Welcome to the seventh annual Voices of Wrestling Match of the Year Poll.

ORIGINS

The brainchild of VOW co-owner Rich Kraetsch, it all started in 2012 with a modest four-person panel of myself (Joe Lanza), Rich, VOW’s then-PWG reviewer Larry, and Billy Carpenter of 4 Corners Radio. We each selected our ten best matches of the year, wrote short blurbs on why each match was selected and combined the lists to come up with a collaborative top ten.

We produced a fine list of matches, but a list that was the product of four voters who for the most part had very similar tastes in wrestling. There was a ton of crossover on the four lists, and while an impressive variety of five different promotions ultimately ended up being represented in our collaborative top ten, we were dealing with a tiny sample size of voters who essentially watched and enjoyed the same pool of matches over the course of the year.

For 2013, I approached Rich about expanding upon his original idea by extending invites to dozens of other wrestling critics. Each year in the world of film, there are media/critic polls ranking the top films of the year. There was nothing like those critic polls that we see in film that had ever existed for wrestling matches. With that template in mind, we sent ballots to dozens of journalists, bloggers, radio hosts, podcasters, historians, reporters, and critics who we knew loved wrestling, had a reputation for having a solid base of knowledge and strong opinions and had quality endeavors that we could help expose to our readers in exchange for participating. We knew not everybody would respond, but we were quite pleased with who did, and we feel like the results did bear out the variety of matches and wrestling styles that we were seeking. 25 total voters responded by voting for over 90 matches from 23 different promotions.

The growth continued with the 2014 poll, with 67 voters voting for 156 different matches, from 35 different promotions. The 2015 poll featured 97 voters voting for 199 different matches from 42 different promotions. We once again shattered all previous records for the fourth consecutive year in 2016. An utterly ridiculous 117 voters checked in and accounted for the widest variety yet, with 239 matches emanating from 49 different worldwide promotions. The 2017 poll saw the diversity grow again, with 54 different promotions represented. This year, we have 68 different promotions represented across 282 total matches. Our voter base grew to 122 with voters representing 25 different US states and 16 countries.

For a full archive of our past Match of the Year countdowns, visit voicesofwrestling.com/match-of-the-year/archive/.

We’ll get to the matches in a bit. But first, here is your panel of voters for the 2018 Voices of Wrestling Match of the Year Poll, followed by an explanation of how the results are tabulated (note – some voters chose to not include websites/affiliations and/or Twitter handles):

NameTwitter UsernameWebsite/Affiliation
Aaron Bentleyaaronlikethecar / EverythingAEWaudioboom.com/channel/everything-evolves
aguakunaguakunaguacasas.blogspot.com/
Alan CounihanAlan4LPW Torch / FSM
Alex GiménezAlexGimenezBCNSolowrestling.com
Andrew RichAndrewTRichVoices of Wrestling / Music of the Mat
Andrew SinclairAMSinclair97Voices of Wrestling/Fighting Spirit Magazine
Andy LaBarretrillyrobinsonVOW
Apolo ValdésapolovaldesMediotiempo.com
Aqeel KhalidAqeelKhalidRearViewReviews.com, TheBPlus.com
Arnold FuriousArnoldFuriousRearViewReviews.com
August Bakeraugustaker12voicesofwrestling.com
Aussie GregAnswerTheTenAnswering the Ten Count podcast
Barry MurphyTheBarryladFighting Spirit Magazine
BennoBensonRichardEPOST Wrestling / The Indy Corner
Billy CarpenterBillyCarpenter_twitter.com/4CRadio
Boxing Robes aka LarryN/AN/A
Brad Garoongaroongateinsidepulse.com/wrestling bradgaroon.com/400 amzn.to/2MlfCvI
Brennan PatrickfightfriendsFighting Network FRIENDS
Brent Welchwelchy05 ontheturnbuckleOn The Turnbuckle Podcast
Brian1zvx (Brian Arthur)Brian1zvxReddit
Brian ElliottFSM_EditorFighting Spirit Magazine
Bryan Rosebr26Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline
Case Lowe_InYourCaseVoices of Wrestling
CewshCewshReviewsRajah.com (The Lawcast)
Chad CampbellBigboysplaywcwWrestling War Zone Podcast
Daniel DeMarcoDanielRDeMarcoThe Indy Corner
Dann LennarddannlennardWhat Would Gorilla Monsoon Do?
Danny KuchlerDJDKooksWrestleDaily DDT dailyddt.com Meet The Press Slam Podcast shoutengine.com/MeetThePressSlamVolume2/
Dave MusgravepuropotsyPlacetobenation.com
David Dunndavid_dunnNZPWI.co.nz
Dean BuckleydeanfbuckleyDiva Dirt
Derek TillotsonPrivateEyeballPrivateEyeball.com
Devon Haleskingmotivatorhwrestlingvirtues.blogspot.com
Doug Fowler (Skeach101)skeach101Wreddit /r/SquaredCircle
Dylan FoxDylanZeroSkyMLW Eastern Lariat / Lucha Talk / wrestlingclique.com
Dylan HalesDylanWacoPWPonderings, IndependentWrestling.TV
Ed MillsWrestlingCliqueWrestlingClique.com
Eric MutterAAMS CultIconLucha Central
Eric Ritzsegundacaidasegundacaida.blogspot.com
Ewan CamerongaoblaiVOW contributor
Garrett KidneygarrettkidneyVoices of Wrestling
Gin MalkâvarPuroTalkSolowrestling.com / A Ras de Lona Podcast - Purotalk
Greg ParksgregmparksPro Wrestling Torch/pwtorch.com
Greg UnchainedGregUnchainedThe B Plus podcast and thebplus.com
Griffin PeltierHollywd12VOICES OF WRESTLING
Harley DuncanN/AVoices of Wrestling
Heikki OinonenNastyYaffayaffatakecakes.blogspot.com/
Henry/HeadCheeseBlu_ReyMysterioyoutube.com/channel/UC2qMOSwytxwjeQgdF93SwNw
HisameHi5amepuroprogramtranslations.blogspot.com/
Ian Hamiltonbigbackbodydropbackbodydrop.com
Jack Beckmannpackerman120Voices of Wrestling
Jack Stevensonstevensonj95FSM
Jahmale HepburnRealHero12089RealHero/Puroresu Dream
James "NuclearConvoy" SnelgroveNuclearConvoynuclearconvoy.com
Jamie AppsJamieAppsMediaJamie Apps Media, The B Plus, Last Word On Pro Wrestling
Jamie O'DohertyJamieOD/DramaticDDTDramaticDDT (dramaticddt.wordpress.com)
Jason WesthavernjiskaVOW 2018 NJPW Year in Review
Jeff MartinHEATcomichell.rentathugcomics.com/ and Voices of Wrestling
Jeremy DonovanJeremyLDonovanSocial Suplex/Keepin' It Strong Style
Jeremy SextonjeremysextonVoicesofWrestling.com
Jesse CollingsJesseCollingsWrestlingInc.com
Joe Anthony MyrickWamBamItsJAMDailyDDT/Diva Dirt
Joe Gagnejoegagne5 Star Match Game, Funtime Arcade, Joe vs the World
Joe LanzavoiceswrestlingVoices Of Wrestling
Joel AbrahamjoeljabrahamSuper J-Cast
John CarrolltoshanshuinlaWrestling Omakase/Voices of Wrestling
Jonathan PhillipsWeepingmanVoices of Wrestling
Josh, Dave and Redd from We Work StiffweworkstiffFind our podcasts at weworkstiff.com or on iTunes/Spotify (just search We Work Stiff)
JR GoldbergwrestlingbubblePWO
Justin PolandrnpuroReal Neat Puro
Kelly HarrasscomicgeekellyVoices of Wrestling, Panels on Pages
Kentucky210Kentucky2101Reddit.com/r/squaredcircle
Kevin Browndarukinoi/badwrespodcastBad Wrestling Podcast
Kevin ChiatkevinchiatVoices of Wrestling
Kevin Harestan__hansenVOW/Burning Sprits (RIP)
Kevin Pantojathe_kevstaaa411mania.com
Lawson LeongLawsoncomedy89Lawsonleong.com, Talking Smark Podcast
Lee MaloneMalone_713 WCWThunderPodVoices of Wrestling, Days of Thunder Podcast
Lee MowattMr_MC_Leewrestlingclique.com
leon noelleontacocatIndyCorner.com Lastwordonprowrestling.com
LostinyourearsLostinyourearsLost In Lucha Blog/Twitter
LouZyHerolouzyhero219Super J-Cast / The SmarkCast
Markeem Grahamnightmareballa1podcasts.com/the-nightmare-effect-da68f322e
Martin BentleythemibFighting Spirit Magazine
Matt "Swarles" JohnsentirwrestlingtIr Wrestling Podcast
Matt D. WilsonSmarkPodcastsoundcloud.com/smarkofthebeast
Michael Levymclevy76Voices of Wrestling
Mike Daysleymikedaysleymcdreviews.blogspot.com
Mike SpearsfujiiheyaVOW - Open The Voice Gate/Everything Elite
Mo Yassin_Mushkilahmushkilah.com / @_Mushkilah
Mongo Underscore Ebooksmongo_ebooksspreaker.com/show/2674864
Morten VHbrothermortPuroresuDream
Nate @EpitasisepitasisEverything Elite
Nathan NeumannHeadliner5WrestlingHeads.com
Neil Davidchubby_cthulhuvoicesofwrestling.com/davidneild
NovelissThenovelissNoveliss.com
Paco Silvapacosilva92VOW Contributor
Paul VölschN/AVOW/Cagematch
Phil Schneiderphilaschneidersegunda caida
Philip LindseyPhilDL616Diva Dirt
Ricardo GallegosTheUnderwallyVoices of Wrestling / Pólvora
Rich D Lattarichlatta32socialsuplex.com
Rich LaconiRich_LaconiPWPonderings.com, ROHWorld.com, ARasDeLona.com
Richard E KraetschVoicesWrestlingvoicesofwrestling.com
RobRobViperHighspots.com
Rob ReidBritWresRoundVoices of Wrestling / BritWres Roundtable
Rodrigo GarcíaUppercutSpanishSpanish Uppercut Youtube
Ryan Cookewrestlecast_ssmblogtalkradio.com/strongstylemedia
Ryan GlaspellRyGenericoVoices of Wrestling
Sarah FlannerysarahflannThe 2 Sarahs
ScorpioCorpTheScorpioCorpVoices of Wrestling
Sean A SedorSASedor2994Voices Of Wrestling/The Wrestling HUB Reviews Blog
Steven Casecoachcase44Voices of Wrestling/Occasional Writer
Steven GrahamStevenGrahamTWSPro Wrestling Only
STRIGGASTRIGGAcagematch.net, MLW Radio & Purolove.com
Suit WilliamsSuitWilliamsPWPonderings, Voices of Wrestling
Taylor MaimbourgtamaimboVoices of Wrestling
thecubsfanluchablogluchablog.com
Tim TeresiTim_dawg_2Did the BOLA preview, Aussie/NZ year end review, and other articles.
TJ Folkaspir_w1eng.wordpress.com/
WH Parkwhpark9postwrestling.com/
Wrestling GuruIshanKhanna4Sports Keeda

HOW THE VOTING WORKS

Each voter was sent a ballot and asked to vote for ten best matches of the year, ranking them from 1-10. We use the same weighted balloting system used by Major League Baseball for their Most Valuable Player voting, with a first-place vote worth 14 points, and a descending 9-8-7… scale from there, a system which places heavy emphasis on each voter’s choice for best overall match of the year.

The points for each match are then totaled, with any ties broken in the following order:

  • 1.) Most total votes
  • 2.) Match which received the highest singular vote on any ballot

For example, if two matches are tied in total points, with one match appearing on more total ballots, it will not require the second step tiebreaker. The match appearing on more total ballots would place higher.

If two matches are tied in total points and remain tied by appearing on the same number of ballots, the match with the highest singular vote wins the tiebreaker.

Each voter was also encouraged to add short blurbs explaining why they voted for each match. These blurbs give our panel a voice to explain why they voted for each match, and as we move deeper into the results, give the reader multiple perspectives of why a given match was great.

Our panel was free to vote for any worked match in the world that took place between January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018. 

Our long term goal is to become the most comprehensive and respected MOTY poll in all of wrestling while continuing to cross-promote the great ventures of our voter pool and exposing fans to matches that they otherwise never would have discovered. Please note that in cases of taped matches, some dates may reflect air dates while others may reflect the day the match was taped. We apologize for this inconvenience.

We’ll begin today with a look at the honorable mentions (dubbed “Sadness Village” by current staff member John Carroll ), with a new chunk of matches released each day until we reveal the Top 10 on Friday, February 1 (with a sneak preview of the Top 10 to be released to our Patreon subscribers).




 

1 Point

PlaceMatchDatePromotionOverall PointsTotal Votes% of ballotsHighest Vote
247Hijo del Vikingo, Laredo Kid, Myzteziz Jr. vs. Australian Suicide, Jack Evans, Taurus12/18AAA110.4%10th
247AC Mack vs Austin Theory8/17ACTION Wrestling110.4%10th
247Soberano Jr. vs Cavernario3/27CMLL110.4%10th
247Shuji Ishikawa vs Kazsusada Higuchi1/14DDT110.4%10th
247HARASHIMA vs. KUDO5/13DDT110.4%10th
247WALTER vs. Will Ospreay8/26Defiant110.4%10th
247Jason Lee, Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi vs. Genki Horiguchi, Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka5/6Dragon Gate110.4%10th
247Mikoto Shindo vs. Mei Hoshizuki12/17Marvelous110.4%10th
247Will Ospreay vs Gino Gambino2/24MCW110.4%10th
247Will Ospreay vs Stevie Filip7/21MCW110.4%10th
247Aramis vs Latigo vs Moria vs Septimo Dragon vs Toxin3/24Mexa Wrestling110.4%10th
247Bearded Lady GAINA (GAINA), Daisy Hilton 1 (Yapper Man 1), LGBTaro (Taro Nohashi), Shogun Chibikuso Pretty (Pretty Ota) & Violet Hilton 2 (Yapper Man 2) & Yapper Man 3 vs. Muno Taiyo (Brahman Kei, Brahman Shu & The Great Sasuke), Gorgeous Matsuno & Ultraman Robin. (12/21 - Michinoku Pro)12/21Michinoku Pro110.4%10th
247Minoru Suzuki vs Kazuchika Okada6/23Minoru Suzuki Produce110.4%10th
247Dragon Lee vs. SHO5/19NJPW110.4%10th
247Micheal Elgin vs. Hirooki Goto6/17NJPW110.4%10th
247Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll9/30NJPW110.4%10th
247Daisuke Harada vs Hajime Ohara1/27Pro Wrestling NOAH110.4%10th
247Go Shiozaki & Kaito Kiyomiya vs. The Aggression5/29Pro Wrestling NOAH110.4%10th
247Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs Bandido & Flamita3/23PWG110.4%10th
247Lucha Bros vs Rascalz9/16PWG110.4%10th
247Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs CCK (Chris Brookes & Jonathan Gresham)8/17RevPro110.4%10th
247Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Nanae Takahashi10/3SEAdLINNNG110.4%10th
247Miyu Yamashita vs Rika Tatsumi5/3Tokyo Joshi Pro110.4%10th
247CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman, & Gao Jingjia vs. Jun Tonsho, Kaz Hayashi, Masayuki Kono, & Shuji Kondo7/18W1110.4%10th
247ASUKA vs. Hana Kimura9/2W1110.4%10th
247Robbie Eagles vs Nick Golfis12/1Wrestle Rampage110.4%10th
247Women's Royal Rumble Match1/28WWE110.4%10th
247AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan4/10WWE110.4%10th
247Akira Tozawa & Hideo Itami vs. Lucha House Party4/17WWE110.4%10th
247Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy5/29WWE110.4%10th
247Meiko Satomura vs. Toni Storm9/8WWE110.4%10th
247Jack Gallagher vs. Drew Gulak5/10WWE (NXT)110.4%10th
247Ricochet vs. Pete Dunne8/23WWE (NXT)110.4%10th
247Ringkampf vs. Lucha Brothers10/6wXw110.4%10th
247CCK vs. Lucha Bros10/7wXw110.4%10th

“Imagine, less than six months into your wrestling career, your boss tells you and a fellow rookie that you’re going one-on-one in the main event. Now, picture the same thing, except the two of you are 17 & 16 years old. This was the scenario at Marvelous’s December 17 show. In the main event, we got two teenage girls attacking each other like it was a long-running blood feud. From the moment the match started until the final bell, both wrestlers seemingly threw out every hold, technique, attack, and ounce of energy they had in order to win this spotlight match and prove that they were better. It was a match that drew emotion out of the crowd, and of every single person who has watched it since. If you’re curious about the future of pro wrestling, watch this match, because Shindo and Hoshizuki are set up to become future stars.” Derek Tillotson on Mikoto Shindo vs. Mei Hoshizuki

“The Japanese equivalent to the Moustache Mountain vs. O’Reilly/Strong match. The Aggression works like an old-school Southern tag team filtered through a puroresu lens. You see them cutting of the ring, isolating an opponent and working a body part in all their matches along with Nakajima and Kitamiya hitting the ever-loving snot out of them at the same time. This feud between GoKai and The Aggression is up there with great modern tag feuds like The Revival vs. American Alpha, #DiY vs. Authors of Pain, The Usos vs. The New Day and LAX vs. The Lucha Bros. It helped make NOAH a must-see for discerning puroresu fans and you should watch all their matches in order saving this one for last.” -WH Park on Go Shiozaki & Kaito Kiyomiya vs. The Aggression 

“One of my favourite things in all of wrestling in 2018 was Natural Vibes’ terrific Triangle Gate championship reign in Dragon Gate. It was a turbulent year for the company, and at times it felt vaguely gloomy to be following them, but Kzy, Genki Horiguchi and Susumu Yokosuka could always be relied upon the lift the mood. I would sincerely recommend basically every single one of their defences, but the match where they won the title in the first place was the pick of the bunch, featuring some of the most extraordinary, gripping near falls of the year; even though I watched the match with the result spoiled, there were still moments where I got completely sucked in by the drama of them.” -Jack Stevenson on Jason Lee, Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi vs. Genki Horiguchi, Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka 

 

2 Points

PlaceMatchDatePromotionOverall PointsTotal Votes% of ballotsHighest Vote
222Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii7/19NJPW220.7%10th
222Bandido, Flamita and Rey Horus vs. CIMA, Zachary Wentz and Dezmond Xavier9/15PWG220.7%10th
224Dick Togo vs. Takuya Nomura2/18BJW210.4%9th
224Leyenda de Plata 201811/16CMLL210.4%9th
224Flamita & Bandido vs. Doi & Yoshino vs. Kagetora & YAMATO vs. Big R & Ben K12/23Dragon Gate210.4%9th
224Emi Sakura vs. Suruga Mei10/7Gatoh Move210.4%9th
224Masashi Takeda vs. Alex Colon9/8GCW210.4%9th
224Los Tortugas Ninja vs. Capo Del Norte, Dragon Bane, Rokambole Jr., and Villano V Jr.2/23IWRG210.4%9th
224Daga vs. Hechicero9/18Lucha Memes210.4%9th
224Travis Banks vs Elliot Sexton vs JXT4/20MCW210.4%9th
224Niebla Roja vs. Gran Guerrero1/19NJPW210.4%9th
224Jay White vs. Hangman Page3/25NJPW210.4%9th
224Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA8/11NJPW210.4%9th
224CIMA/Gao Jingjia/Wulijimuren vs. Dezmond Xavier/Zachary Wentz/Shingo Takagi2/2OWE210.4%9th
224Yoshiko vs. Mayumi Ozaki3/17OZ Academy210.4%9th
224Naomichi Marufuji & Akitoshi Saito vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Kenoh9/9Pro Wrestling NOAH210.4%9th
224Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kazuchika Okada7/1RevPro210.4%9th
224Jay Lethal & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Dalton Castle & Volador Jr.3/2ROH210.4%9th
224Dalton Castle vs. Jay Lethal3/9ROH210.4%9th
224Young Bucks and Flip Gordon vs. Scorpio Sky and Bad Influence4/7ROH210.4%9th
224Hangman Page vs. Kota Ibushi4/7ROH210.4%9th
224Erika Reid vs Avary6/15Underworld Wrestling210.4%9th
224AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe9/16WWE210.4%9th
224Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair9/16WWE210.4%9th
224Ricochet vs. Adam Cole8/18WWE (NXT)210.4%9th

“De los mejores exponentes en su estilo, una gran mezcla de Strong Style y lucha a ras de lona.” Apolo Valdés on Daga vs. Hechicero

“Strong veteran vs. rookie storytelling, with innovative offense and some of the best counterwork I’ve seen this year.” aguakun on Emi Sakura vs. Suruga Mei 

“This match is not the most finely crafted match, nor does it have the best psychology. It is, however, a stunning spectacle of athleticism that announced to the world that Chinese-styled pro wrestling is going to be here to stay. It was the first time we witnessed Gao Jingjia’s leap from the floor to the inside of the ring, and capped off the narrative of the whole show very well. I’ve seen some matches that I can consider technically better matches in 2018, but not many quite as memorable.as memorable” James “NuclearConvoy” Snelgrove on CIMA/Gao Jingjia/Wulijimuren vs. Dezmond Xavier/Zachary Wentz/Shingo Takagi

 

3 Points

PlaceMatchDatePromotionOverall PointsTotal Votes% of ballotsHighest Vote
206Tim Storm vs. Jocephus1/14NWA320.7%9th
206Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler10/28WWE320.7%9th
206Tyler Bate & Trent Seven vs. Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly6/19WWE (NXT UK)320.7%9th
209Australian Suicide vs. Laredo Kid12/5AAA310.4%8th
209ACH vs. Eddie Kingston10/12AAW310.4%8th
209Arik Royal vs. Tracy Williams6/29ACTION Wrestling310.4%8th
209Boomer Hatfield, Fire Ant, Mike Quackenbush, Solo Darling vs Merlok, The Whisper, Travis Huckabee, Volgar7/29Beyond Wrestling310.4%8th
209David Starr vs. Matt Angel3/17C*4310.4%8th
209Los Ingobernobles vs. El Sky Team7/13CMLL310.4%8th
209El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi5/22NJPW310.4%8th
209Atsushi Aoki & Jun Akiyama vs. Takashi Sugiura & Daisuke Harada9/1Pro Wrestling NOAH310.4%8th
209Dragón Lee vs. Titán2/24Pro Wrestling Revolution310.4%8th
209Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tyler Bate2/11PROGRESS310.4%8th
209Jeff Cobb vs. Hangman Page12/14ROH310.4%8th
209Reika Saiki vs. Miyu Yamashita1/4Tokyo Joshi Pro310.4%8th
209Jiro Kuroshio vs. Seigo Tachibana5/6W1310.4%8th

“Chikara Atomicos matches are everything that is good about wrestling. When this match was surprised announced everyone knew they are in for a treat. Plus who doesn’t want to watch Mike Quakenbush be flung out the ring and onto 6 of his students” -Leon Noel on Boomer Hatfield, Fire Ant, Mike Quackenbush, Solo Darling vs Merlok, The Whisper, Travis Huckabee, Volgar 

“This is the best professional wrestling match I have ever seen live. Featuring a beautiful sequence where Starr nearly decapitated Angel in the ring with a superkick, this match is by far the C*4 Match of the Year for good reason. It was fantastic to watch live and it was fantastic to rewatch after the fact. Absolutely great, eh!” -Griffin Peltier on David Starr vs. Matt Angel

“In my opinion, this clearly was the match of the night at Marufuji’s anniversary show because it truly felt like an old school Japanese interpromotional match and you know what? It actually was one! The background of Akiyama & Aoki having left NOAH years ago and finding a new home in All Japan made this even more special. Unlike any other match NOAH was able to put on last year this one had the benefit of a big and hot crowd. A crowd that maybe heard the name Daisuke Harada for the first time, but they certainly didn’t forget him. He was the one that really stepped up in defending his promotion against All Japan and him standing up to the much bigger Akiyama made for some great sequences.” -STRIGGA on Atsushi Aoki & Jun Akiyama vs. Takashi Sugiura & Daisuke Harada




 

4 Points

PlaceMatchDatePromotionOverall PointsTotal Votes% of ballotsHighest Vote
173Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito6/9NJPW420.7%8th
173Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane8/18WWE (NXT)420.7%8th
173Ilja Dragunov vs. Bobby Gunns10/6wXw420.7%8th
176Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella10/28WWE420.7%8th
177Lucha Bros. vs Flamita and Bandido8/30AAW410.4%7th
177Eddie Kingston vs. Fred Yehi5/25AAW410.4%7th
177Violent Giants vs. Joe Doering & Dylan James12/11AJPW410.4%7th
177Takuya Nomura vs. Fuminori Abe1/17BJW410.4%7th
177Solo Darling vs. Juan Francisco de Coronado7/28CHIKARA410.4%7th
177Los Revolucionarios del Terror & Hechihero vs. Los Divinos Laguneros6/22CMLL410.4%7th
177Rush & Terrible vs. Volador Jr & Ultimo Guerrero2/23CMLL410.4%7th
177Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maya Yukihi12/31Ice Ribbon410.4%7th
177Hiiragi Kurumi vs. Miyako Matsumoto3/25Ice Ribbon410.4%7th
177Kay Lee Ray vs Viper12/2ICW410.4%7th
177Ricky Marvin vs. Dr Cerebro3/25IWRG410.4%7th
177Pentagon Dark vs. Reklusa10/10Lucha Underground410.4%7th
177Robbie Eagles vs Gino Gambino10/5MCW410.4%7th
177Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr7/25NJPW410.4%7th
177Golden Lovers vs Tomohiro Ishii & Will Ospreay9/7NJPW410.4%7th
177Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay6/9NJPW410.4%7th
177Darren Kearney, LJ Cleary & Nathan Martin vs. Meiko Satomura, Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz9/30OTT410.4%7th
177The Aggression vs Takuya Nomura & Hideyoshi Kamitani7/10Pro Wrestling NOAH410.4%7th
177Zack Sabre Jr. vs. David Starr5/6PROGRESS410.4%7th
177Bandido vs Fenix10/19PWG410.4%7th
177Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis11/9RevPro410.4%7th
177BORDERLESS vs. Nanae Takahashi & Tsukasa Fujimoto7/25SEAdLINNNG410.4%7th
177Aiden Rex, The Statement, & Trexxus vs. Mark Davis, Pete Dunne, & Wolfgang6/2SPW410.4%7th
177Kagetsu vs Mayu Iwatani8/12STARDOM410.4%7th
177Arisa Nakajima vs. Ayako Hamada vs. Misaki Ohata4/22WAVE410.4%7th
177Men's Royal Rumble Match1/28WWE410.4%7th
177Jordan Devlin vs Pete Dunne8/26WWE (NXT UK)410.4%7th
177Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream6/16WWE (NXT)410.4%7th
177Jake Parnell vs Gary Jay1/27Zero1USA410.4%7th

“ALL IN weekend saw 4 wrestling shows in Chicago. Two AAW shows, ALL IN, and Warrior Wrestling. The first of those 4 shows had the best match of the entire weekend. Lucha Bros. vs. Flamita and Bandido had a hot crowd that was ready to blow the roof off of Logan Square Auditorium. Throw in an incredible match and you get one of the most memorable wrestling matches in Chicago indy wrestling.” -Doug Fowler on Lucha Bros. vs Flamita & Bandido 

This was a fantastic example of telling a story in a match. Dream looked at Ricochet and thought, “I can do what this guy does,” and set out to prove it. He took to the air, stole Ricochet’s moves, even wore trunks inspired by Ricochet’s Prince Puma gimmick from Lucha Underground. He showed off a few new tricks, but came up short as Ricochet was just better. Ricochet then showed that he could not only out-do Dream with his own style, but that he could even best Dream at what Dream does best. Perhaps it’s because these subtle stories are so infrequently told in this company, but this match landed with me big time. I may be the high man on it, but I don’t care. I loved this match.” -Jeremy Sexton on Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream

Perhaps best known for the insane reactions (dueling “Gunns, Bobby Gunns” “ILJA!” chants for over 15 minutes), this is a match that anyone who was inside the Turbinenhalle live perhaps couldn’t fail but be wrapped up in. I went the full 5* on the night, and while the match itself perhaps isn’t going to be too high up on this list, the entire package of the match and the atmosphere stands out in my mind).” -Ian Hamilton on Ilja Dragunov vs. Bobby Gunns

 

5 Points

PlaceMatchDatePromotionOverall PointsTotal Votes% of ballotsHighest Vote
160Aramis vs Eterno10/21Lucha Memes531.1%9th
161Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Marty Scurll1/4NJPW520.7%7th
162Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi2/10NJPW520.7%7th
163Ultimo Guerrero vs. Michael Elgin10/21CMLL510.4%6th
163The Untouchables vs Street Gang Hooligans11/3EPW510.4%6th
163Ciclope vs. Joey Janela5/12GCW510.4%6th
163Brian Cage vs. Fenix8/30Impact Wrestling510.4%6th
163Ricky Marvin vs. Hechicero10/21Lucha Memes510.4%6th
163Takashi Sugiura vs Naomichi Marufuji5/29Pro Wrestling NOAH510.4%6th
163Yuruchara Brawl5/7Rampage Big Brawl510.4%6th
163Arisa Nakajima vs. Misaki Ohata1/14SEAdLINNNG510.4%6th
163Buddy Murphy vs Cedric Alexander11/5WWE510.4%6th
163Travis Banks vs Joe Coffey12/19WWE (NXT UK)510.4%6th

A match that starts out with one man posing for photos and another man diving into him, leaving them both laying in the dirt and discarded bottle caps. Eterno is a great unheralded base in a country full of flyers, destined to be lost in meaningless matches for years at a time before finally getting something to make great. Aramis brings the flying and the energy. They deliver something that completely works as hometown heroes having their big match.” -thecubsfan on Aramis vs Eterno

“This match was all about the crowd reaction to hometown boy Buddy Murphy. From cutting his teeth in Melbourne City Wrestling to now wrestling in the country’s largest stadium, for the world’s biggest wrestling promotion it really was an emotional evening for everyone in attendance. Just watch the crowd reaction at the end of this match to understand how special this moment was.” -Jamie Apps on Buddy Murphy vs Cedric Alexander

Jericho destroys Naito. The bell rings. Jericho continues to destroy Naito. Jericho wins the IC title. Who in the hell saw that coming? Surprising, brutal and the definitive proof that even as a nearly 50-year-old man, Chris Jericho can still reinvent himself and shock the world.” -Jason Westhaver on Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito

 

VOW 2018 Match of the Year

PlaceMatchDatePromotionOverall PointsTotal Votes% of ballotsHighest Vote
247Hijo del Vikingo, Laredo Kid, Myzteziz Jr. vs. Australian Suicide, Jack Evans, Taurus12/18AAA110.4%10th
247AC Mack vs Austin Theory8/17ACTION Wrestling110.4%10th
247Soberano Jr. vs Cavernario3/27CMLL110.4%10th
247Shuji Ishikawa vs Kazsusada Higuchi1/14DDT110.4%10th
247HARASHIMA vs. KUDO5/13DDT110.4%10th
247WALTER vs. Will Ospreay8/26Defiant110.4%10th
247Jason Lee, Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi vs. Genki Horiguchi, Kzy, Susumu Yokosuka5/6Dragon Gate110.4%10th
247Mikoto Shindo vs. Mei Hoshizuki12/17Marvelous110.4%10th
247Will Ospreay vs Gino Gambino2/24MCW110.4%10th
247Will Ospreay vs Stevie Filip7/21MCW110.4%10th
247Aramis vs Latigo vs Moria vs Septimo Dragon vs Toxin3/24Mexa Wrestling110.4%10th
247Bearded Lady GAINA (GAINA), Daisy Hilton 1 (Yapper Man 1), LGBTaro (Taro Nohashi), Shogun Chibikuso Pretty (Pretty Ota) & Violet Hilton 2 (Yapper Man 2) & Yapper Man 3 vs. Muno Taiyo (Brahman Kei, Brahman Shu & The Great Sasuke), Gorgeous Matsuno & Ultraman Robin. (12/21 - Michinoku Pro)12/21Michinoku Pro110.4%10th
247Minoru Suzuki vs Kazuchika Okada6/23Minoru Suzuki Produce110.4%10th
247Dragon Lee vs. SHO5/19NJPW110.4%10th
247Micheal Elgin vs. Hirooki Goto6/17NJPW110.4%10th
247Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll9/30NJPW110.4%10th
247Daisuke Harada vs Hajime Ohara1/27Pro Wrestling NOAH110.4%10th
247Go Shiozaki & Kaito Kiyomiya vs. The Aggression5/29Pro Wrestling NOAH110.4%10th
247Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz vs Bandido & Flamita3/23PWG110.4%10th
247Lucha Bros vs Rascalz9/16PWG110.4%10th
247Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs CCK (Chris Brookes & Jonathan Gresham)8/17RevPro110.4%10th
247Hiroyo Matsumoto vs. Nanae Takahashi10/3SEAdLINNNG110.4%10th
247Miyu Yamashita vs Rika Tatsumi5/3Tokyo Joshi Pro110.4%10th
247CIMA, T-Hawk, El Lindaman, & Gao Jingjia vs. Jun Tonsho, Kaz Hayashi, Masayuki Kono, & Shuji Kondo7/18W1110.4%10th
247ASUKA vs. Hana Kimura9/2W1110.4%10th
247Robbie Eagles vs Nick Golfis12/1Wrestle Rampage110.4%10th
247Women's Royal Rumble Match1/28WWE110.4%10th
247AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan4/10WWE110.4%10th
247Akira Tozawa & Hideo Itami vs. Lucha House Party4/17WWE110.4%10th
247Cedric Alexander vs. Buddy Murphy5/29WWE110.4%10th
247Meiko Satomura vs. Toni Storm9/8WWE110.4%10th
247Jack Gallagher vs. Drew Gulak5/10WWE (NXT)110.4%10th
247Ricochet vs. Pete Dunne8/23WWE (NXT)110.4%10th
247Ringkampf vs. Lucha Brothers10/6wXw110.4%10th
247CCK vs. Lucha Bros10/7wXw110.4%10th
224Dick Togo vs. Takuya Nomura2/18BJW210.4%9th
224Leyenda de Plata 201811/16CMLL210.4%9th
224Flamita & Bandido vs. Doi & Yoshino vs. Kagetora & YAMATO vs. Big R & Ben K12/23Dragon Gate210.4%9th
224Emi Sakura vs. Suruga Mei10/7Gatoh Move210.4%9th
224Masashi Takeda vs. Alex Colon9/8GCW210.4%9th
224Los Tortugas Ninja vs. Capo Del Norte, Dragon Bane, Rokambole Jr., and Villano V Jr.2/23IWRG210.4%9th
224Daga vs. Hechicero9/18Lucha Memes210.4%9th
224Travis Banks vs Elliot Sexton vs JXT4/20MCW210.4%9th
224Niebla Roja vs. Gran Guerrero1/19NJPW210.4%9th
224Jay White vs. Hangman Page3/25NJPW210.4%9th
224Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA8/11NJPW210.4%9th
224CIMA/Gao Jingjia/Wulijimuren vs. Dezmond Xavier/Zachary Wentz/Shingo Takagi2/2OWE210.4%9th
224Yoshiko vs. Mayumi Ozaki3/17OZ Academy210.4%9th
224Naomichi Marufuji & Akitoshi Saito vs Kaito Kiyomiya & Kenoh9/9Pro Wrestling NOAH210.4%9th
224Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kazuchika Okada7/1RevPro210.4%9th
224Jay Lethal & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Dalton Castle & Volador Jr.3/2ROH210.4%9th
224Dalton Castle vs. Jay Lethal3/9ROH210.4%9th
224Young Bucks and Flip Gordon vs. Scorpio Sky and Bad Influence4/7ROH210.4%9th
224Hangman Page vs. Kota Ibushi4/7ROH210.4%9th
224Erika Reid vs Avary6/15Underworld Wrestling210.4%9th
224AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe9/16WWE210.4%9th
224Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair9/16WWE210.4%9th
224Ricochet vs. Adam Cole8/18WWE (NXT)210.4%9th
222Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii7/19NJPW220.7%10th
222Bandido, Flamita and Rey Horus vs. CIMA, Zachary Wentz and Dezmond Xavier9/15PWG220.7%10th
209Australian Suicide vs. Laredo Kid12/5AAA310.4%8th
209ACH vs. Eddie Kingston10/12AAW310.4%8th
209Arik Royal vs. Tracy Williams6/29ACTION Wrestling310.4%8th
209Boomer Hatfield, Fire Ant, Mike Quackenbush, Solo Darling vs Merlok, The Whisper, Travis Huckabee, Volgar7/29Beyond Wrestling310.4%8th
209David Starr vs. Matt Angel3/17C*4310.4%8th
209Los Ingobernobles vs. El Sky Team7/13CMLL310.4%8th
209El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi5/22NJPW310.4%8th
209Atsushi Aoki & Jun Akiyama vs. Takashi Sugiura & Daisuke Harada9/1Pro Wrestling NOAH310.4%8th
209Dragón Lee vs. Titán2/24Pro Wrestling Revolution310.4%8th
209Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tyler Bate2/11PROGRESS310.4%8th
209Jeff Cobb vs. Hangman Page12/14ROH310.4%8th
209Reika Saiki vs. Miyu Yamashita1/4Tokyo Joshi Pro310.4%8th
209Jiro Kuroshio vs. Seigo Tachibana5/6W1310.4%8th
206Tim Storm vs. Jocephus1/14NWA320.7%9th
206Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler10/28WWE320.7%9th
206Tyler Bate & Trent Seven vs. Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly6/19WWE (NXT UK)320.7%9th
177Lucha Bros. vs Flamita and Bandido8/30AAW410.4%7th
177Eddie Kingston vs. Fred Yehi5/25AAW410.4%7th
177Violent Giants vs. Joe Doering & Dylan James12/11AJPW410.4%7th
177Takuya Nomura vs. Fuminori Abe1/17BJW410.4%7th
177Solo Darling vs. Juan Francisco de Coronado7/28CHIKARA410.4%7th
177Los Revolucionarios del Terror & Hechihero vs. Los Divinos Laguneros6/22CMLL410.4%7th
177Rush & Terrible vs. Volador Jr & Ultimo Guerrero2/23CMLL410.4%7th
177Tsukasa Fujimoto vs. Maya Yukihi12/31Ice Ribbon410.4%7th
177Hiiragi Kurumi vs. Miyako Matsumoto3/25Ice Ribbon410.4%7th
177Kay Lee Ray vs Viper12/2ICW410.4%7th
177Ricky Marvin vs. Dr Cerebro3/25IWRG410.4%7th
177Pentagon Dark vs. Reklusa10/10Lucha Underground410.4%7th
177Robbie Eagles vs Gino Gambino10/5MCW410.4%7th
177Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr7/25NJPW410.4%7th
177Golden Lovers vs Tomohiro Ishii & Will Ospreay9/7NJPW410.4%7th
177Hiromu Takahashi vs. Will Ospreay6/9NJPW410.4%7th
177Darren Kearney, LJ Cleary & Nathan Martin vs. Meiko Satomura, Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz9/30OTT410.4%7th
177The Aggression vs Takuya Nomura & Hideyoshi Kamitani7/10Pro Wrestling NOAH410.4%7th
177Zack Sabre Jr. vs. David Starr5/6PROGRESS410.4%7th
177Bandido vs Fenix10/19PWG410.4%7th
177Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis11/9RevPro410.4%7th
177BORDERLESS vs. Nanae Takahashi & Tsukasa Fujimoto7/25SEAdLINNNG410.4%7th
177Aiden Rex, The Statement, & Trexxus vs. Mark Davis, Pete Dunne, & Wolfgang6/2SPW410.4%7th
177Kagetsu vs Mayu Iwatani8/12STARDOM410.4%7th
177Arisa Nakajima vs. Ayako Hamada vs. Misaki Ohata4/22WAVE410.4%7th
177Men's Royal Rumble Match1/28WWE410.4%7th
177Jordan Devlin vs Pete Dunne8/26WWE (NXT UK)410.4%7th
177Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream6/16WWE (NXT)410.4%7th
177Jake Parnell vs Gary Jay1/27Zero1USA410.4%7th
176Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella10/28WWE420.7%8th
173Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito6/9NJPW420.7%8th
173Shayna Baszler vs Kairi Sane8/18WWE (NXT)420.7%8th
173Ilja Dragunov vs. Bobby Gunns10/6wXw420.7%8th
163Ultimo Guerrero vs. Michael Elgin10/21CMLL510.4%6th
163The Untouchables vs Street Gang Hooligans11/3EPW510.4%6th
163Ciclope vs. Joey Janela5/12GCW510.4%6th
163Brian Cage vs. Fenix8/30Impact Wrestling510.4%6th
163Ricky Marvin vs. Hechicero10/21Lucha Memes510.4%6th
163Takashi Sugiura vs Naomichi Marufuji5/29Pro Wrestling NOAH510.4%6th
163Yuruchara Brawl5/7Rampage Big Brawl510.4%6th
163Arisa Nakajima vs. Misaki Ohata1/14SEAdLINNNG510.4%6th
163Buddy Murphy vs Cedric Alexander11/5WWE510.4%6th
163Travis Banks vs Joe Coffey12/19WWE (NXT UK)510.4%6th
162Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi2/10NJPW520.7%7th
161Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Marty Scurll1/4NJPW520.7%7th
160Aramis vs Eterno10/21Lucha Memes531.1%9th