How many of these five star matches did you see in 2021? Let me know in the comments.
Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson, Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi, WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov! So many incredible five star matches in 2021. Join Tempest as he recalls every single one of big Daddy Dave Meltzer's five star matches from 2021.
Every 5 Star Match In WWE, AEW & More Of 2021
#WWE #AEW #NJPW
SUBSCRIBE TO partsFUNknown: https://bit.ly/2J2Hl6q
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/partsfunknown
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Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson, Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi, WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov! So many incredible five star matches in 2021. Join Tempest as he recalls every single one of big Daddy Dave Meltzer's five star matches from 2021.
Every 5 Star Match In WWE, AEW & More Of 2021
#WWE #AEW #NJPW
SUBSCRIBE TO partsFUNknown: https://bit.ly/2J2Hl6q
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/partsfunknown
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/partsfunknown/
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Sometimes you just need to take something back for yourself.
00:02 You make modest sacrifices in your daily life,
00:04 so when the end of the year comes
00:06 and the holiday season is upon us,
00:07 feel free to treat yourself.
00:09 For most people, that might be a day to spa,
00:11 or maybe you buy yourself a nice, shiny PS5
00:13 to put under the tree.
00:14 But for the life of a masked man
00:16 who talks about SmackDown and NXT
00:17 more than he thought he would in his entire life,
00:19 sometimes the treat you need
00:21 comes in the form of a list like this.
00:22 You want me to talk about poker segments
00:24 and index weddings?
00:25 I mean, yes, Mr. Davis will do that right away, sir.
00:27 But this is my end of year treat to myself.
00:30 Merry Christmas.
00:31 Dave Meltzer remains one of the most respected figures
00:33 in wrestling journalism,
00:34 and while his weekly star ratings
00:36 have become a bit of a meme in recent years,
00:38 and very much not something to be taken seriously,
00:40 they do serve as a pretty decent way
00:41 to look back at some of the year's best matches.
00:43 In this list, we will take a look back
00:45 at every match rated five stars or higher
00:47 by Big Daddy Dave in 2021,
00:49 and if your favorite match isn't on here,
00:50 make sure to vent your frustrations in the comments,
00:52 because I'm told Dave loves to frequent
00:54 the PartsFund known comment sections.
00:55 Merry Christmas.
00:57 I'm Tempest Hailing from PartsFund Known,
00:59 and this is every match rated five stars or higher in 2021.
01:02 Do you know what else is a five star match?
01:04 You and PartsFund Known.
01:06 What a perfect match that is.
01:08 You should subscribe so you can get
01:09 all of those wonderful five stars.
01:12 Did you do it?
01:13 Please do it.
01:14 Kazuchika Okada versus Will Ospreay.
01:16 Wrestle Kingdom 15, day one, five and a quarter stars.
01:19 New Japan Pro Wrestling makes a habit
01:20 of starting off each calendar year
01:22 with at least one five star match,
01:23 and this year they sure started with more than one.
01:25 Will Ospreay had turned heel on former mentor
01:28 Kazuchika Okada at the G1 Climax A Block Final in 2020,
01:31 and their major clash came at Wrestle Kingdom 15, day one.
01:34 These two have a history of classic matches together,
01:36 but now the dynamic was different.
01:38 No longer a friendly big brother
01:39 versus little brother match,
01:40 Ospreay was out to prove that he was better
01:42 than Okada in every way.
01:44 As for the most talented in-ring performance in wrestling,
01:46 you could argue that these are the top two,
01:48 and they started off the year
01:49 with one of the year's best matches.
01:51 Okada had been determined through 2020
01:53 to work his stupid money clip submission
01:55 into his arsenal,
01:56 despite being worse than the Rainmaker in every possible way.
02:00 But it was in this match that Okada had to go back
02:02 to what brought him to the dance,
02:03 winning the match with a huge Rainmaker,
02:05 all is right in the world.
02:06 Kode Ibushi versus Tetsuya Naito,
02:08 Wrestle Kingdom 15, day one, five stars.
02:11 There were not two better back-to-back matches in 2021
02:14 than the first two matches on this list.
02:16 Immediately following Okada and Ospreay's clinic,
02:18 Kode Ibushi and Tetsuya Naito went to the ring
02:21 with everyone in attendance clutching their pearls.
02:23 Ibushi and Naito have a history of, well,
02:25 trying to kill each other,
02:26 and there was real concern that their match
02:28 could end in a fatality.
02:29 Thankfully, there was no such murder at Wrestle Kingdom 15,
02:32 a maiming perhaps, but no deaths,
02:34 as Naito and Ibushi had an insane, intense battle,
02:37 befitting of Ibushi's long-awaited title win.
02:39 Ibushi managed to hit three kamegoye's
02:41 before finally getting the pin,
02:43 capturing the title that had eluded him
02:44 for his entire career.
02:46 Shingo Takagi versus Jeff Cobb,
02:47 Wrestle Kingdom 15, day two, five stars.
02:50 Boy, those were some great matches.
02:52 Good job, New Japan, you should rest.
02:53 Oh, they're back, 24 hours later.
02:55 New Japan may be best known
02:56 for the technical mastery of their roster,
02:58 but if you prefer big, meaty men bumping meat,
03:00 then they've got you covered, too.
03:01 The never-open-weight division has produced
03:03 so many hard-hitting matches over the years,
03:05 and in 2021, there are very few
03:07 that better exemplify that style
03:08 than Shingo Takagi and Jeff Cobb.
03:10 The two men are absolute hybrid wrestlers,
03:13 able to use their size and strength
03:14 while remaining incredibly quick and agile.
03:17 This was an absolute classic,
03:18 with moves making you jump out of your chair at every turn,
03:21 perfectly setting Cobb up for the huge breakout year
03:23 in the company, while giving Takagi
03:24 his biggest win in the Tokyo Dome to date.
03:26 Kota Ibushi versus J. White,
03:28 Wrestle Kingdom 15, day two, five and a quarter stars.
03:31 Damn, New Japan, you got something to prove, or what?
03:33 The road to Wrestle Kingdom 15
03:35 was a bit more complicated than most,
03:36 with J. White becoming the first man
03:38 to dethrone the G1 Climax winner
03:39 and take the Wrestle Kingdom title shot for himself.
03:42 He did it by being a cheating bastard, but he still did it.
03:44 This set up the new champ, Kota Ibushi,
03:46 defending his titles for the first time
03:47 just 24 hours after winning them
03:49 against a man he has historically had difficulty beating.
03:52 To date, this is the longest match in Tokyo Dome history,
03:54 surpassing the first Omega versus Okada match
03:57 and clocking it at a whopping 48 minutes.
03:59 White was supremely confident,
04:00 but Ibushi was able to utilize his darker side
04:03 rather than let it distract him,
04:04 overcoming White in one of the most epic performances
04:06 of the year.
04:07 If you combine this match
04:08 and the incredible promo that followed it,
04:10 you have one of the best performances
04:11 by any wrestler of the entire year from J. White.
04:14 On January 5th, 2021, he was the best in the world.
04:17 Kenny Omega versus Ray Phoenix, AEW New Year's Smash,
04:20 five stars.
04:21 Switching over to something not called
04:23 New Japan Pro Wrestling now,
04:24 AEW kicked off their 2021 campaign
04:26 with one of the best matches you could currently put on paper,
04:29 Kenny Omega versus Ray Phoenix.
04:31 Ray Phoenix had been forced to miss his semifinal match
04:33 in the AEW Eliminator Tournament due to injury
04:35 and was granted a title shot as a result.
04:37 Omega and Phoenix are two of the most dynamic performers
04:40 in AEW, brimming with explosiveness
04:42 with nary a wasted motion.
04:43 This was about a month in Omega's reign
04:45 as AEW World Champion,
04:46 so there likely weren't many people out there
04:48 thinking Phoenix was gonna dethrone him.
04:49 But hey, if I'm wrong and you thought that,
04:51 make sure you send me a DM.
04:52 I might have a bridge to sell ya.
04:53 This show is better remembered
04:54 for the AEW debut of the Good Brothers,
04:56 but this match was a perfect way
04:57 to start a stellar title run for Omega
04:59 that would last most of the calendar year.
05:01 Hiroshi Tanahashi versus Shingo Takagi,
05:03 the new beginning in Nagoya, five stars.
05:06 Back to the land of the rising sun we go.
05:07 It is no secret that New Japan
05:09 doesn't quite have the same magic currently
05:11 that made it the premier wrestling promotion for the 2010s,
05:13 but that doesn't mean that the in-ring product is any worse,
05:16 especially when you get the brilliant clashes of styles
05:18 like with this match between Shingo Takagi
05:20 and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
05:21 Tanahashi has been pushed down the card slightly
05:23 since his days as the ace of the company,
05:25 but he is still more than a formidable opponent,
05:27 only now competing for the never-openweight title instead.
05:29 He and Takagi battled at the new beginning in Nagoya
05:32 in a match that would set up many things to come
05:34 for both men for the rest of the year.
05:35 Takagi had yet to truly solidify himself
05:37 among New Japan's main event scene,
05:39 but that would not be the case for much longer.
05:41 Will Ospreay versus Zack Sabre Jr.,
05:43 New Japan Cup Day 8, five stars.
05:45 One of the last matches Will Ospreay had
05:47 before the start of the pandemic
05:48 was defeating Zack Sabre Jr.
05:50 for the RevPro British Heavyweight Championship,
05:52 a title that he still holds today.
05:53 That match was five stars too.
05:55 How about that?
05:56 Almost like these two guys
05:57 are really (beep) great together or something.
05:59 During the 2021 New Japan Cup,
06:01 the two Brits squared off in the second round
06:02 and they came out of the blocks zooming.
06:04 We had phenomenal forearms and European clutches
06:06 less than a minute in, and they never stopped this pace.
06:09 Ospreay's 2021 was marred by injuries,
06:11 and this match was no exception,
06:12 as he was dealing with a shoulder problem
06:14 and badly broke his nose midway through the match.
06:17 It is a testament to the talent levels of these guys
06:19 that they were able to put on one of the best matches
06:21 of the year despite Ospreay's condition,
06:22 but they've done this before and likely will do it again.
06:25 Will Ospreay versus Shingo Takagi,
06:27 New Japan Cup Final, five and a half stars.
06:29 William "Billium" Trillium Ospreay's run
06:31 to the top of New Japan Pro Wrestling
06:33 went right through his greatest opponent, Shingo Takagi.
06:35 The two had the Wrestling Observer Newsletter's match
06:37 of the year in 2019 at the Best of the Super Juniors
06:40 and followed that performance with an excellent match
06:42 in the 2020 G1 Climax before meeting here
06:44 in the New Japan Cup Final.
06:46 If they manage to eventually meet again
06:47 in the G1 Climax Final,
06:49 they will be the only men to meet in the finals
06:50 of New Japan's three biggest tournaments.
06:52 Ospreay and Takagi's matches have evolved
06:54 with the performers as they've moved
06:55 from being juniors to full-fledged heavyweights,
06:57 sacrificing quickness for power,
06:59 but the chemistry that they have together has never faltered.
07:02 Ospreay and Takagi don't get brought up enough
07:04 in the conversation of the best in-ring rivalries ever,
07:06 but when the lowest rated match they've had
07:08 is only five stars, their work speaks for itself.
07:10 The Young Bucks versus Pac and Ray Phoenix,
07:12 AEW Dynamite, April 14th, 2021, five stars.
07:16 You know what's really neat?
07:17 How you can combine any of the members of Death Triangle
07:19 and have one of the best tag teams in the world.
07:21 Now that they're babyfaces,
07:22 maybe they could change their name
07:24 to something a little less threatening, like Love Triangle.
07:26 Although that might already be something that exists
07:29 on the side of Tumblr I don't wanna know about.
07:30 Anywho, after Ray Phoenix and Pac earned a tag title shot
07:33 by winning the Tag Battle Royal at Revolution,
07:35 they got their match against the Young Bucks
07:37 on the April 14th episode of Dynamite.
07:39 The Young Bucks had just turned heel one week earlier,
07:41 and this match was their first title defense
07:42 with this new dynamic.
07:43 Being able to have great matches as babyfaces and heels
07:46 is a key reason why the Bucks title reign
07:48 was able to be as great as it was,
07:50 and you best believe this match was one of their best.
07:52 Stellar high flying and all the chemistry
07:54 that the Bucks usually have with the Lucha Brothers
07:55 still existed here.
07:56 This seems to have been lost in the shuffle
07:58 of great Dynamite matches this year,
08:00 but it is definitely worth a rewatch
08:01 to remind yourself of the brilliance of these four men.
08:04 Will Ospreay versus Shingo Takagi,
08:05 Wrestling Dontaku, day two, six stars.
08:08 It's deja vu all over again.
08:10 Shout out to Yogi Berra,
08:12 still one of the best baseball names of all time.
08:14 In fact, give me the Berra
08:15 versus the Ospreay versus the Dragon.
08:17 That would be 10 stars.
08:18 Mark my words.
08:19 The highest rated match of the year
08:20 isn't the ideal place for me to completely lose the plot,
08:23 but it's done now, so let's get this train back on track.
08:25 With Will Ospreay defeating Kota Ibushi
08:27 to become IWGP World Heavyweight Champion,
08:29 his first defense was against rival Takagi
08:31 at Wrestling Dontaku.
08:33 What else can be said about these two men?
08:34 Their chemistry is God tier,
08:36 but this match still managed to surprise
08:38 as they started out much slower than usual
08:40 and let the match build organically,
08:41 eventually peaking at the crescendo
08:43 of this 45 minute masterpiece.
08:45 This was the only six star match of the year,
08:47 so I suppose in Big Dave's opinion,
08:48 this is as good as 2021 had to offer.
08:50 Whether it is your match of the year or not,
08:52 there is absolutely no question
08:54 that every time these men get in the ring together,
08:56 magic is sure to follow.
08:57 Utami Hiyashishita versus Siuri,
08:59 Stardom Tokyo Dream Cinderella Special Edition,
09:02 five and a half stars.
09:03 Oh yes, let's talk about this match.
09:05 I wanna talk about this match so much.
09:07 For anyone who ever takes to the interwebs
09:09 to talk about wanting to see more women's wrestling,
09:11 I mean, good, keep it up because more is always better,
09:14 but also make sure that you check out
09:15 the best women's wrestling in the world
09:17 taking place in Stardom.
09:18 At the promotion's Tokyo Dream Cinderella event,
09:21 Utami Hiyashishita took on Siuri in an all time classic.
09:24 People, this match ends in a double knockout,
09:27 count out schmoz,
09:28 and it is still one of the best things I've ever seen.
09:31 Think about how good a match must be
09:33 to reach such heights with a finish like that.
09:35 After a brilliant battle,
09:37 the time limit expired before a winner could be decided,
09:39 only for the match to be restarted
09:41 with the two women still unable
09:42 to get the best of one another.
09:43 Enough cannot be said about Utami Hiyashishita
09:46 and Siuri's matches in 2021,
09:48 serving as not only a highlight
09:49 of how great storytelling can be in women's wrestling,
09:51 but all wrestling in general.
09:53 Shingo Takagi versus Hiroshi Tanahashi,
09:56 Wrestle Grand Slam and Tokyo Dome, five stars.
09:58 Ah, now we've gotten back around
10:00 to Shingo Takagi and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
10:02 2021 was a dire year for New Japan.
10:05 The IWGP World Heavyweight title
10:06 got off an incredibly bad foot,
10:08 with Ibushi losing it in his first title defense,
10:10 Osprey relinquishing it due to injury,
10:12 and then just as Shingo Takagi won the title,
10:14 Ibushi had to drop out of their match at Wrestle Grand Slam.
10:17 Add all this on top of Japan
10:18 still being put through the ringer by COVID
10:20 and injuries plaguing so many top stars all year,
10:23 and I feel like New Japan was the crusty burglar,
10:25 but instead of Homer beating it to death,
10:27 2021 just unloaded a Tommy gun on it.
10:29 You find a way to edit that.
10:30 I don't care that that footage doesn't exist.
10:32 With everything possible going wrong,
10:33 New Japan turned to its most reliable warrior
10:36 in their time of need,
10:37 the man who put the company on his back
10:38 more times than anyone this century, Hiroshi Tanahashi.
10:41 Tanahashi stepped into the main event
10:42 of a Tokyo Dome show with no notice,
10:45 and put on a performance like he was a man out of time.
10:47 This could have been the Tanahashi of 2007,
10:49 or 2013, or 2018,
10:51 if only for his wisdom and experience
10:53 taking precedence over his athleticism.
10:55 This match was exactly what Takagi needed
10:57 to get his title reign started properly,
10:59 and Tanahashi only continued to solidify his position
11:02 as New Japan's once-in-a-century talent.
11:04 Ilya Dragunov versus Walter, NXT TakeOver 36,
11:08 five and a quarter stars.
11:09 If you had told me that Ilya Dragunov and Walter
11:12 would have been able to not only match,
11:13 but top their incredible empty arena match from 2020,
11:17 I probably would have said you were more lost
11:18 than a loony in a Chesterfield,
11:20 but boy, did it ever happen at NXT TakeOver 36.
11:22 For the TakeOver brand to be retired at all is a sad thing,
11:25 but at least it went out with this match on the show.
11:28 Walter is a perfect wrestler,
11:30 and his NXT UK title reign
11:32 is one of the best in modern WWE history.
11:34 His dominance before and during this match was unparalleled,
11:37 which is why Pete and I reacted like this
11:39 when Dragunov got Walter to tap the (beep) out.
11:44 - It's happening! - He's coming out!
11:46 - What? - He tapped out Walter!
11:48 - This is the only WWE match to feature on this list,
11:50 and sure, go ahead and comment about anti-WWE bias and stuff,
11:53 but if this is the only five-star match
11:55 the company has in 2021, boy, they made it a good one.
11:58 God, I miss the old NXT.
12:00 The Young Bucks versus the Lucha Brothers,
12:02 AEW All Out, five and three-quarter stars.
12:05 Of all the live experiences I've ever had
12:07 watching wrestling, standing next to Sean Ross Sapp
12:09 and hearing him say, "Oh, Jesus, oh, Jesus,"
12:13 in his smoothest Kentucky bourbon voice
12:15 as Ray Phoenix jumped off of that cage
12:17 is one I will carry with me forever.
12:18 The Young Bucks and the Lucha Brothers
12:20 have a special kind of tag team chemistry
12:21 rarely seen in modern wrestling.
12:23 They are two teams that are made for each other,
12:25 and after putting on one of the best ladder matches ever
12:27 at All Out 2019, they said,
12:29 "Yeah, we can do that with a cage, too,"
12:31 and then proceeded to have the best cage match
12:33 of all time at All Out 2021.
12:35 I stand by that opinion.
12:36 Show me a better one.
12:37 From the thumbtack shoot to the parade of finishers
12:40 to Phoenix's terrifying dive,
12:42 and finally, one of the craziest live reactions
12:44 I've ever witnessed.
12:45 - And one, two, three.
12:47 (bell dinging)
12:50 - Yes!
12:51 (crowd cheering)
12:54 - This match was incredible fun
12:56 and drama from start to finish.
12:57 These two teams could make a real story
12:59 out of having the best match of every stipulation type,
13:01 because if anybody's gonna have
13:02 a best on-the-pole match ever, I'd wager it's them.
13:05 Shingo Takagi versus Tomohiro Ishii,
13:07 G1 Climax 31, night one, five and a half stars.
13:10 Some wrestlers are just made for each other.
13:13 There have been several examples
13:14 of that on this list already.
13:15 However, I don't know if there are two wrestlers
13:17 that I love seeing wrestle more
13:19 than Shingo Takagi and Tomohiro Ishii.
13:21 Big, meaty men slapping meat.
13:24 The G1 Climax had a number of fantastic matches,
13:27 but only one of them reached the five-star threshold,
13:29 and it came on the first night of the tournament.
13:31 Takagi and Ishii just understand the assignment
13:33 when they step in the ring together.
13:34 Matches like this feel real and gritty and ugly,
13:38 and they just make me feel so (beep) good.
13:40 One of these days, Ishii will get his day in the sun,
13:43 but on this day, Takagi started
13:44 his G1 Climax campaign off with a win.
13:46 Christ on toast, I could watch these two wrestle
13:49 every day of the week, but don't do that,
13:51 because they will kill each other,
13:52 and murder is illegal, and also no goddamn fun.
13:54 Bryan Danielson versus Kenny Omega,
13:57 AEW Dynamite Grand Slam, five stars.
14:00 The year is 2021, and the American Dragon,
14:02 Bryan Danielson, had his first five-star match.
14:04 In his first match in AEW, no less.
14:06 Does that mean that this one match was better
14:08 than his entire decade-long run in WWE?
14:11 I mean, you could say that.
14:12 I won't, because I enjoy the sanity I get
14:14 from being free from the burning white-hot hatred
14:16 of angry wrestling fans, but it doesn't take anything
14:18 away from this match one way or another.
14:20 Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson are two more wrestlers
14:22 with legitimate claims of being the best in the world.
14:25 Putting them together in Bryan's first AEW match was bold,
14:27 but ultimately set them up for a huge rematch
14:30 at some point down the road.
14:31 Not for the AEW title, just for the sake of competition.
14:34 This match was an excellent display
14:36 of pro wrestling mastery.
14:38 There was a stark difference between how Bryan carried
14:40 himself in this match and how he did in WWE.
14:42 Here, he moved as if he was feeling out his opponent,
14:45 grappling with him, and trying to win a sporting contest.
14:47 If that sort of thing is more your bag
14:49 than what WWE offers, then this match was a perfect
14:52 reintroduction to just how good Bryan Danielson is.
14:55 What a match, I'm gonna go watch it again.
14:57 The Lucha Brothers versus El Hijo Del Vikingo
14:59 and Laredo Kid, AAA Heroes and Mortalis XIV, five stars.
15:03 You ever walk around in Minecraft and see a rare occurrence,
15:06 a super creeper maybe, perhaps a pink sheep.
15:08 That's kinda what it's like getting to talk
15:10 about AAA on this channel.
15:11 Doesn't happen all the time, but when it does,
15:13 you know it's special.
15:14 At AAA's Heroes and Mortalis XIV event,
15:16 the Lucha Brothers put their tag titles on the line
15:18 against El Hijo Del Vikingo and Laredo Kid,
15:21 two of the best luchadors in the game right now.
15:23 Personally, I'm still waiting to see Vikingo
15:25 signed to a bigger promotion, but that's just me.
15:27 He's so damn good.
15:29 Lucha Libre is not for everyone,
15:30 but if flips and spots make you pop,
15:32 this match is unlike anything else you will see all year.
15:35 This is an incredible 16 and a half minute tumbling routine
15:38 that is smooth as butter and a perfect example
15:40 of how good the best Lucha Libre in the world can be.
15:42 If AEW wanted to pull some strings
15:44 and put a rematch on Dynamite sometime,
15:45 it could open a ton of people's eyes.
15:47 The Super Click versus Jurassic Express and Christian Cage,
15:50 AEW full gear, five stars.
15:53 Hey, Christian Cage had a five star match in 2021.
15:55 I certainly didn't have that on my 2021 bingo card,
15:58 but I'll take it.
15:58 This match might seem like an odd inclusion on this list,
16:01 and it certainly is the most different,
16:02 with the Young Bucks and Adam Cole taking on Christian,
16:05 Jungle Boy, and Luchasaurus
16:06 in a big six man false count anywhere match.
16:08 However, Uncle Dave often says that when he sees a match
16:10 he considers to be the best of its kind,
16:12 it gets that extra bump.
16:14 The same happened in the Best Friends parking lot brawl
16:16 with Santana and Ortiz last year, also receiving five stars.
16:19 Meltzer said this was the best false count anywhere match
16:21 he had ever seen, and who am I to argue that?
16:23 The work of all six men was incredible,
16:25 and it wasn't just spots either.
16:27 With the key story beats of this match building off
16:29 of what they'd been doing on TV leading up to this.
16:31 This culminated with Jungle Boy leveling up
16:33 while holding the chair of evolution
16:35 and evolving into Jungle Man at the end of this match,
16:38 hitting a concerto on Matt Jackson to win
16:40 and complete his character arc
16:41 with the biggest win of his career.
16:43 Hangman Page versus Kenny Omega,
16:45 AEW full gear, five and a half stars.
16:48 Well, this feels like a wonderful place to end.
16:50 Please don't have any more five star matches
16:52 for me to go back in and have to add to this list
16:54 after it's written, please, I beg you.
16:55 (crying)
16:57 If you haven't seen my breakdown
17:01 of Hangman Page's AEW story here on PFK,
17:04 we can't be friends until you do.
17:05 Sorry, those are the rules.
17:06 But if you have, you know how expertly AEW
17:09 told this story culminating in this match.
17:11 With a near three year storyline behind them,
17:14 anything less than a classic match
17:15 would have probably been a bit underwhelming.
17:17 But thankfully, Hangman Page's coronation
17:19 as AEW world champion couldn't have been any better.
17:22 An excellent contest where Page finally stepped up to Omega,
17:25 and took everything he had to give
17:27 before getting the vote of confidence from the young bucks
17:29 as he beat his former partner
17:30 was everything a blow off match should be.
17:33 If this was the last five star plus match of the year,
17:35 2021 couldn't have gone out any better.
17:38 Hangman Page versus Brian Danielson,
17:40 AEW Winter is Coming, five stars.
17:44 Audible sigh.
17:45 While more work for Tempest is a tad annoying,
17:48 I will never complain about having more great wrestling
17:50 to watch on TV.
17:51 And that is exactly what we got at Winter is Coming.
17:54 Opening the show with a world title match
17:56 might be a good indication that we are in for a long match.
17:58 And that was certainly the case here
18:00 as Brian Danielson and the Wang Man went the distance
18:02 wrestling a one hour Broadway.
18:04 Danielson has such a way of pacing his matches.
18:07 His match with Omega didn't feel close to a half hour.
18:10 And this match certainly did not feel like an hour.
18:13 He is just able to make his matches fly by like no one else.
18:16 And it is remarkable.
18:17 Brian has spoken about wanting to do an hour match
18:20 for a long time.
18:21 And in the first chance he got in AEW,
18:23 he pulled out an absolute classic.
18:25 You couldn't ask for a better match
18:26 for Paige's first title defense.
18:28 And I genuinely cannot wait for them to run this one back.
18:31 Okay, no more five star matches now, I mean it.
18:34 And that's the list.
18:35 Of course, remember that all star ratings are subjective
18:37 and not worth getting worked up about.
18:39 But let us know what matches you think
18:40 were five star matches this year
18:42 that maybe didn't appear on this list.
18:43 Make sure to like, share, and subscribe
18:45 for more fun wrestling content like this.
18:47 And remember that LIW is fine.
18:50 (upbeat music)
18:52 (upbeat music)