Scott E's Pro Wrestling Year-End Wrap
Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year, and so much more!
Hello and welcome to my SubStack! It has been a goal of mine to begin this newsletter that will feature a variety of pro wrestling posts whether they be match reviews, thoughts, or really anything that comes to mind. For the first article of what should be many on here, I have decided to provide all my final Year-End thoughts, awards, and lists all in one place.
2021 will go down as one of the most memorable years in the history of professional wrestling and very likely my favorite. From the return of fans to the countless returns of names we never expected to step back inside the squared circle, it’s been one of the best years in history. Truthfully just from a fan perspective, I’m not sure I have ever enjoyed professional wrestling more than I have this year. I’ve watched more wrestling than ever before after nearly falling out of love for it in early 2020. It’s the greatness that we have seen this year that only helps that push to be greater as a content creator in professional wrestling.
Now, this is something new for me. I have always had a general idea of what my match of the year is or who my wrestler of the year is but never did I break it down as I did throughout this year. Professional wrestling is incredibly important to me. It’s not only a hobby but a destination for where I want to be as a columnist, podcaster, and so much more. So much so that I plan to make it my career one way or another. I think for a lot of us, wrestling has given us moments that we remember for the rest of our lives. Hell, this year alone gave us that on more occasions than probably anyone could have imagined.
The return of CM Punk was a special one for me. It’s something that I have discussed multiple times but his return was the one I never expected to see again. And the feeling of watching that show live and experiencing the highest levels of excitement might never be matched again by a pro wrestling return. It was surreal and my only regret was that I wasn’t in the building that night. Add in unexpected returns for Katsuyori Shibata and Hazuki to really put emphasis on the insane year that was 2021. Then there’s the completely different feeling of what many of us felt watching the Hana Kimura Memorial Show, Matane. Sadness filled us but it also gave us a chance to celebrate her incredible life together. A show that, like Hana, will live on forever.
Professional wrestling gives us every opportunity to feel something, making it the best art form that I will ever know. What other form can deliver such a magical 43 minutes between Utami Hayashishita and Syuri just before following up with a breathtaking war between The Young Bucks and the Lucha Bros, which featured a thumbtack sneaker smashing the head of a competitor while all happening inside a steel cage? There is NOTHING like professional wrestling.
And I have wanted to do everything in my power to watch, analyze, and make what I have watched important. I’ve been able to watch over 3,000 matches this year with the goal to see the best of the best from all around the world. It’s been a mission of mine and a goal moving forward to keep this going. The best pro wrestling isn’t always in the biggest promotion (thanks WWE) and we have reached a time where it almost never is.
My awards for this year will reflect my overall growth as a fan and I’m hopeful that this can become a trend at the end of every year that people look forward to. I’ll name the best wrestler from each promotion I watched more than 10 matches from, the most improved wrestlers of the year, and I will, of course, finish it all of with Top 5’s for Wrestler of the Year and Match of the Year.
Let’s dig into my year-end awards for 2021!
Promotion-Based Wrestler of the Year
WWE: WALTER
AEW: Kenny Omega
Stardom: Syuri
TJPW: Maki Itoh
NJPW: Shingo Takagi
Ice Ribbon: Tsukasa Fujimoto
NOAH: Katsuhiko Nakajima
IMPACT: Josh Alexander
ROH: Jonathan Gresham
SEAdLINNNG: Arisa Nakajima
DDT: Konosuke Takeshita
Marvelous: Mio Momono
Sendai Girls: Yurika Oka
US Independents: Masha Slamovich
Most Improved Wrestler of the Year
5. Unagi Sayaka — Stardom
At the conclusion of 2020 when Unagi Sayaka had just joined Cosmic Angels, it would have been acceptable to say she was not all that great inside the ring. She had the look and the energy to get over with almost everyone, but the work inside the squared circle was missing and would limit her potential until she got it right. Through her series with the best that Stardom has to offer, Sayaka faced the hardest challenge of her career but one that helped her grow as a performer. The matches with Giulia and Mayu Iwatani sticks out more than anything else as Sayaka’s offense was minimal but her fire was maximized.
The series pushed Sayaka to the limit and made her learn on the fly, allowing her to level up by the end of the year to have the best match of her career in the biggest as she challenged Tam Nakano for the Wonder of Stardom Championship at Kawasaki Super Wars. Unagi Sayaka grew to new heights, making her one of the most improved wrestlers of the year and setting herself up for absolute stardom in the long term.
4. MJF — AEW
MJF wrestled 17 matches in 2021 and almost all of them were better than anything he did in 2020. While I will say that the MJF vs. Chris Jericho storyline is my least favorite of the year due to its length and how little it did to further either of them, MJF still improved as an overall performer from what he was in 2020. At All Out 2020, he main evented against Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship and left me asking myself, “what’s the big deal about this guy?” Sure, he can cut one hell of a promo but in today’s current landscape and even more so AEW’s, he has to show up in the ring if he wants to be one of the four pillars.
Well that is what he did in my eyes. The matches that MJF had with Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin speak the most, especially the latter that was the best of both men’s careers. MJF has an ability to bring old school and modern wrestling together in his style, being an ultimate heel and also giving these stunning exchanges that channel the best of the best in modern day wrestling. As someone who has been very tough on the entire MJF character, he has convinced me that he will be fantastic.
3. Maika — Stardom
What’s there to say about Maika that hasn’t been already? She kicked off the year by main eventing Stardom’s 10th Anniversary show against Utami Hayashishita for the World of Stardom Championship, delivering the best showing of her career and surprising many. As the year would go along, it was moment after moment for Maika despite not winning any singles championship along the way. Teaming with Himeka to defend the Goddesses of Stardom Championship against Syuri and Giulia in the main event of Yokohama Dream Cinderella was another feather in the cap as it is one of the best tag team matches of the whole year.
Every single opportunity that Maika had saw her show up and show out. Maika’s determination in the Cinderella Tournament saw her in the finals against her forever rival in Saya Kamitani. It was a new chapter in the growth of Maika and furthering the belief that she is a main time player for Stardom moving forward. It continued the remainder of the year, as she was one of the MVPs of the 5 STAR Grand Prix tournament and had one more fantastic main event with Utami Hayashishita for the World of Stardom Championship at Tokyo Super Wars. It’s difficult to be more improved than Maika as it was a fantastic year for her.
2. Saya Kamitani — Stardom
No one managed to step up and get better each opportunity than Saya Kamitani. Most fans have made it an effort to credit Maika and Unagi Sayaka as Stardom’s most improved, but seeing that the year is closing with Kamitani as the new Wonder of Stardom Champion, it sure feels like she found herself in every single moment. When she challenged Utami Hayashishita for the World of Stardom Championship at All Star Dream Cinderella, few believed that she would manage to step up in such a match. It was asking a lot of Kamitani seeing that the most important match she ever had was at the level of a tag team championship defense. Now she was entering the Nippon Budokan on a show that Yoshiko, Nanae Takahashi, Chigusa Nagayo, and Yuzuki Aikawa all wrestled and it was in the world title match. Kamitani and Hayashishita displayed some magic in that match and showed they did belong in the spotlight.
Then there’s the Cinderella Tournament victory followed by an emotional war with Tam Nakano for the Wonder of Stardom Championship. She’d come up short but it was the spirited effort she needed to show that the next time she had a shot, she wouldn’t be losing. “The Golden Phoenix” came within one win of winning her block in the 5 STAR Grand Prix before having to wait in the wings for one more shot at gold to end the year. After winning a number one contender’s match against Natsupoi and Himeka, Kamitani would go to Ryogoku Sumo Hall against Tam Nakano with the Wonder of Stardom Championship on the line one final time. What came from that match was the most confident Kamitani has been, leading to the best match of her career. It was completely different from their first encounter as she made the final step to greatness in order to beat Nakano.
“The Golden Phoenix” has risen to the top of Stardom and was only outdone by one when it comes to being the most improved in wrestling.
1. Maki Itoh — TJPW
Never let haters or doubters take you down. Instead, allow their stupid opinions to lift you up and make you greater. That’s what Maki Itoh did and now she might be the best storyteller in all of professional wrestling. When I watch pro wrestling, I watch it to enjoy what is an art of so many styles but I also watch it to feel something. No one is better than Itoh at doing that. Her year is one of the most wild you’ll witness. The match with Miyu Yamashita in January was the first for the “Fired Idol” that made it feel she was turning a corner in this world. She had already become popular worldwide, becoming this viral sensation because she would curse in videos and call people simps. But there was so much more behind Itoh than just those viral social moments. There was this story to invest in and her time with AEW only gave her more of a chance to cheer her on.
As the numbskulls who didn’t understand what made Itoh great hated all over her AEW showings, she returned to TJPW and went on the run that leaves her as the number one most improved wrestler of the year. When she challenged Rika Tatsumi for the Princess of Princess Championship at Still Incomplete, Itoh managed to show that undeniable heart that makes her matches so easy to love. 19 minutes of Itoh trying to find the answers for Tatsumi before she eventually fell. The Tokyo Princess Cup allowed Itoh to show her most consistent combination of matches we have seen of her. The battle with Mizuki in the semi-finals was an emotional war that brought the best out of both. It’d see her win the final against Shoko Nakajima, taking down another top TJPW star to set herself up for a rematch with tag team partner Miyu Yamashita, this time with the Princess of Princess Championship on the line at TJPW’s Wrestle Princess II.
If anyone had doubts of the Maki Itoh greatness after this one, then they might not understand pro wrestling as a whole. 17 minutes and 23 seconds. Itoh gave every last bit of her. She proved to Yamashita that she had reached her level even in defeat. Itoh proved that she’s become one of the best and is the storyteller of the year for pro wrestling. Itoh’s ability to make the viewer invest in her and what she’s doing can’t be taught. She might be a failed idol but she is a top-class professional wrestler.
Show of the Year: MATANE (Hana Kimura Memorial Show)
An emotional roller coaster that celebrated and honored the incredible life of the late Hana Kimura. The weight that Kimura’s death carried is one that will never go away for anyone that knew her, followed her, or watched her from afar. Hana Kimura was one of the the brightest lights the world has ever seen and even as we sit here, we know that light will not go out decades from now. The mixture of celebration, remembrance, and great professional wrestling made this the best show of the year. Nothing could top it because there will never be anything like it again. Kagetsu stepping back into the ring to have not one, but two great matches to remember her late friend is something none of us will be forgetting.
Watching Hana’s mother Kyoko do everything in her power to honor her daughter and remind the world what Hana brought to this world is something I will never forget. Hana will be missed forever but her light and what she stood for will be carried on forever as well. I still get emotional about it and as we saw with Giulia vs. Konami at Stardom Dream Queendom, Kimura is the bond that brings so many together in the best possible way. It will be a May 23 tradition for me to go back and watch year after year.
The best professional wrestling show of 2021.
Matane.
Favorite Moments of the Year
Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair main event WrestleMania
Kagetsu and ASUKA have impromptu match at MATANE
Shingo Takagi becomes IWGP World Heavyweight Champion
Hazuki returns to Stardom
CM Punk returns to professional wrestling at AEW Rampage: The First Dance
Big E becomes WWE Champion
Starlight Kid’s first appearance as the Black Tiger
Hangman Page becomes AEW World Champion
Katsuyori Shibata returns to in-ring competiton
Giulia and Konami honor Hana Kimura in Konami’s Send Off Match
Syuri wins the World of Stardom Championship
Wrestler of the Year
5. Bryan Danielson
When you have a case to be called the wrestler of the year for the two biggest promotions in the world, you have to be on the list even if there’s a chunk of the year you missed out on. Bryan Danielson, or as he was Daniel Bryan at the beginning of the year, reminded the world why he has been in the conversation as the Greatest of All Time for so long now. Danielson stepped into AEW and instantly took the wrestling world by storm with his 30-minute classic with Kenny Omega. It was almost as if he stepped right back into “The American Dragon” form that he had left when he signed with WWE. But that’s not a shot at his time in WWE either, as he had two of the best matches in WWE all year when he competed for the Universal Championship at Fastlane against Roman Reigns and once again in the night two main event of WrestleMania against Edge and Reigns. It was as if everything Danielson touched turned to gold, putting together a resume for Wrestler of the Year despite being out of action from the end of April until the middle of September. That’s how great he was when he did compete.
His time in AEW thus far includes his classic with Omega, his impromptu war with Minoru Suzuki, a sleeper against Dustin Rhodes, the best Rampage match yet against Eddie Kingston, a fight against Miro, and a 60-minute barnburner vs. Hangman Page for the AEW Championship. Danielson achieved all of this in three months. For me, he surpassed everyone but four people as his matches always carried quality, intensity, and defined what the best version of pro wrestling can be.
4. Tam Nakano
Tam Nakano’s transformation into one of the best professional wrestlers in the world today is one that I have marveled at all year long. She was determined to make the Wonder of Stardom Championship hers and that’s what she did by beating Giulia in one of the biggest and best main events in Stardom’s history at All Star Dream Cinderella. It was the launching point for Nakano to complete a year of dominance, storytelling, and an overall emotional ride. Each and every one of her matches carried a special trait behind it, one that Nakano never failed to let the fans know about before the major battle. Her defenses are ones that felt important as she kicked off with the intimate clash with Natsupoi that should be remembered as one of Stardom’s most underrated matches of the year.
Nakano managed to cease the reoccurring dominance of Cinderella Tournment winners by vanquishing Saya Kamitani in their first war for the white belt. She fought a recreated, rising superstar in Starlight Kid and fought through the pain in her back to get the victory. In the most personal battle of her reign, she went to a 30-minute draw with her former friend Mayu Iwatani after savagely wrecking each other until the final bell. The champion managed to bring Unagi Sayaka to her level, giving her Cosmic Angel stablemate the best match of her career. And finally in her final successful defense, Nakano fought off the Joker-esque attack of Mina Shirakawa. It was the final show of the year that saw the sparkling reign of Nakano end against Kamitani, who Nakano pushed to be the most confident version of “The Golden Phoenix.”
Tam Nakano had one of the best title reigns in all of wrestling this year and made sure to leave her memorable mark before the “Twilight Dream” came to an end.
3. Utami Hayashishita
From three to one, you could make a serious case for all as the Wrestler of the Year and I would not bat an eye. What Utami Hayashishita did in 2021 was have one of the best title reigns of the past decade, maybe even further. When it comes to the World of Stardom Championship, no one touches that reign. Every single match became a must see event. A phenomenon of sorts. Hayashishita had the best match of multiple people’s careers in this title reign alone, only furthering her spot as a true Wrestler of the Year contender. It’s hard to not think back to her match with Saya Kamitani and Bea Priestley, as it was a unique stretch saw her shock the world with one fantastic bout against Kamitani at All Star Dream Cinderella and helped Priestley have the best showing of her Stardom career in her final match with the promotion. Of course, the matches with Syuri will be the ones to talk about and rightfully so as they had two of the best Stardom matches of all time.
There’s more to Hayashishita greatness, however, than just a dominant title reign filled with Match of the Year candidates. She molded herself into a star through this reign. It wasn’t as if she was at the height of a Io Shirai when she had won the title. Hayashishita had to become that on the fly and in the biggest spots possible. As I wrote here, she became “The Final Boss” of Stardom and the centerpiece for years to come. Hayashishita is at the forefront of this booming period for Stardom and will only continue bringing in praise match after match and year after year. The only reason she isn’t my number one Wrestler of the Year comes down to two others somehow, someway outdoing her in the ring… just barely.
2. Shingo Takagi
There’s something about wrestlers getting their moment that makes them even better. Well, Shingo Takagi is a name that did everything in his power to be the best at all times and he was finally paid for that greatness when he won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. But his greatness in 2021 came before touching that championship, as it began at Wrestle Kingdom 15 against Jeff Cobb for the NEVER Openweight Championship. Big E has this great saying that his dream match is all about “big meaty men slapping meats.” Takagi vs. Cobb embraced that vision by having one of the best matches at Wrestle Kingdom this year. But fast forward to what might be the most overlooked match from this year when it comes to Match of the Year conversation. At The New Beginning in Nagoya, Takagi had a spectacular bout with Hiroshi Tanahashi, battling for just under 36 minutes before Takagi fell to the Ace. Losing the NEVER Openweight Championship felt like the end of this current Takagi hot streak on the surface, but the New Japan Cup ended up being Takagi’s tournament.
Kazuchika Okada in the first round, Hirooki Goto, KENTA, and EVIL. The first three were fantastic bouts while the one with EVIL could have been better but was still very good as he broke through. It all set up for his final with Will Ospreay, and despite the loss, it felt to be the point where Takagi launched himself to the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The Wrestling Dontaku rematch between Takagi and Ospreay is one that plopped itself atop Match of the Year lists and probably hasn’t move for most. Takagi lost… again, but that was another sign that if they wanted to give the ball to Takagi, he was ready to run with it. When he defeated Okada for the belt, it was more about the moment than the match that helped solify his spot as one of the best all year. Add in the rematch between him and Tanahashi at Wrestle Grand Slam that came together out of nowhere and managed to be a fantastic affair. Oh, and add G1 Climax run with great matches against Zack Sabre Jr. and Tomohiro Ishii before finishing up his banner year against Sabre Jr. at Power Struggle.
It was the year of the “Dragon” and did so many great things. He was the best men’s wrestler in the entire world throughout but he could not be the best overall for my money.
1. Syuri
Syuri was the best. There’s no better way to say it. She was great the first half of the year and decided to go Super Saiyan from July to the final event Stardom had on Dec. 29. I’ve gone on record to say that her 5 STAR Grand Prix final night is the greatest single night performance I have ever seen as she had two of the best matches of the year in the span of two hours against Takumi Iroha and Momo Watanabe. She had three kick-ss matches with AZM, with the first coming in January as she defended the SWA World Championship and the final coming at Kawasaki Super Wars. Her overall 5 STAR run saw every single match she had become a must-see event. Night one against Saya Kamitani was one of the most underrated of the whole tournament and night two saw her straight up decimate her friend Maika before hitting the most gnarly Ryuen of the year.
I’ve purposely not discussed her matches with Utami Hayashishita because I think I have said enough. They are the matches that have helped launch Stardom. The 43-minute draw at Tokyo Dream Cinderella is one of the best matches I have ever seen. The rematch at Stardom Dream Queendom saw her accomplish the goal she had set for herself and promised her late mother she’d deliver on. The matches speak for themselves and it’s Syuri who used that first one to launch herself into this undeniable realm as Wrestler of the Year. And to think I haven’t said a word about her work with Giulia as ALK. If it wasn’t for The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Brothers, ALK would have the best tag team match of the year for my money after their nearly 30-minute slugfest with Himeka and Maika at Osaka Dream Cinderella.
Syuri did everything better than everyone else. It’s that simple. Classic matches, historic performances, and is closing out the year with three (3!!!) championships around her waist, including the World of Stardom Championship. She’s been my Wrestler of the Year since the 5 STAR Grand Prix concluded and is the easiest choice I have ever had to choose for that award. She got her flowers and she should only get more from everyone else because Syuri was that great.
Match of the Year
5. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Kenoh (N-1 Victory Final, 10/3/21)
If you witnessed the N-1 Victory in most of its entirety, you’ll know that it was nowhere near being the best tournament of the year in wrestling. However there were a number of great matches throughout but none came close to the N-1 Victory final between Kongo members Katsuhiko Nakajima and Kenoh. As someone that was as new as can be to Pro Wrestling NOAH, my knowledge of these two were limited but what I did know is that they had some of the most ferocious kicks in the game. For me, that’s an instant win. And what they managed to do in their second match of that night was have the NOAH match of the year in exactly 20 minutes. No waisted motion. Just fantastic pro wrestling. It has made me a NOAH viewer moving forward and a Nakajima fan for life.
4. WALTER (c) vs. Ilja Dragunov for the NXT United Kingdom Championship (NXT TakeOver: 36, 8/22/21)
Haha. This match was so great I can’t help but laugh thinking back to it. After their first encounter received worldwide praise despite happening in front of zero people, it was only right that the battle which saw Ilja Dragunov takedown WALTER was witness by an actual crowd. The final great match of the NXT we once knew and loved is this one as these two brutalized each other until their both bodies were as red as a stop sign. I still wince at the thought of those chops they exchanged and cringe at what they probably had to deal with the days after their war. WWE can take away what makes a lot of wrestlers great to fit their style but Dragunov and WALTER didn’t let that happen. They brought the styles that got them to the dance to begin with and what followed was amazing.
3. Momo Watanabe vs. Syuri (5 STAR Grand Prix Final, 9/25/21)
What happens when you put together two of the most aggressive wrestlers in the world today and make them wrestle for the second time in the same night? The answer is one of the best sub 20-minute matches you will ever see. Momo Watanabe and Syuri won their respective blocks in the 5 STAR Grand Prix and proceeded to lay waist to one another to try and win the tournament. It wasn’t difficult to know what was about to happen when you saw the look in the eye of both Syuri and Watanabe. After all, Watanabe has this tremendous sign of being completely pissed off when she plans to slaughter her opponent. This was the second time we saw it in the tournament and not so shockingly, it was the best match of the entire 5 STAR. Syuri managed to lock in her rematch with Utami Hayashishita by winning, making the final stretch one of the best in wrestling all year.
2. The Young Bucks (c) vs. The Lucha Brothers for the AEW World Tag Team Championship inside a Steel Cage (All Out, 9/5/21)
As someone who clamored for The Lucha Brothers to get the AEW World Tag Team Championship for months, this match gave everything a tag team wrestling fan could want. It’s become a running joke that people can get clout and attention by saying The Young Bucks are bad or not one of the best teams to ever do it. Funny joke. They are for one - not bad - and two - one of the best tag teams to every wrestle. The Lucha Brothers are also in the conversation when it comes to best current tag teams seeing that Penta El Zero Miedo and Fenix do things that no one else does. Put these two teams in a Steel Cage and you somehow manage to tell a story and mix all that out-of-this-world moves that they can do to make one of the best tag team matches I or anyone will ever see. The AEW match of the year and oh so close to being my number one match of the year (but not really).
1. Utami Hayashishita (c) vs. Syuri for the World of Stardom Championship (Tokyo Dream Cinderella, 6/12/21)
If you want to read my complete thoughts on this match, then check out my article at Voices of Wrestling. It was 3,000-plus words of me gushing over what is by far the best match of this year but I will do my best to share some thoughts I haven’t yet.
Magic doesn’t simply happen in anything, let alone professional wrestling. It takes a special feeling in the air and a mixture of the right ingredients to make magic a potential reality. What Utami Hayashishita and Syuri did at Tokyo Dream Cinderella was deliver an all-time classic. A match that will stand the test of time. And one that, for my money, is the real beginning of Stardom’s boom period into one of the most popular promotions in all of wrestling.
It’s one of the few times that a draw benefits a match more than hurts it. 43 minutes of utter chaos and complete brutality before neither could continue. It’ll be one I go back and watch year after year and one that is one of my favorites of all time.
If you’re reading this and haven’t check it out yet, do yourself a favor and watch it.
Follow me on Twitter: @ScottEWrestling
Check out my articles at Last Word on Sports, Fight Game Media, Voices of Wrestling, Daily DDT, Inside The Ropes, and Wrestle Inn.
My Five Star Joshi Podcast can be found here on the Fight Game Media Network + Patreon.
Check out Ring Post Radio every Sunday as part of the Count Out! Network.
And here’s my complete 2021 Matchguide that features a rating for every single match I watched throughout the year. Plus my Archive Matchguide that has a number of classics set to be reviewed in the future.
Finally, make sure to follow along with my 2022 Matchguide to keep up with my current ratings on all the matches I witness in the upcoming year.
Thanks for reading!