Best Matches of 2018 so far

For the past week or so, I have been re-watching a lot of stuff I've rated highly this year. This is how my top-10 is looking for the year so far, right now:

10) WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (PROGRESS, 04/07)

Clocking at right under 13 minutes, WALTER & ZSJ tell one helluva story. Both of them have had lots of matches that weekend before this one, and ZSJ is all grumpy & pissed off. His gameplan is to piss off WALTER to maximum by showing no respect & acting like a cocky prick all the way through, and WALTER of course responds to it by mauling him down with those chops of his. ****1/2

9) Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (NJPW, 03/25)

When I watched this the day after it happened, I thought it was one of the absolute greatest matches I've ever seen. The whole story & emotion of it fully clicked with me, and I remember actually getting pretty emotional during the Matt Jackson One Winged Angel spot. I think the ultimate test for such story driven matches like this is do they hold up on a re-watch, and while I didn't love this one on the level I did the first time I watched it, it's still an absolutely amazing match w/ some truly phenomenal, emotional storytelling. ****1/2

8) Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 03/21)
A completely different big match from what you usually see in New Japan. The story of Tana hanging w/ ZSJ on the mat, but getting his already banged up arm worked over throughout until it's stretched to shits in the Napalm Death is terrific. ****1/2

7) Andrade Almas vs. Johnny Gargano (WWE, 01/27)

This is the best kind of a "epic" indy/2010's NJPW style of a match. Every sequence, every hold - everything feels like it matters. Everything is brutal. Gargano's babyface performance is something to behold & Almas was absolutely ruthless with his offense. ****1/2

6) AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE, 04/10)

Daniel Bryan's first singles match back, and it's against someone who he has always had a wonderful chemistry with. It ends in an interference, but that doesn't take away anything from the greatness that happened before that ending; Bryan & Styles put on a clinic & prove that there aren't many, IF ANY, who are on the same level as them. Both guys were awesome selling their asses off for each other & working over each other's limbs w/ such accuracy. ****1/2

5) Absolute Andy vs. David Starr (wXw, 03/11)
The perfect culmination of the tournament & the journeys of both characters, Absolute Andy & David Starr. Andy is an absolute bastard who tries to cheat while delivering Starr a veteran beating, all the while Starr digs down deep to try & win the thing he was seemingly destined to. There's lots of nearfalls & all, and those could & would annoy me in a lot of different situations, but here they were 110% earned. wXw, Andy & Starr did such a fantastic job building to this final w/ the previous tourney matches of 2. ****3/4

4) Dalton Castle vs. Jay Lethal (ROH, 03/09)

This match is so, so, so good. When I first watched it, I immediately thought how it's the best ROH match I've seen in YEARS, and I still stand by that. It has a very old school ROH title match feel, with the new champ taking on the ace of the promotion, and that ace truly makes a man out of that champ. They beat the crap out of each other w/ some fantastic selling in there. Bobby Cruise also takes a bump which obviously boosts it's rating. Bobby Cruise bumps for every match imo. ****3/4

3) Timothy Thatcher vs. WALTER (PROGRESS, 01/28)
It's very hard to pick which one is #3, this or the one that's on the #2 spot (as of now). This is just a brutal warfare between Ringkampf, the best tag team in the world. Fantastic psychology w/ Thatcher's arm targeting, WALTER gives him a WALTER-sized beating (to say the least) & Thatcher once again proves why he is such a legendary FIP. I originally had this at 5-stars, even, but for whatever reason I had some doubts about that so as of now it's "just" very close to that level. ****3/4

2) Ilja Dragunov vs. WALTER (wXw, 05/05)
I haven't really liked their previous matches before this that much - I thought the 16 Carat match was one of the most overrated ones of 2017. Here though, everything clicked with me. Instead of it centering around them chopping each other to bits, this one is revolved around them trying to wear down one another, in brutal yet strategic fashion; Ilja goes after WALTER's chopping arm right away, and as an answer WALTER is even more angry & gives Ilja's neck an absolutely BRUTAL beating. ****3/4

1) Darby Allin vs. WALTER (EVOLVE, 06/23)
This was one of my most awaited match ups of the Mania weekend, and when it got canceled, I was a very sad panda. I am very happy to say that as it eventually happened, it lived up to my expectations & THEN SOME MORE. The energy, the vibe, the atmosphere is something special - the whole experience of the full package is something that reminds me of the good ol' days, early to mid 2000's when the indies truly felt like a Wild West. WALTER is baffled why this little man w/ some face paint on tries to seriously fight him, and he is even more baffled why that little man ain't going down. WALTER is amazing in his role & Darby's performance is just superb; the hand targeting is what puts the match over the top as a classic, him punching & headbutting that hand is something that will stick with me for a long, long time. *****