This week in wrestling, NJPW completed its weekend in Long Beach, Chuckie T went for The Big One in PWG, AJ Styles won the US one at MSG, and WWE finished building to Great Balls of Fire. Here’s my favorite wrestler(s) this week. Who’s yours?
The Young Bucks
Wrestling isn’t typically the place to go to find incredible, sincere gestures of kindness and compassion, yet at the second night of NJPW’s G1 Special in USA, such an act took place. And it was by the Bullet Club’s residents superkick partiers, The Young Bucks, no less.
The moment I’m talking about is, of course, the tribute The Young Bucks made to Dave Meltzer’s father, Herbert Meltzer, who recently passed away. The Bucks hit a new, ultimate version of the Meltzer Driver during their match with Roppongi Vice, naming the move the Herbert Meltzer Driver, in honor of Dave’s father.
I went into the G1 Special expecting some great wrestling, and I was not disappointed. What I did not expect was one of the sweetest, and most dangerous tributes I have ever seen. Certainly not from Young Bucks of all people. No offense to them, but kindness and compassion aren’t typical Bullet Club attributes.
Wrestling in 2017 is just full of surprises. At this rate, I may still have hope that Tomohiro Ishii will someday become IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
This week in wrestling, Cody Rhodes won the ROH World title, Carmella re-won the Money in the Bank briefcase during a big week for women in WWE, and New Japan invaded the US. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?
This week’s panel —
Alan 4L (Dr. Keith Presents host and Figure Four Weekly writer)
Joseph Currier (WrestlingObserver.com editor and Figure Four Weekly writer)
Okay, so reverting to one of the tried and trusted this week. With the man having seriously had more high-end MOTY level bouts in the last four years than is humanly possible — you have to wonder how long more he can do that. At some point he’s got to slow down, right?
Well, this week we got a glimpse of what the next stage of Tomohiro Ishii’s career could look like if that inevitably happens. At Korakuen Hall on the final Kizuna Road show, Ishii had a rare meeting with one of New Japan’s Young Lions — and boy was it a treat.
For whatever reason he’s not gotten to wrestle the Young Lions much, but if his dealings with Katsuya Kitamura are anything to go by, then that is something that the Stone Pitbull is made for. The back and forth between him and the muscled-up former amateur wrestler was tremendous and had Korakuen rocking until Ishii decided he’d had enough and took the rookie’s head off with a brutal match-ending lariat.
So whenever Ishii decides he’s done with classic wars, Young Lions watch out because you might be getting quite the tough assignment on a regular basis!
Michael Elgin
By Zach Dominello
Between Hiromu Takahashi and his pet kitty, and Okada’s affinity with In-N-Out Burger, picking my favorite wrestler this week was a tall order. But then I watched night one of New Japan’s “G1 Special in USA” and Michael Elgin pulled out something that made me laugh so much and for so long that the choice pretty much made itself.
The spot took place in the final stretch of the match with Kenny Omega. Kenny had Elgin down and did his usual gun hand gesture to Elgin’s head, but suddenly Elgin grabbed Kenny’s “gun” and pulled it to his head and shouted “DO IT!” — like some dramatic scene out of an action flick.
Not sure if it was intentional or not, but it was one of the funniest spots I’ve seen in a long while. And for that, Michael Elgin is my favorite wrestler this week.
Kazuchika Okada
By Joseph Currier
Kazuchika Okada’s main event against Cody Rhodes at the first night of the G1 Special exceeded my expectations, but that didn’t really surprise me. Okada has overdelivered in every big singles match he’s had this year.
What impressed me most was just how much of a superstar he is. That Okada is a special talent may be the most obvious thing in pro wrestling right now, but the aura that he has is incredible. There aren’t even a handful of others in the industry who carry themselves like him.
Okada always got really good reactions (with Hiroshi Tanahashi getting surprisingly subdued ones) whenever NJPW wrestlers would come over for shows with ROH, but it was always clear that Shinsuke Nakamura was the biggest star to the US audience. Okada has taken over that role as the NJPW Japanese wrestler that is most over with crowds in the US now that Nakamura is gone.
Kenny Omega may be the face of any NJPW expansion into North America, but Okada will be just as valuable. He could be the top guy in any country or promotion in the world at any point in time.
This week in wrestling, the 2017 G1 Climax lineup was announced, SmackDown had its Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Mauro Ranallo announced that he’s the new voice of NXT, and sadly, Tetsuo “Mr. Pogo” Sekigawa passed away. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?
This week’s panel —
Alan 4L (Dr. Keith Presents host and Figure Four Weekly writer)
Joseph Currier (WrestlingObserver.com editor and Figure Four Weekly writer)
I don’t think anyone disagrees that Trent? is a super talented pro wrestler, whether as a singles or in a tag team with Rocky Romero or Chuck Taylor, and if you do disagree, well, stop that now.
But the reason Beretta is my favorite wrestler this week is for his unfailingly entertaining Twitter account. Oh, you want examples? Perhaps you’ll enjoy his rivalry with some gym dude:
Me and some dude at gym both hate each other I can just feel it
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, really. Trent Barreta, making Twitter fun again.
Paddy Morrow
By Alan 4L
Having just re-watched OTT’s huge ScrapperMania show from April on their new OnDemand service, I was in awe of the most unheralded Irish wrestler of all time as he put on one of the best single match performances of any wrestler this year.
Paddy “Suicide Machine” Morrow (or simply Paddy M as he’s now known as part of the popular Lads From The Flats) was a man on a mission in the big LFTF vs. Kings of the North trios match. His selling, his fire, his execution, and his timing were all so impressive.
Paddy may not be the most eye-catching in appearance, but he’s a wrestler’s wrestler. He’ll make anyone look good and he’ll always get the crowd invested. Nobody ever watches a Paddy Morrow match and winds up disappointed. He was a key part of the NWA Ireland promotion ran by Fergal Devitt (Finn Balor) and Paul Tracey in the mid 2000s, and is one of the many great wrestlers that have come from and continue to come from that gym in Bray, Co. Wicklow (now moving premises into the City Centre of Dublin).
Paddy is one of the most over acts in OTT and I hope some big matches await him throughout the rest of 2017, at home and maybe even abroad.
Kota Ibushi
By Joseph Currier
I’m incredibly excited that Kota Ibushi is in this summer’s G1 Climax.
NJPW confirmed last week that Ibushi (as himself and not the Tiger Mask W character that he’s been playing) would be in this year’s tournament. The company still has to announce the blocks for the G1, but Ibushi’s inclusion brings so many possibilities.
Will we finally get Ibushi vs. Kenny Omega in NJPW? Will we get Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. after it wasn’t meant to happen at the Cruiserweight Classic? Which other top guys will be in his block? Will he make the finals (or even win the whole thing and go on to main event the Tokyo Dome in January)?
While some of those things probably won’t happen, we’ll still be getting at least nine Kota Ibushi singles matches in NJPW this summer. There will be plenty more opportunities for him to be chosen as my favorite wrestler of the week again in July and August.
This week in wrestling, Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada once again won all the stars, New Japan’s Long Beach lineup was announced with an inexplicable Billy Gunn IC title match, and Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe continued building to their dream match at Great Balls of Fire. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?
This week’s panel —
Joseph Currier (WrestlingObserver.com editor and Figure Four Weekly writer)
It would have been way, way too easy to pick Kenny Omega and/or Kazuchika Okada this week. And usually I’m all for taking the easy option, but this week I finally caught up with a little bit of wrestling that didn’t involve New Japan.
I actually watched a couple of All Japan matches from last month (and last last month), including the finals of All Japan’s Champion of the Carnivals tournament and a Three Crowns Championship match (that sounds right). The winner of said tournament, and new Three Crowns Champion, is my favorite wrestler this week, Shuji Ishikawa.
For those not familiar, Ishikawa is kind of the king of the Japanese indies. He works for DDT as part of the world’s greatest stable, Damnation. He’s also a regular in BJW, and obviously AJPW where he’s the current top champion. At 6’5”, he’s a mammoth among men in Japan. He’s among a few wrestlers who truly exemplify a certain Japanese strong style of wrestling, like Daisuke Sekimoto, Yuji Okabayashi, Yuji Hino, and Kohei Sato. And he has a shirt that says “Destruction ‘em all.” So in short, he’s awesome. He also dressed like a dog once.
While he’s had plenty of success in promotions like DDT, BJW, and AJPW, he’s not the most talked about wrestler among fans of Japanese wrestling. And that’s a shame because he’s the kind of wrestler who I think deserves more success and recognition than he gets. I’d love to see him on a US excursion, similar to what Shigehiro Irie recently did.
There are so many dream matches I can think of with wrestlers outside of Japan. Then again, he’s 41 years old and doing well where he is, so who even knows if he wants more? I just know that I do. I also really want that “Destruction ‘em all” shirt.
Neville
By Mike DellaCamera
Would the cruiserweight division and 205 Live even still exist if it wasn’t for Neville? I mean, the division existed for all of like 14 seconds on Raw this week, but where would it be without its King?
The King of the Cruiserweights character has done so much for Neville as a performer. He seems comfortable, confident, and he has been dominant in his role. So dominant that it raises a problem similar to what was happening with Asuka for almost a year in NXT — there really isn’t anyone that seems like they can beat him.
The feud with Austin Aries was good and they had some very, very good matches, but the “Neville Level” isn’t just a catchphrase, it’s absolutely a thing. No one on the roster, as currently presented, is anywhere near his level in terms of in-ring performance and character work.
I would love it, absolutely LOVE it, if Neville dropped the title to Cedric Alexander in a few months, then deemed the cruiserweight division unworthy to have him as its king…and move on to the non-purple ropes version of WWE. He’s certainly more physically imposing (but less beautiful) than Finn Balor, so his size shouldn’t be an issue.
Personally, I am very ready for Neville to move on and try and take the throne as the King of the WWE.
Samoa Joe
By Joseph Currier
I had written a couple of weeks ago in the Figure Four Weekly newsletter that I was worried that the Samoa Joe vs. Brock Lesnar dream match was happening at a time when it couldn’t live up to expectations. While I still have my reservations about it, the build has been fantastic up to this point.
I’m still not sure that they’re capable of having a classic match together. I don’t even know if they’ll be allowed to. It could mostly just be a showcase for Lesnar before he faces Braun Strowman at SummerSlam. But the first two Raw angles to build the match have made Lesnar vs. Joe feel so important.
The brawl that they got into on last week’s Raw was must-see. Joe is being treated like the credible physical threat that he should be. And even if he loses at Great Balls of Fire, he’ll be helped so much going forward if he gets to look competitive against Lesnar.
Joe is one of the most important wrestlers to my pro wrestling fandom. His Ring of Honor title reign is what made me become a fan of ROH and independent wrestling as a teenager. And my horizons only broadened from there. It’s so great to see him having success in WWE, especially since it seemed unlikely that he would get the chance to back then.
This week in wrestling, PROGRESS hosted Super Strong Style 16, the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors came to a close, the build to WWE Extreme Rules continued, and Minoru Suzuki had a match in an empty Tokyo Dome. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?
This week’s panel —
Alan4L (Dr. Keith Presents host and Figure Four Weekly writer)
Liger didn’t get a storybook ending in his “last ever” Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He did, however, gain a very satisfying win over Taichi in his final tournament match, and that makes him my favorite wrestler this week.
Sure, Liger going out strong, perhaps making the finals or even winning, would have been the better story, but who even knows if that’s what he wanted. Maybe his goal was to put the younger guys over in his last BOSJ. Whatever the case, his final match with Taichi was basically storytelling perfection (though it did take quite a while for the faces to make the save).
My distaste for Taichi knows no bounds, but he was booked as a pretty great heel throughout this year’s tournament, getting dubious wins over fan favorites like Will Ospreay, Marty Scurll, and Dragon Lee with the help of Suzuki-gun. He even had what is possibly the first match of his that I’ve legitimately enjoyed early in the tournament with Taka Michinoku. Taichi was booked as the perfect piece of s**t heel for Liger to overcome.
And overcome he did. After getting his costume and mask cut to shreds and beat on by Taichi and Suzuki-gun, Liger fought back with the help of KUSHIDA and Taguchi to become triumphant. It was simple, classic storytelling and I ate up every second of it.
David Starr
By Alan Boon
The obvious answer to “Who is your favorite wrestler this week?” would be Travis Banks. The Kiwi continued his ascension to the top of the PROGRESS tree by winning Super Strong Style 16, and carried everyone there with him, but I figure I’ll have plenty of chances to write about Travis for this column.
Instead, I want to write about someone who came into SSS16 with possibly the quietest chatter but left having turned the sell-out crowd on all three nights into firm fans.
Your Favorite Wrestler’s Favorite Wrestler, the King of Taunts, The 104 Minute Man — David Starr made an impact right from the time Jim Smallman started listing his nicknames (he has loads), even if he was shorn of his usual theme music by PROGRESS’ march towards respectability. He then put on a variety of performances, from hard-hitting strong style to out-and-out comedy, winning over even the staunchest doubter (I’m looking at you, my pal Chris) and earning a “Please come back!” chant for his efforts.
To those of us who have been watching Starr in CZW, wXw, RevPro, and so many others this year, this comes as no surprise. He’s been having top matches with top guys, and being one of the more fully-rounded professional wrestlers you’ll ever see. He’s a semi-regular visitor to the UK, where he works for Fight Club: PRO (as well as PROGRESS and RevPro), a solid part of the wXw roster in Germany, and works all over the north east and mid-west in the US.
At 26, and with two of his mentors either in WWE or WWE-bound, his upside is huge. Get on board the Starrship.
Trent Seven
By Mike DellaCamera
The only member of British Strong Style yet to hold the WWE UK Championship is my favorite wrestler this week. Sure, he lost to Matt Riddle in six seconds and was “affectionately” called Trent Six at PROGRESS over the weekend, but Seven is, arguably, the backbone of BSS. Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate get the headlines and most of the spotlight, but Trent is the one who makes the group work.
His mic work is quite far ahead of the other two, which is clearly why they let him carry most of the promos. It’s funny because I am not a fan of facial hair being a gimmick in wrestling, but as soon as Moustache Mountain became BSS everything changed. The “new” Trent Seven wasn’t about smiling and twirling his mustache, he was about beating people up and taking belts — all while being pretty damn good at this wrestling thing.
I do want to take a second to shout out his hair, which is either the best or second best (sup Matt Sydal) in all of wrestling. I mean come on, look at that moss. It is beautiful and perfect and why can’t I have hair like that?
KUSHIDA
By Alan4L
As he heads into his third Best of the Super Juniors final, KUSHIDA has already proven once again that he is one of the best in the game right now. He has had a sublime tournament with his bouts against BUSHI and Ryusuke Taguchi in particular standing out as two of the best junior class matches of 2017.
He’s always been technically sound, but his charisma is vastly underrated and his ability to convey grit, determination, and heart in his matches is on a level that few can lay claim to. By the time you read this it’s very possible he’s chalked up yet another classic with Will Ospreay (Editor’s note: confirmed). KUSHIDA is one of those gifts that keeps on giving — a true pro wrestling treasure.
This week in wrestling, the NJPW Best of the Super Juniors continued on, Jinder was unhindered and became WWE Champion, and the UK stars stole the show at NXT TakeOver. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?
This week’s panel —
Alan4L (Dr. Keith Presents host and Figure Four Weekly writer)
Joseph Currier (WrestlingObserver.com editor and Figure Four Weekly writer)
Five minutes of being a mum and Brie Bella already wants back in the ring. Yes, folks, parenting is harder than pro wrestling. In a recent video posted on the Bella Twins YouTube account, Brie had her first workout since giving birth, starting her journey back to the WWE ring.
Now, I don’t mean to imply she wants to go back to work to avoid parental duties or anything like that. I’m sure she’s a tops mum. It is pretty funny, though.
Akira Tozawa
By Jeremy Peeples
Akira Tozawa stole the show this week with an outstanding match on 205 Live. Brian Kendrick and he have had fantastic chemistry in their skits, but Tozawa himself hasn’t been given many chances to shine on the main roster. This week, he was given the main event slot and despite being in the final match of a long taping night, he got the crowd into it and had the best match of any WWE TV show this week.
He and Kendrick told a solid story with Kendrick trying to survive by any means necessary, including logically using duct tape to try and subdue and then choke out Tozawa — which was a bit surprising to see on WWE TV. It was a great hero vs. villain story, and as it should be, good triumphed over evil.
It was the best episode of 205 Live I’ve ever seen as well and made the show feel like a worthwhile addition to the WWE schedule.
Randy Orton
By Arya Witner
My favorite wrestler this week is someone who has gotten very little, if any, recognition in the Jinder Mahal push, my favorite wrestler this week is Randy Orton.
Is he the most exciting wrestler in the world? No. Hell, is he the most exciting wrestler on SmackDown? No. But what he is is an established main eventer who came off a lackluster feud with Bray Wyatt and instead of whining and complaining, he did everything in his efforts to make someone who was a step above an enhancement talent into a credible threat.
He didn’t go out there and slip on a banana peel or purposely have a bad match. He went out and did his best to have the best match possible before putting Mahal over for the title. While this article will rightfully put over people who had amazing matches this week, I thought it would be unfair to not recognize Orton.
Flash Morgan Webster
By Alan4L
The King of the Mods is starting to provide one of the true feel good stories in wrestling right now. Returning earlier this year from multiple serious injuries sustained in the biggest match of his life last April, Flash has very quickly gone from feeling his way back into things to being full steam ahead and producing some outstanding matches on recent PROGRESS shows.
At Chapter 45, Flash put in an incredible shift against Nathan Cruz with the result being one of the best pure face vs. heel matches in indie wrestling in years. It was really heated; Flash got tons of sympathy from the crowd and Cruz gave the performance of his life by totally zoning in on his victim and really destroying him at times in the match. They built so well to a crescendo at the finish.
Webster did it again at Chapter 46 against his trainer Mike Bird. This was a similar match in that it was very much face vs. heel, but Bird is a different style of heel than Cruz. More rugged and impactful and they built some fantastic sequences throughout what felt like a real gritty fight. In both contests, and also in his match with James Drake, the babyface qualities of Flash really shone through like never before.
His great comeback story was depicted brilliantly in his documentary The Road Back To Malice, and that only adds to the recipe that has made Flash Morgan Webster one of the best pure babyfaces plying his trade on the European scene.
Pete Dunne
By Joseph Currier
Last week’s TakeOver: Chicago show was my favorite NXT special in a long time. Every match exceeded expectations and the angle that closed the show was perfectly done.
Hideo Itami had his best match since signing with WWE against Bobby Roode. The women’s triple threat did a good job of leading to what’s next for Asuka. The main event ladder match was even a lot of fun before Tommaso Ciampa crushed everyone’s souls.
But nothing on the show lived up to Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne. It is comfortably my favorite WWE match of the year so far and isn’t far off from the top spot on my overall list. Both Bate and Dunne were trying to put on the performances of their lives in front of a crowd that treated them like huge stars.
I’ve always been somewhat skeptical of what WWE is doing in the UK, mostly because they’ve yet to fully outline what their plans are. It’s also felt like the project was happening a little too late with some of the country’s top-tier stars under contract elsewhere. But Bate and Dunne are guys that you can build a brand around. They’re both impossibly good for how young they are and fit in their roles so well.
Switching the title was absolutely the right move, with Dunne now becoming the person that everyone is chasing. It’s almost a shame that he and Bate aren’t on the main roster already, but WWE needs performers of their quality to carry the UK brand if it’s going to be successful.
This week in wrestling, the worlds went to war in the latest ROH PPV, the age-old discussion on what wrestlers should and shouldn’t do and what wrestling should and shouldn’t be continued on social media, and New Japan’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament kicked off in spectacular fashion. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?
This week’s panel —
Alan4L (Dr. Keith Presents host and Figure Four Weekly writer)
Last week, news of Kairi Hojo heading to WWE led to her being my favorite wrestler (that week). This week, word is Io Shirai has finally accepted a WWE offer and she too is now on her way. Logically, that makes Io Shirai my favorite wrestler this week.
Most of what I said about Hojo last week also applies here to Shirai. She’s one of the best wrestlers in the world, and while signing with WWE is probably a good move career-wise, it hurts for us fans of Japanese wrestling. It’s especially going to hurt for Stardom, who’s quickly running out of top stars. I guess Mayu will just get all the belts now.
It’ll be interesting to see what the WWE versions of Hojo and Shirai will be like. It’s been reported that Hojo has been asked to come up with a new finisher as Bayley already does a top rope elbow drop. If you’ve ever seen Hojo’s elbow, you’ll know why that is the most ridiculous request of any wrestler in pro wrestling history. Fortunately, Hojo’s so good that I’m sure she’ll do just fine without it, but seriously, thanks for taking away one of the most beautiful sights in the world, WWE. Here’s a priceless Picasso you might like to hang up in the basement of the House of Horrors for zero to enjoy.
What are they going to ask of Shirai? “Hey Io, just a few things: We’d like you to not do your German anymore because Tozawa does that. And you can’t do a moonsault because that’s Charlotte’s move. Pretty sure she invented it herself, actually. Balor does the shotgun dropkick so I’m afraid that has to go. And no springboard moves or topes. Styles and Ambrose have those covered. Would you mind also being less Japanese? Nakamura already does that. And Asuka’s already quite female so maybe stop doing that too. Anyway, can’t wait to see you at Full Sail!”
What? I’m not bitter. Anyway, Io’s awesome.
Jay White
By Arya Witner
My favorite wrestler this week is a man whose career never crossed my mind until a few days ago. After over a year of competing in mostly skippable matches in New Japan and ROH, Jay White jumped out of my television screen and into my heart with his match against Will Ospreay.
Following a disappointing three-way tag team match, I did not have my hopes up when I saw the graphic. Sure, Ospreay is one of the most exciting and acrobatic wrestlers in the world, but this isn’t Ricochet on the other side of the ring. 15 minutes later I jumped to my feet in applause after a jaw-dropping battle that is one of my two favorite U.S. matches of the year.
White may not have won the match, but he gained at least one new fan in the meantime.
Low Ki
By Jeremy Peeples
Low Ki has struggled to find his footing since leaving WWE years ago. He bounced around the indies, did a little bit in Japan, but wound up being his own worst enemy at times. Now, he’s back in TNA with his biggest main event-level push yet. He was pushed in a main event stable with the BDC before, but he didn’t feel like a top guy there. Now, he’s main eventing shows and cutting fairly intense promos as well.
His work in the latest incarnation of Ultimate X was a fine example of how to make use of his skills without having to take needless damage. He, Trevor Lee, and Andrew Everett had a safe Ultimate X match without the usual crazy high spots that have come to define it for the past 13 years.
Konosuke Takeshita
By Alan4L
I finally had the time to get a DDT Universe subscription and have been digging into everything from this year. The standout revelation is one that I probably knew but had somewhat forgotten — Konosuke Takeshita is an incredibly great professional wrestler.
Through his powerlifting training, Takeshita has become a true heavyweight but still has the athleticism and speed (he was a champion high school sprinter) that led to him being hailed as the new Kota Ibushi not long after his DDT debut. Now Takeshita is a total all-rounder. What really struck me was what a hard-hitter he’s become with his forearm smashes and chops looking particularly devastating.
Then there is that powerlifting strength, best displayed in his amazing match against KUDO at Korakuen on the Sweet Dreams show. KUDO went for a flying double knees and the youngster caught him, hurked him up, and powerbombed him into the corner.
Trust me, it’s more impressive on video than in text so get yourself a DDT Universe sub and watch one of the most exciting young wrestlers in the business today.
It was a busy week in wrestling as always. Some unfortunate injuries led to some directionless WWE television. Meanwhile in New Japan, a dinosaur wrestled a tiger at Shinjuku Face. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?
This week’s panel —
Alan4L (Dr. Keith Presents host and Figure Four Weekly writer)
It seems it’s finally anchor’s aweigh for one of the best sailors turned pirate wrestlers in the world, as Kairi Hojo finally sets course for WWE.
It’s always a bittersweet situation for fans like me when WWE snatches up a big name talent from the indies or overseas. It’s a pretty big blow for Stardom, and Japanese wrestling in general, but it’s also a great opportunity for Hojo to create more exposure and increase her fan base, and if she does come back, she’ll be a bigger star than ever (as long as she gets more of the Asuka treatment, and not Yoshi Tatsu).
For those not familiar with Hojo’s work, I advise to keep a sharp lookout for her arrival. Two words: elbow drop. Anyway, I’ve avoided as many nautical puns as I can, so I’ll leave you with this photo of what I think is Kairi Hojo dancing.
The Miz
By Jeremy Peeples
The Miz has been given about as big a chance to shine on Raw as he was on SmackDown. While he doesn’t feel like quite the main event-level act he was on SD, he does fit in nicely with Raw’s main event scene revolving around the IC title.
His work on Raw this past week was solid in the ring, but he was exceptional on the mic. It seems like the confidence boost in being given the ball once again on SD has led to him getting more chances on Raw — a trend that should continue.
His ceiling on Raw does seem lower than it did on SmackDown, but as long as he works in more top-notch promo work, he’ll be bullet-proof.
Gran Apache
By Alan4L
The wrestling world lost a true gem of a performer this past weekend when Gran Apache passed away. I had been familiar with Apache’s work and his matches with Oscar Sevilla really knocked my socks off when I first saw them a few years ago.
What I had heard about but never sought out was the Apache Family storyline that was a highlight of AAA TV through the mid 2000s. I guess I assumed that a more skits/promo-heavy storyline would be lost on me so I never really thought about it.
Well with some time to kill while I’m in the hospital, I felt I should honor the man by checking out what many claim was his finest hour as a performer. All I can say is don’t let the language barrier fool you, this storyline with Apache playing the macho head of the family trying to fend off the advances of young babyface Billy Boy from his daughter Faby, was universal drama.
The skits of Apache absconding with Baby Marvin (the one-year-old legit baby of Faby and Billy) and throwing a birthday party for him are absolutely amazing. The actual matches that form the tentpoles of the feud are overflowing with emotion and you’ll see tears running through the crowd. It’s just great pro wrestling. RIP Gran Apache.
This week in wrestling, New Japan was on a busy road to Wrestling Dontaku, Jinder Mahal is still a thing, and Vince McMahon is involved in a movie about Vince McMahon because Vince McMahon. Here’s our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?
Well, it seems someone has finally listened, and that someone is New Japan’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi.
New Japan’s Road to Wrestling Dontaku has been one of the more enjoyable Road To’s I’ve seen for a good while, with great title matches, fun clashes between LIJ and the New Japan All-Stars, and the latest breed of Young Lions getting some shine. But mostly, it’s been Hiromu Takahashi’s bizarre, yet captivating backstage interviews that seem to progressively become weirder each time.
The thing is, though, despite being in a foreign language on top of being completely absurd, he actually does a really great job of conveying his message and building up his title match with King Ricochet. If you haven’t seen them yet, click those links back at the top and prepare to be blessed.
Roderick Strong
By Joseph Currier
Following the excellent video on him that aired on Wednesday’s episode of NXT, Roderick Strong is undoubtedly my favorite wrestler this week.
Strong opened up in a way that he never really has on TV before, talking about growing up with a mom who had a drug problem and a dad who was an alcoholic. Sharing the story of his mother shooting his father during an argument (with his father thankfully surviving) must have been difficult, and I have a totally new perception of who Roderick Strong is after watching it.
Aside from just being inspiring (which is ultimately what’s most important), Strong being willing to open up and WWE showcasing his story will help him so much going forward. Strong’s history is unique to him, but everyone in WWE has real-life stories that could shape who they are as characters and make them more identifiable.
I’m looking forward to part two, and hopefully we see more segments like this in the future.
Minoru Suzuki
By Chris Aiken
The body of work created by Minoru Suzuki over the years is a blend of violence and art. His violent art differs from almost anyone like him, if there is actually anyone else like him on the planet.
Even out of his combat gear dressed in a suit and fedora trying to look cosmopolitan, he can flash a maniacal smile and reveal that violent artist that lives within. Almost akin to both a gift and a curse, an aura follows him wherever he goes.
That aura was in Hiroshima this week as Suzuki captured the NEVER Openweight title in a thrilling match against Hirooki Goto. Critics of the match seemed to have concerns about strikes to the head only mere weeks after Katsuyori Shibata suffered a debilitating injury likely from a blow to the head. That is probably a valid criticism. Take out the head strikes and the drama in the match would still remain intact.
Nevertheless, the greatness on display as Suzuki and Goto battled is evident to anyone that loves a good fight. Likewise, all the titles in the promotion are supposedly going to be on the line during the July weekend shows in Long Beach. That means I will likely get to see the violent art of Suzuki in display in person. I am thrilled.
Matt Sydal
By Jeremy Peeples
Matt Sydal returned to Impact and managed to shine brightly despite being booked as the third most important part of a one-on-one match thanks to Shane Helms being positioned as a bigger star than him despite being a manager.
He had a good match with Trevor Lee that allowed both men to shine and made me salivate at the thought of them having what would no doubt be a better, more well-booked match in either PWG or CWF Mid-Atlantic, where they could be given time to shine, a storyline that fits the match, and actually be presented as modern-day stars.
With Sydal in the picture, we should get some outstanding matches against Low Ki, and that could be enough to reignite a flame for the X Division. It’s incredibly unlikely that it can regain the traction it had in 2002 and 2003 due to the industry changing, but with WWE watering down cruiserweights, it has a better chance, and if they make Sydal a top guy and run with it, they could have something.
It was quite an eventful week in wrestling, what with mid-match promos, rings exploding, and former jobbers getting WWE title shots. There’s certainly no shortage of choices for our favorite wrestlers this week.
This week’s panel —
Alan Counihan (Dr. Keith Presents host and Figure Four Weekly writer)
Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks had a match against Lio Rush, Will Ospreay & Ryan Smile in OTT (You down with OTT? Yeah you know me!) that you may have heard about. I haven’t seen the whole match, but I did catch the final few minutes, and the divisive running commentary spot by Omega and Matt Jackson.
I’m drawn to wrestlers who do things a little differently, wrestlers who think outside the squared circle when it comes to their style and approach to pro wrestling. Guys like Ibushi, Ishii, Shibata, and Omega, who aren’t afraid to work a different style, or have a match with a kaiju.
The Elite, in their OTT match, did something very different when Matt Jackson got on the mic and started pushing his merch while he had his opponent in a sharpshooter, and Kenny Omega did his own play-by-play. I’m sure it’s been done before, but it’s not something you see very often, and some might feel that’s a good thing.
It’s quite a divisive spot among wrestling fans. For those who enjoy the sporting side of wrestling, the portrayal of a real fight, well, this match, for the most part, wasn’t that. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I mainly follow NJPW, which calls itself the “King of Sports.” Not many companies take wrestling as seriously as New Japan. I’m not sure if this was the match the OTT crowd expected from The Elite, but if you’ve seen the clips, they loved every second of it, and so did I.
And that’s why The Elite are my favorite wrestlers this week. It’s not simply that they’re ridiculously talented and entertaining, but they’re smart. At least, they work smart. That OTT match in New Japan probably wouldn’t fly. When The Elite work New Japan, there’s still some comedy, but their matches are much more physical, much more of a battle.
But OTT isn’t New Japan, and on that night, they worked a match that kept the physical toll on their bodies to a minimum, but still got over huge with the crowd. Granted, they probably could have spent thirty minutes discussing climate change and still had a 4+ star match.
The match isn’t for everyone, but for better or for worse, depending on which side of the fence you’re on, it pushed the boundaries of what a pro wrestling match is and can be.
Jinder Mahal
By Bryan Rose
You see, you have to give credit to Mr. Mahal here. He came back, proceeded to get ripped to shreds, grow traps the size of beach balloons, then got a push out of it instead of jobbing on Main Event, which was what he was doing for a good six months on Raw. Then he got traded to SmackDown and is now the number one contender to the WWE title!
Yes, he is not at all memorable in the ring, and yes, he’s one of the few who actually possesses the ability to have a boring match with Cesaro, but you know what? He’s worked hard to get where he’s at, and that is why he is my favorite wrestler this week. Kudos to him! Hard work and having an incredible body will get you high up the WWE ladder of success! You may not like it, but who else has had a more successful week than Jinder Mahal?
He will not be my favorite wrestler when he and Orton actually have their match though, I’m pretty sure of that.
Braun Strowman
By Jeremy Peeples
Braun has been shining brightly the past few months, but the past two weeks in particular have been fantastic for him. He was given a strong match against Big Show where he not only showed off his power and agility — but did something no one else has done.
The ring break spot always left everyone involved down and out, but he emerged, posed, and came off like a world-beating badass. If WWE protects him properly, they’ll have their best-booked actual monster act since the original Kane push nearly 20 years ago.
Braun has an aura to him that no one else has outside of Brock Lesnar, and every time he is on screen, he elicits that same feeling that something big is going to happen — just like Brock did in 2012. He may not have Brock’s physical gifts, but Braun is being built up nearly perfectly and as long as they don’t stop and start him in main event slots, or have him lose in awkward ways like at Fastlane, he should be an effective main event-level act and possibly an act that can even draw money and generate some buzz.
His biggest stunts have been water-cooler discussion among even my casual wrestling fan co-workers, and he could bring some lapsed fans back simply due to how great he looks in pulling off these stunts. Who can’t just adore a guy who will tip an ambulance over to hurt someone or toss a dude in a dumpster? It’s impossible!
Shinjiro Ohtani
By Alan Counihan
Zero 1 is not exactly the foremost promotion on people’s radars these days. Thus many may not be aware that 44 year old Shinjiro Ohtani is still churning out great performances like it was 1996 all over again.
Ohtani hasn’t slowed at all, still has great charisma, and has a knack for getting the most out of matches against younger more inexperienced opponents. With his role as the boss in Zero 1, he doesn’t have much scope for wrestling outside of that promotion, but that is something I hope changes in the next few years while he still has high level performances to offer.
I have no doubt he’d get over huge on a US or European indie show even if some newer fans weren’t aware of who he is. He’d win anyone over with his personality and the tightness of his work. A role representing Zero 1 in another promotion like New Japan or NOAH could also bear great fruit and a ton of interesting matches. Watch some 2017 Ohtani, you won’t regret it!
I don’t know about you, but as much as I enjoyed Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata from Sakura Genesis, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed that Okada retained the title. As great as Okada’s matches and title defenses have been, I’m ready for a new champion, and Shibata is just as deserving as anyone else. He’s been so good for so long, but hasn’t had too many shots at New Japan’s top title.
Unfortunately, that may have been his last one. The post-match buzz I get after watching something great in the ring soon turned to concern when I read that Shibata was hospitalized after the match due to an injury which he received from a sickening, and unnecessary, headbutt spot. But that concern quickly turned to relief with a dash of mild annoyance when reports came in that it was simply a work to get over the physicality of the match.
I don’t mind when wrestling blurs the line between a work and reality. In fact, it usually makes for good television. But hearing news that a wrestler has suffered a subdural hematoma only for it to turn out to be false, well, I guess that’s where I draw the line.
But as this rollercoaster ride of a story continues, word is that Shibata’s injury and hospitalization wasn’t a work after all, and it’s actually worse than first expected. Shibata reportedly suffered from dehydration as well as the head injury, and had some paralysis to his right side. The crushing blow is that it’s believed Shibata won’t be cleared to wrestle again.
I know I just complained about using a performer’s health for a work, but I’d happily accept that if it meant this news wasn’t true. First Tomoaki Honma, now Shibata. The careers of two of pro wrestling’s modern greats are now in serious jeopardy.
I don’t know if Shibata’s headbutt was solely responsible for the damage, or know for sure if the injury was real, though at this stage it unfortunately appears to be. Either way, New Japan has got to put an end to those unprotected, skull-on-skull headbutts. Simply put, they’re not worth it.
Atlantis
By Chris Aiken
My favorite this week is a luchador that is indeed an actual living legend. Atlantis first debuted in the early 1980s. His lengthy career continues to this day where he headlines the Friday night card at Arena Mexico challenging Ultimo Guerrero for the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship.
Atlantis finds himself in a familiar position as part of a title match. He recently tweeted a photo of himself holding the first title he captured back in 1984.
In one of his many main event matches at Arena Mexico, Atlantis defeated Guerrero to take his mask at the annual CMLL anniversary show in 2014. They renewed their rivalry ahead of Atlantis issuing a verbal challenge last Friday, wanting a title match with Guerrero. Title matches are still relatively protected in Mexico, and such attractions take place much more sparingly as compared to pro wrestling in the United States.
Moreover, Atlantis is far from a nostalgia act as the challenger. While the nostalgic factor does play a large part in his enduring popularity, Atlantis still performs at a top level.
Nonetheless, this could be the last challenge by Atlantis for a singles title in the main event at Arena Mexico as he inches closer to the end of a career he began decades ago. The storied career of Atlantis has already spanned three decades. At some point every luchador or wrestler eventually does the job for father time.
The Undertaker most recently left his gloves and gear in the ring to signify the end of his career. Yet Atlantis debuted several years before Undertaker, and Atlantis is seemingly still going strong. He could even main event another anniversary show in Arena Mexico before he retires.
Dylan Miley
By Jeremy Peeples
It’s been a big couple of weeks for NXT, and yet despite things like new championships being unveiled at TakeOver and Shinsuke Nakamura getting a fantastic sendoff, my big takeaway from NXT this week was that WWE has something in Dylan Miley.
On the surface, he looks like a big bald dude — but he’s got tremendous facial expressions and a giant beard and gives off an intimidating aura. He worked against DIY, which I’m sure didn’t hurt him, but he looked like an absolute beast tossing them around before finally beating up his partner.
He used basic stuff, but done in a different way. He used a backbreaker, but made sure his knee brace hit the ribs to add a bit more damage before also hitting a rewind powerslam off of it.
He came out of nowhere for me and made a fantastic first impression. I don’t see “top of the brand” heel in him, but as a constant thorn in the side of a babyface NXT Champion, he has real potential to shine if put in the right spot on the card.
David Starr
By Mike DellaCamera
I haven’t seen a ton of wrestling this week, due to “real life” getting in the way, so I’ll use this space to talk about someone that I’ve been enjoying for quite a while now, David Starr.
The Cream in Your Coffee, Your Favorite Wrestler’s Favorite Wrestler, The Jewish Cannon, The Physical Embodiment of Charisma, The Most Entertaining Man in Pro Wrestling, Mr. Americanrana, Davey Wrestling, The 104 Minute Man, The Main Event, The King of Taunts is deserving of all these nicknames — and probably more.
The former wXw Shotgun Champion is one of the more versatile and impressive wrestlers on the independent scene. The ability to work any style of match, and do it well, is typically a sign of someone who has an enormously bright future. Recently, his champion vs. champion match with Matt Riddle in CZW was a great, short sprint, and his anything goes match with Joey Janela at Beyond Wrestling back in January was out of control and fantastic — I was there for that match and can’t recommend it enough.
Wrestling acumen aside, Starr is fairly outspoken about equality not just in wrestling, but in every aspect of life. He has spoken about the anti-Semitic things that have been said/done to him over his years as a performer. The use of his platform as a public figure to speak out against inequality is something that deserves praise and more attention than it gets.
Zack Sabre Jr., someone who feels like a fixture in this column, said after winning the EVOLVE title, “Pro wrestling is for everyone. We welcome everyone. We do not discriminate. The Earth is for everyone and professional wrestling is for everyone.” Here’s hoping more wrestlers do what ZSJ and David Starr are doing.
Goodbye WrestleMania! Hello to another edition of My Favorite Wrestler (This Week). These are our favorite wrestlers from WrestleMania week. Who’s yours?
This week’s panel —
Alan4L (Dr. Keith Presents host and Figure Four Weekly writer)
When I first heard Nakamura signed with WWE early last year, I was apprehensive about how he’d do — after all, WWE is a place where 20 minute promos are a necessity for top guys. But after seeing his SmackDown debut, all those fears were put to rest.
He came out and quickly became one of the biggest babyfaces on the roster with an incredible entrance, complete with a live violin. The promos might still be a weakness for him, but if you’re as charismatic as he is, it might not be that big of a problem.
Keith Lee
By Alan Boon
Although I may be the only one to submit a piece about him for this week’s column, I know I’m not the only one to consider Keith Lee to be my favorite wrestler this week. Lee had a barnstorming WrestleMania week, appearing on six shows, all streamed live on FloSlam, and coming very close to stealing the show every time he stepped through the ropes.
Like many others, Lee first came to my attention when he and Shane Taylor took their Pretty Boy Killers team to Ring of Honor and, although they were never known by that name in that promotion, killed their fair share of pretty boys (and a few ugly ones, besides). Taking nothing away from the impressive Taylor, it was clear even then that Lee was the star of the team, and a chance to break apart from that tag tandem (although they are still teaming in WrestleCircus, among other places) is a fresh start for both.
Lee has grabbed that chance with both hands, signing a contract with WWN which still allows him to work for the other headline-grabbing indies, as well as take tours overseas. While I usually retain my slot in this column for a wrestler who has made an impact on the UK scene in the past week, Lee has only been over once — for PCW and Tidal last year — and I can’t wait to see him in a British ring in the near future.
His theme song may declare him “the man of the hour,” but if he continues his current 2017 he’ll be the man of the year, leading the pack of those who are competing to replace Chris Hero as the indie scene’s MVP. Get in on the first floor, if not the ground.
The Revival
By Paul Fontaine
I’m going with a tag team as my favorite for this week and, of course, it’s The Revival. Their three-way NXT Tag Team Championship match against DIY and The Authors of Pain at TakeOver: Orlando was the best tag match in WWE since Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder faced DIY in Toronto last year.
The three-way was far better than it had any right to be and I give the lion’s share of the credit to The Revival. It looks to be their swan song in NXT as they earned a spot on Raw the night after WrestleMania. They looked really good in their debut there as well with a win over former champs The New Day.
Brock Lesnar
By Mike DellaCamera
I wanted to put Goldberg as my favorite wrestler this week, just because he’s finally gone and I don’t have to watch everyone’s favorite dad concuss himself and get tired walking to the ring.
Instead I’ll go with his WrestleMania opponent, Brock Lesnar. This is the version of Brock that works best, and the one that WWE needs. The version where he is the unconquerable champion, the absolute dominant force on the flagship show. He gives the Universal title weight, and makes it more important.
Having someone beat him for the belt makes it feel like a true accomplishment, and immediately puts them over for, well, forever. Granted it’s just going to be Roman Reigns, who, for what it’s worth, is very good at this wrestling thing — the Monday night crowd can go take a hike and get out of my life. But yeah, if you want to make someone, having them beat Brock is the way to do it.
Daisuke Sekimoto
By Alan4L
After watching his Strong Heavyweight title loss to Hideki Suzuki which aired this week on Samurai TV, I’m once again reminded why Daisuke Sekimoto is not just my favorite wrestler this week, but just my favorite wrestler full stop.
It’s been that way since 2009, really. Daisuke is what pro wrestling is all about for me, and he’s the standard bearer for what a pro wrestler should represent. The storytelling of his match with Suzuki which played off their March 5th time limit draw was exceptional. They took a Big Japan crowd which is normally conditioned to either death matches or bruising heavyweight slugfests, and had them in a frenzy for an old style title match built around mat work and psychology.
Sekimoto is a master. He’s the pro wrestling son of Kenta Kobashi and Bret Hart. The perfect wrestler.
Mauro Ranallo
By Zach Dominello
My favorite wrestler this week isn’t actually a wrestler (My column, my rules. Deal with it). It’s Mauro Ranallo, whose story, which I’ve been following in the last couple of issues of the Observer, hit me kind of hard.
As has been reported, the reason Ranallo has been absent from his announcing duties on SmackDown is because of depression. An issue Ranallo has been openly dealing with for a long time. What really got me though was the cause of Ranallo’s latest bout with the illness, which is said to at least in part be bullying at the hands of fellow announcer JBL.
Now, I may just be a little overly sensitive at the moment because I watched every episode of “13 Reasons Why” on Netflix over the past few days, or perhaps it’s my paternal instincts kicking in, but when I read this story, I just got so mad.
Recently, I’ve been struggling morally with being a fan of WWE. Between buying a position in Trump’s administration, the Jimmy Snuka tribute, the long history of its treatment of talent, and now this: allegedly bullying a man with a serious illness. Is this a company I really want to support with my money? Is seeing some of my favorite wrestlers in the world perform worth supporting such a morally dubious promotion?
But this isn’t really the place to get into my moral struggles. For now, my thoughts go out to Mauro Ranallo, whom I hope to see back in action soon and most importantly, healthy again.
It’s WrestleMania week! What else do you need to know?
Well, the final build for WrestleMania took place on TV, there are seemingly countless matches going on in Orlando, and WWE’s 2017 Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Friday night. These are our favorite wrestlers this (Mania) week. Who’s yours?
This week’s panel —
Alan4L (Dr. Keith Presents host and Figure Four Weekly writer)
I don’t know much about Keith Lee except that his recent matches in PWG, EVOLVE, and at Joey Janela’s Spring Break have been getting a lot of buzz for all the right reasons. Sadly for me, I’m not a millionaire which means I don’t have FloSlam, and Reseda is a bit of a ways from Brisbane, Australia, so I haven’t seen all these matches everyone’s talking about.
In fact, I’ve only seen as many Keith Lee matches as I have arms (I have two arms). What I have seen recently though is the mini-doc on Keith Lee that EVOLVE put up on YouTube, and that’s all I need for Keith Lee to become my favorite wrestler this week.
Besides being an awesome, incredibly agile and adaptable powerhouse, Lee has that elusive yet essential quality to really go far in wrestling, charisma. In the short doc, Lee comes across as incredibly well-spoken, commanding, and genuinely nice. Like he just seems like a really chill guy. Also, he got into wrestling the same way that I did, because his grandmother loved wrestling. So that’s neat. I can’t wait to see more of Keith Lee, and bask in his glory.
Travis Banks
By Will Cooling
This will be a pick masquerading as a plug….or a plug pretending to be a pick. I’m not sure. I had the pleasure of talking to “The Kiwi Buzzsaw” for this month’s Fighting Spirit Magazine and got to see him perform at a recent Fight Club Pro show.
He’s a surefire superstar of the future. Banks is both somebody who has a keen mind for the business and is a tremendous performer. The story of how he worked 24/7 to make the move from New Zealand to the UK to further his career his genuinely inspiring…and slightly bemusing for somebody who remembers what a wasteland the British scene was in the ’90s and 2000s.
Then you hear how hard and smart he worked to build his reputation in not just Britain, but in America and Japan too, and you realize this is somebody with the self-belief and determination to get to the very top in the business.
And he can more than back it up in the ring. He’s got one of the best physiques you’re going to see anywhere on the indies and can go just as hard and fast as the elite talent in the WWE UK division. Those who get to see him on WWN Live and FloSlam, or at WWE Axxess, are in for a treat.
Zack Sabre Jr.
By Alan4L
I’ve been watching this man work his craft live since 2009 when I first saw him with his old helmet of hair in wXw that year. He literally never disappoints. Not even once. He’s one of the most engaging live wrestlers I’ve ever experienced. When I think about what’s to come in the next few days and I think about all the incredible matches and wrestling I’ll see…I just can’t look past the fact that the wrestler I can rely on the most to deliver is Zack.
His matches this week are against ACH (which ended up being tremendous), Jimmy Havoc (who he broke in with under Andre Baker), Michael Elgin, Pentagon Jr., Max Smashmaster, and Mark Haskins. It’s a lock that at least a couple of those matches will be among the best in Orlando this week. So consider this a preemptive pick!
Kurt Angle
By Ryan Frederick
My favorite wrestler this week is a man being enshrined into the WWE Hall of Fame this weekend, Kurt Angle.
Angle headlines the class of 2017, and he is back with the WWE after being away for over ten years. He’s been through his highs and lows, more lows than highs, but he rightfully deserves to be honored, and I’m glad to see it happen.
Angle has one of my favorite matches in the history of WrestleMania, against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21 in 2005. He is a former WWE Champion, and with his demons seemingly behind him, and with this honor being bestowed upon him, it is possible we may see more of Angle in the coming months, whether in the ring or some other capacity. For this, and for Angle being one of my favorite wrestlers over the last 15 years, he gets my honor this week.
John Cena
By Joseph Currier
If there was any question about which match I’m most excited for at WrestleMania, that ended with John Cena’s promo on this week’s episode of SmackDown. The build to Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse has blown away my expectations, and Cena’s intensity on SmackDown was the most obvious high point of it.
The match may not be as good as I want it to be, but I can’t wait for it to happen. Cena and Miz are two of the best professional wrestlers in the world right now, with the dynamic of the mixed tag helping to make it stand out as something different from the rest of the card.
With ROH’s 15th Anniversary show, wXw’s 16 Carat Gold, and the opening stages of the New Japan Cup, as well as the usual 1,000 hours of WWE programming, there’s been no shortage of great wrestling over the past seven days. Our team picked their favorite wrestler of the week. Who’s yours?
Ishii is literally the best. He’s so good that he’s Nakamura’s favorite wrestler. He’s so good he once actually pulled a watchable match out of Yujiro Takahashi. More recently, he had the best match of the New Japan Cup so far when he got the upset win over Kenny Omega in the first round.
And that’s what Ishii does best. When put in a position to shine, Ishii never fails. It’s not often that Tomohiro Ishii gets to main event shows for New Japan, though it does happen from time to time. But it should happen more, because when he’s not in the main event, he’s probably outshining it, like he did in his five star match against Okada in the 2016 G-1.
Ishii is an enigma, and not the Jeff Hardy kind. He’s an actual enigma. He’s short, his physique’s not great, he’s over forty, but his mind for designing matches and his selling is beyond reproach. For those not too familiar with his body of work, go back and look at his series of matches with Naito and Honma, and his singles matches with Okada, Nakamura, Shibata, and Tanahashi.
Yes, those are all amazing wrestlers in their own right, but the common factor in many of their best matches is Tomohiro Ishii, and that’s why he’s my favorite wrestler this week, and always.
Austin Aries
By Jeremy Peeples
Austin Aries went from being a commentator who shined brightly on Raw by actually having a personality — and an impressive package of innuendo each week — to the lead face of the cruiserweight division.
While 205 Live is seemingly doomed, Aries remains one of the few cruiserweight acts on Raw who feels like he has some genuine upward momentum out of the division if they so choose. He could easily mix it up in the United States title picture later this year, and he’s already shown that he can get a move over as a killer quickly by shifting from the Last Chancery to the rolling elbow on the main roster. It’s a more visually-impressive move anyway, and gives him the feel of someone who can be a physical threat.
Christopher Daniels
By Ryan Frederick
Christopher Daniels has had a long and entertaining career spanning over 20 years and throughout a plethora of promotions, most notably TNA and Ring of Honor. He’s held several championships in several promotions, but one thing had eluded him during his career. He had never been a World Champion in a major promotion.
That changed this past weekend when he won the ROH World Championship by defeating Adam Cole at the ROH 15th Anniversary pay-per-view. It came full circle for Daniels, who competed on the first-ever ROH event, and now 15 years later, he has his first World title at 47 years old. For that, I salute you Mr. Daniels. You’re my favorite wrestler this week.
AJ Styles
By Mike DellaCamera
In all honesty, AJ Styles could, and maybe should, be my pick every single week. But this week he did something I never thought was possible. He made me excited about a Shane McMahon match at WrestleMania.
Granted I’m not over the moon about seeing Shane throw his corny, child-like body punches at the best wrestler on the planet, but I am fascinated to see how we get there. When I first heard about the proposed match, my eyes rolled so hard my neighbors across the street heard it. Now? Consider me actually excited.
I’m excited after SmackDown this week, where AJ became probably the most fleshed out, well rounded, and fully realized character on either brand. AJ’s attack on Shane and confrontation with Daniel Bryan completed the transformation from someone who was unhappy with management, to someone that’s been pushed past their breaking point and snapped.
The only question with AJ pre-WWE was if his mic/character work can hold up — and that question has been asked and answered. The next few weeks should be great, and I have the feeling I’ll be struggling to write up a non-AJ Styles piece between now and WrestleMania.
My favorite wrestler this week is Kota Ibushi. Since his dual contract with New Japan and DDT ran out, he’s spent the last year and a half doing pretty much exactly what he wants, which has so far included taking part in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic, flying to Texas to fight Kaiju Big Battel’s Dr. Cube, piledriving a man into a toilet, and opening the mysterious — and possibly fictional — Ibushi Wrestling Research Institute.
This past weekend saw him come to the UK for the first time, to be hosted by the XWA, and he brought his best friend — and fellow DDT oddball — Gota Ihashi with him. They fought each other on Saturday night, on a family-friendly show in Colchester, and wowed the mostly unfamiliar crowd with a spectacle that included a bicycle (which was eventually driven into Ihashi’s face), an impromptu boxing match, and an array of dazzling aerial moves.
The next day, the pair moved on to the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green, where they teamed to take on the equally-unhinged Jimmy Havoc & Cara Noir, in a fight that spilled out of the tiny venue and onto the streets of east London, involving Havoc’s car and some fireworks. That’s actual fireworks, which Ibushi aimed at his enemies, his pal, the fans, the sky, a passing train, and lastly himself, before moonsaulting off the car onto Havoc and Noir.
With contract offers on the table from New Japan and WWE pretty much whenever he wants them, Ibushi is instead pushing the boundaries of wrestling, becoming the physical embodiment of wrestling research, his own institute. We don’t deserve him.
“DER RING GENERAL” WALTER
By Alan Counihan
My God……MY GOD!!!!!!
Two Match of the Year candidates, two other GREAT tournament matches and the best two-minute shoot style match that wasn’t Vader vs. Nakano from UWFI. All in a weekend’s work for WALTER.
Not only that, but while WALTER the wrestler is absolutely tearing the house down in the ring, Walter the man is a major part of running one of the most successful weekends of European wrestling ever. And he took it all in his stride. The guy was so calm and relaxed at 16 Carat, but every time he got into the ring, he TORE THE HOUSE DOWN!!!
The final against Ilja Dragunov is the greatest live experience of my life (wrestling or any other form of entertainment) and I was lucky enough to call the action from the best seat in the house. WALTER was an absolute savage in it and the story they told was perfect. I wrote more about the match in this week’s F4W, so check that out if you can.
David Starr, Marius Al Ani, Jeff Cobb, Matt Riddle, and Ilja Dragunov all stood opposite “Der Ring General” in Oberhausen last week, and they all came out of their matches looking incredible. WALTER makes guys look fantastic, but boy does he make them earn it! Ilja’s chest at the end of their match was a sight to behold.
WALTER’s performance last weekend was every bit as special as Kenny Omega’s on G1 finals weekend last year. He was THAT good.
Welcome to My Favorite Wrestler (This Week). Each week, the Wrestling Observer team chooses, you guessed it, their favorite wrestler of the week.
Fastlane was a drag, NJPW’s 45th anniversary show was great, the Hardys have joined ROH, and Rick Rude’s going into the WWE Hall of Fame. It was another week of ups and downs in pro wrestling. Here are our favorite wrestlers this week. Who’s yours?
My favorite wrestler this week is one of my favorite wrestlers in general, Tomoaki Honma.
On March 3rd, Honma took a routine draping DDT and had to be carried out of the ring as he was, in the words of NJPW medical trainer Takeshi Misawa, quadriplegic. Fortunately, he’s since regained some movement in his legs and can grip objects, and is reportedly making progress.
It’s a terrible reminder of just how quickly things can go wrong, and not just for wrestlers in the ring, but for all of us. Sometimes fans like you and me get too caught up in our opinions about booking decisions, who should be getting pushed, or who’s not being utilized, that we sometimes take for granted just how dangerous pro wrestling really is. It’s important to appreciate the good things in wrestling, and in life in general, which is basically the whole point of this column.
Speaking of good things, in typical, amazing Honma fashion, Misawa also said that Honma apologized for making fans worry, and is basically in good spirits and keeping positive. I’m pretty sure if I was in the hospital and could barely move, positive would not describe my mode. I guess that’s the power of kokeshi.
Also huge props to last week’s My Favorite Wrestler Satoshi Kojima for his awesome Honma tribute during his match at New Japan’s 45th anniversary show.
Here’s to a full and speedy recovery. Kokeshi is happy!
Neville
By Arya Witner
Sometimes it’s hard to pick one person as the best of the week, but this week it took me four seconds to realize it is your reigning, defending, undisputed Cruiserweight Champion of the world: Neville.
The cruiserweight division returned in September, and with very few exceptions the matches and segments have been forgettable and played in front of dead crowds. Neville returned in December, doing great heel promos and showing more personality than he has in the four years he has been under contract.
This week Neville managed to have two great matches, one with Jack Gallagher and one with Rich Swann, both of which took crowds accustomed to sitting on their hands and made them incredibly excited and were arguably the two best matches on their respective shows.
Now after the division seems to have finally gained some traction, we are going to get Neville vs. Austin Aries, which should be even better.
Goldberg
By Ryan Frederick
I can remember the days of being in middle school during the Monday Night Wars, and every Tuesday everyone was talking about what happened on Raw and Nitro. Goldberg was one of my favorite wrestlers during that period, and here we are in 2017, and he is the new WWE Universal Champion.
It’s a crazy world we live in, isn’t it? I know fans are upset that it was a 21-second squash of Kevin Owens, but it played perfectly into the stories of both mens’ WrestleMania future. It also brought back memories of when Goldberg used to squash random opponents on his way up the WCW ladder.
For those memories alone, and for Goldberg being champion and heading into the WrestleMania main event for what could be his last career match, I’m going with him as my favorite wrestler this week.
Kevin Owens
By Alan Boon
My favorite wrestler this week is Kevin Owens. The world of wrestling is unique — one where the loser in any contest plays as big a part as the winner, and never more so than when a competitor is requested to be a part of a momentous loss.
We can argue the merits — or lack of — of the Goldberg title win, and the 21-second match that brought it, but for a professional wrestler to engage in such career-threatening fantasy with the aplomb with which Owens approaches everything he does is notable.
He regained his heat the next night — as much as that is possible on a show on which everything seems intent on leaving everyone involved a lukewarm nothing (unless they are a part-timer from a previous era) — and will play a big part in WWE going forward.
But for this week, if you’ll excuse my rather business-exposing indulgence, Owens’ professionalism and sheer joy in anything he does wins him the award for me.
