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00:00 - Start
02:38 - Honourable Mention
03:12 - 10
04:11 - 9
05:09 - 8
06:06 - 7
06:56 - 6
07:45 - 5
08:39 - 4
09:40 - 3
10:44 - 2
11:37 - 1
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00:00 - Start
02:38 - Honourable Mention
03:12 - 10
04:11 - 9
05:09 - 8
06:06 - 7
06:56 - 6
07:45 - 5
08:39 - 4
09:40 - 3
10:44 - 2
11:37 - 1
SUBSCRIBE TO partsFUNknown: https://bit.ly/2J2Hl6q
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/partsfunknown
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/partsfunknown/
Buy wrestling merchandise here: https://www.wrestleshop.com/
Unlock the secrets to working in professional wrestling, sign up to https://www.wrestlingmasterclass.com/
Read more Feature content here on WrestleTalk.com: https://wrestletalk.com/features/
Youtube Channel Comments Policy
We appreciate the comments and opinions our viewers provide. Do note that all comments are subject to YouTube auto-moderation and manual moderation review. We encourage opinions and discussion, but harassment, hate speech, bullying and other abusive posts will not be tolerated. Decisions on comment removal are made by the Community Manager. Please email us at support@wrestletalk.com with any questions or concerns.
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Fantastic matches, too many injuries, and CM Punk getting in a huge backstage fight.
00:04What a year it has been for AEW, and if you thought I was talking about year 4 of AEW rather than year 5,
00:10I would not blame you. Time is a flat circle, and we are forever doomed to repeat ourselves.
00:15In all seriousness, year 5 has been a pretty good one for AEW on the whole.
00:19The rise of Swerve has been a massive highlight in how well AEW can make a new main event guy,
00:24All In proved to be as big a deal as Tony Khan's major announcements made it out to be,
00:28and loads and loads and loads of fantastic matches as has become the norm for the Tony conglomerate.
00:33Double or Nothing has traditionally been our year-end milestone for AEW,
00:38and with the annual Vegas Shebang taking place tonight,
00:40here we will shine a light on the best that AEW had to offer over these last 12 months.
00:46I'm Tempest Hailing from PartsFunKnown, and these are the 10 Best Matches from AEW Year 5.
00:5110. Peter
00:56Why hello there, Peter.
00:58No, not the fancy man, not the fancy man. Is this to me some kind of horrible dream?
01:02A horrible dream? No, no, it's more like a horrible nightmare.
01:06What did I ever do to deserve this?
01:08Well, I don't know, Peter. I'm not sure you did deserve it,
01:11because you want to get tickets to this wrestling show thing, is that correct?
01:15Yes, it's just so frustrating because it's payday tomorrow, so I don't have the cash right now.
01:20Well, Peter, if only you'd used Dave.
01:24Dave Bradshaw?
01:26I'm not lending you money, Pete.
01:28No, no, Peter, not Dave Bradshaw. He may be tall, but you need something else.
01:35You need something reliable, something you can trust, something that's got your back.
01:40You need Dave, Pete. You need Dave.
01:45Okay, so what's Dave?
01:48Dave is the banking app that's levelling the financial playing field.
01:51When you download Dave, you can get up to $500 in five minutes or less.
01:56No credit check, no late fees. It's part of Dave's extra cash account.
02:01Advance the money you need with no interest and then settle up later.
02:04So why don't you download Dave now at dave.com forward slash partsfunknown.
02:10That's dave.com forward slash partsfunknown.
02:13For terms and conditions, go to dave.com slash legal.
02:16Eligibility criteria and instant transfer fees apply.
02:18Banking services provided by Evolve, member FDIC.
02:21Wow, that sounds amazing. I can't wait to use it.
02:24I mean, it's so much better than the last Dave I used.
02:28Just because Dave's tall doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings, Pete.
02:32Now wake up!
02:34No, no, no, no, no, no. This deal's too good. I don't want it to be a dream.
02:38Honourable mention, Forbidden Door.
02:40Forbidden Door 2023 was bloody brilliant,
02:42and I will never forgive myself for not flying home one week earlier to see it.
02:46As this is a joint production between AEW and New Japan,
02:49this gets its own honourable mention here.
02:51But there is a lot of honour to be mentioned
02:53between the Shibata, Sabre, Garcia, and Cassidy four-way,
02:56the elite BCC ten-man tag,
02:58the Bryan Danielson, Kazuchika Okada dream match,
03:01and of course the epic rematch between Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega
03:04that, had I seen live, would have been the best match I'd ever seen live
03:08and could have easily challenged for the top spot on this list.
03:17The latter half of MJF's AEW World Title reign has not received particularly good reviews,
03:22what with all the wackiness of the Jay White Full Gear match
03:25and the year-long Brochacho storyline ending with a whimper that has still yet to be resolved,
03:29but despite this, no one can take anything away from one of the best
03:33AEW World Title matches of all time
03:35between MJF and Kenny Omega on the October 28th, 2023 episode of Collision.
03:40You certainly would have thought that the first time ever matchup between these two
03:44would have had a bit more build-up,
03:46but Omega defending his record of longest title reign is as good a reason as I need
03:50to see this phenomenal f***ing wrestling match.
03:53This was not just some TV title defense.
03:55This was MJF pulling out the Phosphory Flop,
03:58Omega hitting a Dr. Bomb through a table,
04:00and some of the most heated wrestling you will see anywhere all year.
04:04A lot of people have forgotten just how brilliant a performer MJF is,
04:08and hopefully when he returns, we will see more of what we got here.
04:12Number 9 – Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa – Dynasty
04:15AEW's women's division in Year 5 definitely had the most attention it has ever had
04:20with the arrival of Mercedes Monet,
04:22the emergence of Willow Nightingale as a star,
04:24and of course, timeless Toni Storm.
04:26Between sticking her tits out and throwing her shoe at people,
04:29Toni has had a stranglehold on the AEW women's title this year,
04:33and while that has led to many an entertaining moment,
04:35there has been difficulty in striking a balance between this goofy character and great wrestling.
04:40With the major exception of this match at Dynasty.
04:43Both Toni and Rosa had fantastic promos the week of the show to drive up interest,
04:48and then they wrestled the kind of match that Toni had been missing as champion.
04:52This match is white, hot, intense.
04:54The hockey fight, the actually heated run-ins from Mariah May and Diana Perrazzo,
04:59the kick out of the Storm Zero.
05:01I don't know how many fans thought there was going to be a new champion on this night,
05:04but St. Louis was rocking for the best women's match of AEW's last 12 months.
05:09Number 8.
05:10Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy.
05:12All out.
05:12Orange Cassidy's first reign as international champion will go down in history
05:17as one of the best mid-card title reigns ever,
05:19and a run that good deserved the best possible ending.
05:22What happened after that was highly unfortunate, but we'll just ignore that.
05:25After months and months of wear and tear and new injuries causing him strife,
05:29Orange finally found himself in a fight he might not be able to win.
05:33Taking on AEW's ace, Jon Moxley, in any condition,
05:36would make for a difficult fight, much less in the state that Orange was in,
05:40but it made for an even better story.
05:42Moxley juiced that blood orange dry,
05:45but Orange would just not quit until several Death Riders finally put him down.
05:50The story of the champion wrestling every match
05:52until they have literally nothing left in the tank is one of my personal favorites in wrestling,
05:57and AEW did it to perfection while also combining it
06:00with the story of the wrestler who cares about nothing,
06:03finally finding something to care about.
06:05Brilliance.
06:07Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks. All out.
06:10On the very same show, we got the blow-off match to the summer-long
06:13rivalry of Ricky Starks and CM... Danielson.
06:17That's right, there's no CM Punk here and there never was.
06:20When CM Punk threw his latest fit and got himself tossed out of AEW,
06:23that left Ricky Starks in a very unenviable position
06:27as the man he was supposed to be wrestling in a strap match at the very next pay-per-view.
06:31Thankfully for all involved, Bryan Danielson was right there and able to step into this spot
06:35and have the match of Stark's life.
06:37Not to be confused with the strap matches of the red-light-green-light variety,
06:41this was a violent and brutal match that saw Danielson busted wide open
06:46and beat Starks down in a blaze of gore and glory.
06:49I can't imagine a better replacement match in the history of wrestling,
06:52and if you can think of one, by all means drop your recommendations in the comments.
06:57Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Wrestle Dream.
07:01Sticking with the theme of Bryan Danielson is a very good wrestler, actually.
07:04Here we have the long-awaited technical wrestling dream match
07:07between the American Dragon and the Vegan Hydra.
07:10Wrestling is so f***ing cool.
07:12At the very first Wrestle Dream event held in Danielson's backyard,
07:16the two greatest technicians of this generation did battle,
07:19and it was exactly what you would have wanted it to be.
07:22Two masters of their craft.
07:24Two matte wizards capable of making the sometimes less exciting art of grappling
07:29and matte wrestling the most heart-pounding experience possible.
07:32You know how Kurt Angle could counter any move into the ankle lock?
07:36It's awesome. Everyone loved it.
07:37Now imagine being able to counter any move,
07:39into any move,
07:41at any time,
07:42and also both guys can do it.
07:43That's this match, and I love it to pieces.
07:46FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold.
07:48Collision, July 15th, 2023.
07:51Ah, the yearly FTR two-out-of-three-falls match
07:54that tides the hardcore tag fans over for another year.
07:56In the early days of Collision,
07:58the show needed a contender for the best match in its short history,
08:01and after a fantastic first match on the fourth episode
08:04that could also be a strong contender for best Collision match,
08:07FTR and Bullet Club Gold went 58 minutes
08:10in what is still the best match Collision has ever seen.
08:13To say they went all out would be an understatement,
08:15and we've also already talked about all out.
08:17Tee hee.
08:18But truly, this match just has it all.
08:20Fantastic psychology that we have come to expect
08:23from matches with these four wrestlers.
08:25Brutal wrestling in the crowd.
08:27Fan service galore.
08:28It is the best tag match of 2023,
08:31and would be the best tag match of most years as well.
08:34I mean, it's FTR wrestling in the home of Bret Hart.
08:36You could have seen this performance coming from space.
08:40Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita, Revolution.
08:43If there was an 11th spot on this list,
08:45it would be reserved for Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita.
08:48Much of his run as a heel has been a bit directionless,
08:51as he's blended into the background of the Don Callis family,
08:54with the exception of literally any time
08:56he's gotten to have a singles match.
08:58Enter his match with the newly signed Will Ospreay at Revolution.
09:02Every year, there seems to be one match
09:05that I end up watching like three times
09:07in the first 48 hours of it happening.
09:08Last year, it was Omega vs. Vikingo.
09:11This year, it was this match.
09:13Everyone was talking about it.
09:14Everyone wanted to see it.
09:16Every move done with precision,
09:18yet still looking like they were absolutely killing one another.
09:21I mean, judging by the marks on Will's back
09:23after the brain buster and the robes,
09:24they very well might have been,
09:26but my God, Will Ospreay is 100% dedicated
09:30to having the best matches possible in AEW,
09:33and that dedication matched with his unparalleled ability
09:36means he will be a frequent factor in these lists for years to come.
09:40Number three, Sting and Darby Allin vs. The Young Bucks, Revolution.
09:44On the very short list of the greatest retirement matches of all time,
09:48this match will forever place very close to the top.
09:52Some out there, myself included,
09:54had been hoping for a straight-up tag match
09:56to close out Sting's career,
09:58to give him a chance to get one last brilliant hot tag,
10:01and all the tremendous drama and psychology
10:03that comes with such a thing,
10:04but my God, did they ever take full advantage
10:06of this tornado tag stip.
10:08You had Sting's very tall, very athletic sons
10:11making everyone wonder
10:12why they hadn't considered a career in wrestling,
10:14some of the best heel work of the Jacksons' latest run,
10:17and I mean, I leave it for last,
10:19out of respect more than anything else,
10:21Darby Allin's stupidest stunt ever.
10:23It's just the stupidest thing
10:25I've ever seen in a wrestling match,
10:27and God damn, did I have fun watching it.
10:30Sting got to make his comeback,
10:31stand triumphant,
10:32and go out on his own terms,
10:34and I know I'm not the first to say it,
10:36but Tony Khan's booking of Sting will be his legacy,
10:39showing a legend the respect and dignity he deserved
10:42until the very end.
10:44Number two, Hangman Page vs Swerve Strickland, Full Gear.
10:48Over the course of 2023,
10:49Hangman Page became the new face of the Texas Deathmatch
10:52between his revolution bloodbath with Jon Moxley,
10:55and then this match.
10:56It may not be for the squeamish,
10:57and it may do a little too much
10:58for the true blood fans out there,
11:00but Hangman and Swerve solidified their rivalry
11:03as the best in wrestling right now with this match.
11:06We knew they could have a great wrestling match
11:09after their clash at WrestleDream,
11:10but at Full Gear,
11:12they showed just how violent
11:13they were willing to get with one another.
11:15It wasn't just the barbed wire
11:16and the blood drinking, though.
11:18This match is just straight vibes.
11:20There's an energy to it that you only get
11:22when you're watching two guys
11:24that are motivated beyond belief.
11:26Swerve has been one of the most motivated wrestlers
11:28on the planet for a long time now,
11:30and this will always be the match that people point to
11:33when looking for the moment that Swerve became undeniable.
11:37And number one, Will Ospreay vs Brian Danielson, Dynasty.
11:42There is a short list of the best wrestlers
11:44of this generation going around at the moment,
11:46and on it, you will find the names Omega, Okada, Danielson,
11:50and Ospreay.
11:51Now, you may think that there are some names
11:52missing from that list,
11:53but regardless, that is an elite group,
11:56and elite really is the operative word
11:59because all four of them have found their way
12:01to all elite wrestling,
12:02meaning they can all have matches against one another.
12:05The first example since Will Ospreay signed his deal
12:08came at Dynasty between Ospreay and Brian Danielson,
12:11and I don't think I have ever seen a better match
12:14held on American soil.
12:15This is the best versus the best.
12:18The moves are always good.
12:19The story is always good.
12:21The crowd and the commentary are always good,
12:24and it makes this match so f***ing exciting.
12:27I could list every single thing they did in this match,
12:29and it would never come close to doing it justice,
12:32so I'll just say remember Danielson
12:34kneeing Ospreay out of midair,
12:35and let that feeling carry you to watching
12:36the whole thing all over again.
12:38Good luck topping this one, 2024,
12:40and speaking as a fan who loves to see great wrestling,
12:43I certainly hope you do.
12:44And that's our list.
12:45Make sure, of course, that you like this video,
12:46subscribe, enable notifications,
12:48all that good stuff,
12:49and check out this clip from last week's list here.