Ed Kody's (Formerly of Pod Van Dam) 5 Favorite Matches of 2022

(Editor’s Note - NEPAwrestling.com would like to thank Ed Kody formerly of podcast Pod Van Dam for choosing us to host his year-end top matches list. Ed has been a great friend to NEPAwrestling.com since our launch; in both encouragement and promotion of our content to his much larger circle on social media. Any photos used are used under fair-use and sole copyright remains with the respective owners.)

 

2022 was a really weird year for me when it comes to professional play fights. It seemed like the first year that there wasn’t a company I fully supported and got behind all year. 

 For the first part of the year it seemed like AIW was (rightfully so) re-building and giving chances to unproven stars. NOAH started hot but was quickly cooled off by the broken down husks of Mutoh and Fujita. I don’t think I’ve ever been less interested in NJPW. 

 So, coming up with a top five matches list seemed daunting. How can you critique matches in a year you weren’t wholly invested in? So instead of a top five matches list, I’m going to go with my five favorite matches. 

 Maybe not all five star classics, but for sure five matches that reminded me that I do love professional wrestling. So in no particular order, here’s me doing a journalism about my favorite five matches from 2022.

 

Dominic Garrini vs Casey Carrington 

Dog Collar Match

AIW Absolution XV

 

This was part of AIW’s amazing effort at making new stars in 2022. Find some dudes with upside and put them in there with respected AIW vets, and this is the best example of that. 

Casey fucking sucks; the most punchable face, the most irritating delivery on promos. Surrounding himself with goons. This kid gave you so many reasons to want to see him get murked, and Dom for sure did a murking. It was a bloodbath.

 It was almost therapeutic watching Dom batter this kid. Just beautiful. Too bad Casey had to mess all this work up by being a dope, but that shouldn’t get in the way of remembering how great of a job AIW and Dom did at getting this kid over as a heel that can be billed on a top match at the biggest show of the year.

 

 

Max the Impaler vs Dan Champion 

LVAC Let’s Hang Out Spooky Edition ‘22

 

Big Dan Champion staring across the ring at Max The Impaler

Maybe this is rose colored glasses, but I adored this match. Maybe it was the several White Claws. Maybe it was being surrounded by friends I don’t get to see often. Maybe it was illegally streaming this match on Instagram standing right next to Jerry of Jerry’s Internet Wrestling Emporium fame. Maybe it was watching Max batter Dan with a glass bottle-filled trash can.

 I don’t know what it was but I couldn’t quit smiling during this. Just the cherry on top of one of the best nights of wrestling I got to enjoy this year.

 (DVD available here!)

Go Shiozaki vs Katsuhiko Nakajima 

GHC Heavyweight Championship 

NOAH 1/1/22

 

Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima as AXIZ collides.

Much like NJPW, NOAH peaks very early in the year. The new year is kind of Japan’s Mania weekend. With every company running and putting on their biggest matches. That’s what this match is; former tag partners battling it out for the biggest prize in Pro Wrestling NOAH. 

These two beat the absolute shit out of each other and put on a classic. All this momentum got derailed fairly quickly with NOAH leaning into broken down old men who they assumed were still stars, but this match shows you what NOAH could be when they do things right.

 

Kaplan vs Matt Justice vs Derek Dillinger 

AIW Hell on Earth

 

This match is disgusting. I love it. Justice bashing his eyebrow open hardway… Kaplan being just the dumbest (it’s a compliment), and Derek doing a blade job that would make Muta blush. I’m a monster and I love this shit. The best hardcore style match to happen this year.

 

Cody Rhodes vs Sammy Guevara 

TNT Title Ladder Match 

AEW Dynamite Beach Break

 

Cody Rhodes in his Last AEW match before Returning to WWE. Also Sammy Guevara.

I was in the house live for this one and boy oh boy easily the best match of Cody’s career. I’m not at all anything close to a Cody fan but even I have to admit that dude worked harder than he needed to knowing he had one foot out the door. Made Sammy look like a million bucks. 

Now Sammy sure did destroy all that goodwill in record time, sure  but enough can’t be said for the work they both put into this match. Being there live might have skewed this higher for me, but the entire environment of the match with everyone losing their minds, I guess you had to be there.

 

(Editor’s Note - Make sure to check out the final episode of Ed and company’s critically acclaimed wrestling-adjacent podcast Pod Van Dam! Listen here! A well beloved podcast that will be missed by many within the internet wrestling community.)