Our 2018 Match of the Year countdown rolls on as we quickly approach our Top 50. Today’s collection of matches features several matches to receive first-place votes as well as our first match to receive double-digit votes.

2018 MATCH OF THE YEAR ARCHIVES

VOICES OF WRESTLING MATCH OF THE YEAR ARCHIVES

#75

David Starr vs. Orange Cassidy

11/25

Beyond Wrestling

Total Votes: 3

Overall Points: 14

Highest Vote: 4th

“In one night Cassidy goes from a comedic wrestling genius to a serious player on the scene with the heart of a lion. Maybe the most impressive match of the year.” -Dylan Hales

#74

Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong vs Trent Seven & Tyler Bate

8/18

WWE NXT

Total Votes: 5

Overall Points: 14

Highest Vote: 5th

“There’s something incredibly British about Trent Seven that I absolutely love. He’s clearly out of shape and lacks the skill shared by the other three competitors here. What he does have is guile and he has it in bucketloads. He’ll take a beating for minutes at a time and somehow squirm his way to the corner and keep his team alive. Combine this guile with Bate’s superhuman strength, O’Reilly’s martial arts and Strong’s brutal offence and you have a superb three-match series. The emotion dripping from Bate’s face as he considers throwing in the towel is pure and wonderful. I screamed along with him and was desperate for the underdogs to take another improbable victory. I prefer this Takeover match, but all three were fantastic.” -Neil David

#73

Kenoh vs Takashi Sugiura

3/12

Pro Wrestling NOAH

Total Votes: 2

Overall Points: 15

Highest Vote: 2nd

“GHC Heavyweight Champion Kenoh finds that building an era is not as easy as he thought, especially when it comes to defending the title against a veteran who appears to have been manufactured by SKYNET.” -Hisame

#72

Kento Miyahara vs. Naomichi Marufuji

5/24

AJPW

Total Votes: 3

Overall Points: 15

Highest Vote: 4th

“This was the perfect clash between NOAH and All Japan. Naomichi Marufuji came back to AJPW after a long time, defeating everyone on his way in the Champion’s Carnival 2018. He ended up winning the tournament after defeating Miyahara, the current ace of AJPW, in a fantastic match. As a result, they had a second bout for the championship. This was even better than the first one, with Kento being controlled by Marufuji. Kento’s selling was on point. Marufuji hit Kento with everything he had, but that wasn’t enough. The last 5 minutes of this match was pure perfection, with a fired up crowd.” -Gin Malkâvar

#70

Meiko Satomura vs. Kay Lee Ray

5/5

Pro Wrestling EVE

Total Votes: 2

Overall Points: 16

Highest Vote: 2nd

“On the biggest women’s wrestling show in the history of Europe, York Hall was packed for Wrestle Queendom. In a show that featured several matches that stoodout, Meiko Satomura vs. KLR stole the show. Meiko is obviously a legend and deserves all the praise she gets, but KLR is perpetually an overlooked star in wrestling… especially when she’s potentially the best women’s wrestler in all of the Western world. With that said, this match to me was literally the “The Best of the East vs. The Best of the West.” Go watch it.” -Doug Fowler (Skeach101)

#70

Kento Miyahara vs Zeus

7/29

AJPW

Total Votes: 2

Overall Points: 16

Highest Vote: 2nd

“This was the crowning of Zeus as champion after years of buildup. I realise that if you weren’t following the story or were just not into it, this might not be as strong for you but if you were then it was a beautiful moment.” -Paul Völsch

#69

AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan

10/30

WWE

Total Votes: 2

Overall Points: 17

1 First-Place Vote

“It’s like their 04/10 match, but this time there’s no interference endings & they get to tell their story fully. It’s two masters of the graps doing the dueling limb work thang w/ excellent selling & excellent work on the offense by both. Exactly my kind of rasslin. Tells something about them when the whole crowd is going nuts from start to finish, and there’s ZERO finisher nearfalls.” -Heikki Oinonen

#68

King Fenix vs. Barbaro Cavernario

11/23

CMLL

Total Votes: 2

Overall Points: 18

1 First-Place Vote

“Carvernario may very well have been CMLL’s MVP for 2018. At the start of the year his skill set was there but he did not often get the time to shine, stuck in La Pesta Negra alongside the likes of Mr. Niebla was holding him back. performances like this one against someone with the talent level of Fenix on a big stage such as this helped him rise above and become that much more important in the yes of the fans and CMLL bookers. Fenix continued his streak of being a star every single place he wrestles, not just because of his own presentation, but also how he elevates anyone he wrestles against.” -Rich Laconi

#67

Io Shirai vs. Momo Watanabe

5/23

Stardom

Total Votes: 4

Overall Points: 18

Highest Vote: 4th

“Io’s performance here was mesmerizing, when she wasn’t savagely beating Momo, she was making the challenger’s offense look like death. This was a masterful passing of the torch.” -aguakun





#66

Pentagón Jr. vs. Sami Callihan

7/22

Impact Wrestling

Total Votes: 5

Overall Points: 18

Highest Vote: 3rd

“A match perfectly adapted to the hate of the rivalry, one that exploited the violent nature of its competitors to it’s maximum. Loyal to the gimmick, Pentagón didn’t show fear of being hit in the head with baseball bats or getting spikes stuck on his forehead; and the same could be said about Callihan, who was enjoying every moment of the match, smiling as blood dripped from his face. This was a match that elevated not only both competitors, but the entire company as well, creating a sense of pride toward the product and consolidating Pentagón Jr. vs. Sami Callihan as one of 2018’s best feuds.” -Ricardo Gallegos

#65

Juice Robinson vs. Jay White

7/10

NJPW

Total Votes: 6

Overall Points: 18

Highest Vote: 5th

“This match made me regret not being able to make my trip to SF. That they were able to deal with Josh Barnett being a complete roid raging idiot during the match and work it into what they were doing is a testament to both guys. Juice winning was a fantastic moment and this was the most dramatic match in the US by far in all of 2018.” -Mongo Underscore Ebooks

#64

Kazusada Higuchi vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. MAO vs. Masashi Takeda

7/3

DDT

Total Votes: 3

Overall Points: 19

Highest Vote: 2nd

“My highlight for DDT in 2018 was seeing the rise of MAO as the company’s new resident Falls Count Anywhere high flyer. A role that had been left vacant since Ibushi left. For DDT’s briefly lived Maji Manji online TV show they presented that style at full blast with a crazy 4 Way match also involving their ace Konosuke Takeshita, their brute Kazusada Higuchi and the best deathmatch wrestler in the world today Masashi Takeda. Not only did the match provide crazy bumps around Shin-Kiba 1st RING but it also had moments like MAO driving a van into his boss Sanshiro Takagi!” -Jamie O’Doherty

#63

Takashi Sugiura vs Go Shiozaki

8/18

Pro Wrestling NOAH

Total Votes: 3

Overall Points: 20

1 First-Place Vote

“Amazing match that calls back to the beloved NOAH days of yore that was suitably epic with all the hard hitting action these two are known for with nods to the legends of NOAH in Kobashi and Misawa. The only thing holding these two back with their impressive and desperate and vigorous performances is the typical story of NOAH matches being 5-10 minutes too long, but in the context of these two I found it to work better than other styles of wrestling since it came across as these two being too stubborn to go down. Excellent performance and another hard hitting match from the Killing Machine’s title reign.” -Dylan Fox

#62

WALTER vs Tyler Bate

9/30

PROGRESS

Total Votes: 4

Overall Points: 20

Highest Vote: 2nd

“Walter as a champion being analogous to a video game final boss may have been my favorite wrestling commentary of the year. Everything about him screams unbeatable final challenge-his music, his wardrobe and the way he typically towers over his opposition. Tyler Bate was a late replacement for PROGRESS in their Wembley debut and I would say he made the match that much better for his presence. He fought valiantly, he used every trick and technique he could use and he still came up short. A truly brilliant battle between two of the best in the world.” -Michael Levy

#61

Ricky Marvin vs. Keyra

1/7

Lucha Memes

Total Votes: 3

Overall Points: 21

1 First-Place Vote

“The best intergender match of all time. I’m not sure that I’ll think this is the best match of the year in terms of work with distance, but I think that having the best match of a specific type ever deserves recognition and praise.” -JR Goldberg

#60

Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi

8/4

NJPW

Total Votes: 4

Overall Points: 21

Highest Vote: 3rd

“Even though Naito-Ibushi’s match in the 2017 G1 was better than 2018 (by just a smidge), I would still argue the 2018 version was more impressive. Why? They had to go out there and follow Kenny Omega and Tomohiro Ishii after they just tore the house down by kicking out of I think every move in history. Rather than trying to follow that by also going a million miles an hour, which may not have worked, Naito and Ibushi went out there and had a very different kind of match. It started slow and built just as slowly, but by the time it was over it was, in this writer’s opinion at least, even better than Omega vs. Ishii. And that’s quite an achievement, considering I had both at five stars. This was just a little bit better.” -John Carroll

#59

Io Shirai & Tam Nakano vs. Oedo Tai

4/1

Stardom

Total Votes: 3

Overall Points: 22

1 First-Place Vote

“An exploding baseball bat deathmatch is either going to be a massive mess or an emotional ride. Either way, it’ll be memorable. And Stardom–who are great at forcing emotions out of their fans–pulled out one of the greatest emotional rides of the year. Each of the four women had distinct roles: Shirai’s reluctance, Kagetsu’s insanity, Tam’s confidence (and experience), and Natsu’s wild card. Everyone played their parts perfectly, but Shirai and Natsu–the two women least suited for such a match–exceeded all expectations. It’s a rare treat to have a gimmick match that not only triggers a such an emotional response, but one that is well-worked, and is a pure joy to go back and watch over and over. Stardom took a huge risk booking this as the final match of their much-hyped Dream Slam series. But that risk paid off with a spectacle that will stick with me forever.” -Derek Tillotson

#58

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

3/21

NJPW

Total Votes: 4

Overall Points: 22

Highest Vote: 5th

“Zack has a vicious counter for everything Tanahashi throws at him, ruthlessly dismantling the Ace with surgical precision to announce himself as a contender in NJPW.” -Joel Abraham

#57

Black Danger, Ultimo Maldito & Mirage vs. Arkangel Divino, Black Destiny & Genio del Aire

4/20

AAA

Total Votes: 5

Overall Points: 22

Highest Vote: 2nd

“The craziest and most pristine spotfest you will have yet seen in your life, six luchadors in their teens and early twenties going out and nearly murdering each other in the most aesthetically pleasing fashion possible. Pro wrestling as carnival. But really, what is even the POINT of trying to put together a clever little paragraph on this one? Words can’t do it justice. Go and track it down on YouTube yourself.” -Jack Stevenson

#56

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

6/16

WWE (NXT)

Total Votes: 4

Overall Points: 23

Highest Vote: 2nd

“I could literally just write, “Take what worked about their New Orleans match and amplify it” and that would be fitting. But, I’m here to write, so I’ll go into more detail. They hit each other harder this time around. They added more story elements from their history. The drama and emotion were kicked up a notch. It’s insane to work a stipulation so similar to the previous match, yet deliver something so different. While they still used weapons that fit their storyline, this fight revved things up and brought others into play like the steel steps, trash cans, and the exposed ring. But this truly took off because of the callbacks. This being in Chicago, where Ciampa first turned on Johnny, they redid that moment by the stage. Then, you had Ciampa removing Johnny’s wedding ring to spit at it, only for Johnny to hit him with the Air Raid Crash off the stage, similar to what Ciampa did a year earlier. Incredible. Just when it seemed like the medics and officials would take Ciampa out on a stretcher, Gargano snapped and brought him to the ring for more of a beating. It was violent. He was a man possessed. It ultimately cost him, as he took a surprise DDT from Ciampa onto the exposed part of the ring at 35:27. They somehow bested their last match with one filled with emotion and drama. These guys are special. [*****]” -Kevin Pantoja





#55

Miyu Yamashita vs. Yuu

8/25

Tokyo Joshi Pro

Total Votes: 4

Overall Points: 23

Highest Vote: 2nd

“The appeal of TJPW has always been it’s eclectic roster of characters and the natural charisma they bring to the ring rather than the workrate. Yet for those who have been following the careers of Yamashita and Yuu, it was no surprise that they put on one of the best singles matches of the year. There were no flips or piledrivers here, instead the two put on a main event that combined pro wrestling with shootstyle grappling. Since winning the Princess of Princess belt at the start of the year, Yamashita has become the undisputed ace of the promotion and this defence was the pinnacle of her reign in 2018.” -Ewan Cameron

#54

The Young Bucks & Kota Ibushi vs. Bandido, Rey Fenix & Rey Mysterio Jr.

9/1

ALL IN

Total Votes: 3

Overall Points: 24

1 First-Place Vote

“The spots were nuts and the style of match was certainly my type of match. Good stuff but everything felt crammed as they were short on time – which worked out in the end. This was insane.” -Griffin Peltier

#53

Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masa Kitamiya vs. Takuya Nomura & Hideyoshi Kamitani

7/10

Riki Choshu Produce

Total Votes: 5

Overall Points: 25

Highest Vote: 3rd

“I felt physical pain watching this. The Nakajima performance in particular is the single best and most badass performance in a wrestling ring this year. It’s hardly a match, mostly an ass kicking. Like if the best Brody match ever was dominated by kicks rather than errant fists.” -Andy LaBarre

#52

Nick Gage vs. David Arquette

11/16

GCW

Total Votes: 10

Overall Points: 25

Highest Vote: 3rd

“It is not something that I would not call a great match in the traditional sense, but it’s a spectacle. One of the most memorable matches of 2018. On one hand is convicted felon & deathmatch legend Nick Gage. The other is Hollywood actor & the man considered the ‘worst World Champion in history’ David Arquette. This was just crazy to watch with a shocking ending where Arquette gets a seriously bad cut on his neck & then freaks out about it. That results in him SHOOTING ON NICK FN GAGE (what a mid-life crisis) which Gage professionally & calmly put to an end with shoulder throw & pinned him for the awkward ending.

But before that happened, Arquette was holding his own & bled like crazy. Nick Gage had a very Nick Gage performance & got a lot of love from the GCW crowd. There was crowd brawling, lightubes, Joey Ryan trying to get Nick Gage to touch his dick, Messiah etc. Words can’t describe this match. Heck, I remember seeing this get reported on my local news station in South Australia & I popped big. It’s a moment & match in wrestling that I will not forget.” -ScorpioCorp

“This is the most fascinating match of 2018. On the surface, it is the story of a celebrity wrestler getting carved up by the most prolific deathmatch wrestler on the current indie scene, who eventually gets so scared that he starts actually fighting his attacker. And it is that. But there are really so many more nuances within that really makes this work on so many levels. From the beginning, Arquette is over his head. He’s doing his best to go toe-to-toe with Gage, but he still isn’t really a wrestler. He almost falls of the ropes because he’s shaking so much, he gets brutalized and very bloody, just completely in over his head. And Gage knows this, so he takes full advantage, maiming his opponent and showing him that wrestling is no joke. Still, Arquette soldiers on and tries his best to keep going. Finally, the whole experience gets too real, Arquette snaps and actually attacks Gage when Gage wouldn’t end the match, leading to a somewhat awkward pinfall. Even though the ending obviously went wrong, it somehow plays into the entire story laid out during the match brilliantly, making each stage of the match feel like a logical progression to the finish. It’s insane that this match works so well, but it is one of the greatest wrestling spectacles of recent memory.” -Kevin Hare

#51

Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

8/10

NJPW

Total Votes: 5

Overall Points: 26

Highest Vote: 3rd





VOW 2018 Match of the Year Countdown (282-51)