BritWres Matches Of the Year: #5-1
We’ve finally made it, after a week of epic matches here are Iwan Mackenzie’s five BEST matches of 2021!
5. Michael Oku vs Mike Bailey: RevPro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship Match – RevPro “Uprising 2021” (21/11/21)
Credit: Rev Pro
As soon as Mike Bailey was announced for making a return to RevPro, I knew that if you put him in there with Oku they’d produce a banger and as soon as Bailey won the British J Cup. I knew that these two were on a collision course with one another.
That fateful evening in November in York Hall, the crowd bared witness to a near 20 minute classic of a match. One of my favourites ever matches to take place at York Hall as these two played to their strengths of Oku’s natural babyface charismatic performance against Bailey’s hard-hitting arrogance.
They had their story centred around Bailey’s Knees especially after he missed hitting the Moonsault Knees on the stage to Oku, which all led into the Half Crab of Oku being even deadlier. Make time to watch this match on RPW On-Demand, as it’s well worth your time.
4. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs Young Guns (Luke Jacobs & Ethan Allen) – RevPro “IX Anniversary Show” (21/08/21)
Credit: Rev Pro
This match was announced via Andy Quildan himself before the interval at 229 and to say that I was glad that I was going to this show was an understatement.
I had booked going to this show months in advance mostly to catch up with some mates that I hadn’t seen in ages and it was a part of our holiday in Manchester, but having a match like this on the card did help and build excitement.
After a few dodgy matches in the first half with not much of an atmosphere, as soon as these four hit the ring. The atmosphere completely changed as people were into this her.
We had very much a pro Young Guns section as they were the hometown boys and we had an Aussie Open section as fans hadn’t seen them team together in the UK since September 2019!
What we got was an absolute treat, everything that you’d expect from both these teams and got heaps of praise from everybody who was the building that night. It currently stands at a 4.14 Average on the GRAPPL App and was the clear highlight of RevPro’s trip to Manchester.
3. Destination: Everywhere (Connor Mills & Michael Oku) vs Young Guns (Luke Jacobs & Ethan Allen): Great British Tag League Block A Match – RevPro “Live at Not the Cockpit 52” (01/08/21)
Credit: Rev Pro
I wasn’t originally planning on going to this show due to it selling out, but when the show was moved to the 229 venue after the Cockpit wanted to maintain social distancing I was able to pick up a ticket and get to this show which proved to be wise decision.
Everyone in London knows and loves both Oku and Mills but not a lot of people knew who Young Guns were as this was the first match they had in London in front of a crowd (they had only previously wrestled in London for PROGRESS’s empty shows). So there was a lot here for the Young Guns to prove and they duly did.
Ethan’s technical wrestling exchanges with Oku and then Luke’s thunderous chops on Oku stood out straight away. But I believe the moment where the crowd turned and got into the Guns was when Oku hit his Fosbury Flop dive onto Luke and then celebrated in the crowd. Then Ethan Allen kneed him in the back and sent him into the crowd, from that point DE had a fight on their hand against the Guns.
Some amazing action followed and when it was all said and done and Destination Everywhere had won, everybody was on their feet.
Tons of praise came aboard for Young Guns, which as somebody who has been a fan for a few years now was awesome to hear.
This was the first true outstanding match from Live shows coming back and it’s that great still that it’s here in my top three of 2021; for Statistics wise as well, this has a 4.23 Rating on the GRAPPL App.
2. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs Destination: Everywhere (Connor Mills & Michael Oku): RevPro Undisputed British Tag Team and PWA Australian Tag Team Championship, Title for Title Match – RevPro “High Stakes 2021” (19/09/21)
Credit: Rev Pro
With both team’s performances in recent times, especially the previous matches I’ve mentioned against Young Guns, there was a lot of hype surrounding this.
This was tipped to deliver big and it did. For a while, this was actually the Match of the Year for me. I’ve relegated to the second place but that’s no slight against how truly great this match was.
By this point in the night, the crowd really got into it as people were excited to see Aussie Open back in York Hall again. The crowd absolutely loves Oku and by proxy Mills who was in his York Hall debut.
This match started a bit slow but did build and build as it went on, with Mills and Oku being smaller up against the bigger Aussie’s.
Eventually we got the big sprint of a match between all four as Aussie Open rolled out their magic formula for success as DE slotted right in and succeeded.
Mills worked his absolute arse of here and does need to be singled out as I thought he was fantastic. Oku had also had another match before this and was still able to be great here.
At just over 27 Minutes, this match flew by in person and was well deserving of the Standing Ovation it received one of the best matches I’ve ever seen in York Hall.
1. Chris Ridgeway vs Jonathan Gresham: ROH Pure Rules Match – WrestleCarnival “Pure” (09/10/21)
Credit: Ringside Perspective
In the current state of BritWres, not a lot of matches are wanting to make a fan travel outside of their area, with a lot of the same talents being booked all over the place and not a lot of variety.
This show was able to buck the trend as WrestleCarnival was able to book somebody who isn’t a stranger to the UK and is in the conversation for best in the world: Jonathan Gresham.
Putting him against Chris Ridgeway who has carved out a nice pattern of really good matches in this promotion.A big fight atmosphere was here for this match, with top notch Introductions by Jade Walford and fantastic refereeing and usage of the rules by James Greenwood.
For over 25 Minutes, these two had a match with a style that I love. I was so glad that I was front row for this as every move had detail and meaning, it drew people in.
When the fast-paced sequences were happening, people in that building were rocking, my hands were hurting with the amount of clapping.
Even though this did go to a count out draw, for me it didn’t take away from the match itself and I was on a high after this match, quite honestly. This is the true feeling of watching wrestling live and giving you that feeling. That is why it’s my best live match of 2021.
Honourable Mentions:
Chris Ridgeway vs Luke Jacobs – WrestleCarnival “CarnivalMania” (14/11/21)
Connor Mills vs The OJMO: WrestleForce International Championship Match – WrestleForce “Live in Dagenham” (24/07/21)
Emersyn Jayne vs Jetta: EVE Championship Match – EVE “Aim to Misbehave” (04/12/21)
Sunshine Machine (TK Cooper & Chuck Mambo) vs Destination: Everywhere (Michael Oku & Connor Mills) - RevPro "Live not at the Cockpit 55" (07/11/2021)
Rhio vs Emersyn Jayne - WrestleCarnival "CarnivalMania" (14/11/2021)
RKJ vs Kyle Fletcher - RevPro "Live not at the Cockpit 53" (05/09/2021)
Sunshine Machine (TK Cooper & Chuck Mambo) vs Callum Newman & JJ Gale: Great British Tag League Block B Match - RevPro "Live in Huntingdon 3" (31/07/2021)
Will Ospreay vs Shota Umino: RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Match - RevPro "Uprising 2021" (21/11/2021)
Young Guns (Luke Jacobs & Ethan Allen) vs Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis): RevPro Undisputed British Tag Team Championship Match – RevPro “Live not at the Cockpit 54” (03/10/21)
Angel Hayze vs Chantal Jordan - EVE “Aim to Misbehave” (04/12/21)