Hawke’s Top 20 Matches from April 2017

Notable Omissions

Katsuyori Shibata vs. Kazuchika Okada

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. KUSHIDA

The Elite vs. The Up-Town Funkers

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler

 

Just Missed the Cut

Rey Mysterio, Pentagon Jr., & Fenix vs. Cody Rhodes, Sami Callihan, & Katsuhiko Nakajima

Pentagon Jr. vs. AR Fox

Matt Riddle vs. Donovan Dijak

Neville vs. Austin Aries

 

 

20. Baron Corbin vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE – 4/4/2017

This was a STREET FIGHT for Dean-o’s Intercontinental Championship.

This was such an effective plunder match. They were running around like they were trying to murder each other and did a really nice job of spacing out the plunder spots and using a good variety of plunder. Plunder! We love the plunder. Baron managed to win cleanly with End of Days which did admittedly seem a bit anti-climatic. (***1/2)

 

19. Volador Jr. & Will Ospreay vs. Dragon Lee & Jay White – ROH – 4/1/2017

This was exactly what it needed to be in every way. It was a great showcase for high-flying action. It was an effective introduction of Volador Jr. for ROH/US audiences (not that ROH will follow up on that). And most importantly, the match was pretty much fun from beginning to end (beyond Ospreay’s moments of assaulting everyone with his personality early on). Everyone should check out this very random yet satisfying match. (***1/2)

 

18. Zeus vs. Kai – AJPW – 4/16/2016

This was a 2017 Champion Carnival match.

Despite all logic, reasoning, and evidence to the contrary, Kai is not only alive but also still an active professional wrestler. He even managed to not get in the way here and allow Zeus to carry him to a lovely battle.

Zeus treated him like total jabroni mark who worked himself into a shoot. Kai flailed around helplessly like the the incompetent fool that he is. Kai then somehow pulled off the win cleanly in what was a serious miscarriage of justice.

Kai winning did not really feel organic within the context of how this match was worked, but it was a good match all the same. (***1/2)

 

17. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Negro Navarro – Lucha Memes – 4/28/2017

While a tad on the unnecessarily long side, this was a really fun competitive grappling battle. The story of a legend taking on a young gun has always been a staple of professional wrestling as the art was basically designed for such dynamics. The pure anguish from Zack after succumbing to defeat to this man nearly thrice his age is the kind of emotion that makes pro wrestling so satisfying.

When you combine that with the great pacing that led to a steady increase in tension throughout the battle, you have yourself a really compelling pro wrestling match. Lucha experts/fans will probably be able to discuss the match in more thoughtful ways, but rest assured that this was a fun one.  (***1/2)

 

16. Joe Doering vs. Daisuke Sekimoto – AJPW – 4/16/2017

This was a 2017 Champion Carnival match.

This was a super energetic hoss sprint, and there are few surer bets in pro wrestling than super energetic hoss sprints. They were clobbering each other. They were flying all over the place. Sekimoto hit a massive deadlift German. Doering survived and then killed Sekimoto with the silkiest and smoothest powerbomb you could ever imagine someone hitting on Sekimoto. It was a thing of beauty and a fantastic exclamation point finish for this battle. (***1/2)

 

15. Mike Quackenbush vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Chikara – 4/1/2017

Quack’s unofficial retirement tour where he does scheduled and unscheduled attraction matches is really fucking great. While this was not on the level of the Gulak or Kidd matches, this was still really good and one of the most fun matches of the 2017 Wrestlemania weekend.

They did a super competitive match here with loads of cool sequences. If someone like Timothy Thatcher specializes in super gritty grappling, Quack has always been more of the crowd-pleasing kind. He’s upped the intensity in his rare appearances though, and it’s only made his work more satisfying and enjoyable. Check this one out. (***1/2)

 

14. Ethan Page vs. Darby Allin – Evolve – 4/22/2017

This was a Last Man Standing match.

These guys finished their feud with a near perfect trilogy of matches in 2017 with the trios match, the bodybag match, and the no rules match. There really seemed to be no need for another match other than to give Ethan Page an artificial “winning the feud” ending. Darby leaping off a ladder and pinning Page in the main event of a Wrestlemania show was the real end of the story.

With that in mind, this was still a very fun match and very effective and satisfying given the context of the match really not needing to exist. These two have great chemistry, work very hard, and make each other the best version of themselves. Eggo won after murdering Darby and stacking a bunch of things on him (including Austin Theory, Priscila Kelly, and chairs.) (***1/2)

 

13. Meiko Satomura vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto – Sendai Girls – 4/6/2017

This was a very solid midcard match. Meiko was on top for a lot of it. Hiroyo kept fighting back more and more so that it never seemed too one-sided. She managed to survive long enough to eventually finish Meiko with a lariat. This was a very fun match. (***1/2)

 

12. Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE – 4/2/2017

This was for Goldberg’s WWE Universal Championship.

This was exactly what it needed to be, and it was quite fun as a result. Brock came storming out of the gate with Germans. Bill fought right back with a spear and then a spear through the barricade. Brock survived a jackhammer, then hit a million Germans in the ring, and finished Bill with an F-5. This was loads of fun and was a very successful conclusion to an exceptionally odd six month story in WWE. (***1/2)

 

11. #DIY vs. Authors of Pain vs. The Revival – WWE – 4/1/2017

This was for AoP’s NXT Tag Team Championship.

This match came off incredibly well. You would think that they would have tried to probably do a compact match, but instead they went for epic and basically pulled it off as well as one could have reasonably expected.

The main story of the match ended up being The Revival and #DIY realizing they really needed to work together to have a chance to take down AoP. It all led to this great extended sequence where the teams did in fact work together. They had some very creative and wild ideas, and the fans absolutely ate every single moment up.

The Revival lost sight of the goal though and eventually broke ranks. They didn’t act like cartoon heels about it though. They simply miscalculated how long they needed to work with #DIY. That allowed AoP to easily eliminate #DIY.

From there, The Revival seemed like dead meat. That’s exactly what they ended up being as the AoP finished them off without *too* much trouble. They probably should not have done an elimination match if that was going to be the finish. Everything came off very flatly after it became crystal clear that The Revival had no chance in the final minutes. This was still a very good and unique match that the show really needed. (***3/4)

 

10. AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn – WWE – 4/11/2017

The winner of this match would get a US Championship match.

This was a very strong TV main event for #SDLive. All three guys were working their asses off, and they also managed to not let triple threat tropes overwhelm the match. (In fact, they had a number of creative moments that took advantage of having three guys in the ring.) Between those key elements and the hot crowd, this was just a delight to watch.

On top of all those things in the bubble, this main event succeeded on a bunch of larger levels as well. This match continued to established Baron as a really bright prospect for the company. It was a great introduction for Sami Zayn to #SDLive. It also continued to let everyone know that AJ Styles (who was flying all over the fucking place) is the very best wrestler that the company has had on their roster in quite a bit. AJ pinned Sami after the springboard forearm. (***3/4)

 

9. The Hardys vs. The Club vs. Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass – WWE – 4/2/2017

This was a ladder match for The Club’s Raw Tag Team Championship.

This was such a fucking great moment. New Day teased that they were entering the match as a surprise team. The Hardys of course returned here instead, and it was a genuine goosebumps moment.

The reaction to them coming out was electrifying. It led to a wild sprint of a ladder match. It beautifully built to Jeff doing yet another wild fucking stunt while Matt grabbed the belts. This match completely washed over me.

I have no idea what happened in it. I’ll have to watch it again at some point. All I know is that The Hardys were forever the underpushed act that got themselves over like stars over and over again. They pulled it off one final time in 2016 and made themselves of value to the WWE once again. They earned this. They deserved this moment. (***3/4)

 

8. Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns – WWE – 4/30/2017

This was such a satisfying main event. Roman came out all bandaged up. The Snowman beat his ass and tossed him around. Roman did a great rag-doll sell job throughout. They timed and spaced out Roman’s big comeback spots very well. Snowman needed to hit his finisher twice, but he eventually kept Roman down. The action was fun. The energy was high. This was nothing but good things. (***3/4)

 

7. American Alpha vs. The Usos – WWE – 4/11/2017

This was for The Usos’ Smackdown Tag Team Championship.

This was a great sprint of a tag title match. Both teams just went all out for the five minutes they got, and it led to one of the best WWE tag team matches of the year. They also basically managed to fit in all the components of a standard tag match all the while which only enhanced the quality of the match. Everyone should watch this. Usos used a blind tag to help finish Gable off with the splash. (****)

 

6. Matt Riddle vs. Parrow vs. Jon Davis vs. Fred Yehi vs. Timothy Thatcher vs. Tracy Williams – WWN – 4/1/2017

This was an elimination match to crown the first WWN Champion.

This was just a wonderfully executed match that was compelling and fun from beginning to end. The key was that every wrestler was presented well, and each elimination organically came about. That made the whole match seem more important.

Parrow needed a million shots and had to be quintupled teamed for minutes before he went down. The Thatch Man getting eliminated early on was a good thing due to his very long Evolve title run. Jon Davis’ WWN redemption push was continued here nicely as he survived the first two eliminations before it took three guys to finish him off.

From there, the match became about the Catch Point explosion. Yehi and Hot Sauce initially teamed up against Riddle. Hot Sauce determined that enough damage had been done that he no longer needed Yehi. A surprise fruit roll-up finished off the latter.

The match concluded with Hot Sauce trying to defeat Riddle. Hot Sauce clearly had a chip on his shoulder and was looking to prove something to the fans and himself. Riddle is more talented though and survived it all. He survived long enough in fact to submit Hot Sauce.

These giant multi-person elimination matches have a small margin of error, but this was one of the better ones produced on the indies in quite some time. Despite this match clearly from the onset being set up as a coronation for Matt Riddle and despite the odd/illogical path the booking took to get to this match, there was no question that the right person one and that the final product was fun as fuck. Check this out. (****)

 

 

5. Fred Yehi vs. Kyle O’Reilly – Evolve – 4/23/2017

This was great. It was super competitive grappling between two guys committed to working like they were trying to win the whole time. They did not fall into the trap though of sacrificing fun for the sake of “realism.” They moved at a great pace, fostered a lively environment, and worked in a manner that made sure fans had things to enjoy. This was one of Evolve’s best matches of 2017 and that says something. Kyle won via cross armbreaker. (****)

 

4. Kento Miyahara vs. Jake Lee – AJPW – 4/16/2017

This was a 2017 Champion Carnival match.

What an excellent match. The match featured a very well executed story  that was paced well and took place in front of a very lively Korakuen. It was basically everything you would want from the match in this spot.

Jake Lee was having some success early. Miyahara did not take kindly to that one bit. Not one bit at all. He decided it was time to get physical, and he got very physical with the young boy. Lee tried to keep it competitive for as long as he could. It led to a lot of exciting moments and genuine drama. Miyahara was able to put him away though in what was the first genuinely great match for AJPW in 2017. Lovely stuff. (****)

 

3. Hiromu Takahashi vs. KUSHIDA – NJPW – 4/9/2017

This was for Kamaitachi’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.

This was the title match the company has been in desperate need of for YEARS. It got off to a HOT start with KUSHIDA interrupting the champ’s entrance by swantoning him (through a balloon).

KUSHIDA went for the kill right away after that with the kimura. Takahashi managed to get to the ropes though and then it happened. Takahashi straight up murdered KUSHIDA with a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor. KUSHIDA looked knocked the fuck out.

It was academic after that, and Takahashi finished him in the ring quickly. This was one of the shortest title matches in recent memory for NJPW, and the reaction from the crowd should prove the point that the company has been in need of doing something like this for years.

So many of NJPW matches feel like a “solved equation.” They need to take more chances with how they tell their stories. That is even more important given how re-match happy they’ve been with the title feuds. This was the perfect Chapter 2 of the Takahashi/KUSHIDA story that does not need to be concluded any time soon now. (****)

 

2. Aja Kong vs. Chihiro Hashimoto – Sendai Girls – 4/6/2017

This was for Kong’s Sendai Girls’ World Championship.

This was such a great hoss fight.

Aja Kong continues to prove time and time again that she is still fantastic. This was a classic monster heel performance. Not only did she generally dominate the much younger competitor with her size advantage, she managed to do so in extra compelling fashion. The key to that was her ability to make every movement count. It seemed like Aja never let a moment go wasted. If she had Hashimoto in a hold, that was also an opportunity to get in a few strikes.

While Kong delivered one of the best performances of the year, Hashimoto was certainly no slouch in there. She has such a talent for working underneath while remaining competitive and making believable comebacks. She does not overdo it during the comeback or ever made the work done to her seem meaningless.

This was one of the best matches of the year, and everyone should check it out. Hashimoto eventually managed to pull off a bridging German that got her the win and the title. (****1/4)

 

1. Drew McIntyre vs. Oney Lorcan – WWE – 4/5/2017

No one is doing anything about it yet, but this was the blueprint for the next hot thing in professional wrestling. This was two hungry performers committing unbridled violence against each other, but in a manner that felt totally earned and organic.

This was one of the most physical matches in recent WWE history (a trend for Oney Lorcan matches). Everything they did to each other just had a meanness to it. These two guys wanted to hurt each other.

This was not merely a random sequence of strikes and whatever. Drew and Oney managed to do it in genuinely creative ways.  They adjusted to whatever situation they were in and then did what they had to do in order to put a hurtin’ on the other. It was beautiful.

They of course also managed to present this violence in a compact package so that every little thing they did had that much more meaning. Any move could have been the end here which made the whole thing all the more dramatic and exciting.

On top of all that, this match was not just merely successful on a physical level. This was a statement match for both competitors.

For Drew McIntyre, he let the world know that he is back and he is in his fucking prime. He is ready to go and is a star right now. In 2009, he was the “Chosen One.” The promise is finally fulfilled. If WWE does not recognize that he is a genuine main event star waiting to happen, they are useless.

For Oney, this was the wake-up match for anyone in a position of power in the company. If you watch this match and do not immediately recognize his skill, charisma, and ability to push WWE’s product forward, then you simply are no longer credible enough to be making decisions in the company.

Not every match needs to be short. Not every match needs to be a physical beating. It is often fantastic when those qualities do come together though. Someone with vision and access to resources needs to find a way to market this kind of wrestling so that it can find its niche in the American wrestling scene somehow. This is crowd-pleasing wrestling at its simplest. Someone needs to capitalize on it.

This was the best match of the year, and we will hopefully see much more like in the not-so distant future. (*****)