Top 20 Matches of the Year part 1

Hello everyone and welcome back to Talk Wrestling World, I hope you are all well and good. I'm back today with my top twenty matches of the year part one. This post will be split into two separate parts as will my top twenty superstars of the year. Over the next thew days I will be uploading all of four post as we come to an end of my of the year season and begin to focus on twenty sixteen. As usual any recent posts will be linked bellow so you can stay all up to date on everything. You can also let me know what has been your match of the year by leaving a comment bellow or by tweeting me at @TezangiVictoria.

20) Brock Lesnar VS The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell) 
Two thousand and fifteen saw one of the most heated, must see, exciting feuds in WWE history as the follow up to the history making Undertaker VS Brock Lesnar match from Wrestlemania thirty took place this year and what a feud it was. Two superstars with a big history, two superstars with very different styles, and two superstars that bring something very different took their feud to a whole new level this year. With two amazing rematches both with great publicity and build up it was difficult choosing one to go into the list but I ended up deciding on the SummerSlam bout to come in at number eighteen. It was the one of the two I most enjoyed and with it being as controversial as it was it had to feature in my list this year. Here is what I wrote about this match in my SummerSlam Review and Reactions post: And finally our main event and what a freaking main event it was. It was the rematch that was too big for Wrestlemania. The match that was eighteen months in the making as the Undertaker took on Brock Lesnar in one of the biggest, most anticipated matches of the entire year. I was excited, everyone in the arena and at home was excited, even my mum was excited for this match who stayed up until almost four am just to watch it, and trust me, that's a pretty big deal! I felt as though the build up for the match was done really really well. The anticipation was there, the unpredictability was there, the excitement was there. It was the perfect Summer Slam main event and even though I wasn't quite sure what to expect I was really rally looking forward to seeing what we were going to be treated to as Lesnar and Taker main evented the biggest Summer Slam in history. The match itself was freaking incredible. It was the match I was most into and most enjoyed. Me and my brother had so much fun watching this match. What I will say however is I hated how it ended. I love a controversial ending but I couldn't help but feel cheated as a Brock Lesnar fan. The whole main vent however lived up to the hype. I was expecting more after the match but I enjoyed this so so much. It was one of my favourite matches of the month and of the year.

19) Finn Balor VS Apollo Crews
At number nineteen in my top twenty matches of the year is a popular choice and  a more recent match of the year. Finn Balor VS Apollo Crews. After surviving and coming up on top of a twenty man battle Royal, new guy on the NXT Scene, Apollo Crews found himself competing against Finn Balor for the NXT Championship. Of course the expectations of this match were extremely high. These are two of the best of the best. Two of the biggest names on the NXT roster and knowing what they are both capable of meant that we were all expecting one heck of a main event. The entrances showed that the crowd were split. We had team Balor and team Crews and both were vocal. What was even better about this match was even though it was a split reaction both superstars received an equal amount of respect from the fans. Just how a championship match should be. The introductions were made with the lights turnt down a little and spotlights on the two superstars, witch I know dived opinion but I actually liked it. Personally, I felt like it gave the match that real fight feel a little more and it just worked for me. The match itself lived up to the hype and the expectations. It was a complete back and fourth battle. It was like a game of chess in a wrestling match. Balor may have had the upper hand a little but it was almost unnoticeable because of just how even the match was. Neither superstar spent a great deal of time dominating the other and it made such an amazing true, pure, wrestling match. Every single move that was executed by both superstars looked so sleek, so effortless, and so neat. There was a single moment that I wasn't glued to my  screen while watching the match. It was everything you could ask for and so much more. My only wish is that it lasted longer. When it comes to the ending, I liked it. I really liked it. I felt as though it all fitted together really well with the current storyline's. It was great seeing Corbin have such a strong role on the night, interrupting what was an amazing match and it was even more awesome seeing Samoa Joe turn heel to close the show. Altogether this was without a doubt one of the best NXT matches of the entire year in my eyes.

18) Charlotte VS Bayley VS Becky Lynch VS Sasha Banks ( NXT Takeover Rival) 

Content from top 10 divas matches of the year: The four horsewomen of NXT. Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Bayley. Four women who revolutionised women's wrestling. Changed the game and brought back interest in women's wrestling. If we go back to February at the NXT Takeover Rival live special all four women competed in one heck of championship match in one of the best fatal four way matches I have seen in years, and trust me as someone who is not a fan of fatal four way matches I really really did enjoy this match. I mentioned this in my Takeover Review and Reactions blog post but my problem with a lot of fatal four way matches in fact most (and it's the same with triple threat's) there's always at least one superstar/diva who doesn't belong in the match and doesn't really play role. Their just there and they have a couple of decent spots and that's it, they just fade out after that but that just wasn't the case with this match. All these divas had so much history and there were a couple of strong stories going on in the match which just made it so much more entertaining. We had the on going rivalry between Charlotte and Sasha Banks. For months these two divas had been feuding after the split of the BFF's and we had seen Banks try and capture the NXT Women's Championship on several occasions. Because of their history and the months we had seen of Banks trying to capture the championship seeing her pin Charlotte for the victory was so much more special. After months and months of trying to defeat Charlotte at the big one she had finally done it and the emotion on her face, you could just tell how much winning that match and becoming champion meant to her and it was such a special moment after seeing Charlotte and Banks show a sign of respect for one another. Throughout the match we also saw the alliance of Sasha and Becky Lynch come to an end. The girls had spent several weeks teaming up and taking out both Charlotte and Bayley and or the first half of this match we saw them work together again until they both went in for the cover on Bayley witch led to the match truly becoming an every diva for herself situation. Becky may not have had her stand out moment in this match but she sure as hell proved to be one to watch. Bayley was of course just as impressive. She hit several amazing spots and the chemistry and story being told between her and Charlotte was another great aspect of this match. Every single diva had a role in this match and they all each had a stand out moment. I've said it already but this really was one of my favourite Fatal four way matches in years and it was a very special night for the women's division in NXT.

17) Cesaro VS Rusev VS Kevin Owens
Going back to the thirteenth of July we saw three superstars all declare that they were the rightful man to take on John Cena for the United States Championship on that episode of Monday night RAW. So to settle the score and to find the perfect man to take on Cena and get a shot at the championship all three men competed in a big triple threat and what a match it was. Here is what I wrote in my RAW Review and Reactions about this match.  I have to say, the things that came out of Rusev's mouth before any match began had me in stitches! He was coming out with the one line insults like a machine. Loved it.To decide who would face Cena last night all three superstars competed in a triple threat and what a match it was. Easily the match of the night. There's no doubt about that. These are three of my favourite competitors and three of the best in ring competitors in all of the WWE. I thought this was perfect booking. All three superstars brought something completely different to the table and they just worked perfectly together. In the early stages we saw the bigger Kevin Owens and Rusev go straight to Cesaro and when they thought they had worn him down they started on each other, but this is Cesaro we are talking about and he did not just sit in the corner and watch the action. For me Cesaro was the stand out of this match. He brought and delivered to such a high standard. He gave both Owens and Rusev a run for their money and pushed them both to their limits. But in return they also gave Cesaro a run for he's money and pushed him to he's limits. They all brought out the best in each other and pushed each other to such a high level. Cesaro took some huge bumps last night and there were a couple of times I had to double check my TV to see if he was actually okay. It was a very very physical match, packed with such great quality, pure wrestling. I haven't seen that much talent, that much diversity, and that much passion in one ring in a long time and it was great. What was so amazing about this match too was the fact that these guys were all NXT guys. This was such a good showing of how the future is now. The guys of tomorrow are taking the spotlight today and they completely owned the night. Half way through the match Kevin Owens walked off witch I thought was great. I love it when Owens does that, its such a great heel move and it always works, last night was no different. Even when Owens did walk off Rusev and Cesaro still owned it and carried on putting on one heck of a match. This will easily bee featured in my top twenty of the month this month. The only thing that I didn't like about this was the ending. I was expecting Rusev to win this match anyway and I was fine with that, Owens walking off was a huge indication that Rusev was winning, after all Cesaro has had two straight opportunities and so I was expecting it. I'm glad the match ended by pin fall but I just felt like we needed something bigger to have Cesaro get pinned but I'm not going to complain too much because the match was just amazing. They got a great deal of time witch made me so so happy. Cesaro had such a great connection with the live crowd. Anyone who says Cesaro cannot connect with the fans clearly is watching something different to the rest of the world, and what Rusev got that night was exactly what he needed.

16) Jason Jordan & Chad Gable VS Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa
Kick starting my top five NXT matches of two thousand and fifteen is one that might come as a little surprise to some of you. Not because it wasn't an amazing match but simply because it wasn't one that was heavily promoted, it didn't feature on a live special and it wasn't pushed as a big major match up. However, it was one that has remained in my head since and one that from the moment I watched I haven't been able to stop talking about and recommending. It wasn't that long ago that we saw Jason Jordan and he's tag team partner Chad Gable take on the team of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Two amazing tag teams. Two very different tag teams. I'll be honest, even though I'm a big fan of both teams I wasn't expecting a lot from the match. I knew it was going to be a great one but with NXT only being an hour long this not being the main event I was more so expecting to see a strong, solid match but not a very long one. Of course I was very surprised with what we actually saw. It wasn't the longest match in the world, no, but to be honest I could have easily watched this match go on for hours on end. Everything flowed and fitted together well. The teams had a good amount of chemistry, and every single move done was so well executed. Frequent tags from both sides and every single competitor brought something different to the table. We had some great technical wrestling, matt wrestling, and Jason Jordan really did bring the power to this match up. The crowd were fully into the action and the energy was insane from both the superstars and the crowd. This was such an amazing match with so much skill and basic, pure wrestling. It wasn't a gimmicky match, there was no big dramatic story or build up it was simply an outstanding tag team wrestling match. It kept to the basics, kept the wrestling and as a result was one of my stand out matches of the entire year. Not to mention it really did bring my faith back in tag team wrestling. The WWE, particularly with the main roster have had a couple of not so great years for tag team wrestling but I would almost go as for as to say this was one of my favourite tag team matches I have ever seen, I just wish it was a lot longer!

15) Sting VS Triple H ( Wrestlemania)
Up next is one of my personal favourites of the year. A match that even though many wouldn't consider to be one of the best of the year I found really really special. Growing up a major fan of Sting and Triple H seeing them collide and compete against one another at the grandest stage of them all was one of my highlights of the entire year and so I just had to have it in the list.I know for a fact I will be talking about this match for years to come and with a strong build up and storyline, the hype it had and the fact it was a match to go down in history it had to be in the top twenty. Here is what I wrote about it in my Wrestlemania Review and Reactions: It was then time for the Icon VS Icon match, the match most people including myself was most looking forward too, Sting VS Triple H. The excitement surrounding this match was just insane. This was two generations just going at it and being a such a huge fan of both Triple H and Sting this was a dream match of mine and I along with the entire WWE universe was so pumped for it. The entrances's alone for this match were just amazing and added a whole new feel to it and I was so glad Triple H used he's original theme. It was Sting who took control and dominated the match very very early on and had the crowd going insane. Watching Sting compete really did give me WCW flashbacks and all the childhood feels came back to me. It did't take time at all for Triple H to turn things around and make things go at he's pace. The turning point was when Sting missed a vital move outside the ring where Hunter moved out of the way, leaving the icon crashing into the barrier. Halfway through the match we saw a surprise appearance from DX witch I'll be honest, made me mark out quite a bit. And then things got even better when the NWO made an appearance and I can officially say I marked the total fuck out! This was all one big child hood flashback and I swear there were tears of happiness in my eyes. The addition of Shawn Michaels was enough to actually make me cry a little. I will admit I hated the fact Triple H won the match, I was one hundred percent rooting for Sting but with a match like that you just cant be mad at all. This was how you put on a Mania match. Seeing all the legends in the ring after and the handshake between Sting and Hunter was just amazing and was a true history defying moment.

14) Roman Reigns VS Brock Lesnar (Wrestlemania)
In at number fourteen is a match that had everyone talking. It may not have been one of the best wrestling matches of the year but it was easily one of the most talked about and one of the most entertaining. Wit Reigns' controversial Royal Rumble win it meant that at Wrestlemania thirty one he would go one on one with Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. In the month building up to Mania, Reigns did a good job showing improvements in the ring and proving he was worthy of being in the main event but with many fans (including myself) still not sold and not happy about him main eventing he had a lot to prove and was under imminence pressure heading into this championship match. We saw Reigns go in for the first shot, striking first and trying to get the upper hand but it didn't et him anywhere and instead we saw a repeat of SummerSlam and that epic match between Lesnar and Cena. The beast went in for an early F-5 and fed Roman suplex after suplex creating suplex city. We saw Reigns try and laugh off the attack and fight back but it only angered the beast any more and whenever Reigns thought he was going to be able to get some momentum going Lesnar had another beating waiting. Lesnar did however struggle to end the match with Reigns refusing to give in, kicking out of two f-5's throughout the match. Midway through the match Reigns was able to side step Lesnar sending the beast head first into the ring post busting the champ open but even Reigns' best of moves was not enough to take Lesnar out.  We then had the cash in of Set Rollins. Going down in history as one of my favourite cash ins of all time and one of my favourite moments of the year Set Rollins made history being the first man to cash in at Wrestlemania and after hitting a perfect curb stomp Rollins was able to pin Reigns to become the new WWE World heavyweight champion. The reaction this match got, the intensity, and the pure entertainment meant this had to feature in my top twenty matches of the year.

13) Dean Ambrose VS Seth Rollins (Money in the bank)
Content from top twenty matches of the month: Looking at all the matches that took place on the night there really was one that stood out more than the rest. The standard was high for both this match and the entire night but these two superstars did not disappoint what so ever and they lived up to the hype. I will admit that there was a small part of me that was questioning whether or not Ambrose and Rollins would be able to top all the matches they have had in the past but they somehow where able to better themselves yet again and in my opinion this was their best match to date. ladder matches are one of my favourite matches in all of WWE and with these two superstars competing, two of my personal favourites, I allowed myself to sit back and really enjoy this one. These guys have such a huge history that dates back all the way to FCW and the chemistry they share is just insane. No matter what the stage, what the time and what the match these two just steal any show and always always deliver to a high standard. Because of their history everyone did have high expectations of this match, including myself, but I knew these guys wouldn't disappoint and they didn't what so ever! I was honestly hooked from the very beginning right through to the very end and I was on the edge of my seat throughout. The chemistry between these two was something that first grabbed my attention and was something that stayed throughout. These guys have so much history together and they know each other so well in the ring that just like all their other matches it was of such a high quality and it was just so easy to get into and enjoy. Right from the very start we got a fast paced, action packed match which honestly got better and better and better as it went on. Their was not a dull moment what so ever and they just told the perfect story throughout. It was so clear they knew each other well in the ring and they just brought the best out of each other as usual. The match itself was honestly everything that I look for, it was barbaric, extreme, unpredictable, it was fast paced, entertaining, easy to get into and had so much story behind it. There came  point in the match where Rollins started working on one of Ambrose's legs and it was then that the lunatic fringe started to struggle more and struggled to gain some kind of momentum back. For while we saw Rollins take full control, working on the injured leg favouring the figure four leg lock to use and put pressure on the leg. This was such a high quality match, with so much intensity and excitement, that I did not take my eyes off of my TV screen for a split second. The crowd were so into this match from the very start right to the very end and the two of them just stole the show and put on an outstanding match. They just gave it their all and pulled everything they could think of and had out of the bag. This was one of the most physically intense matches I have ever seen. So gripping, so entertaining, simply outstanding. I was on the edge of my seat throughout this match and the closing moments had me hardly breathing as we saw both superstars fall from the ladder with the championship but still holding on the title it was Seth Rollins who retained the WWE World Heavyweight championship. He may not have one, but Ambrose stole the show and cemented himself as a top WWE, main event talent. This was by far one of my favourite matches of the year.

12) Sasha Banks VS Becky Lynch
Up next and in at number twelve is an NXT match and  this time we are going back to May twentieth when Sasha Banks put her title on the line against Becky Lynch. If I'm being completely honest I wasn't originally sure what to expect from this match. After watching the WWE product pretty much my entire life I have learnt not to get too into a moment of good times for the divas divsion because doesn't usually last long and I was worried that this would be the weakest of the matches we had seen so far at the point in time, however, I could not have been more wrong and as a matter of fact this turnt out to be one of the greatest divas matches I have ever seen and one of the best matches of the entire year regardless of gender. The story for this match was perfect and the build up was strong. After being on the NXT roster for almost a year, Becky Lynch was still struggling to get her moment in the spotlight and rise to the top and after a little push from the boss she found herself allying with the NXT Women's Champion herself, Sasha Banks. The two women spent a sold month working together, becoming a force to be reckoned with in the division. They proved time and time again that they were a dangerous team but made it perfectly clear that it was an alliance not a friendship and at NXT Takeover Rival in February they proved just that. As the two divas both went for the cover on Bayley at the same time it became every diva for herself and the little alliance completely tore apart. After Sasha became champion Becky had made it clear she had had enough of being Sasha's puppy dog and realised it was time she took the spotlight just the way Sasha had taught her and after pinning Bayley in a triple threat number one contenders match Becky Lynch reminded everyone that she was in the NXT not to take part but to take over and she was coming after that NXT Women's Championship. After a great contract signing that saw Becky take the upper hand she was walking into NXT Takeover Unstoppable with all the momentum in the world and rocking a new look this was a new Becky Lynch and it's safe to say she truly did arrive on that night. The match itself was simply amazing and was so much better than I could ever have expected. The girls were given almost twenty minuets worth of action and they used every single second to their advantage.This was the perfect showing of two women who have a genuine passion for this business. We had some amazing technical wrestling and the women left everyone speechless with the moves they were pulling out of the bag. The irony of the story telling was amazing. As seen in the contract signing for this match Becky Lynch has used the breaker to make Sasha tap out and throughout this match both women focused on the arm of their opponent and in the end it would be the inured left arm of Becky that would allow Banks to pick up the victory and retain her title.The story telling for this match was amazing strong and entertaining and something we just never see on the main roster in the division. Now, Becky may have lost the match but she was a winner in everyone's eyes as she had earned the respect of the NXT Universe who stood up and applauded her chanting her name and singing her entrance theme. This is a match that I have gone back and watched several times. Honestly, I have lost count. It was the night that saw Becky Lynch arrive, the night that Sasha Banks truly marked herself as the best women's wrestling in the company, and the night that made women's wrestling reach new heights. This was without a doubt a match for the ages and it had to be in my top ten divas matches of the year.

11) Bray Wyatt VS Roman Reigns (Hell in a Cell)
A match that left me truly surprised was easily Roman Reigns VS Bray Wyatt back at the Hell in a cell pay per view. While I'm a major fan of Bray Wyatt and a growing fan of Roman Reigns the WWE hadn't done as well with their storyline as I was originally expecting and so heading into this match I wasn't predicting anything amazing but what these guys delivered was seriously outstanding. Throughout the year we have seen Roman Reigns on he's journey of proving and bettering himself. After the heat he received when he won the Royal Rumble back at the start of the year both the WWE and Roman Reigns himself knew that that he had to up he's game, prove people wrong and improve massively in all areas. He's charisma was weak, he's mic work was terrible, and he's wrestling was average at best. As the year went by we did see him grow more and more and he's wrestling ability grew massively. Each match seemed to be an improvement from the previous and he was heading in

the right direction without a doubt. The true turning point and the match that left me personally a Roman Reigns fan was he's bout with Bray Wyatt at the Hell in a cell pay per view. Like I said, the build up could have been even stronger and the writing could have been much much better for this storyline. However, the match itself was phenomenal and a true turning point for Reigns. Throughout their careers in the WWE Reigns and Wyatt have collided on numerous occasions and so they share a great amount of chemistry witch always helps in a wrestling match. This was a very very physical match. Neither superstar held back what so ever and they really did go all out. They both used their surroundings extremely well from the ring itself, to the cage, to what was hiding under the ring. Everything including their own bodies was used as a weapon against the other and it made a fantastic match. In recent years I have lost a lot of love for Hell in a cell matches but this was done so well it was so barbaric, so ruthless that it reminded me why I used to loved these matches so much back before he PG era. The length of the match was great and they left me hanging throughout. It was also great seeing two young superstars, both of witch came from NXT, both up and coming stars have such a strong match and make such an impact. This easily could have been the main event of the pay per view. Not only was this one of the best matches of the night and of the year but it was one of my favourite hell in a cell matches I have seen in recent years.