IYHWrestling.com | WithoutYourHead.com

Welcome to In Your Head! Wrestling podcast, news and community!

Riren 100 2009 Part 1

Posted in In My Head by Jack at 01:14, Dec 30 2009

Introduction and list

Riren 100
By John Wiswell of www.johnwiswell.blogspot.com

Section A: Introduction

Welcome to my top 100 matches of the year. If you just want the list, skip to Section B. Section C is the meat, with countdown and review of every match. Most of these thoughts were written months apart as I watched the individual shows, edited at multiple periods throughout the year. Writing all this in one weekend would probably kill me, but taking a few minutes to write about a great match is a good way to reflect on our collective hobby, especially when so many people have mistaken ?criticism? to mean ?stuff I hated.?

Each match in both Section B and C list the wrestlers, the date, the company and the show name, so you can track down the episode or DVD of anything you like. This list represents most of WWE?s weekly television and PPVs, TNA Impact and its PPVs, most of what was broadcasted in Japan by AJPW, NJPW and NOAH, all of ROH?s DVDs up to Final Countdown Tour: Boston, TV shows and Final Battle 2009, all of PWG?s DVDs up to Against the Grain, about ten shows from Chikara, a few shows by DDT, Dragon Gate?s weekly Infinity show and PPVs, the two Dragon Gate USA PPVs, and a few miscellaneous independent shows. Any candidate has to be watched at least twice, as the initial viewing (especially a live viewing) leaves a certain impression that needs to be checked. This is the third year of the list and at this point I?m resigned to Lucha not being a part of it. I?d love to get into Mexican wrestling, but at this point it?s either watch that or go outside and do things.

This list is not about who the best wrestler in the world is. Bryan Danielson?s matches have been a staple of the list for all three years, yet he?s very unlikely to have many appearances next year. Some wrestlers don?t get the opportunity to shine often, while others provide consistent quality performances that simply aren?t amazing, and then there?s Santino Marella. Wrestling takes all kinds. This list is only about the best matches of the year. By counting a hundred we can reflect on more of what was worthwhile in the hobby than a mere ?match of the year? or top five. If you only have five matches you?re really happy about seeing in 365 -five days, I recommend another hobby.

Just as it doesn?t indicate one best wrestler, the list doesn?t reflect one best kind of match. There?s no such thing. There are great fifteen-minute matches and great hours draws, great brawls, technical matches and high-flying affairs, great straight matches and gimmick matches. Having a longer list also gives us room to acknowledge the disparate kinds of worthwhile matches that happen in a year. #1 is singles, #3 is a tag, #4 is a triple threat and #8 is in a ridiculous cage.

Given that there are a hundred matches, you?re bound to disagree with at least one being ahead of another. Every year somebody makes an empty death threat over their favorite match being beneath some obviously inferior one, or worse, that their favorite wasn?t on the list at all. Even with one hundred matches, some don?t make it. I had seventeen matches on my ?short list? that I had to cut this year. But know that any criticism of match placement is less interesting than your response to what I actually wrote about the match. If you have a gripe, your own list (even just a Top 3), or if you have other matches you want to praise, you can e-mail me at Riren100@gmail.com.

If you enjoy the list, please check out http://pledgie.com/campaigns/6993 It?s a charitable drive to help with a ridiculously expensive surgery. Any donations will help.

You can also read my blog at www.johnwiswell.blogspot.com . This is another side of my writing, mostly in monologues and short fiction. Something new goes up every day.

On to the list.



Section B: The List

1. Davey Richards Vs. Shingo Takagi (taped September 6) ? Dragon Gate USA: Untouchable/Open the Untouchable Gate
2. The Undertaker Vs. Shawn Michaels (April 5) ? WWE: Wrestlemania 25
3. Go Shiozaki & KENTA Vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima (June 22) - Pro Wrestling NOAH: Southern Navigation 2009 at the Korakuen Hall
4. AJ Styles Vs. Samoa Joe Vs. Christopher Daniels (November 15) - TNA: Turning Point
5. Bryan Danielson Vs. Davey Richards (September 25) ? ROH: Final Countdown Tour Boston
6. Bryan Danielson Vs. Chris Hero (September 4) ? PWG: Guerres Sans Frontieres
7. Davey Richards Vs. KENTA (April 3) ? ROH: Supercard of Honor 4
8. John Cena Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. Vs. Kane Vs. Mike Knox Vs. Edge (February 15) ? Elimination Chamber from WWE: No Way Out
9. Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs. Takashi Sugiura (July 20) ? NJPW: New Japan Soul
10. Naomichi Marufuji Vs. Kaz Hayashi (February 6) ? AJPW at the Korakuen Hall
11. Kurt Angle Vs. Desmond Wolfe (November 15) - TNA: Turning Point
12. Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin Vs. Bryan Danielson & Roderick Strong (May 22) ? PWG: DDT4
13. Kota Ibushi Vs. Taiji Ishimori (April 5) ? DDT: Judgment 2009
14. Edge Vs. Jeff Hardy (June 7) ? Ladder Match from WWE: Extreme Rules
15. Go Shiozaki Vs. Takashi Sugiura (December 6) ? Pro Wrestling NOAH: Winter Navigation
16. Kaz Hayashi Vs. Shuji Kondo (August 30) ? AJPW: Pro-Wrestling Love in Ryogoku Vol. 8
17. Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson & Dave Taylor Vs. Mike Quackenbush, Jorge Rivera & Jonny Saint (March 2 ? Chikara Pro: King of Trios Night 2
18. Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs. Keiji Mutoh (January 4) ? NJPW: Wrestle Kingdom 3
19. KENTA Vs. Kotaro Suzuki (January 25) ? Pro Wrestling NOAH: First Navigation 2009
20. Austin Aries & Katsuhiko Nakajima Vs. Tyler Black & KENTA (April 4) ? ROH: Take No Prisoners 2009
21. Shingo Takagi Vs. El Generico (September 4) ? PWG: Guerres Sans Frontieres
22. CIMA, GAMMA & KAGETORA Vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & BxB Hulk (July 10) ? Dragon Gate: Rainbow Gate 2009
23. John Morrison Vs. Rey Mysterio (aired September 4) ? WWE: Smackdown
24. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw Vs. Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli (September 12) ? Chikara Pro: Hiding in Plain Sight
25. Bryan Danielson Vs. Chris Hero (September 1 ? ROH: Final Countdown Dayton
26. Katsuhiko Nakajima Vs. KENTA (February 11) ? Kensuke Office: Take the Dream Volume 7
27. Kurt Angle Vs. Jeff Jarrett (January 11) ? No Disqualification Match from TNA: Genesis
28. The Great Muta Vs. Yoshihiro Takayama (March 14) ? AJPW: Pro Wrestle Love in Ryogoku Vol. 3
29. The Undertaker Vs. C.M. Punk Vs. Rey Mysterio Vs. Dave Batista (October 25) ? WWE: Bragging Rights
30. Katsuhiko Nakajima Vs. Kotaro Suzuki (October 15) - Pro Wrestling NOAH: Autumn Navigation
31. Evan Bourne Vs. John Morrison (April 14) ? ECW on Sci Fi
32. Masato Tanaka Vs. Toshiaki Kawada (October 24) ? Zero-1: Never Gonna Stop
33. CIMA & Susumu Yokosuka Vs. Nick & Matt Jackson (taped July 25, aired September 4) ? Dragon Gate USA: Enter the Dragon/Open the Historic Gate
34. KENTA Vs. Chris Hero (aired October 12) ? ROH on HDNet
35. Rey Mysterio Jr. Vs. John Morrison Vs. Carlito Colon Vs. MVP Vs. The Great Khali Vs. Vladimir Koslov Vs. HHH Vs. Randy Orton Vs. JTG Vs. Ted DiBiase Jr. Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. Mike Knox Vs. The Miz Vs. Fit Finlay Vs. Cody Rhodes Vs. The Undertaker Vs. Goldust Vs. CM Punk Vs. Mark Henry Vs. Shelton Benjamin Vs. William Regal Vs. Kofi Kingston Vs. Kane Vs. Ron Killings Vs. Rob Van Dam Vs. Brian Kendrick Vs. Dolph Ziegler Vs. Santino Marella Vs. Jim Duggan Vs. The Big Show (January 25) ? Royal Rumble Match from WWE: Royal Rumble
36. Shingo Takagi, Dragon Kid & Taku Iwasa Vs. CIMA, GAMMA & KAGETORA (aired April 15) broadcast on Dragon Gate Infinity 128
37. Bryan Danielson Vs. Kenny Omega (April 12) ? PWG: One Hundred
38. Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs. Manabu Nakanishi (June 20) - NJPW: Dominion
39. Bryan Danielson, Roderick Strong & KENTA Vs. Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards & Chris Hero (aired September 19) - ROH on HDNet
40. CIMA, Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin Vs. Brian Kendrick, Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson (September 4) ? PWG: Guerres Sans Frontieres
41. Chris Jericho Vs. Rey Mysterio (June 2 ? Mask Vs. Title Match from WWE: The Bash
42. Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards Vs. KENTA & Roderick Strong (June 26) ? ROH: Violent Tendencies
43. Suicide (Christopher Daniels) Vs. Alex Shelley Vs. Chris Sabin Vs. Jay Lethal Vs. Consequences Creed (March 22) ? Ultimate X Match from TNA: Destination X
44. Bryan Danielson Vs. Bad Bones (March 7) wXw: 16 Carat Tournament 2009 Night 2
45. Davey Richards Vs. Kevin Steen (May ? Anything Goes Match from ROH: Never Say Die
46. Shingo Takagi, YAMATO & Taku Iwasa Vs. Ikuto Hidaka, Hayato Fujita Jr. & Minoru (September 27) ? Dragon Gate Infinity 149
47. Jerry Lynn Vs. Bryan Danielson Vs. Austin Aries Vs. Tyler Black (aired June 6) ? ROH on HDNet
48. KENTA & Taiji Ishimori Vs. Bryan Danielson & Roderick Strong (July 21) ? Pro Wrestling NOAH: Summer Navigation
49. Davey Richards Vs. Roderick Strong (July 31) ? PWG: Threemendous 2
50. Naomichi Marufuji Vs. Prince Devitt (December 23) ? NJPW: Super J-Cup 5th Stage Finals: Land of Confusion
51. Jimmy Jacobs Vs. Delirious (March 14) ? No Disqualification Match from ROH: Insanity Unleashed
52. Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs. Masato Tanaka (August 15) ? NJPW: G1 Climax Day 7
53. Shingo Takagi Vs. Tyler Black (March 7) wXw: 16 Carat Tournament 2009 Night 2
54. Kaz Hayashi Vs. Super Crazy (September 26) ? AJPW at the Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
55. Bryan Danielson Vs. Mike Quackenbush (March 20) ? ROH: Steel City Clash
56. Shingo Takagi & YAMATO Vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Masaaki Mochizuki (aired August 6) ? Dragon Gate Infinity 142
57. Christopher Daniels Vs. AJ Styles (December 20) ? TNA: Final Resolution
58. Kevin Steen & El Generico Vs. Nick & Matt Jackson (June 12) - ROH: Contention
59. Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin Vs. Nick & Matt Jackson (April 11) - PWG: Ninety-Nine
60. Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards Vs. Nick & Matt Jackson (aired November 23) ? ROH on HDNet
61. Bryan Danielson Vs. Naruki Doi (taped September 6) ? Dragon Gate USA: Untouchable/Open the Untouchable Gate
62. Masato Yoshino, BxB Hulk & PAC Vs. Dragon Kid, Taku Iwasa & Akira Tozawa (July 19) ? Dragon Gate: KOBE Festival 2009
63. Davey Richards Vs. Claudio Castagnoli (September 1 ? ROH: Final Countdown Tour Dayton
64. Nigel McGuinness Vs. El Generico (taped January 31, aired April 17) - ROH: Caged Collision
65. Jerry Lynn Vs. Roderick Strong (April 24) ? ROH: A Cut Above
66. Chris Sabin Vs. Tyler Black (March 6) - wXw: 16 Carat Gold Tournament 2009 Night 1
67. Chris Jericho Vs. Rey Mysterio (June 7) ? No Holds Barred Match from WWE: Extreme Rules
68. Dick Togo Vs. Billy Ken Kid (May 20) ? Osaka Pro: Osaka Pro 10th Anniversary Show
69. Bryan Danielson Vs. Brian Kendrick (August 2 ? PWG: The Speed of Sound
70. Chris Jericho Vs. Rey Mysterio (May 17) ? WWE: Judgment Day
71. Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Helios & Lince Dorado Vs. Hallowicked, Frightmare, Hallowicked (Cheech) & Frightmare (Cloudy) (May 24) ? Atomico Match from Chikara Pro: Anniversario Yang
72. Jun Akiyama, Minoru Suzuki & Takashi Sugiura Vs. Takeshi Rikio, KENTA & Mohammed Yone (September 27) - Pro Wrestling NOAH: Great Voyage 2009 in Tokyo
73. Kurt Angle Vs. AJ Styles (aired October 15) - TNA: Impact
74. Yuji Nagata Vs. Hirooki Gotoh (February 15) - NJPW: Circuit 2009 New Japanism
75. Christian Vs. Jack Swagger (aired February 24) - WWE: ECW on Sci Fi
76. Katsuhiko Nakajima Vs. Roderick Strong (April 3) ? ROH: Supercard of Honor 4
77. Edge Vs. John Morrison (aired June 19) ? WWE: Smackdown
78. Takashi Sugiura & Atsushi Aoki Vs. Hirooki Gotoh & Kazuchika Odaka (May 5) - NJPW: Divergence
79. Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards Vs. Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black (taped April 1 ? appearing on ROH: Double Feature 2
80. Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (November 11) - NJPW: Destruction 2009
81. Jimmy Jacobs Vs. Tyler Black (June 26) - Steel Cage Match from ROH: Violent Tendencies
82. Jeff Hardy Vs. John Morrison (aired July 31) ? WWE: Smackdown
83. Bryan Danielson Vs. Tyler Black (aired April 25) ? ROH
84. Shingo Takagi & YAMATO Vs. Masaaki Mochizuki & Don Fuji (November 23) Dragon Gate: The Gate of Destiny 2009
85. Hirooki Gotoh Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (March 15) ? NJPW: New Japan Cup 2
86. Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw Vs. Cheech & Cloudy (February 21) ? Chikara Pro: Motivation Means Opportunity
87. Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin Vs. Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (July 5) ? NJPW: Circuit 2009 New Japan Soul
88. Christian Vs. William Regal (September 13) ? WWE: Breaking Point
89. Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw, Soldier Ant & Fire Ant Vs. Amasis, Hallowicked, Gran Akuma & Icarus (taped July 25, aired September 4) ? Dragon Gate USA: Enter the Dragon/Open the Historic Gate
90. Jerry Lynn Vs. Colt Cabana (April 25) ? ROH: The Homecoming 2
91. Shingo Takagi Vs. YAMATO (January 23) ? No Rope Match broadcast on Dragon Gate Infinity 118
92. Kevin Steen, El Generico & Bobby Dempsey Vs. Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards & Chris Hero (March 13) ? ROH: Stylin? and Profilin?
93. Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega Vs. Danshoku Dino & ?Yoshihiko? (May 4) ? DDT in Tokyo
94. John Cena, Ricky Steamboat, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio & Jeff Hardy Vs. Edge, Big Show, Chris Jericho, Kane & Matt Hardy (April 6) ? WWE: Raw
95. Alex Shelley Vs. Chris Sabin (January 11) ? TNA: Genesis
96. Kenta Kobashi & Yoshihiro Takayama Vs. Keiji Mutoh & Akira Taue (September 27) - Pro Wrestling NOAH: Great Voyage 2009 in Tokyo
97. Bryan Danielson Vs. Tyler Black Vs. Adam Polak Vs. Absolute Andy (March wXw: 16 Carat Tournament 2009 Night 3
98. Nigel McGuinness Vs. KENTA (March 21) ? ROH: Seventh Anniversary Show
99. Kota Ibushi Vs. Koji Kanemoto (May 30) - NJPW: Circuit 2009 Best of the Super Juniors 16
100. Edge Vs. Jeff Hardy (January 25) ? No Disqualification Match from WWE: Royal Rumble

Quick Reply

Sorry, commenting is currently disabled.

IYH ON FACEBOOK
Follow IYH on Twitter Subscribe to IYH on iTunes
Upcoming Events

Date

Event