This decade has ended on a high with another terrific year full of fantastic wrestling matches.
Promotions around the globe hosted an abundance of spectacular contests that made 2019 one of the best ever for in-ring action.
From WWE NXT and NXT UK, to the likes of New Japan, AEW and OTT, we were treated to outstanding bouts, month after month.
Our resident wrestling expert, Mo Chatra, watched thousands of matches from dozens of wrestling companies throughout 2019.
Here he presents the final list of his top 20 along with the promotion that hosted the bout, the date it took place, where you can watch it and also a star rating out of six (any match rated five stars or more is generally considered to be an all-time classic).
(Image: © WWE)
20. PAC vs. Kzy
(Dragon Gate, February 10, Star Rating: ****3/4, available online via dragongate.live)
Former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville was making the defence of the Open the Dream Gate title against Dragon Gate stalwart Kzy. The pair assembled a 25-minute scorcher in Fukuoka, Japan, in a contest that showed PAC hadn’t lost a step since departing from the WWE.
19. Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Michael Elgin
(Big Japan Pro Wrestling, August 24, Star Rating: ****3/4, highlights available online via Youtube.com)
The irresistible force met the immovable object when powerhouses Daisuke Sekimoto and Michael Elgin locked horns for the Big Japan outfit in August. The pair knocked the proverbial out of one another – and then some. Pulsating action between the two elite heavyweights.
18. Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama vs. Jake Lee & Naoya Nomura
(All Japan Pro Wrestling, December 9, Star Rating: ****3/4, not available online)
The finals of the 43rd annual All Japan Pro Wrestling Real World Tag League tournament was sensational. The ‘Violent Giants’ pairing of Shuji Ishikawa and Suwama triumphed over the younger duo of Lee and Nomura in a top-notch 20-minute encounter.
17. Sanada vs. Kazuchika Okada
(New Japan Pro Wrestling, August 3, Star Rating: ****3/4, available online via njpwworld.com)
The first of SEVEN matches to make the list from New Japan’s incredible G-1 Climax tournament is a battle between IWGP heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada and former TNA X-Division titleholder, Sanada. Ending just 13 seconds before the 30-minute time limit, Sanada bested Okada in a monumental, career-defining effort.
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16. Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay
(New Japan Pro Wrestling, July 18, Star Rating: ****3/4, available online via njpwworld.com)
Pitting two of the greatest high-flyers of all time, this G-1 Climax tournament bout was guaranteed to deliver. Jaw-dropping aerial exploits were interspersed with incredible counters to make this an unforgettable outing.
15. Yuji Okabayashi vs. Takuya Nomura
(Big Japan Pro Wrestling, July 21, Star Rating: ****3/4, available online via Youtube.com)
The second of Big Japan’s entrants in this year’s top 20 list, company world champion Yuji Okabayashi faced the promotion’s most exciting young star, Takuya Nomura. Despite giving up considerable size, Nomura went toe-to-toe with the bigger Okabayashi in a stunning 21-minute showing.
(Image: NJPW)
14. Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada
(New Japan Pro Wrestling, August 10, Star Rating: ****3/4, available online via njpwworld.com)
Japan’s famous Budokan Hall was lit up by Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada competing to claim a spot in the G-1 Climax final. Over 25 minutes, all manner of holds and counter-holds were rolled out before Ibushi triumphed over the IWGP champ in an outstanding bout.
13. Tetsuya Naito vs. Shingo Takagi
(New Japan Pro Wrestling, August 4, Star Rating: ****3/4, available online via njpwworld.com)
Los Ingobernables de Japon leader, Tetsuya Naito, contested another memorable G-1 Climax contest with former Dragon Gate star, Shingo Takagi. Though normally a junior heavyweight competitor in New Japan, an incredible performance in this outing helped announce Takagi’s arrival as a major player in the company’s heavyweight ranks.
(Image: AEW)
12. Shingo Takagi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
(New Japan Pro Wrestling, August 8, Star Rating: ****3/4, available online via njpwworld.com)
Only four days later, Takagi took on New Japan’s resident hard case Tomohiro Ishii in the G-1 Climax tournament. Following up on his valiant loss to Naito, Takagi went one better by defeating Ishii in an awe-inspiring display that sent the crowd into raptures.
11. Cody vs Dustin Rhodes
(All Elite Wrestling, May 25, Star Rating: *****, not available online)
AEW’s sole entry in the top 20 list was one of 2019’s most emotional – and bloody – matches. Brothers Cody and Dustin Rhodes collided in the semi-main event of AEW’s inaugural show, Double or Nothing. Dripping in compelling storytelling and Dustin’s blood, this match was the fledgling American company’s match of the year.
(Image: © WWE)
10. Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano
(WWE NXT, June 1, Star Rating: *****, available online via the WWE Network)
A rematch from NXT TakeOver: New York, the main event of NXT TakeOver: XXV between Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano was exceptional. The pair built a match off the first NXT Championship contest some eight weeks prior, with Adam Cole reversing the outcome of that match to become NXT Champion. Though not quite matching the lofty levels of the original, Part II was still a thrilling bout.
9. Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus vs. Black Taurus, Laredo Kid & Puma King
(Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, July 26, Star Rating: *****, available on DVD via prowrestlingguerrilla.com)
Six of the finest luchadores came together to produce one of the most thrilling matches ever seen in cult indie playground, PWG. Though the match is the shortest of the twenty contests on this list, all six flyers packed an incredible amount into the fourteen minutes this match lasted. Bandido et. al. barely paused for breath as they flawlessly executed one jaw-dropping move after another. Has to be seen to be believed.
(Image: © WWE)
8. Walter vs. Tyler Bate
(WWE NXT UK, August 31, Star Rating: *****, available online via the WWE Network)
Dudley’s Tyler Bate challenged Austrian Walter for the WWE United Kingdom Championship in a classic main event of NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff. Though giving up nearly a foot in height and well over a hundred pounds in weight, Bate took Walter to the limit in perhaps the greatest pro wrestling match ever assembled in the British Isles. Clocking in at 42 minutes, this was a true epic.
7. Will Ospreay vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
(New Japan Pro Wrestling, August 10, Star Rating: *****, available online via njpwworld.com)
NJPW’s biggest star, Hiroshi Tanahashi, battled with Essex’s Will Ospreay in an unforgettable G-1 Climax tournament match. Lasting a relatively meagre 17 minutes, this bout was all-action as Ospreay threw every move in his arsenal at the direction of his legendary opponent. It paid off – for the first time ever, Ospreay defeated Tanahashi in one of the biggest victories of his career.
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6. Kento Miyahara vs. Naoya Nomura
(All Japan Pro Wrestling, September 3, Star Rating: *****, not available online)
All Japan Pro Wrestling saw its top star and Triple Crown Champion Kento Miyahara assemble a magnificent title defence against 26-year-old Naoya Nomura. Miyahara – who grew up idolising Hiroshi Tanahashi in the rival New Japan – has enjoyed a sensational year with one excellent title defence after another, and this was the pick of the bunch. Despite an almighty effort, Nomura fell just short, but this match was a throwback to the glory days of All Japan, when legends such as Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi reigned supreme.
5. David Starr vs. Jordan Devlin
(Over The Top Wrestling, October 26, Star Rating: *****, available online via YouTube.com)
The best booked storyline in all of wrestling during 2019 came to a head in the main event of OTT’s Fifth Anniversary show in Dublin, Ireland. Based on the simple premise of good friends who turned into bitter enemies, this contest had drama, emotion and intensity by the bucketload. The fans were at fever pitch for every twist and turn of this 28-minute classic. This match was a perfect showcase of both stars and it highlighted what a gifted talent the WWE has on its books in Devlin.
4. Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
(New Japan Pro Wrestling, July 20, Star Rating: *****1/4, available online via njpwworld.com)
Allies in the New Japan faction, CHAOS, stable leader Kazuchika Okada clashed with Will Ospreay in the best match of the 2019 G-1 Climax tournament. IWGP Junior Heavyweight titleholder Ospreay looked to secure his biggest career victory to date over the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, but he fell just short. This bout had everything you could ask for in a wrestling match – excitement, drama, amazing near-falls and a molten-hot crowd. Just superb.
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega
(New Japan Pro Wrestling, January 4, Star Rating: *****1/2, available online via njpwworld.com)
New Japan’s biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom 13 in the Tokyo Dome, featured an exceptional main event. Kenny Omega – whose future was uncertain at that point – was defending his IWGP Heavyweight Championship against seven-time former titleholder, Hiroshi Tanahashi. Now 41 and ravaged by injuries, this was seen by some as Tanahashi’s last chance to win the gold he has held more often than any other.
Silencing the doubters, Tanahashi rolled back the years to stage perhaps the greatest match of his entire career against Omega and reclaim the IWGP title. This was Omega’s final match with New Japan – ending one of the greatest runs any wrestler has ever had with a promotion.
(Image: © WWE)
2. Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano
(NXT, April 5, Star Rating: *****1/2, available online via the WWE Network)
In this writer’s opinion, the greatest match ever to take place in a WWE ring. After being sidelined due to requiring neck surgery shortly before NXT TakeOver: New York, Tommaso Ciampa was forced to relinquish his NXT Championship. Johnny Gargano – who would have faced Ciampa – instead faced the Undisputed Era lynchpin in the TakeOver main event for the vacant title.
Over 38 incredible minutes, Gargano bested Cole in a match that somehow topped all of Gargano’s previous classic TakeOver outings against the likes of Andrade Almas and Ciampa. This best-of-three-falls encounter featured some of the most amazing near-falls you will ever see. It cemented Gargano’s standing as the best in-ring worker employed by WWE and announced 30-year-old Adam Cole as a bona fide WWE superstar.
1. Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi
(New Japan Pro Wrestling, June 5, Star Rating: *****3/4, available online via njpwworld.com)
Will Ospreay’s FOURTH match to make the Top 20 list was out of this world. Ospreay fought Shingo Takagi in the final of the 26th annual Best of the Super Juniors tournament – a competition that had previously been won by greats such as Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger, Eddie Guerrero and Finn Balor.
Both men pulled out all the stops to construct the greatest junior heavyweight match ever seen. The transitions, moves and counters were state-of-the-art and helped to redefine pro wrestling as we move into a new decade. Both individuals entered amazing performances, but in a year full of highs for Ospreay, this was the Brit’s finest night. Simply put, there are no superlatives that can do this match justice.
(Image: NJPW)
Where matches were awarded the same rating, there were slight differences that allowed them to be ranked in the order set out above.
Unlike last year, when 16 of last year’s top 20 matches took place in New Japan, 11 matches that made this year’s list took place outside of New Japan.
For the second successive year, the WWE’s main roster brands failed to secure a place in the Top 20, but my top three from Raw and Smackdown were the Elimination Chamber main event for the WWE Championship on February 17 (rated ****3/4 but narrowly missing out on cracking the list), Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles from Money in the Bank on May 19 (****1/2) and Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar from SummerSlam on August 11 (****1/4).
(Image: © WWE)
Given the roster the WWE has, and with more pressure than ever to deliver a compelling television product, we expect the quality of in-ring action in the WWE to improve markedly in the new year.
Though no women’s matches made the list, contests featuring women in the WWE, NXT, AEW and various women’s only promotions continued to deliver.
The top three women’s matches of 2019 were the Women’s WarGames match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames on November 23, Sareee vs. Chihiro Hashimoto from Sendai Girls on June 8 and Momo Watanabe vs. Jungle Kyona from STARDOM on March 3 (all three bouts earned a ****1/2 rating).
Like 2018, the final year of this decade was an exceptional one for top quality pro wrestling matches – and the signs are that 2020 should be every bit as impressive.
