10 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2021

10. Eddie Kingston Vs. CM Punk - AEW Full Gear

Christ, what incredible tonic this was in response to so much pro wrestling content excess.

Not every match needs to go 30 minutes, or even 15. Not every storyline needs to be some lengthy epic performed with an absurd level of intensity. Think about your real life. The people in it that you tend to resent or outright dislike are the people you know but don't don't wish to get to know. They're the rude ar*ehole who belittles you in social situations or the workplace; you're the person who remembers and holds onto a perceived slight.

This mini-masterpiece used pettiness as a plot thread, and it was magnificent, relatable, and totally believable as a result.

Punk and Kingston struck the sh*t out of each other but refused to sell it because that would involve conceding a point. Punk was at his nasty prick best in a match with no body slam attempts. He wasn't glad to be back. He wanted to put this out-of-shape disappointment back in his f*cking place, and he did so by raining down elbows on the crown of his head. Kingston told Punk to f*ck off, and it was beyond cathartic because you wished you had told that aloof friend of a friend d*ckhead to f*ck off, too.

An electrifying blood-soaked pissing contest with a Frye/Takayama sequence so good and natural it felt like they invented it, Punk Vs. Kingston was something every pro wrestler should study.

Not that they'd approach its brilliance.