2017 Match of the Year: #150-101

Before seeing what matches finished #150-101, we’d recommend checking out our introduction and honorable mentions to learn about the background of the poll, who participated this year and our matches that finished in “Sadness Village”.

A full list of matches revealed so far can be found at the bottom of this post.

2017 Match of the Year Archives

• Introduction & Honorable Mentions: voicesofwrestling.com/2018/01/29/voices-wrestling-2017-match-year-introductions-honorable-mentions/

Voices of Wrestling Match of the Year Archives

• 2016: voicesofwrestling.com/category/vow-latest/columns/2016-match-of-the-year/
• 2015: voicesofwrestling.com/category/vow-latest/columns/2015-match-of-the-year/
• 2014: voicesofwrestling.com/category/vow-latest/columns/2014-match-of-the-year/
• 2013: voicesofwrestling.com/category/vow-latest/columns/2013-match-of-the-year/
• 2012: voicesofwrestling.com/2012/12/20/top-10-matches-of-2012/

#150
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuji Nagata
7/23
NJPW
Total Votes: 3
Overall Points: 4
Average Points Per Vote: 1
Highest Vote: 9th

“This was the final year that we will get to see Yuji Nagata in the G1 and he put it all out there in this one. Much like Shibata’s feud with the Third Generation, this was a battle of generations as Nagata fought to hold onto his place against Tanahashi, the man that replaced him. This match is hard hitting, but it never feels like there’s any hate behind the blows. Nagata wants to go down swinging and Tanahashi is happy to oblige him. The slap exchanges between these two are nasty with Tanahashi even busting open Nagata’s cheek. Years down the road this match will be relevant once more when Tanahashi finds himself in Nagata’s place taking a beating from who I assume will be Okada. No other match in the G1 brought this level of emotion in 2017 and I have a feeling that this one will stick out in my memory much longer than anything else in the tournament.” – Kelly Harrass

#141
Asuka vs. Nikki Cross
6/28
WWE NXT
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

“There wasn’t a single chant of ‘women’s wrestling’ during this one, and it was lovely. This was a fight, and one of the few occasions during Asuka’s reign that you didn’t have the feeling she was holding something back. Cross’ deeply unhinged character made her, for me, the most credible of challengers to Asuka’s title reign, and one of the most fun to watch. They battered each other for 25 minutes, and the finishing superplex from a ladder, through the announce desk, was brutal.” -Amanda Why

#141
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Marty Scurll
1/21
RPW
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

“I detest Marty Scurll. I nearly always regret watching his matches. But this one was different. It felt the way a grudge match ought to feel: just two guys who hate each other out to kill one another. While Sabre is better recently in the role of the much more skillful combatant, he played perfectly here the part of the outmatched who refused to give up. Scurll and Sabre raised the stakes throughout the match, keeping fresh a 40+ minute contest. If Scurll can be good, and I remain unconvinced, this is the template.” -Aaron Bentley

#141
Matt Taven vs Flip Gordon
11/11
Ring of Honor
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

“This one might go under most people’s radars, but the audible called during this match that targeted the fan dressed as Hogan was incredible heel work. After jawing with the fan, Taven delivered the classic big boot/leg drop combo to a thunderous chorus of boos. Taven really felt the pulse of the crowd during this one and brought them into it. Gordon’s selling was excellent here and he definitely worked a different match than he has in ROH before this one. The interference was not how I wanted to see this end, but having Gordon lose this way protects him and is in line with Taven’s approach to winning, by any means necessary. Overall, this was a great example of being able to adapt and draw a crowd into a match that might not have gotten the same reaction without Taven’s antics.” -Rich Laconi

#141
Corey Hollis vs. David Starr
5/21
PWX
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

“Your Main Event/Superstars match of the year. Exists almost entirely in a vacuum. Tells a beautiful story that has no lasting importance. Hollis attacks Starr’s leg in such a nasty way. He’s a shark that’s smelled blood and rips off Starr’s boot so he can really get in there. In turn, Starr proves he is the best babyface in the business.” -Sam DiMascio

#141
Matt Riddle vs. Kyle O’Reilly
5/6
OTT
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

“Riddle vs. O’Reilly is a match you see on paper and know exactly what the match will be: stiff, brutal and intense. Personally, I give this meeting of the two an edge over their EVOLVE match a couple of weeks later having experienced it live. It’s a shame in one respect that KOR went to Florida shortly after, because this feels like one of those matches you can put on in a promotion anywhere and it would get over huge.” -Dave Ryan

#141
“Big Boss” MA-G-MA & Black Buffalo vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Shigehiro Irie
7/16
DDT
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

“The beatings Big Boss & Black Buffalo gave here was something you’d see on the lucha indies; this was a violent and bloody clash. Takeshita & Irie fight with all they have to defend their homebase against grumpy kaijin from Osaka.” -aguakun

#141
Konosuke Takeshita Vs Mike Bailey
7/2
DDT
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

“The highlight is obviously Bailey’s massive Moonsault from the stairway but there is a lot more to find in this match. Bailey had been acting like a cocky friend to Takeshita in the build up to the match, taking it so far that it was patronising. Takeshita had to look back to his El Generico influence to set up the finishing stretch, winning with the unexpected top turnbuckle Brainbuster.” -Jamie O’Doherty

#141
Kazusada Higuchi vs. Konosuke Takeshita
1/7
DDT
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

#141
Cavernario and Volador Jr. vs. Ultimo Guerrero and Valiente
11/17
CMLL
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

“It’s a great match for the first fifteen minutes; it becomes a classic when Ultimo Guerrero suplexes Volador back into the ring with one arm. The exact kind of greatness you’d expect from four of CMLL’s best luchadors.” -Eric Mutter

#138
Axel Dieter Jr. & WALTER vs. Jurn Simmons & David Starr
2/24
WXW
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 3
Highest Vote: 7th

#138
KUSHIDA vs Hiromu Tanahashi
6/11
NJPW
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 3
Highest Vote: 7th

“Countless people far more qualified than myself have already weighed in on New Japan’s best of the year, but this was a personal highlight. I am constantly enthralled by Hiromu managing to not kill himself yet again in big matches in spite of his best efforts, and by how KUSHIDA makes everything he does look so smooth and effortless. Given the pretext of the Sakura Genesis squash, this 20 minute blistering match had everything you would want from both men, as well as the satisfaction of KUSHIDA returning to the top of the division.” -Dave Ryan

#138
Zack Sabre Jr vs. Lio Rush
5/21
EVOLVE
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 3
Highest Vote: 7th

“A perfectly executed underdog story. Zack Sabre Jr. is an absolute “human torture device” in this one as he beats & stretches the crap out of Lio, and Lio sells that in amazing fashion. It built from their first meeting from April (which was a great match as well) & the dynamic here was simply perfect for Lio Rush & Zack Sabre Jr.” -Heikki Oinonen

#137
Zack Sabre Jr vs. Tomohiro Ishii
8/11
NJPW
Total Votes: 3
Overall Points: 5
Average Points Per Vote: 2
Highest Vote: 8th

“No two men exemplify each other’s strengths better than the two participants in this match. The man with the best submission maneuvers in the world and the best seller on the planet. Tomohiro Ishii DID NOT TAP OUT. He passed out but HE DID NOT GIVE UP.” -Ishana Khanna

#127
Ringkampf vs. Massive Product
10/8
wXw
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 6
Highest Vote: 5th

“The second masterfully booked tournament final in a year from wXw, Ringkampf and Massive Product tore the house down in Oberhausen. The match was action packed, and also served to further existing storylines in wXw (Massive Product’s growing tensions, Starr vs. WALTER, Timothy Thatcher is inhumanly tough) and set the table for the company in 2018, while also proving to be a perfect punctuation to the tournament. This match also features the god damn GREATEST ‘Gotcha!’ near fall moment I’ve seen in years.” -Dave Ryan

#127
“Psycho” Mike Rollins vs. Braxton Sutter
8/13
Smash Wrestling
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 6
Highest Vote: 5th

“This match was the culmination of a storyline that looked to break up the beloved tag team partners. The two men beat each other with wrapping paper, sparkly present bows, and big wrapped boxes filled with the world’s deadliest balloons. I loved how dead serious the wrestling was amidst the sheer nonsense of the match’s premise and implementation. The juxtaposition of harmlessness and intense aggression was superb. I laughed so much and at no point did the performers break character. “Badass silliness” is a term I’d use to describe this. That post match loving reunion literally had me hunched over in my seat, doubled up with laughter.” -James “NuclearConvoy” Snelgrove

#127
Jack Sexsmith vs Paul Robinson
4/23
PROGRESS
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 6
Highest Vote: 5th

“”The culmination of a big storyline for Jack Sexsmith, and for Progress. Sexsmith had asked for the chance to prove himself, to earn his way into the SSS16 tournament. He’d tried three times and, despite excellent performances, failed to secure a victory. Paul Robinson issued the challenge as Sexsmith’s final chance, and was so confident in the outcome that he put his own place in Progress on the line. If Sexsmith won, Robinson would leave the company. Things got heated over social media in the build-up.
Sexsmith is a crowd favourite, and Robinson the guy everyone loves to hate. Sexsmith had everything to prove, and Robinson everything to lose. 2017 was the year Sexsmith matured as a wrestler, and this was the match he earned his place – by retiring someone he’s looked up to. It might not be the most technical match on the list, but it’s hard to beat for storytelling and emotional impact.” -Amanda Why

#127
KUSHIDA vs Ryusuke Taguchi
5/29
NJPW
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 6
Highest Vote: 5th

#127
Hiromu Takahashi vs. KUSHIDA
4/9
NJPW
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 6
Highest Vote: 5th

#127
YAMATO vs. Masaaki Mochizuki
9/18
Dragon Gate
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 6
Highest Vote: 5th

“There was no other moment this year quite like the end of this match.” -jae

#127
Konosuke Takeshita vs. KUDO
1/29
DDT
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 6
Highest Vote: 5th

“There is a moment in this match where Takeshita goes for a top rope double knee attack, and KUDO someone manages to pluck him out of the air and hold him on his shoulders. It took my breath away the first time I saw it and when I showed it to friends months later, they gasped at the moment. This is that kind of match. This match is full of moments that will stun you. Some of the loudest chops I’ve ever heard in a wrestling match. Vicious double stomps onto the ring apron. Two men who are willing to do ANYTHING, expend any bit of energy and pull out every trick in the book to win the match. It is truly a sight to see.” -Taylor Maimbourg

#127
Angel de Oro vs. Caristico vs. Dragon Lee vs. El Barbaro Cavernario vs. Euforia vs. Gran Guerrero vs. Hechicero vs. La Mascara vs. Luciferno vs. Maximo Sexy vs. Mephisto vs. Mistico vs. Niebla Roja vs. Titan vs. Valiente vs. Volador Jr.
4/7
CMLL
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 6
Highest Vote: 5th

#127
Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Hideki Suzuki
3/30
BJW
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 6
Highest Vote: 5th

“There is no way to describe this but as the perfect championship match. My favourite thing about this is the sense of struggle. At no point is there an evidently choreographed “”pro wrestling”” spots. Every move is done in spite of their opponent. This isn’t Hardcore Holly being a sandbagging cunt or anything but every move feels earned. This feels like a legitimate sporting contest in the sense that each man has an answer for the other.

This is Johnny Saint escapology without the wacky comedy. Shibata/Ishii matches without the skull-to-skull headbutts. It’s building sympathy without spamming a thousand nearfalls. It’s Sekimoto adding new things to his repertoire and letting the match be built round Suzuki instead of himself. These guys had a time limit draw the month before which was excellent but this blows it away. This is like a Vegas Boxing Title Match, with bombs, counters and counter-counters. Just two men putting it all on the line and treating the title as a life-or-death thing. I could go on for days about this but you get the idea.” -David Forrest

#127
Gringo Loco/Steve Pain vs DJZ/Laredo Kid vs Flip Kendrick/Facade vs Cheech/Colin Delaney
3/24
AIW
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 6
Highest Vote: 5th

#126
Undisputed Era vs. Sanity vs. Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong
11/18
WWE NXT
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 3
Highest Vote: 8th

“The return of a classic and it was awesome. The rules were easy to follow and filled any plothole (escape = automatic loss? smart idea,) plus the nine men took full advantage of the ceiling-less double-cage.” -Matt Jodouin “Matty Jay”

#125
Gran Prix Torneo Cibernetico
9/1
CMLL
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 3
Highest Vote: 7th

“Among a very random group of talented wrestlers, Michael Elgin looked like the best luchador in the world for most of this elimination match. I wouldn’t pay to see him wrestling in 2018, but can’t deny how good he was in this match.” -thecubsfan

#123
Shotaro Ashino vs. Jiro Kuroshio
9/2
Wrestle-1
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 3
Highest Vote: 6th

#123
Travis Banks vs. Will Ospreay
12/30
PROGRESS
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 6
Average Points Per Vote: 3
Highest Vote: 6th

“While a lot of fans declare the big match from the Tokyo Dome as their match of the year right at the start of the year (including myself in this very poll), PROGRESS had their best match take place right at the end. Will Ospreay had lost a Loser Leaves Town match in March against Jimmy Havoc, but oddly enough, right when his Ring of Honor contract expired, he was able to come back, and we were all so happy that he did. Travis Banks has revitalised the PROGRESS Championship from all the WWE-lite shenanigans that Pete Dunne put it through, and has delivered killer title defences one after the other, with this one topping the list. Ospreay was not holding back with a big date at the Tokyo Dome just five days later, and he took the Kiwi Buzzsaw to the limit, delivering his most complete performance in a PROGRESS ring to date. Banks met him with ferocious might and eventually wore the Aerial Assassin down in one of the best PROGRESS Title defences ever. The prodigal son was back, and the champion cemented his throne, what could be better?” -Martin Bentley

#114
AJ Styles vs Finn Balor
10/22
WWE
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 7
Average Points Per Vote: 7
Highest Vote: 4th

“This was put together last minute, but it did not need any build up. The match itself was a treat for casual fans, and the “Bullet Club” history between the two provided enough back story for the hardcore fan.” -Matt Jodouin “Matty Jay”

#114
Yoko Bito vs. Takumi Iroha
10/17
STARDOM
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 7
Average Points Per Vote: 7
Highest Vote: 4th

“Unknown to the public at the time, her match with Takumi Iroha was the beginning of the end of Yoko Bito’s career. It was a match that was never supposed to happen. But due to a heartbreaking injury to Mayu Iwatani, Stardom’s title picture was in disarray, and it turned out that Bito–the Wonder of Stardom champion–was the only singles champ in Japan. Tasked with headlining Stardom’s October Korakuen Hall show, Bito and Iroha (a former Stardom trainee, now wrestling for Marvelous) not only put on Stardom’s match of the year, but perhaps the best match of Bito’s career.” -Derek Tillotson

#114
Hechicero vs. Caifan
1/6
Promociones Cholo de Tijuana
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 7
Average Points Per Vote: 7
Highest Vote: 4th

#114
Atsushi Kotoge & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Go Shiozaki & Maybach Taniguchi
1/7
Pro Wrestling NOAH
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 7
Average Points Per Vote: 7
Highest Vote: 4th

“The “Atsushi Kotoge is a heavyweight and will die to win any match and prove he belongs” tour kicked off with an amazing match within a match as Kotoge worked at another level, both in selling the beating Go & Maybach inflicted upon him but also during his comeback leading to the match’s most climactic and remembered moment. Watching this match it felt like NOAH had caught lightning in a bottle with the Pink Hot Blooded Young Man’s unique charisma and daredevil stiff wrestling style connecting better with the crowds of the green ring better than any other at the time. He didn’t quite get to capitalize on this breakthrough performance the way I personally felt he could have but he at least can headbutt people to his heart’s content. Go in particular in this match also delivered a great performance as the antagonist against Kotoge, both selling and delivering punishment to the former Jr. Both Marufuji & Maybach were quite good in their roles but this match was about the courage and battle between arguably 2 of NOAH’s MVPs in 2017. Fantastic match that also invokes true feeling.” -Dylan Harris

#114
Jordan Devlin vs. Matt Riddle
11/4
OTT
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 7
Average Points Per Vote: 7
Highest Vote: 4th

“I would happily put the quality of Jordan Devlin’s 2017 body of work post-UK Tournament against anyone else on the independent scene: the man has been killing it. This match against Matt Riddle was his penultimate stop en route to the NLW title and becoming the de facto leader of Ireland’s growing wrestling scene. The two men stood toe to toe and beat the hell out of each other for the duration of this match in front of a jubilant crowd, and by the end no one who saw it could be in doubt of Devlin’s outstanding quality.” -Dave Ryan

#114
Arisa Nakajima vs. Tsukasa Fujimoto
3/26
Ice Ribbon
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 7
Average Points Per Vote: 7
Highest Vote: 4th

“Great tag team partners, and in this case best friends, sometimes make excellent rivals as well and this was the case for this match . My attention was divided between watching the show this match was on and working on something else, but as soon as this match started I knew I had to stop what I was doing and give my full attention to this match . From the opening seconds of this bout you know you are watching something special, as they stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds, daring the other to make the first move. Once they got going the intensity both women show here is something to be admired. This was a battle to prove who the best was. It was intense, hard-hitting, and nasty.” -Geovanny Astorga

#114
CIMA, Dragon Kid, Eita, Takehiro Yamamura & Naruki Doi vs. Shingo Takagi, T-Hawk, El Lindaman, YASSHI & Punch Tominaga
3/8
Dragon Gate
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 7
Average Points Per Vote: 7
Highest Vote: 4th

“Where to begin with this one. The basic story behind the match was that the winning team would get to steal a member of the losing team. Despicable rudos VerserK had heavily implied in the run-up to the match that, when they won, they’d take Over Generation’s promising, wholesome up and comer Takehiro Yamamura, and indoctrinate him with their evil ways. That storyline is one reason why this match is so great, since you get these magnificent, inspirational sequences of Yamamura getting into these awesome fucking fist fights with T-Hawk and going toe to toe with Shingo Takagi and just refusing to back down, knowing he’s fighting for his career, heck, fighting for his soul. The pop when he puts Punch Tominaga away to win the match for Over Generation should warm even the most cynical wrestling fan’s heart. But there’s so much more to this match, somehow, than just one captivating storyline. There’s several other captivating storylines as well- Eita and El Lindaman were at each other’s throats at this time and all their sequences are full of proper venom, any skirmish between Shingo and Naruki Doi comes loaded with extra historical significance, Punch Tominaga is VerserK’s whipping boy but comes within inches of actually winning the darn thing for his team. More importantly even than all those cool intersecting rivalries though is that, of course, this match is quintessential Dragon Gate tag team insanity. The finishing stretch especially is so utterly sublime it boggles the mind; at times it still feels like Dragon Gate are 20 years ahead of everyone else in the business. It’s just the indescribable sense of speed you get, the way sequences effortlessly flow into new sequences, the beauty of the high flying, the dizzying thrill of the rapid fire storytelling. How these guys can do it is absolutely beyond me. It’s pure alchemy. I adored this match when it happened, but if anything it means even more to me now, in the aftermath of Yamamura’s career threatening injury he suffered in October. He was so darn good, especially for his age, and so obviously an integral part of Dragon Gate’s future. It’s appallingly unfair he perhaps won’t get to be a part of it, and I’m so glad there was at least this moment, where he was the star of the show, and shone like one in the role. A stunning match.” -Jack Stevenson

#114
Trevor Lee vs Alex Daniels
4/29
CWF Mid-Atlantic
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 7
Average Points Per Vote: 7
Highest Vote: 4th

“An exceptionally impressive young man slowly loses control of the match he lobbied so hard for and comes to realize why exactly the champ is the champ. Time and again in 2017, Trevor Lee and the booking of CWF were able to elevate a lesser performer to greatness and this, for me, is the shining example of that.” -VBrock Jahnke

#114
Kohei Sato & Shuji Ishikawa vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi
1/2
BJW
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 7
Average Points Per Vote: 7
Highest Vote: 4th

#113
Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
2/5
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 7
Average Points Per Vote: 4
Highest Vote: 6th

“This is a controversial pick. Largely because this is a matchup that some people were absolutely enthralled with for the entirety of the match, while others found it to be rather boring. I put myself in the former group. Okada/Suzuki was filled with drama and a sense that it could end at any time, as Suzuki methodically destroys Okada’s leg. The selling from Okada in this match was on another level, and as someone that went in believing that Suzuki could absolutely pull an upset, the emotions were very high. If you went into this one spoiled it loses a lot… but for those of us that watched with the ending unknown, it was one of the best rides of the year.” -Doug Fowler

#111
BxB Hulk & Kzy vs. Masaaki Mochizuki & Susumu Yokosuka
12/01
Dragon Gate
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 8
Average Points Per Vote: 8
Highest Vote: 3rd

“Kzy was an MVP candidate this year. He pinned the Dream Gate champion in front of his hometown crowd here.” -jae

#111
Danshoku Dino vs. Joey Ryan
3/20
DDT
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 8
Average Points Per Vote: 8
Highest Vote: 3rd

“This match had action, adventure, romance, drama, a prestigious championship on the line, comedy, flips, a pre-match PowerPoint presentation, and a lot of fun involved as well.” -HeadCheese

#110
Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak
3/31
EVOLVE
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 8
Average Points Per Vote: 4
Highest Vote: 5th

“Keith Lee had a transformative year on the indie scene, going from being part of a tag team in Ring of Honor to branching out as one of the most versatile and agile big men on the independent scene today. Donovan Dijak, who is very tall, can do moves people half of his size do and can do it with ease. These two had an incredible Big Guy Match that someday, people will look back at and wonder if this was the start of something amazing.” -Bryan Rose

#109
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kenny Omega
3/12
NJPW
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 8
Average Points Per Vote: 4
Highest Vote: 4th

#107
Rey Fénix vs Flamita
11/29
The Crash
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 9
Average Points Per Vote: 9
Highest Vote: 2nd

“This was two of the best luchadors, two of the best wrestlers in the world having a killer match in front of an enthralled crowd. There’s no one fighting with more speed and agility than these two, and I hope they keep running into each other forever.” -thecubsfan

#107
Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Takashi Sugiura
1/7
Pro Wrestling NOAH
Total Votes: 1
Overall Points: 9
Average Points Per Vote: 9
Highest Vote: 2nd

“I love wrestling the most when it feels like a fight, when the performers force me to hang on every strike, wondering if this will–finally–be the one to end the brutality. Sugiura’s ruthless offense went most of the way to accomplishing that in this bout but Nakajima’s selling and fighting spirit sealed the deal. This match is the distillation of why I watch so much wrestling: the hope that I’ll get to see something like this.” -Aaron Bentley

#105
Sekimoto/Sato vs. Takagi/Okabayashi
9/20
BJW
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 9
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

“Watching big, bad, Dragon Gate bully Shingo Takagi be dwarfed by everyone else in the ring is bizarre. Watching him play the whitest-meat babyface and look like he’s having the time of his life doing it is even more bizarre. Watching him interact with Yuji Okabayashi makes me want to see these two guys team up forever.

The story of the match revolved around Sekimoto and Sato wanting to isolate Shingo, by far the smallest guy on the match, and avoid Okabayashi. By the finishing stretch, Shingo had taken such a beating that every near-fall seemed like it would be the one to finish him off. The breakneck pace of the final flurry made it seem like anyone’s match… and then it was nobody’s match. A draw is only as effective as the finishing stretch, and this one was a resounding success.” -Jeff Martin

#105
Taya vs Ayako Hamada
4/21
AAA
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 9
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 6th

“This was a great, bloody match. Both women were great. Taya’s improvement was showing in Lucha Underground but with most of what had aired by that point having been taped months (year?) ago, it was cool to see her have this great match that was a little more current. Unfortunately, AAA screwed this all up after and turned something they should have continued to build on into a mess by the summer.” -Alfredo Esparza

#103
Takehiro Yamamura vs. Big R Shimizu
2/2
Dragon Gate
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 9
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 4th

“This show should have been a disaster due to Yoshino getting injured, but these two went out and killed it not only in this match, but later on again in the main event. Yamamura became a superstar.” -jae

#103
Ben-K, Big R Shimizu, Naruki Doi, and Takehiro Yamamura vs. Cyber Kong, El Lindaman, Shingo Takagi, and T-Hawk
2/2
Dragon Gate
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 9
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 4th

“This match single-handedly brought me out of wrestling slump early last year and inspired me to explore the Japanese indies like I’d never done before. Maybe it won’t be on anyone else’s ballot but it meant so much to me I couldn’t leave it off. It was chaotic, it was intense, and it was wonderful. It was everything that makes Dragon Gate fantastic and it was held up not by your CIMA’s or your YAMATO’s or your Yoshino’s, but by Big R Shimizu, Ben-K, and especially Takehiro Yamamura. The next generation kicked the door down here and showed not only can they go toe-to-toe with the all-stars but they can outshine them too. Yamamura specifically put his heart and soul into this and despite falling in the end he came out a far bigger star than when he went in.” -Josh Robinson

#102
Flamita vs Fenix
10/5
The Crash
Total Votes: 2
Overall Points: 9
Average Points Per Vote: 5
Highest Vote: 3rd

“Ya know if this match happened in America, everyone from Bandit Keith to Wreddit would be raving about the insanity these two produced, Flamita & Fenix did so many crazy smooth sequences and techniques that were unique to them & I can’t even do a front bump without risk of landing on my skull. Fenix says he lives with the mentality to always give it his all every match because people paid to watch wrestling, Flamita is an excellent choice to match Fenix on that.” -Parm Mann

#101
Mike Bailey vs Will Ospreay
8/24
WCPW
Total Votes: 3
Overall Points: 9
Average Points Per Vote: 3
Highest Vote: 7th

“WCPW isn’t everyone’s favourite promotion, nor is it mine by any stretch, but they run shows near me and book matches like Mike Bailey vs. Will Ospreay so why wouldn’t I go. I was front row for this and haven’t watched it back on tape yet but live this was one of favourite live experiences ever. This match was so indie but it worked perfectly. Flips and dives and dumb shit galore, this is everything I love. I loved Bailey’s kicks here and Ospreay’s attempts to avoid them, but most of all I loved the finishing stretch. Bailey’s shooting star knee drop into a meteora on a standing Will Ospreay is the most insane spot I’ve ever witnessed in the flesh and still something I think about sometimes.” -Josh Robinson