Is the title of this article a year too late in the video game it is referencing? Did I start writing an article with this title last year, only to never finish it? Is this pun just too good to let go? Is this actually about the AEW/ROH tag team that is, in reality, a good in-ring team but stuck in bad storylines?
Yes, yes, yes, and no.
So here we go in 2024! I’m bringing back the original article that got me started writing for Voices of Wrestling back in 2020 – looking at the annual Voices of Wrestling Match of the Year poll and breaking it down into various tiers. I did it then with the 2019 list, brought it back for the 2021 list, and now, after breaking my “every other year” pattern, I will go forward with the 2024 list – my first even year!
The concept of my analysis here is that while we like to focus on things like “top 10”, “top 25”, or “top 100” for lists like these – those are completely arbitrary distinctions. They are just nice round numbers that make sense in our head. In reality, especially when we have data to look at we can group the matches together in much better ways. If the matches at number 26, 27, and 28 are all within 5 points of the number 25 match, then they should be considered equal to that match. But as the way many look at it, one of those matches is in the “Top 25” and the other three are left in the dust.
Using a simple formula of taking the points of the higher-ranked match and subtracting them from the lower-ranked match, I look at the entire list by the number of points that separate the matches. As I go through, I will end up finding natural break points where there are only 0-1 points between matches and then suddenly there are 2 points between matches for the first time. Later on in the poll, there is suddenly a 12-point difference, when before, the largest difference between matches was 7 points. I will also look at the total votes the match got, as well as the first-place votes, in order to really help create separation and see how the list changes and evolves as we move up the ranks.
Alright – enough rambling – let’s talk ball!
Honorable Mentions
The early part of the list – “Sadness Village”, “Vanity Picks” and other matches with very small amounts of points and votes is just a little too long and difficult to separate. Pretty much every match has 0-1 points between them, and the listing in the article already separates them pretty well by the number of points earned. I’ll throw a few mentions here of matches that caught my eye:
272. Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay (1/13, NJPW) 2 points, 2 votes, highest vote 10th
This match from NJPW’s Battle in the Valley between two soon-to-be departing stars has the distinction of being the first match on the list with two votes. They are both 10th place votes, so it doesn’t get very high, but before this, everything was only getting one vote in the 9 or 10 spot.
163. Dragon Kid and Naurki Doi vs. Susumu Yokosuka and YAMATO (4/10, Dragongate) 7 points, 3 votes, highest vote 8th
162. Slim J vs. Adam Priest (4/4, ACTION) 7 points, 3 votes, highest vote 7th
And here we have the first two matches with three entire votes! A highlight Dragongate tag match between the possible tag team of the year of “No Hug” (Doi and Dragon Kid) and Susumu Yokosuka teaming with the resurgent YAMATO. The other match being an indie showcase on likely the US indie show of the year in ACTION Wrestling’s DEAN~! from WrestleManiaMania weekend.
114. ZSJ vs. Shingo Takagi (11/4, NJPW) 13 points, 4 votes, highest vote 5th
115. Yuki Ueno vs. HARASHIMA (3/17, DDT) 13 points, 4 votes, highest vote 2nd
And as our final honorable mentions – our first two matches with four votes each. It works out perfectly, as these two matches lead directly into our first official tier!
The “Superstan” Tier – 14 points, 1 vote
110. Abadon and Reycko and Sombra Dorada defeat Maravilla Azteca (2/11, Freelance Mexico)
111. Mike Bailey defeats Mustafa Ali (7/20, TNA)
112. TORU defeats Zeus © (12/29, Osaka Pro)
We start here with one of the favorite groups of matches in the Voices of Wrestling poll – the “superstan” matches.
These matches all have only received 1 single vote—BUT that one vote happens to be a first place vote. With the scoring in the Voices of Wrestling Match of the Year poll giving extra emphasis to each voter’s “Match of the Year” – the first place vote gives 14 points, while the second gets 9, the third gets 8, and so on. This year, we had three matches that were held in the highest of esteem by one single passionate voter but not recognized by anyone else. I highly recommend reading the comments for all of these matches, but especially those on the TORU vs. Zeus match from Paul Wedding.
I also have to mention that in the lucha apuestas match, it’s not THAT Abadon. It’s not the spooky “Living Dead Girl” hailing from the Black Hills that still occasionally shows up on ROH. This is a collection of luchadors putting their bodies and masks on the line. In fact, you can watch it right here!
The “Small Fan Base” Tier (Two or more votes)
109. Daisy Monkey (Arisu Endo & Suzume) vs. Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino © (3/31, TJPW) 14 points, 2 votes, highest vote – 3rd
To
100. YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tomohiro Ishii (7/3, NJPW) 15 points, 4 votes, highest vote – 5th
Here we have a collection of matches between 14-15 points and between 2-4 votes. So while a majority of these matches have just as many points as “superstan” match they all have that extra boost of having a least one other person include them on their list. By definition of the scoring system, anything with 15 points has to have at least 2 voters. There’s a great amount of variety in this tier as we have a Big Japan match (101. Toru Sugiura vs. Kazumi Kikuta, 12/31) and a Pro Wrestling EVE match (Alex Windsor vs. Charlie Morgan) right in there with matches featuring big stars in big companies like Danielson vs. Hangman Page from the Owen Hart Tournament Finals. Those 3 matches, along with YOSHI-HASHI/Ishii all had 15 points. We also have Cody defending the WWE Title against AJ Styles at Backlash France. That Cody/AJ match and the YOSHI-HASHI/Ishii match at the top of the tier are the only matches here with four votes.
The “Building Consensus” Tier
99. Bryan Danielson vs. Kasuyori Shibata (3/16, AEW) 15 points, 7 votes, highest vote – 6th place
To
81. Danshoku Dino vs. Sanshiro Takagi (7/21, DDT), 21 points, 2 votes, highest vote – 1st place
Though the Danielson/Shibata “impossible” match shares the same number of points as the previous tier in 15, it makes a big jump in total votes up to seven. Prior to this four votes was the most any match had, so it was quite noticeable and a distinction worthy of a new tier. The majority of matches here have 3-4 votes and 16-21 points with only 0-1 points between matches. Some worth mentioning include the matches with five votes (Chris Brookes and ZSJ vs. MAO and Yuki Ueno, 4/7, DDT) and 6 votes (Jay White vs. Adam Page, 10/12 AEW WrestleDream and Ryuya Matsufusa vs. Billy Ken Kid, 1/9, Osaka Pro).
The last match in this tier – Dino vs. Takagi from DDT, has the distinction of being the last match on the entire list with only 2 votes, but with one of those being a high value first place vote, it ends up quite high on the list. As we now move into matches with at least 3 votes, I will using that to create a very cringe worth tier name.
“Three’s Company” (Three or more votes per match)
80. Chirio Hashimoto & Mika Iwata vs. Mio Momono & Sareee (1/7, Sendai Girls) 21 points, 4 votes, highest vote – 4th place
To
57. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey (Maple Leaf Pro, 10/19), 28 points, 6 votes, high vote – 1st place
“Come and knock on our door!” Ok, so the names of the tiers can’t all be clever or winners – but we have at least 3-7 votes for each match now. No more 1-2 vote-getters. These matches have between 21-28 points, and we still continue with only 0-1 points between matches. We still haven’t hit that magical two-point difference separating matches yet.
We do though, have two matches with seven votes, tying the previous high from Danielson/Shibata. Those two matches are also from AEW – Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander from Worlds End (12/28, 24 points) and the Casino Gauntlet Match from All In (8/25, 24 points) which should probably get bonus points for having the incredible moment of two generations of British wrestling legends – ZSJ and Nigel McGuinness – face off in Wembley Stadium.
Lastly – shout out to Mari vs. CatMASK Calico from Actwrest girl’Z at number 72 with 22 points and 5 votes.
The “Separation Begins” Tier (First Two-Point Jump)
56. Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness (AEW, 9/25), 29 points, 8 votes, highest vote 5th
55. Sami Zayn vs. Gunther (WWE, 4/6) 29 points, 8 votes, highest vote 4th
To
50. Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Mochizuki Jr. (Dragongate, 7/6) 32 points, 7 votes, highest vote 2nd
Like the Offspring says, “You gotta keep ‘em separated,” and in this tier, we FINALLY get two whole points between matches. That isn’t the start of the tier though, as the accomplishment of Danielson/McGuinness and El Generico/WALTER both getting eight votes starts this new grouping. Right after that, though, at number 54, is Shinya Aoki vs. Yuji Ueno (8/25, DDT) with 31 points from 5 votes (highest vote 2nd). We have our very first skip of the poll! None of the over 300 matches in the poll had a total of 30 points. We had matches with one point and 29 points, and every number between that, but not 30! As the point totals start growing, we will definitely start to see those more and more. In fact..what’s that up ahead?
The “Gaining In Popularity Tier” (first three-point jump)
49. Jake De Leon vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (5/26, Dexcon) 35 points, 5 votes, highest vote – 1st
To
42. Hirooki Goto vs. Konosuke Takeshita (8/4, NJPW) 43 points, 9 votes, highest vote – 2nd
That’s right – three WHOLE points. Here we go, we are cruising. The first three-point jump comes from the most unexpected place – Quezon City, Philippines in the Dexcon promotion. What shouldn’t be surprising, is that it is Zack Sabre Jr. wrestling the local star Jake De Leon in a highly regarded match. While ZSJ cemented himself as a top-tier Japanese star this year by winning the IWGP title, he continues to excel at traveling all over the world in both the biggest and smallest promotions and plying his craft. Since that match Jake De Leon has had some matches in Japan with the Gatoh Move and Ice Ribbon promotions – here’s hoping his opportunities continue to grow in the future.
In fact – this tier has not just one but two differences of three points between matches. The other triple jumper being the number 43 match – Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander from AEW Full Gear with 42 points – beating out the 39 points of ICHIBAN SWEET BOYS vs. Catch 22 from 11/4 NJPW. This TBS championship match also has the distinction of being the first match on the list with double-digit votes, as it appeared on 10 ballots. This breaks the record of total votes, which had just been set with 9 at number 45 – Mayu Iwatani vs. Syuri (STARDOM, 38 points).
The “Solid As a Rock Tier” (first four-point jump)
47. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yota Tsuji (8/18, NJPW) 47 points, 9 votes, 1 first place vote
To
35. Saree vs. Chihiro Hashimoto (1/16, Sareee-ism5) 8 points, 12 votes, highest vote – 3rd
Goddamn, that Zack Sabre Jr. does it again! After being the first match to beat another match by three points with his tiny indy match in the Philippines, he now has the first four-point separation we see on the list—albeit on a MUCH bigger stage. Here, his G1 final match against Yota Tsuji starts the new tier. ZSJ has always been one of the best in-ring wrestlers in the world, and it’s awesome to see him keep popping up in noticeable matches on this breakdown.
There is one other four point difference between matches as we move along this tier – as the return of IYO SKY (Io Shirai) to Japan to face Utami Hayashishita in the new Marigold promotion (7/13) earned 55 points, compared to the 51 points of the Hammerstein Ballroom Continental Classic match between Darby Allin and Will Ospreay on 12/18. That AEW match, though does have the distinction of setting the high water mark for total votes at this juncture with 12, a feat matched by Sareee/Hashimoto at the top of the tier. In fact, after the Ospreay/Darby match at number 37, all of the matches on the list will have at least 10 total votes.
Technical Wizardry – “The True Best Matches of the Year Starts Here” Tier (Seven point difference, >10 votes per match)
34. Daniel Makabe vs. Timothy Thatcher (ACTION, 4/4) 65 points, 11 votes, highest vote – 2nd
To
31. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Richochet vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 10/12) 74 points, 19 votes, highest vote 3rd
A small tier here with a common theme of high-level grappling and technical wrestling in 3 of the 4 matches. Most importantly, though, this tier kicks off with a seven-point difference between the Makabe/Thatcher main event of the ACTION Wrestling show “DEAN~!!!” from WrestleMania Weekend and the Sareee/Hashimoto match from the prior tier. The previous greatest difference between matches had been four points—so we now have, for the very first time on the list, an increase in our “greatest separation” that is more than one point higher than the previous record holder.
We had been steadily going along with one, then two, then three, then four points being the most between matches. But now we are getting into the upper echelons of the list, and instead of a five or six point difference being next we jump all the way to seven!
We are really creating separation here.
This is also seen by the total votes, as we have now entered the portion of the list where every single match has received 11 or more votes. The prior tier had a few 12 and 10 vote-getters but also had some matches that were on between 6-9 ballots. From this point (#34) on, every match here has at least double digits. Honestly, this is the part of the list where we really start getting the true “best” matches of the year.
The Josh Alexander/Will Ospreay match from 1/18 is the highest-rated TNA match on the list and gets a total of 14 votes, setting a new record for the highest vote total. That distinction, though, is broken by the next three matches on the list. Fi,rst we have the CMLL version of the ZSJ vs. Hechicero technical showcase with 15 votes, and then the AEW WrestleDream three-way with 19 votes. Of note – the ZSJ/Hechicero match is Zack’s second highest-rated match on the list – beating out their match from Rev Pro (#48) and the Yota Tsuji G1 Final (#41).
But wait – didn’t I earlier say three matches broke the “highest vote total” record? Why yes, yes I did.
“The Best of the Best Begins” Tier (12 point jump, first matches with >20 votes, first matches with 2 first place votes)
30. Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 3/3) 86 points, 20 votes
To
21. Mayu Iwatani vs. Momo Watanabe (STARDOM/NJPW, 11/17) 107 points, 18 votes, 2 first place votes
While I do believe the seven-point jump and beginning of >10 votes per match of the last tier truly does make those four matches a big inflection point in the list, there’s no denying that with the #30 Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson match from AEW Revolution, they take it to another level completely. This match has a TWELVE point jump from the previous tier, leaving the seven point jump from before in the dust. It also appears on 20 total ballots, a first so far on the countdown.
Other matches in this tier with the distinction of 20 or more votes include Takeshita vs. El Phantasmo from the G1 with 20 votes (the highest-ranked NJPW singles match without Bryan Danielson involved at #24), Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale from All Out with 25 votes (the record holder actually until the next tier), and the Blackpool Combat Club (with Matt Sydal) vs. CMLL match from Arena Mexico with 24 votes.
The tier also contains matches that, for the first time, have more than 1 first-place vote. Coming in each with 2 first-place votes is Starlight Kid vs. Natsupoi from STARDOM (12/29, 87 points) and Bryan Danielson vs. Blue Panther from CMLL on April 5th (94 points).
The “Flirting With Greatness” Tier (17 point jump, first matches with 3 first place votes)
20. Kyle Fletcher vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 12/28), 124 points, 22 votes
To
17. Esfinge vs. Hechicero vs. Euforia vs. Valiente (CMLL, 9/13) 140 points, 23 votes, 3 first place votes
This small tier actually features a number of wrestlers from the prior tier making a big leap. Most noticeable is the previously mentioned Hechicero, who gets his highest-ranked match on the list at #17 with the 4-way apuestas mask match from the CMLL 91 Aniversario. Part of the way it achieves this is by being one of the first matches on the list to have 3 total first-place votes. It earned that distinction along with the other multi-person extravaganza in this tier – the BULLET CLUB WAR DOGS vs. United Empire Dog Pound Cage Match. That match also is notable for being the highest ranked NJPW match on the entire list that does not include Bryan Danielson.
But going back to the start of the tier—the main reason it broke here was the 17-point difference that the Fletcher/Ospreay match from Worlds End had over its predecessor. Previous high difference of 12, now we have 17. As we keep going up the list the point totals are going to keep growing like this, as it’s just the nature of the list. The only match in this tier I have not mentioned so far is the Mayu Iwatani vs. Sareee match from STARDOM – but it too has a feather in its cap, as with 28 votes, it is the highest vote-getter to this point.
And lastly, going back to Ospreay/Fletcher from 12/28 for a moment – it is the last match on this list without a single first-place vote – or to put it another way, it is the highest-ranked match on the countdown that didn’t get a #1 vote.
The “Star Making Performances” Tier (24 point jump, first matches with 30 or more votes, all matches now with at least 1 first place vote)
16. Kyle Fletcher vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 11/23) 164 points, 30 votes, 1 first place vote
To
14. Michael Oku vs. Will Ospreay (RevPro, 2/18) 196 points, 31 votes, 3 first place votes
Hey, speaking of Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay – here they are again! They once again start off a new tier – this time with their AEW Full Gear match and, by virtue of a 24-point advantage over the previous match, the first difference of >20 points in the poll so far. It is also the first match with 30 votes in the poll, an achievement that Will Ospreay also cleared with Michael Oku, as their Rev Pro match appeared on 31 ballots. In addition to these two incredible examples of Will Ospreay putting over a young talent (a very rare occurrence, I know), this “Star Making Performance” tier also includes Cody Rhodes “finishing the story” at WrestleMania with a bevy of run-ins and entrance pops.
The “Hate & Heat” Tier- (first matches with >200 total points, >40 total votes, and >4 first place votes)
13. Will Ospreay vs. PAC (AEW, 9/7) 206 points, 43 votes, 1 first place vote
To
9. CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE, 10/5) 231 points, 45 votes, 1 first place vote
HATE AND HEAT baby! This tier brought the violence and brutality in a way that really responded with voters. It features feud-ending cage matches between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre as well as Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland – which ended up being separated by only 1 point! Punk and Drew inside the Hell in a Cell ends up being the highest-ranked WWE match at number 9, and the first time a main roster WWE match has cracked the top 10 since Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston was #8 in 2019. Since then WALTER/GUNTHER has had a number of NXT/NXT UK matches in the top 10, and twice had main roster clashes featuring Sheamus end up at 11, but it’s been 5 years since a true, main roster WWE match was this high in the list. Punk/McIntyre got this high on the strength of 45 total votes, which is the most to this point.
In fact, it’s the total votes of the #13 Ospreay vs. PAC match that signaled me to a draw a line and create this tier. While it only has 10 points more than the #14 Ospreay/Oku match, and we had already seen differences of 24 and 29 notes previously in the list – the insanely high-level performance from PAC/Ospreay at All Out had a total of 43 votes which was 12 more votes than the previous high of 31. It only got 1 first-place vote, which kept it from getting too much higher on the list, but on the strength of so many votes, it ended up at #13 and in this tier.
Speaking of first-place votes, though, it is the very high number of first-place votes that got our next two matches into this rarified air. The all-star Joshi tag team match from Saree-ism on 9/2 between the teams of Mayu Iwatani/Sareee and Chihiro Hashimoto/VENY (formerly ASUKA) got to #12 on the back of 7 total first-place votes, a big jump from the previous high of 3 first-place votes for 4 different matches in the previous 2 tiers. The next match then brings back the heat and hate with Mad Dog Connely and DEMUS getting 8 total first-place votes for their Dog Collar Match from the highly acclaimed ACTION Wrestling DEAN~!!! Show on 4/4.
In the Voices of Wrestling Discord “Match of the Year” channel (a place I’d highly recommend many of you check out if you’re reading this) – I noticed the emergence of another term, similar to “Sadness Village”, “Vanity Pick”, and “Superstan Match.” In this case, it was the “Sicko Match.”
In the context of the Voices of Wrestling Match of the Year poll, the “sicko match” signifies a unique match from a smaller promotion that gained enough word of mouth and buzz in our circle of wrestling enthusiasts that it was able to end up quite highly ranked in the poll. Many times this is a deathmatch or something extremely violent that wouldn’t have mass appeal. Past examples of the “sicko match” could include Blue Demon Jr. vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. (#10, 8/3/19, AAA), Fuminori Abe vs. Takuya Nomura (#8, 10/12/23, We Are Fighting Detectives), Jun Kasai vs. El Desperado (#8, 9/12/22, Just Tap Out), Masashi Takeda vs. Isami Kodaka (#7, 6/20/18, BJW) and Trauma I vs. Canis Lupis (#8, 9/4/16, IWRG).
For some reason, #8 seems to be a popular landing spot for those matches.
Either way, this year the hopes were on Mad Dog and DEMUS breaking into the top 10 as the “sicko match” and while it just barely missed out on that, one of the reasons for writing this article is to show that even though it didn’t meet the arbitrary distinction of being in the top 10, it should for all intents and purpose be considered just as good as the #10 and #9 matches on the list – matches it was only 10 and 11 points away from.
Instead of a “top 10” in 2024, the number here shows me that we should really use a “Top 13” to give justice to the incredible Mad Dog/DEMUS match, the Saree/Iwatani vs. Hashimoto/VENY tag showcase, and the Ospreay/PAC athletic spectacle. And if we do that, the “sick match” lives on. Long live the sick match!
“A Tier” – The Rainmaker (first matches with >250 points, >50 votes)
7. Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 12/28) 276 points, 50 total votes, 2 first place votes
6. Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson (NJPW, 1/ 4) 347 points, 62 total votes, 2 first place votes
Swerve. Ospreay, Danielson. Names that dominate this tier of the list and all but one of the matches in the top five after this. Hell, those three, and Ospreay and Danielson in particular, practically dominate the entirety of this MOTY list.
One name I didn’t mention, though, is the name I used for this very tier – Kazuchika Okada. The Rainmaker. Much has been made out of Okada’s 2024 and how big a disappointment much of it has been after his jump to AEW. He was stuck in a poorly executed Elite vs. AEW feud in which he wrestled a number of multi-man plunder matches (#140 Anarchy in the Arena, #249 Blood + Guts) or simply didn’t wrestle at all. But Okada is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and he showed us at the very beginning of 2024 with what may be his last Tokyo Dome classic as a full-time NJPW roster member – facing Bryan Danielson. He then regained his swagger nearly one year later facing Will Ospreay in the Continental Classic final at Worlds End.
When he first arrived at AEW, it was promising. A good angle turning on Eddie Kingston and forming a new Elite with the Young Bucks, which seemed to compliment him very well. He then had a good match with Kingston on Dynamite in which he won the Continental Title, and followed it up with a great defense of the title at AEW Dynasty against PAC (#130, 4/21). After that though, the drop-off was steep. The only other AEW matches Okada has on the list that have not yet been mentioned include another multi-man match (the Casino Gauntlet at All In, #64) and a time-limit draw with Claudio Castagnoli on the Dynamite preceding that Wembley show (#305, 8/21) – which was a sadness village pick with only 1 point from a single 10th place vote.
But – despite all of that, he still has these two matches. Matches that reach the “A” tier level of 2024. They are the first matches on the list to have 50 votes (World’s End vs. Ospreay) or more (62 votes for Danielson/Okada at Wrestle Kingdom).
This tier is made with the only non-Okada match on though, that being Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay from Forbidden Door. It managed to surpass the Punk/McIntyre match by 38 points, when the previous biggest jump was 29 points. The thing that kept these three matches from the next level, though, was the first-place votes. Swerve/Ospreay only got 1 first-place vote, while the Okada matches each got 2. Without a big number of 14 pointers from the first place vote, the “only” end up in the A tier, rather than the rarified air of the “A+” tier.
“A+” Tier – The All Time Greats (first matches with >500 points, >80 votes, >10 first place votes)
5. ZSJ vs. Bryan Danielson (NJPW, 2/11) 605 points, 83 votes, 11 first place votes
4. Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 3/3) 695 points, 103 votes, 8 first place votes
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 8/25) 823 points, 112 votes, 14 first place votes
This truly is rarified air. The last tier was impressive, with a 38-point difference – but here we have a 258-point jump. Yes, TWO HUNDRED FIFTY EIGHT POINTS separating the 347 points of Danielson/Okada at #6 and the 605 points of Danielson/ZSJ at #5. Draw a big, thick, bold line to separate these tiers. 258 is a lot of points. In fact, 258 points would put a match at #9 on the list.
These three matches have everything to get up to this insanely high level. The total votes, with ZSJ/Danielson getting 83, Ospreay/Takeshita breaking the 100 mark with 103, and Danielson/Swerve in Wembley getting 112 votes. And then the first-place votes come into play – ZSJ/Danielson with 11 first-place votes and Swerve/Danielson with 14 are the new highs to this point. And Takeshita/Ospreay with 8 is nothing to sneeze at.
“S” Tier – The Amazing Legacies of Sting and Bryan Danielson (first matches with >1000 points, >120 votes, >40 first place votes)
2. Sting and Darby Allin vs. The Young Bucks (AEW, 3/3) 1112 points, 130 votes, 41 first place votes
1. Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 4/21) 1411 points, 134 votes, 62 first place votes
And now we come to far and away the two best matches of the year. Many times the number 1 match pulls far, far ahead to create its own tier at the top of the mountain, but I don’t think Ospreay/Danielson quite did that this year. It is 299 points ahead of the Sting Final Bye Bye, which is the highest difference between any match on the list, but it’s pretty close to the 289 points separating Sting/Darby vs. The Young Bucks and Danielson/Swerve at All In. And it’s not that much more relative to the 258 that ZSJ/Danielson achieved to create the A+ tier.
Plus, it’s just so fitting that these two matches, both featuring all-time great wrestlers in their “retirement” years, can be linked together in this tier. And while Danielson ended his “full-time career” on a much more dour note against Moxley at Wrestle Dream (#53, 10/12) – this match against Ospreay is the capstone on his “final full-time year.” Much like the Sting tag team match – it is a celebration of his entire career and all that was great about it. And much like the Sting match at Revolution – it is simply a celebration of pro wrestling in all its glory.
And that is what this list is, and why I enjoy the Voices of Wrestling Match of the Year Poll so much. It is a great way to celebrate this hobby of ours and truly enjoy it. I know I greatly enjoyed every post revealing more of the list and reading all the various “blurbs” written by the voters extolling the virtues of their favorite matches.
In the end, Danielson/Ospreay ended up with 134 total votes and 62 (SIXTY-TWO!) first-place votes and Sting/Darby vs. The Young Bucks with 130 votes and 41 (FORTY-ONE!) first-place votes. The first place votes alone tell the whole story. Not one of the other matches on this list received even 15 first-place votes. In fact, only four matches received >10 first-place votes (these two and then Danielson/ZSJ with 11 and Swerve/Danielson with 14). Between them—these two matches were the “Match of the Year” on the ballots of 103 serious wrestling fans. Here’s hoping that in 2025 great matches continue to bring out the joy and passion in all of us that I saw in the list from 2024. Honestly – I know it will.
And as a recap/reference – here are the tiers (…of the kingdom)
Voices of Wrestling’s 2024 Match of the Year Tiers
Tiers of the Kingdom
The “Superstan” Tier – 14 points, 1 vote
110. Abadon and Reycko and Sombra Dorada defeat Maravilla Azteca (2/11, Freelance Mexico)
111. Mike Bailey defeats Mustafa Ali (7/20, TNA)
112. TORU defeats Zeus © (12/29, Osaka Pro)
The “Small Fan Base” Tier (Two or more votes)
109. Daisy Monkey (Arisu Endo & Suzume) defeat Ryo Mizunami & Yuki Aino © (3/31, TJPW) 14 points, 2 votes, highest vote – 3rd
To
100. YOSHI HASHI vs. Tomohiro Ishii (7/3, NJPW) 15 points, 4 votes, highest vote – 5th
The “Building Consensus” Tier
99. Bryan Danielson vs. Kasuyori Shibata (3/16, AEW) 15 points, 7 votes, highest vote – 6th place
To
81. Danshoku Dino vs. Sanshiro Takagi (7/21, DDT), 21 points, 2 votes, highest vote – 1st place
“Three’s Company” (Three or more votes per match)
80. Chirio Hashimoto & Mika Iwata vs. Mio Momono & Sareee (1/7, Sendai Girls) 21 points, 4 votes, highest vote – 4th place
To
57. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey (Maple Leaf Pro, 10/19), 28 points, 6 votes, high vote – 1st place
“Separation Begins” (first 2 point jump)
56. Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness (AEW, 9/25), 29 points, 8 votes, highest vote 5th
55. Sami Zayn vs. Gunther (WWE, 4/6) 29 points, 8 votes, highest vote 4th
To
50. Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Mochizuki Jr. (Dragongate, 7/6) 32 points, 7 votes, highest vote 2nd
“Gaining In Popularity” (first three-point jump)
49. Jake De Leon vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (5/26, Dexcon) 35 points, 5 votes, highest vote – 1st
To
42. Hirooki Goto vs. Konosuke Takeshita (8/4, NJPW) 43 points, 9 votes, highest vote – 2nd
The “Solid As a Rock Tier” (first four-point jump)
47. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yota Tsuji (8/18, NJPW) 47 points, 9 votes, 1 first place vote
To
35. Saree vs. Chihiro Hashimoto (1/16, Sareee-ism5) 8 points, 12 votes, highest vote – 3rd
Technical Wizardry – “The True Best Matches of the Year Starts Here” Tier (Seven point difference, >10 votes per match)
34. Daniel Makabe vs. Timothy Thatcher (ACTION, 4/4) 65 points, 11 votes, highest vote – 2nd
To
31. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 10/12) 74 points, 19 votes, highest vote 3rd
“The Best of the Best Begins” Tier (12 point jump, first matches with >20 votes, first matches with 2 first place votes)
30. Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 3/3) 86 points, 20 votes
To
21. Mayu Iwatani vs. Momo Watanabe (STARDOM/NJPW, 11/17) 107 points, 18 votes, 2 first place votes
The “Flirting With Greatness” Tier (17 point jump, first matches with 3 first place votes)
20. Kyle Fletcher vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 12/28), 124 points, 22 votes.
To
17. Esfinge vs. Hechicero vs. Euforia vs. Valiente (CMLL, 9/13) 140 points, 23 votes, 3 first place votes
The “Star Making Performances” Tier (24 point jump, first matches with 30 or more votes, all matches now with at least 1 first place vote)
16. Kyle Fletcher vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 11/23) 164 points, 30 votes, 1 first place vote
To
14. Michael Oku vs. Will Ospreay (RevPro, 2/18) 196 points, 31 votes, 3 first place votes
“Hate & Heat”- (first matches with >200 total points, >40 total votes, and >4 first place votes)
13. Will Ospreay vs. PAC (AEW, 9/7) 206 points, 43 votes, 1 first place vote
To
9. CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE, 10/5) 231 points, 45 votes, 1 first place vote
“A Tier” – The Rainmaker (first matches with >250 points, >50 votes)
8. Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay (AEW/NJPW, 6/30) 269 points , 45 total votes, 1 first place vote
7. Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 12/28) 276 points, 50 total votes, 2 first place votes
6. Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson (NJPW, 1/ 4) 347 points, 62 total votes, 2 first place votes
“A+” Tier – The All-Time Greats (first matches with >500 points, >80 votes, >10 first place votes)
5. ZSJ vs. Bryan Danielson (NJPW, 2/11) 605 points, 83 votes, 11 first place votes
4. Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 3/3) 695 points, 103 votes, 8 first place votes
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 8/25) 823 points, 112 votes, 14 first place votes
“S” Tier – The Amazing Legacies of Sting and Bryan Danielson (first matches with >1000 points, >120 votes, >40 first place votes)
2. Sting and Darby Allin vs. The Young Bucks (AEW, 3/3) 1112 points, 130 votes, 41 first place votes
1. Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 4/21) 1411 points, 134 votes, 62 first place votes
