Dunn's Top Ten Matches of 2008

Posted by J.D. Dunn on 01.02.2009

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The Top Ten Matches of 2008

I think we all know the drill by now.

The eligible period is December 1, 2007 through November 30, 2008 with the caveat that something might have occurred on the indy circuit or in Japan but not been released to DVD. Don't know what to tell you other than "They should have put it on Youtube."

Everything in the world is eligible, but only if I've seen it. I tend to cover WWE, TNA and ROH the most, although I tend to seek out matches that get any MOTY buzz.

Star ratings are a nice visual representation of the quality of a match, but they're not the be all and end all. A rating (or any opinion, for that matter) made just after watching a match can't possibly reflect the whole context – the before and after – that makes a match special. I'd be equally dubious if the Best Picture Oscar was handed over to the movie that got the best score on Rotten Tomatoes. Things like wrestler momentum, impact to the promotion, and placement on the card are big factors that can help or hurt a match. So you might notice that a match with a lesser rating gets bumped up over a higher-rated match.

So, the criteria are – 1) quality of match, 2) importance of the match to its promotion, 3) long-term importance to its promotion, 4) whatever the hell I want because it's my list.

With all that in mind, the nominees are…

**** Matches

-FIP World Title, Dog-Collar Match: Roderick Strong vs. Erick Stevens (FIP, 07/19/08)

-FIP World Title: Roderick Strong vs. Erick Stevens (ROH, 12/30/07)
-FIP World Title: Erick Stevens vs. Brian Danielson (ROH, 1/12/08)
-Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black (ROH, 1/25/08)
-ROH Title, Cage Match: Nigel McGuinness vs. Chris Hero (ROH, 1/25/08)
-Austin Aries vs. Go Shiozaki (ROH, 02/23/08)
-The Age of the Fall vs. Shingo & BxB Hulk (ROH, 03/28/08)
-Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Shingo & BxB Hulk (ROH, 03/29/08)
-Davey Richards vs. Kota Ibushi (ROH, 04/11/08)
-The Briscoes vs. Austin Aries & Kota Ibushi (ROH, 04/18/08)
-El Generico vs. Kota Ibushi (ROH, 04/19/08)
-The No Remorse Corps vs. Takeshi Morishima, Naomichi Marufuji & Go Shiozaki (ROH, 05/09/08)
-Bryan Danielson vs. Naomichi Marufuji (ROH, 05/10/08)
-The No Remorse Corps vs. Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries (ROH, 06/06/08)
-Fight Without Honor: Erick Stevens vs. Roderick Strong (ROH, 06/07/08)
-Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries vs. The Murder City Machine Guns (ROH, 08/01/08)
-ROH World Title, Fatal-Fourway: Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Tyler Black (ROH, 08/02/08)
-ROH World Title: Nigel McGuinness vs. El Generico (ROH, 08/15/08)
-ROH World Title: Nigel McGuinness vs. Roderick Strong (ROH, 09/19/08)
-GHC Junior Heavyweight Title: Bryan Danielson vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (ROH, 09/20/08)
-The Age of the Fall vs. Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries (ROH, 11/07/08)
-ROH World Tag Titles: Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. The Briscoes (ROH, 11/08/08)

-Pro-Wrestling Riot, "I Quit" Tag Match: Bruce Santee & Sideshow vs. 911 Inc. (PWR, 03/01/08)

-TNA Heavyweight Title: Christian Cage vs. Kurt Angle (TNA, 01/06/08)

-WWE Heavyweight Title, Elimination Chamber: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Umaga vs. JBL (WWE, 02/17/08)
-Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (05/18/08)
-WWE Heavyweight Title: Triple H vs. John Cena (06/19/08)

****1/4 Matches

-FIP World Title: Erick Stevens vs. Go Shiozaki (FIP, 08/23/08)

-Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino (ROH, 03/28/08)
-CIMA, Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & Genki Horiguchi (ROH, 03/29/08)
-The Age of the Fall vs. The Murder City Machine Guns (ROH, 04/18/08)
-Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black (ROH, 05/09/08)
-Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries (ROH, 05/30/08)
-ROH World Title: Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black (ROH, 05/30/08)
-The Age of the Fall vs. Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries (ROH, 06/07/08)
-Grudge Match: Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs (ROH, 06/28/08)
-Go Shiozaki vs. Naomichi Marufuji (ROH, 08/02/08)
-Dog-Collar Match: Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs (ROH, 11/08/08)

-Motor City Machine Guns vs. Yoshino & Doi (TNA, 06/09/08)

-Retirement Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair (WWE, 03/30/08)
-World Heavyweight Title: Edge vs. The Undertaker (WWE, 03/30/08)
-Unsanctioned Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (WWE, 09/07/08)
-WWE Heavyweight Title: Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy (WWE, 10/05/08)

****1/2 Matches

-FIP World Title: Erick Stevens vs. Roderick Strong (FIP, 02/16/08)

-8-Man Elimination: Kensuke Office vs. BURNING (NOAH/SEM, 08/17/08)

-NWA Heavyweight Title: Adam Pearce vs. Brent Albright (NWA, 08/02/08)

-ROH World Title: Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson (ROH, 02/23/08)
-Non-Title: The Briscoes vs. The Murder City Machine Guns (ROH, 04/19/08)
-ROH World Tag Titles: The Age of the Fall vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico (ROH, 09/19/08)


-World Heavyweight Title, Ladder Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (WWE, 10/05/08)

10. One of Gabe Sapolsky's last big angles, and it demonstrates both his strengths and excesses. What's beautiful about the angle is that it stems from both fictional and real-life events. Jimmy lost his soul sometime in 2007 while trying to prove his love to Lacey, which led him to form a coalition of malcontents known as the Age of the Fall. Jimmy tried to recruit Austin Aries (an anti-hero if ever there was one), but Aries saw through the Age of the Fall's message as just an excuse for Jimmy to whine on the internet. When Jacobs sent his girlfriend to seduce Aries into the group (it doesn't work in the Bond movies either), Aries kept the girl and said, "Thanks, but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere." Jimmy was so enraged that he attacked Lacey as she was coming out of the gym and ended her career. This match is the first volley in a war as Aries promises much bloodshed on his way to avenging Lacey. Grudge Match: Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs (ROH Vendetta, 06/28/08)). Before the match, Jimmy offers a stipulation that the winner of this match is able to make the match the next time they come to Chicago. Jimmy makes with the mind games early, demanding a wrestling match and then kissing Aries during an argument. Aries gets pissed and flies out on top of him with an elbow. They brawl all the way up to the wall where Jimmy grabs the End Time. Aries slams him into the wall to break the hold and then tosses him off the bleachers. Back to the ring, Jimmy pulls the ref in the way, and that allows him to cheapshot Aries. To the floor, Jimmy sets Aries up in a chair and flies out on him with a plancha. That rips open Aries' back and gives Jimmy the opening (no pun intended) for the rest of the match. He rakes and bites Aries' back and even rips at the wound with a foreign object. Aries fights out of the tree-of-woe to come back. Aries fights back from the apron, but Jimmy spears them both out into the guardrail. Back in, that sets up a senton from Jacobs. ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Aries kicks out. Aries reverses the End Time to the Last Chancery, but Jimmy rakes the eyes to get out of that. Jimmy sets up for the Contra Code, but Aries blocks and hits the DVD on the apron. Jimmy fights back and hits the Contra Code on the floor. Back in again, they stagger to their feet and slug it out. The IED misses, and Jacobs locks in the End Time. Aries powers up and blocks the Contra Code. That sets up the Last Chancery. Jimmy signals for reinforcements. Down comes Tyler Black and The Necro Butcher, but The Briscoes intercept them. Out of nowhere, MsChif appears and breaks up the Last Chancery with the doublestomp. Aries goes after her but takes the GREEN MIST! I would have been happy if the match ended there, but instead Jimmy goes for a spear. Aries nicely backs away from it and catches Jimmy in a Brainbuster! SWEEEEEET! That segues to the Last Chancery, but Jimmy reverses to the End Time. Aries fades and nearly passes out, but he suddenly lurches over into the Northern Lights Cradle. That gets two, and Jimmy is forced to release the hold. That sets up Aries hitting SIX (6!) IEDs. Jimmy is knocked silly, so Aries is able to finish with the 450-splash at 26:39. I was puzzled by the booking at first, because usually you want to have your "Wronged Badass" fail in his first attempt to stack the deck before the ultimate showdown. The method to Gabe's madness would be revealed, however. The match itself is awesome. It's as good if not better than Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (the only comparable recent grudge match). Palpable hatred and good storytelling make for a fine match. ****1/4
9. In what has to be the best mainstream angle of the year, Chris Jericho spent weeks needling Shawn Michaels about his actions in retiring Ric Flair and questioned Shawn's real motives. Both guys escalated the stakes until they were in the middle of a full-scale war with another. A month prior to this show, Shawn's wife was caught in the crossfire, leading to Shawn walking a fine line between getting revenge and losing his soul. Unsanctioned Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (WWE Unforgiven — 09/07/08). Shawn comes dressed in street clothes, Jericho in his skivvies. That tells me that maybe Chris Jericho wasn't really prepared for this brawl. Indeed, Shawn takes off his boot and smashes Jericho right in the face with it. He catapults Jericho into the post but misses a chairshot and hurts his own arm again. That gives Jericho the opening to attack and slam Shawn into the announce table. Jericho tries a powerbomb through a table, but Shawn fights out of it. Back inside, Jericho wedges a chair in the ropes, but Shawn posts him on the opposite side. They tease Jericho suplexing Shawn through the table, but Shawn slips out and tosses Jericho back in. Shawn comes back with the flying forearm and Picture-Perfect Elbow. He tunes up the band but decides to pummel Jericho some more and put him in the Crippler Crossface. Jericho, no stranger to that move, powers Shawn's face right into the wedged chair. Awesome! Shawn fights back but gets caught in the Walls of Jericho. Shawn makes the ropes, but it doesn't matter because this is non-sanctioned. Jericho yanks Shawn back, but Shawn manages to grab a fire extinguisher on the way in. SHHHHHHHHH! Shawn sprays Jericho in the face to get out of the predicament. To the floor, Shawn suplexes Jericho on the floor, hurting both guys. Shawn recovers first and fights off Lance Cade. Cade goes after Shawn's arm, though, and he and Jericho smash it against the ringpost. To the ring, Cade holds Shawn down while Jericho smashes a chair into his arm. Jericho goes up to Pillmanize Shawn's arm, but Shawn shoves Cade into the ropes, crotching Jericho. SWEET CHIN MUSIC TO CADE! Shawn picks up the chair and NAILS Jericho, knocking him off the top and through the table. Shawn pummels Jericho on the outside and screams that Jericho did this to him. Shawn tosses Jericho onto the announce table and puts him through it with the elbow. Back in, Shawn takes his belt off and whips Jericho with it. Great spot as he turns Jericho over, ties up his hands, and starts battering him right in the eye. The ref pulls Shawn off, but Shawn goes right back to it. Jericho is unconscious at this point, so the ref stops the match and awards it to Shawn at 26:49. Oh, but Shawn wants revenge, so he jumps Jericho again. This time when the ref pulls him off, Shawn snaps and superkicks him. Then, in a great moment that hopefully spins this all in a new direction, Shawn starts quivering and crying in the ring as if he's snapped and doesn't like the person he's become. That's some great storytelling right there because you can either turn Shawn into a loose cannon and involve someone else in the feud the way they did with Batista earlier this year, or they can play it as Shawn being retired now that he has revenge but Jericho keeps demanding he come back and face him one last time in retribution for this beating. Just great stuff all around. ****1/4
8. The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak is the stuff of legends, and his ability to adapt has kept him from outliving his usefulness the way so many veterans do. Edge was at the top of his game and had the deck stacked in his favor, but nothing he could muster stopped the dead man. I was initially very harsh on this match because of the awful commentary. Yes, Virginia, if great commentary can make a match, bad commentary can ruin it. Just imagine the Taker/Mankind Hell in a Cell table spot if Foley's fall were immediately followed by "vintage Undertaker!" Thankfully, WWE DVDs allow you to select the Spanish Language track.  Gracias, WWE. World Heavyweight Title: The Undertaker vs. Edge (WWE WrestleMania, 03/30/08). Interesting-but-not-really stat. The Undertaker has defeated all four members of Evolution at WrestleMania. Taker clotheslines Edge over the top early on. Back in, he hits a flying clothesline (VINTAGE UNDERTAKER!). Taker hits a weird sort of knee and tumbles over the top. I guess Edge was supposed to move out of the way. Edge knocks him off the apron (MASTER MANIPULATOR!) and hits a neckbreaker on him against the ropes. Back in, Edge spears Taker into the corner. Taker tries to slam him but collapses. He catches Edge going up and simply shoves him to the floor. He follows that up with his once-a-year over-the-top suicide dive. Taker hits the guillotine legdrop (VINTAGE UNDERTAKER!) for two. He can't lift Edge for the Last Ride, so Edge boots him for two (ULTIMATE OPPORTUNIST!). Edge knocks Taker to the floor (MACHIAVELLIAN-LIKE!). Wow, two Coleisms in less that :20. He really brought his A-game. Back in, Edge grabs a half-crab, but Taker reverses to a small package for two. Edge stays on top with a double anklelock (ULTIMATE OPPORTUNIST!). Edge and Taker slug it out (BEST PURE STRIKER IN SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT!). Taker hits a Snake Eyes, but Edge cuts off the big boot with a dropkick (ULTIMATE OPPORTUNIST!). Edge blocks a chokeslam and turns a second try into the Edgecution! ONE, TWO, THR-NO! Edge goes for the Spear, but Taker blocks and CHOKESLAMS HIM! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Taker goes for the Old School Ropewalk Forearm, but Edge crotches him and delivers the SUPERPLEX! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Edge mounts Taker for the corner pummel, but Taker counters to the Last Ride. Edge slips over him and hits a neckbreaker. Taker catches him with the Last Ride on a second try. ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Taker goes for the Tombstone, but Edge slips over his shoulder and hits the Edge-o-Matic (ULTIMATE OPPORTUNIST!) for two. Taker finally hits the Old School Ropewalk Forearm, but he tries to add a boot and bumps the ref. Edge hits the Inverted DDT (MASTER MANIPULATOR & ULTIMATE OPPORTUNIST!!!). No ref, though. Edge stops to talk trash and has to kick Undertaker in the crotch to counter a chokeslam. Edge grabs a camera from ringside and smashes it into Taker's head. No ref. Edge goes for the Tombstone, but Taker reverses and hits his own. Charles Robinson sprints in all the way from Tallahassee, but by the time he gets there, Edge is able to kick out. Hawkins & Ryder run down, but Taker quickly dispatches them. Taker turns around into the SPEAR! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! A second weaker spear puts the Undertaker down, but he scissors Edge's head and applies the Gogoplata for the tapout at 23:51. The match told a great story with Edge (EL ULTIMO OPPORTUNISTO!) wrestling a smart match, always one step ahead of the Undertaker's usual moves, but of course, the Undertaker is superhuman, so even Edge's best game wasn't good enough. ****1/4
7. Kevin Steen is the unlikeliest of heroes. He definitely doesn't have the look of a hero, unless you're really into that Chris Farley Chippendales skit on SNL. His personality is, at best, abrasive. He treats his partner like crap. Yet, there's something lovable about the big lug. He's ROH's version of a pissed-off Seth Rogen. When the fans embraced Steen and El Generico, Steen received a number of shots at the ROH World Title. After failing to make good on those, Steen vowed that he would hold ROH gold by the end of the year. His tag title challenge against the Age of the Fall was his last best chance to make good on that claim. ROH World Tag Team Titles: Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico (Ring of Honor Driven 2008 — 09/19/08). Steen vowed to have ROH gold by the end of the year, and here is his last big chance after failing to wrest the World Title from Nigel McGuinness. Black has to wrestle most of the match early because the challengers keep targeting Jimmy's injured back. The tide changes when Black catches Generico on a crossbody and just dumps him to the floor. Longish beatdown on Generico follows, but it never gets boring, and it leads to the MOST EPIC HOT TAG IN HISTORY! Generico tosses both opponents and BOUNDS to the far corner. Steen wipes out both champs with a somersault plancha and powerbombs Jimmy into the apron. Back in, Jimmy grabs the End Time, but Generico boots them over into a Jackknife. ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Great, great spot as Generico vaults Black up onto Steen's shoulders, leading to a super gutbuster. SWANTON! SPLASH! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! That was an insane nearfall. Tyler fights back and hits God's Last Gift for two. The AotF sets up for the Doomsday Contra Code, but Steen saves with a cannonball. Steen puts Tyler in the Sharpshooter and fights off Jacobs. Finally, Jimmy scrambles back in and bites Steen's nose to get him to release the hold. Generico fights off the End time, and Black accidentally nails Jacobs with a flying clothesline. Packaged piledriver! Brainbuster! ONE, TWO, THREE! NEW CHAMPS! Steen makes good on his promise at 20:27. Awesome, crazy match with nuclear crowd heat and a number of fantastic false finishes. One of the best ROH matches all year. ****1/2
6. Our number six entry comes from the two unlikeliest of wrestlers. Adam Pearce has made a career out of playing a self-important clueless putz. He's not Blagojevich delusional, but nothing in wrestling can top real life. Brent Albright was once seen as a pretty good prospect in the WWE, but when they paired him with Chris Benoit because Benoit had more charisma, you knew things were going to go badly. For whatever reason, these two developed a great chemistry, and Albright started chasing the title that landed in Pearce's lap late in 2007. In ROH, the two were aligned as partners until Larry Sweeney broke up the team in a buyout. That freed up Albright to challenge for the title in front of one of ROH's largest audiences ever at the Hammerstein. The result was a surprisingly enjoyable visit back to the great 1970s/80s NWA title matches with a few new-school twists thrown in for good measure. NWA Heavyweight Title: Adam Pearce (w/Sweet 'n' Sour Inc.) vs. Brent Albright (ROH Death Before Dishonor VI — 08/02/08). Fans chant, "Repo Man," but Pearce is starting to look like a bald Johnny Drama. Albright steamrolls Pearce, but Shane Hagadorn drags him to the floor. Pearce accidentally nails Bobby Dempsey with a right, but then he doesn't care anyway. Back in, they take it to the mat – and it's good! Albright keeps smacking Pearce right in the face. Albright goes for an O'Connor Roll, but Pearce ducks, sending Albright's throat into the rope. Albright gets busted open, and Pearce goes to work on the cut. To the floor, Pearce rips up the outside mat and sets up for the piledriver. Albright reverses and catapults him into the post. Sweeney brings a chair into the ring to get Pearce intentionally disqualified, but Roderick Strong runs in and Yakuza Kicks the chair right into Sweeney's face. GREAT bump by Sweeney! Albright hulks up and pummels the cut on Pearce's head. 61Knee. Pearce scoops up his legs and locks in the figure-four leglock. It hasn't really been set up in the context of the match, so it's a pretty masturbatory move. Albright makes the ropes and catches Pearce with a powerslam for two. Pearce recovers, though, and hits a flying splash for two. That sets up the STF, but Albright reverses to a Crowbar. Pearce makes the ropes, so Albright goes up. Pearce knocks him through a table below, though. Albright crawls back in the ring just before the count. Pearce picks him up for THE PILEDRIVER! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Huge pop for the kickout. Pearce can't believe it. He charges and misses! Albright with the Half-Nelson Suplex. AND ANOTHER! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Pearce staggers up, but Albright catches him. ROLLING GERMANS! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! The crowd is solidly behind Brent Albright now. He goes up top slowly and sees that Pearce has recovered, so he sunset flips him! Pearce rolls through and goes for a figure-four, but Albright reverses that to a small package! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Albright comes out of it with the Crowbar, though, and Pearce is forced to tap out at 19:40! One of the biggest pops in ROH. AWESOME! Who would have thought that these two would turn in a great match? It was a bit of a hybrid of old-school 1980s build and new millennium moves. Adam Pearce's use of the figure-four, while nonsensical in the match psychology is perfect for his character psychology because he goes on and on about how being an NWA champion puts him on the level of Harley Race, Ric Flair and Jack Brisco. His figure-four is just Pearce trying to make his own title defense as epic as past reigns had been, but he's, at heart, just a clueless putz who lucked into the title, so he really has no idea when or where or why to use the move appropriately, or more likely doesn't care. This was one of the best matches on an ROH show all year. ****1/2
5. You have to hand it to Full Impact Pro. The chips were down for ROH's sister promotion late last year. The death of Sal Hamaoui's wife late in 2007 caused the cancellation of a handful of shows just when the promotion was picking up momentum. They needed to come back with a bang in 2008, and native sons Erick Stevens and Roderick Strong provided just that spark. Although they seem out of their element in Ring of Honor (and TNA, during Roderick's brief stay). In front of the home crowd, though, they turned in a tremendous performance that rivals the old Championship Wrestling from Florida shows of the past. FIP World Heavyweight Title: Erick Stevens vs. Roderick Strong (FIP Redefined — 02/16/08). Both guys come out as babyfaces. Ground wrestling to start as they reverse each other's surfboards. Roderick goes for a few lightning quick nearfalls, but Stevens survives and offers a test of strength. Roderick turns it into a Goku-Raku Stretch, choking Stevens out with his own arms. Roddy slaps on a headlock, but Stevens forces him to the ropes to break it up. They get in each other's faces and come to some sort of understanding – that understanding apparently being that they'll chop the everloving crap out of one another. This is Flair-Steamboat territory, folks. Strong finally gains the advantage and clubs Stevens' back. He locks in a reverse bearhug to slow things down. Stevens reaches for the ropes, so Strong scissors his arm with his leg. Nice. Stevens is able to claw with his free hand and make the ropes, though. Stevens fires back with forearms, but a Roderick chop knocks him silly! Oh my God! Stevens battles back again and hits the avalanche. They clothesline each other for a double KO spot. Stevens gets fired up and hits a Jackhammer for two. Roderick blocks the Doctorbomb and hits an enzuigiri. That sets up a Yakuza Kick that puts Stevens on the apron. Roderick follows him out, but Stevens knocks him to the floor and hits an elbow. The ref lays in the count (the title can change hands on a countout in FIP). Strong yanks the title belt away from the ring attendant and accidentally hits Stevens in the head with it. The ref is about to signal for the DQ, giving Stevens the win, but Roderick implores him not to call the match because it was an accident. The ref lets them go, but Stevens is a bloody mess. Strong helps him in and lets the ref check on him. The ref says Stevens is good to go, so Roderick hits a STIFF running forearm and a backbreaker for two. More chops, and Roderick hits a facebuster. Strong goes nuts on Stevens with chops and forearms. That sequence sets up the press gutbuster and a missile dropkick. A flying elbowdrop gets two. A half-nelson backbreaker sets up the Boston Crab. Stevens… just makes… the ropes. He sets Stevens on top, but Stevens knocks him back. SHOULDERBLOCK! Strong panics and tries another kick to the head, but Stevens catches him and spikes him down. ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Press into a powerslam! That sets up the pump-handle sitout powerbomb! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Strong misses a swing and takes a full-rotation German Suplex! Awesome visual there. Stevens sets up for a lariat, but Strong yanks the ref in the way. With the ref out of the way, Strong is free to turn full heel and cheat with abandon. Stevens takes it to the floor, but Roderick moves, sending Stevens into the post. Strong nails him with a chairshot and hops back in as the ref recovers. Stevens is out of it, and he's unable to recover in time to beat the count, so Roderick reclaims the title at 30:55. Wow. Outside of the countout finish -- which is fine from a character standpoint, but not so much from a dramatic one – this was several thousand different kinds of awesome. I have no qualms about calling this the best wrestling match in the year so far. This felt just like every great match produced by the Grahams back in the day. Little bits of Flair vs. Windham and Brisco vs. Funk all updated with today's movesets. Get this match, now! ****1/2
4. Ah, yes. These two. Nigel had some problems adjusting to his status as a babyface champion. He was injured a lot early, and the fans got sick of his lariat-based offense. The solution – make him a heel. After weeks of bristling and whining, Nigel finally went full heel in his match with ROH's shining knight. The scenario is simple. Bryan Danielson has a broken orbital bone. Nigel has a history of concussions. Nigel promises not to go after Danielson's injury if Danielson doesn't hit him in the head. Well, you can guess what happened next. ROH World Title: Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson (ROH Sixth Anniversary Show — 02/32/08). This was the usual fantastic match between these two, although not quite on the level of Driven. They open with their counter of a counter of a counter of a counter sequence. Danielson targets the leg quite a bit and incites the crowd to get under Nigel's skin with a "U.S.A." chant. Nigel goes for the corner handstand, but Danielson dropkicks him in the chest (avoiding the head, as per their agreement). He adds a suicide dive and a backdrop suplex, drawing a protest from Nigel. The ref says he can't do anything about it, so Nigel decks him and starts to walk out. Austin Aries, Delirious, Kevin Steen and Roderick Strong block his exit though and tell him that he'll have to go through them to escape. ROH President Cary Silkin restarts the match, and Danielson opens a can of the ass-whip. Nigel roars back, clubbing Danielson and zeroing in on his arm. Danielson ducks a lariat attempt and hits a lightning legline. To the floor, Danielson tosses Nigel into the crowd and hits his springboard plancha. Back in, Danielson applies the Triangle Choke but doesn't add the elbows. Nigel slips out and hits a lariat, drawing a "Same ol' shit!" chant from the crowd. That gets two, and Nigel cuts off a suicide dive with an uppercut. Nigel adds the Tower of London. Back in, Nigel uses Danielson's own Cattle Mutilation against him. Danielson slips out and ducks the Jawbreaker Lariat, but his legline is ducked. Danielson crotches himself on the top rope and sets himself up for the flying clothesline off the second rope. That sets up the Tower of London for two. Nigel grabs the London Dungeon, but Danielson is in the ropes. Danielson hits the Chaos Theory for two and a belly-to-back superplex. That sets up Cattle Mutilation. Danielson sets up for the elbows but decides to keep his promise and elbows Nigel in the ribs instead. Nigel weathers the Triangle Choke, but Danielson fires off body blows and tells Todd Sinclair to count him down. Nigel recovers and headbutts Danielson in his damaged eye socket. That's an awesome heel move. Danielson can't see, so Nigel measures him for the lariat and finishes with Danielson's own trapped elbows and the London Dungeon at 31:38. Superb match, highlighted by Nigel turning into douchebag emeritus over his head ouchie. In many ways, it's superior to their 2007 Match of the Year at Driven, though it lacks the urgency of that match. Little storyline elements like Danielson's unwillingness to go after Nigel's head and Nigel's tendency to be a dickhead streamlined this match and made it a little more storybased. The #1 contender's match gets the edge in intensity, but this one is right up there too. ****1/2
3. Kobashi seems to be Japan's version of the Undertaker. He just keeps coming back again and again with no lapse in his popularity in sight. It doesn't hurt that the step that he's lost over the last decade is a step most guys never had. In the #3 match, he brings one of his top pupils and a couple of greenhorns to face off with tough-as-nails rival Kensuke Sasaki and his Kensuke Office. The result is one of the best-booked and wrestled elimination matches in years. Eight-Man Elimination: Kenta Kobashi, KENTA, Atsushi Aoki & Akihito Ito vs. Kensuke Sasaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Takashi Okita & Kento Miyahara (NOAH/SEM - 08.17.08). I never reviewed this one, but suffice it to say, it's an amazing match. Sasaki is bringing in his students to take on Kenta Kobashi's students, so there's a little bit of "wanting to impress the boss" going on here. Each team is composed of the big boss, his lieutenant, and a couple of young boys. In Japan, these kinds of elimination matches tend to be two-on-two with a fresh man coming in to replace the guy who got eliminated, rather than a four-on-four. The early story is Atsushi Aoki being a total dick and working in old-school heel tactics like the eyepoke. On the other side, Miyahara plays the plucky Jeff Hardy-ish kid who tries really hard but is overmatched by both of his opponents. Aoki makes him tap out to the armbreaker at 12:34. Sasaki replaces him and says, "Why don't you try that with me, bitch?" KENTA throws everything he can at him, but Sasaki acts like he just got slapped after a bad pick-up line. Finally, KENTA just tags out and tells Aoki to deal with him. Aoki goes after him like a pitbull, but Sasaki just shrugs him off and puts him in a Boston Crab. Okita tackles KENTA to keep him from interfering, and that's enough to send Aoki packing at 16:02. Ito replaces him, which is an interesting strategy because Kensuke Office sent their big gun in the three-hole. Ito goes after Sasaki but gets tripped up in all the streamers. KENTA has the bright idea of teaming up against Sasaki, and that works for a while. Ito even hits the frogsplash, but he charges haphazardly and gets lariated at 18:00. The scrubs are gone, so it's time for Kobashi to bat clean-up. He looks like he's slimmed down quite a bit since I last saw him. Okita has to be "That Guy," tackling Kobashi as he soaks up the adulation of the crowd. Kobashi turns the tables, putting Ito in the Boston Crab as KENTA blocks Sasaki from saving. Ito makes the ropes, so Kobashi has to put him out with the sleeper at 19:53. Nakajima is raring to go, but Kobashi says, "Just get back in your corner, son." Both teams try doubleteams, and both times it backfires. KENTA and Nakajima come face-to-face and wind up booting each other to the floor. Kobashi shows that he's still able to go with the best of them as he goes to a stalemate in a test of strength with Sasaki the powerhouse and weathers Nakajima's strikes. KENTA is not as lucky. Both Nakajima and Sasaki are able to knock him silly, and it shows that, at least defensively, KENTA is a weak link. Kobashi tags back in and beats Nakajima out into the audience like the proverbial red-headed stepchild (although there is no red-headed stepchild in Proverbs). Kobashi stoically dismantles Nakajima who really shows he can take a beating without succumbing. He's able to outlast Kobashi, and Kobashi has to tag in KENTA for a breather. Kensuke Office is able to come back against an overmatched KENTA, but he provides Kobashi a brief respite and acts as a compliment to his offense. Kind of like a sprig of parsley. He's offensive garnish. Sasaki works in a weird doubleteam where he just throws a tilt-o-whirling Nakajima into Kobashi. KENTA makes the save and teams up with Kobashi to come close to eliminating Nakajima. Like his mentor, he's a piece of steal, though, and he weathers the storm. KENTA tries a running kick, so Nakajima catches him and turns it into the Anklelock. KENTA just makes the ropes, setting up a teased German Suplex spot. He turns the tables with a flying kick. That sets up an awesome sequence where KENTA sets up for the Go2Sleep, but Nakajima catches his knee on the way up and goes for the Anklelock again. KENTA reverses that to an STF. Crazy spot as Sasaki German Suplexes both Nakajima and KENTA just so he can suplex KENTA. I'm not sure whose health Sasaki has less regard for – KENTA or Nakajima. That knocks both men loopy, but Sasaki and Kobashi wind up on the outside, leaving it down to their lieutenants. Nakajima hauls KENTA up for a German Suplex. ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Another! That sets up a jumping kick to the back of the head for the win at 55:30. Whew! One of the most well-booked and worked matches of the year. It showcased the young lions and whetted the audience's appetite for the Kobashi/Sasaki rematch without spoiling it. It was odd to see KENTA knocked back down a peg after the respect he gets in ROH. He didn't look bad, by any stretch, but Sasaki and Nakajima were able to have their way with him offensively over the last half of the match. Nakajima has been really impressive over the last half of 2008. Great stuff all around. ****1/2
2. "You will never be Shawn Michaels." That was the retort the Heartbreak Kid when Chris Jericho demanded that Shawn admit Jericho was the man who finally brought down his career. And that was a moment when we saw a man's innermost trepidations spilled out there on live TV for the world to see. A career in Japan, Mexico, the indies, the Hart Family, and the first ever Undisputed World champion – meaningless when compared to the reputation of Shawn Michaels. Shawn knew it, and deep down Jericho knew it too. When Shawn gave voice to it, that was the moment that Jericho's victory would have to be Pyrrhic. He failed at Unforgiven, but at No Mercy one month later, he sought to redeem himself in the match that made Shawn a legend – the ladder match. Maybe Chris Jericho couldn't be Shawn Michaels, but he could be better than Shawn… if only for one night. World Heavyweight Title, Ladder Match: Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE No Mercy — 10/05/08). It's the feud that keeps on giving. Jericho enters first (boo!). Shawn slips over Jericho's shoulder and nearly hits Sweet Chin Music, but Jericho ducks out of the way. HASHAWN CHOP! Michaels misses a charge to the corner and posts himself. They go into the meaningless Flair/Steamboat sequence. Well, meaningless to the context of the match, but it's kind of like that scene in Days of Thunder where the two guys are so competitive they started racing wheelchairs in the hospital. Wait. Was that Days of Thunder or Top Gun? Meh, like there's a difference. Jericho hits a springboard shoulderblock and whips Shawn's shoulder into the post. Jericho grabs the ladder, but Shawn drop toeholds him into it. Jericho comes back with the Walls of Jericho on the outside. He tries to pull the ladder in, but Shawn dives back into the picture and see-saws it right into Jericho's chin. Jericho catches Shawn going up and yanks him down into a powerbomb spot. Shawn rolls through but Jericho catapults him. Shawn deftly lands on the ladder and goes up. Cool. Jericho shoves the ladder over, though, sending Shawn into the ropes. Jericho rams Shawn with the ladder, but Shawn tosses him into another ladder to come back. Shawn with the kneebreaker on the ladder! He follows that up with a figure-four leglock. Jericho flips it over and then kicks the ladder, spinning it off the ladder into Shawn's face. Awesome! Jericho slams Shawn's head in the ladder (sick!) and goes up for the belt. Shawn pushes the ladder over, but Jericho lands on his feet. Jericho sets up the ladder in the corner and prepares to toss Shawn into it, but Shawn reverses and tosses Jericho onto the ladder. Big pop for that. Jericho falls to the floor, so Shawn picks up the ladder and slams it onto him. Shawn sets up the ladder near the announce table, but Jericho catches up with him. BOTH guys fall through the announce table. Shawn is up first, and he goes up top, taking a ladder with him. Jericho dropkicks crotches him and sets up for a superplex with the ladder in between them. Instead, Shawn fights free and piefaces him backwards. Shawn comes off the top with an elbowdrop into the ladder. OWWWWWW! In retrospect, I must question my decision-making process! Shawn staggers up and tunes up the band, but Jericho cuts off the superkick with a ladder shot. That sets up a Lionsault onto the ladder with Shawn underneath. So, I guess we know the answer to what would happen if Shawn jumped off a cliff. Jericho sets up the ladder on top of Shawn and goes up, but Shawn tips the ladder over, spilling Jericho all the way to the floor. Shawn sets up the ladder and climbs up, getting one hand on the belt before Jericho jumps back in and shoves the ladder over. Shawn crotches himself on the fall. Jericho gets a hand on the belt, but Shawn races up this time. Shawn knocks Jericho back and ties him up in the ladder rungs. Lance Cade pulls Shawn down but eats a superkick. Jericho rights himself and goes up, but Shawn jumps back up and it's a TUG-O-WAR! Good God, this is awesome! Jericho is leaning all the way back, trying to pull the belt through the loop. Finally, he just headbutts Shawn right in the face and falls back with the belt at 22:19. I have to admit, when I heard it would be a ladder match, I was a bit disappointed. After all, ladder matches tend to be spotfests, not examples of intense hatred. Both guys played it perfectly, though. It's not what you do in the ring, it's why and how you're doing it. Every ladder match has a spot where someone press slams a ladder onto his opponent, but in this case, Shawn did it with just the right amount of anger at just the right time to make it seem like a big deal, like he had a willful disregard for Jericho's wellbeing. Oh, how wrong I was to doubt these guys. ****1/2
1. "I'm sorry… I love you." With those words, wrestling gained another iconic moment. Hogan slamming Andre. Austin passing out in a pool of his own blood. Foley being thrown from the top of a Cell. Chris Benoit and Eddy Guerrero hugging in the middle of the ring. "I'm sorry… I love you." In some moments, like Hulk Hogan vs. the Ultimate Warrior, we witness one man passing the torch to another. This was not a pass-the-torch moment. This was Shawn Michaels, sadly and reluctantly, reaching up with wetted fingers and grinding out the last dying ember of a great bonfire. With that, Ric Flair's storied wrestling career came to an end. Some may say that the preceding angle to set it up was lackluster, but they're not going back far enough. The setup for this match was Ric Flair lacing up a pair of boots, Ric Flair going down in a plane crash and coming back six months later, Ric Flair defeating Harley Race in an epic cage match, telling David Crockett where to stick it, bringing the NWA Title to the WWE, screaming at Eric Bischoff, buying out half of the WWE, and co-creating Evolution to give two guys with potential a hell of a leg up. It's a young man idolizing Flair so much that he put on a bathrobe and pretended it had sequins. The backstory is one that spans thirty years, not thirty days. That's what makes this the 2008 Match of the Year. Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair (WWE WrestleMania — 03/30/08). So, if Flair loses, he has to retire. If he does have to retire, at least he picked the right goddamned robe to go out with. That's magnificent. They go hold for hold early on with some rudimentary stuff. Flair backs Shawn into the corner and shoves him for calling Flair "Old Yeller," so Shawn slaps him. Tonight the part of Ricky Steamboat will be played by Shawn Michaels. They chop it out. Flair punts him and drops the knee to the eyes. Shawn blocks a charge and goes up, but Flair catches him. ROLE REVERSAL~! Flair gets two off a crossbody (!), but Shawn shoves him to the floor off a figure-four attempt. Shawn tries a springboard moonsault, but Flair ducks out of the way, and Shawn CRASHES into the announce table. Sickening. Back in, Flair gets a few two counts. Flair hits a suplex and starts tattooing Shawn with chops. Fantastic commentary by Lawler as he turns the "Old Yeller" setup on its ear by reminding everyone that they didn't kill Old Yeller because he was old; they killed him because he was rabid. Shawn hits a neckbreaker to come back. Flair gets knocked to the floor, so Shawn tries another moonsault. This one hits, and they tease a double countout. Back in, Shawn comes back with his usual and tunes up the band. He stops short on Sweet Chin Music, though, so Flair opportunistically scoops up his legs and slaps on the figure-four. They go into the bridge sequence, but Shawn can't bridge up. I know they got some flack from fans for "botching" that, but if you ever watch Brisco-Funk or Tsuruta-Bockwinkle, they actually spend minutes in that position without bridging up, so thank your lucky stars. Shawn sunset flips Flair off a shinbreaker attempt. That gets two. A small package gets two more, but Flair clips the knee and goes back to the figure-four! Shawn is reeling! He… just makes… the ropes, though. Flair stops to strut, so Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere. He can't cover immediately, though, and only gets two. Shawn starts tuning up the band, but Flair isn't getting up. Shawn hauls him up, so Flair simply grabs the ref and goes low. Ha ha! Awesome. ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Shawn locks in his own version of the figure-four, drawing the ire of the crowd. Flair makes the ropes, though, and thumbs Shawn in the eye for good measure. They chop it out with Flair winning, but Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music, again out of nowhere. Shawn won't cover, though, and backs off to the corner to tune up the band. Flair tearfully staggers to his feet and tells Shawn to bring on sweet career oblivion. Shawn, also crying, mouths, "I'm sorry. I love you." BANG! Flair goes down, and Shawn covers for the win at 20:24. The replay reveals an almost Obi-Wan-like moment with Flair lowering his guard and just letting it come. Spine-tingling finish. Okay, so maybe the content of the match is only around ***1/2, but wrestling is storytelling, and storytelling is all about context. This was ***** storytelling. ***1/2 content. ***** context. I'll split the difference and call it ****1/4, but honestly… does it matter?