The 25 Best Matches of 2017

What's good my kind people?! It's that time where we break down the best matches of the year, and trust me when I tell you, this was NOT an easy list, as this has been the single greatest year of athletic showmanship and storytelling we have experienced in many, many years. From every organization possible, there was at least one match this year in each promotion that delivered a five star match or close.  If you were a wrestling fan at all, this year made you remember that wrestling isn't dead, but alive and well.  You'll notice something obvious about this list, and that's that New Japan DOMINATED this year in terms of stellar and memorable matches.  They were undeniably the best promotion this year more than any other year in recent memory.  Organizations such as PWG, WWE, Progress, WCPW (now Defiant Wrestling), and even Lucha Underground (a kayfabe promotion with a killer show) delivered with unbelievable action this year.  It was very strenuous to pick out the top twenty-five matches, but here we go. Enjoy.

25. Asuka vs. Nikki Cross

WWE Women's Title/Last Woman Standing

NXT TV Taping

What a year for the WWE Women's division. Stars such as Charlotte, NXT's Ember Moon, and Sasha Banks put on overall very good performances this year, plus the Mae Young Classic had moments of sheer excellence.  However, it can be argued that there wasn't a better women's match in the entire company this year than the Last Woman Standing match between historic, undefeated champion Asuka and Sanity's Nikki Cross.  We don't often see Last Woman Standing matches, at least not in the mainstream, but this match was an absolute FIGHT. These ladies delivered with intensity a lot of men didn't present this year in this one match.  Ladders, tables, you name it.  It was used at some point in this war.  While Asuka came away the victor, Nikki showed the world her undisputed toughness. Talk about leaving it all out there. HELL of a match.

24. Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega

IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship Finals

G1 Special in USA

Has anyone had a better year than Kenny Omega? Truly. Unless your name is Kazuchika Okada, NOBODY in the world has had a better 2017 than Omega. Just before the summer hit, NJPW had their first U.S. show and it was to crown their first U.S. Champion. The tournament was a damn good one as is, but it was this match and the finals with Ishii that Omega just shined.  The Bullet Club leader proved why he was touted as the best in the world after the amount of punishment he endured and still came back and became the inaugural IWGP U.S. Champion. As for Big Mike, he had incredible matches himself this year and trust me, just like Omega, you'll see him again on this list.

23. DIY vs. Authors Of Pain vs. The Revival

NXT Tag Team Championships/Triple Threat Match

NXT Takeover: Orlando

The three best teams in NXT at the time all competed for th NXT Tag Team Championships on Wrestlemania weekend at NXT Takeover: Orlando. Arguably the match that stole the show was this awesome triple threat match for the belts as tow former championship teams of DIY and The Revival challenged the brutal Authors Of Pain, led by Hall of Famer Paul Ellering.  This was elimination rules, but this match saw the absolute best come from all teams.  The Revival would have their last big match in NXT here, but what a way to go out as this match was one of the major highlights all Wrestlemania weekend.

22. Braun Strowman vs. Samoa Joe vs. Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

WWE Universal Heavyweight Title/Fatal Four Way Match

Summerslam '17

The major heavy hitters on the Raw brand were all highlighted in this enormous Fatal Four Way match at Summerslam.  Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns all challenged Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title.  This had all the dressings of a car crash, and it was just that. Lesnar got stretchered out early but came back and tore asses apart on his way to retaining the title.  Before then, this was an all-out brawl the likes of which was rarely matched all year within WWE.  While Lesnar was the winner and the match further showed how much of a star Strowman is on the verge of being, Reigns and Joe also showed their worth  

21. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi

G1 Climax 2017

This year's G1 Climax tournament was arguably the greatest of all-time, or at least in many years.  Every day was special and provided absolutely overall fantastic matches.  One of the more standout matches was NJPW modern legend, six-time IWGP Champion and current Inter-Continental Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi against multiple time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi. Ibushi has always been considered a main event talent, and this was evidenced in his star making match against Shinsuke Nakamaura at Wrestle Kingdom 9.  This was very easily another match that proved his star power. Anytime you have the opportunity to show off against a Hall of Fame talent like Tanahashi, you better deliver, and that he did in abundance.

20. Zach Sabre Jr. vs. WALTER

PWG All-Star Weekend 2017

There's no denying the in-ring skills of Zach Sabre Jr, as he is likely the best technical wrestler on the planet. ZSJ has had absolutely fucking good matches all year, not to mention his performance in the G1 Climax this year.  However, the former PWG Champion was involved in one of PWG's most talked about matches ever against German brute WALTER. Sabre is a master when it comes to making scientific wrestling look cool, and his skills against the big German were as tested as we had ever seen. WALTER is known primarily as the hardest chopper in the business, and he dealt out some re verse knife edges the likes of which Ric Flair would envy.  This was a phenomenal match based around a different type of storytelling, but this was one of the single best PWG matches all year and one of the best in company history.

19. KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2017

Anytime these two marvelous competitors get together, it's special.  Two of the best junior heavyweights in the world, these two are money. They also met in the finals of the WCPW World Cup Finals, but this one was the better of the two. This was such a back-and-forth match, and it deserved all the acclaim it received. Both guys have had an incredible 2007 individually, and with matches like this one, their 2018 looks just as great. These two tore it down in what was a hell of a tournament.

18. Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijak

PWG Best of Los Angeles 2017

My God! If there's a better match that exhibited uncanny athleticism from guys this big for a whole match, I would like for you to show me. This was remarkable. The 6'7", 270-pound Dijak against the 340-pound Keith Lee was the talk of the whole BOLA tournament. We saw flips, moonsaults, and other things we typically see junior heavyweights or cruiserweights do. It was a marvel to behold and took the entire tournament afterwards with them. Big guys/super heavyweights like Keith Lee continue to redefine the big man in modern day wrestling and with the help of the huge Dijak, this match was amazing.

17. Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Will Ospreay

WCPW World Cup '17

There's no denying that Rey Rey is a lucha icon and arguably the greatest luchador to ever dross over into north American wrestling. He influenced a generation of highflyers and is destined to be in many Hall of Fames before it's all said and done. At the WCPW World Cup, he faced another thrilling kid that was influenced by him, Will Ospreay.  These two put on arguably the best match of the tournament and at over forty years of age, Rey showed that even with age and multiple knee surgeries, that he still had it, and had plenty of it.

16. Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito

G1 Climax 27

Earlier I stated how incredibly talented Ibushi was, and that was shown particularly in his match with the unbelievable talents of the Los Ingornablas de Japon leader Tetsuya Naito.  Naito is likewise regarded as one of the true best in the world and had quite the amazing 2017 himself. This was one of the first days of G1 this year and was placed among the highest in terms of acclaim, which considering how good this tournament was is saying something. You may not like Naito's brazen attitude or his rebellious disrespect, but there's no denying that he can hang with the best in the business bar none. Same with Ibushi. This match was fantastic.

15. Killshot vs. Dante Fox

The Hell Of War

Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha Tres

Say what you will about the phenomenon that is Lucha Underground. No, it's not a "real" promotion. Yes, it's a soap opera-esque TV show with wrestling as its centerpiece. Yes, traditionalists like Jim Cornette despise this show. Whatever the case, LU has a devout audience and with matches like what Killshot and Dante Fox had, it's not hard to see why. There have been many outstanding matches in the three seasons this show has aired, and many violent ones at that, but none hold a candle to the utter violence and brutality these young men displayed. Subsequently their version of WWE's Three Stages Of Hell match, the stages here were First Blood, Street Fight, and Ambulance Match. This had barbed wire boards, glass panes, chairs, and an ending so crazy it had to get seen to be believed. These two guys put a whole new level to LU and this match elevated both men's careers, even if it did shorten them.

14. Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne

WWE United Kingdom Championship

NXT Takeover: Chicago

These two young men, and I do mean young as the older of the two just turned twenty-four, squared off in the finals of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament earlier this year. As exciting as that match was, this match was two to three times better. The then nineteen-year-old champion Bate brought all he had and then some in defense of the title, but the ever talented, and devious, Pete Dunne dug down a little deeper and became the champion in a match that is being referred to as the second best WWE match all year (you'll see what the best was later). The future of the UK division is in marvelous hands with these two athletes.

13. Michael Elgin vs. Kazuchika Okada

G1 Climax 27

The incomparable IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada has had a historic year. Aside from being the longest reigning champion in New Japan history and having three straight six-star matches on the Meltzer scale with Omega, he had other outstanding matches that deserve our attention. One of them was a match during the G1 Climax with Michael Elgin.  Elgin had been performing excellently already up to day four of the tournament, but it was this match that many see as another career defining match for him. Standing toe to toe with most likely the best wrestler in the world today is a telling feat. Okada had classics with the likes of Omega, Shibata, Minoru Suzuki, and Cody Rhodes. Elgin gave the champ quite the scare but succumbed to defeat. Regardless, Elgin's career reached yet another height by engaging in this incredible encounter.

12. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kenny Omega

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2017

At Wrestling Dontaku, the "Six Star Cleaner" went to war with one of the single toughest badasses around, Tomohiro Ishii. Ishii has had some simply tremendous matches in 2017 and this one ranks among the top ones.  At times, Omega was being brutalized by the "Stone Pitbull", but other times, Omega showed just how great he really is.  Anytime they get together, it's awesome, and this encounter was no exception.

11. Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet

NJPW Best of the Super Juniors 2017

In 2016, Ricochet and Ospreay competed in one of the most thrilling matches in the game, despite complaints from some of the same people that hate Lucha Underground.  The complaint was that it was more of an acrobatic spotfest than a story that got told.  This year, they changed that to where it kept the acrobatic spotfests, but told more of an athletic story.  By this aspect alone, this match was even better than their epic matchup in 2016.  This time, Ospreay came away with the W but not before unforgettable performances by both men.  Arguably the highlight of the entire tournament.

10. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Inter-Continental Championship

NJPW Dominon 2017

Easily one of the most acclaimed and celebrated rivalries in all of NJPW is Naito and Tanahashi.  In their series of matches this year, this match was more deliberate and methodical.  These two put on better performances at Wrestle Kingdom and at the G1 Climax, but this match was still an incredible match that had Tanahashi win the I-C Championship from Naito in a punishing affair.  There are certain rivalries that get more and more anticipatory with every match build up.  This is one of them.  Two of the best in the world engaged in a spirited battle that showed why Hall of Fames are in the futures of both men.

9. Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata
IWGP Heavyweight Championship

NJPW Sakura Genesis 2017

Talk about a bittersweet match. Okada defended his IWGP Heavyweight Title against one of the toughest human beings alive in "The Wrestler" Katsuyori Shibata.  Shibata gave one of the single best performances of his career against arguably the world's best, but due to a horribly stiff head butt in the match, which resulted in a subdural hematoma, Shibata's career was put to an apparent end.  If this was his last hurrah, he went out with not only one of his career best performances, but one of the best matches of the entire year.

8. John Cena vs. AJ Styles
WWE Championship

WWE Royal Rumble 2017

Oh, Cena haters! His haters will never admit the fact that Cena has produced some damn good matches over the past eight years especially.  He had a five-star match with CM Punk at Money in The Bank 2011, and while U.S. Champion, he had fantastic matches with the likes of Sami Zayn and Dean Ambrose.  In 201, he got involved in a great rivalry with one of the best wrestlers in modern history, AJ Styles.  At the Royal Rumble, these two collided again, only this match way surpassed their Money In The Bank matchup of 2016 and any other match they had last year.  Styles, once again, put on the performance of a career, and Cena showed he's the single most improved wrestler of the past decade in this absolute classic.

7. Michael Elgin vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Inter-Continental Championship

NJPW New Beginnings in Osaka 2017

There are many that say Michael Elgin had his truly breakout year this year, in spite of being a former Inter-Continental Champion in 2016. The big Canadian proved his God-given abilities against the ever-incredible talents, and treachery, of Tetsuya Naito.  The LIJ leader didn't try to match power with the unreal strength of Elgin but he did try and out quicken Elgin and took a lot of physicality from the former ROH World Champion. Ultimately, Naito triumphed in a fantastic encounter and unquestionably the best match of the night.  Besides his G1 Climax final, this was Naito's finest performance this year.

6. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Inter-Continental Championship

Wrestle Kingdom 11

The beginning of the memorable year for Tetsuya Naito began at Wrestle Kingdom 11, as he faced Hiroshi Tanahashi for the Inter-Continental Title.  This match was easily the second-best match of the night, as Naito and Tanahashi put on a clinic and this already intriguing rivalry got bigger and definitely better. The "ace" of NJPW was at his Wrestle Kingdom best, as one could compare him to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania but Naito was a step ahead of this legend and came away as I-C Champ. 

5. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito

G1 Climax 27

Of all their sizzling meetings this year, none were as action packed and compelling as Tanahashi and Naito's encounter at G1 Climax 27. This was the last match of the last day of the A block, and this was simply a classic for G1 Climax history.  The proverbial big fight feel was heavy with this match, and they wrestled nearly flawlessly. Naito picked up the win in this match, but this match solidified one of the game's most celebrated rivalries and one we'll always mention as one of the best f this generation.

4. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega

G1 Climax 27 Finals

After just over two weeks of what many consider one of, if not the greatest G1 Climax tournaments of all-time, it all came down to Kenny Omega and Tetsuya Naito in the finals.  Nobody believed that anything could even remotely come close to the historic trilogy between Omega and Okada. In fact, many feel Naito's performances against Ibushi and Tanahashi were as good as he could be, but how wrong we were with both assumptions.  Simply put, this was considered the greatest G1 Climax final ever. Two men that raised the bar this year in the sport gave us an exhibition of storytelling that was knocking on the door of the greatness we witnessed between Omega and Okada. While this was another day at the office for the Bullet Club leader, Naito gave us the match of his career.

3. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega

IWGP Heavyweight Championship

G1 Climax 27

With people still trying to recover from their prior two monumental, epic matches, it was announced that Okada and Omega were in the same block for the G1 Climax tournament. Everyone knew at some point, they would have to collide, and it happened the last night of the tournament before the finals. Easily the most anticipated match of the summer, these two warriors collided in a fast-paced match that was also their shortest match. This was a thirty minute time limit and they fought for nearly the whole thirty minutes, but at the end of this magnificent affair, Omega was able to conquer his demons and finally defeat Okada to make it to the finals. This was the best thirty minute match of the year and closed out the most historic wrestling trilogy since Steamboat and Flair.

2. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega

IWGP Heavyweight Championship

Wrestle Kingdom 11

This was the match that broke the internet and redefined greatness within professional wrestling. As if these guys weren't superior wrestlers before this encounter, they came out of this match sealing their legacies as two of the all-time greats with this match. Omega was just simply out of the stratosphere with this match and Okada delivered a performance that damned any doubters as to whether or not he was truly worthy of the accolades and the title he acquired.  The heart-stopping near falls alone to you back to any Steamboat/Flair match or even other modern day classics like Taker vs. Shawn or Cena vs. Punk.  This match even broke Dave Meltzer's rating scale, as he gave only the second six star (out of five) match in the nearly forty year history of The Wrestling Observer. This match, at that time, was the longest recorded match in NJPW history, clocking in at about forty-seven minutes. It was a match that nobody will ever forget and will be remembered as a moment in time in the business.

1. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega

IWGP Heavyweight Championship

NJPW Dominion 2017

How do you top arguably the greatest wrestling match of this generation? You make it even better and put it as close to the word 'perfect' as possible. As if the storytelling wasn't impeccable before, these two leaders of this era exhibited athleticism that was just as exquisite as the first match, with a deeper emphasis on the psychology and storytelling.  Okada came away with the hardest fought victory of his career and it fueled "The Cleaner" to avenge that loss.  Omega showed even more heart and guts than he first one and was gonna win this match even if it killed him.  While they performed human chess on each other to the tune of nearly forty-seven minutes in the first one, they fought the entire sixty minutes and while Omega technically didn't win, he also did fight the champion to a draw. We haven't had a sixty minute match this game-changing in a very long time.  Not only did this match set an even higher bar for wrestling, but this match has been labeled as the greatest wrestling match seen to a worldwide audience ever.  These two young men made history and this is the most revered trilogy of all-time, or at least of this generation.

Honorable Mentions

Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega (G1 Climax 27)

Tomoiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito (G1 Climax 27)

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi (G1 Climax 27)

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (G1 Climax 27)

Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL (G1 Climax 27)

Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki (G1 Climax 27)

Kota Ibushi vs. Tomohiro Ishii (G1 Climax 27)

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Kenny Omega (G1 USA)

AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Money In The Bank 2017)

Samoa Joe vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns (WWE Extreme Rules 2017)

KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW Dominion 2017)

Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW Best Of the Super Juniors 2017)

The Mack vs. Johnny Mundo (Lucha Underground season 3 TV taping)

Christopher Daniels vs. Cody vs. Jay Lethal (ROH War Of The Worlds 2017)

Jay White vs. Will Ospreay (ROH War Of The Worlds 2017)

The Hardyz vs. Gallows & Anderson vs. Enzo & Cass vs. Cesaro & Shaemus (WWE Wrestlemania 33)

Hiroki Goto vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW Sakura Genesis 2017)

Broken Hardyz vs. RPG Vice vs. Young Bucks (ROH 15th Anniversary)

Kazuchika Okada vs. Tiger Mask W (NJPW 45th Anniversary)

Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dagon Lee (NJPW New Beginnings in Sapporo 2017)

Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki (NJPW New Beginnings In Sapporo 2017)

Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Royal Rumble 2017)

Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne (WWE United Kingdom Tournament)

Matt Riddle vs. Katsuyori Shibata (RevPro High Stakes)

Timothy Thatcher vs. Drew Gulak (PWG Lemmy)

Hiroki Goto vs. Katsuyori Shibata (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11)

KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi (NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11)

Johnny Gorgano vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas (NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III)

Ember Moon vs. Asuka (NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III)

Katsuhiko Nakajima vs. Brian Cage (NOAH Summer Navigation 2017)

Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet (WCPW World Cup 2017)

Will Ospreay vs. Mike Bailey (WCPW World Cup 2017)

Donovan Dijak & Keith Lee vs. Chosen Bros (PWG Best Of Los Angeles 2017)

Sammie Gueverra vs. Joey Janela (PWG Best Of Los Angeles 2017)

Matt Riddle vs. Michael Elgin (PWG Best Of Los Angeles 2017)

Lucha Brothers & Flamita vs. The Elite (PWG Best Of Los Angeles 2017)

Jeff Cobb vs. Keith Lee vs. Ricochet (PWG Best Of Los Angeles 2017)

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zach Sabre Jr. (NJPW Destruction In Hiroshima)

Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young (ROH Death Before Dishonor 2017)

Juice Robinson vs. Kenny Omega (NJPW Destruction In Kobe)

John Cena vs. Roman Reigns (WWE No Mercy 2017)

Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro & Shaemus (WWE No mercy 2017)

Matt Riddle vs. Jeff Cobb (Progress Super Strong Style 16)

Travis Banks vs. Tyler Bate (Progress Super Strong Style 16)

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling 2017)

KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling 2017)

Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens (WWE Hell In A Cell 2017)

The New Day vs. The Usos (WWE Hell In A Cell 2017)

Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas (NXT TV taping)

Sexy Star vs. Taya (Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha Tres)

Son Of Havoc vs. Pentagon Jr. (Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha Tres)

Jeremiah Crane vs. Cage vs. Mil Muertes (Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha Tres)

Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles (WWE TLC 2017)

Ricochet vs. WALTER (PWG All-Star Weekend 2017)

Will Ospreay vs. Flip Gordon (ROH Global Wars-Chicago)

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, & Kurt Angle vs. The Miz, Braun Strowman, Kane, Cesaro, and Shaemus (WWE TLC 2017)

David Starr vs. WALTER (WXW Fight Forever 2017)

Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream (NXT Takeover: War Games)

Undisputed Era vs. Sanity vs. Authors Of Pain & Roderick Strong (NXT Takeover: War Games)

Kairi Sane vs. Tessa Blanchard (WWE Mae Young Classic)

Kairi Sane vs. Toni Storm (WWE Mae Young Classic)

Johnny Gorgano vs. Kassius Ohno (NXT TV Taping)

Richochet & Matt Sydal vs. Young Bucks vs. Lucha Brothers (PWG Nice Guys)

Will Ospreay vs. Drew Galloway (WCPW Exit Wounds '17)

Dragon Lee vs. Cavernario (CMLL TV Taping)

Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm (Stardom)

KUSHIDA vs. Taguchi (Best Of the Super Juniors '17)

As you can see, there were a TON of stellar matches this year, and truthfully, there were a lot more.  This really has been a defining year i wrestling in terms of storytelling and breaking new ground, not to mention setting new bars for the game.  This has genuinely been the best year of wrestling I've witnessed in a genuinely long time, if ever.  Here's to hoping 2018 can repeat the history that 2017 has produced.