As we enter 2024, there was no way we could recap the year in wrestling without talking about the best matches of 2023. For how shaky of a year it was within the industry, it was still a very strong year of in-ring action. With spectacular matches from every promotion under the sun, fans were left with no shortage of matches to pick from any promotion in any country. So, much like in part one of our End of Year Awards (go check it out if you haven't), we had each member of the AOW Team give their top choices for match of the year and placement was awarded based on total points (our key will be below). Now sit back, relax, and enjoy (or engage in discourse over) our very own top five matches of 2023.
*Each member submitted their top seven picks for match of the year in order from 1st to 7th, points were awarded by the system shown above
Honorable Mentions:
Moxley vs Page (Revolution), Oedo Tai vs Queen's Quest (Cage Match), Athena vs Willow (Death Before Dishonor) [3 pts, Tie]
Zack Sabre Jr. vs Bryan Danielson [6 pts]
#5: Survival of the Fittest (ROH Final Battle) & Sareee vs Arisa Nakajima (SEAdLINNING 8th Anniversary) [7 pts, tie]
Our one and only tie in the top five couldn't be held by two more deserving matches: the bell-to-bell thriller Survival of the Fittest (SOTF) Match at ROH Final Battle and the hard-hitting war between Arisa Nakajima and Sareee. The SOTF match was a bout brimming with talent and was exciting as there was an extremely high chance of a competitor who had never won the ROH World TV Championship claiming the title. Bryan Keith was also a very welcome addition to the promotion and was a smash hit coming into the match as the hometown hero. The match would see a stellar closing stretch from Komander and Kyle Fletcher where Fletcher would come out on top to claim the vacant TV Championship.
As stated before, this second match was a war. Arisa Nakajima and Saree essentially beat the shit out of each other for just under 30 minutes in a match for the SEAdLINNING Beyond the Sea Championship. Brutal forearms, elbows, and suplexes would leave fans around the world in awe as these two competitors put on a classic in the legendary Korakuen Hall. Though she fought valiantly to hold onto her title, there simply was not enough Nakajima could do to stop Saree from claiming victory on the night.
#4: Bryan Danielson vs MJF (Revolution) [12 pts]
Coming off of his victory to claim the AEW World Championship from Jon Moxley, there was one very large factor that allowed MJF to even claim the title: William Regal. Regal had betrayed Moxley and slid MJF the brass knuckles to win the World Championship which left the Blackpool Combat Club in shambles. However, The Devil would prove that the moniker was more than a mere nickname as he attacked and "hospitalized" Regal causing Danielson to step up for his mentor. Danielson looked at Regal as a mentor and father figure, but, MJF didn't care and laid him out as revenge for his actions many years prior. There's a lot more to explain but that is the basic gist of things.
The 60-minute iron man stipulation was put in place because Danielson wanted to test MJF's true ability in the ring as he didn't think he was good enough in the ring. Danielson also believed that he couldn't handle the time limit as MJF was/is infamously known to want to limit his time in the ring to preserve his career. However, MJF proved Danielson and many other doubters wrong in one of the strongest contests of the year.
A brilliant match that showed that MJF was more than just a good talker and further cemented the American Dragon as one of the greatest wrestlers to ever set foot in a ring. This was a beautiful and bloody encounter that stood out on a very strong night of wrestling, and, will likely be talked about as one of the best iron man matches to ever take place.
#3: Kenny Omega vs Will Ospreay (Forbidden Door) [16 pts]
A follow-up to their classic bout at Wrestle Kingdom just a few months prior, Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay tore the house down once again for the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship at Forbidden Door. Ospreay was seeking vengeance for how Omega embarrassed him in the Tokyo Dome at the start of the year, leaving him bloodied and disoriented as he lost his championship and his pride. Now, there were no promos or brawls leading up to the match, just Will Ospreay winning a number one contender's match to reclaim the title that is rightfully his as US Champ and NJPW's top gaijin.
Well... they killed each other. The question of how they could top their previous match was looming heavily over this bout and, though we may have ranked it as number three, many fans had this bout as their top match of the year. There's nowhere to really start with this one, the two competitors absolutely batter each other for the duration of this match leaving the ring stained red with their blood.
Omega had the highlight of this match kicking out at one after Ospreay hit him with a One Winged Angel. But, Ospreay decided enough was enough and murdered Omega with the infamous Tiger Driver '91, an homage to Mitsuharu Misawa and Toshiaki Kawada. Ospreay would ultimately walk out of the Scotia Bank Arena with his IWGP US title back in his hands (with some help from Don Callis...) leaving the book open for one final chapter between the Aerial Assasin and the Best Bout Machine.
#2: Kenny Omega vs Will Ospreay (Wrestle Kingdom 17) [23 pts]
Yes, it's the better one. There's no better justice we can do in explaining the build-up and overall story of this match than this article, so go check it out if you have the time. Ultimately, The God of Professional Wrestling defeated The Aerial Assassin in one of the best matches of 2023.
#1: Swerve Strickland vs Hangman Adam Page (Full Gear) [27 pts]
A decision that came down to a very interesting split in the group, Swerve Strickland and Hangman Adam Page claim the top spot for 2023's match of the year. As Strickland began to pick up more momentum on his meteoric rise to the top of the company, the former World Champion Hangman was the polar opposite. Stuck in the background of the Callis Family and Golden Elite feud, Hangman was slipping further away from his former glory. In the promo that kickstarted this feud, Swerve would address this noting that Hangman seems like he just doesn't have that fire in him anymore.
Harsh words, a WrestleDream encounter, and a trip to the Hangman House later, fans would witness AEW's best Texas Deathmatch yet. These two held nothing back as they stapled each other, smashed cinder blocks, and... drank blood? This encounter was not for the faint of heart as the canvas was painted with the competitors' blood in a brutal match that neither would leave the same as they entered.
Hangman looked to regain that fire that was missing and Strickland's return to his Killshot roots made this encounter that much more vicious. Words may not truly be able to do this match justice, but, this bout proved that Strickland and Hanger are amongst the best names not just in AEW, but in wrestling as a whole.