10. Bluegrass Mafia vs Mystic Exposition
08/28/2007 - Complete Control IIOn an evening dominated by the much-anticipated, NAPW-changing Cage of Death match, two tag teams went out in front of the Edmonton crowd and put on an absolute tag team wrestling clinic The Bluegrass Mafia of Chad & Matt Kurtis had their share of issues with Mystic Exposition... and the two teams tore the house down. After nearly 30 minutes of back and forth action, it was the BGM finally scoring the victory after a springboard Kurtis Krusher on The Expositioner. Not just one of the best tag team contests in NAPW history, but one of the ten best matches in NAPW history. Ask any of the Edmonton fans who gave a tremendous standing ovation on August 28. THIS IS TAG TEAM WRESTLING.
9. "LDK" Lloyd Rees vs Evan Cartwright
05/15/2006 - Monday Night FightsEvan Cartwright. "The Lemondrop Kid" Lloyd Rees. For the better part of 2006, these two men fought tooth & nail over the Provincial title, trading it back and forth. Rees came into the 2/3 falls rubber match the champion after winning an awesome ladder match at Complete Control a few weeks prior. The pressure on Evan Cartwright to prove he was more than a one-shot champion was immense. There was no waiting period. Cartwright and Rees tore into each other, each men refusing to give up the first fall, each man attempting to incapicitate the other. Rees finally scored the first fall with the deadly Conception Bay Chinlock, putting Cartwright down 1-0. Rees continued to dominate Cartwright, but just when it appeared the Bell Island native would retain the title, Cartwright surprised his rival with the Cartwheel submission. Llloyd fought but tapped out. Falls even at one apiece, kid gloves were off. Finally... Cartwright locked on the Cartwheel. After seemingly an eternity, Rees tapped out. Chris Casino entered the ring to congratulate his long-time friend Cartwright --- and promptly kicked Cartwright square in the balls. Casino completed his Judas-like betrayal with a Bankrupt onto the Provincial title belt. From the heights of glory to the depths of despair.
8. Stylin' Kyle Roberts vs The Beast
03/27/2007 - Sole Survivor IIIt was a match no NAPW fan ever expected to see, but when Kyle Roberts smashed his long-time tag partner The Beast in the head with a chair, it was inevitable. The crowd let Roberts know exactly what was going to happen: "Beast is gonna kill you." The Beast pummelled Kyle from pillar-to-post, venting months of frustration and betrayal. There was simply no stopping The Beast from his vengeance! Despite all his best tricks, his cleverest plots, his bear-iest... tamers... The Beast Chart Attacked Kyle Roberts so hard that the Stylin' one ended up in Carolina and REBEL Pro Wrestling. So in short: The Beast kicked the ever-lovin' snot out of Stylin' Kyle. It was most awesome.
7. Chris Casino vs Simply Beautiful
12/14/2006 - Black Thursday IIIt was the rematch. Chris Casino cheated in their first encounter to win the Pure Honor championship, contradicting the very spirit of the title: Pure wrestling and honor. SB came into NAPW's 2nd annual Black Thursday fired up and ready to bring it to the arrogant, hated Casino. And were it not for Casino's manager Raul Havok interfering at every possible occassion, Casino wouldn't have lasted five minutes. As it was, everytime SB got ahead Casino and Havok bent the rules, behind the referee's back. And yet it was still not enough as SB locked in the Painkiller after Casino spent all his rope breaks. Casino tapped out... while Havok had the referee distracted. One title belt shot and Bankrupt later, Casino escaped 2006 still the Pure Honor champion. The slimy bastard. The frustration experienced in this match planted a seed that recently blossomed as SB turned his back on the fans; and ironically, if we see Chris Casino vs Andrew Rossi III some day, the tables will be turned. Casino the fan-favorite, Rossi the hated.
6. The Yellow Chicken vs Jeff James
10/11/2006 - Hostile HangoverThis was the match that turned everything around for Jeff James. The Yellow Chicken was on the midst of a record-sitting undefeated streak. Jeff James had already lost once to the TV Champion. But James came into Hostile Hangover with something to prove. He wanted to prove that he was more than a chair-swinging cheap-shot artist like his brother, Thomas Young of the Royal Foundation. And in a show-stealing contest and MOTY candidate, James and The Yellow Chicken left it all in the ring. Finally YC locked in the deadly cross-face chicken wing, but Jeff James would not submit as the match drew to its time limit. It was the beginning of Jeff James' ascension to elite NAPW star. Several weeks later he would finally defeat Yellow Chicken for the TV title, beginning his awesome reign as TV Champion. But it was this match that began the transformation and set the standard for everything to come.
5. Ravager vs Stone Zellor
05/29/2007 - Badder BloodIn the midst of Ravager's unprecedented NAPW title reign, nobody gave Stone Zellor much of a shot at being the man to dethrone The Last Resort. Stone took that personally. What unfolded in front of a fortunate crowd was one of the most incredible tour de force wrestling matches, wholly unexpected. There was dancing. There were stiff shots. There were near-falls aplenty, dramatic moments, and surprises right up until the 60 minute time limit expired. Even the interference of Mr. Canada and the Man In Black couldn't take away from the aura of this match. The champion and challenger, exhausted, shook hands and embraced. Stone Zellor did not win the NAPW title, but he took the champion to the limit harder than any other wrestler ever had. Match of the Year? Entirely possible.
4. Chris Casino vs D!
01/23/2006 - Joker's WildDecember 19th, 2005. The final NAPW show of 2005. D! vs Chris Casino inside a steel cage. And Casino, with the help of The New & Improved D-X, shocked the wrestling world by taking the NAPW title from the face of NAPW. At Joker's Wild, it was more than just D!/Casino II. More than just Steel Cage II. It was beyond personal. After six weeks of slander, gibes, comments and personal attacks from Chris Casino, D! brought his full wrath to bear on "The Future." The action spilled throughout the Baccarat Casino until finally - some fifteen minutes into the brawl - the match got into the steel cage. In the end, it was a bloodied, beaten D! taking the NAPW title back from his hated enemy. But the physical, mental and emotional wounding D! suffered at the hands of Chris Casino would later prove to be deeper than anyone could have imagined...
3. Ravager vs Chris Casino
04/24/2007 - UnifiedHow do you top one of the greatest matches wrestling fans have ever seen? Do it again. Only better. The rivalry between Chris Casino & Ravager had built for over one year before the two finally met in singles action on April 17th. It was Ravager's NAPW title vs Chris Casino's Pure Honor title, two dominant champions squaring off. The first contest ended in a controversial draw: Chris Casino tapped out to the Kata-Hajime at the very moment the referee also counted Ravager's shoulders down for three. The rematch would determine who was truly the greatest champion in NAPW, as the winner would unify the NAPW and Pure titles. Building on their previous contest Ravager and Chris Casino showed just why they are two of the very best in professional wrestling today. In the end it was Ravager overcoming every dirty trick in Casino's playbook to become the undisputed NAPW Champion. These two will no doubt lock up again someday, and Casino will be looking to even the score...
2. The Crimes vs The Dudes vs The New & Improved D-X
01/23/2006 - Joker's WildIt's safe to say that Joker's Wild was one of the greatest shows NAPW ever put on. Many shows have come close but nothing has topped an event that featured two of the greatest matches in NAPW history, hands down. The cage match between D! and Chris Casino may have been the main event, but it was the first-ever Triangle Ladder Match for the white-hot NAPW tag team titles that stole the show. The Crimes (Rex Caliber & Static), The Dudes and D-X had traded the titles back and forth for months. This was it. The final match. All six men put their bodies on the line in an awe-inspiring display of athleticism, guts, toughness and utter lack of concern for their bodies all to become the Tag Team Champions. In the end, D-X climbed the ladder - and the mountain - for their third tag title reign. This match has to be seen to be believed!
1. Ravager vs Minstrel vs Rex Caliber
03/20/2006 - Sole SurvivorBefore Rex Caliber went insane. Before Ravager conquered his demons. Before Minstrel... well, before he ever bothered to finish his goddamn self-insular storyline and meandering whodunnit.
Ahem.
Go read the match. It's that damn good.
2nd Anniversary - Top 10 Matches
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