My Take On 12.26.09: The Top 10 Independent PPV Matches of 2009

Posted by Larry Csonka on 12.26.2009

From Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness to Davey Richards vs. Shingo, 411’s Larry Csonka says that these are some of the best Independent PPV matches of 2009! Check out the full article to see which matches made the list and why!



INTRO!
As far as Independent PPV is concerned, 2009 is finished. So it is time to look back at some of the great matches from the year that was in PPV. Today I begin this look back with the top Independent PPV matches of the year. This year we had the end of ROH on PPV, but the birth of Dragon Gate USA, and in the end we had some great wrestling. Some matches will have the same rating, but will be separated by the importance of the match, replay value and or how it helped the performer or performers as far as their careers go. Remember, these are my Top 10 INDEPENDENT PPV Matches of 2009.


TOP 10 INDEPENDENT PPV MATCHES OF 2009

HONORABLE MENTIONS
~ [DG: USA ENTER THE DRAGON] Dragon Kid vs. Masato Yoshino (***¾)
~ [ROH CAGED COLLISION] #1 CONTENDERS MATCH – Tyler Black vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries (***¾)
~ [ROH CAGED COLLISION] ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH – Nigel McGuinness vs. El Generico (***¾)


THE TOP 10:

#10 From DG: USA OPEN THE UNTOUCHABLE GATE - Dragon Kid vs. Masato Yoshino (****): Kicking off the top 10 list is a rematch from the first Dragon Gate PPV as Dragon Kid and Masato Yoshino once again did battle. This is a perfect example of the right match to kick off the show, as these guys are fast as hell, they always excite the crowd and they built off of the first show with the rematch. These are two guys that work well together, and almost look to put in no effort as they deliver the action, they work together that well. Time flies as you watch the match unfold, and when a match like this kicks off a PPV, it is a good thing. Their first match on PPV was good, this was better, and hell, I say bring on match #3! If #3 follows the trend, it could end up being one of the best matches of 2010, if and or when that happens.

#9 From DG: USA ENTER THE DRAGON - Naruki Doi vs. Shingo Takagi (****): How many times do you say that a **** main event is a downgrade from the rest of a show? Well, that match is this one, and it comes in at #9 on our countdown. This match was a clash of styles match as Doi was the quick man, while Shingo is the power man, and they played off of that perfectly. Doi is the main Dragon Gate Champion, and represented the company well here in that role, even in a non-title match. One of the biggest pops of the match was the stalling suplex by Shingo, where he holds the guys and the crowd counts along. He held it for 30-seonds and when he dropped Doi, got a HUGE pop. Milking the crowd on such a simple thing is great to see, especially when some people think that Dragon Gate is "just about spots after spot". What I really enjoyed was that Doi as the smaller man was booked so well in that he hung with Shingo to the degree that the new fan would follow it well, even with the fact that they don't know him. The stretch towards the finish where Doi kept working the knee of Shingo, who sold it very well, was enjoyable and Shingo got a ton of near falls before falling to the Muscular Bomb. Doi as the main champion looked good, Shingo looked great as the challenger, and the match flowed effortlessly. This was a great way to close a PPV, and usually would have been the best match on many PPVs.

#8 From ROH TAKE NO PRISONERS – Tyler Black & KENTA vs. Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima (****¼): The trademark of ROH PPV, when it was still with us, was constantly delivering the great main event. At the Take No Prisoners PPV they stacked the deck with Tyler Black & KENTA battling Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima. Another thing that I liked about ROH, and to a smaller degree TNA, is the fact that they are willing to showcase international talent on their shows. That, to me, makes the product feel fresh. Having KENTA and Katsuhiko Nakajima on the show and in the main event was a welcomed addition to this card. This match just worked. Aries' heel act was off the charts awesome. The douche bag heel of Aries battling KENTA's SUPER SERIALNESS clicked big time, while Black and Nakajima battled with great athletics, and their exchanged felt so welcomed and fresh. It all flowed effortlessly. And then there were the KENTA vs. Nakajima segments, which were like a well-oiled machine as most would expect. The match had a great pace, and the finishing 4-minutes or so, which you have to see, were fucking intense. ROH goes out with a bang with this match, just awesome.

#7 From DG: USA ENTER THE DRAGON - Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Fire Ant and Soldier Ant vs. Amasis, Icarus, Hallowicked and Gran Akuma (****¼): There were obviously some CHIKARA faithful in attendance, because these guys were MAD over, which only helps a good match. This was a change of pace on the show, due to the lucha style that they worked, and they worked it perfectly. I have heard people compare this to an Arena Mexico main event match, and I have to agree. Amasis showed so much charisma, Jigsaw was the high flying star of the bout, Quackenbush did a good job of directing things as the veteran of the bout and the Soldier Ant stole the show with the fun comedy spots at the right time. Clean, crisp and perfectly timed, I couldn't ask any more from the match. The end saw fun dives and Jigsaw coming back to get the win with the Jig and Tonic. I let my daughter Hana watch this, due to it just being a fun match with wacky characters, and I have to say, she understands wrestling perfectly. She loved this, and told me when it was over that Jigsaw was the star. I asked her why, and she said, "Well, he came out and did cool stuff, and then the bad guys beat him down, because they are rude. But then he came back like Superman and got the win. That's why he is a star." That's right, my 7-year-old understands the concept of SHINE, HEAT and COMEBACK. I love her. This match has such great replay value, and has been replayed several times in the Csonka house.

#6 From DG: USA ENTER THE DRAGON - Yamato vs. BxB Hulk (****¼): Yamato defeated BxB Hulk in the opening match of the Enter The Dragon show, which is one of the best PPV openers you will ever see. Fun fact, Hulk's dancers were Daizee Haze and Bobby Dempsey's sister. This was a great match with an equally great crowd reaction. Hulk is a more flashy guy, while Yamato is a more grounded guy, with Pancrase (MMA) experience. The clash in styles worked very well, and better than some may think. They worked a great pace, had excellent near falls, and the crowd dug it all, including a "Please Don't Tap" chant off of a near fall turned into a Texas Cloverleaf. After picking up the pace, Yamato won with the Galleria to a great response. You couldn't have asked for more in the opening bout, and on a normal show, this may have killed the crowd, thankfully it didn't. When a PPV opener delivers at this level, it has to be remembered at the end of the year.


#5 From ROH RISING ABOVE – I QUIT MATCH: Jimmy Jacobs vs. Austin Aries (****¼): Outside of the IDIOTIC start to the match, this was an excellent I QUIT match. While there were other feuds on this particular show, and much like the TNA PPV with Angle and Jarrett, these guys had a completely different level of intensity to their match, which made it special. This WAS a blood feud, and the blood was perfectly fitting because it told the story and came at just the right time in the match. I haven't always been high on Jimmy Jacobs, he just hasn't clicked with me a lot, but he delivered here, and Aries picked up where he left off in 2008. Another thing to note from the match was that this was a good start to the official break up of the AOTF, and Black's face turn. He had the towel so that he could save Jacobs from tapping, but with Lacey taking it away, that set Jacobs off, because he had to quit, like a bitch. This was a great match that delivered blood, emotion, the return of Lacey and as mentioned, Black's kick off for the face turn. A great match with lots of good stuff coming from it and an important point in the ROH story telling for the year. If you love a good bloody brawl, then this is for you.

#4 From DG: USA ENTER THE DRAGON - The Young Bucks vs. Susumu Yokosuka & Cima (****½): At the time, I was really looking forward to this match for two reasons. First of all, Cima is the shit. For a long time he was the face of Dragon gate, but like a lot of greats, injuries have slowed him. Unlike others, Cima has stepped back and allowed others to carry the ball. But I wanted to see if the guy still had it, I wanted him to have a great performance. The Young Bucks have been a team with a ton of potential, and I have seen them have good outings, but this was their chance at a coming out party. I wanted to see if they could deliver. For those that want something to compare them too, they are the 2009 version of the Hardy Boys. From the gear style to the general look of both, to the double team moves, that is what they are, and I do mean that in a good way. Maybe even, and I mean this as a tag team, version 2.0, because they are the upgrade. This match was balls to the wall awesome, just a purely great tag team match without gimmicks that delivered huge. They did so much shit, again in a good way, but it was clean, quick and all flowed so well as if they had worked together several times. It was a match that you sit there, watch, are amazed and are glued to it because as it went on, you just had no clue who would win. Sometimes guys go too long and do too much, but I think this was approaching that, buts ended perfectly. The finish of the Young Bucks was insanely awesome as they pulled off a series that included the kamikaze roll, a 450 splash and moonsault for the HUGE pop. These guys came in talented, no doubt, but they left on another level, partly due to a career making performance, and partly due to Cima and Yokosuka being great as always. This was simply awesome and an important match for the career of the Young Bucks.

#3 From DG: USA OPEN THE UNTOUCHABLE GATE - Davey Richards vs. Shingo (****½): The whole point of the Davey Richards vs. Shingo match was to get Richards over as a really big deal for the company. Richards was allowed to run wild for a bit on Shingo, but when Shingo got the heat on him, the crowd really got behind Richards, I mean in a big way, which was great to see. Richards used some great work on the arm through out the bout, while Shingo did his thing well and it clicked big time. Richards uses the hybrid MMA style a lot, like Danielson, and makes it work with little effort. The end played well into the arm work, as Richards, after a near fall from a SSP, locked in the kimura and made Shingo tap. Richards has really developed his "hybrid" style well, and always works his style so that the finish makes sense. This was an excellent match, but another match from this very show will rate higher.


#2 From ROH RISING ABOVE - ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Bryan Danielson (****½): The rematch between Nigel and Danielson in a match many expected Danielson to win. This was simply fantastic, and I hate using the term, at the time I called it an early match of the year candidate. The match had a beautiful slow start, transitioning into great work of the leg by Nigel (playing off of the night before where Claudio injured the leg) into a hot dive spot to the floor. Claudio's interference made sense here, although odd to see in ROH, but it was short and made sense. Payne coming out as the little buddy to Danielson to help him to the ring was a great drama moment as well, which the crowd totally bought into. The finishing portion of the match was just sweet, including Nigel using Danielson ‘s own stuff against him, as he had also done earlier in the match. Nigel decapitated Danielson for the finish and clean victory, and surprising many by doing so. Nigel's title run was, in my opinion, great as he has not only developed into a tremendous heel, but is also solidified himself as one of the top workers in the country. I wish these guys would wrestle forever, but with one on WWE and the other in TNA, all we have for now is the memories…


#1 From DG: USA OPEN THE UNTOUCHABLE GATE - Naruki Doi vs. Bryan Danielson (****¾): And now we come to our #1 match, the ace of the US vs. the ace of Dragon Gate, a match with a ton of hype, a ton of promise and a match that delivered BIG TIME. When Bryan Danielson is on, he IS the best in the world. His great mix of MMA and pro wrestling, always placed in the right places and timed right makes the man just an incredible athlete. Doi is just a fast and amazing worker, and when he gets in there and has the time, he also delivers. They worked a great pace, with good mat wrestling, counters and Guerrero/Malenko counters and pin falls sprinkled into the bout. This was one of those matches that sucks you in and you lose all reference of time because you are so involved in what you are watching. This was one of the very best matches in all of 2009 right here. Dragon Gate USA replaced ROH on PPV, and has done so well and will always be an automatic purchase for me. In closing, while I am happy that Bryan Danielson got a job with WWE and will finally be making some good money after years of hard work and abuse to his body, I am also sad because we likely will not be seeing awesome shit like this from him anytime soon.

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And there we have it, these are my top 10 Independent PPV matches of 2009! Do you agree? Did I miss a match that you loved? Let me know in the comments section!

Thanks for reading.