10 Best Opening 60 Seconds Of Wrestling Matches Ever

6. Manami Toyota Vs. Aja Kong - Big Egg Wrestling Universe

Manami Toyota
AJW

An altogether different - but no less amazing - approach to taking on a far more powerful foe.

Manami Toyota opted not to engage Aja Kong with a collar-and-elbow tie-up. She didn't strive for foolish yet admirable bravado, but rather impulsive, back-against-the-wall strategy. Before the bell even sounded, she launched into Kong's back with a dropkick. Screaming with incandescent fury, rallying herself into the shine, she summoned everything within herself to fire Kong into the ropes.

She was unsuccessful - her spirit while strong was still no match for Kong's physical bulk - but she used her supernatural athleticism to flip over Kong and nail her with a leg trap sunset flip powerbomb. This drew an awestruck gasp from a giant Tokyo Dome crowd unable to reconcile Toyota's physics-breaking ability to manoeuvre her body at an impossible-seeming speed.

Her first top-rope attack was successful - she pounded f*ck out of Kong's back to make sure she could floor her with a second powerbomb - but she was caught and drilled with a nasty suplex after the second.

Total and utter urgency articulated with something more than even state-of-the-art action - nothing in the U.S. comes close 28 years later - this opening salvo will remain intoxicating for another three decades after it.

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!