Wrestling in 2024 so far has been among the most revered and acclaimed in recent years. With already quite a number of unforgettable matches and moments we will not soon forget. The overall PPV/PLE year has been great as well. While clearly AEW and WWE have been the catalyst for the PPV/PLE lane, other promotions such as the typically solid NJPW, Stardom, TNA, RevPro, and NXT (as its own brand) presented events that contained exciting in-ring action, tremendous commentary, engaging fan reaction, and overall just kick ass energy. Obviously, the most notable would go to WrestleMania XL, with the whole Cody/Roman monumental moment, but did it get the top spot? Did Sting's final in-ring match at Revolution get the highest ranking? Did New Japan's Wrestle Kingdom 18 keep the bar high for every other promotion in the game? Let's find out shall we???
15. NXT Stand & Deliver '24
Phiiladelphia, PA/Wells Fargo Center
4/6/24
We start with NXT, and their now yearly event that takes place on WrestleMania weekend, Stand & Deliver. Apparently being seen as their biggest event for obvious reasons, Stand & Deliver certainly did the latter. The event started with a decent match between the returning Shawn (who the hell is Ty Dillinger?) Spears and Joe Gacy, but once we got to the second match of the night (which was actually the first match of the actual show, not the previous match which was a part of the pre-show), we got some great action, as the Tag Team Champions of Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin defended against the excellent, high-flying team of Nathan Frazier and Axiom. They turned the temperature a lot with the next match, which was a big time Triple Threat Match between Dijak, Josh Briggs, and NXT North American Champion, big Oba Femi. This was certainly a case of "big meaty men slapping man meat", but this was as physical of a match as one could picture between the three. Femi continues to show his outstanding dominance as champion and as a future main eventer. While other matches like Roxanne Perez vs. Lyra Valkyria and Ilja Dragunov vs. Tony D'Angelo were good, the main event was the biggest deal, obviously, between former friends turned bitter rivals, Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Championship. This was Carmelo's swan song to NXT as he had gotten called up to Smackdown, so the torch was passed to Trick to carry the brand in a match that was needed for Trick to get crowned as the new face for NXT. NXT's Stand & Deliver was an enjoyable event and a good way to get people prepared for the historic WrestleMania weekend.
14. TNA Hard To Kill '24
Paradise, NV/Palms Casino Resort
1/13/24
The first event under the rebranded TNA was Hard To Kill at the beginning of the year. Excitement was completely in the air as this was seen as a new beginning for TNA, as they left behind Impact Wrestling at the end of 2023. What fans got was a tremendous event that reflected the new energy of TNA. Although the former president of the company, Scott D'Amore, is no longer a part of the company, his spirit of competition and hunger was in full effect in this event. The Ultimate X Women's Match started things off between Gisele Shaw, Jody Threat, Tasha Steelz, Alisha Edwards, and Xia Brookside in a competitive match, but we got way more exciting as the evening went on. The KO Championship was on the line as the champion, Trinity, defended against the former champion, the simply awesome Jordynn Grace, in a match that saw Trinity put up a gamey performance against "The Juggernaut", and it was also her last big event before returning to WWE. Grace became the new champion, and it was hard-earned. If frenzied paces if what you're into, look no further than the Fatal Four Way Tag Team Title match between the champions ABC, GYV, Laredo Kid & "Speedball" Mike Bailey, and The Raskalz. It was all over the place, wild, and full of highlight reel offense, with Bey & Austin still the champs. Other damn good matches included Chris Sabin vs. KUSHIDA vs. the ever visually incredible, El Hijo de Vikingo for the X-Division Champion, Josh Alexander vs. the debuting former MLW World Heavyweight Champion, Hammerstone, and the main event of Alex Shelley defending the TNA World Title against former champion, Moose. While Moose regained the World Heavyweight Title, the end of the match was the story, as we saw the debuting Nic Nemeth (formerly Dolph Ziggler) go after Moose to a thunderous ovation. A fun as hell event for the stars as well as the fans, TNA Hard To Kill was quite a way to start their new legacy of the TNA brand.
13. NXT Battleground '24
Enterprise, NV/UFC Apex
6/9/24
For the first time ever, WWE invaded the UFC Apex just outside Las Vegas with NXT's Battleground PLE. With its set up looking completely similar to the NXT Arena/Performance Center, this was a boisterous crowd, and they were amped and ready. What they experienced was quite the hard-hitting evening of action that was predicted and expected. From the NXT Underground match between legit former MMA fighters-turned-WWE wrestlers, Shayna Bayzler and Lola Vice in a VERY tough match for both women to the very competitive Triple Threat Match for the North American Title with Joe Coffey, former champion, Wes Lee, and current champion, the huge Oba Femi (who has the best entrance strut in the business currently BTW), this event was shaping up to definitely be a fun one to behold. In what was one of the most shocking appearances in NXT history, TNA Knockout Champion, Jordynne Grace, stunned the wrestling world by challenging NXT Women's Champion, Roxanne Perez, for the that title just two weeks prior on NXT television. These two had a great match, as Jordynne showed why she's among the most women wrestlers in many, many years. Meanwhile, Roxanne, herself, is one of the most talented and dedicated young stars out here today and continued to show that in this match. Although there were outside shenanigans from Ash By Design (the former Dana Brooke in WWE) that caused Grace to lose, the match itself was still worthy of acclaim and showed that the future of women's wrestling was in great hands. Staying with the women, Kelani Jordan made history by being the first to win the Women's North American Title in a VERY physical Ladder Match that also included the superhumanly athletic, Sol Ruca, the newly heel turned Fallon Henly, Lash Legend, Jaida Parker, and the only veteran in the match Michin (aka Mia Yim). The Tag Team Title match between the champions, the fun team of Axiom & Nathan Frazier against their challengers, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, The Good Brothers, in a match that nearly saw the champs defeated numerous times, but they ultimately came away still champs. As for the main event, in another very shocking debut appearance the same night Grace challenged Perez, former TNA/Impact champion and AEW/ROH star, Ethan Page, showed up on NXT to attack NXT Champion, Trick Williams, and challenge him for his title. These two had a decent match that was really meant to see how Trick would fare against a twenty-year veteran like Page. Admittedly, Page made him look very good here, but that's not for any lack of growing and increasing talent in Trick. The champ got the win, but it was very hard earned. This could be seen as NXT's best PPV (or PLE) so far this year and for good reason. Although this was a short card in terms of matches, NXT Battleground didn't have one wasted moment in it. This was a very fun and engaging event and, right now, is the bar for the remainder of NXT events for 2024.
12. GCW Josh Barnett's Bloodsport Bushido
Sumido, Tokyo, Japan/Ryogoku Sumo Hall
6/22/24
When you hear the letters, GCW, you immediately think of the hardcore, violent promotion that has garnered a cult like following very similar to the godfather of hardcore, ECW. One of the more significant events that takes place yearly is named after revered MMA fighter, Josh Barnett's Bloodsport. This unique event blends pro wrestling with MMA and shoot fighting, with all matches having the ring ropes off and all matches ending with submission, tap out, or knockout. This is the closest thing wrestling has to legit combat sport feel, and fans have been all for it. Earlier in the year, Barnett had his Bloodsport event in Philly and was as physical as one would expect for those who have kept up with this event from its beginning stages in 2018 when Matt Riddle hosted the first one. This was a little different. This was next level brutal at times. From the opening fights of Hideki Suzuki vs. Hikaru Soto and Takuya Namura vs. Erik Hammer were good base level matches to establish the mood and energy of what was to come. If you thought women don't get down, you're very sadly mistaken. At the previously stated Bloodsport in Philly, TNA's Maya Slamovich faced WWE's Shayna Bayzler in quite the physical affair and Shayna's fellow Four Horsewoman of MMA, Marina Shafir, faced Lindsay Snow in a decent one as well. For this event, it was GLEAT star, Maya Fukuda, facing Stardom's Konami, and this didn't disappoint at all. BTW, if you don't know about GLEAT, please go out of your way to check them out. As the night wore on, the action would pick up and get more intense. We saw MMA/UFC/PRIDE legend, Quenton "Rampage" Jackson in a competitive fight against Shrek Sekine, MMA legend and Pancrase founder, Masakatsu Funaki, in a struggle against Bloodsport veteran, Davey Boy Smith Jr, and "The Murder Grandpa" himself, Minoru Suzuki face another vicious mat grappler in Timothy Thatcher in a hell of a contest. We even saw a sight we haven't seen much of former WWE star and current TNA figurehead, Santino Marella, in an MMA-style fight against another PRIDE legend, Kazushi Sakuraba in an impressive match (sleep on MMA Santino if you want to with his extensive judo background). However, it all came down to the main event, which was Barnett, himself, against IWGP Heavyweight Champion and current AEW franchise, Jon Moxley. This was vicious, rugged, and physical like we knew it would be. It took a gruesome turn when Barnett swung Moxley into the ring post and Moxley reemerged a completely covered mask of blood, like Eddie Guerrero/Cena levels, which even for Moxley that's a gross amount. As the canvas was looking like a crimson-stained art canvas and Moxley was losing more and more disturbing amounts of blood every time his heart was beating, it still never stopped him from bringing the fight to Barnett. The match went to the twenty-minute draw, so with Bloodsport rules, it went into sudden death overtime, that's all Moxley needed, as the incredibly bloodied Moxley defeated Barnett in what was a blood-soaked war. If you're into no holds barred physicality and so over the top storylines, check out Josh Barnett's Bloodsport PPVs, but especially this Bushido Bloodsport. This event was arguably among the most brutal and stiffest combat "wrestling" PPVs in recent memory.
11. NJPW Dominion '24
Osaka, Japan/Osaka Jo Hall
6/8/24
If Wrestle Kingdom is NJPW's WrestleMania, then Dominion is seen as New Japan's Summerslam. It's their second biggest PPV event of the year and was home to what many insiders, critics, and fans have regarded as the greatest wrestling match of all-time in Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega in a Best Of Three Falls match that went over an hour for the IWGP Heavyweight Title in 2018. Much like Wrestle Kingdom, Dominion has provided many classic matches and moments in itself. Of course, the second Okada vs. Omega match went to a sixty-minute time limit draw the year before in another all-time encounter, as well as Omega vs. Michael Elgin in the Ladder Match. Would this year's Dominion produce similar classics and unforgettable moments? Well, not quite on those levels, but the intent and passion were certainly there, and the result was an event to be damn proud of. Certainly, the toughest match of the night has to belong to two of the most fearless and most intimidating men in the game, Jeff Cobb and Tomohiro Ishii for the NJPW Television Title. Stiff, physical, and intensity was the name of the game in this one. Of course, we can't mention physicality without mentioning the Lumberjack Deathmatch for the IWGP Heavyweight Title between the champion, Jon Moxley, and the head of House Of Torture, former champion, EVIL. These two bruising battlers brought the physicality and intensity as one would expect from both men. In another match that was filled with hard hits and aggression, Shingo Takagi faced United Empire member, Aaron Henare, for the NEVER Openweight Title and fought to a thirty-minute time limit draw. The main event was El Desperado facing Taiji Ishimori in the finals of the Best of Super Juniors tournament. The ever-tough Desperado had a simply excellent match against the three-time former Junior Champion and defeated him in a main event worthy match. If Dominion wasn't anything else, it was hard-hitting. The majority of matches weren't about any finesse or rest holds or technical wrestling. It was about aggression and toughness. Rest assured, those that watched this year's Dominion weren't disappointed.
10. Stardom All-Star Grand Queendom '24
Yokohama, Japan/Yokohama Buntal
4/27/24
One of the most anticipated events of the year within Stardom is the All-Star Grand Queendom event. Although most would know them for their acclaimed version of New Japan's G1 Climax tournament, in the form of the 5STAR Grand Prix tournament, the Queendom (whether Dream or All-Star Dream) is arguably the biggest event of the year traditionally. The last All-Star Grand Queendom was in 2022, and was quite the excellent event that was hard-hitting, spirited, competitive, and full of high intensity. It's been stated that the final five matches of the card were among the best five match run series of the entire year, culminating with a HELL of a match between two of Stardom's all-time greats, Tam Nakano and Giulia for the World Of Stardom Championship. This year, All-Star Grand Queendom was a packed card just like the card in 2022. The main show started with Rina defending the Future Of Stardom Title against Sayaka Kurara in a spirited matchup, while Saki Kashima defended the High-Speed Championship against the challengers of Saya Lida, Fukigen Death, and Saya Kamitani, who ended up becoming new champion. In a very fierce Fatal Four Team match for the Goddesses Of Stardom Tag Team titles, Suzu Suzuki & Mei Siera of Crazy Star successfully defended the belts against the teams of Ruaka & Starlight Kid, FWC, and 02Line, while Hanan challenged Saori Anou for the Wonder Of Stardom Title in another excellent matchup. The event hit its biggest point when Mayu Iwatani defended her IWGP Women's Championship against former WWE/NXT prospect, Sareee, in a sensational matchup that ranks among the best women's matches this year regardless of promotion. The main event was Momo Watanabe challenging Maika for the World Of Wonder Stardom title in what was equally a fantastic match to behold with Maika retaining the title. This All-Star Grand Queendom easily measures up to the one in 2022 in many ways. This showed the heart and drive of each woman involved in the event and that they went for broke the majority of the night.
9. RevPro High Stakes '24
London, England/Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
2/18/24
The second biggest show for RevPro is their annual event, High Stakes. Known for simply great British action (with at times some special guests from other promotions participating), High Stakes has been known for memorable encounters such as Will Ospreay vs. ZSJ in '20, Ospreay vs. famed rival, Michael Oku, from '22, Ishii vs. Luke Jacobs from '23, and Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll in a match that broke the internet at the time in 2016. For the 2024 edition of High Stakes, this was a damn near, top to bottom, their best High Stakes event yet. With AEW head honcho, Tony Khan, as a special guest to watch the event's activities (although he was mainly there to watch his talent of Orange Cassidy and the newly signed Will Ospreay compete). Boy did he, and the rest of the National Sports Centre in London, enjoy this fantastic show. The first match involved a surprising AEW International Title defense by Orange Cassidy, as he successfully defended the title against great talents of Spike Trivet, former NXT UK talent, Flash Morgan Webster, Cameron Khai, Shigehiro Irie, longtime British grappler Sha Samuels, and Richard Holliday in a hot way to start the event off. One particular stand out match involved multi-time RevPro Undisputed British Champion, Zach Sabre Jr, facing excellent talent, Connor Mills, in a match that showcased why ZSJ is among the best technical mat grapplers of all-time, and why Mills should be seen beyond the British viewership. Dani Luca defended the Women's Title against the very talented Safirre Reed in a very competitive match, and J.J. Gale faced Luke Jacobs in a hell of an encounter. While there were other matches on the card that were decent to good, it all boiled down to the very highly anticipated main event, which was the rematch two years in the making of Michael Oku defending the RevPro British Heavyweight Title against former champion, Will Ospreay. You can check out the back story of this match here, but in short, this was one of the most exceptional wrestling matches, not just in 2024, but of the past several years. From the action to the tremendous in-ring storytelling that was being presented and sold, Oku and Ospreay put on a masterclass for the ages, and the fans were as into it as you could imagine. Of course, the London crowd takes their wrestling very seriously and they were hot for practically the entire show, as they should've been. RevPro's High Stakes '24 was a damn enjoyable show with a near perfect main event, and many have referred this High Stakes as possibly the greatest ever.
8. WWE Royal Rumble '24
St. Petersburg, Fl/Tropicana Field
1/27/24
The first of the "Big 4" from WWE is always the annual Royal Rumble PLE. This particular one was fun in which there were a few stories within the match itself. One involved the returning CM Punk, who made his beyond shocking return to WWE after almost a decade back at the Survivor Series. This was his first Rumble match since 2014 and looked very good in it. Another story was the bigger story, and that was Cody Rhodes attempting to be one of only a handful of guys (Hogan, Austin, and Cena) to win back-to-back Rumble matches, headline WrestleMania XL, and finally "finish the story". He won after eliminating Punk and set himself up to go after either World Title at Mania in Philly. Meanwhile, on the women's side, Bayley not only won her first Rumble match, but also made two types of history, as she beat Rhea Ripley's record set last year of longest run in the match (lasting 1:03:03 in the match), as well as being the first Mexican-American woman to win the women's Rumble match. While the other matches of Kevin Owns vs. Logan Paul and the Fatal Four Way involving Roman Reigns defending the Universal Title against LA Knight, AJ Styles, and Randy Orton were quite good and entertaining, the two Rumble matches presented the bigger stories and made all the fans look forward to what would become of Mania in just a couple months from then. The Rumble PLE, itself, was entertaining and made compelling television with their angles, especially with all of them having Mania ramifications. While not the classics of '92, '01, or even last year's, this one held its own and started the year off for WWE nicely.
7. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18
Tokyo, Japan/Tokyo Dome
1/4/24
The New Japan equivalent of WrestleMania is Wrestle Kingdom, and it's been regarded as, not just the measuring stick of the sport for the year, but most times, among the single best events of the year, period. When people think of classic Kingdom events, many have stated Kingdom 9 or Kingdom 10 as the greatest, however, there are others that have stated Kingdom 11, Kingdom 12, Kingdom 7, and Kingdom 8 all are in the running. Admittedly, the last few have been very good, but something has been missing to reclaim the aura of past Kingdom events. Whether it's the absence of western culture stars, the decline of the Bullet Club, or even commentary from the likes of Kevin Kelly or Jim Ross, Wrestle Kingdom is still seen as the goal post for the company. For Kingdom 18, this was an attempt to get some of the glory Kingdom had been known to obtain throughout nearly two decades. Did they do an admirable job? Surely. Going into the event, the most anticipated match of the card was the rematch between Kazuchika Okada and Bryan Danielson from their previous match at AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door, in which Danielson broke his forearm during the match but still continued on. Also later in the year, Okada was responsible for injuring the orbital bone of Danielson on an episode of Dynamite using his famous Rainmaker clothesline. Of course, the main event is typically the calling card, as IWGP Heavyweight Champion, SANADA, faced off against former mentor and multi-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Tetsuya Naito. While Danielson and Okada clearly took home match of the night honors and was one of the best matches of the entire year, the main event wasn't anything to sneeze at either. A very good match that saw these two excellent in-ring performers give so much of themselves for the title, in which Naito became four-time champion. In other action, Bullet Club leader, David Finlay defeated Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley in a Triple Threat match to become the inaugural IWGP Global Champion in what many consider an upset win for the third-generation star (only to get into an altercation shortly afterwards with newly designated free agent, Nic Nemeth aka the former Dolph Ziggler). Former Suzuki-Gun member, El Desperado, defeated LIJ member, and multi-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion for the title in an exciting match, while Tama Tonga defeated the ultra-tough Shingo Takagi for the IWGP NEVER Openweight Title in quite the struggle. Other enjoyable matches included NJPW legend (current NJPW President), Hiroshi Tanahashi facing Zach Sabre Jr, BISHAMON vs. (the new) Guerrilas Of Destiny in a very competitive and gritty Winner Take All match for both the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles and NJPW STRONG Tag Team titles and Catch 2/2 defeating the Bullet Club War Dogs for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles in a non-stop, fast-paced match. The 18th edition of Wrestle Kingdom was a pretty great one and one that showed signs of some of the best Kingdom PPVs of the past. While Danielson vs. Okada was far and away the most unforgettable match, the rest of the card was hard-hitting and filled with loads of excitement as only Kingdom can provide. The bar was set fairly high for NJPW but also but every other promotion on notice as well that they're still "The King of Sports".
6. AEW Double Or Nothing '24
Paradise, NV/MGM Grand Garden Arena
5/26/24
The five-year anniversary of AEW was in the form of their very first PPV that brought in AEW to the world, Double Or Nothing. It was in the same MGM Grand Arena just outside Vegas where AEW was born and their debut event, Double Or Nothing, had officially let the world know AEW had arrived. Five years later, it's the second biggest promotion in the world and has proven to be a force of its own within wrestling. For the fifth-year anniversary, AEW presented quite an excellent card for the event, with the triple main event being Willow Nightingale defending the AEW TBS Championship against the in-ring debuting, Mercedes Mone, AEW World Heavyweight Champion, Swerve Strickland defend the title against Christian Cage, and the chaotic Anarchy in The Arena match between Bryan Danielson, Darby Allen, & FTR vs. The New Elite, consisting of The Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada, and the returning Jack Perry. While the two pre-show matches of Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purazzo and The Acclaimed & "Daddy Ass" Billy Gunn vs. The Cage of Agony were fairly good, the first match on the main show definitely set the tone for the rest of the night, as Will Ospreay challenged Roderick Strong for the International Championship. On paper, this sounded like another Ospreay dream match, and it almost lived up to the hype. Arguably the best bell to bell match of the evening, Ospreay and Strong tore the house down, and could've easily been higher up the card. Ospreay, ultimately, defeated Strong to win his first championship. However, the story afterwards was the biggest one, as MJF made his triumphant return to AEW after taking some months off due to surgery and acting roles. He delivered a fiery promo after low kicking an unsuspecting Adam Cole, who had come in the ring to do a promo about him being revealed as "the devil" last year. MJF proudly proclaimed at the end that, when it came to his future with AEW, he "wasn't going any fucking where!" to a huge pop from the Vegas audience. The other big match on the midcard was the Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match between TNT Champion, Adam Copeland, and the leader of the ever awesome, House Of Black, Malaki Black. Within minutes, Black was seeing plenty of red, as he was bleeding profusely thanks to Copeland and some cut barbed wire. Not long afterwards, Copeland would see some of his own blood as well (BTW, it was cool and ironic at the same time for Copeland to come to the ring to Grammy Award-winning, Thrash Metal pioneers, Slayer's "South Of Heaven" to a cage match just like he did at WrestleMania 39 against Finn Balor's alter ego, The Demon, in a Hell In A Cell match). These two men put a brutal, bloody affair that saw Black come very close on several occasions to become the next TNT Champion. The height (ahem) of this match came with Copeland standing on top of the twenty-foot cage and hits an elbow on a bloodied and prone Malaki through the table, while sacrificing his left leg as he suffered a broken tibia with the spot. We, then, go to the Triple Main Event, with Willow vs. Mone first. For this being Mone's first match back in over a year, she looked great. Traditionally, she's one of the hardest workers in the industry, and although she showed a tad bit of ring rust, she started to warm up and brought arguably the best match of Willow's career, who looked very damn good as well. Thanks to distractions by (now former) friends Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway, Mone won the TBS Championship from Willow, thus having her win the title in her very first match (Mercedes "Hogan" anyone?) Both Statlander and Hathaway eventually turned on the unsuspecting Willow for a sad moment. The World Title match was next and the chemistry between Swerve and Cage was palpable. Swerve came away with the win in hard fought fashion. The last match was the highly overbooked, almost comical, Anarchy In The Arena match. Although not the classic the first one, nor did it quite hit the viciousness of last year's, this was still a sickeningly fun match to watch, with Perry (who had been set on fire earlier in the match by a clearly not one hundred percent Darby Allen) pinning a bloodied Danielson for The New Elite to win. AEW provided a damn exciting PPV with Double Or Nothing and, although it had a few moments of over-the-top, but there were more so intense, competitive encounters that exemplified AEW's stature in the game, whether you like them or not.
5. WWE Backlash France
Decines-Charpieu, Metropolis of Lyon, France/LDLC Arena
5/4/24
In 2023, San Juan, Puerto Rico was the host of Backlash, and their crowd was considered one of the best crowds in recent WWE years, especially for an event not called WrestleMania. However, Metropolis Of Lyon, France may have topped every crowd known to the WWE universe for Backlash France. This was the first PLE WWE has ever thrown in France, and the fans brought their excitement in ways American fans could never. Much like the San Juan crowd, the French crowd was involved and engaged in every single match. From their singing and chanting to singing literally the entire song to Randy Orton's "Voices" theme song, this crowd MADE this event. The action was nothing to understate either, as this was one of the shortest cards in WWE history at five matches, but not a single one of them was under thirteen minutes. The opener was Orton and partner Kevin Owens facing Solo Sakoa and Tama Tonga in a Street Fight that was excellent and physical. it also marked the debut appearance of Tonga's adopted brother Tonga Loa (who would've thought we'd see Guerillas Of Destiny in WWE?) with the New Bloodline coming away with the win. The ladies held their own too, as Bayley defended the Women's Title against Naomi and Tiffany Stratton in a very good and competitive match with her going over. While Jey Uso and Damien Priest had a very good match as well, it was Jey's Uso's entrance that was the story, as Jey looked like a complete and total rock star going through the crowd with all eleven thousand fans doing his "Yeet Bounce" with their phone lights very similar to the late, great Bray Wyatt's "Fireflies". It was absolutely one of the most incredible sights we've seen this year. We also saw new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions in Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill defeat, in impressive fashion, The Kabuki Warriors for Bianca to be an NXT Title away from being a Grand Slam winner and Jade's first title in WWE. The main event was an amazing match, as Cody Rhodes defended his newly won WWE Championship against AJ Styles. Once again, the crowd was the story as not only did they sing the whole "Kingdom" theme song of Cody's, but they also started a harmonious chant towards AJ that goes along with the word "phenomenal", and it was done throughout the match. While it was occasionally distracting, it was also a sight to watch. The match, itself, was fantastic and showed why AJ is one of the greatest in-ring performers of all-time, while Cody is among the hardest workers and most dedicated to his craft. Cody came away still the champion to close off an all-time great Backlash event just from the French crowd alone. WWE's first Backlash in France was a homerun and then some. This was fun, wild, and filled with moments where the crowd were as big of stars as the wrestlers themselves.
4. AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door '24
Elmont, NY/UBS Arena
6/30/24
When AEW President/Chief Booker Tony Khan collaborated with (then) NJPW President, Takami Obari to put together a PPV together, the game went haywire over the news. The event was called Forbidden Door and was a collaborative effort between AEW and New Japan, much like ROH and NJPW did their Global Wars events from 2014-2017. The first one took place in 2022, and was arguably the best event of the year, with matches such as Orange Cassidy vs. Will Ospreay, The Bucks & Bullet Club member, El Phantasmo vs. Sting, Darby, and Shingo Takagi and the main event being Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title. A fantastic event with tremendous acclaim and commercial success, it started to become annual. The 2023 version of Forbidden Door struck almost as hard, with Omega vs. Ospreay for the IWGP U.S. Title being the match that was easily the match of the year and one of the greatest one-on-one bouts in either company's history. Not to mention other excellent matches in their own right such as Orange Cassidy vs. Zach Sabre Jr vs. Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyuri Shibata, and of course Okada vs. Danielson in the main event. This year, they came together once again, only this time New Japan brought a couple of other business partners with them in the form of sister promotion, Stardom, and the oldest active wrestling promotion in the business, CMLL. This particular Forbidden Door was very exciting simply based upon the inclusion of CMLL and Stardom by itself. This was STACKED card with fifteen matches total (five matches in the Zero Hour pre-show alone). The action we got, however, was absolutely excellent from wall to wall. Orange Cassidy had a hell of a match against Zach Sabre Jr, while Bryan Danielson faced one of the toughest men walking this earth, former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Shingo Takagi, in a barnburner of a match. AEW Women's Champion, Toni Storm, faced Stardom's Mina Shirakawa, for the title in a very tough match for the young, charismatic champion, while in other women's action, Mercedes Mone faced the equally talented, Stephanie Vacquer, in a Winner Take All match for both the AEW TBS Championship and the NJPW STRONG Women's Championship (of course after the match was when we saw the very triumphant return of another AEW "pillar", Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. stare down Mercedes after her very grueling win). Jon Moxley defended the IWGP Heavyweight Title to former four-time champion, Tetsuya Naito, with Naito winning the title for the fifth time. However, the main event was AEW World Champion, Swerve Strickland facing AEW International Champion, Will Ospreay, in a match that will easily go down as a MOTY candidate. With the inclusion of CMLL and Stardom, Forbidden Door saw even more internationally recognized and acclaimed stars from around the world, thus making the event even more of a showcase of superb talent getting recognized on a bigger worldwide platform. The inaugural Forbidden Door event was a tough one to equal, but not only did this Forbidden Door equal it, it may have even outdone the original.
3. AEW Dynasty
St. Louis, MO/Chaifetz Arena
4/21/24
After the incredible and emotional evening that was their prior PPV, Revolution, the pressure was on to keep their PPV momentum with their very first Dynasty PPV. Originating from one of wrestling's most historically revered cities, St. Louis, MO, this had all the makings of an all-timer, just based upon the card alone. The most anticipated match of the night, and possibly the year, was the first ever meeting between Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay, and for more than several good reasons. However, the rest of the card was quite tremendous beyond this match. After the very enjoyable pre-show matches, we went to another encounter that people anticipated in AEW Continental Champion, Kazuchika Okada, facing PAC in what was quite the hotly contested encounter between two of the best of their respective generations. We also saw the ever-charming and bubbly, Willow Nightingale, win her first single title in AEW by defeating HOB's Julia Hart for the TBS Championship. It just went up from here. Toni Storm defeated Thunder Rosa to retain the AEW Women's Championship in a hard hitter of a match that could've gone either way. Also, Kyle O' Reilly lost to former friend and partner, Roderick Strong, in a damn good encounter. Now, it was game time. Danielson vs. Ospreay in what billed as a "dream match", and very rightfully so. We won't go too far into this match, but folks, this was indeed THAT match. This lived up to and surpassed every high expectation alive and was one of the true GOAT matches of modern wrestling, or at least of the past couple of decades. With the matches of FTR vs. The Bucks in a vicious Ladder Match for the Tag Team Titles (featuring a surprising return of "The Scapegoat" Jack Perry aligning with The Elite) and Swerve Strickland challenging Samoa Joe for the AEW World Title in a great match that saw Swerve become the first Black AEW World Champion in history to a thunderous ovation. It was indeed "Swerve's house" that night. Easily one of AEW's most fantastic PPVs in the five-year history of the company, Dynasty was quite an event that saw all-time historic matches and moments, and ultimately, isn't that what wrestling is all about?
2. WWE WrestleMania XL (Night Two)
Philadelphia, PA/Lincoln Financial Field
4/7/24
With WrestleMania XL being such a huge weekend in Philly, obviously everything is centered around Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns and Cody's last attempt to "finish the story" against the longest-reigning champion in over two decades. The first night was drama-filled enough, as Cody teamed with WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth "Freakin'" Rollins, to face Roman and real-life cousin, the returning "Final Boss", The Rock in a match in which, if Cody and Seth lost, the main event of night two would be a Bloodline Rules match, aka a No DQ match. Cody and Seth did indeed lose, therefore, Cody and Roman had the biggest drama and suspense of night two. The rest of the card was not shabby either. The opener had Seth defending the World Title against a determined, yet arrogant, Drew McIntyre. Going into the match, Rollins was legit not one hundred percent, but still was putting numbers on the board against "The Scottish Warrior" in a valiant effort. Unfortunately, McIntyre became the new World Heavyweight Champion at the expense of "The Revolutionary" and "The Visionary". Unfortunately for the new champion, his hatred for the injured CM Punk (who was commentating at ringside during the match) overrode his common sense, and Punk ended up attacking him, thus allowing "Senor Money In The Bank" Damien Priest to take advantage by cashing in the briefcase and defeating McIntyre to become the World Heavyweight Champion after a five-minute reign of McIntyre. That was the just the opener. From there, Bayley had a banger of a match against Iyo Skyy to become the Smackdown Women's Champion for the second time. Also, the loud, brash, and highly talented LA Knight had his WrestleMania moment by defeating an all-time great in AJ Styles and Logan Paul defeated Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in a Triple Threat match to retain the U.S. Title in another major upset for the social media star. It was time for the big one. Cody vs. Roman, and the match was as competitive and spirited as one would imagine. Highlighted by the simply riveting ring introduction by low key MVP of the weekend, Samanthan Irvin, Cody and Roman put on a story that will remain with fans for years to come that resulted in Cody finally "finishing the story" and becoming WWE Universal Champion. With tears in the eyes of Cody, his wife Brandi, his mother, Michelle at ringside, and even Samantha's voice audibly filled with emotion, this may easily be the biggest moment of the year and one of Mania's all-time best moments. While the first night was decent to good, the second night was definitely better in comparison. While not at the level of night one of last year's Mania (which is considered almost at Mania 17 levels), Mania XL was filled with every type of emotion imaginable, and having it capped off with Cody's historic win makes this event, especially this night, one for the all-time books.
1. AEW Revolution '24
Greensboro, NC/Greensboro Coliseum
3/3/24
Back in November of '23, the legendary Sting announced to the world that he was about to retire. Throughout the span of his nearly forty-year career, Sting has done it all, including get inducted into two different halls of fame. The multiple time World Champion stated that AEW Revolution would be the event he would bow out at, and ironically, the event would take place in the very place his career was officially made: in Greensboro, NC at the Greensboro Coliseum during the main event of the very first Clash of The Champions against "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. It was a bittersweet moment as Sting had earned the right to retire on his own terms (unlike in WWE), but this was still Sting, "The Icon". One of the most popular and well-known stars in wrestling history leaving the business for good. He did state, on the other hand, that until that time, he was going to have an unforgettable run to close out his career and boy did he ever. Along with partner, protégé, and friend, Darby Allen, Sting was trucking to Greensboro undefeated and putting up SERIOUS numbers on the board. When Sting and Allen became AEW World Tag Team Champions just three weeks before Revolution, they were brutally jumped by The Young Bucks, as Sting, his two adult sons, and Allen were all laid out, and in Allen's case, bloodied. It was announced that the two teams would face each other in the main event for the belts in a Texas Tornado match. As if this alone wasn't enough of an invitation to invest in this PPV, the rest of the card was almost as anticipatory, as this also marked the official AEW in-ring debut of arguably the sport's most exciting and incredible bell-to-bell athlete, Will Ospreay as he was facing fellow Don Callis Family member, the very highly impressive standout, Konosuke Takeshita, in what would surely be one of the most eagerly awaited matches of the night, if not THE most anticipated besides Sting's last match. In front of a legit sold-out Greensboro Coliseum (home to the first three Starrcade events and other highly legendary events and matches throughout the past fifty-plus years), AEW presented Revolution with emotion and adrenaline in the air as they, and the rest of the world, knew they were about to be a part of wrestling history. The rest of the card was almost just as fantastic. The pre-show matches were good teasers for what was to come, but the first match of the main show was a physical one between Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson, as these two have legit issues with each other and have for nearly two decades. Kingston scored the pinfall and retained his Continental Crown Championship (which was a Triple Crown of sorts, as he was ROH Champion, NJPW STRONG Champion, and the first ever Continental Champion). Also, Wardlow defeated the likes of Powerhouse Hobbs, Chris Jericho, CMLL star Magnus, and Lance Archer in a Scramble Match to declare the next challenger for the World Championship in what was, understandably, a grueling affair with lots of "big meaty men slapping man meat". Another standout match was FTR facing BCC members, Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley in a brutal and bloody battle that was as physical as one would imagine it to be. In a very good technical battle, Toni Storm defeated challenger and former friend, former multi-time TNA Knockouts Champion, Deonna Purazzo, while Samoa Joe beat off Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page in a very competitive Triple Threat Match for the AEW World Championship. Needless to say, Ospreay and Takeshita put on a clinic and easily a MOTY candidate, as this was, by far, the best match in the career of "The Alpha". For Ospreay, it was a Sunday. The main event was filled with understandable emotion before the match even began with a video of Sting looking back over his decorative and revered career with tears in his eyes and proclaiming "It's showtime...for the last time". From there, we saw his sons, Steven and Garrett (the same ones that were beaten up by The Bucks just weeks ago) come out dressed as "Wolfpack" Sting and "'90 Great American Bash" Sting (an homage to the day their dad defeated Flair to win his first NWA World Heavyweight Title). Then, the real one came out to an entire standing ovation, as well as coming out to his theme song of '99 to the final days of WCW, Metallica's "Seek & Destroy". If you'd like to read the analysis of this match and the CHAOS of this war, just click here. Sting did something not many people can say they've done in their careers: retire as a champion, much less undefeated. AEW went to an entire new level with Revolution. Historically, this PPV was known as the event that had us witness perhaps the greatest tag team match on Amercian soil with Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. The Bucks for the World Tag Team Titles at the first one two years ago. However, as historically acclaimed as that match was, Revolution will now be remembered as the event Sting rode off into the sunset with his head held high, his bat in the ring, and the owner of one wrestling's most respected, influential, impactful, and overall best careers we've ever had the blessing of witnessing. Emotional, physical, spirited and passionate, Revolution 2024 will be remembered for years and decades to come.
Honorable Mentions
WWE Elimination Chamber '24
NJPW Battle In The Valley '24
NJPW New Beginning In Osaka '24
TNA No Surrender '24
NJPW Windy City Riot '24
TNA Under Siege '24
WWE Clash At The Castle '24
No comments:
Post a Comment