During the creation of this list of the Greatest Pro Wrestling Matches Ever, the reputation of a match wasn’t going to influence the decision of whether or not a match should be considered one of the all-time greats. It’s easy to (perhaps subconsciously) feel that a match is an all-time great match because you’ve heard many people (including perhaps a younger version of yourself) insist that it was 5 stars. However, for example, if a certain newsletter writer or a certain fan website says that a match was 5 stars, it's been rated as an all-time classic by another reviewer on this website, or it has an immortal rating on a fan database, that doesn’t mean that the match ‘should be’ on this list merely because of the high reputation the match has. However, while a match supposedly being an all-time classic didn’t lead to blindly putting it on the list, it did mean that it was likely included in the viewing process leading up to the creation of this list, and that re-evaluation and re-examination of the match was done with an open mind. There are certainly matches with high reputations that made the list because they still represent what could be described as one of the best examples of what an all-time great professional wrestling match looks like, while other times, they didn’t make the list either because at this point the match felt more like a great or "merely excellent" match that wasn't quite an all-timer, while other times they just felt like matches that have been endlessly overrated.

Let's talk a bit about how things were decided here. So, what definitely was most important in deciding which matches are 4.75 or 5 stars is the way the matches represented the best examples of what an all-time great pro wrestling match looks like. Of course, this will be influenced by what the list compiler feels truly great wrestling is, which sometimes goes against what the wrestlers themselves believe is great, as the more they just try to check off the boxes, the less fresh, interesting, and exciting things often become. In this case, athleticism and high workrate tend to be more favorable factors than selling and storytelling that gets in the way of the action. Also, activity, intensity, urgency, diversity, and drive for victory tend to be more favorable factors than artistic acting, pretentiousness, entire matches consisting of play actors standing in front of the opponent allowing themselves to be hit, and elongating the match in manners that compromise the idea that they are out their fighting for their lives, such as playing to the crowd rather than pressing their advantage, and taking their sweet time before trying to fight back. Slick and crisp technically precise execution with an emphasis on crafting elaborate and/or believable sequences was favored over simply taking turns individually doing their thing because it requires a lot more talent, and can make the individual match stand out from the pack of relative sameness as something unique and original to the match (or at least matchup). It's a nice bonus if there's actually a crowd, and they appreciate a high quality match, but I'm rating the wrestlers rather than the audience. I’m not claiming that crowd reactions aren’t important, as it’s of course one of the main goals of a modern pro wrestling match to get the crowd to react and have a good time. However, a quieter crowd can still be riveted, and doesn’t necessarily indicate a lesser match, or that they are even enjoying the match less, just as a louder crowd chanting "This is awesome" 10 seconds into the match doesn't necessarily indicate a superior match, or that they are more interested in the match than they are in making themselves the entertainment. Often crowd response is based upon the style of wrestling the promoters value, and whether the current workers are regularly booked to win. If a league doesn't place importance on junior heavyweight wrestlers, the crowd will pick up on this booking and treat these wrestlers as unimportant. If another league puts emphasis on shoot-style wrestling, the crowd will be taught that submissions can end the match at any time, and pop for them, while the same submission holds might be treated as rest holds in another league that rarely books submission finishes, or only allows each wrestler to win with their specific finishers. By the way, angles and pre-match and post-match shenanigans played no role in deciding the greatness of any of these matches. This list is purely based on the in-ring bell to bell action.

Also, in this particular case, since the compiler of this list truly became a fan in the 1990s, it is possible, and perhaps inevitable, that this fact played a role in why there are so many matches from the 1990s are on the list. However, careful thought was put into the idea that wrestling matches from all decades should be included on this list (as far as footage allows and as far as matches are genuinely thought of as all-time great). Matches can potentially be added to this list as time goes on and more research is accomplished.

This list mainly consists of Japanese pro wrestling matches, simply because Japanese pro wrestling at its best represents serious, sports based pro wrestling at its best. Still, matches from other parts of the world (the United States, Mexico and Europe) are included on this list as well. Keep in mind, this list is a list of THE 100 greatest pro wrestling matches only. There are plenty of highly recommendable matches that took place in various parts in the world that aren’t on this list, yet they are absolutely worth seeking out, but that’s something for the list of Highly Recommended Matches. This list came about after a request to publish a list of the greatest matches ever, and that is what we have here… a list of the 100 greatest pro wrestling matches ever.

Obviously, the rating of matches is something highly subjective. However, the list should be useful and interesting for those who are interested in seeking great wrestling matches. That is truly the goal of this list. This list is not trying to force anyone to believe that the 5-star matches on this list are the only 5 star matches that have ever taken place. That is absolutely not the intention. Please use this list as a guide to help you discover matches you haven’t seen before, and from there, you are obviously free to see for yourself if these matches are 5 stars to you or not. Hopefully, this list will help you feel motivated to seek out other matches from several of the workers mentioned.

Ideally, the focus shouldn't be on which matches didn't make the list, as this list isn't meant to please everyone or pander to accepted taste. Let's not worry about how ‘blasphemous’ it is to leave off certain overly worshiped matches, but rather create your own lists that they are included on, if you still deem them more worthy of making the cut. If this list can help people feel inspired to start (re-)evaluating matches with fresh eyes, then it has been a success. I definitely don't trust my own opinion from before 2020 (and sometimes I don’t even trust my own opinion from 5 minutes ago), which is why a lot of rewatching and re-evaluating took place in the weeks leading up to the creation of this list.

The biggest surprise/discovery for me was my newfound appreciation for World of Sports wrestling. This project basically forced me to have a proper look at old school British wrestling from the ‘70s and ‘80s, and this resulted in a few WOS wrestling matches even becoming one of my favorite matches ever. It is probably that if more WOS matches escape from the catacombs through some future classics show or rerelease that they could attain even more representation on this list, as certainly what wrestling has been properly preserved has a great effect upon our ability to piece together the highs, lows, and general innovation and evolution of the sport.

Time and place are important factors in determining whether or not a match is 5 stars, especially when rating a match many years after it took place. For example, even some of the greatest matches on this list from the 1980s and early 1990s may not immediately stand out as 5-star matches when viewed through today’s eyes. However, when you consider the importance of certain matches within the context of the greater landscape of high end pro wrestling, it becomes clear that a 5-star rating is justified. For example, certain matches may be the first great match in a certain style or certain matches were perhaps the blueprint of what a great match should be like in a certain league or part of the world. Also, certain matches may have led to stylistic changes in pro wrestling. The influence certain great matches have had shouldn’t be overlooked. Also, when doing research of a certain decade and finding out that a certain match in that decade was truly the best match that decade, then that match obviously deserves 5 stars, even if perhaps it wouldn't immediately be thought of as a 5-star match by today’s standards. Obviously, a great match from 1952 looks different from a great match from 1992.

Here, roughly 60% of the (5-star) ratings were based on how the matches look today, and roughly 40% of the (5-star) ratings were based on how the matches looked compared to matches from around the time the matches took place. So, it was still relatively important that a match was an impressive display of pro wrestling even by today's standards, while crediting matches that were ahead of their time.

Please keep in mind that all these 5-star matches were rated based on a 5-star rating system. This makes a 5-star rating (and not a fictitious 6-star or 7-star Richter scale rating) the highest rating possible in this 5-star match rating system.

Just to be clear, this list features all the matches I personally consider 5 stars right now, along with the best 4.75-star matches (and other memorable matches listed as honorable mentions below). As further research is always ongoing, and time apparently goes on, it is certainly likely that more 5-star and 4.75-star matches will be added to the list at some point. However, for now, this is what the list looks like right now…

NWA 1/25/52 Chicago, IL International Amphitheater, NWA World Heavyweight Title: Lou Thesz vs. Verne Gagne 43:00 of 60:00. Even when viewed through modern eyes, this match truly is an absolute classic, proving that truly great wrestling can indeed be timeless if enough skill and effort is placed upon how things are actually done. No matter in which decade you watched this match, you should totally be able to get lost in the great performances here thanks to the great wrestling psychology and storytelling. This is one of the greatest American pro wrestling matches ever. In fact, it would take a little over 40 years for anything remotely this great to take place in American wrestling again. *****

5/2/57 Paris, France: Gilbert Cesca vs. Billy Catanzaro 31:30. The wrestling in this match was super technical, and the workrate was amazingly high. What is so exceptional about this match is that they stayed so true to what the no-nonsense wrestling was like during the old days, yet they did things that would amaze even the viewers of today. Their technical wrestling ability was so great that even a modern viewer would have to admit that nothing is really missing from this match in spite of this taking place in 1957. This is the greatest European pro wrestling match ever, and it is the best pro wrestling match of the 1950s. *****

3/12/65 France: Gilbert Cesca & Rene Ben Chemoul vs. Inca Peruano & Anton Tejero. This is the best match from the 1960s, as far as we can judge from the limited footage available from the era. The match feels very ahead of its time with a lot of fast-paced exciting action. So much so that this match feels far more spectacular than most matches from this decade. What also is interesting is that we see Gilbert Cesca once again show up in an all-time classic. ***** 

Joint Promotions 12/2/72 Nottingham, England: Johnny Saint & Steve Best vs. Ian Gilmour & Jeff Kaye 10:55, 6:05, 3:00. This is pretty much the most World of Sports Wrestling-type of match I can think of, and it’s a perfect example of what British wrestling was able to present around this time. Lots of gymnastic-style escapes, and lots of technical wrestling moments in front of an engaged crowd. This was entertaining, yet it also had the vibe of a serious athletic contest. This is one the earliest great matches available of the legendary Johnny Saint. This match also leaves the viewer wondering what great classics have been lost in time from the years in and around this time period. Perhaps this wasn’t a match that was extraordinary for the time, but all we can go by here is whatever footage is available. And judging on what footage is currently available, this was at the time one of the four best pro wrestling matches to have ever taken place. *****

Joint Promotions WOS Wrestling TV 6/30/76 Lincoln, England: Mark Rocco vs. Marty Jones 22:31 (5:00, 5:00, 5:00, 0:37, 5:00, 0:57, 0:57). This bout was scheduled for eight three-minute rounds. Like many great wrestlers from that era, they were both from the Manchester area. They had previously met in matches on 11/21/73 and 3/17/76 (of which there currently is no footage available, unfortunately). This was their third televised bout against each other. In general, both men displayed some great athletic skills, and they were solid technicians. There was enough sense of a true rivalry between these two men that everything they did had roughness behind it, as if they just wanted to show the opponent they really wanted to beat them. Rocco started wrestling rougher and rougher as the bout progressed. The heat between the two escalated to the point that both men received public warnings. The referee tried to keep control of this, but it felt like it could get out of control any second, and at some point he even tripped over Jones. In the first round, it all started with them trading technical wrestling holds. They didn’t allow the opponent to catch much of a breather, and they were very evenly matched, as both were of similar size at the time. Rocco had a couple of years more experience than Jones. In round 3, Rocco was a lot more aggressive than in the previous two rounds. Jones wasn’t too concerned about Rocco’s attitude and was ready to fight. Jones’s arm wasn’t in good shape by the end of round 3. In round 4, Rocco immediately went back to working over Jones’ left arm and shoulder. The action went back and forth. Rocco was great both in being in control and being the aggressor yet making Jones look as good as possible in the process. Jones was great at showing fighting spirit, and had great chemistry with Rocco. Both had excellent timing and execution. Judging from the footage currently available, this was one of the best matches of the 1970s. *****

Joint Promotions 3/14/79 Rotherham, England, British Welterweight Tournament Semi-final: Ken Joyce vs. Steve Grey. This is a great World Of Sports Wrestling match featuring the wily veteran Ken Joyce taking on the extremely talented Steve Grey, two of the all-time greats of British wrestling. This match is the best non-Japanese singles pro wrestling match of the 1970s. It is a great example of what high-quality WOS wrestling looked like back in the day. *****

Joint Promotions WOS Wrestling TV 1/28/80 Reading, England: Johnny Saint vs. Steve Grey. They were constantly doing something. It was a very competitive match featuring exciting grappling. They kept trying to outdo each other. They were putting on display plenty of the amazing counters and escapes often associated with World of Sport Wrestling. They also told the great story of Steve Grey trying to beat Johnny Saint in non-title matches so that he would be worthy of getting a title shot. *****

Joint Promotions 11/5/80 Lincoln, England: Jon Cortez vs. Keith Haward. The lack of co-operation in this match makes this pretty much a World Of Sports Wrestling version of shoot-style wrestling. This is a very fascinating match for sure. It appears to be a match not many people are talking about, and perhaps it's not a match that will satisfy everyone, but its uniqueness truly helps make it stand out as a truly great match. ***** 

NJPW 4/21/83 Tokyo Kuramae Kokugikan, NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title Decision Match: Dynamite Kid vs. Tiger Mask 11:11; 6:52. This is one of the most important and influential matches in pro wrestling history. This match was the final and best singles match in the legendary in-ring feud between these two wrestlers, and it played a huge role in stylistic changes in pro wrestling. These two wrestlers showed that the wrestling of the future would be something faster and more athletic. They also showed that you didn’t have to be a huge guy to be successful in the pro wrestling business. ***** 

AJW 9/26/84 Yokohama Bunka Taiikukan, 2/3 Falls Fuji TV Cup Tag League Final: Jaguar Yokota & Devil Masami vs. Lioness Asuka & Chigusa Nagayo 6:16, 3:17, 3:45. At the time this match took place, it was the best women’s pro wrestling match ever. These women showed that women’s pro wrestling could indeed be truly great and, at the very least, on the same level of men's pro wrestling. These wrestlers inspired many up and coming Japanese women’s wrestlers, which led to truly a golden era of Japanese women’s wrestling in the 1990s. *****

WWA 7/18/87 Los Angeles, California Olympic Auditorium, Hair vs. Mask: Negro Casas vs. Hijo del Santo 15:37 (2:34, 4:23, 8:40). This is the blueprint of what a great Mexican lucha libre match can be like with great build-up, great climactic minutes and great spectacle. It was better than any other Mexican lucha libre match from the 1980s (based on the footage that is available). It is the best performance by Negro Casas that we have available. What these two wrestlers did was truly take Mexican lucha libre to greater heights, and they showed future wrestlers that something this exciting and spectacular was a possibility going forward. This match felt more like a 1990s Mexican lucha libre match than a 1980s one, and that makes it stand out so much. *****

AJW 9/14/87 Omiya Skate Center: Itsuki Yamazaki & Noriyo Tateno vs. Lioness Asuka & Chigusa Nagayo 16:34. This was the best women’s wrestling match from the second half of the 1980s, and the best match in the series of matches between the Jumping Bomb Angels and the Crush Gals. There hadn’t been a women’s match this good since the days of Jaguar Yokota in 1984, and there wouldn’t be one this good until the interpromotional days of 1992. *****

NJPW 7/13/89 Tokyo IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Jushin Liger vs. Naoki Sano 13:55. This match really put Jushin Liger on the map as an exceptional worker. Earlier that decade, he had already been impressive under his real name, Keiichi Yamada, but it was on 7/13/89 that he started excelling as Jushin Liger. This match was a turning point in bringing high flying back to the NJPW junior division, and pushing the limits of what would be expected from them in the future. What was truly exceptional about this match was the lengthy period of high flying that was quite ahead of its time back then. *****

JWP 7/19/90 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Harley Saito vs. Shinobu Kandori 18:54. This was from the original JWP before the LLPW split. Harely Saito was on top of her game here, and Shinobu Kandori showed she can deliver high-quality performances when needed. This wasn’t a shoot-style match per se, but they certainly did a great job of working in quite a realistic manner (relatively speaking). This was an exceptional match that really stood out during these in-between days of Japanese joshi puroresu (women’s wrestling), just after the Crush Gals era and just before the big inter-promotional era. *****

NJPW 8/19/90 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Pegasus Kid 15:02. This was arguably the best Keiichi Yamada match ever. By this point in his career, he had upgraded from Jushin Liger to Jushin Thunder Liger. It is the best example of what a truly great junior heavyweight wrestling match from the early 1990s looked like. Though greatly influenced by the Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid series, it basically took the idea of 7/13/89 Liger vs. Naoki Sano and took it to even greater heights due to the fine-tuning of the precision and crisp execution. This match also put Canadian wrestler Pegasus Kid (who would later become known as Wild Pegasus and The Crippler) on the map as a great international worker, after he had shown a lot of potential previously, but hadn’t quite reached a level that made people mention him in conversations about great matches and wrestlers as much as from 8/19/90 onwards. *****

WCW 12/27/91 East Rutherford, NJ Brendan Byrne Arena, WCW Light Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Brian Pillman 15:45. Not only was this match very advanced and modernized for American wrestling standards, but it was a super exciting, high workrate match for any and all standards of pro wrestling, especially considering this was a WCW house show from 1991. This was easily Pillman’s best match up until that point in time, and it was actually one of Liger’s best matches as well. This match was a harbinger of the greatness they were about to show in February 1992. ****¾

UWF-I 2/15/92 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Hiromitsu Kanehara vs. Masakazu Maeda 17:25. This is one of the best shoot-style matches ever, as it was a match that featured both workers really taking it to each other in an intense, all out, pedal to the metal manner while maintaining the relative believableness of the match. What was particularly unique about this match is that these two were highly inexperienced rookies at the bottom of the card, yet they were stealing the show and excelling at shoot-style more so than basically almost everyone else on the card. *****

WCW 2/29/92 Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee Auditorium, WCW Light Heavyweight Title: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Brian Pillman 17:00. This was truly a ground-breaking match, as it introduced a large American audience to great junior heavyweight wrestling of a spectacular level previously only seen in Japan. This match showed that it was possible for great junior heavyweight action to be appreciated in mainstream American wrestling, and thus opened up possibilities for undersized workers who had previously neglected. It was also the greatest match on American soil since 1952. *****   

AJPW 5/25/92 Sendai Miyagi-ken Sports Center, All Asia Tag Team Title: Danny Kroffat & Doug Furnas vs. Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi 22:11. This is one of the most heated, exciting and dramatic matches ever, which is even more amazing when you consider that it was for a secondary, undercard title. This is possibly the match with the most insane crowd heat ever (and some of the most insanely enthusiastic commentating ever). It’s hard not to get drawn into this match when you see the excitement this match delivers. *****

AJW 11/26/92 Kawasaki-shi Taiikukan, WWWA World Tag Team Title: Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Dynamite Kansai 14:38, 1:44, 24:00. This is the greatest interpromotional match ever, pro wrestling's version of what the championship game should be. It truly raised the bar of what was now considered the highest standard of Japanese women’s pro wrestling through the roof, with a massive amount of urgency and intensity, a truly desperate desire to win for their promotion. It's arguably THE greatest women’s pro wrestling match ever. This match was the first true main event of the interpromotional area of Japanese women’s wrestling, a golden era that lasted only a few years. This match finally made people realize that the JWP league should be looked at in addition to the bigger and more famous AJW league. *****

JWP 1/15/93 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Mayumi Ozaki & Dynamite Kansai vs. Yumiko Hotta & Takako Inoue 29:44. This was a very intense inter-promotional battle in which everyone involved really put over the idea that they were defending the honor of the league they were representing. This was arguably the best performance ever of Yumiko Hotta, who excelled in this heated and intense matches with stakes, but certainly overachieved here. Ozaki is so crucial to the brilliant work, but more importantly creating the fervor that makes this match come to mind when you think of a match that feels like the highest stakes match you ever witnessed, even though it actually wasn't even on a big show and didn't have a title on the line. *****

LLPW 2/13/93 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Harley Saito & Shinobu Kandori vs. Suzuka Minami & Etsuko Mita 21:22. This match, an often overlooked match, since it took place at an LLPW show, was the greatest LLPW match ever. LLPW was a league that on its own wasn’t viewed as a high-quality league as much as AJW and JWP were. However, whenever the top LLPW workers would participate in inter-promotional battles around this time, they would be able to deliver some of the most intense wrestling ever seen. Harley Saito is one of the most underrated workers ever, and Shinobu Kandori is the ultimate big-match worker. The AJW team, Suzuka Minami & Etsuko Mita, exemplified the passion that made the great inter-promotional battles so memorable. *****

AJW 4/2/93 Yokohama Arena: Kyoko Inoue & Takako Inoue vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Cuty Suzuki 16:44. This might be a hot take, but this was probably the best match of Dream Slam I, one of the best pro wrestling shows ever. It was a super exciting high-workrate match that truly exemplifies what great 90s (joshi) puroresu was like. It has that serious sports contest feel to it while wowing the crowd with the spectacular display of athleticism. Definitely no dull moments in this match. *****

AJW 4/11/93 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan, WWWA World Tag Team Title: Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Dynamite Kansai 0:12, 14:55, 16:04. This was another incredibly great match between these two teams! It was the main event of Dream Slam II, which is one of the best top to bottom pro wrestling shows in history. *****

JWP 7/31/93 Yokohama Bunka Taiikukan, The New Dimension 8 Queens First Attack Rule Match: Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki & Cuty Suzuki & Hikari Fukuoka vs. Aja Kong & Kyoko Inoue & Takako Inoue & Sakie Hasegawa 60:00. This was an absolutely fantastic women’s match with unique rules that may not have been ideal, but worked great in the hands of highly talented and motivated performers. This was one of the first Japanese women’s matches I ever saw, and it truly opened my eyes as to how great Japanese women’s wrestling was during the 1990s. If someone wants to know more about the Golden Age of joshi puroresu, this would be a great starting point, as it features the two main leagues of the time, and it features some of the key performers of the time, with great drama as well as excitement. *****

AJW 8/21/93 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Japan Grand Prix Semifinal: Akira Hokuto vs. Manami Toyota 16:36. This was the match from their series where everything actually worked out and came together. It had everything you could want from a truly great women’s wrestling match. The workrate was high, and there was a lot of intensity displayed. It was the best match from the best year of Akira Hokuto’s career. As spectacular as Manami Toyota was, Hokuto was, of course, truly the great director who was guiding her through this great match. Toyota deserves credit for not just sticking to a routine, but the day was owned by Hokuto, who defeated Yumiko Hotta in a great final later that night. *****  

AJPW 12/3/93 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, World's Strongest Tag Determination League Final, World Tag Team Title Decision Match: Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue vs. Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa 23:34. Thanks to Giant Baba’s great booking of this really enjoyable tag team tournament, it was a meeting of the ‘four pillars’ in the final. In fact, this was one of the most famous matches involving the four pillars of AJPW. This was the first time these two teams met in the tag final, after Kawada & Taue defended the tag titles against Misawa & Kobashi on 6/1/93. It was also an important match, as it not only decided who would win the tournament, but also who would be the undisputed World Tag Team Champions. This match is a great example of Kawada's realistic selling (of his knee, which was injured in his match against Steve Williams & Big Bubba two days earlier). The match and tournament culminated in Kobashi getting his first pin over Kawada. Execution was great from start to finish. Even Akira Taue, the weakest performer in the match, understood he had to really bring his A game here. What they did well here was to keep the action going early on, and they weren’t already selling in large amounts early on. This made the match exciting, and it made the selling later on in the match feel more meaningful. As soon as Kawada showed signs of his injured left knee hurting again, Kobashi went after the knee like a hungry shark and viciously attacked it. The storytelling and drama in this match were amazing. At the time of this match, it was arguably the greatest heavyweight match to have ever taken place. ***** 

AJW 12/6/93 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, WWWA World Tag Team Title: Mayumi Ozaki & Dynamite Kansai vs. Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada 25:33. This is probably the most overlooked match in their trilogy. While Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori dropped off considerably in only their second match together (their first one was the legendary 4/2/93 match) for this show’s main event, somehow these two teams managed to work yet another 5-star match! To try to illustrate how great this series of matches is, let's focus on the fact that no other series of matches between the same set of opponents had been able to deliver three different 5-star matches by that point in time (eventually, Volador Jr. and Sombra were somehow able to accomplish this super hard task in the 2010s). *****

NJPW 4/16/94 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Super-J Cup Final: Wild Pegasus vs. The Great Sasuke 18:46. This is one of the greatest junior heavyweight matches ever, and a brilliant way to end one of the most legendary shows ever. Prior to this show, Wild Pegasus (formerly known as Pegasus Kid) not only had never been in the ring before with Sasuke, but he hadn’t even heard of him, so it was incredible how these two managed to have such a great match together. What they did was basically work a 1990s version of Dynamite Kid vs. Tiger Mask. This show really helped put The Great Sasuke and his Michinoku Pro league on the map, and it was a confirmation of Pegasus’ status as one of the best workers in the business at the time. *****

AAA 11/6/94 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Hair vs. Masks: Eddy Guerrero & Love Machine vs. Hijo del Santo & Octagon 19:20. This match was the culmination of a great feud. It was also the best Mexican lucha libre match since 1987. What was so special and unique about this tag team match was they didn’t follow the illogical unwritten lucha rule of a tag team partner being immediately pinned right after the first member of a tag team being pinned, which negates any purpose in having multiple team members need to be pinned. Going against that unwritten rule made for a much more dramatic match than it would have been otherwise. The drama and the storytelling of this match were top-notch, in addition to the in-ring work being superb. ***** 

AAA 9/22/95 Mexico City Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera, WWA World Welterweight Title: Rey Misterio Jr. vs. Psicosis 18:39. This is arguably the best singles Mexican lucha libre match of the 1990s. It is arguably also simply the very best Mexican lucha libre match ever. These were two bar-raising talents who ended up becoming two internationally-recognized wrestlers not long after. You can't stop top talent. *****

ECW 10/7/95 Philadelphia, PA ECW Arena: Psicosis vs. Rey Misterio Jr. 12:10 (1:21, 5:14, 5:35). Despite being a relatively short match, this was an incredibly memorable match that was the best match in ECW history. It was a non-stop action-packed battle that was incredibly spectacular. These two took the greatness they had previously shown in Mexico and brought it to an American audience, who was understandably completely blown away by the tremendous spectacle. ***** 

NJPW 1/21/96 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, UWA World Light Heavyweight Title: El Samurai vs. Shinjiro Otani 22:17. This was a unique match that saw these NJPW junior heavyweights incorporate elements of UWF-I shoot-style wrestling very well into an intense battle that was different from what would normally be expected from them. *****

MPW 10/10/96 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan: Gran Hamada & Super Delfin & Masato Yakushiji & Tiger Mask IV & Gran Naniwa vs. Dick Togo & TAKA Michinoku & Shiryu & Shoichi Funaki 32:07. This was an unbelievably great match that raised the bar of what was possible in multi-man matches. It's taking advantage of the numbers in every possible way, the pacing, the double teams, the drama, the saves. This was the culmination of the great modernization of lucha libre and Japanese junior heavyweight pro wrestling this Michinoku Pro league had been accomplishing around that time. It's one of the few undercard matches that was so memorable it became synonymous with the show it was on to the point that hardly anyone actually remembers it wasn't the main event. 1996 was truly a great year overall for pro wrestling, but this match could very well be the 1996 MOTY if it wasn’t for the 12/16/96 match.*****

MPW 12/16/96 Fukuoka Hakata Star Lanes: The Great Sasuke & Gran Hamada & Super Delfin & Gran Naniwa & Masato Yakushiji vs. Dick Togo & MEN'S Teio & TAKA Michinoku & Shiryu & Shoichi Funaki 23:16. The pinnacle of the Sekigun vs. KAIENTAI Deluxe feud. With both units at full force, they delivered one of the most spectacular matches ever. These Michinoku Pro workers basically took what was done at the 10/10/96 These Days show and brought it in a different form, with better talent, to an even higher level. *****

AJPW 1/20/97 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan, AJPW Triple Crown Heavyweight Title: Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa 42:06. Wow. What a match! Misawa had always been a top-notch seller, but in this match, it was certainly one of the key elements of this match working as well as it did. Kobashi deserves a lot of credit for pushing through and staying focused. Giant Baba must have been delighted at the tremendous performances displayed by two of the main pillars of AJPW. In spite of the length of the match (about 15 longer than what on average could be considered an ideal length for a big title match), these two managed to keep things interesting all the way through. Of course, their effort didn’t make the match all of a sudden become shorter, however, their work certainly helped make it seem like time flew by relatively fast, and, perhaps most importantly, they made the most out of the large amount of time given to them. Kobashi and Misawa once again proved that the Kobashi vs. Misawa pairing is the most consistently high quality AJPW singles pairing. The work was stiff and the moves were superbly executed. The selling was superb and of exceptional quality. The great storytelling in combination with the tremendous effort resulted in a captivating bout worthy to be remembered for decades to come. This is easily one of the greatest heavyweight matches ever, arguably THE greatest. *****

RINGS 4/22/97 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan: Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Tsuyoshi Kosaka 13:57. This is one of the very best shoot-style matches ever. It is better than their more famous 6/27/98 rematch, mainly because it was worked in an even more realistic and believable manner. It's a tighter match worked at a higher pace. It is an absolute must-see for anyone wanting to see pro wrestling worked at a tremendously high level. *****

NJPW 6/5/97 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, Best of the Super Juniors VI Final: El Samurai vs. Koji Kanemoto 23:51. This is the best match in the history of the BOSJ tournament. These two exemplified, and slightly updated what the great junior heavyweights of the NJPW junior heavyweight division had done previously, taking the action and highspots to new heights, and managing to exceed expectations in the process. This is arguably the best junior heavyweight match of the 1990s, which says a lot, since the 1990s was a decade in which junior heavyweight wrestling was much appreciated and respected, relatively speaking. *****

RINGS 9/26/97 Sapporo Nakajima Taiiku Center: Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 12:48. These two wrestlers perfected shoot-style wrestling while in separate leagues, but finally united in RINGS, in their third and final meeting, upped the level of their matches from great to one of the greatest matches ever. Shoot-style wrestling had been incredibly fascinating and memorable in the years leading up to this match, but these two managed to translate that greatness into an all-time classic match. And with Volk Han involved, it was quite showy, which will help non-shoot style fans also appreciate it. In fact, this could be one of the best introductions to shoot-style wrestling for those who need an introduction to it, as this is arguably shoot style at it's flashiest and most breathtaking. *****

ARSION 2/18/99 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Queen of ARSION Title: Mariko Yoshida vs. Hiromi Yagi 20:36. This was the best match of the new fast paced, submission style Yoshida introduced in ARSION a year earlier, and it's arguably the best women's singles match from the 1990s. In fact, this is one of the very best women’s singles matches ever. This match featured a high level of technical wrestling and a particularly high level of realism for pro wrestling standards. *****

RINGS 6/24/99 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto 20:00. This is arguably the greatest shoot-style match ever. It is also arguably the greatest singles match in the history of pro wrestling… EVER! If I had to choose one match that represents the perfect wrestling match, I would pick this one. It was relatively realistic, it was exciting, and it was an extremely well-executed match overall. MUST-SEE! *****

AJW 11/23/00 Tokyo Kokuritsu Yoyogi Kyogijo 2nd Gym, Cage Match: Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita & Kumiko Maekawa vs. Kaoru Ito & Momoe Nakanishi & Nanae Takahashi 22:12. AJW did cage matches like no other, but this is the best cage match ever. It is also the best joshi puroresu match of that decade. It is a very exciting and energetic match. Lots of crazy and wild action. *****

ARSION 5/24/03 Tokyo Differ Ariake: Mariko Yoshida vs. Megumi Fujii 3R 3:30. This is probably the greatest example of MMA being incorporated into a pro wrestling match, as it's a shoot grappling version of pro wrestling rather than a pro wrestling version of shoot grappling. Megumi Fujii, future all time great of MMA, gives the greatest pro wrestling debut performance in history, combining more practical real life skill than we'd seen with a real sports desire to consistently go all out to win. And Mariko Yoshida shows why she was one of the greatest women’s wrestlers around at the time. This is one of the best women's pro wrestling matches ever, maybe even THE best one. *****

Kensuke Office 6/13/08 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. KENTA 27:35. This was an incredible match that raised the bar of what post-1990s wrestling could be like. They combined the greatness of the greatest heavyweight and junior heavyweight matches from the 1990s and combined it into something exceptionally great. This action packed match feels like a modernization of all that came before. *****

NOAH 3/1/09 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, GHC Junior Heavyweight Title: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. KENTA 25:45. This was an incredible match that raised the bar of what post-1990s wrestling could be like. They combined the greatness of the greatest heavyweight and junior heavyweight matches from the 1990s and combined it into something exceptionally great. This action packed match feels like a modernization of all that came before. *****

CMLL 8/30/10 Puebla, Mexico, Mexican National Light Heavyweight Title: Volador Jr. vs. La Sombra 26:24 (3:45, 2:15, 20:24). This was the best Mexican lucha libre match since 1995. It was a tremendous display of lucha libre Mexicana! Great high flying, great storytelling and great drama. This was a truly exceptional match. *****

CMLL 10/16/12 Mexico City Arena Mexico: Volador Jr. vs. Sombra 16:32. This was the best Mexican lucha libre match since 1995. It was a tremendous display of lucha libre Mexicana! Volador Jr. showed why he is one of the best Mexican wrestlers of this century. Volador Jr. and Sombra had many other matches that are certainly worth going out of your way to see, but this was their very best one. *****

CMLL 2/15/13 Arena Mexico, Reyes del Aire Final: Volador Jr. vs. La Sombra 15:15 (1:11, 1:49, 12:15). This was yet another great match between Volador Jr. and La Sombra. This makes their feud only the second feud in pro wrestling history to have a 5-star match on three different occasions! Previously, it was the Mayumi Ozaki & Dynamite Kansai versus Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada feud achieving this unlikely feat back in 1992-1993. *****

JWP 12/15/13 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, JWP Openweight Title: Kana vs. Arisa Nakajima 28:35. The two best women in the world at that time delivered a brutal classic that turned out to be the best women’s pro wrestling match of the 2010s. The intensity was tremendous. This match has exactly what most (women’s) wrestling matches from the previous decade lacked, workers who were really able to put over the idea that they were going all out to beat the crap out of each other. *****

Dragon Gate 11/1/15 Osaka EDION Arena, Open the Dream Gate Title: Shingo Takagi vs. Masaaki Mochizuki 24:55. This was the best match of this two decade long feud, and it the best men's puroresu match of the decade. This is what modern pro wrestling should be like. It was an aggressive, hard-hitting and no-nonsense match. They kept taking it to each other and tried to ‘outdo’ each other, the opposite of many modern matches. There was no endless lying around. Nobody was taking it easy. Nobody was waiting forever to fight back. They showed urgency. Winning felt important and wouldn’t come easily. The wrestling was not pretentious. They were there to fight. ***** 

NJPW 5/21/16 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Best Of the Super Juniors XXIII Block A: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly 20:06. This wasn’t a shoot-style match per se, but it was definitely a great quasi-shoot-style match in which both combatants worked in a relatively realistic manner, even though it wasn’t necessarily expected from them, since the BOSJ tournaments have generally been thought of as the tournament that showcases junior heavyweights in their more typical style matches (which generally are expected to feature high flying). KUSHIDA and Canadian wrestler Kyle O’Reilly certainly showed that there is a place for doing something different and something great in an era that doesn’t seem to encourage either. *****

AJPW 7/24/76 Tokyo Kuramae Kokugikan, PWF Heavyweight Title Match: Giant Baba vs. Billy Robinson 21:17 [9:24, 6:08, 5:45]. The greatest Japanese pro wrestling match of the 1970s. This was Giant Baba taking Billy Robinson’s lineage of catch wrestling, which goes all the way back to the beginning of combat sports if you dig deep enough, to combine it with his Rikidozan lineage of puroresu’s beginnings in order to create the King’s Road Style, which would become the ultimate heavyweight wrestling style of pro wrestling. ****¾

Joint Promotions WOS Wrestling TV 7/26/78 St. Albans, England: Mark Rocco vs. Marty Jones. A World of Sport Wrestling match that was very ahead of its time. This one was almost like a modern-looking junior heavyweight style bout. ****¾

Stampede 8/17/79 Calgary, AB Victoria Pavilion, Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title vs. WWF Junior Heavyweight Title: Dynamite Kid vs. Tatsumi Fujinami 20:33. This was arguably the best pro wrestling match to have ever taken place in Canada (as far as available footage allows us to make such a statement). Dynamite was wrestling so freely, and he seemingly did whatever felt right in the moment against an opponent he had never faced before. There wasn't a ‘right’ template of sorts of how to wrestle an international junior heavyweight style match like this at the time. If anything, the well-traveled Dynamite helped create ‘templates’ for matches like this, blending styles and influences from his experience in England, Canada and Japan. ****¾  

Joint Promotions WOS Wrestling TV 6/24/81 Shrewsbury, England: Johnny Saint vs. Ken Joyce. Two wily veterans showing how to do World of Sport Wrestling style the old-fashioned way on a high level. If this was lucha libre, this would be considered a maestro-style match. ****¾ 

NJPW 7/23/82 Ishikawa Prefectural Industrial Exhibition Hall #3: Dynamite Kid vs. Tiger Mask 13:54. Dynamite Kid and the First Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) continued to raise the bar. A young Bret Hart was at ringside in Dynamite Kid’s corner. ****¾

NJPW 8/5/82 Tokyo Kuramae Kokugikan, WWF Junior Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid 15:57. Once again, Dynamite Kid and the First Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) were showing the wrestling world what wrestling could potentially look like in the future with their tremendous athletic sequences and spectacular moves. ****¾

Joint Promotions WOS Wrestling TV 1/19/83 Walthamstow, England: Dynamite Kid vs. Marty Jones 17:19 (3:00, 3:00, 1:45, 3:00, 3:00, 1:19, 2:15). A very compelling match between two of the all-time greats from England. ****¾

UWF 7/17/85 Osaka Rinkai Sports Center: Super Tiger vs. Yoshiaki Fujiwara 11:54 of 15:15. Super Tiger (Satoru Sayama) showed everyone what he felt pro wrestling should look like when he finally got the opportunity to display it in a highly competitive match. ****¾

UWF 7/21/85 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Super Tiger vs. Nobuhiko Takada 14:47. Super Tiger (Satoru Sayama) once again showed the world what great shoot-style wrestling could look like, and he indirectly showed the world what the future of combat sports could look like. ****¾

AJPW 6/5/89 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, All Asia Tag Team Title: Toshiaki Kawada & Samson Fuyuki vs. Danny Kroffat & Doug Furnas 19:35. The best tag team match of the 1980s. This was an incredible match that exceeded all expectations. It was very much ahead of its time, showing a great explosive junior heavyweight tag style that was smooth when it needed to be, but also unpredictable and out of control. ****¾

NJPW 1/31/90 Osaka Prefectural Gym, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Naoki Sano vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 20:00. A bloody and dramatic grudge match. ****¾ 

NJPW 11/1/90 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 12:32. The work was pretty much on the same level as their awesome 8/19/90 match. This match was just a little bit shorter. ****¾ 

UWF-I 7/3/91 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Yoji Anjo 17:35. High-level shoot-style wrestling featuring Kiyoshi Tamura, who would go on to become arguably the GOAT of pro wrestling. ****¾ 

AJW 6/21/92 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Japan Grand Prix Match: Manami Toyota vs. Toshiyo Yamada 26:19. A great early ‘90s joshi puroresu match that is technically better than their more famous hair match from 8/15/92. ****¾

NJPW 8/12/92 Ryogoku Kokugikan: Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Thunder Liger 14:25. The work was about as great and smooth as it can get. The only downside of the match is that it didn't feel as big of a match as their legendary 8/19/90 match, but that's hardly a knock on this match. Great match. ****¾

AJW 8/30/92 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Akira Hokuto & Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda vs. Bull Nakano & Suzuka Minami & Yumiko Hotta 17:51. A high-workrate trios match that examplifies the greatness of the ‘92-’97 era of joshi puroresu. Arguably the best women’s trios match ever. ****¾

JWP 12/1/92 Tokyo Ota-ku Taiikukan: Mayumi Ozaki & Hikari Fukuoka vs. Yumiko Hotta & Takako Inoue 22:05. The first of the interpromotional matches in JWP, with the underdog home promotion team fighting like their lives depended upon it, with an out of her depth young Fukuoka getting viciously destroyed by Hotta, and Ozaki doing her best to keep her team alive somehow. ****¾

AJW 4/2/93 Yokohama Arena: Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori 30:27. A highly dramatic match with great storytelling and selling. This was Akira Hokuto’s masterpiece, but Shinobu Kandori deserves credit for once again showing up in a big match. ****¾

AJPW 4/12/93 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukan, Champion Carnival Match: Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi 21:16. An exceptional match between two of the main heavyweight stars of the ‘90s. ****¾

AJW 8/25/93 Tokyo Nippon Budokan: Manami Toyota & Yumiko Hotta & Sakie Hasegawa vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Plum Mariko & Hikari Fukuoka 25:09. You can’t go wrong with 1993 joshi puroresu or a lot of 1993 wrestling in general, so go ahead and watch this if you haven’t already. It’s a great trios match that features six of the most recognizable names of ‘90s joshi puroresu. ****¾ 

AJW 11/28/93 Osaka-Jo Hall, First Attack Captain Fall Survival War: Akira Hokuto & Suzuka Minami & Mima Shimoda & Etsuko Mita vs. Mayumi Ozaki & Dynamite Kansai & Devil Masami & Plum Mariko 41:45. A tremendous survival elimination type of match that went on until the team captain was eliminated. ****¾

WWF 3/20/94 New York, NY Madison Square Garden: Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart 20:21. Best W(W)WF/E match ever. Best match to have ever taken place at Madison Square Garden. ****¾  

AJPW 4/16/94 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, Champion Carnival Final: Toshiaki Kawada vs. Steve Williams 25:48. A heavyweight masterpiece. Arguably the best heavyweight match of 1994. ****¾ 

JWP 3/17/95 Hakata Starlanes, Street Fight: Mayumi Ozaki vs. Dynamite Kansai 22:30. A very violent match. The greatest hardcore match ever. ****¾

AJW 5/7/95 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, WWWA World Title: Manami Toyota vs. Kyoko Inoue 60:00. The best 60-minute match ever. ****¾

AJW 9/3/95 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Japan Grand Prix Final: Manami Toyota vs. Yumiko Hotta 23:39. Yumiko Hotta’s best singles match performance. ****¾

AJPW 3/31/96 Nagoya Aichi Prefectural Gym, Champion Carnival: Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa 24:07. These two once again delivered an exceptional match in a Champion Carnival tournament, just like they did in 1993. ****¾ 

RINGS 9/25/96 Sapporo Nakajima Taiiku Center: Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 10:32. A technical masterpiece! ****¾ 

MPW 11/12/96 Maebashi Gunma Sports Center: Gran Hamada & The Great Sasuke & Super Delfin vs. Dick Togo & Shiryu & MEN's Teio 16:12. Arguably the best men’s trios match ever. ****¾

Inoki Festival 12/1/96 Yoyogi National Gymnasium #2: Gran Hamada & The Great Sasuke & Super Delfin & Naohiro Hoshikawa & Masato Yakushiji vs. Dick Togo & TAKA Michinoku & Shiryu & MEN's Teio & Shoichi Funaki 16:40. The Michinoku Pro guys once again delivered a great match. They were truly on a roll around this time. ****¾

AJW 12/8/96 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, WWWA World Title: Manami Toyota vs. Kyoko Inoue 24:52. A great spectacle between two spectacular joshi workers. ****¾

Battlarts 1/21/97 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Gran Hamada & The Great Sasuke & Masato Yakushiji & Gran Naniwa vs. Dick Togo & TAKA Michinoku & Shiryu & MEN'S Teio 20:40. This was wild! This was more an aggressive and intense version of their usual multi-man stuff. ****¾

AJPW 6/6/97 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, Triple Crown Heavyweight Title: Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Toshiaki Kawada 31:22. This is the best Misawa vs. Kawada match, as they really go all out and take the violence up a few notches. This hard-hitting match is even better than their more famous and more worshiped 6/3/94 match. This match from ‘97 was more of a hard-fought match, and it seemed Misawa was more up to the task of fighting back, leading to a more logical, enjoyable and satisfying match than the 6/3/94 one, which was basically the Kawada show as opposed to an actual all-time great wrestling contest. ****¾ 

AJW 8/9/97 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Japan Grand Prix: Manami Toyota vs. Kaoru Ito 18:21. Kaoru Ito did a fantastic job helping Manami Toyota to have one last all-time great match. ****¾ 

AJPW 8/26/97 Sapporo Nakajima Sports Center: Kenta Kobashi vs. Hiroshi Hase 32:49. Hiroshi Hase was a breath of fresh air to the overly ritualistic AJPW style, and he managed to get Kenta Kobashi out of his comfort zone and have a very unique and exceptionally great match. ****¾ 

Jd' 1/11/98 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, TWF World Single Title Match: Jaguar Yokota vs. Lioness Asuka 17:11. These two were so great that they had an all-time great match in 1998 even though they are usually thought of as ‘80s workers (and debuted in 1977 and 1980 respectively). ****¾

AJPW 6/12/98 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, Triple Crown Heavyweight Title: Toshiaki Kawada vs. Kenta Kobashi 33:49. This is the best singles match between the best non shoot style heavyweights. One of the most hard-hitting heavyweight matches ever. ****¾ 

AJPW 1/22/99 Osaka Furitsu Taiikukaikan, Triple Crown Heavyweight Title: Mitsuharu Misawa vs.  Toshiaki Kawada 24:15. This was the final match Giant Baba ever saw. It was an incredibly hard-hitting all-time great match that put a smile on Baba’s face. In many ways, this was even more realistic than their previous battles. Mitsuharu Misawa was pretty broken down by this point in his career, and Toshiaki Kawada broke his arm in this match yet still finished the match! ****¾ 

DDT 4/5/09 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Kota Ibushi vs. Taiji Ishimori 24:14. An often overlooked junior heavyweight spectacle. This was an extremely spectacular with high workrate and superb execution. ****¾

NJPW 12/22/09 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Super J-Cup ~5th Stage~ Round 1: Koji Kanemoto vs. Fujita Jr. Hayato 13:45. An relentless, no-nonsense fight between a wily veteran and a young punk who are both not holding anything back here. ****¾

STARDOM 1/26/14 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, World of Stardom Title: Io Shirai vs. Natsuki*Taiyo 20:38. The culmination and peak of an often overlooked feud. The workrate was high, and they tried to outdo and outsmart each other. They tried to be consistent, yet they were also not afraid to drop a strategy if it wasn’t working. Execution and build towards the finish were superb. This was arguably Io Shirai’s best singles match. ****¾ 

STARDOM 9/23/15 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Goddesses of STARDOM Title: Io Shirai & Mayu Iwatani vs. DASH Chisako & Sendai Sachiko 20:26. One of the best STARDOM matches ever, and one of the few times in the 21st century that the women have been able to create something with enough of a rivalry and feeling of importance that it can be compared to the '90's interpromotional era. The visiting SGPW girls gave a tremendous performance, especially DASH Chisako, who was as she was able to make this feel like a lot more heated and important match than it actually was through her display of intensity and hatred. ****¾ 

STARDOM 3/21/16 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Goddesses of STARDOM Title: Io Shirai & Mayu Iwatani vs. Meiko Satomura & Kairi Hojo 24:21. Arguably the greatest STARDOM match ever. It was clear from the start that this was a seriously worked title match, as Satomura brought a lot of intensity and credibility to the proceedings. They were deliberate and effective in their approach during the early stages of the match, fully aware of each other’s reputations. The story going into this match was that Io Shirai & Mayu Iwatani, also known as Thunder Rock, had been the #1 tag team for a while now, and a new team has been created in order to give them a new challenge. This turned out to be the only time Kairi Hojo ever teamed with Sendai Girls ace Meiko Satomura. Thunder Rock was pushing the pace and keeping the workrate super high, which not only helped this match be great, but it made it almost impossible for Satomura & Hojo to get their weaknesses to shine through, since they had no choice other than to go along with the high workrate vibe set by Thunder Rock. The action was exciting, and the moves were well-executed. The in-ring storytelling was top-notch. Io Shirai showed why she was the best pro wrestler on the planet at the time, and Mayu Iwatani’s performance gave a strong indication that this was going to be a super year for her. ****¾

STARDOM 5/15/16 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, World of Stardom Title Match: Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani 21:54. One of the best STARDOM singles matches ever. ****¾

NJPW 7/20/16 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, Super J-Cup ~6th Stage~ Round 1: KUSHIDA vs. Taiji Ishimori 16:25. One of the greatest high-flying matches ever. ****¾  

SEAdLINNNG 12/13/17 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto 30:00. You wouldn’t say these two were Best Friends if you saw them wrestling each other in a super intense manner like they did here. They were good friends, very good friends, but they were arguably even better ‘enemies.’ They beat the living daylights out of each other from the start of this match. They clearly went into this match with the intention to put their respective competitive nature on display here. Perhaps the best aspect of this match was that everything was done with a lot of intensity that never really flagged despite being half an hour. Holds were applied in a very snug manner, and they were both constantly trying to make the other fight to get the upper hand. The workrate was high, and the execution of the moves was done superbly. There were several moments where things looked very uncooperative, which really enhanced the feeling that this was not just another match. Tsukasa Fujimoto’s kicks were thrown in a ferocious manner and looked very stiff. Tsukka also threw some amazing dropkicks, which were reminders of her dropkicks arguably being some of the best in all of pro wrestling. One of Arisa’s most effective-looking moves in this match was a tremendous DDT on the apron while coming off the top rope. Later in the match, Arisa executed a beautiful moonsault that was one of the best-looking moonsaults Arisa has ever executed. ****¾ 

AEW 8/31/19 Hoffman Estates, IL Sears Centre Arena, AAA World Tag Team Title Escalera de la Muerte: Rey Fenix & Pentagon Jr. vs. Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson 24:10. Arguably the greatest AEW match ever. ****¾ 

NJPW 2/2/20 Sapporo Prefectural Sports Center, RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title Match: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Will Ospreay 27:04. Zack Sabre Jr. showed why he is arguably the best technical wrestler of the current era. ****¾

NJPW 1/4/23 Tokyo Dome, IWGP US Heavyweight Title: Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega 34:38. A great big-match spectacle that was a dream match at the time and didn’t disappoint. ****¾

NJPW 2/5/80 Aichi-ken Taiikukan, WWF Junior Heavyweight Title: Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Dynamite Kid 14:54. ****½

AJW 3/20/86 Osaka-Jo Hall, WWWA World Tag Team Title: Itsuki Yamazaki & Noriyo Tateno vs. Lioness Asuka & Chigusa Nagayo ****½ 

AJPW 3/9/88 Yokohama Bunka Taiikukan: Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Tiger Mask 14:42 ****½ 

NJPW 3/19/88 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match: Hiroshi Hase vs. Shiro Koshinaka 19:44 ****½

AJW 1/11/91 Kanagawa Kawasaki-shi Taiikukan, All Pacific Title: Manami Toyota vs. Akira Hokuto 16:20. ****½

AJW 11/26/92 Kawasaki-shi Taiikukan, All Pacific Title: Kyoko Inoue vs. Akira Hokuto 22:17. ****½

AJW 8/25/93 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, Elimination: Bull Nakano & Suzuka Minami & Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda & Bat Yoshinaga vs. Eagle Sawai & Harley Saito & Miki Handa & Yukari Osawa & Leo Kitamura 14:54. ****½

AAA 10/29/93 Mexico City Juan de la Barrera, National & WWA World Welterweight Title: Heavy Metal vs. Hijo del Santo. ****½

FMW 5/5/96 Kawasaki Kyujo, WWA World Women's & Independent World Women's Title, No Rope Exploding Barbed Wire Match: Combat Toyoda vs. Megumi Kudo 21:26 ****½ 

AJPW 6/7/96 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, World Tag Team Title: Steve Williams & Johnny Ace vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama 22:44 of 30:09. ****½ 

RINGS 1/22/97 Tokyo Nippon Budokan, MEGA BATTLE TOURNAMENT "96 FINAL: Volk Han vs. Kiyoshi Tamura 12:36 ****½

RINGS 8/13/97 Kagoshima Arena, Ranking Bout: Volk Han vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto 11:30 ****½

AJPW 11/23/97 Sendai Miyagi Prefectural Sports Center, World’s Strongest Determination Tag League: Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue vs. Hayabusa & Jinsei Shinzaki 18:05. ****½ 

BattlARTS 8/31/08 Tokyo Kitasenju Theatre 1010, NWA International Lightweight Tag Team Title: Ikuto Hidaka & Munenori Sawa vs. Yuki Ishikawa & Yuta Yoshikawa 23:19 ****½ 

NJPW 8/4/13 Osaka Bodymaker Colosseum, G1 Climax 2013 Block A: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii 12:14. A very stiff and hard-hitting match. Often copied and misinterpreted but never truly duplicated the right all out aggressive way. Even though it was just a middle of the card match, these two gave a main event-worthy effort. ****¾

JWP 12/28/14 Tokyo Korakuen Hall: JWP Openweight Title Match: Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto 16:03 ****½

AEW 2/26/20 Independence, MO, 30-Minute Iron Man: Kenny Omega vs. PAC 30:58. ****½

The decade with the most number of matches in the 100 Greatest Pro Wrestling Matches Ever list was the 1990s with 55 matches on the list! Tied for second place are the 1980s and the 2010s, both each with 14 matches on the list.

The year with the most number of matches is the year 1993 with 12 matches on the list! 1992, 1996 and 1997 each have 8 matches on the list.

The leagues with the most number of matches are AJW and NJPW with 17 matches each. AJPW has 12 matches on the list.

Mayumi Ozaki and Manami Toyota are the workers with the most number of matches on this list, as they appear on the list 10 times each.

Jushin Thunder Liger, Dynamite Kansai and Kenta Kobashi each have 7 matches on the list.

Toshiaki Kawada and Mitsuharu Misawa have 6 matches on the list.

Yumiko Hotta, Dynamite Kid, Satoru Sayama, Kiyoshi Tamura, Dick Togo, Shiryu and Great Sasuke have 5 matches on the list.

Akira Hokuto, Etsuko Mita, Toshiyo Yamada, Kyoko Inoue, Takako Inoue, Io Shirai, Pegasus Kid, TAKA Michinoku, MEN’S Teio, Masato Yakushiji and Super Delfin have 4 matches on the list.

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