Kevin’s Top 130 Matches of 2017: #50-41 – Okada vs. Omega, New Day vs. Usos, More

50. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada [c] vs. Kenny Omega – NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 1/4/17

Before this ever happened, I joked that Dave Meltzer would find a way to give it six stars. He did. More on that later, though. This rightfully had a big fight feel. Like most Kazuchika Okada matches, I didn’t love the opening portions. It reminded me of the WK10 main event, where it felt like filler to just kill time. It wasn’t until a table came into play that things picked up. The spots were great, like Omega taking a back body drop through a table outside, or busting out an Ibushi moonsault. Omega joined Tanahashi and Naito as the only men to kick out of the Rainmaker. When you protect a finisher, everything just means so much more. It took several more Rainmakers for Okada to finally retain. I know I didn’t write most of the moves done in this match, but if I did, it would probably take up this entire list. I can’t commend them enough for the absurd pace they kept for 46:49. It was an incredible display of athleticism. I loved that Omega never got to hit the One Winged Angel, which was a great ace in the hole for the rematches. In the end, I think shaving some time off the beginning would’ve greatly benefitted this. The early portions didn’t add a ton, but that final two-thirds were wild. Six stars and best match ever? Not a chance. One hell of a match? Damn right. [****¼]

49. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata – NJPW G1 Climax 8/1/17

One of the best things about the G1 Climax this year was Yuji Nagata’s string of performances. In his final tournament run, he put on some of his best work in years. These two came out trading blows like you’d expect. Unlike their past matches, Nagata showed his age, getting worn out early. However, once Ishii started in with disrespectful slaps, everybody’s favorite dad fired up and dished out as much as he was taking. Nagata came into the match with no points and was giving everything he had to not finish the tournament without a win in his final run. It was now Ishii’s turn to sell Nagata’s strikes like death. Their exchanges down the stretch were remarkable. When Nagata scored with the brainbuster, everyone believed he had finally done it, but Ishii got the shoulder up at the very last second. That was it for Nagata, though, as he fell moments later to a brainbuster of Ishii’s own. This was a tremendous 13:59. On its own, this match ruled, but when you add in Nagata’s G1 story and his desperation to get his first win, you’ve got an absolute winner. I enjoyed this much more on my second viewing. [****¼]

48. Cueto Cup Finals: Pentagon Dark vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 8/23/17

The giant Cueto Cup Tournament came down to arguably the two biggest stars in Lucha Underground. Prince Puma was the first champion and the ultimate hero. Pentagon Dark epitomized the anti-hero, as his violent tactics made him a fan favorite. However, Puma had a transformation in season three and was crossing to the dark side. They met in season two, with some questionable finishes. This took what worked in those matches and built on it to make a great tournament closer. You won’t find many better sub-ten minute matches. It clocked in at 9:34 and was action from bell to bell. There was a sense of urgency in everything they did, adding to the importantance of the Cueto Cup. Puma had been to the top before, but Pentagon just kept coming up short. After a barrage of wild offense, Puma connected on a super rana. He looked over to Vampiro, who gave a thumbs down signal. Puma finished Pentagon with the 630 and earned another Ultima Lucha main event. Pentagon failed again, watching his old mentor celebrate with his replacement protégé. Excellent action and a great piece of a larger story. [****¼]

47. Best of the Super Juniors Finals: KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/3/17

The finals of this tournament have made my list each year. In 2015, KUSHIDA beat Kyle O’Reilly (****½) and in 2016, Will Ospreay beat Ryusuke Taguchi (****). I’d rank this in the middle of those. It was also the third singles meeting in NJPW between KUSHIDA and Ospreay. Their first (****½) was a classic, while the second underwhelmed (***¾). This also ranked in the middle of those. To get the obvious issue out of the way first, I thought this went too long at 27:59. NJPW seemed to be on a, “length = greatness” kick with a lot of main events this year. You could shave off 6-8 minutes and have a better match in my mind. With that out of the way, we can talk the positives. Their chemistry is great and it made for some stellar sequences and exchanges. I loved Ospreay not going the typical good guy route, as he was willing to take a countout victory. It helped hammer home his desperation to finally beat KUSHIDA, who he was 0-2 against in NJPW. The highlight was the closing stretch, as things got especially physical. KUSHIDA had to dig deep and find something to keep his perfect record against Ospreay going. Meanwhile, nothing Will did could keep his rival down. KUSHIDA finally hit Back to the Future, held on like Okada and nailed a second to win the tournament. Their second best match together and much better than their match later in the year. [****¼]

46. WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship: The New Day [c] vs. The Usos – WWE SummerSlam 8/20/17

SummerSlam was a night for tag team wrestling. Actually, all of SummerSlam weekend was, because the NXT Tag Title match in Brooklyn was lots of fun. At Battleground the previous month, these teams stole the show. This was even better. In the first match, Xavier Woods replaced Big E to help give it a more frantic pace. Big E replaced Kofi Kingston in this one, but again, it felt like Woods was the star. He’s in no way the weak link of the team like some thought a while back. He played the face in peril so well and his rope walk assisted Big Ending spot got me out of my seat. As for the Usos, not only did their heel turn freshen them up, but they busted out new stuff here. It was highlighted by their Alley-Uso assisted Samoan Drop, except Woods was tossed over the top and to the outside. Some superkicks and a series of splashes led the Usos to win at 19:12. The best Kickoff match in history. Also, kudos to the Usos for joining the Hardys, Edge & Christian, the Dudleys and the New Age Outlaws as four-time Tag Team Champions. [****¼]

45. Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve 77 1/28/17

Not since Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven has a one-sided rivalry been held in such high esteem. Maybe Christian vs. Randy Orton. The Chris Hero/Zack Sabre Jr. series has those beat in terms of quality. They’ve had nothing but great matches together. They made this list once in 2015 and twice in 2016. This was Hero’s final match in Evolve before his WWE return as Kassius Ohno. Hero wanted a handshake to start, but Sabre pulled him into a submission. His desperation to finally beat Ohno, which he had yet to do on a WWN show, was clear. Alas, Hero’s size was too much. He proceeded to brutalize Sabre at every opportunity. Uppercuts, BIG BOY sentons and forearms galore. Sabre’s hope spots were all submissions and flash pins. Sabre took a vicious looking piledriver. He sells those better than anyone in wrestling. On his way to NXT, Hero busted out a Pedigree that Sabre kicked out of at one. After two more piledrivers, Sabre countered a third into a submission to finally beat Hero at 22:59. Not their best match together, but right up there towards the top. It was a fine sendoff for Hero and sent Sabre on the road to the Evolve Title. [****¼]

44. WWN Championship: Matt Riddle [c] vs. Kyle O’Reilly – Evolve 84 5/20/17

In between a short stint as ROH World Champion at the start of the year and his run with the Undisputed Era, Kyle O’Reilly spent some time in Evolve. I saw these two wrestle at BOLA last year and while it was good, it kind of disappointed me. Here, they were given the main event slot and 16:11 to work with, which they used to deliver a much better match. Their styles seem made for each other. Both guys tried submissions early, they both brought stiff strikes and they both kicked hard. Kyle continually had answers for Riddle’s offense, having done his homework. There was a great near fall when Riddle nailed the Bro to Sleep and a German suplex. As the match was winding down, it seemed like Riddle could outlast Kyle. The challenger went to guillotine chokes to slow things down. Riddle survived, leading to the finishing stretch. It started with a few awkward moments, but really picked up. Riddle got two on a Liger Bomb and Kyle went right into a triangle choke. Riddle powered out and delivered a jumping Tombstone. He applied the Bromission and Kyle had to tap out. It was one of the best Evolve matches all year. Parts of it felt like a real fight and it played to their strengths in all the right ways. [****¼]

43. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi [c] vs. Ricochet – NJPW Wrestling Toyonokuni 4/29/17

Ricochet’s list of NJPW accolades includes the Jr. Tag Titles and BOTSJ trophy, but the Jr. Heavyweight Title has eluded him. He took down Hiromu Takahashi with a flurry of offense, capped by a springboard 450 splash to nearly win in the opening minute. It was a great showcase of how badly he wanted it and a turnaround from how Hiromu squashed KUSHIDA twenty days earlier. That set the tone for a match filled with big spots and worked at a breakneck pace. Ricochet had the champ well scouted, having counters and answers for everything. At one point, he turned a Hiromu dive into a Northern lights suplex, before transitioning right into a brainbuster on the outside. The wildness continued inside with Germans, DVDs, and more counters. Ricochet hit the Benadryller, but didn’t get all of it, so Hiromu managed to kick out. There was tremendous camerawork as it panned from a bewildered Ricochet to the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. Desperate, his high risk 630 splash didn’t pay off, as he crashed and burned. Hiromu hit a Destroyer, corner DVD and Time Bomb to retain in 16:29. This was frantic and had a sense of urgency that too many matches lack. It was batshit insane, which is what I want and expect from Hiromu. Ricochet was great too, with possibly his best performance all year, but it’s Hiromu’s world and we’re just living in it. [****¼]

42. Donovan Dijak vs. Keith Lee – Evolve 81 3/31/17

It’s the match that stole WrestleMania weekend for many. This was billed as a heavyweight challenge, but the moves used were something you’d typically see in a match involving much smaller competitors. Donovan Dijak and Keith Lee are big dudes who can do athletic stuff. This match saw them one up each other in that department, making for one hell of a spectacle. In one of the craziest and most impressive spots I’ve ever seen, Dijak hit a Canadian Destroyer. On Keith freaking Lee. It must be seen to be believed. That wasn’t enough to finish things and neither were Dijak’s Feast Your Eyes finisher or a huge Lee moonsault. When Lee went for a chokeslam, Dijak back flipped out and went for his own. Lee responded with his own back flip to escape and won with the Spirit Bomb. I didn’t put too much detail about the moves done, because you honestly need to see it. It wasn’t the longest match (going just 12:09), it wasn’t the biggest match and it wasn’t the best match, but you just have to see these guys do their thing. I watched with friends and we all went nuts. [****¼]

41. Kazuchika Okada vs. Satoshi Kojima – NJPW G1 Climax 7/27/17

When I make my Roman Reigns/Kazuchika Okada comparisons, I don’t mean it as a slight to Okada. Both are heavily pushed and very talented in the ring. However, one of the biggest similarities is how great they are at playing the smug dick role. Coming into the tournament, Okada noted how he felt legends like Yuji Nagata and Satoshi Kojima shouldn’t be in the G1 Climax, because they’re old and had no chance of winning. What a jerk! He played into it perfectly here, feeding into the boos and going so far as to attack Kojima’s partner at ringside, Hiroyoshi Tenzan. His cockiness opened the door for Kojima to light him up with Mongolian chops. Kojima came close to winning after a Koji Cutter and Brainbuster, but it takes more than that to keep Okada down. He avoided two Rainmakers, blocking the second with a lariat of his own for one of the coolest moments of the entire tournament. That was his last stand, as Okada got hot and won with a successful Rainmaker in 15:26. I loved this because it didn’t follow typical Okada formula. It showed that he doesn’t need to work overly long 25+ minute outings to be great. Kojima was awesome, Okada was at his smug best and it was my third favorite Okada match of 2017. [****¼]