5 Best Wrestling Matches Of 2014

#1 A.J. Styles vs. Minoru Suzuki - G1 Climax 2014

New Japan’s G1 Climax tournament is normally a time during which otherwise-never-seen match-ups can take place. This is one such a contest, as the leaders of NJPW’s two biggest heel stables went to war with each other.

This match proved, among other things, that Styles is arguably the best wrestler active today. The reason for this is that he wrestled in a match with Suzuki, a man that wrestles in a completely different style than the Phenomenal One.

But instead of there being a noticeable (pardon the pun) styles clash between them, the action was crisp and clean, and the story made perfect sense. Not only did Suzuki bring some legitimacy to this match with his MMA background, but he gave this match considerably more drama by working Styles’ arm and even his fingers. Yes, a normally-forgotten body part was made into a central psychology element in this contest.

This match had layers upon layers of selling and psychology built into it, which translated into believable near-falls and logical match progression. Even though Styles represented the villainous Bullet Club, he received a hero’s ovation for his work in this match.

An absolute must-watch for any Styles fan, as this match shows just how poorly-used he was in TNA only a few years beforehand.