WingedEagle

Its a fun show that flies by. If the promos aren't great, they're generally quick enough that they don't overstay their welcome. In contrast to the show that takes place 24 hours earlier, it looks even more terrific. Outside of that context? Who knows. Greatest TV show in history feels a bit hyperbolic.

Tanahashi vs. Okada from 1/4/2016. Finishing my MOTY rankings this weekend in connection with WON awards, but this one is a lock. Among the greatest matches I've ever seen both for what was done on that night and how it paid & played off of their feud over the years leading up to it.

1. Continue progressing through 80s sets, Yearbooks and the other viewing projects that keep things diverse when mixed in around the current product. Don't fall off! 2. In early 2016 BJW and related smaller promotions became a regular part of my viewing. Some of the most consistently great wrestling I saw last year was from Ishikawa, Okabayashi and the like across numerous promotions. Absolutely going to stay on top of this crew and make sure to catch everything of theirs that makes tape. 3. In late 2016 I realized that modern joshi has a lot to offer. Still playing a bit of catch up, but determined to stay on top of the best from Stardom, Sendai & co. throughout 2017. 4. Take a look at more wrestlers & promotions across the spectrum & world whenever anything intriguing pops up. But if something isn't for me, don't stick with it for too long. There's too much good wrestling happening on a regular basis to get too bogged down in styles or workers that I don't care for. Its really amazing just how many good workers are out there and how much makes tape.

We're also getting the same promos, same TV format and same basic structure of the world/universe/storylines that we've seen since basically the Raw/Nitro days. Any kind of face lift may very well make for a nice change simply because its different.

So I actually managed to avoid Twitter and any wrestling sites that would spoil the show for basically a full 24 hours and am glad I did as this definitely would've lost something with spoilers, particularly the finishes of the main matches, never mind the apparent flame throwing that was happening online with respect to the main event. Undercard The Rumble was more fun than usual, with Kuniaki Kobayashi & Liger the highlights. I maintain that every show should have room for Jushin Liger's music and in-ring, and wish he had a role in the Never six-man. Not too much to note on the rest of the undercard. Nothing was bad or overstayed its welcome, as they clearly wanted to leave time for later matches. The Dome seemed very cold until Kojima & Ricochet brought them to life for their match. Interesting that they already moved the trios titles over to Tanahashi today. Curious if they'll be hotshotted around for a bit or if this will be a mechanism to keep him out of big singles matches during the early part of the year. Archer & DBS Jr.'s return is a huge plus here, as between the Tonga boys looking capable and perhaps Ishii taking up residence in the tag division for the moment there are some fresh possibilities there. Kushida vs. Hiromu Takahashi: This was a very smart match in that they worked it more as a physical spectacle than the super fast, flying LHW style that doesn't always get over in the Dome. Some of the big spots were really great and pulled off just about perfectly, particularly the dropkick to the floor that Kushida countered. You saw the value of putting over the Hoverboard Lock so strongly over the past year as even though this was arguably more predictable than any other title match, they had the crowd buying into a submission before neatly working around it and building to the finish. Some folks thought the sloppiness & botches added quite a bit here, but personally that really brought down what could've been a great match. Those misses were frequent & obvious enough that they brought this down a bit, but only so far. Either way, LHW division looks to be a lot of fun in 2017 ***3/4 Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hirooki Goto: I often find these two underwhelming because neither cares much for selling or pacing. The former was definitely an issue here, but thought they did a great job pacing the match and letting every sick strike and piece of offense sink in and matter. Whether due to not feuding over the last couple years or because they came up with some new ways to incorporate their trademark spots and offense this was fresh the whole way. Transitions were lacking, but hey, its Shibata & Goto, and that's not why we're here. They threw out some great counters and stiffness, and really built the intensity towards a finish that was legitimately a tossup the entire way. Bottom line is they throttled each other for the duration and did so in a compelling fashion that overcame both not being the sort to sell much for long. Also thought it was a very decisive & effective finish, which was a great theme across the show. **** Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito: This was awesome. From Tanahashi throwing cheap shot punches to the gut and mocking Naito's pose, to the awesome double leg work and working a solidly long match without any waste or filler that had a purpose, this also built to a terrific finish. We've seen the High Fly Flow and its variations blocked in & finish many matches, but after avoiding one a few minutes earlier and then taking it to the back, I definitely wouldn't have called Naito getting the knees up on what looked like the sure finish. He sold the hell out of it as well and this had an even better and more impactful finish than the Shibata/Goto. I'll need to rewatch this over the weekend as it seemed like Tanahashi wouldn't sell the leg at all beyond the moment of impact or while in a hold, despite Naito working a vicious and long-term attack on it throughout the match. Might flip me in either direction a bit, but late last night that stood out. Still a fantastic match, but worth noting. ****1/2 Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega: I loved this. I started it at around 12:30 and figured I'd get to bed by 1. That was obviously wrong. I totally get that it may not be for everyone. Hell, I think a good number of matches go way too long and would benefit from shaving a few minutes because it only takes so long to tell certain stories and accomplish certain goals. That being the case, this did not drag for me at all or feel like a chore the entire time. They didn't loudly work a limb and come back to it throughout the match, which is one of the simplest and easiest ways to build and extend a match, but there was logical and visible escalation throughout without ever leaving me wondering why they were wasting my time. The opening head & wristlock action with some nice counters took us to Okada going for the early kill on the floor as they broke out bigger & bigger weapons from their arsenals. The stretch run, depending how you want to define it, went too long. No question. But they pulled out so many incredible and memorable spots along the way, and aside from a few that I'll note and took issue with, all were set up and presented to matter. Dragon superplex was just bananas and one a number of times during the match where I was changing my call as to who would and should win. Omega withstanding just about everything was so terrific and seemed designed to build for his eventual win. The selling and counters to finishers & big moves they delivered were just out of this world and only heightened the uncertainty about the finish. Some seem to think this was a one-man tour de force from Omega, but I don't understand selling Okada short here or in general. He routinely delivers these finishing runs with a variety of opponents and wrinkles. My biggest beef was his kicking out of a clean Rainmaker, which I think only Tanahashi has done previously at least year's show. Between that, the copious finishers and the length, it almost seemed as though the goal was to one-up last year's main event. Problem there is last year wasn't just a match that headlined on January 4, but one that had developed over the course of the Okada/Tanahashi feud for a few years leading up to that night. You can't just skip all those intermediate steps and reach the same location. They did a good job preserving the One Winged Angel for a future match, but I just don't see why you kick out of Okada's finisher this early when its been so protected for so long. I'll try to rewatch this when its time to make 2017 MOTY lists in December as the rating below may very well be hyperbole but its where I was after watching it last night. But I thought they told a great, broad and simple story about the two best in the world throwing their best at each other with with so many twists & turns that despite going that long it was amazing the entire way. Knock off a few minutes and don't overdo Okada's finisher so much and I might have loved it more. But I can also totally get why its not for everyone. ****3/4

This reads like Misawa putting on a Ric Flair match. I haven't seen it, but that's what it sounds like. Which means I need to see it.

I'm avoiding everything with potential spoilers online all day (including any prior posts in this thread!) and firing up as soon as I get home tonight. Love kicking off a wrestling year with one of the year's biggest shows.

1. Done. Made great headway into the Horsemen set and the rest of it is in rotation with other goodies so that I don't plow through anything too quickly. 2. Yeah, that didn't happen. Likely have to wait for it to return to NY. 3. Submitted it. While I haven't thought about my ballot since then and can't say I want to think about rankings, I have thought about certain wrestlers who I've seen a lot more of since then -- Jack Brisco and Terry Funk in particular. 4. Made it to MSG for the Christmas show last week and had a terrific time. Definitely getting back there again this year, perhaps March even if I'm a little lukewarm on a Raw house show. 5. This did not exactly materialize as planned. I watched more wrestling -- old and new -- in 2016, then likely any other year, but stayed so busy moving to what's next rather than stopping to comment on much of it. Hopefully that changes but I enjoyed the hell out of what I watched., 6. Once again took care of this. The watch list is bigger, but I made it through a ton this pastyear and very much look forward to what's to come.

I'd be willing to give it a chance with a different host/moderator. Rosenberg is insufferable on the radio and I watch way too much wrestling already. Not about to add a discussion program featuring someone I'm not on board with.

Great resource! My original viewing plans over the long weekend went out the window and I instead ended up down a 2015-16 joshi rabbit hole thanks to Donsem's recs in the MDA. Still haven't made it to the 5 matches recommended elsewhere as most of what I watched was Stardom, but very much looking forward to hitting those and the others on this list. Will have much more to say at that point, but at least from an in-ring perspective joshi is very much alive, well and in fact thriving heading into 2017.

Hey, nothing wrong with revisiting the greats. Looking forward to more!

Wow, never thought they'd go back to the same market quite that quickly.

Awesome, very much looking forward to this. Crashing for the night shortly but popping this open to dive into in the morning.

Its not possible to convince me that Great Khali is a better wrestler than Bret Hart, but it is possible to argue the point respectfully and without looking to simply troll people. Perhaps not everyone can make the case persuasively, but anyone who wants to do so civilly certainly can. Not get all law school here, but we can all probably recognize when a discussion is no longer about making a point or fleshing out an opinion but rather about making noise and throwing flames. The question is how quickly you want to cut it off when it arises.

MSG was a solid house, but from where I was sitting the 2 sections next to the entrance were far from sold out. Oh, they don't sell the sections next to the entrance until the day of (and I don't believe they sell the whole section). Grabbing those tickets is actually a good deal - I got tickets in one of those sections for $26. Interesting, that is good to know for the future.

Can't say I've sought him out in recent years, but he absolutely delivered in New Japan. Thought he had excellent G1 matches with Okada & Tanahashi in particular, as well as very good bouts with Ishii & Goto as well as played a hand in a solid tag setting up the October title match with Okada, which was the best of his run. Actually plan on watching the Sugiura match from the recent NOAH big show as I've heard good things about the most recent one following the NJPW split.

MSG was a solid house, but from where I was sitting the 2 sections next to the entrance were far from sold out.

Agree with all of this, although I am a huge fan of Okada. Marufuji losing a half-step or step over the years has forced him to slow down to a point that limits the excesses that can bring him down, while Okada & the NJPW style also help towards that end. They put together a really smart match with a super hot finishing stretch and somehow built on and surpassed the G1 encounter.

I'll need to check this out over the weekend. Any context needed or can I dive right in?

For me, the line is when the discussion is framed around the ex-wrestling aspect -- whether cultural, political, musical, financial or otherwise. Its hardly black & white as others may think any tangential connection makes a discussion wrestling-related. The recent thread that brought this about seemed to trend away from wrestling -- lucha, domestic, Japanese or otherwise -- when the conversation moved away from the mat & elements of the respective styles and became predominantly grounded in cultural talking points, which soon spiraled into personal attacks. While I'm not suggesting we should all view and discuss wrestling through such a narrow lens as to ignore factors outside the ring, when the argument reaches a point where those involved have no need to discuss anything about a wrestler, style, promotion or match -- as happened here when racism/cultural issues/choose your non-PWO buzzword -- then perhaps its a conversation best picked up elsewhere. Especially when it invites personal sniping, which seems much more common as the discussion moves away from the wrestling. This place has been incredible as far as encouraging discussion and not relying on a heavy hand to steer things. Its undoubtedly a delicate balance. Some may think the entire conversation was very wrestling-related. I saw it as one that should've been housed elsewhere or perhaps the Mostly folder. This site is at its best when the community is talking about professional wrestling -- whether matches from yesterday, last year, the 80s or earlier, regardless of country or style. I'd like to think most of us can recognize when that's no longer the subject matter, and in those cases the conversation should end.

Looking forward to seeing you pick back up the lucha set and hopefully other 80s hits. I should really add some notes / thoughts as I work through the New Japan and Horsemen footage.

Again, I'm not suggesting I expected AJ to be buried, taught a lesson or anything of the sort. It was known from the start he wasn't being brought in for NXT or anything approximating that role. But I'm not sure anyone thought he'd necessarily rise above the mid-card level on the main roster. I sure didn't have that impression early on.

I hear what you're saying, but the TNA and NJPW aren't exactly competition in the way that Raw was for Nitro, and as much as I love AJ his profile coming into WWE was hardly that of a major US television wrestling star. Those don't exist outside the WWE vacuum and haven't for years.

AJ Styles is an absolute marvel and I'm glad he's getting the opportunity to excel on this stage in such a prominent position. Really curious where he thought he'd be 6, 12 months into the WWE run. I can't imagine he thought things would've gone this well. He deserves all of it and more based on his talent and work ethic, but the track record of wrestlers coming from TNA didn't suggest this as a likely course for his run.

Thanks, much appreciated!