While many lists can be made and opinions can be stated as to who the best professional wrestler of the year 2021 was, few can rival the year that Trish Adora had. In many ways, a wrestler is only as good as their opponents, and win or lose Trish Adora has been in the ring among the best in the world today as well. Though not all of the matches Trish Adora has competed in during 2021, these twenty matches are enough to justify Trish Adora as being the best in the world at professional wrestling.
Trish Adora – The Case To Be Wrestler of The Year 2021
Tony Deppen (2/14/21 / Beyond The Iron Match / Beyond Wrestling)
Though Trish Adora had matches prior to this, it was at the H2O Center where she went one on one with Tony Deppen for over an hour- a match available for free to watch on the Beyond Wrestling YouTube Channel- that put her on the radar of many fans in 2021. This was a match that every fan of professional wrestling should go out of their way to see and even if you’ve never watched another Trish Adora match this is the best place to start.
Savannah Evans (3/20/21 Rise Of A Champion / PWX)
Since this match, Savannah Evans has signed with IMPACT Wrestling and has been appearing there regularly. Still, at this time (and for most of 2021) Savannah Evans was one of those best-kept secrets of professional wrestling, going above and beyond what a lot of other wrestlers did and just feeling like an absolute threat inside of that ring. This is simply a match that had to happen for Trish Adora to have her best year and it was nothing short of great.
Tasha Steelz (4/9/21 / Allie Kat’s Real Hot Girl Shit / GCW)
While compiling a list of the top women’s wrestlers in the world in 2021, Tasha Steelz is a name that should be everywhere. Having a great year in IMPACT in her own right, Tasha Steelz is someone that all wrestlers should aspire to share a ring with. This match just also happens to be a hidden gem of sorts on a show- Allie Kat’s Real Hot Girl Shit– that was full of stellar matches.
Willow Nightingale (5/16/21 / Let’s Talk About Wrestling / WWR+)
When WWR+ returned in 2021 it did so with this main event. At this point, Trish Adora had a fan following, and going into this match both of these women felt like fan favorites. This was an example of taking two of the most popular wrestlers at the time and having them face each other, perhaps leaving the viewers torn but also just happy to see what was an innovative match. In many ways, Willow Nightingale is the face of WWR+ so having this feel like a match take that top spot in WWR+ was rather meaningful.
Kimber Lee (5/22/21 / Catalyst / GSW)
Feeling like you’re having some of your best matches against the veterans of pro wrestling is really what it’s all about and there isn’t a veteran out there right now quite like Kimber Lee. This match was a first-round match in the GSW Women’s Title Tournament but these two wrestlers beat the hell out of each other as if it were the finals. This was a really special match that just seemed to showcase the more aggressive side of Trish Adora.
Marti Belle (6/4/21 / Roll Of The Dice / Hybrid Wrestling)
Marti Belle may very well be the most known wrestler who doesn’t get enough credit. Marti Belle always seems to be a part of matches that are talked about, whether in a solo sense or with Allysin Kay. Having this match with Trish Adora at Hybrid Wrestling really felt like a rite of passage, as many of these Trish Adora matches do, to the point the year just wouldn’t feel complete without it.
Dark Sheik (6/11/21 / Effy’s Fear The Gay Agenda / NPU)
Having some of the best wrestling matches against some of the best opponents throughout the year is one thing, but Trish Adora also proved how well she can adapt to styles in wrestling by facing Dark Sheik in a no-ring deathmatch. Part of being the best wrestler in the world should not just be based upon having the best technical matches but also being able to thrive when wrestling in any style. This was really the only type of match Trish Adora had like this during 2021 but there was also no other match like it in general.
Davienne (6/20/21 / To Wrestle, Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth / WWR+)
When wrestling in New England one opponent seems to be inevitable: Davienne. Referred to the gatekeeper for a reason, Davienne has been doing this long enough that if you can have a match with her and come out looking good then you know you’re on your way. This was a match that needed to happen and this is a match that is better for being out there in the world. If anyone can come close to having an equally impressive year as Trish Adora did, it is Davienne.
w/ Jazz vs Brooke Valentine & Willow Nightingale (6/26/21 / Black Girl Magik / ProUnapologetic)
This was originally scheduled to be a singles match with Trish Adora vs Jazz but following a slight knee injury suffered by Jazz it was switched up a bit. Trish Adora didn’t really have a steady tag team partner in 2021, but she did compete in tag team matches. This is the first one on the list and it has arguably four of the best wrestlers in the world taking part in it. Jazz was on her retirement tour at this time so this match meant a lot in that way. What was interesting as well was that during this match fans were actually booing Willow Nightingale for her heel antics, something the likes of which had never been seen before. Few others can say that they were one half of a tag team with the legendary Jazz this year but few others are on that same level as Trish Adora.
MV Young (7/20/21 / The Complex / IWW)
What has to be appreciated about Trish Adora is that while sometimes there are just straight-up wrestling matches on this list, she also finds herself in matches which are unique or just don’t happen to every wrestler. This particular match at IWW’s The Complex show was set in the cinematic universe, which is a claim not everyone can make in 2021. The match was a result of a conversation between MV Young and Trish Adora about whether or not wrestlers should form a union. In his own right, MV Young had a remarkable year and so seeing these two face off inside of a ring is the type of thing dreams are made of.
Darius Carter (8/31/21 / Wanna Be Startin’ Something / We Are Wrestling)
Everything about Trish Adora just makes it so easy to cheer for her in the same way that everything about Darius Carter makes it so easy to boo him. This was a match in which the fans became so invested at the live event it might not ever be properly captured on film. Never had a pro wrestling crowd been so upset before as when they thought Darius Carter won the match (and title) and that’s really saying something. The highest of highs, the lowest of lows, this match was stellar in between those ropes but also brought about all of the proper emotions. What more could you ask for?
Holidead (8/14/21 / Off To The Races / Hybrid Wrestling)
So many of Trish Adora’s matches in 2021 felt like dream match booking scenarios. If a name that Trish Adora hadn’t faced yet could be thought of, then the match eventually seemed to happen. Holidead would go on to feud with Willow Nightingale in MLW and capture the Mission Pro Championship after this but make no mistake- these are two of the best at what they do and hopefully this match is revisited more than once in 2022.
Masha Slamovich (8/20/21 / Global Festival / GSW)
This match came about at the last minute as some shuffling of the card needed to be done, but Global Syndicate Wrestling managed to create one of the best matches of the year between two wrestlers who were having their best year. As much as it can be argued that Trish Adora had the best year of anyone in 2021, other names which come closest to saying that as well seemingly start and end with Masha Slamovich. Hopefully, in 2022 this match happens again and as the main event of a show at that.
B3CCA (10/23/21 / Fresh Blood / Limitless Wrestling)
Not only was this the Limitless Wrestling debut for Trish Adora (she had many debuts in 2021!) it was also her first match against B3CCA, who was having a breakout year all her own. Again, it feels like a broken record to some extent saying this but you have one of the best wrestlers in the world today, someone really making a name for themselves in 2021 in B3CCA taking on the best wrestler in the world period: Trish Adora. This match is just further proof that Trish Adora is the best because she faces the best.
w/ Masha Slamovich vs Top Dogs (10/24/21 / Fall Children / Blitzkrieg! Pro)
Again with that occasional tag team match, this time Trish Adora teamed up with Masha Slamovich to take on New England’s best in the Top Dogs. While Trish Adora and Masha Slamovich had been opponents prior to this, both of them had also wrestled in singles against Davienne. The wild card here seemed to be Skylar and for what it’s worth a Trish Adora vs Skylar singles match in 2022 might just be a show-stealer.
Jordan Blade (11/4/21 / Uncharted Territory / Beyond Wrestling)
While this match was teased prior to it happening, it just felt like the highlight in an otherwise bizarre season of Uncharted Territory. One of the key things in this match- which should be in more title matches- was that the idea of Jordan Blade winning was not a bad idea. Win or lose, coming out of this there was just going to be an amazing match between two of the best in the world today. Most of the time there seems to be one wrestler who fans want to see lose in a title match but this was one of those rare cases where just watching this match made us all winners.
Allie Katch (11/5/21 / Friday Night Fights / Hybrid Wrestling)
When the year was coming to an end and it felt like that one big opponent Trish Adora hadn’t faced yet was Allie Katch, Hybrid Wrestling went and announced this match just making it feel like Trish Adora would have less and less unfinished business in 2022. In some ways, Trish Adora could be considered the ace of Beyond Wrestling while Allie Katch could be considered the ace of GCW, so these two facing off felt like some kind of rival promotions trying to gain superiority but regardless of what promotions they fight out of, both Allie Katch and Trish Adora proved they are among the best in the world today.
Rok-C (11/13/21 / Dallas 41 / New Texas Pro)
Sometimes it feels like wrestlers can stay in a little bubble and so while it might feel as if they’re becoming the best in their local scene they’re still not leaving it. Trish Adora had multiple matches in New Texas Pro in 2021 and perhaps the highlight of her time there was against New Texas Pro Women’s Champion and ROH Women’s Champion Rok-C. This just falls so well in line with the idea of “bring on all challengers” and even though the world is still coming out of the pandemic (so it is understandable) few wrestlers can say they were as well travelled as Trish Adora in 2021.
Ken Broadway (11/20/21 / Overdrive / Invictus Wrestling)
Another match which would be filed under “Didn’t think possible”, Trish Adora really seemed to be fighting the best possible opponents right up until the end of the year. Ken Broadway is someone who should not be overlooked and this match just helped elevate both of these wrestlers, as a great match tends to do.
Shockwave The Robot (12/2/21 / Uncharted Territory / Beyond Wrestling)
While this match was originally supposed to be against Matt Makowski it almost turned out better that Shockwave The Robot came out to make a rare appearance for it. Much like the no-ring deathmatch with Dark Sheik and the cinematic-based match with MV Young, this was just another example of how Trish Adora can get in that ring with someone of a different style and still make it work. If it wasn’t obvious from the fact that Trish Adora was wrestling a robot, this was a comedy match at its core, and much like everything else she has done this year Trish Adora just absolutely crushed it.
Perhaps the best way to tell that Trish Adora really had the best year of anyone else in 2021 is not by what she did and by what she didn’t get to do. There is still a lot left to accomplish in the career of Trish Adora, sure, but many of her opponents going forward will likely be new stars who are made in time. Several noted names that Trish Adora didn’t get to vs in 2021 include EFFY, Alec Price, Bryan Keith, Session Moth Martina, Darius Lockhart, and Karen Bam Bam, but that is what could be in store for 2022.
Just the mere fact that Trish Adora had more matches with opponents that the wrestling community is talking about than anyone else speaks volumes and her retaining that Pan Afrikan Dispora World Heavyweight Championship just makes it even more so. Anyone claiming to have had a better year in 2021 than Trish Adora- and claiming to be the Wrestler Of The Year- might make a solid case but looking back at these matches and all who were involved is going to make it nearly impossible for anyone to argue against Trish Adora.
