Larry's Top 10 Pro Wrestling Matches of 2011

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

8.

Roderick Strong (c) vs. Davey Richards
for the ROH Heavyweight Title @ ROH Final Battle 10 (12/18/11)

It was a long slow burn to Davey Richards' first title reign in ROH. In what was the classic "go over" match for Richards ended with a shocking loss. Many at the time felt that Richards loss here was a poor finish to a potential MOTY contender. However, I feel as though the loss was justified and helped book another 6+ months of show for ROH. It was a ballsy call to make for an ending, and maybe hindsight is 20/20 here, but for me, it worked knowing what we know now. The last part of the match was a bit muddled, but I feel good with what they did here. Strong may have needed a win just as much as Richards did here, albeit different reasons. A good spring board for the first half of the year of booking for ROH for Richards, Strong, and eventually, Eddie Edwards, all of which provided strong matches with one another in 2011.​

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

7.

Shingo Takagi vs. Susumu Yokosuka
@ Dragon Gate UK (10/22/11)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqtgBsFLBh4"]Dragon Gate UK : Shingo v Yokosuka 3 DVD Trailer 22/10/11 Nottingham UK - YouTube[/ame]

Great crowd at Albert Hall and a ridiculously hot finish coupled with two top performers will usually a big match for me. The third and "final" battle between these two rivals, in England...dis gon b gud...and it was. The last third of the match had me at the edge of my seat with near fall after near fall and big spot after big spot. If you don't know the winner, I won't spoil it for you, its best to just sit back and enjoy this match clean.​

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

6.

Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
@ Destruction 11 (10/10/11)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Ft8y_dNog"]10/10/11 Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tetsuya Naito - YouTube[/ame]

Whoa. This one was strong. Naito is coming off a super strong G1 Climax as the runner up and challenges the champion in his now 8th title defense. Tanahashi, inching closer to Nagata's record of TEN title defenses with the IWGP Heavyweight Title, brings it here. This was a very strong year for Tanahashi and has quietly become one of my must watch foreigners for my wrestling fix.

This match starts off pretty basic, but around the 15 minute mark of this match it kicks it up. The end is fun...Tanahashi nearly goes full retard with the High Flying Flow finisher. I'm always a big fan of post-match shenanigans, and this match is complete with it as Nagata gets involved after the post-match show of respect by Tanahashi. This match did a good job of elevating Naito without putting him over. He put on a helluva effort in this match.

​

 

[Liquidrob]

Larry getting NO HEAT in this thread

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

No love for a master list, Rob...no love.

I assume everyone is watching the matches so they can't respond.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Larry getting NO HEAT in this thread

This is awesome, larry did not mail this in, fantastic job. Hes even got a couple listed here that I havent seen, which has inspired me to dig them up.

Great job larry.

 

[Bigpapa42]

Just rewatched Tanahashi-Naito. Definitely one my favorite matches of the year. Great work on this. Top-level, good sir.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

5.

Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kota Ibushi
~Finals~
@ New Japan Best of the Super Jr. XVIII (6/10/11)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lez9ltm8MNo"]NJPW BOSJ XVIII Final: Ryusuke Taguchi vs Kota Ibushi (Part 1) - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBoAPIUT3as"]NJPW BOSJ XVIII Final: Ryusuke Taguchi vs Kota Ibushi (Part 2) - YouTube[/ame]

I shouldn't need to give you a paragraph on this match. Its the best non-American match I've seen all year. It runs only 20 minutes. If you're a fan of wrestling on any level, its your duty to at least check this out and it'll give you a good idea of the quality of match that is going on overseas.

Not only that, but this match is historic in that Ibushi is the first man not affiliated with New Japan Pro Wrestling to EVER win the Super Junior tournament.

If you have a chance, check out the entire final night, where you also get Davey Richards and Prince Devitt facing off against the finalists...really helps you put together the psychology and selling for the match. Both are short matches, so no worries. Overall, I'm a sucker for tournaments, I'm a sucker for the finals, and I'm a sucker for flippy Japs actually selling and telling a story. Ibushi really puts together an A+ performance here. I'm also a sucker for unintentional comedy...watch the referee after he count the 3 and is molested by Ibushi.

​

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

4.

Kevin Steen (c) v. El Generico
~Ladder Match~ for the PWG Championship
@ PWG Steen Wolf (10/22)

The top four matches are in my top four for more reasons than simply being great matches in the ring. The entire program each these matches encompass were of the best of the year and while not only put together top efforts in the ring all of the exterior factors make the top four matches not only compelling but were game changers for each company.

The first to be mentioned is actually a feud that began in 2010 and was considered by...well...pretty much everybody to be the Feud of the Year...Kevin Steen versus El Generico. Former tag team partners turned blood sworn enemies ended their feud in Ring of Honor at Final Battle 2010, however, in 2011, it spilled over to the west coast at PWG where this classic ROH rivalry was re-visited. Steen, the PWG Champion, against his arch nemesis did not disappoint once again. And once again, the right guy going over.

This is one of the best ladder matches I've seen in a long time, and I'm a sucker for a good ladder match and this match delivered with some over the top use of the ladder. Usually I'm not fond of the flippy non-psychological use of the ladder in these matches (see Michaels/Razor Ramon on how to use the ladder as a character in the match) but these wrestlers want to murder each other, and their use of the ladders just work here. It is also one of the best matches I've seen from PWG. The fans eat Steen up and it really adds to his aura over there.

Plus, the post match shenanigans are mark out worthy for you geeks.

Hunt this entire PPV down. This was a late addition to this list, as I was only able to find the torrent a few weeks ago, but it always pops up on fileserve or filesonic, but the PPV is one that everyone should check out, its really strong.

Also, please note, this PPV poster might be the most ridiculous I've seen since the Sheamus Extreme Rulez poster a few years back. + points for that.

 

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Top 3 coming tomorrow for all two of you following this shit.

 

[OnlyOneBeerLeft]

I'm following :shifty:

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

3.

Eddie Edwards (c) vs. Davey Richards
for the ROH World Championship @ ROH Best in the World 2011 (6/26/11)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ9ETYFLdAk"]ROH Best In The World 2011 Hype Video: Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards - YouTube[/ame]

Now, we get to the classics.

Richards' run through ROH has been nothing short of strong. One of the best, if not the best technical wrestler in the world in 2011, finally captured his first ROH World Championship after two previously unsuccessful tries (v. Tyler Black @ DBD VIII and Roderick Strong @ Final Battle 2010). Following the Strong match at Final Battle, Richards' is "out" with a "concussion" and in his steed, his upstart tag team partner, Eddie Edwards, does what Richards could not, and that is capture the ROH World Title, which sets up a classic, if not cliche match where tag team partners and friends face off where both have everything to prove.

Davey vows to never challenge for the ROH title again if he fails a third time. Edwards needs to show his partner, regarded as the world's best, that he is legit and worthy of being ROH Champion.

This stuff writes itself and with two of the world's best in-ring performers, surely this match is destined for greatness?

It was.

A match like this justified months and months of booking for ROH. It was so strong, in hindsight, it boosted up another strong in-ring match in Richards/Strong back at Final Battle, somewhat justifying the booking decision to keep the belt on Strong and making Richards win here that much more satisfying.

This match is a classic of its type of program (tag partners turned adversaries)...no one turned heel to cheese out the program. It was simply two tag partners with one thing in common, the championship.

Must watch wrestling here, folks. Great story to build toward Davey's first world title run. Great match execution. Great result. And what followed was solid booking too.

I'll say this one more time. ROH is down, its not nearly as good as it was earlier in the decade. But their best is still as good or better than anyone else's best.

Great work here.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

2.

Kevin Steen vs. El Generico
~Fight Without Honor~
Career vs. Mask
@ ROH Final Battle 10 (12/18/11)

Is it possible for one man to have the best feud, two years in a row?

If it is, Kevin Steen just had it.

2010 was a great year for Steen and former partner turned bitter, hated , blood enemy, arch nemesis, oooo they really hate each other now guy El Generico. The climax to this feud, what is presented here, was nothing short of EPIC. It is the apex of what the blow off match between two people that hate each other should look like.

It had everything on the line. Kevin Steen's ROH career, El Generico's mask/identity...all on the line in this match.

This match was a year's worth of build. Steen turned on Generico a year prior at Final Battle 09, and they had a series of matches throughout the year with each match compounding on the last, feuling hatred and furthering their program.

The psychology of this match, and everything leading up to it has been great. They sell Generico's BRAINBUSTAH!!! like a million bucks throughout the feud and it pays off in this match. Maybe some of the best work here in the States of putting over a finisher in I have no idea how long, that is how well they put over the move in this feud. Great use of the chair. This match just does everything well, the whole feud did everything well and this feud goes into the record books as one of the best America has or should ever see. One of the best brawls you'll see.

This match is A+ all around, not just because of the in-ring product, but because of everything that came before and after as well. What followed was a year long feud for Steen against ROH as ROH would wipe Steen's career from their record books. It would again set up a year long feud for Steen in ROH with a big blow off once again at Final Battle 11. Booking like that with its dedication to maintaining the integrity of the program can never be undersold, and they did it here.
​

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

1.

John Cena (c) vs. CM Punk
for the WWE Championship
@ WWE Money in the Bank (7/17/11)

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXC274VFH6I"]CM Punk vs John Cena MITB 2011 part 1/3 - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxji1icP0tg"]John Cena Vs CM Punk MITB 2011 part 2/3 - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-55C3ERB9U&feature=related"]John Cena Vs CM Punk MITB 2011 part 3/3 - YouTube[/ame]

For a moment, let me use pictures to tell you how important this match is...

This right here:

is the image of CM Punk that the general population of fans will hold onto similarly to the way they hold on to these:

for those individual performers.

And it didn't happen at WrestleMania.

It was a feud that started with a break of the fourth wall during a promo by CM Punk...a ticked off employee whose contract is coming up, but has a shot at the WWE Championship on his way out.

Normally the way this goes, is CM Punk lays down with the quickness to the champion, John Cena on his way out and looking bad in the process, succumbing to the five moves of doom in incredibly tacky, cliche form.

But, this was different.

After Punk's scortching hot promo, he was TRENDING WORLDWIDE (!!!) for weeks. By the time the bell rang for the championship match at a generally middling WWE pay per view, he was the hottest thing the company had in a long time. He was suddenly a household name and a win versus Cena on his way out the door, in a very non-WWE way, would skyrocket him to what the flippy Japs call "Ace" status here in America...but it would take something so unconenventional, surely Vince McMahon doesn't have the balls to pull it off.

I can't recall being this hype for a non-descript WWE pay per view ever. It was the first non-major PPV I recall actually making an appointment to sit down and watch.

The result...nothing short of classic. Maybe the best overall match the WWE has put together in what...15 years? Sure, the WWE has put together some great matches over that period...hell, the WWE had a MotY contender at WrestleMania just this year and put together MotY winners and contenders the previous two years, but there was something different here, something that is "historic" in its own way.

It wasn't two great in-ring wrestlers facing off in some flippy hard hitting match. It was an Indy geek and self professed "best in the world" taking the "biggest star in the world" of wrestling that everyone knows is very limited in the ring to the limits, and not only beating him, but putting together a great in-ring product with him. So much so, it was given only the 5th ***** rating in WWF/E history by Dave Meltzer.

Now, was it a ***** worthy in-ring product? Probably not. But, in my opinion, everything leading up to it and everything that match and the moments that followed stood for, it deserves that rating. The WWE, known for cheap cop outs and corny shenanigans, did none of that. Even the post-match shenangigans had the right result and what result was that iconic image above.

A+ all around.

Maybe it gets the boost for being in the WWE, but credit where credit is due on my end. The match isn't great based off one aspect, much like the other members of the Top 3, its a "sum of its parts" type nomination, for me.

It made an "ace" out of CM Punk. It put over John Cena better than I've ever seen him be put over, and he didn't win the match. The crowd was as hot a crowd as I've seen for a WWE event since the One Night Stand event. The moment it produced will be WWE canon. The right guy went over when no one thought, for even a second, that the right guy would ever go over for a plethora of reasons. All of those things considered...its the best match of the year for me.

Now, what resulted was Vince McMahon blowing his load early...but that's par for the course, I guess.​

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Fantastic job, larry. Well rounded, well researched, well done.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Looks like you really dig Tanahashi this year.

Is he your wrestler of the year?

I'd figure for most it's either Tanahashi, Steen, or if you don't follow indies or japs it would have to be Punk.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Looks like you really dig Tanahashi this year.

Is he your wrestler of the year?

I'd figure for most it's either Tanahashi, Steen, or if you don't follow indies or japs it would have to be Punk.

Punk is a victim of brutal booking in the WWE.

Tanahashi, Steen, Generico are victims of me seeing their matches in their own bubble, not necessarily in context every time, and for Tanahashi, obviously the language barrier.

I'm going to come up with my Observer Awards sometime tonight and put them in this thread for all three of you that are following this thing.

Nominees for Wrestler of the Year, for me...

CM Punk
Kevin Steen
El Generico
Davey Richards
Hiroshi Tanahashi
Eddie Edwards
Kota Ibushi

 

[Bigpapa42]

Feel like I'm just echoing W2B here, but nice work on this. Some quality writing.

Makes me think you should do an all-time list of your own. I'm thinking you could probably get a top 500 wrestlers list researched, written, and posted before W2B gets #9 on his list done...

 

[FedEx227]

Great stuff Larry. When I get a chance I'm going to sit down and watch the matches I haven't caught up on yet. Really, really good stuff all around though.