Well folks, we have reached the end of another unbelievable year of intense, passionate, and incredible matches. Quite a number of these matches are instant classics that we will be talking about for decades to come. WWE, for example, had several great matches this year with especially two that are certifiable classics. As for the likes of New Japan and AEW, it was another banner year for critical acclaim for stellar matches, plus with AAA and Stardom bringing fire as well. With all this being said, this was a VERY hard top forty matches to compile, and could likely generate some controversy in terms of order, but guess what, it's MY list, not the law, so with that, enjoy this list.
40. Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi
Last Man Standing Lumberjack Match
JTO 50th Anniversary For TAKATaichi Together
It's no surprise that former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Shing Takagi, made it onto this list as he's legit one of the game's most ferocious competitors. He had a hell of a 2020 and especially 2021, and although his 2022 wasn't as huge, don't let that diminish the great year he still had overall. One of his absolute best matches was against former Suzuki-Gun member, TaiChi, at the JTO (Professional Wrestling Just Tap Out) 50th Anniversary For TAKATaichi event (named this to celebrate the respective careers of Taka Michinoku and TaiChi as they have been in the business for a combined fifty years). The main event involving these two was an outstanding Last Man Standing Lumberjack Match. While the match they had against each other earlier in the year for the NJPW KOPW Championship was an excellent affair, in which Takagi defeated Taichi for the championship, this one topped it as these two really put their foot to the pedal here with their intensity of the last few minutes of the match really grabbing you by the throat. These two have tremendous chemistry here and this was a monster match to prove it.
39. The Elite vs. Death Triangle
AEW Trios Championships/Best Of Seven Series/Falls Count Anywhere Match
AEW Dynamite: New Year's Smash
What has to be considered among the best rivalries of the year within AEW is definitely The Death Triangle and The Elite. The groups of Death Triangle, consisting of The Lucha Bros and PAC, and The ever controversial Elite, consisting of AEW EVPs Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, have been in a war over the AEW Trios Championships since Full Gear and their outstanding match in which The Death Triangle retained the titles. Since then, there has been a Best Of Seven Series involving both of these immensely talented groups. Each and every match has been simply tremendous, with as of this writing, both teams are tied at three wins a piece. The most recent match could be considered the best match of them all up to this point, in which it was a Falls Count Anywhere stipulation. Similar to the incredible Anarchy In the Arena Match at AEW Double Or Nothing back in May, this match was wild and then some. Although not quite as violent as the aforementioned match, it was still absolutely intense nonetheless. Starting off in the backstage area, it migrated towards the ringside area and man did the level get turned up. As a result of Omega's One-Winged Angel finisher onto Rey Fenix through a table from a high platform, The Elite tied up the series, but it was not without awesome physicality. The final match in the series will be in Los Angeles on 1/11 and this could be the craziest of them all, but until then, this serves as their absolute most awesome.
38. KAIRI vs. Mayu Iwatani
IWGP Women's Championship
NJPW/Stardom Historic X Crossover
Former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and NXT Women's Champion, KAIRI (formerly Kairi Sane) ventured back into the promotion that put her on WWE's radar to begin with, Stardom. With the announcement that Stardom was officially a partner with NJPW as it got owned by the same company that owns NJPW, BushiRoad. From there, the quest was on to determine the first ever IWGP Women's Champion. A tournament within Stardom was made, and the finals would take place at the first ever collaborative PPV between NJPW and Stardom, NJPW/Stardom Historic X Crossover. The finals consisted of KAIRI and highly touted Stardom star, Mayu Iwatani. Both ladies gave so much of themselves within this match to make history and as both poured it in within the final minutes, it was KAIRI with her patented beautiful top rope elbow drop that was the deciding factor, and KAIRI made history as the first IWGP Women's Champion. I have a feeling this young woman will be one hell of a champion.
37. "Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Trey Miguel
Impact X-Division Championship
Impact Against All Odds '22
Impact Wrestling once again was an underrated company in 2022 and two of their brightest stars were former X-Division Champion, Trey Miguel, and globally traveled worker, "Speedball" Mike Bailey. Bailey won the X-Division title at Slammiversary. These two great young talents faced each other at Impact's Against All Odds event, and they absolutely tore the house down. Mixing scientific wrestling with high flying along with good storytelling made this match the best match of the night and one of the best Impact matches all year. Bailey emerged as the winner of this extremely hard fought match but this match had two very popular young talents exhibiting passion and desire for such a legendary championship.
36. Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch
WWE Raw Women's Championship
WWE Summerslam '22
Name a better and more over women's wrestler in WWE in 2022 than "The EST of WWE" Bianca Belair? The young TN native has been dominant this year. With her room energy-shifting charisma and star appeal mixed with her unbelievable physical strength and overall outstanding athleticism, Belair was the biggest standout of the year within the women's locker room and over all regardless of locker room, one of the biggest breakout stars. One of her biggest challenges came in the form of another enormous modern day star in "Big Tyme" Becky Lynch. The former multi-time Women's Champion came into Summerslam '22 as the challenger for the Raw Women's Championship and the match they had was a very hotly competitive match. We all are more than familiar with the toughness of Lynch and her many bouts with women that demonstrated why she's among the best of her generation, but Belair has been coming into her own in 2022. This was one of her toughest and definitely served as arguably her biggest win.
35. CM Punk vs. MJF
Dog Collar Match
AEW Revolution '22
If there was one rivalry that consistently captivated us from beginning to end within 2022 in AEW, it was CM Punk and Maxwell Jacob Friedman. These two seminal talkers presented some of the best in-ring promos of the year, as sometimes they crossed lines and blurred reality. It all led up to their first in-ring matchup on AEW Dynamite in which MJF technically didn't just win once, but twice that match. What was even more mind-boggling was that it was in front of Punk's Chicago crowd. The rivalry didn't stop, however, as these two kept digging at each other and digging at each other until Punk eventually challenged MJF to a Dog Collar Match. There haven't been a lot of Dog Collar matches throughout the years but two of the most memorable ones involved Roddy piper and Greg Valentine from the first Starrcade of '83 and Cody Rhodes ad the late Brodie Lee at AEW Dynamite 10/2/2020. This one at AEW Revolution '22 can easily be up there with them. Punk bled profusely throughout this brutal war, as MJF was also bleeding. We knew the vibe the match was gonna go in just from Punk coming out with his old early ring gear with his old ROH theme song. The match was among the most physical, yet excellent storytelling, matches all year with Punk eventually defeating the immensely cocky MJF, with unexpected help from MJF's then-bodyguard Wardlow.
34. Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Santana & Ortiz vs. Chris Jericho, Daniel Garcia, Matt Manard, Angelo Parker, Jake Hagar & Sammie Guevara
Blood & Guts Match
AEW Dynamite: Blood & Guts
Thanks to WWE, this match can't be legally called what it really is, WAR GAMES! That's what this match is. It's War Games, only for trademark purposes, AEW calls it Blood & Guts. Although we hate the name, it does fit. The first Blood & Guts match was in 2021, as MJF's Pinnacle faction defeated Jericho's Inner Circle. As tremendous as that match was, it was raised even more in 2022, as The Blackpool Combat Club (minus an injured Bryan Danielson), Santana, Ortiz, and Eddie Kingston faced Jericho's JAS group. Unbelievably intense and violent, the likes of Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, Moxley, and Daniel Garcia were all bloody messes (gottdamn you couldn't even recognize Parker at times), plus Santana injured himself during the course of the match. The end saw a bloodied Menard tap out to new BCC member Claudio Castagnoli (WWE's Cesaro) on top of the cage to end this violent bloodbath that had moments of captivation all throughout this war. As fun as War Games was at WWE's Survivor Series, this wasn't fun. At all. This was a war, but anything but a game.
33. Josh Alexander vs. "Speedball" Mike Bailey
Impact World Championship
Impact Wrestling 12/7
Impact World Champion, Josh Alexander, has had the roll of his career in 2022. He had quite the feud with Moose, and it resulted in him becoming Impact World Champion for the second time, and this time longer than several seconds. As competitive of matches as he's had with the likes of Sami Callahan, Moose, and JONAH, it was the match he had against X-Division Champion, "Speedball" Mike Bailey, that showed how fantastic of a talent and champion he really is. These two gladiators fought over an hour for the Impact World Championship on a recent addition of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV. Bailey's brand of unorthodox, yet highly effective, offense mixing scientific wrestling with his pronounced ability in Tae Kwon Do was fully displayed against the mat wrestling and suplexes mixed with tremendous strength of Alexander in this epic matchup. Tempers flared as one would expect from these two very popular stars and fans were totally invested into this match, especially towards the last twenty minutes of the match. While Alexander retained the title, this match could quite possibly rank among the greatest Impact matches in recent years and Alexander continues to show why he among the most talented, yet underrated, wrestlers of the sport.
32. Dark Order & "Hangman" Adam Page vs. The Elite
AEW Trios Championships
AEW All Out '22
Earlier we highlighted the rivalry between The Death Triangle and The Elite with their Falls Count Anywhere brawl from Dynamite. As awesome as that match was, this was the match that started the rivalry off very nicely. How you ask? Follow me. This was the finals of the Trios tournament between The Elite and The Dark Order and honorary member "Hangman" Adam Page. This match was explosive and fast-paced almost the entire way of the match. Highly impressive performances by each of the men involved peaked with Page and Omega facing off in the ring for the first time since AEW Full Gear of 2020, in which Page defeated Omega for the AEW World Championship. While The Dark Order & Page delivered excellently, ultimately The Elite was one step on top, thanks to a miscue by Page, and The Bucks and Omega became the inaugural Trios Champions. Of course the events that followed after the event went off the air had the belts removed from them, but for the time, The Elite emerged as champions in one of the best matches to date for the Trios Championships.
31. Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium
Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match
WWE Extreme Rules '22
As you'll see later in this list, Shaemus and Gunther had arguably WWE's best match in the past few years at WWE Clash At The Castle. Both men lead their respective factions of The Brawling Brutes and Imperium. As the feud between these two factions increased, the big peak was at Extreme Rules, as these two groups were involved in what was billed as a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match, or subsequently a Street Fight Match. This was a very fun match folks. Yes, it was damn physical. Yes it was aggressive. Yes people limped away from this, but as fans watching, this was a great fight. It wasn't one of those corny "Miracle On 34th Street Fight" matches every Christmas, but instead a no hold barred match that didn't play around and shined in its physicality. Shaemus and his Brutes of Butch and Ridge Holland eventually defeated Imperium, but boy oh boy did they earn this win.
30. Wheeler Yuta vs. Jon Moxley
AEW Rampage 4/8
One of the top two or three breakout stars in 2022 was Wheeler Yuta, a young journeyman with a history of competing in promotions such as CZW, Chikara, Nova Pro, and Dojo pro. The former IWTV Indie World Champion started his AEW run reluctantly with the Best Friends group with Trent, Chuck Taylor, Danhausen, and Orange Cassidy. Yuta wasn't about no games and actually wanted to get the attention of BCC leader and founder William Regal, along with Moxley. The first match between these two had Yuta with the upset win over Moxley. However, their second match was definitely the most important possibly of Yuta's career. Moxley and Yuta went to virtual war against each other as Yuta was a complete bloody mess early in the match. Although Moxley ultimately came away with the win, the story here was about the sincere heart and toughness of Yuta. With Yuta filled with the crimson mask, he continued to take the fight to Moxley relentlessly. Similarly compared to the legendary match at Wrestlemania XII between Bret Hart and Steve Austin, Yuta's blood-soaked performance not only got the attention of Regal and the respect of Danielson and Moxley, but also put Yuta into the consciousness of fans. Yuta's loss was also his own gain as he became the newest member of BCC and had a huge hand in how great his year was.
29. "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson
AEW World Championship
AEW Dynamite 1/5
Starting off 2022 was the rematch between then-AEW World Champion, "Hangman" Adam Page and "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson for the title. Their first encounter was Meltzer-rated five star classic that went to a sixty minute draw at Dynamite: Winter Is Coming. This match was every bit as thrilling as the first and maybe even a little more physical. Although the match didn't go sixty minutes, it did go over thirty and this time both men bled quite profusely as the action was heavily intense the entire match. Ultimately, the tenacity and grit of the champion was a bit too much for the unbelievably talented veteran on this occasion, but if there were any questions about Page being a "legit" and formidable world Champion were immediately refuted, as Page proved that, in fact, he was for real.
28. Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
WWE Raw Women's Championship/Ladder Match
WWE Extreme Rules '22
Bianca and Bayley had a pretty decent, albeit extensive, rivalry that is somewhat still going on at this writing. Their prior matches were pretty good in themselves as Bayley showed she still was among the best wrestlers on the main roster after being out with an ACL injury for over a year. However, their Ladder Match at Extreme Rules was quite the demanding match between the two of these women. This was the first ever one on one Womens Title match to be contested in a Ladder match and quite honestly, they set a high bar. It was a wonder neither woman was badly injured in this match. Bianca may have won this battle, but both women felt the pain and suffered the wounds of war coming out of this match.
27. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 4
This list would not be complete without some G1 Climax entries, and this is the first one. This year's G1 Climax was yet another exhilarating yet heavily exhaustive set of nights and weeks to determine who would have the briefcase to represent who would go on to compete for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 17. On night four of the tournament, former IWGP Champion, Jay White, collided against the ever tough "Stone Pitbull" Tomohiro Ishii. Seen as one of the best to never win the big one, Ishii is approaching the twilight of his career, but he's damn sure not done yet and this was evident by this fantastic matchup. The arrogant yet supremely talented Aussie was his heel best against Ishii, pulling out almost every kind of stop one can think of to survive much less win. The Bullet Club leader emerged with a win here but not without Ishii punishing him and providing him a hell of a beating.
26. The Lucha Bros vs. Young Bucks
AEW World Tag Team Championships
AEW Rampage 6/3
One of the sport's most intense and exciting rivalries within the past decade has been the one involving The Young Bucks and The Lucha Bros. From their matches in PWG to AAA to AEW, this rivalry has consistently compelled fans as they would see both teams raise the bar higher and higher. They produced arguably the tag match of the year in 2021 at AEW All Out in the steel cage. In 2022, they met each other once again, only this time no cage but for the AEW World Tag Team Titles again. This was also on free television on the 6/3 edition of Rampage. As usual, they raised the bar again as both teams performed at maximum quality for the gold. Numerous spots and multiple times fans went crazy showed that the chemistry between these two teams were as hot as ever. Penta and Fenix defeated Matt and Nick Jackson again, but this was possibly as great as their steel cage match was, which absolutely stands as their best match ever. Considered among the best tag team rivalries of the past two decades, The Bucks and Luchas will always have outstanding matches that further define the tag division not just in AEW, but in the business as a whole.
25. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship
NJPW Wrestling Dontaku '22
What can you say about Hiroshi Tanahashi that hasn't been said before? Yes, he's truly one of the GOATs within Japanese wrestling and among the best in the world. Yes, he's a record holding eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Yes, he's done absolutely everything you can accomplish in New2 Japan. At the age of forty-six, he's still got so much in the tank to deliver show stealing performances. One such moment was against consistent big match participant, Tomohiro Ishii, for the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight title at Wrestling Dontaku. Far from strangers when it comes to facing each other, Tanahashi and Ishii once again delivered on all cylinders in a compelling back and forth match that could've gone either way. The toughness of Ishii mixing with the unrelenting desire of "The Ace of the Universe" was the best match of the evening by far, and showed not only that Ishii NEEDS to taste that big World Title at some point before he retires, but that Tanahashi is quite possibly in a class all by himself.
24. Orange Cassidy vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship
AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
Many believe that the PPV of the year for 2022 belonged to AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door, a concept brought together by both presidents of their respective companies in much the same breath as ROH/NJPW Global Wars, in which New Japan stars faced ROH stars or were in tag matches assisting each other. Many great matches occurred that evening without a doubt. Perhaps the one match that was talked about the most in terms of a critical highpoint was the IWGP U.S. Heavyweight title match with Orange Cassidy against the champion, Will Ospreay. It's no secret that Ospreay may possibly be the best wrestler of this generation, just based upon how consistently incredible his matches are. Meanwhile Cassidy continue to be arguably the most underrated star in the business based upon his gimmick. These two put on the match of the night and that's saying a lot. Ospreay came off as not really taking Cassidy seriously or even underestimating him (as most do), but Cassidy showed again that he's never the guy to underestimate whatsoever. This match was just excelelnt and quite frankly I'm very surprised it didn't get Meltzer's five star rating. While Ospreay did walk out still the champion, he absolutely came away with way more respect for OC then he did coming in. Of course, after the match, Ketsuyori Shibata showed up to let Ospreay know he had his eyes on him, but the match itself showed again why Ospreay is one of the most exciting and best wrestlers on Earth and OC is a fantastic in-ring performer all his own.
23. Sammie Guevara vs. Cody Rhodes
AEW TNT Championship/Ladder Match
AEW Dynamite: Beach Break
At the beginning of 2022, Cody Rhodes was in a tricky situation. He was a babyface but was heavily booed by the fans. Not sure if it was building to an angle or not, but the fans completely turned their back on him. Meanwhile, the fans were solidly with Sammie Guevara. Rhodes came into this match as the TNT Champion and they had a Ladder match on Dynamite: Beach Break. This match was simply unbelievable. There's no denying the fantastic talent Sammie is, and that AEW has positioned him as one of the "4 Pillars" of the company. His athleticism mixed with the excellent psychology and storytelling ability of Cody made for this match to be very noteworthy. The biggest spot in the match came from Sammie leaping from the top rope to reach out to Cody on the ladder to deliver a cutter from high above. Sammie ultimately came away with the TNT Championship for the second time, but this Ladder match was beyond awesome. When we talk about Ladder matches, obviously the gold standard is Razor vs. Shawn at Wrestlemania X, but others such as Bucks vs. Luchas at AEW All Out '19, the memorable TLC matches between The Dudleyz, Edge & Christian, and The Hardyz, and the NXT North American Championship Ladder match between Adam Cole, EC3, Killian Dane, and others. This match needs to be mentioned and included in the upper echelon of Ladder matches in recent wrestling history. Although both battered, both men put on one of the most memorable performances in Dynamite history.
22. Will Ospreay vs. Zach Sabre Jr.
NJPW New Japan Cup '22 Night 13
NJPW New Japan Cup '22
Mr. Ospreay and Zach Sabre Jr are far from strangers to each other. It seems every year since the mid to late 2010s, these two have at least one match with each other. Whether its in PWG or RevPro or New Japan, these two face off in great matches. In 2021, they provided one of the true matches of the year for the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship at RevPro High Stakes in 2020 just before the pandemic started in which Ospreay defeated Sabre Jr. They had an equally classic match at the New Japan Cup in 2021 that was revered as any of their other matches. Well folks, in 2022, they repeated the same magic. They faced each other in night thirteen of the New Japan Cup and they killed it yet again. The action between these two was just incredible and Ospreay continues to show that he can have a wonderful match against anyone and adapt to any style of match or any in-ring wrestling style. Sabre Jr is perhaps the best pure match, grounded technician in wrestling and his working style is damn near unmatched. Ospreay always has the formula to compliment it and make it work for him so well. This match was every bit as phenomenal as their past couple of encounters. ZSJ got the win here but not without a gigantic struggle from arguably the best wrestler on Earth and damn sure the most exciting. There are certain rivalries during this age and era that always produce practically flawless matches. Bucks vs. Luchas, Okada vs. Omega, Okada vs. Tanahashi, or even New Day vs. Usos for example. Count this one among them as well.
21. Death Triangle vs. United Empire
AEW Trios Championship Tournament
AEW Dynamite 8/24
The trio of PAC and The Lucha Bros came together as The Death Triangle in late 2019 and were a certain force to be reckoned with. Once the pandemic hit and PAC was virtually stuck in England during the whole time, the brakes were put on them for the foreseeable future. once things cleared up and borders started opening back up, PAC came back to the States and reunited with them and they were even better than ever. In comes the Trios Championship tournament and among the several impressive trios groups such as Best Friends or the always formidable House Of Black, The Death Triangle were definitely odds on favorites. In the quarterfinals, they collided against another group in the sport that made waves in 2022, and that was Will Ospreay and his United Empire faction, consisting of Great O-Khan, the mighty awesome Jeff Cobb, TJP, Franseco Akira, Aaron Henare, and the very impressive Aussie Open (you'll see them later). On the 8/24 edition of AEW Dynamite, The Triangle faced Ospreay and Aussie Open, and this match was as crazy as it sounds. Of course everyone wanted to see Ospreay face off with PAC as two of the most exceptional wrestlers to come from the UK face off for the first time in the States. Of course the same could be said about Fenix and Ospreay. This was a clear showcase in high flying and tag team continuity and this was a barn burner. The Triangle picked up a surprising loss but best believe United Empire made an impression on them that served as a precursor for The Elite to come.
20. Tetsuya Naito vs. Zach Sabre Jr
NJPW New Japan Cup '22 Finals
NJPW New Japan Cup '22
There's no such thing as a bad Tetsuya Naito vs. Zach Sabre Jr match. Never has happened. these two have been rivals since the better part of the mid to late 2010s and every match was great to wonderful. They faced each other twice in 2022 and this was definitely the better match. The leader of Los Ingornablas de Japon presented an excellent affair with arguably the most esteemed member of Suzuki-Gun that wasn't named Minoru Suzuki in the New Japan Cup finals. Bell to bell, these two knew that this was gonna be that type of match and they were at their complete best here. ZSJ's ability to single out body parts and Naito's tremendous selling brought an element of urgency for Naito here, but Naito likewise brought an offense that rattled ZSJ every bit as much. Sabre Jr picked up the win here and the trophy for yet another year, but it wasn't without Naito showing why he's been one of the premiere stars in New Japan for nearly two decades. Sign us up for another match between them anytime.
19. Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, Bryan Danielson, Santana & Ortiz vs. Chris Jericho, Jake Hagar, Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, Daniel Garcia & Sammie Guevara
Anarchy In The Arena Match
AEW Double Or Nothing '22
In a word, WOW! The war between The Blackpool Combat Club with Eddie Kingston, and Santana & Ortiz against The Jericho Appreciation Society was one of the most explosive feuds of the year. Everything stemmed from the match between Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Jericho at AEW Revolution in which Kingston defeated him in the biggest win of his career. From there, shit went downhill. The first of two wars was this match billed as Anarchy In The Arena at AEW Double Or Nothing. The second was the aforementioned Blood & Guts Match. This match was definitely wilder due to the fact that there was no cage element. Everybody went all over the arena. There was plenty of violence, blood, aggression and moments that will likely stay within AEW history. From Garcia piledriving Ortiz on the steel steps to the memorable image of a blood-soaked Kingston walking to the ring with a gas can in his hand and a maniacal look in his eye, this match was what the Stadium Stampede matches between The Inner Circle and The Elite should've been but due to the pandemic, they couldn't execute like this. We've never had more fun watching violence like this on AEW, and although The JAS won, in the words of Jim Ross at the end of Wrestle War '92: War Games, "It was hard to tell the winners from the losers", and this was a perfectly illustrated example.
18. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi
NJPW New Japan Cup '22 Night Three
NJPW New Japan Cup '22
When you mention two of the toughest bell to bell men in all of New Japan, besides Minoru Suzuki, the names that come to mind are Tomohiro Ishii and Shingo Takagi. Anytime they face each other, it's a tremendously physical affair. Who can forget their match in the G1 Climax tournament in 2021, as that has been considered one of the single badass matches of the 2020s bar none. In fact it was very similar to their equally awesome showdown two years prior once again in the G1 Climax tournament. In 2022, they collided in the New Japan Cup on night three. By now, the chemistry between them is more than pronounced and we know we can expect a highly aggressive and physical contest and this did not let us down. The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion delivered some of his toughest offense to Ishii and Ishii either ate and withstood it or went down but didn't stay down long. Same was said for Ishii and his offense towards Mr. Takagi. This particular night of the New Japan Cup wasn't the best ever, but this main event was definitely a knock out and Takagi went on the get the win in this simply hard hitting match that, at times, made you cringe with the stiffness of how they were going at each other.
17. Ricky Knight Jr vs. Will Ospreay
RevPro World Championship
RevPro Ten Year Anniversary Night Two
As you can clearly see, Mr. Ospreay had arguably the run of his career in 2022, even more than he did in 2021. Ospreay delivered monster match after monster match, especially once he became a heel in 2020. While he clearly is one of the single biggest stars in all of New Japan, he also is revered in his home promotion of RevPro in England. He had been RevPro British Heavyweight Champion and was off to face a man he's also very familiar with in Ricky Knight Jr at RevPro's Ten Year Anniversary show on the second night. RKJ is part of the famed Knight family in the UK that includes former WWE star, Paige (now Saraya in AEW), in fact he's her nephew. Very talented star that has been a former RevPro British Tag Team Champion with his father Roy Knight, this was another attempt to go after the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title after an unsuccessful attempt years earlier. Going into the match, Ospreay and his United empire group attacked and bloodied Knight leading up to the match. Obviously the story here is the undeterred, unwavering passion to become RevPro Champion and defeat Ospreay, and what a story they told. Knight showed no shortage of determination in his going after the title while seeking revenge on Ospreay. In just over thirty minutes, in one of the promotion's most riveting matches in years, RKJ finally became the champion in a thrilling, fantastic match. While Knight is a definite tremendous talent, Ospreay showed how he can put together a brilliant match in his sleep, and this was no different. These two delivered excellently and produced that promotion's match of the year.
16. The Elite vs. United Empire
AEW Trios Championship Tournament
AEW Dynamite 8/31
Earlier, we covered the exhilarating match between Death Triangle and The United Empire in the Trios tournament on Dynamite. The next week, it was Ospreay and Aussie Open against The Elite. Going into the match, Ospreay and Kenny omega had quite a Twitter war going on between them, as Omega feels Ospreay left New Japan worse than it was when he was on top over there, while Ospreay, needless to say, took rightful exception to that claim. The anticipation between these two men finally meeting each other in the ring during this match was off the charts, and we got a teaser to what was to come for their UNGODLY match at Wrestle Kingdom 17 (good luck to find a better match already than the history making match they had at WK17 on 1/4/2023). In any case, both teams exhibited incredible teamwork and innovative offense against each other. This also made us to hopefully one day look forward to seeing The Bucks vs. Aussie Open one day and the memories that will likely produce. The Elite got the hard fought win and proceeded to move to the finals against Dark order at All Out, but this put United Empire on more of a national map with two excellent performances against two stellar groups. Meanwhile The Elite are just that folks...ELITE!
15. FTR vs. Young Bucks
ROH & AAA World Tag Team Championships
AEW Dynamite 4/6
Ever since FTR and The Bucks faced each other at AEW Full Gear '20, the anticipation for a rematch between them has been immensely high. Their first match at Full gear was considered a "love letter to tag team wrestling" by Meltzer and rightfully so, as this match lived up to every standard possible. Easily one of the greatest tag team matches this century, these two showed that they belong together. Fast forward to 2022, FTR had a career year. they won multiple tag team championships, including ROH, AAA, and IWGP Heavyweight, all at the same time (similar to when Omega was "The Belt Collector" in 2021-22 when he was AEW, Impact, and AAA Champion). However, just like at Full Gear, they came in as champions, and The Bucks were the challengers, as they challenged for both the ROH and AAA Tag Team Championships. This time, this was on free television folks. Although we wish there was more of a build up for a match so huge, we still got an unbelievable match between two of the greatest tag teams in modern wrestling history. While The Bucks have a special type of chemistry with The Lucha Bros, they have another special type of chemistry with Dax and Cash, and this was shown clearly. FTR's back to basics, ol' school style of tag team wrestling always tends to compliment the innovative style of Nick and Matt to delightful results. Unlike Full Gear, FTR picked up the win here, which screams for a third match between the two at some point sooner than later. Another classic from two of the single best ever.
14. Shaemus vs. Gunther
WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Clash At The Castle
WWE made their way to Cardiff, Wales for Clash At The Castle, their first stadium show in the UK since Summerslam '92, when they were in London at Wembley Stadium. This was notable because it was also the first major show without Vince at the helm. Stakes were high for this event, as Drew McIntyre was in the main event against Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship, but the match everyone was talking about was the brutal match between two of WWE's hardest hitters, Shaemus and Gunther for the Intercontinental Title. Ireland and Austria were represented here in this international incident of sorts, and the result was a physical masterpiece. The only championship Shaemus has never won in his decade-plus WWE career is the I-C Title so going in, this was the story. Meanwhile Gunther's reputation preceded him greatly. His two-year reign as NXT United Kingdom Champion, NXT Champion, and obviously his incredible matches in the indies and in the UK and Europe made this match such a highly anticipated match, and these two HAMMERED each other. Both men came out worse for wear, especially Shaemus, and the fans were just as much into the action as the participants. This was a physically aggressive of a match as you could get from these men, but Gunther retained the title. Shaemus' efforts were so highly received, the fans gave him a standing ovation afterwards for the first time in his career, and seemingly revitalized his career. While this was definitely the match of his career, this was another day in the office for "The Ring General" and these two raised each other's levels in this war, as well as their own.
13. Giulia vs. Tam Nakano
Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix 2022 Night 20
The World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion continues to establish itself as the premiere women's promotion in the world. With their newfound partnership with New Japan under the BushiRoad ownership, more eyes will be on the product than ever before. Two of their best talents are Giulia and Tam Nakano. Giulia is a fiery competitor that has been known to go completely toe to toe with the best Stardom has had to offer with the likes of Konami, Maika, and Starlight Kid. Tam Nakano is likewise a tough star that has won all the major championships except the World Of Stardom Championship. These two have no shortage of history against each other, as these two competed in a Hair vs. Hair match in which Giulia lost. However, these two met again in 2022 in night twenty of the famed 5STAR Grand Prix tournament, which is their version of the G1 Climax tournament. As they tend to do, they turn it up when they face each other, and they didn't disappoint here either. Hard-hitting and definitely spirited, this match served as one of the single best matches in the entire tournament up to the finals. Giulia got the win but she barely survived. Nakano was not giving up in this affair until Giulia just proved to be one step better here. This is a true rivalry so expect more matches between these two highly talented stars.
12. FTR vs. The Briscoes
ROH World Tag Team Championships
ROH Supercard Of Honor XV
Without question, the best tag team rivalry in all of 2022, and definitely the best of all-time, is FTR against The Briscoes. They teased fans in 2021 with a likely future match between the two, and in 2022 it happened in a trilogy of matches and each one was just superb. The first one happened at ROH's Supercard of Honor XV. Easily the most anticipated match of the night, FTR's career run faced ROH's greatest tag team and most accomplished tag team ever in Mark and Jay Briscoe. This match was a excellent as one would imagine and met every single expectation. Blood, physicality, and great psychology was all over this match and you could just tell there was something there between these two phenomenal teams. If FTR were a more old school, Anderson-styled version of The Briscoes, The Briscoes were a more physically aggressive version of FTR and the results were spotless. The Briscoes lost the belts that night, but the then-former twelve time champions would face them again in two of the most unbelievable matches in recent ROH history. Stay tuned.
11. Rey Fenix vs. El Hijo del Vikingo
AAA Mega Championship
AAA Triplemania XXX-Mexico City
There have many that have considered Rey Fenix as truly the new Rey Mysterio, as Fenix is a true all-around performer, along with being one of the best high flyers in the sport today. With all the accomplishments Fenix has obtained and earned, it was time for him to become AAA Mega Champion, but he had to first defeat El Hijo de Vikingo at AAA Triplemania XXX. The champion has been described as a "real life action figure" in terms of the fact that he can perform moves and spots nobody has ever seen before. Definitely among the most breathtaking flyers around, if not the best, Hijo del Vikingo and Fenix delivered the type of match we would expect from these two unreal performers. Fenix's mask was ripped and he bled throughout half the match but it never stopped how awesome he looked here against the champion. A true lucha libre match in every single sense there was, Hijo del Vikingo retained the championship but Fenix showed why he's gained fans all over the world as well as in the industry such as Jim Ross and Kevin Kelly. As for the champion, Hijo del Vikingo is amazing to see and is leading the new generation of luchadores with full excitement as stardom that crosses over into the U.S. and worldwide.
10. FTR vs. Aussie Open
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
NJPW Royal Quest II Night One
We mentioned earlier how great of a team Aussie Open was being part of Ospreay's United Empire group. The Australian-paired group of Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis has been turning heads for a few years now, but became on more people's radars in 2022 as one of the best teams of the year. They won the inaugural NJPW Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships as well as brought forth tremendous performances against various other teams including TMDK and Roy Knight & Ricky Knight Jr. At NJPW's Royal Quest II show in the UK, they collided against FTR for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships in what was one hell of a tag match. Arguably seen as Aussie Open's best match this year, Davis and Fletcher took the fight to Dax and Cash in a thirty minute memorable encounter. With members of both teams bloodied, these two teams gave each other their total best here and showed why 2022 belonged to both teams. FTR retained but with both teams receiving quite a long standing ovation afterwards, it was clear Aussie Open can hang with the best in the world, even in a failed attempt to become champions. Aussie Open has arrived now, if they haven't before and this match showed it, while as for the champs, another day in the office for the best team in the game today.
9. FTR vs. The Briscoes
ROH World Tag Team Championships/Two Out Of Three Falls Match
ROH Death Before Dishonor '22
We are now at match number two between FTR and The Briscoes, and the levels have been raised this time. While their last battle for the ROH belts at the aforementioned Supercard Of Honor XV event was top notched for sure, they raised the stakes at ROH Death Before Dishonor '22 as it was now Two Out Of Three Falls in a rematch for the belts. Picture three consecutive falls of the one match they had at SOHXV. Yeah, it was that awesome. This was actually the main event of the card. More of the same such as physicality, blood, and an intensity that you felt through the screen, FTR and Briscoes delivered in MAJOR fashion with this match. FTR won the first fall, while Mark and Jay won the second one. With tension being through the roof as to who would take the third fall, this became even more back and forth than before, and around the forty-five minute mark, FTR pulled it out in another classic match that critics and fans alike will never forget. We have been seeing a tag team marriage rivalry here and even as incredible of matches as we've seen up to this point, the best of the trilogy is still to come.
8. Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins
Hell In A Cell Match
WWE Hell In A Cell '22
Perhaps the biggest moment at Wrestlemania 38 was the dramatic and shocking return of Cody Rhodes, who has left AEW with much scrutiny and controversy. The emotional return of Cody was against Seth Rollins at Mania in a very decent match that saw Cody get the win. They had a follow up match at Wrestlemania Backlash that was easily as good as their match at Mania with Cody once again getting the win. We were definitely seeing an entertaining and compelling rivalry going on. The finale was going to take place at WWE Hell In A Cell inside the actual Hell In A Cell structure. Anticipation was quite high, however, and unfortunate situation happened that had the possibility of curtailing the match at the last minute. Cody tore his pectoral muscle reportedly totally off the bone while working out and so the match was in danger of not happening. With the heart (and stubbornness of his brother Dustin as well as his iconic father, the late great Dusty Rhodes), he decided to go through with the match. When he took his ring jacket off and we saw the grotesque nature of his injury, we had a feeling this wasn't going to last long just due to how very terribly his chest and arm were discolored from the hideous injury. Folks, it's been a long time since we've seen heart and guts on display in such fashion like this as Cody, in legit clear agony, competed the best he could against one of the best in-ring performers in the game in Rollins. Tears in his eyes at times from the pain, Cody miraculously pulled off a win in a nearly thirty minute contest that actually should never have taken place. Cody, thinking about the fans more than himself, put on a career-defining performance that will follow his career as long as he's in the business. As for Seth, given the cards he was handed showed, his professionalism was grade A and together, the music they danced to in that Cell made for the one of the most compelling stories of the year. Cody has since had the injury repaired and is ready for his comeback, while Seth had another stellar year. Will we see more between these two again? Time will tell.
7. Syuri vs. Giulia
Stardom World Of Stardom Championship
Stardom Dream Queendom '22
In 2021, one of the single greatest women's matches in modern wrestling history took place between World Of Stardom Champion, Utami, defended the championship against Syuri in a forty-five minute encounter that is still be talked about to this day as it basically broke the wrestling Internet. A year later, Syuri is still the champion going into Stardom Dream Queendom against 5Star Grand Prix tournament winner, Giulia, and the resulting match was as fantastic as one would expect if you keep up with both of these special talents. They faced each other earlier in the year on the first night at Stardom World Climax. As very good as that match was, this was way better. Both women were as physical as it got early on, with a suplex off the ramp and into the fans as one particularly tremendous spot in this match. With so much on the line with this match, Giulia demonstrated her grit and desire by delivering her Stealth Viper finisher to defeat Syuri. Overcome with emotion with the loss Syuri showed her respect to Giulia by putting the championship around the waist of the new champion, as at this time the new champion was emotional as well. Two marvelous competitors in a match that most believe, in what was an overall damn great year for Stardom, the match of the year.
6. Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night One
The encounters between Kazuchika Okada and Shingo Takagi have been mostly extremely competitive and overall A-list, especially their matchup in 2020 during the G1 Climax, which is still the standard of their matches to this day. They collided against each other for the IWGP Heavyweight Title on night one at Wrestle Kingdom 16. Takagi came in as the champion and his reign had been over two hundred days with successful defenses against the likes of ZSJ, Tanahashi, and EVIL. Okada was the winner of the G1 Climax tournament in 2021 and was successful in carrying the briefcase containing the contract all the way to the event. This encounter was as spirited as you'd imagine between these two gladiators. We've known by now that "The Rainmaker" is arguably the perfect in-ring performer, mastering athleticism, storytelling, psychology, and presenting himself like a complete star, but Takagi mixes his straightforward, no-nonsense, explosive style with technical craftsmanship and this was a match that was absolutely worthy of its main event placement. Okada became the champion, but not without once again finding out Takagi is a beast in his own right.
5. Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship
NJPW Battle Autumn
The year of Ospreay continues with another remarkable match as IWGP U.S. heavyweight Champion. This time, he collided against Tetsuya Naito for the championship at their Battle Autumn event. They had an earlier battle in 2022 when they faced each other in the G1 Climax tournament, in which that match was one of the best of the tournament. However, the level of craftsmanship and athletic storytelling these two put on was next level from their G1 encounter. The LIJ leader showed up and looked better than truthfully he had all year in this match. Not forgetting his loss to Ospreay at G1, he not only wanted to avenge that loss, but become the U.S. Champion, a title he had never won among his many he's won. The ever cocky British phenomenon gave Naito arguably his best match in some time and the abundancy in near falls was enough to keep you on the edge of your seat often, especially during the final five minutes of the match. Ospreay managed a victory but by now we could see Will Ospreay is in another dimension and while Naito can be considered one of the most notable stars in New Japan history, this time belongs to Will Ospreay and this exceptional match was another example of it
4. Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 12
Tired of seeing Will Ospreay in this list? Well folks, that's the kind of year he's had. depending upon his opponent, just about every match he had was great to amazing, and this match didn't stray away from that fact. His series of matches in 2020 and 2021 against Shingo Takagi rank among the most incredible matches in modern New Japan history with some actually comparing their rivalry to the likes of Okada vs. Omega and Okada vs. Tanahashi. Their match at Dominion in 2021 is rightfully considered one of the single greatest matches of all-time and that's saying a lot considering the other amazing matches these two have had over the years. What many deemed as the best match of the entire G1 Climax tournament was the match between these two men, and honestly, it's not hard to see why. Their chemistry and ability to understand each other and put on modern day wrestling clinics is off the page and in twenty of the most outstanding minutes of the year in wrestling, these two put on yet another instant classic and damn sure a G1 classic. Takagi came away with the win but folks, it's clear, when mentioning all time stellar rivalries such as Taker vs. Shawn, Flair vs. Steamboat, and the aforementioned rivalries of Okada vs. Omega and Okada vs. Tanahashi, add this one to that list as well.
3. Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night Two
Yes, this is getting repetitive I know, but again, don't blame me, blame "The Assassin" for having the year of his professional wrestling life, both in terms of work rate and acclaim. In the first of two encounters he and Okada had against each other, it was for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. The prior night, Okada won the title from Takagi as was aforementioned in what was already one hell of a match as it was. He had to continue to night two face an athlete the caliber of Ospreay and to say this was a Tokyodome classic is putting it mildly. Much like their encounter at Wrestle Kingdom 15, in which they faced each other over the same title, this was about Ospreay showing why he's in the conversation for best in the world, and he's only gotten better since 2021 as scary as that is to imagine back then. Counter after counter, especially near the match's end, the match was fluid and was consistently engrossing. Ospreay is becoming a true master of the mental and psychological aspect of the big match especially, while Okada is to Kingdom what HBK was to Mania, maybe even more so. After thirty unforgettable, Ospreay lost to "The Rainmaker", but best believe, they'd meet again, and well...stay tuned!
2. FTR vs. The Briscoes
ROH World Tag Team Championships/Double Dog Collar Match
ROH Final Battle '22
We've covered the prior two matches between FTR and The Briscoes and the stellar nature of those matches. Two of the best tag matches you'll find around all year. However, what these two teams did to each other at ROH Final Battle' 22 will go down as one of the greatest tag title matches of the past couple decades, if not ever. FTR were challenged to a Double Dog Collar Match at Final Battle and immediately the anticipation was up even more than the prior two matchups. The Briscoes wanted to prove one last time to FTR that they were as mighty of a team in this sport as FTR and needed to become thirteen time champions. This time, the violence would increase, and boy did it! All four men eventually bled (Jay especially was a complete bloody mess) and the amount of brutality they gave to each other was at times very unsettling. This rivalry had become personal and they let each other know it through dog collar chain shots, steel chair shots, and other forms of savagery. We don't typically see FTR in these types of matches, but to say they hung with the ever physically intense brothers from Sandy Fork, Delaware is a gross understatement. This has been called the greatest dog collar match of all time and it's not hard to see why. The dramatic ending had a bloodied Dax passing out to having a crossface with a chain applied to him by an even bloodier Jay Briscoe and the reign of FTR and those belts was over. Those damn Briscoes were now thirteen time ROH Tag Team Champions. With both teams shaking each other's hands and raising each other's arms in victory and respect, shenanigans occurred as The Gunn Club came in and attacked FTR afterwards to ruin the moment. However, if violence, lots of blood, weapons, and unbelievable intensity is your thing, you didn't need GCW to find your good dose of hardcore and absolutely brutality. Both teams affirmed their statuses as two of the single best teams in the world, and in the case of Mark and Jay, for nearly twenty years they've been kicking asses and thus belong in the discussion of being on some all-time lists, not just for ROH, but in the business as a whole.
1. Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Finals
Here we are folks. The year of Ospreay concludes at the top with what was arguably the match of the year with Okada once again. At Wrestle Kingdom 16, these two put on a masterclass in chemistry and athletic storytelling. They met each other again in the finals of the G1 Climax. Very similar in cohesiveness and fluidity as their Kingdom encounter for the championship, these two fought at an even faster pace than before. The brilliance of this match is outstanding and how well they work together is just fascinating. The desperation of Ospreay (or maybe arrogance) had him literally performing the finishers of past G1 winners such as the Styles Clash (AJ Styles), the High Fly Flow (Tanahashi), Destino (Naito), and even attempting the One Winged Angel (Omega). However, it came down to the Rainmaker Clothesline, and Okada won his second straight G1, but not without going through another thirty plus minutes of priceless storytelling and a showcasing of how extraordinary both these guys are. Ospreay has never defeated Okada in "the big match", and one has to wonder what will happen when it does occur, as it's only a matter of time before it happens. Much like Omega when he wanted to show he could defeat Okada in "the big match", and ultimately did in their timeless Dominion matchup of 2018, Ospreay is one win away from officially being in that same class with Okada, Omega, and Tanahashi as modern day all time exceptional performers. These two can be legitimately be considered the best in the world with little to no arguments, and matches like this and their Kingdom matchup stand on that statement.
Honorable Mentions
New Day vs. The Usos/WWE Day 1
Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb/NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night Two
Syuri vs. Giulia/Stardom World Climax: The Best
Mickie James vs. Deonna Purazzo/Impact Hard To Kill '22
Hikaru Shida vs. Jaime Hayter/AEW Dynamite/12-21
Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay/NJPW Windy City Riot '22
Trey Miguel vs. Steve Macklin/Impact Hard To Kill '22
Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns/WWE Royal Rumble '22
"Hangman" Adam Page vs. Lance Archer/AEW Dynamite 2-9
Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson/AEW Revolution '22
Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. reDRagon vs. Young Bucks/AEW Revolution '22
"Hangman" Adam Page vs. Adam Cole/AEW Revolution '22
Shingo Takagi vs. Hiromu Takahashi/NJPW New Japan Cup '22 Night 13
Jonathan Greshom vs. Bandido/ROH Supercard Of Honor XV
Cameron Grimes vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Santos Escobar vs. Grayson Waller vs. Solo Sakoa/NXT Stand & Deliver
MSK vs. Imperium vs. Creed Bros./NXT Stand & Deliver
Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins/WWE Wrestlemania 38 Night Two
AJ Styles vs. Edge/WWE Wrestlemania 38 Night One
Cash Wheeler vs. Dax Harwood/AEW Dynamite 4-28
Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito/NJPW Wrestling Dontaku '22
Jon Moxley vs. "Filthy" Tom Lawlor/Defy Wild Ones
Street Profits vs. The Usos/WWE Money In The Bank '22
Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa/AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
Kazuchika Okada vs. Adam Cole vs. Jay White vs. "Hangman" Adam Page/AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi/AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
Rey Fenix vs. Andrade El Idolo/AEW Rampage 6-25
Saya Kamatani vs. Utami/Stardom World Climax
Jordynn Grace vs. Chelsea Green vs. Deonna Purazzo vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Mia Yim/Impact Slammiversary '22
SANADA vs. Will Ospreay/NJPW Dominion '22
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White/NJPW Dominion '22
Syuri vs. Tam Nakano/Stardom MidSummers Champions
Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado/NJPW Best Of the Super Juniors '22 Finals
Death Triangle vs. House Of Black/AEW Double Or Nothing '22
Drew McIntyre & RK-Bro vs. The Bloodline/WWE Wrestlemania Backlash '22
Swerve In Our Glory vs. Young Bucks vs. Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs/AEW Fyter Fest Night One
Mayu Iwatane vs. Alpha Female/Stardom Hiroshima Goddess Festival
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb/NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night One
Will Ospreay vs. El Phantasmo/NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night One
Wheeler Yuta vs. Daniel Garcia/ROH Death Before Dishonor '22
Wheeler Yuta vs. Daniel Garcia/ROH Final Battle '22
Dragon Lee vs. RUSH/ROH Death Before Dishonor '22
Tam Nakano vs. Natsupoi/Stardom Fight To The Top
Saya Kamatani vs. Starlight Kid/Stardom MidSummer Champions
Shingo Takagi vs. YOSHI-HASHI/NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night
Ricochet vs. Carmelo Hayes/NXT Worlds Collide
Eddie Kingston vs. Tomohiro Ishii/AEW All Out: Zero Hour
Rey Fenix vs. Andrade El Idolo vs. RUSH vs. Pentagon Jr vs. Dante Martin vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Wheeler Yuta vs. "Joker"/AEW All Out '22
Swerve In Our Glory vs. The Acclaimed/AEW All Out '22
Maki Itoh vs. Alex Windsor/TJPW Summer Sun princess '22
Jun Kisai vs. El Desperado/JTO Taka Mishinoku 30th Anniversary Show
Bianca Belair vs. Bayley/WWE Crown Jewel
David Finlay vs. Will Ospreay/NJPW Burning Spirit Night 14
Starlight Kid vs. Natsupoi/Stardom New Year Stars Night 4
Toni Storm vs. Jaime Hayter/AEW All Out '22
Bandido vs. El Hijo del Vikingo/AAA Noche de Campiones
Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory/WWE Survivor Series '22
Jungle Boy vs. Luchasaurus/AEW Full Gear '22
Jun Kisai & Tomoaki Honma vs. DOUKI & Minoru Suzuki/JTO 50th Anniversary for TAKATaichi
Bron Breakker vs. Ilja Dragunav vs. JD McDonnah/NXT Halloween Havoc '22
Eddie Kingston vs. Jun Akiyama/AEW Full Gear: Zero Hour
Saya Kamitani vs. Natsupoi/Stardom Cinderella Journey-Nakoga
Meiko Satumura vs. Blair Davenport vs. Mandy Rose/NXT Worlds Collide
Kazuchika Okada vs. JONAH/NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 13
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Josh Alexander/Impact Under Seige
Giulia vs. Mayu Iwatani/Stardom Negoya Supreme Fight
Starlight Kid vs. Mayu Iwatani/Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix Night 22
El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Laredo Kid/AAA Showcenter
Ricochet vs. Carmelo Hayes/NXT Worlds Collide
Rey Fenix vs. El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid vs. Bandido/AAA Triplemania XXX-Tijuana
Bron Breakker vs. Tyler Bate/NXT Worlds Collide
Rey Fenix vs. Bandido vs. Black Taurus vs. Laredo Kid/JCP Ric Flair's Last Match
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Will Ospreay/RevPro Uprising '22
Konosuke Takashita vs. "Speedball" Mike Bailey/WCP '93 Til Infinity
Street Profits vs. The Usos/WWE Money In The Bank '22
Eddie Kingston, Wheeler yuta, & Shota Umino vs. Chris Jericho, Sammie Guevara, & Minoru Suzuki/AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door
Tomohiro ishii vs. Ren Narita/NJPW Battle Autumn '22 Night 9
Shingo Takagi vs. Zach Sabre Jr./NJPW New Japan Cup '22 Night 14
Funky Jacky Kamei & Jason Lee vs. Diamante & Shun Skywalker/Dragon Gate Kobe World '22-Ultimo Dragon 35th Anniversary
Meiko Satomura vs. Mandy Rose vs. Blair Davenport/NXT Worlds Collide
Michael Oku vs. Will Ospreay/RevPro High Stakes '22
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Chris Jericho/AEW Dynamite/11/23
Josh Alexander vs. Eddie Edwards/Impact Bound For Glory '22
Kazuchiko Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito/NJPW Wrestling Dontaku '22
Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita/AEW Rampage/12/7
Edge vs. Finn Balor/WWE Extreme Rules '22
Dax Harwood vs. "Speedball" Mike Bailey/Wrestlecade Supershow '22
Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns/WWE Summerslam '22
Starlight Kid vs. AZM/Stardom Cinderella Journey-Nagoka
As you can see, this has been a completely crazy year for excellent matches and there were even more than was listed here. Whatever you do, do NOT sleep on ANY of the matches listed on the Honorable Mentions list. If you haven't seen some, or even most, of these matches, try to go out of your way to find them if possible. As of this writing, there's already a 2023 MOTY candidate, or even likelihood, in Will Ospreay vs. Kenny omega from Wrestle Kingdom 17, where it has received the ultra rare SIX AND A QUARTER STAR rating from Meltzer and Wrestling Observer. Folks, this is indeed a match that is among the greatest that's been seen possibly ever. As for the best of 2022, we saw Ospreay become more fully of wrestling star and not just a wrestling MATCH star. He had a career year and will likely have another one in 2023. Also, the likes of Jon Moxley, Roman Reigns, The Elite, Shingo Takagi, and of course Kazuchika Okada all had very good to incredible matches worthy of making any "Best Of..." list for the year. Was 2022 among the best years ever? In terms of this century, absolutely. Easily top ten. The question is will 2023 keep the momentum? Based upon the most recent Ospreay vs. Omega, it may even raise the bar even higher. Until this time next year, enjoy 2023 wrestling!
