Match of the Year Podcast

Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar in a 60 Minute Iron Man

A look at one of the best matches in the history of SmackDonw! and what it means to be a match that has actual impact. 

Gargano vs. Ricochet

As is usually the case, the NXT Take Over show was amazing, and the Gargano vs. Ricochet match was not only the best match on the show, but the best match so far this year!

2018 Wrestler of the Year - Tommaso Ciampa

I look at the 4 main candidates for Wrestler of the Year, and why the Psychokiller is the easy choice!

Owen vs. Bret at WrestleMania X

THe best opening match of all-time? The best Brother v. Brother match ever? The last example of great and smart WWF booking? Is Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart all of those things? Let's find out!

Omega vs. Jericho!

5 Star Match from the Tokyo Dome!

TLC - Asuka vs. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch

The best match ever in San Jose? Big statement, but it might be true, as these three main evented a hot PPV and put in a match that might have won Match of the Year in another day and place. Becky is the hottest thing in wrestling, Charlotte proves what a great athlete she is, and Asuka is awesome! 

2007 Brawl - Morishima vs. Danielson

We look at an amazing Ring of Honor match between Takeshi Morishima and Bryan Danielson which completely shows how brawling can fit into the context of a traditional wrestling. Also, how awesome was 2007 for Bryan Danielson!

2006 Brawl - Finlay vs. Benoit

We look at the November 2006 SmakDown brawl between Finlay and Chris Benoit. We discuss the way in which Finlay is basically Stan Hansen for the early 2000's WWE, why I still talk about Benoit after he murdered his family and killed himself, and how 2006 was a very interesting time!

Brawl of the Year 2005 - Money in the Bank

The first of the Money in the Bank matches and one that really shows what the WWE was in 2005, what they were shooting for, how the Ladder match progressed, and especially how they could go from Attitude to PG-13

Bloody Judgment Day - Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL

What does blood mean in wrestling? Eddie and JBL had a match that is an excellent example of what it can mean.

Brawl of the Year 2003 - CM Punk vs. Raven

The feud that defined what RoH would become, that put Punk on the map, and that demonstrates how the rising quality of wrestling around the world led to far better gimmick matches!

Ciampa vs. Gargano at NXT TakeOver New Orleans

A look at what will compete for Match of the Year and one of the all-time most dramatic matches that ever took place in the US, or anywhere for that matter! A look at what it took to make it all into one of the best matches ever!

Brawl of the Year - Shawn Michaels vs. HHH at SummerSlam 02!

The Return of The Heartbreak Kid in an unsanctioned Streetfight leads to one of the best brawls of the decade!

Brawl of the Year 1999 - Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome in ECW

A look at a wonderful 1999 ECW brawl and what these guys meant to bringing FMW-style wrestling to the masses in the US. See table spots, and when a finisher still meant the finish was here.

Brawl of the Year 1998 - Taz vs. Bam Bam Bigelowe

A classic spot, perfectly built-to, and brilliantly executed.

Match of the Year contender - Ember Moon vs. Asuka

NXT's best woman's match ever, and one of the best of th eyear! It's also Asuka's last NXT match and the best thing goin!

Brawl of the Year 1994 - Nakamaki/Ono vs. The Headhunters

This is IWA Japan, and while it's a company that had a lot of wildness (and will be a major part of 1995: The Year Brawling Broke) this was one of the craziest, with two teams that understood how to tell the story of a good brawl.

Brawl of the Year 1993 - Funk vs. Onita

Remember that match you saw back in the 1990s where Terry Funk was fighting a guy you didn't know and then the freakin' ring exploded? This is that match!

Brawl of the Year 1992 - The Moondogs vs. Lawler and Jarrett

A look at the most violent tag team of the 1990s, bar none, and their classic feud with Jerry Lawler and Jeff Jarrett!

1991 - Eddie Gilbert vs. Cactus Jack 2-out-of-3 Falls Madness!

A Cage Match, a Stretcher Match, and a Falls Count Anywhere match, all in one night, all absolutely insane. One of the great brawls, and two guys who would change the business forever, even if only one of them seems to get any credit for it...

Brawl of the Year 1990 - Onita/Goto vs. Sakaruda/Kurisu

Yep, we're jumping into FMW, and not for the last time! Here, we see what a wild, out-of-control brawl looked like in 1990, why it was important, and most of all, how we can look at this and see where it fits in with wrestling in general.

Brawl of the Year 1988 - Stan Hansen/Terry Gordy vs. Genichiro Tenryu/Toshiaki Kawada

An All Japan tag match that demonstrates what exceptional brawling looks like in the context of a traditional All Japan main event!

1989 Brawl of the Year - Flair vs. Funk in I Quit

It's the best brawl of the 1980s, an amazing example of two athletes at their peak working a style that would influence the next decade of wrestling!

Brawl of the Year 1985 - DiBiase vs. Duggan in a Gimmick Match...

A Coal Miner's Glove on a Pole, Do DQ Steel Cage Tuxedo Loser-leaves-town match, and an amazing brawl!

Buddy Rose vs. Matt Borne Lumberjack Match!

A look at a classic of Portland brawling as Buddy Rose and Matt Borne go at it in a Lumberjack match that really defines Portland's style of brawling in the early 1980s!

Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero

Two of my all-time faces facing off at WrestleMania XX!!!!!

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit 2003

A look at how Angle and Benoit worked together, brought out the best in each other, and ultimately worked a match that didn't require the tricks that so many of that era relied on. Also, I talk a bit about Benoit's legacy, and what we need to remember, especially the parts we wish we didn't have to.

Six Man Hell in the Cell from 2000

A look at one of the nuttiest, and most fun, matches of the wonderful late 2000 period that saw Kurt take off!

Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon

Either the best or the worst, there are a couple of ways of looking at it. Kurt vs. Shane, the wrestler against the stuntman, in a match that shows just how dangeresque the entire wrestling thing can be. Blood, battery, and being dropped on your head in WWE 2002.

Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle - 2005 PWI Match of the Year

One of the best WrestleMania matches ever (Bobby Heenan even thought so!) and one of the finest examples of what happens when eras collide! The start of our extended look at Kurt Angle - The 21st Definition of Great Wrestling in the 21st Century!

Tanahashi vs. Suzuki - 2012 Observer Match of the Year

A look at a unique match that you might not realise is REALLY unique! Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki for the IWGP Championship in October 2012, in a match where both guys, who are both currently champions in New Japan despite being 40+) are at the top of their game.

The Main Event - Hogan vs. Andre

A look at heat, booking, and why this is the worst match of the year ever!

Mae Young Classic Finale

A look at the final match of the Mae Young Classic between Kairi Sane and Shayna Bazsler and what's next!

Mae Young Classic

No Match of the Year contenders, but it was a really impressive presentation and shows that the WWE actually does understand Women's wrestling

Special - GHC Title Match Cage vs. Nakajima

In many years, this would be a Match of the Year contender, but since it happened while the G1 was still going strong... well, you know. I look at how these two guys worked so well and what the second and third most important Japanese titles are all about these days!

G1 Climax 27 - The Rise of EVIL

I somehow missed how they've been establishing EVIL as a potential Main Eventer in the G1, and now I talk about it and how they're messing up with Kenny Omega.

G1 Climax - SANADA vs. Michael Elgin

How does New Japan book the mid-card? Like this!

G1 Climax 27 - What of Kenny Omega?

Kenny got hisself pinned by Michael Elgin (who is awesome and excellent!) and now, I wonder... what the fuck New Japan? What does this mean for Block B? Where does this lead for post-G1? Does this make Okada-Omega 3 meaningless, or more meaningful, and just where do they go?

G1 Climax - Days 6 and 7

A look at how awesome Zack Sabre is, Okada vs. SANADA, Kenny Omega goes comedy (brilliantly) and what they're almost certainly building to!

G1 Climax 2017 - Night 1

two phenomenal and Important matches open up the Tourney! Stay tuned to Match of the Year Podcast for more reviews of the tourney!

The Story of Okada, Shibata, and a Headbutt

A look at the implications of the headbutt that Shibata delivered to Okada in one of the best matches of the year, and in all likihood, the choice that ended Shibata's career.

Observer Match of the Year 2016 - Okada v. Tanahashi

A great match, but it highlights a battle between today and tomorrow, just like Hart v. Michaels, and many many more.

MatchofTheYearSpecial-OkadaOmega2.mp3

DIY vs. The Revival - 2-out-of-3 Falls

A look at the RSPW Theszie Award-winning 2-out-of-3 Falls classic between The Revival and DIY in NXT, though really it's about the guys, their upsides, and what Tag Team wrestling really means today!

Toyota vs. Inoue - 1995 Wrestling Observer Match of the Year

A 60 minute classic, but what does it say about what wrestling of this style was and is...? You can eMail me at [email protected]

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega

The greatest match of all-time? Many are saying so, and I'm not fair off from that opinion! I talk about what the match did, what it meant, and why it wasn't 100% right in the booking... maybe.

Match of the Year Contenders - Two Japanese Title Matches

A look at Marufuji vs. Okada and Miyahara vs. Suwama, two matches that say a lot about the status, and future, of Japanese Pro Wrestling!

the Match of the Year Podcast 2016 Match of the Year - AJ Styles vs. John Cena at SummerSlam!

A look at the best WWE match in ages, the best new comer to WWE in even longer, PLUS a look at other matches of 2016 that deserve a mention!

Match of the Year Contenders - The New Japan Ladder Match

Kenny Omega had a helluva 2016, and Michael Elgin's pretty good. Here is the episode about the ladder match that was so great!

Match of the Year Contenders - Naito vs. Kenny Omega!

The two of 'em are damned good, and New Japan was awesome in 2016, and their G1 Climax match? Listen!