Kevin’s Top 130 Matches of 2017: #40-31 – Andrade Almas vs. Johnny Gargano, Omega vs. Ishii

40. Flash Morgan Webster, Jimmy Havoc and Mark Haskins vs. Pete Dunne, Trent Seven and Tyler Bate – PROGRESS Chapter 44: Old Man Yells at Cloud 2/26/17

If any member of the Webster/Havoc/Haskins team scored the pin, they’d get a PROGRESS Title shot, but if any of them got pinned, they couldn’t have a shot for six months. High stakes. The British Strong Style trio hit pre-match low blows and went for Pedigrees, but they were countered to officially start the match. The dynamic of the face team all wanting the pin for themselves came into play early, but they put it aside to hit a bunch of dives. British Strong Style worked better as a team since they are an established unit. We got a cool moment where Dunne and Haskins trapped their opponents in double submissions while slapping each other. There was so much action packed into this 15:06 that it would take too much to write it all. The teams started doing moves in stereo, including the face team stealing Bate’s signature “bop and bang” spot and hitting a trio of Canadian Destroyers, while BSS got in some Pedigrees. When it looked like Dunne was about to beat Webster, Havoc entered the picture and pinned the PROGRESS Champion with an Acid Rainmaker to earn the title shot. There was zero down time here. It was wall-to-wall action and the awesome kind of main event you want your show to close with. Lots of great individual character moments mixed in with wild action. [****¼]

39. NXT Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing Match: Asuka [c] vs. Nikki Cross – NXT 6/28/17

I know everyone raved about the Asuka/Ember Moon matches, and rightfully so, but this was the best WWE women’s match since the Sasha/Bayley series in 2015. A Last Woman Standing Match was the perfect idea for the dominant champion and the one woman crazy enough to possibly do enough to dethrone her. They got violent from the start. Nikki was slammed onto a pile of chairs and got hit with a bunch of kicks while in a trash can. Asuka took a brutal back suplex onto that same pile of chairs and a powerbomb onto another pile outside. Nikki threw every wacky idea her wild mind could come up with, but Asuka wouldn’t stay down for the ten count. When the finish finally came, it felt earned. A ladder was set up by the announce table. Both women fought atop, with Asuka winning out and nailing a superplex through the table. They were both down, but it was Asuka who got up just the count of ten, retaining her title in an insane 18:46. I feel like this is getting forgotten when it comes to the great women’s matches of the year, but it shouldn’t. [****¼]

38. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17

Hiromu Takahashi did all he could to save NJPW’s junior heavyweight division. His arrival at the end of 2016 was the shot in the arm it needed. It set up this awesome, fresh rivalry for the title. He attacked KUSHIDA during his entrance, but the champion was no slouch, and turned it around to hit an insane dive. The stuff they did in the ring was crisp, until Hiromu tried a diving rana to the outside. They flubbed it, but Hiromu made up for it with a bonkers senton to the outside. He’s interesting because his wild style allows for things like that to actually be fitting. KUSHIDA learned and adapted, blocking a second sunset flip bomb and catching Hiromu in an armbar. He held it for as long as possible without getting DQed. It was clear that KUSHIDA had to get aggressive to beat this new challenger. The focus remained on Takahashi’s arm, with him having to escape the Hoverboard Lock on multiple occasions. One of those was off the top and countered into an inverted destroyer. Hiromu then used a corner DVD and the Time Bomb to capture his first Jr. Heavyweight Title at 16:14. This was the great Tokyo Dome Jr. Title match we’ve needed for years. It was the catalyst for Hiromu “Wrestler of the First Half” Takahashi. They’d go on to have an even better match in June. [****¼]

37. Number One Contender’s Match: Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Seth Rollins – Raw 5/1/17

The Intercontinental Championship isn’t usually a focal point of Raw main events, but the night after Payback was different. With Brock Lesnar sitting at home with the Universal Championship, the IC Title took center stage (and it absolutely should more often with Brock’s schedule). Though they staked their claim for a shot at the Universal Title, former WWE Champion Seth Rollins and former Universal Champion Finn Balor got into it with The Miz and IC Champion Dean Ambrose, leading to this main event. Miz played his role masterfully in this, which is typical of him. He avoided action early, tried making deals with his opponents and literally hid behind Maryse. Seth and Finn brought the goods as well. It was Seth’s best performance of 2017 and Finn’s best since returning from injury. The final stretch was great, with lots of close calls, without going into the overused finisher kickout barrage. My only true gripe with this was that interference riddled this as it reached its peak. Samoa Joe ran in to take out Seth and just when Balor had it won, Bray Wyatt appeared and attacked him (that angle was randomly dropped for a while). Miz stole the win at 22:23 and got to face Ambrose in a lackluster rivalry. Regardless of what came next, this was excellent. It was the best match for the Raw brand since the split in July 2016. Yes, I’m even including PPVs, at least until the SummerSlam Universal Title match. [****¼]

36. PROGRESS Atlas Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. WALTER – PROGRESS Chapter 51: Screaming for PROGRESS 7/9/17

Matt Riddle captured the PROGRESS Atlas Championship, a title exclusively for wrestlers over 205 pounds, in January. During his 175 days as champion, he made 11 defenses, across three countries. A successful defense came against WALTER, in one hell of a match at Chapter 46. They went out and bested it at Chapter 51. To know what this match was all about, just know that within the first minute, both of their chests were bright red. By the time it was over, Riddle’s looked like ground meat. They chopped each other from bell to bell and brought the kind of strong style match that would rival even the best ones NJPW could put on. Riddle got dominated at times, getting himself into trouble because he was simply outmatched. WALTER also brought his wits, as he wisely kicked out Riddle’s leg to setup an ankle lock. Well done. Riddle refused to die, so WALTER just had to try harder to kill him, finally hitting a series of powerbombs and applying a rear naked choke. Riddle knew it was over and tapped out after 11:38 of incredible action. [****¼]

35. Andrade Almas vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 8/19/17

I admit, I’m probably giving a biased opinion here because Almas and Gargano are my two favorite wrestlers in NXT. Even without that, I also think they’re the best guys there. This had most of the elements I look for in a great match. It was the perfect choice to open TakeOver: Brooklyn. Gargano is the best babyface the company has left and the crowd ate up everything he did. Almas was in the midst of an angle where his new manager, Zelina Vega, was making sure he focused to turn his win/loss record around. There were elements of Almas reverting back to his old form with tranquilo taunts, and it would cost him. When he finally got serious, he was right on Gargano’s level. Some people didn’t like the finish, but I thought it was perfect. Just when Gargano had things in hand, Vega threw a #DIY shirt at him. That distraction allowed Almas to win at the 13:13 mark. It worked so well because it helped establish Vega’s presence as a valuable valet, protected Gargano, got Almas a much-needed win and added to the #DIY split angle. Gargano had been ignoring it since returning, but here it was, thrown in his face to cost him his first big singles match since the split. Spectacular work by the two best guys in NXT. [****¼]

34. PROGRESS Championship No Disqualifications Match: Pete Dunne [c] vs. Jimmy Havoc – PROGRESS Chapter 45: Galvanize 3/19/17

Jimmy Havoc defeated Pete Dunne via disqualification in their first title match. Havoc earned another shot at Chapter 44 and this one would be contested under No Disqualifications rules. That format is perfectly suited for the challenger. Knowing that (and because he’s a dick) Dunne jumped Havoc during his entrance. They brawled all around the Ritz, using weapons like a steel chair, the PROGRESS Title and even a frying pan. The violence escalated to include Dunne wrapping barbed wire around Havoc’s legs and stomping them, as well as Dunne stapling Havoc’s forehead, elbow and FINGER. That looked like it hurt so much. But, it was nothing compared to Havoc’s retaliation. He gave Dunne several PAPER CUTS in the webbings between his fingers and made it worse by pouring ALCOHOL on the wounds. It was legitimately hard to watch. They weren’t done. They traded shots with their forearms wrapped in barbed wire and Havoc hit a Canadian Destroyer onto thumbtacks. Will Ospreay got involved, continuing his feud with Havoc and costing him the match. Dunne nailed him in the ribs with a barbed wire bat and retained via Bitter End in 25:56. A magnificent hardcore match that only got bogged down by a bit of an overbooked finish. [****¼]

33. WWN Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. Keith Lee – Evolve 87 6/25/17

Though I was unable to finish the full year of Evolve shows, from what I did watch, these two were tops in terms of quality matches. The atmosphere in New York was crazy for this one. The bros fist bumped before the bell, but went right into a battle of strikes. Riddle got thrown around with relative ease and had to fight back the way he did against Jeff Cobb in PROGRESS the previous month. Both guys threw their best shot at the other, like Riddle using a Bro to Sleep and Lee hitting a POUNCE (PERIOD). Riddle tried using a bunch of sentons, until Lee caught one into an awesome Spirit Bomb for two. We got even more trading of bombs as this neared the 14:45 finish. In a great ending, Riddle hit a knee strike as Lee delivered a headbutt. Both men collapsed, but Riddle was lucky enough to land on Lee and score the three count to retain. A fantastic main event with one of the best finishes all year. It kept both men strong and made the rematch all the more intriguing. Good booking combined with great action. [****½]

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

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

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

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