10 Worst Wrestling Matches Of 2023 (According To The Internet)
4. Hikaru Shida Vs. Ruby Soho (AEW Dynamite - 25 October)
Cagematch Rating: 2.57/10.
Most wrestlers listed here are lightyears better than the dismal match that Cagematch users deemed amongst the year's worst. That is no truer than here, as Hikaru Shida and Ruby Soho, two of the best wrestlers in AEW's spotlight-starved women's division, both entered performances far below their talent.
What happened? A case of two demonstrably good wrestlers with track records of elevating other workers unable to get on the same page? A rare, simultaneous off-night? A poorly-agented layout featuring Soho trying to get Shida disqualified, despite, y'know, being the Women's World Championship challenger?!
Whatever the case, this giant letdown began on the worst note, with a clunky, botchy opening sequence playing out before a merciful commercial break served as a welcome distraction. Upon return, the duo (who, again, are lightyears better than this) slugged each other without pop or snap, their forearms mere whispers of violence.
When Soho swung the Women's Title at Shida, it served to block the Outcasts' signature spray paint from hitting Ruby's eyes. Whoever agented this spot let the performers down hugely. Was Soho trying to clobber Shida in front of referee Aubrey Edwards' eyes, or goad Shida into cheating via spraypaint herself? Neither outcome would end in her winning the title - and neither did the match.
Shida and Soho had an infinitely superior match on Rampage one month prior, when they brought the house down. What happened here, only the performers know, but it stunk.