almach | december 31st again (Reply)

I'm spending the holidays alone again, but I have my projector and a nice pair of headphones to keep me company, so I'm wrapping up the year with a mix of "best of" and "idk if I'll like it but it seems apropos" (re)watches and listens: three wrestling matches and an EP.

Adam Page vs Jon Moxley, AEW All In (12 July 2025). The feel-good moment of the year etc. etc. etc. This was the first AEW PPV I bought, and it was worth every cent. I'm curious how it holds up on a rewatch; I watched it live at like 3 AM in my timezone and I haven't revisited it yet.
Saya Kamitani vs Tam Nakano, Stardom All Star Grand Queendom (27 April 2025). This is widely reputed to be the best match of the year, and based on how impressed I was with their Dream Queendom 2024 match, I wouldn't be surprised if I end up agreeing with that assessment (imo the unseriousness of Darby descending from the rafters during Hangman/Moxley makes it more beatable as a MOTY candidate than you'd expect from the other 99% of the match). I actually meant to watch this a few days ago but I decided to save it as a special treat for the last day of the year.
Kyle O'Reilly vs Katsuyori Shibata, ROH Field of Honor (27 August 2016). Kind of a random pull compared to the previous two, but I watched this a couple of months ago and immediately knew it had a place in my all-time favorite matches. KOR is a long-time favorite of mine and 2025 is the year I went from barely having heard of Shibata to considering him possibly my favorite in-ring wrestler ever. This is mostly only an average-quality match for these two guys (which still means it's fucking fantastic) but the finish and the unique venue vibes make it very special to me.
Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than The Last; The Inexorable March Of Progress Will Lead Us All To Happiness by Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies. I have absolutely no idea what this is, but I've been hearing about it for years (Zack Sabre Jr has a submission move named after it) and I figure the turn of the year is the perfect time to check it out.