Matt Sydal

"This guy is so underrated, his in-ring work is spectacular. I think he's one of the most technical wrestlers I've ever known in the ring, and in my opinion, he is the best highflyer. Sadly, people value the microphone work more than what we get in the ring. Matt, sadly, in AEW, they are jobbing him out, which is a shame because this guy is a living legend of wrestling. And watch out, Matt has the most aesthetic and clean finisher I've ever seen in my life. I hope he receives a good push 10/10"

"Made an account purely so I could sing my praises for this guy. He's so criminally underrated it hurts. one of the greatest high flyers in the last 20 years, played a huge role in the 2000s indies, went to wwe, then went back to playing a huge role in the indies in the mid 2010s. His third eye shtick was something unique and interesting and I hope he can do more of it when he returns to aew. he's incredibly consistent, always putting on stellar performances. If you put him on your card, you're getting at minimum a 7/10 match. phenomenal wrestler."

[9.0] "Sydal is a master of aerial wrestling with a style that blends precision, speed, and grace. His Shooting Star Press is one of the most flawless ever seen, and he brought a unique energy to every match he was in. Though he didn't get a main event push, his influence on modern high-flyers and his ability to shine in any promotion prove just how valuable he's been to the evolution of in-ring performance. He and Tyson Kidd were unfortunately part of the wrong era of WWE - if they came up just a little later they'd be mid card champs at a minimum"

[7.0] "Very solid wrestler, just wish he was featured more on tv. Really enjoyed his work in the TNA X Division a few years back ."

[5.0] "While he was/is really cool to watch and had some really incredible in-ring moments, there is the unfortunate truth that many of his programs and feuds are wildly uninteresting and he almost never did any character work. Whether he was Evan or Matt, there are no real details to his character, at all."

[10.0] "Matt's ratings here are baffling to me, one of the most dynamic, consistent, and influential names in the American pro wrestling scene within the last 20 years, what's there not to like? An all-timer high flyer, sneakily great technical guy, absolutely killer kicks, like yeah he's admittedly not the best promo in the world but honestly who cares? He's charismatic enough not to be a great talker, especially since he just has a very naturally likable presence that makes him easy to root for. The only real thing I can rag on him for was his TNA run where he turned heel for some reason, but that was more-so a booking thing so I can't really fault him for that."

[6.0] "Matt Sydal is a pioneer in the high flying style in the late 2000's/early 2010's. His booking was always mid card to lower card level, but he did interact with main eventers often, like Cena, Orton, or HHH. His run in the indies was alright, but something wasn't quite clicking. If WWE got him 10 years later, in his prime? he would have been on the same level as Ricochet, or even a new mega babyface for kids. As a wrestler? 8/10. as a personality? 4/10. granted he couldn't show much in WWE, and i wasn't able to see his TNA or NJPW runs live, but i would say that he is one of the modern day working pioneers that helped shape the high flying style."

"admittedly I have been a huge mark for him since 2009, we follow each other on twitter. I have a Youtube Channel and tik tok called Marking Out for Matt Sydal. Matt Sydal gets a lot of flack for his promos that does not mean he doesn't have charisma, he's very charismatic which you can see best recently in his appearance on EW with RJ City. Matt Sydal has a background in taekwondo and amateur wrestling in high school and was a backyard wrestler before becoming licensed pro one year under the legal age at 17. His unique style inspired by ECW, NJPW's Super J cups, WCW light heavyweight division and ECW. His style has always been a trifecta of technical, martial arts striking and cruiserweight, specifically Lucharesu which he mastered when he achieved his boyhood dream of wrestling in Japan with Dragon Gate in 2006-2007. By the time he debuted in WWE he was an 8 year young veteran at 25. Since the motorcycle accident on his 29th birthday in 2012 left his right foot and ankle permanently damaged he has spent the last decade getting even more technical in the ring and he found himself when he became spiritually reborn. His promos are best at sit down interview/ talking style. and really improved during his run on IMPACT . However he is similar to his idols in that his true gifts are in the ring. A prodigy who became a commodity."

[7.0] "Here's a guy who needed AEW to show up about ten years earlier than it did. Beautiful to watch in the ring, but way too easy to forget about when you think of great wrestlers. Very similar to Speedball Bailey."

[8.0] "Work horse: he wrestles more in a month than some other guys do in a year, but always looks good in the ring. Enhancement isn't a glorious role, but he knows how to make guys look good. His in-ring work communicates well with an audience. It'd be nice to see him booked in something meaningful."

[7.0] "Matt Sydal has been around forever and a day. He is the type of guy that for better or ill has always slotted in perfectly to the lower mid card. You send him out and you are generally going to get a 3-3.5 stars match which is exactly what you need. He is never really going to do much more."

[7.0] "Matt Sydal is a great wrestler, that mixed well the technical and highflying styles and inspired a lot of next generation wrestlers with incredible athletic abilities. He doesn't have a great skill on the microphone or natural talent for storytelling, but still is a solid wrestler and a very important figure."

[7.0] "Like Sydal/Bourne as he has the ability to wrestle technically as well as some amazing high-flying moves. As he has gotten older his technical wrestling has gotten better. He does not offer a lot in terms of charisma or mic skills. He does best when he is wrestling a great talent who is about his size."

[5.0] "Good enough in the ring, but was just another body in the WWE where you need to cut a good promo and have some sort of charisma to sell yourself. Dude could put on a match, but lacked everywhere else."

[6.0] "Matt Sydal is too small and has a high voice. He cant promo and he cant look convincing because he weighs like 125 pounds. Probably invented a bunch of flippy stuff."

[4.0] "Interesting for a time in WWE due to being fairly unique amongst their roster but as the overall style of American wrestling deviated towards that, he just became another of the boys as those with better character work or better psychology or just better moves passed him by. The SSP is still pretty unrivalled though."

[4.0] "Not only poor as a character, but poor promos and poor crowd connection, and super static. With that said, you can't deny that he still has one o f the best Shooting Star Presses in the entire business."

[5.0] "Very energetic and extremely talented high flyer. However, mediocre on the mic and bland as a character."

[7.0] "A very fun wrestler to watch. Definetly one of my faves. He can do high flying and technical wrestling to perfection."

[5.0] "I don't really get the appreciation for this guy, that shooting star botch in his debut is all I'll remember him for whenever I see him, and there's nothing special about him as a high-flyer than Rey Fenix or Pac can't do. He's just another dude who's known for being in WWE and TNA. The third eye gimmick was alright for a bit but after he dropped it he's literally just a guy who can do flippy stuff. Not must-see at all, just a good hand to have around I suppose."

[6.0] "Extremely talented wrestler, although never quite able to obtain that status of stardom and always being nothing anything more then a lower midcard guy on roster."

[4.0] "One of those guys from that super talented generation that I just never got into. I think it was the character and promos that turned me off, because his moves are pretty good, particularly that Shooting Star Press."

[7.0] "Sydal had been impressive wherever he's been, whether that's ROH, Dragon Gate, WWE, NJPW, Impact, or now AEW. What was so tragic about his awfully botched AEW debut was that he's usually one of the cleanest high-flyers around, displaying tremendous technique with many complex and physically demanding spots and sequences. His flexibility, agility, and jumping ability are notably unique, creating an offence and set of movements that no other wrestler could easily recreate. He comes off as not just a great high-flyer but as an all-around athlete who is totally in-tune with his whole body in order to pull off as many impressive stunts as he does. He's never been a big star or the most popular guy on a show, but he's a deservedly credible worker who can always be trusted to give a good performance and help his opponent have a good performance as well. He probably doesn't have what it takes to be a serious star in AEW, but he's a very good hand who I'll always be happy to see in action."

[7.0] "A talented high flyer that really doesn't do much more for me. His work as Evan Bourne in WWE was pretty good, though very overshadowed."

[8.0] "I had him at a lower rating initially during the beginning of his AEW run but he's really proven me wrong."

[8.0] "Every time I see Matt Sydal is about to face a major name on the AEW roster, I know for a fact that it will be a very solid match. I also know for a fact that Sydal will lose said match. It seems his role at the moment is to put up good 'stepping stone' matches for other guys to look good. Still, he is a positive asset for the company and a super talented guy. He does have some legendary matches from back in the day when he was an Indy and Ring of Honor guy."

[8.0] "I haven't seen Sydal in his prime, but I'm digging his style in AEW. He's very interesting to watch. He obviously has the excellent high flying stuff, and he's supplemented that with a ton of submissions that look really good. He's booked pretty well in AEW; kept strong enough to act as a stepping stone for upper-midcard talent. If you can't have a good match with Matt Sydal, you probably can't handle being higher in the card."

[6.0] "Solid and reliable to be slotted in nearly any position on the card and seems to have varied his arsenal to add in some mat work to go with the high flying."

[7.0] "At one point you could argue he was one of the best high flyers in wrestling. He's capable in the ring but it takes someone else special to lift him up. He's above average though. Charismatically and on the mic is something he lacks consistently. He has his moments there and he was at his best in Impact. He has struggled in AEW but was finding his groove in WWE as a tag team with Kofi before injuries stalled his momentum. Still his best moments in Impact were good but not top level. Above average is the best way to describe him."

[7.0] "Very good worker at his peak, and formed an excellent tag team with Ricochet, arguably his prime years. Had a rough start last year with his turnbuckle botch, and unfortunately hasn't had a chance to truly redeem himself, being put in a tag team with his far inferior brother as cannon fodder."

[6.0] "Eh I'm not high on Sydal. Even in his "prime" in the WWE he was always a flip first, everything else later kind of guy, and I'm just not a fan of those type of wrestlers, even if he was getting over slowly with the crowd with his stuff. Ultimately that style (as well as other non-wrestling related injuries) took a big toil on his body and ultimately forced him to change things up. Guy could have been a solid mid carder in the fed if it wasn't for bad timing and his body not being able to hold out. He's faced a huge range of opponents and he's proven he can hang with them in the physical department. What hurts him ultimately is that his technical work is pretty eh and doesn't flow naturally (I didn't like the Pure 2020 tourney at all with the weird looking attempts at shoot style and he REALLY didn't make things better) and ofc he's never been anything on the mic or charisma wise. Solid hand but not anything I'd call championship material, especially considering he's quite weary from 20 years of ring work."

[9.0] "One of the best high-flyers at this moment. Also a solid technician and a decent striker, he can go against any kind of guy and deliver. I hope he finds his rythim in AEW, because he knows how to put on a show."

[5.0] "He's alright on the microphone, but his run in AEW and the ROH pure tournament have been lackluster. His high flying style seems as if it would be at home in AEW, but nowadays, most of the younger wrestlers can go harder than him. Maybe 2021 will be kinder."

[8.0] "Matt sydal is a very good wrestler. He can give you good matches but currently in AEW i haven't seen anything good except a match with Benjamin carter. He needs to work on his moves and stop botching because he is a wrestler who can be the best upper midcard wrestler in AEW. Lets see what he will do in next year"

[7.0] "Very very good high flyer, innovative and in many ways the template for Ricochet and Will Ospreay albeit I'd dare say he may be not as smooth as the former nor as fast as the latter but is a bit sounder than both when on the ground. However he's always been lacking on the charisma and mic skill fronts and can be a liability at times. Great worker but should be used with caution."

[9.0] "Excellent high flyer. In WWE he ha d just missed the crusierweight division. Evan Bourne came in when in was bigger men. He did an excellent job in the ring. An injury affected his WWE career. In Impact he was great. He should come back to WWE and be part of the 205 Live."

[8.0] "Of all the people who do shooting stars, his is the prettiest. He is amazing in the ring & he's a guy like Cesaro who keeps doing new things that practically knock me out of my chair. His major downside has been his lack of mic skills & character work, but he's recently been getting better with that area over the past couple of years with his "third eye" gimmick."

[7.0] "Your classic case of an exciting fast high flying cruiserweight who couldn't cut a promo to save his life but still got over just thanks to his in-ring work alone."

[8.0] "Matt Sydal is an excellent high-flyer, and he would have made a great underdog-type babyface in WWE had his love of partaking not seen him become a liability, a character flaw that ended his career in New Japan."

[8.0] "Matt Sydal is a guy who could've had it all if he had just learned to tone the weed down. Maybe that's an overexaggeration, but it is the main reason why Sydal screwed himself over from ever having a career in Japan again. That said, his talent over a decade ago was easy to see as he inspired an entire generation of high flyers in his own way, much so that his future partner Ricochet would even steal Sydal's look. I think Sydal made the mistake of wasting his time in WWE because his ceiling was going to be so low. He eventually made it back to the indies and had a pretty decent career there, and still does, but nowhere near as successful as being Ricochet's tag partner. In the end Sydal will be remembered for being an innovtive high flyer who was had a very great tag run with Ricochet, but his potential was so much more."

"I don't like his face, he looks like a child. But I admit he's able to make a lot of well executed high fly moves."

[8.0] "An indie standout, Matt Sydal captured the ROH World Tag Team Championship with Christopher Daniels and the Dragon Gate Open the Brave Gate Championship, before who becoming a true highlight of one of WWE's lesser periods as Evan Bourne. Thrown from the ECW brand before he was able to capture the championship, he ended up on RAW where he always performed well, but often on the losing end, before winning WWE Tag Team Championship with Kofi Kingston, a reign cut short by a series of mistakes and then an injury that secured his WWE release. Since then, Matt Sydal has not been without his mistakes but he's continued to have an excellent matches and has earned multiple championships and trophies in NJPW and Impact Wrestling as well as having competed in PWG's BOLA four years in a row. Promo-wise he's never been strong but he has an innate likability and has always compensated well in the ring. You could argue he should have been US or IC Champion or something of that nature but you just can't look past a guy who picked up titles in WWE, ROH, Dragon Gate, NJPW and Impact Wrestling. Underrated."

[9.0] "An in ring general with a great sense of timing, presence, and high flying, Matt Sydal is one of the best workers today that flies under everyones radar."

"No tiene ningún tipo de psicología en sus combates. Su finisher está bien y eso es su mejor faceta. Si visteis su Youshoot sabréis que es una mierda de persona. Ser ágil no es ser buen wrestler. Mejor para los indies que para las garndes ligas."

[9.0] "He may have not a over the top personality as a wrestler, but he surely has awesome in ring ability as he can transition himself from high-flying style into submission style in such quick fashion. He also can work perfectly as both singles and tag team wrestler. I'd say Sydal is the most underrated high-flying wrestler today."

[8.0] "One of the more exciting American high-flyers to watch today, with some spectacular aerial skills and great selling ability. While his singles performances are always strong, he has had his greatest championship success thus far in the tag team ranks, holding the WWE Tag Championship with Kofi Kingston and ROH World Tag Championship with Christopher Daniels, and is currently regularly teaming with ACH in ROH and Ricochet in NJPW. His time in WWE was definitely hurt by the company's lack of a cruiser/lightweight division; his size and selling ability ensured that despite his popularity he would be used largely as a jobber-to-the-stars in the singles division. Definitely a better fit for the independents and companies like ROH where talented lightweights are better appreciated."

[10.0] "One of the best flyers of the past decade, and YES that absolutely includes up until today. I'm sure it was nice to cash WWE paychecks while sitting at home, but for us fans it's fantastic to see this guy back in the ring, looking as good if not better than ever. The thing that I love most about Sydal is his insane precision, it's not just the great flying and strikes and mat work, but all of it is so impossibly on point! You know you'll get a great show every time you see this guy."

[9.0] "Matt Sydal is a very exciting high flyer. He doesn't deliver the best promos but he makes up for it by being fun to watch in the ring."

[8.0] "An extremely skilled high flyer. He's proven to be just as entertaining in the big leagues."

[8.0] "One of my favorites in WWE. Hoping he comes back in the Rumble match."