The Best and Worst of Wrestling in 2017

Match of the Year: Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada (Wrestle Kingdom 11)

This match set new standards for pro wrestling...literally, it broke the Richter scale for the sport

2016 Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)

2017 Runners-up: Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada (Dominion 6.11 and during the 2017 G1 Climax tournament), Kenny Omega vs. Tetsuya Naito (G1 Climax tourna9ment final), John Cena vs. AJ Styles (Royal Rumble 2017), Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles TLC 2017), The SummerSlam Universal Championship Fatal-4-Way Match

Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada set the bar for 2017. In fact, they set it so high that it has been said by some people that they had the best wrestling match ever. Before their rematches at Dominion 6.11 and during the G1 Climax, the only match that had ever gotten a 6-star rating was one from all the way back in 1994.

Although an equal amount of criticism has been given to that match for some of its content (including that brutal top-rope Dragon Suplex), Omega/Okada I has done more for discussion among wrestling fans this year than any other match anywhere.

Furthermore, Omega had another stellar match with Tetsuya Naito in the G1 Climax finals that also went above the 5-star limit. That match was a true spectacle and elevated both wrestlers to another level. In having that match, Omega proved that he belongs at the top of the NJPW roster with all the ‘native’ talent, and Tetsuya Naito came one step closer to redeeming himself after falling from grace four years ago.

Over in WWE, among the myriad of average-to-poor matches, there were some diamonds in the rough this year. A.J. Styles and John Cena had a fantastic match for the WWE Championship that proved that both men earned their stripes as world-champion-calibre athletes. If this were a rating for WWE along, that match would’ve won the award hands down.

The Fatal 4-Way main event at SummerSlam was one of the best matches of the year. It featured a lot of chaotic action and a loud audience that was really into the match. All four wrestlers involved looked great, and each one of them looked great once the match ended. In terms of multi-man matches, it was clearly one of the best WWE had to offer.

Styles and Finn Balor had arguably the best ‘exhibition match’ (that is to say, no storyline behind it, just simple, straightforward wrestling without any gimmicks) in recent memory. Had they gotten a bit more time, it would’ve been solid competition for the Cena/Styles match from January.