It's a new year, so a new MOTY thread.

But which match is the best!?!?!?

2021

Kota Ibushi VS - Jay White (WK15)

Hopefully I’ll remember to update this throughout the year

I’ll try and join in this year as well, using Emperor’s format.

 ****3/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

****1/2

Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2

*****
Kenny Omega vs. Rey Fenix - AEW New Year's Smash Night 1

****3/4
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom Night 1
Jay White vs. Kota Ibushi - Wrestle Kingdom Night 2

****1/2
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori - Wrestle Kingdom Night 2
Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito - Wrestle Kingdom Night 1

****1/4

****
Jeff Cobb vs. Shingo Takagi - Wrestle Kingdom Night 1
Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo - Wrestle Kingdom Night 1
Cody Rhodes vs. Matt Sydal - AEW New Year's Smash Night 1
Wardlow vs. Jake Hager - AEW New Year's Smash Night 1

Has any match that's taken place in January ever won MOTY?

Jan 7, 2021 3:16:09 GMT 🤯 said:

Has any match that's taken place in January ever won MOTY?

The Match of the Year Aware for the Observer has been won by a match in January in:

1990: Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Naoki Sano
2015: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi
2016: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
2017: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega

Jan 7, 2021 3:16:09 GMT 🤯 said:

Has any match that's taken place in January ever won MOTY?

Pro Wrestling is the opposite of the movie industry, especially in Japan where they typically run their biggest shows around New Years.

The first match that came to mind was Benoit/Angle which placed second in the Observer awards and was easily voted the North American match of the year.

I was shocked to see Kurt Angle/Brock Lesnar from Wrestlemania XIX do so well, Meltzer rated it the same as Jericho/Michaels at ****1/4 stars.

I think RT's list has it covered so far, although I've yet to catch AEW yet. Looking forward to the Fenix/Omega match - Fenix was one of my favourite things to come out of Lucha Underground and I still rate the match he had with Muertes as the best casket match I've seen.

I'm mostly just impressed that wrestling fans, notorious for their short attention spans, can remember back to January by year-end... Unless the rest of the year was a totally non-memorable snooze fest.

Jan 7, 2021 15:12:46 GMT Big Pete said:

Jan 7, 2021 3:16:09 GMT 🤯 said:

Has any match that's taken place in January ever won MOTY?

Pro Wrestling is the opposite of the movie industry, especially in Japan where they typically run their biggest shows around New Years.

The first match that came to mind was Benoit/Angle which placed second in the Observer awards and was easily voted the North American match of the year.

I was shocked to see Kurt Angle/Brock Lesnar from Wrestlemania XIX do so well, Meltzer rated it the same as Jericho/Michaels at ****1/4 stars.

I think RT's list has it covered so far, although I've yet to catch AEW yet. Looking forward to the Fenix/Omega match - Fenix was one of my favourite things to come out of Lucha Underground and I still rate the match he had with Muertes as the best casket match I've seen.

The Royal Rumble actually has a history of incredible title matches, but they're often either overshadowed by the Rumble itself, or forgotten as the year goes on. Like how good of a list is this:

Asuka vs. Becky Lynch (2020)
Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles (2019)
John Cena vs. AJ Styles (2017)
Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens LMS (2016)
Brock vs. Cena vs. Rollins (2015)
Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan (2014) -this one's totally forgotten because of what else happened that night, but it was really really good.
The Rock vs. CM Punk (2013)
Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler (2011)
John Cena vs. Umaga (2007)
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels LMS (2004) - A real forgotten gem I think, one of their better matches.
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (2003)
Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit Ladder Match (2001)
Triple H vs. Cactus Jack (2000)
The Rock vs. Mankind I Quit (1999)



No idea what point I'm trying to make, except to say that in each year I'd say all of those matches listed are among the very best (at least in North America) but don't often get the props they deserve because they're in January and overshadowed by a Rumble.

Jan 7, 2021 15:23:11 GMT 🤯 said:

I'm mostly just impressed that wrestling fans, notorious for their short attention spans, can remember back to January by year-end... Unless the rest of the year was a totally non-memorable snooze fest.

I think a lot of fans fall into the same camp as you and Wife where if you're going to watch Pro Wrestling at any time, it's the Rumble in January.

The Royal Rumble actually has a history of incredible title matches, but they're often either overshadowed by the Rumble itself, or forgotten as the year goes on. Like how good of a list is this:

Asuka vs. Becky Lynch (2020)
Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles (2019)
John Cena vs. AJ Styles (2017)
Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens LMS (2016)
Brock vs. Cena vs. Rollins (2015)
Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan (2014) -this one's totally forgotten because of what else happened that night, but it was really really good.
The Rock vs. CM Punk (2013)
Edge vs. Dolph Ziggler (2011)
John Cena vs. Umaga (2007)
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels LMS (2004) - A real forgotten gem I think, one of their better matches.
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (2003)
Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit Ladder Match (2001)
Triple H vs. Cactus Jack (2000)
The Rock vs. Mankind I Quit (1999)

No idea what point I'm trying to make, except to say that in each year I'd say all of those matches listed are among the very best (at least in North America) but don't often get the props they deserve because they're in January and overshadowed by a Rumble.

I was thinking about that point the other day when pi brought up the 2015 Rumble on the latest pduh podcast. I was sitting there thinking he was crazy not to be there to see one of the greatest triple threats of all-time but I could totally understand the perception that it was a horrible show because of how tone deaf the Royal Rumble was. Wyatt/Bryan is another great example where it's easily Bray's best match, but it's on a show with Orton/Cena and the 2014 Rumble which fans instantly hated.

Otherwise from my experience just about all those matches especially from 1999-2007 are classics and considered essential viewings. The only exception would be HHH/HBK, but you could well be right about it being an underrated classic. I'd throw HBK/Taker '98 in there as well as Edge/Rey from the 2008 Rumble as other deep cuts.

Jan 7, 2021 15:23:11 GMT 🤯 said:

I'm mostly just impressed that wrestling fans, notorious for their short attention spans, can remember back to January by year-end... Unless the rest of the year was a totally non-memorable snooze fest.

This is why I keep a list in these MOTY threads, otherwise I'd forget a lot of the matches.

Surprised you're questioning the memories of wrestling fans when you are one of the biggest historians, creating rebooking threads and reciting every detail of a random RAW in 1997 like it was yesterday. Not just you, but all the HoW guys. Just look at the conversation PB and Big Pete had in this thread. Crazy memories. Yeah they may have done a bit of research but some of those posts must come from the memory bank.

Jan 10, 2021 1:30:53 GMT Emperor said:

Jan 7, 2021 15:23:11 GMT 🤯 said:

I'm mostly just impressed that wrestling fans, notorious for their short attention spans, can remember back to January by year-end... Unless the rest of the year was a totally non-memorable snooze fest.

This is why I keep a list in these MOTY threads, otherwise I'd forget a lot of the matches.

Surprised you're questioning the memories of wrestling fans when you are one of the biggest historians, creating rebooking threads and reciting every detail of a random RAW in 1997 like it was yesterday. Not just you, but all the HoW guys. Just look at the conversation PB and Big Pete had in this thread. Crazy memories. Yeah they may have done a bit of research but some of those posts must come from the memory bank.

I meant it more as a glittering generality. I think PW is mostly the exception to the rule when it comes to wrestling fans who fit the more negative stereotypes.

Love that you guys are using my format. Thank you! Time to start my own list.

*****

Kota Ibushi (c) vs Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2

****3/4

Shingo Takagi (c) vs Jeff Cobb - NEVER Openweight Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2
Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

****1/2

Kenny Omega (c) vs Rey Fenix - AEW World Championship - AEW Dynamite (January 6th)

****1/4

Hiromu Takahashi vs El Phantasmo - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

Am I the only one who found Omega/Fenix very confusing because their tights were so similar?

****3/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

****1/2

Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2

****
Kenny Omega vs. Rey Femix - AEW Championship - Dynamite, Jan 6
Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Scrap Daddy Adam Pearce - Smackdown, Jan 8

****3/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

****1/2

Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2

****1/4
Tomasso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher - FIT PIT - NXT, Jan 20

This wasn’t quite as good as the first fight pit, but I really liked how different it was from the first. Whereas Riddle/Thatcher was like a pseudo-MMA fight, this was just a fight, with an emphasis on Ciampa’s creativity in finding ways to hurt people. I especially liked the finish. It felt abrupt when you’re used to the modern epic grammar, but that just enhanced it for me because it looked so violent, and painful and made total sense to finish it. Proof you can have a really fun, hard-hitting main event without false finishes or back and forth move-trading. And the stretch muffler is always epic.

****
Kenny Omega vs. Rey Femix - AEW Championship - Dynamite, Jan 6
Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Scrap Daddy Adam Pearce - Smackdown, Jan 8

Jan 22, 2021 0:25:44 GMT PB said:

****3/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

****1/2

Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2

****1/4
Tomasso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher - FIT PIT - NXT, Jan 20

This wasn’t quite as good as the first fight pit, but I really liked how different it was from the first. Whereas Riddle/Thatcher was like a pseudo-MMA fight, this was just a fight, with an emphasis on Ciampa’s creativity in finding ways to hurt people. I especially liked the finish. It felt abrupt when you’re used to the modern epic grammar, but that just enhanced it for me because it looked so violent, and painful and made total sense to finish it. Proof you can have a really fun, hard-hitting main event without false finishes or back and forth move-trading. And the stretch muffler is always epic.

****
Kenny Omega vs. Rey Femix - AEW Championship - Dynamite, Jan 6
Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Scrap Daddy Adam Pearce - Smackdown, Jan 8

Been outta the wrestling loop for a good many years, but reading this made me really want to check it out.

Also WTF @ Adam Pearce wrestling in the WWE? Man I've really been not paying attention in a long time.

Unfortunately he’s not medically cleared to compete, so he was only in the match as a technicality, but it was cool none the less. He’s the authority figure for Raw and Smackdown as the minute and Roman Reigns doesn’t like him.

*****

Kota Ibushi (c) vs Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2
Finn Balor (c) vs Pete Dunne - NXT Championship - NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

****3/4

Shingo Takagi (c) vs Jeff Cobb - NEVER Openweight Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2
Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1
Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon vs Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez - Mae Young Classic Final - NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

****1/2

Kenny Omega (c) vs Rey Fenix - AEW World Championship - AEW Dynamite (January 6th)
Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI(c) vs Jay White, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa - NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships - NJPW New Beginning in Hiroshima Day 2

****1/4

Hiromu Takahashi vs El Phantasmo - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

****3/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

****1/2

Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2
Finn Balór vs. Pete Dunne - NXT Championship - Takeover: Vengeance Day

I agree with all of Emperor,'s praise for this match. I was one of the most vocal Finn Balor doubters on the forum. I always thought he was just fine in New Japan, his first NXT run, and his main roster run - but he's now in my fave five or current wrestlers because everything he does is just so good. The reason I can't go any higher than 4.5 is the spot where Finn was out cold, but his foot was on the rope was just very confusing to me and felt very inconsistent with how matches have been refereed before. I thought it was weak that Dunne didn't win at that stage, or if you're saying that it doesn't count because he's techinically out of bounds, then it seems crazy that the ref didn't let him cover him immediately and gave Balor some sort of time out. But, that's the  one negative in a really beautiful match. NXT nearly lost me a year or so ago, but Balor has really rescued the main event scene. Even though it felt obvious he was retaining, there were still multiple moments that I thought Dunne would pull it off.

****1/4
Tomasso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher - FIT PIT - NXT, Jan 20
Johnny Gargano vs. Kushida - NXT NA Championship - Takeover: Vengeance Day

I thought this was really fantastic as well. I know some people blame Gargano for the overkill NXT main event style - but when he's not doing that, he's really amazing. Kushida is really excellent and  I think no crowd is working for him, as I struggle to see him get as over as they are presenting him as with his gimmick at present - but between the ropes I'm really glad he's getting the chance to prove himself now.

****
Kenny Omega vs. Rey Femix - AEW Championship - Dynamite, Jan 6
Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Scrap Daddy Adam Pearce - Smackdown, Jan 8
Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzales vs. Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart - Dusty Cup Finals - Takeover: Vengeance Day

Again, I agree with Emperor,'s praises of this match. The different structure was great. Gonzales looked like an absolute star. Moon and Blackheart both felt less sloppy than they have recently. I actually like how snivelling Kai was. But like the main event, referee spots really spoiled this one for me. Every time they involved thee ref by missing something or ignoring heels cheating, it always came across really fake and the positioning was always off just enough that he just looked incompetent. It happened a couple of times and totally took me out of the match, which was very frustrating.

Forgot about that spot where Finn Balor was out cold. That was dumb. He was clearly out and not responsive, if that happens, you stop the match. Then Dunne goes for a cover and the ref tells him to back off. What the hell? :lol: Is it bad enough to knock off a quarter star? Eh. Can't be bothered.

Feb 16, 2021 21:01:16 GMT Emperor said:

Forgot about that spot where Finn Balor was out cold. That was dumb. He was clearly out and not responsive, if that happens, you stop the match. Then Dunne goes for a cover and the ref tells him to back off. What the hell? :lol: Is it bad enough to knock off a quarter star? Eh. Can't be bothered.

I think it annoyed me  so much because KO won the NXT title by knocking out Sami - so I thought that Dunne had won. And then he wouldn't even let him cover him. But yeah, obviously still great.

TJP(c) vs Josh Alexander Impact 2/16 X-Division title match

**** plus 

****3/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

****1/2

Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2
Finn Balór vs. Pete Dunne - NXT Championship - Takeover: Vengeance Day

****1/4
Tomasso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher - FIT PIT - NXT, Jan 20
Johnny Gargano vs. Kushida - NXT NA Championship - Takeover: Vengeance Day

****
Kenny Omega vs. Rey Femix - AEW Championship - Dynamite, Jan 6
Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Scrap Daddy Adam Pearce - Smackdown, Jan 8
Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzales vs. Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart - Dusty Cup Finals - Takeover: Vengeance Day
MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans - Dusty Cup Finals - Takeover: Vengeance Day

I really enjoyed this match as well. I watched Takeover in five sittings this time because I think burnout has affected my enjoyment of them recently, so it was nice to see each match on it’s own. The Rascalz really stood out to me as when I watched Impact a year or so ago, and although the urge to go complete spot-monkey is strong in them, I thought this was a really fun, fast-paced match that had enough of a story to keep me hooked, and really established MSK as the team to watch. I think the tag division is in a good place in NXT again and am very excited for MSK vs. Oney and Danny.

Riho vs. Serena Deeb - Women’s Eliminator Tournament - Dynamite, Feb 17

This was just a really well worked tournament match and a great way to bring Riho back into AEW. I still have huge frustrations about how AEW presents their women’s division, and this tournament actually highlights those problems with how inconsequential it feels. Like this was a huge match and should have main evented Dynamite easily. But none of that takes away from the performance. Nice double leg work, Deeb feels like such a natural and a real general that AEW needed, and Riho is a perfect baby face. I really liked the finish as well. It was a clean win, but protected Deeb and made us want to see more. This was like a fun amuse-bouche for hopefully an even better main course to come.

****3/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

****1/2

Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2
Finn Balór vs. Pete Dunne - NXT Championship - Takeover: Vengeance Day

****1/4
Tomasso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher - FIT PIT - NXT, Jan 20
Johnny Gargano vs. Kushida - NXT NA Championship - Takeover: Vengeance Day
Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus - Raw, March 1

****
Kenny Omega vs. Rey Femix - AEW Championship - Dynamite, Jan 6
Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Scrap Daddy Adam Pearce - Smackdown, Jan 8
Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzales vs. Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart - Dusty Cup Finals - Takeover: Vengeance Day
MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans - Dusty Cup Finals - Takeover: Vengeance Day
Riho vs. Serena Deeb - Women’s Eliminator Tournament - Dynamite, Feb 17

I'm intrigued PB. Tell me why I should watch Drew McIntyre vs Sheamus.

Mar 2, 2021 20:35:03 GMT Emperor said:

I'm intrigued PB . Tell me why I should watch Drew McIntyre vs Sheamus.

Because they just beat the crap out of each other. They are two men who clearly know and trust each other so hold nothing back and want to impress and deliver . Hart hitting, intense, and only marred by the fact they have two commercials in it which really kill the flow. Ι think this would have been a really good WWE Title match at Wrestlemania. Sheamus is one of the most under appreciated guys in the WWE for me, he always delivered when given the opportunity to do something that matters.

****3/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1

****1/2

Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2
Finn Balór vs. Pete Dunne - NXT Championship - Takeover: Vengeance Day
Kay Lee Ray vs. Meiko Satomura - NXT UK Women's Championship - NXT UK, March 4

This was amazing. I haven't watched NXT UK for a couple of years now because there's just too much wrestling to keep up with, but I always liked KLR and the arrival of Satomura was a genuine draw for me. I was surprised they did this match so early, but man was it great. Just a really great main event title match where both women fought like they wanted to win. They sold well, they had the right amount of false finishes, and for a match that had no build for me, I was very invested and understood their characters straight away. A real breath of fresh air and I hope they don't waste Satomura but keep using her to have matches like this. If we don't get the Sasha match at some stage I'll be devastated.

****1/4
Tomasso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher - FIT PIT - NXT, Jan 20
Johnny Gargano vs. Kushida - NXT NA Championship - Takeover: Vengeance Day
Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus - Raw, March 1

****
Kenny Omega vs. Rey Femix - AEW Championship - Dynamite, Jan 6
Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Corbin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Scrap Daddy Adam Pearce - Smackdown, Jan 8
Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzales vs. Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart - Dusty Cup Finals - Takeover: Vengeance Day
MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans - Dusty Cup Finals - Takeover: Vengeance Day
Riho vs. Serena Deeb - Women’s Eliminator Tournament - Dynamite, Feb 17

Update before my list gets flooded with New Japan Cup matches.

PB - I watched Drew vs Sheamus. Entertaining hoss fest, very good for a WWE TV match, but not quality enough to make my list.

*****

Kota Ibushi (c) vs Jay White - IWGP Double Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2
Finn Balor (c) vs Pete Dunne - NXT Championship - NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

****3/4

Shingo Takagi (c) vs Jeff Cobb - NEVER Openweight Championship - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 2
Kazuchika Okada vs Will Ospreay - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1
Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon vs Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez - Mae Young Classic Final - NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

****1/2

Kenny Omega (c) vs Rey Fenix - AEW World Championship - AEW Dynamite (January 6th)
Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI(c) vs Jay White, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa - NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships - NJPW New Beginning in Hiroshima Day 2
Kota Ibushi (c) vs Tetsuya Naito - IWGP Double Championship - NJPW Castle Attack Day 2

****1/4

Hiromu Takahashi vs El Phantasmo - Wrestle Kingdom 15 Day 1
Jay White vs Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW Castle Attack Day 1

2021 will have a countdown I trust. In fact just do averages of all the rating and then do a fancy reveal.