Honorable Mentions for Top Matches of 2024.
Hello, readers!
This year has been an up and down one for professional wrestling all across the board. Around the world, many promotions struggled, many thrived, many rose to the top, and many sunk to the bottom. Overall, we got to see a lot of great wrestling this year, with a good mixture of styles, memorable moments, and situations that took our breath away. Iāll be covering in depth my Top 10 Matches of the year, but I also want to give a shout out to another 10 matches that just missed the cut. They werenāt in the running for best of the year in my eyes, but I still believe they deserve a shout out regardless.
So, here are the honorable mentions for the Top Pro Wrestling Matches of 2024.
-Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey, Maple Leaf Pro: Forged in Excellence, Night 1 (10/19/2024).
Two men who have become favorites of mine in the past two years clashed on the inaugural MLP event, the promotion ran by former TNA president Scott DāAmore. The first time I saw them wrestle each other, in a match for West Coast Pro in 2022, they blew me away, and that match remains my favorite independent match of all time. So here, years later when both men have grown substantially, I expected nothing less than a banger. I was wrong ā this exceeded my expectations!
Led by lead commentary from the great Mauro Ranallo, Takeshita and Bailey delivered a thrilling back and forth exhibition. Was it anything we havenāt seen before? Absolutely not. But, why is that a bad thing? Nothing wrong with consistency! This match was full of bombs, great sequences, and some genuinely well put together nearfalls by the end. Bailey has been, in my opinion, wrestlingās MVP since his return to the United States in 2022, while Takeshita is a megastar in the making every day he wrestles.
If you enjoy crazy spot fests with hard strikes and sequences like I do, then this is the match for you.
-Sting & Darby Allin vs. Young Bucks, AEW Revolution (3/3/2024).
As far as emotion goes, this will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time for many years to come. For a man who was once told heād never wrestle again in 2015, Sting got a chance to say goodbye to pro wrestling the proper way, and AEW went above and beyond to make sure that it was memorable as it deserved to be. He and Darby Allin defended the AEW World Tag Team Championships against the Young Bucks, who had just begun a new heel run where they have proper first names now.
From the incredible video package of Sting watching career highlights in a movie theater, to his two sons coming out dressed as Surfer and Wolfpac versions of him, to Sting himself entering to Metallicaās āSeek and Destroy,ā this had all the pomp and circumstance it so richly deserved. The match itself was a wild brawl, like all of Stingās AEW matches, just with the added emotional weight. Darbyās Ladder spot through glass was as gnarly then as it is now. That man was ready to die for Stingās last match.
All in all, this has to rank as one of the best retirement matches of all time. Thank you, Sting.
-Bryan Danielson vs. Blue Panther, CMLL Super Viernes (4/5/2024). The American Dragon got to check off a major match from his bucket list during his final year as a full time competitor: the great Blue Panther, a Lucha Libre legend. The two stood across from one another in the famous Arena Mexico, and Panther even donned his mask again for this special occasion. Did the match live up to the hype? It absolutely did. It was a technical masterclass between two wrestlers who do it almost better than anyone.
Iām not super familiar with Panther, but he was excellent to watch here. The way he controlled the mat portions were awesome to watch, and it made me want to seek him out more (which I did for my Lucha theme a few weeks ago). Bryan was, of course, Bryan Danielson, the greatest wrestler in the world, and you could tell he was having a blast wrestling one of his heroes in one of the most famous venues in wrestling.
A really great exhibition between two masters in front of a hot Arena Mexico crowd. What more could you ask for?
-Zack Sabre, Jr. vs. Yota Tsuji, NJPW G1 Climax 34 Finals (8/18/2024).
The Tekkers finally brought it home!
It has been a long time coming for Zack Sabre, Jr., but in 2024, he recorded himself quite the banner year in New Japan Pro Wrestling, but nothing he accomplished was as monumental as winning the G1 Climax ā and Iām including his eventual IWGP World Heavyweight Championship victory over Tetsuya Naito in October at King of Pro Wrestling. Because here, in Sumo Hall, against a man who will almost certainly be carrying this promotion on his back before the decade is over, Zack became only the second foreigner to win Japanās biggest tournament. The first? Just some bum named Kenny Omega.
The crowd was hot for both men, and they gave them an awesome match with so many back and forth sequences that I genuinely didnāt know who was going to take the match. Tsuji has incredibly explosive offense, and at times, he makes you think that the match will end at any time. Zack, meanwhile, is a technical wizard who is so great at controlling his matches that heās able to come back at any given time.
The chemistry these two showed off here was fantastic, and I hope for a proper series with them in the future. In the end, it was Zack who tied up Tsuji in four different submissions at once to take the win to the roar of an approving Sumo Hall crowd. All of the hard work that heās put in, and all the dedication to Puroresu that heās given, paid off here with this monumental victory.
-Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland, AEW All Out (9/7/2024).
The best storyline in AEW history came to a horrifying conclusion, as Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland took their intensely personal rivalry to new heights that scared the living hell out of everyone watching. After Hangman set Swerveās childhood home ablaze, Swerve was determined to come into this match to kill Hangman. Adam Page was also willing to go to any length to destroy his eternal rival.
While not as visceral as their Texas Death Match, this Steel Cage Match made up for the lack of blood by having every moment mean something to the story. Much was said about how this match turned out ā and how out there the violence factor was. It makes sense that these two went to these lengths to get revenge, considering what theyāve been through. The closing sequence is one that, for better and for worse, will live in wrestling infamy for years to come. Hangman uses a syringe inside of Swerveās mouth to knock him loopy, then drilled him in the head with one of the loudest chair shots Iāve ever heard.
You have to appreciate the lengths these two went to tell this story of pure hatred. What affects it will have on both men going forward is up to time to tell.
-Ilja Dragunov vs. Trick Williams, NXT Vengeance Day (2/4/2024).
I only watch WWE today if it ends up being something I got to do for my blog. Thatās the only way I saw this match, but hot damn, I donāt regret it! This was a total surprise for me, and a super fun watch. Iāve been a fan of Ilja Dragunov for years, dating back to his legendary duo of matches with WALTER/Gunther. This was my first introduction to Trick Williams, and I was very impressed with what I saw.
This was a stiff, Strong Style-esque match that got a little bloody, but never let up on the excitement. Trick was the real star here, showing off great athleticism and grit against Dragunov, who we all know is completely insane. I donāt know much of the story going on here, but I didnāt care to know the story, either. All that captured my attention was these two great wrestlers beating the hell out of each other. Mission accomplished.
-Tam Nakano vs. Suzu Suzuki, STARDOM Nagoya Golden Fight (10/5/2024).
For only the second time ever, Tam Nakano and Suzu Suzuki faced off in singles competition for the World of Stardom Championship. Considering the level of talent present here, these two did not disappoint. It was an exciting back and forth Joshi spectacle, with the only negative Iād give it being that the result was never in question. Tam is the Ace in STARDOM right now, but Suzu will unquestionably have her time as the top gal there in the future.
I got a little cold with STARDOM this year, but matches like this brought me back before the year ended.
-Hechicero vs. Zack Sabre, Jr., CMLL Sabados de Coliseo (6/22).
It wasnāt until his match with Bryan Danielson in AEW that I became familiar with Hechicero. Immediately, I was a fan because I have never seen someone do technical wrestling like he does. Side note, the Danielson match he had was excellent and you should seek it out. When I saw that CMLL was doing Hechicero vs. Zack Sabre, Jr., I got extremely excited. I didnāt know if they had previous history together or not (they do), but I didnāt care. All I knew is that the wrestling was going to be exquisite.
I was right! This was a fantastic technical showcase between two literal wizards of the craft. I canāt even accurately describe what all happened here, but I know it was marvelous to watch. I think I preferred that it took place in this smaller venue than Arena Mexico, as it gave it almost a shoot fight feel at times. Or maybe Iām just making that up, I donāt know. Either way, world class technical wrestling is the best wrestling, and these two are fucking awesome at it.
-Kaito Kiyomiya vs. Ryohei Oiwa, Pro Wrestling NOAH N-1 Victory (8/9/2024).
2024 was the year that I attempted to get into present day Pro Wrestling NOAH. It had mixed results for sure. They really do book things weird. The undisputed highlight of my time in NOAH was getting to see Kaito Kiyomiya in all his glory. When heās not getting bitched around by Kazuchika Okada, Kaito is a fantastic babyface wrestler, and the best match he had in 2024 was this 30 minute draw in the N-1 Victory against Ryohei Oiwa, who spent his excursion from New Japan in the Ark.
In one of Japanās nicest surprises, these two had a very old school, NWA like wrestling match that showcased the abilities of both men. Oiwa ā the man with the best nickname in the business, āThe Grip,ā took Kaito to the limit here, controlling much of the early portions of the match, before Kaito would make his comeback in the back half. It wasnāt flashy, or full of spots ā it was just a throwback to days gone by, and it got over really well with the Korakuen audience, who ate this up.
A wonderful battle between two of Japanās brightest young stars ā a sign of the great future Japanese wrestling has waiting for it.
-Bullet Club vs. United Empire, NJPW New Beginning in Osaka (2/11/2024).
One thing I appreciate about New Japan is that when they do a match thatās rarely, if ever, done, they do it to the umpteenth degree. The Dog Pound Cage Match ā their version of WarGames ā was exactly as advertised: a complete clusterfuck of chaos in the best possible way. For over an hour, Will Ospreay and his United Empire pals helped send him off to AEW in a total war against David Finlay and his War Dogs.
Alex Coughlinās career ended because of this match. HENARE nearly died from a head injury caused in this match. Bullet Club literally tore the ring apart, including the wood planks, to the point that walking in the ring meant imminent danger. They all told a great story of toughness and grit, with Bullet Club systematically taking United Empire apart one by one, until only Ospreay was left. And then, he lost. Bullet Club was triumphant, and Will Ospreay got to give an emotional speech to the Osaka crowd, promising that he would be back one day.
A bloody, chaotic affair. If New Japan did this a lot, it wouldnāt be as special. But here, it feels like a bizarre moment in time.