In 2023, I watched the most wrestling I have ever watched. I stuck to my usual regular viewings of WWE and Stardom, but I also ventured into the world of Joshi and Puro even more and got lost in a world I never want to leave. I've logged over 1.4k matches from promotions all around the world and I’ve compiled it all down to my top 15 matches of 2023.
Before we start, here’s a list of my honorable mentions that almost made the list:
Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: The Usos vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
Bad Bunny vs. Damien Priest
Kazuchika Okada & Togi Makabe vs. Kaito Kiyomiya & Yoshiki Inamura (Yes just for the Kaito and Okada brawl)
Wonder of Stardom Championship: Mina Shirakawa vs. Natsupoi
16. DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Championship Dramatic Dream Round "Let's Have Fun!!" What Will Happen!? Fun Death Match: Hiromu Takahashi vs. Kazuki Hirata
I know this list is supposed to be top 15, and I already did my honorable mentions, but I need to talk about this match. Consider it an extra special honorable mention! Anyways, here the rules were decided by a roulette wheel that had different match stipulations and the rules changed every few minutes. We got stipulations such as a "musical situation death match" where they had to fight to classical music and even almost kissed as they got lost in a sultry tune. There was also a "blindfolded bra match" where the two were blindfolded while wearing bras and had to remove the others to win. Yoshihiko even makes an appearance in the match! It was so wild to see a NJPW wrestler be a part of something like this. The two's acting and facial expressions take it over the top for me. Hiromu is the perfect straight man in this.
This match literally broke me and had me crying laughing. It’s so special to me that I just had to include it.
15. IWGP Women's Championship: KAIRI vs. Mercedes Mone
Now on to the actual list. Mercedes Mone was making her first in-ring appearance since leaving WWE in 2022 and so many were wondering how she’d fare in a NJPW ring. In WWE, Mercedes was the one to drive away KAIRI back to Japan and now the two were meeting in a NJPW ring. Wrestling in 2023 was wild. To make the moment even more special, Mercedes came out in Hana Kimura inspired gear.
The match starts off slow but the two do pick it up midway. There's a ref bump caused by Mercedes which causes the fight to go to the outside. KAIRI powerbombs her through a table and Mercedes selling is incredibly like always as she folds like a pretzel. I think this spot made the match better for me because on rewatch, the ending was a bit sudden for me and the entire match wasn’t as perfect as I remembered. However, it still feels odd to leave it out of my list. This night was the start of something special for The CEO and I wish we had the chance to see her wrestle more joshis, but the few months we did have of her NJPW run was something special.
14. Princess Of Princess Championship: Mizuki vs. Maki Ito
I started regularly watching TJPW at the beginning of 2023. The wrestlers are all so quirky and charming in their own way. Plus their gears are so cute and sparkly. That being said, this match was serious business. Mizuki is small, but she’s surprisingly strong. Despite being"the cutest in the world", Maki Ito is a violent wrestler. The two are fighting for the Princess of Princess championship and they’re willing to put it all on the line here. Only a few minutes in, Maki is throwing Mizuki into ring posts and giving her a hanging DDT to the outside.
What really took this match over the top for me was when the two met on the outside in the ring and had a stare down. It’s eerily quiet as the two approach each other and then butt heads before trading blows. Something shifted here. It’s back-and-forth offense between the two as both are desperate to win. Mizuki delivers a double stomp to the back of Maki’s head and neck that almost made me jump out of my seat. At the end, Maki is holding on to Mizuki’s leg, but Mizuki is able to fight her off and win. Mizuki had a great 2023 and this was just another great defense in a great reign by one of the best in TJPW.
13. Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes
I was in attendance for this match! I and so many others were convinced Roman was going to lose and Cody was going to finish the story. Well.
Despite the finish, I do think this was an incredible match full of dramatics. Like every Roman match, interferences happen but Solo Sikoa does get ejected halfway through. The stakes are high, which creates an electric feeling while watching on tv and especially in the arena. Even commentary is fully behind Cody as both Cole and Graves are screaming in support of Cody. The close finishes are stress inducing. Roman plays it up perfectly here by selling the distress he's feeling on his face. Sticking to the Roman Reigns match formula, of course there was a ref bump which allowed the Usos to come out. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn run in to help and hit their finishers on Roman. It was nice to see them get their revenge, and it really felt like this was the way to end the Bloodline for good. But Solo comes back despite being ejected and helps Roman retain. I think the finish soured many on the match, and that’s understandable. I almost didn't even put it anywhere near my top 15 matches, but on rewatch, it’s a very entertaining match despite all the theatrics.
12. Kaito Kiyomiya, Kento Miyahara & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada, Kenoh & Yuma Aoyagi
What a line up. All six of these men are top names in their company and seeing them all in one match felt like a dream. Most importantly for me though, it had two members of my favorite rivalry of the year: Kaito and Okada. Their hatred was still alive and well, and the two had a massive brawl again outside the ring. There was also the angle that Okada and Kenoh had trouble getting along, but Aoyagi was able to get the two to play nice and act as the meditator of the group. We almost even got Kenoh and Okada to fist bump! Kento and Tanahashi played to the crowd and were fun to cheer for. There were a lot of little stories and aspects going in that made this match so cool for me. One of my favorite things in wrestling is having a group of personalities in one ring and seeing how they interact and this match is full of huge personalities.
It's only 16 minutes, but it's fast paced and a fun quick match. If you’re a fan of puro wrestling, this is a must watch. It’s the biggest names in the game ever in one dream match.
11. Texas Death Match: Swerve Strickland vs. Adam Page
I don’t know if a match has ever made me feel the way this match has made me feel. I was visibly shaking while feeling sick to my stomach. And I loved every minute of it. This match is disgusting, sadistic and hard to watch- but it’s also tells an amazing story between two men who absoutley hate each other. In the buildup, Swerve had gone as low as to break into Page’s home, rip up his child's artwork and deliver a promo over his baby's crib.
Not even 5 minutes in, a staple gun is introduced and we see the sick visual of Hangman stapling his child’s artwork to Swerve’s cheek and then viscously ripping it off. Swerve is already bleeding profusely to which Hangman goes under Swerve to catch the pouring blood in his mouth. The match only gets more intense as both men become more unhinged. Swerve starts willingly stapling himself. There’s some truly jaw dropping moments, such as a pile driver on the edge of the ring onto a cinderblock and a pile driver on the guardrail. The two take advantage of any weapon they can; Chairs, barbwire- chairs wrapped in barbwire. The two find creative ways to hurt each other. By the end, both men and the ring are covered in each other's blood. Swerve gets the win by hanging Hangman with a steel chain. It’s a star defining moment for Swerve for sure. Many find death matches off putting or unnecessary, but this was a beautiful orchestra of violence and depravity that is deserving for a feud like theirs. If you can stomach the blood, I highly recommend it.
10. Kazushika Okada vs. Kaito Kiyomiya
A kick to the face of the Rainmaker started what would become one of wrestling’s most heated feuds and my favorite rivarly of all time. Whenever these two are near, they will stop at nothing to kick the shit out of each other. As soon as the bell rings here, the two are at each other’s necks. They brawl on the outside, similar to their first encounter in January. Okada delivers a DDT to Kaito on the hard floor and walks back with a nonchalant look on his face. He's annoyed he even has to share a ring with Kaito. In fact, he didn’t even want to do this match. That’s how little he thinks of him. Kaito, on the other hand, has desperately been trying to get his hands on Okada since their scrap. He wants Okada to acknowledge him and prove he belongs in the same conversation as him.
Kaito smartly targets Okada’s arms to try to disarm his rainmaker. It's a high intesity fight between the two. They show no remorse or hold anything back. It's pure rage and hatred. The finish is especially nasty as Okada goes for the pin and voluntarily stops it to continue punishing Kaito before getting the win. Okada then doesn’t even celebrate and makes a quick exit. Bully Okada is just the best. Perhaps in 2024, we can see Kaito get his lick back?
9. Wonder Of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani vs. Mina Shirakawa
This was Saya Kamitani’s 16th defense as Wonder of Stardom champion and Mina Shirakawa’s second attempt to dethrone Saya. In their previous encounter, Saya went for her signature phoenix splash and landed weirdly on Mina’s face. In an attempt to correct herself, she went for it again, but landed on her face again. A bleeding and bawling Mina made her backstage comments and gave the promo of her life with a broken jaw and missing teeth. A couple months later, in front of five thousand fans, it was time for the rematch.
This was incredinly hard-hitting and you could feel the emotions both women carried going in. Mina shows just how much she’s grown since joining Stardom in this match. She is a limb specialist so she went for Saya’s leg the whole match. This meant it would be harder for Saya to go on the top rope and go for that phoenix splash. Plus, Saya hadn't attempted her splash since Mina got injured. We’d see Saya question herself halfway in the match by looking to go for it, but backing out. You can see the disappointment on Saya’s face as she screams in anger at herself. The last 5 minutes are incredibly nerve inducing as Saya goes for the top again and looks to hit her phoenix splash. She goes through with it and lands it perfectly, but it’s not enough as Mina kicks out. I remember shaking at this point because of how anxious I was. A glamorous driver from Mina would end the match and Mina became champion in a highly emotional bout. Both women are sobbing as Saya wraps the belt around the new champion. It’s such a beautiful moment and a satisfying end to Mina's arc.
8. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenoh
Kenoh and Nakajima are two I’ve become huge fans of this year. Kenoh used to be the leader of a group in NOAH called Kongo. Nakajima would leave Kongo to reunite with his AXIS tag team partner, Go Shiozaki. And to settle their feud, the two were to have a singles match with a 45 minute time limit. Spoiler alert: It goes the full 45 minutes.
It’s slow to start but I love the build up. The two have history and are very familiar with each other. Both men are trying to one up the other. Nakajima and Kenoh have nasty kicks and this match is like 70 percent kicks but in the best way. It’s so funny to see some members of the audience wincing and covering their mouths during these exchanges. Kenoh is so vocally passionate in every match he is in, but here he’s at an 11. He challenges Nakajima to hit him harder. Nakajima is much more cool and collected than Kenoh, but still equally as passionate. Towards the end, the two are starting to feel it. They’re tired but their moves are still so impactful as they throw everything they can at each other. Every kick and jab splashes sweat off their body. Despite the ending being a draw, I still adore this match. The history behind the two wrestlers more than makes up for the finish. This match was basically them going out to one up the other and give it all they had. A class showing from both men.
7. G1 Climax 2023 Finals: Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada
In a pretty mid G1 tournament, the finals more than made up for it. For Naito, he needed this win to fulfill his goal of main eventing the Tokyo Dome and ending the night with a LIJ roll call. For Okada, he had already main evented Wrestle Kingdom that year and won the last G1. What’s another accomplishment to him? Okada was on his bully shit this year and was the perfect opposition to Naito.
Naito is a freak and takes some insane bumps like a DDT on the apron and being dropped kick off the top rope (This one almost made me jump out of my seat). Okada plays his asshole role perfectly here. He basically rag dolls Naito without any remorse and even goes to pin him by placing one foot on him. It makes the crowd root for Naito even more. The last sprint of this match is incredibly exciting as the near falls are insane. The crowd is red hot and super behind Naito. They become unglued when Naito hits the final Destino to put away the rainmaker. It's a thrilling match with high stakes that saw Naito come one step closer to his ultimate dream.
6. World Of Stardom Championship: Giulia vs. Tam Nakano
The main event of one of women wrestling’s most important shows ever is headlined by Giulia and Tam Nakano and deservingly so. The two can’t stand each other's guts and their blood feud has been an amazing watch over the years. Giulia is known for being tough, but don’t let Tam Nakano’s appearance fool you. She is equally as savage. The two throw everything they have at each other here. A Snapmare from the top rope through a table from Giulia, a reverse DDT to the entrance ramp from Tam. You can feel the hatred they have for the other in every slap, jab and headbutt. Giulia even escalates to closed fist punches that look brutal and Tam brilliantly sells all of it.
The ending sequence is so explosive and had me legitimately stressed when I first watched. From the beginning, fans were split on who would win. Could Giulia really lose the belt so soon? The uncertainty made it even more surprising when Tam actually did it and became World of Stardom Champion. You can see the damage on Tam’s face as she sports a huge knot on her forehead as she holds up her prize. Becoming the top champion of Stardom meant that much to her. Giulia has been in the news a lot concerning where she will land next. If you’ve never watched anything from her, I recommend this to see how brutal she can be and to savor this version of Giulia while we have her.
5. Loser Must Leave Unit - Steel Cage Match: Queen's Quest (AZM, Hina, Lady C, Miyu, Saya & Utami) vs. Oedo Tai (Momo, Natsuko, Rina, Ruaka, Saki & SLK)
Ah jeez. This match man. The feud between Oedo Tai and Queen’s Quest had reached it’s boiling point and the way to end it had to be a steel cage match. The first faction to have all members outside the cage would win. Queen Quest had doubted Utami's leadership abilities leading up to this. Oedo Tai, however, rarely lost in group warfare so this match was right up their alley. To make matters worse, Saya and Utami were having their own troubles as a tag team.
In the match, they take advantage of the cage. AZM delivers a double stomp from the top of the cage and Starlight Kid peforms a moonsault press from the top as well. Utami proves her worth by making sure all her teammates leave the cage before her. She clears the way for Miyu, lifts Lady C on her shoulders and places a ladder for Saya to climb out. Utami is busted open midway through, proving she would bleed for her team. In the end, it's just Utami and Saki left. Utami makes it to the top and Saya climbs back up to help but Momo joins her to present Saya with a bat to hit Utami. Saya accept the bat and I can remember holding my breath here. In one of the best moments of 2023 an emotional Saya hits Momo and helps Utami escape! No matter how times I watch this moment, I get teary eyed. It’s so incredibly raw. Utami and Saya are so brilliant here and their performance is award worthy.
4. Intercontinental Championship: Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
This was definetely the best match I had seen all Mania weekend. This is such a classic big meaty men bumping meat match, and it’s so sick. By the end of it, everyone’s chests are red and bruised. Seeing 3 behemoths chop each other to oblivion is just great. It’s violence upped to 11, and it’s perfect.
Drew is athletic and unusually light on his feet for a 6’5 man. Sheamus is a great bawler and the crowd wants to see him win so bad. And of course Gunther is a great final boss and so devastating in everything he does. There’s so many unbelievable moments like Sheamus hitting almost 30 beats of the bodhran to Drew, Drew soaring across the top rope, or the ending where Gunther stops a pin attempt by performing a splash from the top rope then powerbombing Sheamus onto Drew. Commentary even gave the match a standing ovation and so did everyone else in SoFi Stadium. It’s one of the best triple threats I can think of and solidified Gunther as the best Intercontinental champion of all time.
3. IWGP United States Championship: Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega
Honestly what can I say about this match that hasn’t been said already? Only four days into the new year, and many were convinced this was going to be their number 1 match of the year. They have a point though, this match lives up to the hype it recieves.
Omega’s offense in this match was nasty, and these two pulled off some hard to watch moments. Omega was the aggressor and had the advantage for most of the match. He delivers a sickening DDT to an exposed turnbuckle that busts Ospreay open. There’s blood everywhere and Omega then uses a table to bash Ospreay’s head in. It's almost hard to watch at times but somehow Ospreay keeps fighting back. Towards the end Ospreay gets the advantage, and it feels he might somehow pull this off. There’s a nice story told here of the crowd feuling Ospreay. The lack of cheering during the covid era affected him and hearing them be able to make noise for him allowed him to keep going. However, a one winged angel is able to put away Ospreay. While I'm not a fan of Will at all, I will say this peformance was great and made for an incredible match. Paired with being on one of wrestling's grandest stages with a great audience, it's a must watch. I'm sure mostly everyone has seen this by now, but if you haven't, this is your sign.
2. Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani vs. Hazuki
I’m always so amazed this match wasn’t the main, semi main, or even the match before the semi main. For the 22 minutes that make up this match, you’re treated to an incredibly fast-paced, intense, and insane match.
This was a month before All Star GrandQueendom, so I found it very unlikely Saya would lose here but man, these near falls made me second guess myself. I don’t think a match has had this many successful near falls that genuinely made me believe the match was over. The emotions on both faces nearing the end really express how close and evenly matched they were. The desperation on Hazuki’s face and in her screams were apparent. Towards the end Saya seems to be crying. This is perhaps the closest she’s been to losing her title. Hazuki’s counters are so insane in this match. There has to be credit to Saya as well for giving Hazuki a run for her money. Saya pulls out two star crushers in a row to retain her title in an unbelievable match. It's truly a breathtaking match and one of the first I will reccomend to new Stardom fans. Many say this match would be better if the winner was different. I disagree. Saya’s reign was something special to witness, and this match was the best in her run in my opinion. It showed how desperate and willing Saya was to keep the title by fighting hard till the bitter end. I will agree that Hazuki needs to be a singles champion by the end of 2024. But it's evident Saya will deservingly be a singles champion by the end of 2024 as well.
1. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kento Miyahara
My top match of 2023! I fought with myself for days whether putting this or my number 2 entry at the top but in the end, I had to go with my boy Nakajima.
These are two men who scream AURA. This was my first Kento singles match, but I heard so many great things about him and this match more than reaffirmed all those positive things. As for Nakajima, he's quickly become one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. This singles match sold out korakuen hall and had so much hype for it and deservingly so. Nakajima is a serious striker, and he displays that here with his disgusting kicks. However, Kento’s knees are equally nasty and he is able to give Nakajima a hell of a fight. The final ten minutes of this match are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Nakajima is so aggressive and violent. All his strikes and kicks land and they land hard. He beats down Kento and you can start to see Kento’s eyes rolling to the back of his head. But Kento is able to get back into the fight somehow. It’s so back and forth and the two switch between who has the advantage and who doesn’t. It's an incredibly stiff match as well. It's 34 minutes but from beginning to end I am completely invested.
I just really love this match dude. It’s two of the best in the game doing what they do best in front of a great crowd. The vibes are good. The graps are great. It's my favorite match of 2023. Nakajima is now 5 and 0 against Kento. 2024 might give us a rematch between the two and if they can top this, then perhaps I’ve already got my match of 2024 set.
And there it is! My top 15 matches of 2023. Like I said, I watched the most wrestling I ever have in 2023 and here’s to even more in 2024! Let me know your top match in the comments or to the replies of my tweet. Thanks for reading. <3
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