The good part of everybody having me muted on twitter is that nobody will read this. Since I started actually keeping track of all the good wrestling matches I plan on watching from this year, I figured I might as well start pumping one of these posts out each month. The goal is for me to get yelled at on the internet. Without further ado, let's RANK SOME WRASSLIN.
5
Tyler Bate vs Pete Dunne
WWE U.K. Championship Tournament - Day 2
While I found much of the U.K. Championship Tournament underwhelming, there's no doubt that Dunne and Bate were the tournament's standout performers. The story that had been developed through the first day and a half of the tournament culminated perfectly, as the most evil bastard in the U.K. met the young, energetic, endlessly likeable babyface for the opportunity to become the first WWE U.K. Champion. The story and stakes are set, all that remained was the actual wrestling, and it delivered and then some. Bate sold the shoulder injury very well for almost the entirety of the match, and Dunne was as aggressive and evil as the story called for. It was the perfect storm and a perfect introduction for the characters of two performers that will undoubtedly see a lot of time on the eventual weekly WWE U.K. show.
Where to find it: wwe.com/wwenetwork
4
Matt Riddle vs Katsuyori Shibata
Revolution Pro Wrestling High Stakes - 1/21/17
Personally, this is as close to a dream match as there could be when it comes to currently active wrestlers that aren't contracted to WWE. RevPro has been known to grant the wishes of fans, previously playing host to Kurt Angle vs Zack Sabre Jr. and Chris Hero vs Shibata, among others. However, despite my borderline unhealthy fandom of Chris Hero, I don't think either of those matches could measure up to Shibata defending the British Heavyweight Championship against The King of Bros. For the many of you that have heard a lot about Matt Riddle but have never seen him wrestle, this match is a great example of what exactly he brings to the table. Disturbingly hard strikes, tremendous pacing, and an unreal ability to suck a crowd into a match with his mere presence. It's hard to believe Riddle is still essentially a rookie in pro wrestling. That's not to say Riddle gets all the credit for this masterpiece, though, as Shibata more than held up his end of the bargain, as is to be expected. Enough words about it, just go watch it for yourself.
Where to find it: revolutionprowrestling.com/on-demand
3
Hiromu Takahashi vs KUSHIDA
Wrestle Kingdom 11
Believe it or not, of the two Wrestle Kingdom 11 matches to be included on this list, I went back and forth on which one I liked better. (I'm sure you know what the other one is going to be.) While it was sloppy at times, it was the kind of endearing sloppiness that Takahashi matches are almost always going to have, the kind of sloppiness that brought realism to the match rather than making moves look bad or legitimately injuring either wrestler. The pacing, the overall length of the match, the spots and the false finishes were incredible, and it was a great start to what I'm assuming is going to be a spectacular year for Takahashi on top of NJPW's Junior Division, while KUSHIDA can move on to continue having incredible matches with everyone he steps in the ring with. It's hard to think of a more consistent performer in the world than KUSHIDA.
Where to find it: njpwworld.com
2
Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada
Wrestle Kingdom 11
I can't imagine there's anybody reading this that hasn't seen this match and I can't imagine there's anything I can say about it that hasn't already been said a billion times. Therefore, I'll just say it was an incredible match and leave it at that.
Where to find it: njpwworld.com
1
John Cena vs AJ Styles
Royal Rumble
I pretty much have only positives to say about this match, but yet again this is one that's been raved about so extensively just in the past two days that there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been written on a million blogs better, worse, and as shitty as mine is. It was a pro wrestling masterpiece. An absolute banger of a third match in their fantastic trilogy, in a series of matches that hopefully isn't over yet. If there's anything at all I can say negative about the match, it's that it was a lot like the other two singles matches between them. However, it's a winning formula that they continue to tinker with and expand upon every time they step into the ring. Unbelievable stuff.
Where to find it: wwe.com/wwenetwork
