EAW has partnered with the Academy of Wrestling Arts & Sciences to curate a list of the top 15 matches in the history of Pain for Pride. 100 PFP matches were originally reviewed and graded at a scale to factor in the cultural significance, athletic spectacle and the critical acclaim from each contest. The highest rated bouts that made this list are made up of cornerstone matches that are responsible for EAW’s massive success, featuring some of the biggest names in EAW history. Enjoy the trip down memory lane with commentary from expert minds, in honor of #EAW15!
15. Captain Charisma vs. Rated R Shaman – EAW Hardcore Championship – Pain for Pride 1
A ‘Rivalry of the Decade’ award winning feud doesn’t exist without a definitive match to tie it all together. As it stood CC and RRS were already widely hailed as the future of this industry. Even in their rookie seasons in tumultuous times such as the 2008 era, there was complete certainty in both of their abilities to be the top wrestling stars on the planet. They showed that with a fiery and explosive rivalry that ran nearly 6 months long on Saturday Night Showdown, involving flaming tables, Glass Wallz, shocking swerves such as CC’s inclusion into a short lived stable called “The Virus”. You had two prime steeds pit against each other by the humongous expectations placed on their shoulders. It all came to a head at the first ever Pain for Pride when we witnessed a raging battle so intense, it continued during a World Championship match, until RRS was able to leave victorious. Though there could only be one winner, both of these young men left that night smelling like roses, and it set the tone for the rest of their careers.
– Deadprez, Showdown analyst, former AWF World War Champion
14. Mr. DEDEDE vs. HRDO – Special Guest Referee: CM Ronn – Pain for Pride 1
This is the match that made me fall in love with wrestling. You had the face of “AWF War” in Mr. DEDEDE, against the face of “AWF Legacy” in HRDO, who were already household names by the time the Answers Wrestling Federation came to a close in December of 07′. We have seen what it’s like to clamor for a DDD dream match, as this list features a few of them. This was that first dream match that everybody had on their fantasy cards – and it did not disappoint. Probably some of the craziest pops I’ve ever heard in person, there were so many moments where I thought this match was over. The then-Chairman CM Ronn took an executive decision that allowed DDD to capture the win, and we all know what kind of career he’s had since then. One of the biggest “what-if” scenarios is what if the roles were reversed? Where would all three of their careers be, and where would this company be? That is how important that match was, and it’s still an exciting watch even for today’s standards.
– James Peters, Voltage commentator
13. Extreme Enigma (c) vs. Cyclone vs. Kevin Devastation – EAW Championship – Pain for Pride 3
I can’t tell you how many rookies have walked into my training camps and have told me that this was their favorite EAW match of all time. By this point EAW was already established off of the back of the previous two events, but it needed something the world hadn’t already seen before. For EAW to capture everybody’s imagination it needed to display something fresh, and one of the biggest names responsible for doing that was Extreme Enigma. Him heading into that event as the top champion, from what I remember, was seen by a lot of the suits as a risk. The risk got even bigger with Cyclone winning the freaking Grand Rampage of all matches. Purists were wondering why in the hell is EAW allowing these inexperienced kids that kind of a spotlight? Well, it made the spotlight on EAW even larger. Those who came to see that match fail ended up leaving amazed. There was a perfect mesh of three vastly different skill sets; with KD the big man, Extreme Enigma as the high flier, and Cyclone as the technical showman. Cyclone winning that match made a lot of current names in the business believe that anything is possible.
– Masters, former EAW Champion, Hall of Famer
12. Mr. DEDEDE (c) vs. Jamie O’Hara – Answers World Championship – Pain for Pride 13
Sometimes there is just that one match that defines a person’s career, and Pain for Pride 13 presented Jamie O’Hara with the chance to do just that. From his debut in the late summer of 2014, Jamie’s moniker of “Tomorrow’s Legend” became more legitimate with every new accolade he accomplished for himself. It did not take long until it felt like he was destined to have that inevitable showdown in the main event of a Pain for Pride against Mr. DEDEDE. It truly felt like Jamie was born for that level of an opponent on that kind of a stage, and we didn’t care how long that it took, as long as it happened. Season 13 gave us the opportunity to see DEDEDE dominate the World Title scene the way he’s done many times before, arguably at his best as “Gawdzilla”. The personal nature of the DDD and Jamie rivalry was something most of us didn’t expect, but it is what turned a dream match into a blood feud. Pain for Pride 13 saw DDD and Jamie compete past what we thought was humanly possible. Even on an injury, DDD gave a performance that rivals many others’ career best, while Jamie showed the mental toughness and in-ring brilliance to dethrone Gawdzilla and earn his signature career victory.
– Eve, Showdown analyst, former EAW Vixens Champion
11. CM Banks vs. Mr. DEDEDE – Pain for Pride 4
Many may not exactly remember where it began between DDD and Ronn, but the two crossed paths very briefly during Sunday Night Yahoo (the grandfather promotion preceding EAW and AWF). There was a mentor/apprentice relationship for a brief period of time in the earliest days of AWF, however Ronn had already cut his teeth into the business both from an in-ring and behind the scenes standpoint. The difference in their personalities was already apparent back then – with DEDEDE more suited to an front-and-center approach as the AWF’s top star, and Ronn preferring to pull the strings as an authoritative figure. Some would argue DDD’s backstage influence and pull inspired Ronn to take what he did to the next level. By the end of 2007 DDD and Ronn’s tumultuous relationship brought them back together, this time with DDD as one of Ronn’s megastar acquisitions. The following few years were explosive to say the least, with the two sharing great success and putting each other through the ringer. By 2011 Ronn had come to a point of making an executive decision on DDD’s career, believing he was doing more harm than good with his less-than-scrupulous manner of business as a performer. Everybody knew the tension was there, and everybody knew that these were the two names who were responsible, more than any other, for there having even been an EAW to that point. This was a match that felt like a ticking time bomb, and man did they fight like it! Ronn and DDD put on what I still feel is my personal favorite match of all time. Being able to defeat DEDEDE in the headline of Pain for Pride cemented Ronn, in my opinion, as the greatest of all time. There is a reason why this loss haunts our current Chairman so much – it is because the stakes were just so damned high. Sorry, Ryan, but it is the truth. If you could pick one singular match to decide who the ‘GOAT’ is, Pain for Pride 4’s main event was it. And this match deserves its spot as one of the greatest, and most important matches in the history of Pain for Pride.
– Andy Dominguez, EAW CFO, former Mr. CITV
10. Kassidy Heart (c) vs. Jamie O’Hara – Answers World Championship – Pain for Pride 14
There have been a lot of times in Jamie O’Hara’s career where it seemed like he would never meet his match. In a lot of those cases, a World Championship of some sort has been involved. He just knows how to push himself to the next level at a breakneck speed when challenged to enough of an extent. Pain for Pride’s 12 and 13 saw Jamie put on near-perfect performances, with only one sheer flaw of being at the wrong place at the wrong time (12). That flaw was corrected and resulted in a World Title victory at the headline of the entire show (13). Pain for Pride 14 saw Jamie put on the same level of flawlessness – however unfortunately for him it was against an opponent every bit the same caliber as he was. Kassidy Heart was essentially the “monster” that Ryan Adams had built, reaching her pinnacle form. The science experiment, so to speak, that had endless resources divested into her creation had arrived at the O’Hara-Ava family gates to challenge their patriarch. What is most interesting about this is that Kassidy, despite being the champion, was still the one challenging Jamie. There was no denying the precedent Jamie O’Hara had set that continued to reside even as King Kass ran roughshod over Showdown every Saturday night. This contest was truly a must-win for both Elitists. For Jamie, it was his opportunity to meet his match and defeat his match and prove himself as the uncontested Ace. For Kassidy, it was her chance to solidify her rulership over Showdown and all of EAW. This brilliant, instant classic of a match is one that I regret having never gotten to call. Their battle will reside as a highlight reel in both of their careers, and is most certainly one of the greatest bouts in Pain for Pride history.
– Stew-O, Dynasty commentator
9. Heart Break Boy (c) vs. Extreme Enigma – EAW Championship – Pain for Pride 4
You can’t talk about an iconic Pain for Pride match without mentioning this amazing match! Pain for Pride 4’s EAW Championship match featured a high flying, scintillating battle between two of the very greatest to ever step foot in an EAW ring. The charisma, charm and athleticism of HBB has led him to a career of accomplishing his dreams all while the EAW Universe ate out of the palm of his hand. The enigmatic young Elitist from Jersey City also took the world by storm, becoming an overnight sensation from the time he debuted in 2009 and reaching the status of a bonafide rockstar by the time Season 4 rolled around. An EAW Championship match at Pain for Pride, of all events, is supposed to have the absolute best that EAW’s got at their own absolute best. So really, what kind of match do you think you’re gonna get when it’s THE Extreme Enigma and THE Heart Break Boy in their literal primes? Well to add on everything else, they put on an innovative barn burner, pulling out all the stops on both of their parts with moves and techniques we hadn’t seen before in order to put each other away. This may not be the longest match on the Top 15 list, but it is easily one of the most influential. The chemistry is just so obvious from the second that the bell rings, and it really felt like there wasn’t anything these two wouldn’t do to leave Pain for Pride 4 as the EAW Champion. It left an example for younger Elitists to follow, which is why it is number 9 on the top 15 Pain for Pride matches of all time!
– Flannery McCoy, Dynasty analyst
8. Xavier Williams (c) vs. Mr. DEDEDE – Hall of Fame Championship – Pain for Pride 9
2015 saw the emergence into superstardom for the likes of Jamie O’Hara, Devan Dubian, Madison Kaline, and of course the 2015 Elitist of the Year, Xavier Williams. By the halfway point of Season 9 there was a very strong case to be made that Xavier was the best Elitist in the world. “Big Match Xav ” doled out critically acclaimed performances on a nightly basis, and had already proven himself to be a worthy EAW Champion following his cash in during the EAW Championship match between Diamond Cage and Heart Break Boy [Reckless Wiring 2015]. After defeating his former mentor at Reasonable Doubt 2016 to claim the Hall of Fame Championship, Xavier crossed paths with Mr. DEDEDE who was coming off of a dominant Answers World Championship reign. DEDEDE was able to kill the Hexa-Gun stable at that years’ Reckless Wiring, defend his World Title on a weekly basis, eventually dropping it to Ares Vendetta in a 2016 Match of the Year winning battle. It was clear that Xavier’s argument for being Best In The World was just as strong as DEDEDE’s case for being the best to ever do it, hence the tagline: “Best In The World vs. The Best Ever”. These two were constantly redefining what it was like to compete at the highest level, so it really is a no-brainer that their match would end up being as great as it was. We are talking about the greatest opening match probably in the history of wrestling, which says a lot considering what Cage and I did a couple of years prior to that night. DDD and Xav tore the house down in a PFP main event worthy clash. What impresses me most about that night is how these guys were able to steal the show and set the tone for the rest of the event all at the same time. This is simply one of those contests that every Elitist should study and learn from, which is why it belongs on this exclusive list.
– Starr Stan, Dynasty General Manager, former EAW Champion
