Top 135 Matches of 2016: #35-26

35. NEVER Openweight Championship: Yuji Nagata (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Dominion 6/19/16

Shortly after Katsuyori Shibata won the NEVER Openweight Title, he embarked on a war with the old guard of New Japan. In the previous three years, Shibata lost to legends Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata and Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the G1 Climax. In 2016, Shibata put Kojima down on a Road to Invasion Attack show before beating Tenzan at Invasion Attack. He disrespectfully kicked Nagata, setting up a title match at Wrestling Dontaku. Nagata shocked the world when he beat Shibata and took the title. This was Shibata’s rematch and the buildup saw the two just go to war. Yuji brought the rest of the New Japan Dads with him to the ring. Shibata went after the arm early and often, but once this got past the early mat stages, this kicked into next gear. The rest of the 14:56 runtime saw these two beat the hell out of each other. Nagata sold his arm like it was going to fall off and Shibata kept attacking it. Nagata survived the sleeper, while Shibata did the same for the armbar. The battle waged on until Shibata’s next sleeper. Nagata fought and fought but couldn’t break it. Shibata reclaimed the gold after a PK. Not only was the match fantastic, but afterwards, Shibata shook hands with the old guard in a sign that he earned their respect. Even the commentator was in tears. Great storytelling and emotion. ****¼

34. Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/3/16

Looking at the Cruiserweight Classic brackets, the most intriguing match of the first round was easily this one. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa had been having a really good year as a tag team in NXT and were on the road to a shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles. However, they were pitted against one another to close out the first round. They began with some wrestling exchanges until Ciampa hit a loud elbow and things got more physical. Gargano did his best but couldn’t match Ciampa in terms of hard strikes. To combat it, he went to quickness, reeling off move after move in succession. Ciampa came so very close to winning several times, including when he got a knee up on an incoming Gargano slingshot and on a brutal Project Ciampa. Despite being vicious at times, after removing his knee pad for a knee strike, Ciampa decided against it. He held back because Johnny is his friend. Ciampa couldn’t believe Johnny’s resilience. Gargano started demanding shots from Ciampa and caught one into a backslide. Ciampa countered into his armbar, only for Gargano to counter back into another pin to win it at 10:46. Just a tremendous blend of hard hitting action with great storytelling. Gargano is an awesome underdog babyface and played the role to perfection here. They embraced after the match, with their partnership strengthened, in the first of many emotional moments from the CWC. ****¼

33. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Naomichi Marufuji – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/10/16

On the first night of this year’s G1 Climax, Pro Wrestling NOAH standout Naomichi Marufuji beat NJPW’s top champion, Kazuchika Okada. He didn’t just beat him though. Marufuji dominated him. That didn’t sit well with the champ, so Okada challenged Marufuji to this match. Ace of NOAH vs. Ace of NJPW. At the start of this 28:00 match, Okada tried to use his size advantage but Marufuji was too quick. They continued to tell the story of Marufuji having his number and always being one step ahead. I loved Marufuji just kicking and striking the shit out of Okada. Okada is often a smug son of a gun, so him getting his ass kicked is always great. Then, in one of the sickest spots all year, Marufuji delivered a piledriver ON THE APRON! Though Okada beat the countout, he looked dead. I even thought Marufuji pulled off the upset after hitting Shiranui. Okada busted out the Rainmaker but his attempt at a second was countered into a small package for another near fall. Okada went into a desperate flurry, even stealing Marufuji’s Emerald Flowsion, before winning with another Rainmaker. Just great pro wrestling here. Marufuji having guys from NOAH in his corner added to the importance of this match. When Okada is placed with a guy that’s better than him (Tanahashi, Ishii, Styles, Naito, Marufuji, etc.) he delivers top notch matches and this was no exception. It was the second best IWGP Heavyweight Title match of the year and a must-see performance from both. ****¼

32. WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena – WWE No Mercy 10/9/16

It was a surprising call, but the WWE decided to have this match open their No Mercy Pay-Per-View. The build to this was awesome as all three men fired some pretty personal shot s at one another. Dean Ambrose and John Cena were especially insulting. You also had the intrigue of Cena going for World Title #16 and AJ being 2-0 against him. Unlike a lot of triple threat matches, this wasn’t just two guys competing while one rests outside. I mean, it happened a few times but for the most part, all three men were consistently involved. Due to that, there were plenty of great sequences, with the first being a double German suplex by Cena. They all knew each other so well that they were ready with counter after counter. There was a moment where Dean and Cena had a calf cutter and STF applied at the same time, causing AJ to tap out. Of course, that couldn’t end the match because there must be one winner in a triple threat match, so things continued. Cena would hit Ambrose with the AA but AJ laid him out with a steel chair and retained the title at 21:07. Cena doing the job on his way out to film a TV show was perfect and allowed for the Dean/AJ feud to continue. I also love that AJ isn’t they typical coward heel, but still resorts to low blows and chair shots when he gets desperate. Not only did this match make this list but I have it as the third best WWE PPV opener ever behind only Bret/Owen at WMX and Bryan/HHH at WMXXX. ****¼

31. Johnny Gargano, Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins vs. Marty Scurll, Tommy End and Will Ospreay – WWN Mercury Rising 4/2/16

On one side you have Team Europe, while the other side featured three guys who worked the first Evolve show. Those three would all go on to compete in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic. These are six of the biggest and hottest names in all of wrestling as evidenced by four of them working with the WWE, one over in NJPW and one holding various titles throughout the indy scene. The early exchanges were good, but everyone, including the wrestlers on the apron, went nuts for the interaction between Kota Ibushi and Will Ospreay. Two of the most athletically gifted wrestlers on the planet just going at it full tilt is great. The match really gets going and becomes great when things break down. The second half or so of this 22:47 encounter is just wall to wall action. These guys were pulling out tandem offense like they all team up on a regular basis. It spawned chants of “all these guys” and “they are awesome.” The battle moved into the crowd, where Ibushi and Ospreay fought up in the rafters. It led to them doing stereo moonsaults off them because they’re insane. After everything got back to the ring, Perkins sent Scurll outside, Gargano trapped End in the Gargano Escape and Ibushi pinned Ospreay with his last ride powerbomb. A fantastic capper to one hell of a weekend for Evolve. To top things off, Gargano would leave right after this and go across the street to work NXT tapings. ****¼

30. RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Chris Hero – RPW Global Wars UK 11/11/16

Less than 24 hours after winning the title, Katsuyori Shibata had a big defense of the RPW British Heavyweight Championship. Shibata dethroned Zack Sabre Jr. on night one of the Global Wars events and his scheduled match for night two with Chris Hero became a title bout. Now, if I had to choose two guys from NJPW for Hero to wrestle, it would be Tomohiro Ishii (who Hero wrestled on night one) and Shibata. Kudos to RPW for delivering. They worked the mat early but things quickly got to the strike exchange that I wanted from these two. Hero tried to do his usual bullying act but Shibata was having none of that shit, giving it right back to the challenger. For 13:18, this was just a war. Hero’s reactions to being hit as hard as he can dish out were perfect. Down the stretch, it felt like Hero would win the title with a piledriver. A lot of people expected it since he’s more of a Rev Pro regular than Shibata, but the new champion kicked out. He then applied the sleeper hold to wear down Hero before finishing him off with the penalty kick. They worked a Shibata style match so well. I winced several times at the vicious strikes, which is just what we needed from these two. ****¼

29. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Michael Elgin (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Destruction in Kobe 9/25/16

This was about more than the Intercontinental Title. It had to do with respect. Michael Elgin dreamt of working in Japan for years and has found success there. He loves it. Tetsuya Naito disrespects NJPW as often as possible, from attacking officials to badmouthing top stars to treating the Heavyweight Title like garbage when he held it earlier in the year. Elgin didn’t want that to happen to the Intercontinental Title and he was out to teach Naito some respect. There were some early mind games with Naito avoiding Elgin and taunting, only for Elgin to return the favor. Naito made Elgin’s leg his target, which made sense since it was attacked often during the buildup to this match. Elgin sold the leg well and struggled to hit some of his power moves because of it. Naito continually wore it down with his knee bar submission. When it looked like Elgin had things in control, out came LIDJ only for Elgin’s buddies KUSHIDA and Tanahashi to make the save. With things back to one on one, Elgin survived Destino and again was on the brink of a win. Naito would counter the Elgin Bomb into Destino and add a third to win the title at 30:36. The crowd ate this up. The match had twists, turns and was full of drama. The win made Naito the only man to win the IC, Heavyweight, NEVER, Tag and Jr. Tag Titles, as well as the New Japan Cup and G1 Climax tournaments. ****½

28. The Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 8/31/16

File Brian Kendrick under the list of guys that I never thought I’d see on this list in 2016. Not because he isn’t good, but because I didn’t see him returning to the WWE. He did though and was a great addition to the CWC. Kendrick brought a different style to the show. While there were mat technicians, hard strikers, fun charismatic guys and high fliers, Kendrick was the wily veteran who did whatever it took to win. Kota Ibushi was a heavy favorite to win it all though. Knowing he was outmatched in a lot of ways, Kendrick played mind games, trying to get in Kota’s head. He did little things like trapping Kota’s foot in the guardrail to try and steal a countout win. He targeted Kota’s neck, hitting a neckbreaker on the ring post. I’ve never seen that before and it made sense considering Kota’s neck surgery. He hit Sliced Bread and a goddamn BURNING HAMMER for two very close near falls. You could just feel his desperation. The reaction when Kota missed a Phoenix Splash and Brian immediately applied the bully choke was perfect. Ibushi proved to be too much though, escaping that and winning with the sitout powerbomb at 13:57. An incredible match that got better on a second viewing. Not only was the action top notch but the story of Kendrick’s last stand and the neck work were excellent. Extra points to Daniel Bryan for trying to will his friend to victory on commentary. ****½

27. Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 60 5/6/16

Zack Sabre Jr. is almost always in control. In Evolve, he has beaten pretty much everyone there is to beat but Chris Hero remains a thorn in his side. Evolve billed this main event as “the rivalry comes to Maryland”. While the matches are great, it is a pretty lopsided rivalry. I’ve said it before but their styles come together so well. Hero bullied Sabre, who responded by trying to twist Hero up at every opening. No matter how hard he tried though, Sabre remained a step behind. Hero again nailed every interaction. His trash talk was in top form with both Sabre and the fans. “YOU MAY BE THEIR FAVORITE BUT YOU AIN’T SHIT TO ME!” Both guys worked the arm with Sabre being more technical and Hero being brutal. Sabre doesn’t always sell great but he did a good job here and you felt his desperation whenever he’d manage a hope spot. Sabre survived several piledrivers and his pinning combinations made you believe he’d finally get one over on Hero. Finally, a third piledriver kept Sabre down at 29:06. It was honestly one of the sickest I’ve ever seen and I thought Sabre broke his neck. This told a simple story of one man trying everything and showing a ton of heart but being unable to get past the man who has his number. My favorite match in their series and I can’t wait for more in 2017. ****½

26. PROGRESS Championship No Disqualifications Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Marty Scurll – PROGRESS Chat Shit Get Banged 1/24/16

The rivalry between Marty Scurll and Will Ospreay has spanned several promotions including Rev Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor and PROGRESS. Considering the title on the line and the no DQ stipulation, this was their biggest and most heated altercation. Within the first few minutes of this 30:16 war, Ospreay was bloodied and Scurll had used his signature umbrella as a weapon. They did a wonderful job of blending their past battles of counter after counter with several hardcore aspects. Ospreay’s moonsault off a railing and the two men both taking powerbombs through tables were great. Their chemistry is always top notch and it showed during several fast paced moments of back and forth. After a referee bump, Ospreay applied a crossface with an umbrella for added leverage. Scurll tapped but of course no ref saw it. Scurll would retaliate with some barbaric shots with umbrellas. When Ospreay refused to stay down, Scurll retrieved handcuffs and trapped the champion. He proceeded to beat the hell out of him with umbrella after umbrella. Ospreay was defiant as ever and spat at Scurll. Even with more umbrella strikes, Ospreay still found a way to barely get his shoulder off the mat. Scurll finally used the chicken wing and the referee called the match, giving Scurll the title. This was a grand match with a lot going on. It felt like the kind of match I’d do with my action figures as a kid in the best possible way. ****½

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Night Two Review

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Night Two
January 15th, 2017 | Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, England

After a solid night of action on night one, the tournament returns for its conclusion with what looks like a better show on paper. Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Mark Andrews, Sam Gradwell, Jordan Devlin, Joseph Conners and Wolfgang all compete to determine the first WWE UK Champion.

The show opened with a video package recapping the first round. The focus at the end was completely on Pete Dunne.

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Pete Dunne def. Sam Gradwell in 4:49
Dunne is still way over. Dunne offered a sarcastic handshake to the man he attacked at the end of yesterday’s show. This was intense from the start. Gradwell came out with big clotheslines and a suicide dive before a suplex on the ramp. The ramp spot was a good callback to their issues on night one. Cole did a good job in mentioning that these guys were friends and roommates in the past. Gradwell was willing to risk all for revenge, including hurting his injured back on a missile dropkick. Dunne shoved Gradwell on the apron onto the bad back, nearly getting a countout before winning seconds later inside with a corner body slam. A great sprint with some top notch storytelling. This was intense like it needed to be and Gradwell looks miles better here than on night one. ***¼

After the match, Dunne delivered the Bitter End to Gradwell. 

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Mark Andrews def. Joseph Conners in 8:12
I hope they never call him “Mandrews”. It was such a dumb name. They kept having Cole hammer home the “ANDREWS LIKES TO HAVE FUN” stuff. Andrews failed some high flying stuff early and it cost him. Conners sent him into the steel steps and pounded on him. Conners missed a big boot outside and awkwardly ran into the steps. Andrews found an opening by tightrope walking the guardrail and somersaulting onto Conners. That led to a comeback of sorts and Andrews won with the Shooting Star Press. I get the idea of doing the underdog Andrews story again but I don’t believe in enough to what Conners does offensively for it to fully work here. **¾

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Wolfgang def. Trent Seven in 6:43
Cole continued to put Seven over as a favorite to win it all. We got treated to hard hitting stuff to start before Wolfgang wowed us with a moonsault off the guardrail. Unfortunately, he couldn’t capitalize because he hurt his knee on the move, allowing Seven to score with a suicide dive. They traded more inside before Wolfgang tried another moonsault and Seven got the knees up. Bad decision on his end. Seven delivered a big back fist and the seven star lariat, but only got a near fall. Wolfgang blocked a super piledriver and knocked Seven off the top. He followed with a swanton onto Seven’s back and got the three to pull off the biggest upset so far. Another strong match, with some great stiff work from both men. ***½

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Tyler Bate def. Jordan Devlin in 6:07
Bate is way over, especially after last night, while Devlin is the most hated guy in the tournament. The crowd was very into this because of that. Bate got the first big spot with a suicide dive. Devlin had answered to try and stop Bate’s offense. He made a mistake when a springboard cross body got caught and he was put into an airplane spin. The Tyler Driver 97 got countered into a rana for a near fall. Devlin nailed an enziguri but got caught with a clever right hand. The Tyler Driver 97 connected to a THUNDEROUS ovation and Bate advanced. Four for four in solid matches. Devlin was better here than in round one, but still doesn’t impress me much. Bate is awesome though. ***

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Pete Dunne def. Mark Andrews in 10:39
I saw these two have a good outing in PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles last year. Andrews got thrown around a bit early before scoring with a big dive outside. He continued with the aerial stuff as this match went a different way than expected. I did like Mark’s Northern lights suplex into an insane standing reverse 450 splash for an insanely close near fall. The high risk style bit him in the ass when Dunne caught a dive outside and delivered a release suplex onto the apron. He followed with another onto the ramp and looked for the countout win. Now it was Pete who went to the well too often and had the suplex countered into a stunner for a close call. Dunne then got his knees up on the SSP for his first real close call. Dunne caught a leaping Andrews with a brutal forearm but then had another suplex reversed into a rana for two. Mark went back up but Dunne avoided the SSP and German suplexed Andrews into the corner. Another suplex slam and the Bitter End finished this. These two worked so well together and had the crowd on the edge of their seat. Some great near falls throughout and I was super invested. I liked how both guys kept running into trouble when trying their strengths and that Andrews’ body caused him to take a breather before the final SSP attempt and it cost him the match. ****

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Tyler Bate def. Wolfgang in 6:00
These guys have a tough act to follow. Despite both guys being popular, Bate had the louder backing. Wolfgang used his power advantage from the start. Cole mentioned that Wolfgang may have broken his nose in the last match, so Bate went after that. Bate also targeted the knee, which Wolfgang tweaked in the last round. He should stop trying the moonsault. Wolfgang took long between moves as if he was taking Bate lightly. Bate impressed the hell out of many by surviving some big offense before managing to hit the Tyler Driver 97 on the big man. A fun big man/little man dynamic, made better by the crowd’s consistently great reaction to everything Tyler does. ***

Pete Dunne ran out and attacked Tyler Bate with a forearm and then tossed him into the ring post. Bate was barely moving and they sold it like he might not be able to compete in the finals. William Regal had to physically escort Dunne backstage.

Neville came out next for a non-tournament match and grabbed a microphone. He was not happy about being left off yet another WWE Network Tournament that he qualifies for. Neville said he should be champion by default and called himself the greatest star in the history of the continent, saying no man deserved to stand across from him. An unfamiliar theme played and Tommy End made his debut.

Neville def. Tommy End in 8:42
Surprisingly, he kept the Tommy End name here. Cole and Nigel did a good job in putting him over despite Cole’s unenthused reaction to his arrival. After getting overwhelmed a bit early, Neville turned it around and wore him down. End showed off a moonsault to the outside and then a series of great strikes inside. He got to showcase his hard hitting ability throughout, which was appreciated. Neville utilized a super rana and then hit the Red Arrow for the victory. I thought this was solid but unspectacular. End got to strut his stuff and Neville stayed strong since his heel turn. **¾

Charly Caruso reported that despite a partially separated shoulder, Tyler Bate is cleared to compete.

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Finals: Tyler Bate def. Pete Dunne in 15:12
I love that someone extremely popular is going against Dunne to combat his popularity. Commentary noted that Dunne trained Bate. Smart work early as Bate avoided using the bad shoulder. I also liked him smiling after Dunne slapped him. Bate refused to back down, going blow for blow with Pete and knocking him on his ass outside. Pete kept going back to the shoulder when in trouble and Bate kept fighting through it. Bate then countered the Bitter End into a small package for two. He used just one arm (for the most part) on the longest airplane spin of the tournament. Dunne caught him in a triangle submission of shorts and the crowd went nuts for Bate countering by powering up for a powerbomb. Bate busted out a fosbury flop and then what seemed to be a 450 knee drop for an insanely close near fall. We got another one when Bate kicked out of the Bitter End (though Cole telegraphed it on commentary). Dunne slapped on an armbar that Bate had to power out of into a brainbuster for another two count. Bate fired up and hit some rolling kicks, leading to the Tyler Driver 97 to win the entire thing. A spectacular finals that proved to be the best match of the tournament. This was a star making performance for both men, as was the entire tournament and it was the perfect capper to their story. Outside of the two power up spots, Bate sold the arm expertly and Pete came off as a fantastic villain throughout. Up there with Tanahashi/Naito for my current MOTY. ****½

Post-match, William Regal, Triple H, Finlay and Finn Balor congratulated the champion.

Overall: 8.5/10. A big step up from night one. They built upon the first night and continued to make Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne into stars. There was not a bad match on the card and we were treated to some awesome storytelling. The Tommy End surprise was nice and I liked that nothing overstayed its welcome. They made this feel like a big deal and an important show. I came away caring about guys I never have before. Wolfgang, Andrews, Seven and several others stood out, but none more than Bate and Dunne. Bate became the super popular likable babyface, while Dunne was the villain this was built around. I’m ready for more UK graps.

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Night One Review

WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament Night One
January 14th, 2017 | Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, Lancashire, England

Triple H opened the show with a short promo to hype how special the night is. They setup and look of this venue is spectacular. Seriously, it’s one of the prettiest WWE shows ever.

Michael Cole welcomed the grapple fans and introduced Nigel McGuinness. Just seeing Nigel on WWE TV is mind blowing.

WWE UK Championship Tournament First Round: Trent Seven def. HC Dyer in 5:26
Both guys got short video packages beforehand. Seven was super over and got “Mustache Mountain” chants. He was even referred to as a PROGRESS Tag Team Champion. This was even for the most part until Dyer connected on a stiff right hand. He said in his promo stuff that he liked punching people. Dyer busted out a nice blue thunder bomb for two and Nigel expertly noted how he didn’t put enough pressure on the shoulders during the pin. Dyer missed a D-Lo like frog splash and fell to Trent’s seven star (take that Dave) lariat. Fun opener. The crowd was way into Seven, Dyer got to show some of his skill in a short time and the right guy went over. **½

WWE UK Championship Tournament First Round: Jordan Devlin def. Danny Burch in 8:54
Devlin was trained by Finn Balor and his look seems to be inspired by him as well. Burch has appeared on NXT a bunch and is better known as Martin Stone. Burch brought a more aggressive and vicious style, while Devlin had to play the resilient underdog and I think those styles worked well for this match. Devlin survived some big blows and a crossface that I thought was going to finish the match. The finish seemed to get messed up because Burch got hurt. Devlin delivered a big kick and Burch kicked out, but the back of his head was busted open. Outside of the finish, I rather enjoyed the dynamic here. Brute Burch and underdog Devlin worked well, including his flash pins. I think it would have worked better if the crowd was more into Devlin. **¼

Wisely, Devlin turns heel with a cheap shot kick on Burch after the match. Interesting call with Finn in the front row, but at least the negative crowd response works now.

WWE UK Championship Tournament First Round: Sam Gradwell def. Saxon Huxley in 6:05
Gradwell got the hometown pop for being from Blackpool. I’ve never seen either guy before. Gradwell looks like a shaven Sheamus, while Saxon looks like a better-groomed Luke Harper. Neither man gained a clear advantage until Gradwell hit a double underhook suplex and Huxley had to take a breather. Lots of “Jesus” related chants for Huxley. Gradwell eventually won with a diving headbutt in a match that I didn’t care for. The only thing I enjoyed here was the crowd. They were fun. *½

WWE UK Championship Tournament First Round: Pete Dunne def. Roy Johnson in 7:44
I love Pete Dunne. I just wanted to point that out. He slapped away the hand of Roy “The Most Wavy Guy” Johnson. Nigel pointed out that Dunne wears the color gear that he does as a homage to Daniel Bryan. Roy had the power advantage but Dunne was vicious. Johnson countered a choke into an impressive suplex. Dunne came back by stomping on Roy’s hand while it was on the steel steps. I love people using the environment as a weapon. Dunne continued to pick apart and stretch Roy. Dunne seemed to toy with him, allowing Roy back into it because the power kept being too much for Dunne. Dunne won after a rebound German and the Bitter End. Dunne was the clear star of the show thus far. Roy was just there. Dunne showed what he was capable of and it worked as a strong preview of what he can do in later rounds. **¾

WWE UK Championship Tournament First Round: Wolfgang def. Tyson T-Bone in 6:07
Tyson said he isn’t here to wrestle, he’s here to fight. He got pre-match promo time. Before the bell, he headbutted Wolfgang like a dirty heel. This was the hoss fight I wanted it to be. They wailed on each other, while showing off some other skills in between. Wolfgang pulled out the Wasteland, following by an awesome looking moonsault for two. Dude is agile. T-Bone looked for the countout after sending Wolfgang into the ring post, which I liked. Someone has to be willing to try for the easy advance. Wolfgang blocked a superplex and nailed a sweet swanton bomb to advance. My favorite match thus far. I’m a sucker for a good hoss battle and that was fun. Wolfgang is an impressive big fella. ***

WWE UK Championship Tournament First Round: Joseph Conners def. James Drake in 7:16
Two more guys that I am unfamiliar with. Michael Cole put over both guys harder than most so far. He also noted that Conners was left for dead in a nightclub once and lost half an ear. Yikes. The guys started off with some solid back and forth, but for the first time tonight, the crowd seemed to quiet down. Conners The things they did were good but not great and though both guys looked good, it never got into second hear in my eyes. Conners did one of the most impressive moves of the night with an elbow into a backbreaker before winning via Flatliner. Good work from both parties. ***

WWE UK Championship Tournament First Round: Mark Andrews def. Dan Maloney in 5:42
Mark Andrews is probably the biggest name in the tournament. Maloney looks like a British Andrade Almas judging by his haircut. They played up the obvious size difference when Maloney blocked some arm drags. Nigel made a good point when Andrews tried to work a ground game. He is the only true flier in the tournament and should play to his strengths. He was in trouble in the early goings but turned things around when he began to fly. Makes sense. Some fans bought into a near fall when Maloney hit a big kick. Andrews countered a suplex into a stunner and advanced following a shooting star press. About what I expected. Similar to the Dunne match, this was a showcase for Andrews. I’m still not sold on Andrews but he did what he does well here and it worked. **¼

WWE UK Championship Tournament First Round: Tyler Bate def. Tucker in 10:36 
Surprised to see this going on last. Tyler Bate is just 19 years old, while Tucker looks like TNA’s Eli Drake. They wrestled to a stalemate early and then Bate used the “bop and bang” (names of his fists) stuff he said in his vignette. Brilliant. The crowd was way into this as they continued to battle for the upper hand. Tucker snapped off a rana and sprung into the ring with Paydirt. He went for a suicide dive but was met with a great uppercut. Bate had a suplex countered outside and Tucker then jumped off the steel steps with a rana. Bate retaliated with a lengthy airplane spin spot inside for a near fall. Tucker kicked the hell out of Bate, nearly knocking him out. After Bate got his knees up on a swanton, they exchanged shots until Tyler hit a rolling kick. He won with a Tyler Driver to cap the best match of the first round. Great action from start to finish and it felt different from the rest of the show. Something about it just clicked and both men came off looking like stars. ***¾

Nigel McGuinness and William Regal stood on the stage with the UK Title and brought out the eight men who advanced. They all hade face offs with their opponents for tomorrow. Dunne attacked Gradwell, causing Regal to get in his face and shout him down for his actions. If Regal laces up the boots for a match with Dunne at some point, sign me up please.

Overall: 6.5/10. This was about what I expected from the first round. A lot of these guys were lesser known and because of that, some matches were obvious. Dunne, Andrews, Seven and others were locks to advance, which took out the drama of some matches. The Gradwell/Huxley match bored me and I didn’t care much for Devlin until his heel stuff. However, the show succeeded in terms of production (lighting, setup, vignettes and commentary were all great), setting up the rest of the tournament and making us care about some of these guys.

SHINE 40 Review

SHINE 40 Review
January 13th, 2017 | The Orpheum in Ybor City, Florida

Typically, I wouldn’t be able to catch every WWN event. That is no longer the case with FloSlam.TV, which I signed up for earlier this week. I won’t be doing reviews for every FloSlam.TV show but when I have the time, I will, like this one. It’s my first SHINE show since 35, where Ivelisse won the title.

Speaking of Ivelisse, news broke shortly before the show started that she was not cleared to compete and had to vacate the title. When Lenny Leonard brought it up to start the show, her scheduled opponent, LuFisto, came out to claim the gold. She was interrupted by SHIMMER Champion Mercedes Martinez and then Allysin Kay, who both also wanted the title. A Triple Threat main event was scheduled to determine a new champion.

Su Yung def. Angel Rose, Jayme Jameson and Jessie Bell Smothers in 12:20
I’m pretty sure this was my first look at Rose and Smothers. Rose was the only one not intimidated by Yung and went right at her before they both dove outside to take out the other two women. From there, this followed standard multi-person match format. Each girl was given a chance to do her thing with lots of in and out action and no down time. Yung was clearly the heavy favorite and her character and look are certainly different. The fight made it over to the bar, where Yung hit a DDT on top of it. Rose pulled out an impressive moonsault to the outside, taking out Jameson. It came down to Yung and Rose, as it should have, and Yung put her away with a spinning Michinoku Driver. I thought this was a fun opener with lots of action. Yung was the clear star but Rose stood out and was very impressive.***

Malia Hosaka def. Brandi Lauren in 5:30
Lauren has a good look and this is my first time seeing her. Hosaka has been around forever, even working in WCW in the 90’s. I’ve seen her a fair amount in SHIMMER. I love how commentary said Hosaka was cranky and not angry. It’s a fitting adjective. Lauren pandered to the crowd early, which only made Malia crankier. Malia wore her down with the DREADED nerve hold. Lauren showed some fire in a comeback attempt, but fell to a submission. Decent enough match. Lauren is green but showed flashes of potential. Extra quarter star for Hosaka yelling throughout and being entertaining. *¾

Xandra Bale def. Aerial Monroe in 9:12
Again, it’s my first look at both women. The crowd seemed to like Monroe. Bale went after her hair early, which triggered Monroe to inform her that you “never touch a black girl’s hair.” Bale apologized but deliberately went after it again, cementing herself as the antagonist. This was a good back and forth match with Bale playing a good heel and Monroe impressing with resilient babyface offense. She survived some big offense and came close a few times. Bale would go on to win with a spinning fisherman’s suplex. I came away impressed by both women and the match quality ticked upward here. The ladies shook hands after the match. **½

Candy Cartwright def. Leva Bates in 9:29
Leva Bates came out in Assassin’s Creed related cosplay and her staged entrance was fun, with her beating up random fans. Candy looks like straight out of WWE’s “Divas” era. Leva doesn’t wow me with her ring work but she’s always fun and the cosplay gimmick is a smart way to make sure she gets a pop, even with unfamiliar audiences. Candy played the bitchy role, talking trash and showing a lot of attitude, while Leva fought from underneath. Leva was fine here for the most part but Candy looks awkward. There were several spots that came off looking very poor. Cartwright won in a bit of an upset with the Candy Crush (inverted neckbreaker of sorts). Too many moments that just looked fake to make this any good. *½

Rachel Ellering def. Chelsea Green in 10:41
They called this the “Lance Storm Special” since both girls came from his wrestling school. Ellering is the daughter of legendary manager Paul Ellering. Green was the arrogant heel but once Ellering got going, she got her ass handed to her. Ellering was throwing bombs and Green tried to give it back but Ellering was having none of that. She shook them off, dared her to bring more and fired back bigger blows. Green busted out the Orton rope hung DDT for two and threw a bit of a tantrum. Ellering avoided an Unprettier and scored with a TKO to win. Best match on the show so far. Their chemistry was spot on due to their history. Outside of one lame looking rollup, everything was crisp. I loved the contrast of the arrogant prissy Chelsea and the aggressive, hard hitting Rachel. I’m more impressed with Rachel each time I see her. ***¼

SHINE Tag Team Championship: Raquel and Santana (c) def. C4 (Amber O’Neal and Kennadi Brink) and Las Sicarias (Amanda Carolina Rodriguez and Thea Trinidad) in 8:32
I’m familiar with everyone in this except Brink. Thea was dressed like Harley Quinn (complete with bat and “pudding” choker) but didn’t go all-in with the hair. With just two women legal at once, C4 was content to sit back and watch ACR and Santana start. Like the multi-person match earlier, everyone got a bit of time to strut their stuff. There was an underlying story of Raquel trying to prove herself as not just someone riding Santana’s coattails. C4 was the more interesting of the challengers and a did great job with trash talk. Santana got the hot tag but it wasn’t until a Las Sicarias miscommunication where Thea kicked ACR that she picked up the win. Santana sent Thea outside and hit the shining star press to retain. Fun little match here with everyone getting a good opportunity and it advanced the stories for Raquel and C4 since ACR left with them. **¾

SHINE Championship: LuFisto def. Allysin Kay and Mercedes Martinez in 17:52
LuFisto, the leader of C4, was an early punching bag. Kay and Martinez took turns attacking her while badmouthing one another. Once they stopped working together, they all traded offense. Kay took LuFisto to the bar for a beating, but stopped to get a drink and to tell a young fan not to do the same. Martinez relaxed in the ring, waiting since she knew the match couldn’t end out there. All three women brought big offense and some hard strikes. Martinez got the first close near fall with a brainbuster. They worked a cool spot where LuFisto had Kay in a submission and Martinez put LuFisto in one at the same time. Kay got revenge at the bottom of a good old fashioned tower of doom spot. There were near falls on a fisherman buster, German suplex and even a burning hammer. Outside, Martinez suplexed LuFisto onto a row of steel chairs. Kay and Martinez both nearly won on several occasions down the stretch, before Kay got a rear naked choke in. Martinez pulled a Bret Hart circa Survivor Series 96 or WM8 and countered into a pin. She had Kay’s shoulders pinned but LuFisto crept over and covered her for a confusing win. That was on pace to easily be the best thing on the show but that finish hurt it for me. I’ve never been a fan of it, and it didn’t even seem like LuFisto had the pin for three. Also, if Martinez could be pinned by LuFisto, then here shoulders were down too and the pin on Kay shouldn’t have counted. Still, other than that the match was strong with some great drama built up near the end. ***½

Overall: 6/10. I enjoyed this show. There were some good things and some bad, but for the most part, it moved along briskly and was fun. I wasn’t a big fan of the Hosaka/Lauren match or Bates/Candy, though both had positives. Ellering/Green and the main event were the best things on the card, while I also liked the Tag Team Title match and the opening four way. I’ll be checking out SHINE 41 when the time comes.

Top 135 Matches of 2016: #45-36

45. Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/18/16

Hiroyoshi Tenzan was disappointed when he wasn’t announced as part of the G1 Climax blocks. He is a former three-time winner and had competed in a record 19 straight G1’s. His friend and partner Satoshi Kojima ended up giving up his spot in the tournament to Tenzan, who was looking for one final magical run. This was the first match of the entire G1 Climax this year and it got things going on the right foot. Tomohiro Ishii matched up well with Tenzan and they had some great interactions in multi-man tags during the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. Ishii didn’t seem to take the legend seriously at first, toying with him. That fired up Tenzan and things got heated to the point where the referee was tossed aside. They just dished out punishment on each other throughout the match, which lasted 14:08. There were several close calls as the match came to a close and while the things in the ring were indeed great, this got bumped to the next level by the stuff outside. The crowd was mental, badly wanting the Tenzan win, and Kojima nailed every facial expression as he supported his buddy. Tenzan won after using Koji’s lariat as a tribute to his friend and a moonsault. This felt way more important than a G1 opener. They badly mishandled the Tenzan’s last stand story as he would only win two matches the entire tournament. This was special though. ****¼

44. WWE World Heavyweight Championship Extreme Rules Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. AJ Styles – WWE Extreme Rules 5/22/16

Similar to John Cena, a lot of Roman Reigns matches feature a hot, vocal crowd. Especially when he’s going against someone that is as popular as AJ Styles. After their first title match got overbooked and ended like a wet fart, they were given another PPV main event, with an Extreme Rules stipulation. Since Payback, their rivalry had escalated and they worked this match to fit that story. They fought through the crowd, by the kickoff panel and AJ took a ridiculous back body drop through an announce table. AJ bumped like a madman, taking that spot, a sick powerbomb in the ring and being thrown into the barricade, apron and another table. Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson and the Usos all got involved to help their respective buddies. Styles scored on the Styles Clash for a near fall that most fans really bought into. He hit a second on the chair and one of the Usos broke up the pin, making him the most hated guy in the building. My main gripe with this was that Reigns kind of superman shrugged a lot of the work done to him throughout the match to pick up the win at 22:12. This was better than I remembered. A great match and easily the best singles Reigns performance of the year. ****¼

43. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW G1 Climax 7/30/16

Not only was this a match with my two favorite NJPW wrestlers, they are also two of my ten favorite anywhere. They had a great match in last year’s G1 Climax, which is where I became a fan of both guys. Katsuyori Shibata was having none of Tetsuya Naito’s bullshit. He charged and kicked him in the face instantly before viciously throwing him into the guardrails outside. Once Naito turned things around, he targeted the bad shoulder and knee of Shibata. Disrespectful Naito made the mistake of spitting at Shibata and got his ass kicked for it. There was a rather lengthy submission spot in the middle that slowed things down a bit too much. It made sense but went for too long. I did love how it played into Naito’s newfound knee bar. Once that was over though, this got great. Stiff shot after stiff shot led to Naito coughing up blood after the final bell. Naito got the knee bar on and Shibata’s injury made his struggle more dramatic. Shibata fought free and slapped on the sleeper hold. He hit the penalty kick but knew how tough Naito was so he went back to the sleeper instead of trying for the pin. Naito passed out at 19:24 to end one of the best G1 Climax matches this year. Two of the very best just doing what they do best. ****¼

42. ROH World Championship: Jay Lethal (c) vs. Lio Rush – ROH Supercard of Honor 4/1/16

It’s okay if you don’t know who Lio Rush is. A lot of people didn’t coming into this match. He won ROH’s Top Prospect Tournament and in ROH history, that is enough to earn a new star a shot at the ROH Television Championship. But, with Tomohiro Ishii holding that title in Japan, Rush was granted a shot at the ROH World Title in his first officially contracted match for the company. And a lot of the story of this match was Lio Rush but it is the single most impressive performance I saw from Jay Lethal during his title reign. He nailed every facial expression, reaction and bump to make sure Rush looked like a million bucks. Lethal didn’t take Rush seriously at all. He toyed with the youngster but Rush was confident. He stole Lethal’s signature taunt at one point and even slapped him at another. Rush showed no intimidation of Lethal, even though Jay had been champion for ten months to this point (not counting the 500+ day reign of the Television Title). The more confident the challenger got, the more vicious the champion was. Rush’s final few attempts at winning the title were perfectly done. He came close a ton and got to shine in the biggest match of his life. Of course, he fell just short after an awesome 19:36, but it was his performance that mattered. It reminded me of Tyler Black’s early attempts to win the ROH Title from Nigel McGuinness and we all know how great Black’s career turned out. I’m not saying Rush will ever reach Seth Rollins levels, but he has a bright future and this is proof. ****¼

41. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Payback 5/1/16

The rivalry between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn is among my favorite in wrestling. When they were a tag team on the indies, I was a massive fan. I still love both guys as singles competitors and they just fit as rivals. Sami is the perfect underdog babyface and Owens is a great brutal bully of a villain. Their fights have an animosity to them that a lot of big feuds lack these days. We totally buy into them hating each other. This only goes for 14:39 but it never stops. They fight in and around the ring, with both guys playing to their strengths. Sami is just so good at taking a beating, so everything Owens did just came off as even more vicious than normal. For example, a simple front suplex onto the top rope looked awesome because of how Sami sold it. Sami’s rally was full of fire and the fans completely wanted him to win despite Owens being very popular. They built to some great near falls on a Sami blue thunder bomb and a frog splash from Owens. Sami had two great counters for the Popup Powerbomb but Owens had a counter of his own for Sami’s tornado DDT. They just continued to build to bigger and better things. Owens stopped the Helluva Kick with a superkick and won with the Popup Powerbomb. These two are so good together that they would compete in an even better match together a few months later. ****¼

40. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/3/16

In the past few G1 Climax tournaments, two of the most consistently great performers have been Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii. They met in a classic in 2013 and a really good match in 2014. This year’s G1 meeting finishes in between those two in my mind. Tanahashi began this year’s G1 Climax 0-3 before reeling off two straight to turn things around. Though he was on a streak, Ishii just kicked his ass from the opening bell. Tanahashi tried to battle headbutts with Ishii which was a clear mistake. Ishii pulled a page from Tanahashi’s book with dragon screws and leg work, so Tanahashi did it back. They traded blows for most of this 16:15 battle. Tanahashi was at a disadvantage there but found ways to counter the brainbuster and survive Ishii’s other big offensive attacks. Ishii came close several times until Tanahashi nailed two High Fly Flows to even his record at 3-3. This was one of the best matches of the entire G1 Climax. Tanahashi played the babyface fighting from behind and sometimes that just be the same old, same old, but here it felt top notch. When Tanahashi is on his game, there are very few better. ****¼

39. Trios Championship: Ivelisse and Son of Havoc (c) vs. The Crew and Joey Ryan vs. Dragon Azteca Jr., Rey Mysterio Jr. and Prince Puma vs. Fenix, Jack Evans and PJ Black – Lucha Underground 4/27/16

Shortly after Dario Cueto returned to the Temple, he set up a new Trios Tournament. The three teams that advanced to the finals would meet the champions on this night. One of the champions, Angelico, got injured which caused his partners to compete shorthanded. There were so many interesting dynamics in this one. From Angelico and Ivelisse as the underdog champions, to the Crew teaming with sleazy undercover cop Joey Ryan, to Fenix’s team not getting along and finally to the dream team of Azteca, Puma and Rey. So many moving parts and it all came together perfectly. One member of each team was legal at a time, giving it a different feel from a lot of big tag matches like this. It would be impossible to write up play-by-play on this. We did get to see Ivelisse hit a German suplex on sleazy Joey, which was cool. A miscommunication between the Crew and Joey allowed Ivelisse to eliminate them first. Evans, who called himself the “baddest bitch in the building” to mock Ivelisse, eliminated her and guaranteed there would be new champions. The final two teams going at it ruled. Azteca showed off how good he is and went toe to toe with Fenix. Evans got too cocky and it led to the downfall for them. Mysterio got the tag and ran wild, hitting the 619 to kick off a barrage of moves that won his team the titles at 23:15. Not only was this a fantastic match, but it actually started a bigger angle that set up a match between Mysterio and Puma at Ultima Lucha Dos. ****¼

38. Chris Hero vs. Tomohiro Ishii – RPW Global Wars UK 11/10/16

The joint NJPW/Rev Pro cards featured some interesting matches. None caught my eye more than this one between Chris Hero and Tomohiro Ishii. Not only are both men among the best in the entire world, but their styles just screamed a combination that would produce greatness. Chris Hero had a clear size advantage and mocked Tomohiro Ishii for it early. An angry Ishii hit him with a bunch of forearms but just one from Hero knocked Ishii on his ass. That was the story for most of the 13:37. Hero abused Ishii at times, but the “Stone Pitbull” never gave up. He got his second wind and some of Hero’s strikes had no effect on his hard head. They traded some brutal strikes, kicks and headbutts for a while. Ishii fired up after a piledriver and did so again when Hero nailed a second in the closing stretch. That final few minutes saw these two beat the holy hell out of each other by the way. After Ishii got up from the second piledriver, Hero hit a big elbow and then a Gotch style piledriver to score the victory. This had a lot of hype going into it but I think they lived up to it. It was just what I wanted. They had a war in front of a hot crowd and didn’t go too long. Hero took time to put over Ishii on the microphone after the match, which was a nice touch. ****¼

37. Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown – WWE Survivor Series 11/20/16

When a match goes 52:49, it can either feel like it took an hour or feel like it kind of flew by. The latter was the case for this match. AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton and Shane McMahon took on Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in a huge traditional Survivor Series match. I’m a sucker for those kinds of matches and this one certainly delivered. It was handled so well, especially when you consider the sheer amount of stuff going on. Several angles and moments were weaved into one gigantic match. For the first fifteen or so minutes, there were no eliminations and everyone got some shine. The Styles/Ambrose rivalry was touched upon when they got into it and Dean was eliminated first. I disagreed with him going out first, but it worked out well. They made good use of Smackdown’s mascot, James Ellsworth, when he held Braun’s leg to get him counted out. Guys like Braun and Owens were protected by countout and DQ eliminations, while a guy like Styles got protected by going out only after a brief (and awesome) Shield reunion. We got the big spots we love from Shane including his elbow through the table and he took a spear that nearly killed him. Best of all, the Wyatts got to look strong. When everyone thought Seth and Roman would overcome the odds for Team Raw, Orton caught Seth in a top five RKO ever before sacrificing himself for Bray, allowing Bray to beat Reigns with Sister Abigail. ****¼

36. Lucha Underground Championship: Mil Muertes (c) vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 3/9/16

To start Lucha Underground’s incredible second season, Mil Muertes held the Lucha Underground Title. He seemed unstoppable and sent back all challenges. The two biggest threats to the title were Pentagon Jr. and Prince Puma, who were in the midst of a rivalry of their own as well as having their issues with Mil. It led to this awesome three-way match. Puma and Pentagon worked together early on but Muertes was too much of a beast for them. The champion even did a plancha, which we never see from him. Pentagon and Puma were not far behind with dives of their own. This match had so much going on, from the aforementioned aerial attacks to creative use of the environment to great brawling. Each guy played to their strength for the entire 11:56. Puma stole the show with a sick shooting star press off the guardrail. Near the end, they built to several near falls that the fans totally bit on. Pentagon went to break Puma’s arm but Mil speared him. He also speared Puma before using a double Flatliner to retain the title. Not only was this one of my favorite matches all year, it was the best triple threat match of 2016. A non-stop blast. ****¼

Top 135 Matches of 2016: #55-46

55. Daisuke Sekimoto and Yuji Okabayashi vs. Kohei Sato and Shuji Ishikawa – BJW Saikyo Tag League 10/31/16

I’ll admit, I don’t follow Big Japan all that much. In fact, this was the first show of theirs that I watched. One guy who I have seen and heard (a ton) about is Daisuke Sekimoto. He and Yuji Okabayashi combine to form the duo known as Strong BJ. This match opened the final show of the Saikyo Tag League tournament and was one of the best openers all year long. Sometimes, as a fan, I just want to see guys beat the shit out of each other. That’s what I got from these four. It started with Ishikawa and Okabayashi going full tilt at one another and once they tag, Sato and Sekimoto did the exact same thing. Sato nearly knocked Sekimoto out with a sick forearm. Sekimoto took most of the offense going forward and his hot tag to Okabayashi was awesome. There were powerslams, piledrivers, headbutts and everything I could want in a match like this. Yuji and Shuji traded popping up after offense and just wailing on each other. Great strong style stuff here. Strong BJ pulled out the win after a German suplex by Sekimoto at 13:46. This was exactly what it needed to be. Hard hitting and it didn’t go too long, leading to one of the best tag matches all year. You won’t find many matches manlier than this. ****¼

54. PWG Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly – PWG Thirteen 7/29/16

ery often, Zack Sabre Jr.’s selling comes into question. That’s quite understandable. On this night though, he put up a strong effort in that aspect. Unfortunately for him, it was completely overshadowed by Kyle O’Reilly’s selling. Sabre attacked the taped-up shoulder of O’Reilly and he sold it like his arm was going to fall off. He writhed around in agony. He left it limp while striking. He was unable to lift Sabre for certain moves because of it. It was masterful. Sabre got more and more heelish throughout the match, something he’s shown in several companies this year, and it added to the atmosphere. Near the end of this 22:00 match, the crowd rose with deafening dueling “O’Reilly/Sabre” chants. They had so many great counters and reversals, including Kyle catching a European uppercut into a backslide. The strikes and kicks from both men were brutal. Kyle has bulked up over time, adding to his and Sabre’s intensity and viciousness made his look fantastic. Sabre eventually caught O’Reilly in a submission and at first, I was worried because it didn’t target Kyle’s bad shoulder. Kudos to Sabre for making sure to reach back and involve that shoulder in the hold to make O’Reilly submit. ****¼

53. Matt Riddle vs. Will Ospreay – PROGRESS The Graps of Wrath 11/27/16

Two guys that stood out in 2016 were Matt Riddle and Will Ospreay. So when it was announced that they’d face off for the first time at PROGRESS Chapter 39, most people were rightfully excited. With no existing issues or rivalries, you might expect a standard match here. Riddle made sure it wasn’t by attacking Ospreay with a brutal knee during introductions. What followed was wall to wall action for 8:15. There’s something about Riddle that made me feel like he might win at any point, especially after watching him make Zack Sabre Jr. tap out in under ten minutes earlier in the year. Ospreay got his highlights in as well, flying all over the place when getting an opening. He didn’t shy away from a strike battle with Riddle either, holding his own but still being slightly overmatched there. Though this match is short (the second shortest on this list), there was so much going on that it would be hard to mention it all. A great series of counters made it seem like Ospreay might win, only to have his Oscutter caught into the Bromission. Ospreay tapped out, giving Riddle a victory in his debut in the UK. A spectacular sprint between two guys who are only going to become bigger stars in the next few years. That Matt Riddle guy is truly something special. There’s an aura about him that just screams megastar. ****¼

52. Six to Survive: Fenix vs. Ivelisse vs. Johnny Mundo vs. King Cuerno vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Taya – Lucha Underground 6/15/16

In an effort to see who would earn a shot at the Lucha Underground Title at Ultima Lucha Dos, two teams of six competed a week earlier. The winning team would then meet here, in a six-person elimination match that took up the entire episode. There were some intriguing storylines from the star, like Taya and Johnny Mundo’s relationship, Taya and Ivelisse’s feud and the past between Fenix and King Cuerno. All six participants went at it, but the first elimination came within five minutes. Mil Muertes returned to the Temple and took out his rival, Cuerno, allowing Mundo to eliminate him. The interactions between Ivelisse and Taya were the low point of this match unfortunately. Taya got rid of her just shy of eight minutes in. She would go next following a Package Piledriver, leaving it up to three of LU’s top guys in Fenix, Pentagon and Mundo. These three were good together, but it wasn’t until after Mundo got eliminated that the match got taken to the next level. Real life brothers Pentagon Jr. and Fenix put on a spectacle of a show to close out the match. Their chemistry as opponents (and teammates) is top notch and it showed here. I won’t go into too much detail about their work here but it was very fast paced and pretty incredible. I would honestly put that final stretch between them up against any other ten or so minute stretch in wrestling this year. Pentagon got the win to earn the title shot following a Mexican Destroyer into a Package Piledriver, capping a 35:27 war. ****¼

51. CWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship: Trevor Lee (c) vs. Cedric Alexander – CWF Worldwide 5/18/16

Trevor Lee won the CWF Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title in an unbelievable 105-minute match. Since then, Lee demanded that his title defenses have no time limit. Cedric Alexander was still a few months shy of wowing audiences against Kota Ibushi in the Cruiserweight Classic. On this particular night, Alexander wrestled to open the show and won the Ultra J Championship. He had a chance to win two titles in one evening. Both guys just came in with great game plans. Cedric stalled to try and get under Lee’s skin, so Lee did it back to him, which worked in his favor. They both went after the arm early and some of the stuff done just looked sick. The commentary team added a lot here, explaining that for the first time since winning the title, Lee didn’t have firm control. Alexander comes across as a guy that could potentially dethrone the champion. They do a ref bump but it isn’t for interference. It’s so Cedric can bust out the illegal piledriver that nearly gets him the win. However, the match goes on for a lot longer and they tell a great story along the way. Lee isn’t used to having to desperately fight for any opening. He hadn’t since the night he won the title. Alexander was ready for everything until he got put in the STF for a second time and had to submit at 55:05. It’s a remarkable performance from both men, especially Cedric for wrestling earlier in the night. Trevor Lee had the quite the year down in CWF Mid-Atlantic. ****¼

50. PROGRESS Championship: Pete Dunne (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PROGRESS Intercepted Angel 12/11/16

At PROGRESS Chapter 39, Pete Dunne shocked many be winning the vacant PROGRESS Championship, adding to his Tag Team Title reign. Adding to the surprise, Dunne didn’t have a great won-loss record in singles matches. Here, at Chapter 40, he made his first defense. Zack Sabre Jr. has never held the PROGRESS Title but has been around since day one and is among the biggest names in British wrestling. They produced a lengthy (31:16) main event battle that got better as it progressed. Dunne’s second, Tyler Bate, got involved early and was ejected within minutes. That left Pete and his one singles win in PROGRESS history alone against Sabre. Knowing Sabre had the upper hand on the mat, Dunne took to heel tactics and aggression. The man known as the “Bruiserweight” brought it only for Sabre to be equally aggressive at times. Sabre would try going to the mat, but Dunne would bring it back to a fight. It was a struggle of two guys playing to their strengths. Sabre twisted him in uncomfortable ways, while Dunne responded with hard blows and busted out a double tombstone spot. He finally won with Drop Dead in a great match that was given a lot of time to develop a great story. ****¼

49. WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins – WWE Battleground 7/24/16

The highly anticipated first ever triple threat match between the members of the Shield. A lot of people were disappointed that this was placed on a B Pay-Per-View like Battleground, but with the draft going down, it might have been the last chance for it. All the commissioners and general managers sat at ringside, while each show’s rosters watched from the back. Seth and Roman represented Raw, while it was up to Dean to bring the title to Smackdown. Right from the start of this 18:02 match, Seth was the target for turning on them two years earlier. The match itself is awesome, but the true greatness lied in the storytelling. Seeing Dean and Seth team up to powerbomb Reigns through the announce table was really cool. Seth calling back to the infamous heel turn by striking Reigns in the back with a chair was one of my favorite moments all year long. Towards the finish, they built to great drama and I fully bought into Seth pulling out the win and then Roman doing the same. Dean snuck in and drilled Reigns with Dirty Deeds to keep the title and surprise many, including myself, who didn’t think the WWE would have him win the battle of the Shield members. There were high expectations and I feel these three lived up to them. ****¼

48. World of Stardom Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs. Mayu Iwatani – Stardom Gold 5/15/16

Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani are friends. Not just that, but they are partners and have teamed together for years. However, that didn’t stop these two from going nuts in this battle for the World of Stardom Title. From what I’ve seen, Iwatani is usually the happier smiley one, but she was all business here. They both struggled to gain an advantage in the first few minutes. Once it gets going though, everything moves at an incredibly quick pace. It isn’t just fast either, it gets violent. These two traded stiffer, harder kicks than most matches involving men who hate each other. I don’t think there’s a dull moment in the entire 21:54. There is a fair amount of reversing and dodging each other thanks to their history together but when they connect, it clearly hurts. Despite destroying each other, they show their respect for one another by allowing the other to get up and avoiding cheap shots. Shirai came close to losing several times, including on a few dragon suplexes, before winning with a moonsault. A great championship match that felt important and was the best Stardom outing I saw all year. ****¼

47. NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly – NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 10/10/16

After the Best of the Super Juniors, Kyle O’Reilly bulked up to become a heavyweight. At ROH’s Field of Honor event, O’Reilly defeated Katsuyori Shibata and got this shot about a month after Shibata beat his partner, Bobby Fish. There weren’t many matches in NJPW this year that excited me more than this one. Shibata and O’Reilly are two of my favorite wrestlers in the world. They started this by exchanging holds and trying to gain a grappling advantage on the other guy. All of it felt gritty and earned, like there was a true struggle going on. As the match progressed, they moved into strikes and bigger offense. Surprisingly, it was O’Reilly who connected on big strikes first. Shibata did his thing where he fired up and just wanted more kicks from Kyle. O’Reilly responded by no selling a boot shortly after and they just went to war for the rest of the 18:06. The final few minutes were classic NEVER Title match stuff. Brutal strikes, kickouts at one and dudes using FIGHTING SPIRIT to power up from suplexes. Kyle was on the verge of winning with the penalty kick but Shibata survived. From out of nowhere, Shibata leveled him with a sick slap. He used the sleeper and won when Kyle passed out. This was exactly what I wanted it to be. A war and the star making performance for Kyle in the heavyweight ranks. Kudos to Fish as Kyle’s corner man shouting “BITE THE HAND” whenever Shibata applied the sleeper. ****¼

46. Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. SANADA and Tetsuya Naito – RPW Global Wars UK 11/11/16

Los Ingobernables de Japon were my favorite thing about NJPW in 2016. Hell, they were the coolest thing in wrestling period. Seeing them team up is always fun but against Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr.? Yes, please. Sabre and Scurll are two of the biggest names on the British wrestling scene. Tetsuya Naito played mind games early, looking like he would compete but then tagging out. Not to be outdone, the “Villain” Marty Scurll did the same back to him. Sabre and Scurll, known as LRDS (of the new school), worked over SANADA with quick tags until Naito tripped up Sabre. Despite being known as the “Villain”, Scurll got the hot tag and showed babyface fire. It was a great change of pace. Everyone brought something to this match. The charisma of Naito, athleticism of SANADA, technical skills of Sabre and personality of Scurll. A great moment came when Naito taunted Scurll, so Scurll took his hand. Naito laughed this off until Scurll did his trademark finger snap, which hurt like hell. There were awesome false finishes like a brainbuster/PK combo from LDRS and a stereo submissions spot from them. It came down to Naito and Sabre. The latter didn’t want to lose for the second straight night (he dropped the top title a night earlier) but his best efforts weren’t enough to survive Destino at 18:43. A wild mix of styles and personalities, but it all came together harmoniously, giving us one of the best tag matches all year long. I probably have this higher than most but I loved it. ****¼