Phil's Ongoing 2008 MOTY List

1. Floyd Mayweather v. Big Show WWE 3/30

The angle to set this up was pretty FUBAR'ed, although they did a nice job making it look good in the video package. I wasn't sure how you were going to work a tiny heel against a giant face, but this was put together perfectly. Floyd was so great dancing around the ring and landing shots, the initial body shot combo was so fast and impressive, and he was tagging Show with those jabs. I also loved the Pimp Cup. He came off as such a little prick, that when Show got his hands on him you wanted to see him step on his chest. You also have to love Floyd going over basically clean, but still coming off like he stole a victory. Brass knucks on the bling was pretty spectacular, and you wanted Floyd to get his so badly as he left. Too bad Vince doesn't have points in the De La Hoya rematch. A total spectacle, which I enjoyed more then anything else I saw this year.

2. Mitsuhara Misawa v. Takeshi Morishima NOAH 3/2

Omar didn't get to do go down in epic fashion, I understand why David Simon didn't give him a big send off, but I am glad 2008's other worn down gun slinger got to go down in a blaze of glory. Misawa had been limping around the streets of Tokyo for the last year and a half, wanting to just lay down, but needing someone to knock him off.

Early parts of this match were worked like a game of King of the Hill. One guy stood in the ring, throwing and pounding his opponent to the floor, often with a little added smack when he got there. The Misawa senton off the ring apron was especially nasty, but there was lots of cool outside stuff. Morishima even broke out a tope, with was almost Super Porkyesque in it's flying fatness. The match had a typical NOAH big match ending, which didn't go too long, but didn't blow me away either. I wouldn't put this ahead of the best of the Nigel and Dragon Morishima matches, but it was better then the lesser lights of that feud. Misawa can still deliver when needed.

3. Finlay v. JBL WWE 3/30

One of the problems with most current WWE streetfights is that they are more about setting up elaborate ECWish garbage spots, then two guys beating the shit out of each other. This match had some spots (Finlay topeing into a garbage can lid was especially nutty), but what I enjoyed about this so much, was two nasty dudes pounding on each other. Sure it didn't have gobs of blood, but it had the violence I want from those two guys.

4. Shawn Michaels v. Ric Flair WWE 3/30

I think I will get some heat for putting this match below Finlay v. JBL, but if we are talking about a match based around emotion, I will take a match based around hate over a match based around love every day. Shawn Michaels still has some stinky looking offense, the run of offense starting with Shawns wiffed Orihara moonsault, leading into his awful chops, comical over hand punches and impactless inverted atomic drops, will probably be the worst looking sequence in any match to make this list this year. Still outside of that this is a pretty great match. Flair breaks out multiple suplexes and a crazy bump to the floor, and your last ten minutes were spectacular. I loved Flair taking advantage of emo Shawn by kicking him in the balls, and that was a hell of struggle in a figure four. This whole match was built around Shawn realizing that Jesus required Judas, and "I am sorry, I love you" is a great finish to that kind of match.