There were a ton of great matches in 2017, but here are the best of the best.
10. 10/11/2017; NJPW: G1 Climax 2017 – Day 17 – Tetsuya Naito vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
The new ace vs the established ace. Great in-ring work and one of the best finishes of the year.
I don’t see any legal posts of this match on the web outside of the NJPW membership.
9. 6/14/2017; WWE NXT: NXT #397 – Asuka vs Ruby Riot vs Nikki Cross Triple Threat Elimination Match for NXT Women’s Title
The actual match was decent, but it was the after match activity that made this special. The brawl between Asuka and Nikki Cross felt like an actual fight, and did not follow the familiar script of so many other out-of-ring dust-ups.
8. 4/4/2017; NJPW:Sakura Genesis 2017 – Kazuchika Okada vs Katsuyori Shibata IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match
Going in you thought this would be a style clash, with Okada being one of the more theatrical NJPW stars and Shibata being their stiffest worker. But Okada brought out the theatrics in Shibata and Shibata brought out the strong style in Okada. Not just an all out war, an entertaining one.
I don’t see an official video on the web.
7. 6/18/2017; WWE: Money in the Bank 2017 – the New Day vs the Usos WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
This may have been a “spot-fest” but it was a great one. Two of the best tag teams in the WWE with a great back and forth. The WWE let a NJPW style match steal the night.
6. 5/20/2017; WWE NXT: NXT TakeOver: Chicago – The Authors of Pain vs DIY NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Matc
This was a brutal, physical match from two in-sync tag teams.
5 Star Match Honorable Mentions:
2/11/2017, NJPW: the New Beginning in Osaka – Hiromu Takahashi vs Dragon Lee for IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
5/21/2017, WWE: Backlash 2017 – Kevin Owens vs AJ Styles for WWE United States Championship
8/12/2017, NJPW: G1 Climax 2017 Day 18, Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada
8/19/2017; WWE NXT: NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III – Asuka vs. Ember Moon for NXT’s Women’s title
Check back tomorrow for the best matches of the year!