2020 Awards: Match Of The Year

[klunderbunker]

It's kind of the most important.

[Fallout]

I'm no fan of The Young Bucks, but even I was impressed by their performance against FTR. Outstanding match, and proof that TYB can be great workers if they apply themselves and have the right opponent.

[Jack-Hammer]

I went with Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov. It was just such a physical, hard hitting bout that almost seemed like a real fight at times. The match ultimately came off like a test of endurance between two men and we were watching to see who wanted it more. Dragunov was all the more impressive considering he was about 6 inches shorter and probably a good 80 to 90 pounds lighter than Walter. Walter doesn't look like a gym guy, he looks like a big ol' burly farm boy or something. He's got a lot of power and a lot of gas in the tank.

The match also put me in mind of Walter's match against Tyler Bate back in August 2019 in that it was a clash to see who wanted it more. As with that match, Dragunov weathered Walter's attack, would mount a comeback and Walter would crank it up another notch. Dragunov would adapt, would overcome and Walter would fine another gear to take it up to. As a result, it made the moves feel all the more impactful. For instance, there was a spot in which Dragunov was going for a back suplex and he was holding Walter's weight up, had one arm around his waist supporting that 280+ pound frame for a few seconds before hooking his other arm under his leg to deliver the move. Had fans been in the arena, they'd have been so invested in the match that they would've popped for that move as if Dragunov had jumped off the top of a 20 foot ladder and splashed Walter through a table. When you're able to put on a match in which fans eat up everthing you do as if every move is some big mega spot, then you've reached a level most matches don't get to.