Palmer's Top Five Matches To Date

Hey guys, I'm working on another review that should be up in a day or two, but decided to take the time to go over the Top Five matches that I've reviewed to date. This is a really tough list, as I've reviewed seven shows to this point, and six of them had some great matches (sorry, Slamboree 2000). I should also explain that on my rating system for shows, an 8/10 for a promotion like AIW, is not the same as an 8/10 for a promotion like NJPW. The American style of wrestling and the Japanese style of wrestling (or Puroresu) are completely different, so the ratings are different as well. WWE shows are also different, because being the number one promotion in the world, they're held to a higher standard than AIW or AAW. That being said, let's get on with the list.


Number 5: TLC Tag Team Match
The Hooligans(Devon & Mason Cutter) vs Zero Gravity(Brett Gakiya & CJ Esparza) 
AAW: The Art of War
This is a match that was a big standout on what was otherwise a really really underwhelming show. I wasn't expecting much from this, because I simply had never seen either team really work, and the show up until that point didn't give me a reason to really care. However, these five guys (including Buck Nasty) bumped their asses off, and Mason Cutter did some moves that fat guys really shouldn't be able to do.

For example, a decent standing moonsault.

My original post, I said I'd put this up there with any of the best TLC matches you'd see in WWE, and honestly, I stand by that. This was exactly what you expect to see from a TLC match, and was as good the second viewing as it was the first. Recommended highly.

Number Four: Absolute Intense Championship 

ACH vs Louis Lyndon 

AIW Gauntlet For the Gold IX

This match was just fantastic to watch. I love both guys, and they did not disappoint. I said this was possibly my favorite indy match of 2014, and I watched a lot of indy stuff last year from better known promotions like PWG and ROH. I absolutely recommend watching this match, as it has the perfect combination of high flying and technical prowess. This match is almost perfect, and I still mark out for the moonsault dragon sleeper. This is one of the best matches you'll see from a small time indy promotion, and is the match that sold me on AIW as a whole. Just a fantastic and underrated promotion. 

Number Three: New Japan Cup Finals

Kota Ibushi vs Hirooki Goto

NJPW: New Japan Cup Finals

These guys had already wrestled in (fairly good) matches earlier in the night. They just went at it here and absolutely killed each other. They had some perfect story telling, some great high spots and just overall a fantastic match that any wrestling fan would just love to watch over and over again. I'm a huge fan of Kota Ibushi, and loved that he won the New Japan Cup, instead of Goto winning it for a fourth time. I can only hope that Ibushi vs AJ Styles is as good as this match was.

Number Two: WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Brock Lesnar(c) vs Roman Reigns

WWE Wrestlemania 31

This is the only match all year for WWE that would even qualify for this list. The booking of this match was perfect. Lesnar absolutely destroyed Reigns for 90% of this match, and Reigns at times was even laughing and taunting Lesnar. Reigns managed to kick out of three F-5s, and only finally lost after Seth Rollins cashed in Money in the Bank during the match, after Lesnar hit a fourth F-5 and Reigns was hit with a curbstomp. This is probably the best booked match you will see in WWE all year, and everything about this was just perfect. Reigns isn't given a belt he isn't ready for, but looked like a legit bad ass, Lesnar wasn't pinned and still looks like a beast and Rollins looks like an absolute genius. Easily one of the best Wrestlemania main events in years.

 Number One: IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Shinsuke Nakamura(c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi 

New Japan Pro Wrestling: Wrestle Kingdom 8

I don't know where to start with this match. It was damn near perfect. There were two other matches from this show that could have easily made the list, and I could honestly have put five NJPW matches from the two shows I reviewed, and been completely satisfied with it. Nakamura and Tanahashi have this chemistry that allows them to make pure magic every time they face. Tanahashi worked Nakamura's leg to perfection, Nakamura played to his character perfectly, and there's almost no flaws in this entire match. In fact, the only reason this match got less than five stars, was because they actually had a better match just a few months later at Invasion Attack! 2014. Any wrestling fan must watch every time these two face off, because a Match of the Year candidate is all but guaranteed.