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Worst in the World: A 2020 New Japan Cup Double Feature

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Note: Hey everyone, thanks for coming back for the newest edition of the Worst in the World. As you'll notice very quickly, there are zero pictures from the shows these matches take place on. The reason for that is because New Japan (more specifically its minority owner TV Asahi) has become a lot stricter on people sharing material from their shows online, even issuing DMCA takedowns to people sharing GIFs on Twitter. Because of that, I'm still going to cover New Japan matches if they get recommended, but they'll be free of images from the show. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy!

(Special thanks to Frost for suggesting one of the matches covered here. If you'd like to see a match covered on the Worst in the World, leave a comment down below.)
Back in November this past year, I got a recommendation from Frost, a frequent contributor to the recommendations, to cover an interesting match; Kazuchika Okada vs Gedo from Day 2 of the 2020 New Japan Cup. The reason that match is interesting is that never in a million years did I think I'd ever see a Kazuchika Okada match get recommended to me. As of writing this, Okada has had 22 matches receive a five-star rating or higher from Dave Meltzer (the third most ever), took part in the highest-rated match by Meltzer ever, that being his match with Kenny Omega from Dominion 6.9 at 7 stars, has been named Wrestler of the Year by multiple wrestling outlets, has taken part in multiple Match of the Year winners from multiple outlets, and has a Cagematch.net rating of 9.69 out of 10, tied for the third-highest among those with at least 50 votes. He's one of the most critically acclaimed wrestlers of all time. But alas, this match seemed to do the impossible; make Okada have a bad match. The match earned just one star from Meltzer (which isn't the worst, but for Okada, that's unusually low) and currently has just a 2.08 on Cagematch. It's not only the worst rating of Okada's career on the site, but it's in the bottom five lowest-rated matches in New Japan's history. It was actually in finding that information that I discovered what the worst-rated match New Japan had on Cagematch was; Toru Yano vs Jado. Not only was it easily the lowest rated match the company had at just 0.50 (putting it at #11 on Cagematch's "Flop 50" worst-rated matches), but it also took place as part of the 2020 New Japan Cup. The night before on Day 1 of the tournament, to be specific. So, with that in mind, I've decided to kill two birds with one stone and cover both matches. Let's get into this.

Match #1: Yano vs Jado

One of the cool things about the New Japan Cup is the feeling that just about anybody could realistically win it. Unlike with the G1 Climax, which is usually reserved for the established top guys to win, the Cup has seen a wider variety of winners. While those same top guys have won the tournament in the past, we've also seen plenty of midcard wrestlers go all the way and earn a shot at the heavyweight championship, with some even winning their title match. However, just like with the G1, the wide field of competitors also leads to people you know have virtually no chance of actually winning, giving us matches that feel a lot more like space fillers rather than credible winners. Case and point; Toru Yano vs Jado. Generally, one could look past the overall formality of a match-up like this if the match is enjoyable. BUSHI vs YOH happens in the first round of this same tournament, and while both of them were longshots at best to win the tournament, nobody really complained because the match was fine. Yano vs Jado, however, is not that kind of match-up. Yano's a perfectly fine wrestler whose comedy can be entertaining at times, but when's on the same card as guys like Kazuchika Okada or Hiroshi Tanahashi, or in the case of this match, the same card as guys like Hiromu Takahashi and Tomohiro Ishii, he sticks out like a sore thumb. That being said, with the right opponent, Yano is capable of having a good match. Jado is not that opponent. Jado used to be a pretty good wrestler, mostly as part of his tag team with Gedo, but he's way past his prime at this point, and now in his 50s, it's almost a guarantee that he'll have the worst match of any card he's on. Put these two together and you get New Japan's worst-rated match on Cagematch.net.
Yano is accompanied to the ring by his Bullet Club stablemates Yujiro Takahashi and his tag partner Gedo. Yano is out with his signature DVD before spraying Jado with a spray bottle. Kevin Kelly is on commentary and immediately starts lowering our expectations, saying the ring announcer should start the introductions early so we get can get this done in a reasonable time before openly hoping we "get some wrestling out of this deal." Because of the COVID-19 pandemic (you might've heard about it), the New Japan Cup was held in an empty venue, but that doesn't stop Yano from leading the non-existent crowd in a chant for himself. Jado then tries to do it himself before Yano goes to rip off a turnbuckle pad. The referee stops him as Jado grabs his kendo stick. Jado takes a swing, but Yano ducks and runs across to ring to go for another turnbuckle pad. Yano successfully grabs gets the pad, leading to a standoff between the two as the referee tries to get both men to drop their weapons. Yano obliges, but Jado keeps his and tries to smack Yano, only for the referee to disarm him. This allows Yano to grab the pad again and bonk Jado on the head. This is fun, but I'm two minutes into a nine-minute match here. This is going to overstay its welcome.
Jado sells being hit by a foam pad for 30 straight seconds, stumbling around before Flair Flopping to the mat. The referee checks on Jado, allowing Takahashi to run in and attack Yano and send him out of the ring. As Jado & Gedo keeps the referee's attention, Takahashi tosses Yano around ringside and into the barricades. Jado stomps & chomps away Yano before biting his forehead. Jado then does his best Michael Cole impersonation, putting all his weight on the ropes as he stands on Yano's back. Jado slowly throws some elbows into Yano's back before raking the back. I cannot remember the last time I saw a back rake in a modern wrestling match that wasn't a joke in PWG. Jado throws Yano into the turnbuckle Yano exposed earlier before going for a German suplex. Judging by how he's moved a glacial pace in this match, that's not happening, so Yano blocks and switches positions, only for Jado to slowly roll up Yano for a near fall. Yano responds with a clothesline, but Jado ducks it and locks in an abdominal stretch. Jado's just busting out the 1980s wrestling move-set. I can't wait for him to hit a Thesz Press for the finish.
Yano gets to the ropes to break the hold, prompting Gedo to hop up on the apron and distract the referee. This allows Takahashi to enter the ring, kicking Yano in the gut before Jado gently hits the ropes and delivers a kick of his own. Holy shit, Jado should not be wrestling anymore. This dude is BARELY mobile at this point. I can't really show any clips (thank you, TV Asahi) but anybody who has seen this match knows exactly why Jado rarely works singles matches anymore. But even then, I can't imagine any match involving him could be good. This is horrible. Jado & Takahashi hit a double-back suplex before Jado makes the cover, but Yano kicks out. Jado goes for the Green Killer (a rope-hung DDT), but Yano avoids it and drags Jado's head down into the ropes. Yano's comeback involves him standing in the ropes for a while before taking off another turnbuckle pad. Jado nearly runs into the buckle when Yano dodges his charge, only to get slapped in the back of the head. Jado responds by taking the turnbuckle pad and hitting Yano with it. Even though the referee was adamant that Yano not use it earlier in the match, this is not a DQ. What the fuck is this?
Jado grabs his kendo stick, prompting the referee to stop him from using it. Gedo takes the opportunity to try and hit Yano with brass knuckles, but Yano dodges it. Gedo responds with a kick to the shin as Jado charges Yano with the kendo stick. Yano dodges it, shoves Jado into Gedo, low blows both of them, and shoves Gedo into Takahashi when he tries to get on the apron before finally rolling up Jado for the three and the win. Kevin Kelly on commentary pretends he lost power in his house to act like he didn't see Yano's low blow.

The Verdict

I'm just going to say it, this match was worse than any match WWE had in 2020, and I will stand by that. The fact that this match didn't win Worst Match of the Year in the 2020 Wrestling Observer Awards might be one of the biggest snubs in the history of the awards. At least matches like Goldberg vs Bray Wyatt and Brock Lesnar vs Ricochet, while they're terribly booked and did significant damage to Wyatt & Ricochet, are short enough that they're over and done with. At least the Wyatt Swamp Fight (which actually won the award in 2020) has the excuse of being a weird cinematic match that fell flat. There is no excuse for this match. Jado should not be wrestling anymore, it's clear as day that he can't physically do it anymore. It's especially glaring when he's in a singles match where you can't limit his involvement, and when he's wrestling someone like Yano, who is not good enough to carry him. I was initially worried about the comedy spots, but that was easily the best part of the match. I wish they had kept doing it, it's a lot better than watching these two wrestle each other. This isn't just bad by New Japan standards, it's bad by any standards, and it's going towards the bottom of the list.

The Rankings (Best to Worst)

  1. Tommy Dreamer vs Bully Ray-Victory Road 2011
  2. Triple H vs Kevin Nash-TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2011
  3. Rick Rude vs Jake Roberts-WrestleMania IV
  4. Too Much vs Al Snow & Head-King of the Ring 1998
  5. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns-Greatest Royal Rumble
  6. Ernest Miller vs Norman Smiley-Fall Brawl 1998
  7. Shane McMahon vs Eric Bischoff-SummerSlam 2003
  8. The Tag Team Gauntlet-Extreme Rules 2010
  9. The Gimmick Battle Royal-WrestleMania X-Seven
  10. Hernandez vs Matt Morgan-Victory Road 2011
  11. Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt-WrestleMania 33
  12. Vampiro vs Sting-Great American Bash 2000
  13. T&A vs Head Cheese-WrestleMania 2000
  14. David Arquette & Diamond Dallas Page vs Jeff Jarrett & Eric Bischoff
  15. The Women's Tag Team Turmoil-WrestleMania 37 (Night 1)
  16. Triple H vs Sgt. Slaughter-D-Generation X: In Your House
  17. Konnan vs One Man Gang-SuperBrawl VI
  18. Ultimate Warrior vs Hercules-WrestleMania IV
  19. Rick Rude vs Hawk-Clash of the Champions XXV
  20. Shelton Benjamin vs Viscera-New Year's Revolution 2006
  21. Steve McMichael vs Reggie White-Slamboree 1997
  22. Lars Sullivan vs Lucha House Party-Super Showdown 2019
  23. Alexa Bliss vs Bayley-Extreme Rules 2017
  24. The Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match-WrestleMania 13
  25. The Barbed Wire Christmas Tree Match-TNA iMPACT (12/20/2007)
  26. Tag Team Battle Royal-WrestleMania XIV
  27. The Chamber of Horrors-Halloween Havoc 1991
  28. The Natural Disasters vs Money Inc.-WrestleMania VIII
  29. Ivan Koloff vs Paul Jones-Clash of the Champions IV
  30. ODB, Taylor Wilde, and Roxxi vs The Kongtourage-Genesis 2009
  31. Kazushi Sakuraba & Yuji Nagata vs Daniel & Rolles Gracie-Wrestle Kingdom 8
  32. Ivory vs Tori-SummerSlam 1999
  33. Giant Baba vs Bulldog Bob Brown-WrestleRock
  34. The Reverse Battle Royal-Impact! (10/26/2006)
  35. Jerry Blackwell vs Boris Zhukov-SuperClash II
  36. Nikita Koloff vs Bobby Eaton-Bunkhouse Stampede
  37. Alex Wright vs Steve McMichael-Halloween Havoc 1997
  38. The Great Khali vs Kane-WrestleMania 23
  39. Savio Vega vs Crush vs Faarooq-Ground Zero: In Your House
  40. The Shockmaster vs Awesome/King Kong-Starrcade 1993
  41. Total Divas vs Other Divas-Survivor Series 2013
  42. The Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber-Elimination Chamber 2015
  43. The Oddities vs Kaientai-SummerSlam 1998
  44. Team RAW vs Team SmackDown Men's Elimination Match-Survivor Series 2017
  45. Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice-WrestleMania VIII
  46. Paul Ellering vs Teddy Long-Capital Combat
  47. Dusty Rhodes vs Big Boss Man-Saturday Night's Main Event (10/31/1989)
  48. Konnan vs Scott Hall-Fall Brawl 1998
  49. Damian Priest vs The Miz-WrestleMania Backlash
  50. Tyson Tomko vs Stevie Richards-Unforgiven 2004
  51. Kane vs The Great Khali-SummerSlam 2009
  52. Rick Steiner vs Scott Steiner-Fall Brawl 1998
  53. The Extreme Elimination Chamber-December to Dismember 2006
  54. Hollywood Hogan vs The Giant-Hog Wild
  55. Hollywood Hogan vs The Giant-Souled Out 1997
  56. Dustin Rhodes & King Kong vs Awesome Kong & The Equalizer-Battlebowl
  57. Finlay & Little Bastard vs The Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman-No Way Out 2007
  58. Mr. Anderson vs Rob Van Dam-Victory Road 2011
  59. Jake Roberts vs Andre the Giant-WrestleMania V
  60. El Gigante vs Nailz-G1 Climax 1994 (Day 1)
  61. Yokozuna vs King Mabel-In Your House 4
  62. Dusty Rhodes vs The Honky Tonk Man-SummerSlam 1989
  63. Sting & Hawk vs Meng & Kurasawa-Clash of the Champions XXXI
  64. The Hurt Business vs RETRIBUTION-WWE Monday Night RAW (10/26/2020)
  65. Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage-Uncensored 1998
  66. Al Snow vs Big Boss Man-Unforgiven 1999
  67. Vince Russo vs Ric Flair-WCW Monday Nitro (6/5/2000)
  68. Mickie James vs Ashley-Royal Rumble 2006
  69. Antonio Inoki vs The Great Antonio-NJPW Sumo Hall Show (12/8/1977)
  70. Christy Hemme vs Big Fat Oily Guy-Against All Odds 2007
  71. The Big Show vs Erick Rowan-TLC: Tables, Ladders, Chairs 2014
  72. British Bulldog & Jim Neidhart vs The Dancing Fools-Fall Brawl 1998
  73. Stevie Ray vs Konnan-World War 3 1998
  74. Vampiro vs The KISS Demon-Bash at the Beach 2000
  75. Team WCW vs nWo Wolfpac vs nWo Hollywood-Fall Brawl 1998
  76. Vampiro vs Oklahoma-Starrcade 1999
  77. Big Swole vs Penelope Ford, Rebel, and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.-AEW Dynamite (8/27/2020)
  78. Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant-WrestleMania III
  79. Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton-Battleground 2017
  80. Van Hammer vs Terrance Taylor-Clash of the Champions XVI
  81. Junkyard Dog vs Moondog Spot-Wrestling Classic
  82. The New Blood Gauntlet-WCW Monday Nitro (6/5/2000)
  83. Chris Jericho vs "Goldberg"-Fall Brawl 1998
  84. Hulk Hogan vs Kevin Nash-WCW Monday Nitro (1/4/1999)
  85. Sting vs Hulk Hogan-Halloween Havoc 1999
  86. Hulk Hogan vs Jeff Jarrett-Bash at the Beach 2000
  87. Roman Reigns vs The Undertaker-WrestleMania 33
  88. The Undertaker vs Goldberg-Super ShowDown 2019
  89. Hiroshi Wajima vs Tom Magee-All Japan Pro Wrestling 1988
  90. Jim Duggan vs Big Boss Man-Royal Rumble 1990
  91. Meng vs Jim Duggan-Uncensored 1995
  92. Jim Steele vs The Equalizer-SuperBrawl IV
  93. The Golden Truth vs Breezango-Money in the Bank 2016
  94. The Undertaker vs Giant González-WrestleMania IX
  95. Sting vs Tony Palmore-Battle 7
  96. D-Generation X vs Brothers of Destruction-Crown Jewel
  97. Wendi Richter vs Leilani Kai-WrestleMania
  98. Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar-WrestleMania XX
  99. Hornswoggle vs Chavo Guerrero-WWE Monday Night Raw (7/20/2009)
  100. Edge vs Triple H vs Vladimir Kozlov-Survivor Series 2008
  101. Rosita & Sarita vs Angelina Love & Winter-Victory Road 2011
  102. Kevin Sullivan vs Dave Sullivan-SuperBrawl V
  103. Steve McMichael vs Brian Adams-Road Wild 1998
  104. Scott Hall vs Roddy Piper-SuperBrawl IX
  105. Boris Zhukov vs Paul Samson-Beach Brawl
  106. Roddy Piper vs Hollywood Hogan-Halloween Havoc 1997
  107. Kane vs The Great Khali-Breaking Point
  108. Hollywood Hogan & Dennis Rodman vs Diamond Dallas Page & Karl Malone-Bash at the Beach 1998
  109. PN News & Bobby Eaton vs Steve Austin & Terrance Taylor-Great American Bash 1991
  110. Scott Steiner vs Sid Vicious vs Jeff Jarrett vs Road Warrior Animal-Sin
  111. Hollywood Hogan vs Roddy Piper-SuperBrawl 1997
  112. The 2015 Royal Rumble Match
  113. Batista vs The Great Khali-SummerSlam 2007
  114. Sting vs Hollywood Hogan-Starrcade 1997
  115.  Sable vs Tori-WrestleMania XV
  116. Super Invader vs Todd Champion-WrestleWar 1992
  117. Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez-Crown Jewel 2019
  118. King Kong Bundy & Jim Neidhart vs Yokozuna & Jake Roberts-Heroes of Wrestling
  119. Sid Vicious vs The Nightstalker-Clash of the Champions XIII
  120. The 8-Divas Tag Match-Survivor Series 1999
  121. The Fabulous Freebirds vs The Renegade Warriors-Halloween Havoc 1990
  122. The Knockouts Gauntlet-One Night Only: Live! 2016
  123. AJ Styles vs Frank Trigg-No Surrender 2008
  124. Rick Rude vs Masahiro Chono-Halloween Havoc 1992
  125. Mike Awesome vs Vampiro-Halloween Havoc 2000
  126. Bray Wyatt vs John Cena-Extreme Rules 2014
  127. Brothers of Destruction vs KroniK-Unforgiven 2001
  128. The Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal-WrestleMania 25
  129. Mabel vs The Undertaker-King of the Ring 1995
  130. Wendi Richter vs The Fabulous Moolah-The Brawl to End it All
  131. David Flair vs Kimberly Page-Mayhem 1999
  132. The Truth Commission vs The Disciples of Apocolypse-Survivor Series 1997
  133. Daffney vs Miss Hancock-Bash at the Beach 2000
  134. The Bushwhacker vs The Fabulous Rougeaus-WrestleMania V
  135. Randy Orton vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-WrestleMania 37 (Night 2)
  136. The Beverly Brothers vs The Bushwhackers-Royal Rumble 1992
  137. Teddy Long vs Eric Bischoff-Survivor Series 2005
  138. Greg Valentine vs George Steele-Heroes of Wrestling
  139. Abdullah the Butcher vs One Man Gang-Heroes of Wrestling
  140. Major Gunns vs Miss Hancock-New Blood Rising
  141. Vince Russo vs Booker T-WCW Monday Nitro (9/25/2000)
  142. Bradshaw & Trish Stratus vs Christopher Nowinski & Jackie Gayda-WWE Monday Night RAW (7/8/2002)
  143. Triple H vs Scott Steiner-Royal Rumble 2003
  144. Goldberg vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-Super ShowDown 2020
  145. Santina Marella vs Vickie & Chavo Guerrero-Extreme Rules 2009
  146. Kevin Nash vs Scott Steiner vs Goldberg-New Blood Rising
  147. Hollywood Hogan vs The Warrior-Halloween Havoc 1998
  148. Mr. T vs Roddy Piper-WrestleMania 2
  149. The Royal Family vs Clowns R' Us-Survivor Series 1994
  150. The House of Horrors Match-Payback 2017
  151. The Blacktop Bully vs Dustin Rhodes-Uncensored 1995
  152. Team Dos Caras vs Team El Canek-Leyendas Mexicanas 2017
  153. Pat Patterson vs Gerald Brisco-King of the Ring 2000
  154. The Wyatt Swamp Fight-The Horror Show at Extreme Rules
  155. The Four Doinks vs Team Bigelow-Survivor Series 1993
  156. Sting vs Jeff Hardy-Victory Road 2011 
  157. Bret Hart vs Mr. McMahon-WrestleMania XVI
  158. WarGames 2000: Russo's Revenge-WCW Monday Nitro (9/4/2000)
  159. Oz vs Tim Parker-SuperBrawl
  160. Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman-Crown Jewel 2018
  161. Brock Lesnar vs Ricochet-Super ShowDown 2020
  162. The Mighty Maccabee vs The Iron Sheik-Maccabiah Mania II: Shekel Slam
  163. Van Hammer vs Doug Somers-Halloween Havoc 1991
  164. Ultimate Warrior vs Andre the Giant-Saturday Night's Main Event (11/25/1989)
  165. Jeff Jarrett vs Sting-Halloween Havoc 2000
  166. The Doomsday Cage Match-Uncensored 1996
  167. Kane vs The Undertaker-Judgement Day 1998
  168. Toru Yano vs Jado-New Japan Cup 2020 (Day 1)
  169. Rebel vs Shelly Martinez-One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown
  170. Kaitlyn vs Maxine-NXT (10/19/2010)
  171. Sabu vs The Sandman-November to Remember 1997
  172. Seth Rollins vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-Hell in a Cell 2019
  173. Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler-WrestleMania XXVII
  174. The Bushwhackers vs Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff-Heroes of Wrestling
  175. James Storm vs Chris Harris-Lockdown 2007
  176. John Laurinaitis vs John Cena-Over the Limit 2012
  177. Hulk Hogan vs The Giant-Halloween Havoc 1995
  178. Ultimate Warrior vs Goldust-In Your House 7
  179. Los Villanos vs Los Psycho Circus-Triplemania XXIII
  180. Jenna Morasca vs Sharmell-Victory Road 2009
  181. Akira Maeda vs Andre the Giant-NJPW Big Fighter Series 1986 (Day 15)

Match #2: Okada vs Gedo

So, now that THAT match is out of the way, let's get to the actual suggestion. As I said in the intro, Kazuchika Okada is one of the most critically acclaimed wrestlers of all time. It takes a lot for him to have a bad match. I present to you...a lot...and his name is Gedo. Gedo, like his tag partner Jado, was a talented staple of the junior heavyweight tag division. However, and also like Jado, Gedo is in his 50s now and is way past his prime at this point. Remember when I said Jado almost always has the worst match on any card he's on? Gedo is the only person who can compete with him in that regard. As for this match, the history between Okada and Gedo is pretty well known, as Gedo served as Okada's manager for several years while the two were part of the CHAOS faction. Aside from being the head booker for New Japan, being Okada's manager is probably what Gedo is best known for, which is kind of funny when you remember he's been wrestling for over 30 years. That all changed in 2018 when Jay White defected from CHAOS to join the Bullet Club, and along with him went Gedo & Jado, ending the partnership of Okada & Gedo. Given the story (and who's booking this), it was almost certain that we'd get an Okada/Gedo singles match, and a year and a half after the turn, they faced off in the first round of the 2020 New Japan Cup. There were only two ways this was going to go; Okada brings Gedo up to his level, or Gedo drags Okada down to his. Let's see how the latter happened.
Gedo comes out first to the great Bullet Club theme. I have no idea why Jado didn't come out to it, but it makes me like his match even less. Gedo comes out with his arms in a sling. Kevin Kelly tries to explain that Gedo pulled a ruse by saying that a CHAOS fan hit him with their car, and now he's trying it again...I think. Gedo then cuts a promo in Japanese so I have no idea what he said, and Kevin Kelly does not tell us. But back to the entrances as Okada comes out. Kazuchika Okada has one of the best entrance themes in wrestling today...that is all. Gedo unwraps his arm, revealing he has a can of mace in his hand. Okada, however, knocks it away, earning Gedo a stern look from referee Red Shoes Unno. His plan foiled, Gedo lays down and asks to be pinned. The bell rings as Okada tries to score the easy win, only for Gedo to attempt a cradle pin. Okada avoids it and stomps away at Gedo, who still has his jacket on from his entrance. Okada searches the jacket and finds brass knuckles, preparing to hit Gedo with them. Unno stops him and takes the knuckles, allowing Gedo to pull a wrench out of his jacket and hit Okada in the gut with it. Gedo continues to beat down Okada at ringside with the wrench, and even though Unno sees him with the wrench, he doesn't disqualify him. From what I understand, it's not a DQ if you use a weapon outside the ring in New Japan, so I guess that explains that. 
Gedo kicks away at Okada before grabbing the timekeeper's table from over the guard rail. Okada runs over and kicks Gedo in the ribs...which Gedo no-sells before kneeing Okada in the gut. Gedo hits Okada with the table...and doesn't get disqualified. As Gedo continues beating Okada with the table, Unno threatens to disqualify him, so he stops. Even though they've been brawling at ringside for well over a minute and a half, Unno doesn't start counting Okada out until Gedo rolls into the ring. What is happening with this match? Okada beats the count, prompting Gedo to toss him right out the other side and into the barricade. Gedo goes under the ring and grabs a chair, hitting Okada twice before Unno steps in...and doesn't disqualify again. Back in the ring, Gedo double stomps Okada before kicking away at him. Okada fires up as Gedo punches him, hitting him with forearms before blocking a kick and hitting a big boot. Okada follows up by flooring Gedo with a back elbow before hitting a corner hip smash and a DDT for a near fall. Okada hits a bodyslam and goes to the top rope, but Gedo rolls out of the ring. Okada follows him, only for Gedo to hit him with the timekeeper's hammer.
Back in the ring, Gedo kicks away at Okada before Okada goes for a dropkick, but Gedo avoids it by holding the ropes off an Irish whip. Gedo makes the cover after another kick, getting a near fall before locking in a single leg Boston Crab/bow and arrow stretch combo. Okada manages to grab the ropes for a break, but Gedo catches him with a kick to the gut. Gedo goes for another one, but Okada blocks it and goes for the Air Raid Crash Neckbreaker, but Gedo blocks it and pokes him in the eyes. Gedo charges Okada in the corner, only for Okada to catch him and hit the Air Raid Crash Neckbreaker. Okada's too hurt to make the cover, so he goes for a Tombstone Piledriver, but Gedo blocks it by grabbing the ref. A second attempt gets countered, ending with Gedo shoving Okada into Unno and knocking him down. Gedo low blows Okada before crawling to the ring post, where he has hidden another pair of brass knuckles.
Gedo punches Okada with the knuckles before waking up the referee and pinning Okada with the Gedo Clutch, but Okada kicks out at two. Gedo sets up to hit Jay White's Blade Runner as Jado comes down to the ring because I guess this match could get worse. Okada blocks Blade Runner and goes for a dropkick, but Gedo avoids it. Jado leaves another pair of brass knuckles on the apron and distracts the referee, allowing Gedo to retrieve them. There have been more individual pairs of brass knuckles than actual moves from Gedo in this match. Gedo goes to hit Okada again, but Okada ducks and hits the dropkick, sending the knuckles out of the ring. Okada hits another dropkick before knocking Jado off the ring apron. Also, Okada's dropkicks are beautiful...that is all. Okada follows up with a Tombstone Piledriver before locking in the Cobra Clutch sleeper, aka the Money Clip, for the submission win. I sat through 15 minutes of Gedo shenanigans and didn't even get to see one Rainmaker. This sucks.

The Verdict

It's nowhere near as bad as Yano vs Jado, but if I'm going to be setting the bar THAT low, then there really isn't a point in having a bar at all. Gedo moves a lot better than Jado did in his match, but it's still pretty clear that Gedo is well past his prime and can't really do much. That's probably why this match is packed full of Gedo cheating and outside interference, it's pretty much all Gedo can do at this point. The best parts are obviously when Okada gets to do his spots, but those moments are few and far between, and the lack of an opponent who can match his style really drags the match down, especially when the match goes 15 minutes. It's not going too far down the list, but if you haven't seen this match, you're not really missing out on anything.

The Rankings (Best to Worst)

  1. Tommy Dreamer vs Bully Ray-Victory Road 2011
  2. Triple H vs Kevin Nash-TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2011
  3. Rick Rude vs Jake Roberts-WrestleMania IV
  4. Too Much vs Al Snow & Head-King of the Ring 1998
  5. Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns-Greatest Royal Rumble
  6. Ernest Miller vs Norman Smiley-Fall Brawl 1998
  7. Shane McMahon vs Eric Bischoff-SummerSlam 2003
  8. The Tag Team Gauntlet-Extreme Rules 2010
  9. The Gimmick Battle Royal-WrestleMania X-Seven
  10. Hernandez vs Matt Morgan-Victory Road 2011
  11. Randy Orton vs Bray Wyatt-WrestleMania 33
  12. Vampiro vs Sting-Great American Bash 2000
  13. T&A vs Head Cheese-WrestleMania 2000
  14. David Arquette & Diamond Dallas Page vs Jeff Jarrett & Eric Bischoff
  15. The Women's Tag Team Turmoil-WrestleMania 37 (Night 1)
  16. Triple H vs Sgt. Slaughter-D-Generation X: In Your House
  17. Konnan vs One Man Gang-SuperBrawl VI
  18. Ultimate Warrior vs Hercules-WrestleMania IV
  19. Rick Rude vs Hawk-Clash of the Champions XXV
  20. Shelton Benjamin vs Viscera-New Year's Revolution 2006
  21. Steve McMichael vs Reggie White-Slamboree 1997
  22. Lars Sullivan vs Lucha House Party-Super Showdown 2019
  23. Alexa Bliss vs Bayley-Extreme Rules 2017
  24. The Tag Team Fatal 4-Way Match-WrestleMania 13
  25. The Barbed Wire Christmas Tree Match-TNA iMPACT (12/20/2007)
  26. Tag Team Battle Royal-WrestleMania XIV
  27. The Chamber of Horrors-Halloween Havoc 1991
  28. The Natural Disasters vs Money Inc.-WrestleMania VIII
  29. Ivan Koloff vs Paul Jones-Clash of the Champions IV
  30. ODB, Taylor Wilde, and Roxxi vs The Kongtourage-Genesis 2009
  31. Kazushi Sakuraba & Yuji Nagata vs Daniel & Rolles Gracie-Wrestle Kingdom 8
  32. Ivory vs Tori-SummerSlam 1999
  33. Giant Baba vs Bulldog Bob Brown-WrestleRock
  34. The Reverse Battle Royal-Impact! (10/26/2006)
  35. Jerry Blackwell vs Boris Zhukov-SuperClash II
  36. Nikita Koloff vs Bobby Eaton-Bunkhouse Stampede
  37. Alex Wright vs Steve McMichael-Halloween Havoc 1997
  38. The Great Khali vs Kane-WrestleMania 23
  39. Savio Vega vs Crush vs Faarooq-Ground Zero: In Your House
  40. The Shockmaster vs Awesome/King Kong-Starrcade 1993
  41. Total Divas vs Other Divas-Survivor Series 2013
  42. The Intercontinental Championship Elimination Chamber-Elimination Chamber 2015
  43. The Oddities vs Kaientai-SummerSlam 1998
  44. Team RAW vs Team SmackDown Men's Elimination Match-Survivor Series 2017
  45. Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice-WrestleMania VIII
  46. Paul Ellering vs Teddy Long-Capital Combat
  47. Dusty Rhodes vs Big Boss Man-Saturday Night's Main Event (10/31/1989)
  48. Konnan vs Scott Hall-Fall Brawl 1998
  49. Damian Priest vs The Miz-WrestleMania Backlash
  50. Tyson Tomko vs Stevie Richards-Unforgiven 2004
  51. Kane vs The Great Khali-SummerSlam 2009
  52. Rick Steiner vs Scott Steiner-Fall Brawl 1998
  53. The Extreme Elimination Chamber-December to Dismember 2006
  54. Hollywood Hogan vs The Giant-Hog Wild
  55. Hollywood Hogan vs The Giant-Souled Out 1997
  56. Dustin Rhodes & King Kong vs Awesome Kong & The Equalizer-Battlebowl
  57. Finlay & Little Bastard vs The Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman-No Way Out 2007
  58. Mr. Anderson vs Rob Van Dam-Victory Road 2011
  59. Jake Roberts vs Andre the Giant-WrestleMania V
  60. El Gigante vs Nailz-G1 Climax 1994 (Day 1)
  61. Yokozuna vs King Mabel-In Your House 4
  62. Dusty Rhodes vs The Honky Tonk Man-SummerSlam 1989
  63. Sting & Hawk vs Meng & Kurasawa-Clash of the Champions XXXI
  64. The Hurt Business vs RETRIBUTION-WWE Monday Night RAW (10/26/2020)
  65. Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage-Uncensored 1998
  66. Al Snow vs Big Boss Man-Unforgiven 1999
  67. Vince Russo vs Ric Flair-WCW Monday Nitro (6/5/2000)
  68. Mickie James vs Ashley-Royal Rumble 2006
  69. Antonio Inoki vs The Great Antonio-NJPW Sumo Hall Show (12/8/1977)
  70. Christy Hemme vs Big Fat Oily Guy-Against All Odds 2007
  71. The Big Show vs Erick Rowan-TLC: Tables, Ladders, Chairs 2014
  72. British Bulldog & Jim Neidhart vs The Dancing Fools-Fall Brawl 1998
  73. Stevie Ray vs Konnan-World War 3 1998
  74. Vampiro vs The KISS Demon-Bash at the Beach 2000
  75. Team WCW vs nWo Wolfpac vs nWo Hollywood-Fall Brawl 1998
  76. Vampiro vs Oklahoma-Starrcade 1999
  77. Big Swole vs Penelope Ford, Rebel, and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D.-AEW Dynamite (8/27/2020)
  78. Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant-WrestleMania III
  79. Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton-Battleground 2017
  80. Van Hammer vs Terrance Taylor-Clash of the Champions XVI
  81. Junkyard Dog vs Moondog Spot-Wrestling Classic
  82. The New Blood Gauntlet-WCW Monday Nitro (6/5/2000)
  83. Chris Jericho vs "Goldberg"-Fall Brawl 1998
  84. Hulk Hogan vs Kevin Nash-WCW Monday Nitro (1/4/1999)
  85. Sting vs Hulk Hogan-Halloween Havoc 1999
  86. Hulk Hogan vs Jeff Jarrett-Bash at the Beach 2000
  87. Roman Reigns vs The Undertaker-WrestleMania 33
  88. The Undertaker vs Goldberg-Super ShowDown 2019
  89. Hiroshi Wajima vs Tom Magee-All Japan Pro Wrestling 1988
  90. Jim Duggan vs Big Boss Man-Royal Rumble 1990
  91. Meng vs Jim Duggan-Uncensored 1995
  92. Jim Steele vs The Equalizer-SuperBrawl IV
  93. The Golden Truth vs Breezango-Money in the Bank 2016
  94. The Undertaker vs Giant González-WrestleMania IX
  95. Sting vs Tony Palmore-Battle 7
  96. D-Generation X vs Brothers of Destruction-Crown Jewel
  97. Wendi Richter vs Leilani Kai-WrestleMania
  98. Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar-WrestleMania XX
  99. Hornswoggle vs Chavo Guerrero-WWE Monday Night Raw (7/20/2009)
  100. Edge vs Triple H vs Vladimir Kozlov-Survivor Series 2008
  101. Rosita & Sarita vs Angelina Love & Winter-Victory Road 2011
  102. Kevin Sullivan vs Dave Sullivan-SuperBrawl V
  103. Steve McMichael vs Brian Adams-Road Wild 1998
  104. Scott Hall vs Roddy Piper-SuperBrawl IX
  105. Boris Zhukov vs Paul Samson-Beach Brawl
  106. Roddy Piper vs Hollywood Hogan-Halloween Havoc 1997
  107. Kane vs The Great Khali-Breaking Point
  108. Hollywood Hogan & Dennis Rodman vs Diamond Dallas Page & Karl Malone-Bash at the Beach 1998
  109. PN News & Bobby Eaton vs Steve Austin & Terrance Taylor-Great American Bash 1991
  110. Scott Steiner vs Sid Vicious vs Jeff Jarrett vs Road Warrior Animal-Sin
  111. Hollywood Hogan vs Roddy Piper-SuperBrawl 1997
  112. The 2015 Royal Rumble Match
  113. Kazuchika Okada vs Gedo-New Japan Cup 2020 (Day 2)
  114. Batista vs The Great Khali-SummerSlam 2007
  115. Sting vs Hollywood Hogan-Starrcade 1997
  116.  Sable vs Tori-WrestleMania XV
  117. Super Invader vs Todd Champion-WrestleWar 1992
  118. Brock Lesnar vs Cain Velasquez-Crown Jewel 2019
  119. King Kong Bundy & Jim Neidhart vs Yokozuna & Jake Roberts-Heroes of Wrestling
  120. Sid Vicious vs The Nightstalker-Clash of the Champions XIII
  121. The 8-Divas Tag Match-Survivor Series 1999
  122. The Fabulous Freebirds vs The Renegade Warriors-Halloween Havoc 1990
  123. The Knockouts Gauntlet-One Night Only: Live! 2016
  124. AJ Styles vs Frank Trigg-No Surrender 2008
  125. Rick Rude vs Masahiro Chono-Halloween Havoc 1992
  126. Mike Awesome vs Vampiro-Halloween Havoc 2000
  127. Bray Wyatt vs John Cena-Extreme Rules 2014
  128. Brothers of Destruction vs KroniK-Unforgiven 2001
  129. The Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal-WrestleMania 25
  130. Mabel vs The Undertaker-King of the Ring 1995
  131. Wendi Richter vs The Fabulous Moolah-The Brawl to End it All
  132. David Flair vs Kimberly Page-Mayhem 1999
  133. The Truth Commission vs The Disciples of Apocolypse-Survivor Series 1997
  134. Daffney vs Miss Hancock-Bash at the Beach 2000
  135. The Bushwhacker vs The Fabulous Rougeaus-WrestleMania V
  136. Randy Orton vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-WrestleMania 37 (Night 2)
  137. The Beverly Brothers vs The Bushwhackers-Royal Rumble 1992
  138. Teddy Long vs Eric Bischoff-Survivor Series 2005
  139. Greg Valentine vs George Steele-Heroes of Wrestling
  140. Abdullah the Butcher vs One Man Gang-Heroes of Wrestling
  141. Major Gunns vs Miss Hancock-New Blood Rising
  142. Vince Russo vs Booker T-WCW Monday Nitro (9/25/2000)
  143. Bradshaw & Trish Stratus vs Christopher Nowinski & Jackie Gayda-WWE Monday Night RAW (7/8/2002)
  144. Triple H vs Scott Steiner-Royal Rumble 2003
  145. Goldberg vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-Super ShowDown 2020
  146. Santina Marella vs Vickie & Chavo Guerrero-Extreme Rules 2009
  147. Kevin Nash vs Scott Steiner vs Goldberg-New Blood Rising
  148. Hollywood Hogan vs The Warrior-Halloween Havoc 1998
  149. Mr. T vs Roddy Piper-WrestleMania 2
  150. The Royal Family vs Clowns R' Us-Survivor Series 1994
  151. The House of Horrors Match-Payback 2017
  152. The Blacktop Bully vs Dustin Rhodes-Uncensored 1995
  153. Team Dos Caras vs Team El Canek-Leyendas Mexicanas 2017
  154. Pat Patterson vs Gerald Brisco-King of the Ring 2000
  155. The Wyatt Swamp Fight-The Horror Show at Extreme Rules
  156. The Four Doinks vs Team Bigelow-Survivor Series 1993
  157. Sting vs Jeff Hardy-Victory Road 2011 
  158. Bret Hart vs Mr. McMahon-WrestleMania XVI
  159. WarGames 2000: Russo's Revenge-WCW Monday Nitro (9/4/2000)
  160. Oz vs Tim Parker-SuperBrawl
  161. Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman-Crown Jewel 2018
  162. Brock Lesnar vs Ricochet-Super ShowDown 2020
  163. The Mighty Maccabee vs The Iron Sheik-Maccabiah Mania II: Shekel Slam
  164. Van Hammer vs Doug Somers-Halloween Havoc 1991
  165. Ultimate Warrior vs Andre the Giant-Saturday Night's Main Event (11/25/1989)
  166. Jeff Jarrett vs Sting-Halloween Havoc 2000
  167. The Doomsday Cage Match-Uncensored 1996
  168. Kane vs The Undertaker-Judgement Day 1998
  169. Toru Yano vs Jado-New Japan Cup 2020 (Day 1)
  170. Rebel vs Shelly Martinez-One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown
  171. Kaitlyn vs Maxine-NXT (10/19/2010)
  172. Sabu vs The Sandman-November to Remember 1997
  173. Seth Rollins vs "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt-Hell in a Cell 2019
  174. Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler-WrestleMania XXVII
  175. The Bushwhackers vs Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff-Heroes of Wrestling
  176. James Storm vs Chris Harris-Lockdown 2007
  177. John Laurinaitis vs John Cena-Over the Limit 2012
  178. Hulk Hogan vs The Giant-Halloween Havoc 1995
  179. Ultimate Warrior vs Goldust-In Your House 7
  180. Los Villanos vs Los Psycho Circus-Triplemania XXIII
  181. Jenna Morasca vs Sharmell-Victory Road 2009
  182. Akira Maeda vs Andre the Giant-NJPW Big Fighter Series 1986 (Day 15)
Thanks for reading! Be sure to share if you enjoy and leave any suggestions for matches you'd like to see covered in the Worst in the World in the comments. Next time it'll be another doubleheader, as I take a look at two matches from one of the most popular wrestlers of all time. Until then...
Labels:

Comments

  1. FrostMarch 20, 2022 at 7:51 PM

    I had to ask myself when I had first seen the low rating on the Okada match "Just how bad could a bad Okada match be?" Well, considering it is between "Sid breaking his leg" and "Hogan's ego ruins the most anticipated PPV in WCW's history" I would say it is pretty damn bad. I am not sure I should be proud that I at least led you to a "Top 15" worst match of all-time. But I cannot wait to see what you are cooking up for the next installment, or rather, to smell what you are cooking....I'll see myself out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. FrostMarch 23, 2022 at 7:20 PM

    Also, got another interesting match recommendation. I was doing some research of old Uncle Meltzer ratings, and I found one that seemed peculiar to me: Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker and Wrestlemania XXX was given 1.5 stars by WON. Given that this series has seen matches rated higher than that on the Meltzer Meter, would that iconic match be worth an entry?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CJ BiddleMarch 27, 2022 at 5:41 PM

      I will absolutely cover Lesnar vs Taker. Granted, a big reason that match fell flat was cause Taker got concussed midway through, but I'll still cover it.

      Delete

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