2021 offered a plethora of incredible women’s matches. Every company came back with aplomb after wrestling welcomed back live fans.
This year gave us an awesome amount of excellent women’s wrestling matches from which to choose and the list has altered many times, but it is finally complete.
So without further delay, let’s get to the top 10 women’s wrestling matches of 2021.
10. Britt Baker vs Kris Statlander – All Out
The was a great match that featured two wrestlers on top of their game. Statlander’s raw power and huge strength advantage vs Baker’s conniving tactics gave the match a really interesting dynamic and one that paid off excellently.
The back-and-forth action was was on fire and allowed Statlander to shine. Her dominance at times made the viewer actually think that she actually defeat Baker for the title.
The offence on show was fierce, furious and full of breathtaking near falls that had the AEW faithful chanting of “this is awesome!” as both warriors tested one another’s limits.
A tremendous match and one of the best women’s outings in AEW. Both stars put in a stellar effort to deliver a passionate and enthralling title bout.
9. Kamille vs Leyla Hirsch – NWA EmPowerrr
Kamille and Leyla Hirsch shone brightest on NWA’s first-ever all-women’s PPV Empwoerrr with a match that stole the show.
Kamille’s brute force and Hirsch’s shoot wrestling style made for an interesting spectacle and resulted in an excellent encounter. It was an excellent David & Goliath type of match with Kamille launching her smaller opponent around the ring for fun while Hirsch fought back by targetting the arm and frustrating the champ with her superior wrestling skills.
Hirsch put on an incredible showing taking everything that Kamillie threw at her but the NWA World Women’s Champion proved herself to be a force to be reckoned with by defeating her strongest challenger during her run with the Mildred Burke.
A great match from two performers who deserve their flowers in their own right.
8. Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair – Survivor Series
Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair are long-time friends and proved to be even better rivals. It all started years ago when Lynch turned on her friend and kick-started one of the best runs in wrestling history.
The Man and The Queen always had a competitive rivalry but things boiled over during the ill-fated title exchange that seemingly saw real-life animosity explode onscreen.
During the build-up, Lynch and Flair threw vicious barbs at one another before they threw fists of fury in the ring. As soon as the bell rang they smashed each other with beautiful reckless abandon.
The rival champions made sure the fans went home happy with stiff and wince-inducing offence, which took the fight in and out of the ring in a raucous fashion. It was an explosive affair that certainly lived up to the hype and proved just why the two members of the Four Horsewomen remain at the top of the card.
7. Deonna Purrazzo vs Mickie James – IMPACT! Wrestling
Deonna Purrazzo had a tight grasp on the IMPACT! Wrestling Knockouts Championship and defeated all who stood in her way. But the Virtuoso never came across a challenger like the one and only Mickie James.
Their clash for the title began weeks before when James interrupted Purrazzo to invite her to NWA EmPowerrr to face Melina. Since then, there was in-ring brawls, a conference room brawl, and Purrazzo even took a trip to James’ home where the two had a barnyard throwdown.
The match saw Purrazzo and James take the fight to the next level with a highly passionate and intense affair. Each threw all they had with Purrazzo using her submission skills while James use her years of her invaluable experience to be the one to finally take the title of incomparable champion.
6. Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair – Money In The Bank
Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley have awesome chemistry in the ring and showed that to the fullest at Money in the Bank. The two warriors took each other to the limit with a variety of jaw-dropping manoeuvres and incredible near falls.
The match started with Charlotte telling the crowd what to do with their Becky Lynch chants before her and Ripley put on a masterclass of how to win over a confrontational crowd.
What followed was an intense back-and-forth exchange between two performers at the top of their game. The fierce action came to a close when The Queen snapped and destroyed Ripley’s knee in the ring steps before applying Figure Eight for an emphatic victory.
5. Tam Nakano vs Giulia – Hair vs Hair Wonder of STARDOM Championship Match 10th Anniversary Hinamatsuri All-Star Dream Cinderella
Giulia and Nakano are long-time rivals and their feud escalated to nuclear levels of heat and could only be solved in a title match with a special stipulation.
After months of fighting over the Wonder of STARDOM title, Giulia reigned supreme but Nakano would not give in. Giulia offered Nakano one last shot at the title but only if she put her hair on the line. Nakano agreed and the main event was set for STARDOM’s 10th Anniversary spectacular
The enemies filled the match with intense back-and-forth action as they fought tooth and nail in a spectacular battle. The two warriors told an amazing story in the ring charged with emotion.
Nakano scored the victory with a Tiger Suplex at the 18-minute mark to become the new Wonder of STARDOM champion.
After the match, Nakano broke down in tears and couldn’t cut the hair of her nemesis. Giulia called a hairdresser to the ring the chop off her locks before she congratulated the new champion.
It was the perfect ending to their rivalry with Nakano finally getting her moment at STARDOM’s biggest ever show.
4. Kay Lee Ray vs Meiko Satomura – NXT UK Women’s Championship Match
Meiko Satomure came to NXT UK for one reason and that was to dethrone Kay Lee Ray from the top of the mountain and that’s exactly what she did and shi did it in emphatic fashion.
The two fighters took each other to limits in an incredible battle that saw the “Final Boss” emerge victorious and new NXT UK women’s champion.
The match was everything it needed to be, passionate, intense and brilliant. Each wrestler controlled portions of the bout, Satomura with her signature strong-style offence and Ray with her never-say-die attitude made for a breath-taking spectacle.
The two exchanged brutal attacks and even used each other’s finisher moves to try and get the job done.
The back-and-forth match continued with crushing moves and heart-stopping near-falls. Then Satomura hit a death valley driver before the Scorpio Rising kick to end Ray’s epic 649-day reign.
Astounding stuff from two astounding performers and one that is yet to be bettered on UK soil thus far.
3. Britt Baker vs Thunder Rosa – Lights Out Match AEW Dynamite
Britt Baker clashed with Thunder Rosa in an incredible display of passionate physicality and beautiful violence in the first-ever women’s Unsanctioned Lights Out Match.
An intense feud locked the two enemies in a barrage of personal insults, sneak attacks, and pull apart brawls. Therefore, fans knew that it would be a thrilling and explosive encounter when they met in the ring. But what Baker and Rosa produced was far beyond expectations.
This event was revolutionary and a landmark moment not just for AEW but women’s wrestling as a whole. It was the most intense and violent women’s match shown on television in years.
They not only stole the show, but they were the show. They took the occasion of being the first-ever women’s headliners in AEW history and not only made the most of it but made it one of the best matches in the history of women’s wrestling.
It was a jaw-dropping and breathtaking match and one that proved that AEW’s women’s division is heading in the right direction and is in great hands, with Thunder Rosa as the backbone and Britt Baker as the face of the division.
2. Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair – SmackDown Women’s Championship Match WWE WrestleMania 37
At WrestleMania 37, Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair made history as the first-ever black women to headline the “Show of Shows”. Emotions were running high as the bell rang, and the superstars got the main event underway.
The match started with both wrestlers feeling each other out. Belair used her power and strength, while Banks used her speed and smarts. The Boss targeted Belair’s braid and used it to counter the EST’s power moves but it would have a huge part to play toward the end of the bout in ear-splitting glory.
This match was incredible, with a perfect ending that meant a lot to all involved. The dynamics were simple, with Banks the heel and Belair the face, which they both played brilliantly.
Belair looked every bit the megastar she is destined to be. Her superior power, athleticism and charisma were on full display and expertly delivered on wrestling’s biggest stage.
1. Utami Hayashishita vs Syuri – World of STARDOM Championship Tokyo Dream Cinderella
This outstanding and incredible match took place on STARDOM’s Tokyo Dream Cinderella event from Ota Ward Gymnasium. In the main event, Utami Hayashishita and Syuri battled it out for the World of STARDOM Championship in an astounding double count-out.
The pair fought valiantly in a spectacular display of furious strong-style offence, with Utami and Syuri exchanging power and stinging strikes throughout the allotted thirty-minute fire fest.
After the final bell, no clear winner could be determined, so the challenger requested more time, and the fighting champion gladly accepted.
They battled it out for another 15 minutes before an abrupt double knockout saw the contests unable to continue and bring a close to the magnificent melee.
It was an outstanding and exhilarating encounter that left both warriors exhausted and lifeless after putting everything they had on the line. It had everything from drama, passion, emotion and awe-inspiring action.
The contest was on another level and one of the most glorious presentations of Joshi wrestling this year. Hayashishita proved herself to be one of the best on the planet and more than worthy of her top spot in the promotion while Syuri capitalised on her tremendous run through the ranks.
The ending left their feud wide open for a rematch, which took place on December 29th and resulted in Syuri finally capturing the title in another match of the year contender.
What do you make of the list? Let us know if you agree or disagree in the comments below and keep an eye out for more 2021 lists coming this week.
