Top 100 Matches of 2017 #70-61

70. War Games: The Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong vs. SAnitY vs. The Undisputed Era – NXT TakeOver: War Games 11/18/17

When it was announced that War Games was coming to a WWE stage for the first time ever, there was a lot of excitement. There was also concern to see if they could pull off the magic of some of the original matches. With the three team format, no roof on the cage and the idea that two men would enter at a time after the first three opened things, it was clearly going to be different. And yet, it worked very well. War Games works as a series of hot tags. Undisputed Era got the men advantage first, which made sense as the heels. I was surprised Authors of Pain came in next to help Roderick Strong, as I thought they’d be the final big blow. Boy, was I wrong. SAnitY joined last and brought weapons into the match. That final segment of the match was ridiculous in the best possible way. I saw a man bleed buckets, creative uses of the two rings, a super German suplex through two tables and a superplex off the top of the cage onto six people in the ring. Adam Cole got the win for his guys with a shining wizard into a chair at 36:32. This didn’t feel that much like War Games, but that didn’t matter. It was violent, never felt long, had wild spots and continued the ongoing stories among the competitors. I wrote all this and still probably didn’t scratch the surface of everything they did. [****¼]

69. Number One Contender’s Match: Big R Shimizu vs. Masaaki Mochizuki – Dragon Gate Scandal Gate 9/5/17

Masaaki Mochizuki is one of Dragon Gate’s best ever. Big R Shimizu was arguably their top performer in 2017. During their annual King of Gate tournament, Shimizu beat the champion, YAMATO, in stunning fashion in under four minutes. On this night, they met for a shot at the company’s top title. This opened with Mochizuki taking out Shimizu with a springboard dropkick and the greatness didn’t stop for the 14:48 duration. Mochizuki knew that Shimizu’s Shot Put Slam was a devastating finisher, so he had a plan to attack the arm and take that move away. The arm work was great and sold even better by Shimizu. He had bursts of offense and withstood some of Mochizuki’s vicious array of kicks, but barely had use of his arm. There was a great moment when Mochizuki countered the Shot Put Slam, so Shimizu responded by hitting it with his other arm. He was unable to fully take control, opening the door for Mochizuki to continue his brutal offense. He eventually pulled back on Shimizu’s arm with a great looking submission to earn the shot at the Open the Dream Gate Championship. In contention for the best Dragon Gate match all year and certainly the company’s best singles match of 2017. [****¼]

68. RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata [c] vs. Matt Riddle – RevPro High Stakes 1/21/17

I miss Katsuyori Shibata. This was during his run as British Heavyweight Champion. He faced Matt Riddle in a battle of two bad dudes. Riddle offered a handshake that Shibata declined. Riddle had to earn his respect. This got off to a bit of a slow start as they took to the mat to get a feel for one another. Thanks to their MMA backgrounds, the chain grappling and submission attempts are fantastic. Though it’s a slow start, it’s highly entertaining. Things were turned up a notch when Riddle fired off a series of strikes. Their battle of forearms and kicks was breathtaking. Shibata sold Riddle’s stuff great, at first. Then, he fired up and dismissed Riddle’s stuff in incredible fashion. Shibata was so good at that. They graduated to even heavier blows, like suplexes. Riddle nearly shocked everyone after stealing Shibata’s sleeper and Penalty Kick. That angered Shibata, who showed him how it’s done and made Riddle tap out to his sleeper at 15:10. He got no handshake before the match, but Riddle got a show of respect from Shibata afterwards, having earned it. A terrific match that played to their strengths. [****¼]

67. New Japan Cup First Round: Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW New Japan Cup 3/12/17

Fresh off his first Wrestle Kingdom main event, Kenny Omega looked to rebound and win the New Japan Cup. A tournament win would earn him another shot at Kazuchika Okada the following month. In his way stood Tomohiro Ishii in a first time ever meeting. Omega looked to take it right to Ishii. That was a mistake, as he got rocked with strikes. A reverse rana outside put the momentum in Omega’s favor and from there, he targeted the shoulder. Things got really crazy when Ishii busted out a goddamn super rana. I didn’t even know what I was watching at that point. They just went into a barrage of great back and forth for the remainder of the match. I got a kick out of seeing Ishii pull out his own V-Trigger. There was a great spot where Ishii fought off the One Winged Angel, so Omega turned it into a massive German suplex. Ishii had the best counter for the One Winged Angel when he turned it into a stunner. He finally used a Brainbuster to win in 29:46 They continued the story of nobody kicking out of Omega’s finish, Ishii sold everything like a champ and the exchanges were wild. It didn’t need to go half an hour, though. [****¼]

66. Donovan Dijak vs. Keith Lee – PWG Battle of Los Angeles 9/3/17

Two nights prior, these guys teamed as the Monstars. Anyone who loves Space Jam can’t help but love that. I went into this after hearing tons of praise, seeing Dave Meltzer give it five stars, and knowing that they had two bangers earlier in the year in Evolve. These are big lads and they did big lad things. The early spots saw them showcase their athleticism, doing freakish things that shouldn’t be possible given their size. I’m not lying when I say that more than a few spots made me legitimately worry if the ring would break. There were a few spots they didn’t hit cleanly, though it can be excused somewhat because a lot of it had a high difficulty degree. Lee landing on his feet on a monkey flip and Dijak’s springboard corkscrew dives were just some of the standout moments. They both kicked out at one, at different points, to standing ovations. Finally, Lee scored the win after 21:42 to advance to the semi-finals of BOLA. A lot of the appeal of their matches is seeing big dudes do wild shit. Some of that shine wears off after you’ve seen it already, so I do prefer their first Evolve outing, but this was better than their second Evolve match. An absolute spectacle. [****¼]

65. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 7/17/17

Two names were announced for the G1 Climax that added intrigue. One was the returning Kota Ibushi and the other was Zack Sabre Jr., in his first G1. His G1 debut itself was even bigger, facing Intercontinental Champion and ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi. The daunting task didn’t matter to the brash Brit. For 17:18, he picked Tanahashi apart. Since Tanahashi came in with his arm taped, Sabre made it his target and attacked it mercilessly. The stuff he did looked like it came with relative ease, which was a brilliant way to establish him with unfamiliar fans. This was the guy who could come in and treat the seven-time IWGP Champion like a chump. Tanahashi got something going early, but stopped to taunt and Sabre caught him in another submission. He was just in the driver’s seat from the get go. Tanahashi’s comeback saw him work the leg, as expected. He hit High Fly Flow, but Sabre got his knees up on the second. He trapped Tanahashi in another submission, ripped off his arm tape and made the ace tap out in his G1 debut. It was the perfect way to book Sabre on his first show. There was excellent limb work and top notch selling. The rematch for the IC Title wasn’t as good, but we’ll always have this. [****¼]

64. JML vs. The South Pacific Power Trip – PROGRESS: Orlando 3/31/17

The South Pacific Power Trip have been a highlight on any show they’re on. JML consists of Sami Callihan and Shane Strickland. I love Strickland, Banks and Cooper, while Callihan has been the best I’ve ever seen him as Jeremiah Crane in Lucha Underground this year. This was not for tag team traditionalists. It was a wild 13:12 sprint, featuring big spots and tons of action. I don’t think there was a “legal” man at any point. Everyone got in dives, there was brawling around the ring and stiff kicks throughout. Some of the best spots saw JML hitting a sick double stomp/powerbomb combo and an exchange of kicks involving everyone that came off great. The highlight saw Strickland hit a spider German on Cooper as he hit a superplex on Sami, with Banks coming off instantly after to take him out with a coast to coast dropkick. Incredible action. Banks and Cooper won with an elevated spike DDT, capping arguably the craziest match of WrestleMania weekend. SPPT is one of the best teams in the world because of their versatility and matches like this showed why. [****¼]

63. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/1/17

In the G1 Climax two years ago, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi had a banger of a match that saw Tanahashi pick up the victory. This time, Ibushi was in his hometown and had the crowd firmly behind him. That reaction opened the door for heel Tanahashi, which I love. Instead of giving clean breaks, he’d throw in cheap shots. He’d spend time talking smack or stopping to play some air guitar. It was as if he felt Ibushi, who never committed to NJPW, was beneath him. Each time Ibushi got something going, the fans ate it up. Tanahashi targeted the leg and neck, vigorously going after them at every turn. Ibushi finally got going and hit his deadlift German suplex, which looked like it nearly killed Tanahashi. The desperation Ibushi showed when he went for the pin was magnificent. Not only would a win over Tanahashi mean a ton, but a loss would mathematically eliminate Ibushi from the G1. The Last Ride got him a great near fall, before a brutal knee got him the win at 20:40, which set him up for a shot at Tanahashi’s Intercontinental Title a few months later. They told a compelling story to give us one of the better G1 main events. [****¼]

62. Ben-K, Big R Shimizu and Kotoka vs. Eita, Kaito Ishida and Takehiro Yamamura – Dragon Gate Scandal Gate 8/8/17

Since 2007, Dragon Gate ran the Summer Adventure Tag League in the summer. However, that tournament wasn’t always a bright spot. This year, it was replaced with the 5 Unit Survival Race League, where the five major DG factions (Jimmyz, VerserK, Over Generation, Tribe Vanguard and MaxiMuM) competed in a series of matches. The two teams that did the worst would meet and that loser would be forced to disband. This match was part of the tournament, with Over Generation (Eita’s team) against MaxiMuM. Dragon Gate has mastered the multi-man tag and this was the best of the year. Though it only ran 11:53, there was more action than most 30+ minute outings. We got some great callbacks to the awesome Shimizu/Yamamura match from February. An incredible pace saw so many moving parts, yet everything working so fluidly. Eita, a favorite of mine in the company, picked up the win for his guys by making Kotoka tap after a furious final few minutes. The best part was knowing that these hungry young guns were killing it. The oldest guy in the match was a mere 27 years old. The future of Dragon Gate is in great hands. [****¼]

61. AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE Survivor Series 11/19/17

It’s hard to get excited about Brock Lesnar matches these days. He tends to give little to no effort. So, when AJ Styles won the WWE Title and got put in Jinder Mahal’s place for this match, I was concerned. I expected a short, underwhelming outing. Luckily, Brock decided to bring the effort. He dominated Styles for a big early chunk of this 15:19 match. It was reminiscent of the Brock squashes we’ve gotten in recent years. AJ bumped like a madman, making Brock’s already brutal offense look even better. When AJ started his comeback, it felt earned. It was realistic. He didn’t just power up and turn things around. He continued to sell, while hitting his offense out of desperation. It led to the fans totally biting on a Phenomenal Forearm near fall. AJ went for a second, only to get caught in an F5 that finished him off. The starting run wasn’t exciting, but it did a masterful job in building the sympathy for Styles. Other than a horribly botched DDT spot, everything clicked in this match. I loved it. [****¼]

Kevin's Top 100 Matches of 2017: #80-71

80. Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 7/23/17

The second Kota Ibushi was announced for the G1 Climax, this was one of the first matches that came to my head in excitement. I’d seen them wrestle just once before and it was incredible (****¾ back in 2014). Not putting this match in Sumo Hall, Osaka or Korakuen was a travesty, as it deserved one of those great crowds. Ibushi’s style is a fantastic blend of aerial skills and stiff strikes. That striking ability is right up Ishii’s alley, and within the opening minutes, they were already killing each other. Though Ibushi hits hard, Ishii brushed off his kicks like nothing. It wasn’t that they didn’t hurt, it just seemed like Ishii refused to show him that they did. If that makes sense. Eventually, it was Ibushi’s turn to no sell, which just led to a higher level of violence. They traded slaps, headbutts and suplexes, with neither holding anything back. A string of absolutely brutal slaps led to an Ibushi lariat and his stiff knee strike. The Last Ride was all that was left to hit, which got him the victory in 17:14. When I see these two, I just want them to go to war for about 15 minutes, which is just what I got here. Not quite on the level of their 2014 outing, though still in the upper echelon of G1 matches. [****¼]

79. CIMA, Dragon Kid, Eita, Naruki Doi & Takehiro Yamamura vs. Brother YASSHI, El Lindaman, Punch Tominga, Shingo Takagi & T-Hawk – Dragon Gate Glorious Gate 3/8/17

When Dragon Gate decides to put on a great multi-man tag, they do it up big time. To close out this Korakuen Hall show, these teams competed in a ridiculously paced main event. It didn’t slow for the entire 27:44. Since Dragon Gate does these tags so often, something usually must stick out for one to rise above the rest. In this match, it was Takehiro Yamamura. He was the company’s breakout star in 2017 and this match was a big reason why. He killed it with every interaction against the VerserK guys. The interactions with T-Hawk set the stage for a great match the following month. The fans completely bought into Yamamura and got behind him 100%. The finish came when Shingo accidentally hit Tominga with a Pumping Buster, which allowed Yamamura to score the huge win with the Skytwister Press. Just a fantastic run of exchanges between everyone and it gets a bit of an extra bump for the big Yamamura moment. [****¼]

78. WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships: The Usos [c] vs. The New Day – WWE Battleground 7/23/17



Even in a year without the best tag team in the world (The Revival), the WWE still managed to produce several tremendous tag matches in 2017. The rivalry between the New Day and the Usos was the high point. Though their first match was at Money in the Bank, this was where it really got going. Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston represented New Day, allowing for more speed, which they showcased right from the start. After getting a hot tag, Kofi performed a dive onto the Usos, only to get caught and planted with a brutal powerbomb on the outside. Left alone, Woods fought valiantly. He survived everything the Usos threw at him. It led to one of the best spots in any company this year, as Woods did tried his rope walk elbow, only to get drilled with a sick midair superkick. It was the best superkick since Shawn Michaels and Shelton Benjamin, bar none. Somehow, that wasn’t the finish and neither was an Uso splash. That made it clear that new champions would be crowned, which happened after Trouble in Paradise and a Woods elbow at 13:46. The pace was wild and it made for one of the best tag matches all year. It turns out they were just warming up. [****¼]

77. GHC Heavyweight Championship: Katsuhiko Nakajima [c] vs. Go Shiozaki – Pro Wrestling NOAH Great Voyage in Yokohama 3/12/17



Pro Wrestling NOAH had its fair share of struggles in recent years. From Jado’s booking to the overrun of Suzuki-Gun shenanigans, it was rough. Putting the title on Katsuhiko Nakajima didn’t do wonders for business, but it led to plenty of quality matches. Go Shiozaki was supposed to be the guy for NOAH a while back, but that didn’t pan out. This was hard hitting from the start. They went outside, where Go destroyed the champion with a barrage of chops. Each time Nakajima fought back, Go had an answer. It eventually became a battle of Go’s chops against Nakajima’s kicks. They just traded tons of big blows as the match progressed. Go seemingly knocked Nakajima out with a lariat that left him out on his feet. When it looked like all hope was lost, Nakajima fired up and delivered one of the stiffest kicks you’ll ever see. He added the Vertical Spike to retain in 27:01. I loved that this was basically the anti-Jado main event. It was clean and decisive, rather than full of nonsense overbooking. [****¼]

76. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Climax 8/6/17

With the G1 Climax winding down, a win for Tomohiro Ishii here would’ve kept him alive, while a Hiroshi Tanahashi set the stage for it to come down to himself and Tetsuya Naito. In the G1 23, Ishii beat Tanahashi in a classic, while Tanahashi bested him in their next two G1 meetings. Ishii was the aggressor early. He was winning the battle of strikes, so Tanahashi took it to his knee and looked for the Texas Cloverleaf. In a great twist, Ishii hit a dragon screw and busted out a Sharpshooter. I love that move. Unfortunately, I never bought it as a potential finish. I only believe Tanahashi would tap to a more established move, or something to his injured arm. Anyway, things picked up late as the guys racked up the near falls. They survived the signature offense of the other, before Tanahashi won with two High Fly Flows in 23:30. These guys are always awesome together. They brought intensity and drama, especially down the stretch. Ishii was the G1 MVP. [****¼]

75. RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. [c] vs. Will Ospreay – RevPro Global Wars UK 11/10/17

Up until about halfway through 2016, I was all in on Will Ospreay. One of the reasons was a WrestleMania weekend stealing match with Zack Sabre Jr. at Evolve 58. I’ve soured on him greatly since then, but another match against Sabre was just what the doctor ordered. The exchanges through this 24:59 match were insanely fast paced. The story consistently saw Sabre one step ahead of Ospreay. Will would do a high flying spot and Sabre would trap him in some kind of submission. Being a Suzuki-Gun member, Sabre was all about trying to take the easy way out, nearly winning via countout. When that didn’t happen, Ospreay went back to the skies. He continually found counters that Sabre found counters for. They knew each other so well and it led to a ridiculously fluid match. Ospreay turned Sabre’s European Clutch into his own pin that the fans totally bit on as the finish. The Oscutter couldn’t do it either and neither did the imploding 450 splash. A series of counters led Sabre to put Ospreay in a sick looking submission to retain. This was their second best match together and a great way to cap the RevPro/NJPW joint shows. [****¼]

74. Anthony Henry vs. Fred Yehi – Style Battle S1:E5 6/16/17

While WWN was partnered with FloSlam for most of the year, I followed Style Battle. For those unfamiliar, each episode features a one night tournament and the winners of each eventually meet in a final tournament to determine the season winner. On episode one, Fred Yehi was the favorite to win, but ran into a brick wall named Anthony Henry. They wrestled to a thirty minute draw (***¾) and since then, neither man had claimed a Style Battle win. On episode four, Henry vowed to never compete in Style Battle again if he lost on episode five. It came down to these two in the finals and it felt like a big deal. They both came out throwing bombs, which was the opposite of their draw. They wrestled a smart match and focused on the body parts that were weakened earlier in the tournament. There was a sense that Yehi was superior, but Henry had too much heart and determination to stay down. He survived everything Yehi threw at him, including the Koji Clutch, before nailing the Kudoh Driver to win in 19:06. Not many will bring this match up as something to remember, but it’s worth checking out. [****¼]

73. AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon – WWE WrestleMania 33 4/2/17

The debate over who the best wrestler in the world is starts and ends with AJ Styles. This match might be Exhibit A. It’s one thing to have great matches when working with your most talented peers. It’s one thing to have a great gimmick match with Shane McMahon. Yet here, on the biggest stage possible, AJ and Shane had a straight up wrestling match. And for 20:28, it was awesome. They didn’t rely on smoke and mirrors or tons of shenanigans. AJ was overconfident because the ring is his domain. Shane showed off some grappling skills of his own, but never to where it made AJ look bad, just like AJ took him too lightly and it cost him. That’s an important distinction. I must admit, I popped when Shane did some submission transitions and even caught a springboard 450 splash into a triangle choke. We did get a ref bump, so it wasn’t completely devoid of stunts. However, it only set up a coast to coast spot, so it wasn’t overdone. Shane eventually missed an impressive Shooting Star Press, which set up the Phenomenal Forearm to give AJ his first Mania victory. AJ had a fantastic match with a non-wrestler and didn’t rely on the expected tropes. There’s a reason he’s the GOAT. [****¼]

72. Lucha Underground Championship Career vs. Career Match: Prince Puma [c] vs. Pentagon Dark – Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha Tres 10/18/17

Ultima Lucha Tres was scheduled to end with Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo, which was also the main event of the first ever Lucha Underground show. Puma’s career was on the line and he overcame the odds to win his second Lucha Underground Championship. His celebration was cut short by Dario Cueto. He announced that Pentagon Dark was cashing in his Gift of the Gods Title for a shot at Puma. Dario threw in the added twist of both their careers were on the line. Like their Cueto Cup Finals meeting, this was kept short. It went just 8:26, but was packed with non-stop action. Pentagon broke Puma’s arm early on, but a desperate Puma popped it back into place and taped it up to keep going. They had some incredible exchanges before Puma hit the Benadryller. He went for the 630, but Vampiro pulled Pentagon out of the way. Pentagon then won with the Package Piledriver, finally capturing the title that eluded him for so long. The match was a blast but the story was even better. Vampiro and Pentagon had a long history and Vampiro spent this season manipulating Puma, all to turn on him and side with Pentagon in the end. [****¼]

71. IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/1/17

Their three matches last year got progressively lower scores each time (from **** down to ***¼), with this being their first meeting in 2017. Michael Elgin had never lost to Kenny Omega in a straight singles match. That gave him the mental edge, which he only added to by overwhelming Kenny with his power advantage. After a close countout tease, one that came too early for me to truly buy, they just threw bombs at one another for the rest of the 22:31. Omega threw everything he could at Elgin, while still managing to bump like a madman for him. Elgin delivered an apron German and wild middle rope crucifix bomb to lead to one of the better near falls of the tournament. I loved Omega countering the Elgin Bomb to an inside cradle. It hammered home his desperation to finally beat Elgin. Omega came back with a series of V-Triggers, before winning with the One Winged Angel. This was just what I wanted from these guys. It was wild and, despite the usual NJPW slow start, didn’t have the nonsense limb work segment that leads nowhere. Limb work wasn’t coming into play at the end, so they never went to it. Wise. Tons of action, with Omega making Elgin’s offense look even better than usual. [****¼]

NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka Review

NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka
February 10th, 2018 | EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan | Attendance: 5,481
Whenever Los Ingobernables de Japon are the focal point of an NJPW card, it usually ranks among the best the company puts out there. Last year’s New Beginning in Sapporo was poop compared to the Osaka show, which had LIDJ matches at the top, for example. That’s the case here, as there are a whopping five LIDJ/CHAOS singles matches.

Katsuya Kitamura vs. Yuji Nagata
This was the sixth match in Kitamura’s Seven Match Trial Series. As you’d expect from NJPW, Kitamura entered winless. I still wish they’d go a completely different route with Kitamura. He’s so good and already older than most Young Lions. By the way, Nagata came out with a Tag Title he won in AJPW last week. The match became a strike battle that Kitamura didn’t have a chance in. He did his best, but Nagata just beat his ass. I liked Kitamura using Nakanishi’s Torture Rack, as if he’s learning things along the way during this series. Kitamura came close a few times, and survived the armbar and a PK. He couldn’t get up from a backdrop driver, losing in 10:58. Though it felt rather one-sided, I liked the story it told. Kitamura is continuing to learn, but Nagata schooled him thanks to his experience. [***]

Non-Title Match: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi 3K w/ Rocky Romero vs. El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru
This is the best possible Suzuki-Gun Due to the title match with the Young Bucks and all the recent Suzuki-Gun attacks, SHO’s back was taped and still bothering him. Suzuki-Gun did one of their signature early attacks to gain the upper hand. SHO’s injury made him the obvious choice for isolation. YOH got some shine after his hot tag. But, that back just kept coming into play. The champs went for their finisher, only for SHO’s back to give out. YOH got taken out, leaving SHO at Kanemaru’s mercy. He used a Boston crab, along with a cheap chair shot to the back, to make SHO tap out in 10:22. Maybe I’m in a good mood, but I really liked that. I love that SHO still had back issues coming into this and Suzuki-Gun attacked it. Yea, Roppongi 3K overcame the Young Bucks, but they’re still vulnerable. Kanemaru using the crab to win felt like a shot to their recent time as Young Lions. [***¼]

Post-match, Suzuki-Gun added more chair shots to SHO’s back, stomped on Rocky Romero, and posed with the titles.

KUSHIDA, Michael Elgin, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Togi Makabe vs. IWGP Intercontinental Champion Minoru Suzuki, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, and Takashi Iizuka
In a good turn of events, Makabe jumped Minoru during his entrance. It made sense since Minoru keeps denying his shot at the IC Title. The ring emptied, with Suzuki/Makabe fighting in the crowd, as well as Elgin/Iizuka. Taichi went after Taguchi because of the stuff with his lady friend. Once it got back to the ring, things calmed down a bit. However, there was a spot where Iizuka suggestively bit Taguchi on the ass. Callis: I thought I was gonna have to wait until 3 AM to see that. Makabe and Suzuki got their eventual tags and went to war. Things broke down again, and Makabe beat TAKA with the King Kong Knee Drop in 11:52. This was in offensive, but nothing more than the usual Suzuki-Gun match. [**¼]

After the match, Suzuki finally accepted Makabe’s challenge. He then fell on the ramp and beat up poor Tomoyuki Oka for it.

David Finlay, Juice Robinson, and Toa Henare vs. IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Jay White, Tomohiro Ishii, and Toru Yano
They ran this match in Korakuen on the 6th (***). I appreciate how White doesn’t come out with his partners. He really only joined CHAOS for business reasons (and booking, since Gedo can’t seem to figure out what to do if you’re not part of some kind of stable) and isn’t friends with them. Yano and Juice opened this with some fun exchanges. Henare continued to target Ishii and get beaten for it. I was more into Juice going right at Ishii, though. A New Japan Cup or G1 match between them sounds great. In the end, White was left with Henare. He hit the Blade Runner and instead of covering him, he rained elbows down so the referee could call for a stoppage at 7:33. Like the Korakuen match, this was fine fun. Henare’s issue with Ishii is intriguing, Ishii/Juice was a highlight, and White continues to gain more confidence in his role. [**¾]

In a very cool moment, Rey Mysterio Jr. appeared in a video. He announced he would be wrestling in NJPW for the first time ever at Strong Style Evolved in Long Beach, California. He issued a challenge to Jushin Thunder Liger, who nodded from commentary. Okay, that’s pretty damn cool.

BUSHI vs. Gedo
It feels odd to have this on a major show, but at least it gives BUSHI something to do. He’s too good to be the forgotten member of LIDJ. He brought out giant scissors to cut Gedo’s beard, while Gedo wore the two masks he stole from BUSHI. As expected, that meant a lot of Gedo going after the mask, and BUSHI pulling on his beard, in the early stages. From there, it was a battle of two guys trying to out heel one another. Low blows, mist, tying the mask to the ropes, beard pulling, etc. You know it, these guys tried it, which made for a different kind of match. That’s very appreciated in NJPW. BUSHI won an entertaining match with MX in 10:07. This was fine. Fun back and forth cheating from both men, but nothing more. [**]

Tetsuya Naito vs. YOSHI-HASHI
Man, that WK12 result looks worse and worse with Naito treading water like this. HASHI jumped Naito during his entrance, drawing the ire of the crowd. The story has been that Naito doesn’t take him seriously. Even when Naito gets attacked, he shrugs it off because he doesn’t care. Naito withstood that and took control. This match had a slower pace than expected. There wasn’t much outwardly wrong with this match, it just wasn’t very interesting. It lacked an urgency and Naito didn’t seem to be at his best. The crowd was kind of dead other than cheering for Naito. Naito won after two Destinos in 16:46. It felt longer than that and really hammered home how Naito shouldn’t be stuck here. By this point last year, he already had two 4.5 star matches and this year, he’s yet to have one crack 4. Nobody believed HASHI had a chance and they never made it feel like that was the case. As I said, this was good, but nowhere near great. [**¾]

Post-match, Taichi attacked Naito with his microphone stand. There have been rumors of Taichi moving to the heavyweight division. Holy hell, imagine being Naito and falling this hard from grace.

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi
The video package for this was filled with cats and I loved it. This show has been wildly average. Save us, Hiromu. They went right at each other and Hiromu nailed a great German suplex on the outside and belly to belly into the guardrail. From there, the pace remained insane, with both guys pulling off impressive feats of athleticism. Each bump looked violent, especially the way Ospreay took the sunset flip bomb. In fact, Ospreay took the brunt of the beating and had to continually struggle for any advantage. In one sick spot, Ospreay countered a super wheelbarrow driver into a release German suplex onto the turnbuckle. It didn’t come off cleanly, but was a vicious idea. They continued with the great back and forth, which included an imploding 450 by Will, Oscutter counter by Hiromu, a great strike exchange, and Hiromu kicking out a middle rope reverse rana at one. After even more quality stuff, Ospreay used the beheading forearm and the Oscutter to retain in 20:05. Easily the best thing on the show. They had the breakneck paced match I wanted from them. Tons of great exchanges and counters throughout, with the fans completely into everything. I miss Hiromu as Jr. Champion, though.[****¼]

NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto [c] vs. IWGP Tag Team Champion EVIL
It’s almost impossible to be interested in Hirooki Goto. Where the last match was fast paced, this one was much slower. It was two bigger dudes wearing each other down. They eventually moved into some of the harder hitting offense, though it didn’t grasp me the way those spots in other NEVER Title matches have. It felt like it dragged on and went about double the actual length. It picked up a bit late, but not enough to save things. Goto won with the GTR in a long 20:19. I thought with the title off Suzuki, the bullshit in these matches would get cut down. Instead, this still had some nonsense and ref bumps, while also featuring a crowd that didn’t get behind EVIL. Hugely disappointing. [**½]

IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. IWGP Tag Team Champion SANADA
Their three prior singles matches were all good, but none even sniffed great. Okada has passed 600 days as champion. I feel like I had a soul when it started and now it’s gone. Thinking about it, for all the talk of how great his reign has been, the only matches during it I went 4+ on were against Omega (1), Marufuji, and Shibata. Anyway, this got off to the typical Okada start, until SANADA drove his face into the guardrail and hit a piledriver on the ramp. Once back to the ring, things dropped a bit in interest, outside of Okada being a smug jerk. It’s a role that’s so natural for him. Of course, Okada couldn’t hit the Rainmaker on his first attempt, giving SANADA an opening. The crowd really picked up when SANADA hit his signature dropkick and followed with a series of planchas. The fans began to buy into a SANADA win, especially when he locked in Skull End. They were way invested in the usual Rainmaker counters series that we always get. There was modification on this one, as it lasted way longer and saw several different escapes. We got the Okada wrist hold spot that he can’t seem to live without, before using one to retain in 32:12. It was an Okada title defense. Slow start, great closing stretch. It was their best match together, for sure. The crowd believed in SANADA, but I never bought him as a winner. Also, as crisp as the Rainmaker counter stretches are, it’s hard to get invested in them, when you mostly know what’s coming. There was also a sense of overkill, from the ramp piledriver to the Skull End being applied seven times. Everyone in the company feels like second class citizens compared to Okada and it’s not even close. I know people will defend NJPW booking to the death, but it’s the kind of thing WWE would get chastised for. By the way, I’m not complaining at the result. It was clear the Tag Champ wasn’t winning the Heavyweight Title. [***½]

Interesting to note that Tanahashi had 11 successful defenses in 404 days, while Okada just reached 10 in 600. Anyway, after the match, Okada said he wanted to compete in the New Japan Cup. Champions usually don’t do that. Then, he called out Will Ospreay for a match at the Anniversary Show in March. He faced the Jr. Champion at the Anniversary Show a few years ago (Ibushi), though this has the added intrigue of CHAOS vs. CHAOS after Jay White has been seemingly playing them against each other.

Overall: 6/10. After a strong Wrestle Kingdom, the February shows lacked for NJPW. I understand the business decision to split up the New Beginning into three cards, but it made each show weaker. This one had a standout match (Hiromu/Ospreay) but this was a rare care where LIDJ didn’t deliver the good. Naito looked like he was going through the motions against HASHI, EVIL/Goto was disappointing, BUSHI/Gedo was kind of just there, and Okada/SANADA fell victim to the overly done Okada formula. The undercard was relatively fine. Outside of some top matches this year, NJPW has been okay at best. Hopefully, things pick up with the New Japan Cup.

PROGRESS Chapter 62: Fear No More, Come To Dust Review

PROGRESS Chapter 62: Fear No More, Come To Dust
January 28th, 2018 | Electric Ballroom in Camden, Greater London | Attendance: 700
It’s the second PROGRESS chapter of 2018. They got off to a strong start and this card looks even better on paper. Not to waste too much time, here goes the action.

Jim Smallman started off with a heartfelt standing ovation for a friend who lost their child (I believe, the audio wasn’t too clear for it). With that done, things moved to happier tone as he had some fun with the crowd. Unfortunately, Millie McKenzie suffered an injury and was off the show. Her match with Toni Storm was one of my most anticipated.

Natural Progression Series V First Round: Chris Ridgeway vs. Omari
Ridgeway has been making waves on recent PROGRESS shows, while I’ve seen Omari on a handful of shows. They started on the mat for a bit, but moved to strikes and bigger offense. Their exchanges of strikes and kicks were great. Ridgeway always seemed to have a slight advantage, and his series of German suplexes were great. After some great back and forth, they went into just leveling each other with forearms. It was like something out of a NEVER Title match. In the end, Ridgeway countered a suplex into one of his own, and moved into a modified sleeper to earn the win in 10:00. Really good way to start the show and the tournament. They did a lot, without overdoing things as the opener. Great exchanges, with both strikes and submissions, while maintaining a high level of intensity. [***½]

Pastor William Eaver vs. Roy Johnson
Before Live at the Dome #3, I hadn’t seen Roy Johnson since he got ROASTED on the mic during Super Strong Style 16. Johnson being billed from “SOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTHHHHHHH london" is great. They had some fun in the early goings, especially with the opening handshake. Eaver sent Johnson outside and followed with a plancha that didn’t go well. His feet got caught in the ropes and he crashed hard, wrestling the rest of the way with a huge lump over his eye. Eaver looked out of it after that, and it turns out, he also tore his quad on the spot. Johnson scored the win with Wavy Tonic in 7:46. This was fine and I must commend Eaver for finishing with the injury. [**½]

Chris Brookes w/ Kid Lykos vs. Trent Seven vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
This is quite the combination of wrestlers. Sabre’s growing a beard. Since this show took place on the same day as the Royal Rumble, Seven opened by dumping both guys over the top and celebrating. He even pointed up at Jon Briley like he was the WrestleMania sign. That led to a really long, really fun slugfest involving everyone. Sabre brought a ton of submissions, Seven had some hard strikes, and Brookes did a bit of both. They continued with entertaining bits sprinkled in among the great moves. German suplexes, rapid fire chops, piledrivers, sentons, lariats, back fists, etc. This match had them all. Brookes was knocked outside, and Seven wanted his Seven Star Lariat. Sabre avoided it and used the European Clutch pin to win in 18:06 It got a bit too cute at times, but it was a really fun match that had a lot of action. [***½]

PROGRESS World Championship: Travis Banks [c] vs. TK Cooper
These guys were arguably the best tag team in wrestling in the first half of 2017. Instantly, Banks kicked at TK’s recently repaired leg. It set the tone for a more physical match than you’d expect from two friends. There was a great moment where he changed his mind on doing the spot that he got injured on last year, so Banks was more than happy to go high risk against him. There was also Banks delivering a series of kicks to the back, where he would normally only do one. As if he knew to give a little extra to his tough partner. TK had the champ well scouted, avoiding the Slice of Heaven. He also brought out a chokeslam and super Spanish Fly for near falls. Like the Chris Brookes title match, TK grabbed the title and considered using it. Brookes showed up and snatched it from him. TK applied an Octopus Hold and flipped off Brookes, who pulled out the ref and returned the bird to TK. TK hit him with a dive and lost an exchange with Banks inside, tapping to the Lion Clutch in 15:13. Like the Brookes match, this was very good and played off how well Banks knew his opponent. The story of TK fighting through his previous injury and throwing everything he had at Banks was great.[***¾]

Brookes and Cooper got in each other’s face after the match and started brawling. TK hit Banks as he tried breaking it up, causing them to rumble. Banks and Brookes also went at it, while officials entered the ring to pull them all apart.

After intermission, Jim Smallman got set to do his shout outs. Trent Seven ran out in his gear and a jacket, with his luggage and a neck pillow, saying he was paying his own way to get to the Royal Rumble tonight. A few minutes later, he solemnly returned because he missed his Uber. Classic.

As noted, Jinny was scheduled to get a Women’s Title shot. She got hurt and replaced by Millie McKenzie, who also got hurt. Jinny came out, with her hand in a brace and her arm in a sling. She cut a promo about how today was supposed to be one of the biggest days of her career. Jinny spoke about how hard she has worked to get this opportunity and how much she loves wrestling. She put over Millie in this heartfelt promo, but then turned on a dime, by calling the fans pathetic because they instantly forgot about her once her replacement was announced. Jinny handpicked Toni’s opponent, called Toni a princess (while she’s a queen) and a bitch, and introduced that opponent. Great promo from Jinny. She should get a run with the title, even if it’s a short one. 

PROGRESS Women’s Championship: Toni Storm [c] vs. Chakara
Personally, Chakara hasn’t impressed me much. Jinny remained at ringside. Storm offered a handshake, but Chakara elbowed her instead. Her hot start was cut short by a corner powerbomb from the champion. Chakara tried bringing her hardest hitting, best offense, but Toni would snap off a German suplex and stop her in her tracks. Still, Chakara’s aggression stood out here. She hit a nice hammerlock DDT I hadn’t seen from her before, and threw some vicious kicks at a few points. Toni fought through it and hit the Strong Zero to retain in 7:20. Probably the best work I’ve seen from Chakara, though still the worst Storm title defense. There was effort, but nobody ever believed Chakara had a chance. The finish was flat, too. [**¼]

Jinny came face to face with Toni and kicked her in the chest. She continued to put the boots to her, until Toni kind of fought her off. Jinny went to leave, but Toni was jumped from behind by Nina Samuels. All three women stomped on the Women’s Champion. Samuels handed Jinny the title and held the ropes for her on the way out. Jinny’s got herself a stable. I like it.

Danny Jones and Mark Andrews vs. Jimmy Havoc and Mark Haskins w/ Vicky Haskins
Before the match, Eddie Dennis came out to run down Andrews. He said FSU was Andrews and [insert Welsh friend]. He called the fans sheep and said he could feel them turning on Andrews and realizing he’s right. He joined commentary to keep his promise of following Andrews until he gets his title shot. Havoc and Haskins jumped their opponents as soon as they happened. They brutalized Andrews outside, leaving Jones to fend for himself. They toyed with him as he got isolated. Danny fought hard as Andrews kept getting prevented from being in position for the hot tag. He finally got it and hit Stundog Millionaire, but surprisingly tagged back out rather quickly. The finishing stretch saw everyone get in their signature stuff. A Vicky distraction didn’t amount to much, though Jones came close to winning after it. The next Vicky distraction led to the kiss of death and the Acid Rainmaker/kick combo that ended it after 14:33. This was a good tag match. The formula was well done, as was the story of Andrews not being an entirely reliable partner. Havoc and Haskins continue to be a highlight in the ring, though I wish we got more from their story. [***¼]

Doug Williams vs. Flash Morgan Webster
I thought Flash was leaving after his promo on the last chapter. Both guys came in on losing streaks. This opened with some grappling, where Williams had the upper hand. Flash is at his best when working against bigger guys who can kind of bully him, which is what Doug can do very well. In a lot of Doug’s recent matches, he’s been hitting his signature stuff. Kind of what you expect if a guy is on a farewell tour of sorts. Here, he couldn’t quite hit some of it. The flying knee missed and there was no Chaos Theory. It reached a point where Doug was willing to take a countout win. For some reason, Vicky Haskins came out and distracted the referee, preventing him from counting to ten. Flash got back in and won via Strangler in 12:29. Good stuff with some great elements of story. Doug and Flash were both desperate for a win, and Doug couldn’t hit his best stuff, so he was willing to win by countout. I like it. [***¼]

Vicky applauded Flash, who was upset when he noticed her.

PROGRESS Atlas Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Timothy Thatcher
It’s great to see WALTER getting main event treatment. Interestingly, Thatcher turned down a handshake to start. There was lots of grappling to start, but when WALTER slapped the shit out of Thatcher, you could feel the energy change in the room. That kick started a barrage of brutal chops and kicks. Thatcher’s chest was red and bloody within five minutes. He finally found an opening by slamming WALTER’s hand into the ring post, taking away his best weapon. He added an impressed suplex on the outside, but a belly to belly inside failed and WALTER landed on him. WALTER had to rely on left handed chops, which were still stiff, but nowhere near his right hand ability. When Thatcher gets the armbar applied, WALTER sells it like it’s all over. He scrambled to the ropes and continually fought for his life to escape. Thatcher blocked a chop to the chest, so WALTER just chopped him SQUARE ACROSS THE FACE! He found the will to kick out, before eating a lariat, boot, and powerbomb to stay down after 21:39. An unbelievable match. I wrote about so much and still left out a bunch. This was exactly the kind of hard hitting match it needed to be. You could feel the violence throughout. The work on WALTER’s hand was a fantastic idea and added something extra to this. I loved how there were almost no near falls until late, showing how much they knew it would take to beat the other. I could go on and on, but this was incredible. Possibly the best match in PROGRESS history. [****¾]

Post-match, Thatcher gave WALTER the handshake and they embraced.

Overall: 8/10. Not on the consistent level of Chapter 61, but it had much higher highs. While the Women’s Title match lacked in the ring, the angle came off very well. I can excuse Johnson/Eaver due to the injury. The rest of the show ranged from good to outstanding. The Banks angle continued with another very good match and aftermath, while the Haskins/Havoc team delivered in the ring again. They just need more story advancement. I also dug the opener and the three way match. The main event is absolutely must-see and will probably find its way into my top ten when the year ends.

Top Matches of 2017: #90-81

90. GHC Heavyweight Championship: Katsuhiko Nakajima [c] vs. Brian Cage – NOAH Summer Navigation 7/27/17

Cage always looks massive, but in NOAH, he was basically Godzilla. Nakajima had turned back every challenge as GHC Heavyweight Champion and had to slay the biggest monster yet to retain here. NOAH’s known for slow paced main events (Japan in general tends to be), but Cage was having none of that. He came out the blocks firing and powerbombed the champ into the ring post in the opening minutes. Japanese crowds love monster gaijins, so Korakuen was way into Cage. He has the added bonus of impressive athletic offense mixed in with the power spots. Nakajima had to stick and move, connecting with desperation kicks to slow Cage down. He kicked out at the last possible moment so many times and the fans bought into each near fall. Cage survived the Vertical Spike, leading many to believe the title would switch here. It’d certainly make Cage a big deal in NOAH. Cage busted out a SCARY looking Steiner Screwdriver for a wild near fall. HOW WAS THAT NOT THE FINISH? Not to be outdone, he then no sold a top rope brainbuster, before eating another Vertical Spike to lose in 22:13. Great showing for Cage in his biggest NOAH match. They worked as opponents because Nakajima was a good underdog, while still doing enough to keep the physicality battle going. A bit too much of the fighting spirit stuff and it went too long (I think around 15 minutes would have been ideal) to be upper echelon, but it remains one of the better NOAH matches of 2017. [****]

89. PROGRESS Atlas Championship: WALTER [c] vs. Matt Riddle – PROGRESS: New York City 8/12/17

In their first match at Chapter 46, Riddle retained over WALTER. WALTER dethroned him at Chapter 51 in an even better match (more on that later) and this was the rubber match. They began this with mat work that was fairly even. WALTER took to brutally laying in the chops. Never afraid to give back as much as he takes, Riddle responded with chops of his own. It’s a staple of their matches. In their second outing, WALTER had Riddle well scouted and it led him to victory. This time, Riddle was ready, doing just enough to alter his game and avoid a repeat loss. He started deadlifting WALTER and throwing him around, which is never not impressive. Both guys picked up near falls down the stretch that the fans totally bought into. Riddle’s first senton attempt caught knees, but his second worked. He went into the Bromission, adding a series of chops, to make WALTER submit and become a two-time Atlas Champion after 15:58 of action. Not quite on the level of their second match, but better than the first. They played off their previous outings and the sheer viciousness of their strikes was jaw-dropping. [****]

88. NXT Women’s Championship: Asuka [c] vs. Ember Moon – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III 8/19/17

Over three months prior, Ember Moon came closer to dethroning Asuka than anyone else. Watching this live, I gave it ***¼, and people weren’t pleased. Looking back, I don’t know why I couldn’t get into it, because I thought it was great on the second viewing. Asuka’s special. I’ll come into a match thinking I’m okay with her losing and then I see her entrance and am like, “KILL ASUKA KILL!” Onto the match, Ember felt she had Asuka’s number and dropkicked her instantly, not letting the champ get out of the gate. Even when Asuka managed to take control, Ember fought valiantly and it felt like her life depended on winning this match. Asuka wisely targeted Ember’s shoulder, which she injured in between the two matches. In their first meeting, Asuka shoved the referee to the ropes to avoid the Eclipse. This time, Ember hit it and the crowd bought it as the end of Asuka’s run. The reaction to Asuka kicking out was insane. At a loss, Ember went for it again and Asuka used a slight referee distraction to get an opening. She survived a superkick, frustrating Ember more, and then retained via Asuka Lock at 14:46. Way better than I remembered. [****]

87. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/18/17

Jushin Thunder Liger declared that the 2017 would be his final Best of the Super Juniors. The now 53-yeard old legend came in tied for the most tourney wins with 3. On this, the second night, he met the new ace of the juniors division and IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi. After a night one loss, Liger didn’t want to lose his final Korakuen BOTSJ match, so he came out firing and hit a brainbuster in the aisle in the opening minutes, leading to a countout tease. That set the tone for a wild sprint that was 8:05 of pure action. Liger threw everything in his arsenal at the champion. Unfortunately, it was never quite enough. The beauty of this lied in the pin at the end. After Hiromu hit Time Bomb, he got the three count, but you could see Liger kicking his feet and desperately trying to kick out. He wanted nothing more than to continue, he just didn’t have it in him to do so. Depending on how much longer he wrestles, this very well could be the final great match of Liger’s career. [****]

86. EVIL vs. Kazuchika Okada – NJPW G1 Climax 8/5/17

362 days. Coming into this match, that’s how long it had been since Kazuchika Okada was last pinned in singles competition. This was the fourteenth night of the G1 Climax and Okada was 5-0, while EVIL was 4-2. With Okada seemingly running away with the block, EVIL needed to win to stay alive. For the first time in a long time, it felt like Okada wasn’t in control of a match. Instead of his usual cross body over the guardrail spot, EVIL beat on him with chairs. He wasn’t allowing Okada to get going. Okada was forced to fight from behind because EVIL always had an answer for him. There was quite the big spot where Okada took Darkness Falls onto a pile of chairs in the crowd. It had to suck for him. When he beat the countout, it set up the traditional Okada closing stretch. High energy, great action and the usual Rainmaker stuff. After hitting one from out of nowhere, he subtlety positioned himself to land on his back so he could do his wrist hold stuff that everyone goes nuts for. I usually hate it, but liked it here because he was in serious trouble and because it finally backfired. EVIL ducked a third Rainmaker (like everyone else after eating two), but won the exchange by avoiding it again and hitting the STO to win at 22:47. Biggest win of EVIL’s career. Though the rematch for the Heavyweight Title disappointed, this was awesome and cemented EVIL as the MVP for the B Block of the G1. [****]

85. Open The Twin Gate Championship: CIMA and Dragon Kid (c) vs. Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi – Dragon Gate Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 7/23/17

Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino were formerly known as DoiYoshi or Speed Muscle. They were one of the most exciting tag teams I’ve ever seen, but they hadn’t teamed regularly in a few years, at least from what I could gather. For Dragon Gate’s biggest show of the year, they got a shot at the Twin Gate Titles against two other company mainstays, CIMA and Dragon Kid. When I was first introduced to Dragon Gate eleven years ago, these were four men who stood out. This was a beautiful match. They moved at an absurd pace, yet everything was precise and expertly executed. It takes true brilliance to do what these guys did and make it look as easy as they did. Not everyone loves the Dragon Gate style of tag matches, and that’s understandable, but this was something I think everyone could enjoy. After 21:37 of wild action, Dragon Kid busted out the Dragonrana, which we don’t see often anymore, to retain the titles. I disagree with the decision, since CIMA and Dragon Kid have had a lackluster reign. Lackluster outside of this match though, which was tremendous. [****¼]

84. Evolve Championship: Timothy Thatcher [c] vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 79 2/25/17

Timothy Thatcher’s Evolve Title reign was kind of a train wreck. His rise to the top and early title matches were great. In 2015, he killed it against the likes of Johnny Gargano and Zack Sabre Jr. However, his 2016 was atrocious, with his style hampering him and leading to far too many shit matches. Due to that, the crowd turned on him and were very pro Sabre on this night. They came out with stiff strikes and submissions attempts, playing to their strengths. Thatcher got his leg trapped in a brutal looking submission on the ropes, so Sabre went right after that leg with his usual vigor. The heat from the crowd added so much. They hated everything Thatcher did. Down the stretch of this 18:47 bout, there were tons of counters and exchanges of submissions. Sabre applied a sick octopus hold, complete with elbow strikes, extra wrench on the arms and stomps to Thatcher’s head, to finally end his reign of terror. The pop for the Sabre win was incredible. This was easily the best Thatcher match since 2015. He nailed the mannerisms and everything he had to in order to play to the crowd. Great stuff. [****¼]

83. IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/1/17

AJ Styles is my pick for the best wrestler in the world, but these guys are #2 and #3. Their chemistry together is killer. I’ve never given them less than ****, which is rare. They came into this with totally different mindsets. Ishii always leaves everything out there and gives his all, while Naito said if he won the US Title, he’d throw it in the trash. Naito was his disrespectful self, slapping Ishii around, stopping to taunt and laughing while getting hit. Though Naito didn’t care about the title, you could tell he still wanted to win, maybe even just to throw it in NJPW’s face. There were several moments where we got a glimpse at how well they know each other. Ishii countering Naito’s signature rebound attack with a headbutt was a highlight. There was a spot I hated, though. Naito failed on his tornado DDT twice and instead of changing it up, Ishii had to stand there while Naito went for it a third time. As it neared the 15:51 finish, they had some great exchanges. Ishii’s neck was worked on throughout, and he sold it expertly, as always. Ishii had Destino well scouted, before winning with the Brainbuster to advance. I liked this more on a second viewing. On NJPW’s first show in the States, it was the first match to stand out and fit the NJPW style. [****¼]

82. AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor – WWE TLC 10/22/17

Throughout the summer and fall, Finn Balor was mired in a completely garbage feud with Bray Wyatt. With the “Demon vs. Sister Abigail” billed for TLC, we were probably in for the worst of it. Then, viral meningitis happened and Bray couldn’t compete. To replace him, Raw borrowed AJ Styles to set up a battle of the first two Bullet Club leaders. They worked this first-time ever match like an NJPW main event. It was deliberately slow in the early stages, before building to the bigger spots. The atmosphere was tremendous. The crowd was into every little thing these guys did. Often, Finn doesn’t do enough to make the “Demon” different from his regular self. Here, he added small mannerisms and showed a more aggressive side at times, which was appreciated. For example, to break the Calf Crusher, he brutally smashed AJ’s head into the mat. We got to see them both do Pele kicks, which was cool, though I wish they both did Bloody Sundays. In the end, AJ missed the springboard 450, setting up Finn to use a flurry of offense to win. He capped it with the best Coup de Grace I can remember at 18:16. It was mostly two guys getting their signature stuff in, but that’s fine. They did this on short notice and delivered a high-quality match in front of a raucous crowd. I love that they didn’t go into a finisher kickout fest either. As good as this was, it felt like they had better in them, maybe with a story and AJ not being jetlagged. [****¼]

81. Bobby Fish vs. Jay Lethal – ROH 15th Anniversary Show 3/10/17

What do you do when you have two top of the card guys without much to do at a PPV? You book them in a “top contender’s match,” which is what this was. These two met in a very good TV Title match in 2015, but this had World Title implications. Lethal wanted to get back to the top, while Fish wanted to reach there at least once. This opened with mat exchanges, but quickly got aggressive when Fish kicked the shit out of Lethal, sending him outside. Lethal then sent Fish outside to hammer home how evenly matched they were. When Fish sidestepped a tope suicida, Lethal crashed chest first, and that chest became Fish’s target. Lethal fought back and only tried another tope suicida when Fish was by the aisle and not a guardrail. Simple, yet smart. The intensity picked up down the stretch. The strikes got harder and Fish dropped Lethal on his head at one point. Fish had the Lethal Injection well scouted before countering it into the Fish Hook. The fans went nuts for that spot. Jay survived and finally hit the Lethal Injection to win in 15:07. Awesome stuff. They worked a smart, layered match where everything felt like it mattered. They had each other scouted, upped the intensity late, had great selling and a clean finish. [****¼]