After one of the craziest years of wrestling, it took a little extra time to put this list together. I was blessed to see an actual ton of wrestling in 2019, which made whittling the year down to 10 ‘favorite’ matches incredibly tough. Thanks to everyone for making last year one of my favorites to date.
Top 10 Matches of 2019
1. Brett Ison vs. Allie Kat (Those Who Fear Tomorrow)- The best/biggest homegrown title match in SUP history was how this was described and I couldn’t agree more. Both Allie and Brett were able to show different sides of themselves that maybe not everyone saw. This was some of my favorite storytelling we got out of the entire year, with real emotion pouring out of the live audience. The crowd was living and dying with these performers. Can you ask for anything more than that?
2. Joshua Bishop vs. Dominic Garrini (Slumber Party Massacre)- Saying Mania weekend was jam packed is an understatement, but we’ll just leave it at that. This was my favorite match of that entire weekend and it probably isn’t close. The two went balls to the wall, building to a climax that may or may not have someone nearly set ablaze. So much to talk about in this one, but I just don’t want to spoil it for those that haven’t seen. This entire show was a blast for the record.
3. Daniel Makabe vs. Tony Deppen (SCI Night 1)- Possibly the ‘best’ wrestling match in SCI history. A very technical and very thrilling competition between two of the best in the world. There were times that the crowd was losing its mind on reversals before a frenetic finish that received one of the best crowd reactions during the entire weekend.
4. Dominic Garrini vs. JD Drake (Fighting Spirit Heavyweight Grand Prix)- This one stole the show on one of the best cards, top to bottom, I saw all year. JD Drake competing in UWFI rules was a sight to behold. We knew Dom was gonna do well in that environment, but Drake took to it like a fish to water. The two beat the hell out of each other before a finish that had me legit jumping up and down from excitement.
5. Violence is Forever vs. Workhorsemen (Slamilton 2)- By the time the main event came around at Slamilton 2, I can’t lie – I was wiped. Add on that the main would be a 30-minute Iron Man match, and normally, it would have been too much. I say normally because the two teams in that spot were destined to tear the house down. These are four of the best on the scene and they told a hell of a story. Within a few minutes, I had gotten my second or maybe even third wind on the weekend.
6. Matthew Justice vs. Warhorse (You’re Next)- An all-out war was expected and that is exactly what we got. Gross chair shots. Justice leaping off the Basement East beam. Really, just two stars showing why they’re two of the best/most popular guys on the indie scene right now. It may not be for the faint of heart, but this one absolutely crushed.
7. Alex Zayne vs. Tony Deppen (Backyard)- The match where everyone else caught up to Alex Zayne. Thanks to Resolute Wrestling, I was on the Zayne Train early, but being able to watch him in this setting against one of the best on the planet was a gift. The two did a bunch of crazy shit, including Zayne flipping to the outside, which may have been gif of the year in 2019. The two would go on to tear it down on Night 2 of SCI, which is also very much worth your time.
8. AJ Gray vs. Gary Jay (Slamilton 2)- This show gave us soooooo much to enjoy but other than the main event, nothing got me as fired up as this match. Gary Jay is always down for a fight and AJ is the mother fucking truth. What I’m saying is we got exactly what we wanted with this one. Just a tough-as-nails, knock-down drag-out fight with both men leaving it all in the ring.
9. Violence is Forever vs. IFHY (Futures Showcase)- What a surprise this was. Two of my absolute favorite tag teams going crazy, though that’s really all they know how to do. This is of course the match in which Wolf yeeted himself from the top rope to Ku/steel chairs. If Zayne doesn’t get gif of the year, then it HAS to go to Wolf for this hangry boo shit. If you haven’t, check out our interview with some of the IFHY crew from that weekend, on which we were blessed with some behind the scenes talk from this day.
10. Zach Cooper vs. Beef vs. 1 Called Manders (Futures Showcase)- Some in attendance may have not known what to expect with these three, but they sure as shit learned quick. Manders had a breakout 2019 which included winning this match, then going on to win the entire showcase. The other two guys in this match are gonna blow up in a big way over the next year or two. All three are big, incredibly athletic dudes that are about as hungry as it gets.
John Mosley is “The General” of the SoBros Network – covering independent wrestling, college football, sports, and a myriad of topics. He graduated from ETSU with a degree in Radio, TV and Film along with a minor in Film Studies. Since graduating he’s done pretty much nothing but watch, film, edit or commentate for local wrestling promotions and is the current color commentator for Resolute Wrestling. #Preds #Titans #DefendOrVacateConor Follow on Twitter: @SoBroMose.
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