2014 Ongoing Match of the Year List

15. Virus v. Dragon Lee CMLL 12/9

PAS: Virus title matches are one of my favorite things in wrestling and I am really excited we got to see one against a technico I really enjoy. Dragon Lee was one of the highlights of the Busca De Idolo and I am glad he got a chance to stretch out and have a long match with a master. I had big expectations for this match and for the most part it delivered. Lee is very carriable on the mat and his high impact stuff looked awesome, his tope was a missle and I am very happy that the classic tope has made a comeback in 2014. Virus is a master and the counter of the running dropkick is possible the spot of the year. Finish run was really great, with Lee fighting out of the STF and them exchange big throws. Lee is going to be so good in a couple of years and I think this is the first of many classic matches he is going to have.

ER: Wow, this might be the best Virus performance of the year. Just a real emotional performance where he not only got to show off his clear wrestling talent, but got to show cockiness plunging right down into desperation and all ranges in between.The segunda especially got really great with all of that arm work. It's similar to other Virus arm work, but I don't think I've ever seen him do it with this kind of snap, just throwing Lee around by his arm and then dropping knee first right onto it. The sequence with Lee reaching for the ropes while Virus tried desperately to keep him away from them was one of my favorite moments of the year. Virus had the STF locked in and Lee kept inching closer to breaking it, so Virus keeps modifying it to try and prevent that, grabbing Lee's outstretched arm and turning it into a choke. Virus' facials during it were great. I'd have to think hard about what my favorite spot of the year was, but I will say while watching the match and seeing Virus' glorious reversal, I immediately thought it was the coolest thing I saw all year, the saw Phil had felt the same way. Wrestling these days is filled with tons of "scouted my opponent, know what's coming next better than he does" type moves, and most of the time they feel very choreographed and planned. Virus turning a running seated dropkick into a submission felt like something that Dragon Lee himself didn't know was happening. He did the move the same as he always does, except this time he got caught in a way he wouldn't have ever expected. It really made things jump up a whole level. Awesome performance by both guys.


2014 MASTER LIST