If you haven’t already, check out our introduction for an idea of how the poll works, when it began and who votes on it. We’ll just right back into 121-51, part one of this section can be found at https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/category/columns-2/2014-match-of-the-year/
T-75
Joe Gacy vs. Drew Gulak
September 10
Dojo Wars 9 (CZW)
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
“I’m not familiar with Joe Gacy, but he carries a hardcore reputation with him. That’s why I was surprised when this match was bandied about by certain people as a mat classic. I didn’t believe that a guy like Gacy could hang with a guy like Gulak. For thirty plus minutes Gacy proved me wrong. Gulak is great in this match, but it’s Gacy who is the star. His bullheadedness in using his injured leg creates elite long form storytelling and selling. Everything done by Gulak and Gacy ties together, they truly are flowing from one move to the next and from one idea to another. Pretty much everyone knows what Gulak is capable of, but on this day Joe Gacy showed another side of himself, and that side was one legit finish away from having the best match of 2014.”
-Bill Thompson
T-75
Eita/T-Hawk vs. Mochizuki/Dragon Kid
August 17
Dangerous Gate (Dragon Gate)
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x279tt3_t-hawk-eita-c-vs-masaaki-mochizuki-dragon-kid-dragon-gate_sport
“This match came out due to Dragon Kid breaking U-T’s jaw and Millenials are gunning for revenge and Mochizuki resumes his role of beating the bully to T-Hawk and Eita. T-Hawk busting out a RARE Big Match Finish seals this one for me!”
-Jahmale Hepburn
T-75
Timothy Thatcher vs. Biff Busick
August 9
EVOLVE 32 (EVOLVE)
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
“They take quite a few things from the Beyond match such as the behind the double behind the back wristlock spot but add a few wrinkles here that makes it feel quite different.
In the early goings they did some awesome gritty grappling. One of the cooler moments in the match was a gogoplata by Thatcher. They worked in an absolutely BONKERS head-butt sequence that made me cringe. Both men had a submission focus but based on the submission the strategies were much different. For Thatcher he wanted to latch on his Fujiwara Armbar and needed to work over the arm in order to get the tap out. Busick on the other hand was looking to latch on his choke which is in itself is a move that wears down the opponent and is more of kill hold than one that can be worked towards. He’d take any moment to get a choke which was the case when he was perched on the top turnbuckle and went for a guillotine.
Quickly after that we get to the more strike heavy aspect of the match that is done extremely well. Busick’s slaps are sold like death and seem to come from a more desperate place. Busick also has an INCREDIBLY explosive sequence that comes off meeting Thatcher in the middle of the ring with an uppercut followed by a half-nelson suplex. The ending wasn’t worked to pure perfection but the idea was so neat and plays off the ending of their Beyond match. Must see match from this year. Awesome grappling, awesome pro wrestling exchanges, and a satisfying end.”
-Sam DiMascio
T-75
Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma
September 6
Lucha Underground
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
“Lucha Underground was stuck in development hell for years and the initial tapings left many worried as the response from those in attendance was far from positive. The debut broadcast got the promotion off to a strong start with a main event that showed the former John Morrison was still capable of having amazing matches, and it put Ricochet on a whole new level on the national stage. Even with a loss, he came off like a star.”
-Jeremy Peeples
T-75
The Briscoes & Elgin vs. Young Bucks & Steen
March 7
Raising the Bar – Night 1 (ROH)
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
“This was a match that will have slipped underneath many people’s radars due to it being on a relatively low profile show, but this match really showcased six of Ring of Honor’s most showcased acts of 2014 all competing at their very best. Honestly the best in ring work everybody involved except the Bucks did all year in my eyes.”
-Rob Reid
T-75
Sheamus vs. Cesaro
September 21
Night of Champions (WWE)
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
“This match does not get the credit it deserves. If this match happened in NJPW in Korakuen Hall then people would be raving about this match. These two men beat the ever living tar out of each other for 13 minutes. These two men pulled out all of the stops. Every slap, forearm, uppercut, boot to the face, suplex, throw just made you cringe and ask for more. Which is what these two men kept challenging from each other. The closing 3 minutes of this match was the best closing sequence of any single match this year. The grand finale of this great match when Cesaro is slapping, punching, uppercutting Sheamus in the corner and Sheamus shoves him out of the corner and begs for more. Then Cesaro goes nuts with closed fist punches to Sheamus ribs and the referee grabs Cesaro to get him to stop which opens the window for Sheamus to finally nail Cesaro with the Brogue for the win. After managing to duck or counter three previous Brogue Kick attempts Cesaro finally gets caught with one after the referee gets involved. Brutal match, yet beautifully executed.”
-Taylor C. Mitchell
T-75
Tommy End vs. Jonathan Gresham
March 13
16 Carat Gold 2014 – Day 2 (wXw)
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
“While Jon Gresham might be a name most fans have heard, Tommy End probably still is a name that hasn’t been heard a lot in the US. This match was for End’s wXw World Unified Wrestling Championship and it was the main event of the 2nd 16 Carat Gold day. I was very much looking forward to this two premier technicians suqaring off and what I saw was possibly the best match I have ever seen live. Gresham has come a long way in wXw and had been fully accepted because of his great ring skills and he showed that against Tommy End this night who came out victorious, but really bot men were winners this night.”
-STRIGGA
74
John Cena vs. Cesaro
February 17
RAW (WWE)
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 5th)
“The mere fact I’m voting for a WWE match should say something about how good it was. I hope I’m not mis-remembering this match though because I remember a red hot crowd yet I’ve been told this Cesaro guy has no connection with the crowd. Strange…”
-RobViper
“I loved how the announcers kept putting over the similarities of both guys. One of my favorite things about Cena is all of the cool ways he demonstrates his nutty strength and Cesaro is like an even crazier version of that I really can’t remember ever seeing a match like this before, where you have a match filled with feats of strength highspots. Your strongman wrestlers when we were all growing up, never did a ton of things to demonstrate that strength, outside of a knuckle lock or a press slam. When Dino Bravo faced Hercules they weren’t rolling through while carrying full bodyweight, or doing outside in deadlift superplexes. These guys would make an amazing new age Steiners tag team, and they are an incredible pair of dance partners. This really felt like the first example of a classic rivalry, hopefully they just pair off and we get a handful of PPV matches, some great Euro tour handhelds, some more three segment RAW matches, a match which not only did I love on my own, but a match which got me amped for the future.”
-Phil Schneider
T-71
Chris Hero vs. Masato Tanaka
April 4
Open the Ultimate Gate (Dragon Gate)
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 4th)
“The best match I saw live all year. The ageless Tanaka is one of the most underrated wrestlers on Earth, and Hero was on fire (and was probably the best wrestler in the world) during the first quarter or so of the year. This might have been my MOTY had the New Orleans crowd understood that the Sliding D was Tanaka’s finish, as so much of the match was built around Tanaka attempting the move.”
-Joe Lanza
“This is just a plain and simple kickass wrestling match. Both men were on fire, serving up alternating flurries of elbows, boots, and lariats. I loved the early Roaring Elbow teases from both guys during their initial feeling-out/grappling period. Tanaka, though, was a freakin’ rock star. He looks tiny next to Hero, which makes it all the more awesome when he’s asking the giant to kick him in the face. This could have been a nasty brawl on the level of Ishii vs. Goto had it gone on for at least another five minutes, but what’s there is one of the tightest and most entertaining little matches of the year.”
-Matt Gerardi
T-71
Young Bucks vs. World’s Cutest Tag Team
July 26
ELEVEN (PWG)
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 4th)
“One of the best matches of 2014… but not even the best match of this day! Having taken place hours after Honma vs Ishii at the G1 Climax, these two teams gave the United States a match to talk about for years to come.”
-Rob McCarron
“PWG matches don’t always hit their mark. Some spot fests drag out for too long, some comedy routines fall a bit flat, and sometimes the wrestlers don’t quite have the chemistry together. When all of those things click inside Reseda’s American Legion Hall though, there’s nothing more fun to watch in all of wrestling.
The Young Bucks vs. World’s Cutest Tag Team at Eleven perfectly represents everything that’s great about PWG. A hot crowd, fast pace, silly comedy spots, “holy shit” moments, and superkicks aplenty. Both teams combined all of those things excellently, which made for a brutal, fantastic match.”
-Eddie Burke
T-71
The Shield vs. Evolution
June 1
Payback (WWE)
8 overall points (Highest Vote: 4th)
“The Shield gets a clean sweep over Evolution. Rollins proved to be the craziest bastard on the roster.”
-The PDT Podcast With Rick & Junior
70
Cheerleader Melissa vs. LuFisto
April 5
SHIMMER Vol. 62 (SHIMMER)
9 overall points (Highest Vote: 2nd)
69
Kazuchika Okada vs. AJ Styles
July 21
G1 Climax – Night 1 (NJPW)
9 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x21ui8q_g1-climax-2014-block-b-match-aj-styles-vs-kazuchika-okada_sport
“Styles vs. Okada was an amazing way to kick off the G1. Okada has obviously been delivering in big time matches for some time, and while I thought some may have oversold things, I have to agree that this was one of Styles’ best individual performances. The match was laid out so well, they played off of the other matches they have had, and in the end Styles lost nothing but Okada came away looking better than ever.”
-Larry Csonka
“I liked this match a lot because AJ Styles had a lot of questions going into the match, primarily if he’d be able to fit in here after years of doing nothing. Turns out, people’s fears were unfounded because he proved in this match alone that he was one of the best in the business. Just the way he took the match and made it his own was amazing, and the work in the match wasn’t bad either! Just a brilliant display for Styles who could finally do what he does best, and that made this match awesome.”
-Bryan Rose
68
Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Tyler Breeze
September 11
NXT Takeover (WWE)
9 overall points (Highest Vote: 6th)
“Neville, Zayn and Breeze will be major players soon on Raw and SD. Kidd showed his ability to bring it all year pretty much. Very entertaining battle.”
-Michael Anderson
T-65
El Texano Jr. vs. Psycho Clown
August 17
TripleMania (AAA)
10 overall points (Highest Vote: 5th)
“I probably would have rated this higher, but this was a really strong year for CMLL as far as matches go. This was the conclusion to a long-running feud between these two. Really good stip match and included some storyline twists in it with a ref change (from Rafa el Maya to El Piero) and Hijo del Fantasma who was Texano Jr’s second getting tossed from being ringside late in the match by his father, Fantasma, who is part of the Box y Lucha commission. Psycho got a little help from the other clowns, but they kept most of the match being Psycho vs. Texano Jr. and Psycho Clown finally got his big win.”
-Alfredo Esparza
“This hair vs. mask match was a year and a half in the making and it all started with a blood driven match that got turned into a highspots riffic match and the ending to this was reminisce of Volador/Sombra Mask vs. Mask from CMLL 80th Anniversario.”
-Jahmale Hepburn
T-65
Máscara Dorada vs. Volador Jr.
January 19
Fantasticamania (NJPW)
10 overall points (Highest Vote: 5th)
“This was worked like a long third fall of an epic title match and the Korakuen fans are better for that! Dorada is vastly under-pushed in CMLL AND NJ seriously! Volador and Dorada literally busting out everything and the proverbial kitchen sink of moves and including a few tricks!”
-Jahmale Hepburn
“Volador and Mascara Dorada are high spots artists always looking to find someone who can match them. They found each other on the last day of the 2014 FantasticaMania and had an incredible competition to top each other. Volador, still trying to find a groove as a tecnico at this point, looked superb doing the kind of match he’s always wanted to do. Mascara Dorada got a rare spotlight opportunity in a pretty much wasted 2014 and made the most of it. There’s not near the story of some of the matches higher and later on this list for me but the incredible stunt show made it stand out for me.”
-thecubsfan
T-65
Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins
August 17
SummerSlam (WWE)
10 overall points (Highest Vote: 5th)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3eS0hgQtyc
“When Dean announced that this would be a lumberjack match, it felt like something missing. They found that missing and added many other ingredients. Can’t look at lumberjack matches the same way now.”
-Michael Anderson
64
The Usos vs. Wyatt Family
July 20
Battleground (WWE)
10 overall points (Highest Vote: 5th)
“I’ve been on the Harper train since before he was signed; I really feel he has the potential to be the best big guy to come through the WWE system since Undertaker. This was his coming out party, and he really showed he was every bit as special as I’ve been talking him up. The Usos were a great opponent for him, and Rowan showed something here to. It all added up to the best two-on-two tag match in the ‘E since God knows when.”
-Rob Reid
“This match was great. There was action though the entire match. The Usos looked good. Luke Harper got to shine as he needed to, and Erick Rowan showed us he could do a bit more than we thought. This match was exciting and is a WWE match that’d I would watch if I was bored.”
-Ryan Davis
63
Cesaro vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Dolph Ziggler
November 11
SmackDown (WWE)
11 overall points (Highest Vote: 5th)
“In my opinion, these are the 3 of the best underutilized WWE talents on contract right now and all 3 men went out in the ring and killed it. Everyone expected this match to be good, but not this good. People were talking about the match days later and that’s no surprise because the ring work put on in this match was incredible.”
-Ryan Davis
“I’ve been covering Smackdown for pwtorch.com for going on nine years now, and at this point, very little that happens on the show surprises me. This match caught me off-guard because while the wrestling is usually good on Smackdown, this match stood head-and-shoulders above anything on WWE TV all year, Smackdown or Raw. Triple Threat Matches have a certain beat that you can set your watch to, but these guys mixed it up enough to make the genre seem fresh again.”
-Greg Parks
62
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata
August 8
G1 Climax – Night 11 (NJPW)
11 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x236bw9_g1-climax-24-block-a-match-tomohiro-ishii-vs-yuji-nagata_sport
“This was one of the overlooked matches in the G1, I feel. Everyone talked about Suzuki and Styles but this was easily the second or third best match in the tournament. The crowd was white hot for this one and both were quite stiff with one another, just going back and forth in an epic war. If any match deserves a rewatch from last year, it’s this one.”
-Bryan Rose
“Ishii, with a separate shoulder and nothing to fight for. Nagata, recently deposed as GHC Heavyweight Champion also unable to win the G1. Pointless exercise? Wrong. I was nearly in tears by the end of this contest at the lengths that the pair went, punishing their ageing and wrecked bodies, just for my entertainment. It’s a tear up of real tough men being slightly ridiculous in an industry founded on ridiculousness, but through it shines a real kernel of truth about loving something so much that you’re willing to hurt for it. And both of these guys do.”
-Fujiwara Armbar
61
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Steen
May 17
War of the Worlds (ROH)
11 overall points (Highest Vote: 5th)
“In maybe my only chance ever to see Shinsuke Nakamura wrestle live he and Kevin Steen delivered a hard hitting masterpiece. Watching two of the most charismatic wrestlers in the world interact was even more incredible.”
-Warren Taylor
“Pure spectacle with a big fight feel. The type of match that cross promotional wrestling should always produce as it is legitimately two mega stars and near icons of wrestling squaring off, and it lived up to all the hype. Steen and Nakamura are both charismatic performers with great ring chemistry. The match is at it’s best when they are trading barbs or faces towards one another. Steen proclaims at the beginning of the match “What is wrong with you?! Calm down. Breathe” to only attack Nakamura moments later with a chop. Steen would later go for a dive to attack from the ring apron for Shinsuke to calmly walk aside right before Steen lands his move. That’s essentially what makes the match as great as it is, it’s not necessarily about workrate or intensity, but two rock stars being the coolest men in the room by miles, and there’s definitely a place for that in wrestling.”
-Willow Maclay
60
Negro Casas & Shocker vs. La Sombra & Rush
July 18
CMLL on FOX Sports (CMLL)
12 overall points (Highest Vote: 4th)
“CMLL (really, lucha in general) is not known for their tag team matches. In 2014, however, the promotion produced the best tag team contest of the entire year anywhere in the world. Ostensibly a vehicle to build to the Rush vs. Negro Casas hair match, this CMLL World Tag Team title bout turned into a standout match on its own by virtue of its heated and frantic pace. The first two falls properly set the tone for the third fall which is filled with whirlwind action, frenzied saves, and a lot of good old fashioned lucha violence.”
-Paul Cooke
“Great tag match that managed to defy all logic by airing unedited on CMLL TV. I guess that means the TV editors also chose this as their Match of the Year? The 25 minute match never really stops as the Casas team is either firing back at the young punks or the young punks are beating the crap out of the veterans. Shocker would typically be the wildcard you’d think would drag the match down but he brings his A+ game and dishes it out as well as he takes it. Stronger finish would have bumped this up for me though.”
-RobViper
T-58
AJ Styles vs. Chris Hero
March 22
Flyin’ High (ROH)
12 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
“Chris Hero isn’t always as great in the ring as he thinks he is. On this night, he was better. AJ and Chris returned ROH to the glory days of the promotion with a match that not only stole the show, but lit a fire in long time ROH fans who knew how good both of these guys are for over a decade.”
-Rob McCarron
“Hey ROH, I remember ROH, good to see they can still toss out something great every once in a while. Both of these guys are guys with tendencies, and they mostly kept those tendencies in check. With the overkill limited, they put on a corker of a match. Hero was absolutely killing Styles, almost FUTEN level big boots, elbows and some disgusting thai knees. Styles did a great job of selling, constantly checking his dental work, and folding himself up on big blows. Meanwhile he had some great hit and run counters, using his speed to evade and crack Hero, I especially loved how he worked in the Pele kick. Finish was great too, as it looked like they were going to devolve in fighting spirt nonsense, and instead we got a very cool flash calf slicer tap out. I really liked this, reminded me of a time I liked indy wrestling.”
-Phil Schneider
T-58
Hideo Itami/Finn Balor vs. The Ascension
December 11
NXT Takeover: [R] Evolution (WWE)
12 overall points (Highest Vote: 3rd)
“Finn Balor’s Entrance. Enough Said.”
-The PDT Podcast With Rick & Junior
57
Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton
December 16, 2013
RAW (WWE)
12 overall points (Highest Vote: 2nd)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlwzWeitt4I
“Whenever Bryan and Orton get in the ring on RAW, the result is magic, and this match has a special place in my heart because it was on my birthday. It was almost a perfect sequel to the hardcore match they had in the summer that topped my ballot last year, better than any of their PPV encounters. Both guys were entrenched in their roles so well, Orton as the prissy, primadonna Champ and Bryan as the plucky underdog, that they had to have tried to have a bad match.”
-Thomas Holzerman, or TH if you will
56
Team Cena vs. Team Authority
November 23
Survivor Series (WWE)
12 overall points (Highest Vote: 6th)
“This was another match that delivered storyline as much as (or more than) wrestling. Everyone got their hands dirty, Dolph Ziggler was a champ, and the drama and action were both really satisfying. Andplusalso, Sting.”
-Maia Nolan-Partnow
55
Adam Cole vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
August 30
Battle of Los Angeles – Night 2 (PWG)
12 overall points (Highest Vote: 5th)
“This match cemented me in flying from Philadelphia to Reseda. These two are natural opponents for one another. There is just something where both men are very parallel to each other. Zack Jr. came into that weekend of shows as a complete unknown to 95% of the crowd, having zero line for any t-shirts before night one and a polite applause in his night one match. He finished that night mobbed by the crowd and having the crowd chant his name to deafening levels. This was his singles bout against the absolutely loathed Cole, who because of being natural opponents, worked a match that was perhaps the best on a super hot show from start to finish. Voting for this because with Cole’s heel schtick in Reseda and Zack’s overness, they delivered big time with a great match, good finish with a surprise and made sense in execution.”
-Mike Falcone
“This match delivered for me in that the groundwork on the mat by ZSJ on Cole in the outset of the match mixed in with Cole’s cockiness and the PWG faithful in Reseda buying into false finishes!”
-Jahmale Hepburn
“You know it’s hot in the building when the two men are sweating bullets before the first lockup. Adam Cole and Zack Sabre was just another tournament match when it began, but became the best match of the popular BOLA weekend when it ended.”
-Rob McCarron
54
The Throwbacks vs. Devastation Corporation
December 6
Tomorrow Never Dies (CHIKARA)
13 overall points (Highest Vote: 6th)
“This match is the blueprint for how any 2/3 falls match should go. The faces are dominated in the first fall, make the spirited comeback in the second but fall short in the final fall. The shining bright spot for critically bleak year for Quack and crew.”
-Warren Taylor
“This is about as good as storytelling in a tag team match gets. The Throwbacks, Dasher Hatfield and Mark Angelosetti, were defending their Campeonatos de Parejas against the King of Trios 2014 winning Devastation Corporation, Max Smashmaster and Blaster MacMassive. The Dev Corp, along with their manager Sidney Bakabella, used every underhanded tactic they could to win the tag titles. The Dev Corp won the first fall, putting the champions at the disadvantage early on. From there the Throwbacks struggled to stay alive and eventually Angelosetti was able to catch Smashmaster off guard roll him up to tie the match at one fall apiece. The match was even from then on, looking like anyone could win. The Throwbacks had the match won, but Bakabella stopped the referee from making the three count. Bakabella proved to be a distraction for the Throwbacks long enough to allow the Dev Corp to hit the Master Blaster on Angelosetti and pick up the third and final fall. While it was the Dev Corp picking up the win both teams looked fantastic in this match, which was the best CHIKARA offering of the year.”
-Kelly Harrass
“This match was everything a two-of-three falls tag should have been. The Devastation Corporation has been one of the strongest tag teams of the year, and they had more than worthy opponents in the Throwbacks. The nearfalls in each fall were fantastic, and the way Angelosetti swooped in to save Hatfield from the Death Blow only to roll up McMassive in the second fall was art personified. The finish was a gut punch, but in a good way. This was clearly the best Chikara match I’ve seen all year.”
-Thomas Holzerman, or TH if you will
53
The Hardys vs. Team 3D vs. The Wolves
October 8
Impact Wrestling (TNA)
13 overall points (Highest Vote: 5th)
“2014 was a year of transition for TNA. With a massive exodus of big-name talent, the promotion felt like a shell of its former self more often than not. One bright spot for the company’s history as a whole was the tag title series between the Hardys vs. The Wolves vs. Team 3D. Their best two out of three series capped off with a highlight-filled full metal mayhem match that saw everyone involved take chances that may not have been wise for their health, but made for one of the year’s most exciting matches.”
-Jeremy Peeples
“For four of these guys to go to the match that is cemented in their legacy fourteen years later and equal it, is impressive as hell. Especially when you consider the lunacy of what they did then and now. Kudos to Davey and Eddie for not having any fear and going just as far on the bumps, including Davey’s on the guardrail. Really shows what a special talent Jeff Hardy is and for Matt Hardy, a guy who in the beginning of the year was involved in a domestic dispute, he has completely turned his career around. Respect to all the guys involved.”
-Mike Falcone
“The wrestling snob in me isn’t all too pleased that this has made my top ten, but at the end of the day this was simply one of the matches I enjoyed the most from the year. Not only did it have some brutal and amazing spots, and it did, it was also an innovative and really well put together and structured match that effectively built to a climax. The series was easily the best thing TNA did all year, and this was the highlight for me.”
-Rob Reid
52
AJ Styles vs. Kyle O’Reilly
August 22
Death Before Dishonor XII (ROH)
13 overall points (Highest Vote: 2nd)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu0GRSakOoc
“This was a dream match for me going in, and didn’t disappoint one bit. It was absolutely divine. Both men sold the hell out of everything, with AJ’s arm selling throughout and Kyle selling of the Hollow Point specifically being extraordinary. They managed to keep Bobby’s interference to a perfect level too. They had some strike exchanges in this one that I’d put up there with Styles’ exchange against Suzuki. In fact, there were portions of this match which really were five star quality. A somewhat slow start and the fact that this was booked as maybe the third biggest match on the show which, for me at least, felt like they didn’t want to do too much and hurt every match that followed them meant they didn’t quite reach those heights, but don’t get me wrong, this was exquisite wrestling. The scary thing is, I really felt like these two were holding back a tad. Stick them in a main event of a big show in front of a hot crowd like this one and I may seriously have to break out my rarely used five star rating. These two absolutely knocked it out of the park.”
-Rob Reid
“Ring Of Honor was able to use the return of AJ Styles very well. This match pitted AJ Styles against one half of reDRagon, Kyle O’Reilly. Amazing back, and forth action which AJ was able to capitalize by using the Hollow Point, and Styles Clash in a match that proved O’Reilly to be a dangerous singles competitor.”
-The PDT Podcast With Rick & Junior
“When AJ returned to the indies, the number one guy I wanted to see him against was O’Reilly. They delivered big time with a fight in a hot atmosphere for the Milwaukee crowd. I loved how AJ came into the match as the NJPW champ and as the guy who just had great match after great match in the G1 and he worked with Kyle here in a match that wouldn’t be out of place in the G1 and if it was it would be among the best in the entire series. AJ sold the arm extremely well here and and Kyle sold the Styles Clash early, but they still persevered throughout with not going down. So in that way, I loved how it was the two guys giving their all and coming back for more sense, but with these two and their abilities, they gave me exactly what I wanted when they announced this as that and more.”
-Mike Falcone
Matches #50-26 will be posted tomorrow. Until then, follow the entire 2014 Match of the Year project at https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/category/columns-2/2014-match-of-the-year/ and discuss it on our forums at https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/forums/topic/voices-of-wrestling-2014-match-of-the-year
