MOTM- February
RevPro British Commonwealth Championship
RevPro High Stakes '24
February is pretty much out the door and what a great month for wrestling. As for this month's Match of The Month for February, it should come as no surprise that it, once again, comes from Mr. Ospreay. Once again, he put on an all-time performance, and this already may be a MOTY candidate, and a highly probable one at that. This one involved current British Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion, Michael Oku, as he defended the title against former multi-time champion, Ospreay, in his final indie match before shipping off to AEW for his new full-time career with the company. This all-timer took place at RevPro's signature annual event, High Stakes, which is also where their previous encounter took place at as well. The back story has Oku wanting to avenge his 2022 loss to Ospreay in one of the best matches of the entire year. The storytelling involved was among the most praised within that year and showed how great Oku was, and how nicely he could hang with arguably the most gifted wrestler in the business today. That was 2022. Now, here in 2024, Oku wants to get that dark cloud from over his head by defeating "The Commonwealth Kingpin", even if that means putting up his Undisputed British Commonwealth Title. Not forgetting at all how much their 2022 match took out of them, Oku appeared better than ever in this affair. He knew the athlete Ospreay was, but also knew how low his actions could stoop, especially when it came to Oku's girlfriend, Amira. In their 2022 match, Amira was kicked to the ground by Ospreay. He did much worse here, as will get explained a little later. Ospreay, as usual, was amazing here, both as the heel and his in-ring prowess. However, Oku was able to counter or reverse several of Ospreay's moves within his arsenal. The intensity was every bit as high as their 2022 bout and even more. Also, much like the last affair, both men were bleeding, that didn't let up either man's assault against the other. Unlike the prior matchup, Ospreay got his leg worked on during the second half of the match, thus making it difficult for Ospreay to execute some of his usual moves within his move set and counters, and Oku would end up taking advantage practically every time. One of the biggest spots of this already epic matchup happened when Ospreay attempted his vicious Hidden Blade finisher onto Oku, only to strike Amira, who had come in the ring thanks to Oku pulling her into the ring as she held hands with Oku as Oku seemed like he was about to tap out to Ospreay. This turned up the volume within Oku as he, understandably, went to town on "The Aerial Assassin". Both men also delivered several Hidden Blades onto the other. In yet another twist of fate, Oku would deliver Hidden Blades onto Ospreay and would stop the ref count by picking up Ospreay by his hair, only to deliver another one, just like Ospreay did to him in the last encounter. After Oku was kicking out of absolutely everything Ospreay was dishing pout to him, including a BRUTAL Storm Driver 93, a couple more Hidden blades, and a Storm Breaker, Ospreay even attempted a Styles Clash (inspired by one of his childhood idols, AJ Styles) after Oku kicked out from an aforementioned Storm Driver 93. Oku kicked out of that as well. Ospreay, to his credit, survived a couple of his signature Frog Splashes from Oku as well. The end happened when Oku put Ospreay in a single leg crab and after nearly fifty extraordinary minutes, Ospreay tapped out.
It's not hard to see why many have called this one of the greatest matches of the modern era of wrestling. It was already a hard sell to get this match to be even better than their 2022 encounter that officially put Oku on the map, much like Flair did Sting in '88, but they not only met the expectations, they also far surpassed them, which is a feat in and of itself. It was the type of match and storytelling that makes people, notably the casual fan, really understand why hardcore, dedicated enthusiasts love this game so much, both from a realistic view and an entertaining view. After this legendary and emotionally charged encounter, both men showed rightful respect to each other, as Oku was virtually given the torch of RevPro by Ospreay. It just so happened also that AEW President & Chief Booker, Tony Khan, was in attendance to watch this magical evening (Orange Cassidy made a surprise entrance to this event and defended his AEW International Title in a Fatal Five-way Match earlier in the evening). As people chanted, "Thank you Tony", the two stars recognized the magic they created, and that they executed something very special. While Ospreay is NO stranger to legendary and standard-raising matches such as his series of matches with Shingo Takagi, Zach Sabre Jr, and Kenny Omega, for the young Oku, this was next level career advancement. He had to show the world he could not only hang with quite possibly the best wrestler this decade thus far, but that he could beat him. He did just that.
Matches like these, sadly, don't come around every day, but then again, nor should it. That's what makes it special. We never saw Steamboat vs. Flair every day, nor did we see Okada vs. Omega, Taker vs. HBK, The Fantastics vs. Midnight Express, or Tanahashi vs. Okada everyday either. These are rivalries and matches that create moments, enduring moments that stand the test of time. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer gave it a VERY rare six-star rating, and others have already billed, within the industry, as MOTY or even the decade so far. If there was a masterclass in athleticism meting excellent storytelling and psychology of today's times, you may not need to look any further than Michael Oku vs. Will Osreay from RevPro's High Stakes of 2024.
Runner Up
Bryan Danielson vs. Zach Sabre Jr.
NJPW New Beginning in Osaka '24
2/11/2024
Much like the aforementioned match of Oku vs. Ospreay, for Bryan Danielson and Zach Sabre Jr, the bar was set incredibly high going into their much-anticipated rematch from AEW Wrestledream of 2023. Their match was the proverbial "game of human chess" (God rest Gordon Solie) and it met every single dream bookers expectations, as it was not just one of the single best matches of the year, but one of the single best ones so far this decade and possibly ever in modern wrestling. They would meet again, this time in Osaka, Japan at New Japan's New Beginning in Osaka card. The event was already an emotional powder keg going into it, as this would be the last New Japan event for Will Ospreay and next to last one for Kazuchika Okada, as he's setting sail for (presumably) AEW as well. In the prior match, in fact, Okada faced his most famous and notable rival, NJPW President and sure fire, first ballot Hall of Famer, Hiroshi Tanahashi in a match that reminded us of how well their chemistry is and has been throughout the past nearly two decades. With that being said, it was go-time for Danielson and ZSJ. If you saw their first encounter at Wrestledream, it was the same type of affair, only a little more physical than before. The catch and chain wrestling styles were obviously the big story here, as the two best at their craft executed hold after counter hold, offense move countering that offensive move, and the like. Both men were not afraid to get stiff with each other, and this definitely happened throughout the match. When it comes to technical wrestling, Danielson has been considered the modern GOAT, much along the lines of the likes of Bret Hart, Angle or Benoit (for those that still give Benoit his professional props). Sabre Jr is easily in that same category and then some, as his style is more along the lines of British mat legends like Billy Robinson and Johnny Saint more so than Bret Hart, although you can certainly tell Hart's influence in some of his move set and submission proficiency. After just over thirty grueling and unbelievable catch and chain wrestling between the two and the rising physicality between them, Sabre Jr was able to avenge his loss to Danielson at Wrestledream by defeating him in this affair. Easily every bit as masterful and brilliant as their prior encounter in Seattle, we witnessed a match worthy of another MOTY candidacy. Danielson, later in the locker room, declared ZSJ as the new best technical wrestler in the world, but also wanted a Best of Three Falls match at some point in the future as well. Time will tell if we do, in fact, get that match. Will it happen in London at Wembley for All In: London? Makes sense being that it's ZSJ's backyard but will also likely be Danielson's last match, as he promised he would retire from full-time competition in the ring around the time his daughter, Birdie, turned seven, which is around June time.
Compared to the iconic mat classic between Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch in '71, this match and the Dream match were definitely on par with it, at least according to those who actually witnessed the match. With this year being Danielson's last hurrah as a full-time wrestler, he's going out in a profound blaze of glory, while ZSJ continues to make his mark as one of the greatest mat wrestlers of all-time, and he's still in his younger to mid-thirties. If we do get a Two Out of Three Falls match between these two, it will likely be even more memorable than these two encounters have been.
Honorable Mentions
Mills vs. Sabre Jr/RevPro High Stakes '24
Jacobs vs. Gail/RevPro High Stakes '24
Volodor Jr vs. Romero/NJPW/CMLL Fantasica Mania Night 6
Belair vs. Stratton vs. Lynch vs. Rodriguez vs. Morgan vs. Naomi/WWE Elimination Chamber '24
Orton vs. Paul vs. McIntyre vs. Owens vs. Lashley vs. Knight/WWE Elimination Chamber '24
United Empire vs. BCWD/NJPW New Beginning In Osaka '24
Tanahashi vs. Okada/NJPW New Beginning In Osaka '24
Strickland vs. Page/AEW Dynamite 2/7/24
Danielson vs. Hechecero/AEW Collision 2/3/24
Harwood vs. Moxley/AEW Dynamite 2/14/24
What an incredible month of action in February. January was already hot in the cold of Winter. Now that Spring season is upon us in March, things will only start to warm up even more, with events coming such as AEW Revolution (which will see the final match of Sting's career), NJPW's 52nd Anniversary Show, their New Japan Cup tournament, TNA Sacrifice, Stardom's Cinderella tournament and the NJPW Academy Showcase. Let's strap in for what could surely be a very memorable March!
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