As we stand in 2020, wrestlers have the most options in terms of promotions since the territory days. All across the globe, wrestlers have options for caving out a career in professional wrestling. There’s a plethora of exceptional wrestlers all over the world, but what if they were all crammed into one promotion? What would be the best card that you could produce?
The Rules
First off, let me say that this isn’t just an article of the best wrestlers grouped together, so your favourite wrestler likely will not feature. Speaking of which, I’m only making this card using wrestlers from promotions I watch, so no: NWA, MLW, ZERO-1, CMLL, AAA, BJW and very little AJPW, NOAH, DDT and Stardom.
With all this talent, it couldn’t be limited to one night, so I decided to make it a two-night affair in order to maximise the talent I could use. With that being said, let’s jump in…
NIGHT 1
Match 1: Jordynne Grace vs Kris Statlander vs Taya Valkyrie vs Candice LeRae
Kicking things off on Night 1 is an admittedly lazy four way between four of the best female western wrestlers. I wanted to fit these four into two singles matches, but with 18 matches already booked, I couldn’t find space. With that being said, I’m sure that these four women would have an excellent four way to start the supercard with a bang. In terms of a winner, I’d go with Grace, simply because I believe she’s the best of the four and she has all the potential in the world.
Winner: Jordynne Grace
Match 2: Lance Archer vs Drew McIntyre
Whilst the previous match would be filled with plenty of high-flying moves to excite the crowd, this match between two heavyweight titans would be a pure fight. Lance Archer has had a career renaissance since his back surgery in 2017, having some of the best matches in the G1 Climax 2018. Similarly, Drew McIntyre became much more popular post-2014 after his WWE release. These two would have an all-out brawl, with Drew picking up the win because he is the WWE Champion, if he’s this low on the card, the least he can do is win.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Match 3: The Usos vs Guerrillas of Destiny
Samoans vs Tongans. The Anoa’i family vs The Fefita family. Or, if you prefer, two brilliant tag teams. Whilst the Guerrillas of Destiny haven’t always been consistently great, they’ve proven that with great opponents they’re capable of raising their game to match. The Usos’ high pace would work wonders with the slippery style of Tama and the power of Tanga. In terms of a winner, a well placed Kendo Stick shot from Jado would lead to a Guerrillas win, cementing themselves as a top tier tag team.
Winners: Guerrillas of Destiny
Match 4: Toru Yano vs R-Truth vs Orange Cassidy
Don’t lie, you want to see this match. Three of the most premier comedy wrestlers having an all-out car crash of a match. Turnbuckle pads will be ripped, ladders will be climbed, Fast and Furious movies will be insulted, no one will hold back. In terms of a winner, Orange Cassidy picks up the win with some actual wrestling moves, because he’s really good.
Winner: Orange Cassidy
Match 5: Asuka vs ASUKA
I’m seeing double, four Asukas! In all seriousness, both Asuka’s are two of the best women’s wrestlers in the world at the moment, with lowercase Asuka riding high in WWE whilst uppercase ASUKA hones her craft in DDT. And looking past the novelty of both wrestlers having same name, this will be a hard-hitting classic. Lowercase Asuka picks up the win, due to her being the bigger name, but don’t be surprised of this match happens in real life at some point in the future.
Winner: Asuka
Match 6: The New Day vs The Elite
Ah, this old chestnut. For a while, for some reason, most wrestling fans were convinced that this match was going to happen at some point. Those fans were wrong as all we got was a Street Fighter contest between the two groups. But, in this magical land where anything is possible, the two factions can finally collide. Ideally, this match would be a PWG-esque spectacle, with all six men putting their bodies on the line from the first bell. This may be controversial, but I’d give the win to The New Day. Whilst The Elite have been split up and consumed within Bullet Club throughout the years, The New Day has consistently been one of the most entertaining acts since 2014. Plus, Kofi deserves another title run.
Winners: The New Day
Match 7: Andrade vs Tetsuya Naito
Here we go. Mentor vs Manatee. Whilst Andrade didn’t train Tetsuya Naito, he did more for his career than any of his trainers by inviting him into Los Ingobernables in CMLL. From there, Naito brought Los Ingobernables to Japan, and the rest is history. Whilst they’ve teamed on many occasions, El Ingobernable and El Idolo have never clashed one-on-one. This match would be a hard-hitting hybrid style, with the current double champion picking up the win.
Winner: Tetsuya Naito
Match 8: Kota Ibushi vs Kaito Kiyomiya
Whilst the main event of this show would highlight the best of the past, this match feels like the present vs the future. Kota Ibushi is a star, there’s no doubt about that, and will inevitably win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship within the next few years. And whilst Kaito Kiyomiya has just come off of the fourth longest GHC Heavyweight Championship reign of all time, it still only feels like the only way is up for the 23 year old. And whilst Ibushi is excellent in-ring, the win would have to go to Kaito to further establish him as a top contender.
Winner: Kaito Kiyomiya
Main Event: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs John Cena
The Holy Grail of New Japan vs WWE matches. Fans have fantasised for years as to what a Tanahashi vs Cena match would look like and with Cena aging in-ring like a fine wine, it would be sure to be a classic. There’d be plenty of finisher kick-outs, with the Japanese John Cena and the American Hiroshi Tanahashi going back and forth. And as much as I want to give the win to the record 8-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, John Cena is the biggest star in all of wrestling, and I can’t overlook that. With that being said, Tanahashi would definitely not look weak in this epic, lasting over 30 minutes before finally being put away by a Super AA.
Winner: John Cena
And this is only Night 1…
NIGHT 2
Match 1: Dragon Lee vs PAC
Just like Night 1, we kick off with a saucy affair. Both Dragon Lee and PAC have established themselves as two of the best junior heavyweights on the planet, and both of them would have an instant classic to kickoff night 2. Personally, I like PAC a bit more than Dragon Lee, so I’d have him pick up the win here.
Winner: PAC
Match 2: Roman Reigns vs Tomohiro Ishii
You knew that the Big Dog had to be included in this list somewhere. When he is allowed to wrestle, Roman has had some great slugfests with guys like Rusev and Drew McIntyre, and in New Japan there’s another dog who’d give him a brawl. The Stone Pitbull has had some excellent matches with everyone he’s stepped in the ring with, and he’d have a great match with Roman. He’s never been a top guy, which is why Roman would pick up the win, but it would be a hard fought match.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Match 3: AXIZ vs The Lucha Brothers
Even as a fringe NOAH fan, I can admit that AXIZ is the best tag team in the world at this point in time. Whilst both Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima could have both had singles matches on this card, so could their opponents. Both Pentagon and Fenix are great singles wrestlers but together they are an exceptional tag team, with many classic bouts to their name. AXIZ would win this match, further establishing themselves as the best tag team on Earth.
Winners: AXIZ
Match 4: Darby Allin vs Hiromu Takahashi
Two words. High. Risk. Both Darby Allin and Hiromu Takahashi have done stupid things to their bodies, and this would be an absolute car crash. You can imagine a huge spot occurring, something like a sunset flip powerbomb off the stage through a table, and that would incapacitate both men and lead to a double-countout, but hopefully the fans wouldn’t mind if they’d just seen a spot like that.
Winner: DRAW
Match 5: Charlotte vs Mayu Iwatani
Simply put, these are the two best women’s wrestlers on the planet at the moment. Whilst fans have soured on Charlotte as of late due to her being pushed to the forefront of every TV Show WWE has, she still delivers great matches with every opponent she’s worked with. On the other side of the world, Mayu Iwatani isn’t considered the ace of STARDOM, however according to my limited knowledge of STARDOM, my opinion is she is the best in the company right now. These two would have a barnburner, with Mayu picking up the win because Charlotte’s standing in this fictional company wouldn’t be hurt by a loss.
Winner: Mayu Iwatani
Match 6: Street Fight – The Undisputed Era vs The Inner Circle
The only stipulation match within the two nights, two of the best factions in western wrestling collide in a match full of plunder and violence. The Undisputed Era have been running rough shot over NXT since their debut in 2017, and likewise for The Inner Circle on Dynamite. Adam Cole even stole ‘BAY-BAY!’ from Jericho, so this match would have an interesting dynamic. In the end, I prefer the Undisputed Era that little bit more, so I’d choose them over the Inner Circle.
Winners: The Undisputed Era
Match 7: Daniel Bryan vs Zack Sabre Jr
Whilst this match has happened before in 2008 in Coventry, both Bryan and Zack have evolved exponentially in the twelve years since. Since 2005, either Bryan or Zack have won the Wrestling Observer Technical Wrestler of the Year award, and whether you like Davey M or not, you have to admit that’s an impressive feat. Ideally, this match would last half an hour, with neither man hitting any strikes. In the end, I’d have Zack tap out Bryan, firmly establishing him as the best technical wrestler in the world.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr
Match 8: Minoru Suzuki vs Brock Lesnar
Now this is Box Office. Two legitimate fighters beating the hell out of each other. Whilst my ideal first opponent for Lesnar is recovering after caving his own skull in, Suzuki will work just fine. The godfather of MMA, Suzuki is one of the most terrifying men in wrestling. Lesnar produces some of his best work when his opponent gives as much as he takes (vs Roman at Mania 31) and Suzuki would certainly do that. Whilst Lesnar would pick up the win against the 52 year old, it wouldn’t be a walk in the park. Out of every match I’ve proposed, I want this the most, which makes it all the more saddening that it will likely never happen.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Main Event: Kazuchika Okada vs Kento Miyahara
As soon as I came up with the idea of the supercard, this was the first match i pencilled in. Ace vs Ace. Two men who are regarded as the best in the world at this moment in time. Kazuchika Okada is arguably one of the best ‘Big Match’ wrestlers of all time, holding the record for Longest IWGP Heavyweight Championship Reign and Most Combined Days as IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Meanwhile, Kento holds the third longest AJPW Triple Crown Championship reign and is second for combined days as champ, with many proclaiming him the wrestler of 2019.
This match would be your traditional King’s Road 40 minute epic, eventually reaching its crescendo with a Rainmaker for the win. Whilst some AJPW fans might be angry that I’m putting Okada over, I genuinely believe Okada to be the best wrestler alive today, and I haven’t seen enough Kento for him to sway my opinion.
Winner: Kazuchika Okada
What a card, eh? There were so many wrestlers that could have featured in this card that were unlucky to miss out. People like: Keith Lee, AJ Styles, Jay White, KENTA, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, Kairi Sane, Alexa Bliss, Finn Balor, KUSHIDA, WALTER, Ilja Dragunov, Jon Moxley, Shingo Takagi, Roppongi 3K, Kazuyuki Fujita, Momo Watanabe just to name a few. In the end, I could only include so many, and I’m pretty satisfied with this card.
What matches would you have included? Leave a comment below.
Comments 2