It is now time for January 2026 best matches of the month list. Please keep in mind these are just my opinion of the best matches I saw this month and is not a definitive list and is not the official Wrestling Republic ratings and rankings.
I’m sure there are matches that I may have missed but there are only so many hours in a day and only so much wrestling I can watch. So, please feel free to suggest matches in the comments, as it is possible, I haven’t seen them or maybe they just didn’t make my cut. If I haven’t seen it and I’m able to check it out, it may make my end of year top 25 matches list. If it just didn’t make my cut, if I have time and I’m able to I’ll re-watch the match and re-consider it for my end of the year top 25 matches list.
The top 25 list at the end of the year will be in order.
Here is the listing in no particular order:
| Event | Match Type | Match |
| NOAH The New Year 2026 | GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Three Way | Los Intocables (Daga & Daiki Odashima) (c) vs All Rebellion (Alejandro & Kai Fujimura) vs Eita & Shuji Kondo |
| NOAH The New Year 2026 | GHC Junior Heavyweight Title | AMAKUSA vs Hiromu Takahashi |
| WWE Smackdown – 1-2-26 | WWE U.S. Championship | Carmelo Hayes (c) vs Johnny Gargano |
| ACW Poughkeepsie Rumble 2026 | Singles | Jordan Oliver vs Leo Sparrow |
| ACW Poughkeepsie Rumble 2026 | ACW Heavyweight Title Contenders | Mike Santana vs Nic Nemeth |
| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 | IWGP Women’s Title / NJPW STRONG Women’s Title | Syuri (c) [IWGP] vs Saya Kamitani (c) [STRONG] |
| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 | IWGP World Heavyweight Title / IWGP Global Heavyweight Title | Yota Tsuji (c) [Global] vs Konosuke Takeshita (c) [World] |
| NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 | Tanahashi Retirement Match | Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi |
| WWE Raw – 1 -5-26 | WWE World Heavyweight Championship | CM Punk (c) vs Bron Breakker |
| WWE Smackdown – 1-9-26 | WWE U.S. Championship | Carmelo (c) vs Nakamura |
| WWE Smackdown – 1-9-26 | 3 Stages of Hell, Undisputed WWE Championship | Cody Rhodes (c) vs Drew McIntyre |
| NOAH Legacy Rise 2026 | GHC Junior Heavyweight Title | AMAKUSA (c) vs Daiki Odashima |
| WWE Raw – 1-12-26 | Singles | AJ Styles vs Gunther |
| WWE Smackdown – 1-16-26 | WWE U.S. Championship | Carmelo (c) vs Leon Slater |
| WWE Smackdown – 1-16-26 | Qualifying Contenders to WWE Championship | Sami Zayn vs Dragunov |
| CMLL Fin de Semana Internacional | AEW National Championship | Ricochet (c) vs Titan |
| TNA Genesis 2026 | Singles | Rich Swann vs AJ Francis |
| TNA Genesis 2026 | The Final Dance | JDC vs Eddie Edwards |
| TNA Genesis 2026 | TNA World Championship, Texas Death, Special Ref: Nemeth | Santana (c) vs Kazarian |
| AAA on FOX #1 | AAA Mega Title #1 Contendership | Vikingo vs El Grande Americano |
| GCW Crime Wave 2026 | Singles | Samuray del Sol vs Vengador |
| GCW Crime Wave 2026 | Singles | Oro vs Jordan Oliver |
| WWE Raw – 1-19-26 | WWE World Heavyweight Championship | CM Punk (c) vs Balor |
| WWE Smackdown – 1-23-26 | WWE U.S. Championship | Carmelo (c) vs Dragunov |
| WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event – 1-24-26 | Singles | AJ Styles vs Nakamura |
| WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event – 1-24-26 | Fatal 4-way, Contender to the Undisputed WWE Championship | Sami Zayn vs Trick Williams vs Randy Orton vs Damien Priest |
| Marigold New Years Golden Garden 2026 – Tag 4: Mayu Iwatani 15th Anniversary ~ICON Forever~ | Singles | Komomo Minami vs Victoria Yuzuki |
| Marigold New Years Golden Garden 2026 – Tag 4: Mayu Iwatani 15th Anniversary ~ICON Forever~ | GHC Women’s Title | Mayu Iwatani (c) vs Utami Hayashishita |
| NOAH Lethal Odyssey Tour 2026 | Singles | Naomichi Marufuji vs Alejandro |
| WWE Raw – 1-26-26 | WWE World Heavyweight Championship | CM Punk (c) vs AJ Styles |
| Marigold First Dream 2026 | GHC Women’s Title | Takumi Iroha (c) vs Mayu Iwatani |
| Marigold First Dream 2026 | Marigold World Title | Miku Aono (c) vs Mai Sakurai |
| WWE Royal Rumble 2026 | Singles – AJ Styles Career | AJ Styles vs Gunther |
| TNA Impact – 1-23-26 | No Holds Barred | AJ Francis vs Rich Swann |
| GCW Crushed Up 2026 | Singles | Krule vs Beastman |
MATCH OF THE MONTH: Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20
There is not a doubt in my mind this was the match of the month in January 2026 and will likely be high on the end of year list. Okada is a legend in Japan and for him to return to Japan to take on one of the GOATs of NJPW in Tanahashi in Tanahashi’s last match was fitting. These men have a deep history together and they painted one last masterpiece on that canvas. Traditionally when someone is leaving or retiring, they lose on their way out to put someone over but there have been exceptions to this rule and this match could have been one of those exceptions. Okada is already a made man so he didn’t necessarily need the rub, but Tanahashi did the time honor tradition and lost nothing in defeat. Thank you Tanahashi for giving us so many memories and moments that cemented your legacy as a GOAT the world over and for multiple generations.
ITTMP
4 Comments
That Komomo Minami v Victoria Suzuki match was so good that I immediately became a Komomo Minami fan (had never seen her matches before) and I’m now watching her vs Mayu Iwatani from 1/30 as a bonus match to the list!
I do my best to try and have a diverse list from across wrestling and find hidden gems that may have fallen under the radar. I’m glad you’re enjoying the lists.
Well, my eyes have certainly been opened to how good Marigold and Noah are right now!
I’m glad I could help…that is literally why I do these pieces.