The /wooo/terion Collection

"Golden" Moose Cholak and "Leaping" Larry Chene were both products of an oft-overlooked period in wrestling history: long gone were the days of Jim Londos, Bronko Nagurski, and Stanislaus Zbyszko, but the era of the likes of Antonio Inoki, Terry Funk, and Ric Flair had yet to begin. Moose Cholak's ascent to greatness began with a victory over Rikidozan, turning him into a sort of proto-Vader who crushed his opponents with a massive standing splash. Larry Chene, on the other hand, was an early high-flyer that wowed audiences with his speed and then-unprecedented dropkick. Only one of these early innovators could step away from this clash of titans with Chene's IWA United States Heavyweight Championship, however, and they'd both do anything to be the champ.

Young Owen Hart was a bitter man, and he had every right to be; his brother Bret had always been looked upon as the prodigal son of the Hart family and became one of the WWF's biggest stars, whereas Owen felt that he had been overlooked. Though Bret was the co-winner of that year's Royal Rumble along with Lex Luger, he would have to wrestle twice at the tenth Wrestlemania: in the opener against his brother Owen, and in the main event against the winner of the Yokozuna vs Luger WWF Championship match. Though Bret had to wrestle like a champion if he wanted to BE champion, Owen had a chip on his shoulder that could only be removed if he proved he was the better Hart brother.

Despite being one of the most dominant luchadors in Lucha Underground's early history, Mil Muertes had a thorn in his side: the firebird Fenix. Mil's confidant and the holder of the stone that seemed to give him his power, Catrina, had even rejected the Man of a Thousand Deaths in favor of the young high-flier, who was the only luchador that had managed to pin Mil one on one within the confines of the Temple. Mil wanted revenge on Fenix, and Fenix wanted to put away his adversary once and for all, so Catrina proposed a showdown in a Grave Consequences match, a casket match taken to its logical conclusion. The sheer carnage and brutality of what resulted makes this easily the best casket match to ever take place. If you want to see what put Lucha Underground on the map, there may be no better place to start than with Grave Consequences.

It had been a long time since the Death Match Dragon, Ryuji Ito, had faced off with the deadly Jun Kasai in a one-on-one situation. Kasai, a man so violent that he was once simply nicknamed “Blood”, was no stranger to deathmatches, but this was going to be something more. Between balcony dives and the use of innovative weapons, this match is a shining example of the Deathmatch BJ division and a defining deathmatch of this generation.

Kota Ibushi, one of DDT's greatest homegrown wrestlers and one of the top talents in Japan, was in his second reign with DDT's top title, the KO-D Openweight Championship. His second defense would be against an opponent he knew all too well: Kenny Omega, his tag team partner and friend from Canada. Put simply, this was to be a more brutal match than anyone anticipated. Despite their friendship, the two held nothing back and went at each other in an unexpectedly violent manner. There might not be a better approximation of the more serious side of DDT than this.

After competing for over a decade in various promotions all over Japan, Onita revealed plans to revive FMW. Titles were reactivated and a roster of veterans and young talent alike were brought in to participate in the promotion's rebirth. If Onita has proven anything in his many years as a pro wrestler, it's that he is impossible to keep down no matter what is thrown at him, and, in spite of the tragedies of Hayabusa's death and Ray's diagnosis of inoperable brain cancer, he has soldiered on and will stop at nothing to restore the mighty Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling to its former glory.

Chigusa stepped out of the spotlight in 2005, shortly after Asuka's retirement. Her final match as an active competitor was an emotional loss to Satomura, the very woman she had brought into the pro wrestling business. Chigusa Nagayo achieved the sort of fame that most wrestlers can barely comprehend in their wildest dreams, and she more than proved her worth long after AJW's policies decided she was no longer fit for stardom. The overwhelming success of the Crush Gals was an inspiration for countless young aspiring female wrestlers, and if you've enjoyed a modern joshi match recently, there's a good chance you have Chigusa to thank for it. She will forever be known as a true pro wrestling idol.

Though Taker spent much of his career wrestling a somewhat typical "WWE big man" style, most fans agree that his best work occurred in his later years when he began displaying technical prowess and even began ending matches with a gogoplata known as Hell's Gate, though he retained the tombstone piledriver that he had used since he took up his legendary moniker. Though he has only wrestled sparingly since 2011, he has proven to still be more than capable of getting the job done in the ring when need be. It can be said for certain that the legacy of the Phenom will never rest in peace.

There may be no better match to encompass Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling than this: Hayabusa, the heart and soul of the promotion, taking on founder Atsushi Onita, perhaps best described as its body and mind. This was billed as Onita's retirement match and was to be his final defense of his FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship, and what better stipulation for the match than one of the deathmatches that had made the promotion so famous? The masked daredevil and the deathmatch innovator would leave it all in the ring in this instant classic.

I will admit that there is precious little information on this match that I can find, so if anyone can help me write a more in-depth description for this match, it would be much appreciated. That said, I CAN tell you that this match features one of AJW's greatest stars in Chigusa Nagayo, one half of the Crush Gals, taking on often-overlooked joshi legend Devil Masami just days before Nagayo would have her famous hair versus hair match with Dump Matsumoto. This match would be named AJW's match of the year, and with the level of talent involved, it's not hard to see why.

Daniel Bryan was the most popular wrestler in the world, but the brass of WWE wouldn't give him the credit he deserved. He was screwed over and over again in favor of perennial golden boy Randy Orton and the returning Batista. WWE expected that the Animal would be welcomed as a savior from the Authority's paper champion Orton, but the fans made their voices clear: they wanted Bryan. Even after he had been left out of the Royal Rumble and had every title shot he earned unfairly taken away from him, Bryan was determined to take the championship that was rightfully his. With a win over Triple H earlier in the evening to take his place in the match originally between Orton and Royal Rumble winner Batista, the American Dragon was ready to take the WWE Championship for good.

Another chapter in the legendary rivalry between El Generico and Kevin Steen, which, as should be no surprise to anyone who knows them, extended to just about every promotion the two have ever been in. This time, Steen was the PWG World Champion, having defeated Claudio Castagnoli to win the belt for a second time and made his first defense against Davey Richards. If he wanted to hold onto that belt, however, he would have to go through his old nemesis in a ladder match. Generico, having had a successful run with the title several years beforehand, was no stranger to the fast-paced style of PWG, but, as he knew, Steen was as formidable a foe as any. The generic luchador and the Antichrist of pro wrestling took each other to the limit once again, with the brand of brutality one has come to expect from this feud.

Many young fans of pro wrestling dream of stepping in the ring to prove themselves to their heroes. Enter Haruka Kumagai, who, at the age of just nine years old, would do just that by competing in joshi promotion STARDOM. As a young and somewhat fragile competitor, her matches would only be three-minute exhibitions, but that was more than enough time for her to show what she was made of. The most famous of these matches would feature a male wrestler, which is unusual for a joshi promotion: the eccentric Kenny Omega of DDT fame challenged Haruka, and the tiny terror would show him no mercy. If there was ever a perfect example of wrestling as performance art, it would most certainly be this match - Omega has even gone on record saying he wants to formally train Haruka once she turns eighteen.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla was holding its third annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament, and the spectacular wrestlers of Dragon Gate had arrived to compete as well. The final match of the tourney featured El Generico - defeating Tony Kozina, Dragon Kid, and Nigel McGuinness to advance - as well as Roderick Strong, who defeated Austin Aries, Joey Ryan, and Alex Shelley. Dragon Gate's CIMA pulled off a major upset by advancing to the finals in the third position, defeating the Human Tornado, Shingo Takagi, and PAC. It was certainly a stacked final with the Pride of Tijuana, the Messiah of the Backbreaker, and the ace of Dragon Gate all in one match, but only one of them could follow in the footsteps of prior winners Chris Bosh and Davey Richards.

Over a year had passed since the fateful encounter between Shinsuke Nakamura and Kota Ibushi during the 23rd G1 Climax, and Ibushi had not forgotten. After successfully defending the IWGP Intercontinental Title against Katsuyori Shibata the previous month, Nakamura attempted to make a victory speech, only to be cut off by a surprise German suplex from the Golden Star. Ibushi would challenge the champion to a match at New Japan's annual Tokyo Dome show - the ninth coming of Wrestle Kingdom. Both Ibushi and the King of Strong Style would draw upon their previous knowledge of each other and once again tear the house down, this time in front of a rabid Tokyo Dome crowd.

Besides being known as perhaps the greatest wrestler of all time, Terry Funk also has a reputation for his incredibly long career. This match is the first retirement match Funk ever wrestled, having announced his departure from pro wrestling two years prior to build hype and help AJPW compete with NJPW. The Funker teamed with his brother and most loyal tag partner, Dory Funk, Jr., to face off with the deadly duo of Stan Hansen and Terry Gordy. It would be a difficult challenge for the Funk brothers, but this clash of All Japan's greatest gaijins would prove legendary. The post-match promo is even more famous than the match itself, with Funk famously declaring "All Japan number one, FOREVER! FOREVER! FOREVER!"

Kurt Angle shocked the wrestling world when he jumped from RAW to Smackdown to win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, beating out the odds-on favorite, Mark Henry. After he defeated the World's Strongest Man at the Royal Rumble, Angle was challenged by the Undertaker, who was fresh out of a blood feud with Randy Orton and looking to claim championship gold once again. The Phenom was known to be primarily a brawler, but to match up to an olympic gold medalist, he would have to fight like one, too. Angle and Taker would spend this sleeper classic trying to outwrestle one another, and the result is such that it's no wonder this match was almost held at Wrestlemania.