10 Best Wrestling Matches Of This Decade
Defining today's pro wrestling.
It's no secret that over the past several years, the overall quality and athleticism of the wrestling product has increased. It's happened everywhere - from WWE to New Japan to Mexico to independent companies all over the world. As fans have had more access to different wrestling brands, they've become more demanding, and as a result, the bar has been raised.
Since January 1, 2010, we've seen some of the greatest matches in the history of pro wrestling. This list is an attempt to count them down - to log the 10 best bouts of the decade thus far.
Just so nobody's caught off guard, there's a heck of a lot of New Japan Pro Wrestling on here, as stars like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, and Tomohiro Ishii have really defined what ***** wrestling action is in this day and age.
10. Atlantis Vs. Ultimo Guerrero - CMLL 81st Anniversary Show
In lucha libre, there's absolutely no greater victory a wrestler can gain than winning an opponent's mask. The loser must spend the rest of his career with his face uncovered, changing the trajectory of his path in the sport. The winner has bragging rights forever.
Atlantis, elder statesman of CMLL, has won more than a dozen masks in his career and Ultimo Guerrero, one of CMLL's top stars of the 21st century, has a collection of his own. So when it was announced that the two enmascarados would meet in a mascara contra mascara match at CMLL's 81st Anniversary Show (September 19, 2014), it was a big deal. It was like The Undertaker versus John Cena at WrestleMania if they both had 15 year-plus undefeated streaks. Oh, and did I mention they teamed for five years, too?
All of that gravity created an environment for one of the most amazing matches in years. Ultimo Guerrero came out strong, winning the first fall via pinfall, but Atlantis came back with two straight submissions to save his mask. Afterwards, a near-tears Guerrero was unmasked and revealed as José Gutiérrez Hernández. Wrestling doesn't get any more powerful.