VOW 2019 Match of the Year (Introduction & Sadness Village)

Welcome to the eighth 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.

This 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 critics polls 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. 2018 saw a record 68 different promotions represented across 282 total matches. Our voter base grew to 122 with voters representing 25 different US states and 16 countries.

This year, more records were broken, with 136 different voters voting for 290 unique matches, across a record-tying 68 promotions. As the poll grows, as does the diversity of matches.

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 2019 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):

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 that 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, 2019 – December 31, 2019.

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 while 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’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 7 (with a sneak preview of the Top 10 to be released to our Patreon subscribers).

1-3 points

“This was a no DQ match for the WWN Title, but it wasn’t a plunder brawl, instead it was worked more like a dirty bar fight. Kingston is almost like a legendary lucha rudo at this point like Negro Casas or Blue Panther, his greatness has basically turned him technico everywhere. However, this was a throwback heel performance by Kingston as he is pretty vicious, going after Drake’s eyes and biting at his ear. Drake has a tendency to get a bit cutesy for me, here he is pretty much focused on throwing hard shots, wrestling like a fat guy, not a fat guy showing off his juniors offense. We get some classic Kingston selling, as he dings his hand early throwing a punch, and it gets worse and worse as the match goes on, including a point where Kingston has to try to unjam his fingers. I thought the finish was a slightly flat, but most of the time this was a great thumping fight and another entry in Kingston’s WOTY resume.” Phil Schneider on Eddie Kingston vs. JD Drake

“Perhaps a bit of a wild card, but I genuinely believe this was one of the top ten professional wrestling matches of the year and Kenny’s best match without question and no comparison outside of Japan. I usually enjoy AAA because you can watch it at face value with no expectations just appreciating the chaos/whatever ensues. I enjoyed this because it was a fantastic professional wrestling match” Nick Davidson on Kenny Omega vs. Dragon Lee 

“I’m probably the only person who prefers this match to their Ladder Match at All Out but I love everything about this one. AEW was very fresh at his point, and this match delivered big time. The spots were very fluid, and my one of my favorite spots of the year, the step up destroyer on the apron by Pentagon to Matt Jackson followed by the springboard destroyer in the ring by Fenix to Nick, ridiculous!!! Favorite tag team match of the year.” Noveliss on Lucha Bros vs Young Bucks

“Sakura’s back is hurting, so she’s looking for a quick finish, making use of her veteran instincts to find openings, and at one point even using her walking cane. One of the most unique and creative matches I’ve ever seen, even for Ichigaya’s brand of wrestling.” aguakun on Emi Sakura vs. Mei Suruga 

4-7 points

“Two new hosses bump meat in the greatest possible ways, super stiff battle with nasty spills that left me wanting more. Two of the hardest workers in wrestling shine in a big opportunity.” Eric Ritz on Big Twan Tucker vs. Manders

“These guys had some fantastic matches through the latter third of the year, but I think this was my favorite effort. PAC was ready for the stardom opportunities that AEW has eagerly presented to Paige and the anger behind his character is sensible and understandable. Paige’s own story of being good but not amazing, of being a disappointment, mostly to himself, has been another highlight of AEW thus far. This feud left PAC angrier, hungrier and Paige on the other hand, on a downward mental spiral, doubting himself.” Sandra Berry on PAC vs Hangman Page

“Despite having one of the most talented rosters they’ve ever had, WWE’s first main roster match of the year for me comes in at number seven. It was not a banner in-ring year for Raw and Smackdown. Styles and Rollins are two wrestlers who faced criticism in 2019 that their matches tended to underwhelm on the big stage; when put together at the Money in the Bank show, they showed they can still deliver.” Greg Parks on Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles

“A night after Okabayashi goes through one of the most grueling matches in wrestling history, he comes right back the next day in this random hotel ballroom in Sapporo and he has an absolute firecracker against one of the hardest hitters in the game, Zeus. This match has one of my favourite finishes of the year. Nothing out of the box, just wonderfully timed and got an awesome reaction.” Alan4L on Yuji Okabayashi vs. Zeus

8-11 points

“Miyahara started off 2019 with a bang and KAI had what was probably his best singles match. As Dave Meltzer says, Miyahara matches go 30 mintues but feel like they went 15. This one felt like it went 12. They worked at a lighting fast pace for a Miyahara match. This match also had one of my favourite moments of the year when KAI was trying to kick out Miyahara’s legs during the Shutdown German Suplex attempt that ultimately won the match.” Gerard Di Trolio on Kento Miyahara vs. KAI

“Trevor’s last dance as the CWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion, and it’s over an hour of everything that I had come to expect from his title matches. Which, to put shortly, is pure brilliance. Filled with that extra emotion too with it being his last match there. The best title reign of the decade ends with a Sportatorium classic.” Heikki Oinonen on Cain Justice vs. Trevor Lee

“2019 was a bit of a crap year for me personally. Part of that crappiness was falling out with wrestling for the first half of the year, just straight up not wanting to watch any of it. The plan was always to come back, but only really for the social side of things. So I was excited to attend my first show in nearly six months at The Cockpit, RevPro’s monthly London venue, but mainly just to sit in the world famous Kilby Corner with Gary (@GaryOnGraps), Joao (@TheKingOfBoom) and the man himself (@MikeKilby). We had a great time chilling out, workshopping tweets and occasionally watching the wrestling (as is BritWres tradition), and I was happy for the show to just be that, but the main event pulled me back into the magic of it all once more. Michael Oku pretty much transformed into a star in front of our very eyes in this match, getting the crap kicked out of him for 15 minutes by PAC, in typical bastard-y form, before making a comeback that was wonderfully pressured by the 30 minute time-limit, which RevPro always announces before their matches but very rarely actually uses as part of the finish. This was back when PAC wasn’t jobbing at all, so everyone knew that Oku basically couldn’t win this match, but having the time limit in effect made a draw feel like a major win. The final few minutes were incredibly tense, as it went from Oku hitting his big moves and looking in control, to PAC actually getting on top again and turning the whole story into a battle for survival for Oku. Unfortunately, PAC landed the Blackout in the 29th minute, kicked Oku out of the ring, and ensured we’d have to wait for Oku’s day in the sun. But this performance showcased his real star potential, which he may fulfill in 2020. And personally, just when I thought I was off this wrestling muck forever, this was the match that pulled me back in. ” Oli Court on PAC vs Michael Oku 

“Western Canada is a dead zone for indie wrestling buzz, so I fully expect to be the only vote for this match. And that’s a shame, because if it took place in any of the numerous American indies who have learned how to market themselves and their wrestlers outside of their live audience, I think this match would easily find itself in the top 50. The bout itself was a bomb-throwing sprint that would feel at home on the PWG cards of the mid-2010s. It was three guys who are notable for their exciting, high-impact offences getting into a ring together and unloading their arsenal until only one man was left standing. It was incredible to watch, and the best match I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live.” Jeff Martin on Artemis Spencer vs. Michael Richard Blais vs. Brandon Van Danielson

Voices of Wrestling
2019 Match of the Year (260-102)