlock Uranage and Saree survives the onslaught to get the win. Hell of a babyface effort by Saree against the power of Hashimoto. ****1/4 

    
    

100. Super Junior Tag League 2024 Final Match: Catch 22 vs. Ichiban Sweet Boys at NJPW Power Struggle 2024: An exciting and fast paced wrestling match. Things kick off and right away the Sweet Boys are able to control the pace with their impressive speed. Catch 22 uses their tag team experience to cut them off and goes to work on Fujita for a bit. Eagles gets the hot tag to get the Sweet Boys back in the match. Things pick up as both teams go for bigger and bigger offenses all while their opponents keep countering everything they throw at each other. Tons of big near-falls for both teams as the crowd goes nuts for the action! Eagles and TJP do some great counter for counter wrestling, including both countering the other's trademark submission into roll-ups for close near-falls. Eagles is able to counter TJP for another School Boy and hold him down just long enough for the 3 count! Excellent bell to bell wrestling from these two teams. Loved Catch 22 being the experienced veterans against the young and fiery team. Finish was really nice as it felt like it could go either way but Eagles was just able to hold TJP down for the pin long enough for the win. ****1/4