Wrestling: The Best Matches of 2023 (so far) part one
Pro wrestling has been good in 2023 but some matches stand out among the rest
Professional Wrestling is one of the more exciting mediums I enjoy engaging with. Wrestling is not only a physical competition between two combatants but it also has elements of things like soap opera and theatre. In 2023, I’ve decided to deep dive into some of the more in-ring storytelling that is unique to wrestling. I feel like I see wrestling differently than many people so I enjoy the challenge of writing about what I like to call, the stories beneath the stories. I have watched many matches from AEW, WWE, Stardom, NOAH, and New Japan. Everyone won’t enjoy everything and we all have different opinions on what defines a “great” wrestling match. I’ll be using this post to give some recommendations and give a little of my thought on what I consider a great match. I won’t explore every element in this post as I would like to write about some of these matches in full detail but that’s at a later date. Here are some of the matches I have rated the highest out of the hundreds of matches I’ve seen in 2023.
- Jamie Hayter vs Emi Sakura AEW Rampage (01.25.2023)
The AEW Women’s champion Jamie Hayter met Japanese legend Emi Sakura in a match on AEW Rampage. Hayter had one of the most organic rises in AEW history going from sidekick villain to underdog to beloved champion This is a match I would show to anyone to make the case that Hayter is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Going into this match Hayter had just started her reign and just had arguably the best women’s match in AEW women’s history vs Hikaru Shida. She follows it up with this match to her growing catalog.
Hayter is a power wrestler that overwhelms people with her power, big strikes, and strength. She is usually fighting from an up top position and has the advantage over most wrestlers she faces however this match with Emi shows her versatility as a talent. This is one of the rare instances where Jamie has to work from the bottom and fight her way back into a match. Emi beats Jamie from pillar to post in a lot of this match. Emi is nasty as she throws Hayter around, chops her chest until it’s red, and lays into her with a combination of moves. Jamie showed her resiliency as she had to kick and stand back up each time. Emi does a good job helping build until Jamie’s comeback as Jamie escapes her. One of the things that hurts this match is that the stakes are not as high as they should be and the other is that Emi Sakura is not presented as the threat she should be even tho she has been amazing all year. This match is a standard for how consistently good the AEW women’s division could be.
Match Rating: 4–4.25/5
2. Ilja Dragonuv vs Dijak Last Man Standing Match (NXT Battleground 5.28.2023)
Sometimes there’s nothing better in wrestling than some pure, unadulterated violence. I love the added element a good stipulation can have on a feud. It can take a good match to a great match and it can be a great payoff to end the rivalry of two wrestlers if used correctly. Blood, chairs, kendo sticks, tables, and carnage can elevate a wrestling match into a different stratosphere, especially, when it’s between two wrestlers in a personal feud. Ilja and Dijak had been brutalizing each other for weeks prior to this match at the NXT: PPV Battleground. Ilja Dragonuv is a man who enjoys pain and Dijak is a man who loves dishing it out. When these two collide magic happens.
The in-ring storytelling between the destroyer Dijak and the undestroyable Ilja is a beautifully told one of pure violence. Ilja is one of my favorite modern wrestlers and a compelling storyteller that makes you believe in everything that he is doing and all the punishment he is taking. Dijak does a good job of playing his role of the punisher, especially with some of the added details. Dijak voices the line “What are you making me do to you?” as he attacks Ilja. During his entrance, he also asks his wife to get the kids out of there because “they don’t need to see this”. This is one of those matches that can make some very uncomfortable. Hard-hitting strikes, brutal spots, and a great ending. Even if this match is handicapped by some of the restrictions and structure of the modern WWE (lack of bleeding and lack of hardcore spots), Ilja and Dijak make the most of what they have. It is one of the best Last Man Standing matches I’ve seen in the WWE in a long time. When you add on this is taking place on what is supposed to be the development brand, you realize these two are far beyond the level of a developmental brand.
Match Rating: 4.25/5
3. Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley Match for the Smackdown Women’s Championship (Wrestlemania 39 Night 1)
A queen of the old guard who has stood on top for years versus a challenger who wants to topple the crown. Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a big-stakes title match is nothing we haven’t seen before. We saw this three years ago when a young, brash, and arrogant NXT women’s champion Rhea Ripley tried to make a name for herself when she took on Charlotte at Wrestlemania 36. In that match, Rhea was outclassed and humbled as Charlotte defeated her to become a two-time NXT women’s champion. This has been a journey of redemption and vengeance for Rhea as the roles had reversed as she walked into Wrestlemania the challenger looking to dethrone the queen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4ZD7aSZK4I
This match might be the most physical WWE women’s match ever. As Charlotte and Rhea battle, the intensity escalates and both are in a battle of attrition. This isn’t the smoothest or the best-wrestled women’s match of the year but added history and physical nature add to a match that is still, for the most part, well worked. The match is filled with big moves, intensity, and escalation. For me, the in-ring story of Charlotte starting to feel that the longer she fights the more inevitable her loss starts to feel helps make up for some of the weaker areas of the match. In my opinion Charlotte in 2023 is not at the peak of her powers but when motivated can still be as good as anyone in the ring. Rhea is a young star that is a fantastic in-ring seller and executes her moves with smoothness and strength. For me, a title match, a match with some level of history, taking place at the company's biggest PPV is all elements I consider when grading this. This match was a small change in the hierarchy of the women’s division in WWE.
Match Rating: 4.25/5
4. Bryan Danielson vs RUSH (2.08.2023)
Professional wrestling is at its best when you have a great babyface overcoming the trials and tribulations they have in front of them. Bryan Danielson is not only one of the greatest wrestlers to ever live but also one of the greatest modern babyfaces. Not many can make you believe in them more with their selling and their natural charisma than Bryan Danielson. He also has a great dance partner in RUSH a terrifying luchador who is at his best when he’s an intense, violent heel working over a babyface with sickening levels of ferocity. Danielson came into this match weakened and injured due to the antics and schemes of the AEW world champion MJF. Now Danielson is trying to scratch and claw his way to a championship match with MJF but RUSH is a hired gun that is standing in his way.
This match starts with Danielson rushing to the ring as he barely makes it there before he is disqualified. RUSH waiting for him assaults him as soon as he enters the ring and the match starts from there. RUSH is just great in his role as he throws Danielson all over the place, bloodied him, and even wipes the blood on himself. This was my first time seeing RUSH wrestle and he commands your respect and attention anytime he’s in the ring. Danielson is great in the role of a sympathetic baby face that perseveres through adversity. This match isn’t doing anything unique or creative in the ring but it’s getting you invested emotionally invested while being as intense as it possibly can be. He and RUSH have a physical match that is simple in both structure and storytelling but it is almost flawless in execution. They nail all spots, they make it look real as possible and the crowd is responding to them. This is just 20 minutes of you getting behind Danielson as he and RUSH go to war. MJF is also on commentary which makes me root for Danielson even more. This is one of the best TV matches of the year and a match I think everyone should watch.
Rating: 4.25/5
5. Kento Miyahara vs Katsuhiko Nakajima NOAH One Night Dream
I’ll just say it now. This match is a top 2 match of the year for me and the highest-rated singles match I’ve given this year. Kento Miyahara the ace of AJPW and Katsuhiko Nakajima the master of violence of NOAH is a hell of a match-up. This is a King’s Road-style match which means it has a lot of long-term storytelling elements. There are a couple of those that make this match so unique. First, this is a cross-promotion battle between AJPW and NOAH. If you know the history of both that’s huge. Next, both Kento and Nakajima both grew up in the Kensuke’s office under Kensuke Sasaki. Nakajima is the senpai and Kento is the kohai and they have known each other for a long time. Nakajima has always been ahead of Kento until currently where this is the closest in the status they have ever been. Kento has also never beaten Nakajima as the latter is 3–0 against him. This match was a crescendo in intensity, violence, and emotion.
Both men start the match flexing on each other with taunts, poses, and belittling. Then over the course of the match, they start to really turn on the heat with violent strikes and incredible selling, especially from Kento. The crowd was incredible and there is some subtle nuance to this match that’s easy to miss. An example of this is Kento’s selling and Nakajima’s offense. Kento only tries to show the wear and tear when Nakajima is down or out of the ring. This match has great drama and intensity from both men with multiple spots making your eyebrows raise. The crowd is also hot from the start of this match to the finish. I have only two problems with this match is that the feeling-out process is a little long and you knew who the winner was going to be. I have a TON to say about this match but I can’t say it all now. This is a match I might devote a whole post to in the future. It’s that good.
Match Rating: 4.5/5 (highest single match rating)
