PROGRESS Wrestling - 15/01/17 Live Report

My first live wrestling show of 2017 was PROGRESS Wrestling in Birmingham. With the WWE UK Tournament happening the same weekend, some of the talent was unavailable (including the World and tag team champions, Pete Dunne and Moustache Mountain respectively) and the likes of Ospreay, Sabre and Scurll missing, the card looked lacking. Luckily PROGRESS had some surprises up their sleeves.

PROGRESS Wrestling

CHAPTER 42 - Life, The Universe and Wrestling
15 January 2017

O2 Academy, Birmingham

Before any in-ring action. Jim Smallman opens and talks about some of the talent working the WWE Tournament but he said he had no hard feelings because he also has friends in WWE. This brought out Finn Balor to an almighty pop. He joked around and randomly, played a game of musical chairs. It was an amazing surprise start to the show and great to see Balor in such a small place.

1) Ringkampf (Axel Dieter Jr. & WALTER) beat The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch) - Great opener. Dieter looks like a natural heel with a smug look plastered on his face whilst WALTER is just a big brute who makes the London Riots look small. Ringkampf really impressed me and I also liked the look of London Riots. MOTN.

2) Jack Sexsmith beat Sebastian - Bit of a comedy match really, nothing to write home about. After the bout, William Eaver, who was at ringside with Sebastian, looked like he would turn face but ended up leaving with Sebastian.

Jimmy Havoc came out to a great reaction. He ran down the recently reformed Swords of Essex after Will Ospreay turned his back on him at the last event. Havoc then called out someone from the back for an impromptu match. It turned out to be the recently WWE bound Tommy F'N End.

3) Jimmy Havok beat Tommy End - It was great seeing End live before he joins NXT. Understandably he didn't go all out here but it was still a decent exhibition which felt special. End put Havok over then amazingly travelled down to Blackpool on the same day to debut against Neville at the UK Tournament.

4) Alex Windsor beat Livii Grace - This was in the Women's Championship tournament and was easily the worst match of the night. It was the match after the break and could have been placed elsewhere. It was slow, sloppy and not a good welcome back.

5) South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper & Travis Banks) beat The Origin: Banter Edition (El Ligero & Dave Mastiff) - Fun match, obviously some comedy from Ligero and Mastiff. Mastiff even put on an El Generico match and did some lucha spots. I still believe Ligero is one of the most underrated UK talents.

6) Spud beat Paul Robinson - Spud was the hometown boy and making his PROGRESS debut. Robinson is part of the Sword of Essex with Ospreay and attacked before he match with his belt. Spud nearly killed himself with a trio of suicide dives and won by DQ.

Rampage Brown was to defend his Atlas Championship (over 205 pounds) in an open challenge. He was answered by Matt Riddle!

7) Matt Riddle beat Rampage Brown to win the PROGRESS Atlas Championship - Bro are you kidding me? Finn, End and Riddle as three surprises? I've always liked Riddle but he's become one of my favourites recently as I track down random matches of his, so I was so happy to see him live. The finish came a little out of nowhere but that's Riddle for you bro. It sent me home happy in a show where I didn't expect much but it really delivered.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 Review

Wrestle Kingdom is like the WrestleMania of New Japan. I don't think I've seen a Wrestle Kingdom from start to end, I think I've always picked matches but I decided this year to watch every match, including the pre-show matches.

1) New Japan Rumble: This was like a Royal Rumble but as eliminations also occur by pinfall and submission. So like Aztec Warfare then, except this one is full of old vets who struggle to bump. Michael Elgin was man number 1 which was cool as he was returning from injury. Then man number 2 was Billy Gunn, really? Someone needs to tell Billy to tone down the gimmickry. He's awful but not the worst, that goes to Bone Solider who looks like a CAW I thought up as a child on Smackdown Know Your Role. Plus, he can't wrestle. Instead of brawling in between the entrances, everyone seems to stand and stare when the countdown starts like they ran out of spots. It's awful. Liger doesn't get eliminated then gets eliminated and I don't know what's going on. It comes down to Elgin and Cheeseburger. They try and save the match but it's well beyond saving. Elgin hits Cheeseburger with a powerbomb to finish a truly awful match.

2) Tiger Mask W vs. Tiger the Dark: This is based on the new anime show. Tiger Mask hit the Golden Triangle Press to the outside, just in case you were wondering who was under the mask. My suspicions are right about Tiger the Dark as it's ACH. Ibushi and ACH could have one hell of a match even in limited time but they keep it simple here. Ibushi hits the Last Ride Powerbomb for good to triumph over evil (although Tiger the Dark is apparently more of a Anti-Hero rather than straight up evil).

Quick note, I'm listening to the English commentary by ROH team Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino. They are awful in the pre-show but get better when the show starts. Still not great but good enough to listen to, even with limited knowledge of NJPW.

3) IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: The Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice: I'm not a fan of either team but will admit the Bucks can be enjoyable in short doses. There's some good spots like the Bucks faking the countout and hitting Superkicks on the entrance ramp and trying to win by countout and Nick Jackson's counter to Rocky's springboard hitting a bulldog/missile dropkick. The Bucks move out of the way of Trent's dive which leaves Trent hitting the floor hard. The Bucks work over the Rocky but he survives for Trent to recover, block the More Bang for Your Buck and allow Rocky to get the roll up win. It's meant to be a big title win but the titles change hands so much, it's hard to care. If they insist on using Americans, why not bring back MCMG.

4) NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships: Gauntlet: We start with Bullet Club versus Chaos. It's short and uneventful. Ospreay goes on a little run but is a little sloppy and Adam Page follows with a SSP off the apron. The Bullet Club advance but are quicky dispatched by Los Ingobernables de Japon. The match picks up with Ricochet and Finlay working well together, Kojima having a run and LIJ being straight up bad guys. LIJ pick up the win and take the titles. It's the right call as EVIL, Bushi and Sanada are all too good to be doing nothing but the titles switches in the 6-Man tag titles is almost every match.

5) Cody vs. Juice Robinson: I've read a review where the reviewer called this the worst match on the card. It's harsh, it's not that bad. Juice pulls out a great performance but Cody is a little too over the top. Now I've seen a few matches of Cody outside of WWE, it seems he's not going to be the performer who gets MOTYC. He plays his character very well (as he did in every character in WWE) but he's in the odd position of working like a WWE wrestler on the indies, NJPW and TNA. He's best off going back, it may be a longshot but in the last year we've seen AJ Styles, Nakamura and Chris Hero sign to WWE so stranger things have happened. Cody wins obviously, gotta wonder why he wasn't booked against Japanese talent, surely that's the point of going to New Japan.

6) ROH World Championship: Kyle O'Reilly vs. Adam Cole: I'm biased because I don't see the appeal in Cole. He competed in one of my favourite matches in 2016 but basically hung on the coat-tails of the other five men in the match. All he has going for him is his catchphrase and I imagine that gets annoying quickly. Luckily O'Reilly controls this match. He's bulked up a bit which suits him if he is going for heavyweight and his strikes were brilliantly stiff. Cole works the limb but then hits a suplex over the knee to win it. And that's it. Cole becomes the first ever three time champ in a lackluster match. I was a bit out of the loop and now found out that O'Reilly didn't sign a ROH contact. O'Reilly deserved the title ages ago and should have been the man to defeat Lethal.

7) IWGP Tag Team Championships: Guerrillas of Destiny vs. Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano: Not much to say about this match. Honma was Honma, Yano was Yano, everyone was everyone, The best bit of the match was Tanga Roa dropping the F-bomb a record number of times. Corino had to go off commentary for laughing too much and I had tears in my eyes. I don't know why English speakers swear so much in NJPW. I remember Ospreay being pretty potty mouth against Ricochet last year. Yano and Ishii wins which is an odd pairing I'm not sure I like.

8) IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: KUSHIDA vs. Hiromu Takahashi: This was one of the matches I was looking forward to. I've always liked the Junior division, it's what first drew me into New Japan when Prince Devitt won the tag titles. The former Kamaitachi had a great match with Dragon Lee last year while KUSHIDA is always a joy to watch. The match disappointed me slightly but maybe I was expecting too much .Takahashi looked a little sloppy but that could just be nerves in his first big match. I was very happy to see two Japanese wrestlers face off, and I imagine they will continue this feud and get better matches.

9) NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hirooki Goto: With all the other titles changing hands, it was clear which way this was going to go. You gotta be good to have the nickname 'The Wrestler' and Shibata is that good. He owns the NEVER Openweight division and has made the title his own. They worked a stiff match, not as good as the title match from last years Wrestle Kingdom but decent enough. I didn't get too invested and as predicted Goto won. Good match but nothing special

10) IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi: Naito is so cool, how he isn't main event is the big question (like how Pentagon Jr isn't the focus of Lucha Underground). Naito brought something different out of Tanahashi. Tanahashi didn't do the clean break and stole Naito's taunt. They both work over the legs and traded submissions. They sold the legs well as the match wore on. Naito hit the Destino to be the only champion to retain so far. It doesn't make up for not main eventing Wrestle Kingdom 8 but beating Tanahashi to retain where everyone else lost the titles, is a good sign. Also every member of LIJ hold gold. The match itself was great but didn't reach MOTYC standards.

11) IWGP Heavyeight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega: What a match. It's pretty much a perfect match. Metzer gave the match 6... out of 5. I don't agree with that. It's an amazing match but not as good as Nakamura/Zayn from 2016 for me. Omega plays the Terminator in a fun sketch before his entrance. There was some heat on these two for main eventing but Okada pumped out another performance which solidifies him as the face of New Japan. Despite his popularity, Omega has had his critics but he put in a best in the World performance here. He showed he had it all, speed, strength, skill and his strikes were as stiff sounding as anyone's. It was a long match but there was no slowing down from the bell. There was also some huge spots, like Omega's shoutout to to Ishi by clearing the barricade and hitting Okada spot on with the Golden Triangle Press. The Bucks and Gedo are at ringside supporting both men but thankfully never get involved. The Bucks do set up a table which Okada brings out. Okada hits a big back body drop on Omega from the ring to the floor and through the table. Okada cut his back open at some point but sells the abdomen as Omega does well to work it over. Omega then switches to the neck which is fitting as Okada has had problems. It's worrying how much damage Omega is doing to Okada's neck, it must hurt so bad. Okada hits a tombstone and hits a couple of Rainmakers with Omega copying with a knee. They trade finishers some more with Okada getting the win with a final Rainmaker.

Final thoughts: I've seen a lot of praise for the event but I thought much of the card lacked. The final few matches delivered and the main event is one I will be talking about at the end of the year as one of my favourites. I skipped through from New Years Dash and watches a few matches. A few things happened. Dragon Lee debuted and took out Hiromu Takahashi but I thought it was Fenix when he first showed up. Ospreay does not like Shibata, that's a match I want to see. SUZUKI-GUN are back even though I don't know how many matches of them I want to see aside from Okada/Suzuki. And the 6-man tag titles changed hands again because it doesn't really matter. Oh and Omega said he is going to re-assess his future. Quite what that means is uncertain but I would imagine it's a bluff and he'll be back before anyone realises he's missing.

Top Wrestlers of 2016

2016 has been a great year for wrestling, so many good matches from a whole host of promotions. My list will obviously be based on what I've watched this year. I've watched all the WWE PPV's, all of NXT, Lucha Underground Season 3 and a bit from series 2 also assorted matches from the likes of NJPW, Evolve, PWG, ROH. Below are the 15 wrestlers I consider had the best 2016:

Special Mention - Matt Hardy - I didn't feel like he deserved to be in the top 15 but Broken Matt Hardy has been the reason why I have seen any TNA in 2016. His battle with Jeff and the New Years Special were loads of fun. It's exactly what TNA should be doing as an alternative to WWE. He's nailed the character in everyway and is soon to appear in ROH which will be very interesting.

15) Ricochet - Whether he is competing in NJPW, PWG, Evolve or Lucha Underground, Ricochet can always be relied upon to have a great match. His series of matches with Will Ospreay in multiple different promotions were a highlight.

14) Matt Riddle - Evolve was my indie promotion of 2016. Good storylines and good wrestling but most importantly Evolve was Bro. Riddle has intrigued me since swapping MMA for wrestling and has been getting rave reviews for his in ring work. I've recently caught up and become a fan. For a 'rookie' he just makes it look easy.

13) Zack Sabre Jr - Sabre is one of my favourites but he has had a rough year. Some fans have grown tired of his style but it doesn't stop him from pumping out classic matches against the likes of Chris Hero and Will Ospreay. He won the PWG title and even stopped off in WWE to compete in the Crusierweight Classic, it's a shame he isn't going to compete in the upcoming WWEUK tournament but he seems happy killing it on the indy scene.

12) The New Day - They may not be the tag team champions anymore but they went almost the entire year as champions breaking Demolitions old record. Not only that but they've been entertaining both on the mic and in the ring. Matches against the likes of the Club and Sheamus and Cesaro have shown they can back up their smack talk.

11) Chris Hero - Despite not holding a major title or winning a big tournament, Hero has been called the indy MVP due to his high quality performances against the likes of Zack Sabre Jr in Evolve and his year of stellar matches in PWG. Whether singles or as a tag team with Tommy End or JT Dunn, Hero has been someone you can rely on.

10) Samoa Joe - Joe got the distinction of being the first ever two-time NXT Champion. His run where he would destroy competitors shouting "Bring me Nakamura or bring me my title" was one of the best storylines of 2016. Thankfully there was a pay off as he won the belt off the back of it but has since been Nakamura's whipping boy. A call-up should be imminent and hopefully 2017 should be a bright year for the Samoan Submission Machine.

9) #DIY - One of the feel-good moments of 2016 was watching Gargano and Ciampa win the NXT titles but before that they suffered a heart-wrenching loss to the Revival where Gargano was forced to tap. Add in their battle at CWC and you have two of the most reliable performers in wrestling today. I was hesitant at first when WWE used these two as a team but they have gone from strength-to-strength. No matter who they face, when they are in the ring, you know your in for a good match.

8) The Miz - I've always been a fan of the Miz from when he first competed in Tough Enough. This year everyone has caught up with me and found why Miz is one of the best heels today. His second half of the year in particular has been amazing. With his verbal feud with Daniel Bryan and his actual feud with Dolph Ziggler exceededing expectations. It's also easy to overlook his time as IC champ before the brand split which included a very good fatal four way.

7) TJ Perkins - What a win for TJP. He was the guy I wanted to win the CWC but I didn't even expect him to get passed Gargano. Before his Crusierweight Classic win, he competed as part of Catchpoint in Evolve and rarely put in a below par performance. The Crusierweights have had a tough time since the CWC but TJ has performed solidly since.

6) Kevin Owens - Since he first showed up on NXT, Owens has been must watch TV. Also there's barely been a time when he hasn't been champion. He won the NXT title in his first 2 months then IC champ and then this year he became the second Universal champion (If Balor was fit for the rest of the year, I have no doubt he would have made this list)  His run with Jericho as his best friend has been entertaining and his matches are always good. He may have had to play second fiddle to the Women on Raw but he's been the man to watch in WWE all year.

5) The Revival - These twp call themselves the "Top Guys" it's pretty clear to see why. I believe they have been the best tag team all year. A few years ago with tag teams dying out that wouldn't have been a compliment but the tag divisions in all promotions have made a comeback. The Revival are the best at this and they do it with old school tactics. Their matches with DIY, American Alpha and TM61 have all been of the highest quality. Now without the titles, 2017 seems the year that the Revival will take over WWE.

4) Charlotte Flair - Controversial but you can't dispute that many people have had a better 2017 than Charlotte Flair. Her PPV record speaks for itself. She did have an overly long feud with Sasha Banks but every match was at least good and some very good. I didn't expect her to make such a good heel after her time in NXT but she has owned it. A lot of praise must also go to Sasha for her work opposite her and also Becky and Bayley but I don't think the women's division would be were it is today without Charlotte. Although, last year was the year of the Divas Revolution, this year has been the year where the women get treated as equally as well as the men. Hurrah.

3) Shinsuke Nakamura - As I have said in my favourite matches post, Nakamura had the my favourite match of 2016 in his first ever match. But before that he put on a barnstormer against AJ Styles at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom. Once in NXT, Nakamura battled Finn Balor in the biggest match on NXT TV then went on to win the NXT title against Samoa Joe. His battles with Joe haven't been classics but they have always been entertaining. Even his squash matches have been much watch TV. Plus if all that isn't enough, his entrance is easily the greatest in all of wrestling,

2) Will Ospreay - When making my list of favourite matches, one name kept on cropping up. Ospreay is someone I don't think I knew about in 2015 but ever since seeing him in 2016, he's become one of my favourites. I've always been a fan of highflyers, TNA's X-Division 2004-2006 is one of my favourite times in all of wrestling and Ospreay is like all the best X Division wrestlers on hyper speed. He's been everywhere and done everything including competing in the BoLA, winning BoSJ and becoming ROH TV Champion. For me, 2016 was all about tracking down the latest Ospreay match and having my jaw drop to the floor in every match after he performed something that I thought was impossible. It was hard for me to put Ospreay in second place, I even changed around the order twice but after thinking about the achievements of the first placed guy, I think Ospreay is just edged out into second.

1) AJ Styles - I think most people would put AJ as number one, it's pretty easy to see why. After establishing himself as one of the aces of NJPW he then jumped ship to WWE, a sight the majority of wrestling fans thought would never happen. Then when some thought he would just be used in the midcard, he turned heel and challenged John Cena. Even better than that, he beat John Cena and took over his mantle as "The Face That Runs the Place". To cap off the year, he won the World title to become "The Champ that Runs the Camp". He's been must watch all year and it's amazing that he's still one of (if not the) best wrestler around after all these years. He's adapted with age and picked up new styles but he's still the same AJ who hits the springboard elbow, Styles Clash and my favourite move in all of wrestling, the Springboard 450 (nobody does it as good as AJ). He has proven once again why he's the best in the world and tops my list for 2016.

WWE 2016 Predictions Reviewed

I made some predictions at the start of 2016 for WWE. It's been an unpredictable year, so how correct was I?

Rollins will Return as Heel: Correct. Although he has since become a babyface.

Reigns the Three Time Champ: Correct, although I had to fact check this. He lost the title in the Rumble match to Triple H and regained it in a lacklustre WrestleMania main event.

Still no magic 16 for Cena: Correct, he's challenged a few times but never got there.

Triple H back in the ring: Correct and he even became World Champion again.

'Taker wins at Mania: Correct. He beat Shane O'Mac in a match that ultimately meant nothing at all. But at least we still have memories of that bump from the top of the cage.

Zayn versus Owens: Correct. We had this early on in the year with a series of awesome matches.

Breeze wins Gold: Incorrect. I think this was more of a wish than a prediction. I can't see any gold in Breeze's future now he is paired with Fandango.

Corbin gets Called-Up: Correct. He won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal and ended the year challenging for the title.

American Alpha win the titles: Correct. I predicted they would win the NXT tag titles, they did but Jordan and Gable just captured the Smackdown tag titles. Well deserved, hopefully they have a great 2017.

I'm not doing any further predictions, it's pretty clear from the above that I go for safe bets.


I also went to a Insane Championship Wrestling show in November entitled Pray for Mojo which I was informed was a Simpsons reference The show was held on 3rd November in the build to their big show of the year back in Scotland, Fear and Lothing. Here's the results:

1) Trent Seven defeated Davey Blaze MOTN
2) Kay Lee Ray defeated Nixon Newell
3) Polo Promotions (Jackie Polo & Mark Coffey) defeated Joe Hendry & Kenny Williams
4) Sha Samuels defeated Chris Renfrew
5) Matt Cross defeated Stevie Boy
6) Joe Coffey defeated Joel Redman
7) Wolfgang defeated BT Gunn
8) Iestyn Rees, Mike Bird & Wild Boar defeated Bram, Jack Jester & Lionheart which included interference from (I believe) Chris Renfrew who I assumed was a rowdy fan next to me but then he jumped the barricade and got involved.

Favourite Matches of 2016

This year has been such a good year for wrestling. WWE split into two brands tobring us more PPV's, the Cruiserweight Classic provided some of the best weekly wrestling programming I've ever seen, the UK indies have been on fire providing their best talent to the US with Ospreay, Sabre and Scurll all having massive years. So I've decided to do a best matches list of 2016 but most importantly, this is not what I think are the best matches of the year. These are my personal favourite matches of the year, matches that felt special to me for one reason or another.

There are some special mentions: Sasha Banks and Charlotte had an endless series of matches, I only watched the PPV matches and all were good (despite cringing at Sasha landing on her neck over-and-over again). The two highlights of the feud were the Hell in a Cell and the finale, the Iron Man match. The two got a lot of stick for competing too much against each other but since I only watched the PPV's I've enjoyed all their matches and although they have been pushed too hard into the limelight, I think they have stepped up everytime. A big step raising the bar for the women.

Despite watching more Lucha Underground, no matches make the list. They put on a great weekly television show. I've watched every episode of Season 3 and it's such a good show to follow. Their booking isn't always the best especially the reluctance to build the show around their best performer, Pentagon Jr. Despite being a great show, no match in particular stood out enough to make the list. The match that came closest was Rey Mysterio vs. Prince Puma. I thought Rey was done, just cashing in one last paycheck but he dialled back the years in an excellent performance and Puma continues to show why he is arguably the best highflyer today.

Below is my list for my favourite matches of the year. There are 15 matches in no particular order since I couldn't really rank them without watching them all again. Then the final match listed is my match of the year:

2/3 Falls: Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe - NXT

It was great to see two indy titans clash on a WWE programme. You just knew something was up when the two made their entrances at the start of the show. What followed was a full hour of me questioning whether they would go the full hour. They did and they did it in style. No downtime just pure straight up wrestling. Just fantastic.

The Revival vs. American Alpha - NXT Takeover Dallas

I'll admit, I was wrong about the Revival. I didn't get into them at first but now, their possibly the best team on the planet. There's no better workers than them, they stick to what they do best and it's highly effective. I saw these two teams in a MOTN battle live in Cardiff at the end of 2015 and I was a mega fan of American Alpha at this point, so to see them win the belts was something special.

KUSHIDA vs. Will Ospreay - NJPW Invasion Attack

What can I say about Will Ospreay? I'll probably write more about him in my reviews of 2016 but what a year he has had. This was his New Japan debut if I remember rightly and his attire was a tribute to the late Kris Travis. I remember  thinking how cool it was to see Ospreay in Japan but what I remember strongly in this match is KUSHIDA working the arm so well that Ospreay could not perform the handspring off the ropes so he did a no arm handspring. I think this is the match that really made me think Ospreay was something special.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 10

Look at this now, it's crazy. One is the NXT Champ, the other the WWE Champ. But earlier this year they were battling in New Japan. But honestly, I dunno if this should make the list. I remember enjoying it when it happened but there's been so many good matches since January it's hard to remember whether this was better or not. Either way, historically it deserves to go down and it capped off both men's fantastic time in the land of the Rising Sun.

Dragon Lee vs. Kamaitachi - NJPW Fantasticamania

I usually wouldn't have watched this show but my interest in New Japan was high at the time due to Wrestle Kingdom and this match was recommended. I'm glad I watched it because it was different to most matches I watched all year. These two are big rivals who had faced off many times before so they had excellent chemistry. Everything was slick and fast paced. With Kamaitachi re-appearing in NJPW and Lee in ROH I'm looking forward to seeing more of both men in 2017.

Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr - EVOLVE 58
This is just a straight up battle between two of the best on the indies. Evolve has been on fire this year and booked this match between the highflyer and the technician. It's hard to comment on this too much rather than just watch because there was some excellent sequences between these two. What I will comment on is that it seems 2016 has been a year for UK wrestlers, these two (along with Scurll) led the charge and got the chance to show why their two of the best in Evolve.

Marty Scurll vs. Will Ospreay - RPW High Stakes
This was possibly the first Ospreay match I ever watched and while I had seen Scurll before, I hadn't seen him performing like this. I watched this match very early on in the year and was blown away. These two got a Generico/Steen-style feud and every time they step in the ring it's magic, although they've probably had better matches, this one stands out for me as I was blown away by the athleticism, story and moves from both men. I'm scared to go back and watch this as it may not live up to my memory but when I watched it, I thought nothing could top it this year. I remained that way until my eventual match of the year happened.

Roy Wilkins vs. Trevor Lee - CWF Worldwide
I've already written a full piece on this masterpiece. Less a wrestling match and more an epic fight scene the length of a film. I think Trevor Lee is one of the most underrated wrestlers around but then again, he's young so he's got plenty of time to rise up the card. But in this match he puts on a show that only a veteran should put on. Wilkins should also deservedly be praised but Lee is the star of this match, he plays both the in-control face and the underdog perfectly without you wondering how he can play both.

Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet - NJPW Best of Super Juniors
One of the most talked about match of 2016. They had other matches in Evolve and PWG but I chose this match because of THAT sequence. These are the two best high flyers in the world and just did stuff that we couldn't even dream of. Not only are they awesome at highflying but they execute it perfectly making it look easy. The sequence these two put together got some heat from some (and oddly led to Ospreay facing Vader) but I thought it was fantastic. I wouldn't want it every match but what do you expect when the "Ariel Assassin" takes on the "Future of Flight"?

Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander - CWC
I honestly could have made this list entirely from CWC matches. Easily the highlight of the wrestling year and the best weekly wrestling shows I've seen. I decided to only put one match on the list which is harsh because TJ Perkins was my choice the beginning. I never even expected him to get passed Gargano so the semi and the finals were special but the best match was in the second round. I'd seen very little of Cedric leading into the tournament but he became one of the highlights despite going home relatively early. The story of the match was just perfect and the emotion was off the charts. Who would have thought WWE could have pulled something like this off?

AJ Styles vs. John Cena - WWE Summerslam
Talk about dream matches. Over ten years these two have been the faces of the two top American promotions, TNA and WWE. Who would have thought we'd see this match? Especially for AJ to jump to WWE at his age. But all credit to him who has been one of the best wrestlers every year constantly for a long long time. AJ has performed everywhere he has been, he killed it in NJPW after winning the championship straight away but he had to prove himself again in WWE. It didn't click at first but then he turned heel and he's been THE best in the world. Despite his critics, Cena always performs and was pushed all the way here. Add in that AJ pinned Cena, that makes a huge result and Cena leaving the armband in the ring made this felt special.

The Revival vs. DIY - NXT Takeover Brooklyn
I debated putting this match in because I enjoyed Revival/American Alpha so much but to its credit this is probably a better match. I can't remember ever seeing a average Gargano and Ciampa match they always seem to put on great matches but this was even better. The teams have faced off a few times but this one goes on the list due to the emotion of DIY falling short. DIY were so close to winning then the chop-block turned it all on its head. Gargano struggling to hang on was a great ending and more top quality storytelling that you wouldn't expect from WWE.

Pentagon Jr and Fenix vs. Chris Hero and Tommy End - PWG Bola Stage 2
I haven't seen much of PWG this year but I am so glad I watched Bola during my week off. It was like the best unsigned talent all in three nights of action. I watch the previews they post and usually get one OMG moment but when I watched the Bola previews there was multiple OMG moments, the Pentagon assisted Fenix dive was something I had to rewind over and over. But outside of that one spot, this is just an excellent match. Pentagon is one of my favourites and my eyes opened more to Fenix after this. Hero is contender for 2016 indies MVP and End has risen to become a must watch performer. Just a match that needs to be watched.

Ricochet, Matt Sydal and Will Ospreay vs. Adam Cole and the Young Bucks - PWG Bola Stage 2
Another polarising match. Some said it was just a silly spot fest, others gave it the full five stars. As long as you go with the comedy it's a really fun watch and has some amazing spots. It's fast paced action from the beginning to the end plus Chuck Taylor mocking Adam Cole's weight is the best bit of commentary all year. Nothing else to say, just a good laugh.

Jay Lethal vs. Lio Rush - ROH Supercard of Honor Night 1
Like PWG, I haven't seen a lot of ROH this year. I caught up with Final Battle which was a hell of a show but none of the matches were special enough to make the list. I then chose to watch this as it was The Kevstaa's top rated ROH match and was not disappointed. Rush is a special young talent and it was great to see ROH put so much trust in him, hopefully they don't mess up with him. He played a brilliant plucky rookie and Lethal was in the midst of one of the best title reigns of the year. There had been a lot of underdog matches in 2016 but I couldn't think of much to top this. 

2016 Match of the Year

Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura - NXT Takeover Dallas
My match of the year is from NXT Takeover Dallas, it stole the WrestleMania weekend and the entire year. It was Nakamura's debut and he went out there and smashed it. Nakamura did not disappoint and made the best first impression you could ever hope to make. The entrance alone makes it a high contender for match of the year. But what makes this special is the type of match they have. It's hard hitting and something completely against the WWE style.  Add in that WWE trusts that the fans will pick up on Nakamura's unique style despite some never seeing him before. Not just that but Zayn then copies him. It shouldn't work because we shouldn't be familiar with Nakamura but it just does. Despite all the praise for Nakamura, I should not discount Zayn who deserves equal praise. He had a tough task of getting a new person over in his first match, he could have easily dialled it in with a ladder match booked for the following night but he doesn't. He goes all out and finishes his time in NXT on a high. I don't like rating matches by stars or giving them ranking but this match stood out so much it deserves to be listed separately. For me, it's a five star match. It's just perfect, I wouldn't change a thing and is one of the best matches I've ever seen.  

British Wrestler Kris Travis loses Battle to Cancer aged 32

On 31 March 2016, UK wrestling lost one of its brightest stars. Kris Travis passed away at the young age of 32 after battling stomach cancer. Travis performed all over the UK and was universally loved in whatever promotion he competed in.

Tributes poured in from the likes of WWE’s Kevin Owens, NXT’s Samoa Joe and independent starlet Zack Sabre Jr. Jim Smallman of UK independent promotion PROGRESS Wrestling, which Travis wrestled for, wrote this particularly moving piece.

Travis performed for most UK independent promotion with matches in the aforementioned PROGRESS, Preston City Wrestling and Attack Pro Wrestling. His big break came when he auditioned for TNA’s British Bootcamp 2. Travis wowed the judges with his match against long-time friend and eventual winner Mark Andrews. Travis progressed to the next round but was unable to join his friend in America after being diagnosed with cancer. His skills, physique and natural charm would have made him a natural fit for either TNA or WWE’s NXT.

Travis battled back and even made his return to the ring last year. He later announced his retirement from Pro Wrestling. Many inside the business backed Travis for a bright future. He will be remembered as one of the UK’s funniest and friendliest wrestlers. His comedic style can be clearly seen in the video below from Cardiff based Attack Pro Wrestling where Travis wrestles as one half of the video game characters The Mario Bros:

One Hundred and Five Minutes

One hundred and five minutes. That's a long time for anything. Insanely long for a wrestling match. Almost impossibly long for a great wrestling match. But incredibly two guys completed this feat. And this wasn't between two Japanese pros in Korakuen Hall or between two indy darlings in front of diehard wrestling fanatics. It was in a small local arena between TNA's Trevor Lee and the pretty much unknown Champion Roy Wilkins. To put the length of the match into perspective, just think of your average three hour Raw and count up how much of that you actually spend watching wrestling. It shouldn't work, but it does and does so fantastically.

Both Lee and Wilkins go to war for the entire length of the match. The match painted a perfect story of slow deliberate technical wrestling, focusing on particular body parts and really cranking and grinding those holds in. What struck me is that Trevor Lee, the babyface, was in control for the majority of the match. If your going to have a hundred and five minute match, common sense would be to have the heel beat down the babyface and have the good guy crawl his way back into it. Although this match did have an element of this, Lee was the man in control and seemed to enjoy dishing out the punishment to Wilkins. And it worked. The fans were all over seeing the heel, who had cheated his way to the title and keep hold of it, get twisted, slapped and kicked in every corner of the arena.

The comeback from Lee came after a series of interferences from a group of heels. Lee got beat down, tried a comeback, failed and got beat down more. A group of faces then showed up to even the odds. Classic storytelling. There's even time for a lights off, lights on, man-appears-in-ring gimmick. Even through I don't follow the product and don't know who any of these guys are, Lee and Wilkins have set the foundation for these interferences. Lee, in what I think is the moment of the match, has an almighty comeback, taking out all the heels with a series of moves. The fans quite rightfully go crazy for this. Up until now, the match had been holds and strikes but this was all a build up to Lee busting out all of his favourite moves such as the standing double stomp and the flip crossbody. After a few ref bumps It looks like Wilkins may steal the match, this fails so Wilkins hits a sick Flip Piledriver. I thought that was it but Lee rallies and wins with a big supekick.

Lee's performance can only be praised more when you realise he is only 22 years old. His performance was one of a veteran, expertly plotting out the story of the match-up. Everything about Lee in this match showed that he knows exactly what he was doing. He was excellent in the pacing of the early goings of the match, how he locked in innovative submissions using the ropes and found counters constantly to whatever Wilkins had up his sleeve. It was the small things that Lee did that really impressed, the slap of he thigh while in a hold or a knee applied to the neck to add more pressure. He had the crowd in the palm of this hands throughout. That's without even mentioning the chair spot.

The crowd cannot go unnoticed for their contribution to this classic. The fans in attendance there weren't die hard wrestling fans, I'm sure they are not used to anything like this in length or style. But hell, did they make a noise from the first strike to the moment the video went off air. I've never seen an atmosphere like it in such a small arena. Throughout the entire match there was not one silent period and the CWF Mid-Atlantic fans should be applauded for this.

And let us not discount the commentators. They built up the match perfectly by telling us the story of the bout: how Lee has won every title but this one, how this was his last chance or he would have to leave the company, how and why the stipulations were made. They even went into physical details of affect of stamina and sweat has on as the match wore on. The two were the perfect guides to the match but they were more than that, it felt like you were watching the match with them. When you bit on a near fall so did they, when you lost your mind when Lee made an epic comeback the commentators were shouting even louder than you. It was like you were watching it with a group of friends. Truly great commentary.

So what else is there to say? Well considering the match was a hundred and five minutes long there is plenty to say. What I will finish on harks back to a comment I made in the first paragraph. This match was by CWF Mid-Atlantic. Not WWE, TNA, ROH, PWG, Evolve, Lucha Underground or NJPW. A small promotion that I (and likely many others who have watched this bout) had never heard of. Isn't it fantastic and a true wonder, that in the 21st Century due to the availability of modern technology that we can share and watch this match. Not too long ago promotions like CWF Mid-Atlantic wouldn't be able to film or record their shows, let alone broadcast it for anyone around the World to watch it. This match would have been only been seen for those lucky enough to be in attendance. We would have missed out on this classic and I'm so glad we didn't.