10 Best Opening 60 Seconds Of Wrestling Matches Ever

8. Will Ospreay Vs. Ricochet - WCPW World Cup Semi-Final

Bianca Belair Becky Lynch
WCPW

The promotion no longer exists to shill it.

At best, a fraction of YouTube revenue might be drawn by providing a link to it.

While outstanding, it's not the greatest wrestling match ever. It's not even the best Will Ospreay Vs. Ricochet match. But the electrifying opening exchange was so good, and was enhanced by a minor production hiccup and an inspired aesthetic choice.

The competitive edge was so fierce in this long-term peacocking battle that they didn't even want to remove their gear before being granted the opportunity to prove themselves the better man all over again. Ospreay sprang off the ropes in a bid to deceive Ricochet from the jump. In a serendipitous moment, the house lights dimmed mid-cutter attempt, orchestrating a sense of realism around a very choreographed sequence that felt like it wasn't supposed to happen. The frenetic counter dance was a mind-blowing signature of the combination - Ricochet's handspring kip-up out of a flying headscissors particularly impressive - but the genius had everything to do with Ricochet's skirted entrance jacket. It billowed with and accentuated every astonishing movement, depicting Ricochet as the superhero he used to be.

This was tonally antithetical to the pissy Punk and Kingston brawl, but not in a way that detracted from it; rather, it illuminated a new strain of storytelling premised on the idea of two outrageous athletes attempting to outwit one another with pure, showboating skill.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!