10 Most Underrated Wrestling Matches Of 2019

2019 was filled with immaculate world title matches: Kofi Kingston's coronation against Daniel Bryan, Kazuchika Okada's transcendent defence against Minoru Suzuki, and this absolute classic. Two men with around fifteen moves work thirty minutes in front of a relatively small, passionate crowd. It isn't a title match expected from most pro wrestling but it is mesmerising on primal levels; it feels like a battle of the ages.

It's the perfect hybrid of puroresu's minimalist brutality and grounded contemporary workrate. Kento Miyahara is the ace of AJPW, Zeus is an intensely dominant heavyweight. Zeus took the belt from Kento in 2018 before losing it back to him. Zeus wants his belt back, Kento wants to prove his brilliance as champion. That's the basic storytelling present in the match, an incredibly simple, effective premise. They start with invigorating technical wrestling, trying to exhaust each other before chops and lariats start.

They don't save the best moments of the match for the closing stretches, but sustain consistent momentum and level of intense drama for its entirety. The match feels bigger than bouts twice its length due to the selling. Despite Zeus' size and resiliency, he becomes tired and beaten by the halfway point, desperate to fight through the pain and frustrated by Kento's refusal to go down. Kento takes more offence and eventually starts throwing his entire body at Zeus out of panic, hoping that anything will beat him.

The match is filled with suspenseful near falls, with it seemingly capable of ending at any moment. The teases of Kento's breathtaking suplex finisher feel earned, the selling of his desperation to hit the move with weakened strength is amazing. By the closing stretches, you're convinced that either man could carry the company on his back. It almost doesn't matter who wins anymore.