Best Matches Seen January 2022 |
UFC 270 1/22/22
Victor Henry vs. Raoni Barcelos 3R. UFC short notice newcomer Henry relied on overwhelming output to upset to huge favorite Barcelos, fighting a really consistent fight where he threw 120, 117, & 160 strikes. Barcelos was very accurate, landing 48% with clearly more power, but Henry landed 51% and was simply way too active. Barcelos started well, doing a nice job of stepping off and then landing a crisp shot. He was winning early with his very precise and direct compact shots when Henry's wasn't really coming forward and pressuring, but rather largely defending first and then filling the gaps. After a few minutes, Henry became much more aggressive. He hurt Barcelos 3 minutes in with a punch combo, and just never relented. Even before really taking over in the final minute with accurate punches to the chin and some knees, he probably did more damage overall in the 1st round even though he isn't as big a puncher. Barcelos didn't seem recovered at the start of the second round, and was just standing in front of Henry, which allowed Victor to pick him apart with the jab, busting up his nose and thus fatiguing him more because it was more difficult to breathe usefully. Barcelos tried to change things up midway through the round, getting back to coming forward, and adding in low kicks and a takedown attempt, but Henry never gave him time to settle into an offense. Barcelos would have a moment here and there, but Henry would touch him several times in between. Barcelos gave it all he had to start the third round knowing he was down, which led to an even bigger firefight where Henry upped his output that much more. The first couple minutes had some excellent exchanges, but Barcelos was the first to fade. Barcelos showed tons of heart throughout, and clearly never gave up, getting a final wind in the last minute, including his his best combo of the fight, a short left, a high kick that missed, but set up a big left hook. Barcelos was then working the right uppercut and left hook, and finished the round quite strongly, especially considering the rest of the fight and where he was physically a minute or two earlier, but still didn't do enough to actually finally win a round. In his defense, it's a rare fight where you can be landing about 50 strikes per round, but still be losing every one. Good match.
Michel Pereira vs. Andre Fialho 3R. Fialho was a short notice replacement for Muslim Salikhov, and even though the fight was postponed a week, Pereira still need some time to figure out his opponent out in the cage. Pereira was doing a great job with his front kick, it's really difficult to counter because beyond the obvious that he is just so long and it pushes the opponent back, it's also really well placed below the opponent's elbow to further stuff any potential counter. Fialho is no chump though, he may not be the most diverse fighter, but he has a really good technical boxing game, particularly a super effective jab that was giving Pereira trouble, bloodying his nose and even wobbling him midway through the 1st round. Fialho was doing a good job of pressuring and cutting off the Octagon in the first round, instilling his own pace and keeping Pereira on his back foot, where it was more difficult for him too find the space necessary for his flashy maneuvers. Fialho won the 1st round, but Pereira landed some good overhand rights to start the 2nd, which helped halt Fialho's forward progress, thus allowing Pereira to begin to impose his pace. Pereira began to get into his flow when he backed Fialho into the cage with a nice three punch combo and another overhand right then hit a flying knee. Pereira is normally in some trouble if he loses the first round because his stamina tends to decline, but he really seemed in great shape for this fight, and didn't seem to be burning himself out as he really put on a huge flurry of aggressive offense in this round, particularly against the cage. Fialho landed a few good punches to the body when Pereira was working knees on the inside, but was basically overwhelmed, getting battered and bloodied. This should be a 10-8 round not that lay on the opponent for four minutes nonsense, 51 strikes to 16 plus a takedown, and these were powerful, damaging strikes. Even though it was late too for the cumulative damage, I liked that Pereira was increasingly using low kicks in the second half of the fight because Fialho was literally doing nothing to defend them. It was especially good the time Pereira followed the front kick with the low kick. The third round was another action packed round contested at a really high pace, both men assuming they needed the round for the victory, but this time Fialho getting back to moving forward sometimes and thus being able to do more with his boxing. Forcing Pereira to back up was now resulting in some fatigue creeping in, but he still had a massive output in this round, throwing 79 as compared to 85 in his huge 2nd round. People were trying to claim this round was close, but there is such a huge difference in the variety of the fighters. Pereira was scoring so much more often because he was using every type of shot he could think of, whereas Fialho landed some good punches, but that is literally the only thing he tried to do in the whole fight. The diversity of Pereira obviously doesn't show up in the raw numbers where all strikes are equal and just strikes, but that is the reason why he outlanded fialho 44 to 20 in the final round en route to a 29–28 unanimous decision. Very good match.
UFC Flyweight Title: Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 5R. The closest of their 3 fights, with Figueiredo giving a great, highly disciplined comeback performance after looking terrible in the 2nd meeting before getting submitted mid fight. His goal was not to brawl with Moreno tonight, and he was able to win the fight by staying at distance and using his diverse offense, mixing low kicks and power punches. The first round was close, as several of the rounds were, but Figueiredo's low kick was the consistent weapon that was the difference. He outlanded Moreno 18-11, had the only takedown, and had more control time because of that. Cormier and the totally pro Mexican crowd were going wild for a punch that Moreno landed from his knees, but it was more surprising than incredibly damaging as far as I could tell. The second round was the outlier, not because Moreno actually won it, but because this was the only round where Moreno seemed to have a big power advantage. Figueiredo was having trouble absorbing his "average" shot, and was turning away, which made things look worse than they were. It seemed like anything Moreno did in this round was stopping Figueiredo in his tracks, or even backing Figueiredo up, and this started the narrative in the already incredibly biased announcing team that Moreno had more power, which never changed despite Figueiredo being the one who ultimately scored three knockdowns. 2 minutes into the third round, Figueiredo dropped Moreno with a left hook, but Moreno did a forward roll after he was stumbling around, so his fans wanted to ignore this altogether, and certainly it was more difficult to tell quite how hurt he was. In any case, he recovered extremely quickly, and began to take over again with a strong middle portion of the round where he was again stopping Figueiredo in his tracks. This fight was starting to feel similar to Michel Pereira vs. Andre Fialho in that that Moreno had the advantage in boxing, but that was basically all he did, whereas Figueiredo was doing a great job with low kicks, compromising Moreno's mobility, and generally throwing a similar amount of shots to the head, body, and legs, whereas Moreno was almost all to the head because he was just throwing big punches. The 3rd round was close until the final 10 seconds. I already had Figueiredo winning because of the 1st knockdown, but ultimately that didn't matter after Figueiredo stopped Moreno in his tracks with a left jab then flattened him with an overhand right for an undeniable big knockdown, locking in a guillotine for what may have been the finish if time didn't almost immediately expire. Figueiredo was the more accurate striker in this fight, landing 50% compared to Moreno's 40%, but he was much too patient in the fourth round, particularly considering he had really turned the fight in his advantage at the end of the third. Even though Moreno ultimately only outlanded Figueiredo by 1 strike in this round, it felt like he gained the momentum back because he was doing a better job of staying active, while Figueiredo really seemed to be hunting for the big shot. The 4th was basically an even round. You can make an argument for either, but they're basically just examples of why round scoring is a fool's game. I mean, I thought Figueiredo won watching live, and I thought Moreno won watching again for the review, but either way, all rounds are not created equal. It would make way more sense if this round didn't carry the same weight as the more obvious ones than to just award someone the extra point because we're forced to. Round five was another very good close round. Figueiredo was more active in this round, knowing this was a close fight where the fans were against him, and also Moreno getting a takedown at the outset meant he was playing from behind. Figueiredo had a knockdown midway through the round with a right hand when Moreno was preparing to kick. Again, Moreno answered with some nice shots as soon as he got back up, and this time Figueiredo was looking to get involved in the brawl, but his corner was screaming at him not to, and he chose to stay disciplined and continue to pick his shots from the outside. In the last 30 seconds though, he gave in, and they were both swinging huge for a great finish. This climactic sequence did go to Moreno, so Figueiredo's corner did know what they were talking about with Moreno having the advantage in the brawl, as he has very quick hands and is more willing to keep swinging than Figueiredo, who is more concerned with precision. Luckily for Figueiredo, he had theoretically already done enough with the knockdown to win the round, and thus the fight. Figueiredo won a unanimous decision 48-47. Although the judges got the decision right this time, unlike the first fight which was a robbery draw, two of the judges actually gave Moreno the fifth round after giving Figueiredo the 4th round. Very good match.
STARDOM 2/23/21 Osaka EDION Arena #2: Momo Watanabe & AZM vs. Syuri & Natsupoi 12:20
DC: This match was quite a bit better than their 1/24/21 match, mainly because the execution of the moves was generally better here, and it didn’t feel as rushed. AZM mostly worked against Natsupoi, and Momo Watanabe mostly wrestled Syuri, so this was basically two singles matches turned into a tag team match. Syuri showed her mat wrestling skills against Momo Watanabe, who, to her credit, tried her best to keep up. Momo also clearly made the effort to try to put more power behind her kicks when she faced Syuri. These two had wrestled each other a couple of times before, but it looked like Momo was starting to be able to show more intensity. AZM and Natsupoi showed some very good stuff when they worked against each other, which was a good sign, because they were about to meet in a singles match on the upcoming 3/3/21 show (and that match turned out to be a good 7-minute match that probably would have been better if it was longer). In this tag match, AZM and Poi didn’t only do the quick and flashy stuff you’d expect from them, but they also showed they wanted to beat the crap out of each other. The execution was very good, and all four gave a strong showing. ***¾
NJPW 3/14/21 Amagasaki Memorial Park Gymnasium, New Japan Cup Round 2: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Will Ospreay 21:23
DC: These two showed why they are two of the best male workers in the world. The last time these two met in a singles match in Japan, which was on 2/2/20, it was a great match and arguably the best match of their respective careers. They were clearly stoked to wrestle each other in a New Japan ring again, and they managed to make this special. The most intriguing thing about this match was how they kept countering each other in new and smart ways. Obviously, they were very familiar with each other and were ready for each other’s moves, but then the other was ready to counter the counter. There were many spectacular moments, but they spent a decent amount selling in between the moves, making sure each spectacular moment would get its deserved attention. They did a really good job of incorporating the selling of Will Ospreay’s injured shoulder into the story of this match. Their facials and their attitude shown towards each other during the match also added quite a lot. It’s nice to see Zack Sabre Jr. wrestling a great opponent in a singles match after Sabre had been wasted for months by being put in tag team matches with Taichi far too often. ****½
NJPW 3/21/21 Sendai Xebio Arena, New Japan Cup Final: Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi 30:06
DC: Bea Priestley was in Will Ospreay’s corner. To make it to the final, Ospreay had beaten Hiroshi Tenzan, Zack Sabre Jr. in a great match that was arguably one of the three best wrestling matches of 2021, SANADA and David Finlay III. Shingo Takagi had beaten Kazuchika Okada, Hirooki Goto, KENTA and EVIL. Early in the match, it became clear that Ospreay was ready to display his athleticism and to use this athletic ability to give him an advantage in this match. Shingo Takagi followed a more no-nonsense approach, but also displayed his versatility, as he did throughout 2021, which was a particularly strong year for Takagi. Ospreay’s shoulder was a target Takagi started focusing on. Ospreay wanted to show he can play rough too, and he threw Takagi’s back on top of the guardrail, which became the main target Ospreay was focusing on. Later in the match, Takagi was about to throw Ospreay through a table, but Priestley moved the table away. The final minutes were the most exciting. Ospreay landed on his feet after flipping backwards off a clothesline, and followed it up with an OsCutter for a near fall. Ospreay hit another OsCutter, but this time he hit one after running on the apron and leaping from the second rope in the apron corner to the floor. The table finally got broken when Ospreay hit a 450 splash off the top onto Takagi through a table on the floor. Once Takagi entered the ring, Ospreay immediately hit him with a springboard dropkick. Ospreay followed this up with a shooting star press. Ospreay’s tremendous high flying ability certainly stole the show. Ospreay hit Takagi with some Kawada kicks, but that only seemed to start Takagi getting more fired up. The final minutes featured a lot of back-and-forth action, as both men were now getting more desperate to bring an end to this battle and win the Cup. Takagi hit a tremendous reverse rana on Ospreay, but even that wasn’t able to finish things. Any move at this point could really be the finish, but you never knew which one it was going to be because they somehow made every move look important. This was a great match, and one of the best three NJPW matches of 2021 along with Ospreay vs. Sabre 3/14/21 & Ospreay vs. Shingo 5/4/21. Their 5/4/21 match is a little bit better just because of slightly better storytelling and build-up. ****½
STARDOM 3/28/21 Osaka EDION Arena #2, High Speed Title: Natsupoi vs. Starlight Kid 12:40
DC: It’s good to see this be the main event, even if only of the day show, considering it’s rare for the High Speed Title to truly be featured or especially headline a show. This was Natsupoi’s first defense of the title. These are two of the most fun workers to watch in STARDOM because of their athletic style and ability to work fast-paced counters making their wrestling enjoyable. They both gave a really strong performance here, and the workrate was quite high. They did some fast-paced sequences, but they also made sure to sell properly throughout the match. This didn’t feel like a typical High Speed Title match, which is usually a brief spotfest sprint, it was more of a "proper" title match. It’s good to see how Poi had worked herself up the card a bit, as she had been one of the more underrated workers. Natsupoi’s cartwheels are always awesome, and she always finds smooth ways to incorporate them into the sequences. Starlight Kid is always good at putting things over in a somewhat dramatic yet playfully enthusiastic way. One of the biggest spots of the match was a top-rope plancha to the floor by Kid onto Poi. The match ended when Natsupoi pinned SLK with the fairy train, a perfectly executed bridging German Suplex. In the post-match promo cut by Poi, she alluded to a possible re-match, which would happen on 8/29/21, and was pretty good, but not quite as good as this one from 3/28/21. For those of you interested in checking out the entire 2021 trilogy between these two, they also had a pretty good match under ten minutes on 8/8/21 during the 5STAR Grand Prix tournament tour. ***¾
AAA 5/3/21 Zacatlan, Mexico: Hijo del Vikingo vs. Aramis vs. Villano III Jr. vs. Abismo Negro Jr. vs. Latigo 12:07
DC: As always, AAA was hit-and-miss this year, but this was a top hit. This 5-way match was for the Copa Perro Aguayo Jr., and it was an excellent match with incredible non-stop action. Hijo del Vikingo is a fantastic high flyer, and he probably is the best flyer in the world right now, which says a lot about how amazing of a flyer he is, since the bar for high flying has been raised constantly over the past decades. Aramis, also a spectacular flyer, hit some nice looking offense as well, and he took some good bumps. Villano III Jr. gave quite a strong performance whenever he was part of the action, and one of his contributions was hitting an amazing Asai moonsault. Abismo Negro Jr. was quite decent in his role as a base for the flyers, and he took some decent bumps. Latigo was quite okay, and he hit some cool moves, but in a super spectacular match like this, he seemed somewhat basic in comparison. However, this match really was mostly about Hijo del Vikingo displaying his unbelievable ability, and in the end, it was Vikingo with the win over Aramis to conclude this match. It was excellent, and even though it was all spectacle and it lasted only 12 minutes, it’s still a match that’s certainly worth watching. ****
NJPW 5/4/21 Fukuoka Convention Center, IWGP World Heavyweight Title: Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi 44:53
DC: The IWGP World Heavyweight Title was created when the IWGP Heavyweight Title and the IWGP Intercontinental Title were unified in March 2021. Kota Ibushi was the inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, but his reign only lasted until 4/4/21, which was when he was defeated by Will Ospreay for the title. This wasn’t the first time Shingo Takagi and Ospreay had wrestled each other earlier that year, because they had faced each other in the New Japan Cup final on 3/21/21 won by Ospreay. This didn’t stop Takagi from being confident that he would be able to beat Ospreay this time around. Takagi knows what it’s like to be the top champion of a league, as he was able to hold the Open the Dragon Gate Title on four occasions between 2008 and 2016. However, if Takagi would be able to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Title here, it would certainly be considered Takagi’s biggest title win, especially since he was still considered a junior heavyweight at almost 36-years-old when the promotion brought him in in 2018. You could tell it was going to be a long match by the way they were working, and of course, you could also tell by simply knowing that Gedo refuses to book short title main events. However, this one was even slightly longer than expected. These two deserve credit for being able to keep this 44-minute match interesting from start to finish. The storytelling and selling was well done, and there were also plenty of spectacular moves, eventually. They set up tables early in the match and teased a table spot, but the tables weren’t used yet. During these early stages of the match, neither worker really was able to get an advantage, and the work was done at a relatively slow methodical pace. However, they were occasionally trying some big moves, like when Ospreay attempted to make Takagi submit to a KUSHIDA-esque Kimura lock by applying the move on Takagi’s left arm. Takagi kept selling his left arm during the minutes that followed, even though those minutes featured back-and-forth action. The tables that were set up earlier in the match, eventually came into play about halfway through the match when Takagi executed a fireman’s carry legdrop bomb that he calls Made in Japan on Ospreay through the tables. Once they were able to get back into the ring, Takagi executed Made in Japan once again, and Ospreay managed to survive. Both workers showed great facials throughout the match, which displayed the desperation and importance of what they were doing. Ospreay had to slap himself to try to shake off the cobwebs and stay focused after all the punishment he had taken. After the match had lasted 30 minutes, it didn’t feel like it had lasted that long, because they had made every minute a compelling one. As a reward for staying tuned in, the viewers got nearly 15 more minutes of great wrestling. During the final minutes, they really were able to put over how much of a war they’ve been through, yet at the same time showing they were not about to go down and were willing to keep going until the bitter end. The moves in this match were generally really well executed, and Takagi showed that having him being featured more in big singles main events was a good move. Ospreay is arguably the best big match worker in wrestling today, as he had also proven earlier in the year in the great 3/14/21 match against Zack Sabre Jr. This match against Takagi was another great one, and it’s arguably the 2021 Match of the Year. ****½
STARDOM 8/7/21 Osaka EDION Arena #2, 5STAR Grand Prix Blue Stars Block: Syuri vs. AZM 13:38
DC: AZM tried to do some flashy fast-paced stuff early on, but Syuri took her down to the mat, forcing AZM to grapple her way out of the situation she was in. AZM eventually was able to show her flashiness. AZM has become more of a mature worker, and she clearly had good chemistry with Syuri, who continued to show her ability to have good matches with a wide variety of opponents. The action was really good throughout the entire match. The selling was strong, and they both reacted really well to what the other was doing. AZM’s speed and agility make her a wrestler that the opponent really needs to be on top of their game for if they want to be able to catch her off guard. It felt like an intense battle, and this was one of the most interesting STARDOM matches of the year. This was a joy to watch, and these two showed why they were two of the best in STARDOM. This was the best match of their 2021 trilogy, but their matches that took place on 2/13/21 and 11/3/21 are also worth watching, as they were very good and good respectively. ***¾
STARDOM 9/25/21 Tokyo Ota City General Gymnasium, 5STAR Grand Prix Final: Momo Watanabe vs. Syuri 18:36
DC: We actually got a match worthy of being a 5STAR Grand Prix Final. Momo Watanabe showed a lot of intensity, because she knew this was her chance to shine as bright as she possibly could. Not only did she get the confidence vote to be a tournament finalist, but she also got to face one of the best workers in STARDOM, which meant there was the opportunity to have a memorable match. The fighting spirit displayed by both workers made it clear to the viewer that this wasn’t just a random match, and it was indeed a big tournament final worthy of praise. Watanabe was so eager to show how worthy she is of winning this tournament that Syuri was forced to treat Watanabe like a tougher opponent than most of the other opponents Syuri had been facing in STARDOM. Syuri deserves a lot of credit for encouraging Watanabe to step out of her comfort zone and turn things up a notch. Of course, the fact that this was a satisfying conclusion to this tournament also helped get everyone in the right mood. Watanabe showed some of the best kicks she’s ever thrown. Syuri’s kicks were as vicious as always. This felt like a big main event from start to finish.This was one of the very best joshi matches of 2021, and arguably the 2021 joshi MOTY. ****
NOAH 10/3/21 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, N-1 Victory Final: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Keno 20:00
DC: These two really took it to each other, which showed they both wanted to win this final. The early portion of the match was worked at a slower pace with more focus on in-ring storytelling. The offense was generally well-executed and very stiff. About ten minutes into the match, the action became gradually more intense, as we started seeing kick exchanges and suplex exchanges. They weren’t just out there to beat each other up, they also tried to win, and Katsuhiko Nakajima almost scored a pinfall after a brainbuster. Keno hit a double footstomp off the top rope that almost got him the win. It was a pretty even contest. The final minutes match basically consisted of them beating the hell out of each other. Many of the kicks were thrown in a thunderously vicious manner. At some point, there was an amazing kick exchange that lasted 30 seconds. This was followed by a relentless slap exchange. They shook hands after the match, because even though this match was like a brutal war inside the ring, they remained on good terms as tag team partners and stablemates because of the respect and understanding they have for each other. It was an excellent match between two of the most interesting workers in NOAH. ****
NOAH 10/10/21 Osaka EDION Arena, GHC Heavyweight Title: Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Naomichi Marufuji 37:18
DC: They took a lot of time for the feeling out process early on, but they did so in a compelling manner. They were very focused on each other, and full attention was given to each move. Pro Wrestling NOAH’s late founder, Mitsuharu Misawa, would have been proud of this match. They still relied a lot on selling and psychology during the middle portion of the match, but they had gradually become more aggressive. About 21 minutes into the match, Nakajima was on the receiving-end of a vicious piledriver on the apron. Things were definitely in Marufuji’s favor right now. Once Nakajima made it back into the ring, Marufuji seemed to feel this was a good time to start being more urgent. Nakajima knew he had to fight back before Marufuji would do too much damage. Things started going back-and-forth. It had been a hard-hitting match from the start, but the strikes started getting gradually more stiff towards the end, and they basically struck the crap out of each other. Overall, this was an excellent match, and the way they worked this match caused it to have a big championship match feel to it. ****
STARDOM 11/27/21 Tokyo Yoyogi National Gymnasium #2, SWA Undisputed World Women’s Title, UWF Rules: Syuri vs. Konami 13:06
DC:
This match was held under UWF rules, which in this case meant they would lose a point after each rope escape and after each time getting knocked down (and they would each start this match with five points). This was a really interesting setting, and it was one that would potentially be a really good fit for both, since their respective styles mostly focus on kicks and submission holds. This was wrestled like a shoot style match, and Syuri continued to show her greatness, with especially her strikes looking very powerful. Konami’s 2021 wasn’t very consistent, and for a big part that’s because she wasn’t booked against the right opponents in the right match-ups and basically not utilized fully. Booking her as a heel member of a demoted heel stable in random and meaningless midcard trios matches with tag team partners like Gokigen Death, Natsuko Tora and Ruaka isn’t exactly the way Konami will get to show what she’s truly capable of. Konami gets pushed reasonably on some occasions, like when she will get some nice victories in the 5STAR Grand Prix tournaments, but STARDOM never seems to go all out with her push. All of these factors leave Konami probably less motivated than she would have been otherwise. Here in this match against Syuri, Konami seemed excited that she was able to have this type of match against Syuri, who had a really strong year in 2021 and essentially was STARDOM’s best worker of the year. Konami lost her first point after she had to go for a rope escape when Syuri had a sleeperhold applied. Konami applied some holds on Syuri, and it was after Konami applied an armbar that Syuri had to use her first rope escape of the match. Syuri applied a sasorigatame, which resulted in Konami using her second rope escape. Konami realized she had to fight back harder, and she hit some really good kicks. Syuri went down twice as a result of Konami’s kicks, which caused Syuri to lose two points. Syuri had to use a rope escape when Konami was about to make her tap out to the triangle lancer. Syuri now only had 1 point left, and Konami had 3 left. Syuri stayed focused, and after applying a leg lock on Konami, she forced Konami to use a rope escape. Konami went down after a high kick by Syuri and lost 1 point because of that. Both fighters had only 1 point left each. There was a slap exchange followed by an intense kick exchange. Konami caught one of Syuri’s kicks and tried to finish off. Syuri kept fighting back and eventually scored the win after taking Konami down one final time after a well-placed kick. Both workers did really well, but in the end, it wasn’t quite the excellent match hoped for. It was certainly a really good match though, and it was unique and refreshing to see this type of match in STARDOM. In fact, it was this uniqueness that made this stand out more than their previous two matches against each other (3/3/21 and 9/6/21), which were good matches in their own right. Let’s hope Konami can return, and we’ll get to see more UWF rules type matches in STARDOM featuring these two. ***¾
STARDOM 12/29/21 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, Wonder of STARDOM Title: Tam Nakano vs. Saya Kamitani 21:59
DC: This was a surprisingly excellent match. Neither worker has a strong track record of high quality singles matches, and neither could really be considered one of the top 5 workers in STARDOM, which makes it even more remarkable that this was of high quality and even the best match on arguably the best show of the year. Tam Nakano finally was able to fulfill her dream of having an epic singles title match, which she tried having with Giulia on 3/3/21, but that one ended up being just decent and one of the most overrated matches of the year. This match with Kamitani certainly exceeded expectations. Saya Kamitani has shown improvement, and she’s shown being dedicated to her craft. She still has moments where she’s exaggerating things, but it didn’t really feel that out of place in this match, and it’s always better than not showing any care. One of the most memorable spots of the match was Kamitani hitting a huracarrana off the apron to the floor, with Nakano taking the bump off the apron onto the floor really well. Kamitani executed most of her moves gracefully, including a springboard plancha to the floor and a top-rope dropkick. The most amazing move of them all was Kamitani’s phoenix splash. It will be interesting to see how her reign as White Belt title holder will go. Nakano did really well for herself, but Kamitani was the one who stole the show. After the match, Unagi Sayaka announced she wants to be the next White Belt challenger. ****
STARDOM 12/29/21 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan, SWA Undisputed World Women’s Title vs. World of STARDOM Title, No Time Limit: Syuri vs. Utami Hayashishita 36:33
DC: At the time of this match, Syuri had been holding the SWA World Title for 409 days, and Utami Hayashishita had been holding STARDOM’s Red Belt for 409 days. One of them would lose a championship after this match was over, and one of them would be the holder of two titles. Their previous two matches had ended in draws. Their 20-minute 9/4/21 match was good overall. Their 43-minute 6/12/21 match was good overall, but the main thing about that one is it’s one of the most overrated matches of the year, as some people somehow believed it was one of the best joshi puroresu matches ever, which I guess means they haven't paid much attention to joshi puroresu in the past 20 years or so, and also forgot how good the '90s stuff was, as it wasn’t even one of the top 10 STARDOM matches of 2021. This 36-minute match from 12/29/21 was the best in the Syuri vs. Utami trilogy of 2021. Syuri’s performance was great, and she was able to guide Utami to a very good match. However, there was still the same problem of Utami not really being able to live up to her push. This time, it was less frustrating though, as she was now losing the title, and it seemed Utami had shown some improvement as a main event worker after being the champion for 409 days. Also, at least she tried to show that she cared a little bit this time around. However, this shows exactly that Utami should not have been given the belt when she wasn’t ready for it 409 days ago. Of course, the higher-ups at Bushiroad don’t seem to mind champions that do little and let their opponents carry them, as we know it’s completely possible to become the five-time champion of a major league parented by Bushiroad that way. Either way, there have been worse champions than Utami, and we could have had a worse champion in STARDOM this past year, so maybe we shouldn’t complain too much. After all, despite not living up to the super hype, Utami is quite a decent worker for the most part, and this was one of her stronger performances. In the end, Syuri winning the Red Belt was a satisfying conclusion to the show and a satisfying conclusion to the year, as Syuri was the MVP of women’s wrestling in 2021. ***½
