Cap

Top 5 match of 2017 for me so far. Good storytelling, careful selling, high impact offense, well executed, and clever tie ins to their previous matches from this year. Walter vs Riddle gets all the love, but I prefer Starr as an opponent for Walter to honest. It is probably my favorite rivalry from the year. On first watch I preferred their 16 Carat Gold match (which I am higher on than most I think), but I rewatched them together later and this one stood out a bit more. ****3/4

I am a big fan of the Bludgeons Brother, but I am not so much a fan of their Kane tribute attire. Lets hope they abandon that sooner rather than later.

Finally finished the show. Man, the main did nothing for me, but the rest of the show was really good. Styles v Brock is the best WWE match of the year. Before this match I thought Walter was a lock for my wrestler of the year, but this was such a shining performance for Styles. It isn't even that Brock didn't have his working boots on; it is just that Styles was so exceptional to make sure everything hung together. Everything from the weekend (sans the main imo) was really well laid out. It was just on point in terms of making the matches distinct and making them matter. That goes for both NXT and SS The main just felt like them booking an entire match around giving HHH lots of options between now and Mania. Its like they don't quite know what they are going to do with him yet, but they want to make it priority and they want to be flexible. I don't even really care about who went over and who got eliminated when. It just felt so nonsensical to me. It was such a stark contrast to the rest of the weekend, particularly SS that made the most of the limited context they had for the matches. Sort of a side note for me I think, but Bliss has been such a breakout star for me over the past year or so. Something about her in this match against Charlotte really highlighted just how far she has come and how she isn't just hanging in there. She is excelling.

I need to watch it again today or tomorrow, but on first watch I am thinking it is probably the best WWE match of the year (the four way is the only thing close) and it is probably a ****3/4 match in my mind. I generally don't get the rabid Brock hate I see sometimes, but this really shines a light on how he has taken a step back in terms of his average output. This was just so much better than anything he has done recently (imo). This would have fit in with 2014-2015 Brock, when he was churning out classics. Brock deserves some credit for this; he clearly had his working boots on and put the time into this one, but this was an all time performance from Styles. Styles works his ass off selling and when Brock slowed considerably it was Styles keeping the pace of the match going. I can understand the criticisms of the match, but it must just be a matter of taste. I thought Brock's domination sequence was great. It went right to the brink of where I started thinking they were going to just make it a squash. It made genuinely surprised and invested in the comebacks. I also thought they did pretty well with the Tornado DDT. Could it have been better? Sure. Were there other slightly awkward moments? Sure. That keeps it from the full 5 for me, but in the grand scheme of things I think those spots tend to blend in better to how the whole match comes access aesthetically as a Styles fighting for his life. The structure was good. The execution was generally very good to great in spots, and even when they biffed something they made it work. The story they told was simple and made sense. I actually believed what they were selling (that Brock would get the squash and then that Styles might win). The home stretch puts it over the top for me. Brock's escape from the calf crusher and then catching Styles in mid air (with the limp!), those were "OH SHIT" moments that turn a very good match into a great match for me. Also, two little things that I loved. Styles doesn't take a bunch of finishers but instead avoids them. I am a sucker for finisher teasers that get avoided via trickery, gameplanning, luck, etc rather than lots of kick outs. Also, there is a spot in the first comeback where I am pretty sure Styles chops Brock square in the face and then takes a knee to cut off the run. Little stuff like that that doesn't get blown up by the announce team, but is really gritty and hard hitting gets me. This was a brutal match, but that chop did as much to establish that as anything Brock did, to me at least I loved it. On first watch it gets ****3/4 from me.

Updated my list recently... http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?/topic/30977-your-34-matches/?p=5765615

To me the best match ever is Sangre Chicana vs MS-1. I don't add a star or anything, but that is the one that stands out above all else to me. I would actually say there are probably 5-8 matches that would be in a bracket by themselves, that being atop that. I am in the long-game process of putting some order to my top matches to where I might get something like at top 100 eventually, so i have been giving this some thought as well.

For me, it just drug on and on. It didn't grab me. It started hot and then really lacked a flow that grabbed and kept my attention. Of course all the nonsense kept it just fine, but not really for the right reasons. Again, I think they were working some massive obstacles and my hat is off to them for doing what they had to in that context.... but it just wasn't my thing. There were fun spots, but just the whole of it felt meandering and smoke and mirror (or overbooked) matches just usually aren't my thing.

Styles/Balor was fantastic. I don't think it was hard to predict it would steal the show, but man.... it stole the show. Both women's matches were really quite good. Overall the show was quite good... up to the main event The main felt like it lasted 4 hours. I get that they were trying to book around a lot here, but that was not my cup of tea at all. Hats off to them for doing what they had to do, but.... pass

Thanks.... I'll get on those soon.

My buddy and I did little All Time draft a few years back, just the two of us. We were filling out rosters of 100 wrestlers/managers/announcers/personalities and each day one of us had a pick. It was a lot of fun. The first 40 picks or so were especially fun because that is where we were stealing from each other. there was no real game, but it was just drafting our all time dream rosters. A blast. Anyway.... 88-94 (US) 1. Flair 2. Rude 3. Savage 88-84 (World) 1. Flair 2. El Dandy 3. Hansen Present (U.S) 1. Styles 2. Trevor Lee 3. Owens (I know.... i know....) Present (World) 1. Walter 2. Styles 3. Naito or Okada

I hate to be that cherrypicker (but that is just the reality of my watching of modern lucha right now). I am kinda digging into what has been going on this year. I have seen a hand full of top/hyped matches, but I am looking for recommendations. I would obviously love stuff that is readily available via the interwebs, but I am not opposed to paying for my wrestling. Specifically, are there any Black Terry gems from this year out there? I saw the handheld of his match with Rush that I really liked, but I was wondering if he has anything this year at the level of his matches vs Wotan, El Barbara, or Aero Boy from last year.

This card has turned bonkers. I am not sure what to make of all of it, but at least they are trying to make the best of it. Honestly, the Styles/Balor match is one of the more interesting pop-up matches in a while. Not only should it be good (nothing else for them to do but go out and tear it down), but I really have no idea what they do with the finish. Lots of possibilities.

100% agree with this. I got it when I was 30 (3 years ago now) and did it really well for about a year and a half. It helped me with not just flexibility and core strength, but also with weight lifting and cardio. I don't do it much anymore and to be honest I really should make it a more regular part of my routine. I wound up shifting more to biking and doing more weights at some point, but I still go back to it from time to time if I am feeling sluggish or I need a better core workout. Plus, I'll swear by the fact that if you do the wake up or any of the lighter exercises first thing in the morning it is better than 5 cups of coffee. It is so good for giving you sustainable energy.

WAY overdelivered for me. I loved this match. Ussos are fantastic right now and the New Day have found new life for me as they weave their mean streaks into their matches a little more. This had lots of creativity that was spread throughout the match nicely. Just great stuff. ****1/4

HBK vs Hart Iron man.... Kidding kidding kidding. I was going to say the Gilbert Cesca vs Billy Catanzarro French Catch match, but I will have to check out some of these others people are posting. As far as ones I am certain of the date. There is Jumbo/Funk match a month before Baba/Robinson that I consider elite, so those two '76 matches are noteworthy for me.

I guess i would have a few that qualify in varying ways. Jimmy Rave - Liked his original ROH run(s) a lot and really enjoy him right now when I see him. BJ Whitmer - No reason I should like this guy, but I always felt he was a solid wrestler for ROH, particularly as they really built their foundation. I don't really fantasy book, but a friend and i have spent a lot of time fantasy booking an incredible (imo) gimmick for Whitmer on wrestling road trips so that might be part of it. Its strange. I simultaneously like him and don't like him very much. I guess "its complicated" between us. R-Truth - I still think TNA missed a chance with him. He isn't very good in the ring, but he is an entertainer and could have been much more versetile for them. I almost always love when he is on my TV in the E now. Sid - Obviously he was successful, but I think he is a little better as a wrestler than he gets credit for. Dude has such a presence and cuts such a legit crazy promo. Tons of time for Sid. Arik Royal - CWF guy that has been around a while. I just love every time he is on my tv or I see him at a show. Think he is undervalued on the whole as a character.

I mentioned a few names a couple pages (and years?) back and I don't really like talking about wrestling I don't like, but I did want to clarify my old, unrefined points. Sydal is a guy I maintain my distaste for, but I wasn't articulating it very well. I think I am mostly jealous of his abs and I don't trust people that look that happy all the time. Either way, he never really connected with me. Jeff Hardy is still probably top of my list of guys I just don't like and I probably never will. It is a matter of taste I suppose. Styles was a momentary reaction. I went back and watched a bunch of old Styles and remembered how much I loved him in the early 2000s. I was soured on him him right before his split from TNA I guess, even though I wasn't watching that stuff a lot. I am sort of a prisoner of the moment when it comes to him, but if I really reflect on his whole career, i am a pretty big fan of the dude. As for the few posts back... I still don't like Mundo. I had a conversation about him with a buddy recently who is quite high on him and he cited his athleticism and execution. I guess I am sympathetic to that, particularly when Mundo is a heel, but it still doesn't connect to me. I imagine it is mostly the ab thing again, but I just don't get into him. His presence and charisma feels forced to me. So much of his matches are contrived in a way that mirrors HBK's worst tendencies. I completely get why people like him and he is good at what he does, a freak athlete. It just isn't for me and doesn't align with what I gravitate toward in wrestling. Ohh, and Del Rio/Patron is someone I have never enjoyed and i really wanted to for a while.

I actually just rewatched this for a blog I am finishing up about Kandori. I'll just copy and paste what I wrote up about it. In short, I love this match. I think it really shows how diverse Kandori could be, even early on and how she brought something somewhat unique to matches that can make them stand out. It also really is a top resume line for Devil. She was the glue that held it together and made sure the match was much better than it probably had any business being. If Kandori is my favorite female wrestler ever (and she is), Masami is probably number two. Here, you get to see a lot of what makes both these women great. Masami performs big with her selling, facial expressions, and her offense. She works for the cheap seats in a way. Kandori is younger and bit unpolished, so even in this context, I must credit Devil with keeping everything together here. Kandori is a more stoic performer. She is a shooter and early on she comes forward like a machine, only being stalled momentarily. Later, as fatigue and Masami’s offense wears heavier, Kandori slows and her selling becomes more pronounced, her attacks more desperate. I hadn’t noticed until I rewatched this match, and here we get only the earliest flashes of it, but Kandori is not unlike Misawa in how she balances selling, composure, and stoicism. While she might not be the most animated or flashy, her nuance adds so much to a big epic match like this. Early on they played Masami’s size vs Kandori’s speed and shoot grappling ability. Devil was never safe from Kandori dropping down or scooting out of the way and locking on a submission. It took them a minute to gain their momentum, but this slowly gave way to bigger, more high impact moves and near falls, which slowly gave way to this becoming a knock-down drag out, bloodbath. After a double pin and a restart The Devil and Kandori had played enough games. The intensity level gets taken up a notch, everything with a little more teeth to it. Devil puts Kandori up in a surf board and, as Devil is wont to do, she elevates the violence by pulling her hair back, nearly snapping her in half, before whipping her the other way and slamming her face in the mat. Things devolve quickly as they move to the outside and we see perhaps my favorite Kandori, the brawler. It's a fucking horror show out there. They both come back in a bloody mess after destroying every guardrail in the building familiarizing each other’s faces with every ring pole. To me, this match shows how versatile Kandori was – even early on – and how her style brought something that could really push a match to the next level. I have seen this match a few times and every time I get caught off guard by how wrapped up in the match I am. This is a classic gritty wrestling match that evolves into a knock-down-drag-out fight and I absolutely love it.

Just bring Nigel to smackdown.

These two are having an absolutely incredible feud this year. I liked their second match for the Atlas title just a little more, but not by a ton. I probably think that match is the best Progress match I have seen and this is probably second. These two lay into each other, deliver big with the offense and the action, but everything remains coherent, just top tier stuff. ****1/2

I am really ok with JBL stepping down from this position. I liked him a while back, but he has become a parody of himself (much like Jerry did at his worst) and just feels very transparent to me. They are all telling stories, playing their part, and selling the product, but JBL doesn't feel like he is trying to do anything other than that. Anyway, on the whole, I generally have a positive opinion of him, but I think his contribution ran dry a while ago.

I actually JUST finished this match and rating and came up with the same thing. Really great match. A good apuestas match with capable wrestlers and at least one mask with some weight behind it has a floor to it. The crowd energy is just going to suck you in, even when the match falls short. No worries on that front here though. These two put on a show. Wagner was the man here, adding much of the urgency and keeping the pace of the match where it needed to be. He was clearly out to make sure losing his mask was going to mean something. Psycho did his part and I don't think he took anything away from it. The drama was high, the violence was abundant, and they gave me more than one "oh shit" moment. ****1/2

That mae young crowd were not completley at fault they were sitting through 16 matches in one sitting i completely expect a crowd to be dead by the end of it. The differnce between episode one and 4 is huge as they just look and sound so tired i do not blame them in the slightest. Ohhh for sure. I get that... but still. I don't FAULT them, but part of me feels like the folks who went knew what they were signing up for... be up for it!

Absolutely.... Though I think we might have different opinions of the quality of periods of women's wrestling in the WWE over the past 10 years or so (some of it I am not a fan of at all), A) no one deserves to wrestle to "we want puppies" chants and there have been countless women putting in work and putting on good matches to crickets. Even though the "women's revolution" has changed some of that, I felt that way during parts of the Mae Young Classic to be honest. Alas, this is at least one part my own jealousy of the people who get to see this stuff live when I am not there and one part the nature of the live WWE/NXT/WWE-product/big-company live crowd (which has its pros and cons) in the US.

A real pet peeve of mine is when I see a good match or a good show in front of a crowd that could care less. I thought Kendrick and Gallagher had a pretty wicked little no DQ match and most of that room could not care less (and I get it, because of how they film these). I watched an old Finlay match on Nitro a while back and that crowd didn't deserve to see it. Ugh... just bothers me to see good wrestling and see people who are witnessing it live not care. ok, just had to get that one off my chest.