Kevin's Top 130 Matches of 2017: Match #1 Posted

[The Kevstaaa]

32. Matt Riddle vs. Travis Banks – PROGRESS Chapter 52: Vote Pies 7/23/17

Heading into the big Alley Pally show in September, Pete Dunne and Travis Banks got to pick opponents for one another. Dunne selected Matt Riddle for Banks’ opposition on this show and we should all thank him. They delivered a nonstop, action packed 12:18. It was the Riddle formula, done as well as I can recall. Competitive mat work, intensity laced strikes and big spots. If you want to know how brutal this was, Riddle’s cornrows got knocked loose from being hit so hard. Banks survived the Bro to Sleep. Riddle survived the Kiwi Krusher. What would be enough to keep the other man down? They showed off seamless transitions when Riddle caught the Slice of Heaven into an ankle lock that Banks then turned into the Lion’s Clutch. In a great moment, Banks kicked out of a jumping tombstone at one, prompting the commentator to flat out say, “f*** off.” My only gripe with this match was the finish. Pete Dunne came out and caused a distraction that allows Riddle to win with a Gotch piledriver. Even so, it wasn’t a bad finish, as it kept Banks strong heading into a title match, while setting up Riddle as a challenger for him once he won the title. Stellar wrestling. [****½]

*This is the final match from Vote Pies.

[The Kevstaaa]

31. IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals: Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/2/17

In the New Japan Cup, Tomohiro Ishii beat Kenny Omega. At Wrestling Dontaku, Kenny evened the score. Their tiebreaker came with high stakes, as the winner would be crowned the first ever IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion. Because Ishii is awesome, he sold the arm damage from earlier match that night with Zack Sabre Jr. This was the longest of their three matches (31:21), and had a bit more of a calm pace, at least early on. There were still plenty of wild spots throughout. It felt like they knew how tough the other was, so they knew it couldn’t end quickly. The Young Bucks set up a table for Kenny outside, leading to the best spot of the match. Kenny tried a German off the apron, but Ishii continually blocked it. Kenny grabbed him in a full nelson, so with no arms left to use, Ishii bit down on the rope to block the move. It was awesome. Kenny still fought him off and hit a dragon suplex off the apron and through the table. As cool as that was, it couldn’t match the rope biting spot before it. There was still a ton of action left. Too much for me to detail, but just know that the match is nuts. Kenny went a bit too V-Trigger happy down the stretch, before winning with the One Winged Angel. This was a great capper for their trilogy and the first set of US shows for NJPW. A great match that sits nicely as their second best together. [****½]

*This is the final match from G1 Special in USA.
*This is the final IWGP US Heavyweight Title match.

[The Kevstaaa]

30. Keith Lee vs. Tomohiro Ishii – RevPro Global Wars UK 11/9/17

From the moment I saw Keith Lee, this is the match I wanted most. The size difference was a sight to behold, but Ishii brought the fight to him with a slew of chops. It took just one from Lee to knock Ishii down. Lee would beat on Ishii, only for the “Stone Pitbull” to fire up. It clearly bewildered Lee that Ishii was this tough. Lee threw Ishii around like he weighed nothing. Things got crazy from there, with Ishii countering a Spirit Bomb into a guillotine choke, then into a DDT and then eventually hitting the Brainbuster. It was an incredible thing to witness. Some of Lee’s offense was absolutely monstrous. He nearly threw Ishii through the roof on a chokeslam and Spirit Bomb. The near fall on the latter was nuts. Lee made the mistake of trying a moonsault and missed. He and Ishii both got big kickouts at one to huge reactions. Ishii picked up the win with a second Brainbuster after a hard fought 15:43. What a match. Dream matches don’t always live up to the hype, but this one did. It was hard hitting from start to finish and exactly the kind of match I want from these two. Ishii is one of the best underdogs in wrestling, while Lee is one of the best dominant bigs and it made for brilliance. [****½]

*This is the final match from RevPro.
*This is the final appearance of Keith Lee.

[The Kevstaaa]

29. Super Strong Style 16 Quarterfinals: Jeff Cobb vs. Matt Riddle – PROGRESS Chapter 49: Super Strong Style 16 5/28/17

The Chosen Bros explode! Matt Riddle and Jeff Cobb are buddies and partners, but were matched up to meet in the excellent Super Strong Style 16 tournament. Riddle won his first round match in six seconds with a knockout knee. He went for that here, but Cobb was wise and knew to avoid it. There was a great moment where Riddle used Cobb’s own rolling gutwrench suplex spot. It was an impressive show of strength from Riddle, but then Cobb countered and threw him around like nothing. That signaled the pace picking up, as the rest of the 13:39 saw them throw non-stop bombs. Cobb survived a Bro to Sleep, before hitting a huge Tombstone. Riddle was so hurt, he could only instinctively kick out. It was incredibly weak. Think Sami Zayn at TakeOver: Rival. They got a standing ovation after Riddle hit a series of fisherman busters and an even louder one when Cobb hit a Canadian Destroyer followed by a ridiculous popup German. Somehow, that wasn’t the finish. Riddle escaped Cobb’s next move and used that knockout knee to advance to the semi-finals. An absolutely absurd match in the best possible way. [****½]

*This is the final appearance of Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle.

[The Kevstaaa]

28. RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata [c] vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 2/11/17

I’ve made my feelings on Will Ospreay well known in this list. However, he was at his very best in 2017 on this night. With their penchant for high octane stuff, you’d expect them to go after one another like Shibata and Ishii usually do. Instead, Ospreay played it smart, knowing he’d get his ass handed to him if he went at Shibata. After a bit of grappling, they picked up the pace and it was pure insanity. With that style taking over, Ospreay gained enough confidence to steal Shibata’s signature taunt and do his corner dropkick. When he lost the strike battle, he found ways to combat it, like kicking Shibata’s head into the ring post. Ospreay even went for his own version of the Rainmaker (with Okada watching on commentary), but nothing he could do was enough to keep Shibata down. Shibata was too much and he used the sleeper/PK combo to retain the title after an awesome 13:51. Other than his matches with KUSHIDA, this was probably the best Ospreay outing I’ve seen. He gave it his very best, it just wasn’t enough on this night. An excellently paced match that was an incredible first time outing. [****½]

*This is the final appearance of Will Ospreay.
*It is the final British Heavyweight Title match.

[The Kevstaaa]

27. IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Special in USA 7/2/17

Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a sucker for a great sprint. For 11:42, these two did just that and had the best match of the entire weekend in NJPW’s first US appearance. Zack Sabre Jr. made the mistake of trying to match Tomohiro Ishii for strikes. He quickly learned his lesson and went to his specialty, submissions. Ishii’s one of the best babyfaces in the world and he expertly drew in the crowd. They believed in him completely, which helped him rally free of Sabre’s grasp on several occasions. Some of Sabre’s submissions were brutal. There were two specific ones that saw Ishii’s limbs held, so he had to roll into the ropes to break it. The tease and suspense as he inched closer to the ropes was done better than any other match in recent memory. Since the ultimate babyface Ishii refused to submit, Sabre got frustrated. He went back to strikes and it cost him. Ishii floored him with a huge lariat and nailed the Brainbuster to advance to the finals. Ishii didn’t beat Sabre, he survived him. That helped solidify Sabre as a threat, while adding another chapter to Ishii’s incredible 2017. It’s one of the best sub-15 minute matches I can recall. [****½]

*This is the final match from G1 Special in USA.

[The Kevstaaa]

26. PROGRESS Tag Team Championship: Trent Seven and Tyler Bate [c] vs. The South Pacific Power Trip – PROGRESS Chapter 45: Galvanize 3/19/17

The South Pacific Power Trip made a strong case for the top tag team of the first half of the year. This was their shining moment. They showed no intimidation towards their bigger star counterparts. The opening exchanges were great, punctuated by TK Cooper hitting an awesome corkscrew dive to the outside. TK did end up taking the heat for next chunk of the match. That worked well, because Travis Banks is one of the best hot tag guys in the business. He was sensational in that aspect here. From there, the match entered an absurdly paced portion. All four men got involved in an incredible series of spots that brought the fans to their feet. When the champs got overconfident near the end, Dahlia Black entered to help her guys out. Still, Bate and Seven were too much for the challengers. Banks took a second rope piledriver and Tyler Driver ’97 to end it after an awesome 14:16. The best PROGRESS Tag Team Title match I’ve ever seen and the best opening contest of any show this year. Unfortunately, their rematch got cut short when Cooper suffered a horrific injury. [****½]

*This is the final match from Galvanize.
*It is the final appearance of Trent Seven and TK Cooper.
*It is the final PROGRESS Tag Team Title match.

[The Kevstaaa]

25. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Kota Ibushi – NJPW Power Struggle 11/5/17

During the G1 Climax, Kota Ibushi scored a win over Hiroshi Tanahashi, which put him in line for this shot at Tanahashi’s Intercontinental Title. Though Ibushi missed a fair amount of time in NJPW, he has quite the history in big matches. In 2015 alone, he came up just short of winning the IC, NEVER Openweight and Heavyweight Titles. A win here, in a big match, would cement his comeback as a success. Tanahashi came in with a game plan, relentlessly going after Ibushi’s leg. He knew to cut that part of his offense out, especially considering his loss in the G1 was to a Kota knee strike. Each time Kota got something going, Tanahashi had a dragon screw ready. Ibushi’s rally saw him nearly break Tanahashi’s neck on a lawn dart. The replay looked gruesome. From there, the physicality got revved up. Ibushi kicked away at Tanahashi in the corner and stopped the referee from counting to five, just so he could continue the assault. The Last Ride wasn’t enough, so he went for the Kamigoya knee. Tanahashi had it scouted and countered it, before hitting two High Fly Flows and retaining in 29:26. The best post-G1 NJPW match. With better selling of the leg from Ibushi, I’d have ranked this higher. He did a great job showcasing his desperation and both guys used the right amount of heel tactics in their desire to win. [****½]

*This is the final match from Power Struggle.

[The Kevstaaa]

24. WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Tyler Bate – NXT 12/20/17

After killing it in their first two matches, Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate had one final meeting in 2017, with the score tied at one. This got off to a methodical start, with neither guy wanting to make a mistake. Dunne was more aggressive and mutilated Bate’s arm and fingers in horrible ways. I cringed at how brutal some of it looked. Once Bate began his comeback, this truly got going. Their suplex off the steel steps spot was great, as I’d never seen it before. They went nuts as they traded huge lariats and strikes with the fans on their feet. There was a great moment where Bate might’ve won by countout, so he hit a sweet tope on Dunne to break it up and try to win the title inside. Bate survived the Bitter End, while Dunne kicked out of the Tyler Driver ’97. When Bate tried using a super German suplex, Dunne landed on his feet and delivered the Bitter End to retain the title in 22:48. Another incredible chapter in this rivalry. This capped off the best trilogy in history. Yes, not just 2017, but in all of history. The only competition it has is Flair/Steamboat. It’s that good. [****½]

*This is the final match from NXT TV.

[Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED!]

Jan 9, 2018 23:16:12 GMT -5 The Kevstaaa said:

24. WWE United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Tyler Bate – NXT 12/20/17

After killing it in their first two matches, Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate had one final meeting in 2017, with the score tied at one. This got off to a methodical start, with neither guy wanting to make a mistake. Dunne was more aggressive and mutilated Bate’s arm and fingers in horrible ways. I cringed at how brutal some of it looked. Once Bate began his comeback, this truly got going. Their suplex off the steel steps spot was great, as I’d never seen it before. They went nuts as they traded huge lariats and strikes with the fans on their feet. There was a great moment where Bate might’ve won by countout, so he hit a sweet tope on Dunne to break it up and try to win the title inside. Bate survived the Bitter End, while Dunne kicked out of the Tyler Driver ’97. When Bate tried using a super German suplex, Dunne landed on his feet and delivered the Bitter End to retain the title in 22:48. Another incredible chapter in this rivalry. This capped off the best trilogy in history. Yes, not just 2017, but in all of history. The only competition it has is Flair/Steamboat. It’s that good. [****½]

*This is the final match from NXT TV.

Damn, some high praise for that one! The amazing thing about these two is that they're both still so damn young so they're bound to get better as time goes on. I for one can't wait to see how far they come.

[The Kevstaaa]

23. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17

I know most people were excited for Omega/Okada at Wrestle Kingdom, but it was KUSHIDA/Hiromu and Naito/Tanahashi that I looked forward to the most. Three years after not getting the Tokyo Dome main event because of a Tanahashi Intercontinental Title match, Naito entered with that championship to face him. He was on a roll, while Tanahashi had lost several high profile matches in 2016, including shots at both the Heavyweight and IC Titles. Tanahashi brought out some heel tactics, like not giving clean breaks. He badly wanted the victory. They both targeted the leg. It’s kind of Tanahashi’s thing, while Naito used it to setup his knee bar. Each man sold the work well. They brought some cool spots, like Tanahashi hitting an apron slingblade. There was an awesome Destino near fall that I totally bit on. In the end, Naito survived High Fly Flow and hit two Destinos to retain in a fantastic 25:25. Naito got the big win on the big stage against the guy who bumped him from the main event three years earlier. To think, these two were just getting warmed up for 2017. [****½]

*This is the final match from Wrestle Kingdom 11.

[The Kevstaaa]

22. Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii – NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 5/3/17

Upset with his loss to Tomohiro Ishii in the opening round of the New Japan Cup, Kenny Omega looked to even the score. However, it was Ishii who came out firing, overwhelming Omega with a flurry of offense. Kenny battled back as the match kept a pretty frantic pace throughout. Commentary continued the trend of selling the One Winged Angel as a big deal. Omega hadn’t hit it in his last two big singles matches (both losses), but beat Ishii with it in a tag. Kenny got a little overconfident, leading him to a strike exchange. That’s a battle he simply can’t win against Ishii. Kenny resorted back to aerial offense and keeping a quick pace. There was a cool spot where Ishii hit his own version of a One Winged Angel for a great near fall. Ishii also busted out a reverse rana One Winged Angel counter because he’s a madman in the best possible way. Omega got another big near fall by using Ishii’s own Brainbuster, before hitting the One Winged Angel to pick up the win at 23:55. The Ishii/Omega trilogy was a highlight of 2017 and the best for both men (above Omega/Okada and Ishii/Naito). They played off their first meeting well, worked at a wild pace and had some great moments throughout. It was their best outing together, which is saying something. [****½]

*This is the final match from Wrestling Dontaku.
*It is the final appearance of Tomohiro Ishii.

[Final Countdown Jones]

That was a whole lote of Ishii love and i'm here for it

[chazraps]

Jan 10, 2018 11:00:30 GMT -5 The Kevstaaa said:

23. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17

I know most people were excited for Omega/Okada at Wrestle Kingdom, but it was KUSHIDA/Hiromu and Naito/Tanahashi that I looked forward to the most. Three years after not getting the Tokyo Dome main event because of a Tanahashi Intercontinental Title match, Naito entered with that championship to face him. He was on a roll, while Tanahashi had lost several high profile matches in 2016, including shots at both the Heavyweight and IC Titles. Tanahashi brought out some heel tactics, like not giving clean breaks. He badly wanted the victory. They both targeted the leg. It’s kind of Tanahashi’s thing, while Naito used it to setup his knee bar. Each man sold the work well. They brought some cool spots, like Tanahashi hitting an apron slingblade. There was an awesome Destino near fall that I totally bit on. In the end, Naito survived High Fly Flow and hit two Destinos to retain in a fantastic 25:25. Naito got the big win on the big stage against the guy who bumped him from the main event three years earlier. To think, these two were just getting warmed up for 2017. [****½]

*This is the final match from Wrestle Kingdom 11.

As someone who was at the Tokyo Dome for this one, I can attest this match's only flaw was the debut of Tanahashi's "Go Ace" entrance music, which took a lot of us out of the first 3-4 minutes with how bad it was.

[Allie Kitsune]

Jan 10, 2018 13:02:12 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Jan 10, 2018 11:00:30 GMT -5 The Kevstaaa said:

23. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17

I know most people were excited for Omega/Okada at Wrestle Kingdom, but it was KUSHIDA/Hiromu and Naito/Tanahashi that I looked forward to the most. Three years after not getting the Tokyo Dome main event because of a Tanahashi Intercontinental Title match, Naito entered with that championship to face him. He was on a roll, while Tanahashi had lost several high profile matches in 2016, including shots at both the Heavyweight and IC Titles. Tanahashi brought out some heel tactics, like not giving clean breaks. He badly wanted the victory. They both targeted the leg. It’s kind of Tanahashi’s thing, while Naito used it to setup his knee bar. Each man sold the work well. They brought some cool spots, like Tanahashi hitting an apron slingblade. There was an awesome Destino near fall that I totally bit on. In the end, Naito survived High Fly Flow and hit two Destinos to retain in a fantastic 25:25. Naito got the big win on the big stage against the guy who bumped him from the main event three years earlier. To think, these two were just getting warmed up for 2017. [****½]

*This is the final match from Wrestle Kingdom 11.

As someone who was at the Tokyo Dome for this one, I can attest this match's only flaw was the debut of Tanahashi's "Go Ace" entrance music, which took a lot of us out of the first 3-4 minutes with how bad it was.

I seem to be the only one who doesn't hate that theme.

I'm bad and should feel bad and should be sentenced to wherever people who have Badthink get exterminated.

[chazraps]

Jan 10, 2018 13:27:31 GMT -5 Allie Kitsune said:

Jan 10, 2018 13:02:12 GMT -5 chazraps said:

As someone who was at the Tokyo Dome for this one, I can attest this match's only flaw was the debut of Tanahashi's "Go Ace" entrance music, which took a lot of us out of the first 3-4 minutes with how bad it was.

I seem to be the only one who doesn't hate that theme.

I'm bad and should feel bad and should be sentenced to wherever people who have Badthink get exterminated.

Correct. ;-)

[Allie Kitsune]

Jan 10, 2018 13:28:30 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Jan 10, 2018 13:27:31 GMT -5 Allie Kitsune said:

I seem to be the only one who doesn't hate that theme.

I'm bad and should feel bad and should be sentenced to wherever people who have Badthink get exterminated.

Correct. ;-)

Well if it wasn't right, I wouldn't have said it.

[The Kevstaaa]

21. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito [c] vs. Michael Elgin – NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 2/11/17

In September 2016, Tetsuya Naito won the Intercontinental Title from Michael Elgin. Elgin got hurt and missed his rematch, but returned to start 2017 and got it here. Elgin started hot, hitting a somersault off the apron and catching a diving Naito into a suplex on the ramp. Naito slowed the pace and focused on the leg, which made sense because he attacked it during the buildup. When Elgin fought back, he modified his offense to sell the leg, which was appreciated. The story of Elgin’s power against Naito’s cunningness was well done throughout. Naito bumped like a rag doll for a lot of Elgin’s offense and that made everything work just that much better. They called back to their past outings on more than one occasion, including Elgin countering a second Destino, which was how he lost to Naito before. Naito got hit with an apron bomb, bomb into a guardrail and Elgin Bomb, yet still kicked out. If I had a major gripe with this match, it was that. The false finishes were a bit much and, at 36:17, it went a bit too long. It could’ve told the same story in about ten less minutes. Still, this was the best match of Elgin’s year and probably his entire NJPW run, while being another feather in the impressive cap of Naito. [****½]

*This is the final IWGP Intercontinental Title match.
*It is the final appearance of Michael Elgin.

[The Kevstaaa]

20. WWE Championship Elimination Chamber: John Cena [c] vs. AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz – WWE Elimination Chamber 2/12/17

Here, we had the debut of the new look Elimination Chamber. The padded mats didn’t look great, but allowed for a lot more freedom. This was great as soon as Bray stopped to stare down and intimidate each person in a pod during his entrance. Two weeks after a classic at the Royal Rumble, John Cena and AJ Styles were back at it to start this match. I liked that this wasn’t just a match with big spots. Granted, there were plenty of those, but there were multiple stories told. Dean and AJ reignited their rivalry, Cena and AJ continued theirs, and Dean got a new one started with Baron Corbin when he rolled him up to eliminate him. Corbin attacked Dean after, setting up their Mania match, and allowing Miz to eliminate him. Miz went next and surprisingly, the WWE Champion himself, John Cena, was out next. That left things down to Styles and Wyatt in a fresh matchup. Allowing Bray and AJ to go at it for a stretch at the end was the best decision. After some great back and forth, Bray caught a Phenomenal Forearm into Sister Abigail to win his first WWE Title in 34:25. Unfortunately, the WWE Title picture peaked in interest for 2017 on this night. Still, this was fantastic and is neck and neck with the original as the best Chamber match ever. [****½]

*This is the final Elimination Chamber match.
*It is the final appearance of Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt and the Miz.
*It is the final match from Elimination Chamber.

[The Kevstaaa]

19. Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – NJPW G1 Climax 7/21/17

It’s the match everyone expected to be the Cruiserweight Classic Finals. They both had excellent G1 openers, with Zack Sabre Jr. beating Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi losing to Tetsuya Naito in a phenomenal effort. They both went to their strengths early. Sabre took it to the mat, while Ibushi delivered stiff strikes and kicks. Sabre took much less damage than Kota on night one and it came into play. Each time Kota found an opening, all Sabre had to do was attack the neck and regain control. He caught a moonsault into a submission and though I’ve seen him do it before, it’s always cool. The fans popped for heel Sabre slamming Ibushi by the leg and going right into one of his trademark pins, purely because it was awesome. Near the end of the 15:51 runtime, they just battered one another. Sabre caught a Pele into an ankle lock, because he’s awesome like that. When he locked in a triangle choke, Ibushi powered out with a fantastic Last Ride to score the victory. Simply amazing. They did what works best for them and it blended into an excellent match that more than lived up to the hype. A top five G1 match this year. [****½]

*This is the final appearance of Zack Sabre Jr.