Match of the Month (June 2015)

A dominant effort from two New Japan Pro Wrestling juniors, the best showing for a JOSHI match yet and numerous promotions across the world represented — it’s Voices of Wrestling’s June Match of the Month countdown!

The domination from Kyle O’Reilly vs. KUSHIDA (Best of the Super Juniors Finals) was almost unprecedented as the duo ran out to an early lead and never looked back. What’s more, O’Reilly/KUSHIDA destroyed all other nominated matches with its lowest win percentage (63%) coming against STARDOM’s Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura. It’s hard to argue with our voters as KUSHIDA/O’Reilly was almost universally lauded as a tremendous match and a tremendous performance from the two juniors, a well deserved spot atop this list.

That they were as dominant as they were speaks volumes not only of their performance but the growing popularity of NJPW amongst our readers/voters. Beating out an awesome WWE match featuring the former Kevin Steen, now Kevin Owens is no small task. When WWE matches deliver on a big level (our March winner, the WrestleMania main event and last month’s winner Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch) they tend to dominant the list. This month, despite a hard charge from Owens/Cena, KUSHIDA and O’Reilly took home the crown and took it home easily. They join our previous winners listed below:

Previous Winners (2015)

• January: Kota Ibushi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
• February: Tomoaki Honma vs. Tomohiro Ishii
• March: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins
• April: AJ Styles vs Kota Ibushi
• May: Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch

Elsewhere on the list, our highest ranking JOSHI match ever as the aforementioned Hojo vs. Satomura match made a huge splash following in the footsteps of last month’s winner (Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch). We also have a ton of representation from Ring of Honor as they finish out the airing of their joint tour with NJPW as well as their presentation of the self-proclaimed biggest ROH World Title match in history (Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe). The rest of the top 10 is a diverse bunch including matches from Japan’s DDT promotion, Big Japan as well as a high-ranking match from England’s Revolution Pro Wrestling promotion.

One last note: you’ll see a new section on these rankings called H2H Analysis with a drop-down arrow to the left. If you’re interested in seeing how each match performed in H2H matches, click that arrow and enjoy. Also, if you want to react to this month’s Match of the Month countdown, do so on our brand-new, re-design forums! Now onto the countdown…

KUSHIDA vs Kyle O’Reilly
New Japan Pro Wrestling
Best of the Super Juniors – Finals
June 7, 2015
Watch: NJPWWorld.com

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 349-72 (83.0%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,20,0,7,100%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,18,1,8,97%

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,30,1,2,97%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,27,1,4,96%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,30,4,1,88%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,20,3,10,87%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,16,3,7,86%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,27,5,2,85%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,20,5,5,80%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,26,7,4,79%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,22,6,5,79%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,17,5,3,77%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,22,7,6,76%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,23,9,3,72%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,15,6,7,71%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,17,10,6,63%

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Match Analysis: Heading into the finals of the Best of the Super Juniors tournament, many people seemed to conclude that it would be Ryusuke Taguchi & KUSHIDA competing for the top prize. It didn’t sound like the best match of all time, but it was fine. When Taguchi lost in his last match of the tournament to Chase Owens, suddenly O’Reilly was put at the forefront, facing off against KUSHIDA in the finals. Going in, I had high expectations. Those expectations were met and then some by the time the dust cleared. KUSHIDA and O’Reilly had a hell of a match, doing everything possible to have the best match they possibly could, and it showed in spades. The arm work by O’Reilly was incredible, KUSHIDA’s selling was remarkable and some of the spots in the match were just crazy, like when KUSHIDA went for the moonsault but in one swift motion O’Reilly countered into an armbar. Things like that made this match stand out. It was a match no one was expecting, but when it was all over, it definitely ended up in my top 5 best matches of the year. Just incredible work by these two amazing talents. -Bryan Rose (@br26)

John Cena vs. Kevin Owens
World Wrestling Entertainment
Money in the Bank 2015
June 14, 2015
Watch: VoicesofWrestling.com/WWENetwork

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 279-136 (67.1%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,28,1,4,97%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,21,3,9,89%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,22,3,5,88%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,24,4,6,86%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,21,4,9,85%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,16,4,9,82%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,20,6,6,78%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,20,6,5,78%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,19,8,2,69%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,15,9,8,63%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,16,11,2,60%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,17,14,2,54%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,13,12,6,52%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,12,13,5,48%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,11,15,4,42%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,7,26,4,21%

[/easytable][/expand]

Match Analysis: Cena and Owens have remarkable chemistry, maybe the best for Cena since his legendary showdowns with CM Punk. Owens was ready to go as soon as he hit the ring, prancing around like an addled bull, as he should since beating Cena matters so much to the Owens character. When the bell rang he wasted time tearing into Cena. For a feud with so much animosity the theme of the much was both competitors trying to outdo one another instead of trying to murder one another. That gave the match an old school feel with two rivals attempting to prove who the better man is.

The general reaction on Twitter was that the first match between the two was the better contest. Round two was the superior fight in my opinion. There were a few moments that called back to the first match and logical counters to moves that worked the first time around. Small things like that increase the quality of Cena/Owens II in comparison to its predecessor. -Warren Taylor (@TeddyNoir)

AJ Styles & Young Bucks vs Kazuchika Okada & RPG Vice
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor TV
June 15, 2015
Watch: ROHWrestling.com

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 274-150 (64.5%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,31,2,1,94%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,21,5,6,82%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,17,5,5,79%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,18,5,7,78%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,27,8,3,78%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,22,8,5,74%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,12,5,7,72%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,19,8,7,71%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,21,11,4,67%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,19,14,8,58%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,18,13,2,57%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,11,10,7,52%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,15,15,10,50%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,10,12,4,44%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,11,16,2,40%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,5,17,3,23%

[/easytable][/expand]

Match Analysis: When you’ve got these six guys in a match, chances are it’s going to be something great. And this was something great, as the standard opening tag affairs gave way to 3-on-3 mayhem. Constant action kept the lulls to a minimum, with superkicks, tag team combo moves, and Styles and Okada going it at to build up their match at Dominion. A super fun match that the crowd ate up from beginning to end. – Andrew Rich (@AndrewTRich)

Jay Lethal vs. Jay Briscoe
Ring of Honor
Best in the World 2015
June 19, 2015
Watch: ROHWrestling.com

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 227-139 (62.1%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,19,2,9,90%

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,26,3,5,90%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,18,3,8,84%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,19,4,7,83%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,17,5,6,77%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,13,4,5,75%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,18,7,7,72%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,12,5,7,71%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,15,8,10,65%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,14,9,5,61%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,12,10,4,56%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,11,12,4,49%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,12,15,7,46%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,8,10,4,44%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,7,22,6,24%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,6,20,5,22%

[/easytable][/expand]

Match Analysis: Advertised as the biggest ROH World Title match in the company’s history, Lethal and Briscoe had tremendous expectations to live up to. Not only did they live up to those lofty prospects, they blew them away. This was everything you want out of a big time main event match. Both guys came in super protected and the crowd was ready to see a definitive blow off, regardless of the winner.

In the end, it was Lethal coming home victorious but doing so in a very different way than what we’ve become accustomed to with modern “main events.” While Briscoe DID kick out of Lethal’s protected finisher once, it wasn’t a flurry of finisher trading until one man finally prevailed. Lethal calmly and collectively got back on the attack, hit a series of moves and won. It was special in its simplicity while still getting the match’s goal across. You can’t ask for much more. -Rich Kraetsch (@voiceswrestling)

Will Ospreay vs Matt Sydal
Revolution Pro Wrestling
Summer Sizzler 2015
June 14, 2015
Watch: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/summersizzler2015

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 197-138 (58.7%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,12,1,11,92%

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,18,2,8,92%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,12,3,12,80%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,17,6,9,74%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,13,6,9,68%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,12,6,11,67%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,14,8,6,64%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,7,4,11,64%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,14,10,7,57%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,15,12,7,54%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,14,12,8,53%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,11,10,7,53%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,11,10,10,52%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,14,19,8,42%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,9,15,8,38%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,6,15,7,29%

[/easytable][/expand]

Match Analysis: A 2-out-of-3 falls match that concluded a three match series in spectacular fashion. The three fall structure was used to the fullest extent, with the match dynamic progressing from Sydal confidently taking the first fall, then starting to crack when Ospreay would not stay down and rolled him up for the second fall. In the third fall, Sydal was full-on heel and the British crowd was firmly behind Ospreay, who is now perhaps the biggest star on the UK scene because of matches like this one. Ospreay injected so much emotion into this match with his facial expressions, body language, and sympathetic selling. The psychology of the match was great, but so were the moves; if you ever wanted to see a Lethal Injection setup get countered into a reverse rana, this match is for you. A match full of crazy, unbelievable feats of athleticism from two men who are among the best in the world at making you say ‘Holy Shit’, but with plenty of emotion throughout making it so much more than just a spot-fest. -Oliver Court (@OliCourt14)

HARASHIMA vs. KUDO
DDT
AUDIENCE 2015
May 31, 2015 (Match Date) – Aired in June
Watch: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2u3c3i

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 203-147 (58.0%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,11,2,8,85%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,14,3,14,84%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,14,3,13,82%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,16,4,10,80%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,16,5,7,76%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,14,8,8,65%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,14,9,7,61%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,13,9,7,59%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,13,10,6,57%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,13,11,5,54%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,13,12,5,52%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,12,11,4,51%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,15,15,10,50%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,10,11,7,48%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,8,13,10,38%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,9,23,3,28%

[/easytable][/expand]

Match Analysis: So what do you get when you have two guys facing off for the fourteenth time in their career? A damn fine matchup with loads of chemistry and counter wrestling. HARASHIMA and KUDO are good friends, but even better wrestling rivals and this match was very evident of that. HARASHIMA has been called the ace of DDT, but you could say KUDO is the ace slayer here. This match was interesting for the fact that both guys worked each other’s ribs. It’s neat body work in a match you don’t see nearly as often as working an arm or leg and it made this feel unique. The slow buildup in this match in the beginning led to these two absolutely murdering each other with stiff shots, especially to each guy’s ravaged midsections. KUDO’s cold calculated assaults in this led him to dethroning the ace of DDT once again in a must see match. –Lawrence O’Brien (@lob3)

Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura
STARDOM
June 14, 2015
Watch: http://dai.ly/x2uzh1q

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 188-150 (55.6%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,11,2,9,85%

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,12,3,8,80%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,17,5,10,79%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,9,3,14,75%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,11,5,9,67%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,15,9,6,63%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,13,8,10,62%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,11,8,12,58%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,15,11,4,58%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,10,8,4,56%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,11,9,8,55%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,12,10,6,55%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,10,14,7,43%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,11,18,6,39%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,10,17,6,37%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,11,21,4,33%

[/easytable][/expand]

Match Analysis: This was an absolute nail biter of a match and the true definition of the word war. Hojo has been the Ace of Stardom for 2015 putting on solid matches against all comers. However, this battle for supremacy between her and Joshi veteran legend Meiko Satomura might just be Hojo’s crowning achievement for 2015. Incredibly stiff with wicked submissions and a passionate crowd make this a must see match. Come for Hojo’s patented top rope elbow drop and then stay for a 30 minute classic. This is a MOTYC and anyone who says that it isn’t needs to get their eyes checked. -Rob Barry (@RobsBrutalWorld)

Cesaro vs. John Cena
World Wrestling Entertainment
Monday Night RAW
June 29, 2015

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 217-175 (55.3%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,30,1,5,97%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,15,2,10,88%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,18,4,8,82%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,18,6,9,75%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,18,8,4,70%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,15,7,5,69%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,16,10,6,62%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,17,12,5,59%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,14,17,2,46%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,8,10,6,44%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,13,18,2,43%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,9,14,7,39%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,9,15,6,38%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,8,14,6,36%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,4,13,5,25%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,5,27,2,15%

[/easytable][/expand]

Match Analysis: It’s amazing that a TV match without a finish can ended up so high on a Match of the Month voted by a load of people who complain heavily about all the screwy finishes that happen on WWE TV. That’s a testament to this match. Despite this match being eclipsed in the views of most in the rematch, this really was a star making performance for Cesaro. While the wrestling nerds who are reading this already know Cesaro is amazing, this was maybe the first time he’s been presented as a total equal to the biggest star in professional wrestling today. There was a part of me that honestly believed the match was done when the Neutraliser was hit. -Rob Reid (@TheRDouble)

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor TV
June 20, 2015
Watch: ROHWrestling.com

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 213-194 (52.3%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,29,2,2,94%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,24,4,9,87%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,14,3,6,80%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,17,5,6,77%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,15,5,7,75%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,18,8,8,69%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,18,11,6,61%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,11,10,7,52%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,10,11,7,48%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,12,14,8,47%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,10,13,6,43%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,12,17,5,41%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,8,19,2,31%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,5,17,6,23%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,8,27,3,22%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,4,30,1,12%

[/easytable][/expand]

Kohei Sato & Shuji Ishikawa vs Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi
Big Japan Wrestling
BJW on Samurai! TV
June 7, 2015
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iemyQAAyec

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 162-155 (51.1%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,11,1,9,92%

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,17,3,9,85%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,9,3,14,75%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,13,7,12,66%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,10,8,6,56%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,11,10,7,52%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,8,8,8,50%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,12,13,6,48%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,10,11,6,48%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,10,11,10,48%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,10,11,7,48%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,11,13,5,46%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,8,10,9,44%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,8,11,12,42%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,9,14,5,39%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,6,22,5,21%

[/easytable][/expand]

Match Analysis: This is four grown ass men beating the absolute hell out of each other. I know we’ve all seen that before but this match is made truly special by Daisuke Sekimoto’s elite selling, the vaguely southern layout of the match that allows for a couple of fun, fiery comebacks, and the way the participants perfectly build the pressure and intensity until the impending time limit forces them into desperation. These four work the match as if the stakes are profoundly high and that makes the BJW crowd immensely invested. That palpable energy seeps through the computer screen and makes for a truly great contest. -Aaron Bentley (@aaron_bentley)

The Others (Matches voted on but did not place in the Top 10)

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong 158-192

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 158-192 (45.2%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,22,1,7,96%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,13,1,8,93%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,11,2,10,85%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,7,3,12,73%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,19,11,7,64%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,14,9,7,61%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,8,8,8,50%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,10,12,6,45%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,9,13,7,41%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,10,16,6,38%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,6,13,9,32%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,8,18,8,31%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,7,18,7,28%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,8,22,5,26%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,6,20,6,22%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,1,27,4,4%

[/easytable][/expand]

Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo 132-208

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 132-208 (38.9%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,19,3,10,85%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,9,4,8,69%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,7,5,16,58%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,9,8,8,53%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,11,10,6,52%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,10,11,7,48%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,7,8,9,47%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,9,11,8,45%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,11,19,7,36%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,8,14,8,35%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,8,18,4,30%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,8,19,7,29%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,6,17,9,26%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,5,20,5,20%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,4,19,7,17%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,3,22,5,12%

[/easytable][/expand]

Will Ospreay vs Zack Sabre Jr. 111-186

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 111-186 (37.5%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,19,2,8,90%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,11,4,9,73%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,7,3,14,70%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,8,5,11,62%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,10,8,9,56%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,8,7,9,53%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,9,14,7,39%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,4,7,11,36%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,5,11,9,33%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,7,15,5,31%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,5,15,7,25%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,5,16,7,24%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,5,21,6,18%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,3,18,8,16%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,3,20,10,13%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,3,21,9,11%

[/easytable][/expand]

Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai 80-203

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 80-203 (28.2%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,10,6,11,63%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,5,3,13,63%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,8,9,8,47%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,6,8,12,43%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,8,15,10,35%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,7,13,12,34%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,6,12,11,33%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,3,7,14,30%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,5,17,6,23%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,5,17,10,21%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,5,17,5,21%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,4,16,10,20%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,4,21,9,15%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,3,16,7,14%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,2,15,10,12%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,1,13,8,7%

[/easytable][/expand]

Negro Casas vs Dragon Lee 67-187

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 67-187 (26.5%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,8,3,13,73%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,9,6,13,61%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,8,6,12,57%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,5,8,11,38%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,4,9,8,31%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,5,12,7,29%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,5,12,7,28%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,3,9,14,25%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,3,12,12,20%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,4,16,9,18%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,4,18,8,18%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,3,14,14,16%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,2,11,9,15%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,2,11,10,15%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,4,24,9,13%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,1,18,8,3%

[/easytable][/expand]

Volador Jr. vs Negro Casas 60-199

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 60-199 (23.2%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

17,NXT: Tyler Breeze vs. Adam Rose,12,2,15,88%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,5,7,16,42%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,6,9,13,39%

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,3,5,13,38%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,3,7,12,27%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,4,11,9,27%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,3,9,14,25%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,6,18,9,25%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,5,18,7,22%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,3,14,6,20%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,3,14,13,18%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,4,24,6,14%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,2,19,9,10%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,1,11,9,8%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,1,12,11,8%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,0,20,7,0%

[/easytable][/expand]

Adam Rose vs. Tyler Breeze 36-321

[expand title=”H2H Analysis: 36-321 (10.2%)” tag=”h2″][easytable tblsorter=”true”]

Overall,H2H Opponent,W,L,Pass,Win%[attr sort=”desc”]

14,MIO: Arisa Nakajima vs. Mio Shirai,6,10,11,38%

15,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Dragon Lee,3,8,13,27%

7,STARDOM: Kairi Hojo vs. Meiko Satomura,3,12,8,20%

6,DDT: HARASHIMA vs. KUDO,2,11,8,15%

12,LU: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma,3,19,10,15%

10,BJW: Shuji Ishikawa & Kohei Sato vs. Yuji Okabayashi & Daisuke Sekimoto,3,17,9,15%

16,CMLL: Negro Casas vs. Volador Jr.,2,12,15,12%

4,ROH: Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal,3,26,5,10%

13,PROGRESS: Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.,2,19,8,10%

5,RPW: Will Ospreay vs. Matt Sydal,2,18,8,8%

9,ROH: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,2,29,2,6%

3,ROH: AJ Styles & The Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Roppangi Vice,2,31,1,6%

11,RPW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong,1,22,7,4%

2,WWE: John Cena vs. Kevin Owens,1,28,4,3%

8,WWE: John Cena vs. Cesaro,1,30,5,3%

1,NJPW: KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O’Reilly,1,30,2,3%

[/easytable][/expand]

Others Nominated (Matches nominated but did not receive enough votes to be included in final poll)