# The 2016 MOTYC Thread



## The Black Mirror

*NOTE: Everything I have rated at 4 stars and above in the below list gets a "YES" vote from me. All of the ***3/4 matches were just not quite good enough from my perspective, so they do not get the "YES" recommendation.

★★★★★

Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito
G1 Climax 2016 Block B Match
NJPW G1 Climax 26: Night 18 (August 13, 2016)

★★★★¾

Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay
RPW British Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Match
RPW High Stakes (January 16, 2016)

Matt Sydal, Ricochet & Will Ospreay vs. Mount Rushmore 2.0
Six Man Tag Team Match
PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Two (September 3, 2016) 

★★★★½

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles
IWGP Intercontinental Title Match
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 In Tokyo Dome (January 4, 2016)

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii
NEVER Openweight Title Match
NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka (February 11, 2016)

Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Singles Match
WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas (April 1, 2016)

The Miz vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
WWE Intercontinental Title Fatal Four Way Match
WWE Extreme Rules (May 22, 2016)

Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay
Best Of The Super Junior XXIII Block B Match
NJPW Best Of The Super Junior XXIII: Day 6 (May 27, 2016)

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
Singles Match
WWE Battleground (July 24, 2016)

Cedric Alexander vs. Kota Ibushi
Cruiserweight Classic Second Round Match
WWE Cruiserweight Classic #5 (August 10, 2016)

The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa
WWE NXT Tag Team Title Match
WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II (August 20, 2016)

Chris Hero & Tommy End vs. Fenix & Pentagon Jr.
Tag Team Match
PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Two (September 3, 2016)

#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson)
WWE NXT Tag Team Title Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match
WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto (November 19, 2016)

AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose
WWE World Title Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (December 4, 2016) 

★★★★¼

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Katsuyori Shibata
NEVER Openweight Title Match
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 In Tokyo Dome (January 4, 2016)

Dragon Lee vs. Kamaitachi
CMLL World Lightweight Title Match
NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania: Night 6 (January 24, 2016)

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega
IWGP Intercontinental Title Match
NJPW The New Beginning In Niigata (February 14, 2016)

Kyle O'Reilly vs. Marty Scurll
Singles Match
PWG All Star Weekend 12: Night 1 (March 4, 2016)

Marty Scurll & Trevor Lee vs. Mike Bailey & Will Ospreay
Tag Team Match
wXw 16 Carat Cold - Night 3 (March 13, 2016)

Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Singles Match
EVOVLE 58 (April 1, 2016)

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks
WWE Women's Title Triple Threat Match
WWE WrestleMania 32 (April 3, 2016)

Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles
WWE World Heavyweight Title Extreme Rules Match
WWE Extreme Rules (May 22, 2016)

AJ Styles vs. John Cena
Singles Match
WWE SummerSlam 2016 (August 21, 2016)

Fenix vs. Will Ospreay
Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 First Round Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night One (September 2, 2016)

The Young Bucks vs. Fenix & Pentagon Jr.
PWG World Tag Team Title Match
PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Three (September 4, 2016) 


★★★★

Kenny Omega vs. KUSHIDA
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 In Tokyo Dome (January 4, 2016)

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
IWGP Heavyweight Title Match
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 In Tokyo Dome (January 4, 2016)

AJ Styles vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
RPW British Heavyweight Title Match
RPW High Stakes (January 16, 2016)

Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens
WWE Intercontinental Title Last Man Standing Match
WWE Royal Rumble (January 24, 2016)

The Young Bucks vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet
PWG World Tag Team Title Match
PWG All Star Weekend 12: Night 1 (March 4, 2016)

Death By Elbow vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet
Tag Team Match
PWG All Star Weekend 12: Night 2 (March 5, 2016)

Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe
WWE NXT Title Match
WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas (April 1, 2016)

Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay
Singles Match
EVOLVE 59 (April 2, 2016)

Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust vs. The Miz vs. Zack Ryder
WWE Intercontinental Title Seven Way Ladder Match
WWE WrestleMania 32 (April 3, 2016)

AJ Styles vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens
WWE World Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Fatal Four Way Match
WWE Monday Night RAW #1193 (April 4, 2016)

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
Singles Match
WWE Payback (May 1, 2016)

American Alpha vs. The Revival
WWE NXT Tag Team Title Match
WWE NXT TakeOver: The End (June 8, 2016)

AJ Styles vs. John Cena
Singles Match
WWE Money In The Bank (June 19, 2016)

Alberto Del Rio vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
Money In The Bank Ladder Match
WWE Money In The Bank (June 19, 2016)

Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Singles Match
WWE NXT #204 (July 13, 2016)

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Michael Elgin
G1 Climax 2016 Block B Match
NJPW G1 Climax 26: Night 18 (August 13, 2016)

Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles
WWE World Title Match
WWE Backlash (September 11, 2016)

Tommy End vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 First Round Match
PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night One (September 2, 2016)

Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay
Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 Semi Final Match
PWG World Tag Team Title Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Three (September 4, 2016)

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe
WWE NXT Title Match
WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto (November 19, 2016)

★★★¾

Sami Callihan vs. Trevor Lee
Singles Match
PWG Lëmmy (January 2, 2016)

reDRagon vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. Roppongi Vice vs. The Young Bucks
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Four Way Match
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 In Tokyo Dome (January 4, 2016)

The Young Bucks vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. reDRagon
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Three Way Match
NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka (February 11, 2016)

Adam Cole vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Singles Match
PWG All Star Weekend 12: Night 1 (March 4, 2016)

Dean Ambrose vs. Triple H
WWE World Heavyweight Title Match
WWE Roadblock (March 12, 2016) 

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho
Singles Match
WWE WrestleMania 32 (April 3, 2016)

Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker
Hell In A Cell Match
WWE WrestleMania 32 (April 3, 2016)

Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles
WWE World Heavyweight Title No Count Out No Disqualification Match
WWE Payback (May 1, 2016)

Austin Aries vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Singles Match
WWE NXT TakeOver: The End (June 8, 2016)

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
WWE World Heavyweight Title Match
WWE Money In The Bank (June 19, 2016)

Jeff Cobb vs. Ricochet
Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 First Round Match
PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night One (September 2, 2016)

Kyle O'Reilly vs. Matthew Riddle
Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 First Round Match
PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Two (September 3, 2016)

John Hennigan vs. Ricochet
Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 Quarter Final Match
PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Three (September 4, 2016)

Cedric Alexander, Chuck Taylor, Jeff Cobb, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tommy End vs. Brian Kendrick, Matthew Riddle, Pete Dunne, Sami Callihan & Tommaso Ciampa
Ten Man Tag Team Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Three (September 4, 2016)

Marty Scurll vs. Trevor Lee vs. Will Ospreay
Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 Final Three Way Elimination Match
PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Three (September 4, 2016)

The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler
WWE Intercontinental Title Ladder Match
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (December 4, 2016)*


----------



## dashing_man

will Royal Rumble once again kick off this year with a contender MOTY match ?


----------



## Arkham258

1)Some random match we'll see on Lucha Underground's premiere


----------



## Concrete

This is my year to keep up (or continually post should I say)


----------



## AT&T Stadium

Will WrestleKingdom provide us the MotY as many feel it did this past year? 

[hide]Yes. [/hide]


----------



## Cactus

*Cactus's MOTYC 2016*

★★★★★

★★★★¾

★★★★½
Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles (NJPW, 1/4)
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll (Rev Pro, 1/16)
Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch (WWE, 4/3)
KUSHIDA vs Will Ospreay (NJPW, 4/10)

★★★★¼
Roman Reigns vs Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar (WWE, 21/2)
Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (CMLL, 3/4)
Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE NXT, 4/1)
AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho (WWE, 3/4)
The Miz vs Kevin Owens vs Cesaro vs Sami Zayn (WWE, 22/5)

★★★★
Timothy Thatcher vs Drew Gulak (PWG, 1/2)
Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 1/4)
Kenny Omega vs Mark Haskins (4FW, 1/23)
Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi (NJPW, 1/24)
Triple H vs Dean Ambrose (WWE, 3/12)
The Revival vs American Alpha (WWE NXT, 4/1)
Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn vs The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler vs Stardust vs Sin Cara vs Zack Ryder (Ladder Match) (WWE, 3/4)
Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles (WWE, 22/5)


----------



## twaughthammer

Can't wait for tonight


----------



## Bruce L

Wish I'd done this last year:

*Bruce L's 2016 MOTYCs*

★★★★★

Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega (New Japan, Aug 13)

★★★★¾

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. A.J. Styles (New Japan, Jan 4)

Kazuchika Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji (New Japan, Oct 10)

★★★★½

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Drew Gulak (Evolve, Mar 20)

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Will Ospreay (Evolve, Apr 1)

Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan, Aug 6)

John Cena vs. A.J. Styles (WWE, Aug 21)

★★★★¼

Johnny Gargano vs. Zack Sabre Jr (Evolve, Mar 19)

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn (WWE [NXT], Apr 1)

Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay (Evolve, Apr 2)

American Alpha vs. the Revival (WWE [NXT], Jun 8)

Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuyori Shibata (New Japan, Jun 19)

Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada (New Japan, Jun 19)

The Revival vs. American Alpha (WWE [NXT], aired Jul 6)

Kazuchika Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji (New Japan, Jul 18)

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Naomichi Marufuji (New Japan, Aug 6)

Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander (WWE, aired Aug 10)

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (New Japan, Aug 12)

The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa (WWE [NXT], Aug 20)

Kota Ibushi vs. Brian Kendrick (WWE, aired Aug 31)

Kota Ibushi vs. T.J. Perkins (WWE, aired Sep 14)

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kyle O'Reilly (New Japan, Oct 10)

★★★★

Chris Hero & Tommy End vs. Zack Sabre Jr & Sami Callihan (Evolve, Jan 22)

Tracy Williams vs. Matt Riddle (Evolve, Jan 24)

Chris Hero vs. Tracy Williams (Evolve, Mar 19)

Princess Kimberlee vs. Heidi Lovelace (Chikara, Mar 19)

Johnny Gargano, Kota Ibushi, & T.J. Perkins vs. Will Ospreay, Tommy End, & Marty Scurll (Evolve, Apr 2)

KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay (New Japan, Apr 10)

Sexy Star vs. Mariposa (LU, May 4)

The Miz vs. Antonio Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (WWE, May 22)

Mike Quackenbush vs. Johnny Kidd (Chikara, May 28)

Chris Hero vs. Mark Andrews (PROGRESS, May 29)

Will Ospreay vs. Ryusuke Taguchi (New Japan, Jun 7)

Mr. Touchdown vs. Juan Francisco de Coronado (Chikara, Jun 11)

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA (New Japan, Jul 18)

Hallowicked vs. Fire Ant (Chikara, Jul 23)

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (New Japan, Jul 24)

Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin (New Japan, Jul 24)

Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin (New Japan, Jul 30)

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan, Aug 3)

Tetsuya Naito vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (New Japan, Aug 4)

Hirooki Goto vs. Kenny Omega (New Japan, Aug 14)

Asuka vs. Bayley (WWE [NXT], Aug 20)

Akira Tozawa vs. Gran Metalik (WWE, Aug 31)

The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE, Sep 11)

T.J. Perkins vs. Matt Riddle (Evolve, Sep 11)


----------



## ZEROVampire

*ZEROVampire 2016 MOTYCs*

★★★★★

Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (IWGP Heavyweight Title) - NJPW 1/4

★★★★¾

★★★★½

Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito - NJPW 8/13

★★★★¼

Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura - NXT 4/1
Kazuchika Okada vs Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW 8/6
Hirooki Goto vs Kenny Omega - NJPW 8/14

★★★★

Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs AJ Styles (IWGP Intercontinental Title) - NJPW 1/4
Chris Hero & Tommy End vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Sami Callihan - EVOLVE 1/22
Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii (NEVER Openweight Title) - NJPW 2/11
Kamaitachi (c) vs Dragon Lee (Campeonato Mundial de Peso Ligero del CMLL) - CMLL 3/4
KUSHIDA vs Kyle O'Reilly - NJPW 5/21
Kento Miyahara (c) vs Daisuke Sekimoto (AJPW Unified Triple Crown Heavyweight Title) - AJPW 5/25
Matt Hardy vs Jeff Hardy (The Final Deletion) - TNA 7/5


----------



## 3MB4Life

My MOTYC Ratings System
★★★★★ - ★★★★ - ★★★ - ★★ - ★ - *DUD*
Exceptional - Great - Good - OK - Poor - Shit​
★★★★+ is a YES vote

*3MB4Life's MOTYC's 2016:*

★★★★★
Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi-NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10

★★★★¾
Tomohiro Ishii vs Katsuyori Shibata-NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10
Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles-NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll-RPW High Stakes 2016
KUSHIDA vs Will Ospreay-NJPW Invasion Attack 2016
Sexy Star vs Mariposa-Lucha Underground S02E15
Chris Hero vs Marty Scurll-PROGRESS Chapter 31: All Hail The New Puritans
Zack Sabre Jr vs Katsuyori Shibata-RevPro Summer Sizzler 2016

★★★★½
Zack Sabre Jr vs AJ Styles-RPW High Stakes 2016
Roderick Strong vs Zack Sabre Jr-PWG All Star Weekend 12 Day 2
Ricochet vs Will Ospreay-EVOLVE 59
Aztec Warfare II-Lucha Underground S02E09
Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii-NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2016
Will Ospreay vs Ricochet-NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors XXIII Day 6
Chris Hero vs Tommy End-PROGRESS Chapter 30: Super Strong Style 16 2016 Night 2
Pete Dunne vs Will Ospreay-RevPro Summer Sizzler 2016
Kazuchika Okada vs Naomichi Marufuji-NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night 1
Prince Puma vs Rey Mysterio-Ultima Lucha Dos Night 3
Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Katsuyori Shibata-NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night 4

★★★★¼
Kenny Omega vs KUSHIDA-NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10
Katsuyori Shibata vs Tomohiro Ishii-NJPW The New Beginning 2016 in Osaka
Roderick Strong vs Tomohiro Ishii-ROH Honor Rising 2016 Day 1
Mark Haskins vs Sami Callihan-SWE Supremacy 2016
Mil Muertes vs Fenix-Lucha Underground S02E08
The Elite vs KUSHIDA, Matt Sydal & ACH-ROH 14th Anniversary
Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs The Young Bucks-PWG All Star Weekend 12 Day 1
Io Shirai & Mayu Iwatani vs. Kairi Hojo & Meiko Satomura-Stardom The Highest 2016
Zack Sabre Jr vs Chris Hero-WWN Live Mercury Rising 2016
KUSHIDA vs Jushin Thunder Liger-NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2016
KUSHIDA vs Kyle O'Reilly-NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors XXIII Day 1
Mark Haskins vs Sami Callihan-NGW Ultimate Showdown 2016
Six To Survive-Lucha Underground S02E21
Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin-NJPW Dominon 6.19
Tetsuya Naito vs Kazuchika Okada-NJPW Dominion 6.19

★★★★
Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi-CMLL/NJPW Fantasticamania 2016 Day 6
The Young Bucks vs ReDRagon vs The Kingdom-ROH TV 16/01/16
BUSHI vs KUSHIDA-NJPW The New Beginning 2016 in Niigata
Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi-NJPW The New Beginning 2016 in Niigata
Tomohiro Ishii vs EVIL-NJPW New Japan Cup Day 1
Tomohiro Ishii vs Tetsuya Naito-NJPW New Japan Cup Day 2
Mil Muertes vs Prince Puma vs Pentagon Jr-Lucha Underground 09/03/16
Tetsuya Naito vs Hirooki Goto-NJPW New Japan Cup 2016 Day 6
El Ligero vs Ricochet vs Chuck Taylor vs HT Drake-TCW Best Laid Plans 2016
Jay Lethal vs Lio Rush-ROH Supercard Of Honor Day 1
Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito-NJPW Invasion Attack 2016
Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin-NJPW Road To Wrestling Dontaku 2016 Day 7
Katsuyori Shibata vs Yuji Nagata-NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2016
Tomohiro Ishii vs Bobby Fish-ROH Global Wars 2016
Marty Scurll vs Kyle O'Reilly-PWG All Star Weekend 12 Day 1
Zack Sabre Jr vs Adam Cole-PWG All Star Weekend 12 Day 1
Cage vs Matanza Cueto-Lucha Underground S02E19
Chris Hero vs Mark Andrews-PROGRESS Chapter 30: Super Strong Style 16 2016 Day 1
Will Ospreay vs Ryusuke Taguchi-NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors XXIII Day 14
Will Ospreay vs Mike Bailey-RevPro: Angle vs Sabre
Marty Scurll vs Mark Andrews-PWG Prince
Go Shiozaki & Yuji Okabayashi vs Yuji Hino & Daisuke Sekimoto-Fortune Dream 3
Katsuyori Shibata vs Tomoaki Honma-NJPW Kizuna Road 2016 Day 6
Mil Muertes vs King Cuerno-Ultima Lucha Dos
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Tomohiro Ishii-NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night 1
Kenny Omega vs YOSHI-HASHI-NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night 2
Katsuyori Shibata vs Tomoaki Honma-NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night 2
Kazuchika Okada vs SANADA-NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night 3
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Togi Makabe-NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night 3
Tetsuya Naito vs Michael Elgin-NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night 4

Nomination Without Rating:
The Final Deletion-iMPACT Wrestling 05/07/16


----------



## darkclaudio

*YES
Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles
No
Tomohiro Ishii vs Katsuyori Shibata*


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! for the following:

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (Wrestle Kingdom 10)

AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Wrestle Kingdom 10)

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada (Wrestle Kingdom 10)*


----------



## VanHammerFan

2 from Tokyo Dome:

YES - Shibata/Ishii

YES - Okada/Tanahashi


----------



## TJQ

MOTYC's

★★★★★

★★★★¾
Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs Katsuyori Shibata - Wrestle Kingdom 10

★★★★½
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs AJ Styles - Wrestle Kingdom 10

★★★★¼

★★★★
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - Wrestle Kingdom 10


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Tanahashi vs okada 5 stars


----------



## JIM2000

No to everything from WK10, specially Shibata v Ishii. That match was really stupid.


----------



## Berserk

*YES*

Tanahashi vs. Okada *****
Nakamura vs. Styles **** 3/4
Ishii vs. Shibata **** 1/2


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Yes

Tanahashi vs Okada - Wrestle Kingdom 10 - *****

AJ Styles vs Nakamura - Wrestle Kingdom 10 - *****

Shibata vs Ishii - Wrestle Kingdom 10 - *****

Yeah screw it for me they're all 5 stars


----------



## A.M.

YES to Shibata v Ishii, Nakamura v Styles, Okada v Tanahashi.

Main Event was a classic. 5 stars.


----------



## AT&T Stadium

YES to:

Okada vs. Tanahashi
AJ vs. Nakamura
Ishii vs. Shibata

AND

KUSHIDA vs. Omega.


----------



## Cactus

Yes to:

*Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles (NJPW, 1/4/2016)*
It's Nakamura in a big match on the Dome show. Do you really need more motivation to check it out? They play up on AJ's recent back problems which result in a great spot where AJ plays possum. Near enough every near fall and submission felt like it could end the match, and even as the match approached the 25 minute mark, I still didn't want it to end. A total war.
★★★★½

*Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 1/4/2016)*
As much as I want to crap on this match for it's dull control segments and opening moments, they kept me entertained enough with spots early in the match like the springboard dropkick knocking Tanahashi outside in brutal fashion and the crossbody over the guardrail. Once they hit the finishing stretch is when things get really great. I can even forgive some of the signature move reversal exchanges looking like a dance rather than a struggle for dominance. These guys know how to work an epic big match finishing stretch. This borrows a lot from the early 00's WWE main event style, as they end up using each others finishing move. They add enough new stuff here to make it stand out from their other battles. It's flawed, but the great stuff outweighs the bad.
★★★★

No to:

*Kenny Omega vs KUSHIDA (NJPW, 1/4/2016)*
Good match that would of went to that next level if KUSHIDA had a chance to build up his comeback. I enjoyed the stiff strikes they dished up, Kenny's consistent selling of the arm and of course, Taguchi as Doc Brown.
★★★¼

*Tomohiro Ishii vs Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW, 1/4/2016*
STIFF~! MANLY~! REPETITIVE~! I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy this, but it felt very seen-it-before-it-ish. I'm starting to tire of Ishii's style, but the big fight atmosphere and the spectacle of this taking place in the Tokyo Dome saved this one.
★★★½


----------



## Ten410

Wrestle Kingdom 10

reDRagon Vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet Vs. Roppongi Vice Vs. Young Bucks 

Tomohiro Ishii Vs. Katsuyori Shibata 

Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. AJ Styles 

Kazuchika Okada Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi


----------



## blink_41sum_182

Ishii vs. Shibata - **** 3/4+
Nakamura vs. Styles - **** 3/4+
Okada vs. Tanahashi - **** 3/4+

I'm scared to give 5 stars to anything so they're probably all 5 to be honest. 3 of the best matches I've ever seen. Main was probably the best.


----------



## almostfamous

Well just watched all of WK10. Looks like two years in a row, WK is going to be the show of the year.

YES to NEVER Title Ishii vs. Shibata
YES to IC Title Nakamura vs. Styles
YES to IWGP Title Okada vs. Tanahashi

Have to give it some time, but I think Nakamura had a five star match at WK two years in a row. If this is Nakamura and Styles' last WK show, what a way to go out.

Okada and Tana was a little slow starting, but I just didn't realize what they were doing, and by the time the match reached its dizzying, back-and-forth conclusion, I was at the edge of my seat; it may be a five star performance, too. Damn what a show! I'm hyped!


----------



## peep4life

Tanahashi vs Okada *****
Aj vs Nakamura ****3/4
Ishii vs Shibata ****1/2


----------



## Air Guitar Tana

Nakamura/Styles - *****
Tanahasahi/Okada - ****3/4
Shibata/Ishii - ****1/2


----------



## Martins

Wrestle Kingdom 10 was the shit.

YES:

Nakamura vs Styles ****3/4
Shibata vs Ishii ****1/2

NO:

Okada vs Tanahashi ****
KUSHIDA vs Omega ***3/4


----------



## LilOlMe

Big YES to Ishii vs. Shibata at Wrestle Kingdom 10. ****3/4+.


----------



## Wrestling is Life

YES to Ishii/Shibata from WK10 - ****
YES to Nakamura/Styles from WK10 - ****
YES to Okada/Tanahashi from WK10 - ****3/4


----------



## Dr. Middy

Huge *YES *to Styles vs Nakamura. Great selling by AJ with his back being targeted, and some of the sequences they had were so smooth and well done. I don't even watch NJPW much at all, but this was a pleasure to watch.


----------



## Joshi Judas

*YES*


Okada vs Tanahashi: *****

The final chapter (for now) of one of the all time great rivalries in pro wrestling. 


Nakamura vs Styles: ****3/4


Shibata vs Ishii: ****1/4


----------



## ZEROVampire

*Finally watched Wrestle Kingdom 10

YES to

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada *****
AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura ****
*


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii - ****1/2
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles - ****1/2
Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - ******
So that's a YES to all 3. What a way to kick off 2016.


----------



## kolgrimowski

★★★★★

★★★★¾
Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles (NJPW, 1/4/2016)

★★★★½
Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW, 1/4/2016)

★★★★¼

★★★★


----------



## Jonasolsson96

Wrestlekingdom 10 


Okada vs Tanahashi


***** FUCK YES


Ishii vs Shibata **** 1/4 

Yes


Nakamura vs Styles 

**** 

Yes


----------



## Ten410

*Maximo Vs. Kamaitachi CMLL 1/1/16*
Fantastic hair vs. hair match between these two with excellent selling from Maximo. All should check this out when given a chance.


----------



## Cactus

No to

*Maximo vs Kamaitachi (CMLL, 1/1/2016)*
Some good stuff here, like the swank springboard to half crab that Maximo did in the second fall, Kamaitachi's dives and both guys trying to out-cheat each other in a humorous spot during the deciding fall. It's a shame this drags in many places, mainly the first fall being completely filler featuring Kamaitachi working on Maximo's leg and then taunting the crowd for what seemed like forever. The selling of the leg also feels rather selective. A mixed bag.


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

Had to rewatch some of these WK matches. 

1/1 Maximo vs Kamaitachi ****3/4
Superb selling of the leg. 1st fall got that figure 4 over for it to be teased later in the match in ever so dramatic fashion. Second Fall was a brilliant response by Maximo. Sending a message to Kamaitachi that he can take it and give it back. Third fall was/is the meat of most luchas. No diffrence here. Its where all the big moves were done and drama unfolded.
1/4 Nakamura vs Styles ****1/4+
1/4 Karl/Gallows vs Honma/Makabe ****
1/4 Shibata vs Ishii ****3/4 
1/5 Nakamura/Yoshi Hashi vs AJ/Omega ****

1/4 Tanahahi vs Okada ***1/2
Terrible selling of the legwork by Okada, just horrid. Drab start. Final 10 minutes were great, but never felt like Tana was going over.


----------



## Zatiel

I'll have to re-watch WK10 to figure out how I'd rank them, but YES to all three of the final matches. There won't be three better matches in a row on any show in any company this year.


----------



## Groovemachine

YES to Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 - ****1/2

I'm firmly in the camp that had this as MOTN. Terrific selling from AJ, it was frenetic and kept you guessing right until the climax. I popped hard for the triangle choke into the Styles Clash as well, that was a gorgeous sequence.

Okada/Tanahashi was a solid **** in my book; obviously a great match, but Okada's questionable selling of the leg really hindered it for me. Flying around, throwing dropkicks left and right with no ill effect, that bothered me. I also feel a little burned out on Okada/Tanahashi; they didn't do much we hadn't been seen from them before. I get that they had quite a lot of callbacks but it just didn't seem all that unique. A great main event, sure, but personally it didn't reach the levels of wrestling perfection that have been thrown at it.


----------



## NakNak

_AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)_
****** Current MOTY IMO* 

This match is not a MOTYC, but I want to mention it anyways
_Great Bash Heel vs Bullet Club (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)_
*Solid ***1/2 match*

TBH, didn't care about the rest of WK10. Omega/Kushida was good, but not that good (their match at Dominion 7.5 was so much better), Ishii/Shibata was cringeworthy (it's a shame) and I don't care about the Tana/Okada feud, Tana is a wrestling god, but Okada with his no sell ruined the match for me. The rest of WK10? Don't care. Dissapointed that Goto/Naito was underwhelming :c


----------



## kolgrimowski

I ♥ KEMONITO;55858961 said:


> 1/5 Nakamura/Yoshi Hashi vs AJ/Omega ****


Where can i watch this?


----------



## NastyYaffa

kolgrimowski said:


> Where can i watch this?


----------



## kolgrimowski

NastyYaffa said:


>


Nice match, NJPW continued with good form. Beating after the match looked really brutal, I like Omega as hell very much.


----------



## Stetho

Yes to Okada vs Tanahashi


----------



## Venegas

NO to *Kazuchika Okada -vs- Hiroshi Tanahashi* _New Japan Pro Wrestling; 01/04_

Jesus Christ. Now, I really wouldn't consider myself someone who bindily hates on New Japan and goes into every Okada/Tanahashi match with a pre-empted opinion of why it sucks (although the idea of there being some sort of sub section of fans buried deep in the internet wrestling world who do this is hilarious.) In fact, I've enjoyed quite a few matches from both guys. Hell, I haven't gone back to rewatch it but I remember enjoying their match last year. But this right here was flat out bad. Let's begin with the first 10-15 minutes, which featured perhaps some of the most pedestrian, un-thoughtful, boring ass control segments I've ever seen. Seriously. This was some shit you'd expect out of two guys in wresting school when you hand them a Dory Funk Jr. tape to study and then throw them in the ring to attempt to work a match for the very first time. Except Dory Funk's offense, while painfully methodical more often than not and devoid of any emotion, wasn't laughably light and as basic as this was. Then we move onto some pretty not-shitty leg work by Tanahashi, which immediately becomes a waste of time as Okada does nothing but dropkicks for his transitions and big moves before they go into finiser spamming mode. I wanna hear an argument defending this shit. I've heard some be like "oh, he's brushing it off to prove it doesn't work!" I'm sorry, but when there's a 5-10 minute control segment worked around your leg, and you're grimacing in pain and making me sit thru this shit only for you to start jumping around and doing Van Terminators, there may as well be a disclaimer on the screen saying "pssp, hey, fast forward thru this shit. You won't miss anything." I guarantee you I wouldn't have even known that Okada's leg was touched. Anyway, they start trading these laughably light forearms and I'm really starting to think to myself why am I doing this at 3 AM on a Friday Night. No, it wasn't "25 minutes into the match, they were selling exhaustion" bull-fucking-shit. I will sync up with anyone who makes that or any argument defending this croc of shit and debunk every single defense you make up in your head regarding the atrocious work in this match. They then start trading each others finishers and spamming near falls, this section of the match of course has absolutely no connection with the 30 minutes of torture that I put myself thru earlier. No callbacks, no selling of anything that was worked on, nothing. Everyone seems to be getting a hard on for the spot where Okada refuses to let go of Tanahashi's wrist after attempting a Rainmaker and getting slapped. Yes, a nice little touch indeed but you mean to tell me that I sat thru 36 minutes of fucking bullshit and the only thing I'm going to remember when I wake up tomorrow is a FUCKING GIF?!? A GIF. Yeah, okay, what an all time classic. I could've went on Twitter and checked out that gif and called it a night. That's the only thing worth mentioning about this match. Awful. Shitty, boring control segments, nonexistent selling, sub John Morrison looking offense, and a gif is supposed to make up for all that. Pff. I need to dive into a Terry Rudge compilation to cleanse my soul after watching this bullshit.

BAD.

Other snowflakes from WK10:

AJ Styles -vs- Shinsuke Nakamura; GREAT (YES)
Katsuyori Shibata -vs- Tomohiro Ishii; GREAT (borderline YES)

EDIT: Fuck Star Ratings. I'll be using a modified version of the Segunda Caida rating system (BAD-FUN-GREAT-EPIC)


----------



## Rah

Yeah, I've seen a lot of divisive opinions on Okada's selling. Pity, as I think that's his strongest asset (arm selling, at any rate). To be fair to both workers, they're hampered by a house style that focuses too hard on forcing an epic than letting wrestlers create their own pace. A main event that goes 11 minutes, once in a while, would be a welcome breath of fresh air. Basic, 50/50 strike offence -> overly long control segments and limb work -> shrugged off limbwork and come back -> energetic finisher trading/spamming. That might not be every title match, but it's a premise that they all barely break from.

I fell out of love with those matches when I realised they're more "fraudulent" in their premise. It's very easy to have people forget the lethargic first three-quarters when you end each match with a frenzy. That's the part fans remember. Sit down and try unpack what else you enjoyed within the match, and that's a harder task. There might be moments, but what happened between those moments that stood out? What was beyond the grain, and transcendental? These are matches many (including myself) have thrown the full five stars to, they shouldn't be beyond such critical approach.


----------



## Wrestling is Life

Okada's apparent no-selling of the leg work by doing dropkick after dropkick did bother me throughout the match, but looking at my overall enjoyment of the match as a whole it made little difference. It was likely the difference between ****1/4 and ****1/2 for me. Everything else just worked so well for me.


----------



## BuzzKillington

*YES* Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - Wrestle Kingdom 10 *******

This match was transcendental. People can harp on Okada not limping enough, or him doing his signature dropkick after having his leg worked on, etc. etc.. But the measure of truly a LEGENDARY match extends far beyond what only happens in the ring. This match was the pay off of a rivalry four years in the making, and it was an amazing pay off. And lets talk about what did happen in the ring: (a) this is their seventh match and the opening saw them countering each and every one of their respective signature moves - perfect psychology in my mind; (b) Tanahashi pre-wk10 made use of the clover leaf quite often, even winning matches with it, add to this the fact that Tanahashi's leg work is what was Okada's ultimate downfall at WK9, and all this played out perfectly in the match; (c) I don't know about you guys but when Tanahashi hit those high-fly flows my heart sank, as for a split second I thought he might actually win the match, amazing moment in my mind; (d) And of course the symbolism in that wrist holding moment - he wasn't just holding on to Tanahashi, he was holding on to the title of ACE, and that title was arguably more important than the IWGP it self. Like I said, transcendental.

*YES* AJ Styles vs. Shinsuske Nakamura (c) - Wrestle Kingdom 10 *****3/4*

*YES* Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (c) - Wrestle Kingdom 10 ******


----------



## Bruce L

YES to Shinskay vs. A.J. By far the best A.J. has looked in New Japan in a non-G1 match, and Shinskay is in that "otherworldly" zone that isn't necessarily his default anymore, but that he still goes to whenever he's on the big stage. ★★★★½

_SIDE NOTE: Yoshi Tatsu didn't have much to say on commentary during this match, but I've gotta give a shout-out to his hilariously blunt, and clearly not in-character or pre-scripted, disdain for the very concept of the IC title, which was so off-message that I kind of loved it. Two of the best in the world are busting their asses to put on a classic that really puts over the title, and here's a far lower-ranked peer saying "I don't understand why anybody cares about this title" and all but dropping the mic and walking away. No bit of intentional comedy in wrestling this year will surpass Yoshi's comments here; I am sure of that._


----------



## Jonasolsson96

Bruce L said:


> YES to Shinskay vs. A.J. By far the best A.J. has looked in New Japan in a non-G1 match, and Shinskay is in that "otherworldly" zone that isn't necessarily his default anymore, but that he still goes to whenever he's on the big stage. ★★★★½
> 
> _SIDE NOTE: Yoshi Tatsu didn't have much to say on commentary during this match, but I've gotta give a shout-out to his hilariously blunt, and clearly not in-character or pre-scripted, disdain for the very concept of the IC title, which was so off-message that I kind of loved it. Two of the best in the world are busting their asses to put on a classic that really puts over the title, and here's a far lower-ranked peer saying "I don't understand why anybody cares about this title" and all but dropping the mic and walking away. No bit of intentional comedy in wrestling this year will surpass Yoshi's comments here; I am sure of that._




I think both aj/okada from dominion and aj/ibushi were better then this one. Two of my alltime favorites yet I dont think the match is as great as everybody else. Really good match but not in that close to 5-star range and def not close to okada/tanahashi


----------



## Bruce L

I find that the quality of an A.J. Styles New Japan match is directly proportional to whether or not there's any Bullshit Club involvement. To me, it's completely derailed every IWGP match I've seen him have; no matter how much or how little of it there is, he never recovers and gets into enough of a flow of his own to put together much outside of a cool finishing stretch. (The Okada match at Dominion has a friggin' _otherworldly_ finishing stretch; I find the rest of the match completely unsatisfying. Didn't even bother with the Ibushi title match, though I liked their G1 match [still a bit less than everybody else seemed to -- but then, I liked a lot of this year's G1 matches a bit less than everybody else seemed to].)

Haven't watched Okada/Tanahashi yet, but if people are complaining about Okada no-selling -- when their selling was what made their 6/16/'12, 4/7/'13, and 10/14/'13 matches the masterpieces they were -- I'm not expecting much.


----------



## CoolGuy45

AJ vs Nakamura was a great match. 4 1/2 stars easily. Haven't seen Okada vs Tana yet but judging by their previous matches.and what I've heard it was probably 5 stars. Ishii vs Shibata was fucking sick. 4 3/4 for that one. KUSHIDA vs Omega was a solid 3 1/2 star match. Really fun with some cool spots. I've been a legit NJPW fan for like 3 months and my perspective on wrestling has changed completely. Thank you guys here on WF and on SC for hyping this company to the moon otherwise I wouldn't have discovered it.


----------



## Venegas

Kalisto (c) -vs- Alberto Del Rio; WWE Smackdown (aired) 01/14 - EPIC

Hoooly shit this was fantastic. You might have to go back to WWE's in-ring glory days of 2013/2014 to find a TV match better than this. I'd really have to think about it. Everything about this was top notch. Del Rio really turned in an A+ performance for this. Some of the most aggressive, creative offensive work I've ever seen from him, which is a surprise since he has a knack for turning in some awfully dull control segments. But his arm work was William Regal good, and Kalisto sold the hell out of it. Some really great hope spots and cut offs. The near falls all made sense and were nicely transitioned into. What put this match over the top for me was the absolutely insane bump Kalisto took towards the end. That's when I thought to myself, okay, this is something special. The _only_ complaint I could possibly make for this is at one point Kalisto was in the cross armbreaker for a tad bit too long, but even then there was a sense of struggle with him desperately trying to reach the ropes so it wasn't like it was treated like a rest hold. Amazing match. MOTY, blows away anything that took place on WK.





BuzzKillington said:


> *YES* Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - Wrestle Kingdom 10 *******
> 
> This match was transcendental. People can harp on Okada not limping enough, or him doing his signature dropkick after having his leg worked on, etc. etc.. But the measure of truly a LEGENDARY match extends far beyond what only happens in the ring.


Do you rate Hogan-Andre *****? Just curious.


----------



## Corey

Kalisto/Del Rio honestly felt like an extended squash to me. Seeing as how Kalisto was coming in as champion and was never able to muster up some offense for any substantial period of time is kinda laughable. Watching how it all played out this week and how the crowd really didn't even care when he tapped out is just a testament to this stupid ass booking. Del Rio was ultra aggressive (as he should've been after losing twice to the little guy) and the logic behind his cut-throat nature was there, but I can't necessarily say it was that great of a match. Not enough to be mentioned in here at least.

I'm personally struggling to take Kalisto seriously as a singles guy. They just threw him in this outta nowhere without establishing himself in the slightest as a threat (to anyone). If they would've had this exact same match with someone like Ambrose or Neville, the crowd would've been going bonkers by that finishing stretch. I'm hoping they don't have ANOTHER match at the Rumble, but it seems far too likely with no real alternative.


----------



## BuzzKillington

Venegas said:


> Do you rate Hogan-Andre *****? Just curious.


I wasn't trying to imply what happens in the ring is not at all important. But sometimes a build up can be so important, and fans so invested in the competitors respective characters, that it is easy to overlook "violations" of proper ring work. I should of made this more clear in my post, but the reason Okada/Tana was 5 stars for me was the synthesis between the build up and what happened in the ring.

To answer your question, no, I would not rate Hogan/Andre 5 stars. But I would probably rate it higher than most.

For the record there are many other matches without perfect ring work that I rate 5 stars. To name a couple:

Punk/Cena - MITB 2011
Rock/Austin - WM 17


----------



## Venegas

BuzzKillington said:


> I wasn't trying to imply what happens in the ring is not at all important. But sometimes a build up can be so important, and fans so invested in the competitors respective characters, that it is easy to overlook "violations" of proper ring work. I should of made this more clear in my post, but the reason Okada/Tana was 5 stars for me was the synthesis between the build up and what happened in the ring.
> 
> To answer your question, no, I would not rate Hogan/Andre 5 stars. But I would probably rate it higher than most.
> 
> For the record there are many other matches without perfect ring work that I rate 5 stars. To name a couple:
> 
> Punk/Cena - MITB 2011
> Rock/Austin - WM 17


Fair enough. As for as the examples you listed, I would argue that the work in both matches were extremely compelling and great, and the heat and all that surrounded it propelled them to the status they're at. The work in Okada/Tanahashi to me was simply so dry that even with all the great 'moments' in the match I can't justify calling it anything other than bad. It goes a lot further than basic limb selling. The impression I got from both guys is that they completely phoned in the first 25-30 minutes and then turned it up for the last 5 minutes.


----------



## Rah

*Kallisto vs Alberto Del Rio (14/01/2016 Smackdown)* - YES

HOLY SHIT, indeed. I think this may honestly have been Del Rio's defining performance; at the least, it ranks up there with the double turn at Payback 2013. He was a shark to blood, here, and viciously mauled Kallisto's arm, throughout, so much so, that if someone told me Alberto had just gotten off a heated phonecall with Caristico, I'd buy it. The grip he had on the second-to-last armbreaker was ungodly, as you could see Kallisto's wrist tape tearing from the strain. Between the torque there, and the car-crash splat he took to the outside, I'm sure Kallisto is very quickly regretting signing up as Rey Lite.

For his part, Kallisto brought a lot to the table, as well. His ragdolling was good, and his selling was excellent. I really wish I had gone into this not having been told this was nothing more than a squash, as the hope-spots felt a little short in that view, but as the context of the match grew, my appreciation for them did, as well. Del Rio was a master in layering Kallisto's false comebacks appropriately to the match build, and Kallisto met him halfway in continually ramping up the ante with each spot he'd use to come back with. Brilliant.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

No to Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio- ***- Fun TV match but definitely not something I'd call must see or that I'd recommend to people unlike the 3 last matches at Wrestle Kingdom 10


----------



## Fighter Daron

Yes to those three matches from WK:

Nakamura vs. AJ ****1/2
Omega vs. KUSHIDA ****
Four way for the jr. tag belts ****

The main event was pure shit, I don't know if I will watch a NJPW when AJ and Nakamura leave, I just hate Okada and it seems like we're stuck with him for the next decade.


----------



## Ten410

Just watch the Del Rio/Kalisto match from 1/14/16 and I have to say nothing really stood out for me. It was just your typical WWE TV squash match with a long drawn out arm bar spot.


----------



## Joeisgod

Drew Galloway vs Kurt Angle (TNA Impact 01/12/16)***3/4 Awesome main event on this week's Impact! I enjoyed the fuck out of this and goes to show you Angle can still go even at almost 50 years old. A very good main event that could have been something real special if another 5 minutes were added. Probably my favorite Angle match since his match with Roode at BFG 2013. A lot of people complained that both men traded finishers to much, but it never really bothered me. Good match and an actually good episode of Impact this week. Hopefully we get more matches like this during Angles retirement tour. I would get in debth about Wrestling Kingdom but so many people have reviewed it already . I have Styles vs Nakamure at ****3/4, Ishii vs Shibata at ****1/4, and Young Bucks vs redDragon vs Sydal and Ricochet vs Roponngi Vice at ***3/4. I still have to watch Okada/Tanahashi which I've been procrastinating hard on because I'm absolutely tired of them wrestling one another.


----------



## JIM2000

*YES* to Kalisto v Del Rio, WWE SmackDown! 1/14/2016

Great armwork by Del Rio. He was very vicious too, almost ripping Kalisto's mask and smashing his arm with the steps. Kalisto sold really well all the damage and had some nice hope spots, like that rana after the failed double stomp and took some nasty bumps to the outside.


----------



## Wrestling is Life

Just want to throw in my thoughts on the Kalisto/ADR match from Smackdown. I thought it was a fantastic match, just shy of a match of the year candidate though. I totally disagree with anyone referring to it as a prolonged squash. The match actually told a fantastic story with the very angry and determined Del Rio performing extra aggressively and Kalisto continuing the role of the underdog who just would not stay down. Great arm work by Del Rio which paid off in the finish, plus Barrett got involved providing some controversy which in my opinion was not necessary, but it works. I feel even if Kalisto had lost clean there is plenty left to continue the rivalry. If done right, losing can actually be more beneficial to Kalisto than keeping the title. Plus this means more great Del Rio/Kalisto matches. I'm a fan. Hoping the story continues to be told as well as it has thus far.


----------



## NastyYaffa

NO to Kalisto/ADR, but it was a really damn good match. Best match of Kalisto's WWE career (by far), and probably a top-10 match EVER for ADR. The armwork by Del Rio was great, and his viciousness in general was awesome in the match. Kalisto also sold really well, and made for a great underdog. Best US Title match in a looooong time. ***1/2


----------



## Corey

*IWGP Intercontinental Championship*
Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. AJ Styles - ***** 1/2 (YES!)*
_NJPW Wrestle Kingdom X_​
Holy nearfalls, batman! I think I'm one of the last few people to see this match, so likely everything that's needed to be said about it has been said. Big time performances from both guys with great pacing and quality sequences. One particular thing that I really liked was when AJ was going for a suplex and couldn't hook Shinskay over because of the bad back so he resorted to just flinging him with a burst of energy into the corner pad behind them. I know that's a normal spot they use, but it really made extra sense in that instance. The only small gripe I can come up with (and it means nothing now considering that they're both going to WWE) is that I _really_ felt AJ should've won. The nearfall after the knee to the head and the 450 splash was good enough, but MAN that triangle choke reversal into the Styles Clash should've gotten the 1-2-3 in my books. Oh well, an otherwise fantastic match. AJ is the best best in the world right now, no question.


----------



## ZEROVampire

Kalisto vs Alberto del Rio, really good match, but not MOTYC calibre. ***1/4


----------



## Corey

Not quite on the MOTYC level and far from a classic on a wrestling perspective, but if you're in the mood for an over-the-top PWG-esque brawl, be sure to check out this week's main event on ROH TV. A Philly Street Fight between The Young Bucks, reDRagon, and The Kingdom (Cole & Bennett). There's a whole lot of SUPERKICKS and a buttload of plunder. Fun as hell and I can easily see someone nominating it in here.


----------



## Cactus

Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll from last night's Rev Pro show was something special. Easily takes the cake of the best match I've seen live. Ospreay isn't afraid to risk hurting himself when he bumps and it puts over Scrull's offense well. This reminded me of an early 2000's ROH epic. I won't add it to my list until I rewatch it. I'd say it's around the ★★★★½ mark. 

Styles/ZSB could potentially make my list too. AJ was understandable avoiding back bumps, so instead he gets his limps contorted in every possible way by ZSB. Just stellar British flavored technical wrestling. The abrupt finish hurt the match, but it's still two of the best around going at it in front of a heated crowd.


----------



## Martins

Cactus said:


> *Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll* from last night's Rev Pro show was something special. Easily takes the cake of the best match I've seen live. Ospreay isn't afraid to risk hurting himself when he bumps and it puts over Scrull's offense well. This reminded me of an early 2000's ROH epic. I won't add it to my list until I rewatch it. I'd say it's around the ★★★★½ mark.
> 
> Styles/ZSB could potentially make my list too. AJ was understandable avoiding back bumps, so instead he gets his limps contorted in every possible way by ZSB. Just stellar British flavored technical wrestling. The abrupt finish hurt the match, but it's still two of the best around going at it in front of a heated crowd.


:mark::mark::mark::mark:

THAT SOUNDS SO AWESOME.

Fucking love Marty Scurll. Great little cunt, terrific foil for Ospreay and his high-flying awesomeness.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Scurll/Ospreay, and Styles/ZSJ?

Damn, I should check those matches out. They sound fucking awesome.*


----------



## KingKicks

Cactus said:


> Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll from last night's Rev Pro show was something special. Easily takes the cake of the best match I've seen live. Ospreay isn't afraid to risk hurting himself when he bumps and it puts over Scrull's offense well. This reminded me of an early 2000's ROH epic. I won't add it to my list until I rewatch it. I'd say it's around the ★★★★½ mark.


My voice was gone by the end of the match. I actually think it may be the best Rev Pro match...ever. Honestly, it's the most I've enjoyed a match live since Taker/HBK WM25...and that's saying something.


----------



## Cactus

Deadman's Hand said:


> *Scurll/Ospreay, and Styles/ZSJ?
> 
> Damn, I should check those matches out. They sound fucking awesome.*


The show will be on their on-demand service tomorrow and should pop up in all the usual places soon after.

Another match I dug from the show was Colt Cabana vs Doug Williams. I can't usually stand Colt and Williams can be dull at times, but this worked. Great technical match with a dash of comedy that wasn't too overbearing. I thought the finish was really smart too. It isn't going to make my list, but I think any fan of World Of Sport will certainly get a kick out of it.


----------



## 3MB4Life

I had to go to a funeral yesterday which was the only reason I didn't get to head down to the RPW show. Fuck, people dying, it's so inconsiderate.

Kidding obviously (or am I?) but I can't wait to check out these matches from High Stakes as soon as they come online. Any Will Ospreay match this year is must-see, his 2015 was stellar and I think 2016 could be even better.


----------



## The Black Mirror

*Just watched Wrestle Kingdom 10 on Friday night. Here's what I have:

reDRagon vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. Roppongi Vice vs. The Young Bucks - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Four Way Match - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 In Tokyo Dome (January 4, 2016) - ★★★¾

Kenny Omega vs. KUSHIDA - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 In Tokyo Dome (January 4, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - IWGP Heavyweight Title Match - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 In Tokyo Dome (January 4, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Katsuyori Shibata - NEVER Openweight Title Match - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 In Tokyo Dome (January 4, 2016) - ★★★★¼ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles - IWGP Intercontinental Title Match - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 In Tokyo Dome (January 4, 2016) - ★★★★½ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

This was my first time watching NJPW. It's definitely different than American wrestling and took some getting used to, but I enjoyed it.

Is Rah, or somebody else, keeping the tally on the yeses this year? Just checking. If nobody else is up to it, I can do it.*


----------



## Dead Seabed

Venegas said:


> I'll be using a modified version of the Segunda Caida rating system


Number of posts: 8

Not a rejoiner at all.

OT, pitbull and Shibata steal the show once again. On another hand, kind of bored with Ishii's style.


----------



## Rah

Pretty sure that's a poster from PWO, and not a rejoiner.



Too Far Gone said:


> *Is Rah, or somebody else, keeping the tally on the yeses this year? Just checking. If nobody else is up to it, I can do it.*


I'll definitely keep tally, again. End of every month.


----------



## Concrete

Chainsaw said:


> Number of posts: 8
> 
> Not a rejoiner at all.
> 
> OT, pitbull and Shibata steal the show once again. On another hand, kind of bored with Ishii's style.


Not a rejoiner. Good try.

Didn't love Ishii vs. Shibata. A little too much "WE STRONG, WE LOYAL" going on. 

Thought Styles vs Nak was plenty great and will probably do a review at some point.


----------



## BillThompson

Chainsaw said:


> Number of posts: 8
> 
> Not a rejoiner at all.


Posts on PWO, WKO, and is present on Twitter; not a rejoiner.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Rah said:


> Pretty sure that's a poster from PWO, and not a rejoiner.
> 
> 
> 
> I'll definitely keep tally, again. End of every month.





Concrete said:


> Not a rejoiner. Good try.
> 
> Didn't love Ishii vs. Shibata. A little too much "WE STRONG, WE LOYAL" going on.
> 
> Thought Styles vs Nak was plenty great and will probably do a review at some point.





BillThompson said:


> Posts on PWO, WKO, and is present on Twitter; not a rejoiner.


My bad, apologies to the dudester.


----------



## flag sabbath

Finally made it through a WrestleKingdom re-watch. 

Both junior title bouts were very good, around ****1/2* a piece. The four way tag delivered well paced thrills and spills & KUSHIDA vs Omega used a clear heel / face dynamic to dramatic effect. 

Ishii vs Shibata did nothing for me. Stiffness and stubornness can only take you so far & they wound up in a hit now, sell later dead end long before the finish *****

AJ vs Shinskay was great, although clearly a couple of notches below Nakamura vs Ibushi from WK9 *****1/4*

Okada vs Tanahashi meandered for a long ass time before exploding. Tana's meticulous legwork was a joy to watch, as were Okada's majestic dropkicks. Unfortunately they didn't belong in the same match ******


----------



## Dead Seabed

@flag sabbath What did you think of the hw tag match?


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Just to let people know that RPW High Stakes 2016 which features that Marty Scurll vs Will O'Spreay & AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr match is available


----------



## flag sabbath

Chainsaw said:


> @flag sabbath What did you think of the hw tag match?


It was decent enough for its position on the card. They played it fairly safe with a homegrown heroes vs cheating / monster gaijin formula that guaranteed an enthusiastic crowd. Maybe ****1/4*


----------



## y2prsn

ShadowSucks92 said:


> Just to let people know that RPW High Stakes 2016 which features that Marty Scurll vs Will O'Spreay & AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr match is available


Where can i find it brother for free? I just saw the aj speech on their youtube channel!


----------



## Dead Seabed

flag sabbath said:


> It was decent enough for its position on the card. They played it fairly safe with a homegrown heroes vs cheating / monster gaijin formula that guaranteed an enthusiastic crowd. Maybe ****1/4*


Same here. As a Togi supermark I was actually pretty gutted with Makabe's limited involvment in the match, regardless of Honma's asskickery. The brutality of that knee drop made up for one iota though :grin2:


----------



## ShadowSucks92

y2prsn said:


> Where can i find it brother for free? I just saw the aj speech on their youtube channel!


Not sure, they uploaded the event on Vimeo only a few hours ago so it could take a while before someone uploads it to Dailymotion or something


----------



## Corey

*#1 Contender's Match*
Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay - ***** 3/4 (YES!!!)*
_Rev Pro UK High Stakes_
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/highstakes2016​
Lengthy review: Watch this fucking match. It's bloody incredible. Without a doubt, the best thing I've seen since the Summer of 2013. This is the 4th match on the show (as far as I've made it) and it's worth your $12.99.


----------



## 3MB4Life

Everyone needs to check out High Stakes, what a fucking show. And please if you can, pay for it. This company isn't big and they need the support. And the show is incredible, I enjoyed every single match. I've been following this promotion since day 1 and this is arguably the best show they have ever produced.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

YES to Will O'Spreay vs Marty Scurll - RPW High Stakes- Fantastic match and I just loved the way how they played into the fact that they know each other so well and they were using each others moves and how they kept reversing everything, easily worth the $12.99 alone and I've still got the AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr match to watch


----------



## dezpool

Yes, please spread the word about Rev Pro. Such a great promotion. 2015 was an incredible year for them, can't wait to see how 2016 plays out.


----------



## Cactus

*Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll (Rev Pro, 1/16/2016)*
This reminded me of an early 2000's ROH epic. Ospreay isn't afraid to risk hurting himself when he bumps and it puts over Scrull's offense well. Ospreay is one of the few natural babyface wrestlers still about. He's insanely athletic, can bump well and can garner sympathy from any crowd. I'm not usually the biggest Scurll fan, but he was great in this. A total dick who enjoyed torturing Ospreay in a manner of ways. This match holds up on a rewatch. Did it go into overkill? Yeah, maybe. But when you'd start questioning if they should start wrapping things up, they throw a cool counter or move into the works and you are back into it. My only other gripe with this match is how quickly move on from that sickening finger bending spot. That spot was brutal and should of been an important part of the match, instead they quickly moved on to next sequence. I'll be shocked if this isn't my UK MOTY by the end of 2016. 
★★★★½

*AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr. (Rev Pro, 1/16/2016)*
Heavily influenced by World of Sport wrestling, This was a clinic in technical wrestling. AJ was understandable avoiding back bumps, so instead he gets his limps contorted in every possible way by ZSB. Even though the mat work was exceptional, I feel this needed more going for it to venture into ★★★★+ territory. Maybe if ZSB worked this as a sympathetic babyface, I would of enjoyed this more. Regardless, this is still essential viewing for any fan of intense mat wrestling that actually features a struggle. 
★★★¾


----------



## Cactus

Just got back from the 4FW show. I'm not sure if this will ever pop online, but I'd like to nominate...

*Kenny Omega vs Mark Haskins (4FW, 1/23/2016)*
So glad that these guys didn't hold because this was a small indy show. These guys go hard, from dishing out some brutal knees (Omega's knee attack might be one of my favorite moves in wrestling right now) and throwing themselves hard into the metal barriers, even breaking part of one. Great back-and-forth match that ended exactly when it needed to.
★★★★


----------



## Corey

I love hearing about more companies from the UK, but damn it to hell it's impossible to see half the stuff that happens in that country. :lol 

That same show had Pentagon/Drago too!?


----------



## JIM2000

*NO* to Will Ospreay vs Marty Scrull, RevPro 1/16/2016.

Overkill, sometimes I felt they were doing a "your turn, my turn" type of match, quickly moving forward to the next spot, Ospreay offense is light as a feather (I really dislike his topes) and it went for too long. I can understand other people liking this match, but it wasn't my cup of tea, sorry.


----------



## Cactus

Jack Evans 187 said:


> I love hearing about more companies from the UK, but damn it to hell it's impossible to see half the stuff that happens in that country. :lol
> 
> That same show had Pentagon/Drago too!?


The show was filmed, but I'm unsure if it will be released as I have seen them film shows before and nothing came of them. There's was a guy in the front row discreetly filming the show, so here's to hoping he can be a saint and grace us with it!

Yes, it was the same show. Pentagon/Drago was pretty good. Nothing exceptional, but then again I'm only 5 episodes into LU and I'm not sure if I'm digging it yet. I'm sure a diehard fan would get a lot of enjoyment out of that match.


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee 01.24.2016 ***** 
I'll write about it in the lucha thread soon


----------



## Rah

For those who enjoy Ospreay, I'd recommend checking out the Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi feud. Better (and crazier) high-octane offense, and a more coherent narrative to their matches.


----------



## Groovemachine

Cactus said:


> Just got back from the 4FW show. I'm not sure if this will ever pop online, but I'd like to nominate...
> 
> *Kenny Omega vs Mark Haskins (4FW, 1/23/2016)*
> So glad that these guys didn't hold because this was a small indy show. These guys go hard, from dishing out some brutal knees (Omega's knee attack might be one of my favorite moves in wrestling right now) and throwing themselves hard into the metal barriers, even breaking part of one. Great back-and-forth match that ended exactly when it needed to.
> ★★★★


Yep, this was fantastic. And just to re-assure you, they're starting an On Demand service and this will be the first title available, think it drops in a few weeks. For me, this was MOTN although Drago/Pentagon Jr had a great outing, and I really dug Shanna/Hikaru Shida.


----------



## ZEROVampire

Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll was a fun spotfest but not MOTYC ***1/4
Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi from Fantasticamania, another great match ***1/2


----------



## LilOlMe

I ♥ KEMONITO;56348249 said:


> Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee 01.24.2016 *****
> I'll write about it in the lucha thread soon


It was fantastic. Couldn't have written a better return for Kamaitachi than that match.

Loved the way they both worked the submissions. Both sold the anguish & almost tapping out better than I've seen in a long time, especially Dragon Lee.

Loved the way that Kamaitachi had to get to the rope at a certain point.

Plus the match was so damn smooth with tons of action & rarely seen stuff.

Most importantly, I loved Kamaitachi's persona. Reminded me of a young Okada (though Okada still is the young Okada, lol).

Gedo's got a potential star on his hands, and he seems to already know how to work the camera. 

Dragon Lee is incredible for 20 years old. You would never know it. You can tell that he grew up surrounded by wrestling. Does stuff 40 year old vets don't do it.

Great watch, thanks for the rec. I decided to get to it today due to your rec. Definitely a MOTYC.


----------



## Corey

Call me crazy if you want, but I'm gonna go ahead and throw a *YES* to this year's *Royal Rumble match*. If you didn't watch it live, you're not gonna give two shits because you're probably gonna read who won and say LOL or something, BUT, if you did watch it live, I hope you had as much fun as I did.



Spoiler: Rumble talk



I thought the match was an incredible thrill ride of emotions. I was beyond nervous through most of it, excited OFF MY ASS about AJ Styles & Sami Zayn, and half the time I couldn't even bare to sit & watch. Who's gonna come back!? Is Reigns gonna win this shit AGAIN!? Who's number 30?! WTF, Dean Ambrose really!? The false eliminations that Ziggler got on Reigns and HHH late were RIDICULOUS and I lost my mind when Reigns was actually tossed out. So many other stories coming out of this too (Lesnar & The Wyatts, Owens vs. AJ, Owens vs. Zayn, Ambrose eliminating Jericho, etc.)



Best rumble imo in years (maybe since '09) and exactly why you get so excited about this PPV every go round.


----------



## Fighter Daron

Yes to:

Ambrose vs. Owens - LMS - ****1/4
Royal Rumble - ****1/2


----------



## kimino

I have never seen the calm and quiet NJPW commentator that hyped in a fantasticamania match

Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi ****1/2


----------



## Corey

*CMLL World Lightweight Championship*
Dragon Lee (c) vs. Kamaitachi - ***** 1/2 (YES!!!)*
_NJPW/CMLL Fantasticamania 1/24_

Holy shit was this AWESOME or what? The sheer displays of athleticism with the dives were enough to make this memorable, but even after all those it felt like they NEVER let up and you had no clue what kinda crazy shit was coming next. I haven't seen any of their matches from last year in Mexico, but I can't imagine the atmosphere was as unique as this one. The announcers were going crazy by some of the spots and the crowd took to these two like they born and bred in Japan. Kamaitachi's relentless approach to attacking the leg was a really nice touch because I had a bad feeling that was gonna be ignored. Lee's selling wasn't perfect, but it was definitely good enough and I bought the adrenaline rushes. The nearfalls were all believable and the actual finish was fucking nuts. I've never seen anything like that before. :clap for this, for New Japan, and for the month of January in the world of wrestling. It's been a doozy. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for their rematch in Mexico. (Y)​


----------



## darkclaudio

NO
Owens vs Ambrose ***
Royal Rumble Match **1/2


----------



## JIM2000

*NO* to Ambrose v Owens, WWE Royal Rumble 2016.

Your typical WWE garbage brawl, with a lot of objects, some good spots but nothing else, really. Ambrose offense is *awful*, compared to him, Owens looked like Vader.


----------



## Rah

I'm not sure why WWE brawls get talked up as great. It's a last man standing match, where two guys hate each other, and they're waiting for a bell to fight? They moved from awful spot to awful spot, and took ages in setting each one up on the way. Dean Ambrose has also gone from one of the hottest prospects to looking like a schmuck who doesn't know the first thing in setting up a control segment. The Rebound Lariat is one of the worst moves in wrestling, today. 

No thanks.


----------



## 3MB4Life

Rah said:


> I'm not sure why WWE brawls get talked up as great. It's a last man standing match, where two guys hate each other, and they're waiting for a bell to fight? They moved from awful spot to awful spot, and took ages in setting each one up on the way. Dean Ambrose has also gone from one of the hottest prospects to looking like a schmuck who doesn't know the first thing in setting up a control segment. The Rebound Lariat is one of the worst moves in wrestling, today.
> 
> No thanks.


Thank you, so it's not just me. At least TRY to make it look like a real fight instead of a ballet with folding chairs. What was the Owens sitting down spot? You are in a Last Man Standing match with a man you hate and for no reason, you decide to take a breather. Makes no sense whatsoever. Horribly booked match with people overlooking how horrible it is because their favourites are in it and someone went through a table.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Rah said:


> I'm not sure why WWE brawls get talked up as great. It's a last man standing match, where two guys hate each other, and they're waiting for a bell to fight? They moved from awful spot to awful spot, and took ages in setting each one up on the way. Dean Ambrose has also gone from one of the hottest prospects to looking like a schmuck who doesn't know the first thing in setting up a control segment. The Rebound Lariat is one of the worst moves in wrestling, today.
> 
> No thanks.


The worst part was Owens being outside, stacking tables on top of each other (apparently for no conceivable reason but to fall through them later on), and some guy in the first row yells at him: "'I've got a feeling you're wasting your time right now." 

Just awful.

Also, glad to see that young upstart Chris Jericho getting one hour of PPV tv time.


----------



## Fighter Daron

Chainsaw said:


> The worst part was Owens being outside, stacking tables on top of each other (apparently for no conceivable reason but to fall through them later on), and some guy in the first row yells at him: "'I've got a feeling you're wasting your time right now."


You see, that's the kind of opinion that just comes from the hate.

Kevin Owens set the tables with a purpose, because he lifted Ambrose up the turnbuckle to suplex him onto the tables right after the set-up. Now that your opinion is completely destroyed, you lied because a) you weren't paying attention or b) you just hate Owens, Ambrose, the WWE or everything altogether.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following matches:

Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll (RPW High Stakes 2016)

Dragon Lee vs. Kamaitachi (NJPW/CMLL Fantastica Mania 2016 Day 6)*


----------



## Dead Seabed

Fighter Daron said:


> You see, that's the kind of opinion that just comes from the hate.
> 
> Kevin Owens set the tables with a purpose, because he lifted Ambrose up the turnbuckle to suplex him onto the tables right after the set-up. Now that your opinion is completely destroyed, you lied because a) you weren't paying attention or b) you just hate Owens, Ambrose, the WWE or everything altogether.


While he set up the first table, Ambrose was with him on the outside, getting up and into the ring. Owens then looks up to him, clerly sees that Dean is back on the apron and on his feet, and yet still proceeds to set up another table atop of the first one, followed by that fan complementing Kev's mom and her tattoos. As I said, a pants-shittingly retarded spot made just for the sake of someone falling through a table. Also, I know this is important to you, but chill kid, it's just a tv show XD.


----------



## NakNak

I watched the most important matches from RPW High Stakes 2016

*FUCK NO to* Will Ospreay vs Marty Scrull: A spotfest that I hated. I could accept this if this had a strong story, or a story at all. I know that in PROGRESS they sort of have a storyline, but here...it was nothing at all. I love Ospreay, his match against Havoc at PROGRESS last year was one of the best matches from 2015, and I love Scrull character work, but this match...god. *Not giving a DUD, I'm not giving anything at all, didn't care*

*YES to* AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr: Very solid technical warfare ****** I loved this, and the ending...that fucking submission from Sabre Jr was one of the best endings of a match in Pro Wrestling that I've ever seen in my life. I liked him, but now I became a fan with this. Nice send-off match for AJ too, he put Zack over big time. This is the kind of stuff that I like on my wrestling, an up and comer against a veteran.

I rewatched the things that interested me from the PPV last sunday night:

*NO / RECOMMENDED TO WATCH THO* Owens/Ambrose was solid as fuck. ***3/4 Very entertaining match, excellent character work from KO and DA had his best performance since mid to late 2014 (except his matches against Rollins at Raw & MITB in 2015)

*NO / RECOMMENDED TO WATCH THO* Charlotte/Becky was pretty good, finish included (it was kind of over the top, but you had fucking Ric Flair involved, he is over the top himself lol) ***1/2 Interesting that will probably see Sasha/Becky/Charlotte at Fastlane, that has potential.

*YES* The Rumble Match was very, very good. Much better than the Rumbles of the last couple of years (even tho I considered 2014 as good tho). Yeah, as well as the 2014 match, I hated the winner BUT both Rumbles, more this one than the other, had their moments. AJ Styles had a good performance considering it was his debut, he did his thing and the people treated him as a star, Owens eliminating him was a good decision, considering that Zayn was (most likely) just at the Rumble and not on the Main Roster yet (btw, that moment with Kevin and SZ was magical, they are destined to do this forever it seems). Bray looked very strong too, I hope this year they turn around things with him. A feud with Brock is not the solution (And I finded weird that he didn't came back to the ring and destroyed everybody and then leave when he was eliminated). I think the solution is to have Bray feud againt the Authority, the face-off he had with Triple H was epic IMO. The LON-Reigns stuff was meh, didn't care. Loved that Reigns wasn't against H in the final two, glad that they used Ambrose against him. For a second I believed that he could've won. Again, hated the result, but the match itself was awesome. Fuck it, a MOTYC ****1/4 It's my opinion, but for me this was the best Royal Rumble since 2008, or 2007.

AND:

*NO, BUT SORT OF RECOMMENDED TO WATCH THO* AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho at Raw
I thought that the match was decent, it's a good watch. They had a night off, Jericho more than AJ, but even with that in mind, they didn't had an awful match at all. The ending was pretty solid and the feud has potential with a heel Y2J. Just wanted to say that.


----------



## Stetho

*YES* to Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi (Fantasticamania 01.24) :done


----------



## Fighter Daron

Chainsaw said:


> While he set up the first table, Ambrose was with him on the outside, getting up and into the ring. Owens then looks up to him, clerly sees that Dean is back on the apron and on his feet, and yet still proceeds to set up another table atop of the first one, followed by that fan complementing Kev's mom and her tattoos. As I said, a pants-shittingly retarded spot made just for the sake of someone falling through a table. Also, I know this is important to you, but chill kid, it's just a tv show XD.


Nothing you said proves me wrong, he set that up with a purpose, not for nothing. If he took a little more time to set it up it's just because he knew he was going through those tables and didn't want to die.

And yes, you're so badass telling me that you don't care and that I am kid, well, if it's just a TV-show, I don't know how you bother entering here and posting, you do that with all the TV-shows you watch?


----------



## flag sabbath

*Ospreay vs Scurll* was majestic. @Cactus nailed it with the early-ROH comparison. They undoubtedly pushed the overkill envelope, but some of the sequences were incredible & the recovery time between flurries kept it from descending into an out and out spotfest *****1/2*

*Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi* was also one hell of a thrill ride, but DL's magic knee held it back from being a bona-fide classic *****1/4*


----------



## AT&T Stadium

Rah said:


> I'm not sure why WWE brawls get talked up as great. It's a last man standing match, where two guys hate each other, and they're waiting for a bell to fight? They moved from awful spot to awful spot, and took ages in setting each one up on the way. Dean Ambrose has also gone from one of the hottest prospects to looking like a schmuck who doesn't know the first thing in setting up a control segment. The Rebound Lariat is one of the worst moves in wrestling, today.
> 
> No thanks.


Yeah, I really didn't like it. I thought I was being cynical when I saw everybody praising it on the board I was watching it at. I didn't like it, at all. I thought the ending was absolute shit as well (seriously? pushed off the turnbuckle? lame as fuck.). I think people that only watch WWE/TNA are setting standards too low as that probably was good compared to the standard drivel presented.



> Kevin Owens set the tables with a purpose, because he lifted Ambrose up the turnbuckle to suplex him onto the tables right after the set-up.


Nobody bought that that would actually be done. It's way too dangerous. It was quite obvious what the tables were for.


----------



## Dead Seabed

NakNak said:


> *FUCK NO to* Will Ospreay vs Marty Scrull: A spotfest that I hated. I could accept this if this had a strong story, or a story at all. I know that in PROGRESS they sort of have a storyline, but here...it was nothing at all. I love Ospreay, his match against Havoc at PROGRESS last year was one of the best matches from 2015, and I love Scrull character work, but this match...god. *Not giving a DUD, I'm not giving anything at all, didn't care*


I don't get the love for this one either. To paraphrase the immortal words of Chucky T, it was two skinny kids doing diving footstomps.


----------



## kimino

Fighter Daron said:


> Now that your opinion is completely destroyed


Thats quite an arrogant thing to say more with those arguments, KO vs Ambrose was an entertaining match, but it was by no means a great match, and IMO Chainsaw arguments are quite solid it was just an useless brawl that focused on the "impact" some spots brought but had no "content" you would expect in a match above **** stars.


----------



## Fighter Daron

kimino said:


> Thats quite an arrogant thing to say more with those arguments, KO vs Ambrose was an entertaining match, but it was by no means a great match, and IMO Chainsaw arguments are quite solid it was just an useless brawl that focused on the "impact" some spots brought but had no "content" you would expect in a match above **** stars.


No, his arguments were not solid, he said: 



Chainsaw said:


> The worst part was Owens being outside, stacking tables on top of each other *(apparently for no conceivable reason but to fall through them later on)*


And I did told him the reason he was stacking the tables, because there was one. It's too simple, guys.


----------



## Corey

In response to the Scurll/Ospreay talk, I wanna say I can COMPLETELY understand why someone wouldn't like it, but I have to say that it's far from a mindless spotfest or a match with a bunch of moves just for the sake of them. There may not be much of a story on the surface, but there's multiple layers to it. 

First you need to take into account what was at stake. A number one contender's match may not seem all that big to most, but when AJ Styles & Zack Sabre Jr. are fighting for that gold belt in the main event, it's pretty damn big. Not only that but they had announced that whoever won the match would have their own action figure made, which would make the winner essentially the ONLY wrestler in modern times who was not signed under any contract to have their own figure (a true indy wrestler, in the UK to boot). That's huge as well.

Take those two big factors into account and then you have to add in the fact that these two guys hate each other and have faced off before a handful of times in the past. They knew each other so well that they had counters for counters and reversals for even the most complex combinations. I thought it was both visually impressive and just as much mentally for them to be able to string those sequences together. Now it _did_ strike into overkill territory just a hair with the chicken wing stuff, but 98% of the match was such a joy to watch and made me feel like there was literally NO limit to what human athletes are capable of doing inside the ring. Loved it.


----------



## Stetho

Well, https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/690433874460045312?s=09


----------



## 3MB4Life

Fighter Daron said:


> Nothing you said proves me wrong, he set that up with a purpose, not for nothing. If he took a little more time to set it up it's just because he knew he was going through those tables and didn't want to die.
> 
> And yes, you're so badass telling me that you don't care and that I am kid, well, if it's just a TV-show, I don't know how you bother entering here and posting, you do that with all the TV-shows you watch?


Why would Owens try to suplex him from the apron while Ambrose is in the ring? He's not a powerhouse, it's a stupid move for him to go for. It was so blatantly set up for the table spot tease and the chair throwing spot. Surely he would drag Dean to the outside and then powerbomb him so he has more leverage or he'd at least drag Dean onto the apron for the suplex to make it easier for himself. It was set up to be reversed and that is shit booking and poor psychology. The guy in the crowd who told Owens he was wasting his time with the second table had better psychology than the wrestlers, that's how bad that whole spot was.


----------



## Rah

The problem with WWE is that they're too reliant on the Chekhov's Gun principle (what is introduced into a narrative must be used later on). If a table is set up, and the spot is countered, _you know full well_ it will play into a bigger spot later on. It makes matches too predictable and they lose that aire of chaos. WWE aren't the only promotion to use that principle in their wrestling style, but they're the most common culprits.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*AAW The Chaos Theory: Chris Hero vs. Sami Callihan - YES!*
The first Callihan match I've seen since his return to the indies, and damn, he is back with a BANG. What a match. Super intense, well paced 20 minute match w/ Hero & Callihan just beating the crap out of each other. Had some cool character work w/ Callihan being cocky as fuck, and Hero being kind of in the veteran role. Great match. ******


----------



## Corey

Here's Callihan/Hero if you guys wanna watch. I personally didn't care for it, but I didn't think I would because every Chris Hero match is the same these days and it's not my cup of tea. And he's getting even fatter btw.

Side note, DAVE PRAZAK is on commentary for AAW!? That's pretty awesome.


----------



## Cactus

*Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi (NJPW, 1/24/2016)*
Man, sometimes I feel like I've seen every spot imaginable that can take place within the confides of a pro-wrestling match, then a match like this comes along and reminds me that I haven't seen shit yet. There's not too much I can say which hasn't already been said. I do feel like in the later parts of the match descended into the guys just getting their shit in because the crowd was buying it, but it was all high-drama action, so you can't hate on it too much. I still hate that C4 move though. 
★★★★


----------



## Martins

Jack Evans 187 said:


> Here's Callihan/Hero if you guys wanna watch. I personally didn't care for it, but I didn't think I would because every Chris Hero match is the same these days and it's not my cup of tea. And he's getting even fatter btw.
> 
> Side note, DAVE PRAZAK is on commentary for AAW!? That's pretty awesome.


I was never one to care about looks in professional wrestling, but the only thing that looks worse than Hero's ungodly gut is Sami Callihan's fucking annoying face. 

Never have I thought I could care so little about a wrestler based mostly on the ugly-ass scowl he puts on during an entire match, looking like a Down syndrome suffering troll.

I really gotta watch that Finlay match from PWG a few years back, I need to see him get absolutely demolished.

Edit: Apparently it was in EVOLVE, not PWG. Oh whatever, I hope he got that mug caved the fuck in.


----------



## ZEROVampire

*Chris Hero & Tommy End vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Sami Callihan
EVOLVE 53 1/22
****

YES!!!
AWESOME Tag Team FIGHT*


----------



## Wrestling is Life

I am going to give a YES to Ethan Carter III vs Matt Hardy in a Last Man Standing Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Champion from the 1/19/16 episode of Impact Wrestling. 

For as many things as TNA does wrong, they did this right. EC3 did a great job selling and I loved how the heel turn for Hardy actually began IN THE MATCH. TNA has successfully hooked me into this storyline, giving me a reason to actually tune into their product.


----------



## BlackoutLAS

Swagger and Owens just had a killer match on main event. First time I've ever watched that show. Of course it will get over looked but I recommend checking it out.


----------



## Bruce L

Doesn't quite muster a "yes" from me, but I really liked Dragon Lee vs. Kamaitachi (New Japan, Jan 24), far more than I was expecting to given its CMLL association. Played like a hybrid of an above-average NJPW juniors match and an above-average Dragon Gate match, and if Lee had been able to decide whether or not his hurt right knee was going to actually play into a match-long story, it might have edged into "YES" territory. Good stuff as is (***3/4, I'd say), and Kamaitachi is somebody I'm going to want to keep an eye on when he comes back to Japan full-time.


----------



## The Black Mirror

*AJ Styles vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - RPW British Heavyweight Title Match - RPW High Stakes (January 16, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay - RPW British Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Match - RPW High Stakes (January 16, 2016) - ★★★★¾ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

This match was absolutely incredible. So far, my MOTY.*


----------



## Cactus

NO to:

*Chris Hero vs Sami Callihan (AAW, 1/15/2016)*
This battle between two NXT rejects kicks off to a great start. I particularly love the spot where both guys managed to get a strike in and they're sat in opposite corners of the ring, staring down at each other. It made for a great visual and started things of in the right direction. Hero dished out some gorgeous looking punches and elbows and I do prefer them when he keeps them simple, as apposed to sprucing them with a fancy twirl or whip like he started doing later in the match. The transition to the legwork felt organic and Callihan works a mean control segment on Hero's battered ankle. It's a great shame that this was soon forgotten about and this match descends into your typical indywank strike-off. I'm a fan of Callihan, but him constantly spitting is so cheap and stops that spot from actually meaning something when a match warrants spitting. Great start, weak finishing stretch.
★★★½

*Chris Hero & Tommy End vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Sami Callihan (EVOLVE, 1/22/2016)*
Is it redundant to say that the matwork in a ZSB match is great? Because it feels like that is stating the obvious at this point. ZSB works fantastically as a FIP in this match, and Hero works great as the fat bully giving Zack trouble. What stops this from reaching MOTY level is how much these guys go into overkill. It's ridiculous. It gets to a point where you can't sense that things are about to wrap up because of how many false finishes have taken place already, totally killing the drama. It's a shame, because these four wrestlers could easily have a MOTYC if they wrestled in a more relaxed environment. A good start and a great ZSB and Hero performance, but an overblown finish keeps this one back. 
★★★½


----------



## The Black Mirror

*Dragon Lee vs. Kamaitachi - CMLL World Lightweight Title Match - NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania: Night 6 (January 24, 2016) - ★★★★¼ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens - WWE Intercontinental Title Last Man Standing Match - WWE Royal Rumble (January 24, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]*


----------



## flag sabbath

*Hero vs. Callihan* was basically finisher-level strikes from bell to bell. Painfully one dimensional ***1/2*


----------



## dmgsdmgsdmgs

YES to Dragon Lee vs. Kamaitachi from Fantasticamania 1/24. 

Not motyc but Barbaro Cavernario vs. Titan from one of those shows was incredibly entertaining. So sick!


----------



## DOPA

*Matches of the year 2016:*

*NJPW*

AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura (4/1): *****3/4*

Absolute dream match lived up to the hype and then some. Unbelievable.

Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (4/1): *****1/4*

Not the best match they've had but I felt like as a match it was a showcase of all their rivalry that has hopefully culminated in the end of their feud for now. Great stuff.

*Revolution Pro*

Marty Scrull vs Will Ospreay (15/1): *******

HOLY SHIT was this incredible. An absolutely insane match from possibly the two best British wrestlers out there right now. Ospreay is legitimately one of the best in ring workers in the world and Scrull is just capitivating as a character. It wouldn't surprise me if this ended up being my MOTY by the end of the year. That's how special this was.


There were other very good matches like *Zack Sabre Jr. vs AJ Styles* and *Kevin Owens vs Dean Ambrose* that just missed the cut for me. I still need to catch up with the rest of Wrestlekingdom 9....I'm pretty terrible when it comes to wrestling that isn't an hour long show these days.


----------



## peep4life

Absolutely loved Scurll vs Ospreay ****1/2 so much fun and told a great story


----------



## Bruce L

Scurll/Ospreay was really fun. Exciting stuff, with both guys doing a great job showing how much a win (especially over each other) would mean to them. Not sure it breaks **** for me, but good stuff.

Also gonna toot the horn of N_R_G vs. Hallowicked & Frightmare from Chikara's _Days of the Phoenix_ event. Best N_R_G have looked so far, and the Nightmare Warriors have arguably never looked like this formidable a tag team in almost seven years together. Again, not **** or higher, but highly recommended.


----------



## Corey

Not quite a MOTYC imo (as I'll go with a very high *** 3/4), but if you're a Dragon Gate fan, be sure to check out this match:

*Losing Unit Disbands Elimination Match*
MONSTER EXPRESS (Masato Yoshino, Akira Tozawa, T-Hawk, & Shachihoko BOY) vs. Dia.HEARTS (Masaaki Mochizuki, Dragon Kid, Kzy, & Big R Shimizu) vs. VERSERK (Shingo Takagi, Naruki Doi, YAMATO, & Kotoka)
_Truth Gate 2/4_
http://rutube.ru/video/4bd7a33e0c9ba66037c04aa744a39cf6/​
People who appreciate Dragon Gate, follow the storylines, and actually know who's a member of what stable will like this even more than I did, but it was a shit ton of FUN either way. Some incredible action and really exciting eliminations. It actually goes damn near 30 minutes, but it does not feel like that in the slightest and I actually wished it would've gone longer. They also SOLD down the stretch and created some great drama. Korakeun was poppin like a motherfucker too. Check it out. I think some of you will throw some yesses at it. I may keep it on my computer and watch it a little while down the line and see if it's better the next time.


----------



## flag sabbath

Yeah, that 3 unit elimination match was DG at its multi-man finest. Frantic, breathtaking action all the way with actual pinfalls(!) and saves stemming the usual glut of credibility stretching near falls (and making the rare two counts all the more special). Recommended ******

Also worth checking is the *Doi & Yamato vs. Saito & Horiguchi* Twin Gate title match from 17/1. Steady build & very exciting down the stretch ****3/4*


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

1/21 Ikuto Hidaka vs. Ryota Nakatsu ****
Great 12 minute match between a seasoned veteran and a rising young upstart. Legwork becomes the story of the match and how it will be surmounted fills in the dramatics. Really like the use of submission holds in this one. This was the opener I hear, but worthy of being the main or semi main.

1/31 Ishimori vs Kenoh ***3/4
Really good short match on the bubble of being great. I was taken back by how easilly the competitor got put away. Both guys brought it but I felt it could have benefitted from more time. I can't wait for the rematch.

1/24 Ryoto Hama vs Yuji Okabayashi ****1/4
Wrestler of the year caliber showing from Okabayashi. I thought he was woty last year. This match is great. Okabayashi makes the match right here with all the little things that make you stop what your doing and keep a close eye on him. From his facial expressions to the way he breathes, to how big he sells. He makes this as compelling as it is.


----------



## Dead Seabed

I ♥ KEMONITO;56980905 said:


> 1/21 Ikuto Hidaka vs. Ryota Nakatsu ****
> Great 12 minute match between a seasoned veteran and a rising young upstart. Legwork becomes the story of the match and how it will be surmounted fills in the dramatics. Really like the use of submission holds in this one. This was the opener I hear, but worthy of being the main or semi main.
> 
> 1/31 Ishimori vs Kenoh ***3/4
> Really good short match on the bubble of being great. I was taken back by how easilly the competitor got put away. Both guys brought it but I felt it could have benefitted from more time. I can't wait for the rematch.
> 
> 1/24 Ryoto Hama vs Yuji Okabayashi ****1/4
> Wrestler of the year caliber showing from Okabayashi. I thought he was woty last year. This match is great. Okabayashi makes the match right here with all the little things that make you stop what your doing and keep a close eye on him. From his facial expressions to the way he breathes, to how big he sells. He makes this as compelling as it is.


Hama is out of retirement? :shockedpunk


----------



## Rah

I thought using a higher number of votes for Red & *BOLD* would help set apart the truly exceptional matches. Last year's list was half red and looked like a mess. Anyone have an issue with that?



*Puro:*
*Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 23 ||*
*Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 31 ||*
*Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 20 ||*
The Young Bucks vs ReDRagon vs Aerial Dogfight vs Roppongi Vice (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 1 ||
Kenny Omega vs KUSHIDA (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 1 ||
Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (NJPW Fantastica Mania Night 6) || YES = 10 ||
Ryoto Hama vs Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 24/01) || YES = 1 ||




*US/Europe Indy:*
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll (Rev Pro High Stakes 2016) || YES = 9 ||
AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr (Rev Pro High Stakes 2016) || YES = 1 ||
Kenny Omega vs Mark Haskins (4FW New Year's Wrestleution) || YES = 1 ||
Chris Hero vs Sami Callihan (AAW The Chaos Theory) || YES = 1 || 
Chris Hero & Tommy End vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Sami Callihan (Evolve 53) || YES = 1 || 





*WWE:*
Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio (Smackdown 14/01) || YES = 3 ||
Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble) || YES = 3 ||
Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens (Royal Rumble) || YES = 3 ||




*TNA:*
Ethan Carter vs Matt Hardy (19/01) || YES = 1 || 


*Lucha Libre:*
Maximo vs Kamaitachi (CMLL 01/01) || YES = 2 ||


*Legend:*
Red = 10 YES votes
*BOLD Red* = 20 YES votes


----------



## flag sabbath

*Jack Evans, Fireball & Australian Suicide vs La Parka Negra, Daga & Super Fly (AAA, Guerra de Titanes, 22/1):* Heart pumping trios action right here with nasty bastard rudos taking violent shortcuts to the beatdown, explosive aerial comebacks from the tecnicos & then a wild left turn into something spectacularly unruly ******


----------



## Corey

One more person needs to give a YES to Scurll/Ospreay so it can be red. It deserves it! 
@flag sabbath do you count your **** matches as YES votes? If so @Rah should to add that Dragon Gate 3-way team disbands elimination match. I'm also gonna raise my rating to **** and give it a YES (too much fun and too memorable to be left out), so it'll be two I assume.


----------



## Rah

Yeah, I wasn't sure with his. He recommended the DG tag, but didn't outright vote (he hasn't yet for any of the matches :side.


----------



## flag sabbath

I thought we originally agreed that ****1/4 & over = YES!

That being the case, YES! to AJ vs Shinskay, Ospreay vs Scurll and DL vs Kamaitachi. If folks miss out on my **** recommendations because they can't be arsed reading a three line review, then fuck 'em! 

:arn


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW: New Beginning In Osaka 2016)*


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

Chainsaw said:


> Hama is out of retirement? :shockedpunk


Ya better believe it and he's been a part of this awesome storyline in BJW where he pretty much steps in as the father figure for Hideyoshi Kamitani. A kid Okabayashi all but raised in BJW to where he is now. The promotion's top rising young star. Hama is like a cool rich step dad to the kid. Where Okabayashi was the one who always told him what not to do and disciplined him. They won the tag titles off Okabayashi and Sekimoto.


----------



## Corey

Been catching up on all the other Puro promotions lately and I just finished watching *Jun Akiyama (c) vs. Suwama* for the *Triple Crown Championship* from *January 2nd*. Really, really dug it (moreso than any other review I've seen for it online). Kinda reminded me of a NOAH main event from 10 years ago, just without the nasty apron bump. Akiyama throws some absolutely vicious knees and works over Suwama's neck area virtually the whole match. The selling is tremendous from both guys (especially as they stumble around from being knocked silly on several instances) and so many moments in the match feel like a real struggle. It was well on its way to getting a yes from me, but the last couple minutes just end up featuring entirely too many nearfalls off of the same moves. It doesn't hurt the match to a great extent, but it feels rather lazy after 20 minutes of excellent work. Otherwise, I highly recommend checking this one out. I'm sure it got glossed over with Wrestle Kingdom happening days afterwards, but it's a real gem imo. **** 3/4*

http://rutube.ru/video/8ef1dd7f50dbf5d53e452b505f89f79d/?pl_type=user&pl_id=1067514


----------



## Corey

*NEVER Openweight Championship*
Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii - ***** 1/4 (YES!!)*
_NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 2/11_

Admittedly I didn't care for their WK match at all (thought it was pretty dumb honestly), so when I I watched this match the first time around I was only half paying attention based on the fact that I didn't think I'd like it. Boy was I WRONG. The longer this went, the better it got. I had to watch it a 2nd time around. It felt like a match that was worked in a similar fashion, but in a much more realistic and grounded manner. They weren't going 100 miles per hour ALL THE TIME and I appreciated it. There's still a couple sequences I could've done without (the suplexing bit), but it wasn't that bad really. 

I was particularly enamored with both guys' selling. Shibata takes forearms and chops in the corner while his body contorts to the pain of every strike, Ishii coughs his lungs out as he gets chopped square in the throat, they both try to embody the fighting spirit but are far too woozy after being dumped on their heads, and when you get to the armbar spot (you'll know exactly which one I'm talking about when you see it), the match goes to a COMPLETELY different level. Shibata's intensity is absolutely unmatched by anyone in the wrestling business. He's like a shark that smells blood in the water when his opponent is weakened. The last few minutes are unreal. Awesome fucking match.​


----------



## ZEROVampire

*NEVER Openweight Championship
Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii
NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2/11
****

YES! Amazing Brawl*


----------



## flag sabbath

A thunderous *YES!* to *Ishii vs Shibata* from New Beginning in Osaka. They put together a far sturdier & more compelling battle than their adrenalized Dome show dead end. Breathing space between the wrecking balls, actual control segments (by their standards) & some tight submission work really ramped up the drama *****1/4*


----------



## LilOlMe

Ishii vs. Shibata ****1/2ish YES. I probably like WK more, because I found it more thrilling and it's probably my most easily re-watchable match ever, but this was tremendous. Epic feeling, and exactly the type of thing that can give those who dislike "fire spirit/no sell" type of matches something to be more enamored of.

I was wondering how they could top their previous performances, and also how they could do something different, and they totally figured it out. Kudos to them. 

Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (NJPW Fantastica Mania Night 6) YES. Don't remember my rating but I know it was ****1/4 or more. Not gonna write about it again, but it was great, and it was a star-making performance for Kamaitachi in Japan.


----------



## antoniomare007

*YES! TO Yuji Okabayashi vs Ryota Hama - BJW 24/1/2016 *

This was fun as hell to watch. Hama being the giant ball of grease that he is just bullying feisty a Yuji that wants to start cementing himself as THE man in Strong BJ. It could have been a little bit shorter because there's not a lot Hama can do working on top, but they transitioned very well to the final minutes. I'm a sucker for David vs Goliath matches and although this was far from a perfect one, I enjoyed the fuck out of it, no doubt I think this deserves to be seen. Yuji is such a fucking beast, can wait for more defenses from him.


----------



## DOPA

Katsuyroi Shibata vs Tomohiro Ishii (11/2): *****1/4*
Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi (24/1): *****1/4*

Both YES's for me. Great great matches.


----------



## Martins

Fuckin' hell, NO to Tanahashi/Omega from New Beginning in Niigata. 

Match started a bit slow, but by the time it picked up it was starting to get REAL good. The Young Bucks interference was expected and, to me, welcome; had the interferences stopped after the double superkick, I might've bumped this up a whole star. Instead we got Cody Hall distracting the ref for what felt like an eternity, then an Indytaker, then a ref bump, then a trash can, GOD. Too much.

Up until the Indytaker, and after the interferences were done, everything was going pretty good though. 

***1/4-***1/2.

5 (tons) of stars for the post-match promo.

Edit: Just got done with Ishii/Shibata, too. Now THAT, was fuckin' beast.

I just love how with every match they seem to find increasingly hardcore ways to test each other's toughness; first they were getting down on one knee to get chops or sitting down to get kicked in the back, now they're also inviting the other to give them a FUCKING BRAINBUSTER. You can't make this shit up. Next match I want them to set up 10 tables in the ring and take turns powerbombing each other through them.

Almost paradoxically though, I think they're gradually trying to show that each time they beat the shit out of each other, they're actually starting to lose as much capability to withstand the other one's punishment; at least to me it seemed like they were starting to really sell the effects of those strikes earlier, they were slightly wearier of each other's offense and maybe that's why this match felt slightly slower and more focused on control segments. Of course this isn't saying much, because compared to almost every other matches out there they were still beating the living shit out of each other, but in the Ishii/Shibata Universe of Violence it's what it seemed to me. ****1/2.


----------



## RatedR10

Enjoyed Tanahashi/Omega so much. Sadly, that was the only match I could find from the show.

Anyone have a link to IWGP tag title match and Bushi/Kushida?


----------



## Corey

*IWGP Intercontinental Championship (Vacant)*
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega - ***** 1/4 (YES!!)*
_NJPW New Beginning in Niigata 2/14_

After reading some other people's ratings and reviews for this, I admittedly went into the match with lowered and/or tempered expectations. I don't necessarily know if that helped or not (because I still loved the idea of the match beforehand), but the biggest thing I can urge you to do is to NOT let what other people think hinder your viewing experience going in. This was everything I could've hoped for and then some. As obvious as it sounds and looks, it was full tilt Kenny Omega's coming out party.

The general positive of the match was just how downright entertaining it was. Early on you have Tanahashi doing an ode to Nakamura with the boot in the corner and soon after you have Omega doing his best Bryan Danielson impression with the arm submission, elbows, and the crossface chickenwing. After taking one singular dragon screw leg whip, Kenny sells his leg like it's been shot. He evens hits a ONE LEGGED moonsault off the middle rope. Incredible. 

I can understand people complaining about the interference, but to me it actually just added to the match instead of detracting from it. It showed that Omega is still a total heel who's gonna cheat when he has to, but he still has the skill to back it up when the slate is wiped clean. Elgin coming in to clean house was probably a cool moment for him too. I was a tad bit bothered by Tanahshi being able to kick out of an indytaker and a styles clash, but you kinda forget about it minutes afterwards and hopefully they don't make it a regular occurrence. I can forgive it if it's a one time thing.

The nearfalls were all extremely believable and the drama was ridiculous in the final minutes. It had that feeling of a being a sports entertainment epic, but sometimes that's totally ok with me and something we don't see often in New Japan (I loved AJ/Tanahashi from King of Pro when they did the interference bit). There's still a LOT I could say about this, but I'll stop so it doesn't read like a novel.  Kudos to Omega for putting on a total clinic and for New Japan pulling the trigger here. Great, great, great main event to cap off a very strong 2nd half to the show.​


----------



## flag sabbath

Might have to try Omega vs Tana again because I found the first 25 mins incredibly boring. I'm not into Kenny's character or wrestling style at all & he seems to struggle to mesh the two. He's no AJ, that's for sure. Hell, he's not even Devitt (never mind Danielson!).


----------



## Corey

flag sabbath said:


> Might have to try Omega vs Tana again because *I found the first 25 mins incredibly boring*. I'm not into Kenny's character or wrestling style at all & he seems to struggle to mesh the two. He's no AJ, that's for sure. Hell, he's not even Devitt (never mind Danielson!).


Omega putting on a Naito Ingobernable mask and playing the air guitar at the same time after doing a moonsault off the guardrail should've been enough to tide you over for at least a good 5-10 minutes. :lol


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

People saying the beginning of the match was boring obviously don't watch matches all the way through. The slow build is a staple in New Japan.


----------



## flag sabbath

Corey said:


> Omega putting on a Naito Ingobernable mask and playing the air guitar at the same time after doing a moonsault off the guardrail should've been enough to tide you over for at least a good 5-10 minutes. :lol


Arf! Forgot all about that. I hope Naito threw a shitfit at him afterwards, the goof.


----------



## flag sabbath

Japanese Puroresu said:


> People saying the beginning of the match was boring obviously don't watch matches all the way through. The slow build is a staple in New Japan.


What did it build to though? Tana's arm didn't factor into the finish & Kenny was throwing knees all over the place.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

flag sabbath said:


> What did it build to though? Tana's arm didn't factor into the finish & Kenny was throwing knees all over the place.


Tana's arm didn't need to factor into the finish. It was established before 2 weeks ago he had a bad shoulder injury and working it would prevent him from operating a 100%.

Not every limb being worked must result in it being the finish. People want to see the trademark finisher. You don't work the head in every match for it in most cases.


----------



## Corey

flag sabbath said:


> What did it build to though? Tana's arm didn't factor into the finish & Kenny was throwing knees all over the place.


His arm actually did somewhat play into the finish. Omega hit a massive knee onto the back of the shoulder while Tana was hanging onto the ropes, which then setup the final flurry into the finish. He threw a few knees late but I still thought he sold them well because I'm pretty sure he was still grabbing at it after the bell rang.

In comparison to how much kayfabe damage Omega took in comparison to Tana, he sold it 6x better I thought. Really great performance from him imo.


----------



## flag sabbath

Yeah, fair play gents. I was wrong about this one - just didn't click with it on first viewing ******


----------



## RatedR10

Ishii/Shibata from Day 1 - ****1/2
Omega/Tanahashi - ****1/4

Ishii and Shibata, though. My god.


----------



## NakNak

I would like Ishii/Shibata more if it weren't for that Suplex spot...when they did Suplex after Suplex after Suplex after Suplex, letting the other guy grab him like "I want to be suplexed, please"

I know that Ishii style of matches are like this, but he has went overkill lately. The last match I enjoyed from him was against Elgin in the G1 Climax *(EDIT: Nah, the last match that I enjoyed of him was against Honma in...November? I think so)*. And the last time I enjoyed him on a month to month basis was in 2014.

I love Shibata, so I hope this was the last Ishii/Shibata match for a while.

Just wanted to say that. If you love Ishii's pure destruction nonsense, that's fine. We like different things, that's all, I liked him better when he wasn't that overkill with his style in 2014 until sometime last year.

_I know that this match had storytelling, is just that it was a story I couldn't be invested, sadly._

I'll post my thoughts on other matches from the NJPW events later...


----------



## Tommydog

Yes for Ambrose-Owens and Nakamura-Styles.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following matches:

Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW New Beginning In Niigata) 

Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay (PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 25: Chat Shit, Get Banged)*


----------



## NastyYaffa

I watched *Tanahashi/Omega* earlier today, and thought it was boring as hell, tbh. Which is a shame, because I love Tanahashi, and I like Omega. I don't know if it's because I have been watching A LOT of Danielson matches this past week, but Omega's arm work looked really weak. Really the only thing that I liked about the match was Tanahashi's leg work (+ Omega's selling of that), and there wasn't much of that in the match, sadly. And the Bullet Club interferences were awful. I'd probably give the match *1/2. Disappointing.


----------



## Martins

NakNak said:


> I would like Ishii/Shibata more if it weren't for that Suplex spot...when they did Suplex after Suplex after Suplex after Suplex, letting the other guy grab him like "I want to be suplexed, please"
> 
> I know that Ishii style of matches are like this, but he has went overkill lately. The last match I enjoyed from him was against Elgin in the G1 Climax *(EDIT: Nah, the last match that I enjoyed of him was against Honma in...November? I think so)*. And the last time I enjoyed him on a month to month basis was in 2014.
> 
> I love Shibata, so I hope this was the last Ishii/Shibata match for a while.
> 
> Just wanted to say that. If you love Ishii's pure destruction nonsense, that's fine. We like different things, that's all, I liked him better when he wasn't that overkill with his style in 2014 until sometime last year.
> 
> _I know that this match had storytelling, is just that it was a story I couldn't be invested, sadly._
> 
> I'll post my thoughts on other matches from the NJPW events later...


Actually the Suplex spot was one of my favourites :lol

I think it's more in the vein of them finding increasingly elaborate ways to prove their toughness in front of the other. We know how suplexes/brainbusters are in that higher tier of moves in Japan, so they went with it to try to send a really big "fuck you" to each other. Done by any other two guys, it wouldn't be the same, to me. Of course, that applies to pretty much any of their other matches where they take turns kicking and chopping the shit out of each other, this spot was just that to a higher level.

I do understand other people not liking it as much, though. To each his own


----------



## LilOlMe

YES to *Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega at New Beginning*. Match was awesome. Built the way a match should, and I'm amazed by how they hit on almost every angle within the match.

They addressed the arm, and they even had me fooled a little in the beginning of Kenny's selling of the leg (Kenny smartly began limping on it when he suplexed Tanahashi into the chairs, so when he began acting like it hurt later on, I bought it for a second).

The interference was done in a very smart way, because they had it look like Tana was gonna beat the odds. Even with all of that, they made Kenny look kind of strong in the end, because he pinned Tana after a series of moves...some of which Tana had just kicked out of. I like that it didn't come directly after the interference.

Wish I could write really smartly about the match, because I feel that it deserves a more thorough explanation of why it was so great. I just know that it encompassed everything, and it felt like a rollercoaster ride that built suspense better than a match has in a long time for me. Just really good stuff, and both men came out of it looking great, Kenny especially. Tana & NJPW know how to build stars when they want to.

****1/2


----------



## flag sabbath

Ospreay vs Scurll No DQ from Chat Shit Get Banged is ludicrously OTT. Some folks will love it, but they lost me straight away when Will got dumped on the apron & blasted with a brolly to NO EFFECT WHATSOEVER. He then gets his arm worked over only to fire back with a series of handsprings. From there it's 20 odd minutes of finisher level offence & videogame sequences with little or no selling & cartoonish fighting spirit. Fantastic atmosphere, big fight feel, loads of holy shit moments etc, but ultimately a Marmite match that gets a NO! from me (no doubt until I watch it again & 'get' it fpalm)


----------



## Cactus

Finally caught up with the recent NJPW shows. Reviews of both shows can be found on my blog.

YES to:

*Katsuyori Shibata vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 2/11/2016) *
Better than the previous match at the Tokyo Dome. This match actually focuses on selling and psychology as apposed to the spectacle (a great spectacle none the less) of two guys taking turns hitting each other hard. I had my worries this would just be a repeat of the Tokyo Dome match when they let each other hit suplexes on each other, but they proved me wrong, even if that spot did bug me a lot. A total war that's more than a spectacle. 
★★★¾

NO to:

*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kenny Omega (NJPW, 2/14/2016)*
This match has received mixed criticism and I can see why. There was some really great stuff in this, and some really bad stuff too. This match didn't feel like any other match in NJPW in years (or ever). The interference worked and sent the crowd into a frenzy. I was sucked into the hellish atmosphere of the finishing stretch even if I was majorly irked by them busting reverse frankensteiners and brushing them off like they were light slaps. Omega worked a mean control segment on Tanahashi's arm, but it ultimately went nowhere. A flawed yet memorable main event epic. One thing for sure is that it's worth checking out, even if you end up hating it. 
★★★½ 

Nominating:

*KUSHIDA vs BUSHI (NJPW, 2/14/2016)*
KUSHIDA looked like an absolute star in this and I imagine NJPW will continue to build the Jr. division around him. Minus the few occasion when both guys looked a tad awkward and didn't look too sure what to do next, this was a fantastic match that the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands. The interactions with the ref and the interference were both handled smartly and didn't retract from the quality of the match. 
★★★¾


----------



## Rah

Are they building the division around KUSH, though? He was the best wrestler they had in 2014 by a long way, but his couple reigns haven't exactly gone very long in comparison to others.


----------



## Corey

Rah said:


> Are they building the division around KUSH, though? He was the best wrestler they had in 2014 by a long way, but his couple reigns haven't exactly gone very long in comparison to others.


Omega's 2nd reign should've never happened imo. It just didn't make any sense and KUSHIDA would've been crossing the 7 month mark with the belt by now. The way he was presented in the match with BUSHI made him look like a world beater though. I hope they definitely build the division around him until another guy like Kenny comes around to take the reigns for a short bit. New Japan in general just needs a champion to have more than one successful defense that's NOT against the same damn person/people. Too much hot potato and repetitiveness. 

Either way, these 3 matches must happen in 2016:

KUSHIDA vs. Kamaitachi
KUSHIDA vs. Dragon Lee
KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay


----------



## Superkix

Here's a list of YES matches. If you'd like to read my thoughts on each, please check out my blog:

- Styles/Nakamura (1/4)
- Ishii/Shibata (1/4)
- Lee/Kamaitachi (1/24)
- Okabayashi/Hama (1/24)
- Ishii/Shibata (2/11)


----------



## Superkix

YES to Kamaitachi/Maximo. Simple and well-executed in-ring story built around Maximo's bum knee and his struggle to overcome the aggressive Kamaitachi.


----------



## Corey

I thought most of Kamaitachi/Maximo was good when I watched it a while back, but Maximo's selling was nonexistent in the 3rd fall and it felt like the match was NEVER going to end. After the absurd amount of nearfalls (the ref was slow as dirt too), I just stopped caring.


----------



## Fighter Daron

YES to Samy Zayn vs. Samoa Joe from this week's NXT, Samy did a great job selling for Joe and the latter is finding his old brutal form, a truly great match. ****


----------



## Superkix

Corey said:


> I thought most of Kamaitachi/Maximo was good when I watched it a while back, but Maximo's selling was nonexistent in the 3rd fall and it felt like the match was NEVER going to end. After the absurd amount of nearfalls (the ref was slow as dirt too), I just stopped caring.


I agree that the ref in his silly goggles was way too slow on the count. But I thought Maximo did a good job of still selling the effects during the third fall, especially the exhausted way he climbed the ropes for his dives and his grimacing facials. Granted, Kamaitachi also didn't spend much of the third fall going after the bad leg.


----------



## Corey

flag sabbath said:


> Ospreay vs Scurll No DQ from Chat Shit Get Banged is ludicrously OTT. Some folks will love it, but they lost me straight away when Will got dumped on the apron & blasted with a brolly to NO EFFECT WHATSOEVER. He then gets his arm worked over only to fire back with a series of handsprings. From there it's 20 odd minutes of finisher level offence & videogame sequences with little or no selling & cartoonish fighting spirit. Fantastic atmosphere, big fight feel, loads of holy shit moments etc, but ultimately a Marmite match that gets a NO! from me (no doubt until I watch it again & 'get' it fpalm)


I just finished this and I think the best way to describe it is that it's basically two matches put into one. I thought the first 20 minutes were ABSURDLY entertaining to the point where I thought you were crazy for saying this stuff, but everything that happens after the table spot at the entrance ramp was just... awful.  It's like they basically restarted the match and there was no need for it to go on as long as it did. The amount of no selling from Ospreay was disgusting. The last 10 minutes completely ruined the really awesome stuff they did beforehand. I really don't understand who decided that Ospreay needed to be protected as much as he was with the finish. Overkill city for christ sake.

Had the match ended shortly after the tombstone with maybe a chickenwing or that spike flipping ddt, I'd probably be giving it **** for entertainment value alone. What a shame.


----------



## flag sabbath

Corey said:


> I just finished this and I think the best way to describe it is that it's basically two matches put into one. I thought the first 20 minutes were ABSURDLY entertaining to the point where I thought you were crazy for saying this stuff, but everything that happens after the table spot at the entrance ramp was just... awful.  It's like they basically restarted the match and there was no need for it to go on as long as it did. The amount of no selling from Ospreay was disgusting. The last 10 minutes completely ruined the really awesome stuff they did beforehand. I really don't understand who decided that Ospreay needed to be protected as much as he was with the finish. Overkill city for christ sake.
> 
> Had the match ended shortly after the tombstone with maybe a chickenwing or that spike flipping ddt, I'd probably be giving it **** for entertainment value alone. What a shame.


I'm pretty certain this is the most excessive match I've ever seen. It reminds me of Edwards vs Richards from Final Battle 2011, which I hated. I feel like I should watch it again & try to process it differently, but deep down I just can't be arsed :shrug


----------



## Corey

flag sabbath said:


> I'm pretty certain this is the most excessive match I've ever seen. It reminds me of Edwards vs Richards from Final Battle 2011, which I hated. I feel like I should watch it again & try to process it differently, but deep down I just can't be arsed :shrug


I don't think there's any way to process it differently unless you didn't like the first 20 minutes or so (which I loved). There's just far too many kickouts and "fighting spirit" moments from Ospreay late in the match to be seen as anything other than overkill. You can even tell how the crowd reactions start getting worse and worse after every one. "Oh wow... he kicked out again even though he was handcuffed and just got kicked in the face 3 times and then destroyed with a bunch of umbrellas..."

It's not good when you're in the same company as that awful FB 2011 main event. Not good at all.


----------



## mobyomen

Fighter Daron said:


> YES to Samy Zayn vs. Samoa Joe from this week's NXT, Samy did a great job selling for Joe and the latter is finding his old brutal form, a truly great match. ****


I absolutely agree. Joe hasn't looked that intense and brutal in years!


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Yes to Shibata vs Ishii from The New Beginning -****1/2

No to Omega vs Tanahashi from The New Beginning - ***1/2
Also No to O'Spreay vs Scurll from Progress Wrestling - ***3/4- mostly it was a great match and nothing really bothered me about the match but their match from RPW was a lot better so this was a bit of a let down though I thought this had a bigger match feeling to it


----------



## Rah

flag sabbath said:


> I'm pretty certain this is the most excessive match I've ever seen. It reminds me of Edwards vs Richards from Final Battle 2011, which I hated. I feel like I should watch it again & try to process it differently, but deep down I just can't be arsed :shrug


If your self-loathing ever reaches the stage where you wish to watch that match, again, just watch this snippet from it. Should prevent you from hurting yourself.


----------



## NakNak

*NO (Recommended)*
_KUSHIDA vs BUSHI (NJPW The New Beginning in Niigata 2016)_
***3/4

*NO (Recommended)*
_Kazuchika Okada vs Hirooki Goto (NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2016)_
***3/4

*YES!*
*NO (Recommended)*
_Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW The New Beginning in Niigata 2016)_
****



Rah said:


> If your self-loathing ever reaches the stage where you wish to watch that match, again, just watch this snippet from it. Should prevent you from hurting yourself.


I get that some people likes stuff like that, but I can't lie:

*That shit was one of the most (and worst) over the top sequences I have watched in Professional Wrestling. This is one of the reasons I just can't buy in the hype with guys like Ospreay.*


----------



## Corey

NakNak said:


> I get that some people likes stuff like that, but I can't lie:
> 
> *That shit was one of the most (and worst) over the top sequences I have watched in Professional Wrestling. This is one of the reasons I just can't buy in the hype with guys like Ospreay.*


I urge you to not base your opinion on Ospreay from that single clip and what wild sequences you've seen in the matches with Scurll. Watch his matches against Styles, Romero, and the 2 out of 3 falls against Matt Sydal from last year and if you still don't care for him, then you probably never will. The guy has incredible amounts of athleticism for someone his size and is no doubt one of the best junior heavyweights in the world at this point. He doesn't need to do all that crazy 100 mph stuff to impress.

He's MUCH more grounded in this match and delivers a great performance against a wily vet like Romero.


----------



## NakNak

Corey said:


> I urge you to not base your opinion on Ospreay from that single clip and what wild sequences you've seen in the matches with Scurll. Watch his matches against Styles, Romero, and the 2 out of 3 falls against Matt Sydal from last year and if you still don't care for him, then you probably never will. The guy has incredible amounts of athleticism for someone his size and is no doubt one of the best junior heavyweights in the world at this point. He doesn't need to do all that crazy 100 mph stuff to impress.
> 
> He's MUCH more grounded in this match and delivers a great performance against a wily vet like Romero.


I like his match against Jimmy Havoc at Progress 20, I think that was the event. I liked the Sydal/Ospreay match from a RevProTV, didn't like their 2 out of 3 falls tho (neither the PWG match). To me the guy is hit or miss, I want to like him overall, but I like him in some matches and in others I hate him.

I will check his stuff against AJ & Romero, tho. I'm still willing to give him a chance!


----------



## NastyYaffa

*RODERICK STRONG vs. TOMOHIRO ISHII - NJPW/ROH HONOR RISING - NIGHT 1 - YES!*
Ever since the partnership between ROH & New Japan started, this has been one of the top dream matches for me, for sure. And it delivered. Roddy worked as the heel in the match (even though he was over as FUCK in Korakuen :mark, and Ishii did his thing. Roddy once again did amazing job w/ his character, being so sure that this short Japanese guy can't be on his level, but quickly realizing that everything he threw at Ishii did some damage on him; BUT didn't finish him. Ishii's selling was also great, and that's not surprising. He is without a doubt one of the best sellers in the business right now. Overall this was one hell of a match w/ a hot crowd, and I definitely hope that we see a re-match down the line. *****1/4*


----------



## NakNak

NastyYaffa said:


> *RODERICK STRONG vs. TOMOHIRO ISHII - NJPW/ROH HONOR RISING - NIGHT 1 - YES!*
> Ever since the partnership between ROH & New Japan started, this has been one of the top dream matches for me, for sure. And it delivered. Roddy worked as the heel in the match (even though he was over as FUCK in Korakuen :mark, and Ishii did his thing. Roddy once again did amazing job w/ his character, being so sure that this short Japanese guy can't be on his level, but quickly realizing that everything he threw at Ishii did some damage on him; BUT didn't finish him. Ishii's selling was also great, and that's not surprising. He is without a doubt one of the best sellers in the business right now. Overall this was one hell of a match w/ a hot crowd, and I definitely hope that we see a re-match down the line. *****1/4*


Dude, where I can watch/download this? I can't have NJPW World and XWT registration is closed ATM


----------



## NastyYaffa

NakNak said:


> Dude, where I can watch/download this? I can't have NJPW World and XWT registration is closed ATM


I'll PM you a link! (Y)


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

2/14 njpw Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi YES ****1/2

2/19 cmll Mascara Dorada vs Mephisto YES


Spoiler: a spoiler



Mephisto really went after Dorada using high impact power moves. Specifically targeting Dorada's back and causing head trauma. Dorada would fight back the only way he knew. With a rapid and daredevilish high flying. He punished Mephisto with headscissors off the apron, on the floor, off the ropes. This built up to a dive off the stage 15-20 ft. up. Dorada would not relent untill Mephisto would catch him with some higher impact moves in a way to combat that. They would go back and forth all over the place. From the stage to aisle between the seats and the announcer's desk. Eventually climaxing the match with a very near fall from a top rope Devils Wings. Dorada kicks out as an ultimate act of defiance and catches Mephisto in disarray, hoists him up and spikes him down with a Dorada Driver. ****1/2




2/19 cmll Volador jr. , Stuka jr, Dragon Lee vs ***** Casas, Kamaitachi, Gran Guerrero YES

Incredible under 10 minute match filled with dives and a story you can bite into. ***** Casas vs Volador jr rivaly is on full display. ***** Casas brings it and when he does, he is one of the best ever. Better than Flair and Michaels. ****1/4

If you want a short preface on my opinion on lucha psychology click below. You kinda get where I'm coming from if you read it.
http://www.wrestlingforum.com/57292697-post3097.html

2/20 Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin&Roderick Strong vs Kazuchika Okada,Tomohiro Ishii&YOSHI-HASHI **** NO
1/18 Hideyoshi Kamitani & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs. Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Yuji Okabayashi (BJW) ****1/4 YES
1/23 Ospreay vs Scurll ****1/4 YES - Scurll goes hot/cold too much for me to really get into this and believe that he is really as villain as he says he is. Ospreay was off the charts. Scurll just doesn't finish convincing me.


----------



## Dead Seabed

NakNak said:


> Dude, where I can watch/download this? I can't have NJPW World and XWT registration is closed ATM


I think the regs are open again. Here's the link for the torrent http://www.xtremewrestlingtorrents.net/details.php?id=143159&hit=1

2.37 GB, great quality, downloaded it within an hour with my shitty third world internet speed


----------



## dmgsdmgsdmgs

Got a link to that CMLL show?


----------



## Corey

dmgsdmgsdmgs said:


> Got a link to that CMLL show?


The 3rd fall was fantastic.


----------



## Fighter Daron

Yes to Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar - Fastlane

The match was fucking perfect til the end, it was too rushed and anticlimatic, but ****1/2 for me. MOTY right now.


----------



## Cactus

Yes to:

*Roman Reigns vs Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar (WWE, 21/2/2016)*
The only thing worth your time on one of the worst WWE PPVs in recent history. Shorter than your normal WWE PPV main event, there's no wasted time and jump straight into things. Ambrose's offense looked rather harmless and ineffective, but Ambrose sold Lesnar's suplexes like death and Lesnar didn't act like he was shot when Ambrose hit him with weak bombs, so it's all good. Some great spots in this, including Roman spearing Lesnar when he was about to hit the F5 and the German suplex/Samoa drop spot. Everything wrapped up way too prematurely and Roman no-selling the chair shots hindered the finish, which was the weakest part of this match. We all knew deep down who was winning this, but they managed to convince me that Ambrose had the slightest chance for the duration of this match. My WWE MOTY for the moment.
★★★★¼


----------



## ZEROVampire

Roman Reigns vs Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar was really good ppv main event, brilliant story inside the ring and this is probably the best No Tag Ambrose match, but this is not a MOTYC ***1/2


----------



## JIM2000

*YES* to *Alberto del Rio vs Kalisto - WWE Fast Lane 2016*

Another great match in their series. Alberto shows intensity every time he battles Kalisto and is vicious in his attacks, like smashing him against the steel post or targeting the arm. I loved the Rick Rude spot at the end of the first fall, really smart strategy. The build up for the big spots was excellent and Kalisto's hope spots were great too. Easy MOTYC.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Yep, Kalisto/ADR was really good. Not a MOTYC, but my favorite WWE match of the year. Del Rio was vicious, beating the crap out of Kalisto & disrespecting him, and Kalisto was an awesome underdog, and as @JIM2000 mentioned, his hope spots were awesome. ***3/4


----------



## Corey

Del Rio/Kalisto 2 out of 3 falls _just_ misses the cut for me. *** 3/4 but a really great match and their best outing to date imo. Loved Del Rio's performance, the story as a whole, and the creativity around the finishes. A real shame that it didn't make the main show because I made the comment that they could steal the show... and they damn near did!

Speaking of other matches that just missed my cut, I have both Dorada/Mephisto and the Fastlane triple threat main event at *** 3/4. Really enjoyed both, but admittedly the finishes REALLY bothered me in both and dropped each of them 1/4*.


----------



## Stetho

YES to Ospreay vs Scurll, PROGRESS 25. Phenomenal stuff. The ending was perfect.


----------



## Superkix

Strong-Ishii (2/19) - NO

I actually kind of liked the match up until the apron-to-floor backdrop. Ishii was doing a good job of selling the back, and Strong's chickenshit heel/cocky offense made sense when up against a stiff guy like Ishii. But after that spot, which a good, emotionally-charged spot, the selling went bye-bye and there were too many contrived Roddy spots. The top rope suplex - End of Heart - running knee sequence was just bad. It made the prior two moves seem ineffective, as Ishii needs to immediately stand up for the knee spot. 

Tanahashi-Omega (2/14) - NO

A mixed bag for sure. Omega is a fun heel (the masked Naito moonsault being a highlight), but his over-theatrics bleeds into his selling, which he does to death. The way he throws himself into the corner after a whip. Or takes every bump by turning himself inside out. When he was working Tanahashi's shoulder, it worked. He was great, and Tanahashi's selling was solid. Tanahashi played the outnumbered face in distress and the crowd was firmly behind him but the interference did kill it for me. The first bit worked, as it led to the dramatic comeback for Tanahashi, but just as the match was picking up momentum again, they cut it off again with the stupid trash can spot and Elgin's overly-choreographed save.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following:

Roderick Strong vs. Tomohiro Ishii (ROH/NJPW: Honor Rising Day 1)*


----------



## El Dandy

Think I'm finally caught up:

*YES*
Shibata/Ishii - 1/4
Styles/Nakamura - 1/4
Okada/Tanahashi - 1/4 
Shibata/Ishii - 2/11
GBH/BC - 2/14
*
NO but would recommend*
Omega/Tanahashi - 2/14
BUSHI/KUSHIDA - 2/14
Strong/Ishii - 2/19 (think if they got another chance it would be better; the match just felt off to me)


----------



## Superkix

Minoru Suzuki vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH, 2/24) - YES

Easy MOTYC. Awesome performances from both men. Tons of drama, tons of arm brutality, Minoru being the best heel in the world, and Nakajima fighting and suffering for the feel good moment of the year.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Minoru Suzuki vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima - NOAH 2/24 - *****

Fantastic match slightly marred by an abrupt finish, but boy was the journey enjoyable. Suzuki plays the schoolyard bully and is the perfect foil to Nakajima's plucky underdog babyface. Suzuki goes to town on Nakajima's arm, almost crippling him, and there's a fabulous hope spot where Nakajima attempts some forearms with the injured arm, only for Suzuki to shrug it off and basically laugh in his face. With a stronger finish I'm sure I would have gone higher, but it seemingly came out of nowhere and didn't feel like a worthy climax to the great work that had been done before. Still, it's well worth checking out. Haven't seen any NOAH in quite some time so it was nice to see they're still occasionally putting on a gem like this.


----------



## Fighter Daron

Yes to MiSu vs. Nakajima, they showed how to have a great match without a million moves, Tana & Okada should pay attention. ****


----------



## BillThompson

Yes to Hama/Okabayashi, BJW 01-26

A perfectly structured match that makes the most out of Hama's limited mobility and range. That's not to say Hama doesn't carry his own end in this match, because he does. His sense of timing and the way they factor that into the narrative of the match is really something to watch.


----------



## Dr. Middy

*Yes *to Neville/Finn Balor - NXT March 2nd, 2016

Strongest match in NXT to date this year. They worked a simple style where they would trade off moves at first, before going into bigger moves later on. Both sold very well, and they allowed space in the match for moves to actually mean something, instead of just spamming them one after another. Overall this was very good.

******


----------



## NastyYaffa

*KAZUCHIKA OKADA & KAZUSHI SAKURABA vs. KATSUYORI SHIBATA & KUSHIDA - NJPW NEW JAPAN CUP - DAY 1 - YES!*
Just a damn well paced & worked tag match. Everything in it felt fresh & exciting; Okada & Shibata had some good interactions, so did Okada & KUSHIDA, but my favorite stuff in the match was actually the interactions between KUSHIDA & Saku. I really want to see them have a 1-on-1 match now. It also ended just when it needed to, didn't went on too long. All in all, this was a damn great match, I'd actually say that it's my favorite NJPW match since Wrestle Kingdom. Great stuff! ******

Naito/YOSHI-HASHI + Tana/Fale from the same show are also worth watching. I have both at ***1/2.


----------



## Dr. Middy

*YES *to Fenix vs King Cuerno - Ladder match for the Gift of the Gods Championship - Lucha Underground March 2nd, 2016

First off, praise to both of them for not doing the traditional ladder match where the majority of it is just trying a million times to get up the ladder. Instead, a huge chunk of the match was a showcase for the brutality of King Cuerno as he beatdown Fenix, acting just like the hunter he is portrayed as. They had plenty of great spots, including Fenix flying off Catrina's office over a ladder onto Cuerno, and Cuerno pushing Fenix onto a ladder leading on the side of the ring. Near the end of the match they finally start going for the belt, and it ends with a Rana through a table set up by Cuerno, while Fenix grabs the belt. This came off great, with Fenix looking like a fantastic babyface in overcoming the odds.

I also enjoyed the small touches, like the ladders designed and painted to look grungy and beat up, so they fit the feel of the temple. Overall this was fantastic. 

*****1/4*


----------



## Corey

*CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship*
Kamaitachi (c) vs. Dragon Lee - ***** 1/4 - (YES!!)*
_CMLL on Claro Sports 3/4_
http://www.clarosports.com/lucha-li...ano-a-mano-de-dragon-lee-y-kamaitachi-590322/

Not too many fancy things to say about this. If you loved their match from Fantasticamania, I see no reason why you won't love this. Both guys quite literally empty out their entire arsenals and take some NASTY bumps to the floor. The third fall was insanity and I didn't have any clue how the match was gonna end. They did honestly get a little excessive in the last couple minutes, but it's alright because these two know each other so well that the usual winning moves just weren't gonna gt it done. This had the feel as being the final match in a long series just based on how much shit they actually had to throw at each other before it was all over, but talk about some good ass chemistry in the ring. bama4​


----------



## hgr423

I haven't seen much wrestling this year yet except for ROH TV, but I really liked *Evil vs Ishii from NJC Day 1*. It's a story of two stout gentlemen hitting each other hard and they do it well. In my opinion, Evil had a better heel performance than Omega vs Tanahashi and he's night and day from his appearances in ROH. ****


----------



## ZEROVampire

*Campeonato Mundial de Peso Ligero del CMLL
Kamaitachi (c) vs Dragon Lee
CMLL Super Viernes 3/4
****

YES!*


----------



## Cactus

*Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (CMLL, 3/4/2016)*
This felt more at home compared to the NJPW match from earlier this year, if that makes sense. They rush through the first two falls and go full-throttle into the deciding fall. These guys work so well of each other and they sold the fatigue of all the damage they take during the course of the match well. They reach a brilliant final stand-off that wraps things up nicely. The second rope Canadian Destroyer is a rare example of that move actually looking particularly legit and not a move that it's clear as day that the person taking is obviously helping out. That alone takes skill.
★★★★¼


----------



## Groovemachine

*Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi - CMLL on Claro Sports 3/4 - *****

I didn't really care for their Fantasticamania match, but this was terrific. The first two falls are throwaway but it's all about the final fall here. Great callbacks to their last match, especially the apron hurracanrana. It was all paced very well, with each sequence of moves building on the last, and I enjoyed the frenetic series of pinfalls towards the end. And shock horror they actually built to a climax that meant something - the final move was devastating and looked like a proper finish. Top stuff here.


----------



## NastyYaffa

I really liked the match that Kamaitachi & Dragon Lee had at Fantastica Mania (***1/2), so I decided to give the re-match a shot. And well, I thought it was awful. Felt like a total movez~! exhibition, and I didn't find it compelling at all. *1/2


----------



## dezpool

I wanted to love Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee, but it kinda felt like they were doing so many big moves to each other and just getting back up moments later with little effect on them. Maybe I need to watch it again.


----------



## SodaPopinski82

These Dragon Lee Kamaitachi have been pretty crazy. As they continue to grow as wrestlers this matches will get even better.


----------



## dezpool

Dragon Lee and Kamaitachi taking all those hard falls to the floor was crazy too. You just know their backs were in pain the next morning.


----------



## Corey

dezpool said:


> I wanted to love Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee, but it kinda felt like they were doing so many big moves to each other and just getting back up moments later with little effect on them. Maybe I need to watch it again.


This is typically something I'll always notice and not be a fan of if it does occur, but I thought they did a really good job of selling in this one. The 3rd fall went around 20 minutes and I know a lot of that was them being down from all the crazy bumps and falls. Made it really easy to digest imo.

BTW, honorable mention goes out to Ishii vs. EVIL from the New Japan Cup 1st round. Completely awesome match that just misses the cut. Ishii vs. Naito in the 2nd round was really good as well and I could see many people liking it more than I did.


----------



## dezpool

Corey said:


> This is typically something I'll always notice and not be a fan of if it does occur, but I thought they did a really good job of selling in this one. The 3rd fall went around 20 minutes and I know a lot of that was them being down from all the crazy bumps and falls. Made it really easy to digest imo.
> 
> BTW, honorable mention goes out to Ishii vs. EVIL from the New Japan Cup 1st round. Completely awesome match that just misses the cut. Ishii vs. Naito in the 2nd round was really good as well and I could see many people liking it more than I did.


It could also be all the replays, so maybe it was a case of me not always seeing them struggle to recover. I'll give it another look. Certainly an amazing athletic contest to be sure. I need to get used to the way these refs count lol.


----------



## dezpool

Not sure if it is a motyc, but Mike Bailey vs Sami from CZW Seventeen was a really intense, very hard hitting back and forth match. Not a huge fan of Sami at times, but I thought he did what he does well in this match.


----------



## BillThompson

NastyYaffa said:


> I really liked the match that Kamaitachi & Dragon Lee had at Fantastica Mania (***1/2), so I decided to give the re-match a shot. And well, I thought it was awful. Felt like a total movez~! exhibition, and I didn't find it compelling at all. *1/2


Context matters in this case. They've created a feud where it really needs to be seen from the beginning, and in order. Every big match, lightning match, trios match, etc. They aren't just throwing out moves for the sake of moves, but are building on things they did back in match 1, that was then a factor in match 4, and is now again an important piece of match 9. They call back to what has come before, use that as the impetus for what they are doing in the now, etc. There's reasons behind what they are doing, an overall story they've been telling, etc.


----------



## Dead Seabed

*Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi - CMLL *

Minus five stars - gymnastics spotfest with very little to do with pro wrestling


----------



## dmgsdmgsdmgs

FUCKING YES to:

*Dragon Lee vs. Kamaitachi (CMLL Super Viernes 3/4/2016)*

*Zach Sabre Jr. Vs. Roderick Strong (PWG All Star Weekend 12 Night 2)*


----------



## kimino

Its more difficult to understand the beauty of Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi match from CMLL Super Viernes if you havent been following their epic feud from the mano a mano, championship matches, lighining matches, mask vs mask, trios matches, mano a mano, also if you are not used to lucha style

I rate the same their 2 matches, great story told if you understand all there is to it
**** 1/4 for me, and Feud of the Year, this 2 are meant to have a rivalry for years, hope that one day dragon lee spent 1 year in NJPW, and Kamaitachi does well in Japan

And 4 stars from ZeroVampire should tell you that this match was quality (for his strict standards)

My favorite Puro wrestler who has come to CMLL, i like this exchange even more than Nakamura one just because of the feud with dragon lee


----------



## NakNak

_Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan Cup 2016 Night 2)_
*****1/2*

_Y2AJ vs The New Day (WWE Raw March 7th, 2016)_
*****1/4*

I loved both of these matches. That 2 on 2 tag match is one of the best that WWE has produced in a very long time. And Naito's character work is fantastic. He is so much interesting as the Ingobernable.


----------



## Fighter Daron

YES to Y2AJ vs The New Day (WWE Raw March 7th, 2016) ****

Great sprint, New Day were the stars.


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

dezpool said:


> Not sure if it is a motyc, but Mike Bailey vs Sami from CZW Seventeen was a really intense, very hard hitting back and forth match. Not a huge fan of Sami at times, but I thought he did what he does well in this match.


This was hotgarbage. ** and I'm being nice. Speedball is very spectacular and Callihan tries to provide a strict wall for him to bounce off. Super underwhelmed by Callihan. Guys didn't mix at all.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Yall giving a YES to Y2AJ v. New Day ?

I mean man the match was great but I'd give it at best *** 1/2


----------



## flag sabbath

In case anyone's interested, there's a 10 match Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi freeleech pack up on xwt. I'm going in....


----------



## Rah

For those who don't have the bandwidth nor ability to get onto XWT, their CMLL matches are all, here, in order. The only match that is missing is their outing in NJPW, which is here.

Get on it. (Y)


___

Match votes will be tallied tomorrow. Promise. Had a rather hectic last couple weeks. Soz.


----------



## dezpool

Rah said:


> For those who don't have the bandwidth nor ability to get onto XWT, their CMLL matches are all, here, in order. The only match that is missing is their outing in NJPW, which is here.
> 
> Get on it. (Y)
> 
> 
> ___
> 
> Match votes will be tallied tomorrow. Promise. Had a rather hectic last couple weeks. Soz.


Awesome, thank you.


----------



## ZEROVampire

Samoa Joe vs Sami Zayn in a 2/3 Falls Match was really good match. Rare match for WWE, classic ROH Style Match, great booking. Not MOTYC for me, but absolutely recommended, Best WWE Match of the Year so far. ***3/4


----------



## Corey

*Lucha Underground Championship*
Mil Muertes (c) vs. Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr. - ***** (YES!)*
_Episode 7, March 9th_

:mark::mark::mark: <---- That was me from the entrances throughout the entire duration of the match. My god what an awesome sprint.​


----------



## Joshi Judas

*YES*

Mil Muertes vs Prince Puma vs Pentagon Jr.- Lucha Underground Championship

****


Haven't watched much wrestling this year, so this is easily my MOTY so far :lol


*NO*

Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe, 2 out of 3 falls ***3/4
Chris Jericho/AJ Styles vs The New Day, Tag Team Championship, Raw- March 7th, ***1/2


----------



## Lesnar Turtle

*YES* to Zayn/Joe 2 out of 3 falls. Epic, well paced and managed to get you invested in the whole 30 min+ match without resorting to tons of high spots. Largely because Zayn was so fucking good at selling getting his ass kicked and making you empathise with him. Easily the best WWE match of the year and stands up against anything ive seen in any other promotion too.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Mil Muertes vs. Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr. - ****1/4 - YES!*

*Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn - **** - YES!*

Long ass match, the first 10 minutes of it were pretty dull, but once they got going, they got going. Joe dominated most of the match, and Zayn was selling for most of it. Zayn's little hope spots were good, and his comeback in the end before losing was really good. Great match, and my favorite WWE match of the year so far.


----------



## Rah

Am an idiot, please ignore


----------



## DOPA

Mil Muertes vs Prince Puma vs Pentagon Jr. (9/3): *****1/4*


*YES.*


----------



## Corey

@Rah , I gave this match a YES so it'll have one vote:

Losing Unit Disbands Elimination Match: VERSERK vs. Dia.HEARTS vs. MONSTER EXPRESS (Dragon Gate 2/4) ****


----------



## Rah

*Puro:*
*Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 24 ||*
*Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 34 ||*
*Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 22 ||*
The Young Bucks vs ReDRagon vs Aerial Dogfight vs Roppongi Vice (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 1 ||
Kenny Omega vs KUSHIDA (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 1 ||
Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (NJPW Fantastica Mania Night 6) || YES = 14 ||
Ryoto Hama vs Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 24/01) || YES = 4 ||
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW: New Beginning In Osaka) || YES = 11 ||
Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW: New Beginning In Nigata) || YES = 5 ||
Hideyoshi Kamitani & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 18/01) || YES = 1 ||
Minoru Suzuki vs Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH 24/02) || YES = 2 ||
Kazuchika Okada & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Katsuyori Shibata & KUSHIDA (NJPW New Japan Cup Night 1) || YES = 1 ||
Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW New Japan Cup Night 2) || YES = 1 ||
VERSERK vs Dia.HEARTS vs MONSTER EXPRESS (Dragon Gate 04/02) || YES = 1 ||


*US/Europe Indy:*
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll (Rev Pro High Stakes 2016) || YES = 12 ||
AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr (Rev Pro High Stakes 2016) || YES = 1 ||
Kenny Omega vs Mark Haskins (4FW New Year's Wrestleution) || YES = 1 ||
Chris Hero vs Sami Callihan (AAW The Chaos Theory) || YES = 1 || 
Chris Hero & Tommy End vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Sami Callihan (Evolve 53) || YES = 1 || 
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll (PROGRESS Chat Shit Get Banged) || YES = 1 ||
Roderick Strong vs Tomohiro Ishii (RoH/NJPW Honor Rising Night 1) || YES = 2 ||
Fenix vs King Cuerno (Lucha Underground 02/03) || YES = 1 ||
Mil Muertes vs Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr. (Lucha Underground 09/03) || YES = 3 ||


*WWE:*
Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio (Smackdown 14/01) || YES = 3 ||
Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble) || YES = 3 ||
Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens (Royal Rumble) || YES = 3 ||
Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe (NXT 17/02) || YES = 1 ||
Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (Fastlane) || YES = 2 ||
Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio (Fastlane) || YES = 1 ||
Neville vs Finn Balor (NXT 02/03) || YES = 1 ||
Y2AJ vs The New Day (Raw 07/03) || YES = 2 ||
Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe (NXT 09/03) || YES = 1 ||


*TNA:*
Ethan Carter vs Matt Hardy (19/01) || YES = 1 || 


*Lucha Libre:*
Maximo vs Kamaitachi (CMLL 01/01) || YES = 3 ||
Mascara Dorada vs Mephisto (CMLL 19/02) || YES = 1 || 
Volador Jr. , Stuka Jr, Dragon Lee vs ***** Casas, Kamaitachi, Gran Guerrero (CMLL 19/02) || YES = 1 || 
Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (CMLL 04/03) || YES = 5 ||


*Legend:*
Red = 10 YES votes
*BOLD Red* = 20 YES votes




Corey said:


> @Rah , I gave this match a YES so it'll have one vote:
> 
> Losing Unit Disbands Elimination Match: VERSERK vs. Dia.HEARTS vs. MONSTER EXPRESS (Dragon Gate 2/4) ****


:zayn4


----------



## Stetho

Another yes to Puma vs Pentagon vs Muertes
Great moves, great psychology, great ending.


----------



## Blommen

Chaulk up another yes for Puma vs Pentagon vs mil. Absolutely amazing match, and i love how they Can get you hyped at the prospect of an extended series of matches between Puma and Pentagon one moment and Then get you hyped for the idea of Them as a team the next


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Bruce L

*YES * to Tracy Williams vs. Matt Riddle from _Evolve 55_. Not only is it a contender for MOTY (albeit a lower-tier one at ****), but it may also be the Evolve-iest match possible at this point. Watch it; you'll see what I mean.

Also recommended, though not YES material: Mr. Touchdown vs. Wani from Chikara's _5 Senses_ (Jan 30) and Touchdown vs. Pinkie Sanchez from National Pro Wrestling Day (Feb 6). Touchdown ruling is not news, but newcomer Wani is seriously impressive in his first substantial match (he'd later have a pretty good, if not quite as highly recommended for non-Chikaraphiles, showing against the Estonian Thunderfrog in the Young Lions Cup tournament final at National Pro Wrestling Day), and Pinkie pulled out arguably his best singles performance for their short, non-stop sprint at NPWD. I seem to be the lone advocate for Chikara around here these days, but if I stump for one of their matches on here, I think anybody could get something out of it.


----------



## Lesnar Turtle

Just got round to watching LU and am gonna have to also give a *YES* to Puma/Pentagon/Muertes. Really cant pick between this and Zayn/Joe 2 out of 3 falls but they are both at least at the 4 star mark for me. 


This has been an exceptionally good week for in ring work. 2 MOTYCs plus Y2AJ/New Day, Neville/Owens, Angles last match , Beer Money/Wolves and that crazy Taya/Cage intergender hardcore match were all great although not MOTY material. The New Japan Cup will probably add to that before the week is out too.


Dont think I can quite handle that Trevor Lee/Roy Wilkins match yet though lol.


----------



## kimino

Y2AJ was good but not MOTYC, YES to Puma/Pentagon/Muertes, amazing crowd, non stop action and delivered a good story in the ring with all that has happened this season in LU


----------



## ArnDaddy

I'd say yes to Puma/Pentagon/Muertes so far, and yes to Scurll\Ospreay as well.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Samoa Joe vs Sami Zayn [2 out of 3 Falls] - WWE NXT 03.09.2016 - *****

A methodical pace to kick things off, but this built tremendously. Two guys who know each other's work so well, and they were able to play off their usual spots fantastically, keeping us guessing the whole way. From a presentation standpoint, I LOVED commentary hyping up the American Alphas/Vaudvillains match, only to have to 'pull the plug' as this match was going long, that was such a neat touch. But of course, this one is all about the in-ring work, and Joe and Sami don't disappoint. It's not the instant classic like the Zayn/Cesaro 2 out of 3 falls was, but this is far and away the best NXT match this year.


----------



## KingKicks

I'm going to throw out a YES to both Zayn/Joe 2 out of 3 and New Day/Y2AJ. Enjoyed both immensely.


----------



## Joshi Judas

Puma/Pentagon/Muertes up to 8 YES votes already :agree:


----------



## Dr. Middy

*YES : Prince Puma vs Pentagon vs Mil Muertes for the LU Championship - Lucha Underground 3/9/16*

And to think this really was only a 12 minute match when all was set and done. They set the dynamic right from the get-go, and we ended up with a triple threat match where there literally was zero breaks in the action. You can tell Puma and Pentagon were working together, not because they wanted to, but because they had to, and at the same time they were still going right after one another every other instance. It also seemed like they were trying to one-up one another, whether it be the dives to the outside which was capped out by a beautiful flip dive right onto his feet by Puma, or the superkick party at the end with each subsequent kick feeling harder and more vicious each time. 

But, it was to no avail, because Mil Muertes is a goddamn monster. Everything this man does fits the character so well, its as if he is trying to completely incapacitate whoever stands in his way. And the ending with those pounce-like spears and the covering of BOTH guys only further solidifies just how powerful, ruthless, and dominate he is right now. Go watch this, it ruled! (just listen to the crowd)

*****1/2*

*YES : AJ Styles and Chris Jericho (Y2AJ) vs The New Day for the WWE Tag Team Championships - WWE Raw 3/7/16*

This was borderline for me, but this was a fabulous match helped by the fact that all 5 men involved here were hugely over with this Chicago crowd. And they all worked remarkably well with one another, to where I would have loved for this to be given 15 minutes at Wrestlemania. 

The last half of this match following the tag in by AJ Styles was wild and awesome. Speaking of which, AJ really looked like he was comfortable in the ring here and finally getting used to WWE's way of doing things. He even perfectly nailed both an asai DDT and a springboard 450, and in this match felt like a show stealing performance (when it comes to WWE, not his whole career) similar to what Rollins did at the Summerslam PPV vs Cena. 

Overall, excellent and fun little tag match. Shame it'll only be a one time deal. 

******

*Samoa Joe vs Sami Zayn for the #1 Contender for the NXT Championship - 2 out of 3 Falls - WWE NXT 3/9/16*

Ironically, this went nearly four times as long as either other match I rated above. Nevertheless, this was also a fantastic affair that led a much different pace than those other matches. 

Both men did a great job of pacing here, and really they had to for a 42 minute match. They took a long time to feel each other up, and figure out just what they could do that hasn't been done, since both of them have been involved in two other matches with one another. I appreciate that a lot of this match was just strikes, and the subsequent selling of these strikes. Not all the time do you have to rely on big moves for an impact. 

Everything from the final fall to the end of the match was really higher energy and exciting, especially the dynamic given by the resilient Sami Zayn and the monster in Samoa Joe. It always felt like Joe was going to win, but then Sami would suddenly pull out one of his signature moves, almost in desperation, but it was just enough to convince you that he just might win. In the end though, Samoa Joe was too much of a monster, and also I have to say that he might be the most vicious heels WWE has right now, especially in the ring.

Very good match, if sort of bloated in time (dunno if we REALLY needed 40+ minutes). But the psychology was very good, and both guys work with each other well.

*****1/4*


----------



## peep4life

Yes to Zayn Joe ****1/4
Yes to Mil Puma Pentagon ****

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk


----------



## Stetho

YES to Hijo del Fantasma vs Fenix vs Octagon Jr vs Pentagon Jr AAA Toluca !


----------



## Martins

YES to:

Mil Muertes vs Prince Puma vs Pentagon Jr ****+ (so fucking fun :mark

Y2AJ vs The New Day ****


----------



## Groovemachine

*Prince Puma vs Pentagon Jr vs Mil Muertes - Lucha Underground 3.09.2016 - *****

Great frenetic spotfest but they kept it heated and made everything mean something. They packed so much into 12 minutes, and I really appreciated the decisive finish. Top stuff.


----------



## amhlilhaus

Dean ambrose v hhh 4*

I loved how they built up the match. Wwe fans suck, so impatient. Doesnt detract from the match. Dean can really work when he has too and hhh held up his end too.


----------



## NakNak

I'm thinking of watching Zayn/Joe (didn't watch their other matches, except the triple treath with Corbin, tho), but I have the fear to be dissapointed...anyways:

*Prince Puma vs Mil Muertes vs Pentagon Jr (LU March 9)*
****1/2

*Y2AJ vs The New Day (Raw March 7)*
****1/2

*Dean Ambrose vs Triple H (Roadblock)*
****1/2

Great week of Professional Wrestling.


----------



## Dr. Middy

*YES to Dean Ambrose vs Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Title - WWE Roadblock 2016*

This was much better than it had every right to be, especially considering this show was nothing more than a glorified house show. It was nice to see Dean Ambrose actually doing some good wrestling, with him targeting HHH's leg, with the whole quadriceps injury, while HHH countered by aiming for Dean's ribs. They worked a solid match that had a very strong ending stretch, capped off by a visual pinfall waved off by the referee. I was okay with this, because in context it gives Dean the "visual win" over HHH, and he looks strong because of it.

My only negatives are that starting out the match in a more technical manner, which didn't fit the storyline, especially considering that Triple H just 2 weeks ago bascially beat the crap out of Ambrose. Also, HHH seemed to work as not a full heel, especially with the submissions Ambrose did, like the sharpshooter where Triple H looked like the valiant babyface in peril. 

Overall this match, even if booked sort of into a corner, was really good, enjoyable, and showcased Dean Ambrose very well, heck Triple H bumped around for him a ton.
*
****1/4*


----------



## Corey

NakNak said:


> I'm thinking of watching Zayn/Joe (didn't watch their other matches, except the triple treath with Corbin, tho), but I have the fear to be dissapointed...anyways:


I wasn't a fan of it personally. One of those matches that just went long for the sake of doing so. Boring for a long portion and lacking creativity. Del Rio/Kalisto blew it out of the water.


----------



## Cactus

Yes to:

*Triple H vs Dean Ambrose (WWE, 3/12/2016)*
They avoided the cliche WWE main event finisher spamming and made the little things count. This is a slow-burner and takes a while to get going, but I loved things like Ambrose pulling on Trips's ears and fingers, very Finlay-esque. The submission segments felt nothing more than fan service and they lacked drama. I thought the false finish worked brilliantly, the crowd popped big for the initial pinfall and everyone in that arena was suckered in when Triple H tries to win with the school boy. Ambrose looked like a star.
★★★★


----------



## Corey

*4FW Junior Heavyweight Championship (Vacant)*
Kenny Omega vs. Mark Haskins - *****+ (YES!)*
_4FW New Year's Wrestleution_
https://4fwondemand.pivotshare.com/media/4fw-new-years-wrestleution-2016/42150

Totally loved every second of this. A really hot start, an entertaining control segment from Omega where essentially all he does is rub Haskins' face into multiple surfaces (but it's fantastic), and a terrific comeback from Haskins as he attack's Kenny's arm with pinpoint accuracy in the final minutes. The nearfalls were all believable and both guys put on great performances. Omega's postmatch promo was a joy as well. Shout out to @Cactus for mentioning this one or else I would've never known it even existed! I rented the whole show for $3.99 and you folks should do it too. Pentagon Jr. vs. Drago is on the same show and ends up being pretty decent.​


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Adam Cole v. Mike Bailey, PWG Lemmy* - ******

I finally got around to watching Lemmy and this was really well done, Bailey while some say he's stale I still enjoy his work and he got the typical Bailey in plus he bumped really well for Cole and as for Cole it's nothing new he's the beacon of consistency.​


----------



## SMetalWorld

Dr. Middy said:


> *YES to Dean Ambrose vs Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Title - WWE Roadblock 2016*
> 
> This was much better than it had every right to be, especially considering this show was nothing more than a glorified house show. It was nice to see Dean Ambrose actually doing some good wrestling, with him targeting HHH's leg, with the whole quadriceps injury, while HHH countered by aiming for Dean's ribs. They worked a solid match that had a very strong ending stretch, capped off by a visual pinfall waved off by the referee. I was okay with this, because in context it gives Dean the "visual win" over HHH, and he looks strong because of it.
> 
> My only negatives are that starting out the match in a more technical manner, which didn't fit the storyline, especially considering that Triple H just 2 weeks ago bascially beat the crap out of Ambrose. Also, HHH seemed to work as not a full heel, especially with the submissions Ambrose did, like the sharpshooter where Triple H looked like the valiant babyface in peril.
> 
> Overall this match, even if booked sort of into a corner, was really good, enjoyable, and showcased Dean Ambrose very well, heck Triple H bumped around for him a ton.
> *
> ****1/4*


I loved your review of the match and yeah, I had the same feeling about Triple H was looking like a babyface when Dean locked up the Sharpshooter.

It's quite amazing how Triple H brought up the best in Dean Ambrose and that's why I've been a Triple H fan since 1995.

And for me, *YES!* I vote for this match ****1/4


----------



## ShadowSucks92

YES to Dean Ambrose vs Triple H - WWE RoadBlock - ****1/4


----------



## NakNak

Corey said:


> I wasn't a fan of it personally. One of those matches that just went long for the sake of doing so. Boring for a long portion and lacking creativity. Del Rio/Kalisto blew it out of the water.


I wasn't the biggest fan of the ADR/Kalisto matches, I didn't watch their 2/3 falls match, but I heard good things about it...is it worth watching? I like both guys btw tho


----------



## Corey

NakNak said:


> I wasn't the biggest fan of the ADR/Kalisto matches, I didn't watch their 2/3 falls match, but I heard good things about it...is it worth watching? I like both guys btw tho


Oh absolutely. Their 2 out of 3 falls was their best encounter imo. Del Rio had some really smart and creative ways in trying to win and Kalisto looked like a great underdog. The finish to the whole match is pretty cool too. Gave it *** 3/4 and thought it was tied with the main event from Fasltane as MOTN (even though it was technically on the preshow).

To put it into perspective, I gave pretty much all their other matches ***, so that should tell you how much I liked it.

Did you find the 3 way with Corbin to be boring too? Because I did and I've been bored with all the other Joe/Zayn matches since.


----------



## Martins

Eh, I'm gonna go for a NO on Triple H/Ambrose.

Good match, loved the little things like Ambrose grabbing HHH's nose and doing the crotch chop on the floor just to insult him and prove he's not some little pissant, dug the false finish and the HUGE pop that ensued, but the chain wrestling start and the submission segment didn't do much for me. Seemed out of place for both guys, especially Ambrose and in the context of the little feud they had going.

***1/4


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following: 

Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes vs. Pentagon Jr. (Lucha Underground: 3/9/2016)

Trevor Lee vs. Rory Wilkins (CWF Mid-Atlantic Worldwide: 3/9/2016)*


----------



## NakNak

Corey said:


> Oh absolutely. Their 2 out of 3 falls was their best encounter imo. Del Rio had some really smart and creative ways in trying to win and Kalisto looked like a great underdog. The finish to the whole match is pretty cool too. Gave it *** 3/4 and thought it was tied with the main event from Fasltane as MOTN (even though it was technically on the preshow).
> 
> To put it into perspective, I gave pretty much all their other matches ***, so that should tell you how much I liked it.
> 
> Did you find the 3 way with Corbin to be boring too? Because I did and I've been bored with all the other Joe/Zayn matches since.


I wanted Corbin to win that match...I sort of liked that match, but the finish was...damn, it hurt. So yeah, didn't care to be honest in retrospective :lol I will check ADR/Kalisto


----------



## Corey

*Lucha Underground Championship*
Mil Muertes (c) vs. Fenix - ***** (YES!)*
_Episode 8, 3/16_

The biggest and best feud in all of Lucha Underground delivers once again. The usual violent brawl we're accustomed to seeing from the two, this time with an added twist of Muertes receiving a taste of his own medicine.​


----------



## ArnDaddy

Last night's Mil Muertes vs Fenix was right up there with Grave Consequences, which was my favourite match of 2015. Yes from me!


----------



## NastyYaffa

A big YES to Muertes/Fenix. What a goddamn war.


----------



## kimino

YES to Fenix vs Mil Muertes
One of my 2 favorite feuds going right now along with Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi.
Amazing match just an all out war, now, one would expect that after Grave Consequences and the Death Match, this would be less violent or be repetitive, WRONG!. They treated this the same as Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi, they took a look back to their previous matches and manage to surpass their past matches. It just feel amazing when you know that the writers arent treating you like a stupid and the feud, the moves, the result of the matches everything has a meaning that enchances a god damn good match to make it even more entertaining.

**** 1/4


----------



## Zatiel

NO to Ambrose Vs. HHH. It was a quintessential HHH match. Dude gets his legs worked over for five straight minutes, then cuts Ambrose off by lying on his back and kicking him into the steps using *only his freaking leg strength*. Plodding pacing where HHH bumped well, and Ambrose worked as hard as he could, but where it only ever felt like a fight after the false finish. Very strong finishing minutes don't make a long match like this good to me.

But ****3/4 to Ambrose's crotch chops.


----------



## Blommen

For some reason mil vs Fenix didn't hit home with me in the same way their first or second match did. Like, it was still great and I enjoyed myself but compared to their first two matches it just felt sort of, I don't know, subdued I guess? I guess some of it could be that neither guy are among my favorites in LU, although I will say that Fenix is just about the best physically overmatched underdog face in America right now, bar none. I guess I maybe kinda expected a bit more or wanted the match to be a bit longer. Furthermore, whereas the first two matches seemed to be supremely conclusive in the nature of their finishes, this one seemed a bit more open and while that may not necessarily turn out to be a bad thing I did feel sort of anti climactic to see mil lose to his arch nemesis and most hated opponent by a roll up. It's a NO from me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

2/26 Noah Minoru Suzuki vs Nakajima ****1/4 YES 
3/6 Atlantis vs Caifan ****1/2 YES
Caifan might be the best luchador you haven't heard of. A veteran that only wresltes on the side if he has the day open and makes decent money. Truly one of the few great brawlers that are in existence. This match makes that case. A captivating lucha brawl that even makes feel like he's 26 again. Hostile crowd anti-cmll crowd sweetens the match.
3/6 Dragon Lee vs Rey Horuz ****1/4 YES
2/28 HARASHIMA VS Shigehiro Irie **** NO
3/9 Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes vs. Pentagon Jr. ****1/4 YES
3/16 Mil Muertes vs Fenix ****1/2 YES


----------



## Dr. Middy

*YES to Mil Muertes vs Fenix for the Lucha Underground Championship - 3/16/16
*
Well, considering these are two of my favorite wrestlers in this company, I really didn't see any way this couldn't be a bad match. 

Instead, it was even better than expected. 

These two guys had a flat out war to destroy one another, plain and simple. They brawled into the crowd, Muertes using all his power to try and keep Fenix down, only for him to rise again, and again. Then came the blood, but not before each man tore at one another's masks as a sign of the ultimate disrespect. This was genius, because then the blood would be visible to all, and carry that much more significance. Also loved that roll up Fenix did in the end, because he came out as the champion, while Muertes still looks like every bit the unstoppable monster he still is, albeit without his precious title. Also, can I say that Mil Muertes biting the wound of Fenix is just the best shit ever?

This show has been on fire these past few weeks!

*****1/2*


----------



## Lesnar Turtle

10000% *YES!!!* to Fenix/Muertes. Bloody, brutal, hot crowd and great storytelling.


----------



## Cactus

Nominating:

*Timothy Thatcher vs Drew Gulak (PWG, 1/2/2016)*
This match has an old-school flavor to it. The matwork felt like it could of been taken out of a Billy Robinson, sped up so it's better suited for the Reseda crowd. Gulak's dropkick flurry in particular felt like it was taken out of a French catch match from the 60s. Loved the attention to the little details. Both men were great, but Thatcher was other worldly, he's delivers some great facial expressions and is one intense motherfucker. For those who are quick to dismiss PWG for it's spot-heavy matches and it's overuse of 2.9 counts, don't skip on this. This is wrestling that will put hair on your chest.
★★★★


----------



## NakNak

*YES to*Mil Muertes vs Fenix (Lucha Underground March 16th, 2016) *****1/4*
Fantastic match. This feud is too fucking great. And I'm hyped as fuck because I will be able to see Mil's magic live here in Chile


----------



## Dead Seabed

*YES* for Ishii vs. EVIL - NJPW Cup day 1

This match really shows what we're missing on with the usual Ishii/Shibata/Honma formula.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following match:

Mil Muertes vs. Fenix (Lucha Underground: 3/16/2016)*


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW New Japan Cup - Day 2) - ****1/4 - YES!*

Great match, pretty much exactly what you would expect from these 2.


----------



## Ten410

*CMLL Homenaje A Dos Leyendas - 3/18/16*

Dragon Lee, Mascara Dorada, Mistico, & Valiente Vs. Fujin, Kamaitachi, Okumura, & Raijin

Rush Vs. Maximo

Volador Jr Vs. ***** Casas


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

3/18 Dragon Lee, Mascara Dorada, Mistico, & Valiente Vs. Fujin, Kamaitachi, Okumura, & Raijin ***1/2 NO
3/18 Rush Vs. Maximo ***1/2 NO
3/18 Volador Jr Vs. ***** Casas **** NO
3/21 Caristico vs Ultimo Guerrero ****1/4 YES


----------



## Wrestling is Life

YES to Muertes vs Fenix for the Lucha Underground Championship (3/16)


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following match:

Aztec Warfare II (Lucha Underground: 3/23/2016)*


----------



## Joshi Judas

*YES*

Aztec Warfare 2- Lucha Underground ****1/2


----------



## Blommen

Aztec Warfare: YES YES YES YES YES YES

*****

What a god damn masterpiece, an absolute awe inspiring display by LU where they showed just how terrific they can be. Can we just take a moment and reflect upon the fact that LU managed to establish Dragon Aztéca as a bonafide new star, establish a feud between Pentagon and Mil, return El Jefe to roaring cheers, and most impressively introduce his monster brother to roaring cheers and make them both inn to red hot heels in under 10 minutes? Absolutely incredible match, This is what makes Lucha Underground so good. I mean, they managed to further develop almost every single storyline they have running at the moment, they included everything from comedy, to hardcore action, to storytelling, to absolutely top of the line lucha libre. And the fucked up thing, what's most impressive about all this? none of it felt forced. None of it felt like it was shoehorned in. The match was absolutely perfectly executed in every single way. absolutely astounding.


----------



## TripleG

Honestly, for my Youtube videos, I always do my 10 favorite matches of the month and LU is going to be all over the list for March. Between Muertes Vs. Fenix, the Muertes/Pentagon/Puma 3 way, the Ladder match, and now Aztec Warfare, it seems like they had almost all of my favorite matches this month.


----------



## squeelbitch

aztec warfare 2 is 5 stars all the way for me.

i don't sit there with a pen and paper looking to write down every critique i can find in a wrestling match and i don't give a fuck for some technical chain wrestling master class, all i'm looking for is a match that is pure fun to watch, grabs all my attention and get's me lost within it, that's what aztec warfare did for me.


----------



## NakNak

*Aztec Warfare II ******
Wow...that match was something else. I'm speechless.


----------



## amhlilhaus

Agree, aztec warfare 4.5*


----------



## ZEROVampire

Pentagón Jr. vs Prince Puma vs Mil Muertes (c) ***1/2
Mil Muertes (c) vs Fènix ***1/2 LU MOTY so far
Aztec Warfare II ***1/2 

Really great matches, not MOTYC for me, but very recommended.


----------



## Stetho

YES TO AZTEC WARFARE. FUCKIN 5 STARS.


----------



## Lesnar Turtle

Another *YES!* for Aztec Warfare - edge of your seat stuff throughout.


----------



## Alright_Mate

Bit late to the party with some matches but anyway...

*YES! to the following*

*Muertes vs Fenix - Lucha Underground(16/3/2016)*
****1/4

*Okada vs Tanahashi - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10(4/1/2016)*
****3/4

*Nakamura vs Styles - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10(4/1/2016)*
****1/2

*NO! to the following*

*Aztec Warfare 2 - Lucha Underground(23/3/2016)*
***1/2


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*NO* to *Aztec Warfare 2* - **** 3/4*

Was really expecting something special considering the 5 star ratings, but this wasn't nearly up to the hype it got. It was fun sure and had some cool spots but nothing that had the makings of a classic and the finish was pretty lame tbh pretty much from when Matanza entered was lame.​


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Aztec Warfare II - ****1/4 - YES!*

What a match. Perfectly booked w/ great storytelling & great action throughout it.


----------



## Dr. Middy

*YES to Aztec Warfare for the Lucha Underground Championship - Lucha Underground 3/24/16*

In short, this was basically 50 minutes of somewhat organized, well booked chaos. And oh how glorious all this chaos was!

Let's recap:

-Rey Mysterio didn't just look like a star, he looked AND was treated like a legend. What a fantastic showing he had, and he's looked better here than in the last 5 years.

-The entire beginning was nonstop action, with all the entries having similar styles so that we pretty much got a fantastic lucha party. It also felt fresh because a lot of the guys were working with Rey, who hasn't been in the ring yet.

-Joey Ryan is a great comedy goof, he fits perfectly in that role.

-Johnny Mundo and Cage will continue their feud, and that glass spot was sick. Hopefully they get decent time to have a good match.

-I love how they are melding all of their angles and storylines into one match. WWE did alright with this at the Royal Rumble, but LU completely destroyed them in it.

-The Mack is fucking awesome! I hope he gets better booking eventually though.

-Dragon Azteca Jr. also felt like a star in the making as well, and he had a great showing.

-They set up a Pentagon Jr. and Mil Muertes feud which is making me salivate at just how unbelievably great it'll be. 

-Matanza was setup as the new monster heel in one night, doing some variations of suplexes that I think even Lesnar should use. He looked ruthless, evil, and plain unstoppable the moment he came into the match. The final minutes of the match with him and Rey were incredible, capped off as he ROCKETED Rey into the air and caught him with the sickest powerslam ever. Also, welcome back Mr. Dario Cueto!

So overall, this was a fantastic, chaotic affair, but I had some questions with some booking. For one, I think Mil Muertes should have been given some time to kill some guys before Pentagon came in later to cost him the match. Doing it during his entrance and having Muertes pinned immediately kinda dropped his stock somewhat to me, after he lost the title the following week. 

My other qualm is Matanza, who I thought was even a bit too strongly booked for my liking. I have no problem with monster heels, but he basically made mincemeat of his competition, although maybe you could chalk that up to him coming out last after these guys had been fighting for 20+ minutes. Regardless it did establish him in one night. 

This ruled, go watch it. 

*****1/2*


----------



## Groovemachine

I'll throw a 4* rating out for Aztec Warfare II. Immensely enjoyable from the get-go, they kept things interesting throughout and weaved in a ton of stories. Matches like this show just how strong the LU roster is right now. I wish Matanza had been a bit more dominant before all the eliminations, as the actual moves didn't always seem worthy of a pinfall, but it was certainly a great way to debut him.


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

Aztec Warfare II was too angle heavy for my liking and cartoonish. I thought they were better than that. **** NO


----------



## Wrestling is Life

YES to Aztec Warfare

Beautifully booked with past, present and future angles all explored during it. It really showed the depth of the roster and just how well they are all booked. I was a little turned off by the execution of some of the Matanza eliminations, but not enough to ruin the match for me. Fantastic and most importantly a ton of fun to watch.


----------



## Corey

This will be the very rare instance where I give a match four stars and don't give it a YES vote, but I absolutely highly recommend the two main events from DDT's Judgement - 19th Anniversary Show. Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo (c) vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Daisuke Sasaki for the KO-D Tag Team Titles was probably the best 2-on-2 tag match I've seen all year (*** 3/4). Ishikawa looked like a freakin giant next to everyone else, Endo did some really cool shit, and the finishing stretch was red hot. Great match.

The main event, Isami Kodaka (c) vs. HARASHIMA from the KO-D Openweight Championship was even better (****). I haven't seen much from either one of these guys before so I didn't know what to expect, but they did some really fucking nifty stuff and it was somewhat of a human chess match. HARASHIMA's approach to selling the knee was a bit strange because his entire offense is based around knees, but he at least kept doing the same moves while also acknowledging the fact that he was hurt at the same time. Awesome finishing stretch and a really cool match. My favorite part was probably that it didn't go 25+ minutes like every other major title match in Japan seems to do. 

Be sure to check out both of those. (Y)

EDIT: Here's links for both:

http://rutube.ru/video/f0c4332dd2e3cd9771e4c9ae5a3c4ee4/?pl_type=user&pl_id=1067514
http://rutube.ru/video/0a82c16aca7c898f5696e3b5e7b4e5f5/?pl_type=user&pl_id=1067514


----------



## antoniomare007

Corey said:


> This will be the very rare instance where I give a match four stars and don't give it a YES vote, but I absolutely highly recommend the two main events from DDT's Judgement - 19th Anniversary Show. Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo (c) vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Daisuke Sasaki for the KO-D Tag Team Titles was probably the best 2-on-2 tag match I've seen all year (*** 3/4). Ishikawa looked like a freakin giant next to everyone else, Endo did some really cool shit, and the finishing stretch was red hot. Great match.


YES to this. Kinda similar to the match Takeshita and Endo had last year against Daisuke & Yuji, a less compelling story but a better finishing stretch.


----------



## kimino

NO to AW2 it was an amazing episode, but as a match, it wasnt what i expected, it was slow and more than 1 elimination looked pretty weak for my taste even prior to Matanza


----------



## Corey

*NEVER Openweight Championship*
Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Satoshi Kojima - ***** (YES!)*
_NJPW Road to Invasion Attack 3/19_
http://rutube.ru/video/eaa9b125684b4ec7adc9e0287544d9ab/

Beautiful storytelling in this one. Kojima tries his damndest to out duel and keep up with the younger Shibata (and gains the upper hand on a few occasions), but Shibata has an excellent gameplan of destroying the right arm along the way. An incredibly exhausting battle with lots of manliness and strike exchanges. Kojima's selling was pretty spotty for a while but when it really mattered most in the last few minutes, he delivered. Loved the struggle in the cross armbreaker and that final lariat. Fantastic stuff.​


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Kenny Omega vs. Jay White (NJPW Road To Invasion Attack - Day 8) - **** - YES!*
This match ruled. Really good storytelling w/ Omega not taking Jay seriously, calling him a jobber & just playing around in the beginning, but Jay brought it right at him. He gave him one hell of a fight. My favorite Kenny Omega match of the year so far.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Corey said:


> *NEVER Openweight Championship*
> Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Satoshi Kojima - ***** (YES!)*
> _NJPW Road to Invasion Attack 3/19_
> http://rutube.ru/video/eaa9b125684b4ec7adc9e0287544d9ab/
> 
> Beautiful storytelling in this one. Kojima tries his damndest to out duel and keep up with the younger Shibata (and gains the upper hand on a few occasions), but Shibata has an excellent gameplan of destroying the right arm along the way. An incredibly exhausting battle with lots of manliness and strike exchanges. Kojima's selling was pretty spotty for a while but when it really mattered most in the last few minutes, he delivered. Loved the struggle in the cross armbreaker and that final lariat. Fantastic stuff.​


Nice to see Kojima delivering in times of need and stepping out of the usual TenCozy comfort zone. 

Shibata vs. Tenzan though :eva3


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Big Daddy Walter vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (wXw 16 Carat Gold - Day 1) - **** - YES!*
The best match from this year's 16 Carat shows, imo. It was worked wonderfully; Walter truly lived up to the "big" part of his name, as he worked this match on top. So naturally then, ZSJ worked it as the plucky underdog, which is something you don't see often, and he did a damn good job at that. That made for a great dynamic between the 2, and it ended up being a great match.


----------



## Lesnar Turtle

*YES!* to the Marty Scurll vs Will Ospreay vs Paul Robinson vs Rampage Brown vs Zack Gibson vs Mark Andrews vs Morgan Webster vs Mark Haskins vs Eddie Dennis Thunderbastard match from Progress Chapter 27.


----------



## peep4life

Zayn nakamura ***** so good

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk


----------



## Corey

One big fat fucking :yes to Nakamura vs. Zayn. I mean, the juiciest fattest fucking YES you could ever give to anything. Match of the year, one of the best of the decade. Just... flawless. *******


----------



## ZEROVampire

*YES!

SAMI ZAYN VS SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

NOT 5 STARS BUT OMG INCREDIBLE MATCH, BEST WWE MATCH SO FAR

****1/4-****1/2*


----------



## darkclaudio

VERY GOOD MATCH BUT NO MOTY FROM ME
NAKAMURA VS ZAYN ***1/2


----------



## El Dandy

hmmm high praise as expected.

Haven't watched a WWE match since Rollins/Cena/Lesnar. Must.... resist.....must...not...give....in...TEMPTATION


----------



## kimino

YES to nakamura vs zayn **** for me, great match that lived to the expectations, but no way is 5 stars


----------



## Corey

The execution of quite literally everything in Nakamura/Zayn was perfect. The crowd added an entire layer of enjoyment by being so RIDICULOUSLY excited about what they were witnessing. It wasn't even about being annoying and chanting as many clever things as they could, but they were so into it just like I was sitting at home. It was absolutely surreal seeing Nakamura wrestle the exact same way you'd see him wrestle in New Japan... except in a WWE ring. Zayn's selling was phenomenal, the knees from Shinsuke were as vicious as ever, Sami's retaliation strikes caught me way off guard in a good way, the teases and reversals were thrilling, and Nakamura's bloody nose only made that much more awesome. This man is a main event player in the biggest way and this company should give him the world. 

5 stars, not a single doubt in my mind.


----------



## Corey

Fuck it, here's another one. ***** and YES to Joe vs. Balor II*. The blood was such a blessing and added a perfect amount of fuel to Joe's MASSIVE fire. At times I really think his vision was blurred or he just did a great job of making it look that way. Roller coaster ride down the stretch and a great finish. Aside from that, it was just fucking AWESOME to see the Joe from 10 years ago show up.


----------



## Martins

"Fight forever" :sodone

That was a beast of a match, and that fucking crowd eating all of that shit up just made it even more amazing. 

****3/4 and MOTY so far for me, alongside Nakamura/Styles.

Also YES to Asuka/Bayley. Asuka is undoubtedly a fantastic worker, but Bayley just outshined her in this one. This woman has a greater grasp of psychology than 95% of every other wrestler in the WWE, facial expressions, selling, using the moves that put down her past challengers to try and end the fucking beast that is Asuka, Jesus fucking Christ. Might have to rewatch, but for now, ****+


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Shinsuke Nakamura v. Sami Zayn* - * **** 1/4 *

Simply fantastic match, loved everything about it. Was great seeing Sami get real physical and this was the perfect match to debut for Nakamura. Best WWE match of the year for sure. The 5 star ratings are a little wild (maybe those are from guys who've never seen Nak still no excuses) but the match was awesome nonetheless.​


----------



## Martins

Corey said:


> Fuck it, here's another one. ***** and YES to Joe vs. Balor II*. The blood was such a blessing and added a perfect amount of fuel to Joe's MASSIVE fire. At times I really think his vision was blurred or he just did a great job of making it look that way. Roller coaster ride down the stretch and a great finish. Aside from that, it was just fucking AWESOME to see the Joe from 10 years ago show up.


Fuck, I want to echo this so bad, but the constant ref stoppages really disrupted the flow of the match for me. It was still really fucking good and they picked up where they left off without a problem later on, but if they'd just let Joe bleed, this might've been absolutely spectacular. ***3/4 for me.

Joe, however, was a fucking monster. Covered in blood and beating the absolute shit out of Bálor, GOD I missed this Joe :mark:


----------



## Corey

Martins said:


> Fuck, I want to echo this so bad, but the constant ref stoppages really disrupted the flow of the match for me. It was still really fucking good and they picked up where they left off without a problem later on, but if they'd just let Joe bleed, this might've been absolutely spectacular. ***3/4 for me.
> 
> Joe, however, was a fucking monster. Covered in blood and beating the absolute shit out of Bálor, GOD I missed this Joe :mark:


Totally understandable, but I think the docs may have actually helped the match by getting the crowd SO riled up in the process. The 'Fuck PG' and 'Let Joe Bleed' chants were fucking great. An awesome viewing experience as a whole either way. Couldn't help but root for Joe after the performance.


----------



## Martins

Corey said:


> Totally understandable, but I think the docs may have actually helped the match by getting the crowd SO riled up in the process. The 'Fuck PG' and 'Let Joe Bleed' chants were fucking great. An awesome viewing experience as a whole either way. Couldn't help but root for Joe after the performance.


The chants in this whole event were fucking amazing. "Let Joe Bleed" might be one of the best chants of all time :lmao


----------



## Dr. Middy

*YES to Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn - NXT Takeover Dallas*

Here is this simply put. If you are a wrestling fan of any capacity, young or old, veteran or newbie, maybe you're even falling out of love with it, please do me a huge favor and go watch this match immediately. 

Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura put on simple wrestling clinic. It was two guys, each with their own agendas, proving their worth to one another. Sami Zayn wanted to prove that NXT is his house and his home, and nobody just walks in and takes that away from him. Shinsuke Nakamura wanted to enter the WWE universe and show in one night why many call him arguably the greatest current wrestler in the world today.

They traded their spots, working in tandem with one another like they've been doing this forever. And that was one of the many chants that occurred during this match was a two word phrase... fight forever. I got chills when I heard this, especially following the long segment of dueling punches, which usually is cheesy, but they somehow made it work brilliantly here. The crowd was eating out of the palm of their hands. 

All the spots were timed well, the emotions were there, and the crowd was as lively as I have ever seen, everything just clicked here. And in the end, Sami lost not only the match, but he also realized it was the end of a stage in his career, that being NXT. He'll move onto the main roster right as Nakamura begins to carve out his own niche in NXT, perhaps taking the title of being NXT's favorite superstar that Sami once held. It did seemingly feel like a passing of the torch there though.

I forgot the last time a match tugged on my heartstrings like that, and I truly felt like a little kid watching it, filled with joy at what I was seeing. This match deserves this rating.

*******


----------



## Martins

So, it's nearly 7AM here and the sun's starting to rise. I rewatched the match (don't think I ever rewatched a match so soon after it originally happened) and the only fault I could find with it originally was that I wished it had gone on a bit longer.

Now I realize it's not a fault of the match itself. The match was perfect, the timing, the pacing, the crowd, the performances of both men, the STIFFNESS~, nothing deserves any corrections whatsoever. I just didn't want it to end. I marked out just as much on a rewatch as I marked out and I really wish they did fight forever.

This match is fucking ridiculous :lmao

Bumped up to *******.


----------



## PanopticonPrime

I can't believe that in a span of 4 months, Shinsuke Nakamura has produced MOTYC in back to back single's matches in two different companies.


----------



## almostfamous

YES to Zayn/Nakamura. Prob 5 star. Prob moty.

Just a brilliant match. Nakamura has a potential 4 star match-up with half the WWE roster. I'm excited for the future.


----------



## BKKsoulcity

***** to Zayn and Nakamura @ Takeover Dallas but willing to give it a rewatch with a more critical mind


----------



## 3MB4Life

No to Zayn/Nakamura. Probably give it ***1/2.

Maybe this match didn't click with me, I don't know but this was nowhere near five stars personally. The fact it was basically a New Japan medley with Nakamura and Zayn's moves thrown in there just didn't sit with me. It was almost New Japan-lite in style. There was some classical Japanese back-and-forth grappling, some strong style striking and even Zayn doing junior style but I've seen each thing done so much better. Hell, I've seen each thing be done better this year.

The fact there was no real story behind it hurt the match for me too. There was nothing on the line, no body parts being targeted, it was a match and the ring action really wasn't enough to lift to five stars. I've only ever given four matches the full ***** rating and this was really not up to scratch. Not only was this match not one of the best matches of all time, it's not even one of the best matches of the year and I probably won't even remember what happened in it by next week. It could be because I'm not excited to see Nakamura in WWE, maybe it was because the crowd annoyed me but if this is what we get from Swagsuke in a WWE ring, I wish he was still in New Japan. Give me Naka/Okada and Naka/Shibata in Japan over Naka/Zayn & Naka/Balor in NXT anyday.


----------



## Martins

3MB4Life said:


> No to Zayn/Nakamura. Probably give it ***1/2.
> 
> Maybe this match didn't click with me, I don't know but this was nowhere near five stars personally. The fact it was basically a New Japan medley with Nakamura and Zayn's moves thrown in there just didn't sit with me. It was almost New Japan-lite in style. There was some classical Japanese back-and-forth grappling, some strong style striking and even Zayn doing junior style but I've seen each thing done so much better. Hell, I've seen each thing be done better this year.
> 
> The fact there was no real story behind it hurt the match for me too. There was nothing on the line, no body parts being targeted, it was a match and the ring action really wasn't enough to lift to five stars. I've only ever given four matches the full ***** rating and this was really not up to scratch. Not only was this match not one of the best matches of all time, it's not even one of the best matches of the year and I probably won't even remember what happened in it by next week. It could be because I'm not excited to see Nakamura in WWE, maybe it was because the crowd annoyed me but if this is what we get from Swagsuke in a WWE ring, I wish he was still in New Japan. Give me Naka/Okada and Naka/Shibata in Japan over Naka/Zayn & Naka/Balor in NXT anyday.


Well, we obviously don't agree on this one  still, I'm curious: what four matches are those?


----------



## 3MB4Life

Martins said:


> Well, we obviously don't agree on this one  still, I'm curious: what four matches are those?


-Bryan Danielson vs KENTA from Glory By Honor V Day 2
-Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuinness from ROH Unified
-Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa from NOAH Navigate From Evolution (I forget which day)
-Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi from Wrestle Kingdom 10

I also have Bryan Danielson vs Chris Hero from PWG Guerre Sans Frontieres as a very high ****3/4. Maybe it's my inner Bryan Danielson mark coming out and the fact I was a kid when I saw most of these which elevates them but for me, those are the only matches I can imagine handing out five stars to.


----------



## Joshi Judas

Echoing everyone's sentiments here with a giant *YES* for *Zayn vs Nakamura.*

Gave me serious Joe/Kobashi vibes. A perfect debut for Nakamura. A perfect farewell for Zayn. What a match. Is it 5 stars? I'm not sure, but this is a match I don't want to quantify with any star ratings. It's my MOTY for sure, and a match I'll rewatch time and time again.


----------



## Wrestlefire

Add a YES for me on Nakamura/Zayn.

If it has one, add a YES for me on Bayley/Asuka, just because.

NO to Joe/Balor II -- but not for the performers.

The WWE Blood Rule blew this damn match up, and, frankly, if it was THAT BAD, especially with how it was booked to end, they should've risked the riot and stopped the match completely.

The only way you "Let Joe Bleed" is if you "Let Joe Win". Since he wasn't going to, the best move would've also been the least popular and you could've kept it going a while longer.


----------



## Martins

3MB4Life said:


> -Bryan Danielson vs KENTA from Glory By Honor V Day 2
> -Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuinness from ROH Unified
> -Kenta Kobashi vs Mitsuharu Misawa from NOAH Navigate From Evolution (I forget which day)
> -Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi from Wrestle Kingdom 10
> 
> I also have Bryan Danielson vs Chris Hero from PWG Guerre Sans Frontieres as a very high ****3/4. Maybe it's my inner Bryan Danielson mark coming out and the fact I was a kid when I saw most of these which elevates them but for me, those are the only matches I can imagine handing out five stars to.


Good stuff. Didn't expect two of those to be Danielson matches, really, I thought you'd be going all Puro on that list  glad they are though, considering Danielson's one of my all-time faves. Haven't watched GBHV or Unified in like five years though, definitely gotta rewatch those because I remember absolutely loving both back then, I just think they didn't quite make the full 5 (I'm very fickle on these matters though, so I might end up changing opinions). Guerre Sans Frontieres was awesome too, think I gave it something like ****1/2.

I did give the full 5 to Danielson/Nigel at Driven, though, but my GOAT Danielson match has to be vs. Roddy at Vendetta. Heel Dragon was just too fuckin' good.


----------



## Joshi Judas

3MB4Life said:


> The fact there was no real story behind it hurt the match for me too. There was nothing on the line, no body parts being targeted, it was a match and the ring action really wasn't enough to lift to five stars. I've only ever given four matches the full ***** rating and this was really not up to scratch. Not only was this match not one of the best matches of all time, it's not even one of the best matches of the year and I probably won't even remember what happened in it by next week. It could be because I'm not excited to see Nakamura in WWE, maybe it was because the crowd annoyed me but if this is what we get from Swagsuke in a WWE ring, I wish he was still in New Japan. Give me Naka/Okada and Naka/Shibata in Japan over Naka/Zayn & Naka/Balor in NXT anyday.



I get what you're saying but in this case, having no story or no body part targeted didn't bother me one bit. Like I said, I got serious Joe/Kobashi vibes from it. That match didn't have much story either, and it was basically Kobashi turning Joe's chest red with all the chops but it was something special.

In the case of Zayn/Nakamura, the only story needed was this- a first time dream match between two of the best in the world on a big stage. Zayn's probably in his last NXT match while Naka's making his debut. So this was all about going full throttle and delivering a blockbuster, while introducing Nak to the WWE audience and giving a proper sendoff to Sami.

I always think the performers should recognize the audience and cater to them. They knew the crowd was hyped, their job was to let them get more and more excited and give them a show. In that regard, they both succeeded. You could feel both guys trying to one up each other, show how tough they are and go all out for the win. The execution was crisp, they held the crowd in the palm of their hands all the while, there were some good counters, and no finishers were spammed.

I liked this better than Nak/AJ Styles actually though I may be in the minority on that one :lol


----------



## Martins

PENTAGON said:


> I get what you're saying but in this case, having no story or no body part targeted didn't bother me one bit. Like I said, I got serious Joe/Kobashi vibes from it. That match didn't have much story either, and it was basically Kobashi turning Joe's chest red with all the chops but it was something special.
> 
> In the case of Zayn/Nakamura, the only story needed was this- a first time dream match between two of the best in the world on a big stage. Zayn's probably in his last NXT match while Naka's making his debut. So this was all about going full throttle and delivering a blockbuster, while introducing Nak to the WWE audience and giving a proper sendoff to Sami.
> 
> I always think the performers should recognize the audience and cater to them. They knew the crowd was hyped, their job was to let them get more and more excited and give them a show. In that regard, they both succeeded. You could feel both guys trying to one up each other, show how tough they are and go all out for the win. The execution was crisp, they held the crowd in the palm of their hands all the while, there were some good counters, and no finishers were spammed.
> 
> I liked this better than Nak/AJ Styles actually though I may be in the minority on that one :lol


On a second watch, I did prefer this to Nak/Styles as well. Still loved it, have it at ****3/4 and it was my MOTY so far until this.

I got Joe/Kobashi vibes as well, though I'm not as much of a fan of that match, but definitely agree especially in terms of the crowd actually adding so much to the enjoyment of the match.


----------



## Lesnar Turtle

*YES!* to Nakamura/Zayn. The first match so far this year that I really feel like saying was legit 5 stars. The wrestling itself was superb and that combined with the red hot crowd and the "holy shit" aspect of Nakamura being in a WWE ring blasted the whole thing into the stratosphere.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Nakamura/Zayn - ***** - YES*

HOLY FUCKING SHIT... This was MAGICAL. Absolutely magical. One of the best matches EVER.


----------



## Louaja89

I haven't watched any wrestling in weeks but after reading the praise for Nakamura vs Zayn, I know what I have to do


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Bálor/Joe II* totally ruled, too. Definitely better than their London match. *****1/4* & a *YES*.


----------



## Blommen

4 1/2 for naka vs. zain and a massive yes as well


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Groovemachine

American Alpha vs The Revival - NXT Takeover: Dallas - ***3/4

Samoa Joe vs Finn Balor - NXT Takeover: Dallas - ***3/4

But more importantly YES to:

*Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn - NXT Takeover: Dallas - ****1/4*

What a way to debut on WWE TV for Nakamura. Absolutely glorious stuff here.


----------



## KingKicks

MASSIVE *YES* for Nakamura/Zayn. *****3/4*


----------



## TJQ

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn - NXT Takeover: Dallas


----------



## Oakesy

Nakamura v Zayn YES ****3/4


----------



## darkclaudio

*NO
Bayley (c) vs Asuka **1/2
Balor (c) vs Joe **1/4*


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT Takeover: Dallas)*


----------



## Cactus

Fuck, what a show. I love wrestling sometimes.

Yes to both:

*The Revival vs American Alpha (WWE NXT, 4/1/2016)*
We all know how good American Alpha are at this point, but can we get some love for The Revival? Their look isn't the only thing that's old school, they can also work a tag match like they're the second coming of Arn & Tully! They found creative ways to cut off AA from making the hot tag and it's good to see someone getting legit heel heat in modern WWE. I can even forgive that glaring botch! People are still going to say that tag wrestling is dead, but it's matches like this which proves it is stronger that ever. 
★★★★

*Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE NXT, 4/1/2016)*
You can make a point in saying that these guys didn't bring out anything new or innovative here and it's far from being either man's best performance, but that still doesn't stop this from being very special emotion-filled match that is currently my WWE MOTY. Zayn and Nakamura could of done the bare minimum and everyone in that arena would of still lost their shit. This is a bit like Joe vs Kobashi in that sense. It's surreal to see Nakamura and Zayn mix it up in front of one of the hottest crowds in recent memory. My personal favorite moment of the match was either the violent strike-off of Zayn sublime staggering selling of Nakamura's enziguri. 
★★★★¼

No to:

*Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe (WWE NXT, 4/1/2016)*
They kept this short and sweet. The visual of Joe pissing out blood and Balor rising from the crowd after being violently thrown over the barrier was awesome, but this match is hindered by the constant referee stoppages and Balor's cheesy demon acting. It's still Balor's best defense by far. 
★★★¾


----------



## kimino

Rewatched it again and still cannot give more than 4 stars to Nakamura vs Zayn, i was not that excited for the "dream match", since i like zayn but is not that much, as someone else i have seen better matches from Nakamura and with way more background, no way in hell a match that is no way better than Nakamura vs Ibushi from some WK ago can be 5 stars, im gonna say something that it will be no popular, but this match is not better than Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee, the second one had an amazing rivalry it was stiff, and it was innovative, the only problem is that for the average poster here, it was from low profile wrestlers. Nakamura will put some 5 stars in WWE and NXT i have no doubt, but some comments here overrate the match a lot


----------



## 2Pieced

Nakamura vs Zayn was just so good i have to give it *****

No match in the WWE has drawn me in as much in years.

I would also give Balor vs Joe and AA vs The Revival both **** i loved them both.

Asuks vs Bayley was good aswell but it was a notch below the others on the card at around ***3/4


----------



## The Black Mirror

*Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - Singles Match - WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas (April 1, 2016) - ★★★★½ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe - WWE NXT Title Match - WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas (April 1, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Balor vs. Joe would have been ****1/4 for me, but the constant stopping for Joe's wound killed the momentum of the match. Thankfully, the match was still able to recover.

I did not like the Tag Title Match or the Women's Championship Match. The Tag Title Match was too disjointed and there were a couple of annoying botches that kept it from being recommended material from my perspective. Bayley vs. Asuka could have been much better, but I think a big detriment to that match was that it had to follow Zayn vs. Nakamura. I wasn't even there live, but I was worn out from the previous match and just could not get into the story they were telling.

Also, random thought regarding another match that was mentioned in this thread earlier, but I did not like the Chris Hero & Tommy End vs. Sami Callihan & Zack Sabre, Jr. match from EVOLVE 53 in January. I'm starting to realize that I largely do not enjoy Chris Hero's style of wrestling. 9 times out of 10, I find it to be dull and uninspired, which I think really killed this match for everybody.*


----------



## El Dandy

*YES* - Shinsuke Nakamura v Sami Zayn - 4/1

Very good, but wasn't feeling it on that tip top level like some are. I would probably go ****1/4. If I had watched it live and were an NXT guy, I could easily see why it would be inflated for the full *****. Not sure I would have it in my Top 5 of the year so far tho.

I usually mark big for long forearm exchanges when the right guys are involved, but this didn't really have the right guys for me (obv Nak is ALWAYS the right guy). Just kind of rolled my eyes with Zayn going blow for blow with Nak for 2 minutes. Most of Zayn's forearms looked weak, but in fairness he caught Nak with one good one and busted his nose, so I digress. 

Did appreciate that it wasn't a finisher kick out fest. It's so easy to use that crutch.


----------



## American_Nightmare

I really liked Nakamura/Zayn but I feel like that may be topped at some point later on this year as a Match of the Year. I don't know who by, but I just have that feeling. Now to switch gears, I don't know if this is something that would be considered a "Match of the Year Candidate" but here is a match I had last month with Rhyno. Would love to have people's thoughts.


----------



## Stetho

kimino said:


> Rewatched it again and still cannot give more than 4 stars to Nakamura vs Zayn, i was not that excited for the "dream match", since i like zayn but is not that much, as someone else i have seen better matches from Nakamura and with way more background, no way in hell a match that is no way better than Nakamura vs Ibushi from some WK ago can be 5 stars, im gonna say something that it will be no popular, but this match is not better than Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee, the second one had an amazing rivalry it was stiff, and it was innovative, the only problem is that for the average poster here, it was from low profile wrestlers. Nakamura will put some 5 stars in WWE and NXT i have no doubt, but some comments here overrate the match a lot


Isn't pretty much everything in NXT overrated cause it's hype ?


----------



## fabi1982

Yes to zyan vs. Nakamura

Edit: watched it again and yes yes yes!! Just brilliant!!


----------



## Martins

El Dandy said:


> *YES* - Shinsuke Nakamura v Sami Zayn - 4/1
> 
> Very good, but wasn't feeling it on that tip top level like some are. I would probably go ****1/4. If I had watched it live and were an NXT guy, I could easily see why it would be inflated for the full *****. Not sure I would have it in my Top 5 of the year so far tho.
> 
> I usually mark big for long forearm exchanges when the right guys are involved, but this didn't really have the right guys for me (obv Nak is ALWAYS the right guy). Just kind of rolled my eyes with Zayn going blow for blow with Nak for 2 minutes. Most of Zayn's forearms looked weak, but in fairness he caught Nak with one good one and busted his nose, so I digress.
> 
> Did appreciate that it wasn't a finisher kick out fest. It's so easy to use that crutch.


Actually, the fact that Zayn shouldn't be the right guy for forearm exchanges is what made me love it so much  Zayn pulling out some of his aggression in order to defend the "honour" of his turf against the new competitor, who is exactly known for his Strong Style and according strikes, made him really look like a fighter with real heart, like he wanted to prove that his time in NXT was too important for him to not to go away without having beaten up a badass like Nakamura on his last match.


----------



## DOPA

Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura (4/3): *****1/2* *YES.*


----------



## El Dandy

Martins said:


> Actually, the fact that Zayn shouldn't be the right guy for forearm exchanges is what made me love it so much  Zayn pulling out some of his aggression in order to defend the "honour" of his turf against the new competitor, who is exactly known for his Strong Style and according strikes, made him really look like a fighter with real heart, like he wanted to prove that his time in NXT was too important for him to not to go away without having beaten up a badass like Nakamura on his last match.


hmm I mean I guess, but tbh that seems like paper thin reason to try to justify Zayn going toe-to-toe on forearms with one of the best for seemingly 2 whole minutes. 

Admittedly, I don't follow NXT and it has been a while since I've watched Zayn, so maybe he's added forearm strikes to his repertoire (in which case, disregard my posts because that's my ignorance).

IMO title stakes or bad blood are viable reasons as to why one would step out of his element, throw caution to the wind and try to hang blow for blow eventhough it is not their strength. That, or it's 2 similar styles to where it becomes an impromptu dick measuring contest. IDK I got the impression this was just a match for the sake of a match, so the sequence kind of seemed silly to me.

When you have a clash of styles like that, it can be powerful stuff when done right. Perfect example of this was Ibushi/Shibata from last year. 

Ibushi hit Shibata with like 5 unanswered forearms starting in one corner of the ring; after each forearm strike, Shibata didn't retaliate... he just bowed up to Ibuahi and kept making Ibushi take steps backwards due to physical intimidation. They eventually got to the other side of the ring and Ibushi was like "FUCK, do I have to get a gun?" and Shibata just hit him with one great forearm and Ibushi crumbled. That was done to perfection imo. Even though Ibushi is an underrated physical wrestler, why would it make sense for someone who's a flyer/not a striker to be able to hang with someone who can hit with the best in the world? It wouldn't.

Nak/Zayn's forearm exchange reminded me of a gif I saw from last year of Ziggler/Bryan exchanging headbutts (I don't know how long the exchange went; the gif just could've been one long loop). Bryan, alright that's believable. Ziggler? :goaway that's silly.


----------



## Martins

El Dandy said:


> hmm I mean I guess, but tbh that seems like paper thin reason to try to justify Zayn going toe-to-toe on forearms with one of the best for seemingly 2 whole minutes.
> 
> Admittedly, I don't follow NXT and it has been a while since I've watched Zayn, so maybe he's added forearm strikes to his repertoire (in which case, disregard my posts because that's my ignorance).
> 
> IMO title stakes or bad blood are viable reasons as to why one would step out of his element, throw caution to the wind and try to hang blow for blow eventhough it is not their strength. That, or it's 2 similar styles to where it becomes an impromptu dick measuring contest. IDK I got the impression this was just a match for the sake of a match, so the sequence kind of seemed silly to me.
> 
> When you have a clash of styles like that, it can be powerful stuff when done right. Perfect example of this was Ibushi/Shibata from last year.
> *
> Ibushi hit Shibata with like 5 unanswered forearms starting in one corner of the ring; after each forearm strike, Shibata didn't retaliate... he just bowed up to Ibuahi and kept making Ibushi take steps backwards due to physical intimidation. They eventually got to the other side of the ring and Ibushi was like "FUCK, do I have to get a gun?" and Shibata just hit him with one great forearm and Ibushi crumbled. That was done to perfection imo. Even though Ibushi is an underrated physical wrestler, why would it make sense for someone who's a flyer/not a striker to be able to hang with someone who can hit with the best in the world? It wouldn't.*
> 
> Nak/Zayn's forearm exchange reminded me of a gif I saw from last year of Ziggler/Bryan exchanging headbutts (I don't know how long the exchange went; the gif just could've been one long loop). Bryan, alright that's believable. Ziggler? :goaway that's silly.


And that works perfectly as well. Just goes to show that matches with similar concepts can branch out in different ways; and if they can make it work, and if you can interpret it in a way that makes it work, then I think it's fine honestly 

The reason I don't think it's a paper thin reason is the fact that it's been established since the Neville match in 2014 that Zayn shows a great deal of insistence in performing in the best way he can and as honorably as possible for an NXT crowd, because in a sense he is the one biggest representative of that entire brand. Rather than Zayn going down the route of Ibushi/Shibata, I actually enjoyed him showing he's nowhere near some little pissant when it comes to defending the honour of his turf in his final match there, proving that his journey in the promotion has given fruit and made him capable of hanging with the best not only in the main roster where he's going, but also anyone from the entire world, even if in the form of a fearsome striker like Nak.

Obviously it's not a story to be repeated often, and with the vast majority of other guys it would fall flat; to me, it worked exactly because it was Zayn. And that happens a lot in wrestling, actually. The same match worked by two different people, even if their styles are similar, always ends up being different for best or worse.


----------



## El Dandy

Fair enough

I don't fault the _attempt_ of Zayn trying to go blow for blow with Nak, it's that he was actually successful going back and fourth with Nak for nearly the entire sequence. But I'm also someone who would have a hard time accepting a non-mat wrestler successfully rolling around with Angle/Regal/Benoit in a one off match etc tec

Just didn't think it was a very smart sequence is all. 

Luckily there's more than one way to skin a cat


----------



## Dr. Middy

I counted 27 *YES* votes already for Nakamura/Zayn. 

...this match has made my geekiness come out. :lol


----------



## Lesnar Turtle

*YES!* to Zack Sabre JR vs Will Ospreay from Evolve 58


----------



## ArnDaddy

Lesnar Turtle said:


> *YES!* to Zack Sabre JR vs Will Ospreay from Evolve 58


Yes from me too, Incredible. I thought Nakamura\Zayn was good too but had to go for the ZSJ\AA match over it personally.


----------



## Wrestling is Life

YES to Zayn/Nakamura. THAT CROWD!


----------



## hgr423

I watched Zayn/Nak out of curiosity. I dislike the WWE style, but admittedly this was a great moment and the crowd was super hot. I'm interested in checking out more NXT as a result, but I don't see this as a MOTY. It was a good match though. ****.

I wonder if those ranking it higher are grading it on the WWE curve. But even using the WWE curve, it's not in the same universe as Hart/Austin from WM 13 which was the last ***** WWE match I know of.


----------



## Corey

hgr423 said:


> I watched Zayn/Nak out of curiosity. I dislike the WWE style, but admittedly this was a great moment and the crowd was super hot. I'm interested in checking out more NXT as a result, but I don't see this as a MOTY. It was a good match though. ****.
> 
> I wonder if those ranking it higher are grading it on the WWE curve. But even using the WWE curve, it's not in the same universe as Hart/Austin from WM 13 which was the last ***** WWE match I know of.


I didn't think this felt like a WWE style match at all though. That's what made it feel so surreal to me. It felt like a match we would've seen at Wrestle Kingdom for the IWGP Intercontinental Title or something. They didn't have any limits to work around and there weren't a load of finishers and kickouts in the final stretch. No WWE curve to it at all.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Huge YES to Zayn vs Nakamura from NXT Takeover, I might be biased since I saw the match live and I'm a huge Nakamura fan but sod it ***** definitely my MOTY


----------



## amhlilhaus

Nakamura v zayn was a 4 star match with a 5 star crowd.

They were super hot for both, it was refreshing to see and bumped the match higher than it should be rated


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

* HUGE YES* to *Adam Cole v. KUSHIDA ROH TV 04/06/16* - * **** - **** 1/4*

Man that was an awesome match and by FAR the best ROH TV match this year, they absolutely killed it out there and they didn't need much time to do it. KUSHIDA was uber over with the Vegas and Cole was Cole as usual. They started off really fast and the action never slowed down, it was big match sequences 6 mins into the match and it didn't feel forced at all it was just an awesome fast paced match. They also told a good story with KUSHIDA targeting Cole's arm and he countered into the hoverboard lock amazingly. I can't wait to rewatch that match as it was simply amazing​


----------



## friscowrestlingfan

Big YES to Ricochet v. Will Osprey from Evolve 59 this afternoon. Was there live and it was great! Would probably go around ****3/4 on it.


----------



## Nithas

Haven't posted in this thread before, hopefully I'm doing it right? 

YES to Revival vs. American Alpha from Takeover, and HUGE YES to Zayn vs. Nakamura.

NO to the other Takeover matches.


----------



## seancarleton77

Massive yes to Nakamura/Zayn from Dallas


----------



## Alright_Mate

*YES! to Nakamura vs Zayn - ****3/4 *
Loved every minute of this. The only thing stopping me giving this five stars, is that there was no real story behind it, from a Wrestling point of view I'd have it on par with Okada vs Tanahashi & Nakamura vs Styles from NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10.

*YES! to Bayley vs Asuka - ****1/4*
Don't really understand the low ratings for this match, it kind of left me wanting more but it was still a very good match, that deserves at least four stars plus. The pacing was there, the transitions were there and their submission battle in the last 10 minutes or so of the match was a joy to watch. I gave Asuka vs Emma from Takeover London 4/5, that match was good but this in my opinion was better.


----------



## Corey

****** and a *YES* for the IC Title Ladder match at Mania. Fucking AWESOME! Way better than last year's version.

****** and a *YES* to Charlotte vs. Sasha vs. Becky. Fantastic match with yet another unpredictable finish. Wonderful efforts from all three women.


----------



## Cactus

Better than X-7 so far. Come at me. (watch this fall apart now that I said that)

Ladder match ****1/4
Styles/Y2J ****1/4
Ambrose/Lesnar ****
Women's Triple Threat ****1/2

I'll do some write-ups once I've seen the whole show.


----------



## Corey

***** 1/4* and *YES* for Taker vs. Shane. An absolute war that wasn't worked the way pretty much any of us expected and benefited from the slow burn. Tremendous storytelling and great visuals throughout. Shane killed himself as expected too, so there's that. 

I'm so glad someone else likes this Mania too because there's been WAY too much negativity imo.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

EDITED


----------



## flag sabbath

Christ I thought that was never going to end. Best match was Jericho vs AJ at ***3/4


----------



## Joshi Judas

Charlotte vs Becky vs Sasha ***3/4
Taker vs Shane ***3/4
Jericho vs Styles ***1/2
IC title match ***1/2

Pretty underwhelming Mania with some strange booking decisions, capped off by one of the worst main events in years.


----------



## BlackoutLAS

NO to: WrestleMania 32. 

That was fucking horrible.


----------



## mk92071

Wow. I'm on the 'WrestleMania 32 was awful' train. The only matches worth checking out are the IC ladder match (for the Zayn/Owens interactions and the false finishes) and the divas three way (which was really good, but probably not even ****). Brock/Dean was underwhelming but still decent. The HIAC was hard to watch for me. It was just slow and sloppy. It made me realize that no matter how much I love wrestling for the storytelling, there needs to be some level of athleticism. I can't watch two older men fight like that. It's not entertaining or interesting. The main event was awful. And the whole Rock-Wyatts-Cena segment went on forever Jesus. I can't believe I sat through that whole show.


----------



## VanHammerFan

you guys crazy. better than X-7? Some of you on angel dust?

Ladder Match: ***1/4 - NO. Completely forgettable Mania Ladder match in a long list of forgettable Mania ladder matches. it's been 15 years but WWE's midcard still hasn't figured out how to top Razor/HBK and E&C/Duds/Hardys.

AJ vs. Jericho: ***1/2 - NO, but would recommend

6-Man Tag: **1/4 - NO

Brock vs. Ambrose: *** - NO, don't know the last time I was more disappointment in a match. If HIAC didn't happen, they no doubt would've been allowed to go for more. This match should've been 32's contribution to the WrestleMania GOAT cannon. Instead, no match period was added.

Charlotte vs. Sasha vs. Becky: ***3/4 - NO but would recommend. Charlotte's moonsault would' make Chris Daniels proud. MOTN for me.

HIAC: ** - NO. Trash match and a 2 month build for literally one spot to see Shane try and be New Jack. What a waste of time. Shane kicking out of finishes and pretending to be a Gracie is a new low in regards to suspending disbelief.

Roman vs. H: * - NO. Just a bad match. Triple H completes the shitty Mania main event hat trick. 18, 25, and now 32.


----------



## darkclaudio

No:
Ladder match ***
Styles/Y2J **1/2
Ambrose/Lesnar **3/4
Women's Triple Threat ***
Hell In A Cell Match ***1/4
HHH/Reigns *


----------



## dmgsdmgsdmgs

Jesus Christ I can't believe people are nominating any of those fucking matches. Y'all are TRIPPIN


----------



## seancarleton77

Yes to the women's triple threat. It was definitely match of the night.


----------



## Cactus

I'm baffled why people aren't loving this event. From a in-ring perspective, it was fantastic. 

Yes to all:

*Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn vs The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler vs Stardust vs Sin Cara vs Zack Ryder (Ladder Match) (WWE, 3/4/2016)*
Am I overrating this because I just saw El Generico and Kevin Steen slug it out at Wrestlemania? Possibly. But still, this was a brilliant spotfest. Everything flowed well and stuff like Stardust pulling out the polka dot ladder only for Owens to throw it to the side was great. If I had to pick a favorite spot it would Sin Cara's slingshot swanton bomb, just insane. There's not much more I can say about this, but certainly check it out if you are in the mood for a ladder match.
★★★★

*AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho (WWE, 3/4/2016)*
Considering how underwhelming I thought the matches these guys had when Jericho was face were, this blew away my expectations. The pacing of this match felt very natural and it's a cliche saying, but this felt like a chess match. Those Codebreaker counters looked lush, and I hate that move! They brought out all the goods without going into 2.9 nearfall overkill. Jericho's heel work was some of his best ever, from wearing trunks with 'G.O.A.T' emblazoned on to taking himself so seriously it's actually amusing. It's taken ten long years, but I'm finally a fan of Jericho again. AJ really has brought out the best in him.
★★★★¼

*Brock Lesnar vs Dean Ambrose (WWE, 3/4/2016)*
Even though I find this a tad underwhelming considering the talent involved, this was still great. The weapons spots never looked contrived and the chainsaw tease was a nice touch. Ambrose licking the barbed wire bat was a little 'my friend Dean said he was going to lick the baseball bat and he actually did it, the absolute madman!' but he makes up for it by selling Lesnar's nasty suplexes like a pro and I can't remember him doing that fucking dumb rebound clothesline spot, so that's always a bonus. Lesnar looked like a beast, but we all knew that already.
★★★★

*Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch (WWE, 4/3/2016)* 
Probably the best women's match to ever take place in a WWE ring. It's insane how fluid everything felt, even when there was a minor slip-up, the match never loses steam as proven by the small miscommunication during the sunset flip/suplex spot. Sasha was exceptionally good, she gets dropped on her head after a German suplex and then she comes back into the match to bust out a somersault suicide dive a few minutes later. The only real gripe I can think of is how weak Becky's finisher looked in this match. It looks like a rest hold when she locks it on Charlottle early in the match. Every woman in this match looked like a star. This match legitimized the women's division. Let's hope WWE doesn't fuck it up. 
★★★★½

No to:

*The Undertaker vs Shane McMahon (Hell in a Cell match) (WWE, 4/3/2016)*
I found it hard to ever buy Shane hanging with 'Taker and a non-wrestler kicking out after taking a Last Ride and a chokeslam on the stairs makes those moves look weak as piss. The spectacle of this was worth it however, I legitimately felt concerned for Shane after that bump and it created a huge Wrestlemania moment, as corny as that sounds. I'm in no hurry to rewatch this, but it was certainly memorable and it never felt like this match went 30 minutes. 
★★★½


----------



## Corey

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> EDITED


What exactly happened here? You lost enjoyment for all 4 of the matches you gave YES votes too?


----------



## amhlilhaus

Nothing at wm was 4* the womens match was close, but the rest were either way too short, were already seen before or anti climatic. 

They pulled the reigns back on ambrose v lesnar so it wouldnt upstage shane v taker, just awful all around


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust vs. The Miz vs. Zack Ryder - ****1/4
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks - ****1/2*
*YES* to both.

Also a shout to to Brock/Ambrose, which I thought was very good, and I probably would've went ****+ for it had it went on a bit longer. Awesome match. ***3/4.


----------



## Groovemachine

*AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho - WWE Wrestlemania 32 - ****

Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch - WWE Wrestlemania 32 - ****1/4 *

Jericho/Styles was a tremendous affair that I felt was paced really well, building nicely throughout to a series of false finishes. Great WM debut for Styles. YES to the Women's triple threat, this was everything it needed to be. They got to show off what they do best on the biggest stage, and it absolutely delivered.


----------



## ZEROVampire

NO to every single Wrestlemania match.

LOL this is not the worst wrestlemania ever, but people, this is a really poor show.
no match above *** 1/2


----------



## Nithas

YES to Charlotte vs. Becky vs. Sasha - ****

NO to the rest of the WM garbage.


----------



## flag sabbath

My only *YES!* for the weekend is a rather superfluous one for *Zayn vs Nakamura*. I loved how they transitioned from their respective comfort zones into a desperate scrap which played to Shinskay's strengths, but allowed Sami to gain props by holding his own in less familiar territory *****1/2*

An honourable mention to the predictably excellent *Sabre Jr vs Ospreay* which managed to be thrilling without resorting to Will's penchant for excess ******


----------



## TheGeneticFreak

NO to all the Wrestle mania matches.


----------



## Alright_Mate

*YES! to Charlotte vs Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks Triple Threat - *****
This was the only match last night that got me out of my seat. It wasn't the cleanest match but all three put their heart & soul into the match. All three making their Wrestlemania debuts and in my eyes they put on the MOTN, props to all three, good stuff.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Corey said:


> What exactly happened here? You lost enjoyment for all 4 of the matches you gave YES votes too?


I wanted to rewatch before I gave solidified ratings as as I might've been ranking off of impulse.


----------



## VanHammerFan

Cactus said:


> I'm baffled why people aren't loving this event. From a in-ring perspective, it was fantastic.


i'm baffled why someone with suzuki as his picture has such a low bar in regards to work and hands out stars like it's candy.

in fairness, most of the matches were fine, but there was nothing remarkable with in-ring work. 4 stars for ambrose/lesnar? How? Why? it was a 12 minute nothing match that had it's balls cut off because shane & taker had to get all of the time and all of the spots.

i'm glad that the consensus here is that nothing was over 4 stars. I have faith in this forum yet.


----------



## NastyYaffa

VanHammerFan said:


> i'm baffled why someone with suzuki as his picture has such a low bar in regards to work and hands out stars like it's candy.
> 
> in fairness, most of the matches were fine, but there was nothing remarkable with in-ring work. 4 stars for ambrose/lesnar? How? Why? it was a 12 minute nothing match that had it's balls cut off because shane & taker had to get all of the time and all of the spots.
> 
> i'm glad that the consensus here is that nothing was over 4 stars. I have faith in this forum yet.


Maybe I & others here should ask you what is a 4 star match and what is not before we nominate any matches. :hmm:


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to :

*Charlotte(c) v. Sasha Banks v. Becky Lynch* - ******

*Chris Jericho v. AJ Styles* - ******

As far as *Ambrose/Lesnar* goes, it was on it's way to being MOTN by far and they got their legs taken out from under them. They we're on fire in that match and the needed 5-10 minutes. I'd give it around *** 1/2-3/4.​


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

No to all of WM, Zayn vs Nakamura is a contender but I thought Okada vs Tanahashi was better... Hero vs ZSJ was great. Maybe my match of the weekend. Glad to see that twink ZSJ lose.


----------



## flag sabbath

*YES!* to * Hero vs Sabre Jr*. They played off their familiarity brilliantly with some cool blocks & counters early on. Then Hero went into KO monster mode, leaving ZSJ as the plucky St George, picking his openings & relentlessly targeting the arms. Fantastic match *****1/4*


----------



## Rah

Wow, Wrestlemania was the drizzling shits, eh?


*Puro:*
*Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 25 ||*
*Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 35 ||*
*Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 22 ||*
The Young Bucks vs ReDRagon vs Aerial Dogfight vs Roppongi Vice (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 1 ||
Kenny Omega vs KUSHIDA (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 1 ||
Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (NJPW Fantastica Mania Night 6) || YES = 14 ||
Ryoto Hama vs Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 24/01) || YES = 4 ||
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW: New Beginning In Osaka) || YES = 11 ||
Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW: New Beginning In OxiOxiOxiOxita) || YES = 5 ||
Hideyoshi Kamitani & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 18/01) || YES = 1 ||
Minoru Suzuki vs Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH 24/02) || YES = 3 ||
Kazuchika Okada & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Katsuyori Shibata & KUSHIDA (NJPW New Japan Cup Night 1) || YES = 1 ||
Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW New Japan Cup Night 2) || YES = 1 ||
VERSERK vs Dia.HEARTS vs MONSTER EXPRESS (Dragon Gate 04/02) || YES = 1 ||
Tomohiro Ishii vs EVIL (NJPW Cup Day 1) || YES = 1 || 
Tomohiro Ishii vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW Cup Day 2) || YES = 1 || 
Katsuyori Shibata vs Satoshi Kojima (NJPW Road To Invasion Attack) || YES = 1 ||
Kenny Omega vs Jay White (NJPW Road To Invasion Attack) || YES = 1 ||


*US/Europe Indy:*
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll (Rev Pro High Stakes 2016) || YES = 13 ||
AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr (Rev Pro High Stakes 2016) || YES = 1 ||
Kenny Omega vs Mark Haskins (4FW New Year's Wrestleution) || YES = 2 ||
Chris Hero vs Sami Callihan (AAW The Chaos Theory) || YES = 1 || 
Chris Hero & Tommy End vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Sami Callihan (Evolve 53) || YES = 1 || 
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll (PROGRESS Chat Shit Get Banged) || YES = 1 ||
Roderick Strong vs Tomohiro Ishii (RoH/NJPW Honor Rising Night 1) || YES = 2 ||
Fenix vs King Cuerno (Lucha Underground 02/03) || YES = 1 ||
Mil Muertes vs Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr. (Lucha Underground 09/03) || YES = 15 ||
Matt Riddle vs Tracy Williams (Evolve 55) || YES = 1 ||
Adam Cole vs Mike Bailey (PWG Lemmy) || YES = 1 || 
Trevor Lee vs Rory Wilkins (CWF Mid-Atlantic 09/03) || YES = 1 || 
Mil Muertes vs Fenix (Lucha Underground 16/03) || YES = 11 || 
Timothy Thatcher vs Drew Gulak (PWG Lemmy) || YES = 1 || 
Aztec Warfare 2 (Lucha Underground 23/03) || YES = 11 || 
Big Daddy Walter vs Zach Sabre Jr (WXW 16 Carat Gold Day 1) || YES = 1 || 
Zach Sabre Jr vs Will Ospreay (Evolve 58) || YES = 2 || 
Adam Cole vs KUSHIDA (RoH 06/04) || YES = 1 || 
Ricochet vs Will Ospreay (Evolve 59) || YES = 1 || 
Chris Hero vs Zach Sabre Jr (WWN Mercury Rising) || YES = 1 || 


*WWE:*
Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio (Smackdown 14/01) || YES = 3 ||
Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble) || YES = 3 ||
Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens (Royal Rumble) || YES = 3 ||
Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe (NXT 17/02) || YES = 1 ||
Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (Fastlane) || YES = 2 ||
Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio (Fastlane) || YES = 1 ||
Neville vs Finn Balor (NXT 02/03) || YES = 1 ||
Y2AJ vs The New Day (Raw 07/03) || YES = 6 ||
Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe (NXT 09/03) || YES = 4 ||
Dean Ambrose vs HHH (Roadblock) || YES = 5 || 
*Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT Takeover: Dallas) || YES = 33 || *
Samoa Joe vs Finn Balor (NXT Takeover: Dallas) || YES = 3 || 
American Alpha vs The Revival (NXT Takeover: Dallas) || YES = 2 || 
Bayley vs Asuka (NXT Takeover: Dallas) || YES = 1 || 
IC Ladder Match (Wrestlemania) || YES = 3 || 
Charlotte vs Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks (Wrestlemania) || YES = 8 || 
AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho (Wrestlemania) || YES = 2 || 
Shane McMahon vs The Undertaker (Wrestlemania) || YES = 1 || 
Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar (Wrestlemania) || YES = 1 || 


*TNA:*
Ethan Carter vs Matt Hardy (19/01) || YES = 1 || 


*Lucha Libre:*
Maximo vs Kamaitachi (CMLL 01/01) || YES = 3 ||
Mascara Dorada vs Mephisto (CMLL 19/02) || YES = 1 || 
Volador Jr. , Stuka Jr, Dragon Lee vs ***** Casas, Kamaitachi, Gran Guerrero (CMLL 19/02) || YES = 1 || 
Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (CMLL 04/03) || YES = 5 ||
Hijo del Fantasma vs Fenix vs Octagon Jr vs Pentagon Jr (AAA 04/03) || YES = 1 || 
Atlantis vs Caifan (Chairo Kingdom) || YES = 1 || 
Dragon Lee vs Ray Horuz (Chairo Kingdom) || YES = 1 || 
Caristico vs Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL Elite 21/03) || YES = 1 || 


*Legend:*
Red = 10 YES votes
*BOLD Red* = 20 YES votes


----------



## Groovemachine

*Zack Sabre Jr vs Will Ospreay - Evolve 58 - ****1/4*

Godly performance from both guys. Their mix of styles meshed incredibly well here, and this is just so thrilling from the beginning. Some of ZSJ's submissions are wince-inducing. Tremendous encounter between these two, and a fair bit better than their admittedly great match at Progress 19.


----------



## Stetho

Am I the only one to realize that their Evolve match was exactly the same they had for 16 Carat Gold ?


----------



## NastyYaffa

I highly recommend everybody who liked Hero/ZSJ from EVOLVE to check out their match from Limitless Wrestling that happened in January. IMO not a MOTYC, but just as good as their EVOLVE match.


----------



## antoniomare007

*Daichi Hashimoto vs Daisuke Sekimoto - Big Japan 3/31/16*

There was no way I wasn't nominating this one if it was any good and that's what it ended up being. Daichi still needs some work but he did damn well all things considered, and I fucking LOVED Kazuki being at his side at all times motivating him. Stiffest chops I've seen from Daisuke in years, motherfucker was laying them in. It was a little too much back and forth for my taste as I think the veteran should've dominated more and longer but it was still pretty clear Daichi was the underdog. I really liked they didn't go overboard with the nearfalls at all, no one came out looking like superman and that's how it should've been, ending was got a legit "holy shit!" from me. Can't wait for the rematch.


----------



## LilOlMe

*To me Nakamura/Zayn was a knockoff of Nakamura/Ibushi, thus I couldn't really love it. It was good, and I can see how someone who has never seen the latter would be really into this match.

Zayn just didn't have Ibushi's intensity, so it seemed second-rate to me.

The crowd was incredible, though, and I did love Nakamura's counter to Zayn's "through the buckles" DDT move.

*I thought Samoa Joe vs. Devitt was actually incredible. I know the stoppages hurt it, but Joe's aggression was just great. I loved the frenzied pace of the whole thing.

*Bayley vs. Asuka was quite good as well.

*The main event of WM was an abomination. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I'll blame H for this, because all three of his return matches have been shit to me. 

*Shane vs. Taker had good storytelling, but I totally agree with the person who said that a match needs _some_ athleticism. That match redefined the term "slow."

Shane's sons coming out made for the coolest entrance ever, though.

*From the Bray/Rock segment on, WM fell off a fucking cliff. Words can't express how done with Vince I felt after that Bray segment. My God, I wish I never gave money to this fucker.

Then that Battle Royal. Why, oh, why did Baron not look dominate against Kane if the whole point was to make Baron look like a star? lmao @ them putting more effort into the booking of Shaq.

This was the worst booked PPV I've ever seen. Almost every decision was bad, and the layouts were bad for a lot of it. 

I did enjoy the PPV up until the Bray segment despite the bad booking. Felt the matches before that all were either good or at least had something going for them.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Matt Riddle vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (EVOLVE 59) - **** - YES!*
Just what you would expect from Riddle & ZSJ. An intense grappling exhibition w/ submissions, cool counters, strikes, suplexes... I loved this. Great match, and my favorite EVOLVE match of the year so far.


----------



## Corey

*Liga Elite*
Caristico vs. Volador Jr. - ***** (YES!)*
_CMLL Elite 4/6_
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIbPbwHgV84

Maaaaan this was sweet. Breathtaking transitions and incredible athleticism. I'm typically not a Volador fan but I really dug him playing the heel here. Very refreshing. Big moves and big nearfalls throughout in this one. The La Mistica is an absolute thing of beauty when hit right. Awesome match.​


----------



## Corey

*CMLL Light Heavyweight Championship*
Angel De Oro (c) vs. La Mascara - *(****) - YES!*
_CMLL on Claro Sports 4/8_

More lucha! Mascara's heel work was great and Oro played a good underdog babyface. He refused to be beaten by his own move but Mascara kept insisting on trying it or just using other submissions used by notable luchadors. Really excellent 3rd fall but I'm slightly torn on the rating because of the finish. I don't have any problem with the final outcome, but I wish Dragon Lee would've stepped in to even the odds against Rush. Either way, another really damn good title match for CMLL this year. They're on a roll.

-----------------------------

Dragon Lee, Mascara Dorada, & Mistico vs. Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero, & Euforia - *(****) - YES!*
_CMLL on Claro Sports 4/8_

:mark: :mark: :mark: :mark:

Reminded me of a 6-man you'd see from the WCW cruiserweight days. Just pure chaos and crazy sequences. Some stuff I've never even seen before!​


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Adam Cole v. Kyle O'Reilly: No Holds Barred. Supercard of Honor X Night 2* - ***** 1/2* 

This was an all-out war between two men fueled by hatred. Cole didn't let Kyle get through his full entrance before attacking him with a steel chain. These guys had some really good brawling including Mandy Leon eating a superkick from Cole and a elevated barricade suplex from Kyle. These two beat the life outta each other in what thus far is ROH's MOTY. The finish saw Kyle making Cole pass out via a triangle choke with the steel chain.

Another *YES* to *Adam Cole v. ACH, Supercard of Honor X Night 1* - ***** 1/4*

Probably the two most over guys of the night in a classic matchup. Crowd seemed pretty pro Cole at the start but boy when ACH got hot he never let off. This is probably the best Cole/ACH match to date and ACH's best performance in awhile, he was clean as a whistle and everything was crisp. Cole was Cole in the sense that he's rarely off his game and is having a great in-ring year. Some great spots from the match was ACH hitting a nasty lariat on Cole and doing almost a reverse kipup flip (it was awesome). Cole busted ACH's mouth open with a superkick off of the "get over here", ACH hit a beautiful flash kick it was just action packed in this match. The finish saw Cole grabbing Todd Sinclair and lowblowing ACH and then hitting the brainbuster on the knee.​


----------



## Boots To Chests

Yes! on Nakamura vs Zayn! 
Gonna buy Supercard of Honor soon.


----------



## The Black Mirror

*So, do we go strictly by calendar year in this thread, or do we leave it open to including stuff from December the year prior (in this case, 2015), Wrestling Observer style? I was just wondering. It seems unfair that PWG's last show of the year each year doesn't get any recognition in either this thread (because the match didn't happen in 2016) or in the 2015 thread (because nobody really wants to bump an old thread). I've got 3-4 matches from their All-Star Weekend 11 that I think deserve mention on the forum here, but I'm assuming this thread is run strictly by calendar year, since I haven't seen anybody else recommend matches from those shows in this thread. Any insight would be appreciated.*


----------



## Corey

The Black Mirror said:


> *So, do we go strictly by calendar year in this thread, or do we leave it open to including stuff from December the year prior (in this case, 2015), Wrestling Observer style? I was just wondering. It seems unfair that PWG's last show of the year each year doesn't get any recognition in either this thread (because the match didn't happen in 2016) or in the 2015 thread (because nobody really wants to bump an old thread). I've got 3-4 matches from their All-Star Weekend 11 that I think deserve mention on the forum here, but I'm assuming this thread is run strictly by calendar year, since I haven't seen anybody else recommend matches from those shows in this thread. Any insight would be appreciated.*


Typically you can just go back to the 2015 thread and nominate the matches. Normally people are still going back and catching up through February so you can still recommend stuff from December in there. 

But in short, yes, we go by calendar year in here. (Y)


----------



## septurum

Nakamura vs Zayn- **** 1/2


----------



## El Dandy

From NJPW Invasion Attack 4/10

*YES*
- KUSHIDA v Ospreay: ****
- Okada v Naito: ****


----------



## NastyYaffa

*KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay - NJPW Invasion Attack - ****1/4 - YES!*
I have been super down on Ospreay lately, I thought that his matches vs. Scurll, Ricochet & ZSJ were absolutely awful, and that his performances in those matches were bad. But damn, he was AWESOME here. Some flippy stuff in the beginning, which was impressive. The match got REAL good after KUSHIDA kicked Ospreay in the arm. KUSHIDA worked the shit out of Ospreay's arm, and to my surprise, Ospreay did a damn good job selling that arm. He managed to sell it really well, while still doing his impressive flippy stuff. Absolutely great performance by Will Ospreay, and KUSHIDA once again proved that he is (IMO) definitely one of the best wrestlers in the world. Wonderful match.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

No to anything from Invasion Attack. They were good matches but they weren't MOTY candidates.


----------



## Stetho

Have to give a *YES* for Ospreay/KUSHIDA just for the "no hand handspring" and the Rainmaker attempt. Ospreay showed everything he can do and his selling was on point.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Yes to O'Spreay vs KUSHIDA from NJPW Invasion Attack - ****1/2


----------



## darkclaudio

No to:
*IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match*: KUSHIDA (c) vs Will Ospreay ***
*IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match*: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Tetsuya Naito ***1/4


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*NO* to *Kazuchika Okada v. Tetsuya Naito * - **** 1/4*

Match was an overbooked mess.

*NO(Recommend)* to *KUSHIDA v. Will Ospreay* - ****3/4*

Was a great match, that I very much enjoyed. I feel they have much more to give if they meet again however and the next will be a true MOTYC.​


----------



## Blommen

YES to Okada - Naito for being just a damn great wrestling match, and YES to Ospreay - KUSHIDA that god damn ridiculous no handed handstand. Ospreay one of the three best highflyers in the world right now. absolutely spectacular display of acrobatics by him.


----------



## Cactus

VanHammerFan said:


> i'm baffled why someone with suzuki as his picture has such a low bar in regards to work and hands out stars like it's candy.
> 
> in fairness, most of the matches were fine, but there was nothing remarkable with in-ring work. 4 stars for ambrose/lesnar? How? Why? it was a 12 minute nothing match that had it's balls cut off because shane & taker had to get all of the time and all of the spots.
> 
> i'm glad that the consensus here is that nothing was over 4 stars. I have faith in this forum yet.


Looking back, I probably wouldn't go 4 stars on Lesnar/Ambrose. I'll give it a rewatch at some point.

If you want to see people handing out snowflakes, come here after a Wrestle Kingdom.

Anyways, speaking of handing out stars like they are candy...

Yes to:

*KUSHIDA vs Will Ospreay (NJPW, 4/10/2016)*
I expected this to be good, but not this good! This is more 'seasoned champion faces plucky underdog' rather that 'evil foreigner faces hero champion' like I initially thought it would. KUSHIDA targets the arm and that becomes the focal point of the match. Ospreay can't bust out a lot of his moves with one arm, so he has to modify them, including one instance where whips out a no hand handstand. It's utterly insane. The arm work is consistent and I was so engrossed in the match during the finishing stretch. This deserves to be talked about in the same breath as other junior classics. Everything I love about juniors wrestling. 
★★★★½

No to:

*Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, 4/10/2016)*
A historic match with plenty of great stuff littered throughout, but I can't sit there and say that I wasn't bored out my ass during the first 10-15 minutes of the match. This is made by the utterly unique crowd dynamic, the fun outside brawling segments and the shock ending.
★★★¼


----------



## Dead Seabed

*YES* for Shinkay vs. Zayn ****1/2. A *1/2 is solely for the crowd but hell yeah it was a spectacle.


----------



## Wrestling is Life

YES to Will Ospreay/KUSHIDA from Invasion Attack

NO to Okada/Naito - was a good match and will surely go down as a historic one, however it was too overbooked to be a MOTY for me.

Thought not a MOTYC I would stronly suggest people also check out Shibata/Tenzan from Invasion Attack. I haven't seen anyone mention it but I enjoyed it a lot and it exceeded expectations to me. The Heavyweight Tag match also was surprisingly enjoyable to me. Tama Tonga seems to have really stepped up.


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

3/28 Mascara Dorada vs Barbaro Cavernario CMLL ****1/4 YES
3/20 Mascara Dorada vs Extreme Tiger ELITE **** NO
3/23 Averno & Chessman vs Daga & Joe Lider vs Argenis & Austrailian Suicide AAA ****1/4 YES
4/2 Matt Riddle vs Zack Sabre jr. EVOLVE 59 ****1/4 YES
4/6 Caristico vs Volador jr Elite ****1/4 YES
4/10 Bushi Evil vs Goto Ishii NJPW **** NO
3/27 Sekimoto vs Kamitani BJW ****1/4 YES
4/1 Ospreay vs Zack Sabre Jr. Evolve 58 ****1/2 YES


----------



## The Black Mirror

*I didn't think WrestleMania, as a whole, was as awful as several people have made it out to be. Admittedly, I no longer keep up with WWE on a weekly basis. I only watch the monthly Network specials (although, I missed Fastlane and Roadblock) and any specific matches that get recommended in here or elsewhere on the internet. I quit keeping up with the company on a regular basis because I, like many, got tired of the terrible booking and the direction of the company. With less and less free time, I had to let go of weekly appointment viewing of RAW and SmackDown within the past couple of years.

As such, I think I went into WrestleMania with VERY low expectations. My expectations were mostly met, but because I didn't feel very invested in any of the matches or storylines, nothing that happened on this show really bothered me. Don't get me wrong, there were some bad matches and nearly every outcome was questionable, at best. But, I guess because I've come to expect this regular bullshit from WWE, I enjoyed this show as more of a mark, rather than a smark.

That being said, I will give my thoughts on what I think are the notable matches from WrestleMania.

Also, it's not really worth a mention in this thread, but I did not think that the main event, in particular, was as terrible as people are acting like it was. The main event sucked because everybody saw the outcome coming from 10 miles away. Although there have been glimmers of hope pointing towards something else happening; in reality, we've known they were going to finish this show with Roman Reigns as the babyface champion since last year's WrestleMania. Take the overly obvious finish to the match out of the equation, and the match itself really wasn't that bad. All things considered, I think Triple H worked his ass off to make Roman look good. It's not a MOTYC, but it wasn't that terrible. Now, Ambrose vs. Lesnar was a fucking terrible match.

As for the rest of the show...

Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Sami Zayn vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust vs. The Miz vs. Zack Ryder - WWE Intercontinental Title Seven Way Ladder Match - WWE WrestleMania 32 (April 3, 2016) - ★★★★ (YES!/RECOMMENDED)

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho - Singles Match - WWE WrestleMania 32 (April 3, 2016) - ★★★3/4 (NO!/NOT RECOMMENDED)

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks - WWE Women's Title Triple Threat Match - WWE WrestleMania 32 (April 3, 2016) - ★★★★1/4 (YES!/RECOMMENDED)

Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker - Hell In A Cell Match - WWE WrestleMania 32 (April 3, 2016) - ★★★3/4 (NO!/NOT RECOMMENDED)

I also liked the main event from the RAW after WrestleMania. As such, it gets a recommendation from me.

AJ Styles vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens - WWE World Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Fatal Four Way Match - WWE Monday Night RAW #1193 (April 4, 2016) - ★★★★ (YES!/RECOMMENDED)*


----------



## Martins

YES to KUSHIDA/Ospreay from Invasion Attack. An actually-selling Will Ospreay is one of the best high-flyers in the world. ****+

NO to Naito/Okada, boring in the beginning and too much interference going on, but overall still a pretty good match and really glad to see that fucking prick Naito win the Title. ***1/2


----------



## Groovemachine

Cesaro/Owens was a cracking start to Raw last night, ***3/4 and highly recommended. Great selling by both men; Owens not being able to jump to the top rope after the work that had been done on his knee, and Cesaro's shoulder giving out. What with this and last week's 4-way match, I'm holding out hope we get at least one great Raw match every week, like that awesome period when the Shield and Team Hell No were tearing it up week in, week out.


----------



## cena542007

YES: 

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn (Takeover: Dallas) - ****1/2


----------



## Martins

Lucha Underground S02E12

Johnny Mundo/Taya/Cage vs. Rey Mysterio/Dragon Azteca Jr./Prince Puma

A motherfucking *YES* to this match. Impossibly fun, brilliant spots, really smooth yet impactful shit goin' on here with some great character work mixed in from the heel trio especially. 

****1/4


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

4/9 BJW Hideki Suzuki vs Shuji Ishikawa **** NO
4/9 BJW Ryota Hama vs Yuji Okabayashi ****1/2 - This was my favorite match from the BJW Strong Climb tournament. Okabayashi is once again outstanding in this one. This is even better than their last 1v1. You will not look away during this match. YES


----------



## seancarleton77

YUUUUUUUGE YES to Nakamura vs. Zayn

Yes to KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay


----------



## NakNak

This match wasn't MOTYC, but damn it was good. Being there live helps too


----------



## Groovemachine

*Adam Cole vs Kyle O'Reilly [No Holds Barred] - ROH Supercard of Honor X Night 2 - *****

Terrific brawl here. I will say that O'Reilly's sporadic selling struck again here, as he ended up shrugging off the decent leg work, so that was a shame, but the match felt big-time and the hatred between them was palpable. I enjoyed the stuff with the chain and we got a decisive finish which looked great. My other gripe is with commentary going down the 'super serious' route, using hushed voices to put over how dangerous the spots were, but for me this completely undersold the action and made it difficult to get fully invested. I'm sure others will go higher as the action is enthralling and it's clearly one of the better ROH matches this year. Cole and O'Reilly finally have another match that lives up to their Hybrid Rules encounter. (Y)


----------



## ZEROVampire

*RECOMMENDED*

Daisuke Sekimoto vs Zeus
AJPW 4/24
***3/4

Easily on my Top 10


----------



## antoniomare007

*Daisuke Sekimoto vs Zeus - Champions Carnival Final YES*

The first half was way too long, it did establish Zeus chops are more powerful than Daisuke's so Sekimoto had to resort to other means to inflict real damage, but still, they spent way too much time in something that wasn't that compelling. But once the match starts to get going it's really good, fighting spirit spots made sense and the last 6-7 minutes are really fucking good. Entertaining final, not a high end match but worth a look no doubt.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Matt Riddle vs Zack Sabre Jr - EVOLVE 59 - *****

Somehow this is my first time seeing Riddle, and against an opponent such as ZSJ, you knew this was going to be a grapple-fest. Loved how grounded it was; EVOLVE does such a good job of making these kind of matches feel really unique. Also, if I ever have criticism for Zack, it's that his strikes make him look like a total pansy, but here they were great and hard-hitting. At under 12 minutes, this whizzes by and crescendos at just the right moment. And I'm a fan of fast submission finishes, so this ticked that box.


----------



## hgr423

I don't mean to ask a stupid question, but is the Zeus is AJPW the same guy who fought hogan at Summer Slam in 88 or 89? If not, who is he?


----------



## Corey

hgr423 said:


> I don't mean to ask a stupid question, but is the Zeus is AJPW the same guy who fought hogan at Summer Slam in 88 or 89? If not, who is he?


Hahaha no, that Zeus was just an actor who came in for a short role with the company. This is the All Japan Zeus:


----------



## amhlilhaus

Corey said:


> hgr423 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I don't mean to ask a stupid question, but is the Zeus is AJPW the same guy who fought hogan at Summer Slam in 88 or 89? If not, who is he?
> 
> 
> 
> Hahaha no, that Zeus was just an actor who came in for a short role with the company. This is the All Japan Zeus:
Click to expand...

And hes all natural too, cause hes a greek god


----------



## DomoDaDude

The Zeus who fought Hogan is Deebo from the Friday movies lol, that ****a old as hell now.


----------



## Groovemachine

I'll throw a solid **** at *Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens - WWE Payback 2016*. They're capable of more, but this was a great 'WWE introduction' to their rivalry. The intensity and emotion bubbled away nicely during the course of the bout, and it surely whets appetites for the inevitable rematch.


----------



## NastyYaffa

I thought that Reigns/Styles from last night's PPV was close to being in the MOTYC territory, they had a great chemistry with each other, but the restarts + interferences annoyed me quite a bit. Can't wait for the rematch though, as the chemistry is clearly there.


----------



## amhlilhaus

NastyYaffa said:


> I thought that Reigns/Styles from last night's PPV was close to being in the MOTYC territory, they had a great chemistry with each other, but the restarts + interferences annoyed me quite a bit. Can't wait for the rematch though, as the chemistry is clearly there.


Spoilers


The rematch is gonna be more overbooked


----------



## Natecore

amhlilhaus said:


> Spoilers
> 
> 
> The rematch is gonna be more overbooked


I'd like to know what you'd consider overbooking in an Extreme Rules match between AJ and Reigns. What's the ceiling for a properly booked match?


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Kalisto vs. Ryback - WWE Payback Kickoff - **** - YES!*
Wow, gotta say that I didn't imagine that these two would work so well together. I had to watch it after hearing some praise for it, and damn, it's worth the praise. They worked on awesome speed vs. power story, Kalisto with his amazing flips and Ryback did some great power moves. I loved this. Better than anything on the actual PPV, IMO. Great match.


----------



## ZEROVampire

LOL Absolutelly NO for every single match of WWE Payback. Zayn vs Owens was the MOTN easily with only ***, the rest of the show was a crap. Ryback vs Kalito was fun **1/4 not more


----------



## seancarleton77

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chris Hero from Mercury Rising - ****+
The main event 6-man tag spot fest from Mercury Rising was also super fun, but I wouldn't call it a MOTYC.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *AJ Styles v. Roman Reigns, WWE Payback* - ***** +*

I could've done without the McMahons but this match was spectacular, it really had a big fight feel to it. This is definitely if not the best one of the best matches in Roman's career thus far and AJ proved without a doubt he is the best inring performer in the world atm. AJ showed great intensity this whole match seemed like he was always going for the kill and credit to Roman as he had great facials and solid leg selling all match.

*Another YES* to *Sami Zayn v. Kevin Owens, WWE Payback* - ******

Another great match that definitely benefitted from the time they got. I loved Sami's work in this match, I've never been a fan of the character Sami Zayn but his work in the ring is making me more of a fan. He hit some huge spots in this match and his bumping around for Kevin was probably the most impressive thing for me. KO was great as usual he's always on his game, I loved his physicality especially on his clotheslines. The finish was pretty smooth and didn't feel rushed at all.​


----------



## Arkham258

Sexy Star vs Mariposa - No Mas main event match (Lucha Underground 5/4/16)
*
"It's raining blood in the Temple!!!!"*

This match was at least 4 stars, maybe a little bit higher. It was bloody, violent, shocking and the crowd got more and more loud as the match went on. This was a match between two people who FUCKING HATE EACH OTHER, and it was AWESOME! It was like the female equivalent of some of the fantastic matches we've seen between Fenix and Mil Muertes. That right there should speak volumes. And I think they actually took things a step farther than we've seen in even those matches


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Ryuji Ito vs. Masaya Takahashi BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Title match was 4 Stars. Absolutely awesome Deathmatch.

****


----------



## flag sabbath

*Styles vs Reigns* was terrific. AJ is the man HD slo-mo relays were made for & he did a world class job here of working around Roman's limitations. The booking served its purpose & wasn't significantly disruptive ******


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Dragon Gate Survival Cage Match was 5 Stars. One of the best stories ever told in a match.


----------



## Genking48

Japanese Puroresu said:


> Dragon Gate Survival Cage Match was 5 Stars. One of the best stories ever told in a match.


Thanks will make sure to check it out as soon as it's up.

Didn't get to watch it live:hogan


----------



## Corey

I debated it for a while and I'm just gonna go through with it. ****** and a *YES* for *Reigns vs. Styles*. The restarts may bother some people, but the entertainment, workrate, selling, storytelling, and excitement were completely off the charts. I lost my god damn mind when Styles nearly won. LOST IT. AJ is the best in the world right now, no question.


----------



## darkclaudio

*NO!* AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns is my pick for Worst Match of the Year. Terrible! DUD


----------



## ArnDaddy

Yes to Sexy Star and Mariposa, great blow off for the feud.


----------



## Pencil Neck Freak

Yes to the Sexy Star vs Mariposa "No Mas/I quit" Match. Violent, captivating and breath taking. My match of the year so far.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

No to Styles vs Reigns because it wasn't even Styles best match of the year. That alone makes it a No.


----------



## fabi1982

Yes to sex star vs mariposa!! Best womens match i've watched in a long time. Especially from a violence point of view!!


----------



## NastyYaffa

*KUSHIDA vs. Jushin Liger - NJPW Wrestling Dontaku - **** - YES!*
When NJPW announced the matches for this show, this was the one I was most excited about. I loved the hype/promo video they did for this, the clip of a youngster KUSHIDA doing a Liger Bomb to a pillow was AWESOME. Then the match, Liger dominated early parts of it, doing some of his signature stuff like the Romero Special Surfboard, which was cool. Then KUSHIDA got the control for a tiny amount of time, targeting Liger's arm, and oh boy, did that piss Liger off! Liger then works KUSHIDA's leg in quite a brutal fashion, and even does a goddamn brainbuster on the floor outside the ring. I loved that. Then we get more of that sweet limb targeting by both guys, Liger actually targeting both, KUSHIDA's leg AND arm, while KUSHIDA works over Liger's arm. That was so awesome. Now, I am gonna say that I thought KUSHIDA's selling was pretty spotty, and it disappointed me a little, but because everything else in this match was sooo goood, it didn't end up taking me away from the match. This was great.


----------



## seancarleton77

YES to

Liger vs. KUSHIDA (NJPW) - ****1/4 (from Wrestling Dontaku) - KUSHIDA is the best jr. heavyweight in the world at the moment (better than Ospreay) and Liger is the greatest jr. to ever live, so the anticipation for this one was off the charts for me, and they delivered. Tremendous match. Young Bucks and Jack Evans need to take notes, you can have a jr. heavy match without relying entirely on false finishes, no-selling, acting like you're 12, and high spots.

and Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW) - **** also from Wrestling Dontaku

YES to

Mariposa vs. Sexy Star (Lucha Underground) - ***3/4 - Incredible fight with almost no traditional high spots. The hatred felt real.


----------



## Wrestling is Life

YES to Mariposa/Sexy Star "No Mas" Match from this weeks Lucha Underground.

I have never been a big fan of Sexy Star and Mariposa has been lackluster so far - but DAMN! This match was phenomenal. Violent and emotional - a homerun!


----------



## Corey

*Liga Elite*
Volador Jr. vs. Mascara Dorada - ***** (YES!)*
_Lucha Azteca 4/29_
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TrPlW9dyUE

Much like Volador/Caristico from earlier this year, this is a match filled with breathtaking sequences that are OOZING athletic prowess. Once you watch, count how many different variations of a hurricanrana you saw and how many different places they hit them from. :lol It got incredibly physical down the stretch as well with Volador damn near pulling Dorada's mask clean off after he got knocked silly hanging from the top rope. Liga Elite has been excellent so far, guys. Keep an eye on it if you want some good one fall lucha.​


----------



## Arkham258

The highlights video they put out this week does a great job capturing how truly epic the No Mas match between Sexy and Mariposa was. Lucha Underground's production team is amazing


----------



## kimino

Yes to Sexy Star vs Mariposa, i still dont know if this is my favorite womens match, Bayley vs Sasha broke many paradigms and showed the world what woman are capable of, and simply had better performers, but IMO the storytelling on Mariposa vs Sexy Star was almost perfection, and it was an unique and experimental match with an awesome background and truly a darker feeling to it, that it wont be found in any other place.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Mask vs. Hair 1 Year Bald Head Steel Cage Survival Double Risk 6 Way Match - Dragon Gate Dead or Alive 2016 - ****1/2*

Let's get this out of the way first of all - this is a VERY 'Dragon Gate' match. I'm sure some will hate it haha. But wow, what a spectacle. The early portion of the match is just a ton of fun as all the seconds on the outside try various tactics to keep the wrestlers from escaping the cage, such as throwing water bombs and using a football shooting machine. The battles to escape the cage are genuinely exciting and feel weighty, they really mean something. 

Then we get to the more storytelling aspect of the match, and without spoiling anything, the Doi/YAMATO interactions are fantastic. I haven't been following DG all that much this year, but they do a great job within the context of the match of spelling out what you need to know. 

The final act after the ref bump is emotional and it's a real fitting conclusion to such an epic match. Get in the right frame of mind for this kind of thing, and it's a terrifically rewarding contest.


----------



## southrnbygrace

IMO the Sexy Star/Mariposa No Mas match definitely is a contender. Wonderful story and terrific performances by both ladies.


----------



## TheGeneticFreak

YES to Mariposa/Sexy Star "No Mas" Match

That match really surprised me.

NO to Styles vs Roman Reigns at Payback

This wasn't even Styles best WWE match nevermind his best match this year and all the match done was to get the Mcmahons more over.


----------



## squeelbitch

i would have to say mariposa vs sexy star is a motyc, i've been watching wrestling for a long time but this was the first time where i was truly gripped by a women's match.


----------



## Pedro Vicious

Mariposa vs Sexy Star was epic with an awesome story behind it moty contender for me


----------



## DOPA

Mariposa vs Sexy Star: *****1/2* YES.

I know I'm going a bit overboard with the rating BUT on personal preference I haven't watched a match that got me so emotionally invested and captivated in years. And I've watched it several times to boot. Technically speaking still a MOTYC but bumped up for personal investment


----------



## I ♥ KEMONITO

4/8 Psycho Clown vs Dr Wagner jr. **** NO
4/24 Higuchi vs HARASHIMA ****1/4 (I am including the postmatch.) YES
4/27 Mascara Dorada vs Volador jr. **** NO
4/27 Bobby Lashley vs Ultimo Guerrero ***3/4 NO
4/29 Rey Cometa vs Cavernario **** NO
4/27 Imposible vs Freelance ***3/4 NO
4/27 Omega vs Elgin ****1/2 YES
5/3 Liger vs Kushida **** NO
5/1 Okada vs Sanada ***3/4 NO
5/3 Naito vs Ishii ****1/4 YES
5/6 MASCARA DORADA, MISTICO, CARISTICO vs REY ESCORPION, EUFORIA, ULTIMO GUERRERO ****1/4 YES
5/6 ***** CASAS vs RUSH **** NO
4/24 Hechicero vs ***** Casas ****1/2 YES
4/20 Mil Muertes vs Matanza ***3/4 NO


----------



## Martins

I honestly could not give it a rating, but it's DEFINITELY a MOTYC.

YES to Sexy Star/Mariposa


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*I vote YES for Sexy Star vs. Mariposa*


----------



## seancarleton77

YES to Shinsuke Nakamura vs. John Cena from Bash at the Beach. It hasn't even happened yet, but it'll be at the top of the 2016 MOTYC list and we all know it.


----------



## Corey

seancarleton77 said:


> YES to Shinsuke Nakamura vs. John Cena from Bash at the Beach. It hasn't even happened yet, but it'll be at the top of the 2016 MOTYC list and we all know it.


I'm still waiting to see if this is actually legitimate or not.


----------



## Arkham258

Seems like a lot of people consider Sexy Star vs Mariposa No Mas match a MOTY contender. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/donaldw...-womens-revolution-in-wrestling/#682eab454d0a

http://www.cagesideseats.com/2016/5/7/11615794/reflecting-on-sexy-star-vs-mariposa

http://411mania.com/wrestling/butterflies-and-stars-the-women-come-to-fight/


----------



## Groovemachine

*Zack Sabre Jr vs Will Ospreay - RevPro TV Season 2 Episode 3 - *****

It's free on the RevPro On Demand site until Saturday, so be quick! Terrific stuff from these two once again, and they've built upon some of the spots they've used in their previous matches together very well. They're both so smooth and fluid; this works especially well with them transitioning into all sorts of crazy submission holds. The Evolve 58 match had a better crowd and perhaps more of a 'wow' factor, but there was a lot to love here too.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

A little late but

A *YES* to:

*Tetsuya Naito v. Tomohiro Ishii, Wrestling Dontaku 2016* - ***** 1/4*

Probably my favorite Naito & Ishii match, was just incredible.

*Kenny Omega v. Michael Elgin, Road to Wrestling Dontaku* - ***** 1/4*

*KUSHIDA v. Jushin Liger, Wrestling Dontaku 2016* - ******​


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Also wanted to check out *Sexy Star v. Mariposa, No Mas match* after seeing the hype it got around here and I can say I was not disappointed. Loved the intensity, the inring portion at the beginning started pretty rocky but once they started brawling outside it definitely picked up and never let off. Love Sexy Star, she's great the "F*ck you" she gave to Mariposa was definitely the spot of the match, you could feel the emotions.

***** 1/4 & YES*​


----------



## seancarleton77

YES

Meiko Satomura vs. Aja Kong from SENDAI GIRLS (April 8th) ****3/4 - One of the best matches from any promotion in 2016. Almost as good as Shibata vs. Ishii and Nakamura vs. Zayn.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Will Ospreay from Evolve 58 - Pure fucking entertainment. ****1/4


----------



## Groovemachine

*Kota Ibushi, Johnny Gargano, & TJP vs Will Ospreay, Tommy End & Marty Scurll - WWNLive Supershow [Mercury Rising] - *****

This was just fun from start to finish. Some great innovative triple team moves were used in the middle portion of the match which really brought the 'wow' factor, but the real story here was the one of one-upmanship between Ospreay and Ibushi which carried the whole match. Good stuff in this typical WM-weekend 6-man spotfest.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

YES to KUSHIDA vs Kyle O'Reilly - NJPW BOSJ Night 1- ****3/4


----------



## Blommen

ShadowSucks92 said:


> YES to KUSHIDA vs Kyle O'Reilly - NJPW BOSJ Night 1- ****3/4


Oh shit son, now you've done and got me all hot and bothered! My download is taking forever and I can't wait to watch the whole thing. Any other standout matches?


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Blommen said:


> Oh shit son, now you've done and got me all hot and bothered! My download is taking forever and I can't wait to watch the whole thing. Any other standout matches?


Nothing apart from the main event, nothing bad on the show but KUSHIDA vs O'Reilly was an easy MOTYC for me


----------



## darkclaudio

*YES to KUSHIDA vs Kyle O'Reilly from Best of Super Jr Day 1 *****


----------



## NastyYaffa

I thought that KUSHIDA/Kyle IV was pretty meh (*1/2). All the limb work in the match felt like it didn't really matter because the selling by both men was really spotty IMO. Other than all that filler limb work, it felt like they were just going for an 'epic', with them running from a spot/sequence to the next one. I liked the holy shit spot where Kyle runs from the apron straight into an armbar by KUSHIDA, but other than that + some of the mat work in the beginning? I really didn't like it. Definitely nowhere near as good as their BOSJ or Rev Pro matches last year.


----------



## Bruce L

Rewatching my to-date MsOTY, and while I haven't gotten to any of the ones I didn't post reviews for yet (they're coming), I did upgrade my Nakamura/Styles rating by 1/4 of a star. Really just everything you want in a Dream Match and more; if they'd made either Shinsuke's back work or A.J.'s leg work consistent enough to build a match-long story around it, this could've gone up to the full 5. As it is, this was at least as good as Shinsuke/Ibushi from last year's WK (my 2015 MOTY), and one of the best matches of the decade so far.

KUSHIDA/Ospreay, which I was worried wouldn't hold up on a re-watch (like pretty much every UK Ospreay match I watched last year or earlier this year), does. Ospreay is obviously an incredible flier, and here he finally looks like an all-around great worker. (It helps that a flier can actually sell arm work without sacrificing everything that makes him interesting, and still allow for great vulnerable moments like the failed handspring leading to the no-hands handspring). And KUSHIDA is just in god mode right now. If he's not Liger-in-'92-or-'97 great, he's at least Devitt-in-'10 great; probably better if I'm being honest. As the IWGP junior tag division has turned into a repetitive miasma of spot-tastic clusterfucks, it's great to see the singles division still thriving under its new ace. YES, obviously. More reviews to come.


----------



## ZEROVampire

*Kyle O'Reilly vs KUSHIDA from NJPW Best of Super Jr. Day 1 was fuckin' great **** and absolutelly YES*


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Bullet Club (Adam Cole & Matt Jackson) v. NJPW (Okada & Ishii) v. ROH (Roderick Strong & Jay Lethal*, *ROH/NJPW: War of the Worlds NYC.* - ******










Very PWG style match so if you're not into those then you probably wouldn't be down for this match but I thought it was pretty darn entertaining. Some of the biggest pops from the night we're BC doing superkicks, the "adam cole baybay" & "suck it" chants. Lethal v. Okada and speaking of Okada he probably had my favorite spot of the night where he in fact did the "suck it" to Matt Jackson and then a "Okada baybay" to Adam Cole. The finishing sequence was really good and made Roddy look extremely good he absolutely killed it.​


----------



## Corey

A bajillion stars (which is a YES) for Roman/AJ II. I had pretty much lost my voice before the match even started, but fuck me that was a thrill ride. Saw the actual finish coming from a mile away, but oh well. Crazy bumping from AJ and incredible counters.

The IC Title 4 way seems to be the consensus MOTN, but I imagine that translated much better on camera than it did in person. Seeing everyone kind of hanging around ringside spoils some of the surprise breakups. Was definitely a great match though. Excited to watch it on TV sometime.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

I thought the main event was better than the IC title match :draper2


----------



## mk92071

I watched the show in full after the US title match, and the only match I could consider being a MOTYC is the four way. Everything else on the show wasn't very good. I thought the main event was pretty bad. The brawling early was really awful and the interference wasn't that good except for the spot where AJ goes wild with the chair. The near falls weren't very convincing and you could till that Roman was going to counter AJ in that final spot (although me and my buddies thought he was just gonna hit a superman punch). Didn't do much for me, all my friends agreed that it was very mediocre, I was surprised to see people on other sites throwing ****+ at it. I saw that it was considered a "very good WWE style match", and I was pretty shocked. Seth returning after was cool, even though I'm not that excited to see Rollins/Reigns.


----------



## Rah

Usual 'excuse my lax appearance in this thread'. I'll update the list as soon as discussion over the PPV has ended.

Work doesn't afford me enough time to even watch wrestling let alone tally votes. I do apologise. NastyYaffa offered before and I won't be offended if he or anyone else updates the list inbetween me being a useless shitbag. 

Anyone remember when I wrote that CZW/RoH feud review that was longer than my actual thesis? Fun times. I miss wrestling.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Don't really feel like writing a lot so 

Two quick *YES's* to:

*AJ Styles v. Roman Reigns, WWE Extreme Rules* - ***** 1/2*

Credit to AJ for the amazing bumping.

*Miz v. Cesaro v. Kevin Owens v. Sami Zayn, WWE Extreme Rules* - ***** 1/2*


----------



## ShadowSucks92

No to everything from Extreme Rules, 2 very good matches and match of the night was the fatal four way but considering I don't think either was AJ Styles or Sami Zayn's best matches of the year, I can't really say yes to them


----------



## fabi1982

fatal 4 way from extreme rules is 4 1/2 for me, so yes.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles - WWE Extreme Rules - ****1/2 - YES!*
This was outstanding. I absolutely loved it. I loved the physicality, the intensity, the selling, the storytelling, even the interferences by The Usos & Bullet Club were done really well. AJ Styles looked like the best wrestler in the world, and Roman Reigns delivered one of his greatest performances - his selling was really excellent. The best WWE Main Roster match of the year so far, hats off to both men.


----------



## darkclaudio

No to: 
Miz vs Cesaro vs Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens ***1/4
Roman Reigns (c) vs AJ Styles **1/2
Io Shirai (c) vs Mayu Iwatani ***


----------



## Joshi Judas

*YES*

Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles: ****1/4


Intense, physical match that made great use of the Extreme Rules stipulation. Both guys brought it and it truly looked like a war. Styles was on point as usual, but Reigns working like a cocky/bully heel made it that much better too. Could've gone higher if not for the finisher kickout overuse towards the end but the match told a great story and it really felt like both guys left it all out in the ring to beat the other.


----------



## Corey

ShadowSucks92 said:


> No to everything from Extreme Rules, 2 very good matches and match of the night was the fatal four way but considering *I don't think either was AJ Styles or Sami Zayn's best matches of the year, I can't really say yes to them*


I don't really understand this point of view. I (and just about everyone else) would say both AJ & Sami's best matches this year were against the same person (Nakamura), but why does the match have to be as good as that in order to get a yes vote? Kinda gives off the vibe that a certain wrestler's catalog isn't great because they didn't keep having the best match of the year every time they went out.

Someone else said the same thing in this thread earlier this year. It may have been you but idk. They said AJ's match wasn't his best this year so they can't give it a yes vote?


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Corey said:


> I don't really understand this point of view. I (and just about everyone else) would say both AJ & Sami's best matches this year were against the same person (Nakamura), but why does the match have to be as good as that in order to get a yes vote? Kinda gives off the vibe that a certain wrestler's catalog isn't great because they didn't keep having the best match of the year every time they went out.
> 
> Someone else said the same thing in this thread earlier this year. It may have been you but idk. They said AJ's match wasn't his best this year so they can't give it a yes vote?


People can give Yes votes to what they want, for me this was Reigns' best match to date but until AJ Styles has a better match with someone than Nakamura, I see no reason to call it MOTY, maybe WWE main roster MOTY


----------



## Cactus

*The Miz vs Kevin Owens vs Cesaro vs Sami Zayn (WWE, 22/5)*
They start things of with your standard WWE multi man moves like that Tower Of Doom spot that we've seen time and time again, but they mix things up with moves like that swell Capture/German suplex spot. Did this go into overkill? Yes. Was it still insanely gripping and engaging? Yes. This reminded me of a good PWG multi-man spotfest without the superkicks. 
★★★★¼

*Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles (WWE, 22/5)*
Reign's performance as a pseudo-heel at the last PPV was better, but the hardcore spots here more than make up for that. That back body drop Styles takes through the announce table was a thing of beauty. The hardcore elements in this match felt organic and didn't fall victim to many of the pratfalls many WWE no-DQ matches usually suffer from. Wondering if those Style Clashes would finish off Roman had my heart racing. One thing I didn't like about this was how deflating the finish felt. Reigns is well on his way of becoming Big Match John 2.0 in the best and worst way possible. 
★★★★


----------



## TheGeneticFreak

No to

Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles - WWE Extreme Rules

The Miz vs Kevin Owens vs Cesaro vs Sami Zayn WWE Extreme Rules


----------



## ZEROVampire

AJ needs an Kame Hame Ha to beat Roman? obviously NO MOTYC *** for that match and ***1/2 for the 4-way at WWE Extreme Rules

LOL some People dislikes o'reilly vs kushida but loves roman-aj, crazy world


----------



## NastyYaffa

ZEROVampire said:


> LOL some People dislikes o'reilly vs kushida but loves roman-aj, crazy world


Hmm, I wonder for who that was directed at.


----------



## Rah

Corey said:


> I don't really understand this point of view. I (and just about everyone else) would say both AJ & Sami's best matches this year were against the same person (Nakamura), but why does the match have to be as good as that in order to get a yes vote? Kinda gives off the vibe that a certain wrestler's catalog isn't great because they didn't keep having the best match of the year every time they went out.
> 
> Someone else said the same thing in this thread earlier this year. It may have been you but idk. They said AJ's match wasn't his best this year so they can't give it a yes vote?


Unless they're extremely close, I don't see the fault in that line of thinking.

These lists are meant to be reflective of the year's _best_ matches; what one would think would look good in a top 5 for each territory. There's too many posters for it to work well, and to that point, hence why I've used colours/bold to differentiate the truly elite, but I'd agree more with that poster (if the logic isn't as clearly argued) than not.


----------



## Rah

And your neeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwww match of the year contender....


*Puro:*
*Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 25 ||*
*Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 35 ||*
*Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 22 ||*
The Young Bucks vs ReDRagon vs Aerial Dogfight vs Roppongi Vice (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 1 ||
Kenny Omega vs KUSHIDA (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10) || YES = 1 ||
Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (NJPW Fantastica Mania Night 6) || YES = 14 ||
Ryoto Hama vs Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 24/01) || YES = 4 ||
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW: New Beginning In Osaka) || YES = 11 ||
Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW: New Beginning In Nigata) || YES = 5 ||
Hideyoshi Kamitani & Yasufumi Nakanoue vs Tatsuhiko Yoshino & Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 18/01) || YES = 1 ||
Minoru Suzuki vs Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH 24/02) || YES = 2 ||
Kazuchika Okada & Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Katsuyori Shibata & KUSHIDA (NJPW New Japan Cup Night 1) || YES = 1 ||
Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW New Japan Cup Night 2) || YES = 1 ||
VERSERK vs Dia.HEARTS vs MONSTER EXPRESS (Dragon Gate 04/02) || YES = 1 ||
Tomohiro Ishii vs EVIL (NJPW Cup Day 1) || YES = 1 ||
Tomohiro Ishii vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW Cup Day 2) || YES = 1 ||
Konosuke Takeshita & Tetsuya Endo vs Shuji Ishikawa & Daisuke Sasaki (DDT 19th Anniversary) || YES = 1 ||
Katsuyori Shibata vs Satoshi Kojima (NJPW Road To Invasion Attack) || YES = 1 || 
Jay White vs Kenny Omega (NJPW Road To Invasion Attack Day 8) || YES = 1 || 
Daichi Hashimoto vs Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW 31/03) || YES = 1 || 
KUSHIDA vs Will Ospreay (NJPW Invasion Attack) || YES = 7 || 
Tetsuya Naito vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW Invasion Attack) || YES = 2 || 
Ryota Hama vs Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 09/04) || YES = 1 ||
Daisuke Sekimoto vs Zeus (AJPW Champions Carnival) || YES = 1 ||
Survival Cage Match (Dragon Gate Dead or Alive) || YES = 2 ||
KUSHIDA vs Jushin Liger (NJPW Dontaku) || YES = 2 || 
Tomohiro Ishii vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW Dontaku) || YES = 1 ||
Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin (NJPW Road to Dontaku) || YES = 1 ||
Meiko Satomura vs Aja Kong (SENDAI Girls 08/04) || YES = 1 ||
KUSHIDA vs Kyle O'Reilly (NJPW BoSJ Night 1) || YES = 3 ||


*US/Europe Indy:*
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll (Rev Pro High Stakes 2016) || YES = 13 ||
AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr (Rev Pro High Stakes 2016) || YES = 1 ||
Kenny Omega vs Mark Haskins (4FW New Year's Wrestleution) || YES = 2 ||
Chris Hero vs Sami Callihan (AAW The Chaos Theory) || YES = 1 || 
Chris Hero & Tommy End vs Zack Sabre Jr. & Sami Callihan (Evolve 53) || YES = 1 || 
Will Ospreay vs Marty Scurll (PROGRESS Chat Shit Get Banged) || YES = 1 ||
Roderick Strong vs Tomohiro Ishii (RoH/NJPW Honor Rising Night 1) || YES = 2 ||
Fenix vs King Cuerno (Lucha Underground 02/03) || YES = 1 ||
Mil Muertes vs Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr. (Lucha Underground 09/03) || YES = 14 ||
Tracy Williams vs Matt Riddle (Evolve 55) || YES = 1 ||
Adam Cole vs Mike Bailey (PWG Lemmy) || YES = 1 ||
Trevor Lee vs Rory Wilkins (CWF Mid-Atlantic Worldwide: 3/9/2016) || YES = 1 ||
Mil Muertes vs Fenix (Lucha Underground 16/03) || YES = 11 ||
Timothy Thatcher vs Drew Gulak (PWG Lemmy) || YES = 1 ||
Aztec Warfare 2 (Lucha Underground 23/03) || YES =11 ||
Big Daddy Walters vs Zack Sabre Jr. (WXW 16 Carat Gold Day 1) || YES = 1 || 
ThunderBastard Match (Progress Chapter 27) || YES = 1 || 
Zack Sabre Jr vs Will Ospreay (Evolve 58) || YES = 4 || 
Adam Cole vs KUSHIDA (RoH 06/04) || YES = 1 || 
Ricochet vs Will Ospreay (Evolve 59) || YES = 1 || 
Chris Hero vs Zack Sabre Jr (WWN Mercury Rising) || YES = 1 || 
Matt Riddle vs Zack Sabre Jr (Evolve 59) || YES = 2 || 
Adam Cole vs ACH (RoH Supercard of Honor Night 1) || YES = 1 || 
Adam Cole vs Kyle O'Reilly (RoH Supercard of Honor Night 2) || YES = 1 || 
Johnny Mundo/Taya/Cage vs. Rey Mysterio/Dragon Azteca Jr./Prince Puma (Lucha Underground 14/03) || YES = 1 || 
Sexy Star vs Mariposa (Lucha Underground 04/05) || YES = 13 || 
Team RoH vs NJPW vs Bullet Club (RoH War of Worlds) || YES = 1 || 


*WWE:*
Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio (Smackdown 14/01) || YES = 3 ||
Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble) || YES = 3 ||
Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens (Royal Rumble) || YES = 3 ||
Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe (NXT 17/02) || YES = 1 ||
Dean Ambrose vs Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns (Fastlane) || YES = 2 ||
Kalisto vs Alberto Del Rio (Fastlane) || YES = 1 ||
Neville vs Finn Balor (NXT 02/03) || YES = 1 ||
Y2AJ vs The New Day (Raw 07/03) || YES = 6 ||
Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe (NXT 09/03) || YES = 4 ||
Dean Ambrose vs HHH (Roadblock) || YES = 5 ||
*Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT TakeOver: Dallas) || YES = 40 ||*
Samoa Joe vs Finn Balor (NXT TakeOver: Dallas) || YES = 3 ||
The Revival vs American Alpha (NXT TakeOver: Dallas) || YES = 2 ||
Bayley vs Asuka (NXT TakeOver: Dallas) || YES = 1 ||
IC Title Ladder Match (Wrestlemania) || YES = 4 ||
Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch (Wrestlemania) || YES = 9 ||
Chris Jericho vs AJ Styles (Wrestlemania) || YES = 2 ||
The Undertaker vs Shane McMahon (Wrestlemania) || YES = 1 ||
Kallisto vs Ryback (Payback) || YES = 1 ||
Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens (Payback) || YES = 1 ||
Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles (Payback) || YES = 3 ||
Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles (Extreme Rules) || YES = 4 ||
Fatal Fourway (Extreme Rules) || YES = 3 ||


*TNA:*
Ethan Carter vs Matt Hardy (19/01) || YES = 1 || 


*Lucha Libre:*
Maximo vs Kamaitachi (CMLL 01/01) || YES = 3 ||
Mascara Dorada vs Mephisto (CMLL 19/02) || YES = 1 || 
Volador Jr. , Stuka Jr, Dragon Lee vs ***** Casas, Kamaitachi, Gran Guerrero (CMLL 19/02) || YES = 1 || 
Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (CMLL 04/03) || YES = 5 ||
Hijo del Fantasma vs Fenix vs Octagon Jr vs Pentagon Jr (AAA Toluca) || YES = 1 ||
Atlantis vs Caifan (Chairo 3) || YES = 1 ||
Dragon Lee vs Ray Horuz (Chairo 3) || YES = 1 ||
Caristico vs Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL 21/03) || YES = 1 || 
Caristico vs Volador Jr (CMLL Elite 06/04) || YES = 1 || 
Angel De Oro vs La Mascara (CMLL 08/04) || YES = 1 || 
Volador Jr vs Mascara Dorada (CMLL Elite 29/04) || YES = 1 || 


*Legend:*
Red = 10 YES votes
*BOLD Red* = 20 YES votes


----------



## Dead Seabed

Sami and Nak with a landslide so far.


----------



## Stetho

Chainsaw said:


> Sami and Nak with a landslide so far.


There's way more people watching NXT than the rest


----------



## Deadman's Hand

Chainsaw said:


> Sami and Nak with a landslide so far.


*Not really a landslide, since it's beating Nakamura/Styles by 5 votes. TBH, while I loved Nakamura/Sami, Nakamura/Styles was without question the superior match, imo.*


----------



## Dead Seabed

Deadman's Hand said:


> *Not really a landslide, since it's beating Nakamura/Styles by 5 votes. TBH, while I loved Nakamura/Sami, Nakamura/Styles was without question the superior match, imo.*


And by about **


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

I haven't finished watching the whole show yet but a definite *YES* to *Adam Cole v. Zack Sabre Jr.*, _PWG All Star Weekend 12 (Night 1)_ - ***** 1/4*

This is probably my favorite match of this year tbh and my favorite ZBJ match period. It wasn't all ZBJ doing his typical sh*t, Cole dominated 65% of this match with excellent leg work while Sabre's selling was a bit choppy Cole's work was excellent including a beautiful knee breaker on the apron. The action was overly fast paced but it was far from slow infact that helped the match big time. While this wasn't as good as their match from BOLA 2014 it was still an excellent match. Highly recommended.​


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Chris Hero & JT Dunn vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet - PWG All Star Weekend 12 - Night 2 - ****1/4 - YES!*
_What a great tag match! Sydal & Ricochet did their thing, which they are obviously very good at. JT Dunn looked REALLY impressive in his PWG debut. I really loved Hero's performance in this; everything he did was so great. When it comes to my favorite single match performances by a single wrestler this year, Hero's performance in this is up there w/ Styles @ Payback & Liger @ Dontaku as one of my favorites._

*Roderick Strong vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. - PWG All Star Weekend 12 - Night 2 - ****1/2 - YES!*
_Well, what can I say? After delivering 2 MOTYCs last year, they did it again. This was another classic by these 2 men. There was a real big match feel to it, with the crowd being totally behind ZSJ & even giving him the streamer treatment. In everything they did, there was this real sense of urgency that I loved. It was basically Roddy trying to destroy ZSJ with his power moves & great offense, and then ZSJ answering that with him going after Roddy's ankle, knee & arm. Real good shit, right there. Right now sitting at #4 on my MOTYC list, just behind Zayn/Naka, Okada/Tana & Naka/Styles._


----------



## Dead Seabed

Hero should take helm of the Bullet Club. That's right. Fuck Kenny.


----------



## Concrete

Sami vs. Nak wasn't THAT good.


----------



## flag sabbath

*KUSHIDA vs O'Reilly* was a flawed attempt to build on their two MOTYCs from last year. Engaging limb work, plus some stunning counters & neat nuances (like Kyle holding his own trunks to block the hoverboard lock) were let down slightly by stop-start selling and a finish that mocked all the dogged wear down work they'd focused elsewhere ******

And speaking of limb work.... *Cole vs ZSJ* was fine, I guess, but Adam Cole has to be the most consistently overrated wrestler in this thread. Don't get me wrong, the guy is physically gifted & technically proficient (like so many others), but when the bell rings he just disappears into a charisma black hole. A haircut might help. Anyway, this was a solid setup for Zack vs Roddy *****

On a more positive note, the Extreme Rules *IC 4-way* was red hot & a serious WWE MOTYC. They did a great job early on of keeping incapacitated guys out on the floor, allowing individual rivalries to flourish. Cesaro vs Zayn in particular was a thing of beauty. So damn slick & exhilarating. Cesaro has 'the biggest thing since The Rock' written all over him. The mind boggles as to why Vince put the Reigns cart before the Cesaro hoss, but so it goes.... Anyway, the chemistry here was perfect with four clearly defined roles (superman, scrappy underdog, no-fucks-given, devious chickenshit) executed brilliantly *****1/4 YES!*


----------



## Concrete

Also, AJ's two best matches this year have been with Reigns #FunFact


----------



## flag sabbath

For me, *AJ vs Roman II* suffered from the law of diminishing returns. On the one hand, it was as wild & spectacular as an Extreme Rules main event should be, with Styles racking up another bump heavy WOTY calibre performance. On the other, I just find Reigns so incredibly dull. I don't even enjoy hating the guy, he's that inconsequential ****3/4*


----------



## Concrete

flag sabbath said:


> For me, *AJ vs Roman II* suffered from the law of diminishing returns. On the one hand, it was as wild & spectacular as an Extreme Rules main event should be, with Styles racking up another bump heavy WOTY calibre performance. On the other, I just find Reigns so incredibly dull. I don't even enjoy hating the guy, he's that inconsequential ****3/4*


How does one not find ROMAN REIGNS to be a tremendous pro wrestler? Total stud. Does his stuff near perfect. Real athletic. Snug as you could hope a pro wrestler would be without being a blithering idiot about it. Not sure there is a person on the roster he couldn't have a good match with.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Concrete said:


> How does one not find ROMAN REIGNS to be a tremendous pro wrestler? Total stud. Does his stuff near perfect. Real athletic. Snug as you could hope a pro wrestler would be without being a blithering idiot about it. Not sure there is a person on the roster he couldn't have a good match with.


His performances in his matches vs. Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar & AJ Styles were really good/great, all of those matches are amazing too, but other than those matches, I really haven't seen anything above average from him in singles action.


----------



## flag sabbath

Concrete said:


> How does one not find ROMAN REIGNS to be a tremendous pro wrestler? Total stud. Does his stuff near perfect. Real athletic. Snug as you could hope a pro wrestler would be without being a blithering idiot about it. Not sure there is a person on the roster he couldn't have a good match with.


Erm, how about Triple-H for starters? 

My lack of connection to RR stems from how awkwardly he carries himself. Regardless of physicality, athleticism & ability, the guy comes off as being uncomfortable in the spotlight.


----------



## Concrete

Triple H is the exception that proves the rule!


----------



## Corey

I think @Cactus described Roman the best way possible, as Big Match John 2.0 in the best and worst way. He performs really well in big matches, but also pisses a lot of people off with the 'spear out of nowhere and it's over' type deal like we saw with the FU/AA for so many years. He's really great at selling when he wants to be, but could also no sell 7 chair shots and then win a match seconds later. :lol I think things would also improve if we didn't have to see a minimum of 3 superman punches every match.

Of course, it helps when your best performances/matches have been against the likes of Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles. 

Shying away from in ring performances though, I hate Roman's character (if there even is one?) and the fact that he seems so stiff and awkward when it comes to presenting himself. Absolutely sick and tired of hearing him say that he's THE GUY night in and night out and not showing any emotion at all. I find it difficult to say that I like him, to the point where I've become one of the thousands of people that boo him when he makes his entrance.  His promos are usually god awful too.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Also *YES* to Kyle O'Reilly v. Marty Scrull, _PWG All Star Weekend 12 (Night 1)_ - ***** 1/4*

Gotta admit I didn't like the first 5-7 minutes of the match, just wasn't grabbing me but boy did my opinion change as this was a wonderful technical match. My problem though was the limb targeting wasn't consistent nor was the selling which drops the rating but still highly recommended.​


----------



## hgr423

I liked *Roman/AJ from Payback*. Roman's facial expressions were weird. It's strange to see such a big guy have pissy eyes. I thought the stops and re-starts by the McMahons were incredibly lame. So the glue in the match was AJ. AJ had a great performance and to his credit Roman came along for it. **** The match from Extreme Rules was not that good though.


----------



## Blommen

YES to Ospreay vs Ricochet at best of the super jrs XXXIII day 6.

Absolute and utter bat shit insanity from bell to bell. I had such high expectations for this one that I pretty much expected to be disappointed, but they both pulled off a match that was equal parts awe inspiring and laughter inducing in the absurdity of it's athletic display.


----------



## Martins

Just saw the Extreme Rules Fatal 4-Way, and GODDAMN that was awesome. 

Cesaro looked like a motherfucking beast all the way throughout, getting more offense in than anyone else and having to take a finisher from EVERYONE to stay down in the end, amazing. 

Miz, as usual, played his bitch ass heel role really well, getting beat up all throughout the match and trying to take advantage of everyone being distracted at various points.

Owens and Zayn, despite their rivalry being watered down as fuck in the WWE, still manage to bring the hate in every match they're in and it's always a delight to watch. 

****1/4 and a YES to this. Really, really smartly worked match with some nice spots thrown in the mix.


----------



## flag sabbath

Can't quite muster a yes for *Roddy vs ZSJ*. It's best moments were reminiscent of the Strong vs Danielson epics from 10 years ago, with two guys ruthlessly dismantling one another. But they ground to a halt a couple of times & lost momentum. Still excellent for the most part ******

An ecstatic *YES!*, however, goes to * Ricochet vs Ospreay*. This was pure state-of-the-art excitement, with the fans swept along & going suitably bonkers. The lack of commentary exposed some Cena-esque spot calling from sweary Will, but otherwise this was exquisite *****1/2*


----------



## El Dandy

NO to Ricochet/Ospreay

Shit was ridiculous and not in a good way; to each their own.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

No to Ricochet vs Ospreay, it was entertaining and fun but the finish was downright awful. Their shine was better than the finish.


----------



## peep4life

Yes to Ricochet Ospreay ****1/2. Loved every second of it

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk


----------



## Stetho

Big YES to Ricochet vs Ospreay. Great performance, greats characters, great crowd.


----------



## darkclaudio

YES to Ricochet vs Will Ospreay from Best of Super Jr Day 6 ****
No to Takashi Sugiura vs Go Shiozaki from Great Voyage In Osaka ***


----------



## TheGeneticFreak

No to Ricochet vs Ospreay


----------



## Martins

YES to Ricochet/Ospreay. Tremendously spotty, but I could appreciate this as an awesome "who's the best high-flyer" sprint. Ricochet's great, but Ospreay had "STAR" written all over him in this. 

Damn good match. ****+


----------



## ZEROVampire

NO!

Ricochet vs Will Ospreay ***1/2
Zack Sabre Jr. vs Roderick Strong ***1/2

Recommended matches but not MOTYC


----------



## amhlilhaus

I love how in a moty thread people post matches they DONT think are moty candidates

NO to goldust vs tyler breeze raw

Amidoingitrite?


----------



## ZEROVampire

In this thread you can clearly give a NO to matches that other people consider YES. It is stupid to create a discussion about this, a little common sense


----------



## DomoDaDude

darkclaudio said:


> YES to Ricochet vs Will Ospreay from Best of Super Jr Day 6 ****
> No to Takashi Sugiura vs Go Shiozaki from Great Voyage In Osaka ***


I was just about to post these two matches and my opinion on them is the complete opposite of yours. lol


----------



## Dead Seabed

darkclaudio said:


> YES to Ricochet vs Will Ospreay from Best of Super Jr Day 6 ****
> No to Takashi Sugiura vs Go Shiozaki from Great Voyage In Osaka ***


Sugiura is wrestling in tyool 2016? :jet4


----------



## El Dandy

NO to Sugiura v Go from Great Voyage 2016 in Osaka
NO but would recommend Shelton v Maybach from Great Voyage 2016 in Osaka


----------



## ZEROVampire

*YES!

AJPW Unified Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship
Kento Miyahara (c) vs Daisuke Sekimoto
AJPW Super Power Series 2016 - Day 4 5/25
*****

although they have good amount of time, this is very short because simply you want more of this as the match progresses. Hot Crowd, incredible match


----------



## antoniomare007

*YES! to Kento Miyahara vs Daisuke Sekimoto - AJPW Triple Crown Match 5/25/16
*

I love when Daisuke focuses on the neck area because he doesn't do as much filler stuff and just goes TO WORK on that body part. This was kinda similar to the 2012 classic between Sekimoto and Yoshihito Sasaki were Daisuke does everything in his power to attack the neck (including a top rope elbow instead of the frog splash and going straight to the STF instead of 1-2 minutes of a boston crab) and his opponent has to crawl back to even things up. Korakuen is hot as fuck as usual for a match like this, still kinda surprised it sounded like the majority of the crowd were women and children instead of your typical hardcore puro male fans. This was fucking awesome and I LOVED they didn't went too long, simple and effective story with a hot crowd will always have my vote.


----------



## seancarleton77

A MONSTER YES to the Titanic battle between Matanza and Cage (June 1 on Lucha Underground). It was the wrestling equivalent to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. Unreal athleticism from two behemoths. Go watch it NOW!


----------



## Arkham258

YES to Cage vs Matanza for the Lucha Underground Championship(6/1/16)

I still think the No Mas match between Sexy Star and Mariposa was the best Lucha Underground match so far this season, and one of the most memorable women's matches of all time. And Cage vs Matanza suffered from not having any kind of story or meaningful build up. Cage has just been a guy with no character or story line this season other than, "I want to be champion"

That said though, both of these guys have been the most protected on the roster this season with Matanza being undefeated and Cage's only loss being a cheap win that ultimately doesn't matter since he still won the feud, so it still had a big fight feel. And what they delivered is certainly in 4 star territory. 

The match had a bit of everything, which is more than you expect from a hoss fight. Yes, there was power moves, but we also saw some lucha, some striking, some strong style, some high flying, some brawling, and some technical wrestling. Cage showed what a versatile fighter he is. And this match made you feel like it's not just size and power that make both of these men so dominant. These are very well rounded big men. Now everyone will have their own pop culture reference, but to me this match was:


----------



## NastyYaffa

*KUSHIDA vs. Ryusuke Taguchi - NJPW Best of the Super Jr. XXIII - Day 7 - ****1/4 - YES!*
_Loved this. The opening mat work was really good, and then we quickly get a Taguchi control segment, where he does his usual funky offense, which can be bad, but it worked here. He really seemed like a dude who wanted to prove that he can still hang with the best of 'em. Then KUSHIDA sees an opening and targets Taguchi's arm, he works the arm quite a bit, and you can just feel Taguchi's struggle. Then Taguchi sees an opening, he starts to target KUSHIDA's leg, and then it's KUSHIDA's arm work vs. Taguchi's leg work. Goddamn it was great. By the end, when they are face to face, on their knees, sweating everywhere, trading strikes - you can just feel the intensity & the importance of the match. This absolutely ruled. My favorite match of the tournament so far._


----------



## flag sabbath

I'll throw a *YES!* at *Miyahara vs Sekimoto*. I initially felt like there was too much back & forth, and that the match never quite settled down. But by the final stretch, that same bullheadedness made for some undeniably incredible drama *****1/4*


----------



## The Black Mirror

*Playing catch-up like always. Here we go...

The Young Bucks vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet vs. reDRagon - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Title Three Way Match - NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka (February 11, 2016) - ★★★¾

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii - NEVER Openweight Title Match - NJPW The New Beginning In Osaka (February 11, 2016) - ★★★★½ (YES!/RECOMMENDED)

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega - IWGP Intercontinental Title Match - NJPW The New Beginning In Niigata (February 14, 2016) - ★★★★¼ (YES!/RECOMMENDED)

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - Singles Match - WWE Payback (May 1, 2016) - ★★★★ (YES!/RECOMMENDED)

Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles - WWE World Heavyweight Title No Count Out No Disqualification Match - WWE Payback (May 1, 2016) - ★★★¾

The Miz vs. Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - WWE Intercontinental Title Fatal Four Way Match - WWE Extreme Rules (May 22, 2016) - ★★★★½ (YES!/RECOMMENDED)

Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles - WWE World Heavyweight Title Extreme Rules Match - WWE Extreme Rules (May 22, 2016) - ★★★★¼ (YES!/RECOMMENDED)*


----------



## Alright_Mate

*YES! to Tanahashi vs Omega - NJPW The New Beginning In Niigata - ****1/2*

*YES! to Styles vs Reigns - Extreme Rules - ****1/4*

*YES! to Miz vs Owens vs Cesaro vs Zayn - Extreme Rules Fatal 4 Way - ****1/2*

*YES! to Kushida vs O'Reilly - NJPW Best Of The Super Junior XXIII Tag 1 - ****1/4 *


----------



## Dead Seabed

*NO! ***1/2 (RECOMMENDED) Kento Miyahara vs. Daisuke Sekimoto - 5/25/16*

The fact that MUSCLE MONSTAH still hasn't had a decent run in NJPW or in the States makes me furious. The man is an insanely great heavyweight and built like a soviet tank. He's been putting on ****+ matches for more then a decade now and still no major promo signs him. We're missing out on something great just by not watching him trade headbutts with Ishii and Makabe :cussin:


----------



## Cabanarama

*My top 15 matches of 2016 so far*

I put together my top 15 matches of 2016 so far. Here is the list:
1. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, NJPW WrestleKingdom X
2. AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, NJPW WrestleKingdom X
3. Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, NXT Takeover: Dallas
4. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro vs. The Miz, WWE Extreme Rules
5. Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet, NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XIII, Day 6
6. Kyle O'Reilly vs. Kushida, NJPW Best of the Super Juniors XIII, Day 1
7. Will Ospreay vs. Marty Scurll, Rev Pro High Stakes
8. Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Evolve 58
9. Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll, and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano, TJP, and Kota Ibushi, Mercury Rising
10. Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet, Evolve 59
11. AJ Styles vs. Roman Reigns, WWE Extreme Rules
12. Marty Scurll vs. Kyle O'Reilly, PWG All Star Weekend XII Night 1
13. Will Ospreay vs. Kushida, NJPW Invasion Attack
14. Young Bucks and Kenny Omega vs. Kushida, Matt Sydal, and ACH, ROH 14th Anniversary Show
15. Young Bucks vs. Ricochet and Matt Sydal, PWG All Star Weekend XII, Night 1


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following matches:

Matanza vs. Mil Muertes (Grave Consequences II)

Cage vs. Matanza (Lucha Underground: 6/16/16)

Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors XXIII: Day 13)*


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Will Ospreay - NJPW Best of the Super Jr. XXIII - Day 14 - **** - YES!*
_The crowd was hot, and Taguchi & Ospreay sure delivered them a tournament-finals-worthy match. Taguchi's leg work was really great, and Ospreay managed to sell the damage Taguchi had done really well - while still being able to do his flippy offense. Great crowd, great drama, great wrestling._


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

No to Sekimoto vs Miyahara, it was a really good match and Sekimoto as usual killed it in there. The reason I can't give it anything above 4 stars is Miyahara did it his best late career of Kawada impersonation and just laid there with his eyes open like he was just thinking of what he wanted to eat after the match.


----------



## Richie

*YES* to Chris Hero vs Mark Andrews at PROGRESS SSS16 First Round. Insane match, plenty of outstanding finishes, great spots, fluid. ****1/2 for me.


----------



## Corey

*NXT Takeover: The End*

*NXT Tag Team Championship:* American Alpha (c) vs. The Revival - ***** (YES!)*

This was somehow better than the Dallas match and you don't have to worry about any botches.  Modern day Rockers/Brainbusters feud with a new school twist and I fuckin love it.

Austin Aries vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - ***** (YES!)*

Aries brought his working boots here and outshined Nakamura imo, but Shinsuke brings such a big match feel to these Takeover matches. What a presence. Final few minutes of this were ridiculous. Hard fought contest.


----------



## darkclaudio

*YES to Ryusuke Taguchi vs Will Ospreay ****
*No to Austin Aries vs Shinsuke Nakamura ***


----------



## Wrestling is Life

YES to American Alpha vs The Revival for the NXT Tag Titles from Takeover: The End

I would gladly watch these two teams trade the titles back and forth for month - such a great dichotomy between the two teams. The two really make for a perfect blend of old school and new school wrestling styles with the old school heel vibes of The Revival, the parallels that can be made to the likes of The Steiners for American Alpha and then the new age athleticism on display by all. WWE has everything it could possibly need to create a real resurgence for tag team wrestling, and these two teams have all the potential in the world to be atop that picture.


----------



## Martins

YES to American Alpha vs. The Revival. Jesus fuckin' Christ, how good can these guys be and how much chemistry can they have? Unreal. ****1/4

Gonna go with a NO on Aries/Nakamura, but it was still a damn good match, particularly in the last few minutes. ***3/4


----------



## Corey

*Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Will Ospreay* (_EVOLVE 58_) - *****+ (YES!!)*

Playing catch up with a lot of stuff. Incredible offensive performance from Ospreay. Sabre played off of him nicely by twisting him up or throwing him around, but Will definitely stole the show here. Tremendously fun exhibition match.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Austin Aries vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - WWE NXT Takeover: The End - ****1/4 - YES!*
_Both men are charismatic as fuck, and that showed here. I loved the beginning back & forth exchanges they had; just terrific sequences & the facial expressions + mannerisms by both guys, especially Aries, were great. I also loved Aries' work on top, he looked the best he has in at least 2 years, probably. Shinsuke was Shinsuke, did his thing, and it worked very well vs. A Double. A minor complaint is that Shinskay pretty much no sold all of Aries' leg work, but that is indeed just a minor complaint, as I still absolutely loved this. Great match._

*Asuka vs. Nia Jax - WWE NXT Takeover: The End - **** - YES!*
_Oh man, I loved this one! Just a really great David vs. Goliath battle with both girls showing lots of fire. Best match that Asuka has had so far in NXT, and the same goes for Nia Jax._

Also a shoutout to the tag title match + the main event. Both were really good (***3/4).


----------



## Richie

*Yes* to American Alpha/Revival - ****1/4

No to Nakamura/Aries - ****

No to Joe/Balor - ***3/4

No to Asuka/Jax - ***


----------



## NastyYaffa

Richie said:


> *YES* to Chris Hero vs Mark Andrews at PROGRESS SSS16 First Round. Insane match, plenty of outstanding finishes, great spots, fluid. ****1/2 for me.


Just watched this, and it's getting a YES from me too. Hero's performance was fabulous, he gave Mandrews quite a beating, and Mandrews was good with his hope spots too. Tremendous match.


----------



## seancarleton77

YES to American Alpha vs. The Revival from Takeover: The End - ****1/2 - the best tag match of 2016, so far.

YES to Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe from Takeover: The End ****

No to Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries from Takeover: The End - ***3/4


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to Shinsuke Nakamura v. Austin Aries - ***** +*

Man this match was great, Austin Aries brought his A game or should I say he brought his Double A game. People sh*t on him in the NXT thread but I kept saying all he needed was something to sink his teeth into and he absolutely killed it as @Corey said he even out shined Nak. I felt they still had a little more in this match though, 5 more minutes, a counter to that final Bomaye, Nak actually selling his leg and that might've just been the best NXT match this year but still a great match.

*NO* to American Alpha v. The Revival - **** 3/4*

Still a great match though and my boys Dash & Daws got the straps back.


*NO* to Nia Jax v. Asuka (but extremely recommend for those in doubt of Nia) - **** 1/2* 

Thought Nia was all money here she looked like an absolute beast, this was by far her best performance/match in NXT up to this date. In fact she's been delivering a lot lately and is definitely impressing. Not to take anything away from Asuka as she was really good as well. Good David v. Goliath matchup.

*NO* to Samoa Joe v. Finn Balor, Steel Cage match - *****

Match simply didn't have the emotion it should've. Steel Cage matches haven't been that good since the early 2000's, I mean they gave effort but it almost felt like they were going through the motions.


----------



## KingKicks

YES to American Alpha/Revival from NXT Takeover: The End. That match was absolutely f*cking ace.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*No! to Nakamura vs. Aries. The match was good, but it was far from a MOTYC, to me.

No! to Nia Jax vs. Asuka. While it was the best match Nia Jax has ever had, it was just a good match. 

No! to Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe. Again, good match, but I think a match needs to more than just good to be a MOTYC, imo.

I haven't seen Alpha/Revival yet, but I'm looking forward to it, since I loved their match at Dallas.*


----------



## Alright_Mate

*YES! to American Alpha vs The Revival - NXT Takeover: The End - ****1/4*


----------



## Dead Seabed

*NO!* for everything from TakeOver, even Balor vs Joe :/


----------



## flag sabbath

Another *YES!* for * American Alpha vs The Revival*. Old school tag team wrasslin' with futuristic fluidity. Loved it *****1/4*


----------



## TheGeneticFreak

*NO to*

Shinsuke Nakamura v. Austin Aries from Takeover: The End -***3/4 Nakamura didn't sell the knee like at all

American Alpha vs. The Revival from Takeover: The End - ***3/4-MOTN but I didn't think it was near MOTY quality to choreographed at times still a really nice match

Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe from Takeover: The End ***-This was supposed to be a bloodfeud but didn't feel like it at all.
*
YES To*

Cage vs. Matanza (Lucha Underground: 6/16/16)-Second best match of the season so far.


----------



## Corey

*Mexican National Welterweight Championship*
Barbaro Cavernario (c) vs. Rey Cometa - ***** (YES!)*
_CMLL Arena Mexico 6/10_
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW84QYWB8ZI

Tremendous match. So many little things done right and great effort put forth by both men. This definitely had one of the best first falls I've seen in CMLL all year and it carried over. Great chain wrestling and matwork in the first followed by beautiful dives and sequences in the second & third. Cometa's selling was superb and Cavernario was relentless on offense. Great stuff.​


----------



## seancarleton77

Chris Hero vs. Mark Andrews from Day 1 of Progress Wrestling's Super Strong Style 16 tournament... FIVE FAWKING STARS!!


----------



## dukenukem3do

Yes PWG ASW 12 night 1-Kyle o Reilly vs Marty Scrull **** 1/2

Awesome stuff 


Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


----------



## seancarleton77

Chris Hero vs. Big Daddy Walter from Progress Wrestling - ****1/4

Chris Hero vs. Tommy Fucking End from Progress Wrestling - ****** - And that was not a typo. That may have been the greatest match I've ever seen. Better than Shibata vs. Ishii!

Chris Hero is the best wrestler in the world and maybe the greatest indy wrestler of all-time. 18 years into his career and he's better than ever.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

seancarleton77 said:


> Chris Hero vs. Big Daddy Walter from Progress Wrestling - ****1/4
> 
> Chris Hero vs. Tommy Fucking End from Progress Wrestling - ****** - And that was not a typo. That may have been the greatest match I've ever seen. Better than Shibata vs. Ishii!
> 
> *Chris Hero is the best wrestler in the world* and maybe the greatest indy wrestler of all-time. 18 years into his career and he's better than ever.


Ain't no doubting it, brother! I haven't seen Hero vs End, but Hero this year is easily wrestler of the year.

I was watching Progress Earlier and Hero vs Andrews was **** easily, a strong MoTY candidate but I want to see the other Hero matches first.


----------



## mk92071

I'm really shocked that Chris Hero has gotten so much praise because I couldn't care less about any of his work that I've seen with a few exceptions. With that being said, I haven't seeked his work out recently. Matches like Hero/Gulak and Hero/Thatcher from last year were good but underwhelming and I find it hard to believe that he's having ****1/2+ matches left and right. He doesn't even fit into the legitimate grappler field in my opinion.


----------



## Corey

*IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship*
KUSHIDA (c) vs. ACH - ***** (YES!)*
_ROH Conquest Tour: Philadelphia_

Forget about the Chris Hero talk. If you may have missed this from a few months back, make sure to go back and find it somewhere because it's GREAT. When ACH dials it in and puts his working boots on, this kid can go with the best of them and this is one of the examples. Fantastic selling of his left arm which made for a couple really unique sequences and a fantastic spot off the top rope. The struggle late in the match was presented beautifully with ACH desperately trying to avoid being locked in another submission. I actually wanted to stand up in my living room and give these men a round of applause after watching this. :lol That's how much I liked it. ROH's Match of the Year to this point (but I haven't seen SCOH yet).​


----------



## Dead Seabed

You guys got me pumped up for Hero.

EDIT: jesus fucking christ hes fat


----------



## Richie

Chainsaw said:


> You guys got me pumped up for Hero.
> 
> EDIT: jesus fucking christ hes fat


He's gained a ton of weight but his cardio is outstanding and he can still go 30+ minuts without skipping a beat and still puts on outstanding matches. As far as i'm concerned his weight means nothing if he's still great in-ring.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Richie said:


> He's gained a ton of weight but his cardio is outstanding and he can still go 30+ minuts without skipping a beat and still puts on outstanding matches. As far as i'm concerned his weight means nothing if he's still great in-ring.


The last Hero match I saw was in 2002/2003 IWA-MS with Ian Rotten. I remember it for being really long and really unwatchable. The early 2000s indy era really turned me away from Hero and a bunch of other guys who later turned out to be great (Super Dragon, Necro Butcher), so I've completely missed out on the Kings of Wrestling and haven't even heard much of him since his NXT release.


----------



## Corey

I guess I have to chime in on this since we're talking about Hero, but my opinion on him is the complete opposite. He's one of my least favorite guys on the indies. If you've seen any one of his matches in the last year and a half, you've likely seen them all. He hits 20-30 variations of an elbow strike or roaring boot, none of which you will be able to distinguish as being from the beginning or end of the match. Some of these strikes honestly ruin matches for me. It becomes overkill (i.e. Hero vs. Davey from ROH a few years back). He'll end up hitting a nasty piledriver that his opponent will kick out of and he'll likely have to use another one or two of them in order to win. 90% of his opponents are the underdog and they'll try and be tough and go toe-to-toe with him in the strike battle and it won't work. Hero has seemingly gotten away from actual wrestling holds and variations from what I've watched of him and he used to be very talented on the mat. I guess you can say he's "strong style" and I understand why people love him, but it's pretty annoying to me.

Now I will say that some of the matches ca be fun and even great depending on his opponent. I thought Gulak was arguably his best opponent last year because he chose to WRESTLE him and attack a limb instead of trading strikes with him (even though the finishing stretch was still exactly what I described). Plus Gulak is an excellent seller. Thought he had a good match with Trevor Lee in PWG but just about everything else I didn't care for. His matches with Thatcher & Busick did nothing for me and I hated his PWG match with Tommy End that was nothing but them striking each other the whole time.


----------



## flag sabbath

Really enjoyed * Cavernario vs Cometa*. Lovely flow to the first fall. Some rare keep-em-guessing desperation in the second. And a break from the turn taking norm in the violent & spectacular third, with Cometa's willingness to show vulnerability making for a nail biter ******

*Hero vs Andrews* was also terrific, although I'd credit the timing of Andrews's flurries & kick outs as much as anything Hero contributed ******

EDIT: Agree 100% with @Corey about Hero. The man has a formula which relies heavily on his indie elder statesman status. The one low point of the Andrews match saw him basically shrug off a reverse rana, which is a long way from WOTY conduct.


----------



## NastyYaffa

I have been loving Hero this year; he's definitely my pick for the WOTY at this point - and he might just be the best wrestler in the world at this point IMO, too. He is at least a contender for that title, alongside AJ Styles, Sami Zayn & Hiroshi Tanahashi.


----------



## Corey

AJ Styles is currently my Wrestler of the Year and as long as he keeps wrestling high profile matches at an incredibly high level, I doubt that changes. Other candidates imo (with still lots of catching up to do) are Ishii, Omega, Ultimo Guerrero, Mascara Dorada, KUSHIDA, and probably Ospreay once I see more of his matches. It's a logjam of continuity. 

Then you've got Nakamura out here only wrestling 3 big matches this year and they all got YES votes from me. :lol


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Been meaning to watch this one and I got a chance so a *YES* to *Kyle O'Reilly v. KUSHIDA, BOSJ 2016* - ***** 1/4*

I feel like had I not watched ROH, Saturday my opinion on this match would've been different but none of the big spots really wowed me because I had just seen them. The selling was meh too, nonetheless still a great match and a recommended watch if you're a fan of either. I'll be doing a few more ratings on NJPW and ROH tonight.​


----------



## NakNak

Corey said:


> AJ Styles is currently my Wrestler of the Year and as long as he keeps wrestling high profile matches at an incredibly high level, I doubt that changes. Other candidates imo (with still lots of catching up to do) are Ishii, Omega, Ultimo Guerrero, Mascara Dorada, KUSHIDA, and probably Ospreay once I see more of his matches. It's a logjam of continuity.
> 
> Then you've got Nakamura out here only wrestling 3 big matches this year and they all got YES votes from me. :lol


Agreed. AJ Styles has been on fire this year (tbh, he has been on fire since that match against Minoru Suzuki at the G124). His match against Nakamura and his matches against Reigns are quality stuff. The guy is just so phenomenal (pun intended) at telling a story and performing his arsenal in one of the most realistic/believable ways I have seen in all of pro wrestling nowadays. And as a heel he shines with charisma (subtle, but goodie)

My man KUSHIDA is probably the best cruserweight/jr in the entire world. The guy is the perfect babyface for that division, too. He just gets it. His psychology is a thing of beauty. I just fucking love Ishii. The first match I watched of him was against Naito at New Beginning from...I don't remember :lol (it was 2014). Since then, I always consider him one of the best wrestlers in the world on a year to year basis (in fact, he probably was my WotY in 2014, he was that good on that year). I loved his match against Naito at Dontaku, the dude really is a pitbull. Fearless badass motherfucker.

I need to see more of Guerrero and Dorada tbh. I don't consider Omega to be a WotY contender, just because I don't care about the Young Bucks, so those multi-man matches he has along with them...meh, tho I love his matches against Tanahashi & Elgin. When he is serious and at the top of his game, he shines.

My username is NakNak, so...you know, Nakamura :grin2:

Honorable mentions to: Tetsuya Naito (his character work is tremendous) & Zack Sabre Jr (I just love his technical style)


----------



## Dead Seabed

After watching some of Chris Hero's post-WWE matches, I am quickly becoming a fan, but would somebody please help him find something that adequately hides his disgusting body?


----------



## Stetho

It's part of the character to me. He's just some guy who doesn't give a fuck and elbow your face to death.


----------



## Bruce L

*YES* to American Alpha vs. the Revival from _TakeOver: The End_. They improved on the already-great Dallas match and put together one of the best tag matches of the year so far. Best NXT match ever in which none of the participants had any significant indy or international experience? Could be. ★★★★

No votes, but shout-outs as well to Shinskay/Aries (★★★¾) and Asuka/Jax (★★★½). The former wasn't quite the blow-away masterpiece of Nakamura's earlier 2016 dream matches with A.J. or Sami, but still a damn good bout that lived up to the "dream match" label. The latter was a rock-solid "champion vs. monster" story, with Nia looking a lot better in the she-Vader role than anything I've read about her to this point made me think she would, and Asuka doing great work as a heretofore-dominant champion who refused to be anybody's underdog.

Other *YES* votes for matches I haven't talked about yet:

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Will Ospreay from Evolve 58 — Sabre is the slickest technician alive. Ospreay is the slickest flyer currently on the indies. So it's no surprise that this was just non-stop slickness. Loved it - and how smart was Sabre to work the neck? Gives him a strategy to keep coming back to, and doesn't force Ospreay to sell anything he's just not gonna sell. Soooo good. ★★★★¼

Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay from Evolve 59 — Haven't watched the BOSJ match yet, but loved this one, which seemed more in keeping with the tradition of "flyer vs. flyer dream match where they try to one-up each other at least as often as hurt each other" than the kind of Teddy Hart vs. Jack Evans "this is not a wrestling match" shenanigans the BOSJ match is getting criticized for. This is just gold, as the former Future of Flight who's now the Present faces his newest heir. ★★★★¼

Princess Kimberlee vs. Heidi Lovelace from Chikara's _The Secret of the Ooze_ — I'll still recommend Chikara matches from time to time, but I know nobody likes the company anymore, with Lucha Underground (which I'm not into _at all_) being the new "wacky storylines that are somehow better than anything any traditional company would ever do" hotness, so I'm very careful with my YES votes. This match, however, is an easy YES vote. Super emotional stuff, as Heidi threw away their friendship from the get-go with an incredibly aggressive strategy, and when Kim finally got an opening, she responded with the same level of in-your-face viciousness. Lots of callbacks to earlier encounters, but nothing you'd need to be versed in to get something out of this one, and a crowd that was really into them. Maybe the best non-NXT women's match I've ever seen take place in North America, and the nature of Chikara means it wasn't emphasized as a "women's match" at all. Great stuff. ★★★★


----------



## Corey

Sami Callihan vs. Mark Haskins - ***** (YES!)*
_NGW Ultimate Showdown (5/28)_
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCbtNtcCeT4

:mark: :mark: :mark:

They beat the holy fuck out of each other, bust through half the guardrails in the process, and STILL don't manage to go overboard with the finishing stretch! It's a miracle.  Match completely came out of nowhere, but I will say they had another match from Southside earlier this year that was damn good too (but this one's better). Aside from the nasty physicality, some of the submission transitions were beautiful and Haskins had some really nifty ideas on how to win by any means possible. The crowd was LIT and production looked top notch. Match starts at 25 minutes into the video, definitely give it a watch.

Mark Haskins, guys. His other running mates in the UK may be getting a lot more worldwide exposure, but this guy has been tearing it up this year. Don't slouch on him!​


----------



## Arkham258

Bruce L said:


> Princess Kimberlee vs. Heidi Lovelace from Chikara's _The Secret of the Ooze_ — I'll still recommend Chikara matches from time to time, but I know nobody likes the company anymore, with Lucha Underground (which I'm not into _at all_) being the new "wacky storylines that are somehow better than anything any traditional company would ever do" hotness, so I'm very careful with my YES votes. This match, however, is an easy YES vote. Super emotional stuff, as Heidi threw away their friendship from the get-go with an incredibly aggressive strategy, and when Kim finally got an opening, she responded with the same level of in-your-face viciousness. Lots of callbacks to earlier encounters, but nothing you'd need to be versed in to get something out of this one, and a crowd that was really into them. Maybe the best non-NXT women's match I've ever seen take place in North America, and the nature of Chikara means it wasn't emphasized as a "women's match" at all. Great stuff. ★★★★


And I wonder how many Lucha Underground fans are NOT going to check out this match OR Chikara because you just HAD to turn it into a Chikara versus Lucha Underground thing.


----------



## Groovemachine

Corey said:


> Mark Haskins, guys. His other running mates in the UK may be getting a lot more worldwide exposure, but this guy has been tearing it up this year. Don't slouch on him!​


THIS. Guy has been killing it this year in smaller indies and non-televised matches. I watch him a lot in 4FW, and at least some of them have made it to the On Demand service. Vs Kotaro Suzuki, and vs Kenny Omega were both spectacular and are up for viewing, but it's a shame no one will see his other matches in the company, such as against PJ Black and Tiger Ali. Definitely one of my faves on the UK scene right now.


----------



## Arkham258

This was awesome! It was a nearly hour long (commercial breaks), 6 person, intergender, no disqualification, elimination, number 1 contender's match to determine who will main event Ultima Lucha against the champion. And once we got down to the final two, it became a great 1 on 1 singles match


----------



## flag sabbath

Corey said:


> Sami Callihan vs. Mark Haskins - ***** (YES!)*
> _NGW Ultimate Showdown (5/28)_
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCbtNtcCeT4
> 
> :mark: :mark: :mark:
> 
> They beat the holy fuck out of each other, bust through half the guardrails in the process, and STILL don't manage to go overboard with the finishing stretch! It's a miracle.  Match completely came out of nowhere, but I will say they had another match from Southside earlier this year that was damn good too (but this one's better). Aside from the nasty physicality, some of the submission transitions were beautiful and Haskins had some really nifty ideas on how to win by any means possible. The crowd was LIT and production looked top notch. Match starts at 25 minutes into the video, definitely give it a watch.
> 
> Mark Haskins, guys. His other running mates in the UK may be getting a lot more worldwide exposure, but this guy has been tearing it up this year. Don't slouch on him!​


Great find @Corey! This is a full bore fight with a fantastic atmosphere ******

Six To Survive dragged on a little too long for my liking. I preferred the front end story telling to the moves heavy finale which lacked a clear character dynamic.


----------



## DOPA

YES to American Alpha vs The Revival: ******

NO to Will Ospreay vs Ricochet BOSJ.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Lio Rush v. Adam Cole*, _Road to Best in the World: Day 3_ - ***** 1/2*











:sodone

Man oh man was this incredible, Rush has openly stated that his dream opponent was Adam Cole so I expected him to bring his best and he most certainly did not disappoint. I haven't been the biggest fan of his but with his recent showings he's growing on me. Onto the match though, you get the story from the code of honor where Cole goes to Too Sweet Lio and Lio tells Cole to suck it, now you have it the top heel feeling disrespected by the brash up start. Cole beats the sh*t out of Lio after the suck it but Lio works his way into a groove and man the kid is smooth with his strikes. Go on later in the match and Lio gets a perfectly executed reverse rana on Cole and hits his "Dragon's Call" frog splash only gets a two action was just great here. The finish came where the two traded strikes only for Lio to hit a superkick on Cole then Cole to get one on Lio into what Cole now calls the "Last Shot" brainbuster on the knee. Excellent match, this just might be ROH's MOTY it's definitely giving Cole v. O'Reilly from Supercard of Night: Night 2 a run for it's money. Highly recommended.​


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher - EVOLVE 62 - ****1/4 - YES!*
Goddamn what an intense battle. Great grappling, great limb work, great striking, great selling & facial expressions... A great match! Hero is just on another level right now.


----------



## Richie

*Yes *to Kazuchika Okada vs Tetsuya Naito - ****1/2 stars.
*Yes* to Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin in a Ladder Match - ****1/4 stars.

No to everything else on the Dominion card.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Not surprised to see anything from MITB not nominated.

Gonna rewatch Naito/Okada because while I thought it was good, it wasn't MOTYC worthy.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Japanese ref finds Bucks hiding under the ring. Gold.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

On second watch of *Naito v. Okada* I'll give it a *YES* at ***** 1/4*

Much better on the second watch and much better than their previous encounter this year.


----------



## Corey

*IWGP Heavyweight Championship*
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito - ***** (YES!)*
_NJPW Invasion Attack_​
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Both guys were on their A game and the crowd was electric. Naito dragging Gedo into the ring just to beat the hell out of him was hilarious and the stuff on the outside where Okada started to even the odds was great too. Okada's dropkick off the top rope was absolutely beautiful. Sanada debuting was a cool moment because the crowd was in shock/silence but I thought it took a little too long. Didn't necessarily kill the flow because they recovered from it nicely, but I wish that would've happened quicker instead of them just keeping the camera on him for like 3 minutes.  Just way too much stuff I liked in this one for me to leave it outta this thread. Excited to see their 2nd match somewhere down the line. They did enough here for me to really like the match but also know they're capable of doing even better.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin - NJPW Dominion - ****1/2 - YES!*

Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin in a gimmick match going over 30 minutes sounds absolutely awful, but gawd dammit I loved this match. Kenny Omega's performance was on the same level as Shawn Michaels' one from WrestleMania 10 - if not even BETTER - and Elgin was there along for the ride. He did really well. One of the best ladder matches ever and my favorite match that both guys have ever had. In my top-10 of the year so far, too.


----------



## Dead Seabed

NastyYaffa said:


> *Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin - NJPW Dominion - ****1/2 - YES!*
> 
> Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin in a gimmick match going over 30 minutes sounds absolutely awful, but gawd dammit I loved this match. Kenny Omega's performance was on the same level as Shawn Michaels' one from WrestleMania 10 - if not even BETTER - and Elgin was there along for the ride. He did really well. One of the best ladder matches ever and my favorite match that both guys have ever had. In my top-10 of the year so far, too.


I hate ladder matches, but this was imho one of the best ones ever, and a great wrestling match in general. Elgin hasn't hit his peak yet and his last years in RoH are comparable to AJ's last few slump years in TNA.


----------



## Natecore

Lethal vs Briscoe BITW Main Event is easily my MOTY so far. A flawless match filled with nonstop action, spectacular high spots and the best near fall in years. No need for a bloated match here. This thing is lean, mean and doesn't waste time. More main events need to follow this formula.

Awesome, awesome, awesome match.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Road Rash said:


> I hate ladder matches, but this was imho one of the best ones ever, and a great wrestling match in general. Elgin hasn't hit his peak yet and his last years in RoH are comparable to AJ's last few slump years in TNA.


It's quite amazing how well he has done in New Japan. When it was announced last year that he was gonna participate in G1, I was one of those people who were disappointed that New Japan got him and not Roddy Strong instead. But damn, Elgin has totally been awesome there. Some real good matches vs. Honma, Ishii, good tags w/ Tana & now this great, amazing ladder match vs. Omega. The man has found his home.


----------



## Dead Seabed

NastyYaffa said:


> It's quite amazing how well he has done in New Japan. When it was announced last year that he was gonna participate in G1, I was one of those people who were disappointed that New Japan got him and not Roddy Strong instead. But damn, Elgin has totally been awesome there. Some real good matches vs. Honma, Ishii, good tags w/ Tana & now this great, amazing ladder match vs. Omega. The man has found his home.


Sometimes all you need is a change of enviroment and a bigger wad of :vince$


----------



## Valiant Hornet

Styles vs Nakamura back in January was awesome, as was Okada vs Tanahashi (a bit slower in development, but I think it earned Meltzer's 5-Star rating.) 

For two goys who had never faced each other Nakamura vs Zayn was incredible. Hope they are able to work that well, if not better, in front of the main WWE audience in the future. 

Best match I've seen so far this year has been the G1 Climax match between Richochett and Will Osprey. I'll have to dig around, and find some of these other matches to watch (any help would be greatly appreciated.)


----------



## Richie

Natecore said:


> Lethal vs Briscoe BITW Main Event is easily my MOTY so far. A flawless match filled with nonstop action, spectacular high spots and the best near fall in years. No need for a bloated match here. This thing is lean, mean and doesn't waste time. More main events need to follow this formula.
> 
> Awesome, awesome, awesome match.


As in, the Lethal/Briscoe BITW match that happened last night? I don't see this at all. I'm interested to hear how you came to this decision, especially considering some of the quality of matches that have happened this year.

Not even that necessarily, but honestly I thought the match was average at best. Good near-fall in the Lethal Injection spot, but the match was given 15 odd minutes, it was solid, little to no botches but all in all it was very flat, much like the rest of the PPV?

Maybe it's just me haha


----------



## Corey

Tommy End, Marty Scurll, & Will Ospreay vs. TJP, Kota Ibushi, & Johnny Gargano - ***** (YES!)*
_WWN Supershow: Mercury Rising_​
Just a blast of a match with a great atmosphere & crowd. They went apeshit at the Ibushi & Ospreay showdown (rightfully so). A couple small mishaps between so many guys who aren't familiar with one another, but more than enough good stuff here to outweigh it. Some great triple teams and overall FUN shit.



Richie said:


> As in, the Lethal/Briscoe BITW match that happened last night? I don't see this at all. I'm interested to hear how you came to this decision, especially considering some of the quality of matches that have happened this year.
> 
> Not even that necessarily, but honestly I thought the match was average at best. Good near-fall in the Lethal Injection spot, but the match was given 15 odd minutes, it was solid, little to no botches but all in all it was very flat, much like the rest of the PPV?
> 
> Maybe it's just me haha


Natecore was in attendance for the show, which is why he thought so highly of it. It's a good match but ridiculous that it only got 13 minutes and was far from living up to the moniker of "biggest rematch in ROH history." I agree though (as did most of us in the ROH thread), the show was very flat overall. This was certainly MOTN.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Richie said:


> As in, the Lethal/Briscoe BITW match that happened last night? I don't see this at all. I'm interested to hear how you came to this decision, especially considering some of the quality of matches that have happened this year.
> 
> Not even that necessarily, but honestly I thought the match was average at best. Good near-fall in the Lethal Injection spot, but the match was given 15 odd minutes, it was solid, little to no botches but all in all it was very flat, much like the rest of the PPV?
> 
> Maybe it's just me haha


Nah the match really wasn't anything special it was short and sweet and it was probably both Lethal & Briscoes best match this year but honestly I wouldn't even call it the best ROH match this year that for me still goes to Cole vs O'Reilly from SOH Night 2


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

No to everything from ROH: Best in the World 2016

Lethal/Briscoe 2, had no heat on the match at all and before Briscoe's Lethal Injection it honestly just felt like they were doing moves.

Bullet Club v. Moose Machine was a great 6 man but that's typical with ROH & BC now so it's not as special.


----------



## Dead Seabed

A mere ***** for *Timothy Thatcher vs. Chris Hero EVOLVE *#62 

Looks like Hero is following Morishima's example of transforming into an old fat woman. The match had no structure to speak of, and it was of course filled to the brim with Hero's usual elbow *thigh slap*, boot *thigh slap*, fart *thigh slap* repeat x times. 

Honestly, the thigh slapping overkill is making his matches unwatchable, especially because he does it even when there's the most obvious lack of real impact. During this match in particular, there's a spot where Chris does one of his 973 elbow variations, during which he completely misses the shot, yet there still this loud whip crack sound of his hand slapping across the cellulite. Horrible.

Fuck Chris Hero.


----------



## DJMathers127

Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura- NXT Takeover: Dallas *****

This match is excellent. These two guys delivered and put on an instant classic that will be remembered for years to come. I would want to see them face each other again at WrestleMania next year. This is my MOTY so far for WWE


----------



## El Dandy

NO to everything from Dominion.

- KUSHIDA/Ospreay: Ospreay was very sloppy in this match. Not nearly as good as their Invasion Attack match imo.

- Nagata/Shibata: Best wrestling match on the show, but it was just another good match nothing great. Loved the conclusion to the story, tho.

- Omega/Elgin: Feel a little bad saying no to the ladder match because Omega and Elgin tried super hard, but it was 10 minutes too long. Also a mess of a final 5 minutes Omega and Bucks doing their hardest to turn NJPW into WWE this year pls stop it you 3 quit turning the alternative into the status quo. Tana would have died in this match his shoulder injury was a huge blessing in disguise. Big Dave is showing his age and senility by giving this match nearly 5 stars

- Naito/Okada: Of all the matches on Dominion, this match was one of them.


----------



## Sephiroth

YES to this dream match finally occurring:

Kenng Omega vs. Xavier Woods - ******


----------



## Richie

*YES* to Hero vs Marty Scurll at Progress Chapter 31 - ****3/4.

Watch it, just watch it. This match alone is worth the $8. Chris Hero is wrestler of the year so far in 2016.


----------



## LaMelo

Did Hero lose weight?


----------



## Corey

Kemba said:


> Did Hero lose weight?


No


----------



## Stetho

PROGRESS is GOAT, PROGRESS is life.
I'm stuck at chapter 28 at the moment, need more time to see those Hero matches you're talking about, can't wait.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Kemba said:


> Did Hero lose weight?


No he didn't, but it really shouldn't matter. He's having quite possibly the best run of his career at the moment.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Kemba said:


> Did Hero lose weight?


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Hero seems like he's on another level with all his matches that have been nominated this year.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Hero is on another level, the fact people ask about his weight instead of checking out his match is ridiculous. Wrestler of the Year by far.


----------



## Dead Seabed

I just don't see it :WHYYY3


Eddie Kingston on the other hand... :betty


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Also *YES* to Hero vs Scurll. That match is awesome, it's technical, the psychology was spot on, the selling was great and even the no sells were on point. It was a David vs Goliath match done right. Scurll is the best out of the 3 of ZSJ, Ospreay and himself and this match is another testament to his skills too. I wouldn't just suggest this as a match for fun, but also a match to learn from. Great work. Great match.


----------



## Master Bate

I'm about 90% sure him gaining weight is supposed a big fuck you to WWE for saying it was a problem (well that's what I'd like to believe I guess), when as we all can see now, was not. His ring psychology is top notch, and his elbows are as deadly as ever.


----------



## Arkham258

So I know I'm late to the party on this one, but *NO* to *Ricochet vs Will Ospreay* - BOSJ 05-27-2016. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this match for the fun spot fest that it was, but it's missing something that makes something match of the year worthy. I think Ricochet has actually had better matches in Lucha Underground.


----------



## Arkham258

So I finally saw Zayn/Nakamura, great match. I've seen better from Nakamura though and the match didn't feel important. Nothing was on the line other than ego, and the crowd was a little annoying with that stupid, "Fight Forever" chant. Fucking NXT crowds. They really try too hard. Plus, I don't like Sami Zayn so I may be a bit biased. I'd be more hype seeing Nakamura against someone else in his debut match. 

I vote NO.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Marty Scurll vs. Chris Hero - PROGRESS Chapter 31 - ****3/4 - YES!*

THE HERO vs. THE VILLAIN. Marty Scurll is a very hit or miss guy for me, has been more of a miss lately, but here he had the best match of his career - by far. In the beginning he was struggling going against the much bigger & more experienced Hero, which was awesome btw, but then he got the control with his arm work. Scurll's arm work ruled, he worked the arm (& the finger!) in such a brutal, nasty way, and Hero sold it greatly. Hero made everything Scurll did look like million bucks. CHRIS MOTHAFUCKIN' HERO. Once again after the match was over, I came off thinking that he is the best wrestler in the world. His selling, his work from underneath, his fighting spirit moments, his offense - EVERYTHING he did was absolutely great. I've said it many times, but I'll say it again: He is just on another level right now.

Top-3 match of the year so far for me. I was absolutely blown away by this.


----------



## Bruce L

I enjoyed O'Reilly vs. Scurll from PWG All-Star Weekend; Scurll is a highly entertaining personality, Kyle has become surprisingly capable on that score as well, and the action was non-stop. That said, it suffered from having _juuuust_ enough limb work from each guy to make the complete lack of selling whenever the other got back on offense annoying. I don't need a PWG match to be anything other than awesome action, but if you're not going to actually tell a story, don't start one. No vote here.

*YES*, however, to Chris Hero vs. Tracy Williams from Evolve 56. I'll agree that Hero is having a banner year, and this is an example of why that shouldn't be slept on. Besides Hero being Hero, Williams looks _amazing_ here, in part because Hero is probably the best possible opponent on the indies right now to show you can take shots from the best and come back for more, but also in part because he just IS amazing, has been for several years, and is finally getting a chance to prove without the mask in front of a broader audience than the Chikara faithful. Possibly a sleeper among all the other Hero gems so far this year, but it deserves your full attention.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Big *YES* to *Chris Hero v. Marty Scrull*, _Progress: Chapter 31_ - ***** 3/4*

:clap :clap :clap

Simply amazing, words cannot describe. Top 3 match this year, thus far.​


----------



## NastyYaffa

Hero/Scurll might honestly be a top-5 indy match of this 2010's decade. It's up there w/ Danielson/Fish, Danielson/SHINGO, Finlay/Callihan + Roddy/ZSJ.


----------



## Dead Seabed

I can't believe you're making me watch a Chris Hero match in tyool 2016 :kermit


----------



## Corey

*Hair vs. Hair*
Rey Cometa vs. Barbaro Cavernario - ***** 1/4 (YES!!)*
_CMLL Grand Prix 7/1_
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U494_2zwsE (starts at 50 minutes)

My god what a 3rd fall! A very worthy successor to their great title match from a little over a month ago and these two have a storied rivalry over the years. They meet at the ramp and proceed to go at it, which is how all apuestas matches should start I'd think. The stage dive from Cometa at the start was a perfect touch because that's what ended up slicing Cavernario open a few weeks back. The first two falls don't last all that long (because they never do) but the tercera goes pretty long and it's a great spectacle. I'm learning that Cavernario is one of the best big match performers in all of CMLL and he's SUPER over with the crowd. If you're aware of some of the history between these two, the leg injuries Cometa has had in the past, or just have a general sense of each guy's finishers, you should have a great time watching this match and getting sucked into the suspense in the 3rd fall. IMO the best Lucha match this year that didn't feature Dragon Lee or Kaimatachi.​


----------



## AT&T Stadium

ItsaNewDay said:


> I'm about 90% sure him gaining weight is supposed a big fuck you to WWE for saying it was a problem (well that's what I'd like to believe I guess), when as we all can see now, was not. His ring psychology is top notch, and his elbows are as deadly as ever.


Yes, I'm also sure he's ruining his health to prove a point to people who don't give a fuck about match quality (Vince & co.).

I've never enjoyed Hero (even his matches with Bryan whom I love) as a singles wrestler. Always found him boring af. KoW were awesome though.


----------



## LilOlMe

A big fat HELL YEAH to:

Go Shiozaki & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Yuji Hino & Daisuke Sekimoto at Fortune KK Event (6/14/16).
https://rutube.ru/video/8178a13284faf115f4ec9b0b74d46ff3/?ref=search

Match was exciting as hell. Just a bunch of juiced up, jailbird looking dudes, trying to mangle each other. IDGF about the party poopers who don't like matches that are same-y. This was same-y done right. Loved Big Daddy Kenta's bemused look on his face. Every single person in there was on the same page, and I like how it all fit with the brute strength contests and all of that.

I remember thinking that it's the type of match to get a complete newbie into, because it's probably different from any idea of wrestling that they've ever had. It was like those Shibata/Ishii matches on crack, x 4. 

Rating: A+++++


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

AT&T Stadium said:


> Yes, I'm also sure he's ruining his health to prove a point to people who don't give a fuck about match quality (Vince & co.).


He actually stated on Sam Roberts podcast that he's the healthiest he's been in years so yeah no.

And I know I'm pretty late on this but 

*YES* to *Chris Hero v. Tommy End*, _Progress Chapter 30: Super Strong Style Tournament Night 2._ - ***** 1/4* 

Loved this match just like there match back in PWG. Match was real physical, real stiff & hard hitting. Tommy End is awesome and do I even have to say anything that hasn't already been said about Hero, I'm definitely seeing the hype he's getting this year. Man is on fire.


----------



## Stetho

There's not a single vote for Strong vs Sabre ?


----------



## AT&T Stadium

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> He actually stated on Sam Roberts podcast that he's the healthiest he's been in years so yeah no.


If he's actually gaining weight as was said, then what he said simply isn't true. Putting more pressure on your heart is not getting healthier. Sorry to burst your bubble.

He likely meant in the context of being banged up, not in general.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Stetho said:


> There's not a single vote for Strong vs Sabre ?


I voted for it, have it in my top-10. I find it pretty interesting that it isn't getting that much hype, because IMO it was just as good as their EVOLVE match last year, and almost as good as the Don't Sweat the Technique match.


----------



## Dead Seabed

LilOlMe said:


> A big fat HELL YEAH to:
> 
> Go Shiozaki & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Yuji Hino & Daisuke Sekimoto at Fortune KK Event (6/14/16).
> https://rutube.ru/video/8178a13284faf115f4ec9b0b74d46ff3/?ref=search
> 
> Match was exciting as hell. Just a bunch of juiced up, jailbird looking dudes, trying to mangle each other. IDGF about the party poopers who don't like matches that are same-y. This was same-y done right. Loved Big Daddy Kenta's bemused look on his face. Every single person in there was on the same page, and I like how it all fit with the brute strength contests and all of that.
> 
> I remember thinking that it's the type of match to get a complete newbie into, because it's probably different from any idea of wrestling that they've ever had. It was like those Shibata/Ishii matches on crack, x 4.
> 
> Rating: A+++++


Gonna check it out. I'm a sucker for roid rage driven chops and clotheslines.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following matches:

Chris Hero vs. Mark Andrews (PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 Day 1)

Chris Hero vs. Tommy End (PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 Day 2)

Man, Chris Hero has been on fucking fire this year. Who cares about his weight, honestly?*


----------



## Dead Seabed

Deadman's Hand said:


> *YES! to the following matches:
> 
> Chris Hero vs. Mark Andrews (PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 Day 1)
> 
> Chris Hero vs. Tommy End (PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 Day 2)
> 
> Man, Chris Hero has been on fucking fire this year. Who cares about his weight, honestly?*


Chris Hero certainly doesn't :hayley3:hayden3:sansa


----------



## Stetho

NastyYaffa said:


> I voted for it, have it in my top-10. I find it pretty interesting that it isn't getting that much hype, because IMO it was just as good as their EVOLVE match last year, and almost as good as the Don't Sweat the Technique match.


Don't see it in the first post, guess it's not updated.
The match was good indeed, some kind of puro vibe. The sock part was great.


----------



## hgr423

When I was a young boy, I thought Hogan/Warrior from Wrestlemania 6 was the greatest match I had ever seen. If you had transported me 26 years into the future to watch *Hero/End* to see what wrestling would evolve into, my mind would have been blown.* ****1/2*


----------



## Wrestling is Life

I was on the fence but gonna give a YES vote to Will Ospreay vs "Speedball" Mike Bailey from Revolution Pro's "Angle vs Sabre" event. 

On the flip side Kurt Angle vs Zack Sabre Jr. was quite disappointing imo. I did not expect a classic, but it was FAR too short and too formulaic. I really wanted some more chain wrestling, but I doubt Kurt could keep up with Zack. Still a cool match to see for the sheer novelty of it and likely a dream come true for Zack.


----------



## Arkham258

hgr423 said:


> When I was a young boy, I thought Hogan/Warrior from Wrestlemania 6 was the greatest match I had ever seen. If you had transported me 26 years into the future to watch *Hero/End* to see what wrestling would evolve into, my mind would have been blown.* ****1/2*


Hogan/Warrior was nowhere even in the same universe as the kind of ring work we see now and days, but it was a memorable moment in time permanently stamped on most people's memories and no one can take that away from it. 

For it's time...and I emphasize that, it was a great match.


----------



## Martins

LilOlMe said:


> A big fat HELL YEAH to:
> 
> Go Shiozaki & Yuji Okabayashi vs. Yuji Hino & Daisuke Sekimoto at Fortune KK Event (6/14/16).
> https://rutube.ru/video/8178a13284faf115f4ec9b0b74d46ff3/?ref=search
> 
> Match was exciting as hell. Just a bunch of juiced up, jailbird looking dudes, trying to mangle each other. IDGF about the party poopers who don't like matches that are same-y. This was same-y done right. Loved Big Daddy Kenta's bemused look on his face. Every single person in there was on the same page, and I like how it all fit with the brute strength contests and all of that.
> 
> I remember thinking that it's the type of match to get a complete newbie into, because it's probably different from any idea of wrestling that they've ever had. It was like those Shibata/Ishii matches on crack, x 4.
> 
> Rating: A+++++


GodDAMN, that was fuckin' *manly*.

Hadn't watched Shiozaki and Sekimoto in like five years, absolutely loved it. Tremendous slugfest with some really fun moments like Okabayashi and Hino going up to the announcing stand, bowing to Kobashi and just chopping the shit out of each other afterwards :lol 

Big fucking *YES* to this. ****1/4


A big fat *NO*, however, to Hero/Scurll. I like Marty Scurll, I really do, but the guy really is a long, long way from being William Regal. A guy like Regal could do half the things he did in this match with twice the intensity and nastiness; that's what makes a True Villain. Hero didn't help with the absolute no-selling of the first finger twist, though lol.

Speaking of Hero: I'm just increasingly tired of him. His gimmick looks more based around thigh slaps than elbows, because those are the real hardest strikes he throws in every match. That, and the piledrivers, and the fighting spirits, ugh... Chill out for a fucking second.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Martins said:


> Speaking of Hero: I'm just increasingly tired of him. His gimmick looks more based around thigh slaps than elbows, because those are the real hardest strikes he throws in every match. That, and the piledrivers, and the fighting spirits, ugh... Chill out for a fucking second.


:cenaooh


----------



## NastyYaffa

*The Final Deletion: Brother Nero vs. BROKEN Matt Hardy - *******

Forget about Sami vs. Nakamura & Okada vs. Tanahashi, this is the greatest match of the year. 6 stars.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

I might be crazy for nominating this but yes to Brother Nero vs Broken Matt Hardy The Final Deletion, the match wasn't that good wrestling wise but this was so over the top, so stupid, so fun that I had to nominate it


----------



## Dead Seabed

Senor Benjamin nooooooooooooooo


----------



## Joshi Judas

The Final Deletion :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao


Matt Hardy's really trying though but he'll never be a good actor to sell Broken Matt Hardy outside Twitter.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Orochimaru Sama said:


> The Final Deletion :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao
> 
> 
> Matt Hardy's really trying though but he'll never be a good actor to sell Broken Matt Hardy outside Twitter.


DELETE DELETE DELETE


----------



## Stetho

YES to Final Deletion.
Not gonna say it redefined wrestling but it shows something I never saw before, even in LU. I don't want to see it every week but that definitely felt unique and for sure I'm gonna remember it for years, so yeah, why not.

Senor Benjamin is already challenging Dario Cueto for best non wrestling character of the year !


----------



## RatedR10

The Final Deletion was the weirdest yet most amazing thing I've seen in professional wrestling. 

I gotta give it a yes lol.


----------



## ExGrodzki

Nakamura / Zayn, 
Okada / Tana, 
Styles / Nakamura


----------



## Arkham258

Are we seriously calling Final Deletion a match of the year candidate? 










It wasn't even a match. It was a publicity stunt

I give it a big fat


----------



## Groovemachine

*Zack Sabre Jr vs Adam Cole - PWG All Star Weekend XII Night 1 - ****1/2*

Well that was fabulous. Admittedly, I was hyped going into this as these are two of my favourite current guys on the indies, but they surpassed expectations here. From Cole giving ZSJ the shinbreaker on the apron, this stepped up a notch, and Cole did tremendously focusing on the leg. Zack isn't always known for his selling but he did a great job here, constantly going back to the knee in pain after using them to inflict offensive damage. Loved the finish as well, setting up the title match with Roddy the next night. My top ZSJ match of the year, although I've still got N2 to get through, so who knows...


----------



## Wrestling is Life

A definite NO to the #FinalDeletion between the Hardys. It was entertaining, even a pretty fun fight scene - but a good "wrestling" match it was not. Kudos to TNA for going outside the box though and clearly it has garnered some attention which is great because TNA has a solid product at the moment.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

YES To final deletion


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Groovemachine said:


> *Zack Sabre Jr vs Adam Cole - PWG All Star Weekend XII Night 1 - ****1/2*
> 
> Well that was fabulous. Admittedly, I was hyped going into this as these are two of my favourite current guys on the indies, but they surpassed expectations here. From Cole giving ZSJ the shinbreaker on the apron, this stepped up a notch, and Cole did tremendously focusing on the leg. Zack isn't always known for his selling but he did a great job here, constantly going back to the knee in pain after using them to inflict offensive damage. Loved the finish as well, setting up the title match with Roddy the next night. My top ZSJ match of the year, although I've still got N2 to get through, so who knows...


:clap :clap I knew I couldn't have been the only one up here who noms this masterpiece of a match.


----------



## Corey

*NXT Tag Team Championship - 2 out of 3 Falls*
The Revival (c) vs. American Alpha - ***** (YES!)*
_WWE NXT - July 6th_

The other two matches these teams had is likely enough to make you wanna watch this one, but I'm curious to know how many of you knew this match actually happened tonight? Didn't see it being advertised or hyped that much, but it very obviously delivered. I won't say much to avoid spoiling the story of the match, but there's some fantastic sequences late in the bout and a pretty sweet submission that Dawson uses. Another great tag between these four.

P.S. - Nakamura vs. Balor next week. (Y)​


----------



## kimino

YES to Final Deletion it was different, it surely had an unusual disparity in the % of wrestling and other stuff, but i was entertained which was the whole purpose of it. You can even say that it was different "genre" from usual wrestling and it was great.

At the same time is impossible to rate or compare, so it would be a ?*'s match, cannot be compared to well structured matches yet still would recommend other people to check


----------



## NastyYaffa

Alpha/Revival 2 out of 3 falls was bad. Dawson & Dash are really impressive, they are definitely way better than the Alpha guys. Them working on top was awesome, but sadly Gable & Jordan aren't any good as faces in peril, so it created a bad dynamic, and it resulted in a boring ass match. I actually thought that the Alexa vs. Bayley match from the same episode was way better.

The match they had at Takeover: The End remains the best & the only not-awful Alpha vs. Revival match.


----------



## 3MB4Life

I gave a YES! to Final Deletion, it might not have been a good wrestling match but it was different and entertaining. It was like watching a bad horror movie but it had some decent moments too which had it turn out to be actually fun to watch and that's all you can really ask for from a wrestling match. People can do all the LOLTNA shit but you can't say they aren't trying, this was hyped up and some thought obviously went into this.

On another note, when did Matt Hardy become South African? Is that part of the gimmick?


----------



## Corey

NastyYaffa said:


> Alpha/Revival 2 out of 3 falls was bad. Dawson & Dash are really impressive, they are definitely way better than the Alpha guys. Them working on top was awesome, *but sadly Gable & Jordan aren't any good as faces in peril*, so it created a bad dynamic, and it resulted in a boring ass match. I actually thought that the Alexa vs. Bayley match from the same episode was way better.
> 
> The match they had at Takeover: The End remains the best & the only not-awful Alpha vs. Revival match.


I can understand the whole Chris Hero being great thing if you're into that, but now this!? Gable is one of the best FIP's out there, honestly. Think he's a great underdog that the crowd loves to get behind. Obviously helps that he's a smaller guy too.

Alexa vs. Bayley was indeed a good match, but oh well on the other stuff. :shrug


----------



## NastyYaffa

Corey said:


> Gable is one of the best FIP's out there, honestly. Think he's a great underdog that the crowd loves to get behind. Obviously helps that he's a smaller guy too.


I think he's pretty shit, tbh.  Just not been impressed with his work; as far as FIP's go, I think someone like Enzo Amore, for an example, is way better than Gable.


----------



## Groovemachine

*American Alpha vs The Revival [2 out of 3 Falls] - WWE NXT 06.07.2016 - *****

Another great chapter in the AA/Revival saga. Nice long, methodical first fall, lots of callbacks to their previous matches, and I loved the desperation pin attempts in the third fall. A couple of nearfalls had me jumping out of my chair; the chemistry between these four is off the charts. A fitting close to their rivalry.


----------



## Corey

NastyYaffa said:


> I think he's pretty shit, tbh.  Just not been impressed with his work; as far as FIP's go, I think someone like Enzo Amore, for an example, is way better than Gable.


I like Enzo but I feel like Gable can offer a LOT more in the ring. Enzo literally just gets the hell beat out of him, gets the hot tag, and then Cass throws him around and does all the heavy lifting.  Not that that's a problem, I just think American Alpha can go farther in terms of in ring ability.


----------



## Dead Seabed

*JESUS CHRIST NO* to Final Deletion. Goodbye to my sanity after watching it.


----------



## Corey

I won't quite give this a yes vote, but a low end **** and a high recommendation for Volador vs. KUSHIDA from CMLL last night. The dynamic was a bit odd because you could tell KUSHIDA was thrown off by not having anyone cheering for him (because he constantly kept trying to get the crowd behind him). The audience made the armwork and the submissions on his end feel a bit dull because they weren't responding, but you can't fault the work done at all. Pretty lengthy match too, may have been the longest singles they've had all year next to Dragon Lee/Kamaitachi. A lot of nice reversals and nearfalls in the late stages. Volador really pushed KUSHIDA into more high flying here. There was a lot of stuff to like despite some the oddities, but you have the same match in Japan and the response would've been TREMENDOUS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbXiWRpPe6A


----------



## Martins

I'm gonna give a *NO* to Final Deletion, but some moments were worth like seven stars.

Jeff Hardy attacking a drone with a guitar, oh lawd :lmao


----------



## ATF

NastyYaffa said:


> Alpha/Revival 2 out of 3 falls was bad. Dawson & Dash are really impressive, they are definitely way better than the Alpha guys. Them working on top was awesome, but sadly Gable & Jordan aren't any good as faces in peril, so it created a bad dynamic, and it resulted in a boring ass match. I actually thought that the Alexa vs. Bayley match from the same episode was way better.
> 
> The match they had at Takeover: The End remains the best *& the only not-awful Alpha vs. Revival match.*


Excuse moah? Dallas was pretty great too. Not as good as The End but great nonetheless. Don't tell me you *honestly* didn't enjoy that.


----------



## NastyYaffa

ATF said:


> Excuse moah? Dallas was pretty great too. Not as good as The End but great nonetheless. Don't tell me you *honestly* didn't enjoy that.


I thought that the Dallas match was shit. :shrug I just do not like the American Alpha at all, but I am not blindly hating on them, I am willing to admit that they are good when I think that they are. For an example, I thought that they were really good in that match @ The End.


----------



## ATF

NastyYaffa said:


> I thought that the Dallas match was shit. :shrug I just do not like the American Alpha at all, but I am not blindly hating on them, I am willing to admit that they are good when I think that they are. For an example, I thought that they were really good in that match @ The End.


:vince6

Damn. I honestly think you must be the sole human being on the planet who's a wrestling fan that dislikes that match. I mean, that match was pure Tag Team bliss, reminiscent of an 80's Midnight Express, Rockers and/or Rock n' Roll Express type showdown. Yeah, it was sloppy in parts, but they more than made up for it w/excellent Tag fundamentals and an amazing atmosphere. And how can you not like Alpha, they're among the most likeable guys on the roster?

Ehh, whatever, different strokes for different folks after all :shrug


----------



## Alright_Mate

ATF said:


> :vince6
> 
> Damn. I honestly think you must be the sole human being on the planet who's a wrestling fan that dislikes that match. I mean, that match was pure Tag Team bliss, reminiscent of an 80's Midnight Express, Rockers and/or Rock n' Roll Express type showdown. Yeah, it was sloppy in parts, but they more than made up for it w/excellent Tag fundamentals and an amazing atmosphere. And how can you not like Alpha, they're among the most likeable guys on the roster?
> 
> Ehh, whatever, different strokes for different folks after all :shrug


Wouldn't take any notice of NastyYaffa mate, he always shits on good matches and rates them 1 star.


----------



## Corey

I have to give a *YES* to the *Dragon Gate Dead or Alive Steel Cage Match*. It wasn't an in-ring masterpiece, but my goodness the storytelling and entertainment levels were through the roof. Kept my full attention for the whole 45 minutes and even for someone like myself who doesn't follow DG as closely as others on here, the swerves and aftermath felt monumentous. An incredible spectacle that really pushed this Shingo/Yamato build to the next level. All those soccer balls and water balloons too. :lol


----------



## NastyYaffa

Alright_Mate said:


> Wouldn't take any notice of NastyYaffa mate, he always shits on good matches and rates them 1 star.


Hey buddy, PM me your favorite wrestlers so I can give their matches more stars, since you always seem to cry about other people not liking matches that you like.


----------



## Arkham258

kimino said:


> YES to Final Deletion it was different, it surely had an unusual disparity in the % of wrestling and other stuff, but i was entertained which was the whole purpose of it. You can even say that it was different "genre" from usual wrestling and it was great.
> 
> At the same time is impossible to rate or compare, so it would be a ?*'s match, cannot be compared to well structured matches yet still would recommend other people to check


My friends seem to think the best part of Final Deletion was the drones and the hologram, followed by the lawn mower segment. What was so great about the match itself? Jeff Hardy falling off of stuff? Like we've never seen that before. Not to mention how sloppy looking that swanton from the tree looked. The boring beginning of the match where the Hardies were just doing boring, generic wrestling moves in the ring while that low rent action music was playing? The anti-climactic finish where Matt just threw Jeff onto the ground and pinned him? The stupid Willow appearance that will make NO sense to people who aren't regular TNA viewers. 

There was only one thing in the entire match that was kind of cool and it was the fireworks. THAT'S IT. The only thing great about Final Deletion was everything surrounding it, which was the drones, the lawn mower, the violin summoning, the "licensed official" bit, etc. The match itself was shit. It was too short. They didn't do anything amazing and it had a very anti-climactic finish. 

Final Deletion has surpassed Ospreay/Ricochet for the most overrated thing in wrestling this year. And I liked Ospreay/Ricochet but it wasn't THAT great. Puma/Azteca almost topped it with ease last week on Lucha Underground. If they had let those two go for another 2 or 3 minutes no one would be talking about Ospreay/Ricochet anymore


----------



## Corey

Arkham, my man, I know you're a massive LU supporter, but not everything that comes out needs to be compared to them or talked about how something from LU was better than said match. Just let TNA get their shine, bruh. A couple weeks from now they'll be back to being shit and no one will care anymore. :lol 

FWIW, I watched Final Deletion and thought it was definitely fun, but there's no reason to critique it at all. It was meant to be stupid & fun and that's pretty much what it was. Not a MOTYC in my eyes, but I understand the people saying that it felt "different".


----------



## Arkham258

Corey said:


> Arkham, my man, I know you're a massive LU supporter, but not everything that comes out needs to be compared to them or talked about how something from LU was better than said match. Just let TNA get their shine, bruh. A couple weeks from now they'll be back to being shit and no one will care anymore. :lol
> 
> FWIW, I watched Final Deletion and thought it was definitely fun, but there's no reason to critique it at all. It was meant to be stupid & fun and that's pretty much what it was. Not a MOTYC in my eyes, but I understand the people saying that it felt "different".


The angle had its fun moments, but Jesus the way people are talking it up it's the best thing in wrestling in years. I'm annoyed by the amount of hype it's gotten. I'm fine with someone copying Lucha Underground, but it annoys me when it gets more praise and hype than just about anything Lucha Underground has done. It shows what hypocrites TNA haters are, as it took very little for all of them to do a 180 and talk about TNA like they are the greatest thing in wrestling after their last show

And as I pointed out in my previous post, the match itself, separating everything that surrounded it, wasn't very good. The swanton from the tree looked awful and they should have redone that spot. The finish to the match was a joke too. I call it like I see it. There was only one cool thing in that entire match and it was the fireworks


----------



## flag sabbath

The Final Deletion was the pinnacle of backyard wrestling. For me it peaked with the extraordinary xylophone. I'll happily show LU to non fans, but I'm keeping this nonsense to myself.

Meanwhile, I'm surprised *Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs SANADA & EVIL* from 26/7 got slept on. It's YH at Korakuen in a starring underdog role. What else do you need to know? ******


----------



## Stetho

Fuck yes to Andrews vs Hero PROGRESS 30.
Andrews feels way cooler in PROGRESS than in PWG or TNA. I think I still don't know where his true level is but who cares, that was a classic. Jim's face at the end was gold.


----------



## Jabez Makaveli

I think Mil Muertes vs Matanza in a Casket match was a MOTYC


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Trevor Lee vs. Andrew Everett - CWF Mid-Atlantic Absolute Justice - ****1/2 - YES!*





I thought that the match these 2 had at PWG Prince was absolutely awful, a near DUD really, but I decided to give this one a shot since I saw so many people hyping it up as a really great match. And it sure was one! Everett was really good in this, working from underneath, well pacing & placing his hope spots, but oh man, Trevor Lee was SO great here. His performance reminded me of a classic 2006 championship defense Bryan Danielson performance; his facial expressions, trash talk, overall character work was all great. Then we get him targeting Everett's bodyparts, going after his cut... Loved it all. Just a super performance by Trevor.

I really need to check out more of Trevor in CWF. I was real impressed with his performance here.


----------



## Corey

Yep, it's me again with another high recommendation. :lol 

Kotaro Suzuki vs. Mark Haskins for the Wrestle-1 Cruiserweight Championship from 4FW Global Takeover. Would be giving this an easy yes vote... but they just got too excessive with the kickouts in the last couple minutes. Outside of that, another fantastic match on the banner year for Mark Haskins. His submission transitions are just so damn smooth. Suzuki played his part very well too with the brutal looking rib work that he managed to keep up with throughout the duration of the match. There's a sequence with a bunch of reversals, pin attempts, and crazy struggles to gain advantage on a submission that's just fucking fantastic. So yeah, another low end ****.

You have to rent the show for $5.99 here, but this match is worth it and the 6-man scramble opener (Bubblegum vs. Ultimo Dragon vs. Pete Dunne vs. Mark Andrews vs. Wild Boar vs. Mega Pegasus) is really good as well (*** 1/2). Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito is on the show too, but I haven't watched that yet. https://4fwondemand.pivotshare.com/media/4fw-global-takeover-2016/47538


----------



## Dead Seabed

*YES! **** 1/3* for Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomoaki Honma - NJPW Kizuna Road 2016 - Day 6, July 3rd 2016

This shit was STIFF! The match suffers a bit from the lack of commentary but it's really amazing stuff. Must see.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Katsuyori Shibata vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. - RPW Summer Sizzler - **** - YES!*

A match that looked very appealing to me on paper, and it definitely delivered. Shibata brought his trademark stiff, hard hitting offense with him to the UK & ZSJ did his thing with all the nifty submissions & really good arm work.


----------



## ZEROVampire

*YES *

*Final Deletion
Matt Hardy vs Jeff Hardy
Impact Wrestling 7/5
*****

ok, I do not want to see anything like this ever again, but this was a unique experience filled with tons of fun that can only live once in life.

*NO to*

The Revival vs American Alpha (2/3 Falls Match)

I'm sorry, I fell asleep in this match, TWICE **3/4


----------



## Brother Nero

Final Deletion


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

*NO* to Shinsuke vs Finn before someone recommends it.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Nakamura vs. Bálor was pretty close to being a ****+ match, but because of Nakamura's really spotty selling I went ***3/4 for it. Finn put on quite possibly the best single match performance of his career, his work on top was great. It was not great enough for me to forget about Nakamura's shitty selling though. A very good match, not a great one.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

It wasn't Finn's best singles match, but like you said Shinsuke's lack of selling and the damn commercial break spots just ruin any big time match. You're literally disconnecting your audience from the match. I know the WWE doesn't care about match quality and they do this to help prepare talent but that was just stupid. Agreed with good match, but not great.


----------



## Martins

I give a motherfuckin' *YES* to Mil Muertes VS King Cuerno from Ultima Lucha Dos.

God I fuckin' love Muertes, such a believable beast of a guy in everything he does, and things like him powerbombing Cuerno through like three or four tables in a row because he dared to touch Catrina and shrugging off having his head put through a window really help corroborate that statement, I believe. Cuerno was really fucking good too, clearly trying to outsmart Mil for most of the match yet making him look like an even bigger unsurmountable obstacle with the way he sold some of this stuff.

****+ to this, maybe even ****1/4. Loved it.


----------



## NakNak

*YES!* to Mil Muertes vs King Cuerno at UL2 Night II
Beautiful disaster. I hope that KC gets a bigger push next season, tho. I wonder who will destroy Mil Muertes. They are pushing him BIG TIME.
****1/4


----------



## Arkham258

Cuerno vs Muertes (Ultima Lucha Dos) was a lot of fun and a wild match. And my god, the final stretch of that match was insane, so I vote *YES*

And while it's not exactly match of the year worthy, the Gift of the Gods match was entertaining. It went for nearly half an hour and didn't lose my interest. And the way it ended once again shows Lucha Underground's panache for good story telling and their respect for continuity. 

It was a two match show, and they both entertained. And while 90% of wrestling fans were probably watching NXT and the Cruiserweight Classic, LU certainly delivered a damn good show that I'm glad I watched


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following:

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy: The Final Deletion (TNA IMPACT: 7/5/16)

Mil Muertes vs. King Cuerno: Death Match (Lucha Underground: 7/13/16)*


----------



## Stetho

Sabre vs Shibata (RevPro) was maybe too short to get my yes but it's still a damn good match.
Volador vs Kushida (CMLL) had the perfect length, great watch and I was pretty hesitant but again I'll keep my yes for something else.


----------



## Groovemachine

Some good stuff from Rev Pro Summer Sizzler:

*Pete Dunne vs Will Ospreay - ****

Marty Scurll vs Mike Bailey - ***3/4

Zack Sabre Jr vs Katsuyori Shibata - ***3/4*

Ospreay/Dunne had some jaw-dropping sequences and felt really vicious and intense. Scurll/Bailey I was only so-so on at first but it drastically picked up, and the finishing stretch is absolutely outstanding. ZSJ/Shibata was rather short and felt like it ended too early, but what we did see was as stiff as you'd expect. They looked to be setting up a rematch, in which case this provided some solid groundwork for the sequel.


----------



## teick

I guess I'm a little bit late to the party, since this is my first post in this thread :lol
Anyway, here are my MOTYC so far. All of these get a *YES* from me, I guess:

*******
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn (NXT Takeover Dallas)

*****3/4*
Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)
The Miz vs Cesaro vs Owens vs Zayn (WWE Extreme Rules)
Chris Hero vs Marty Scurll (PROGRESS Chapter 31)

*****1/2*
Triple H vs Dean Ambrose (WWE Roadblock)
Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens (WWE Payback)
Roman Reigns vs AJ Styles (WWE Extreme Rules)
American Alpha vs The Revival (NXT Takeover The End)
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries (NXT Takeover The End)
Katsuyori Shibata vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW New Beginning In Osaka 2016)
Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW New Beginning In Niigata 2016)
Prince Puma vs Pentagon Jr vs Mil Muertes (Lucha Underground, Episode 7)
Styles vs Jericho vs Cesaro vs Owens (Raw After WM32)
Ricochet vs Will Ospreay (EVOLVE 59)
Ricochet vs Will Ospreay (NJPW BOSJ Day 6)
Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin (NJPW Dominion 6.19)

*****1/4*
Tomohiro Ishii vs Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)
Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe (NXT Takeover Dallas)
Bayley vs Asuka (NXT Takeover Dallas)
Charlotte vs Sasha vs Becky (WWE WrestleMania 32)
AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns (WWE Payback)
Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins (WWE Money In The Bank)
New Day vs Y2AJ (RAW, March 7)
Mil Muertes vs Fenix (Lucha Underground Episode 8)
Kevin Owens vs AJ Styles (RAW, March 21)
KUSHIDA vs Will Ospreay (NJPW Invasion Attack 2016)
Finn Balor vs Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT, July 13)


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Kazuchika Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji - G1 Climax Day 1 - ****1/2 - YES!*

I am not a fan of Marufuji & I was ready to hate this match, but oh man, this was so great. And what surprised me the most is that Marufuji was absolutely FANTASTIC here. His work on top ruled, his arm work was brutal & so were those strikes - especially those nasty chops he delivered. Maru was just ON POINT. Okada's selling was very dramatic & great. All in all, just a fantastic match. What a way to kick off this year's G1.

My favorite Marufuji match is his match vs. Danielson from ROH A New Level, and this was on the same level as that match. Definitely the best match he has had in Japan.


----------



## flag sabbath

So G1 Day 1 set the bar pretty damn high. I love how this tournament is all about the long game, so all bets are off & there's a different kind of drama to be found. I'll save my thoughts for the G1 thread & just drop some stars in here for now....

Ishii vs Tenzan ******

Tanahashi vs SANADA ******

Okada vs Marufuji *****1/4 YES!*


----------



## teick

*YES* to Kazuchika Okada vs Naomichi Marufuji (G1 Climax Day 1) - ****1/4


----------



## NastyYaffa

Can't get over Marufuji's great performance in that Okada match. Seriously, he was SO good. Might be the best performance of his career.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW G1 Climax 26: Day 1)

I was tired during Marufuji vs. Okada, so I need to re-watch it, but it looked like a great match.*


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

NO to literally all the matches last night. Good matches, but they weren't match of the year candidates. Marufuji vs Okada was 3 stars bros. Marufuji ZSJ did an arm lift and transitioned to a fujiwara then went to a hammer lock. Needless movement. He had the right idea but he executed it pretty poorly. Just one instance. Better than what I expected out of Marufuji but it wasn't that great. Sanada vs Tanahashi was a better match by far.


----------



## darkclaudio

No to
Matanza vs King Cuerno ***1/4
Tomohiro Ishii vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan ***1/2
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs SANADA ***1/2
Kazuchika Okada vs Naomichi Marufuji ***1/4


----------



## Alright_Mate

*YES! to Okada vs Marufuji - NJPW G1 Climax 26 Tag 1 - ****1/4 *

Great performance by Marufuji in this match.


----------



## Arkham258

Yes to Prince Puma vs Rey Mysterio at Ultima Lucha Dos - Fantastic match

And while I'm not actually putting it in the match of the year category, Worldwide Underground vs the Super Friends at Ultima Lucha Dos was a hell of a fun match


----------



## NastyYaffa

Rey Rey vs. Puma is definitely getting a YES from me too - good storytelling mixed with fast paced action; some awesome spots & counters. ****1/4 for me.

Man, how good is Rey? First (imo) great match of his happened in 1995, and now he just had another one. In 2016.


----------



## Stetho

YES to Puma/Rey too!


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to Rey Mysterio vs. Prince Puma: Ultima Lucha Dos

There's a reason why this match main evented, because man, these two guys delivered.*


----------



## Martins

YES to Rey Mysterio VS Prince Puma at Ultima Lucha Dos. ****1/4

A banged up, 41-year-old Rey Mysterio still puts so many younger high-fliers to shame, guy's always a delight to watch. And once again, it is confirmed that "Puma" >>>>>>>>>>> "Ricochet".


----------



## Arkham258

Rey and Puma saved that show.


----------



## ArnDaddy

Yes to Rey and Puma, great match.


----------



## Dead Seabed

*YES ***** to Marufuji vs. Okada

Haven't seen Marufuji this energetic and motivated since 2006. This may be another case of a desperate need for a change of environment bringing the best out of people, like with AJ leaving TNA.


----------



## fabi1982

YES to Puma/Rey


----------



## dmgsdmgsdmgs

YES to:

*Prince Puma vs. Rey Mysterio - Ultima Lucha Dos*

FUCKING YES to:
*
Okada vs. Marufuji - G1 Climax Day 1*
This might be my favorite Japanese match of the year. They wrestled the perfect match in my eyes. Everything I want in a wrestling match


----------



## peep4life

Big yes to rey puma ****1/2

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk


----------



## Bruce L

Okada/Marufuji is pretty darn nifty indeed. Marufuji hasn't had this good a match since 2014 against Nagata, and hasn't given this good a performance since 2010 against Kanemoto. Truthfully, after reading some of the reviews, and considering how much I like Okada and used to like Marufuji, I was expecting something even better, but this is certainly a *YES* as is.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

An easy *YES* to *Kazuchika Okada vs Naomichi Marufuji*, _NJPW G1 Climax 26, Day 1._ - ******

Really impressed by Marufuji here, he was just on his game with everything he did from the concentrated work of the arm like the beautiful apron armbreaker, the constant referral back to the arm, the prescion of his strikes (the angled superkick was a thing of beauty) all he did was just great, loved the match.​


----------



## Dead Seabed

*NO!* and ***** to Shibata vs. ZSJ

I just can't get into ZSJ and it's because of the fact that he looks like midget Giant Baba. Right now, him and Chris Hero are tied as two guys with the absolute worst physiques in professional wrestling. The fact that his spine and rib cage are visible makes his physical presence simply abysmal. Yano is '98 Kane compared to ZSJ.


----------



## Martins

Road Rash said:


> *NO!* and ***** to Shibata vs. ZSJ
> *
> I just can't get into ZSJ and it's because of the fact that he looks like midget Giant Baba.* Right now, him and Chris Hero are tied as two guys with the absolute worst physiques in professional wrestling. The fact that his spine and rib cage are visible makes his physical presence simply abysmal. Yano is '98 Kane compared to ZSJ.



I like ZSJ, but this is so fucking true :lmao

Guy needs to visit grandma more often and get properly fed.


----------



## Stetho

It's part of the character to me.


----------



## NakNak

*Rey Mysterio vs Prince Puma at UL2* ****1/4
The only match from UL2 that was good was Mil vs Cuerno (****1/4, also)
The rest of the show was a fucking mess. I like Pentagon Jr, but this is too much. Matanza vs Pentagon was one of the worst one-sided matches I've ever watched.


----------



## Arkham258

NakNak said:


> *Rey Mysterio vs Prince Puma at UL2* ****1/4
> The only match from UL2 that was good was Mil vs Cuerno (****1/4, also)
> The rest of the show was a fucking mess. I like Pentagon Jr, but this is too much. Matanza vs Pentagon was one of the worst one-sided matches I've ever watched.


Pentagon ruined that 2 hour finale. He was all over the show like John Cena or Roman Reigns, and everything they did with him was stupid and pointless.


----------



## Wrestling is Life

Arkham258 said:


> Pentagon ruined that 2 hour finale. He was all over the show like John Cena or Roman Reigns, and everything they did with him was stupid and pointless.


I guess I may literally be the only one who found Pentagon DARK to be the highlight of the show. Rey/Puma was good, but nowhere near a MOTYC for me. In fact I enjoyed both the Trios Match and Matanza/Pentagon more. Neither of which were MOTYC either. A fun, but somewhat disappointing season finale that did more to build to Season 3 than to close off Season 2.


----------



## NakNak

Arkham258 said:


> Pentagon ruined that 2 hour finale. He was all over the show like John Cena or Roman Reigns, and everything they did with him was stupid and pointless.





Wrestling is Life said:


> I guess I may literally be the only one who found Pentagon DARK to be the highlight of the show. Rey/Puma was good, but nowhere near a MOTYC for me. In fact I enjoyed both the Trios Match and Matanza/Pentagon more. Neither of which were MOTYC either. A fun, but somewhat disappointing season finale that did more to build to Season 3 than to close off Season 2.


I love the character work from Pentagon Dark. Again, I love the performer...but the booking is just a mess IMO. They hyped up Dragon Azteca vs Black Lotus for almost 2 seasons and the match was just...filler. That's my problem with that.

The trios match was fun to watch, I give you that. PWG style. It made no sense, but it is what it is :lol

Man, Season2 of LU dissapointed me. What the fuck happened to the storyline of Aerostar being a time traveler to unite the tribes?:sk


----------



## Arkham258

In the grand scheme of things, Lotus vs Azteca is a more important story line than Pentagon's. And this was Black Lotus's debut after two seasons of build up. They are a key part of the show's mythology, and Pentagon just shows up, stops the match and makes them both look like jobbers by breaking their arms.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Stetho said:


> It's part of the character to me.


It's part of an eating disorder.


----------



## flag sabbath

I enjoyed the first half of Puma vs Rey, but as it wore on, I lost interest. A lot like LU season two actually.


----------



## darkclaudio

*FUCKING YES!!!!
YUJI OKABAYASHI VS HIDEYOSHI KAMITANI - BJW 24/07*


----------



## Bruce L

A pleasantly surprised *YES* to Sexy Star/Mariposa. I was hyped up and let down by LU so much last year (Grave Consequences being the only match I really loved) that I never would've bothered with this if I hadn't found out that Mariposa was Cheerleader Melissa, and this ended up being quite awesome. I probably would've been even more into it if I'd known the full story between them (and Willie Mack and "Marty the Moth"), but whatever; "they hate each other" always works and is always clear. 

This inspired me to look up some more supposed highlights from them this year, and while I'm not voting for Matanza/Cage, it was a damn fine hoss fight. Muertes/Fenix is next in the queue.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Shibata vs. Nakajima* from Day 4 of the G1 Climax was fucking awesome. An easy *YES* & ****1/2 from me. They wrestled & beat the shit out of each other in front of the best crowd in Japan - the selling & facial expressions were absolutely amazing & Nakajima being a total dick to Shibata by targeting his injured shoulder and doing his signature moves was so great. A must see match, so far the best one that has happened in the tournament.


----------



## ZEROVampire

*NO MOTYC but Highly Recommended Matches*

Open the Dream Gate Title: Shingo Takagi (c) vs YAMATO - Dragon Gate: Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 7/24 ***3/4
BJW Strong Heavyweight Title: Yuji Okabayashi (c) vs Hideyoshi Kamitani - BJW Ryogokutan 7/24 ***3/4

And.... NO TO ALL WWE BATTLEGROUND MATCHES


----------



## Ace

ZEROVampire said:


> *NO MOTYC but Highly Recommended Matches*
> 
> Open the Dream Gate Title: Shingo Takagi (c) vs YAMATO - Dragon Gate: Kobe Pro Wrestling Festival 7/24 ***3/4
> BJW Strong Heavyweight Title: Yuji Okabayashi (c) vs Hideyoshi Kamitani - BJW Ryogokutan 7/24 ***3/4
> 
> And.... NO TO ALL WWE BATTLEGROUND MATCHES


 Surely KO-Zayn makes it? I had it at ****1/2


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Straw Hat said:


> Surely KO-Zayn makes it? I had it at ****1/2


If you have it at **** 1/2 then you should nominate it fam, everyone's opinion is different.


----------



## Martins

NO to Zayn/Owens, but very very close to a YES. It was nothing special up until the botch, then on from the botch things started getting good and the finishing stretch was fucking GREAT. 

Even forced to continue their feud in the most sterile and insipid environment in wrestling, both guys managed to finally put some fucking spice into it in this match. For that, I give this a borderline ******; really fucking good, just short of a MOTYC.


----------



## Corey

Keep in my mind that I was in attendance, but a definite *YES* for *Owens/Zayn* from *Battleground*. It started a bit slower than I would've liked, but the botch actually ended up HELPING the match more than anything. Incidental storytelling is always the best kind (see Steen/Generico from BOLA 2011) and Owens's armwork was excellent improv. Kudos to Zayn for selling it well too. The whole finishing stretch was a blast and the emotional finish was a great way to cap off this feud... for now. 

It may be better once I watch it on screen but the Shield 3-Way was close. Probably *** 3/4. It didn't actually feel that long and I know they're capable of more, but it was definitely fun and entertaining. EXTREMELY surprised by the finish, honestly.


----------



## Martins

I will give the YES, however, to Okabayashi/Kamitani from BJW Ryogokutan. As someone who's never watched much BJW at all, I always end up fucking loving it whenever I do. Okabayashi is an incredible fucking beast of a wrestler, even the most normal fucking moves like a Boston Crab look so much more devastating when he does them because he doesn't do that "barely squatting" shit on it that you see so many times and will actually SIT ON A MOTHERFUCKER. Had never even watched Kamitani, but that was some real fuckin' feisty babyface performance on his part. Coming to the match with no knowledge of any backstory, I was quite pleasantly surprised at the way the match turned out, too. Great stuff. *****1/4*


----------



## flag sabbath

Stoked for Zayn & Owens that they're getting to do their thing in front of a huge audience for real money ******

Some G1 matches well worth checking:

YOSHI-HASHI vs Omega ******
Shibata vs Nakajima ******
Big Mike vs Naito ******


----------



## NotGuilty

Natti's victory over Becky was an instant classic :thumbsup


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens - WWE Battleground - ****1/2 - YES!*

Great atmosphere, the promo video before the match was great, the sequences & counters were awesome & Kevin Owens put on the best performance of his in what feels like forever + Sami Zayn put on his usual big match epic performance. Outstanding match.


----------



## teick

*YES* to:

*Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn - ****** - I'm probably exaggerating, but fuck it. I absolutely loved it. The storytelling was great, the counters and sequences were awesome, plus Sami finally got his win and revenge over Kevin. Great match.
*Ambrose vs Rollins vs Reigns - ****1/2* - Another great match. I don't know if it lived up to what we were all expecting from what seemed like the ultimate WWE dream match in the last couple of years, but it was still a very good match. I noticed that they stopped spamming finishers lately, even in big matches, which is good. In this match for example, everyone hit their finisher once.


----------



## Richie

Fuck what anyone says, i'm a harsh marker but Owens/Zayn was ****3/4 and pretty much as good as wrestling gets without being perfect. Slow start and the botch took me out, but the fact that they ended up selling the botch and going with it made it even better. Maybe I'm feeling too emotionally invested considering it's probably my second favourite feud of all time (Okada/Tana) but I thought it was incredible. *Yes, yes, yes.*


----------



## Ace

*Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens - WWE Battleground - ****1/2 - YES

Shield Triple Threat match - WWE Battleground - **** - NO*


----------



## ShadowSucks92

YES to Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owen- WWE Battleground-****3/4

I agree it started a bit slow but once it got going the match told a great story of each other trying to finish each other off, Sami's facial expressions were also top notch and they didn't need to resort to spamming finishers


----------



## fabi1982

YES to Zayn/Owens, no matter if others say this was slow paced or something, I really enjoyed it and actually the first time I enjoyed a Zayn/Owens match on WWE programming.


----------



## Alright_Mate

*YES! to Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens - WWE Battleground - ****1/2*

Thought Zayn started slow, but Owens heel antics were brilliant at the start. The botch happened then the story telling went up a notch, great psychology by KO, good selling by Sami. Then the final stretch was just brilliant, some brilliant sequences and both were performing to their best. The finish was booked well and was a fitting way to end. Shy of being MOTY worthy, but this definitely cements itself in my top 10 matches of the year so far.


----------



## kimino

Yes to Owens vs Zayn great great match, ****1/4


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

I'd give a Yes to KO/Zayn at Battleground but the highest I can go on it is **** 1/4. Doesn't deserve anything higher tbh.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens - WWE Battleground - ****3/4*

Huge YES to this one, my new MOTY. They made the botch work to the point that I questioned whether it was intentional, so bonus marks for that. But this was all about the emotion, and they took me on such a great journey. Sami firing up towards the end, the hug, those closing moments were absolute perfection. A real fitting close to this chapter of their rivalry.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following match:

YAMATO vs. Shingo Takagi (Dragon Gate: Kobe World Pro Wrestling Festival 2016)

These other matches get a NO! from me, but I would definitely recommend them:

Over Generation (CIMA, Peter Kaasa, & Dragon Kid) vs. Tribe Vanguard (BxB Hulk, Kzy, & Flamita) vs. Monster Express (Akira Tozawa, Masato Yoshino, & T-Hawk) (Dragon Gate: Kobe World Pro Wrestling Festival 2016)

Eita vs. Yosuke Santa Maria (Dragon Gate: Kobe World Pro Wrestling Festival 2016)*


----------



## antoniomare007

*YES to Yuji Okabayashi vs Hideyoshi Kamitani - BJW "RYOGOKUTAN", 24.07.2016*

Loved the first 12 minutes with both doing really simple stuff but in a compelling way, it didn't feel like your normal "do shit to fill time until we get to the last 7-10". Kamitani had to fucking WORK to land anything meaningful on Okabayashi - who looked like a beast and an Ace, it warms my heart watching him evolve from puffy rookie in 2009 to this - and after the first lariat he knew he had to outsmart Yuji, who was hell bent on showing the younger punk he was going to beat the fuck out of him. Shit worked for Kamitani until Yuji just said fuck the bullshit and began to obliterate the challenger. From then on we get to the finishing stretch that would've been LIT in Korakuen with a hotter crowd but it's still a worthy MOTYC.


----------



## theshape31

:agree:

Singles Match
*Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn*
_WWE: Battleground, July 24th_

B Block Tournament Match
*Yoshi-Hashi vs Kenny Omega*
_NJPW: G1 Climax 26, July 22nd_

First Round Match
*KUSHIDA vs Taiji Ishimori*
_NJPW: Super J-Cup, July 20th_

Gift of the Gods Championship Elimination Match
*Killshot vs Daga vs Sexy Star vs Marty "The Moth" Martinez vs Night Claw vs Mariposa*
_Lucha Underground: Ultima Lucha Dos, July 13th_

IWGP Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
*Kenny Omega (c) vs Michael Elgin*
_NJPW: Dominion, June 19th_

Tournament Finals
*Ryusuke Taguchi vs Will Ospreay*
_NJPW: Best of the Super Juniors, June 7th_

"No Mas" Match
*Sexy Star vs Mariposa*
_Lucha Underground, May 4th_

NXT Women's Championship
*Bayley (c) vs Asuka*
_NXT TakeOver: Dallas, April 1st_

Singles Match
*Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura*
_NXT TakeOver: Dallas, April 1st_

Lucha Underground Championship
*Aztec Warfare II*
_Lucha Underground, March 23rd_

Chikara Grand Championship
*Princess KimberLee (c) vs Heidi Lovelace*
_The Secret of the Ooze, March 19th_

Lucha Underground Championship
*Mil Muertes (c) vs Fenix*
_Lucha Underground, March 16th_

Lucha Underground Championship 3-Way
*Mil Muertes (c) vs Prince Puma vs Pentagón Jr.*
_Lucha Underground, March 9th_

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kenny Omega*
_NJPW: The New Beginning in Niigata, February 14th_

NEVER Openweight Championship
*Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii*
_NJPW: The New Beginning in Osaka, February 11th_

Lucha Underground Championship
*Mil Muertes (c) vs Ivelisse*
_Lucha Underground, January 27th_

Gift of the Gods Championship
*Fenix (c) vs King Cuerno*
_Lucha Underground, January 27th_

CMLL World Lightweight Championship
*Dragon Lee (c) vs Kamaitachi*
_Fantastica Mania, January 24th_

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
*Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi*
_NJPW: Wrestle Kingdom 10, January 4th_


----------



## Martins

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, *YES* to Naito/Elgin from Day 4 of G1 Climax. 

These two motherfuckers gave it their all in this one and both looked absolutely exhausted during the last few minutes (and what last few minutes those were, godDAMN). Great fucking time from bell to bell, loved this.

*****1/2*


----------



## darkclaudio

No to Owens/Zayn from Battleground ***1/2


----------



## theshape31

:agree:

WWE Women's Championship
*Charlotte (c) vs Sasha Banks*
_WWE: Raw, July 25th_


----------



## Dead Seabed

*NO ***1/2* to Owens vs. Zayn at Battleground

There just wasn't that much to it. A solid match with a slightly above solid finish. These guys can do much much better.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

YES to Shingo vs YAMATO ate Kobe World

Eita vs Yosuke was good but not MOTY worthy.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Certainly not a MOTYC but I was really surprised by Ishii vs. Fale. My god that deadlift brainbuster finish. What I like about this year's G1 is that even the obvious filler matches offer some special bits, like that belly-to-belly spider suplex spot in Makabe vs. Tonga.


----------



## DJMathers127

WWE Battleground
Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn ****1/4

Another great match from these two that was a little better than their Payback match

Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns ****1/4

These three could do no wrong here. Some of the callbacks were awesome including Rollins hitting Reigns & Ambrose with a chair as well as the trademark Shield powerbomb. This was a great match as well. Hope they do it again down the road


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

antoniomare007 said:


> *YES to Yuji Okabayashi vs Hideyoshi Kamitani - BJW "RYOGOKUTAN", 24.07.2016*
> 
> Loved the first 12 minutes with both doing really simple stuff but in a compelling way, it didn't feel like your normal "do shit to fill time until we get to the last 7-10". Kamitani had to fucking WORK to land anything meaningful on Okabayashi - who looked like a beast and an Ace, it warms my heart watching him evolve from puffy rookie in 2009 to this - and after the first lariat he knew he had to outsmart Yuji, who was hell bent on showing the younger punk he was going to beat the fuck out of him. Shit worked for Kamitani until Yuji just said fuck the bullshit and began to obliterate the challenger. From then on we get to the finishing stretch that would've been LIT in Korakuen with a hotter crowd but it's still a worthy MOTYC.


YES to this match with a legitimately great ending. MOTYC candidate for sure. Okabayashi had an almost perfect match and Kamitani played his role extremely well too.


----------



## flag sabbath

*YEYASS!!* to * Okabayashi vs Kamitani*. A chest-rattling throwback to when real men wore black & worked victories were still hard fought & hard earned. Giant Baba would have loved this shit. Beastly *****1/2*


----------



## theshape31

:agree:

Sendai Girls World Championship
*Meiko Satomura (c) vs Aja Kong*
_Sendai Girls, April 8th_

[hide]
WWE Women's Championship
*Charlotte (c) vs Sasha Banks*
_WWE: Raw, July 25th_ 

Singles Match
*Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn*
_WWE: Battleground, July 24th_

B Block Tournament Match
*Yoshi-Hashi vs Kenny Omega*
_NJPW: G1 Climax 26, July 22nd_

First Round Match
*KUSHIDA vs Taiji Ishimori*
_NJPW: Super J-Cup, July 20th_

IWGP Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
*Kenny Omega (c) vs Michael Elgin*
_NJPW: Dominion, June 19th_

Gift of the Gods Championship Elimination Match
*Killshot vs Daga vs Sexy Star vs Marty "The Moth" Martinez vs Night Claw vs Mariposa*
_Lucha Underground: Ultima Lucha Dos, July 13th_

Tournament Finals
*Ryusuke Taguchi vs Will Ospreay*
_NJPW: Best of the Super Juniors, June 7th_

"No Mas" Match
*Sexy Star vs Mariposa*
_Lucha Underground, May 4th_

NXT Women's Championship
*Bayley (c) vs Asuka*
_NXT TakeOver: Dallas, April 1st_

Singles Match
*Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura*
_NXT TakeOver: Dallas, April 1st_

Lucha Underground Championship
*Aztec Warfare II*
_Lucha Underground, March 23rd_

Chikara Grand Championship
*Princess KimberLee (c) vs Heidi Lovelace*
_The Secret of the Ooze, March 19th_

Lucha Underground Championship
*Mil Muertes (c) vs Fenix*
_Lucha Underground, March 16th_

Lucha Underground Championship 3-Way
*Mil Muertes (c) vs Prince Puma vs Pentagón Jr.*
_Lucha Underground, March 9th_

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kenny Omega*
_NJPW: The New Beginning in Niigata, February 14th_

NEVER Openweight Championship
*Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii*
_NJPW: The New Beginning in Osaka, February 11th_

Lucha Underground Championship
*Mil Muertes (c) vs Ivelisse*
_Lucha Underground, January 27th_

Gift of the Gods Championship
*Fenix (c) vs King Cuerno*
_Lucha Underground, January 27th_

CMLL World Lightweight Championship
*Dragon Lee (c) vs Kamaitachi*
_Fantastica Mania, January 24th_

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
*Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi*
_NJPW: Wrestle Kingdom 10, January 4th_[/hide]


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Marufuji vs. Ishii - G1 Climax Day 7 - **** - YES!*

Such a great, nasty, hard hitting match. Ishii in the G1 mode is pretty much untouchable, and Marufuji has been so good in the tournament so far.


----------



## Lesnar Turtle

*YES!* to Naito/Shibata at G1 Climax day 8. In a tournament full of great matches it might just be my favourite so far. Awesome stuff.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Shibata vs. Naito - G1 Climax Day 8 - ****3/4 - YES!*

That fucking ruled. Super character work by both guys & great psychology.


----------



## Zatiel

Zayn Vs. Owens from Battleground - YES. That whole ending was brill. They did an amazing job incorporating the botch on the apron into the match.

Ambrose Vs. Rollins Vs. Reigns from Battleground - NO. Very fun, but not close to MOTYC for me.

Sanada Vs. Tanahashi from G1 Night 1 - NO, but close. Great stuff.

Marufuji Vs. Okada from G1 Night 1 - YES. What an incredible way to reintroduce Marufuji to this audience.

Omega Vs. Yoshi-Hashi from G1 Night 2 - NO. Omega laid out a great match and the finishing stretch was incredible, but even then Yoshi looked like he was going through the motions. They guy is still struggling with character and conviction. Though not as emotional a match, he actually looked better in his later match against EVIL.

Omega Vs. Elgin from G1 Night 8 - YES. Funny how they managed to make this match feel more personal just by stealing each other's spots or interrupting them than they did in a ladder match full of crazy stuff.

Naito Vs. Shibata from G1 Night 8 - YES. Shibata is so damned great, and Naito gave one of his best performances at this character, as just the right opponent for Shibata to get fed up with and strangle.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

NO to Shibata vs Naito, it was a good 4 star match. Naito screwed up the finish with opening and closing his eyes a billion times and the facials weren't there. People wonder why I trash the guy and the finish on this is the reason why. It's not the first time he's done it either.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Omega vs. Elgin from day 8 was like a heavyweight version of Ricochet vs. Ospreay, but good. Still not a MOTYC, but a solid **** in my book.


----------



## El Dandy

Japanese Puroresu said:


> NO to Shibata vs Naito, it was a good 4 star match. Naito screwed up the finish with opening and closing his eyes a billion times and the facials weren't there. People wonder why I trash the guy and the finish on this is the reason why. It's not the first time he's done it either.


You know how much I love Naito, but the eyes thing did happen and it did bother me. 

He sold it like death and went limp when Shibata relinquished the hold which was great, but either go st sleep and close your eyes -or- keep them open like a catatonic state and lights are on but nobody is home. It's one thing if he kept blinking up until the ref started doing the first arm drop, but he was blinking as his arm was being picked up for the 3rd time. Kinda removed me from the moment.

Was otherwise a great match and prob my favorite match of the G1 so far, but those little things.


----------



## ErickRowan_Fan

El Dandy said:


> You know how much I love Naito, but the eyes thing did happen and it did bother me.
> 
> He sold it like death and went limp when Shibata relinquished the hold which was great, but either go st sleep and close your eyes -or- keep them open like a catatonic state and lights are on but nobody is home. It's one thing if he kept blinking up until the ref started doing the first arm drop, but he was blinking as his arm was being picked up for the 3rd time. Kinda removed me from the moment.
> 
> Was otherwise a great match and prob my favorite match of the G1 so far, but those little things.


The guy was bleeding from the mouth pretty badly at the end, I'm not sure if he was even selling at that point.


----------



## Martins

NO to Naito/Shibata from Day 8, still damn close though. I put this at about the same level as Owens/Zayn from Battleground as a damn good ***3/4-**** match.

A more emphatic NO to Elgin/Omega, though I'm a sucker for the finisher-trading thing it was the only spot I really dug in what was pretty much a movez~ galore (not that I don't enjoy those once in a while... just not particularly this one and not usually at all ). **3/4-***


----------



## Stetho

A bit short but let's give a YES to Daga vs Fenix on AAA TV show


----------



## theshape31

:agree:

A Block Tournament Match
*Kazuchika Okada vs Naomichi Marufuji*
_NJPW: G1 Climax 26, July 18th_

[hide]
WWE Women's Championship
*Charlotte (c) vs Sasha Banks*
_WWE: Raw, July 25th_ 

Singles Match
*Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn*
_WWE: Battleground, July 24th_

B Block Tournament Match
*Yoshi-Hashi vs Kenny Omega*
_NJPW: G1 Climax 26, July 22nd_

First Round Match
*KUSHIDA vs Taiji Ishimori*
_NJPW: Super J-Cup, July 20th_

IWGP Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
*Kenny Omega (c) vs Michael Elgin*
_NJPW: Dominion, June 19th_

Gift of the Gods Championship Elimination Match
*Killshot vs Daga vs Sexy Star vs Marty "The Moth" Martinez vs Night Claw vs Mariposa*
_Lucha Underground: Ultima Lucha Dos, July 13th_

Tournament Finals
*Ryusuke Taguchi vs Will Ospreay*
_NJPW: Best of the Super Juniors, June 7th_

"No Mas" Match
*Sexy Star vs Mariposa*
_Lucha Underground, May 4th_

Sendai Girls World Championship
*Meiko Satomura (c) vs Aja Kong*
_Sendai Girls, April 8th_

NXT Women's Championship
*Bayley (c) vs Asuka*
_NXT TakeOver: Dallas, April 1st_

Singles Match
*Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura*
_NXT TakeOver: Dallas, April 1st_

Lucha Underground Championship
*Aztec Warfare II*
_Lucha Underground, March 23rd_

Chikara Grand Championship
*Princess KimberLee (c) vs Heidi Lovelace*
_The Secret of the Ooze, March 19th_

Lucha Underground Championship
*Mil Muertes (c) vs Fenix*
_Lucha Underground, March 16th_

Lucha Underground Championship 3-Way
*Mil Muertes (c) vs Prince Puma vs Pentagón Jr.*
_Lucha Underground, March 9th_

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kenny Omega*
_NJPW: The New Beginning in Niigata, February 14th_

NEVER Openweight Championship
*Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii*
_NJPW: The New Beginning in Osaka, February 11th_

Lucha Underground Championship
*Mil Muertes (c) vs Ivelisse*
_Lucha Underground, January 27th_

Gift of the Gods Championship
*Fenix (c) vs King Cuerno*
_Lucha Underground, January 27th_

CMLL World Lightweight Championship
*Dragon Lee (c) vs Kamaitachi*
_Fantastica Mania, January 24th_

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
*Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi*
_NJPW: Wrestle Kingdom 10, January 4th_[/hide]


----------



## Bruce L

*YES *to the following matches I don't think I've posted about yet, though I did put them on my page 1 list:

Will Ospreay vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, BOSJ final (Jun 7)
_Shockingly great performance by Taguchi; Ospreay continues to be gold in Japan_

Chris Hero & Tommy End vs. Zack Sabre Jr & Sami Callihan, Evolve tag title tournament, round 1 (Jan 22)
_For a near-half-hour match, this flew by_

Johnny Gargano, Kota Ibushi, & T.J. Perkins vs. Will Ospreay, Tommy End, & Marty Scurll (Evolve, Apr 2)
_Gabe & co. can do these Mania weekend six-man tags in their sleep at this point_

The Miz vs. Antonio Cesaro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn, IC title 4-way (Extreme Rules)
_Everybody playing their part to perfection makes this a rare main-roster highlight this year_

Mike Quackenbush vs. Johnny Kidd, World of Sport rules (Chikara, May 28)
_Great, unique match between two of the only people who could've made it work_

Mr. Touchdown vs. Juan Francisco de Coronado, No DQ (Chikara, Jun 11)
_Like Sexy Star/Mariposa, probably better if you know the story behind it, but "they hate each other" is easy to convey in a vacuum. Also, Touchdown is legit one of the best in the business right now._

Chris Hero vs. Mark Andrews (PROGRESS, May 29)
_**** match; ***** underdog performance by Andrews. America needs more of him._

The Revival vs. American Alpha, 2/3 falls (WWE [NXT], Jul 6)
_Not quite as good as their previous match, but better than the terrific original, and a worthy cap to the trilogy. Once the Revival get called up, make sure these teams are always on the same brand._

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA (New Japan, Jul 18)
_SANADA's best performance since five years ago, when he was supposed to be getting ready to become All Japan's version of Tanahashi. Tanahashi is predictably awesome in the unconventional role of not-quite-past-his-prime veteran unexpectedly forced to prove he's still got it._

Also, after a few rewatches, I'm revoking my earlier YES votes for Strong/Ishii, Scurll/Hero, and Heroes Eventually Die/Roppongi Vice, although I'm not sure those ever made it onto the tally because I never made new posts for them, so whatever. Not sure I'll be getting better at making my votes in new posts, so for my running YES tally, check my list on Page 1 of the thread.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Ishii vs. Tanahashi - NJPW G1 Climax Day 11 - ****1/2 - YES!*

Just as good as their 2013 G1 epic. Fantastic match.


----------



## Richie

****1/2 Ciampa/Gargano in the CWC. Short match, not the best technically or anything, not a marathon match, but almost a perfect example of ring psychology that I can't wait to show people who don't watch wrestling or think it's stupid.


----------



## flag sabbath

*Tanahashi vs Ishii* was great, but the way they laid it out made the outcome fairly obvious ******

*Gargano vs Ciampa* was a fun TV match with a couple of memorable moments ****1/4*


----------



## Groovemachine

*Johnny Gargano vs Tommasso Ciampa - WWE Cruiserweight Classic 08.03.2016 - *****

Didn't expect this level of storytelling from a CWC match, as they've mostly been simple exhibitions, but this was top notch. Post-match was beautiful as well.

*Tomohiro Ishii vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - NJPW G1 Climax 26 Day 11 - *****

That sequence ending in the sickening strait-jacket German... :mark: Lovely work from both guys. Once again, Ishii is the G1 MVP.


----------



## flag sabbath

*Omega vs Shibata* stood out as being something fresh in a tournament full of identikit matches. Some great near-death salesmanship from Shibata ******


----------



## NastyYaffa

YES & 4 snowflakes to Shibata/Omega. Just a really well worked match, very enjoyable.


----------



## Martins

*YES* to both Ishii/Tanahashi and Omega/Shibata. Kenny upped his game big time for this one. About goddamn time he did, too. *****+* to both matches.


----------



## Corey

*Title vs. Title, Winner Takes All - Six Sides of Steel*
TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley vs. X Division Champion Eddie Edwards - ***** (YES!)*
_Impact Wrestling 7/21_
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGd1jgbtpy0 (skip to 1 hour, 9 minutes)

Took me a couple weeks to get back to this and it sucks that the ending to their match the week prior at Destination X sucked so much that we had to get to this point, but maaaaan I _really_ liked this match. Thought it told a really great story with Edwards realizing he needed to take an extra risk or do something out of the ordinary to win, but in order to even get on the offensive side he had to take advantage of Lashley's over-zealousness and his bull-headed mentality by keeping space between them. There's three major spots in the match and I dug all of them and thought they really added to the story in a big way. Thumbs up guys, check it out. (Y)​


----------



## darkclaudio

*YES to Ishii/Okada, AWESOME MATCH*


----------



## teick

*YES to Tomohiro Ishii vs Kazuchika Okada - ****3/4 (G1 Climax Day 13)*


----------



## Zatiel

YES to Ishii Vs. Okada. The whole final ten minutes of this match were absolutely incredible. Leagues ahead of Yoshi/Omega, which was itself an incredible underdog comeback story. The counters were way more plentiful than you'd expect, and it was believable that Okada would end it three times, but Ishii kept finding ways out. This tops all Ishii's matches with Tanahashi for me. MOTN, big contender for MOTY, and holy crap if this isn't MOTT then something godly is ahead of us.


----------



## El Dandy

YES to Ishii/Okada

A strong MOTY contender and prob the best G1 match so far IMO. Great wrestling, great crowd, great everything. Just a special vibe to it from start to finish.

Ishii needs to be in the discussion for wrestler of the year. He's just been absolutely tremendous.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Catching up on some _G1_, *YES* to the following:

*Tetsuya Naito v. Michael Elgin* - ***** 3/4*

*Tetsuya Naito v. Katsuyori Shibata* - ***** 1/2*

*Hiroshi Tanahashi v. Tomohiro Ishii* - ***** 1/4*


----------



## RatedR10

Omega and Shibata are my two favourites in NJPW... was so excited to see their match and it didn't disappoint at all. **** from me.

Omega/Elgin from the G1 was also great. Probably my favourite from their series. ****3/4.

I have so much other G1 matches to watch. I've heard so many good things.


----------



## El Dandy

RatedR10 said:


> Omega and Shibata are my two favourites in NJPW... was so excited to see their match and it didn't disappoint at all. **** from me.
> 
> *Omega/Elgin from the G1 was also great. Probably my favourite from their series. ****3/4.*
> 
> I have so much other G1 matches to watch. I've heard so many good things.


wut a near 5'er? 

Was a good match, but basically just a bunch of stuff with no rhyme and for no reason. 

For me it was the 3rd best match from that night ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ at any rate you should def have a look at Naito/Shibata imo and go watch Ishii/Okada ASAP (and prob Tana/Marufuji, not many talking about that match because of who they had to follow last night but it was very good stuff)


----------



## ZEROVampire

*YES To

Tomohiro Ishii vs Kazuchika Okada from G1 Climax 26 8/6

AWESOME FIGHT, my second favorite match of the year so far ****1/4*


----------



## The High King

Iishi - Okada - superb.


----------



## antoniomare007

*Matthew Riddle vs Roderick Strong - EVOLVE 64 YES*

This was a fight and I really liked how up until the ending there was a real struggle for control and how they found ways to get the upper hand. But dear lord did I hate the final sequence. I despise people getting up so easily after a superplex to hit another move, so Roddy doing that and then Riddle just slipping out and trying a spring board knee really bothered me. Then Riddle doing another no-sell/fighting spirit spot for the ending was meh. Still, there was a bunch of great stuff in this match and it's no doubt worth a watch.


----------



## antoniomare007

*Tomohiro Ishii vs Kazuchika Okada from G1 Climax 8/6/16 - YES*

Liger screaming "CHANCE! CHAAANCE!!!!" when Ishii got the upper hand was awesome. What made this stand out was Osaka though. This was a "your turn/my turn" type of match, not much of a story but just two dudes taking turns beating the fuck out of each other, but Osaka was so fucking into it that it pushed the match to a higher level. Right man won too considering how the match unfolded. LOVED my man Ishii chopping the fuck outta Okada when he went for the rainmaker pose, I had a legit







reaction to it.

Not sure I would call it a "legit MOTYC" (in the sense of being a top 3 match so far this year) but it certainly is worth praising it.


----------



## Stetho

Dear NJPW, if you could stop adding so many great matches to my watch list that would be great.


----------



## Groovemachine

*YES to Tomohiro Ishii vs Kazuchika Okada - NJPW G1 Climax Day 13 - ****1/4*

Fabulous work from these guys, Ishii was a total boss here. Great hoss moment when he knocked Okada down with that definitive headbutt. Best match of G1 so far, by a fair way.


----------



## NakNak

So many G1 matches I've not watched yet (only Tenzan/Ishii, and that was pretty entertaining)
FUCK

I can't wait when I have the time to marathon the shit out of this tournament


----------



## TheGeneticFreak

Tomohiro Ishii vs Kazuchika Okada from G1 Climax 8/6/16 *YES* ****1/2


----------



## Groovemachine

NakNak said:


> So many G1 matches I've not watched yet (only Tenzan/Ishii, and that was pretty entertaining)
> FUCK
> 
> I can't wait when I have the time to marathon the shit out of this tournament


Haha that sounds sensible. I've been trying to catch up each day, and it's becoming almost stressful. TOO MUCH GOOD WRESTLING!


----------



## Bruce L

Trying to devote some time to catching up on the G1. Dailymotion isn't helping me with Okada/Ishii, but got all the other notables. Started with a rewatch of the Day 1 matches of note, and ended up upping my rating for Okada/Marufuji. Let's see where the rest goes.


----------



## Martins

HOLY SHIT AND A FUCKING *YES* to Ishii/Okada from G1 Climax 26 Day 13. Amazing performance from both guys.

I echo the opinion that Ishii has a serious case for WOTY so far, what a fuckin' *man*. I want Ishii to go up against every single wrestler I hate in the world just so I can see him murder and headbutt the shit out of'em into oblivion. ****1/4


----------



## Groovemachine

Bruce L said:


> Trying to devote some time to catching up on the G1. Dailymotion isn't helping me with Okada/Ishii, but got all the other notables. Started with a rewatch of the Day 1 matches of note, and ended up upping my rating for Okada/Marufuji. Let's see where the rest goes.


Here ya go pal  Ishii/Okada starts at 49.48.



EDIT: Hmm doesn't seem to be working? The 'Jester' channel has it, just search G1 Climax 26 Day 13 Part 2 and it should be there


----------



## Bruce L

Thanks, but it's not.  His channel is the one I've been following since the tournament started, and for whatever reason this video is acting up. Hopefully he gets it fixed sooner than later.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

YES to Ishii vs Okada-*****, Okada played the cocky Champion very well and it really seemed like he underestimated how much of a fight Ishii would put up and Ishii fought not only to stay in the G1 but to prove he's more than capable of being in that World Title, can't wait to see these 2 fight again


----------



## The Nuke

Dailymotion has the match now. I'd hurry before it gets pulled. Watched it Twice. Definitely a contender.

Ishii has had a monster year so far.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Ishii vs Okada was a damn fine match, MoTY worthy? I'm debating. It definitely wasn't as good as Meltzer or others are praising it. It was a solid 4+ Star match. Really fun, but it wasn't even close to 2nd best match of the year.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following matches:

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW G1 Climax 26: Day 13)

Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley (TNA Slammiversary 2016) 
(Can't believe I forgot to nom Drew/Lashley :no: )

While I wouldn't call Ishii/Okada the MOTY, it was a really fucking awesome match.*


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Cedric Alexander v. Kota Ibushi*, _Cruiserweight Classic: EP 5._ - ***** +*

This match was just action packed from the get and I throughly enjoyed seeing these two go at it. Cedric definitely did his thing in this match and a top 2 match of his career probably. ​


----------



## Groovemachine

*Cedric Alexander vs Kota Ibushi - WWE Cruiserweight Classic [Round 2] August 10th - ****1/2*

Star-making performance by Alexander here. Tremendous work by both guys, but Cedric in particular just shone. He was fired up from the get-go, his emotion was on display throughout, and he had one of the best reactions to a nearfall I've seen after Ibushi kicked out of the roundhouse kick.


----------



## fabi1982

Cedric Alexander vs Kota Ibushi - ****1/2 - just awesome!!


----------



## NastyYaffa

A big YES to Cedric/Ibushi. What an epic, well built & paced match. Cedric's performance was amazing, he truly left his heart & soul in that ring. :clap


----------



## Martins

YES to Ibushi/Alexander from the CWC.

First time I've really been impressed by Alexander. Ibushi sold like a motherfucker for this guy and made him look like a huge threat, but goddamn did Alexander hold up his end of the deal. Facial expressions, selling, strikes, all *on point*. The look of desperation after THAT nearfall, oh my God. 

Also, while Bryan and Ranallo focused quite a bit too much on putting over Ibushi as the greatest Cruiserweight in the world, the best wrestler in the world, whatever and not much on Alexander besides "he cut a lot of weight for this", they positively marked out at almost every big move in the match, ESPECIALLY Mauro, guy absolutely LOST HIS SHIT at Ibushi's moonsault to the outside. I'm always a sucker for screaming announcers, particularly when it sounds so genuine.

Fuckin' awesome. *****+*


----------



## darkclaudio

No to Alexander vs Ibushi, decent spotfest match ***


----------



## ZEROVampire

NO to Cedric Alexander vs Kota Ibushi, this was a really cool spotfest, best match of the tournament by far but this wrestling style match would never be a MOTYC ***1/4


----------



## Groovemachine

*Naomichi Marufuji vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - NJPW G1 Climax Day 13 - ****1/4*

I think this is understandably getting overlooked because of Okada/Ishii, but this was excellent. Fantastic pacing and storytelling; Tanahashi had Marufuji's number and wouldn't let him hit the Shiranui or Pole Shift at any point. Some decent selling from Marufuji although this kind of wore off right at the end, but to be honest it didn't detract too much from what was otherwise a stellar contest.


----------



## flag sabbath

*Ibushi vs Alexander* was spectacular and memorable precisely because it wasn't a spotfest. They built up through chain wrestling, flash pins, strikes, missed spots and counters before they started dropping flip bombs. And the holy shit stuff was given room to breathe and sink in. An easy *YES!* for me *****1/4*

I've been burnt out on the G1 for the past week or so to the point where Okada vs Ishii and Tana vs Marufuji both just washed over me. It didn't help that the outcomes of both were writ large in flashing neon. I'm hoping I can hit a reset button for the Sumo Hall triple header & enjoy whatever it holds.


----------



## peep4life

Yes to Ibushi Alexander ****1/4 excellent match with star making performance from Alexander

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk


----------



## LilOlMe

flag sabbath said:


> I've been burnt out on the G1 for the past week or so to the point where Okada vs Ishii and Tana vs Marufuji both just washed over me. It didn't help that the outcomes of both were writ large in flashing neon. I'm hoping I can hit a reset button for the Sumo Hall triple header & enjoy whatever it holds.


Are you saying that the Okada/Ishii result was predictable? Because if so, that's not the case. Very few people were saying that. Or did you mean you got spoiled already?


----------



## TheAce

YES to Ibushi Vs Alexander **** 1/4 absolutely NOT a spotfest.....the spots made sense, the selling was good, the ring psyc was solid and everything built to another in a way that made sense.....

Whenever people see more than one dive are we just calling that spotfest now??? In this match, Ibushi went for his corner moonsault to the outside to early, missed and gave Alexander an opening, which he took immediate advantage off and hit his diving move, which was timed PERFECTLY with Ibushi getting up off the ground, no standing around to catch someone BS. Then later when Ibushi went to take a chance again after Alexander was exposed on the outside (which made sense cause Ibushi was starting to get worried that Alexander was gaining momentum) and he changed up his moonsault to hit it this time....this is just one example of the "spots" int his match making sense.

Also, the crowd didnt hurt at all.


----------



## flag sabbath

LilOlMe said:


> Are you saying that the Okada/Ishii result was predictable? Because if so, that's not the case. Very few people were saying that. Or did you mean you got spoiled already?


Well, to me it seemed pretty obvious given the point tallies at that stage that this was where Tana had to make ground on Okada. Also, Ishii setting up his first ever IWGP title shot in Osaka, where the Shibata classic took place seemed like smart money.


----------



## Richie

First one in, *yes to Okada/Tanahashi *at G1 Block A last night. ***** match. Thought their WK10 match was better. Have this as my #2 match of the year. They're both incredible.


----------



## Dead Seabed

*YES!!!* for Makabe vs. Ishii

The ultimate hoss clash. 

Balls to the wall man.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Didn't really like Tanahashi vs. Okada. It was just a bunch of dramatic moves, counters, nearfalls & sequences thrown together, in a very predictable 30 minute draw. The filler leg work done by Tanahashi wasn't really interesting either, as while Okada's initial selling is & has always been good, he really struggles with the long term selling. **3/4 for me.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Okada v. Ishii*, _G1 Climax: Day 13_ - ***** 3/4*


----------



## ShadowSucks92

YES to Okada vs Tanahashi - ***** - everything from Okada looking pissed that Tanahashi got to come out after him and that final 5 minutes was amazing and the match had some great call back spots like Okada refusing to let go of Tanahashi's arm and Okada was great in refusing to let the HFF put him away again. Finally Red Shoes laying on the mat after the match showing his exhaustion=GOAT, not sure if I preferred this over their WK10 encounter but gives me an excuse to watch it again xD


----------



## ShadowSucks92

May as well get this out the way, YES to Omega vs Naito - ***** and Elgin vs Nakajima - ****1/2


----------



## El Dandy

*YES to Omega/Naito*

I'm one of Omega's biggest critics, but that match was fucking awesome. My match of the G1.

Some people blew their load with 5 snowflakes for Tana/Okada. Nah mane, this was it.


----------



## peep4life

Omega Naito yes yes yes. Full five and my current moty. 

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----------



## Mifune Jackson

Okada/Ishii last week and Naito/Omega were both completely amazeballs. Both are MOTY contenders. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back and predict an Omega/Goto final just to see people's reactions.

Okada/Tanahashi was great, though I can't put it on the same level as their WK10 match (duh), nor the two matches above. Those two know each other so well that they can't help but have a great match every time out.


----------



## teick

*YES* to:

Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - *****3/4*
Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito - *******


----------



## NakNak

*RECOMMENDED* matches:
_Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose vs Roman Reigns (WWE Battleground 2016)_****3/4*
_Kota Ibushi vs Sean Maluta (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Round 1)_****1/4*
_The Brian Kendrick vs Raúl Mendoza (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Round 1)_****1/2*
_Jack Gallagher vs Fabian Aichner (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Round 1)_****1/2*
_Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Round 1)_****3/4*

*YES* to the following matches:
_Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn (WWE Battleground 2016)_*****3/4*
_Gran Metalik vs Tajiri (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Round 2)_ ******
_Kota Ibushi vs Cedric Alexander (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Round 2)_ *****1/2*
_Kazuchika Okada vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night 13)_ *******
_Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito (NJPW G1 Climax 26 Night 18)_ *******

When Professional Wrestling is great, there's nothing else that's better than that.


----------



## NastyYaffa

A big, goddamn YES to Omega/Naito :mark::mark::mark:

What a match! The mind games from Naito, Kenny answering to them right away... So great. Then you get them just going all out, throwing bombs at each other w/ some great psychology with Naito targeting Omega's knee. Such a thrill ride.


----------



## darkclaudio

*No to Elgin/Nakajima
Yes to Omega/Naito*


----------



## ZEROVampire

*Tetsuya Naito vs Kenny Omega was absolutelly fantastic ****1/2 - Best Match of the tournament and 2nd MOTY for me. YES*


----------



## Bruce L

*YES *to Okada vs. Ishii from the G1. The pride and toughness of Ishii haven't been reliable MOTYC-generators the way they were a few years back, when he was still a definitive underdog against pretty much every "name" heavyweight. But against Okada -- flush off inheriting the leadership of CHAOS from Shinskay and the more-or-less undisputed Ace title from Tanahashi -- he's still enough the low man on the totem pole to generate a great performance, while a big enough name in his own right that they're not just telling the same story as the Tanahashi/Ishii G1 '13 match. The result is a match that's every bit as good as that classic, and a damn sight better than Shibata/Ishii from the same year. Loved all of this.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Tetsuya Naito v. Kenny Omega*, _G1 Climax 26: Day 18_ - *******

Rarely do matches leave me speechless but this was one of the times. Both guys gave top tier performances.​


----------



## flag sabbath

A big *YES!* to *Omega vs Naito*. I was beginning to think the G1 had burned me out completely, but these two dragged me back in with an exceptional match. As someone who often can't stand Kenny, I have to say he stepped up his game massively, first against Shibata, and even more so here. The only thing that keeps this from a full five flakes for me was how flippantly he shrugged off that fucking super reverse rana of doom *****3/4*

Meanwhile, *NO!* to *Okada vs Tanahashi*. Okada needs to study Omega's performance closely if he's going to insist on basing a big match around getting his leg worked over because he did a half assed job of it here.


----------



## Dead Seabed

*YES!* for Omega vs. Naito. Tbh, I never liked either of these guys. Here they left me in awe.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Omega vs Goto was actually fantastic. I legitimately think that's ***** and I literally dropped my jaw at the result. That was by far the best match of the tournament.


----------



## chrislatimer2004

Cederic Alexander vs Kota Ibushi must be in the discussion for MOTY it was beautiful. the highlight of the CWC so far


----------



## darkclaudio

*Yes to Omega/Goto*


----------



## Ace

Omega/Goto *****

Giving it 5 for the Styles Clash :zayn3


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Goto vs. Omega - ****1/2 - YES!*

The best match of Goto's career. Kenny is unreal. He might just be the best wrestler in the world right now.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Yes to Goto vs Omega- ****1/2, Omega was unreal in this match and him hitting the finishers of Ibushi, AJ Styles and Prince Devitt was a nice touch and Goto remains as Goto


----------



## Joshi Judas

Kenny fuckin' Omega :mark: :mark: :mark:


----------



## RatedR10

OMEGAAAAA :mark::mark:


----------



## Blommen

Thorning out yes-votes to:

Zayn v. Owens at battleground
4 1/2 stars and extra credit for the best finish to a match/feud I've seen all year. Absolutely perfect character work by Zayn.

Okada v. Ishii at G1 day 13 4 3/4 stars
Ishii is so. Fucking. Good. He's had a hell of a year in the ring and I am having real hard time figuring out which of this match and his barnbur ear with Shibata I liked the most.

Naito v. Omega, G1 day 18 5 stars
Match of the year, fuck everything, smell ya later haters.
I've been a bit annoyed with Omegas gimmick for a while, and I thought the goofiness sort of diluted just how great of a talent he is, and this match was just such an incredible display of that. Kenny is legit one of the best wrestlers on the planet right now and Naito, who I've always respected as a performer but never really loved, absolutely blew me away as well. His mannerisms and facial expressions were incredible and literally made me fucking hate him and want to see him lose. Spectacular performance by both gentlemen, best I've seen out of both of them and the best match of the year.

Recommended:
Shibata, Nagata, Tenzan and Nakanishi vs. Nakajima, Shiosaki, Taniguchi and Kitamiya 3 1/2 stars

Good match that ended up being eclipsed by the incredible brawl that broke out afterwards.



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----------



## teick

Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto - ***** FUCK YEAH!


----------



## flag sabbath

I'm going with *****3/4* for *Omega vs Goto* only because it could have been anyone vs Kenny on this form & been that incredible. Omega vs Tanahashi would surely have pushed *****+


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following matches:

Michael Elgin vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (NJPW G1 Climax 26 Day 18)

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW G1 Climax 26 Day 17)

Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW G1 Climax 26 Day 18)

Kenny Omega vs. Hirooki Goto (NJPW G1 Climax 26 Final Day)

Psycho Clown vs. Pagano (AAA Lucha Libre Worldwide: July 2, 2016)

Fenix vs. Daga (AAA Lucha Libre Worldwide: August 1, 2016)*


----------



## Bruce L

Did... Did Kenny friggin' Omega and a guy working more or less as a traditional heel just have the best match I've seen since Okada/Tanahashi at King Of Pro Wrestling '13?

Yes. They did. Big *YES* vote and a first-impression FULL FIVE STARS for Naito/Omega.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Kenny Omega v. Hirooki Goto*, _G1 Climax 26 Final_ - ***** 1/2*


----------



## SHIVV-EAUX-EMME-GEEE

To beat the same drum, Omega/Naito and Omega/Goto are truly worth watching.


----------



## dmgsdmgsdmgs

YES to the 5 star match that was Omega vs. Naito. What a fucking match yo


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Zack Sabre, Jr. vs. Jeff Cobb - RPW Uprising - **** - YES!*

Such an awesome David vs. Goliath match up. Cobb was awesome with his power moves and smooth as fuck transitions & ZSJ is such an awesome underdog with his cool, nifty submissions.


----------



## Sweggeh

Omega/Naito and Omega/Goto are serious MOTY contenders.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Vader vs. Will Ospreay - RPW Uprising - **** - YES!*

VADER :mark: still killing it in 2016! The match had super heat, the crowd was so fired up for it, and the match was such a super fun, great spectacle. Vader manhandling Ospreay was great, and Ospreay sold & bumped his ass off for the man. Some overbooking in the end, but it didn't end up taking anything away from the match I thought. This was just so much fun.


----------



## Dead Seabed

NastyYaffa said:


> *Vader vs. Will Ospreay - RPW Uprising - **** - YES!*
> 
> VADER :mark: still killing it in 2016! The match had super heat, the crowd was so fired up for it, and the match was such a super fun, great spectacle. Vader manhandling Ospreay was great, and Ospreay sold & bumped his ass off for the man. Some overbooking in the end, but it didn't end up taking anything away from the match I thought. This was just so much fun.


Is the event on XWT yet?


----------



## NastyYaffa

Road Rash said:


> Is the event on XWT yet?


Yep!


----------



## Blommen

Yes to Omega and Goto, hell of a match though it didn't hit me as hard as the Naito match, maybe because I had the ending spoiled. 4 1/2 stars


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## RatedR10

Full five stars for Omega/Goto. Unreal. Even knowing the result I was on the edge of my seat. Omega/Naito and Omega/Goto get the full five from me. Unbelievable matches. I can't remember a talent having back-to-back MOTYC in consecutive nights. Omega is the best in the biz at the moment, imo.


----------



## Bruce L

*YES*, but "only" ****, for the G1 final. What elevated Naito/Omega to heights I never thought those two could deliver was the fact that both guys gave career performances. The final, on the other hand, was 100% the Kenny Omega Show, with Goto -- who I like -- wrestling a fairly ordinary Goto match. Still great match, but not as great as it might have been if it had felt like it was a bit more about both guys.


----------



## Martins

Criticism against Kenny as the third Young Buck with an indy scrub personality in an environment where such things have no place at the highest level was perfectly justified, I think, until the Shibata match. With that match, he showed a bit of just how good he really was and everyone seemed quite pleased with that. I know I was and I expected him to keep it up at least until the end of the G1.

What I didn't expect, was for him to spit in my fucking face like he did to Naito, say "LOL this isn't even my final form ******" and just go absolute *God* mode on a fucking whim like he did on Day 18 and the Finals.

I was on vacation for a few days so I missed everything from Day 14 on, but I just had to go and immediately watch these two matches after everything I read about them in just the short span of like half an hour after getting back home. Already knew the results, was happy that Kenny won, then I started looking at all these star ratings and naturally I thought "Ok it must've been really fuckin' good, but certainly the guy can't have pulled off back-to-back ***** matches". It actually *feels really wrong* to drop two 5-star ratings one after the other just like that, but I'll be damned if I don't feel like doing it.

I mean, goddammit, Goto/Omega was basically Kenny wrestling himself, but the level the guy is at right now barely even requires an opponent at all. He was just that damn good, on a whole different dimension from Goto and the way the difference in the level of performances became so clear during the match actually added to it in a non-Young-Buck-y-meta way. Guy ascended during the Naito match, and in the Goto match he was just gracing us with all of his greatness and all we could do was stand there and drink it in, maaaaaaan.

For the reasons above and more, *YES* to both Omega/Naito and Omega/Goto and maybe ******* to both, but will have to rewatch them eventually.


----------



## Corey

*No Holds Barred*
Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly - ***** 1/4 (YES!!)*
_ROH Supercard of Honor X Night 2_

Yeah I'm 4 months late on this, but at least I'm catchin up! To steal the wise words of John Buccigross - Haven't seen it? Ya should. ROH typically under-performs in these types of matches either because they're not really memorable or they put two guys in a type of match that forces them to go way outside their element and it comes off awkwardly, but this was neither of which. Brutal match with some extremely creative spots. The hatred felt real and the finish was GREAT. I've never seen anything like that before. Much like ACH/KUSHIDA from Philly, you should go back and check this one out if you missed it. I promise it's worth your time.​


----------



## Sephiroth

G1 Climax 26
*Yes* to Ishii/Okada, Tanahashi/Marufuji, Tanahashi/Okada, Naito/Omega, and Goto/Omega

Edit: Forgot Tana/Ishii


----------



## Groovemachine

*Kenny Omega vs Hiroki Goto - NJPW G1 Climax 26 Finals - ****1/2*

Knowing the result did affect things for me here, although I still managed to buy into some of the fantastic nearfalls near the end, so that's testament to both guys. But wow, Omega with the God-like performance, he was on another level here. Exhilirating stuff, and he sold the knee tremendously.


----------



## fabi1982

Kenny Omega vs Hiroki Goto - NJPW G1 Climax 26 Finals - ****+ performance, really really good match but as @Groovemachine just said, down to knowing the result I couldnt enjoy the finish as much as I would have loved.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Not a MOTYC but a colossal recommendation for 60+ year old Vader's murder of Will Ospreay. Also, kudos to Ospreay doing the one thing he's good for and dying in a multitude of flippy ways. But seriously, Will took great care working the old man. Respect.


----------



## Corey

*NJPW BOTSJ Day 1 5/21:* KUSHIDA vs. Kyle O'Reilly - ***** 1/4 (YES!!)*

Holy shit what a war. Incredible sequences on the mat and some thrilling counters and nearfalls. Fantastic work form both men and one of my favorites this year. Even better than their BOTSJ Final last year imo and a much better version of the same match they tried to have on ROH TV a couple months ago.

New Japan is dominating the wrestling world right now. You could make legitimate cases for so many of their guys as Wrestler of the Year and you wouldn't be wrong. KUSHIDA, Omega, Naito, Ishii, Shibata, etc. It's such a fucking tight race... and that's not even mentioning AJ Styles!


----------



## ecclesiastes10

roman vs rusev this past Monday was an awesome match moty in my book


----------



## LilOlMe

YES:

Tanahashi vs. Okada at G1 Tournament - *****
Naito vs. Omega at G1 Tournament - *****
Okada vs. Ishii at G1 Tournament - *****
Marufuji vs. Okada at G1 Tournament - ****1/2
Elgin vs. Nakajima at G1 Tournament - ****1/2


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Bruce L said:


> *YES*, but "only" ****, for the G1 final. What elevated Naito/Omega to heights I never thought those two could deliver was the fact that both guys gave career performances. The final, on the other hand, was 100% the Kenny Omega Show, with Goto -- who I like -- wrestling a fairly ordinary Goto match. Still great match, but not as great as it might have been if it had felt like it was a bit more about both guys.


Goto wasn't having a typical Goto match, for some reason people tend to not understand Goto ratchets it up in big matches. Is he having 5 star classics? No, but he's a guy who will deliver a 4+ star performance. People really don't understand how good his psychology is, or his pacing. Hell, the crowd was HEATED at him and he turned them. Then when he felt Kenny was about to break over the edge he got the entire crowd to hate him again. He's a fantastic worker, this whole Goto is boring is literally people looking at booking Got0-8 instead of the actual matches. I'm actually ashamed people who claim to love wrestling so much say these types of things.



Martins said:


> Criticism against Kenny as the third Young Buck with an indy scrub personality in an environment where such things have no place at the highest level was perfectly justified, I think, until the Shibata match. With that match, he showed a bit of just how good he really was and everyone seemed quite pleased with that. I know I was and I expected him to keep it up at least until the end of the G1.
> 
> What I didn't expect, was for him to spit in my fucking face like he did to Naito, say "LOL this isn't even my final form ******" and just go absolute *God* mode on a fucking whim like he did on Day 18 and the Finals.
> 
> I was on vacation for a few days so I missed everything from Day 14 on, but I just had to go and immediately watch these two matches after everything I read about them in just the short span of like half an hour after getting back home. Already knew the results, was happy that Kenny won, then I started looking at all these star ratings and naturally I thought "Ok it must've been really fuckin' good, but certainly the guy can't have pulled off back-to-back ***** matches". It actually *feels really wrong* to drop two 5-star ratings one after the other just like that, but I'll be damned if I don't feel like doing it.
> 
> I mean, goddammit, Goto/Omega was basically Kenny wrestling himself, but the level the guy is at right now barely even requires an opponent at all. He was just that damn good, on a whole different dimension from Goto and the way the difference in the level of performances became so clear during the match actually added to it in a non-Young-Buck-y-meta way. Guy ascended during the Naito match, and in the Goto match he was just gracing us with all of his greatness and all we could do was stand there and drink it in, maaaaaaan.
> 
> For the reasons above and more, *YES* to both Omega/Naito and Omega/Goto and maybe ******* to both, but will have to rewatch them eventually.


Goto literally made that performance work. If it wasn't for Goto the entire crowd would have never turned came back and turned again.


It should be noted that Kenny did have a performance of his career vs Goto, but don't sell Goto short. He did phenomenal as well.


----------



## El Dandy

YES to Goto/Omega ****1/4.



Japanese Puroresu said:


> Goto wasn't having a typical Goto match, for some reason people tend to not understand Goto ratchets it up in big matches. Is he having 5 star classics? No, but he's a guy who will deliver a 4+ star performance. People really don't understand how good his psychology is, or his pacing. Hell, the crowd was HEATED at him and he turned them. Then when he felt Kenny was about to break over the edge he got the entire crowd to hate him again. *He's a fantastic worker, this whole Goto is boring is literally people looking at booking Got0-8 instead of the actual matches. I'm actually ashamed people who claim to love wrestling so much say these types of things.*


But that's just it: most people who shit on Goto do so because of his character work. His character work and how he's been booked removes someone like me from his main event matches because I don't believe he can win them. That removes necessary drama for me. At the end of the day, it's not about me because the actual crowd in Japan still believed at points during the match and that's what matters most, so I digress.

Don't get me wrong, obv there are gonna be a few who don't like his ringwork but I don't think the majority of the voice who dislike Goto do so because of his workrate (or at least what I've read on this forum and some others). Agreed that, in the ring, he can obviously rise to the occasion.

And to your point (which I agree with), I mean, if we're gonna kick somebody for having a *their name* style match, then those people need to kick Ishii before they get to Goto. 

I say that as somebody who adores Ishii style matches, but just calling a spade a spade. He's p much the NJPW Ace of working one, and only, one type of match. The King of One Style if you wheeeeeeel.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Roy Wilkins vs. Trevor Lee - CWF Mid-Atlantic End of An Era - **** - YES!*

Long ass match, almost 2 hours, but it was very enjoyable. Man, I love Trevor in CWF. He is going all Bryan Danielson there, and it's absolutely awesome. His control segments were easily the highlight of this match + the great comeback he made after the big interference. Because it was long as fuck, I thought there were times when they could've ended it, and it did drag a bit, but all in all, a very tight, great package of pro wrestling.

*Trevor Lee vs. Jesse Adler - CWF Mid-Atlantic Daddy's Home - **** - YES!*

Another brilliant Trevor match from CWF! Here he was going against a youngster in Jesse Adler, and the match was all about Trevor trying to get Adler to man up to his level. Trevor was once again absolutely great in his control segments, working over Adler's hand, talking trash. Adler timed his comebacks very well, too. Great match.

*Go Shiozaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masa Kitamiya & Maybach Taniguchi vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Katsuyori Shibata, Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata - NJPW G1 Climax 26 Day 19 - **** - YES!*

So glad that I decided to check this one out, because it was so awesome. A total old school vibe to it with two promotions going against each other - the crowd was super hot, the action was hard hitting from start to finish and the storytelling & progression throughout the match was good. The post-match brawl was also WILD. This match & the angle absolutely ruled.


----------



## Corey

*IWGP Heavyweight Championship:* Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (_NJPW Wrestling Dontaku_) ***** 1/2 (YES!!!)*

:sodone :sodone

I LOVE THIS MATCH SO MUCH. Holy SHIT. I should kick myself for being so concerned about this going 30 minutes and how they'd be able to hold my attention. This felt like something out of All Japan in the mid-90's. I probably yelled "shit!" out loud at least 4 times after seeing some of the nasty head drops. The selling by both men was absolutely tremendous, especially Ishii. My god what a fucking WAR this was. I can't even put together logical sentences and thoughts about this right now. :lol When Naito was locked in the leg submission, SCREAMING in agony while the crowd is going nuts and Okada & Gedo are holding back L.I.J., that's when this thing hits a whole nother level. Goodness gracious. Where's the smiley of Obama sweating? I need it right now. What a match.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Chris Hero vs Marty Scurll 2 is a *YES*


----------



## Groovemachine

*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada - NJPW G1 Climax Day 18 - ****1/2*

Those talented bastards. I started this one having almost zero interest in it, feeling totally burned out on Tanahashi/Okada matches...and yet they still manage to prove that each and every time they're in the ring together, they make magic. Leg work on Okada was stellar, fantastic teases and nearfalls throughout, tremendous pacing and the sprint in the closing minutes felt epic.


----------



## Dead Seabed

ZSJ vs. Jeff Cobb wasn't a MOTY (because ZSJ), but boy it delivered. Cobb (Matanza) is gold. I've always been infatuated by the stocky powerlifter/amateur wrestler types like Rick Steiner, Taz, RW Animal, Elgin, Rhino but Cobb is just so much better.


----------



## dmgsdmgsdmgs

I honestly think Omega vs. Naito was better than Omega vs. Goto. I can't be the only one right?


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES to Chris Hero vs. Marty Scurll: RPW Uprising 2016*


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

dmgsdmgsdmgs said:


> I honestly think Omega vs. Naito was better than Omega vs. Goto. I can't be the only one right?


I think almost everyone thought that :lol


----------



## dmgsdmgsdmgs

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> I think almost everyone thought that :lol


The amount of people voting YES to Omega vs. Goto seems a lot higher than Omega vs. Naito. Maybe it's cause the finals are on multiple websites to watch and the others are not?


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

dmgsdmgsdmgs said:


> The amount of people voting YES to Omega vs. Goto seems a lot higher than Omega vs. Naito. Maybe it's cause the finals are on multiple websites to watch and the others are not?


Well the star ratings for Omega/Naito we're all higher than Omega/Goto I believe but yeah it's the finals it's likely more ppl viewed and voted yes.


----------



## NakNak

*RECOMMENDED*

_NOAH vs NJPW (NJPW G1 Climax 26 Finals)_******
A thing of beauty. Probably this will end with Suzuki/Shibata at WK11 :mark: :mark: :mark:

_Unbreakable Ace of Time Juicing (I made that shit up :lol) vs Los Ingobernables de Japón (NJPW G1 Climax 26 Finals)_****3/4*
These Ingobernables multi-man tags are the best in the business on a constant basis at the moment. Naito/Elgin for the IC has a lot of potential


----------



## Corey

*Anything Goes: *Jay Briscoe vs. Adam Page (_ROH Death Before Dishonor XIV_) *****+ (YES!)

*Goodness gracious this took me back to the old ROH days. A brutal, hate filled war with two guys who essentially wanted to kill each other (like literally, they hung each other with a noose). The story here is that Adam Page turned his back on ROH & especially Jay Briscoe when he joined Bullet Club a few months ago and attacked him with a steel chair. Here we are as they jump back to the storyline for this blowoff and it TOTALLY blew away my expectations. They want to inflict pain on the other guy _so _badly that both of them end up severely hurting themselves in the process. An incredible finishing stretch and a picture similar to Austin/Hart at 13 is just the icing on the cake here.

*ROH World Championship: *Jay Lethal (c) vs. Adam Cole (_ROH Death Before Dishonor XIV_) ***** (YES!)

*I don't think this will be a match that gets universal praise, but like many of us in the ROH section, if you followed the storyline leading up this it was gonna be damn near IMPOSSIBLE to disappoint. They actually had a lot more time to work with than usual so I think they had to slow some things down on occasion. Cole executes a gameplan that often times annoyed me but ends up working masterfully as he constantly taunts and acts like a dick just to piss off Lethal and make him run in blindly. There's a table spot that's honestly _really _stupid but plays into Cole's hands beautifully and I had to watch the last couple minutes of the match while standing in my living room, two feet away from my tv. :lol Again, it's not a perfect wrestling match and there's gonna be things you can dissect, but as an entire package it's an exciting and intriguing main event that makes you think while watching it. Be sure to also keep an eye out for Lethal going nuts with the dives to the outside. Memorable stuff.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to the following *ROH Death Before Dishonor matches*

*Adam Cole v. Jay Lethal* - ***** 3/4*

When you talk about storytelling this match is it PERSONIFIED ! Right from the very start of Adam Cole pulling Jay Lethal's hair out. You could tell Lethal was going to try to kill Cole and that's what ended up killing him in the match. In fact, early on Lethal went for Cole through a table but missed. What was really great about this match was there was no wrestling none of that, this was a FIGHT. Straight up brute brawling, a beautiful moment was when after kicking out of the lethal injection Cole simply gave Lethal the middle finger basically saying he isn't gonna go down. The match came to a finish after Cole hit FIVE LAST SHOTS yes FIVE. Surprisingly the 5 finishers from Cole didn't hurt the match because it played into the story.

*Adam Page v. Jay Briscoe* - ***** 1/4*

Simply put, this was Adam Page's coming out party. Man these guys beat the crap out of each other. Some won't be into this simply because of the style of match but they did really well and the finish was masterful.


----------



## Bruce L

Japanese Puroresu said:


> Goto wasn't having a typical Goto match, for some reason *people tend to not understand Goto ratchets it up in big matches.* Is he having 5 star classics? No, but he's a guy who will deliver a 4+ star performance. People really don't understand how good his psychology is, or his pacing. Hell, the crowd was HEATED at him and he turned them. Then when he felt Kenny was about to break over the edge he got the entire crowd to hate him again. He's a fantastic worker, this whole Goto is boring is literally people looking at booking Got0-8 instead of the actual matches. I'm actually ashamed people who claim to love wrestling so much say these types of things.





El Dandy said:


> And to your point (which I agree with), I mean, if we're gonna kick somebody for having a *their name* style match, then those people need to kick Ishii before they get to Goto.
> 
> I say that as somebody who adores Ishii style matches, but just calling a spade a spade. He's p much the NJPW Ace of working one, and only, one type of match. The King of One Style if you wheeeeeeel.


You're both badly misunderstanding me.

I don't think Goto is boring at all, regardless of how he's been booked. I actually think he has had one five-star classic (his first title shot, vs. Tanahashi in '07), and obviously he's had plenty of other great ones: the Tenzan match in '07, the Shibata series in '13-'14, pretty much any New Japan/NOAH tag match he was in in '09, the second Tanahashi title match in '11, their subsequent tag title challenge vs. Bad Intentions, literally every time he's ever been in the ring against Shinskay (their IWGP title match in April '10 is arguably my pick for most underrated match of the decade so far) or Ishii, etc. But this wasn't one of them, because he didn't "ratchet it up" IMO. 

And when I say "ordinary Goto match," I'm not criticizing him for being formulaic (at least not to a greater extent than anybody else, or to the extent that it hampers his matches); I'm pointing out that this match -- the G1 Climax final, against an opponent who looked like he'd staked his life on this one performance -- called for the kind of special effort he's given in the matches I cited above, and he approached it as though it was just another day at the office. He's _capable_ of that kind of special effort, and has shown it many times before. But he didn't show it here, and that kept the match from reaching the heights it could (and, given how much Omega brought to it, arguably should) have.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

dmgsdmgsdmgs said:


> The amount of people voting YES to Omega vs. Goto seems a lot higher than Omega vs. Naito. Maybe it's cause the finals are on multiple websites to watch and the others are not?


Omega vs Goto was a better match tbh


----------



## Corey

*NXT Tag Team Championship:* The Revival vs. Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano (_NXT Takeover Brooklyn II_) ***** 1/4 (YES!!)*

How has this not been nominated yet since the show ended? Incredible match. Had me on the edge of my seat or just completely off it for the last 5 minutes. Riveting shit.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa - NXT Takeover: Brooklyn - ****1/2 - YES!*

Well, holy shit. I am not a fan of Gargano & Ciampa at all, but they sure had quite a match. The Revival looked like the best tag team in the world (once again), love all of their sneaky heel tag tactics. The psychology of the match was on point, simple face team vs. heel team, and it worked. Best match of all 4 guys' careers. One of the best tag matches in WWE history.

*Asuka vs. Bayley - NXT Takeover: Brooklyn - ****1/4 - YES!*

Way, way, WAY better than the Dallas match. Talk about luck though; in Dallas they had to follow the instant classic that was Zayn vs. Nakamura, and here they had to follow the amazing tag match :lol Anyways, this was great. Asuka looked like a total killer, her offense is so damn good, and Bayley is such a good babyface. Hell of a match.


----------



## NakNak

*YES*

_Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs The Revival (WWE NXT Takeover Brooklyn II)_*****1/2*
_Bayley vs Asuka (WWE NXT Takeover Brooklyn II)_*****1/4*
*BOBBY ROODE GLORIOUS ENTRANCE ****** :lol :lol :lol


----------



## Alright_Mate

*YES! to The Revival vs Ciampa & Gargano - NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II - ****1/4*


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 2*

*Recommended*

*The Revival v. Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano* - ******

I wouldn't call this a true MOTYC but it was a really good match, it just won't end up on the memorable list tbh.

*NO* to *Asuka v. Bayley* - **** 1/2*

Awkward pacing, 2 terrible powerbomb botches back to back. The beginning and end of the match was good but the meat of it absolutely wasn't.


----------



## TheGeneticFreak

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 2

*NO* to Asuka v. Bayley ***- These two just don't have good chemistry together.

G1 Tournament.

*YES* to Tanahashi vs. Okada ****3/4

*YES *to Goto vs Omega ****1/4

*YES* to Kazuchika Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji **** 1/2

*YES* to Okada vs. Ishii at G1 Tournament *****

*YES* to Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega ****1/2

*YES* to Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii **** 1/2

*YES* to Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Naomichi Marufuji ****1/4


----------



## Blommen

4 1/4 * Yes to the revival vs ciampa and gargano, match of the weekend for sure. Everything else on takeover deserves a recommended as well outside of the ember moon debut, which was still serviceable in introducing the crowd to that sickening corkscrew top rope stunner.

Nothing at Summerslam is worthy of a nomination. The Cena v. Styles match was good but a totally mindless spam fest with no thought put into it whatsoever and it came off as gaudy in pretty awkward fashion to me.

Sasha vs. Charlotte could have been great, if they had slowed down the action just little bit, but those two work so fucking fast that the match tends to suffer for it. Most of the botches they had in the match could've been eliminated if they would've just taken the pace down a few notches


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Ronny

Yes:
- The Revival vs Ciampa & Gargano - NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II - ****1/4
- Bobby Roode's Entrance **********


----------



## amhlilhaus

Bobby roodes entrance 5*. If he debuted on the main roster with that, then the crowd saw his size, demeanor and body, he would be over immediately.

It screamed 'superstar' and the man has the prescence to back it up


----------



## Groovemachine

*The Revival vs Johnny Gargano & Tommasso Ciampa - WWE NXT Takeover: Back to Brooklyn - *****

*AJ Styles vs John Cena - WWE Summerslam 2016 - ****1/4*

Classic tag action from the Revival and DIY; excellent pacing and great false finish. Styles/Cena rocked - Cena had his indy shoes on and we got some fantastic counters. The whole STF/calf killer segment was really neat, and Cena's expression after the Super AA drilled the point home that he just could not beat Styles. MOTN for sure.


----------



## fabi1982

Cena/Styles, big YES, ****1/2, excellent match!!


----------



## NakNak

AJ/Cena was, indeed, a spotfest...but I give that *****1/4*
When you have great wrestlers like Styles and John, and you have a solid storyline and a crowd that is fired up...even I can forgive a spotfest like this. The right guy won and the symbolism at the end with the armband thing was a nice touch.


----------



## Corey

*NTV G+ Cup Jr. Tag League - Finals*
Atsushi Kotoge & Daisuke Harada vs. ACH & Taiji Ishimori - ***** (YES!)*
_NOAH 7/30_
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmtzXPSjORk

My man ACH in this match! Dude was on a MISSION to impress and win that trophy. He and Ishimori looked like they'd been tagging for years. Good story with those two dominating for quite a while in the first half but Kotoge & Harada (Jr. Tag Champs at the time) show their resiliency and weather the early storm to come back and dominate the latter half. Just a really fun match with good pacing and great action. The finish is a thing of beauty too.​


----------



## Dead Seabed

*No!* for John Cena vs. AJ Styles - Summerslam. For me it's a **** 1/4 match, but not really because of the match itself, but the fact that it's Styles vs. Cena at Summerslam 2016, with Styles going over clean. The match itself was very reminiscent of Omega vs. Elgin at G1, with lots of movez, movez, movez, and a lot of them well done, but lacking in substance and character. As far as Cena goes, it's another one of his "indy style" matches, or at least what he perceives as "indy style". To elaborate, whenever he faces a smark favorite of some kind, it's always a matter of him trying to "get all his shit in", all the while churning out as many novelty moves as he can. He started doing it against Punk and then continued with Bryan, Rollins, Neville, Harper, Owens, Styles. All in all an above average collision of superstars, but definitely not a MOTY.

*No!* and **** for Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins. Recommended.

*No!* for Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton but *YES!* for that ending. Shibata's brawl against NOAH level of badassery here.


----------



## Ace

*Yes for AJ v Cena **** 1/2.*

It wasn't a spotfest, the Styles Clash is not a finisher against top opponents. Cena only kicked out of the 1 finisher.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

No to Cena vs AJ Styles, man I wish I could give this a Yes vote but I just could not get into this match at all, just felt like every other big Cena match I've seen


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins - WWE RAW 08/22 - **** - YES!*

Sami Zayn's performance in this was fantastic, his selling of the ankle was awesome, and that really elevated this match to great heights. Easily the best Seth Rollins match since his MITB '15 match vs. Ambrose, better than anything from SummerSlam & my favorite TV match of the year (so far). Great stuff.


----------



## LilOlMe

YES: 

*AJ Styles vs. Dolph Ziggler on Smackdown 8/24/16 - *****

Easily the best TV match of the year. Wish this could have been at Summerslam. This is the type of performance Dolph should have given. The selling between both guys was terrific, and I really got hooked and fell for some of the near falls. It was structured great and both guys had good chemistry. They left me wanting to see more between the two of them.

The set-up leading up to the match throughout the night was great too. 


Not sure if I'd give it a full-blown yes, but I'd recommend watching *Bayley vs. Asuka at NXT Takeover - ***3/4 - *****. They needed more time to take it into MOTY territory, I think, but what they did was really good. I'll have to see how it comes across on tv, but live I was very impressed by the work. Asuka came off as far more speedy than I realized, and both were crisp as hell with some of the shots looking very stiff. I think they used their time well and I never got bored with it, plus it never got sloppy, which seems to be a big problem with girls in the WWE.

Kudos to the both of them.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

LilOlMe said:


> YES:
> 
> *AJ Styles vs. Dolph Ziggler on Smackdown 8/24/16 - *****
> 
> Easily the best TV match of the year. Wish this could have been at Summerslam. This is the type of performance Dolph should have given. The selling between both guys was terrific, and I really got hooked and fell for some of the near falls. It was structured great and both guys had good chemistry. They left me wanting to see more between the two of them.
> 
> Kudos to the both of them.


I came in here exactly to post this !

*YES* to *AJ Styles v. Dolph Ziggler*, _Smackdown Live: 08/24/16_ - ******

I thought this match was incredible, absolutely agree with it being the best TV match of the year. They didn't give out everything they had in the first minutes of the match, they built to the end of the match and it was some good action. Thought Ziggler actual selling was awesome, they told a great story with AJ working the body. That reverse irish whip which launched Dolph into the turnbuckle was wicked. The last 5-8 minutes were must see and it felt well placed. It wasn't just moves. Better than both of their matches at Summerslam.


----------



## LilOlMe

Just watched it on tv, and I'm bumping up *Asuka vs. Bayley at NXT Takeover* to *****1/4* and giving it a *YES*.

There was good storytelling throughout with Bayley ramping up the intensity and showing a toughness by trying to match Asuka with the hard shots. 

The way Asuka got her down into one of the submissions toward the end was sick, and I remember thinking that at the time. It was like a flash, and so few men or women can do that. 

There was that one botch, but ah well. Aside from that, it was worked well and didn't have that sloppiness with limbs flailing everywhere that usually tends to happen with the women.

The match wasn't too short either. They maximized their time, and used it in the most optimum way. I never felt like I was getting hit by a barrage of stuff to the point where each big moment couldn't breath. Something about the layout was the best I've seen from the women, I think.

I'm really hesitating to come up with a women's WWE/NXT match that I thought was BETTER, especially as far as executing on every parameter they set out to do. I feel that it will go unappreciated because other matches were more flashy as far as constant nearfalls, but this was a better piece of work, IMO.

Also, it was fitting the way it ended. Just one hard shot....too damn tough, despite the last gasp.

Good, good, stuff.


----------



## Groovemachine

Some great stuff from WWE TV this week.

*Sami Zayn vs Seth Rollins - WWE RAW 08/22/16 - ***3/4*

Beautiful worked injury, Sami sold the leg/ankle like a champ.

*Dolph Ziggler vs AJ Styles - WWE Smackdown 08/23/16 - ***3/4*

Structure and pacing were on point in this. A little TV feud between these two in the run up to Backlash would be great, they gel incredibly well together. 

Also that Talking Smack Miz promo... :mark:


----------



## ExGrodzki

*Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn* - _NXT Takeover: Dallas_ - *****
*Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander *- _WWE CWC R2N_1 - *****
*AJ Styles vs. John Cena* - _WWE Summerslam 2016_ - *****
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi* - _NJPW Wrestle Kingdom X_ - *****
*Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii* - _NJPW G1 Climax Finals_ - *****

These are my five picks on the shortlist for MOTY


----------



## Stetho

Fuck yes to End vs Hero PROGRESS Ch30, wow


----------



## ATF

Not quite nominating it as a MOTYC, but nevertheless, throwing out a mention to *Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Drew Gulak, CWC Round 2 Night 3*. Fucking awesome stuff.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr. - AAW United We Stand - ****1/4 - YES!*

I can see some people disliking this match, but I absolutely loved it.  Thought it was fantastic; just two badasses in the Callihan Death Machine & Pentagon Jr beating the tar out of each other for 20+ mins. High energy action from start to finish.


----------



## TheGeneticFreak

*YES* to Dolph Ziggler vs AJ Styles - WWE Smackdown 08/23/16 - ****

So much better than Dolph's match with Ambrose at Summerslam.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Chris Hero vs. Cody Rhodes - EVOLVE 67 - **** - YES!*

Cody had a really good match vs. ZSJ the night before, but this was on another level. This was great. Hero being a total dick to Cody all the way through the match was so much fun, and Cody fighting to gain the respect of the king of the indy scene was a great story. Probably the best singles match of Cody's career, I can't remember any of his WWE singles bouts being anywhere near as good as this one. 

*Matt Riddle vs. Tommy End - EVOLVE 67 - ****1/2 - YES!*

Just a fantastic shoot/MMA style of a match. Great strikes, submissions, solid selling. My favorite EVOLVE match of the year. Great, great stuff.


----------



## Stetho

Yes to Psycho Clown vs. Pagano, Triplemania XXIV


----------



## Jonasolsson96

The only match this year from nxt,wwe,roh,njpw or tna this year id call a legit 5 star match is Tanahashi vs Okada from wk 10. Dont watch other organisations so I cant speak of them. 

Matches like nakamura/styles, nakamura/zayn and a bunch of others were great matches but I wouldnt say 5 stars. 

So my only pick for moty goes to tanahashi vs okada


----------



## Kabraxal

After rewatching:

Ciampa/Gargano v The Revival (NXT Takeover Brooklyn) - ***** FUCK YES... Match of the year easily right now. Perfect psychology, old school heeling, old school tag heat and fire, and false finishes WITHOUT spamming finishers. At first I would have put it at **** to ****1/4 but I got sucked in on the rewatch and it is quickly becoming one of my favourite matches of all time. The tag scene was always my favourite scene in wrestling and these guys just put on a clinic.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following matches:

Pagano vs. Psycho Clown (Triplemania XXIV) Just an insane, bloody, & entertaining brawl. Loved everything about it.

The Revival vs. Gargano & Ciampa (Takeover Brooklyn II) I wouldn't call it an all-time classic, but it was a great old-school tag team match.*


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Brian Kendrick v. Kota Ibushi*, _Cruiserweight Classic: Episode 8_ - ***** 1/4*

You wanna talk about storytelling. People claimed Cena/Styles from Summerslam was both men wrestling with desperation, bullsh*t ! THIS performance by THE Brian Kendrick is wrestling with desperation. I mean my goodness you could just see the guy looking for every route to squeak a win by on the tourney favorite and he found his opening with the neck and boy did he work over Ibushi's neck. Pulling out neck based moves like the Sliced Bread #2 & The Burning freaking hammer. I mean man Brian put on amazing performance credit to Ibushi too as he's always good although he could've sold the neck better.


----------



## Martins

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> *YES* to *Brian Kendrick v. Kota Ibushi*, _Cruiserweight Classic: Episode 8_ - ***** 1/4*
> 
> You wanna talk about storytelling. People claimed Cena/Styles from Summerslam was both men wrestling with desperation, bullsh*t ! THIS performance by THE Brian Kendrick is wrestling with desperation. I mean my goodness you could just see the guy looking for every route to squeak a win by on the tourney favorite and he found his opening with the neck and boy did he work over Ibushi's neck. Pulling out neck based moves like the Sliced Bread #2 & The Burning freaking hammer. I mean man Brian put on amazing performance credit to Ibushi too as he's always good although he could've sold the neck better.


I second this entire post, including the rating and a big motherfuckin' *YES* to this.

I don't think anything in this tournament is gonna surpass this. I love Ibushi, but Brian Kendrick came back into the CWC looking like an absolute madman who would do anything to win and prove he can still be relevant, despite being easily surpassed by younger, more athletic and more durable opponents from the beginning, maintaining a great degree of likability while being an absolute weasel in every single match. 

For a tournament so filled with the stereotypical "flippy indy shit", Brian Kendrick coming in with such great character work has got him pretty much locked as the MVP of the Cruiserweight Classic, as far as I'm concerned.


----------



## 2Pieced

I'm not sure which match was better out of *Kendrick vs Ibushi* and *Metalik vs Tozawa*, both great in different ways.

I would give both **** 1/4


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Kendrick vs. Ibushi* was absolutely amazing. The passion & heart shown by Kendrick was tremendous, him trying to do everything he can to put out the much younger, faster, more hard hitting Ibushi was great. And the post-match moment w/ him & D-Bryan is my favorite wrestling moment of the year. So many feels. *****1/2 & YES*. On the same level as Ibushi/Cedric imo.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Kota Ibushi vs Brian Kendrick - WWE Cruiserweight Classic Quarter Finals 31.08.2016 - *****

With Ibushi being a clear favourite to win the tournament, it seemed a foregone conclusion he had this won, but by God they kept me guessing with some genuinely great nearfalls. They told a fantastic story, and Kendrick was at his absolute best here. ALL THE FEELS for the post-match with Bryan.

Tozawa/Metalik was great too, ***3/4 and a high recommendation.


----------



## Bruce L

I was trying to hold off on any votes until I finished my comprehensive G1 rewatch project, but screw it; here are a few more matches I vote *YES* on:

*Johnny Gargano vs. Zack Sabre Jr (Evolve, Mar 19)*
Great job by Gargano of putting Sabre over as the new king of the Evolve universe; and by Sabre, of looking ready for that title.

*Kota Ibushi vs. Brian Kendrick (WWE, Aug 31)*
What a fucking performance by Kendrick. I think this could have been a great match if he'd performed on the same level here as he has earlier in the tournament, but he elevated it to another level with his facial and character work. For a guy I've been nothing but disappointed by since he got released in '09 (was it '09?), this was a borderline masterpiece.

*The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa (WWE [NXT], Aug 20)*
More awesome stuff from the Revival, as they continue to show us what "old-school tag team wrestling with a new-school twist" or whatever they want to bill it as really looks like. Gargano and Ciampa are every bit as good here as American Alpha were in their own **** greats with Dash and Dawson.

*Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander (WWE, Aug 10)*
I have nothing to say about this that everybody else who voted for it hasn't already said. Nonstop action done right.

*Asuka vs. Bayley (WWE [NXT], Aug 20)*
Much better than their Dallas match, and featuring a "determined underdog" performance from Bayley that's almost on the level of the one she gave against Sasha a year earlier in what ended up being the best WWE match of 2015. This one won't come close to that, but it's still great.


----------



## kimino

YES to Gran Metalik vs Tozawa and Ibushi vs Kendrick, i know that many were invested on the Ibushi vs Kendrick match but damn it! Metalik and Tozawa was flawless, great holds, counters, smoth as fuck action, and was faster and overall entertaining

The Burning hammer wasnt sold that well, dont mind the 2 count (well yes i mind its a burning hammer) but Ibushi didnt appear to be affected by it after that


----------



## Concrete

*Trauma I vs. Canis Lupas [MASK VS. MASK](IWRG 9/4/16):****1/2*







Spoiler: Watch the match first



_One day I will write a better review than this. For now this will suffice. A true spectacle. The atmosphere exceeds my expectations. Not precise, the work shows a layer of grit. They produce a chair shot exchange that makes me cringe to think about yet I can say the match would have been worse without it. The exchange was so integral to everything that followed. What followed felt like a modern lucha match with the violence amped up. Mixing the old bloody war with the biting nearfalls that Atlantis has delivered classics upon in recent years. The tombstone falsie was the first time I had popped in years for a non-live nearfall. I knew I was watching something special that went beyond “technique” at that point. Must watch._


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Noam Dar vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. - WWE Cruiserweight Classic, Episode 9 - **** - YES!*

Physical match between the 2, loved the limb targeting by Dar & by the end it truly felt like a war between two friends, really putting over the concept of the CWC. Loved it - great stuff all around.


----------



## Rah

Concrete said:


> *Trauma I vs. Canis Lupas [MASK VS. MASK](IWRG 9/4/16):****1/2*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Watch the match first
> 
> 
> 
> _One day I will write a better review than this. For now this will suffice. A true spectacle. The atmosphere exceeds my expectations. Not precise, the work shows a layer of grit. They produce a chair shot exchange that makes me cringe to think about yet I can say the match would have been worse without it. The exchange was so integral to everything that followed. What followed felt like a modern lucha match with the violence amped up. Mixing the old bloody war with the biting nearfalls that Atlantis has delivered classics upon in recent years. The tombstone falsie was the first time I had popped in years for a non-live nearfall. I knew I was watching something special that went beyond “technique” at that point. Must watch._


So, two okay talents have an almost classic lucha brawl? I don't believe none of it, Samuel.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

NastyYaffa said:


> *Noam Dar vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. - WWE Cruiserweight Classic, Episode 9 - **** - YES!*
> 
> Physical match between the 2, loved the limb targeting by Dar & by the end it truly felt like a war between two friends, really putting over the concept of the CWC. Loved it - great stuff all around.


HELL NO this match. You loved the limb targeting of the leg then ZSJ no sells NOAM DARS FINISHER by smiling and doing a push up then rolls out bumps his elbow then uses the bad leg in his damn finish? That was match 2 stars because Noam Dar showed up. ZSJ got his leg kicked out from under him and sold his head. That match was TRASH. The amount of vitriol that match induced is insane. That was one of the shittiest performances I've seen from ZSJ and it just further proves my point you need a great worker to make that piece of shit do anything right.


----------



## Concrete

I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM SEABS...wait is Seabs alive...is he here...THAT RAH IS A TROLL AND SHOULD BE BANNED! Shoot names? UNREAL!

Seriously though. Everyone who enjoys lucha should watch that and go WOWOWOWOW and praise it as the year's greatest match.

Thank you all!

PS Volador Jr. is a bad wrestler.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Japanese Puroresu said:


> HELL NO this match. You loved the limb targeting of the leg then ZSJ no sells NOAM DARS FINISHER by smiling and doing a push up then rolls out bumps his elbow then uses the bad leg in his damn finish? That was match 2 stars because Noam Dar showed up. ZSJ got his leg kicked out from under him and sold his head. That match was TRASH. The amount of vitriol that match induced is insane. That was one of the shittiest performances I've seen from ZSJ and it just further proves my point you need a great worker to make that piece of shit do anything right.


Another shitefest by midget Baba. Surpriseeeeee :bige


----------



## Rah

Concrete said:


> I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM SEABS...wait is Seabs alive...is he here...THAT RAH IS A TROLL AND SHOULD BE BANNED! Shoot names? UNREAL!
> 
> Seriously though. Everyone who enjoys lucha should watch that and go WOWOWOWOW and praise it as the year's greatest match.
> 
> Thank you all!
> 
> PS Volador Jr. is a bad wrestler.


You wanna shoot, cowboy?

The match was bologna.

PPS Volador Jr. is a bad wrestler


----------



## Corey

I like Volador and all his signature spots that we see in every match. :/

I forgot to give this a YES, but *YES! (****)* to the *Omega vs. Elgin Ladder Match from Dominion*. It went like 33 minutes but didn't feel like it. A really cool spectacle for New Japan with an 'awe' around it in the arena. Paced very well with some nice spots and a satisfying conclusion. (Y)


----------



## Concrete

Corey said:


> I like Volador and all his signature spots that we see in every match. :/


Maybe you're a bad fan.


----------



## Martins

That near no-sell of the bicycle kick on the apron just for the softest-looking suicide dive I've ever seen, oh Lord fpalm

And you have some of the most beautiful bridges I've ever seen, Zack, and I'm a sucker for all those tip-toeing pretty-looking bridges in wrestling, but how about not doing so many of those so perfectly in a match where your leg's getting worked on? And my God, very few people in wrestling held in actually high regard by so many fans have such shitty facial expressions when selling. There are other kinds of looks to put on your face besides "I just got the lights kicked out of me" according to the situation and you can't even do those right.

I can't help but actually like the guy because his submissions are still so fuckin' cool-looking , but goddammit. SELL.

Still enjoyed it though. 'Bout *** :jr


----------



## NakNak

*RECOMMENDED* matches:
_Seth Rollins vs Sami Zayn (WWE Raw August 22nd, 2016)_****1/2*
_AJ Styles vs Dolph Ziggler (WWE Smackdown! August 23rd, 2016)_****3/4*
_Kevin Owens vs Big Cass vs Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins (WWE Raw August 29th, 2016)_****3/4*
_Jack Gallagher vs Akira Tozawa (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Round 2)_****3/4*
_Johnny Gargano vs TJ Perkins (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Round 2)_****3/4*
_Seth Rollins vs Chris Jericho (WWE Raw September 5th, 2016)_****1/4*
_Rey Mysterio Jr vs Pentagon Jr (Lucha Underground S03E01)_****1/4*
_Austin Aries vs Andrade Cien Almas (WWE NXT September 7th, 2016)_****1/4*

*YES* to the following matches:
_Gran Metalik vs Akira Tozawa (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Quarterfinals)_*****1/2*
_Kota Ibushi vs The Brian Kendrick (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Quarterfinals)_ *****3/4*
_TJ Perkins vs Rich Swann (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Quarterfinals)_ *****1/2*

Hell yeah, Do i love ProWrestling at the moment...


----------



## Corey

*CWC Quarter Finals:* Akira Tozawa vs. Gran Metalik ***** (YES!)*

Just an awesome back and forth match. That nearfall after the german suplex? Shewwwwwwwwbee! I've said it several times and I'll take this opportunity to say it again that Dorada/Metalik is having a tremendous year. He kills it at every opportunity.

*CWC Quarter Finals:* Kota Ibushi vs. Brian Kendrick ***** (YES!)*

The first match was about the action but this was strictly about the story. Brian's neck work was flawless and the _need_ for him to win felt real. Burning hammer was SICK and I kinda wanted him to win this.


----------



## Corey

*WWE World Heavyweight Championship*
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. AJ Styles - ***** 1/4 (YES!!)*
_WWE Backlash_

This was such a genuinely GREAT surprise on so many levels. Ambrose finally showed up to work and put on one of the better performances I've seen from him in quite some time. His selling of the calf was excellent and his unlazy fired up offense & facial expressions were great late in the match. The rebound clothesline actually made sense/didn't look stupid and his catapult of AJ into the ringpost was NASTY. Best part though? AJ's performance was even better! He basically ran circles around Dean and was on offense for most of the match, which is always the best way to go if you want an entertaining and diverse wrestling match (i.e. let the guy who puts forth the most effort run the match). The longer it went and the more it built, the better it got while NEVER tapping into the usual finisher kickout shit WWE treats us to these days. I thought this was MILES ahead of Styles/Cena too. I would've actually given it **** 1/2 and called it a damn near modern day classic, but it felt like a slight step down after seeing the finish they booked after a tremendous 30 minutes match. Still though, this was so fucking good and AJ STYLES IS WWE CHAMPION! :mark: :woo​


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Dean Ambrose (c) v. AJ Styles*, _Smackdown's Backlash_ - ***** 3/4*

First off let me start by saying, this is WWE's match of the year thus far. My goodness was this amazing, the best match in Dean Ambrose's career and the best since AJ has come to WWE. Everything in this match was stellar, going in I saw this match as a dream match and it absolutely delivered. The psychology was on-point, AJ's bumping was on-point, Ambrose's selling was on point. This was the sign of a truly great match where these guys went 30 + minutes and I still wanted to see more. Hats off to both men, those doubting Ambrose can silence themselves a little now and AJ is the best inring performer in the world today. :clap​


----------



## Ace

Dean Ambrose v AJ Styles - Yes **** 3/4

That match was fucking brutal, there were so many times I was cringing my team thinking fuck that must have hurt. IMO it was a lot better than the match at SS against Cena. Ambrose proved me wrong, you definitely can go! Bring that fire to all your matches now!


----------



## Corey

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> This was the sign of a truly great match where these guys went 30 + minutes and I still wanted to see more.


This is probably the best description of the match for me. Even though I was ECSTATIC for the actual finish, I still wanted more from these two. I didn't expect them to have this kind of chemistry and storytelling in them for their first encounter. If they book something like a 2 out of 3 falls match at No Mercy, they're certainly capable of going 40+ minutes and I'd be ok with it (which is something I can say with very few people in WWE).

RAW has their work cut out for Clash of Champions. Let's see if Rollins & Owens can top that.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles - WWE Backlash - **** - YES!*

The first portions of the match weren't clicking with me, but once AJ started to go ham on Ambrose's leg, I got really into it. From then on, AJ's work on top was fantastic, and Ambrose ruled working from underneath. Best Ambrose match since MITB '15 & 2nd best match of AJ's WWE career so far.

*Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. The Usos - WWE Backlash - **** - YES!*

I absolutely loved this. The Usos won me over with their new heel attitude, they were great in the Hype Bros match, and they were great in this. Then you got Heath Slater doing some great FIP action, and what you end up with is a great tag match. My favorite main roster tag bout since Bryan & Reigns vs. The Usos from last year's February.


----------



## Martins

*YES* to Ambrose/Styles from Backlash. 

****+

AJ *is* the BITW, and Ambrose, while not as great as I wanted him to be when I saw everyone creaming about the match, still had a damn good performance and put on his best showing in a long-ass time. Great stuff.


----------



## amhlilhaus

Corey said:


> MarkyWhipwreck said:
> 
> 
> 
> This was the sign of a truly great match where these guys went 30 + minutes and I still wanted to see more.
> 
> 
> 
> This is probably the best description of the match for me. Even though I was ECSTATIC for the actual finish, I still wanted more from these two. I didn't expect them to have this kind of chemistry and storytelling in them for their first encounter. If they book something like a 2 out of 3 falls match at No Mercy, they're certainly capable of going 40+ minutes and I'd be ok with it (which is something I can say with very few people in WWE).
> 
> RAW has their work cut out for Clash of Champions. Let's see if Rollins & Owens can top that.
Click to expand...

I agree, you know a match is good when you dont realize how long theyve been out there and want more.

Dean can work, aj is on a different planet right now


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Also tbh this match is worth mentioning as well

*YES* to *The Miz (c) v. Dolph Ziggler*, _Smackdown's Backlash_ - ******

Who would've thought The Miz would be in a match this stellar. This is easily a top 3 Miz match in his career and maybe his best individual performance. The storytelling was excellent here tbh, Miz mocking DB stealing tons of his signature stuff, ultimate trolling here it was really good work. Ziggler put in another great babyface performance similar to the match w/ AJ Styles but slightly better here. Ziggler just does face comebacks so d*mn well, it's always a joy to watch. The finish wasn't my cup of tea simply because of the story being told that Miz can get it done in the ring but it does protect Ziggler so that's fine.​


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Cesaro vs. Sheamus - WWE RAW 09/12 - **** - YES!*

I just won't get tired of watching these two go at it. I have loved every single match they have had so far in this best of 7 series, and this was the best one yet. Very physical, they sure aren't afraid to get a little stiff with each other, and it's awesome.  Cesaro's injury added a ton to the match too, and I thought that his selling was really, really good. Hell of a match.


----------



## Joshi Judas

Not seeing where the near 5 star ratings for Styles vs Ambrose are coming from, but opinions and all that.

I still thought it was a good match. ****1/4 and a YES from me.


Still think Nakamura/Zayn is WWE's MOTY followed by Ibushi/Kendrick and Ibushi/Cedric though.


----------



## Taroostyles

Recent stuff

AJ/Cena ****3/4
Revival/Johnny & Ciampa ****1/2
Kota/Cedric ****1/2
Kota/Kendrick ****1/2
Joe/Nakamura ****1/4

The in ring quality has been top notch lately.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Big fucking YES! to the following:

Marty The Moth vs. Killshot (WMD Match: Lucha Underground: 9/14/16)*


----------



## antoniomare007

*Kota Ibushi vs TJP - CWC Semifinal #2
*
I don't even remember the last time I saw an upset be so greatly booked and executed as this one in the WWE. This was a great fucking match, it had incredible drama and it felt huge.


----------



## Arkham258

YES


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/776216838191538176
And yes to this guy in the crowd for fan of the year


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/776218959955636224


----------



## Corey

Without spoiling anything, ***** 1/4 and a YES for the CWC Final*. Amazing match with some serious fucking drama. I'm still shocked by the winner. His fucking CHEST looks like mince meat! :lol

Came in late so I have to go back and watch the semi's.


----------



## darkclaudio

No to:
Metalik/Sabre ***
Ibushi/TJ ***1/4
CWC Final ***


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Kota Ibushi v. TJ Perkins*, _CWC: Semi Finals_ - ***** 1/2*

What a match, what drama, what an underdog story.


----------



## Undertaker23RKO

Kota Ibushi vs TJP. YES ****1/4
AJ Styles vs Dean Ambrose. YES ****


----------



## YestleMania

As of right now I got both Styles vs. Ambrose and Ibushi vs. Perkins at ****1/2

At this point I might have to give it to Ibushi/Perkins.


----------



## Corey

*CWC Semi Finals:* Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gran Metalik - ***** 1/2 (YES!!!)*

:sodone :done

Well I fucking thought this AMAZING and honestly a top 10 match of the year. The clash of styles was so damn intriguing and the sense of urgency was perfectly portrayed immediately from the get go. Metalik was incredible and Sabre actually sold for him so that was great. Man... just so damn good! :mark:

*CWC Semi Finals:* Kota Ibushi vs. TJ Perkins - ***** (YES!)*

FUCK, Perkins won me over tonight. Awesome match with some crazy counters, strikes, and nearfalls. If only TJ would work the leg at ANY other point outside of applying the kneebar. :lol

As I already said, final gets **** 1/4 too. Incredible night of wrestling.


----------



## Martins

Y-YES. 

YES TO MARTY THE MOTH VS. KILLSHOT

CARNAGE 

****1/4


----------



## Groovemachine

*Zack Sabre Jr vs Gran Metalik - WWE Cruiserweight Classic Semi-Finals 14/09/2016 - ****1/4

Kota Ibushi vs TJ Perkins - WWE Cruiserweight Classic Semi-Finals 14/09/2016 - ****

WWE Cruiserweight Classic Finals 14/09/2016 - *****

What a show. ZSJ/Metalik was just an awesome technical affair with great counters and submissions and was simply a joy to witness. ZSJ has already looked like a star in this tournament, but this match cemented Metalik too. Then we had the terrific underdog story of Perkins in the Ibushi match, but as @Corey says, I kind of wish he'd focused on the leg a bit more. That was the main thing holding it back, but those guys tore it up. The finals was exciting and I liked that they'd both kept back some stuff to bust out here and make it seem special. 

Also that post-match promo... :batista3


----------



## NastyYaffa

YES to:

Metalik/ZSJ - ****1/2
Ibushi/TJP - ****1/2

CWC is one of the best things ever. :clap


----------



## Blommen

Yes to every single match on cwc card, holy shit what a great show


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## teick

YES to:

Kota Ibushi vs Cedric Alexander - ****1/4 (CWC Round 2)
Gran Metalik vs Akira Tozawa - ****1/2 (CWC Quarter-Finals)
Zack Sabre Jr vs Noam Dar - ****1/2 (CWC Quarter-Finals)
Gran Metalik vs Zack Sabre Jr - ****1/4 (CWC Semi-Finals)
Kota Ibushi vs TJ Perkins - ****1/2 (CWC Semi-Finals)
Dean Ambrose vs AJ Styles - ****1/4 (WWE Backlash 2016)


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

All these no's to CWC

For crying out loud are we just giving out MOTY like halloween candy?


----------



## Stetho

Japanese Puroresu said:


> All these no's to CWC
> 
> For crying out loud are we just giving out MOTY like halloween candy?


I swear, it's getting ridiculous. Yeah, sure, cruiserweight action is fun and those matches probably are nice but come on, at this rate every show on earth's gonna have at least 2 YES.


----------



## 2Pieced

This thread is mostly about recommendations for people to check out which is why it's called contenders.

I don't see the issue.


----------



## teick

These are recommendations. Of course none of the matches from the CWC are truly MOTYC, but they are still great matches. If this thread was only about MOTY, then nobody should recommend matches with ratings lower than 5 stars.


----------



## kimino

Japanese Puroresu said:


> All these no's to CWC
> 
> For crying out loud are we just giving out MOTY like halloween candy?


The hype of finally seeing some wrestling in WWE is clouding some eyes.

Outside of Ibushi vs Alexander and Metalik vs Tozawa i dont see some legits MOTY contenders, dont mind the recomendations but almost 5 star rating? To each his own, but most of the matches have been solid with a couple of great matches IMO.


----------



## Stetho

2Pieced said:


> This thread is mostly about recommendations for people to check out which is why it's called contenders.
> 
> I don't see the issue.


Still, a recommandation thread completely lose its purpose if you recommand everything. If every match with some reversals and big impact moves automatically gets a yes vote it's gonna transform into a nonsense flood of matches. Sure, as kimino said, I guess some people are easily impressed because they mainly watch WWE but there's match like this every week on the wrestling planet.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Stetho said:


> Still, a recommandation thread completely lose its purpose if you recommand everything. If every match with some reversals and big impact moves automatically gets a yes vote it's gonna transform into a nonsense flood of matches. Sure, as kimino said, I guess some people are easily impressed because they mainly watch WWE but there's match like this every week on the wrestling planet.


... Or maybe people just legit liked those matches more than you did?

I really don't get why some people get so upset about how other people rate matches.


----------



## Arkham258

I haven't seen the CWC finale so I can't comment on the quality of the matches, but it does make me a little sad to see a bunch of posts about the CWC when on that same night Marty and Killshot brought the house down in a 20 minute main event


----------



## Stetho

NastyYaffa said:


> ... Or maybe people just legit liked those matches more than you did?
> 
> I really don't get why some people get so upset about how other people rate matches.


I'm not upset or whatever. Don't try to start an argument, that's not the point. You can like those matches, I don't forbid it (wtf?). But you can like a match without having to recommand it, I guarantee you it's not impossible.

The WMD match was pretty innovative and it makes sense to recommand it cause it's not the kind of thing you see every week. Good Zack Sabre Jr (or else) matches, on the other hand, are pretty common and don't add anything new to the list.


----------



## Taroostyles

CWC Finals

Ibushi/Perkins ****1/2 
Metalik/Perkins ****1/4

The tj kota match might be my favorite wwe match this year which is def saying something as its been a great year in ring wise. Ibushi was clearly the star of the tourney though as this match and the ones with Cedric and Kendrick were the top 3 of the tourney.

The other 2 matches on the card were great too probably ***3/4 and close to 4.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Stetho said:


> I'm not upset or whatever. Don't try to start an argument, that's not the point. You can like those matches, I don't forbid it (wtf?). But you can like a match without having to recommand it, I guarantee you it's not impossible.
> 
> The WMD match was pretty innovative and it makes sense to recommand it cause it's not the kind of thing you see every week. Good Zack Sabre Jr (or else) matches, on the other hand, are pretty common and don't add anything new to the list.


Well I guess that my point is that you don't get to choose what is a 4 star match to someone else. You might have not liked the CWC matches, but it's obvious that a bunch of people did, and if they want to recommend them, then they can recommend them. If you don't like to see match recommendations, I suggest you get out of this thread mate. Your opinions are not facts.

With that being said...

*Roderick Strong vs. Timothy Thatcher - PWG THIRTEEN - **** - YES!*

Just two great wrestlers doing their thing with their great looking offense.

*The Young Bucks vs. Death By Elbow - PWG THIRTEEN - **** - YES!*

Exactly what you would expect from the match when you see it on paper. Loved it.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

NastyYaffa said:


> Well I guess that my point is that you don't get to choose what is a 4 star match to someone else. You might have not liked the CWC matches, but it's obvious that a bunch of people did, and if they want to recommend them, then they can recommend them. If you don't like to see match recommendations, I suggest you get out of this thread mate. Your opinions are not facts.


*He didn't say he can dictate what is or isn't a 4 star match, nor did he say his opinions are facts, tho.

Anyways, I had no idea PWG Thirteen is out. Probably gonna get on that tomorrow! :mark:*


----------



## Groovemachine

It comes down to that age old discussion of what people use this thread for. I have Sami/Owens from Battleground as my only ****3/4 rating this year, leaving it quite clearly as a strong candidate for my MOTY. Am I going to stop posting other recommendations until something betters it? Hell no. What one person might think only scrapes 4 stars could be a bonafide classic in someone else's eyes. I'd miss out on so much good puro and indy stuff if it weren't for this thread. Keep any and all recommendations coming, I say.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Deadman's Hand said:


> *He didn't say he can dictate what is or isn't a 4 star match, nor did he say his opinions are facts, tho.
> 
> Anyways, I had no idea PWG Thirteen is out. Probably gonna get on that tomorrow! :mark:*


He did not exactly say it, but he did imply it. I have no problem with people discussing whether they like the matches that get voted on here or not, but saying that people shouldn't nominate matches just annoys me. He basically said that it's a fact that the CWC matches - that he didn't like apparently - were nothing special & that because of that, people should stop nominating them. I mean, we are 100 pages in here, I am sure he & everybody else understands the concept of this thread. Oh well. I guess I got too worked up brother, but nothing annoys me more than people who cry about other peoples opinions on matches. 

Another nomination, after doing some re-watching:

*Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong - EVOLVE 64 - ****3/4 - YES!*

What a goddamn match. Roddy went all out in his last EVOLVE appearance - his performance was absolutely fantastic, his offense looked so, so, so good, and so did Matt Riddle's, who was also really good here. They absolutely brutalized each other.


----------



## Blommen

Arkham258 said:


> I haven't seen the CWC finale so I can't comment on the quality of the matches, but it does make me a little sad to see a bunch of posts about the CWC when on that same night Marty and Killshot brought the house down in a 20 minute main event




After having seen Both shows and having really enjoyed the WMD match, i still don't Think it holds a candle to the cwc event. It was extraordinarily good from top to bottom and the IBushi - Perkins match was legitimately the Best WWE match all year safe for maybe Zayn - Nakamura.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Arkham258

Blommen said:


> After having seen Both shows and having really enjoyed the WMD match, i still don't Think it holds a candle to the cwc event. It was extraordinarily good from top to bottom and the IBushi - Perkins match was legitimately the Best WWE match all year safe for maybe Zayn - Nakamura.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Well, considering what an overrated match Zayn - Nakamura was, that's not a glowing recommendation.


----------



## kimino

Stetho said:


> Still, a recommandation thread completely lose its purpose if you recommand everything. If every match with some reversals and big impact moves automatically gets a yes vote it's gonna transform into a nonsense flood of matches. Sure, as kimino said, I guess some people are easily impressed because they mainly watch WWE but there's match like this every week on the wrestling planet.


:lol or at least they need to be at the level of Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi

Similar type of match yet not a lot of people gave it some time when it was posted


----------



## Zatiel

YES to Ibushi Vs. Perkins from the CWC. Best match of the tournament. Ibushi continues to give guys the matches of their careers. I've loved Perkins for years, but Ibushi structured and paced him well, and they did great work going back to the legs over and over. The finish was just glorious.

Just under Styles Vs. Cena and Zayn Vs. Owens for WWE MOTYCs for me.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Jesus people, not every CWC match is a MOTYC :lmao

Pipe it down :bored


----------



## ArnDaddy

Yes to Marty The Moth Martinez - Killshot - Doesn't top No Mas, but nothing will for me in 2016 I doubt. I was there live and loved it. But this was incredible too. Marty looked like an absolute madman. 

CWC finale had some excellent matches, and I enjoyed it top to bottom, but none of the bouts topped ZSJ-Gulak for me as my match of the tournament.


----------



## Stetho

NastyYaffa said:


> but nothing annoys me more than people who cry about other peoples opinions on matches.


M'kay. Remember me to never have a discussion here cause apparently it means crying and saying my opinions are fact. I'll leave you in the safe space.


----------



## flag sabbath

*YES!* to *TJP vs. Ibushi*, despite Kota's magic knee putting in an appearance whenever he was back on offence. Even with Ranallo signposting the upset, the drama down the stretch was edge of the seat stuff *****1/4*

On the other hand, I thought *ZSJ vs Metalik* was a mess. Some have said urgent, but to me it felt like they were rushing to cram in as many cool movez as they could to the point of repeated sloppiness.

*Killshot vs Martinez* was wild & bloody with some unforgettable moments, but they dragged it out too long & the match started to sag way before the must see finish.


----------



## Corey

What's silly to me is how some of you can randomly start complaining about people liking a tournament so much that was put forth by the WWE, yet no one has ever batted an eyelash if 20 matches from the G1 get a YES vote. I don't get why it's even a problem for some of you. :shrug



flag sabbath said:


> On the other hand, I thought *ZSJ vs Metalik* was a mess. Some have said urgent, but to me it felt like they were rushing to cram in as many cool movez as they could to the point of repeated sloppiness.


This is the part where I tell you specific things to go back and watch for and you rewatch and end up loving it and seeing it in a different view, right? :lol


----------



## NakNak

Guys, people have different tastes and ways to rate a match...don't be assholes, please, just don't

*YES* to:
_Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz (WWE Backlash 2016)_ ******
_AJ Styles vs Dean Ambrose (WWE Backlash 2016)_ *****1/2*
_Weapons of Mass Destruction Match (Lucha Underground S03E02)_ ******
_Kota Ibushi vs TJ Perkins (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Finals)_ *****1/4*
_WWE Cruiserweight Classic Final_ ******

*RECOMMENDED*
_6 Pack Challenge (WWE Backlash 2016)_ ****1/2*
_Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns (WWE Raw September 12th, 2016)_ ****3/4*
_Gran Metalik vs Zack Sabre Jr (WWE Cruiserweight Classic Finals)_ ****3/4*

*FUN*
_DELETE or DECAY_ *INFINITE STARS*

2016 has been a great year for Professional Wrestling


----------



## flag sabbath

Corey said:


> This is the part where I tell you specific things to go back and watch for and you rewatch and end up loving it and seeing it in a different view, right? :lol


Ha! Yeah I've been known to be swayed.... but not today @Corey - I'm still mad at you for talking about the state of the CWC winner's chest in a match where the other guy HAD A SHIRT ON :cuss:

ZSJ vs Metalik boasted some world class wizardry for sure, but the sore thumb moments kept taking me out of it. Not least when Sabre just kinda leapt into Metalik's finisher :cornette


----------



## Corey

flag sabbath said:


> Ha! Yeah I've been known to be swayed.... but not today @Corey - I'm still mad at you for talking about the state of the CWC winner's chest in a match where the other guy HAD A SHIRT ON :cuss:


Oh shit, I'm so sorry. :lol I really didn't even think of that at the time. :$


----------



## Rah

The point of the Nomination process - circa 2014

Original Idea


Seabs said:


> The threshold was just a guide so people don't start nominating ***1/2 matches. If it gets beyond top 20 MOTYCS then the list will be too excessive. That doesn't mean you can't talk about anything else but save the nomination list for actual MOTYCs. Someone else can use my idea and tally up and I'll edit the OP for them.


My 2c and taking on the "project"


Rah said:


> I'd be willing to tally if we're all still on board for the cumulative list. Regardless, it would be beneficial if everyone carried on updating their MotY lists as they all seem to be on the first couple pages, anyway.
> 
> *I'd suggest we all only nominate matches we can foresee (as best as possible)a top 10 placing at the end of the year for its specific category. Of course that will probably be harder for the first quarter of the year, but 2013 is still there as a guide. Going forward, the OP will make use of spoiler tags to ensure the post doesn't become excessive in length and comprises of FIVE categories:
> 
> * Puro
> * WWE
> * American Indy + Other (TNA, PWG, RoH, AAA USA etc)
> * Lucha Libre (Mexico + South America)
> * Europe and Other (everything not belonging in the previous categories)*
> 
> I honestly see the latter two being hardly used so they shouldn't be much of a problem. The first three are, however. *If we do stick to only nominating great matches (regardless of set star-ratings, as each of us are different), it should reduce the amount*. Additionally, if we have a voting system it will help weed out the lower calibre nominations, as well. If the total vote count is _zero or below_ then it's removed. Thus, it only takes one person (two, including the nominator) to have a match removed from the list. Considering a lot of us watch a majority of the output from the first three categories finding matches to weed out shouldn't be much of an issue. As for relegated/removed matches, whether they're removed completely or shifted into a separate column is up for decision, too.



Of course that went tits up about one post in. Ho-hum. A "no" vote system would have solved the problem, tbf.


----------



## amhlilhaus

Theres no limit on good matches. If its good, its good.

Regardless of where or when.


----------



## Rah

Sure, and there's no problem in recommending a match. Usually matches are watched in a vacuum, so a recommendation being buried within the thread isn't that serious. If they're from a major promotion, chances are most posting in this section would have seen/already made their mind up about checking it out. While lesser known matches getting a pimping usually fall out of interest within a couple weeks. I don't see people praising Ospreay in Rev Pro, anymore, for (bad?) example. 

2013 was one of the best years in wrestling, quality-wise. There was a legitimately great match almost every week. Could you imagine the state of the list if we had done it that year? It's barely readable, as is, due to the length. That's why I propositioned for different colours/styles to outline the better matches. If people kept it to a certain figure then the list would be a lot shorter and people could make a "best of" binge watch for the year to catch up. Recommendations are more than fine, but keep them as that, and not nominations.

I'm not a mod, nor am I the final say on these decisions. I may (sometimes) tally the votes, but I'd like the decisions to be generally agreed upon opinion. Basically, these two posts are my two cents.


----------



## Garmonbozia

YES 

Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas)
Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch (WrestleMania 32)


----------



## NastyYaffa

4 nominations:

*Matt Riddle vs. Tracy Williams (EVOLVE 55) - ****1/4
Matt Riddle vs. Cedric Alexander (EVOLVE 62) - ****
Matt Riddle vs. TJ Perkins (EVOLVE 69) - ****
Chris Hero vs. Josh Bodom (RevPro Angle vs. Sabre Jr.) - ****
Cesaro vs. Sheamus (WWE RAW 09/19 - *****

Riddle/Williams was a total war between the 2, the idea of the match was just them basically destroying each other with grappling, submissions, strikes & big moves. 

Riddle/Cedric was just a really great back & forth match - lots of good moments in it, very action packed match overall.

Riddle/TJP was a well told story of the veteran being a step ahead & having a counter to almost everything the younger guy did. 

Bodom/Hero was a hard hitting match with an awesome babyface performance by Hero.

Cesaro/Sheamus - great work done on the back by Sheamus, and Cesaro gave an awesome performance working from underneath.

Also a shoutout to Usos vs. American Alpha from SmackDown, awesome match w/ great psychology. ***3/4 for me, so not giving it a YES vote, but it was still awesome.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Yes to Naito vs Elgin - NJPW Destruction in Kobe - ****1/2
Yes to Will O'Spreay vs Shane Strickland - Progress Wrestling Chapter 35 - ****


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Trevor Lee vs. Joshua Cutshall - CWF Mid-Atlantic Almost Famous - **** - YES!*

Before the match Trevor receives a big beatdown, and then Cutshall comes in & cashes in his "golden ticket" which is basically the same thing as MITB briefcase. That sets up the dynamic for the match with Trevor fighting from underneath, wounded & beaten. Cutshall uses a bunch of dirty tactics to try and beat Trevor, and Trevor is so good at selling those & focusing on his openings. Great match - Trevor Lee's CWF title run is one of the best things this year. He's so great.

*Bad Luck Fale vs. Kazuchika Okada - NJPW Destruction in Hiroshima - **** - YES!*

I love a good David vs. Goliath match, and this was a great one. Fale is fucking awesome, he has had a great 2016, and this was his best match ever. Nice arm work, awesome selling by Okada & Okada in general was really outstanding in this. You got the feel that he was really in trouble against the big man, he busted out some real nice counters & ways to do his moves. Great stuff.


----------



## Dead Seabed

NastyYaffa said:


> *Trevor Lee vs. Joshua Cutshall - CWF Mid-Atlantic Almost Famous - **** - YES!*
> 
> Before the match Trevor receives a big beatdown, and then Cutshall comes in & cashes in his "golden ticket" which is basically the same thing as MITB briefcase. That sets up the dynamic for the match with Trevor fighting from underneath, wounded & beaten. Cutshall uses a bunch of dirty tactics to try and beat Trevor, and Trevor is so good at selling those & focusing on his openings. Great match - Trevor Lee's CWF title run is one of the best things this year. He's so great.
> 
> *Bad Luck Fale vs. Kazuchika Okada - NJPW Destruction in Hiroshima - **** - YES!*
> 
> I love a good David vs. Goliath match, and this was a great one. Fale is fucking awesome, he has had a great 2016, and this was his best match ever. Nice arm work, awesome selling by Okada & Okada in general was really outstanding in this. You got the feel that he was really in trouble against the big man, he busted out some real nice counters & ways to do his moves. Great stuff.


How was Omega vs. Yoshi-Hashi?


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Charlotte vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks - WWE Clash of Champions - ****1/2 - YES!*

Absolutely loved this one. On par with the WrestleMania triple threat, the 4 Horsewomen just know how to lay out these triple threats so well. 

*Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins - WWE Backlash - **** - YES!*

I've read a lot of negative reviews & reports about this match, but I thought it was great. Owens & Rollins are very hit or miss performers for me at the moment, but I thought both of them were really on point here & delivered a true hit. Rollins' babyface performance felt really fresh, he was real good at selling the exhaustion & working from underneath - and Owens delivered a great performance working on top, talking trash like he always does & working over the previously injured knee of Seth. Sure the whole ending sequence was annoying, but I think it didn't take much away from the match. This was great.



Strange Fashion said:


> How was Omega vs. Yoshi-Hashi?


Still gotta watch that + Naito/Elgin.


----------



## Ace

NastyYaffa said:


> *Charlotte vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks - WWE Clash of Champions - ****1/2 - YES!*
> 
> Absolutely loved this one. On par with the WrestleMania triple threat, the 4 Horsewomen just know how to lay out these triple threats so well.
> 
> *Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins - WWE Backlash - **** - YES!*
> 
> I've read a lot of negative reviews & reports about this match, but I thought it was great. Owens & Rollins are very hit or miss performers for me at the moment, but I thought both of them were really on point here & delivered a true hit. Rollins' babyface performance felt really fresh, he was real good at selling the exhaustion & working from underneath - and Owens delivered a great performance working on top, talking trash like he always does & working over the previously injured knee of Seth. Sure the whole ending sequence was annoying, but I think it didn't take much away from the match. This was great.
> 
> 
> 
> Still gotta watch that + Naito/Elgin.


 WTH? Those are some very generous ratings. Both matches were heavily shat on online. No to both.

Omega v Yoshi Hashi - **** 1/4 - Yes
Elgin v Naito **** 1/2 - Yes
Cesaro v Sheamus **** - Yes
KO v Rollins *** 3/4 - No
Charlotte v Bayley v Sasha ** 1/2 - No


----------



## KIG1

Michael Elgin vs Tetusya Naito - ****3/4 YES

Built on their G1 match and made it even better. Loved how both guys came out of this looking extremely strong.


----------



## darkclaudio

No to
Cesaro vs Sheamus ***1/4 (Mildly Recommended)
Zayn vs Jericho **3/4
Charlotte vs Bayley vs Sasha **1/2
Owens vs Rollins *3/4

Yes to Elgin/Naito from Destruction (Recommended)


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*NO* to everything from _WWE Raw's Clash of Champions_

*Recommended watch:*

*- Cesaro v. Sheamus*, _Clash of Champions_ - **** 1/2*

*YES* to *Tetsuya Naito v. Michael Elgin*, _NJPW: Destruction in Kobe_ - ***** 1/2*


----------



## Concrete

*Volador Jr., Diamante Azul, Maximo, La Mascara, Rey Escorpion, Rush, Shocker & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Johnny Idol, KUSHIDA, Marco Corleone, Michael Elgin, Okumura, Sam Adonis, Tama Tonga & Tanga Roa (CMLL):*****
_The lucha provides a aesthetic unlike any other. There are a handful of poor wrestlers in this match yet sometimes with the right ideas in place a strong match can be given. Tama Tonga and Tanga Roa are not having good years yet here they are being serviceable participants in this cibernetico type match. Roa shouldn’t have much to offer yet him and Azul, someone else who is of lesser quality, decide to play to their strength in hitting each other in the face and looking mean doing it. They bash each other’s faces to the outside and then fall over the barricade in a chaotic manner.

Starting out heated was not a direction I was expecting the bout to take. There was a sense of nationalistic pride that I more expect from the United States, kings of booing foreigners. Felt like some cats stepping out to the wrong side of town. That heat gives certain moments added flair that you wouldn’t get without it. Mexico taking dives a couple times into enemy territory and being mauled led to Rey Escorpion taking a calculated dropkick to the outside and knowing he needs to bail. Rush instigating a near riot between the teams as he and Escorpion squared up with Marco. Unique feel that I have not seen from other regions of the world.

With such a long match they were able to phase that sort of uniqueness out to a more traditional feel. Guerrero and Volador Jr. were fine representatives for Mexico in the final stanza though. The same can not be said for Tonga and Roa as they simply were not as interesting as Adonis, KUSHIDA, and especially Elgin. As the match progressed it not only seemed likely Elgin would be among the final men in the match it felt right. His heel antics were surprisingly delightful. After eliminating Shocker, he goes to the outside and does the Guerrero cheer and soaks up the heat from the crowd.

Ending the bout with the Guerrillas of Destiny should have been an automatic fail…yet it wasn’t. They understood their roles. Volador Jr. was not against someone who would indulge in his aerial fantasies. Tonga would though nearly kill himself on a super hurricanarana. The ending Spanish Fly was a doozy, wreckless looking one. I mean that in the best way possible. This is the Volador Jr. I can get behind.

Other random things include Sam Adonis being a fantastic beginning to mid-match foil, the Maximo and Corleone segment working as a moment of levity in the heat, Rush and Mascara doing stuff that potentially derailed the bout, Johnny Idol looking like a geek who can barely flip, and I couldn’t tell you a thing Okumara did._​


----------



## Corey

@Concrete did you watch the Cavernario/Cometa Hair Match from the Grand Prix too? Cause that's even better than the main event.


----------



## Concrete

I saw a Canadian Destroyer and gave it the hard pass.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Would like to give a strong recommendation (but *NO*) to *Dean Ambrose v. AJ Styles II*, _Smackdown Live: 09/27/16_ - ***** +*

Another excellent match between the two, some of the same spots but they also built off of the spots from Backlash which made this match great. Ambrose seemed more adept to getting his leg worked on which was a great touch to the story. Not nearly as good as their Backlash match but still great. This match doesn't get a Yes as it didn't out do their previous encounter which is my current WWE MOTY.


----------



## Zatiel

NO to Naito Vs. Elgin from Destruction. More boring limb-work from Naito, who hasn't honed his mat game yet. It had a good open and a hot close, but the middle was all over the place and the match easily could have been half as long as much hotter.

NO but still a recommendation for Ambrose Vs. Styles II. Ambrose was more on his game this time out and they gelled better together, whereas at the PPV it was more Styles carrying things. Fun match. Not on the level of Zayn/Owens or Styles/Cena, but good stuff.

NO to Cesaro Vs. Sheamus 7, mostly because the ending was rubbish. The ending was particularly hurt by Cesaro's botched dive, which would've been the right time to do the Double TKO spot if they really wanted it. Ironically, post-botch they got the crowd back into it and maybe did their best work. Cesaro was on fire for the match, and Sheamus put in his best performance since 2/3 Falls with Daniel Bryan a few years ago. Easily the best match on the PPV, but not quite MOTY caliber. Certainly recommended viewing.

A YES to Killshot Vs. The Moth in Weapons of Mass Destruction, which is certainly the biggest surprise of the year for me. It's a MAYBE-ish YES because I don't know how hot this season of LU will get, but the guys had an excellent brawl and hardcore match that passed up Cueto/Muertes. Lots of good spots, and a smart piece of narrative closure with the dog tags and stomp at the ending.


----------



## flag sabbath

Zatiel said:


> NO to Naito Vs. Elgin from Destruction. More boring limb-work from Naito, who hasn't honed his mat game yet. It had a good open and a hot close, but the middle was all over the place and the match easily could have been half as long as much hotter.


Agreed. They could have easily wrapped it up 10 minutes earlier & delivered a much tighter match. Elgin's offence is like 90% finisher level, so the longer his bouts go, the more ridiculous they become with opponents kicking out of bomb after bomb. Also lol at folks chucking ****1/2 at all this sub-TNA outside interference that everyone knows is coming, but still plays no direct part in the match outcome.


----------



## Bruce L

*YES *to the Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler from Backlash. A "workrate guy" and a "personality" have a match, and I borderline love it because of the latter. Stop the presses. Unfortunately, you always kind of know what you're getting from Dolph at this point, and it isn't necessarily as exciting as what you got from him a few years ago. But he's still a dependably hard worker, and that's enough to mean his matches are still highly watchable -- and this one doesn't need him to necessarily be on his form of a few years ago, because Miz brings the performance of his life here. I'm still agnostic on the need for "traditional heels" in today's wrestling landscape, but damned if Miz doesn't appear to be doing his best overall work during this IC reign, making the title the most interesting it's been since... what, Jericho & Mysterio in '09? I don't watch promos, but what I see in the pre-match video package and the little segment with Bryan before his entrance has me thinking he's filling a role the company kind of needs, and is doing it extremely well, which is something I never could've imagined saying a few years ago.


----------



## Corey

*Ladder War 6 - ROH World Tag Team Championship*
The Addiction (c) vs. The Young Bucks vs. Motor City Machine Guns - ***** 1/2 (YES!!!)*
_ROH All Star Extravaganza VIII_

:done :sodone

I won't say much to avoid spoiling anything but my hat is off to Christopher Daniels for taking these types of bumps at age 46. This was Wrestlemania 17 levels on insanity. Bodies flying everywhere and tables being destroyed by the minute. Fucking off the wall spectacle for sure.​


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Corey said:


> *Ladder War 6 - ROH World Tag Team Championship*
> The Addiction (c) vs. The Young Bucks vs. Motor City Machine Guns - ***** 1/2 (YES!!!)*
> _ROH All Star Extravaganza VIII_
> 
> :done :sodone
> 
> I won't say much to avoid spoiling anything but my hat is off to Christopher Daniels for taking these types of bumps at age 46. This was Wrestlemania 17 levels on insanity. Bodies flying everywhere and tables being destroyed by the minute. Fucking off the wall spectacle for sure.​


I second this nomination and everything said after :lol

***** 1/2*


----------



## 777

Been away so this is my first post in this year's thread.
So far my favorite matches have been:

Nakamura vs Styles - WK
Ciampa vs Gargano - CWC
Nakamura vs Zayn - NXT
Owens vs Zayn - Battleground
Ospreay vs Ricochet - BOSJ
Mysterio vs Puma - LU
Ibushi vs Kendrick - CWC
Kushida vs Ishimori - Super J Cup
Pegano vs Psycho Clown - AAA (Any of their series of brutal contests)


----------



## Dead Seabed

Zatiel said:


> NO to Naito Vs. Elgin from Destruction. More boring limb-work from Naito, who hasn't honed his mat game yet. It had a good open and a hot close, but the middle was all over the place and the match easily could have been half as long as much hotter.


It's hard to have a long match with Elgin for the same reason it was hard to have a long match with Vader. His every moves is a finisher, so if he gets too much offense in and the opponent still kicks out, it makes him look weak and the match unbelievable. That's why every time he's supposed to have a long match, it either involves a shit ton of limb work or a shit ton of contrived reversal spots.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Young Bucks vs Addiction vs MCMG - Ladder War VI - ROH All Star Extravaganza VIII - *****

The WM17 analogy is a good one. This was an exhilirating car-crash exhibition with some ridiculous bumps and a insanely good performance from Daniels. 46 years old and he's taking those kinds of risks, the man is clearly insane. For me, it lacked some story, but in a match where it was mainly about putting on a spectacle, they definitely achieved that.


----------



## dmgsdmgsdmgs

YES to Naito vs. Elgin @ Destruction in Kobe.

Don't care what anyone says, I was hooked and feeling it hard even though I already knew the outcome. Extremely entertaining in my eyes


----------



## Corey

Groovemachine said:


> *Young Bucks vs Addiction vs MCMG - Ladder War VI - ROH All Star Extravaganza VIII - *****
> 
> The WM17 analogy is a good one. This was an exhilirating car-crash exhibition with some ridiculous bumps and a insanely good performance from Daniels. 46 years old and he's taking those kinds of risks, the man is clearly insane. *For me, it lacked some story*, but in a match where it was mainly about putting on a spectacle, they definitely achieved that.


I actually thought it told a great story, personally. The Addiction were willing to do whatever it took and take any amount of punishment (Daniels in particular) necessary to keep the belts, which Daniels called the most important thing in his entire life (if you haven't see the promo, def check it out). Idk how much you've kept up with the company but both the Bucks and MCMG's previous attempts at the titles were thwarted by Kamaitachi interference and/or a shenanigan finish so when he made the run-in you thought it would've been the same old shit, but it provided us with a nice clear cut winner and a conclusion to the story for at least the short term.

Also, there were some incredible visuals like Daniels shouting "this will go on FOREVER!"


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/782073850116747265


----------



## The Black Mirror

*I'm behind, as always, but I've been able to catch a lot of stuff recently. Just adding my contributions to the YES! tallies...

Sami Callihan vs. Trevor Lee - Singles Match - PWG Lëmmy (January 2, 2016) - ★★★¾ - [NO!]

Kyle O'Reilly vs. Marty Scurll - Singles Match - PWG All Star Weekend 12: Night 1 (March 4, 2016) - ★★★★1/4 [YES!]

Adam Cole vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - Singles Match - PWG All Star Weekend 12: Night 1 (March 4, 2016) - ★★★¾ [NO!]

The Young Bucks vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet - PWG World Tag Team Title Match - PWG All Star Weekend 12: Night 1 (March 4, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!]

Death By Elbow vs. Matt Sydal & Ricochet - Tag Team Match - PWG All Star Weekend 12: Night 2 (March 5, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!]

Dean Ambrose vs. Triple H - WWE World Heavyweight Title Match - WWE Roadblock (March 12, 2016) - ★★★¾ [NO!]

Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - Singles Match - EVOVLE 58 (April 1, 2016) - ★★★★1/4 [YES!]

Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay - Singles Match - EVOLVE 59 (April 2, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!]

Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay - Best Of The Super Junior XXIII Block B Match - NJPW Best Of The Super Junior XXIII: Day 6 (May 27, 2016) - ★★★★1/2 [YES!]

American Alpha vs. The Revival - WWE NXT Tag Team Title Match - WWE NXT TakeOver: The End (June 8, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!]

Austin Aries vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - Singles Match - WWE NXT TakeOver: The End (June 8, 2016) - ★★★¾ [NO!]

AJ Styles vs. John Cena - Singles Match - WWE Money In The Bank (June 19, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!]

Alberto Del Rio vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - Money In The Bank Ladder Match - WWE Money In The Bank (June 19, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!]

Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins - WWE World Heavyweight Title Match - WWE Money In The Bank (June 19, 2016) - ★★★¾ [NO!]

Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - Singles Match - WWE NXT #204 (July 13, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!]

Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn - Singles Match - WWE Battleground (July 24, 2016) - ★★★★1/2 [YES!]

Cedric Alexander vs. Kota Ibushi - Cruiserweight Classic Second Round Match - WWE Cruiserweight Classic #5 (August 10, 2016) - ★★★★1/2 [YES!]

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Michael Elgin - G1 Climax 2016 Block B Match - NJPW G1 Climax 26: Night 18 (August 13, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!]

Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito - G1 Climax 2016 Block B Match - NJPW G1 Climax 26: Night 18 (August 13, 2016) - ★★★★★ [FUCK YES!!]

The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa - WWE NXT Tag Team Title Match - WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II (August 20, 2016) - ★★★★1/2 [YES!]

AJ Styles vs. John Cena - Singles Match - WWE SummerSlam 2016 (August 21, 2016) - ★★★★1/4 [YES!]

Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles - WWE World Title Match - WWE Backlash (September 11, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!]*


----------



## sizor

Corey said:


> *Ladder War 6 - ROH World Tag Team Championship*
> The Addiction (c) vs. The Young Bucks vs. Motor City Machine Guns - ***** 1/2 (YES!!!)*
> _ROH All Star Extravaganza VIII_
> 
> :done :sodone
> 
> I won't say much to avoid spoiling anything but my hat is off to Christopher Daniels for taking these types of bumps at age 46. This was Wrestlemania 17 levels on insanity. Bodies flying everywhere and tables being destroyed by the minute. Fucking off the wall spectacle for sure.​


This is the best match I have seen this year!
Maybe on par with the Lucha underground fight at AAA.
What a match!


----------



## Alright_Mate

Time to play catch up...

*YES! to Nakajima vs Nagata - NJPW G1 Climax Tag 8 - *****
*YES! to Shibata vs Naito - NJPW G1 Climax Tag 8 - ****1/4*
*YES! to Tanahashi vs Ishii - NJPW G1 Climax Tag 11 - *****
*YES! to Tanahashi vs Marufuji - NJPW G1 Climax Tag 13 - *****
*YES! to Ishii vs Okada - NJPW G1 Climax Tag 13 - ****3/4*
*YES! to Tanahashi vs Okada - NJPW G1 Climax Tag 17 - ****1/4 *
*YES! to Omega vs Naito - NJPW G1 Climax Tag 18 - ***** *
*YES! to Omega vs Goto - NJPW G1 Climax Tag 19 - ****1/2 *
*YES! to Styles vs Ambrose - WWE Backlash 2016 - ****1/4 *


----------



## Zatiel

A big fat YES to The Addiction Vs. The Young Bucks Vs. The Murder City Machine Guns in Ladder War 6. I've fallen off ROH pretty hard in recent years, and this was the first ROH match since Patron Vs. Strong that I found compelling, but this blows that one away. Daniels pulled out possibly the last great performance in a career of great performances, an utter maestro of selling and building and bumping like a guy half his age couldn't. The Bucks were their usual wacky selves, plugging in greatly to the lower key brawling of the other teams that ramped up and up. This was also one of Shelley's best performances since he became a NJPW regular, with lots of top-tier timing. Very spotty and not for everyone, but if you like these teams, go out of your way to see this.


----------



## darkclaudio

*Yes to Ladder War from All Star Extravaganza (Recommended)
*No to Dragon Lee vs Kamaitachi from All Star Extravaganza **3/4
*Yes to Shuji Ishikawa vs Kazusada Higuchi from DDT Who's Gonna Top That? Dramatic General Election (Recommended)*


----------



## sizor

Yes to Ladder War from All Star Extravaganza (Recommended)


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks - WWE RAW 03/10 - **** - YES!*

The dynamic that these 2 have somewhat reminds me of Rey vs. Eddie - I mean obviously Charlotte & Sasha aren't at their level yet, but you got the heel doing some great work on top, brutalizing the babyface, and then the babyface is the smaller of the 2 who gets some flashy hope spots in & gets the crowd cheering with her/his great selling. Great match.


----------



## Ace

*Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks - WWE RAW 03/10 - *** **No*.

I don't even know why it was brought up. Sure it was a good women's match, but it certainly wasn't close to a MOTYC.

*The Addiction Vs. The Young Bucks Vs. The Murder City Machine Guns in Ladder War 6 **** 1/4 Yes!*

Excellent performance by all 3 teams with some amazing spots.


----------



## fabi1982

The Addiction Vs. The Young Bucks Vs. The Murder City Machine Guns in Ladder War 6 ****1/2

This was something else!!


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Big *NO* to *Charlotte v. Sasha Banks*, _Raw, 10/03/16_ - *****

Match was extremely sloppy and outside of Charlotte's corckscrew moonsault, nothing felt new. All felt like a rehash.


----------



## Mordecay

NO to Charlotte vs Sasha **3/4. They tried to do the same thing they did the first time Sasha won the title, but it felt sloppy at parts and wasn't as emotional, not as good as that first one.

YES to the Young Bucks vs The Addiction vs Motor City Machine Guns **** !/4. Amazing spots all over the match, the finish was fantastic


----------



## Zatiel

I really enjoyed Banks Vs. Charlotte, but it's not close to a WWE MOTYC. If anything it felt like another teaser of the epic matches they'll have in coming years.

Figured I'd toss in my current crop of MOTYCs for various companies. I really need to catch up on PWG and Evolve. The hardest thing was cutting matches out of NJPW, which has had such a phenomenal year for performances.

*NJPW*
Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs. Kazuchika Okada - Wrestle Kingdom
Tomohiro Ishii Vs. Kazuchika Okada - G1 Climax
Tomohiro Ishii Vs. Katsuyori Shibata - Wrestle Kingdom
Tomohiro Ishii Vs. Katsuyori Shibata - New Beginning
Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. AJ Styles - Wrestle Kingdom
Kenny Omega Vs. Tetsuya Naito - G1 Climax

*WWE*
John Cena Vs. AJ Styles - Summerslam
Kevin Owens Vs. Sami Zayn - Battleground
Bayley Vs. Asuka II - NXT Takeover Brooklyn II
Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. Sami Zayn - NXT Takeover Dallas
Kota Ibushi Vs TJ Perkins - CWC

*Lucha Underground*
Aztec Warfare II
Killshot Vs. The Moth, Weapons of Mass Destruction Match
Prince Puma Vs. El Dragon Azteca
Prince Puma Vs. Rey Mysterio Jr

*Evolve*
Matt Riddle Vs. Tracy Williams - Evolve 55

*ROH*
The Addiction Vs. Young Bucks Vs. Murder City Machine Guns - Ladder War 6 from All Star Extravaganza


----------



## Arkham258

Nice job by Charlotte and Sasha showing everyone they can't handle an important main event slot like women from a certain other company can


----------



## NastyYaffa

Arkham258 said:


> Nice job by Charlotte and Sasha showing everyone they can't handle an important main event slot like women from a certain other company can


:lol How "they can't handle" it? They got a very positive reaction from the crowd, and majority of people liked the match. Some even loved it (myself, for an example). I thought it was better than any match that the women from LU have been featured in.


----------



## TD Stinger

Arkham258 said:


> Nice job by Charlotte and Sasha showing everyone they can't handle an important main event slot like women from a certain other company can


First off, Muertes vs. Ivelisse shouldn’t even be in the conversation. It was a forgettable squash match, nothing more.

And I loved Sexy Star vs. Mariposa. But I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, the show makes everyone look better than they actually are. The writers, producers, etc. make the show what it is. Sexy Star vs. Mariposa got to bleed, use weapons, fight into the ceiling, etc. All thing things they wouldn’t be allowed to do in WWE. Their match in LU was great, but lets not act like it didn’t have a bunch of smoke and mirrors behind it too.

If they actually had to go out there and have a WWE main event, just a true wrestling match, they would shit the bed. Mariposa is fine but Sexy Star, who I like, can really suck sometimes. Whether she’s with men or women, it’s embarrassing at times seeing these guys have to sell for her. Just in terms of a pure worker, she’s nowhere near Charlotte and Sasha’s league.

I say again, the No Mas match was amazing. But it was amazing because of all the build up which frankly, I give more credit to people writing it and producing it than I do the performers because a lot of the performers in LU, from an acting standpoint, suck.

Charlotte and Sasha went out there and had a great match that the crowd responded to greatly. If Sexy Star and Mariposa had to do so under the same situation, they would shit the bed, because they’re not that good.


----------



## ZEROVampire

No to Ladder War from ROH All Star Extravaganza ***3/4 Recommended but not MOTYC, and GIANT NO to Charlotte vs Sasha Banks, LOL this is a MOTY only becuase those girls is on the RAW Main Event? **1/2


----------



## Martins

Gonna go ahead and put out a YES to Miz/Ziggler at No Mercy. Great, great storytelling. They made me care as much as I possibly could for Dolph Ziggler in 2016 (not that I cared much about him since... ever, really), and I just gotta give it its due just for that. ****+, maybe ****1/4. Awesome stuff. 

NO to Ladder War from All Star Extravaganza though. Fun, violent, spotty, hadn't watched ROH in a long-ass time, but I just don't care much for this type of match. ***1/2 and the first three stars are pretty much all for Daniels, who put on a tremendous performance and took some nasty fuckin' bumps.


----------



## darkclaudio

*YES to Miz/Ziggler from No Mercy (Recommended)*
No to AJ/Cena/Ambrose from No Mercy *3/4


----------



## Ace

*Miz v Ziggler - No Mercy **** - Yes!*


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Meant to add this the other day, but YES! to The Addiction/Young Bucks/Motor City Machine Guns: Ladder War from All Star Extravaganza*


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *The Miz(c) v. Dolph Ziggler*, _SDL's No Mercy_ - ***** 1/2*

My goodness, the raw emotion in this match. Ziggler giving an amazing underdog performance and Miz being the perfect foil to that. Ziggler was against all odds and the true unpredictability of this match added even more. Don't forget about the excellent selling and bumping from Dolph as well.


----------



## Kabraxal

Huge *YES* to the Ziggler/Miz match at No Mercy. There were so many instances I thought it was over and Ziggler was actually gone: Using the spray spot again only for Ziggler to get his foot up on the ropes, the desperate superkick and crawl only for the interference to make it look like it was all going downhill for Ziggler again, then the referee tossing all three from ringside and that superkick to end it..... in ring storytelling and pyschology at its finest. My only wish is that it was the main event, where it would have seemed even more like Ziggler was done only for him to pull it all out. *****

Now I actually have to think about what is my match of the year to this point... I thought Ciampa/Gargano v Revival had it sewn up but suddenly this match comes out of nowhere. Which shouldn't have shocked me considering the last two matches between them were really good.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*The Young Bucks vs. David Finlay & Ricochet - NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling - **** - YES!*

Best Jr. Heavyweight tag match in forever. Finlay was really solid in this, impressed me with his FIP work, and the Bucks ruled as the trash talking, disrespecting heels working over him. Ricochet was an awesome hot tag & then it turned into a great back and forth spotfest. Great match, my favorite one from the show pretty easily.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz - WWE No Mercy 2016 - ****1/4*

A wonderful example of good workrate, storytelling and all-round entertainment coming together in one beautiful package. Great call-backs to their previous matches, and everyone bought all the nearfalls and fake-outs, which was a testamant to how much both guys made us all care. A fantastic culmination to their feud, and both men leave this one looking strong.

EDIT to avoid double post:

*Kyle O'Reilly vs Katsuyori Shibata - NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2016 - *****

Loved the story here of Shibata going up against another so-called 'submission specialist,' leading to lots of technical one-upmanship. Shibata hits the Penalty Kick and could in theory go for a pin attempt, but he's like 'Nope, I'mma choke a bitch!' and is determined to get a submission victory. The visual of the finish was really cool too. Ignore the tired 'delayed suplex selling' we've come to expect from these kinds of matches, and there's a nice grounded match here.


----------



## Mordecay

YES to Miz vs Ziggler No Mercy ****1/2. As far as storytelling goes probably WWE main roster MOTY, maybe tied with Owens-Zayn at Battleground, just a great match, the near falls were perfect, the crowd was into it.

YES to AJ vs Ambrose vs Cena No Mercy **** Good match, but the ending kinda ruin it.

YES to Okada vs Marufuji King of Pro Wrestling ****1/2

YES to Omega vs Goto King of Pro Wrestling **** 1/4


----------



## blink_41sum_182

Okada vs. Marufuji - **** 3/4

Holy fuck that was magical.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Not a fan of Miz vs. Ziggler. There was like 137 dropkicks and clotheslines spammed into it.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Naomichi Marufuji vs Kazuchika Okada - NJPW King of Pro Wrestling - ****1/2*

Well this has just shot straight into my Top 10 for the year. For starters, we had Work Boots Marufuji show up, which is always fun. We also had one of the best examples of delayed selling being used to good effect. The visual of Okada barely being able to move after enduring a series of punishing offensive moves, but his will to win forcing his body to slowly come round, fist in the air, was fantastic. This was hard-hitting and frenetic from the outset, and the closing stretch was phenomenal, edge-of-your-seat stuff.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Trevor Lee vs. Arik Royal - CWF Mid-Atlantic 16th Annual Rumble - ****1/2 - YES!*

Trevor mothafuckin' Lee! He's so great. So, so, so great. His title reign in CWF has been super awesome, maybe the best indy title reign since Nigel's ROH one, and this was his 2nd best defense yet.

I am not familiar at all with Arik Royal, but he was presented as a very big deal by the commentary. They mentioned that he is the longest reigning champ in the company's history, so he obviously is kind of a big deal over there - and he sure performed that way. The dynamic of the match was simple, Arik pretty much dominated the champ, he did some tremendous trash talking to the crowd & Trevor all the way through . Trevor was absolutely great with his facial expressions, selling & comebacks. He looked real vulnerable, and that was what they were going for, obviously. Great storytelling.

Trevor Lee is definitely one of the best in the world right now. He is so, so, so great. If you're not watching his stuff in CWF Mid-Atlantic, you're missing out.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Nobody saying nice things about the new Tiger Mask's debut. It was colorful, cartoony, with good workrate and awful masks. I loved it :usangle


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Bullet Club (Adam Cole & Young Bucks) v. Ricochet, Will Osperay & Matt Sydal* _PWG Battle of Los Angeles: Night 2_ - ***** 1/2*

Not the 5 star affair as touted but a heck of a thrill ride here, I rank this right there with ROH's Ladder War 5 as the best multi-tag matches of the year.


----------



## darkclaudio

No to Adam Cole, Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson vs Ricochet, Will Ospreay & Matt Sydal from PWG BOLA Night 2 **1/2
No to Isami Kodaka (c) vs Masa Takanashi from DDT Sweet Dreams ***1/4 [Mildly Recommended]
No to Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson (c) vs Ricochet & David Finlay from NJPW King of Pro Wrestling **3/4
*Yes to Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto from NJPW King of Pro Wrestling [Recommended]*


----------



## Zatiel

I'm going to need to watch Okada/Marufuji II a second time. Enjoyed it the first time, but feel like I missed something.


----------



## Mordecay

Yesto Adam Cole and The Young Bucks vs Ricochet, Matt Sydal and Will Osprey PWG BOLA 2016 ****1/2. 
Maybe it was my high expectations, but it wasn't the 5 stars match I expected. That been said, really good match and probably the finish sequence this year


----------



## fabi1982

YES!!!!!! Adam Cole and The Young Bucks vs Ricochet, Matt Sydal and Will Osprey PWG BOLA 2016

For the last sequence alone they should deserve a YES, what the actual fuck. They nearly killed themselves like 12 times in the match. Very very very awesome.

And not a MOTYC, but I also loved the tag match with Hero/End vs. Pentagon/Fenix, some great stuff in there as well.


----------



## NastyYaffa

BOLA nominations:

*Chris Hero vs. Jushin Liger - Night 1 - **** - YES!
Chris Hero & Tommy End vs. Fenix & Pentagon Jr. - Night 2 - **** - YES!
Kyle O'Reilly vs. Matt Riddle - Night 2 - ****1/4 - YES!
Adam Cole & The Young Bucks vs. Matt Sydal, Ricochet & Will Ospreay - Night 2 - ****1/2 - YES!
The Young Bucks vs. Fenix & Pentagon Jr. - Night 3 - **** - YES!
Brian Kendrick, Matt Riddle, Pete Dunne, Sami Callihan & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Cedric Alexander, Chuck Taylor, Jeff Cobb, Jushin Liger & Tommy End - Night 3 - **** - YES!*

Hero/Liger featured an amazing Hero heel performance - he truly is the best wrestler in the world right now imo.
Hero & End vs. Fenix & Pentagon was an amazing styles clash between the 2 teams, Hero & End brought their "murder-death-kill" offense, while Pentagon & Fenix did their lucha thing. A damn great match.
O'Reilly/Riddle was a lovely grapplefest. Outstanding PWG debut for Riddle.
The trios match was absolutely insane.
Bucks vs. Fenix & Pentagon had them doing exactly everything you would expect them to do & more.
The 10-man tag was wacky, it had a good atmosphere, fun comedy & interesting interactions. PdubGee, baybay. 

What a great weekend of wrestling. Easily my favorite BOLA in years.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Liger is not slowing down oolala.


----------



## NakNak

*YES TO*
_Kazuchika Okada vs Naomichi Marufuji (NJPW King of Pro Wrestling 2016)_ *****1/2*
Great performance from both guys. I knew so little about Marufuji (I just watched a match he had with Bryan from...2006, I believe. And a match he had with Nakamura. I liked him but didn't loved him. This match was just a phenomenal performance by him, just sensational. The guy, when he hits you, he hits you as hard as he can, and is deadly. Okada as the face of NJPW, but also, fighting for his own pride, was a great story. Everything was great here, the story, the characters, the charisma by both and the in-ring action.

I WANT TO WATCH MORE OF NAOMICHI!!!


----------



## ZEROVampire

*G1 Climax 26 Final Match: Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto ****1/4 YES!!!*


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Hero's Eventually Die vs Pentagon Jr and Fenix was the best tag match of the year tbh. Loved it. 5 star tag team match. Blew my mind at how so many good workers were able to adapt to so many different styles and pull off next level psychology.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Mil Muertes vs. Prince Puma - LU: Season 3, Episode 7 - **** - YES!*

Goddamn, what an absolutely awesome, action packed sprint!


----------



## peep4life

Yes to Okada Marufuji ****1/2 love this revival of Marufuji, he's great

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk


----------



## Rah

Don't know when this match happened or if it's a BoLA spoiler, so I'll wrap it in tags, anyway



Spoiler: PWG BOLA MAYBE IDK



How was Matanza vs Ricochet?


----------



## NastyYaffa

Rah said:


> Don't know when this match happened or if it's a BoLA spoiler, so I'll wrap it in tags, anyway
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler: PWG BOLA MAYBE IDK
> 
> 
> 
> How was Matanza vs Ricochet?


Happened both at BOLA, and in LU. I thought both times it was very disappointing, just never really clicked for me. The general consensus seems to be that both, especially the PWG one, were great though.


----------



## Bruce L

*YES * to the following:

*Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada *from Dominion (June 19). Wary to check this out at the time; everything I read about Naito matches from around that time made me think it'd just be so much LIJ bullshit. Glad I got to this one eventually; no shenanigans (beyond Naito just being a dick) and great performances from both guys. I don't know if Naito is really any _better_ today than he was when New Japan first started seeing him as a main-event-level singles performer, but he's never had anything that worked as well for him as the Ingobernable thing does. Okada, of course, is still the Rainmaker. Long may he reign(make). ★★★★¼

*Yuji Nagata vs. Katsuyori Shibata *from Dominion (June 19). _Stiiiiiiiiiiff._ There are wrestlers whose offense looks good, and there are wrestlers who look like it'd hurt just being in the ring with them. Shibata is the undisputed king of the latter, and for what seems likely to be one last glorious night, Nagata was right there with him. Sometimes two guys looking -- and sounding (dear god, the sounds) -- like they're trying to legit murder each other with elbow strikes is passé. And sometimes a match like this happens. ★★★★¼

*Kota Ibushi vs. T.J. Perkins *in the first Cruiserweight Classic semifinal (aired September 14). The ratings I'm giving this and Nagata/Shibata are making me question my entire ratings system for the year, so I'm gonna have to go back and reevaluate some stuff. (My votes should stay consistent; my snowflakes will likely not.) But man, this was fantastic. You knew Ibushi is great, you likely know Perkins is great; put them in a WWE ring and tell them to put on the kind of match that would've stolen the show in the days when the WCW cruiserweight division was the hottest thing on wrestling TV, and the result is arguably my favorite match of the tournament. It doesn't have Kendrick's virtuoso portrayal of desperation, Alexander's jaw-dropping job interview of a performance, or the built-in story of Gargano/Ciampa, but as I say ad nauseum: More often than not, "two guys are gonna fight; who's gonna win?" is all the story you need. These guys told it beautifully. ★★★★¼


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Drew Gulak vs. Timothy Thatcher - EVOLVE 71 - **** - YES!*

Just a very entertaining, all out, violent brawl. People keep saying that Thatcher has had a bad year or whatever, but I think he's had a damn good year. Probably the best Gulak match I've seen, ever. At least I can't think of a better one off the top of my head.

*Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle - EVOLVE 71 - ****3/4 - YES!*

Was there ANY way that this was gonna disappoint? Chris Hero is having an absolutely legendary year, one of the best years any wrestler has ever had, and Matt Riddle is having a special year as well - top-5 for most outstanding imo. The way these two made everything they did seem 100% compelling & engaging to watch was something else. They make having this kind of matches seem easy. It didn't have epic storytelling like Misawa/Kawada, Danielson/McGuinness or Eddie/Rey - it was just a physical back & forth match between two of the best wrestlers in the world & it was fucking awesome. If Matt Riddle continues to be awesome for the next like 10 years, he will be remembered as an all-time great. It's pretty insane how damn great he has been this year, considering it has been his first full year in pro wrestling.


----------



## Bruce L

*YES *to *T.J. Perkins vs. Matt Riddle* from Evolve 69. Loved this. Riddle is such an awesome tweener; douchey attitude for days, but so damn fun to watch you just have to cheer for him. Perkins has been hit or miss in Evolve for me, but he stepped up his game in a big way for the CWC, and brought that here.

*YES *to *Tetsuya Naito vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima* from the G1. I'm catching up on some of the matches I missed out on in real time, and this one is a doozy. Not sure it packs as much of a punch as Nakajima's matches with Elgin, Shibata, or Nagata, but it does give him the chance for a more well-rounded performance, and he responds well. As good as he looked elsewhere in the tournament, this is the match that reminded me why he was once seen as the future of puro, and makes his recent GHC title win look that much more well-deserved. I understand how this got lost in the shuffle at the time, but now that the constant barrage that was the G1 in real time has faded away, don't sleep on it.

★★★★ for both.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Adam Cole (c) v. Silas Young*, _ROH Road to Final Battle: Lakeland FL._ - ***** 1/4*

Wow ! What a story told here by these two. Heel v. Heel isn't the typical formula, that's how this match started but definitely not how it ended. The story really became apparent when Cole got in control and began bad mouthing Silas about how he's not in his league and from that point on it seemed like Silas had something to prove. Silas felt like a true underdog babyface from that point giving it all he had, taking the beating and continuously coming back he even finally pulled out the peewee ganja plunge. However in the end Cole was just to much and prevailed after a wicked double superkick, florida key, last shot sequence.​


----------



## Dead Seabed

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> *YES* to *Adam Cole (c) v. Silas Young*, _ROH Road to Final Battle: Lakeland FL._ - ***** 1/4*
> 
> Wow ! What a story told here by these two. Heel v. Heel isn't the typical formula, that's how this match started but definitely not how it ended. The story really became apparent when Cole got in control and began bad mouthing Silas about how he's not in his league and from that point on it seemed like Silas had something to prove. Silas felt like a true underdog babyface from that point giving it all he had, taking the beating and continuously coming back he even finally pulled out the peewee ganja plunge. However in the end Cole was just to much and prevailed after a wicked double superkick, florida key, last shot sequence.​


I'm glad that Silas Young is finally picking up steam. He's the Arn Anderson/Stan Hansen type of hairy, sweaty papa bear heel that I miss seeing in wrestling.


----------



## The Black Mirror

*AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena - WWE World Title Triple Threat Match - WWE No Mercy (October 9, 2016) - ★★★¾

Spoilers tag for BOLA. Great weekend of wrestling. There really isn't a bad match at all.

[hide]Jeff Cobb vs. Ricochet - Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 First Round Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night One (September 2, 2016) - ★★★¾

Fenix vs. Will Ospreay - Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 First Round Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night One (September 2, 2016) - ★★★★¼ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Tommy End vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 First Round Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night One (September 2, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Chris Hero & Tommy End vs. Fenix & Pentagon Jr. - Tag Team Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Two (September 3, 2016) - ★★★★½ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Kyle O'Reilly vs. Matthew Riddle - Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 First Round Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Two (September 3, 2016) - ★★★¾

Matt Sydal, Ricochet & Will Ospreay vs. Mount Rushmore 2.0 (Adam Cole, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) - Six Man Tag Team Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Two (September 3, 2016) - ★★★★¾ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

John Hennigan vs. Ricochet - Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 Quarter Final Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Three (September 4, 2016) - ★★★¾

The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) (c) vs. Fenix & Pentagon Jr. - PWG World Tag Team Title Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Three (September 4, 2016) - ★★★★¼ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay - Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 Semi Final Match - PWG World Tag Team Title Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Three (September 4, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Cedric Alexander, Chuck Taylor, Jeff Cobb, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tommy End vs. Brian Kendrick, Matthew Riddle, Pete Dunne, Sami Callihan & Tommaso Ciampa - Ten Man Tag Team Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Three (September 4, 2016) - ★★★¾

Marty Scurll vs. Trevor Lee vs. Will Ospreay - Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 Final Three Way Elimination Match - PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016: Night Three (September 4, 2016) - ★★★¾[/hide]*[hide][/hide]


----------



## Arkham258

So I guess Hell in a Cell wasn't that great judging by the lack of mentions here.


----------



## Stetho

Meh, there's always some guys to claim match of the year on any WWE PPV match, don't worry.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Arkham258 said:


> So I guess Hell in a Cell wasn't that great judging by the lack of mentions here.


.
































No.


----------



## 777

I loved it and it's going on my list. It was my favorite in their series as stands. But I'm not one of these over analysts and I don't do stars, I just watch a lot of wrestling and like what I like.
I didn't get to watch the whole PPV so I do lack some context, but I can't imagine that changing my opinion.

This is why I love this new push for women's wrestling, these ladies were laying that shit in (thank you SDR). My only gripe was the stretcher bit which I found predictable, they fooled my 11 year old though. They told a great story overall, well paced, aggressive as fuck, they sold the malice. Lots of innovative spots, Sasha took some wicked bumps and kept up the long term selling. Charlotte was the fucking beast she is, I love watching her wrestle and it was the right finish imo. I wasn't sure how they'd book it in Boston.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte - WWE Hell In A Cell - ****1/4 - YES!*

Best HIAC match in YEARS. Charlotte & Sasha might have the best in ring chemistry in the company right now - and they absolutely delivered a match worthy of main eventing a PPV. It had great character work, violence, emotion, selling~!, great face-heel dynamic. I have heard some complaints that some of the spots weren't executed properly, but goddamn, I am not looking for Eddie Guerrero & Dean Malenko like sequences in a big time feud no dq matches like this. This was absolutely fantastic.


----------



## Mordecay

*No to Rollins vs Owens *****. Despite being a good match and one of the best HIAC of the PG Era, it isn't even in the top 10 WWE matches of the year, let alone overall.

*BIG NO to Sasha vs Charlotte ****. The match was sloppy, the match went too long, the ending was anticlimatic, the spots never happened, no women is gonna main event a PPV while Vince is still on charge after that


----------



## Ace

*KO v Rollins - *** 3/4 *- Recommend. Good match, but not quite good enough to be a MOTYC.

*Sasha v Charlotte - ** *- Big no, it was a complete mess. No idea why some have rated it so highly, let alone the best in years. It was horrible with the number of botches and overall sloppiness. Even had the crowd out it with the frequent botching.


----------



## 777

Am I like the only one who see 'reality' as not a bad thing, when things go wrong it can add to/subtract from the match when the real world comes knocking. The concept of the 'botch' is a bane on wrestling and leads to a very shitty and unappreciative attitude from fans. Some of the greatest matches are loaded with 'botches' if you take the time to notice, it's horseshit, there's literally no such thing as a 'perfect' match, it's all about the story that's being told and that aspect seems to get lost in the process of picking out imperfections.


----------



## Martins

NO to any of the three HIAC matches (those were the only ones I watched, really), but I did enjoy Sasha/Charlotte because they really did bring the hate and aggression in this one, and more surprisingly, so did Owens and Rollins. About time these two actually felt like they were in a heated feud. That two-table powerbomb spot was damn great.

***1/4-***1/2 for Sasha/Charlotte, a slight edge to Owens/Rollins with ***3/4.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*NO* to every match from _HIAC._

I enjoyed *Rollins v. KO* - **** 3/4 *

I enjoyed *Charlotte v. Sasha* as well - **** 1/2*

But neither are MOTYC's


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

No to hell in the cell period.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Japanese Puroresu said:


> No to hell in the cell period.


At this rate I won't even bother torrenting it :krillin2


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Strange Fashion said:


> At this rate I won't even bother torrenting it :krillin2


Watch Owens vs Rollins. The rest really isn't worth it.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Japanese Puroresu said:


> Watch Owens vs Rollins. The rest really isn't worth it.


Will do. I'll also check how are Rusev's sideburns going along.


----------



## NakNak

*NO - RECOMMENDED* ****3/4*
_TJP vs TBK (HIAC)_
_The New Day vs Cesaro & Sheamus (Raw)_
_Matt Riddle vs Kyle O'Reilly (BOLA)_
_Cody Rhodes vs Marty Scrull (BOLA)_
_Pentagon Jr vs Marty Scrull (BOLA)_
_Tommy End vs Zack Sabre Jr (BOLA)_
_Cedric Alexander vs Mark Haskins (BOLA)_
_Kamaitachi vs Trevor Lee (BOLA)_

*YES* ******

_Kamaitachi vs Dragon Lee (ROH AllStarExtravaganza))_
First time I watched both. I loved both guys. Kamaitachi has the potential to be a fucking star in NJPW. And Dragon Lee did some impressive shit. That's all I can say. Words can't describe it

_LADDER WAR (ROH AllStarExtravaganza))_
A lovely spotfest. And it's always great to watch guys like Daniels, Sabin & Shelley (props to the Bucks for doing their thing and Kaz for...well, being Kaz)

_Chris Hero vs Jushin Thunder Liger (BOLA)_
An icon of the indie scene vs an icon of puroresu (and professional wrestling, overall). Yes, CH looks awful...but fuck, the guy can wrestle his ass off. And Liger is a vet, this match showed it, in a good way. Both guys managed the Reseda crowd very, very well, and I was happy to watch this match, an unique match IMO.

_Cesaro vs Sheamus (NOC)_
HOSS FIGHT. Loved it, even if they had a draw in a best of 7. And I love their current tag team run. Nothing much else to say, just that both guys are BEASTS.

_Charlotte vs Sasha Banks (HIAC)_
I had this at ****1/2...until the ending, which (IMHO) was the only awful thing about this, just anticlimatic, the crowd was confused as fuck. They should've improvised a better finish if the one they had planned didn't work. Other than that, I have no complains at all, this match had emotion and it was agressive (some of those gifs were...yeah, you need to watch the match to know how the match really plays out). Very good match that could be held a lot higher if the end was better.


----------



## Japanese Puroresu

Hero is default wrestler of the year at this point.


----------



## Corey

Japanese Puroresu said:


> Hero is default wrestler of the year at this point.


AJ Styles imo


Keep in mind this is from a guy who doesn't care for Hero though.


----------



## NakNak

Corey said:


> AJ Styles imo
> 
> 
> Keep in mind this is from a guy who doesn't care for Hero though.


AJ Styles, no doubt.
But Chris Hero has been really, really good this year (this coming from a guy who isn't the biggest CH fan either, and critizes him for his look)


----------



## Mordecay

Probably the 3 best wrestlers this year are AJ, Omega, Hero with Okada as a close 4th, even a 3b


----------



## NastyYaffa

Japanese Puroresu said:


> Hero is default wrestler of the year at this point.


Without a doubt. And he still has matches vs. Riddle, Shibata & Ishii coming up :sodone What a legendary year.

As for AJ Styles, he's had a solid year, but I personally don't see him being a serious WOTYC. He's currently sitting at #31 on my Most Outstanding of the Year list.


----------



## Corey

NastyYaffa said:


> As for AJ Styles, he's had a solid year, but I personally don't see him being a serious WOTYC. He's currently sitting at #31 on my Most Outstanding of the Year list.


I have to ask to see this list out of curiosity. I can't come anywhere close to thinking of 30 wrestlers that have been individually better than AJ.


----------



## 777

AJ has been a WOTYC every year for a decade or more and this was probably his best year in terms of success if not match quality, but those matches have been excellent as well. I can't see him not being in the conversation, seems like a weird stance. And I'm not even personally a big AJ fan but it seems like not including him would be throwing every measure of objectivity out the window.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Corey said:


> I have to ask to see this list out of curiosity. I can't come anywhere close to thinking of 30 wrestlers that have been individually better than AJ.





> *Chris Hero - 97.25
> Zack Sabre, Jr. - 79.5
> Katsuyori Shibata - 69.25
> Matt Riddle - 60.25
> Trevor Lee - 56.25
> Ricochet - 40.25
> Kenny Omega - 39.75
> The Young Bucks - 38.75
> Fenix - 38.0
> Tomohiro Ishii - 36.5
> Roderick Strong - 35.25
> KUSHIDA - 34.5
> Sami Callihan - 34.0
> Sami Zayn - 32.5
> Kazuchika Okada - 31.75
> Hiroshi Tanahashi - 30.75
> Jeff Cobb - 30.5
> Cesaro - 30.0
> Timothy Thatcher - 30.0
> Tetsuya Naito - 28.5
> Charlotte - 28.25
> Pentagon Jr. - 27.5
> Katsuhiko Nakajima - 26.75
> Michael Elgin - 26.25
> Sheamus - 26.25
> Kyle O'Reilly - 26.0
> Roman Reigns - 26.0
> Sasha Banks - 24.75
> Mil Muertes - 24.5
> Will Ospreay - 24.0
> AJ Styles - 23.75*


I also put their scores there, so you can get a better picture of where I view AJ at. He's definitely had a solid year, but nowhere near as good as his 2015. In terms of success (big debut, winning the world championship, being a legit main eventer) he's a WOTY candidate, and he'll likely get named WON's WOTY - it's between him & Naito imo, but I do not see him as a Most Outstanding candidate.


----------



## Mordecay

NastyYaffa said:


> I also put their scores there, so you can get a better picture of where I view AJ at. He's definitely had a solid year, but nowhere near as good as his 2015. In terms of success (big debut, winning the world championship, being a legit main eventer) he's a WOTY candidate, and he'll likely get named WON's WOTY - it's between him & Naito imo, but I do not see him as a Most Outstanding candidate.


I know is your opinion, but in what world Sheamus, Cesaro, Charlotte and Sasha have been better than AJ this year? Just curious, because from a in ring standpoint, promos or kayfabe accomplishments no one comes even close to him, let alone being better


----------



## NastyYaffa

Mordecay said:


> I know is your opinion, but in what world Sheamus, Cesaro, Charlotte and Sasha have been better than AJ this year? Just curious, because from a in ring standpoint, promos or kayfabe accomplishments no one comes even close to him, let alone being better


Cesaro:
vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (Money In The Bank) - ***1/2
vs. Alberto Del Rio (SmackDown 06/23) - ***3/4
vs. Sheamus (RAW 08/08) - ***3/4
vs. Sheamus (SummerSlam Kickoff) - ***1/2
vs. Sheamus (RAW 08/29) - ***3/4
vs. Sheamus (RAW 09/12) - ****
vs. Sheamus (RAW 09/19) - ****
vs. Sheamus (Clash of Champions) - ***3/4

Charlotte:
vs. Natalya (Roadblock) - ***1/2
vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (WrestleMania 32) - ****1/2
vs. Sasha Banks (RAW 07/25) - ***3/4
vs. Sasha Banks (SummerSlam) - ***3/4
vs. Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (Clash of Champions) - ****1/2
vs. Sasha Banks (RAW 10/03) - ****
vs. Sasha Banks (Hell In A Cell) - ****1/4


Sheamus:
vs. Chris Jericho vs. Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn (RAW 07/25) - ***1/2
vs. Cesaro (RAW 08/08) - ***3/4
vs. Cesaro (SummerSlam Kickoff) - ***1/2
vs. Cesaro (RAW 08/29) - ***3/4
vs. Cesaro (RAW 09/12) - ****
vs. Cesaro (RAW 09/19) - ****
vs. Cesaro (Clash of Champions) - ***3/4

Sasha:
vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte (WrestleMania 32) - ****1/2
vs. Charlotte (RAW 07/25) - ***3/4
vs. Charlotte (SummerSlam) - ***3/4
vs. Bayley vs. Charlotte (Clash of Champions) - ****1/2
vs. Charlotte (RAW 10/03) - ****
vs. Charlotte (Hell In A Cell) - ****1/4

Styles:
vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Wrestle Kingdom 10) - ****1/2
w/ Chris Jericho vs. The New Day (RAW 03/07) - ***1/2
vs. Roman Reigns (Payback) - ***3/4
vs. Roman Reigns (Extreme Rules) - ****1/2
w/ The Club vs. Big Cass, Enzo Amore & John Cena (Battleground) - ***1/2
vs. Dean Ambrose (Backlash) - ****

^ Those matches are what make the cases for them (for me). What hurts AJ's case the most is the fact that I really hated his PPV matches vs. Jericho & Cena.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following:

CIMA & Dragon Kid vs. Jimmy Susumu & Jimmy Kagetora: The Gate Of Destiny 2016

I'm amazed at how despite his age, DK was incredible in this match. That Rana towards the end :banderas

Susumu & Kagetora have been great champs, but I'm glad CIMA & DK won the Twin Gate belts here.*


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

AJ Styles, Chris Hero, Tetsuya Naito, Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Katsuyori Shibata, Adam Cole, KUSHIDA, Tomohiro Ishii & Michael Elgin.

Would probably be my top 10 of the year as far as in-ring goes and as far as what I watch.


----------



## darkclaudio

My top 10 wrestlers of the year: Naito, Okabayashi, Okada, Omega, Ishikawa, Miyahara, Tanahashi, Kodaka, Sekimoto & KUSHIDA.

AJ Styles run for WWE is really disappointing for me.


----------



## Corey

@NastyYaffa what do the scores represent? Idk how those numbers would be calculated so I'm curious to know. Do you use a number system to attach to your ratings and add them up and get a total?

I could be wrong, but I thought you may have nominated AJ's Smackdown match vs. Dolph Ziggler in here a while back too? Maybe not. What about that 4-way number one contender's match from RAW as well?

I just think AJ's catalog has been excellent this year, especially when you consider how many different opponents he's worked with and delivered in the process. That always gets bonus points from me, when you work guys who have so many different styles and it goes well.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Corey said:


> @NastyYaffa what do the scores represent? Idk how those numbers would be calculated so I'm curious to know. Do you use a number system to attach to your ratings and add them up and get a total?
> 
> I could be wrong, but I thought you may have nominated AJ's Smackdown match vs. Dolph Ziggler in here a while back too? Maybe not. What about that 4-way number one contender's match from RAW as well?
> 
> I just think AJ's catalog has been excellent this year, especially when you consider how many different opponents he's worked with and delivered in the process. That always gets bonus points from me, when you work guys who have so many different styles and it goes well.


The scores are like this; AJ's match vs. Nakamura was 4.5 stars. Then his match was Reigns was 4.5 as well. So you just count 4.5 + 4.5 and you get 9. I add every ***1/2 to my list, and add those into the wrestlers' score. 

Also you're definitely wrong when it comes to the Ziggler match, I gave it 2 stars.  And the 4-way I gave **3/4 to. Pretty good match, but nothing special imo.

I definitely get that if you are a fan of his pimped WWE matches, then he is up there as one of the best wrestlers of the year, but as I mentioned, the Jericho & Cena matches were really awful imo, so that takes a lot of points off of him.


----------



## Ace

Corey said:


> @NastyYaffa what do the scores represent? Idk how those numbers would be calculated so I'm curious to know. Do you use a number system to attach to your ratings and add them up and get a total?
> 
> I could be wrong, but I thought you may have nominated AJ's Smackdown match vs. Dolph Ziggler in here a while back too? Maybe not. What about that 4-way number one contender's match from RAW as well?
> 
> I just think AJ's catalog has been excellent this year, especially when you consider how many different opponents he's worked with and delivered in the process. That always gets bonus points from me, when you work guys who have so many different styles and it goes well.


 I wouldn't bother, dude adds a star or 2 to women's matches and shits on a ton of AJ's matches. Anyone who thinks *Roman Reigns*, *Sasha Banks (has become a regular on Botchamania), Sheamus (don't think he'd be struggling to get fans invested if he were better than AJ)*, *ZSJ (had a dud in the CWC and probably hurt his chances of being picked up)*, *Cesaro (over rated as hell, and a big spot monkey) *and *Charlotte* have had better years than AJ probably aren't worth the time of day.

Fair enough not liking his match against Cena at SS, but the match at MITB was excellent and much better than anything the women have done on the main roster in the last 2 years.

I just had a good laugh reading through all his match ratings :lmao

Dude is sexist af and probably doesn't realize it.

WM 32 triple threat and that horrible triple threat at CoC rated the same as AJ/Nak at WK 10 :mj4

Botches and lack of crispness ruin matches. There's so many times where I watch a women's match and think wow, this is so fake or this is so bad. They (the women in the WWE) lack the crispness, selling and athletic ability to make matches great/classics.

You cannot possibly rate that mess at HIAC anything more than 3 stars after all the botches they had in it. The crowd wasn't dejected half way through because Sasha lost, they knew it was a train wreck of a match where 90% of the spots were botched or looked horrible. They realized it was a mistake putting two women in a HIAC, especially Sasha who isn't big enough for a HIAC match.


----------



## 2Pieced

Ace said:


> I wouldn't bother, dude adds a star or 2 to women's matches and shits on a ton of AJ's matches. Anyone who thinks Sasha Banks, Sheamus, Cesaro and Charlotte have had better years than AJ probably aren't worth the time of day.
> 
> Fair enough not liking his match against Cena at SS, but the match at MITB was excellent and much better than anything the women have done on the main roster in the last 2 years.
> 
> I just had a good laugh reading through all his match ratings :lmao
> 
> Dude is sexist af and probably doesn't realize it.
> 
> WM 32 triple threat and that horrible triple threat at CoC rated the same as AJ/Nak at WK 10 :mj4
> 
> Dude needs to realize botches and lack of crispness ruins matches. There's so many times where I watch a women's match and think wow, this is so fake or so bad. They (the women in the WWE) lack the crispness and athletic ability to make matches great/classics.
> 
> You cannot possibly rate that mess at HIAC anything more than 3 stars after all the botches they had in it. The crowd wasn't dejected half way through because Sasha lost, they knew it was a train wreck of a match where 90% of the spots were botched or looked horrible. They realized it was a mistake putting two women in a HIAC, especially Sasha who isn't big enough for a HIAC match.


People could easily accuse you of being sexist in the negative fashion when they read read your posts about women's wrestling aswell. People see things differently.

It's all just opinions in the end, i wouldn't rate Sasha as high in rankings and would have Styles top 5 personally but i'm not going to kill anyone who feels differently.


----------



## Ace

darkclaudio said:


> My top 10 wrestlers of the year: Naito, Okabayashi, Okada, Omega, Ishikawa, Miyahara, Tanahashi, Kodaka, Sekimoto & KUSHIDA.
> 
> *AJ Styles run for WWE is really disappointing for me.*


 This is a valid criticism, but it has a lot to do with the WWE style (spot focused, multiple finishers, zero storytelling and little selling) and overbooking of matches to protect talent. If were to make a top 20 or even 50 list of matches this year, I don't we'd get 1 WWE match in it.



2Pieced said:


> People could easily accuse you of being sexist in the negative fashion when they read read your posts about women's wrestling aswell. People see things differently.
> 
> It's all just opinions in the end, i wouldn't rate Sasha as high in rankings and would have Styles top 5 personally but i'm not going to kill anyone who feels differently.


 I can admit Manami Toyota is better than AJ Styles (possibly even HBK), but if someone says Sasha, Charlotte, Roman, Sheamus, Cesaro etc. have had better years than AJ, of course I'm going to call them out on it. It's nonsense.

I find it irritating when I see morons overrating women's matches just because they're women. That's sexist as you're acknowledging they need to be marked easier as they're inferior (white knights take).

And that may be the case (being seen as a sexist because of my opinions on WWE's women's division), but I've had enough of these moronic white knights. The women in the WWE (read that carefully) are horrible, no need to sugarcoat it just because they aren't completely hopeless now and given more time to perform (at a slightly higher level). With all that said, Asuka is actually a pretty good wrestler.


----------



## 2Pieced

Ace said:


> This is a valid criticism, but it has a lot to do with the WWE style (spot focused, multiple finishers, zero storytelling and little selling) and overbooking of matches to protect talent. If were to make a top 20 or even 50 list of matches this year, I don't we'd get 1 WWE match in it.
> 
> I can admit Manami Toyota is better than AJ Styles (possibly even HBK), but if someone says Sasha, Charlotte, Roman, Sheamus, Cesaro etc. have had better years than AJ, of course I'm going to call them out on it. It's nonsense.
> 
> I find it irritating when I see morons overrating women's matches just because they're women. That's sexist as you're acknowledging they need to be marked easier as they're inferior (white knights take).
> 
> And that may be the case (being seen as a sexist because of my opinions on WWE's women's division), but I've had enough of these moronic white knights. The women in the WWE (read that carefully) are horrible, no need to sugarcoat it just because they aren't completely hopeless now and given more time to perform (at a slightly higher level). With all that said, Asuka is actually a pretty good wrestler.


I think with anything you will get a bit of both some are too harsh in their evaluations of matches and some are too lenient, not sure if that evens itself out but you won't get one without the other.

In terms of your point about crispness i can see that but to me how i feel about that depends on the match i think they are trying to have. 

If it's obvious that the wrestlers are trying to have a smooth technical wrestling match and it just feels off i would mark down but if they are having an aggressive match and brawling and it's not crisp it won't bother me that much. Now because it's not crisp it wouldn't get close to 5 stars or anything but i could still mark it in the 4 star range if the other things worked for me.


----------



## Ace

2Pieced said:


> I think with anything you will get a bit of both some are too harsh in their evaluations of matches and some are too lenient, not sure if that evens itself out but you won't get one without the other.
> 
> In terms of your point about crispness i can see that but to me how i feel about that depends on the match i think they are trying to have.
> 
> If it's obvious that the wrestlers are trying to have a smooth technical wrestling match and it just feels off i would mark down but if they are having an aggressive match and brawling and it's not crisp it won't bother me that much. Now because it's not crisp it wouldn't get close to 5 stars or anything but i could still mark it in the 4 star range if the other things worked for me.


 The idea of pro wrestling is to make it real as possible without actually hurting your opponent... The reason I rate AJ so highly is because he is so damn crisp, athletic and adaptable. As SCSA said, he makes it look like a real athletic competition.

I get the opposite feeling from the women which completely zones me out of their matches. It _*always*_ looks like a disjointed mess with multiple botches or spots where they almost kill each other for a damn pop. They aren't talented or skilled enough to execute most of the complicated moves they attempt to do.


----------



## NastyYaffa

Ace said:


> I wouldn't bother, dude adds a star or 2 to women's matches and shits on a ton of AJ's matches. Anyone who thinks *Roman Reigns*, *Sasha Banks (has become a regular on Botchamania), Sheamus (don't think he'd be struggling to get fans invested if he were better than AJ)*, *ZSJ (had a dud in the CWC and probably hurt his chances of being picked up)*, *Cesaro (over rated as hell, and a big spot monkey) *and *Charlotte* have had better years than AJ probably aren't worth the time of day.
> 
> Fair enough not liking his match against Cena at SS, but the match at MITB was excellent and much better than anything the women have done on the main roster in the last 2 years.
> 
> I just had a good laugh reading through all his match ratings :lmao
> 
> Dude is sexist af and probably doesn't realize it.
> 
> WM 32 triple threat and that horrible triple threat at CoC rated the same as AJ/Nak at WK 10 :mj4
> 
> Botches and lack of crispness ruin matches. There's so many times where I watch a women's match and think wow, this is so fake or this is so bad. They (the women in the WWE) lack the crispness, selling and athletic ability to make matches great/classics.
> 
> You cannot possibly rate that mess at HIAC anything more than 3 stars after all the botches they had in it. The crowd wasn't dejected half way through because Sasha lost, they knew it was a train wreck of a match where 90% of the spots were botched or looked horrible. They realized it was a mistake putting two women in a HIAC, especially Sasha who isn't big enough for a HIAC match.


Brother, I have been a fan of AJ Styles for over 10 years. I like him a lot more than I like Sasha, Charlotte, Cesaro & Sheamus. Once you understand that your opinions aren't facts & that there are people w/ different opinions, your time here will be much less stressful. I think your rage about this is pretty damn cute though.


----------



## Rah

Discussion and debate on who the better wrestler is is great. Not so much when it doesn't involve basis to an argument and is just insult spewing.



> Cesaro (over rated as hell, and a big spot monkey)


????


----------



## LilOlMe

I think AJ's been far more impressive in WWE than he has been in NJPW, which is quite shocking. How good he is in the WWE environment has really emphasized how good he is in general. He makes everyone he's in the ring with look like a million bucks. I haven't seen a wrestler as balls to the walls as he has been in the WWE this year, in quite some time. His level of commitment in every single match is insane. 

And I agree, btw, that Cesaro is overrated. He's good, but there's a superficial quality to the way he wrestles that bugs me. It's in the presentation, I think. Sami Zayn is the same way, but it's worse in his case. The way he shock his arm so overdramatically to drive home the point that his arm hurt against Kevin Owens made me want to reach through the screen and choke him.

Having said all that, the recent Cesaro vs. Sheamus matches have been really good.


----------



## NastyYaffa

NastyYaffa said:


> *Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle - EVOLVE 71 - ****3/4 - YES!*
> 
> Was there ANY way that this was gonna disappoint? Chris Hero is having an absolutely legendary year, one of the best years any wrestler has ever had, and Matt Riddle is having a special year as well - top-5 for most outstanding imo. The way these two made everything they did seem 100% compelling & engaging to watch was something else. They make having this kind of matches seem easy. It didn't have epic storytelling like Misawa/Kawada, Danielson/McGuinness or Eddie/Rey - it was just a physical back & forth match between two of the best wrestlers in the world & it was fucking awesome. If Matt Riddle continues to be awesome for the next like 10 years, he will be remembered as an all-time great. It's pretty insane how damn great he has been this year, considering it has been his first full year in pro wrestling.


^ This got uploaded to YouTube for free by Gabe. I highly recommend everybody to check it out.


----------



## Bruce L

*YES *to Cena vs. Styles from SummerSlam. Finally got to this, and was initially wondering what was going to set it apart from all the other "Cena vs. former IWC darling" matches where they just trade control and finishers back and forth with little rhyme or reason; this opinion seemed confirmed when we saw AA _and_ Styles Clash kickouts in the first 10 minutes. Eventually, though, the story they were telling made itself known, and A.J. reminded me that he's a much bigger deal than Rollins or Owens or even my beloved Cesaro. These guys are equals, and this was actually in the vein of the Cena/Punk classics or Cena/Bryan from SummerSlam '13. Even knowing how it ended, and even with how much clean wins over Cena aren't what they used to be, the finish brought a smile to my face like little else in wrestling this year. ****1/2

*YES *also to Zack Sabre Jr vs. Drew Gulak from Evolve back in March. Great technical match, on par with some of the better Benoit/Regal bouts IMO. Of course, ZSJ is no Benoit or Regal in terms of making sure everything he does has a purpose beyond flash, but his slickness is a gift from the wrestling gods in itself -- and anyway, whatever he lacks there, Gulak more than makes up for. Great story of them being relatively equal during the feeling-out process, but ZSJ getting outclassed when Drew got aggressive and having to evolve beyond his go-to flashy armbar counters on the fly to get the win. I still think I like the Ospreay match a little better, but this might be an equal highlight of the "Best in the World" series. ****1/2


----------



## TripleG

We are a week into November, and honestly, I highly doubt anything is going to top Sexy Star Vs. Mariposa in the No Mas Match for me. Unless something amazing happens in less than two months, that's my MOTY for 2016.


----------



## darkclaudio

from Dragon Gate Gate of Destiny 2016:
No to Open The Brave Gate Title: Eita (c) vs Flamita [Mildly Recommended]
No to Open The Triangle Gate Title: Genki Horiguchi HAGee.Mee !!, Ryo "Jimmy" Saito & Jimmy Kanda (c) vs T-Hawk, "brother" YASSHI & Cyber Kong vs Masaaki Mochizuki, Peter Kaasa & Big R Shimizu [Mildly Recommended]
*Yes to Open The Twin Gate Unified Tag Team Title: Jimmy Susumu & Jimmy Kagetora (c) vs CIMA & Dragon Kid [Recommended]
**Yes to Akira Tozawa, Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi vs YAMATO, Shingo Takagi & BxB Hulk [Recommended]*


----------



## Martins

Just watched Riddle/Hero from Evolve 71 and I *still* can't figure out what you guys see in him, tbh. A million elbows, a million bicycle kicks, a million sentons, three fucking piledrivers and then the match ends with an indistinguishable elbow to the back of the head. Along with Riddle's mediocre offense. Riveting stuff right there.

Though I am surprised he didn't spit on/give the finger to Riddle like he does every other match to show his FIGHTING SPIRIT~

How this guy can be called the best in the world/wrestler of the year right now, when a guy like AJ Styles has been showing the world how you can make an opponent look like a million bucks while making yourself stand out nonetheless with amazing pacing and fluidity in your offensive, I honestly don't get it.


----------



## El Dandy

Martins said:


> Just watched Riddle/Hero from Evolve 71 and I *still* can't figure out what you guys see in him, tbh. A million elbows, a million bicycle kicks, a million sentons, three fucking piledrivers and then the match ends with an indistinguishable elbow to the back of the head. Along with Riddle's mediocre offense. Riveting stuff right there.
> 
> Though I am surprised he didn't spit on/give the finger to Riddle like he does every other match to show his FIGHTING SPIRIT~
> 
> How this guy can be called the best in the world/wrestler of the year right now, when a guy like AJ Styles has been showing the world how you can make an opponent look like a million bucks while making yourself stand out nonetheless with amazing pacing and fluidity in your offensive, I honestly don't get it.


Just depends on who you like and what you like watching tbh

I say that as somebody who is in the "no pls" to Chris Hero camp 

:con2


----------



## Martins

El Dandy said:


> *Just depends on who you like and what you like watching tbh*
> 
> I say that as somebody who is in the "no pls" to Chris Hero camp
> 
> :con2


Now I realize I probably came off more aggressive in my opinion than I meant to there. I'm very prone to hyperbole tbh  wasn't really trying to shit on anyone's opinions and tastes at all, what I meant is that I just don't see the appeal. Fuckin' thigh slaps, man.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Martins said:


> Fuckin' thigh slaps, man.


Chris Hero in a nutshell. Reminds me of when RoH Steen used to kiss/spit on/bite people every match and everyone applauded him as the greatest thing ever because of it lmao.


----------



## darkclaudio

*Yes to Saikyou Tag League - Strong Block Semi Final: Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi vs Kohei Sato & Shuji Ishikawa [Recommended Match]*
*Yes to Saikyou Tag League - Final: 
*


Spoiler: Final



Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi vs Yuko Miyamoto & Isami Kodaka [Recommended Match]


----------



## NastyYaffa

Another free EVOLVE match! Gave this one ****, so I'd definitely say it's worth watching.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs SANADA - NJPW Power Struggle 2016 - ****1/4*

That Slingblade on the apron followed by Tanahashi's deadpan look to the camera was GOAT-worthy (and at the very least needs to be a GIF). Perfect pacing here, and I loved them building to the top rope moves, both completely missing them at first until SANADA had to use his injured knees to block the attack. Good limb work too with SANADA selling the leg very well and Tanahashi lightly selling the arm work. If SANADA keeps up with singles performances like this, he could be a key player for New Japan next year.


----------



## ZEROVampire

No to both Strong BJ matches in BJW Saikyou Tag League final show. Really good matches but not MOTYC calibre for me, but still very recommended ***1/2 and......

LOL i watched here a long list with WWE MOTYCS? That's fun, the unique WWE match with **** for me is Zayn-Nakamura. WWE really sucks this year


----------



## Arkham258

Prince Puma vs Mil Muertes - Grave Consequences match from Lucha Underground's "Ready for War" episode on 11/9/16

Great, great match. I don't know if it tops the classic original with Fenix (and I'm not counting the GRAVEST Consequences match with Matanza as it's technically a different match type), but it was a hell of a fun ride with some great spots. Puma and Mil don't disappoint when they are in the ring together as two of LU's top talents. Everyone had to know going in that this would be great

Highly recommended:

Famous B versus Mascarita Sagrada in a Believers Backlash match

This was a great opener and the crowd was thoroughly into it. It would been match of the night were it not for Grave Consequences. This was just a fun, fun kind of match that you're only gonna see in Lucha Underground. For a little guy, Mascarita can entertain a crowd and is super over and Famous B is just a damn good, old school feeling, heel manager. And Beautiful Brenda is one of the most entertaining female characters in wrestling right now not named Allie. LU has such great diversity and here we had a great match with a mini involved. 

And sandwiched between the great opener and great closing match was a pretty decent little 5 on 5 match too. Great hour of wrestling tonight.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Mil Muertes vs. Prince Puma - LU: Season 3, Episode 10 - ****1/2 - YES!*

These two have such a great chemistry with each other. A great main event match at Ultima Lucha, the awesome 8 minute sprint that aired few weeks ago & now this - their best match yet. Puma's performance kinda reminded me of AJ's performance in Reigns/Styles II - his bumping was excellent, and to put it simply, he just went all out. Muertes also proved that he truly is one of the best monster wrestlers in the world right now. One of the top-3 best LU Matches ever so far imo.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*NO* to *Chris Hero v. Matt Riddle*, _Evolve: 71_ - **** 1/2*

I thought this was a fun match but as a fan of both men's work in the ring, this was definitely not a MOTYC. It was physical which I enjoyed but a lot of things just felt wasted or out of place.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Just watched Hero vs. Riddle and it's a really nice match but







the weird fetishist imagery. You got Riddle wearing nothing but underwear and then you have Hero's pasty as fuck vitamin D deficient flabby genderless body, looking like an old japanese waifu mid sex change. I would never show that to anyone besides other equally shameful wrestling nerds.


----------



## Arkham258

Yes - Aztec Warfare III

They're 3 for 3 now. This match always delivers and is ALWAYS better than WWE's Royal Rumble. Definitely 4 stars, I might even go 4 and a half. I need to watch it again.


----------



## fabi1982

Yes to Aztec Warfare III - what an enjoyable match this was!!


----------



## it's squezzy bitch

it's a no from me on aztec warefare 3, lacked in star power and had one too many jobbers and guys being squashed, plus the awful ending of sexy star not even being able to execute a simple fucking stomp whilst a bunch of planted feminists in the crowd were cheering her on.


----------



## NastyYaffa

The Best In The World had quite a week last week:

*Chris Hero vs. Tomohiro Ishii - RPW Global Wars - Night 1 - ***** - YES!*
Well, this was everything I hoped it to be & more. One of my favorite matches ever. Just watch it.

*Chris Hero vs. Katsuyori Shibata - RPW Global Wars - Night 2 - ****1/2 - YES!*
A war. Hard hitting, ugly, stiff classic.

*Chris Hero vs. Tracy Williams - EVOLVE 72 - ****1/2 - YES!*
A well told underdog story, with non-stop action from start to finish.

*Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle - EVOLVE 73 - ****3/4 - YES!*
This gave me some Danielson vs. Morishima Man Up vibes, just an extremely fun sprint brawl with Hero being an absolutely amazing working on top, and Riddle being a fantastic underdog. 

Also:
*Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Gulak - EVOLVE 72 - ****1/2 - YES!*
Such an unique match. Thatcher is looking more & more comfortable in his current heel role, and Gulak gave the best performance of his career - such a rockin' babyface performance. Fantastic match.


----------



## ENCIRE

Forget MOTYC, the body of work Hero has done this year is makes him wrestler of the year. That being said, Ishii vs. Okada from this years G1 CLIMAX is the match of the year.


----------



## Groovemachine

*Chris Hero vs Tomohiro Ishii - RevPro/NJPW Global Wars Night One - ****1/4*

As you might expect with these two together in the ring, the Fighting Spirit exhibited in this is almost off the scale and was admittedly at my upper threshold! But it was surrounded by some fabulous work from both men. Loved Hero hurting his hand on Ishii's rock hard skull, that was a neat touch. Others will undoubtedly love it even more than me, but suffice to say it's everything you'd want from an Ishii/Hero match.

*Chris Hero vs Katsuyori Shibata - RevPro/NJPW Global Wars Night Two - *****

Surprisingly short, they started off with some simple groundwork and built rapidly to the crazy strike exchanges you'd expect. Shibata's tenaciousness is fantastic here, and his resilience to Hero's punishment is what carries this match.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Chris Hero & Tommy End vs. Sami Callihan & Zack Sabre, Jr. - EVOLVE 53 - ****3/4 - YES!*

When I first watched this back in January, I thought it was 'just' very good, but my god, after just watching it again, my appreciation level for the match went super high. This honestly felt like a 90's All Japan tag match, with great storytelling & hard hitting action from start to finish. And once again, Chris Hero showcased why he truly is the best wrestler in the world. Goddamn what a masterful performance by the man. ZSJ, Callihan & End were really, really, REALLY good, but Hero was on another level. BITW. 

Serious contender for the best 2-on-2 tag match in American wrestling history IMO. Up there w/ Clash of the Champions 17 & Tag Title Classic.


----------



## antoniomare007

*The Revival vs #DIY* (what a horrible fucking name smh)* - NXT Takerover Toronto*

Let's see:

-Great crowd. The corny chants were reduced to a minimum and they were into everything, great atmosphere.
-Great heel performances. The Reivival keep being awesome at this.
-Good face performances. Perfect foils for Dash and Dawson's antics. Really good fire and emotional (though not "perfect") selling
-Great story. This has been building up for a while, had good call backs and followed the simple southern tag dynamic that never fails when it's executed correctly. 
-Great drama. I jumped for a couple of nearfalls and submissions.

There was nothing bad or wrong with this match.

Yeah, MOTY for me.


----------



## Corey

Just gonna ballpark a **** 1/2 and an obvious YES for Revival vs. DIY 2 out of 3 Falls. That was some seriously amazing storytelling and emotion. Chemistry between those two teams is off the charts.


----------



## peep4life

Revival DIY- ***** Yeah, it was that good

Sent from my SM-G928V using Tapatalk


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Yes to #DIY vs The Revival - NXT Takeover Toronto- *****
-Great heel work by the Revival
-Great babyface work by Gargano
-Good wrestling
-Tremendous drama and storytelling


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *The Revival (c) v. #DIY*, _NXT Takeover: Toronto_ - ***** 1/2*

Excellent chemistry & story-telling. This match had everything a great tag team matched needed and more.

Also 

*YES* to *Chris Hero v. Tomohiro Ishii*, _RPW Global Wars 2016_ - ***** 1/4*

Match definitely won't be for everyone, a lot of no-selling but I enjoyed it.


----------



## Dead Seabed

I see a lot of reviews don't arrive here until the shows are up on XWT 

*No* to Chris Hero v. Tomohiro Ishii, RPW Global Wars 2016 - **** 

The match was tremendous, but I can't nominate it for a MOTY when Ishii already had THAT match against Okada at G1. Also, it did suffer a bit for Hero's thigh slap syndrome.


----------



## NastyYaffa

NastyYaffa said:


> Serious contender for the best 2-on-2 tag match in American wrestling history IMO. Up there w/ Clash of the Champions 17 & Tag Title Classic.


Just when I post this, The Revival & DIY go out there & deliver the best non-All Japan 2-on-2 tag match I've ever seen. ***** & YES.


----------



## Oneiros

This is my first post on this thread, so YES to the following 2016 matches:

Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)
Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)
Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)
Mil Muertes vs Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr. (Lucha Underground 09/03)
Sexy Star vs Mariposa - No Mas Match
Aztec Warfare 3
Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa (CWC Round 1)
Kota Ibushi vs Brian Kendrick (CWC Quarterfinals)


----------



## Martins

*YES* to fucking DIY VS The Revival from Takeover: Toronto, Jesus fucking Christ :sodone as someone who loved the bouts between AA and The Revival, and as someone who didn't much care for these four guys' first match, I'm surprised at how much I loved this. I mean, The Revival are absolutely incredible, but I never really gave much of a shit about Gargano or Ciampa, but they did make me care here. A lot. Kudos to every guy in this match. *****1/2-****3/4*

*NO* to Hero/Ishii from RPW Global Wars, BUT: I did enjoy it and thought Chris Hero worked quite the pleasant match and toned his thigh-slapping habits down a notch :hunter motherfucker still couldn't help giving Ishii the finger of course, but I won't complain; pretty fun bout.


----------



## Dead Seabed

TakeOver is downloading so sloooooow, and it's almost 5 gbs :woo


----------



## NakNak

Strange Fashion said:


> TakeOver is downloading so sloooooow, and it's almost 5 gbs :woo


Funny, my Takeover copy it's 1.82GBs :sk

*YES*
_#DIY vs The Revival (WWE NXT Takeover Toronto)_ ******* 
Tag team MOTY, by far, no matter what company we are talking about. Normally I don't use this phrase, but damn, this was an Instant Classic. The Revival is the best tag team on professional wrestling at the moment, all of their big matches have been great since winning the titles the 1st time (vs Enzo/Cass at London & Roadblock, vs AA at Dallas & The End; and vs #DIY at Brooklyn & Toronto), even their TV matches have been very good (vs AA 2-3 falls, vs 100 & Cedric, etc). Gargano is the best babyface in the entire company (aside from Sami Zayn) and Ciampa is one of the most intense guys on WWE, reminds me of Chris Benoit in that sense (speaking on his intensity in the ring, mind you). All 4 guys did their job flawlessly. I will go as far to say that this FIGHT was one of the best matches I've ever seen, and one of the best in the history of the company. Probably top 5 tag team matches ever. The psychology, the crowd, the intensity, wow...not ONE dull moment at all. 

You can say I'm doing a blowjob to this match the way I'm talking about it. But it is that DAMN good and it's a match that I'll have no problem in showing to people that I know that don't know anything about professional wrestling at all.

Top guys.

*YES*
_Tomohiro Ishii vs Chris Hero (RPW Global Wars 2016 Night 1)_ *******
Chris Hero, even with his belly, is a damn good wrestler. And Tomohiro Ishii is the most intense guy on Pro Wrestling at the moment. This was a HOSS battle and I LOVED EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT. No more words can describe this. HOSS IT OUT; BOYZ!

*NO - RECOMMENDED*
_Katsuyori Shibata vs Chris Hero (RPW Global Wars Night 2)_ ****3/4*
This felt...eh. It could've been so much better. But I enjoyed it regardless. Shibata is STIFF as fuck.

*NO - RECOMMENDED*
_Samoa Joe is Godzilla_ (vs Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE NXT Takeover Toronto) 
Performance from Samoa Joe -> *******
Match -> ****3/4*
Nakamura is just phoning it in. His last great match was against Sami, and his last good to great match was against Aries. His matches against Joe have been a letdown. But Joe, ever since his fight against Bálor at Dallas, has been on a path of destruction. This guy deserves to be on the main roster NOW, even if he won the NXT title again. I can't wait for HOSS battles against Strowman or Lesnar. As much as I like SDL, I kind of want Joe on Raw. Reigns/Joe is sort of a dream match for me (yeah, whatever, it's my opinion). JOE IS GONNA KILL YOU MOTHERFUCKER!

*HONORABLE MENTIONS*
_Bobby Roode vs Tye Dillinger (WWE NXT Takeover Toronto)_ ****1/2*
_Mickie James vs Asuka (WWE NXT Takeover Toronto)_ ****1/2*
Very good matches. The crowd was hot for Tye vs Rooooo P) and Mickie suprised me.


----------



## NastyYaffa

NakNak said:


> _Samoa Joe is Godzilla_ (vs Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE NXT Takeover Toronto)
> Performance from Samoa Joe -> *******
> Match -> ****3/4*


I have it at the same rating. Joe's performance was so fucking great, watching him on the offense is always a pleasure & his character work was tremendous. Such a shame that Nakamura gave his usual robotic performance & dragged the match down.


----------



## hgr423

Rating the NXT tag ***** is a bit rich in my opinion. It was not one of the best matches of all time, but it was a great tag match and Ciampa/Gargano are absolutely wonderful. ****


----------



## Mordecay

**** 3/4 for DIY vs The Revival and WWE MOTY. Just everything was great, one of the best tag team matches I've ever seen


----------



## Bruce L

*YES *to Revival/Gargano & Ciampa from Toronto. My goodness that was wonderful. Probably over-the-top to call it historically great, as some seem to be, but it's definitely the Revival's best match so far, which says quite a lot considering they've been on a run of ****+ matches this year. ****1/2 for me.

I really liked Roode/Dillinger, too.


----------



## Martins

Borderline *YES* to Lesnar VS Goldberg. Really solid work by Lesnar on the midsection in the beginning, no fancy moves being thrown around in favour of some really good psychology. A bit on the long side, but managed to remain some really engaging action nonetheless. Lesnar was a *BEAST* at selling those ribs, too. That finishing stretch though, hoo boy. Really fitting ending (or is it?) to what was a very well-handled feud. *****+ *


----------



## Natecore

GOLDBERG VS LESNAR

FIVE MOTHERFUCKING MARK OUT SMILIES!!!!!!!!!!!

:mark: :mark: :mark: :mark: :mark:


----------



## Saintpat

The three matches I've seen this year that stand out most to me as possible MOTY candidates (and I don't watch much Japanese wrestling) are:

Rivival vs. DIY at Takeover Toronto

Nakamura vs. Zayn in NXT

Prince Puma vs. Rey Mysterio in Lucha Underground

What they have in common is great storytelling.


----------



## Corey

Will likely be on my own with this, but I'm gonna throw out a *YES to the Team RAW vs. Team Smackdown Men's Survivor Series Elimination Match.*

Not a perfect match by any means, but IMO the positives far outweighed the negatives here and they kept me entertained for over 50 minutes. The finish was a monstrous markout moment for myself and there were so many other great moments throughout. RKOs outta nowhere, huge table spots, SHIELD reuniting, Shane killing himself like he always does, and another hilarious Ellsworth moment. Only thing I didn't care for was Owens getting DQed (and the crowd didn't like either) but oh well, this night was about the Wyatts. Loved it.


----------



## Dead Seabed

The Revival vs. DIY - ***** 1/2*

This is the undisputed tag team MOTY and I seriously doubt something could surpass it at this point. That being said, I also seriously doubt anything can surpass it in the near future either.

On a side note, Samoa Joe is a superbeast and should murder-rape the whole NXT roster. Then move him to the "main roster" and let him repeat the same.


----------



## fabi1982

The Revival vs. DIY - YES


----------



## Ronny

The Revival vs DIY - ****3/4 HELL YES


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*I finally got caught up to LU after falling behind for a few weeks. Man, I missed some great shit.

YES! to the following:

Prince Puma vs. Matanza

Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes: Grave Consequences 

Aztec Warfare III
*


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. - WWNLive Mercury Rising - ***** - YES!*

I 'only' went ***3/4 on this back in April, but on a re-watch, I was absolutely blown away. My rating could change when I'll do my MOTYC re-watch in a few weeks, but as of now I am giving it the big 5. Even better than their all-time great PWG classic from 2015 - you got Hero as the pissed off big veteran bully & ZSJ as the equally pissed off technical wizard underdog. Both parties played their roles to perfection, it's no secret that I think that Hero is without a doubt the best wrestler in the world right now, and his performance in this match was marvelous. ZSJ also showed the most fire I have ever seen him show, and it was the perfect foil against Hero's trashtalking bully act. Hero just beating down ZSJ & ZSJ answering with those sick submissions, ankle & arm work = :mark::mark::mark: My god what a match!

And yes, Hero DID give ZSJ THE FINGER @Martins 

*Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. - EVOLVE 60 - ****1/2 - YES!*

The story of Mercury Rising was that Zack's emotions got the better of him, so here he was his usual stoic self. He got more offense in that he did at Mercury Rising, but it still wasn't enough to beat Hero (who gave a brilliant performance, unsurprisingly). These 2 are magic together.

*Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks - WWE RAW 11/28 - **** - YES!*

After HIAC I said that these two might just have the best in ring chemistry in the company right now, and I still stand by statement. Another awesome match between them.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

I'll throw a *YES* to *Sasha v. Charlotte*, _Raw: 11/28/2016_ - ******

Their matches this year have underwhelmed either through excessive sloppiness or things just not going their way but this match was finally the one they needed to have. They were physical, made it feel like a real brawl and didn't seem to pressed. Their series had yet to deliver a great match (a lot weren't even good) but I would call this one great. I thoroughly enjoyed this.


----------



## DJMathers127

Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte was great and they got to go out there and deliver another exciting match in their rivalry


----------



## gothamshady

I'll throw a YES to Sasha v. Charlotte, Raw: 11/28/2016


----------



## DJMathers127

I would recommend American Alpha vs. The Wyatt Family from Smackdown last night


----------



## Arkham258

I don't know if it's MOTY worthy, but the one hour gauntlet match between Pentagon Dark and the Black Lotus triad is some of the best inter gender wrestling you'll see on TV. It's highly recommended. From tonight's "Breaker of Bones" episode of LU (11/30/16). The talent from Stardom makes their formal debut in Lucha Underground, and could probably give WWE's Horsewomen and Asuka a run for their money as awesome female wrestlers


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Adam Cole v. Jay Lethal II*, _ROH: Reach For the Sky (London)_ - ***** 1/2*

:sodone:sodone:sodone

My goodness what a match, honestly didn't think it would be as good as their Death Before Dishonor encounter but wow this could definitely put a fight with it. While the overall storytelling in the DBD match was better this match I dare to say had better inring work. Man, Cole worked a vicious heel absolutely destroying Jay's leg and Jay's selling was impeccable. You almost had to root for Lethal the way he kept fighting. And don't think this match didn't have a story because they built off of their DBD match whereas Lethal then was looking for revenge but this time he had a plan and it nearly worked. What a match, these two have some of the best chemistry in ROH tbh.


----------



## Joshi Judas

Pentagon Dark vs Black Lotus Triad ****1/2

Big fat *YES*


Bah GAWD, what an adrenaline rush. Io Shirai is a goddess and my new waifu.

Y'know, as much as I've always appreciated LU's take on gender equality in pro wrestling, I've never been fully onboard because Sexy Star just isn't very good, Ivelisse is just decent, Black Lotus is pretty bad and Cobra Moon is shit. I'm a big fan of Melissa so seeing Mariposa was a delight, and Taya takes some tough bumps, but Io Shirai aka Hitokiri is the kind of woman they need.

She just looks and works so good in there. All my usual complaints about Sasha/Charlotte were forgotten while watching her and Pentagon inflict violence upon each other.


Here's her looking happier and doing the Tanahashi pose alongside the Rainmaker, just because.


----------



## Stetho

YES to the Pentagon vs Triad match!
Felt like Grave Consequences to me.


----------



## it's squezzy bitch

a yes to pentagon jr vs the black lotus triad, the match kept me entertained for the full hour without a single second of my mind wondering elsewhere and it told a cool story by the end of it all.


----------



## ArnDaddy

No to Grave Cosequence 3 and Aztec Warfare 3 from me but yes to the Pentagon - Black Lotus Triad match, Easily my fave match of S3 so far (No Mas is still my MOTY 2016 though...just)


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Gonna throw a *YES* to *Adam Cole (c) v. Kyle O'Reilly*, _ROH's Final Battle 2016_ - ***** 1/4*

Gonna have to rewatch this but very _very_ brutal match. Not sure if it topped their killer match from SCOHX this year but it may have came close. An all out war, the result may not have been what some wanted but it was the final payoff.


----------



## 777

Say what you will about the status of the pro wrestling industry currently, but in terms of quality 'wrestlng' we just keep getting quality matches from around the globe constantly. I fucking love this stuff.


----------



## Martins

*YES* to fucking Pentagón Dark VS the Black Lotus Triad. Thought I was watching Kill Bill at times, that shit was fantastic.

I dunno shit about joshi, but I'd at least obviously heard of Io Shirai (holy fuck, can this woman take a beating and dish it out just as well) and Kairi Hojo, and all three women were great here. The crown jewel of LU intergender matches.

*****1/4*


----------



## Brock

Not often i'm in here and i don't give star ratings to matches anymore, and i don't watch a million promotions every week, but i do watch PWG and i am nominating:

_Ricochet, Will Ospreay & Matt Sydal vs. Adam Cole & The Young Bucks (PWG Battle Of Los Angeles 2016 Night 2)_

Some of the fucking best 'flippy-dippy shit' right here and i enjoyed it SOOOOO MUCH.


----------



## Joshi Judas

About the Pentagon vs Triad match, I've already given my thoughts about Io Shirai and how good she was. Hojo/Doku was great as well, throwing some great strikes and taking a hell of a beating. Yurei/Iwatani really didn't put much behind her strikes though, although I was impressed with her athletic ability.

But I wanna take a moment to appreciate just how dark and twisted Pentagon was in this match. He made it so much memorable, with how much pain he was dishing out and how much he was relishing it. What a despicable villain, yet so fascinating to watch. I felt like a part of the believers in the temple, cringing at the punishment the women were taking but at the same time wanting Pentagon to keep it up. Also loved when the ladies gave it back to him. Great stuff.


----------



## Ace

*Pentagon - Black Lotus Triad **** 1/2 - YES*

What a match and what a talent Io is. If there was ever a company trying to sell women being as good as the men, she would be the first person you sign. Going to be checking out more of her work now.



Orochimaru Sama said:


> Pentagon Dark vs Black Lotus Triad ****1/2
> 
> Big fat *YES*
> 
> 
> Bah GAWD, what an adrenaline rush. Io Shirai is a goddess and my new waifu.
> 
> Y'know, as much as I've always appreciated LU's take on gender equality in pro wrestling, I've never been fully onboard because Sexy Star just isn't very good, Ivelisse is just decent, Black Lotus is pretty bad and Cobra Moon is shit. I'm a big fan of Melissa so seeing Mariposa was a delight, and Taya takes some tough bumps, but Io Shirai aka Hitokiri is the kind of woman they need.
> 
> She just looks and works so good in there. All my usual complaints about Sasha/Charlotte were forgotten while watching her and Pentagon inflict violence upon each other.
> 
> 
> Here's her looking happier and doing the Tanahashi pose alongside the Rainmaker, just because.


 How the hell has she not been a big name in the industry? The girl can work, it amazes me I've heard so little of her up until a month or so back when Dave reported the WWE were interested in signing her.


----------



## Arkham258

Orochimaru Sama said:


> About the Pentagon vs Triad match, I've already given my thoughts about Io Shirai and how good she was. Hojo/Doku was great as well, throwing some great strikes and taking a hell of a beating. Yurei/Iwatani really didn't put much behind her strikes though, although I was impressed with her athletic ability.
> 
> But I wanna take a moment to appreciate just how dark and twisted Pentagon was in this match. He made it so much memorable, with how much pain he was dishing out and how much he was relishing it. What a despicable villain, yet so fascinating to watch. I felt like a part of the believers in the temple, cringing at the punishment the women were taking but at the same time wanting Pentagon to keep it up. Also loved when the ladies gave it back to him. Great stuff.


You know, I have complained a lot lately about LU crowds and how they pop for heels like Pentagon and boo faces. It can hurt the stories Lucha Underground is trying to tell. However, the crowd was great in this match. They were heavily behind Pentagon, but the Triad was regularly able to swing the crowd in their favor. Ultimately, this was a crowd cheering for violence. And even though Pentagon is their favorite, when it came time for him to get his arm broken, the crowd was amped up and even chanting for the Triad to do it

It works for a couple of reasons. One, is that while I consider Black Lotus the face in this feud, she is a character with a lot of darkness to her. So you can argue that there was no clear cut face/heel dynamics here. Also, this is an underground fight club like Bloodsport, and the owner of the whole thing routinely extols the virtues of violence. And in this match, whoever was dishing out the most violence got cheered. It's actually kind of interesting seeing such a bloodthirsty audience as it's not a normal thing in wrestling. I mean you had people chanting for arms to get broken

A lot of times it frustrates me that the crowd is so heavily behind Pentagon when he's such a big heel, but it sort of works here since his opponents are not clear cut faces, and the fact that those women swung the crowd in their favor is an impressive feat, particularly with this being the first real match they've had.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Drew Gulak vs. Mike Quackenbush - CHIKARA Supremacy - **** - YES!*

Great CHIKARA swan song for Gulak - you can watch it for free on CHIKARA's facebook page. Highly recommended!


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

Although I hated the finish *YES* to *AJ Styles (c) v. Dean Ambrose*, _TLC 2016_ - ***** 3/4*

This match was simply incredible, the action was off the charts. Honestly had it gotten a clean finish, I wouldn't have spotted a flaw in the match. I believe the action actually topped their match at Backlash as they worked extremely hard. Don't wanna spoil anything but definitely check this out.​


----------



## Mordecay

Yes to AJ Styles vs Dean Ambrose TLC match ****1/2

AJ is the best wrestler in the world this year and Dean being an expert in gimmicky matches I expected a lot from this match and it lived up to my expectations. Sadly, it also lived up to the finish I expected, when that chinless troll came and ruined everything, but a great match. That 450 to the outside wens3


----------



## Corey

**** 1/4 and a YES for Styles/Ambrose TLC. The bumps were fucking phenomenal and AJ's selling was top notch as usual. Only things I didn't care for were Dean's slow as hell climbing and the fact that I didn't entirely buy any of the false finishes because of it.

Finish was GREAT. :mark:


----------



## ShadowSucks92

No to everything from TLC. I wish I could give a yes to Ambrose vs AJ but that finish was shit, really took away from the match


----------



## NastyYaffa

I didn't enjoy AJ vs. Ambrose from last night at all. Slow & way too long.


----------



## Ace

*AJ Styles v Dean Ambrose (TLC) - Yes. **** 3/4*

Loved it, fantastic spots and engaging throughout, both men delivered on the night and put on the WWE MOTY IMO.

Sure the end was predictable, but the action for 95% of it is more than enough to cover up for it.


*Charlotte v Sasha Banks, Raw - 11/28 - No. ****

Good TV match, but was slow and sloppy. I can see why some may have enjoyed it but not crisp enough for my liking.


----------



## NastyYaffa

*Matt Riddle vs. Will Ospreay - PROGRESS Chapter 39: The Graps of Wrath - ****1/2 - YES!*

This was about 8 minutes long, and it might just be the best sub-10 min match I've ever seen. On a first watch, I'd even rank it better than Hashimoto vs. Zangiev. Matt Riddle, man he is so special. His first full year in the business & he already is one of the absolute best. I loved the story they told with Riddle basically being better than Ospreay in everything except for FLIPS. Ospreay was real solid as the flippy underdog & he showed just enough fire + then you combine that with Riddle's badass looking offense, and as a result you get one helluva match.


----------



## Leon Knuckles

Dragon Lee vs Will Ospreay vs Marty Scrull (c)
ROH FINAL BATTLE 2016
****1/2

#DIY vs The Revival (c)
*****
NXT TAKEOVER TORONTO


----------



## Dead Seabed

*NO* to Styles vs. Ambrose the match. *YES* to Styles vs. Ambrose the butt crack kada


----------



## Undertaker23RKO

AJ Styles vs Dean Ambrose-TLC

YES ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Yes, to the following match:

Pentagon Dark vs. The Black Lotus Triad: Lucha Underground (11/30/2016)

Man, LU has had a great fucking season so far. *


----------



## Zatiel

YES to Timothy Thatcher Vs. Matt Riddle: No Holds Barred from EVOLVE 66. Riddle has come so far this year that it's sick. Thatcher always brings the intensity, but he's best in these kinds of matches where his character really wants to injure the other guy. His heel hooks were great, as were the ways he used the ropes at multiple points. This lived up to the first NHB between Thatcher and Busick for me.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

*YES* to *Adam Cole v. Will Ospreay*, _Progress Ch. 40: Intercepted Angel_ - ***** 3/4*

Now this is how you do an exhibition match to near perfection, these guys really put it all out here. They told a great story with Ospreay never saying die here while Cole would never let off. Cole played the perfect cocky vengeful heel while Will was the beloved underdog face. I thought their match in NJPW left a lot on the table but this was the exact opposite they brought the absolute best out of each other tallying in some of their best work of the year. The action really built to the action pact work instead of just blowing their load early on. Excellent, excellent match here. Great way to close the year for both men.


----------



## ShadowSucks92

Yes to Adam Cole vs Will O'Spreay - Progress Chapter 40- ****1/2- Easily Adam Cole's best match of 2016 and so much better than their NJPW encounter (which was disappointing IMO), O'Spreay just continues to shine and continues to have MOTN in Progress, did I prefer this over his encounter with Riddle, not sure, would have to rewatch it but still amazing


----------



## NastyYaffa

Gonna give a YES vote to last night's Iron Man match between Sasha & Charlotte. I really loved it - well paced, it built well & the last portions of the match w/ Charlotte targeting Sasha's knee were amazing.


----------



## Mordecay

Well. since there probably won't be good matches until the next year (don't know much about the indies schedule) but I will leave my top of this year with A LOT of honourable mentions:

*Honourable mentions*

AJ Styles vs John Cena Summerslam
AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura Wrestle Kingdom 10
Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto G1 Climax Finals 
Tomohiiro Ishii vs Kazuchika Okada G1 Climax
The Miz vs Dolph Ziggler No Mercy
Adam Cole & The Young Bucks vs Ricochet, Matt Sydal and Will Osprey Battle of Los Angeles Night 02
The Young Bucks vs Pentagon Jr. and Fenix Battle of Los Angeles Night 03
AJ Styles and Chris Jericho vs The New Day RAW
Tomasso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano Cruserweight Classic
Kota Ibushi vs TJ Perkins Cruserweight Classic
Gran Metalik vs Tajiri Cruserweight Classic
Gran Metalik vs Akira Tozawa Cruserweight Classic

*TOP 10*

1. Kazuchika Okada vs Hiroshi Tanahashi Wrestle Kingdom 10
2. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn NXT Takeover Dallas
3. Tomohiro Ishii vs Katsuyori Shibata Wrestle Kingdom 10
4. Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito G1 Climax
5. Kazuchika Okada vs Naomichi Marufuji King of Pro Wrestling
6. DIY vs The Revival NXT Takeover Toronto
7. Kota Ibushi vs Cedric Alexander Cruserweight Classic
8. Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn Battleground
9. AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns Extreme Rules
10. Cesaro vs The Miz vs Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn Extreme Rules

Well, that was harder than I thought it would be, a lot of matches in Honourable mentions could easily be in the top 10


----------



## 777

I guess it is that time of year again. Super hard, plenty of amazing wrestling this year.

10. Kota Ibushi vs Brian Kendrick - CWC (This is my personal oddball pick that seems to have flown under the radar of most)
9. Young Bucks vs Pentagon Jr. + Fenix - PWG BOLA
8. Will Ospreay vs Ricochet - NJPW BOSJ
7. Pagano vs Psycho Clown - Triplemania XXIV
6. Kushida vs Taiji Ishimori - NJPW Super J Cup
5. Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano - CWC
4. AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura - NJPW WK10
3. Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn - Battleground
2. The Revival vs DIY - NXT Takeover Toronto
1. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn - NXT Takeover Dallas


----------



## Concrete

Woo! No Hechicero vs. ***** Casas? No Lupus vs. Trauma II? 

Check yourselves.


----------



## TripleG

Well, the year is pretty much over and unless something AMAZING happens in the next 11 days, I can still say that Sexy Star Vs. Mariposa in the No Mas Match from Lucha Underground is my match of the year. 

2nd year in a row that a Womens Match is my MOTY (last year was Sasha/Bayley in NXT Brooklyn). Never thought that would ever happen to be honest.


----------



## Dead Seabed

Ishii vs. Shibata at WK still stands on top for me. 

Revival vs. DIY for tag teams.


----------



## dukenukem3do

Kota Ibushi vs Brian Kendrick-CWC
Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito-NJPW G1


----------



## ShadowSucks92

I'm only gonna list my top 5 matches:

5) Ishii vs Okada 
4) Revival vs #DIY - NXT Takeover Toronto
3) Naito vs Omega
2) AJ Styles vs Nakamura - WK 10
1) Nakamura vs Sami Zayn - NXT Takeover Dallas


----------



## Arkham258

TripleG said:


> Well, the year is pretty much over and unless something AMAZING happens in the next 11 days, I can still say that Sexy Star Vs. Mariposa in the No Mas Match from Lucha Underground is my match of the year.


Same here, though my wrestling watching has been predominantly focused on LU so I haven't seen a lot of the other matches in this thread. LU has made it harder for me to watch other wrestling shows because I've become accustomed to its heavy focus on story telling. *No Mas* is my number one

I will say that my second favorite match of the year may be *Pentagon Dark vs the Black Lotus Triad*. 

Third is *Aztec Warfare II*

My other favorites are in no particular order:

_Aztec Warfare III_ - AW matches always feature great action and story telling. This was pretty much the same. I loved Sexy's win. It's historic, and it's a slap in the face of WWE's Women's Revolution. Also, it shows LU's attention to detail. In the first AW, Sexy made it to the final 4 before being eliminated by Mil Muertes. This was her payback as she pinned him here to become LU champion

_Mack vs Cage Falls Count Anywhere at Ultima Lucha Dos_ - These two are so good together and they are 1 to 1 against each other. I feel like this match should be an Ultima Lucha tradition

_Famous B vs Mascarita Sagrada in a Believers Backlash Match_ - Pure comedy gold. Mascarita is always over. Famous B's selling is great. Beautiful Brenda's quirky commentary is always fun in any match where she is at ringside (only rivaled by the nonstop entertaining chatter we hear from Jack Evans in his matches) and she even got to become part of the action here. And lastly, Son of Havoc is another super over guy so his involvement here was great too
_
The Battle of the Bulls 4 Way Match on 12/14/16 involving Mariposa, Jeremiah Crane, Kill Shot and Dante Fox_. - All four were amazing in this match, and the action got really intense once chairs made it into the match. Mariposa in particular stood out, as this is the most bad ass she's looked in any Lucha Underground match. She hit some crazy spots like a Tower of Doom onto a stack of chairs (and one chair had its legs up!), a really neat looking counter into a stunner, and a fucking vertebreaker onto a frigging chair. And then there was her rampage in the middle of the match where she hit everyone in the match with a chair 2 or 3 times per person. It was awesome! And between this, the Gauntlet match between The Triad and Pentagon, and Sexy's brief run as LU champ, women in LU are looking like the most badass ladies in televised, North American wrestling right now.

In fact, fuck it, I'm going to give it a recommendation since no one else has. *YES* to The Battle of the Bulls 4 Way Match on 12/14/16 with Mariposa, Crane, Killshot and Fox. A match so good it didn't just get this is awesome chants, but also a that WAS awesome chant after the match

I'm hoping Sexy vs Mundo in a Cage Match for the title this week delivers another great match before this year ends.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck

My *Top 10 Matches of the Year*:

1.) Tetsuya Naito v. Kenny Omega, G1 Climax 26.

2.) Hiroshi Tanahashi v. Kazuchika Okada, Wrestlekingdom 10.

3.) Adam Cole v. Will Ospreay, Progress Ch. 40, Intercepted Angel.

4.) Adam Cole v. Jay Lethal, Death Before Dishonor.

5.) Tetsuya Naito v. Michael Elgin, G1 Climax 26.

6.) Tomohiro Ishii v. Kazuchika Okada, G1 Climax 26.

7.) Marty Scrull v. Chris Hero, Progress Ch. 31, All Hail the New Puritans

8.) Dolph Ziggler v. The Miz, SDL: No Mercy.

9.) Kenny Omega v. Hirooki Goto, G1 Climax 26: Finals.

10.) The Revival v. #DIY, NXT Takeover: Toronto.


----------



## El Dandy

I don't follow much of WWE and only saw 2 of their matches this year (Nakamura/Zayn and Goldberg/Lesnar lel), but as I understand it it's been a great year in the ring for them so I'm not trying to shortchange them. That being said my 10 favorites:

1. Naito v Omega - NJPW G1 Climax
2. Tanahashi v Okada - NJPW WrestleKingdom
3. Ishii v Shibata - NJPW WrestleKingdom 
4. Ishii v Okada - NJPW G1 Climax
5. Sekimoto v Zeus - AJPW Champion Carnival
6. Kento v Sekimoto - AJPW Super Power Series
7. KUSHIDA v O'Reilly - NJPW BOSJ
8. Naito v Ishii - New Japan Cup
9. Nakamura v Zayn - NXT Takeover
10. Okabayashi/Go v Sekimoto/Hino - Fortune Dream


----------



## Bruce L

My Top 10, compiled despite my shameful negligence of my page 1 list...



New Japan — Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega (G1 Climax)


New Japan — Shinsuke Nakamura vs. A.J. Styles (Wrestle Kingdom)


New Japan — Kazuchika Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji (King of Pro Wrestling)


New Japan — Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii (G1 Climax)


Evolve — Zack Sabre Jr vs. Will Ospreay (Evolve 58)


WWE — Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)


WWE — The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa (NXT TakeOver: Toronto)


New Japan — Kazuchika Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji (G1 Climax)


Evolve — Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay (Evolve 59)


WWE — American Alpha vs. the Revival (NXT TakeOver: The End)


----------



## Corey

Have to give a *YES* to the *Charlotte/Sasha Ironman Match*. The last 10 minutes and overtime were fantastic and the visual of Sasha _just_ missing that bottom rope as she's dragged away with blood running down her face and her ankle about to snap is just incredible. I've always been a fan of Sasha but this match just gave me a wild emotional attachment to her. Both times she tapped I honestly wanted to break out in tears. :lol Sometimes wrestling can do that to ya and that's what makes it so great, ya know?


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Nearly forgot to mention these matches: 

No, but would still recommend the following: CIMA, Masaaki Mochizuki, Gamma, Don Fujii, & Dragon Kid vs. Ben-K, Shun Skywalker, Hyou Watanabe, Yuki Yoshioka, & Katsumi Takashima: Fantastic Gate Day 1

And Kotoka, Masato Yoshino, & Naruki Doi vs. Shingo Takagi, T-Hawk, & El Lindaman: Fantastic Gate Day 1

While they weren't MOTYCs, they were awesome tag matches.*


----------



## Neathe

May be worth noting EVOLVE is the only promotion from which I find reason to watch full shows.

My few five:

1. Tracy Williams vs Drew Gulak **** 3/4 (EVOLVE 75)
2. AJ Styles vs Roman Reigns **** 1/2 (WWE Payback)
3. AJ Styles vs Zack Sabre Jr. **** 1/2 (Rev Pro High Stakes)
4. Zack Sabre Jr vs Katsuyori Shibata **** 1/2 (Rev Pro Global Wars Night 1)
5. Zack Sabre Jr vs Ricochet **** 1/2 (EVOLVE 69)


----------



## Joshi Judas

Have been really busy this year so haven't watched much wrestling at all. I'll just name a top 5.


1. Tanahashi vs Okada, WK 10
2. Okada vs Ishii, G1 Climax
3. Nakamura vs Zayn, NXT Takeover Dallas
4. Omega vs Naito, G1 Climax
5. The Revival vs DIY, NXT Takeover: The End

HMs:

1. Ibushi vs Kendrick, CWC
2. Ibushi vs Cedric Alexander, CWC
3. Aztec Warfare II
4. Okada vs Marufuji, G1 Climax
5. Styles vs Reigns, Extreme Rules


----------



## Natecore

When it's all said and done my favorite match from 2016 is:

1) Austin Aries and Roderick Strong vs Otis Dozovich and Tucker Knight
NXT TV Oct 19th

I'll never forget the first time I saw Otis Dozovich!!!! :mark:

2) Bullet Club (Guns/Gallows/Bucks) vs ROH Champs (Lethal/Strong/War Machine) @ ROH Duluth, GA

3) Bullet Club (Bucks/Cole) vs War Machine & Moose
ROH BITW

4) War Machine vs Pretty Boy Killers: Shane Taylor and Keith Lee
ROH TV October

5) Nakamura vs Zayn
NXT Dallas

6) Cedric Alexander vs Ibushi
CWC

7) Jay Lethal vs Jay Briscoe
ROH BITW

8) American Alpha vs The Revival
NXT Center Stage House Show

9) Y2AJ vs New Day
Raw

10 A) Miz vs Cesaro vs Zayn vs Owens
Extreme Rules

10 B) Owens vs Zayn
Battleground 

Honorable Mention
Goldberg vs Lesnar. Incredible match. Best thing I've ever seen in prowrestling. Not sure even I (the lover of brilliant 5 minute TV matches) can call a 90 second squash the MOTY.


----------



## theshape31

Match of the Year 2016:

NXT Women's Championship
*Bayley (c) vs Asuka*
_NXT TakeOver: Dallas, April 1st_


----------



## ellthom

For WWE related only wrestling matches for me my top 10 is...

1.	Gargano and Ciampa v The Revival: NxT TakeOver Toronto
2.	Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura: NxT TakeOver Dallas
3.	American Alpha vs The Revival, NxT TakeOver Dallas 
4.	Cedric Alexander v Kota Ibushi, CWC 
5.	Miz v Dolph Ziggler No Mercy
6.	John Cena v AJ Styles Summerslam 2016
7.	Kevin Owens v Sami Zayn, Battleground 2016
8.	TJ Perkins v Kota Ibushi: CWC Finals
9.	Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens, Payback 2016
10.	Revival vs American Alpha, NxT TakeOver The End


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*YES! to the following matches:

Jimmy Susumu, Ryo "Jimmy" Saito, & Jimmy Kanda vs. Cyber Kong, El Lindaman & Mondai Ryu, vs. Kotoka, Masato Yoshino & Ben-K (Dragon Gate: Final Gate 2016)

CIMA & Dragon Kid vs. Shingo Takagi & T-Hawk (Dragon Gate: Final Gate 2016)*


----------



## Jersey

WWE: AJ STYLES vs Roman Reigns Extreme Rules

Non WWE: Matt Sydal, Riccochet & Will Ospeay vs Bullet Club


----------



## NastyYaffa

Just got done doing my ****1/2+ MOTYC re-watch project, so here's my top-50~!

*******
*1. Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE NXT Takeover: Dallas)
2. Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa (WWE NXT Takeover: Toronto)
3. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)*

*****3/4*
*4. Marty Scurll vs. Chris Hero (PROGRESS Chapter 31: All Hail The New Puritans)
5. Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW G1 Climax 26 - Day 18)
6. Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (WWNLive Mercury Rising)
7. Matt Riddle vs. Will Ospreay (PROGRESS Chapter 39: The Graps of Wrath)
8. Chris Hero vs. Tomohiro Ishii (RPW Global Wars - Night 1)
9. Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles (WWE Extreme Rules)
10. Hirooki Goto vs. Kenny Omega (NJPW G1 Climax 26 - Finals)
11. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW G1 Climax 26 - Day 8)
12. Brian Kendrick vs. Kota Ibushi (WWE Cruiserweight Classic - Episode 8)
13. Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong (EVOLVE 64)
14. Chris Hero & Tommy End vs. Sami Callihan & Zack Sabre, Jr. (EVOLVE 53)
15. Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle (EVOLVE 73)
16. Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle (EVOLVE 71)*

*****1/2*
*17. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE Hell In A Cell)
18. Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (EVOLVE 60)
19. Kota Ibushi vs. TJ Perkins (WWE Cruiserweight Classic - Episode 10)
20. Chris Hero vs. Mark Andrews (PROGRESS Chapter 30: Super Strong Style 16 Tournament)
21. Trevor Lee vs. Andrew Everett (CWF Mid-Atlantic: Absolute Justice)
22. Roderick Strong vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (PWG All Star Weekend 12 - Night 2)
23. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (WWE Battleground)
24. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)
25. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE Roadblock: End of the Line)
26. Kazuchika Okada vs. Naomichi Marufuji (NJPW G1 Climax 26 - Day 1)
27. Adam Cole & The Young Bucks vs. Matt Sydal, Ricochet & Will Ospreay (PWG Battle of Los Angeles - Night 2)
28. Gran Metalik vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. (WWE Cruiserweight Classic - Episode 10)
29. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10)
30. Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa (WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn)
31. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Chris Hero (RPW Global Wars - Night 2)
32. Cedric Alexander vs. Kota Ibushi (WWE Cruiserweight Classic - Episode 5)
33. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW G1 Climax 26 - Day 4)
34. Mil Muertes vs. Fenix (Lucha Underground: Season 2, Episode 8)
35. Mil Muertes vs. Prince Puma (Lucha Underground: Season 3, Episode 10)
36. Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Gulak (EVOLVE 72)
37. Chris Hero vs. Tracy Williams (EVOLVE 72)
38. Trevor Lee vs. Arik Royal (CWF Mid-Atlantic: 16th Annual Rumble)
39. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW G1 Climax 26 - Day 11)
40. Kenny Omega vs. Michael Elgin (NJPW Dominion)
41. Matt Riddle vs. Tommy End (EVOLVE 67)*

*****1/4*
*42. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW Invasion Attack)
43. Timothy Thatcher vs. Chris Hero (EVOLVE 62)
44. Austin Aries vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE NXT Takeover: The End)
45. Finn Bálor vs. Samoa Joe (WWE NXT Takeover: Dallas)
46. Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW New Japan Cup - Day 2)
47. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (WWE WrestleMania 32)
48. Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr. (AAW United We Stand)
49. Roderick Strong vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW Honor Rising - Day 1)
50. Prince Puma vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. (Lucha Underground: Ultima Lucha II)*

What an amazing year of rasslin. 2017 is gonna have a tough time topping this.


----------



## 777

Nice to see Ibushi/Kendrick getting the love it deserves in this thread. I enjoyed it more than the Alexander/Perkins matches in that it had added layers, particularly the level of brutality and the subsequent selling. That turnbuckle kneck breaker? Goddam!

I'm also getting the feeling not a lot of people have seen Kushida/Ishimori. They did this cool deal where Kushida takes out the arm during a handspring off the ropes. I subsequently saw several other matches through the year that did similar spots but they always just reminded me of how cool I thought this one was.


----------



## Deadman's Hand

*Currently trying to catch up on some shows I've missed before the year is over.

YES to Mark Haskins vs. Marty Scurll vs. Tommy End: PROGRESS Chapter 36: We're Gonna Need A Bigger Room, Again.*


----------



## dukenukem3do

Off topic but is pwg bola 2016 worth getting


----------



## Mordecay

dukenukem3do said:


> Off topic but is pwg bola 2016 worth getting


Yes


----------



## NastyYaffa

dukenukem3do said:


> Off topic but is pwg bola 2016 worth getting


Yes. Night 2 is one of the greatest PWG shows of all-time & both Night 1 + 3 are really good.


----------



## dmgsdmgsdmgs

My Top 5

1. Naito vs. Omega (G1)
2. Styles vs. Nakamura (WK10)
3. Okada vs. Tanahashi (WK 10)
4. Naito vs. Elgin (G1? IC title match)
5. nakamura vs. Zayn (Takeover: Dallas))


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## The Black Mirror

*I'm crazy behind, as always. Time to make a resolution to stay more on top of things in 2017. But, as always, I'm sure that will fall by the wayside before the end of February. It's the thought that counts, I suppose. Here are a few additions to this thread from me:

Marty Scurll & Trevor Lee vs. Mike Bailey & Will Ospreay - Tag Team Match - wXw 16 Carat Cold - Night 3 (March 13, 2016) - ★★★★1/4 [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) - WWE NXT Tag Team Title Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match - WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto (November 19, 2016) - ★★★★1/2 [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe - WWE NXT Title Match - WWE NXT TakeOver: Toronto (November 19, 2016) - ★★★★ [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler - WWE Intercontinental Title Ladder Match - WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (December 4, 2016) - ★★★3/4 [NOT QUITE!]

AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose - WWE World Title Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match - WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (December 4, 2016) - ★★★★1/2 [YES!/RECOMMENDED]

I may watch some more over the next few days heading into the new year. My "to watch" list from 2016 alone still has approximately 60 matches on it. Happy New Year to all of you!*


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## Deadman's Hand

*Finally got around to seeing this:

YES! to Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Hino vs. Go Shiozaki & Yuji Okabayashi (Fortune Dream 3)*


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## Morrison17

My Top 5 from 2016:

1) *Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani* from Stardom Year End Climax
2) *The Great War*
3) *Naito vs. Omega*
4) *Matt Hardy vs. EC3*, Title vs. Career
5) *Men's RAW vs. Smackdown Survivor Series 5 on 5*


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## Wrestling is Life

Morrison17 said:


> My Top 5 from 2016:
> 
> 1) *Io Shirai vs. Mayu Iwatani* from Stardom Year End Climax
> 2) *The Great War*
> 3) *Naito vs. Omega*
> 4) *Matt Hardy vs. EC3*, Title vs. Career
> 5) *Men's RAW vs. Smackdown Survivor Series 5 on 5*


Glad to see someone else showing some love for that Hardy/EC3 match. One of my favorites of the year, and easily my TNA MOTY.


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## Groovemachine

As always there is a ton of stuff I still haven't seen, notably BOLA N2 & N3, but here's my Top 20 for the year as it stands right now.


20. Kota Ibushi vs TJ Perkins - WWE Cruiserweight Classic Semi-Finals 14/09/2016 - ****

19. Charlotte vs Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch - WWE Wrestlemania 32 - ****1/4 

18. AJ Styles vs John Cena - WWE Summerslam 2016 - ****1/4 

17. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn - WWE NXT Takeover: Dallas - ****1/4 

16. Zack Sabre Jr vs Gran Metalik - WWE Cruiserweight Classic Semi-Finals 14/09/2016 - ****1/4

15. Naomichi Marufuji vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - NJPW G1 Climax Day 13 - ****1/4 

14. Zack Sabre Jr vs Will Ospreay - Evolve 58 - ****1/4 

13. Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz - WWE No Mercy 2016 - ****1/4 

12. Chris Hero vs Tomohiro Ishii - RevPro Global Wars Night One - ****1/4

11. Tomohiro Ishii vs Kazuchika Okada - NJPW G1 Climax Day 13 - ****1/4 

10. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs SANADA - NJPW Power Struggle 2016 - ****1/4

9. Kenny Omega vs Hiroki Goto - NJPW G1 Climax 26 Finals - ****1/2 

8. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada - NJPW G1 Climax Day 18 - ****1/2 

7. Cedric Alexander vs Kota Ibushi - WWE Cruiserweight Classic [Round 2] August 10th - ****1/2 

6. Naomichi Marufuji vs Kazuchika Okada - NJPW King of Pro Wrestling - ****1/2 

5. DIY vs The Revival [2 out of 3 Falls match] - NXT Takeover: Toronto - ****1/2

4. Zack Sabre Jr vs Adam Cole - PWG All Star Weekend XII Night 1 - ****1/2 

3. Mask vs. Hair 1 Year Bald Head Steel Cage Survival Double Risk 6 Way Match - Dragon Gate Dead or Alive 2016 - ****1/2 

2. Shinsuke Nakamura vs AJ Styles - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10 - ****1/2 

*1. Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens - WWE Battleground - ****3/4 *


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## Corey

Honored to say I was in attendance for some of these highly touted matches (Reigns/Styles Extreme Rules and Owens/Zayn Battleground). roud


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## Kabraxal

I have to say... surprised that my top 5 are all under the WWE umbrella this year. I can see replacing 4 and 5 below with Styles/Nak WK10 and a number of Omega matches, especially that G1 run. But the top 3 are all WWE for me. And it isn't close. 

5 - Nakamura v Zayn **** 1/2 - and we all knew how this would end, that is how good this match was
4 - Ibushi v Alexander CWC **** 1/2 - best match of the best overall month of wrestling, made Alexander for a lot of people 
3 - DIY v The Revival I Takeover: Brooklyn ***** - this is here and not at the top only because the top two matches simply because, even though the ending made perfect sense, the top two matches gave the fans the much needed "YESSSSSS!" that just elevates them. 

And the top two, that I just can't separate in quality.

1b - Miz v Ziggler Title versus Career No Mercy ***** - I did not expect this match to happen. I did not expect this feud to erupt and get hot. I did not expect this match to be one of the greatest in ring stories in all of wrestling, let alone the struggling WWE. But it was hot. It should have main event. And this is one of the go to matches if you want to point and say "this is how you tell a story and you don't need huge dangerous spots to pull off a classic". Like everyone in the building and probably watching, I was absolutely swept away into the match and was jumping around with the near falls. I will probably take shit for giving this *****, but this is legitimately already one of my favourite matches period, not just this year. 
1a - DIY v The Revival II Takeover Toronto ***** - Any other year in the past two decades, this is the no doubt, hands down Match of the Year. It just had to be in a year with another MotY candidate that matched it step for step in psychology and emotion. Just like the above, this is a match you point to as a "how to do a wrestling match" and it is the furthest thing from a spot fest you will find. It was just pure, unadulterated old school wrestling and psychology. What is most surprising... 2 out 3 falls matches are usually not saddled with high expectations overall, but this one was and it not only met them, but exceed them. 

I have to say, just putting my list into words shows how amazing some of the wrestling was this year. And, in my opinion, three all time ***** classics... that were all WWE and not NJPW. I mean, I guess I got used to NJPW matching or exceeding the WWE in the top tier of matches and even Lucha Underground and TNA being in the discussion. But NXT produced three classics, SDL produced a surprising all time great, and the CWC might have been the best month of wrestling period. Man, this was a really good year all around when you get past the stigma that Raw has tainted the mainstream perception with.


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## Bruce L

It's 2017, so naturally I'm finally watching the 2016 matches I've been sitting on because their combination of MOTYC praise and fierce criticism made me gun-shy. Starting with *the Young Bucks & Adam Cole vs. Ricochet, Matt Sydal, & Will Ospreay* from BOLA Night 2, and my feelings are mixed. I loved, loved, _loved_ it as an exercise in this weird relationship the Jacksons (and to a lesser extent Cole and Ricochet) have with the Reseda crowd where they make no pretensions towards anything more than trying to amuse each other. If pro wrestling in general can be compared to live theatre, then Young Bucks matches in PWG have become a kind of improv show that would be insufferably self-indulgent if it wasn't so obvious that the audience was having a fantastic time as well. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work as wrestling matches, and i kind of felt bad for Sydal, because he was clearly trying to work one even though his opponents and at least one of his partners were clearly on a different page.

No star rating here. This was a very entertaining _something_, but I can't look at the matches that topped the year for me and say in good conscience that this too was a great wrestling match.


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