10 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2019

4. Tomohiro Ishii Vs. Shingo Takagi - NJPW G1 Climax

Dean Ambrose Jon Moxley
NJPW

The only thing missing from this incredible monster mash was the Tokyo skyline Tomohiro Ishii and Shingo Takagi towered above.

The dynamic was awesome - Shingo Takagi is a flying brick sh*thouse, Tomohiro Ishii the one man alive capable of absorbing a brick to the face - and they worked it to dangerous perfection.

Certain pro wrestling matches lock you into a certain mode, in that at no point do they feel remotely worked: they feel like a fight. This was one of the very best. This unholy motherf*cker of a match was stiffer than JR on Twitter, holy sh*t.

In a really, really neat touch, Takagi and Ishii did not immediately enter fighting spirit flex mode; they built to the spot to maximise the crowd reaction, but first avoided the damage to put the pain over. The power of both men was put over in so many nuanced, creative ways that, when it all erupted, it resonated as nothing less than a battle for survival, not stoic pride. Takagi crashed into Ishii with such force that it propelled him into an Irish whip; when Ishii chopped him in the f*cking throat, that Takagi had the power to even roar back put him over as inhuman.

Ishii is the perfect practitioner of strong style because the detail he applies to it is sublime; here, by transgressing on the fair-fight mechanics of the forearm battle, he put Takagi over as one of the company's best heavyweights mere weeks after his ascension to that division.

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!