End of 2016 Round Up Post

As the sun sets on another year of this blog, it's time to post the annual list of the 10 best matches I've written about this year. This year has seen an upswing in content, due to reviewing shorter shows which I can blast through in an hour, but while I enjoy the historical context of early ECW or 94 Raws, they aren't always conducive to great bouts. However, given the high amount of wrestling I've watched this year, rest assured the bouts below are the creme de la creme.

10. Mike Quackenbush vs Jigsaw (CHIKARA Pick Up Or Delivery 2004)

Early CHIKARA has a lot of guys trying to find their feet, but here a green Jigsaw is able to keep right up with his mentor. Every Quack match I’ve watched in early CHIKARA has been a treat, and this was the best of the bunch.

9. Matt Tremont vs Kevin Sullivan (H20 Wrestling – It Was All A Dream 10/06/2016)

Just a really fun masterclass in working around the limitations of your opponent. Sullivan can’t do much more than punch nowadays, but Tremont is great at working a “just punching” match. Someone, somewhere, needs to book a Tremont vs Jerry Lawler match.

8. Terry Gordy & Steve Williams vs the Steiner Brothers (WCW Clash Of The Champions XIX)

The MVC were one of those teams who really intimidated me as a kid, and matches like this are evidence as to why. Big old bombfest between two super-powered teams, with the intelligence of the MVC being the deciding factor.

7. Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bate (VII: Fight Forever 16/09/2016)

Two of the best guys in the UK right now, and a really competitive match. Loved the feeling of two guys who know each other well, and are constantly trying to outdo the other. Some lovely battles on the mat and some nasty looking blows thrown.

6. Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens (WWE Battleground 2016)

Talking of guys who know each other well….my second favourite WWE match of the year (I never reviewed AJ/Reigns from Extreme Rules, otherwise that’d be high on this list), and one that felt suitable for the end of their story. Two guys going all out to have an excellent match, albeit one that never fails to feel hate-filled.

5. Dean Ambrose vs Mark Henry (WWE Main Event 11/03/2014)

I miss this Dean Ambrose, not goofy, but with a real sense of menace and clever ways to hurt people. Mark Henry is always king-sized, and he’s so good at putting over the damage Ambrose is causing him, showing vulnerability whilst still being a beast.

4. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Jumbo Tsuruta (The Best of Mitsuharu Misawa Vol 1)

This was the year I finally “got” Misawa, and this match really helped. Felt like a massive breakthrough win for a young Misawa, and he was made to work for it by Jumbo, a real war of attrition.

3. Curt Hennig vs Nick Bockwinkel (The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA)

If not for the shakiness of the ending, this could well have been #1. What a great match this is, so logically worked and building layer by layer through the match. I wasn’t too au fait with Bock before this, but this match made me a fan.

2. The Wyatt Family vs Los Matadores & Sin Cara (WWE Main Event 11/02/2014)

This was the epitome of the kind of hidden gem I wanted to find when I started watching old Main Events. This was the Wyatts in their prime, shortly before the Shield match at Elimination Chamber. The face team are overmatched, but really fun on offence, and the result is a really cool little trio match.

1. Io Shirai vs Mayu Iwatani (Stardom Year-End Climax 22/12/2016)

For two wrestlers I’d never seen before this year, I rapidly became a fan of both ladies this year. Between them, they were in 2 of the 3 best matches I saw in person this year (Io vs Kay Lee Ray and Mayu vs Nixon at the BEW/Stardom show in May), so unsurprisingly the two of them facing off ended up producing a match I love. Really exciting match, with a  fantastic end stretch.