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Post by Chip on Dec 23, 2016 15:43:53 GMT -5
Kev.....you watch a LOT of wrestling. lol
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 23, 2016 15:59:37 GMT -5
118. PWG Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PWG All-Star Weekend 12 Night Two 3/5/16
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| Last year, Zack Sabre Jr. came oh so close to dethroning Roderick Strong for this title at PWG Don’t Sweat the Technique in a match that cracked my top 25. Sabre then beat Strong in Evolve (in a match ranked even higher) before winning PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles to earn another shot at the PWG Championship. Needless to say, it was one of the matches I looked forward to the most in PWG all year long. Strong stalled in the early goings to get in Sabre’s head, so the challenger responded by taking the title and posing with it. Two can play those mind games. They called back to their previous match on a few occasions. Sabre went after both the leg and arm, which made sense since his attack on the arm alone wasn’t enough to best Roddy last time. Strong sold both well throughout and at one point, landed horribly on the shoulder on a suplex spot. As they got near the finish of the 33:36 match, it became more of a war, evolving from technical wrestling to something more vicious. A pissed Roddy removed his shitty little boot and just threw it at Sabre like an Austin Power villain. Eventually, Sabre and Roddy battled up top and Sabre took them down into an armbar. He transitioned that to include a stretch muffler, working both the arm and leg to make Strong tap. It never reached the levels of their previous matches but was still great and had the added bonus of the emotional big title win for Sabre. ****
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*This is the last appearance of Roderick Strong.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 23, 2016 18:37:06 GMT -5
117. NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Bobby Fish – NJPW Destruction in Tokyo 9/17/16
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| I’ve made it clear that I love Katsuyori Shibata. I also love reDRagon. While the prospect of Shibata vs. Kyle O’Reilly was higher on my list of matches I wanted to see, Bobby Fish getting a crack at Shibata sounded interesting too. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear good things about their ROH Television Title match on ROH TV before this one. Luckily, this match delivered. We got treated to some good old fashioned Shibata violence. Fish started by going after the leg, but also targeted the neck and shoulder. ROH commentary did a good job explaining (on a different show) that Fish and O’Reilly don’t only focus on one part of the body. They train to attack any part that is available to them, which I actually like. Like all good Shibata matches, this was a manly, violent battle. Fish was great, yelling for the official to stop the match when he was kicking Shibata’s ass. I loved him shouting “ YOU” when Shibata had him in the abdominal stretch. Shibata survived the Fish Hook and, being the absolute madman that he is, delivered a headbutt so severe that he instantly busted himself open the hard way. He won with the Penalty Kick at 16:48 to add another successful defense and great match to his 2016. Fish succeeded in his first test as a heavyweight in NJPW as well. ****
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*This is the last appearance for Bobby Fish. *It is the last match from Destruction in Tokyo.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 23, 2016 21:15:46 GMT -5
116. WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Backlash 9/11/16
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| Talking Smack has become a weekly highlight on the WWE Network and the biggest buzz from it came when the Miz cut a scathing promo on Daniel Bryan. That thrust the Miz and the Intercontinental Title into the spotlight and made this match feel like a big deal. We’ve seen Miz and Ziggler wrestle a ton, even for this title a few years ago. This was different though. Dolph was rejuvenated after the draft (outside of a lackluster match with Dean Ambrose) and Miz had the best year of his career in terms of performances. Miz did everything right here as they told a great story. He took time to mock Daniel Bryan’s taunts and even did some of his submissions. He expertly nailed all the little things, like asking “WHO’S THE COWARD?” while stomping on Dolph. Dolph brought his best too, playing up the desperation of not wanting to lose yet again very well. He came close on several occasions and they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. Maryse would play a major factor in the end, spraying Dolph in the eyes with a substance. Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale and retained in 18:17. Up to this point, this was the best match of Miz’s career and one of Dolph’s best. It wasn’t the best finish, but it made sense and continued the idea of him using every trick to keep his title. ****
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Post by Jonathan Karate on Dec 23, 2016 22:18:44 GMT -5
I'm not huge on Finn Balor but damn, I'm utterly shocked that his only appearance on the list is that match. The matches with Joe in Dallas, Nakamura and Rollins were all close. Nakamura was his best shot honestly. That four way was definitely his best match though. Summerslam was good but something was missing plus they pissed most of the crowd off with the belt.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 23, 2016 22:27:50 GMT -5
115. Dia.HEARTS vs. Monster Express vs. VerserK – Dragon Gate Open the Truth Gate 2/4/16
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| Getting a match featuring three groups and twelve men to come together seems like an incredibly tough task. Dragon Gate succeeded with this match. A lot was on the line as the losing unit in this match had to disband. I admittedly didn’t know everyone involved but here’s a rundown of the teams. Monster Express consists of Masato Yoshino, Akira Tozawa (who you saw in the CWC later in the year), T-Hawk and Sachihoko BOY, Dia.HEARTS has Masaaki Mochizuki, Dragon Kid, Kzy and Big R Shimizu, while VerserK includes Shingo Takagi, YAMATO, Naruki Doit and Kotoka. For the entire 27:39, this match just goes at an insane pace and, like good Survivor Series style matches, there are enough moving parts to keep you interested throughout. You got the stuff you’ve come to expect from Dragon Gate like stiff strikes and high flying spots, but there was the added drama of the impended breakup. Shingo, the top champion in Dragon Gate, got eliminated near the end to a fantastic pop from the crowd. Dia.HEARTS would take the loss and split. I honestly feel that if I followed Dragon Gate more closely, I’d have been more invested and would have enjoyed this more. ****
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*This is the last match from Open the Truth Gate. *It is the last match on the list involving T-Hawk, Shachihoko BOY, Masaaki Mochizuki, Dragon Kid, Kzy, Big R Shimizu and Kotoka.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 24, 2016 9:26:03 GMT -5
114. NEVER Openweight Championship: EVIL (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata – NJPW Wrestling World 11/15/16
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| Ten days earlier, EVIL captured the first singles title of his career when he defeated Katsuyori Shibata to become NEVER Openweight Champion at Power Struggle. This rematch main evented Wrestling World in Singapore, a show that featured a relatively different look and feel from most NJPW events. EVIL also beat Shibata back in the G1 Climax. With that in mind, even though he was only champion for a little over a week, I expected EVIL to drop the title here. 3-0 against Shibata for the year would have been a bit much. This was exactly the kind of hard hitting match you’d expect from these two. Shibata entered as the RPW British Heavyweight Champion, having won that title a few days earlier and he showed some traits of the guy he took the title from, Zack Sabre Jr., in the early stages. He stomped on and twisted the champion’s arm. EVIL targeted Shibata’s heavily taped shoulder and they played into their past by bringing steel chairs into play. It led to a really good false finish but Shibata survived and used EVIL’s own STO on him. He then used the sleeper and penalty kick to regain the title at 16:28, picking up another accolade and great match to a series of them in 2016. ****
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*This is the last match from Wrestling World. *It is the last match on the list for EVIL.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 24, 2016 10:36:44 GMT -5
113. Gran Metalik vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – WWE Cruiserweight Classic 9/14/16
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| Zack Sabre Jr. was someone that I touted highly in 2015. He wasn’t as good in 2106 but still appears on this list several times. Anyway, his run through the Cruiserweight Classic left a lot to be desired and he was outshined by a lot of people. He found himself in the semi-finals, kicking off the best show of the year against Gran Metalik. Metalik was someone I saw in NJPW as Mascara Dorada and I always thought he was good but he wowed during this tournament. Metalik came out firing by taking to the skies. Sabre weathered that storm and took it to the groundwhere he is at his most comfortable. However, Metalik showed that he could hang on the mat, which only frustrated Sabre. Sabre got more vicious in his offense as things progressed. He struck with his best PK of the tournament, complete with a Shibata reference from Mauro Ranallo. Metalik survived and scored on an awesome rana but then springboarded right into a triangle submission! Metalik got free and hit the Metalik Driver from out of nowhere to advance at 13:12. The best work of Sabre’s tournament run and nearly the best for Metalik. It got the show off to the perfect start with a match that featured great counter wrestling and told the story of Sabre getting more upset as time went on that Metalik seemed to have his number. ****
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 24, 2016 11:42:35 GMT -5
112. Grave Consequences: Mil Muertes vs. Prince Puma – Lucha Underground 11/9/16
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| In the main event of Ultima Lucha in season one, Prince Puma’s lengthy reign as Lucha Underground Champion ended at the hands of Mil Muertes. They stayed away for the most part in season two, but after some struggles, Puma was directed (by Vampiro) to focus on Muertes. Puma evened the score with Muertes with a win a few weeks before this. Twice in LU, a Grave Consequences match was held, both involving Muertes. Puma attacked from behind during Mil’s entrance to start 16:26 of war. Puma dove into the crowd on Muertes and they battled throughout the Temple. The coffins came into play several times as weapons. There were several great spots throughout this including a tremendous springboard 630 splash from Puma. Vampiro kept making comments about Puma going to the dark side, hinting at their behind the scenes interactions. To start the show, Mil’s manager Catrina warned him that if he lost another Grave Consequences match, she wouldn’t bring him back again. Mil dug deep and chokeslammed Puma through a table outside. In a fitting end, he brought out the coffin that was used to kill Puma’s old manager (Konnan) back in season one. A Flatliner later and Puma was locked away to end a great rivalry. As of this writing, Puma has yet to return. ****
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*This is the last Grave Consequences match on the list.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 25, 2016 0:12:34 GMT -5
111. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Raw 4/11/16
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| Standing alone, this would be an indy fan’s dream match on WWE television. Though they met twelve years earlier, this was the first ever one on one match between AJ Styles and Sami Zayn. Just putting them together would be enough but this had an added edge. Styles had an upcoming one on one WWE Championship match, but if he lost here, Sami would be added and it would become a triple threat match. It started as a respectful battle but a big chop from Sami and vicious dropkick from AJ kicked it into next gear. Sami takes a beating better than anyone in wrestling, which was perfect here. AJ and his offense came off looking great and it had to for the casual audience to buy him as a threat to Roman Reigns in a few weeks. Each one of Sami’s hope spots were done well and I bought into him pulling off the upset more than once. Sami tried landing on his feet on a big sunset flip but ended up hitting his head. He still went for the Helluva Kick, only to miss and lose to the Phenomenal Forearm at the 16:52 mark. A great match between two of my favorites for the first time ever and, considering their post-draft spots, it may not happen again.****
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 25, 2016 1:16:55 GMT -5
110. WWE Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks – WWE WrestleMania 4/3/16
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| For the first time since Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James a decade prior, a women’s match felt like it actually belonged on the biggest show of the year. This wasn’t just the company throwing women on the card for the sake of it, it was actually one of the more hyped and promoted matches of the show. Charlotte entered as Divas Champion, but earlier in the night it was revealed that the Women’s Title would be returning to replace it, so nobody entered with the gold. Add in Charlotte wearing a robe made from her dad’s last WWE match and Sasha Banks coming out with Snoop Dogg and you’ve got the ingredients for something special. Once the bell rang, these women went all out for the entire 16:01 duration. It’s as if they knew the success of the future of the division hinged on their performances. There were some sloppy moments that kept this match from reaching the heights of their NXT stuff, though I give them credit for doing their best to cover them up. WrestleMania jitters and all. Sasha paid tribute to Eddie Guerrero more than once, giving this some emotional impact. Even Ric Flair got in on the action, taking a bump for Becky. Charlotte would go on to win with help from her dad in the worst booking decision of the year, on the worst booked show of the year. This was Sasha or Becky’s night. Still, it is the best women’s match in WrestleMania history. ****
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*This is the last match involving Becky Lynch. *It is the last WrestleMania 32 match.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 25, 2016 10:55:12 GMT -5
109. GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Momo No Seishun Tag (c) vs. Hajime Ohara and Kenoh – NOAH Great Voyage in Osaka – 5/28/16
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| People can talk all they want about the Young Bucks or the revolving door of teams in NJPW’s poorly booked Jr. Heavyweight tag team division but they don’t compare to Momo No Seishun. For my money, Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada are an easy pick for the best junior tag team in the world. Kotoge is up there with KUSHIDA and Taiji Ishimori as the best juniors around, while Harada’s thick frame allows him to bring something different to the table. Honestly, since I don’t follow NOAH that much, I hadn’t seen much of Hajime Ohara and Kenoh coming into this. They came off like the clear heels though, using cheap tactics and even putting the champions through a table with a diving double stomp. They held serve for a while but Harada started tossing dudes around and made the hot tag to Kotoge. Kenoh and Kotoge went at it for a while and then Ohara and Harada did. All interactions were great. After 19:47 of action, Ohara fell to a German suplex from Harada. This is what I want from a junior tag division, not the same stale stuff NJPW gives us. Unfortunately, they ruined all goodwill by having Momo No Seishun drop the tiles to the booking team of Gedo and Jado. ****
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*This is the last match involving Atsushi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada, Hajime Ohara and Kenoh. *It is the last Great Voyage match. *This is the last Pro Wrestling NOAH match.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 25, 2016 22:14:26 GMT -5
108. NXT Tag Team Championship 2 Out of 3 Falls: The Revival (c) vs. American Alpha – WWE NXT 7/6/16
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| For my money, these are the two best tag teams on planet Earth. In April, American Alpha won the titles from the Revival but the Revival won them back two months later. This was the rubber match. The two out of three falls stipulation takes us back to good old school tag matches from the late 80’s, which is right up the Revival’s alley. The teams played off their previous two encounters while throwing twists into the action. They did a great job in showcasing how evenly matched they were and neither team could even gain a fall after fifteen minutes. Alpha had great babyface fire and the Revival, as always, nailed every single heel tactic they could. Both teams shined before stereo ankle locks led to Dawson tapping at 17:13, giving AA a 1-0 lead. The Revival were quick to tie it with an inverted figure four at 18:33. Tied at one in their match and the series, the stakes were never higher. They both teased successful submissions and had counters ready for everything. Gable tried a German suplex off the apron but it was blocked and he took a Shatter Machine on the apron to end things at 22:08. The Revival retained and moved into an even better rivalry but people shouldn’t forget how great their trilogy with American Alpha was. ****
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 26, 2016 0:18:27 GMT -5
107. No Mas Match: Mariposa vs. Sexy Star – Lucha Underground 5/4/16
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| A “No Mas” match is an I Quit match. To provide backstory, Marty Martinez kidnapped Sexy Star and held her captive between seasons one and two of Lucha Underground. During that time, Sexy was mentally tortured by Marty and his sister, Mariposa. Sexy escaped but Mariposa found her way to the Temple. Sexy showed fear each time she saw her but this was her night to end it. To add to the stakes, the winner would receive an Aztec Medallion and a shot to become Gift of the Gods Champion. For those who don’t know, Mariposa is played by Cheerleader Melissa. This felt like a Melissa match because it was brutal. I didn’t like how this started since two people who hate each other, in this kind of match, shouldn’t try to grapple. Just fight. After that though, this was pure violence. They used chairs, fought up the steps and Mariposa ripped away at Sexy’s mask. They even climbed higher up to the top of the Temple where nobody had been before. Sexy got busted open and her blood dripped over the fans far below her. The sight of her with blood and the ripped mask made for a great visual. Marty showed up but was equalized by Sexy’s friend the Mack, which led to a turning point. Sexy declined quitting with a “ YOU MARIPOSA” before winning with an armbar at 15:25. An anti-climactic finish and slow start kept this from being higher but still a violent war worthy of this list. ****
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 26, 2016 1:36:54 GMT -5
106. Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – WWN Mercury Rising 4/2/16
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| Last year at Evolve 48, these two had a match that made my list. Zack Sabre Jr. is usually in control when he wrestles, but not when Chris Hero is pummeling him. Sabre went on a “Best in the World Series” this year against five of the top guys in Evolve. He started 3-0, lost the fourth match and this was the final one. He faced the one guy that he just can’t seem to beat. Hero takes offense to Sabre thinking he’s the best, when Hero calls himself the GOAT and beat Sabre twice coming into this. Knowing he had the mental advantage, Hero stalled a bit early to get even more in Sabre’s head. Sabre combated Hero’s strikes by twisting Hero’s hands and feet in disgusting ways. They played off previous battles and had counters for a lot of what the other one does. The confident Hero gave Sabre free shots but would retaliate with huge strikes. Sabre takes a good beating for most of the 26:51. He fired up and demanded more strikes, which proved to be a bad move. He survived a fair amount, including a short piledriver, before a great finishing stretch saw both guys come close. A barrage of elbows finally kept Sabre down to cap a great start to a big super show. ****
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 26, 2016 11:58:54 GMT -5
105. WWE Women’s Championship: Charlotte (c) vs. Sasha Banks – WWE Raw 7/25/16
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| There have been a lot of Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte matches. They’re almost always good, some great, but they never really got to the level of Sasha/Becky or Sasha/Bayley. Anyway, the first Raw of the new brand split era was one of the best in the 23 year history of the program. The best match of that night saw Charlotte defend the Women’s Championship against Sasha. Including her reign as Divas Champion, Charlotte was at the helm of the division since the previous September. During that time though, Sasha never got a one on one title shot until this night. Unlike all of the other times that the WWE bashes how important their matches are over our heads (especially during this feud), this naturally felt like a big deal and was treated as such. For 16:51, they had possibly their best match ever. As with most Charlotte title defenses, she had help at ringside, and Dana got involved quickly. To get rid of Dana, Sasha pulled a page of her idol Eddie Guerrero’s book and made it look like Dana went after her with the title. That just added a little something extra to this. The rest of the match saw them do the spots they’re known for and the fans thought it was over when Charlotte hit her finisher, but Sasha survived by grabbing the ropes. Charlotte survived one Bank Statement, but tapped to a second after straight up telling Sasha that she would never beat her. The crowd reacted perfectly and the moment of Sasha realizing her dream was one of the best of the entire year. Sasha’s 2016 wasn’t nearly as good as her 2015, but this was an amazing sight. The feud would be run way into the ground for the rest of the year and never reached this level again. ****
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*This is the last match featuring both Charlotte and Sasha Banks. *It is the last Women's Championship match on the list.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 26, 2016 14:43:06 GMT -5
104. Akira Tozawa, Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi vs. BxB Hulk, Shingo Takagi and YAMATO – DG Gate of Destiny 11/3/16
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| Though I haven’t seen a ton of Dragon Gate, I am quite familiar with all six men involved in this match. Most of them were due to appearances in ROH or the CWC in Akira’s case. This was the big farewell match for Tozawa as he was leaving Dragon Gate. He was emotional before the bell but on his game once things began. The interactions throughout this ruled. It’s been nearly ten years since I first saw Yoshino compete and he’s still arguably the fastest guy in the ring. He and Hulk were great together. Tozawa got his shine, but also took a fair amount of the heat for his team. The pace of this match is bonkers. It’s pretty much the Dragon Gate specialty were everyone moves in and out of the match, doing insane things at a breakneck pace and it all looks smooth. As one would expect, the final third or so of this 27:49 match is ridiculous. Tozawa and Shingo have some especially great moments. I also liked the back story of the affiliations these men have had over time (Shingo held the ROH Tag Titles with Doi and teamed with Hulk, while Yoshino and Doi were a formidable team in their own right). Tozawa took the fall in the end, going out on his back. Most of the roster came out for the big post-match send off, capping an emotional match that was action packed. ****
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*This is the last match featuring Akira Tozawa, Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi and BxB Hulk. *It is the last match from the Gate of Destiny.
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Post by marino13 on Dec 26, 2016 15:53:21 GMT -5
That gif of Hero/ZSJ is awesome!
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 26, 2016 16:00:16 GMT -5
103. WWE World Championship TLC Match: AJ Styles (c) vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE TLC 12/4/16
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| The James Ellsworth saga went on for too long in the eyes of many. He was a major part of the Dean Ambrose/AJ Styles rivalry and played into this match. After an incredible encounter at Backlash and a fantastic triple threat match at No Mercy, AJ’s string of great title defenses continued in his first TLC match. For most of the 31:01 runtime, this was bordering on being their best match. It started with Dean going right after AJ, which made sense given the angle. They used all the weapons creatively and though it went half an hour, it didn’t feel long. Dean’s massive elbow off a ladder through a table was insane but was topped by Styles’ springboard 450 splash to the outside and through at able. AJ had it won when Ellsworth showed up. That distraction allowed Dean to hit Dirty Deeds on steel steps. AJ got up (too quickly) but Dean still fought him off. It wasn’t until Ellsworth turned heel and knocked the ladder over, sending Dean through tables outside, that AJ retained. I would’ve liked a better finish though it made sense within the story. Delusional Ellsworth on Talking Smack right after was great too. Anyway, this was another great match for Styles and Ambrose with some wild moments but they both did better this year.****
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*This is the last match from TLC. *It is the last TLC match on the list.
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Dec 26, 2016 18:15:51 GMT -5
102. Kenny Omega vs. YOSHI-HASHI – NJPW G1 Climax 7/22/16
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| Like I said, the B Block in this year’s G1 Climax was honestly an all-time great block. Though Kenny Omega was probably my least favorite performer of the block, he came out of the gates firing in this surprisingly awesome encounter with YOSHI-HASHI. YOSHI has been around for a while but only just started getting a sustained pushed. This was the first G1 Climax match in the career of either man. Omega looked into the camera during his entrance and said “I hate this schedule, I hate this tournament; just give me the title and the money.” While this started slowly, by the end of the 12:25, they blew away my expectations. They built up to some really dramatic near falls and all of it made sense. YOSHI had the One Winged Angel well scouted, countering it twice. Omega escaped YOSHI’s trademark butterfly lock submission more than once, leaving both men looking to use something else. YOSHI reached deep down and busted out Boma Ye, which worked on multiple levels because it was the finisher of his old buddy Shinsuke Nakamura, who Omega beat on his way out. Omega had also been using the move since then. YOSHI eventually pulled out the upset win with Karma, starting his G1 run off on the right foot. A surprisingly standout match from a damn good tournament. ****
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*This is the last appearance on the list of YOSHI-HASHI.
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