10 Best Wrestling Matches I've Seen Live

Bryan Danielson had dominated Ring of Honor for over a year as a heel World Champion, but his reign came to an end at the hands of top babyface Homicide in late 2006. 

Fans were happy to see Homicide finally claim the gold, but six weeks later, he was shockingly beaten by Pro Wrestling NOAH's vicious giant, Takeshi Morishima.

Morishima ran roughshod over men like Austin Aries and Roderick Strong, but when summer rolled around, a new challenger emerged - former champion Danielson, who had become a beloved babyface.

Danielson met Morishima in New York's Manhattan Center, and the resulting contest was voted Match of the Year in the 2007 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards.

Anyone who's seen Danielson wrestle in WWE knows that he chose to wear down larger opponents with debilitating kicks, but against the monster Morishima, he was even more aggressive than usual. 

Morishima fought back, using his size and strength to decimate Danielson with vicious elbows and lariats (one of which gave "The American Dragon" a detached retina and forced him to wrestle in an eyepatch for several weeks). 

Danielson locked in the Cattle Mutilation, but Morishima was able to escape and hit a Backdrop Driver for the win.

Part of what made the match so amazing is that fans didn't know what to expect. When it was announced that Morishima was heading to ROH, a showdown with resident badass Samoa Joe was in order. 

That match was great, but the Danielson-Morishima bout was a shocking blowaway and remains a little-seen gem from the best wrestler of the modern era.