wrestling / Columns

Csonka’s Top 22 Matches of August 2017 – NJPW Dominates

September 2, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka
NJPW G1 Climax

WELCOME back, back to the column that makes lists and hopes that you enjoy them. This week’s column will look back and the month of AUGUST 2017 and the top 22 matches I have watched for the month. I always hear a lot of people saying that they can’t decide what to watch because they do not have enough time to follow everything, so maybe this will help those of you short on time find some stuff to check out. Have fun, and always, thanks for reading. Also, if you saw matches from companies I do not regularly catch; feel free to share them with the others (I will also be doing a supplemental column from time to time, looking at matches I missed from the promotions I do not regularly cover). The more wrestling we share, the more fun we can have. Thanks for reading! As always, consider this my play list of great matches, recommendations for the month.

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– 22.From Lucha Underground 8.02.17: Prince Puma defeated Dante Fox @ 11:02 via pin [****]
– 21. From EVOLVE 91: Chris Dickinson & Jaka defeated Travis Banks & TK Cooper @ 13:37 via pin [****]
– 20. From WWE Summerslam 2017: Fatal 4 Way WWE Universal Championship Match: Champion Brock Lesnar defeated Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe, and Braun Strowman @ 20:59 via pin [****]
– 19. From WCPW World Cup Third Round – Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Jay Lethal @ 20:48 via submission [****]
– 18. From WWE Summerslam 2017: Smackdown Tag Team Championship Kickoff Match: The Usos defeated Champions The New Day @ 19:30 via pin [****]
– 17. From WCPW World Cup Third Round – Will Ospreay defeated Rey Mysterio @ 19:45 via pin [****]
– 16. From NJPW G1 Climax Night Fourteen 8.05.17: Juice Robinson defeated Kenny Omega @ 15:30 via pin [****]
– 15. From NJPW G1 Climax Finals: IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title Match: Ricochet & Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Champions The Young Bucks @ 15:13 via pin [****]
– 14. From NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III: NXT Women’s Championship Match: Champion Asuka defeated Ember Moon @ 14:52 via pin [****]
– 13. From NJPW G1 Climax Night Seventeen 8.11.17: Zack Sabre Jr defeated Tomohiro Ishii @ 15:30 via submission [****]

12. From The WCPW World Cup Quarterfinals – Will Ospreay defeated Mike Bailey @ 20:47 via pin [****¼]: This was absolutely awesome, they kept a great pace, the crowd was insane the entire time and they worked in some really fun and innovative counters. The home stretch was really amazing, and while they went nearly 21-minutes, it never, ever, felt long or as if it overstayed its welcome. This was simply tremendous work from both guys to provide something memorable ahead of the finals.

11. From Lucha Underground 8.23.17 – Prince Puma defeated Pentagon @ 9:30 via pin [****¼]: This is easily one of the very best sub-ten minute matches you’ll see, and one of the very best matches of the season. These two guys are simply great, and work extremely well together. The action was insane, it was clean and built perfectly to a climax with Puma picking up the win after his master Vampiro gave him the final instruction to do so. This is really interesting because it confirms Puma’s turn to the dark side. He’s given in to Vampiro and did everything to kill the ghosts of his past to get another title shot, while also taking out Vampiro’s former protégé along the way. The crowd only added to this, creating an absolutely insane atmosphere that you can’t find anywhere else on US TV. This was an absolutely awesome sprint.

10. From G1 Climax 27 (Night 15) 8.06.17 – Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tomohiro Ishii @ 23:33 via pin [****¼]: This was a great main event match, that not only delivered, but will play into the story of the Naito vs. Tanahashi match to determine the block A winner. Naito has had an easier road and Tanahashi has been through hell, working through the legit arm injury and has issues standing here post match, selling the onslaught of Ishii and the sheer amount of punishment he took throughout the match. When he faces Naito again to determine the block, he’ll have to overcome the odds in order to stop Naito from making a WrestleKingdom repeat performance. They did a great job of constantly escalating the drama and intensity in this match, with Ishii getting some great and believable near falls, giving enough believability that he could win. I wanted him to pull out the win badly, but the old ace was just too much for him.

9. From EVOLVE 91 – Champion Matt Riddle defeated Keith Lee, Tracy Williams, and WALTER @ 15:52 via submission [****¼]: This was a great match with a great atmosphere in the ring and from the crowd. They did a great job of making Lee and WALTER’s interactions feel really important while paying attention to the previously existing issues with Riddle and Williams. Williams took the role of the opportunistic asshole, constantly ruining everyone’s chance to win and also picking up some great near falls, especially down the stretch, and he kept trying to end Riddle’s title run by picking the bones after other’s had done the hard work. Riddle defeated Williams to retain, submitting him and possibly ending their feud. Keith Lee lost, but didn’t take the fall and was protected. But you can see that his happy go lucky façade is slowly cracking, and he was reluctant to give his buddy Riddle the fist bump at the end. The big man is about to snap, and a pissed off and unhinged Keith Lee will be a glorious death machine.

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8. From NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III – Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Johnny Gargano @ 13:25 via pin [****¼] : This was an absolutely great match to kick off the Takeover show, with both guys working at the top of their games from the opening bell. They constantly built the action; they had the crowd behind them and reacting to the near falls in a big way, which only added to the match. The finish was really creative, as Gargano was on his way to victory, but Vega mind-fucked him with the DIY shirt, showing that Ciampa will be a ghost that haunts Gargano even when he’s not on TV. Almas needed that win and that great performance; Gargano proved that he’s a top guy, even in loss, and a tremendous babyface. I’d say that this also opens the door for Candice LeRae to be brought in after the MYC. This felt like one of those great sub 15-minute G1 sprints, with top guys busting ass and giving it their all.

7. From G1 Climax (Night 11) – Kota Ibushi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi @ 20:45 via pin [****¼]: We can argue all day about Tanahashi’s highly questionable decision to work the G1 with a major tear in his arm, but the one thing that cannot be argued is the fact that he has brought his A game the entire time. This was an absolutely great main event, with Tanahashi again playing the subtle heel role as the crowd was very pro-Ibushi, it worked very well in the Nagata match and worked again here, also giving some freshness to his matches. Ibushi was really great here, and I am not sure if it’s just me, but it seems as if we’re watching a much more matured (as a performer) Ibushi here in what possibly is a preview ahead of a big main event run in the company. Also, what I love about Tanahashi’s losses so far is that they weren’t wasted on guys like Makabe or Fale, who don’t need them. Sabre and Ibushi needed the wins to help legitimize their inclusion in the G1 and it also gives us two IC Title matches to look forward to.

6. From G1 Climax (Night 17) – Tetsuya Naito defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi @ 26:45 via pin [****½]: While not quite at the level of their previous two matches (I had both at ****¾), this was another awesome installment in their series and a fitting way to close out the A block. They have great chemistry; the crowd was locked in the entire time and played well off of their previous matches, with Naito having to dig deep this time to overcome the legwork from Tanahashi. He did that this time, picking apart the injured arm of Tanahashi and continuing his distain for “the ace” en route to winning the A block. It feels like it’s finally Naito’s to fully rise and main event the dome. This ended up better than I hoped for considering the real live injury issues.

4. From G1 Climax (Night 11) – Tomohiro Ishii defeated Yuji Nagata @ 13:59 via pin [****½]: This was an absolutely amazing match with the old warrior giving it all against the bad ass, Nagata gave everything he had here, and almost pulled it off and had the crowd believing that he was about to pick up his first win, which was vital to the success of the match. The near falls and crowd reactions were awesome, the work was top notch and they told a wonderful story with Nagata coming ever so close before finally falling. Some may find it depressing to see him shut out so far, but Nagata’s final G1 has been something special to watch.

4. From G1 Climax (Night 14) – EVIL defeated Kazuchika Okada @ 22:47 via pin [****½]: Watching the evolution of EVIL has really been a fun thing to watch, as he has consistently been growing as a performer. You could really see it last fall in his matches with Shibata, and that has continued through 2017, He’s had a really strong G1 so far but this signature win was something he really needed to put him over the top. He’s matured so much as a performer, and I feel a lot have slept on him, due to Naito being “the guy” in LIJ, Takahashi having an amazing year and also because SANADA has that “next big thing” hype behind him. As for the match, it was absolutely excellent with the crowd completely engaged and adding to the great near falls, EVIL stepping up his game and taking Okada out of his comfort zone. Also, as I have repeatedly talked about, Okada’s vanity/ego in always having to prove he is the best and driving that point home in a repetitious way in how he ends matches completely bit him in the ass here, as EVIL avoided the kill shot and picked up the win to an amazing reaction. The win should secure EVIL a title match in the fall.

3. From G1 Climax 27 (Night 16) 8.08.17 – Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki ended in a time limit draw @ 30:00 [****¾]: This was an absolutely great match, there was no fucking around, it was all action, all drama and the final five minutes were simply spectacular. Everything that people didn’t like about their first match earlier this year, they did the opposite of that and just waged war in the ring, with Suzuki more than willing to kick the shit out of Okada; to his credit Okada survived the brutal onslaught of Suzuki, but as it has been discussed many times before and during this tournament, Okada is slowly breaking down, the wars and long title defenses are breaking him down. He lost to EVIL, he didn’t have enough here to put Suzuki away and now has to face off with a man in Kenny Omega that he’s battled for over 100-minutes in two matches so far this year. The tie is important, because Omega HAS to beat Okada to win the block, Okada doesn’t have to beat him. The visuals in the final few minutes, the two men trading strikes, sweat flying, the crowd getting more and more invested was a great culmination to the match.

2. From G1 Climax (Night 18) 8.12.17 – Kenny Omega defeated Kazuchika Okada @ 24:45 via pin [*****]: They did it again, delivering an absolutely amazing match that was completely different than the previous two, with great drams and an excellent sense of urgency. Omega’s gameplan was perfect in attacking the neck of Okada, focusing on that weakness and it was in that where Okada fell as the toll of his great 2017 performances really caught up with him here. You could see him breaking down as we got deeper into the tournament, the loss to EVIL (where he “injured the neck”) and then the brutal draw with Suzuki. He was ripe for the pickings, and Omega’s tremendous focus and the fact that the pacing was so amped up was just too much for Okada to overcome this time around. It was a great story, laid out since January, and paid off in what I feel was the best match of the tournament so far with one last match to go. This also gets us to a rematch from last year, where Omega beat Naito, so we’re coming full circle, as Naito looks to complete his redemption story. I love the wrestling.

1. G1 27 Finals: Tetsuya Naito defeated Kenny Omega @ 34:33 via pin [*****]: They had a lot to live up to after the match that they put on last year and they more than lived up to that match and delivered a al time classic and one of the very best G1 finals matches ever. (I’ll redo my list later). I thought that they worked an absolutely excellent match, with the focus of both men being on the neck and or back, which fits into both men’s finishers. They went long, but kept an amazingly brisk pace and also worked with the sense of urgency you want to see in a match situation like this. This isn’t just any other match, this is the G1 finals. This had great action, a molten crowd, amazing near falls and a great and dramatic build to the finish. They did an excellent job of making you believe that either man could win, which not only made for amazing crowd reactions, but also kept the energy at an extremely high level. I loved the focus on the neck, not only because it played into both men’s finishers, but also because over the years, big time NJPW matches have focused on legwork, so this made this one feel different and fresh, which isn’t always easy to do. This was top-notch work from both men and the perfect way match wise to close things out, and the right man won. I am thrilled that Naito won, although to be honest with you, I always imagined him main eventing the dome after challenging the briefcase winner and being the first guy to win it that way, but this was amazing. Finally, when you consider the grind of the tournament, this performance from both men is even more impressive. Omega is certainly really banged up and Naito has been working through a major shoulder injury. This was special not only due to the in ring, but due to the reaction Naito got for winning. I also now consider it the best G1 finals match of all time, and that was with a rewatch of previous great finals matches.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

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