Wrestle Kingdom 11 Review

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11
January 4th, 2017 | Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 26,192

It’s that time of the year again. New Japan’s biggest annual event. I stayed up to watch it last year, but a lackluster card allowed me to sleep in and check it out later in the day. The attendance came in at still under 30,000 but more than last year.

Michael Elgin won the New Japan Rumble at 25:13
Michael Elgin came out first, which was a surprise since he was expected to miss the show due to injury. I believe he was slated to face Cody originally. Billy Gunn was second, giving me a start to a New Japan show I never expected. For the second straight year, we got a Cheeseburger sighting to a pop. He threw out shitty BONE SOLDIER instantly and I loved it. Liger’s theme got the expected loud reaction. Nakanishi and Elgin had a fun standoff before everyone combined to eliminate Manabu. YOSHITATSU did his shitty Triple H cosplay, while Yuji Nagata and Hiroyoshi Tenzan were their awesome selves. In the greatest thing all night, SCOTT NORTON entered the rumble! He hit Taguchi with a powerbomb to get rid of him. Everyone remaining went after Elgin but he was all “I’M NOT AN UNDERCARD GUY OR LEGEND, GET WRECKED!” He kicked ass and it came down to him, Tenzan and Cheeseburger. After tossing Tenzan, Elgin had to deal with a fired up Cheeseburger. Cheeseburger had some hope spots but fell to the Elgin Bomb. Less entrants than I expected but still good fun. I enjoyed Elgin, Norton, Cheeseburger, Tenzan, , Gunn, Liger and Nagata. A good way to bring Elgin back earlier than planned. **¼

The opening video package ran down the card and was well done.

Tiger Mask W def. Tiger Mask Dark in 6:34
It’s Kota Ibushi vs. ACH. Remember when Kota co-headlined this event two years ago? They worked at the quick pace you’d expect with the first big spot being a Tiger Mask Dark dive outside. W came back with the double jump moonsault to the outside. Things slowed a bit inside before Dark picked up a near fall. W eventually won after a snap German, tiger suplex and then a big tiger bomb. Fun little undercard match that did what it had to. **½

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Roppongi Vice def. The Young Bucks (c) in 12:57
The Young Bucks came out with all their titles (ROH, NJPW, PWG and their own dumb Superkick titles). They talked about the Hardys during their entrance. This is one of the matches I had issues with on the card. We’ve seen it plenty of times. I wish the NOAH stuff didn’t fall through because ACH and Taiji Ishimori sound more interesting than both teams. The Bucks did the old school “heels walk out” gimmick but hit superkicks when RPG Vice tried to get them, leading to the countout tease. That’s one so far. They pulled out their trademark stuff, which was crisp since they’ve worked each other so often. Beretta nearly died when he missed a dive outside, leaving Rocky alone. He weathered the storm of Bucks offense and they got too cocky. When they went for More Bang for Your Buck, Rocky countered into a cradle for the win. Standard match between the teams but I liked the added story aspect of Rocky having to do things alone and redeem himself after the issues he caused between the team in the past few months. I also dug the out of nowhere finish. We need more of those to show matches can end at any time. ***¼

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship: Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL and SANADA) def. David Finlay, Ricochet and Satoshi Kojima (c), The Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Hangman Page and Yujiro Takahashi) and CHAOS (Jado, Will Ospreay and YOSHI-HASHI) in 16:06
Pimp Yujiro’s ladies tonight were on point. Good to see YOSHI get a spot on the card. He had a good 2016. I had no clue this was a gauntlet match until the bell rang with just BC and CHAOS in the ring. They brawled for a while before things calmed down. Ospreay got his shit in, including a sweet dive outside and middle rope corkscrew moonsault. Page hit an SSP off the apron to the outside while Yujiro pinned Jado to eliminate them. Outside of Will’s sprint, this first section was lackluster. Also, I’m stunned Gedo didn’t blow his load on a Ricochet/Ospreay spot in the Dome. LIDJ entered next, which made the BC advancing baffling. You’d think they’d keep the babyface team there. Both teams cheated a bit before SANADA made Yujiro tap to the dragon sleeper. The champs were the final team to join. This was a six-man pairing I was looking forward to because I like everyone involved. We got early dives from Finlay and Ricochet. It’s like Kojima is the dad letting his kids run wild. After a fast start, LIDJ worked the heat on Finlay. Ricochet’s hot tag saw him hit a brainbuster for two. Ricochet nearly died when EVIL launched him into an MX from BUSHI. It didn’t come off too crisp but was a great idea. Kojima got hit with the mist and lost following a powerbomb and STO. That segment between LIDJ and the champs was the best thing on the show so far. The first two sections involving the BC dragged this match down unfortunately. The right team won too since SANADA, BUSHI and EVIL all had awesome years. ***

Cody Rhodes def. Juice Robinson in 9:37
I’m a Cody fan. His post-WWE run has been filled with solid matches, but nothing great. I expected more of the same coming into this. We got a cool spot early where Cody tried a double jump dive outside but Juice caught him and nailed a belly to belly suplex. Juice looked pumped to be working the Dome. He did the Kevin Owens cannonball with Cody on the guardrail. Inside, Cody got in control and did some taunting. He stopped to talk smack to the English commentary team. Cody stopped Juice’s comeback by attacking the knee. Juice survived the American Nightmare submission and sold the leg well. He countered Cross Rhodes and got two on a lariat. His leg gave out on a powerbomb attempt before Cody hit the Cross Rhodes to win. Like I said, solid but unspectacular. Juice gets props for his selling and he came out motivated. Most of this fell flat though. Also, you wouldn’t know Cody was in the BC by this match. No gear or taunts or anything related to it. **½

ROH World Championship: Adam Cole def. Kyle O’Reilly (c) in 10:14
I’m not sure if doing back to back all gaijin matches is a good move. Especially when Cody is new to NJPW and Cole hasn’t been around enough to gain a real following. I’d have put Cody/Juice second and the NEVER gauntlet third. They’ve had great matches in the past but I was underwhelmed at Final Battle when Kyle won the title. They played into their animosity with some heated stuff early but the crowd didn’t care much for it. We got an exchange of strikes and kicks that felt hollow. Cole used a series of kicks and the Last Shot to become the first three time ROH Champion. Typical ROH. They waited far too long to pull the trigger on Kyle and now he isn’t re-signing, so they had to waste the long angle and put the title back on Cole. Match went ten minutes but felt closer to thirty. **

IWGP Tag Team Championship: Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano def. The Guerillas of Destiny (c) and Great Bash Heel in 12:24
I heard good things about GBH/GOD in the World Tag League Finals but never watched due to lack of caring. However, adding Ishii and Yano made me interested in this one. Yano got jumped early for stealing the Tag Titles and WTL trophy. Yano was a blast throughout this. He brought his brand of entertainment to this and made it fun. Each guy or team was given a decent amount of time to get their shit in. We got some Honma/Ishii interaction, which is always appreciated. The final stretch saw a frantic pace from everyone involved. In classic Yano fashion, he blind tagged in and then saved Ishii from a double suplex with stereo low blows on the champs. A rollup later and we had new champions. More fun than I expected thanks to Ishii being Ishii and Yano being Yano. ***

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi def. KUSHIDA (c) in 16:14
I wanted to see this match more than any other. It was fresh, exciting and featured two guys I enjoy. Takahashi went all Rey Mysterio with a “JUMPING OUT THE SKY” entrance. Takahashi attacked during KUSHIDA’s entrance but the champ fought him off. He followed with an insane dive that looked fantastic. KUSHIDA went after the arm but got leveled with a vicious sunset flip bomb onto the floor. The doctor had to check on him. Back inside, they traded crisp offense, including Takahashi countering the Hoverboard Lock and hitting some Germans. He went for a leaping rana that would pull KUSHIDA outside but they got caught on the ropes and botched it. He made up for it with the bonkers diving senton he’s known for. He hit the floor HARD. Takahashi countered a Pele into an awesome sunset flip bomb for two. KUSHIDA avoided another sunset flip to the outside with a backflip before catching a leaping Takahashi in an armbar. The spot was partially lifted from KUSHIDA/O’Reilly and worked here. KUSHIDA was aggressive and held it while the referee counted, knowing he could get away with it outside. KUSHIDA continued the focus on the arm with vicious kicks. Takahashi battled out of the Hoverboard Lock several times, including one on the top rope, which was countered into an inverted destroyer for two. He then hit a corner DVD and time bomb to capture the title. Easily the best thing on the show so far. Takahashi was the great, fresh opponent KUSHIDA needed and they delivered. This had the heat and crowd investment the last two Dome Jr. Title matches lacked. Great story of KUSHIDA having to get aggressive to overcome his challenger but Takahashi proving to be too much. ****¼

NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto def. Katsuyori Shibata (c) in 16:17
I’m almost certain this was planned to be Shibata against someone from NOAH (probably Nakajima or Go). Goto feels like a last minute replacement but their matches usually rule. Shibata had the best match at last year’s WK. This didn’t get off to the wild start that Ishii/Shibata did last year but I’m fine with that. Instead, we got a feeling out process between the two former partners who know each other so well. Shibata kicked his ass early and no sold Goto’s hardest kicks. For the final five or so minutes, they went to war in typical NEVER Title match fashion. Big offense, hard strikes and FIGHTING SPIRIT! Shibata survived Shouten Kai and you felt like Goto would choke again. He reached down and delivered a flurry of headbutts. After hitting the GTR, he captured the title. Damn good match but not quite great. Maybe it’s because Gedo made it impossible for me to care about Goto anymore. I couldn’t get into it the way I did with their past encounters. Plus, Goto could always win the second tier titles, it was the Heavyweight that continues to elude him. Still, great finishing stretch to a strong battle. ***¾

IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito (c) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi in 25:25
Tanahashi debuted his new theme, which is nowhere near as good as the old one. It does shout “GO ACE” in it, which is a dick move since Okada technically became the ace at WK10. Though Naito deserves to be the top guy, there’s something fitting about the guy who has defined NJPW over the past decade facing his disrespectful self. Naito came out in a maroon suit, looking cool as f***. Interestingly, no clean break was given by Tanahashi in the opening minutes. I love when Tanahashi does little heel things. The crowd ate up everything they did, which makes sense since they both get the best reactions on the roster. Both guys went after the leg. Tanahashi because it’s kind of his thing and Naito to set up the knee bar he’s utilized recently. Both guys sold the leg work very well. We got an awesome apron slingblade, which I don’t remember seeing before. He followed with High Fly Flow outside but wasted time mocking Naito’s signature taunt. Inside, Naito brought the big guns with some great offense. They each survived the knee bar and cloverleaf. In a great spot, Tanahashi missed High Fly Flow and Naito hit Destino. I would have had that be the finish. After some more exchanges and survival of High Fly Flow, Naito won by hitting Destino twice more. Amazing match. Tanahashi is a master at laying his matches out. Great wrestling, hot crowd, strong storytelling, well done limb work and fine selling. Not only does Naito get his big Dome win but he does it against a guy who bumped him out of his big spot three years ago. I wish this main evented so Naito could make up for WK8. ****½

I saw a laughable tweet that said Omega and Okada are the two best big match wrestlers in the world. Omega hasn’t had enough big matches to validate that statement and Tanahashi is still around, which he just reminded everyone.

IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Kenny Omega in 46:49
Omega got a Terminator style entrance that came off better than Triple H’s attempt at WM31. The first portion of this match did nothing for me. It felt like they just did stuff to kill time, rather than things that mattered. It wasn’t until a table got brought into play that the match got going. Omega busted out the Ibushi moonsault spot, which I dug. Kenny took a MASSIVE back body drop bump from in the ring to the outside that took some incredible precision. I’m amazed he’s okay. Omega came back with a sick super dragon suplex. Their final exchange was awesome, which is Okada’s specialty. The Rainmaker V Trigger spot ruled. Omega joined Naito and Tanahashi as the guys to kick out of the Rainmaker. It took several more but Okada finally retained. So many of them felt like overkill but I liked how Omega never got to hit his finisher, which will come into play whenever they rematch this. Like a lot of Okada led matches, the first portion didn’t really matter. I don’t mind a slow start as long as everything pays off and matters. Think Tana/AJ from the G1 25. Shave off that first 15-20 and you’ve got a MOTY candidate. With it though, it felt like they tried too hard for the long, epic match. I’ve seen people say this is the greatest match ever and some call it garbage, but I can’t fathom either being true. I know some will hate this rating. A poor first half followed by an insane second half. Shoutout to Omega specifically for one hell of a performance. ****

Overall: 8.5/10. Much better than last year’s Wrestle Kingdom, but still behind WK9 for me. The undercard mostly delivered this time around, with some solid matches. I didn’t care much for Cody/Juice or Cole/O’Reilly, but everything else clocked in with at least three stars. I even liked the Young Bucks match, which is a rarity. The final four matches are where this show hammers it home though. The Jr. Title match was my favorite in years, while Goto/Shibata delivered the kind of match I wanted. Omega/Okada had issues but still put on a great show. Tanahashi/Naito was my MOTN and a fantastic spectacle. The card lacked, but the show delivered in a big way.

Top 135 Matches of 2016: #105-96

105. Aztec Warfare III – Lucha Underground 11/16/16

Lucha Underground does one match shows better than anyone. From the All Night Long match in season one to the Six to Survive match in season two, they just nail them. Hands down though, their bread and butter is Aztec Warfare. For those unaware, this is basically a twenty-man Royal Rumble, but eliminations only occur via pinfall or submission and anything goes. This was the third Aztec Warfare and saw the Lucha Underground Champion enter at #1 for the second straight time. Matanza Cueto dominated at times again. Dating back to Aztec Warfare II, Matanza had eleven straight eliminations. Each Aztec Warfare has had a fairly different roster with only Mil Muertes, Johnny Mundo and Drago competing in all three. Without commercials, this went for 36:53 and almost always had something of interest going on. Matanza took a flurry of offense before getting pinned for the first time in his career, guaranteeing a new champion. In the end, it came down to former Lucha Underground Champion Mil Muertes and Sexy Star. Sexy fought from behind in an thrilling final stretch. She managed to shove Mil off the top and through a table, following with a double stomp to capture the title. I’m not the biggest Sexy Star fan but this win had been built up for a while and the fans treated it like a huge deal. I prefer the first two Aztec Warfare matches but that doesn’t mean this wasn’t a complete blast. ****

104. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Marty Scurll – PWG All-Star Weekend 12 Night One 3/4/16

At All-Star Weekend 11, Kyle O’Reilly returned to PWG to a thunderous ovation. This was one of, if not the absolute most intriguing matchup on either night of All-Star Weekend. Not only was it Kyle’s first match back with the company, but Marty Scurll is one of the most interesting personalities in wrestling, and I had never seen them face off before. In the early stages, Kyle looked to have fun, even busting out SLEAZY KYLE. Normally, I much prefer serious O’Reilly, but I understood it here since PWG is a place that doesn’t take itself too seriously and Kyle was happy to be back in front of the Reseda crowd. As Scurll started doing his thing, O’Reilly had to get serious and, though known for his armbar, went after the leg furiously. They progressed into strikes and lariats, which sounded so stiff that it garnered a standing ovation. The final stretch was the best. Marty did his finger snap, which always makes me cringe in a good way, and they did a cool spot where Kyle had the Nigel blocked, so he had to try again but on the bottom rope instead of the middle rope. Kyle was able to put the leg work to good use by winning with the ankle lock at 18:49. There wasn’t any ongoing storyline or anything on the line here. Just two great performers having a great wrestling match. ****

103. 10 on 10 Elimination Match: Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown – WWE Survivor Series 11/20/16

Some of the most fun on the early Survivor Series Pay-Per-Views came in the giant tag matches involving all of the tag teams. This match was a nice throwback to those and though the quality of the tag division isn’t what it was in the late 80’s, this was still awesome. Breezango got to do a comedy bit before getting eliminated in the first minute or so. That wasn’t really surprising but then a real shocker came when the Raw Tag Team Champions of over 400 days, New Day, got eliminated instantly after. That left a wide open field for the remainder of the 18:55 match. As the match dwindled down, things got better. American Alpha had an especially great stretch that saw Chad Gable hit a Chaos Theory German suplex on Cesaro and a dive outside. Despite not lasting until the end, AA shined. It eventually came down to the Usos vs. Cesaro and Sheamus. They had a great little finishing stretch that honestly could have gotten a bit more time. Cesaro and Sheamus earned the win for Team Raw when Cesaro used a sharpshooter and Sheamus prevented it from being broken up with a Brogue Kick. A rare show of teamwork from the unlikely partners to cap off a great match. Chaotic at times but that finishing stretch was killer. ****

102. No Holds Barred Match: Hangman Page vs. Jay Briscoe – ROH Death Before Dishonor XIV 8/19/16

Last year, these two surprised me and cracked my list with a pretty great brawl. This year, they managed to top that performance. Hangman Page had recently joined the Bullet Club and was looking to do what he couldn’t do before. He wanted to beat Jay Briscoe. This is a Jay Briscoe who had only been pinned twice (I believe) in the past 1,000 or so days, which is insane. From the opening bell until this ended at the 17:39 mark, they worked this like two guys who hate one another. They only used chairs, tables and Page’s noose, but made it all work in creative and violent ways. You honestly won’t find many more violent spectacles around. Everything they did was brutal and had an intensity to it that you don’t see often enough. One sick spot saw Page get tied to a chair in the corner by his noose and Jay just ran into him time after time. Another came when Page hit the Rite of Passage off the apron and through a table. Another Rite of Passage inside gave Page the biggest win of his career in his best match ever. Violent brawls aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but if you like them, you’ll love this. ****

101. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. ACH – ROH Conquest Tour 3/12/16

It’s been the case for a while now, but ROH’s non-PPV shows are consistently better than their PPVs. This event, on March 12th from Philadelphia, fit that bill. The best match on the show was a battle for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship between champion and ace of the juniors, KUSHIDA, and challenger ACH. ACH had never worked for NJPW, so the thought of him winning was kind of out of the question, but a few weeks earlier, Tomohiro Ishii won the ROH Television Title despite never working ROH, so the possibility was there. They had some fun as KUSHIDA did the “you can’t see me” taunt and nailed a Stunner, compete with the double bird. KUSHIDA is the superior mat technician, so ACH used his incredible athleticism, including an awesome somersault off the guardrail, to combat that. KUSHIDA got serious and went after the left arm, which ACH sold very well, especially down the stretch. The fans chanted “better than Roadblock” (WWE Roadblock took place on the same night) as things reached their peak down the stretch. ACH went for his 450 splash, the Midnight Star, but missed and landed on the bad arm. KUSHIDA kicked it and applied his Hoverboard Lock to make ACH tap out at 18:47. It was the best ACH performance I’ve ever seen and another feather in the cap of KUSHIDA, who has been having fantastic matches with almost everyone he faces. ****

100. WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifying Match: Fred Yehi vs. TJ Perkins – Evolve 61 5/7/16

Evolve easily had the best set of Cruiserweight Classic qualifiers. Fred Yehi and TJ Perkins were both members of the Catch Point faction, but had no problems squaring off for a shot at the WWE CWC. There was a respect shown between the two all throughout this. Perkins didn’t bring his manager out and the guys mostly gave out clean breaks when there was a chance. I really liked the contrasting styles here. While both men do a lot of mat work, Perkins does it with some flair and arrogance, while Yehi is angrier and his offense is very unique. Seriously, his angry stomps are always a highlight. For all of the 13:49 runtime, they played this so evenly. Neither man could gain a clear upper hand. At one point, TJ missed a frog splash and Yehi locked in a Koji Clutch. A bell rang, confusing the fans, but it was just a mistake and TJ reached the ropes to break it. The action built to a great ending where TJ got the win with a 450 splash. There were a few moments that didn’t feel as crisp as they should have, but this was still a great match. Though TJ won (and would go on to win the entire tournament), I think this was a bit of a star making performance for Yehi. Watch him in 2017. ****

99. Cedric Alexander vs. Michael Elgin – AAW Cero Miedo 9/1/16

Ever since his run in the 2015 G1 Climax, Michael Elgin has been on the best run of his career. Once he left ROH, Cedric Alexander embarked on his own best run. In the midst of those two stretches, they met on this night in Berwyn, Illinois. They’ve wrestled in the past and have a history, so it was fitting that Elgin faced Alexander in Cedric’s last AAW match before heading to the WWE. There wasn’t an underlying story to this. Just two guys trying to see who the better man is and sometimes that’s all you need. They had some fun at the start when both guys did pushups and tried to see who was in better shape. Alexander showed off his abs, so Elgin responded by telling the crowd to check out his “dumper”. Yes, that got a “dumper” chant started. Once they got going, the action was nuts. Elgin used his power advantage for impressive moves like the best stalling suplex since the British Bulldog, while Alexander utilized his superb athleticism for things like a springboard tornado DDT. The finishing stretch of this 15:53 battle is awesome. Cedric survived lariats and hit a Brainbuster into his patented Lumbar Check for two. Elgin countered a super rana into a super bomb, followed by a buckle bomb and his spinning Elgin Bomb, yet Cedric still kicked out. Elgin finally kept him down with a burning hammer. After the match, Elgin put over Cedric on the mic as an underutilized guy and said the cream was now rising to the crop. ****

98 . NXT Tag Team Championship: #DIY (c) vs. Akira Tozawa and Tajiri – WWE NXT 12/28/16

The final episode of NXT in 2016 featured matches from their show in Osaka, Japan. When I originally read the results, the match that stood out to me was this one. #DIY was one of the three best tag teams I saw in 2016 and the combination of Akira Tozawa and Tajiri intrigued me. Akira shows flashes of greatness, while Tajiri looked rejuvenated during the CWC. This bested my expectations. For 17:21, these four men went hard. Gargano and Tozawa worked at such a quick pace, it was hard for me to keep up with my typing when I originally reported on the match. Tajiri and Ciampa brought the hard hitting aspect to the match. Both teams showed off strong chemistry, which was impressive for the challengers since they aren’t a regular team. They built to some great close calls. Tozawa took Project Ciampa but somehow survived. He also busted out some excellent snap German suplexes for near falls of his own. Tajiri turned back the clock and busted out the old handspring back elbow. Though everyone knew the titles wouldn’t change hands, they did a great job of sucking the viewers in and making us believe they could pull it off. Tozawa fell to the running knee/superkick combo as #DIY added another win and great match to their resume. ****

97. Lucha Underground Championship: Matanza Cueto (c) vs. Cage – Lucha Underground 6/1/16

THE UNOFFICIAL HOSSWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP! Matanza reigned as a dominant Lucha Underground Champion but Cage brought something that nobody but Mil Muertes was able to against him. He was just as big and possibly even stronger. Since they were about even there, Cage decided to use his freakish athleticism to cause problems for the champion. The action throughout this 13:29 main event was non-stop. They made sure to keep it going and be hard hitting the whole way. They traded getting up instantly after German suplexes until Matanza hit a swinging variation to keep Cage down for a bit. Cage impressed with a dead lift superplex on the large champion. One of the best things about this was Dario Cueto at ringside. He nailed every reaction perfectly. He remains the best non-wrestler in all of wrestling. To close it out, Cage went for a barrage of strikes only to get caught in the Wrath of the Gods slam. Cage is not always booked like a top Lucha Underground star, yet this match was handled in a way where the viewers bought him as a guy who might actually be able to dethrone Matanza. ****

96. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW Dominion 6/19/16

Tetsuya Naito winning the IWGP Heavyweight Title at Invasion Attack was my favorite NJPW moment of the year. It showed that the company was willing to try something new. Since 2011, only Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada and AJ Styles held the top title. Naito, with his excellent heel character, was a breath of fresh air. Naturally, that couldn’t last. Okada got his rematch at Dominion and wanted a one on one affair. No Gedo in his corner and no LIDJ in Naito’s. Okada is always cocky and he was here as well, but there was an underlying sense of desperation or urgency. He seemed to be taking his role as the “ace” seriously. Their fight spilled outside, where Naito hit an awesome running dropkick on the ramp. Once back inside, the match went to the next level and featured plenty of close calls and near falls. They were ready to counter the big moves of the other one at each turn. I believe Naito became only the second man to kick out of Okada’s signature Rainmaker, joining Tanahashi. Okada countered Destino twice, including once into a tombstone before adding three more Rainmakers to win back the title at 29:03. I 1000% disagree with the title switch here as Gedo just went back to status quo. We should have gotten a rubber match at WK11, but it was not meant to be. This was typical Okada main event stuff with a relatively slow start and a really hot finish. ****

Top 135 Matches of 2016: #115-106

115. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Raw 4/11/16

Standing alone, this would be an indy fan’s dream match on WWE television. Though they met twelve years earlier, this was the first ever one on one match between AJ Styles and Sami Zayn. Just putting them together would be enough but this had an added edge. Styles had an upcoming one on one WWE Championship match, but if he lost here, Sami would be added and it would become a triple threat match. It started as a respectful battle but a big chop from Sami and vicious dropkick from AJ kicked it into next gear. Sami takes a beating better than anyone in wrestling, which was perfect here. AJ and his offense came off looking great and it had to for the casual audience to buy him as a threat to Roman Reigns in a few weeks. Each one of Sami’s hope spots were done well and I bought into him pulling off the upset more than once. Sami tried landing on his feet on a big sunset flip but ended up hitting his head. He still went for the Helluva Kick, only to miss and lose to the Phenomenal Forearm at the 16:52 mark. A great match between two of my favorites for the first time ever and, considering their post-draft spots, it may not happen again. ****

114. WWE Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks – WWE WrestleMania 4/3/16

For the first time since Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James a decade prior, a women’s match felt like it actually belonged on the biggest show of the year. This wasn’t just the company throwing women on the card for the sake of it, it was actually one of the more hyped and promoted matches of the show. Charlotte entered as Divas Champion, but earlier in the night it was revealed that the Women’s Title would be returning to replace it, so nobody entered with the gold. Add in Charlotte wearing a robe made from her dad’s last WWE match and Sasha Banks coming out with Snoop Dogg and you’ve got the ingredients for something special. Once the bell rang, these women went all out for the entire 16:01 duration. It’s as if they knew the success of the future of the division hinged on their performances. There were some sloppy moments that kept this match from reaching the heights of their NXT stuff, though I give them credit for doing their best to cover them up. WrestleMania jitters and all. Sasha paid tribute to Eddie Guerrero more than once, giving this some emotional impact. Even Ric Flair got in on the action, taking a bump for Becky. Charlotte would go on to win with help from her dad in the worst booking decision of the year, on the worst booked show of the year. This was Sasha or Becky’s night. Still, it is the best women’s match in WrestleMania history. ****

113. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Momo No Seishun Tag (c) vs. Hajime Ohara and Kenoh – NOAH Great Voyage in Osaka – 5/28/16

People can talk all they want about the Young Bucks or the revolving door of teams in NJPW’s poorly booked Jr. Heavyweight tag team division but they don’t compare to Momo No Seishun. For my money, Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada are an easy pick for the best junior tag team in the world. Kotoge is up there with KUSHIDA and Taiji Ishimori as the best juniors around, while Harada’s thick frame allows him to bring something different to the table. Honestly, since I don’t follow NOAH that much, I hadn’t seen much of Hajime Ohara and Kenoh coming into this. They came off like the clear heels though, using cheap tactics and even putting the champions through a table with a diving double stomp. They held serve for a while but Harada started tossing dudes around and made the hot tag to Kotoge. Kenoh and Kotoge went at it for a while and then Ohara and Harada did. All interactions were great. After 19:47 of action, Ohara fell to a German suplex from Harada. This is what I want from a junior tag division, not the same stale stuff NJPW gives us. Unfortunately, they ruined all goodwill by having Momo No Seishun drop the tiles to the booking team of Gedo and Jado. ****

112. NXT Tag Team Championship 2 Out of 3 Falls: The Revival (c) vs. American Alpha – WWE NXT 7/6/16

For my money, these are the two best tag teams on planet Earth. In April, American Alpha won the titles from the Revival but the Revival won them back two months later. This was the rubber match. The two out of three falls stipulation takes us back to good old school tag matches from the late 80’s, which is right up the Revival’s alley. The teams played off their previous two encounters while throwing twists into the action. They did a great job in showcasing how evenly matched they were and neither team could even gain a fall after fifteen minutes. Alpha had great babyface fire and the Revival, as always, nailed every single heel tactic they could. Both teams shined before stereo ankle locks led to Dawson tapping at 17:13, giving AA a 1-0 lead. The Revival were quick to tie it with an inverted figure four at 18:33. Tied at one in their match and the series, the stakes were never higher. They both teased successful submissions and had counters ready for everything. Gable tried a German suplex off the apron but it was blocked and he took a Shatter Machine on the apron to end things at 22:08. The Revival retained and moved into an even better rivalry but people shouldn’t forget how great their trilogy with American Alpha was. ****

111. No Mas Match: Mariposa vs. Sexy Star – Lucha Underground 5/4/16

A “No Mas” match is an I Quit match. To provide backstory, Marty Martinez kidnapped Sexy Star and held her captive between seasons one and two of Lucha Underground. During that time, Sexy was mentally tortured by Marty and his sister, Mariposa. Sexy escaped but Mariposa found her way to the Temple. Sexy showed fear each time she saw her but this was her night to end it. To add to the stakes, the winner would receive an Aztec Medallion and a shot to become Gift of the Gods Champion. For those who don’t know, Mariposa is played by Cheerleader Melissa. This felt like a Melissa match because it was brutal. I didn’t like how this started since two people who hate each other, in this kind of match, shouldn’t try to grapple. Just fight. After that though, this was pure violence. They used chairs, fought up the steps and Mariposa ripped away at Sexy’s mask. They even climbed higher up to the top of the Temple where nobody had been before. Sexy got busted open and her blood dripped over the fans far below her. The sight of her with blood and the ripped mask made for a great visual. Marty showed up but was equalized by Sexy’s friend the Mack, which led to a turning point. Sexy declined quitting with a “FUCK YOU MARIPOSA” before winning with an armbar at 15:25. An anti-climactic finish and slow start kept this from being higher but still a violent war worthy of this list. ****

110. Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – WWN Mercury Rising 4/2/16

Last year at Evolve 48, these two had a match that made my list. Zack Sabre Jr. is usually in control when he wrestles, but not when Chris Hero is pummeling him. Sabre went on a “Best in the World Series” this year against five of the top guys in Evolve. He started 3-0, lost the fourth match and this was the final one. He faced the one guy that he just can’t seem to beat. Hero takes offense to Sabre thinking he’s the best, when Hero calls himself the GOAT and beat Sabre twice coming into this. Knowing he had the mental advantage, Hero stalled a bit early to get even more in Sabre’s head. Sabre combated Hero’s strikes by twisting Hero’s hands and feet in disgusting ways. They played off previous battles and had counters for a lot of what the other one does. The confident Hero gave Sabre free shots but would retaliate with huge strikes. Sabre takes a good beating for most of the 26:51. He fired up and demanded more strikes, which proved to be a bad move. He survived a fair amount, including a short piledriver, before a great finishing stretch saw both guys come close. A barrage of elbows finally kept Sabre down to cap a great start to a big super show. ****

109. WWE Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks – WWE Raw 7/25/16

There have been a lot of Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte matches. They’re almost always good, some great, but they never really got to the level of Sasha/Becky or Sasha/Bayley. Anyway, the first Raw of the new brand split era was one of the best in the 23 year history of the program. The best match of that night saw Charlotte defend the Women’s Championship against Sasha. Including her reign as Divas Champion, Charlotte was at the helm of the division since the previous September. During that time though, Sasha never got a one on one title shot until this night. Unlike all of the other times that the WWE bashes how important their matches are over our heads (especially during this feud), this naturally felt like a big deal and was treated as such. For 16:51, they had possibly their best match ever. As with most Charlotte title defenses, she had help at ringside, and Dana got involved quickly. To get rid of Dana, Sasha pulled a page of her idol Eddie Guerrero’s book and made it look like Dana went after her with the title. That just added a little something extra to this. The rest of the match saw them do the spots they’re known for and the fans thought it was over when Charlotte hit her finisher, but Sasha survived by grabbing the ropes. Charlotte survived one Bank Statement, but tapped to a second after straight up telling Sasha that she would never beat her. The crowd reacted perfectly and the moment of Sasha realizing her dream was one of the best of the entire year. Sasha’s 2016 wasn’t nearly as good as her 2015, but this was an amazing sight. The feud would be run way into the ground for the rest of the year and never reached this level again. ****

108. Akira Tozawa, Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi vs. BxB Hulk, Shingo Takagi and YAMATO – DG Gate of Destiny 11/3/16

Though I haven’t seen a ton of Dragon Gate, I am quite familiar with all six men involved in this match. Most of them were due to appearances in ROH or the CWC in Akira’s case. This was the big farewell match for Tozawa as he was leaving Dragon Gate. He was emotional before the bell but on his game once things began. The interactions throughout this ruled. It’s been nearly ten years since I first saw Yoshino compete and he’s still arguably the fastest guy in the ring. He and Hulk were great together. Tozawa got his shine, but also took a fair amount of the heat for his team. The pace of this match is bonkers. It’s pretty much the Dragon Gate specialty were everyone moves in and out of the match, doing insane things at a breakneck pace and it all looks smooth. As one would expect, the final third or so of this 27:49 match is ridiculous. Tozawa and Shingo have some especially great moments. I also liked the back story of the affiliations these men have had over time (Shingo held the ROH Tag Titles with Doi and teamed with Hulk, while Yoshino and Doi were a formidable team in their own right). Tozawa took the fall in the end, going out on his back. Most of the roster came out for the big post-match send off, capping an emotional match that was action packed. ****

107. WWE World Championship TLC Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE TLC 12/4/16

The James Ellsworth saga went on for too long in the eyes of many. He was a major part of the Dean Ambrose/AJ Styles rivalry and played into this match. After an incredible encounter at Backlash and a fantastic triple threat match at No Mercy, AJ’s string of great title defenses continued in his first TLC match. For most of the 31:01 runtime, this was bordering on being their best match. It started with Dean going right after AJ, which made sense given the angle. They used all the weapons creatively and though it went half an hour, it didn’t feel long. Dean’s massive elbow off a ladder through a table was insane but was topped by Styles’ springboard 450 splash to the outside and through at able. AJ had it won when Ellsworth showed up. That distraction allowed Dean to hit Dirty Deeds on steel steps. AJ got up (too quickly) but Dean still fought him off. It wasn’t until Ellsworth turned heel and knocked the ladder over, sending Dean through tables outside, that AJ retained. I would’ve liked a better finish though it made sense within the story. Delusional Ellsworth on Talking Smack right after was great too. Anyway, this was another great match for Styles and Ambrose with some wild moments but they both did better this year. ****

106. Kenny Omega vs. YOSHI-HASHI – NJPW G1 Climax 7/22/16

Like I said, the B Block in this year’s G1 Climax was honestly an all-time great block. Though Kenny Omega was probably my least favorite performer of the block, he came out of the gates firing in this surprisingly awesome encounter with YOSHI-HASHI. YOSHI has been around for a while but only just started getting a sustained pushed. This was the first G1 Climax match in the career of either man. Omega looked into the camera during his entrance and said “I hate this schedule, I hate this tournament; just give me the title and the money.” While this started slowly, by the end of the 12:25, they blew away my expectations. They built up to some really dramatic near falls and all of it made sense. YOSHI had the One Winged Angel well scouted, countering it twice. Omega escaped YOSHI’s trademark butterfly lock submission more than once, leaving both men looking to use something else. YOSHI reached deep down and busted out Boma Ye, which worked on multiple levels because it was the finisher of his old buddy Shinsuke Nakamura, who Omega beat on his way out. Omega had also been using the move since then. YOSHI eventually pulled out the upset win with Karma, starting his G1 run off on the right foot. A surprisingly standout match from a damn good tournament. ****

Top 135 Matches of 2016: #125-116

125. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 8/4/16

My favorite NJPW wrestler against my favorite Pro Wrestling NOAH wrestler. What’s not to love? I’ll mention it several times in this list most likely but the B Block for this year’s G1 Climax was an all-time great one. Tetsuya Naito and Katsuhiko Nakajima were two big reasons for that. Nakajima was in his hometown here but they were mostly subdued early on, which hurt things. Naito targeted the leg which made sense for two reasons. One, he had been using a knee bar in the tournament and two, it would take away Nakajima’s biggest weapon which are his kicks. Nakajima did the right thing selling wise. He would still kick but whenever he did, he’d slap at it or try to wake it up and shake off the pain. Little things like that go a long way. I loved how Nakajima had Naito scouted and countered his rebound attack with a brutal kick to the chest. Nakajima went for his ankle lock, while Naito tried the knee bar. The back half of this 19:13 match was awesome. There were hard strike exchanges, plenty of counters and they woke the crowd up. By the end of it, the once quiet fans were reacting to everything. When Nakajima hit the Penalty Kick, they totally bought it as the finish. Naito would counter a brainbuster into Destino and add a second one to earn a tie for first in his block at that point. The two MVPs for NOAH and NJPW competed in a great match but I got the feeling that they could do even better in a future rematch, especially in front of a hotter crowd. ****

124. Cesaro vs. Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens vs. Rusev – 7/25/16

The first Raw of the post-draft era was not only the best of the year, it was one of the greatest episodes in history. To start with a bang, Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon set up two fatal four way matches with the winners meeting in the main event and the winner of that facing Seth Rollins at SummerSlam for the Universal Title. This was the first of those matches and featured the main roster debut of Finn Balor. It got off to a hot start but soon saw Rusev and Owens take control of the faces. It was great to hear Owens shout instructions at Rusev since they’re both very entertaining personalities. Once their partnership ended, Finn got to run wild and hit his trademark dive outside. From then on we got a lot of great combinations of matches. Balor and Cesaro killed it, I always love Cesaro going at it with Rusev, the rekindling of the Owens/Balor feud from NXT and even some Balor/Rusev stuff, which is a rivalry I’d love to see in the future. As this 20:26 match came to a close, each guy had at least one great chance to win and the suspense built. Finn hit the Coup de Grace on Rusev to score a huge first win in a great match. He then bested it with an even bigger win by cleanly defeating Roman Reigns to end the show. He’d also beat Rollins at SummerSlam to become the first Universal Champion, only to be derailed by a very unfortunate injury. ****

123. ROH World Television Championship: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. EVIL – NJPW Road to Invasion Attack 3/20/16

Usually, the “Road to” shows for NJPW are more like house shows. They set up the bigger shows down the line with multi-man tags and such. Every so often though, you are treated to pretty cool match that’s relatively a big deal. A month earlier, Tomohiro Ishii shocked many by dethroning Roderick Strong for the ROH Television Championship. He defended it here against EVIL, the brute of Los Ingobernables de Japon, who had a pretty great 2016 himself. That included a match with Ishii during the New Japan Cup that nearly made this list. There was one thing I wanted out of this match and I got it. HOSS FIGHT! They wrestled a stiff match, did a lot of brawling on the outside and went pretty hard for the entire 21:39. Ishii grew frustrated with EVIL and talked some smack while slapping him up at one point. EVIL came close to the biggest win of his career on several occasions but ultimately fell to a brainbuster. The last few minutes of this wee intense and featured a lot of well executed close calls. It was a breakout performance for EVIL and another in a long line of awesome showings by Ishii, who is a legitimate top three wrestler on the planet. ****

122. PWG Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PWG All-Star Weekend 12 Night Two 3/5/16

Last year, Zack Sabre Jr. came oh so close to dethroning Roderick Strong for this title at PWG Don’t Sweat the Technique in a match that cracked my top 25. Sabre then beat Strong in Evolve (in a match ranked even higher) before winning PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles to earn another shot at the PWG Championship. Needless to say, it was one of the matches I looked forward to the most in PWG all year long. Strong stalled in the early goings to get in Sabre’s head, so the challenger responded by taking the title and posing with it. Two can play those mind games. They called back to their previous match on a few occasions. Sabre went after both the leg and arm, which made sense since his attack on the arm alone wasn’t enough to best Roddy last time. Strong sold both well throughout and at one point, landed horribly on the shoulder on a suplex spot. As they got near the finish of the 33:36 match, it became more of a war, evolving from technical wrestling to something more vicious. A pissed Roddy removed his shitty little boot and just threw it at Sabre like an Austin Power villain. Eventually, Sabre and Roddy battled up top and Sabre took them down into an armbar. He transitioned that to include a stretch muffler, working both the arm and leg to make Strong tap. It never reached the levels of their previous matches but was still great and had the added bonus of the emotional big title win for Sabre. ****

121. NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Bobby Fish – NJPW Destruction in Tokyo 9/17/16

I’ve made it clear that I love Katsuyori Shibata. I also love reDRagon. While the prospect of Shibata vs. Kyle O’Reilly was higher on my list of matches I wanted to see, Bobby Fish getting a crack at Shibata sounded interesting too. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear good things about their ROH Television Title match on ROH TV before this one. Luckily, this match delivered. We got treated to some good old fashioned Shibata violence. Fish started by going after the leg, but also targeted the neck and shoulder. ROH commentary did a good job explaining (on a different show) that Fish and O’Reilly don’t only focus on one part of the body. They train to attack any part that is available to them, which I actually like. Like all good Shibata matches, this was a manly, violent battle. Fish was great, yelling for the official to stop the match when he was kicking Shibata’s ass. I loved him shouting “FUCK YOU” when Shibata had him in the abdominal stretch. Shibata survived the Fish Hook and, being the absolute madman that he is, delivered a headbutt so severe that he instantly busted himself open the hard way. He won with the Penalty Kick at 16:48 to add another successful defense and great match to his 2016. Fish succeeded in his first test as a heavyweight in NJPW as well. ****

120. WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Backlash 9/11/16

Talking Smack has become a weekly highlight on the WWE Network and the biggest buzz from it came when the Miz cut a scathing promo on Daniel Bryan. That thrust the Miz and the Intercontinental Title into the spotlight and made this match feel like a big deal. We’ve seen Miz and Ziggler wrestle a ton, even for this title a few years ago. This was different though. Dolph was rejuvenated after the draft (outside of a lackluster match with Dean Ambrose) and Miz had the best year of his career in terms of performances. Miz did everything right here as they told a great story. He took time to mock Daniel Bryan’s taunts and even did some of his submissions. He expertly nailed all the little things, like asking “WHO’S THE COWARD?” while stomping on Dolph. Dolph brought his best too, playing up the desperation of not wanting to lose yet again very well. He came close on several occasions and they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. Maryse would play a major factor in the end, spraying Dolph in the eyes with a substance. Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale and retained in 18:17. Up to this point, this was the best match of Miz’s career and one of Dolph’s best. It wasn’t the best finish, but it made sense and continued the idea of him using every trick to keep his title. ****

119. Dia.HEARTS vs. Monster Express vs. VerserK – Dragon Gate Open the Truth Gate 2/4/16

Getting a match featuring three groups and twelve men to come together seems like an incredibly tough task. Dragon Gate succeeded with this match. A lot was on the line as the losing unit in this match had to disband. I admittedly didn’t know everyone involved but here’s a rundown of the teams. Monster Express consists of Masato Yoshino, Akira Tozawa (who you saw in the CWC later in the year), T-Hawk and Sachihoko BOY, Dia.HEARTS has Masaaki Mochizuki, Dragon Kid, Kzy and Big R Shimizu, while VerserK includes Shingo Takagi, YAMATO, Naruki Doit and Kotoka. For the entire 27:39, this match just goes at an insane pace and, like good Survivor Series style matches, there are enough moving parts to keep you interested throughout. You got the stuff you’ve come to expect from Dragon Gate like stiff strikes and high flying spots, but there was the added drama of the impended breakup. Shingo, the top champion in Dragon Gate, got eliminated near the end to a fantastic pop from the crowd. Dia.HEARTS would take the loss and split. I honestly feel that if I followed Dragon Gate more closely, I’d have been more invested and would have enjoyed this more. ****

118. NEVER Openweight Championship: EVIL (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Wrestling World 11/15/16

Ten days earlier, EVIL captured the first singles title of his career when he defeated Katsuyori Shibata to become NEVER Openweight Champion at Power Struggle. This rematch main evented Wrestling World in Singapore, a show that featured a relatively different look and feel from most NJPW events. EVIL also beat Shibata back in the G1 Climax. With that in mind, even though he was only champion for a little over a week, I expected EVIL to drop the title here. 3-0 against Shibata for the year would have been a bit much. This was exactly the kind of hard hitting match you’d expect from these two. Shibata entered as the RPW British Heavyweight Champion, having won that title a few days earlier and he showed some traits of the guy he took the title from, Zack Sabre Jr., in the early stages. He stomped on and twisted the champion’s arm. EVIL targeted Shibata’s heavily taped shoulder and they played into their past by bringing steel chairs into play. It led to a really good false finish but Shibata survived and used EVIL’s own STO on him. He then used the sleeper and penalty kick to regain the title at 16:28, picking up another accolade and great match to a series of them in 2016. ****

117. Gran Metalik vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 9/14/16

Zack Sabre Jr. was someone that I touted highly in 2015. He wasn’t as good in 2106 but still appears on this list several times. Anyway, his run through the Cruiserweight Classic left a lot to be desired and he was outshined by a lot of people. He found himself in the semi-finals, kicking off the best show of the year against Gran Metalik. Metalik was someone I saw in NJPW as Mascara Dorada and I always thought he was good but he wowed during this tournament. Metalik came out firing by taking to the skies. Sabre weathered that storm and took it to the groundwhere he is at his most comfortable. However, Metalik showed that he could hang on the mat, which only frustrated Sabre. Sabre got more vicious in his offense as things progressed. He struck with his best PK of the tournament, complete with a Shibata reference from Mauro Ranallo. Metalik survived and scored on an awesome rana but then springboarded right into a triangle submission! Metalik got free and hit the Metalik Driver from out of nowhere to advance at 13:12. The best work of Sabre’s tournament run and nearly the best for Metalik. It got the show off to the perfect start with a match that featured great counter wrestling and told the story of Sabre getting more upset as time went on that Metalik seemed to have his number. ****

116. Grave Consequences: Mil Muertes vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 11/9/16

In the main event of Ultima Lucha in season one, Prince Puma’s lengthy reign as Lucha Underground Champion ended at the hands of Mil Muertes. They stayed away for the most part in season two, but after some struggles, Puma was directed (by Vampiro) to focus on Muertes. Puma evened the score with Muertes with a win a few weeks before this. Twice in LU, a Grave Consequences match was held, both involving Muertes. Puma attacked from behind during Mil’s entrance to start 16:26 of war. Puma dove into the crowd on Muertes and they battled throughout the Temple. The coffins came into play several times as weapons. There were several great spots throughout this including a tremendous springboard 630 splash from Puma. Vampiro kept making comments about Puma going to the dark side, hinting at their behind the scenes interactions. To start the show, Mil’s manager Catrina warned him that if he lost another Grave Consequences match, she wouldn’t bring him back again. Mil dug deep and chokeslammed Puma through a table outside. In a fitting end, he brought out the coffin that was used to kill Puma’s old manager (Konnan) back in season one. A Flatliner later and Puma was locked away to end a great rivalry. As of this writing, Puma has yet to return. ****

Top 135 Matches of 2016: #135-126

Due to the positive response that this list received last year, I brought it back for 2016. Last year’s list was a “Top 100” but I saw more wrestling than ever before in 2016. With that, I saw more great matches. I originally planned for this list to only feature 100 matches, but I ended up giving 135 matches a **** rating, so I expanded the list. I don’t think anyone will complain about more match reviews. This last spans over a dozen promotions. Some will love the rankings, some will hate them and leaving them open for debate is always fun.

135. AJ Styles vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Smackdown 8/23/16

One of the very best things about the brand split was us getting a Dolph Ziggler that actually gave a damn. After a good 2014, he put on poor performances and seemed to lack interest in a horrible 2015. He delivered great promos in his feud with Dean Ambrose but the match disappointed. It was here, on the first Smackdown after SummerSlam, that we got the first real glimpse of a rejuvenated Dolph in the ring. The stakes were high here. If AJ Styles won, he’d get a one on one title match with Dean Ambrose but a win by Ziggler would make it a triple threat match. Dolph started strong by taking things to the mat. Styles took over and continued to shine as a cocky heel. His trash talk to Dolph and even Dean on commentary was on point. AJ cut off all of Ziggler’s attempts to rally. Of course Dolph eventually made the comeback and came close after a DDT following Styles missing the springboard 450 splash. The final third of this match is excellent and some of the best work done by either guy this year. Styles used a well-timed cheap shot and the Styles Clash to win at 21:28. A great match that got a lot of time in front of a crowd that was into it. The right guy went over, they planted more seeds in the Ziggler redemption story and set the brand’s next major title program up. ****

134. Go Shiozaki vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NOAH Great Voyage in Yokohama Vol. 2 10/23/16

The war between NJPW and Pro Wrestling NOAH was one of the most fun things about 2016. During the G1 Climax finals, the two companies competed in a big multi-man tag that you’ll see later on this list. Go Shiozaki and Katsuyori Shibata represented their respective companies on that night and in future tags. It led to Shiozaki challenging Shibata at King of Pro Wrestling, setting up this non-title contest in NOAH. We got the best kind of Shibata in this match and that’s smug Shibata. He showed little to no care about Shiozaki or his ability. With this match taking place in NOAH, the crowd was split unlike in NJPW where NOAH are the heels for the most part. Shibata is known as one of the hardest hitters around but people forget that Go gives some of the most violent chops in the world. Still, you could tell Shibata took joy in coming into Go’s house and beating him, which he did with a Penalty Kick at 18:01. Shibata was portrayed as the superior guy with Shiozaki having to fight from behind and do whatever he could to even the score. Go had some counters prepared but Shibata was just simply better and beat him cleanly. While this was a great match, it felt like they were holding back for a potential bigger match down the line. ****

133. Alpha-1 Zero Gravity Championship: Kobe Durst (c) vs. Heidi Lovelace – Alpha 1 Watch the Throne 4 4/10/16

Earlier this year, I got the opportunity to talk with Ethan Page and started reviewing shows for the promotion that he runs up in Canada. Alpha 1 Wrestling is a fun time and their shows have featured guys like Carlito, Michael Elgin, Kevin Owens, Ricochet, Kyle O’Reilly and many more. On the shows I’ve watched, two of the people that stood out were Kobe Durst and Heidi Lovelace. Here, Durst defended his Zero Gravity Title in an absolute war with Lovelace. During the 14:51 that this match lasted, it saw several weapons used and we even got to see Durst do a sidewalk slam on a picnic table outside of the arena. Needless to say, this is not your typical match. Heidi tried to put Durst through a table several times, but was too small to break it. It actually helped things out because the senton, Meteora and double stomps that she did all looked like they hurt more. She finally broke the table with a powerbomb for a near fall. The brawl took them to the bar area where Durst retained by using a piledriver off the bar and through a table. I know intergender matches, or even hardcore matches, aren’t for everyone but this delivered and was awesome. Both competitors would go on to win the company’s top title before the year ended. ****

132. No Holds Barred: Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly – ROH Supercard of Honor X Night Two – 4/2/16

I love Kyle O’Reilly. While I think Adam Cole’s good, I’ve never quite seen the huge deal with him. Together, they usually produce really good stuff. The former Future Shock partners met at Final Battle four months earlier in a match that made this list last year but this was the blow off to their rivalry and it felt like the grudge match it needed to be. Cole attacked O’Reilly during his entrance and set the tone for a pretty brutal match. He slammed chairs into Kyle’s leg and even poor Mandy Leon got hit with an accidental superkick at ringside that Cole shrugged off with an “oh well” flair. They traded big spots throughout this one, including one where Kyle had a guillotine choke on the apron and Cole escaped by sending both of them through a table. As the match progressed, it got more and more violent. A superplex through a table was a big moment and then a chain got brought into play. It was used wisely, from a clothesline with it to the finishing moment where O’Reilly used an armbar that transitioned into a triangle choke with the chain to win at 27:21. Though they ended up back in a feud, this was a fitting end to this particular chapter. ****

131. NXT Tag Team Championship: The Revival (c) vs. American Alpha – NXT TakeOver: Dallas 4/1/16

NXT missed the boat by never putting the Tag Team Titles on their most popular team, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady. There was worry coming into this show that American Alpha, the new popular duo, would suffer the same fate. Honestly though, even if you weren’t heavily invested in the outcome, one could still appreciate great tag team wrestling, which is just what we got here. The Revival are a real old school style team that just gets it. They do the traditional stuff, like cutting the ring in half and working a body part, but here they really nailed the little things. Dash crawling under the ring to sneak up on Jason Jordan and prevent a hot tag was just expert stuff. They played the crowd perfectly and worked a throwback style tag team match while sprinkling in some cool newer age spots. I loved the finish too, with Jordan blind tagging in, hitting a running shoulder thrust and tagging Gable for the Grand Amplitude and the title win at 15:11. It was great to see a classic tag move, like a blind tag, used against a team that does it so well. This had a few botches that kept it from being on the level of their later matches, but none of those matched this one in terms of emotion and atmosphere. ****

130. Trios Tournament: Cage, Johnny Mundo and Taya vs. Dragon Azteca Jr., Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio Jr. – Lucha Underground 4/13/16

If you know anything about Lucha Underground, you’ll know that owner Dario Cueto loves his unique oddball teams. In that vein, he set up Cage to team with his rival Johnny Mundo, and Mundo’s girlfriend, Taya. Cage had actually faced Taya in a surprisingly brutal match that saw him superplex her through two tables a few episodes earlier. The masked trio opposite from them was something of a Lucha Underground dream team. Azteca plays a big part in the overall lore of the series, Puma was the first champion and Mysterio is a lucha legend. This match allowed us to relive the great season one rivalries that Puma had with both Cage and Mundo. Puma played the face in peril and made the hot tag to Mysterio, though some of the biggest spots were still reserved for Puma and Dragon. That included Dragon hitting a mega rana on Mundo, who was sitting on Puma’s shoulders on the top rope. That was followed by a Puma 450 splash and Mundo somehow kicked out. The final few minutes of this 12:51 match just go at a breakneck pace. Miscommunication by the uneasy team led to Rey hitting 619, Azteca nailing a gorgeous tornado DDT and Puma winning it with a 630 splash. Puma, Rey and Dragon looked fantastic as a team and the Cage/Mundo rivalry was furthered in one of the most fun matches all year long. ****

129. ROH World Television Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii – ROH/NJPW Honor Rising 2/19/16

I’m admittedly not a big fan of the ROH/NJPW partnership and much prefer the old ROH/NOAH deal. However, the best thing about it has probably been Roderick Strong’s matches with the NJPW guys, though that’s over with him in NXT now. Last year, he made this list three times against KUSHIDA, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kazuchika Okada. One of the guys I badly wanted him to face was Tomohiro Ishii and I got my wish in the main event of this show. The previous October, Strong ended Jay Lethal’s 400+ day reign with the TV Title and put it on the line against one of the best in the world here. Strong entered as the cocky champion but quickly realized that Tomohiro Ishii was a problem. He managed to find some openings, like pulling Ishii off the apron and into a backbreaker, which he then one upped later with a backbreaker off the apron. They got into the battle of chops that I was hoping for the second this match was announced and it delivered. Strong seemed to be on the verge of a win until Ishii began to lean into shots and fire up. They went into a great back and forth battle that saw Ishii win the title at 20:07. While it wasn’t an upset, the result was surprising since Ishii didn’t work ROH and Strong was in the middle of a feud with Bobby Fish, giving this match an added bonus of shock value. ****

128. WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust vs. Zack Ryder – WWE WrestleMania 4/3/16

For the second straight year, the Intercontinental Title got thrown into a clusterfuck ladder match at WrestleMania, even though the Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens rivalry was what everyone wanted to see. Sure enough, shortly after this began, the crowd erupted for their faceoff and hockey style fight. Sin Cara, Stardust and Zack Ryder did nothing of note leading into this show and were seemingly added to fill out the match. The true brilliance of this match is that everyone, no matter your position on the card coming in, was given ample time to shine, while still making sure a good focus was spent on the Sami/Owens rivalry. All sorts of great spots in this one, including a somersault dive by Sami through an open ladder onto everyone outside, instantly followed by his signature tornado DDT on the opposite side of the ring on Owens. There was a touching moment where Stardust pulled out a polka dotted ladder in honor of his father. We also got a sick Owens frog splash onto a ladder ridden Sami as well as Zayn hitting a half nelson suplex on Owens onto a ladder. Miz spoiled a Sami win and everyone though he’d steal it. Ryder appeared, pushed him off and took down the title at 15:23. It was a feel good moment (though it only lasted a night) before giving the fans a night of bad booking decisions ****

127. Style Battle Round Robin Tournament: Fred Yehi vs. Tracy Williams – Evolve 53 1/22/16

Entering the year, I knew next to nothing about Fred Yehi and Tracy Williams. On the first Evolve show of the year, they instantly caught my eye with this match. The Style Battle Round Robin Tournament was a short series of matches involving these two, Pete Kaasa and Matt Riddle. This was right up my alley, as the matches, especially this one, blended mat wrestling with hard strikes. For 14:51, these two had one of the most competitive matches all year long. They started with ground based work, before building to bigger things. That’s when it got way physical. Some of the chops in this would make even Roderick Strong cringe. They just went to war and you got the feeling that they were willing to do anything to one another to win. Yehi connected on some brutal roaring elbows but it wasn’t enough. Williams reached down deep and hit a high angle DDT and spike piledriver before choking Yehi out. Williams and Yehi would team up down the line after Yehi was accepted as a member of the Catch Point stable. I probably scored this higher than most, but I love this kind of match. ****

126. ROH World Tag Team Championship: War Machine (c) vs. The Briscoes – ROH Global Wars 5/8/16

Ring of Honor boasts about having the best tag team division in all of wrestling, though it is an arguable point for sure. A lot of their teams are of the fast paced, spotty variety (Machine Guns, Young Bucks, ANX, etc.). These two teams don’t quite fit that mold. War Machine won the Tag Team Titles and were on a roll, but the one team they had never beaten was the Briscoes. Jay and Mark are THE tag team in ROH history. This match started out with standard stuff, but once it picked up, it pretty much never let up for the rest of the 15:26. Just four guys wailing on each other and having a good old fashioned fight. There were several great moments, but one stood out above them all. Knowing they had to do something different to finally beat the Briscoes, Hanson took a big risk and tried a top rope moonsault. It didn’t pay off as he missed, but then he kicked out of the Jay Driller. A move that has won Jay several World Title matches. War Machine used that to set up a finishing stretch where they retained by hitting Mark with Fallout. They got the monkey off their backs, though the win ultimately didn’t mean much since they unceremoniously dropped the titles shortly after. ****

Lucha Underground "The Gauntlet" Review

The show opens with the typically well produced video package.

Vampiro brought Prince Puma back from the grave, saying he would start his journey of darkness. Puma accepted Vamp as his new master.

Jeremiah Crane def. Mil Muertes w/ Catrina in 1:54
Crane came out the blocks with a running kick and brought the fight to his bigger opponent. Mil took over before Catrina got involved. Mil had it won but Prince Puma came in and hit him with a kendo stick. Crane won with a bicycle kick. It did the job of protecting Crane and furthering Mil/Puma.

Puma continued the beating until Mil and Catrina exited. Puma did his trademark superhero pose but instead of stopping on the Aztec symbol (a usual sign of respect), he walked over and bowed to Vampiro, who stood from the commentary table. I'm loving everything involving these two.

A random guy came up to Sexy Star in the back. He dressed like Johnny Mundo and is a Mundo fanboy. He gave her shit for always losing to him. He gave Sexy something he found in catering, saying it might be from a secret admirer since her name was on it. Sexy thanked him and opened it to find a spider, which angered her.

In the back, Famous B and Brenda attempted to recruit Texano. They say the fans cheer him but don't care. Famous B thinks he can fix his image.

Vampiro told Matt Striker that whatever happens between him and Puma is between them.

Jack Evans and PJ Black def. Angelico and Son of Havoc in 5:45
It's great to see Angelico and Son of Havoc together again. Angeilco looked good here. Evans made mention of his history with Angeilco but commentary surprisingly ignored this. I think it would be a good layer to add to this feud. All four men worked a brisk pace and this was going well until Angeilco got hurt again. He dislocated his elbow on a springboard move. Evans got the win for his guys by pinning Havoc. **1/2

Sexy Star barged into Dario's office, demanding a match with Mariposa since she believed Mariposa sent her the spider. Dario made the match for the next week. We also get The Mack vs. Johnny Mundo for the title next week.

Match Four in Best of Five Series: Texano [2] def. Cage [4] in 2:13
The matches in this series have gotten progressively better. They came out firing here with big blows from the start. Texano kicked add and Cage was busted open quickly. A powerbomb got Texano the win to even things up. Too short to rate but I found this to be a good way to extend things. Also, kudos to LU for reminding folks that a match can end at any time.

Dario Cueto came out of his office and was excited. He didn't want to wait and demanded that match five start now. RING THE BELL!

Match Five in Best of Five Series: Cage [3] def. Texano [2] in 13:39
Dario announced that this would be an Anything Goes match. Again, Texano came out hot. He took to biting Cage on his busted head. Cage fought back and hit a dive to the outside. Once out there, the match was taken to the next level of the anything goes stipulation. Cage suplexed Texano onto the bleachers. They continued the fight outside in a war. Cage was knocked off the guardrail and Texano followed with a splash. Inside, Texano locked in a crossface, made worse by Cage's blood loss. Cage survived and finally pulled out the victory with a screwdriver. Easily their best match together and the best stuff I've ever seen from Texano. An all out brawl that was intense as hell. ***3/4

Dario Cueto came out and brought Cage to his office for the ultimate opportunity. Once in there, Dario revealed a gauntlet. Cage didn't want it but Dario convinced him to try it on. Once he did, Cage seemed to gain powers and choked Dario with it. Once he left and decided to keep it, Dario looked happy.

Overall: 7.5/10. Outside of the main event, the show didn't do much from an in-ring standpoint. However, it introduced evil Puma and furthered his angles with Vampiro and Mil Muertes, which is important. We also got one of the better main events of season three so far. Thumbs up in my book.

If you do want to check out Lucha Underground, which you absolutely should, and don't get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It's a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. You can sign up and get Lucha Underground right here with Fubo.tv!