maciej

So, I agree that he flourishes in stuff against much bigger guys (the Keith Lee match last month for example), but I think there are a few matches in the time frame where people go hard with him on the mat (see Gulak at Evolve 73 or Jon Gresham in Beyond throughout the year) that can produce equally great matches. It's the stuff in between that often falls short. It feels incredibly wrong to vote for a British indy guy against LA Park, but I didn't love most of the Rush stuff as much as everyone else did, and Sabre really won me over by the end of last month and had such a high quantity good matches.

Shibata is good enough at cool-looking offense that with the right opponents he'll have matches I think are very good, but he's as emblematic of the two guys just hitting each other as hard as possible and not trying to defend themselves stuff that's one of my least favorite things in the wrestling world, so I will definitely not be voting for him.

Oh boy. I will def watch some more Omega before voting, as I haven't seen a lot outside of the G1 and Wrestle Kingdom stuff, but if you're gonna vote in this one and aren't too familiar with Hechicero, please please please watch some of the stuff in that play-in thread (especially if you like matwork at all). I love him so much.

If you can watch the Yehi/Gulak match from Mercury Rising last year, I think that's my favorite example of him putting all his cool stuff together into a a really good match.

That 7/2 Meiko/Io Shirai match is here if Vidio is a streaming site u wanna use, and is a Top 10 MOTYC for me easily (it's also on RealHero, I'm pretty sure). Meiko Satomura is one of the best wrestlers in the world, I think. She's not necessarily a super loud seller, which maybe makes her seem slightly cold, but she's doing the right stuff if you pay attention, and has such a great aura and wonderful looking offense. Hirooki Goto is ok. Vote Meiko!

I've been bored enough with Ambrose that even just based on 2016 I might have voted Braun, but with the Zayn and Big Show matches from Raw in 2017 I'm definitely voting Braun.

I might also be the biggest fan in the world of this Rush/Silver King vs. LA Park/Fuerza match from Monterrey. That said, while I probably like the idea of high end Rush more than Trevor Lee, based on this past year (and mostly on the CWF stuff, really) I'm probably voting for Lee.

I think there's a certain level of raw emotion and grit that comes out in those BT matches that I don't get from lots of other wrestling. Maybe the "in front of 100 people" actually helps sell the desperation, especially as there's plenty of wrestling that can similarly be described as "[a guy] stiffing the shit out of his opponents" (hi Shibata) that does nothing for me. This is probably the hardest one of the play-ins for me. Black Terry looks awesome when I see him, but Metalik/Dorada was just so reliably good on CMLL TV, and is one of the state of the art flyers in the world for me. My favorite Dorada match from last year (vs. Mephisto in February) is out of the time period, so maybe that leans me towards Terry.

I think I'm relatively high on Becky and she's doing awesome work on Smackdown but that series of really great Sasha/Charlotte matches make this an easy choice for me as well.

I like Shingo fine as far as Dragon Gate guys go, but there are only a handful of guys in the same tier with Hechicero as far as people whose ringwork gives me joy in 2017. If you like fun matwork and haven't seen that Negro Casas match, run don't walk.

Really fun show tonight, with a significantly more packed La Boom than the past few shows, and if you're in NYC and not going to these shows I would very highly recommend it. - I'm starting to really like Jaka. His match with Gulak was my match of the night last time out and he brought it against Cobb, whose strength spots looked even more awesome than usual tonight. Word to Phil's live blog re: that Tour of the Islands. - My first time seeing Keith Lee live tonight and he was just as cool as he is on tape. I'm still not quite sure how Tracy Williams makes these matches against bigger guys work while looking like he should be working at a design startup, but he was great against Chris Hero here a few months ago and this match was very enjoyable as well. - I guess I don't really know how arms and shoulders work but that Darby Allin shit was absolutely bonkers. - It was nice being there for the title change and I enjoyed that match a lot, lots of people hitting each other while in submissions, which always makes me happy. Couple that with some really encouraging words from ZSJ at the end of the show and I couldn't have been sent home much happier.

It would be so wonderful if they were to not waste what they have going on with Harper right now.

I know I ain't really shit around here but would also push really, really hard for Hechicero if he's anywhere near your bubble. I'd vote for him over almost anyone, tbh, and if people are gonna give Negro Casas a fair shot they're gonna have to watch that beautiful, beautiful match anyways.

Yeah, I mean, I do honestly. What's the point of purposefully, actively not watching women's wrestling in 2017?

Man, honestly, who really cares then?

Watched the Okada/Suzuki match and I liked it enough, cuz I will like Suzuki tearing a guy up every day of the week, but man oh man did some of it go long. I also found myself really enjoying it for ironic, somewhat mean reasons, like "well at least if Minoru keeps him in a leglock for a whole hour I'm mostly spared from watching Okada's offense."

Why not start this off with a January list, I do love lists: 1. The Authors of Pain vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa, NXT Takeover: San Antonio, 1/28 2. The Revival vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa, NXT TV, 1/11 3. Pete Dunne vs. Mark Andrews, WWE UK Championship Tournament, 1/15 4. Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne, WWE UK Championship Tournament, 1/15 5. Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman, Raw, 1/2 6. Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins, Raw, 1/23 7. AJ Styles vs. John Cena, Royal Rumble, 1/29 8. Jack Gallagher vs. Ariya Daivari, 205 Live, 1/17 9. Neville vs. Rich Swann, Royal Rumble, 1/29 10. Asuka vs. Nikki Cross vs. Peyton Royce vs. Billie Kay, NXT Takeover: San Antonio, 1/28

Has NXT been going heavier on heel friendship or am I just noticing it more since that Revival/DIY Title change? Peyton and Billie, at least in this match, seem about that in a different way than, like, the BFFs, and I feel like I even caught a glimpse of it as the Authors of Pain looked like they might be about to lose. Also, among the many things I liked about the women's match: Peyton actually getting a counter-kick in.

I was pretty much in the same boat and I have to say it really over-delivered for me. I thought every match was above average and the tag match was shockingly great.

So, Bailey loses to Charlotte, comes in at #30, throws out Orton, and headlines Wrestlemania against Charlotte. Right?

Well, that was scary.

Did the rest of youse guys end up watching that Rampage Brown/Riddle match? I liked it a bunch, and the ending was so different I kinda loved it.

I liked both of those last two Battlecade matches a ton, and i have to say working the broken bottle spots into Trevor Lee's modern indy hand-focused offense was just terrific.

Obviously that would have been better in front of a hotter crowd (like most matches), but Gallagher and Daivari did a pretty great job there. Getting that much silliness and some hate into the same match is an admirable accomplishment.

got home quite drunk tonight on this awful day in American history and wanted to watch some piece of art that would make me feel good and, you'll all be shocked to hear I know, the 6/9/95 tag is still completely amazing.