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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 29, 2016 11:36:01 GMT -5
82. WWE Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE Roadblock 3/12/16
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| With the Royal Rumble in the rearview mirror and WrestleMania’s main event scheduled to be Triple H vs. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose looked to throw a wrench into that plan. These two were the final two guys in the Rumble a few months earlier and had some history from the Shield/Evolution days. The crowd was split early on in this 24:43 outing. Triple H was out to show that though he hadn’t made a title defense since 2009, he was still “The Game.” I was surprised to see this start with basic wrestling considering the brawling nature of the rivalry. Ambrose gained control, but Triple H turned it around. About halfway through, they managed to turn the split crowd into a pro-Dean one. Once Dean was able to wear down HHH, he applied a figure four to try and make the weakened champion submit. When that failed, he pleased the Canadian crowd with a sharpshooter, which also didn’t work. They gave us the best tease of a title change all year when Dean hit Dirty Deeds and got a three count, only for the referee to see that his foot was under the bottom rope. They spilled outside, where Dean mocked HHH’s DX taunt. Dean made a mistake by missing an elbow and going through the announce table. Dean beat the countout but lost to the Pedigree once inside. The whole match, especially the last few minutes, was a master class of how to work the crowd. ****
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*This is the last appearance for Triple H. *It is the last match from Roadblock.
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Post by marino13 on Dec 29, 2016 11:53:10 GMT -5
Loved that write up for Ambrose/Triple H. That match is a classic of how to tell a story in the ring. Something neither guy gets enough credit for IMO.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 29, 2016 12:42:14 GMT -5
81. Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 6/7/16
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| With the loaded talent in the A Block of this tournament, Ryusuke Taguchi coming out as the winner of it blew my mind. I get not wanting to do another Will Ospreay/KUSHIDA match, but Kyle O’Reilly or BUSHI would have been far better choices here. Anyway, Will Ospreay, one of Gedo’s favorite new playthings, won out in the B Block and that set up this finals. Taguchi is a former IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion, partner of Finn Balor and winner of this tournament back in 2012. He’s mostly used for comedy at this point and I don’t like his act, so I couldn’t believe he put together something good enough to crack this list. While Taguchi kept the comedy to a minimum, he did get into Will’s head with his trademark ass taunt, only for Ospreay to steal it and do it back to him. Unlike a lot of other overly flippy guys, Ospreay knows how to sell limb damage (when he wants to), which he did here after Taguchi softened up his foot for an ankle lock. Ospreay would do little things, like only springboard off of his good leg or shake it out. For most of the 22:05 runtime, Taguchi came off as a legitimate wrestler instead of curtain jerking comedy act. There were some great close calls in the end, specifically on ankle lock spots by Taguchi and an imploding 450 by Ospreay, before Ospreay won with the Oscutter to become the first British BOTSJ winner. Easily the best work I’ve ever seen from Taguchi. ****
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*This is the last appearance for Ryusuke Taguchi.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 29, 2016 14:04:29 GMT -5
80. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA (c) vs. BUSHI – NJPW New Beginning in Niigata 2/14/16
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| BUSHI missed nearly a year with a neck injury but returned and joined Los Ingobernables de Japon. The prominence of the group allowed BUSHI to get major opportunities, with this being the first big one. He delivered. It helped that KUSHIDA was involved, since he has been, hands down, the class of the junior division for two years. A few minutes into this, BUSHI’s stablemates Tetsuya Naito and EVIL strolled down to ringside. They got involved when EVIL used a chair on BUSHI and Naito beat up the young lions, but none of their interference ever felt overdone. We got a great MX (Codebreaker) counter into a Hoverboard Lock but LIDJ distracted the official to keep things going. BUSHI spit the green mist at KUSHIDA and it led to some incredibly close near falls for the challenger, including one on a second rope MX that I bit on hard. Each time KUSHIDA looked to have momentum, LIDJ derailed him. Finally, perennial junior good guy Ryusuke Taguchi helped and, along with the young lions, held Naito and EVIL back while BUSHI tapped to the Hoverboard Lock at 16:32. Instead of being about moves, this was based around drama, which was a great change from most junior matches. BUSHI would eventually be the man to end KUSHIDA’s nine-month reign as champion at Destruction in Tokyo. ****
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*This is the last appearance for BUSHI. *It is the last match from The New Beginning in Niigata.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 29, 2016 15:06:52 GMT -5
79. IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito – NJPW Invasion Attack 4/10/16
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| Kazuchika Okada was fresh off beating Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom to become the “ace” of NJPW. Tetsuya Naito was (and still is) the hottest act in Japan and won the New Japan Cup tournament to earn this title shot. At 28 years old, Okada entered as a three time IWGP Champion and had the world handed to him after a crap run with TNA. Naito, 33, had never held the title, ran into several setbacks and reinvented his character completely to get to the top. Though the heel, Naito was the heavy favorite. Tons of Los Ingobernables de Japon merchandise dominated the crowd. Following a fair start, Naito’s running buddy BUSHI tripped Okada and Naito took to beating up Okada’s second (and NJPW booker) Gedo. EVIL attacked Okada with a chair and Naito got in the driver’s seat. Okada would take out all three members with a cross body into the first few rows. In trouble, Naito was ready with a low blow to set up a Koji Clutch that nearly ended the match. Okada wouldn’t stay down and rallied. He called for the Rainmaker but Naito threw the referee in the way, opening the door for Los Ingobernables de Japon to jump in and attack Okada. Okada took care of them until a masked man showed up and laid him out. He revealed himself to be the returning SANADA, joining LIDJ. Okada still had fight but Naito countered the Rainmaker into Destino to win the title at 28:22. Naito disrespectfully threw the title in the air as the crowd went nuts. There were better worked matches this year, but not many that I was more invested in. The moment of Naito winning also helped put it above their rematch two months later. For the next 70 days, NJPW felt fresh. For one night, Gedo made the absolute right booking move. ****
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 29, 2016 16:08:07 GMT -5
78. WWE Intercontinental Championship vs. Career Match: The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE No Mercy 10/9/16
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| Dolph Ziggler came up short time after time following the brand split. It started against Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam and continued into the feud with the Miz. Miz had no reason to give Dolph another title shot but finally agreed when Dolph, out of desperation, put his career on the line. Their match at Backlash a month prior was a pleasant surprise. WWE chose to have Styles/Cena/Ambrose open this show and with that decision they should have put this match on last. It would have done wonders for the title and honestly, it felt like a main event program. The rumor of Dolph wanting to wrap up his career added to the drama as it could have gone either way. This started slower than their Backlash match as Miz worked a methodical pace. He garnered heat by mocking Daniel Bryan at every opportunity. Miz tried to win with his feet on the ropes and by pulling the tights but it was not to be. He also got help from Maryse, her spray can and the Spirit Squad. You felt the desperation in Dolph with each close call. He fought through it all and just as the Spirit Squad and Maryse were ejected, nailed a superkick to win the title at 19:41. The emotion was off the charts here and the fans ate all this up. I think the Backlash match was better from a pure moves standpoint (things came off cleaner there) but the emotion and story in this one put it over the top. ****
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 29, 2016 17:06:11 GMT -5
77. IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Michael Elgin – NJPW Road to Wrestling Dontaku – 4/27/16
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| New Japan’s “Road to…” shows typically serve to hype a bigger upcoming even, like this one did for Wrestling Dontaku. However, with the cancellation of Wrestling Hinokuni due to an earthquake, some of the matches from that event were moved here, giving this show a big feel. Kenny Omega made his first defense of the Intercontinental Championship against Michael Elgin in the main event on this night. First off, I must note the setting. This apparently wasn’t a building NJPW ran often for televised (or streamed I guess) events. It had a darker, intimate feel and something about it just felt different than other shows in New Japan. Usually, I stray from Elgin matches that go over 20 minutes, since his wheel house is about 15 but this goes 23:04 and I dug it. Within the first few minutes, a ladder came into play, which ended up foreshadowing their Dominion match (even if it was originally supposed to be Tanahashi in that one). Throw in the use of a table and this had a hardcore element that is rarely seen in New Japan. I also appreciated how those things weren’t overdone, as the anticipation of the table spot was cool, with the payoff of Elgin powerbombing Omega through it feeling earned. Omega survived that and more before winning with an impressive One Winged Angel. No Bullet Club, no shenanigans. Their best match together and the first time that made me see something in Omega. ****
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*It is the last match from Road to Wrestling Dontaku.
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Post by Funk The Revival on Dec 29, 2016 17:39:00 GMT -5
It was a crime that match didn't main event No Mercy. They and the Intercontinental Title deserved it.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 29, 2016 20:21:32 GMT -5
76. Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Yuji Nagata – NJPW G1 Climax 7/30/16
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| Yuji Nagata is obviously a veteran in the business and is an ageless wonder as he nears 50. Katsuhiko Nakajima has future star written all over him and he was arguably the MVP in his first ever G1 Climax run. The NOAH star is a babyface but was actually at his best when playing up the cocky young heel role. He did that here, kicking Nagata during his entrance to get a jump on the legend. Nagata entered this match at 3-0 and a win here would not only give him his first loss, but it would vault Nakajima to the top of the standings, so there was a little extra on the line. Nagata brought the hard strikes throughout this 12:32 match, but Nakajima was more than willing to dish it right back out. The brash Nakajima even tried using Nagata’s own backdrop driver on him, but he only got a near fall with it. When Nagata got his armbar locked in, the crowd responded perfectly. The final exchange of chops and strikes from these two was among the best all year long. Nagata was so pissed that he even shoved the referee away during his assault. When it was all said and done, Nakajima used a penalty kick and Brainbuster to earn one of the biggest wins of his career. That Nakajima guy is really, really good. ****
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 29, 2016 21:16:25 GMT -5
75. Number One Contender’s Match: AJ Styles vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens – WWE Raw 4/4/16
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| The Raw after WrestleMania has become a traditional huge event. This year, the crowd was one day removed from Roman Reigns winning the big one for a third time in just over four months. Reigns showed up and issued an open challenge of sorts. Chris Jericho, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn all responded, prompting Shane McMahon to book a fatal four-way main event. Owens took out Zayn beforehand and, at the last minute, the returning Cesaro replaced him to a thunderous pop. Not only was this four of the best in the world competing, but it was four guys that the crowd would have loved to see dethrone Reigns. I honestly think that anyone could have won and the fans would have been happy. All four men were given ample opportunity to shine and each had their moments throughout. I appreciated that everyone had their finishers protected for the most part, as instead of guys kicking out of them, the pins were broken up. The best thing about this was the fact that you could buy anyone winning since the champion kind of played a tweener. Heel or face, everyone had a legitimate shot. After 16:47, Styles avenged his WrestleMania loss by hitting the Styles Clash on Jericho. It cemented the belief that the WWE had in AJ Styles and he rewarded them with top notch performances all year long. A great main event in front of a hot crowd featuring awesome workers. ****
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*This is the final match at ****.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 29, 2016 22:35:56 GMT -5
74. WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Gran Metalik vs. TJ Perkins – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 9/14/16
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| When the Cruiserweight Classic participants were announced, I doubt anyone predicted this final. Most people expected the men they beat in the semi-finals, Kota Ibushi and Zack Sabre Jr., to be here. Instead, we got Gran Metalik and TJ Perkins. Both guys delivered great matches throughout the tournament and deserved to be here. Before the match, Triple H came out and introduced the Cruiserweight Title for the winner, upping the stakes of these finals. I loved that TJ was a different guy on this final event. There was no dabbing or anything like that. You could tell this was a serious match with important stakes. He wisely tried to ground Metalik but the Mexican star still got free for some of his signature stuff. He made sure to show that he could hang on the mat too, stretching Perkins a few times. The rest of this 17:48 match saw them trade some great moments. A highlight saw Metalik snap off a great rana off the apron and another came when Perkins caught a running shooting star press into the knee bar. TJ kept trying the knee bar, getting closer and close to winning. Metalik hit the Metalik Driver but the knee was too beat up to cover in time. He went for an avalanche version but TJ somehow countered into the knee bar to win the CWC. An excellent capper to a fun tournament. They wrestled an exciting, smart, back and forth match in front of a hot crowd and TJ’s win was an emotional one. ****¼
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*This is the last appearance of Gran Metalik. *This is the last WWE Cruiserweight Title match.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 30, 2016 9:25:04 GMT -5
73. Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay – NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 5/27/16
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| It is the match that sparked a lot of conversation. It is the match that made Vader relevant again. It is the most controversial and divided match of the year. Ricochet and Will Ospreay are two of the most athletically gifted wrestlers in the entire world and you know what you’re going to get when they face off. Right off the bat, they flip and fly all over the place and come to a standoff that gets a huge ovation. A lot of people loathe this kind of thing. For some, it is the worst part about wrestling in this era and for others, it is the best. I’m not usually too big on it but I felt it made sense here. Yes, they were doing all sorts of flips but I took it as them trying to not just win a match, but prove who the more athletic guy was. Part of what Vader and the detractors of this match say is true. You don’t need the fancy acrobats to tell a great story. However, if you can add them in as part of the story, that’s fine with me. For 16:48, these two did breathtaking things. Some of them worked better than others (a particular 619 into a reverse rana spot by Ospreay came off odd), but seeing them even attempt some of these things was crazy. Ospreay went on to win with the Oscutter in a match that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly is worth a view to see where you stand on it. ****¼
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 30, 2016 10:09:56 GMT -5
72. WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifying Match: Drew Gulak vs. Tracy Williams – Evolve 61 5/7/16
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| Again, I just love that the Catch Point guys can wrestle each other and still show respect afterwards. They’ve had several matches against one another and it has never become an issue within the unit. Right after TJ Perkins qualified against Fred Yehi, Drew Gulak and Tracy Williams competed for a spot in the Cruiserweight Classic. Not only stablemates, Gulak and Williams reigned as Evolve Tag Team Champions at the time of this match. Known for their mat wrestling, this began on the ground but Williams took to the air surprisingly early. It was as if he saw Perkins advance using that style and figured it was worth a shot. As things progressed and Tracy took more risks, Gulak seemed to get fired up by the split crowd and got more aggressive. He started to hit harder and survived Tracy’s crossface several times. He eventually got his dragon sleeper, complete with body scissors, to win at 17:54. Easily the best Gulak match I have ever seen. They played things evenly and highlighted their knowledge of each other as partners. Of course, things were all good with the team after this. ****¼
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*This is the last match from Evolve 61. *It is the last match involving either Drew Gulak or Tracy Williams. *It is the final CWC Qualifying match on the list.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 30, 2016 11:10:08 GMT -5
71. NXT Tag Team Championship: American Alpha (c) vs. The Revival – NXT TakeOver: The End 6/8/16
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| After winning the NXT Tag Team Titles at the previous TakeOver during WrestleMania weekend, American Alpha had their first televised defense in the Revival’s contracted rematch. The Revival just have this amazing chemistry with anybody put in front of them, but their work with American Alpha was some of their best. The pace of this was furious from bell to bell. American Alpha ran circles around the challengers at some points, so the Revival did what they do best and cut the ring in half. They played into their first match with similar spots but made sure to put a twist on them so it would be different. Chad Gable was a great face in peril, garnering sympathy and getting in great hope spots. Jason Jordan’s hot tag run was great as always. Since it was the first big defense for American Alpha, myself and a lot of others felt they would retain. As the match neared the conclusion at 15:51, the Revival got closer and closer. They went for a powerbomb/clothesline off the top spot but Gable caught Dawson with a massive belly to belly. The Revival cut off Grand Amplitude and hit the Shatter Machine to regain the titles in a surprising decision. I’m not done saying it on this list, but the Revival are the best tag team on the planet and they were just warming up here. AA did well and got drafted to the main roster about a month after this. ****¼
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*This is the last match from TakeOver: The End. *It is the last appearance of American Alpha.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 30, 2016 12:16:54 GMT -5
70. Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Katsuyori Shibata, Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata vs. Go Shiozaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masa Kitamiya & Maybach Taniguchi – NJPW G1 Climax 8/14/16
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| I’ll admit that I didn’t watch the G1 Climax Finals show. I had little interest in what was being done. However, this match absolutely caught my eye. NOAH vs. NJPW. It also always warms my heart to see Katsuyori Shibata teaming with the New Japan Dads. The crowd was invested for the entire match, which went only 10:54, but was packed with action. They came unglued when Hiroyoshi Tenzan got tagged in, even though this was right after Gedo royally blew Tenzan’s last G1 storyline. On the flipside, Go Shiozaki got booed mercilessly and seemed to love it. His interactions with Shibata were awesome. The intensity level of this match was off the charts and that is never more clear than when Shibata and Nakajima go at it. Shibata delivers a headbutt that sounds absolutely disgusting and he immediately gets busted open the hard way because of it. Nakajima hit Nakanishi with a brainbuster to win but it didn’t stop there. Shibata went savage after the bell and attacked the NOAH guys, leading to an intense pull-apart brawl that had the fans going nuts. Four-star match but closer to five stars if we’re talking about angle work. A seemingly unimportant midcard tag turned into a big turning point for a NOAH/NJPW feud that was also fueled by NOAH guys beating key NJPW guys during the G1 Climax. Too bad nothing really came of the feud. ****¼
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*This is the last match from the G1 Climax Finals. *It is the last appearance for Manabu Nakanishi, Go Shiozaki, Masa Kitamiya & Maybach Taniguchi.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 30, 2016 13:38:30 GMT -5
69. Weapons of Mass Destruction Match: Killshot vs. Marty Martinez – Lucha Underground 9/14/16
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| During the first two seasons of Lucha Underground, Killshot and Marty Martinez were two guys that had been underutilized. Killshot showed loads of potential in small doses, while Martinez absolutely nails his insane creeper character. Given a main event opportunity in season three, they more than delivered. Marty stole Killshot’s dog tags (important to him due to his time at war) and their feud led to this. A “Weapons of Mass Destruction” match is basically a military themed weapons match. Like any good brawl, this felt personal. Killshot attacked during Marty’s entrance and busted him open with a gun. They used their environment well, with most of the weapons coming into play and Marty taking ring announcer Melissa Santos (who he always creeps on) hostage. There was a death valley driver on a ladder, a superplex onto a crate and a powerbomb from the ring through two tables outside. Nothing was off limits. Marty’s sister, Mariposa, tried to interfere but got put through a table for her efforts. When Killshot’s double stomp failed to win things, he knew he had to up the ante. Killshot snatched his dog tags back from Marty as they fought atop a ladder. Standing atop it with Marty standing on a rung below, Killshot jumped off with a double stomp that sent Marty through a table to win an insane match at 22:21. Star making performances for two guys that deserved the chance. ****¼
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*This is the last Weapons of Mass Destruction match. *It is the last appearance for Killshot.
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Post by Red Dragon on Dec 30, 2016 15:12:47 GMT -5
Hey The Kevstaaa are these going up on your blog? If so I'll just wait to read them there. If anyone is interested, I made my list of my favourite matches of 2016. It's not a list of the best matches but the matches that were special to me. Favourite Matches of 2016
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 30, 2016 15:17:06 GMT -5
Hey The Kevstaaa are these going up on your blog? If so I'll just wait to read them there. If anyone is interested, I made my list of my favourite matches of 2016. It's not a list of the best matches but the matches that were special to me. Favourite Matches of 2016Yes sir. It will eventually go up on my blog.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 30, 2016 15:17:33 GMT -5
68. Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle – Evolve 71 10/16/16
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| Evolve tends to book matches that I look forward to. This was one of them. Matt Riddle has not been wrestling for long (barely over a year) but is already one of the most exciting people to watch. He isn’t on this list often but had several matches that came close to appearing against the likes of Zack Sabre Jr., Roderick Strong and Cedric Alexander. This match main evented Evolve 71 as Chris Hero was looking for payback after losing to Riddle back at Evolve 57. Hero is known as a knockout artist, while Riddle has one of the best UFC knockouts I’ve ever seen. Seriously, look it up. Knowing that, I just wanted these two to just beat the hell out of each other and that’s exactly what I got. For the entire 17:33, they just went to war. Riddle got to kind of play the underdog babyface role, which he doesn’t do often but did well here. Meanwhile, Hero was the bully and he does that better than anyone else in wrestling. Hero’s offense, timing and everything just works so well. Riddle came close on several occasions, but Hero obliterated him with several elbows and piledrivers to win. Almost as soon as this ended, Evolve signed a rematch for the following month. ****¼
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*This is the last match on the list from Evolve 71.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 30, 2016 16:48:49 GMT -5
67. AJ Styles vs. John Cena – WWE Money in the Bank 6/19/16
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| The moment AJ Styles walked through the curtain at the Royal Rumble, dream match ideas started pouring in now that they were a possibility. For a lot of people, this was number one with a bullet. Styles and John Cena had electricity from the crowd the second they shared the ring and though Styles turned heel that night, things still felt like a huge deal once the bell rang on this night. For most of this 24:11 match, Styles was out to prove that he was better than WWE’s golden boy and he outwrestled him at several moments, pausing to make sure and brag. Styles was always one step ahead, even cutting off Cena’s “five moves of doom” multiple times, hammering home that he just might be better than Cena. The brilliance of Styles was clear though, because for all his early dominance, he still bumped like a madman to make Cena’s offense look great. Even when AJ messed up to give Cena an opening, he was still mostly in control. The match eventually became a back and forth battle and it was great. Unfortunately, we got a ref bump and Club interference, as a Magic Killer put Cena down and got AJ a tainted win. A crap finish to an otherwise excellent match that they would top two months later. ****¼
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