In the end: thoughts on ALL IN two weeks removed

I talked about the importance of ALL IN a week ahead of the event. Now almost two weeks removed, I finally can talk about ALL IN as an event.

The show started out with an interesting opening bout. MJF and Matt Cross came in without a match and they answered the reason by facing each other one on one. This was smartly done after the Over Budget Battle Royal on the pre-show. The two men played a rather simple story: the cocky heel working the arm against the high flying veteran. But the simple battle allowed them to keep the crowd hot as they built up to a fine shooting star press finish.

The first Bullet Club appearance came from the celebrity wing as Stephen Amell emerged to face Christopher Daniels. Unlike other matches, the announcers over-looked the whole "framed for murder" angle from Being the Elite. Yet the two men spent the match showcasing how naturally gifted Amell is an athlete. His wrestling was far from perfect, but with Jerry Lynn as ref and the ring veteran as his opponent. Ultimately Amell's anger would prove his undoing as he brought a table into the match only to go through it. A Best Moonsault Ever served as the final nail through the coffin to give him his first wrestling loss.

Don Callis left ringside to allow injured Women of Honor Tenille Dashwood and Mandy Leon to join commentary with Ian Riccaboni and Excalibur. This was my first time seeing Dr. Britt Baker in action. Chelsea Green came in working a combination of her indie and her Impact personalities with a great Two-Face look. The veteran Madison Rayne and the arguable queen bee of indie wrestling Tessa Blanchard rounded out the four corner match. Tessa comes off a title victory on Impact just days before, so the young powerhouse already came in with momentum. Yet much of the match served as more of a spotlight for Baker and Green. Those two women seemed the primary focus, with only Rayne getting the short end of the stick in storytelling. Ultimately Tessa powered through for the win and showed why she deserves every ounce of attention on her right now. WWE made a huge mistake not signing her when they could, as I suspect she's going to make huge waves through wrestling into 2019.

Brent Tarring was the only commentator I wasn't familiar with coming into this match. Turns out he worked on OVW, in fact calling Cody's very first match. His arrival served to intensify the big fight feel as we moved into the NWA Worlds Heavyweight title match against Nick Aldis. Both men came with an entourage, Cody with his wife Brandi Rhodes, DDP, Tommy Dreamer and Ray "Glacier" Lloyd. (I won't pretend how happy that last name makes me.) Aldis came in with Jeff Jarrett, Shawn Daivari and two men that have become key to NWA: Tim Storm and Samuel Shaw.

Suddenly the pitch of the arena picked up as a fight months in the making was happening. The announce team and the crowd didn't hide from the importance of Cody making a run at the title his dad held on three separate instances. Instead they pushed that narrative as the two men brutalized each other in a mix of modern wrestling and old school Southern style. Cody wrapped himself in a crimson mask as the two battled, but neither man would fall to the other's finish. Ultimately, he would turn a sunset flip attempt by Aldis into a deep cradle to score victory and become the next NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion.

I've read a few complaints about the placement of this match as fourth on the card, but I really think it serves this bout well. While this is arguably the most momentous match on the card, Aldis and Cody don't bring the insanity of the later matches on the card. Their straight up styles work well together, but would have seemed like a bit of a slow down after any of the other matches on the card. By placing it here, it feels like a huge bout but also sets up the fact that from here out, this is a true supercard, filled with dream matches and big bouts for the rest of the night.

Hangman Page went into easily the biggest match of his career against a star also appearing on his biggest stage ever, Joey Janela. Page admitted publically to the murder of Joey Ryan, a long running story on Being the Elite 48 hours earlier. He expressed a hatred for anyone or anything called Joey. Hangman Page came in as a man possessed. His current storyline might be somewhat silly, but it has done wonders in giving him a full-fledged character to build his character around. He showed that several times in the match as both his boots and the infamous phone found their way into the match. He picked up his win after putting Janela head first through a table.

Of course the story for Page continued as a wall of men in penis costumes opened the return of Joey Ryan. Ryan brutalized Page once again before his army carried him from the arena. That's a sight you will never see in WWE.

Two storylines from Being the Elite combined in the ROH championship match. Flip Gordon snuck into the Over Budget Battle Royal to win his way onto the ALL IN event. Meanwhile, Jay Lethal suffered an injury that caused him to routinely delve back into his Black Machismo personality. Brandi accompanied Flip to the ring, while Jay Lethal came to the ring in a classic Macho Man jacket accompanied by "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, his "brother from another mother". Lethal had some fun character work, especially confusing Brandi for Miss Elizabeth repeatedly. We even gave a few Mega Powers references between the two stars.

And that was really what this match was about. It showed why Lethal deserves far more praise for his work around the world and why Flip deserves a higher place on the ROH card. Ultimately, Lethal retains, which leads to maybe the weakest bonus segment of the night, where Bully Ray assaults both men leading to Colt Cabana coming out and hitting a Shield style powerbomb with Gordon and Lethal.

In a dream match for myself and many others, Penta El Zero Miedo took on Kenny Omega. This one proves hard to describe, but both men brought the A games they were knew for well ahead of this match. Both men destroyed the other, but with the IWGP Heavyweight champion in this battle, the winner seemed clear from the start. Omega hit the One Winged Angel for the decided victory after a hard fought contest.

Of course, his night wasn't done. After the lights went out, Penta was back on his feet, only he grew a couple inches. A disguised Chris Jericho assaulted Omega and landed two codebreakers before he promised to see the champ on the Jericho Cruise.

The semi-main event was designed as a star-maker and Marty Scurll didn't disappoint in his role. He went toe to toe with Kazuchika Okada in an epic encounter that builds beautifully on both men's move sets. The All In umbrella to stop the Rainmaker was inspired, as was Scurll following it up with a Rainmaker of his own. Ultimately, Scurll showed his toughness and Okada took him seriously, as he delivered two straight Rainmakers to get the pin over The Villain.

The main event was truncated for time because of the broadcast, but honestly, it doesn't show. The six men are perfect for a fast paced match, so each team throwing all of their biggest bombs at the others in an eleven minute car wreck actually worked rather well. While I'd like to have seen more spots with Kota Ibushi and the Young Bucks jelling, ultimately they put on an impressive match with Rey Mysterio, Rey Fenix and Bandido.

In the end, I suppose one can look at ALL IN as just another pay-per-view. But it was also a one shot for the ages and a huge money-maker for a ton of talents and a ton of Chicago businesses. It remains to be seen if the event will be repeated next year or not, but I'm hoping we will see it again.

The world needs shows that can rival WWE's draw. Cody and the Bucks proved that was possible without sacrificing great wrestling and solid storytelling.

Let's see how I've done on my Wild Predictions for 2018... so far

Back in February I made some educated guesses of what I thought might happen between then and the end of the year. It's been almost six months since those predictions, so it seemed like a good time to review where I'm at compared to my original guesses.

One thing I love in wrestling is making guesses about where wrestling stories will go over the course of six months to a year. So today is the day, I'm going to share a few thoughts about the big promotions and wild guesses as to where they will go. The picks are in italics with any updates afterwards.

WWE:

Things are still looking good for Seth, even if it's on Raw.

Image credit: Seth Rollins / WWE.

Seth Rollins will be pushed as one of the company's top babyfaces... on Smackdown.

I got this one half-right. Seth Rollins is arguably the most over face of the male Raw roster. Doesn't look like he's jumping to the other brand anytime soon. FAIL.

Roman Reigns will not win the WWE Universal title at Wrestlemania.

100% correct. He might win in a few weeks at SummerSlam, but I suspect Braun Strowman or Kevin Owens walks off the show with the title. WIN.

The Mixed Match Challenge will end with the crowning of the first ever Mixed Match Champions, a title that will be defended across both brands.

Sadly, no cross brand tag titles came out of the series. But everyone is expecting some kind of women's title soon, so we will see.

AJ Styles will retain his title over Shinsuke Nakamura when he and the Balor Club turn heel and unite. 

Backwards on this one. The Balor Club wasn't involved and it was Nakamura that turned heel. I still wouldn't mind seeing him align with Gallows and Anderson though. 

Ronda Rousey will not win a title in 2018. Asuka will move to Smackdown and challenge Charlotte, keeping both women away from each other. 

So far I'm 100% right on this one, because thankfully I didn't go far enough to predict Asuka's Wrestlemania win. I suspect this will be a money match someday, but Asuka will have to be rebuilt between now and then.

Andrade "Cien" Almas will make his main roster debut after Wrestlemania and be a world champion by the end of the year. 

The first half was true. I still think he's got a very good chance to hold a title soon, especially with news that management is high on him as a top heel.

Kassius Ohno will replace a retiring Sheamus as partner to Cesaro, losing one of his names in the process.

Ohno is still in NXT... so far.

NXT:

Aleister Black will win the NXT title and hold it for the rest of 2018.

He did take the belt, but he has already lost it. I can't be happier though that Ciampa holds it however. FAIL.

A welcome sight, even thought it proved a prediction wrong.

Peyton Royce and Billie Kay will remain on the show and become major threats for the women's title. 

Instead, the Iiconics are on the main roster doing... something? This would have probably been better. FAIL.

The Undisputed Era will defend successfully against every current NXT tag team, but will drop the title to a surprise team. 

They haven't quite made it through the roster, but Moustache Mountain is the definition of a surprise team. I'll count this as a WIN. 

TM-61 will be released and immediately start a strong indie run.

Turns out NXT isn't done with The Mighty, as they're now called. I think the two men have a huge upside, but I still have doubts they will ever make the main roster.

NJPW:

Kazuchika Okada will drop his title at Dominion. 

Okada dropped the title at Dominion to Kenny Omega. Spot on. WIN.

IWGP champion Kenny Omega.

Juice Robinson will win either the Intercontinental or United States title before years end.

Juice Robinson isn't doing so well in the G1, but he won the United States title at Dominion. WIN.

The Young Bucks will participate in their first World Tag League after declaring themselves heavyweights.

They're heavyweights and tag champions, but we've got a few months to go until the Tag League.

The Elite versus Bullet Club feud will continue for most of the next year.

The feud did continue, and now it's morphed a bit into the Bullet Club Elite vs. the Bullet Club OGs. Should be fun to see it continue through at least Wrestle Kingdom. WIN.

If he doesn't sign a WWE contract, Rey Mysterio will make an appearance for the company in Japan.

He made his in-ring debut in a six-man at Dominion. Here's hoping we still get a one on one between him and Liger. WIN.

Cody will participate in his first G1 this year.

Failed on that one because Cody's busy filming Arrow again. Still hoping we see him in one. FAIL.

Fissures between Suzuki and Suzukigun will lead to Zack Sabre leading a turn on Minoru Suzuki.

Sabre-gun still isn't a thing yet. I can still see it happening by year's end however.

American fans will be apoplectic when the company books Michael Elgin in a title match at Strong Style Evolved.

Michael Elgin won the NEVER Openweight title in Japan, but he and NJPW have kept him off American shores, probably wisely. FAIL.

ROH:

Dalton Castle will drop the ROH title to a member of the Bullet Club, but it won't be Cody.

I suppose I still have a chance here should Dalton win back the title, but he dropped it to Jay Lethal of all people.

Kenny Omega will make more than one pay-per-view appearance with the company in the lead up to All In. Kota Ibushi will make at least one as well.

Both men wrestled at the Supercard of Honor event earlier this year. WIN.

Chris Jericho will wrestle at least once for the company and will have a major match at All In.

Not going to happen at All In. But Chris Jericho will definitely make an ROH appearance during their events on his cruise with the Alpha Club vs. Bullet Club match. PARTIAL WIN.

Another New Japan star will hold a title in the company in 2018.

Though New Japan stars have made appearances, Cody and the Young Bucks are the only NJPW talents to score new titles this year (the six man tag belts.)

Juice Robinson will start making regular appearances for ROH.

He has had no American matches for ROH. Probably not going to get this one, especially if rumors of WWE's interest prove too compelling for him.

Christopher Daniels will get a high profile match but not regain the ROH title.

Do six-man tag title matches count? Probably not. Here's hoping for the next four months with him getting some stronger matches in the worse towns he's ever been in. (SCU!)

The tag titles will be held at least once this year by a team that isn't currently on ROH television.

They've been left on the Briscoes for much of the year, but several new teams have debuted, even if none are particularly interesting.

Impact:

Brian Cage will be the man to unseat Austin Aries for the championship.

He hasn't won the World title yet, but he's the reigning X champion now. Pentagon beat Aries for the belt, but Aries regained it. 

The Grand Championship will officially be unified with the Global title.

Done and done. 100% correct. WIN.

The male roster will see less new additions for the rest of the year than the Knockouts roster, as the company seeks to rebuild their women's division. 

Both rosters have continued to gain stars, but the women's division has added a few more in the last couple months. 

Matt Sydal will work his way through multiple titles in the company, but won't win the World title. 

He's held the X division belt for most of the year. I can still see him getting a run with the tag belt as well.

LAX will lose the tag titles to a makeshift tag team.

Eli Drake and Scott Steiner are pretty makeshift. The pair didn't hold the belts long either. WIN.

Taya and Johnny Impact will form a unit against LAX upon Diamante's return. 

We got the OGz instead, which honestly may be better. Always a chance this feud is still coming as well.

Sami Callihan will be in the Global title picture before year's end.

It's back to the World Championship now, but I think there's a good chance Austin Aries versus Sami Callihan is the Bound For Glory main event.

Wild predictions for televised wrestling in 2018

One thing I love in wrestling is making guesses about where wrestling stories will go over the course of six months to a year. So today is the day, I'm going to share a few thoughts about the big promotions and wild guesses as to where they will go.

WWE:

Are big things ahead for Seth Rollins? Image credit: Seth Rollins / WWE.

• Seth Rollins will be pushed as one of the company's top babyfaces... on Smackdown.
• Roman Reigns will not win the WWE Universal title at Wrestlemania.
• The Mixed Match Challenge will end with the crowning of the first ever Mixed Match Champions, a title that will be defended across both brands.
• AJ Styles will retain his title over Shinsuke Nakamura when he and the Balor Club turn heel and unite. 
• Ronda Rousey will not win a title in 2018. Asuka will move to Smackdown and challenge Charlotte, keeping both women away from each other. 
• Andrade "Cien" Almas will make his main roster debut after Wrestlemania and be a world champion by the end of the year. 
• Kassius Ohno will replace a retiring Sheamus as partner to Cesaro, losing one of his names in the process.

NXT:

Is gold in the former Tommy End's future? Image credit: WWE.com.

• Aleister Black will win the NXT title and hold it for the rest of 2018.
• Peyton Royce and Billie Kay will remain on the show and become major threats for the women's title. 
• The Undisputed Era will defend successfully against every current NXT tag team, but will drop the title to a surprise team. 
• TM-61 will be released and immediately start a strong indie run.

NJPW:

Will Okada be chasing the title at the G1 this year?
Image credit: NJPW.

• Kazuchika Okada will drop his title at Dominion. 
• Juice Robinson will win either the Intercontinental or United States title before years end.
• The Young Bucks will participate in their first World Tag League after declaring themselves heavyweights.  
• The Elite versus Bullet Club feud will continue for most of the next year.
• If he doesn't sign a WWE contract, Rey Mysterio will make an appearance for the company in Japan. 
• Cody will participate in his first G1 this year.
• Fissures between Suzuki and Suzukigun will lead to Zack Sabre leading a turn on Minoru Suzuki.
• American fans will be apoplectic when the company books Michael Elgin in a title match at Strong Style Evolved.

ROH:

Who will take Dalton's ROH World title?
Image credit: ROHwrestling.com.

• Dalton Castle will drop the ROH title to a member of the Bullet Club, but it won't be Cody.
• Kenny Omega will make more than one pay-per-view appearance with the company in the lead up to All In. Kota Ibushi will make at least one as well.
• Chris Jericho will wrestle at least once for the company and will have a major match at All In.
• Another New Japan star will hold a title in the company in 2018. 
• Juice Robinson will start making regular appearances for ROH. 
• Christopher Daniels will get a high profile match but not regain the ROH title. 
• The tag titles will be held at least once this year by a team that isn't currently on ROH television.

Impact:

Will Brian Cage be a huge part of Impact in 2018?
Image credit: ImpactWrestling.com.

• Brian Cage will be the man to unseat Austin Aries for the championship.
• The Grand Championship will officially be unified with the Global title.
• The male roster will see less new additions for the rest of the year than the Knockouts roster, as the company seeks to rebuild their women's division. 
• Matt Sydal will work his way through multiple titles in the company, but won't win the World title. 
• LAX will lose the tag titles to a makeshift tag team.
• Taya and Johnny Impact will form a unit against LAX upon Diamante's return. 
• Sami Callihan will be in the Global title picture before year's end. 

The gaijin changing Japanese wrestling forever: Kenny Omega comes in at #2!

Japanese wrestling has a long and storied history with gaijin talent. From the fifties and sixties, American talent was brought to Japan to serve as nefarious villains for Japanese heroes to face down. Some promotions built their entire roster around this concept.

New Japan did not, at least initially. In its earliest days, Antonio Inoki built up the company's concept of fighting spirit, an important factor of any Japanese wrestling promotion. His wrestlers faced each other in tests of skills and will with enmity only rarely being a factor. That changed in the 80s and 90s as an influx of outside talent started to appear. After Inoki's removal, that influx became a flood and today over a third of New Japan's talent comes from outside Japan. They're not always villains, but even those villains have become respected stars in New Japan.

Image credit: NJPW.

But only one has won the G1 tournament and main evented a Wrestle Kingdom. And his name is Kenny Omega.

Anyone that first saw Omega years ago in ROH or PWG knew he was built to be another level of talent. But when he abandoned the American indies for DDT, he recreated himself as a different kind of wrestler. His heavily video game inspired moveset grew and his run with and against Kota Ibushi became something of legend.

That all changed though when he moved to New Japan full time in 2014. Already a full time Japanese resident, he immediately turned heel and joined the Bullet Club. He dominated the Junior Heavyweight division in his first year, but the departure of AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows opened a power vacuum within the Club he immediately filled.

He officially became a heavyweight and promptly beat Hiroshi Tanahashi for the Intercontinental title left vacant by Shinsuke Nakamura's departure. And from there, it became clear he was on his way to main event status. After winning the G1 in impressive fashion in 2016, he opened the calendar year 2017 in that aforementioned Tokyo Dome main event. Though he would not beat Okada for the title in their near 45 minute match, it is hard to argue that it was one of the best wrestling matches in the history of the business. The two men made a mat classic, recognized by Dave Meltzer as the second ever six star match.

Kenny toiled around the upper midcard for several months, but he received his rematch at Dominion 6.11 in a sixty minute draw even better than the first match. During the G1 Climax Special from America, he would win the eight person tournament to crown the first ever United States Champion. He brought his new belt home to Japan where he carried it with him during an impressive performance during the G1 Climax. He would finally get a pinfall victory over Okada in a third highly impressive match, but Tetsuya Naito would overcome him to stop his repeat.

His next several months of wrestling were devoted to defending his United States title. Juice Robinson beat him during the G1, so he received the first shot. Yoshi-Hashi tried for it at an ROH event, but failed. In his first major bout as a heavyweight, Beretta challenged for the belt as well, but fell short. Omega seemed dominant with no foe ready to step up for Wrestle Kingdom when Chris Jericho made his presence known. Following Omega's victory over Beretta, Jericho struck and viciously assaulted Omega in the ring. In the process, Omega ended 2017 much as he did in 2016: as the star player in the hottest feud in wrestling.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Omega's 2017 is his insistence in staying free of WWE. Much like the Young Bucks, he's been very public that he thinks his home should be anywhere but the biggest company in the world. With a stated plan to bring New Japan worldwide in 2018, few men other than Kenny Omega could make that happen. But with his level of talent and the caliber of his competition, the sky is truly the limit for The Cleaner.


Tomorrow, the final ten honorable mentions are revealed, all leading up to our number one. Who will it be? Get your guesses in now!

The Rainmaker reigns over New Japan: Kazuchika Okada ranks at #3!

Image credit: NJPW.

Kazuchika Okada has been on my list of best talents in the world for all three years of the annual Top Ten. But for the first time in 2017, he ranked high enough on multiple lists to get the recognition he deserves as one of the best wrestlers in the world.

But while 2015 was the time he rose to the true ace position and 2016 was about cementing that position, 2017 was all about defense. Okada walked into the Tokyo Dome on January 4th of 2017 as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. He walked into the Tokyo Dome on January 4th of 2018 with the title still in hand. He's outlasted Asuka's reign as NXT Women's Champion and seems unlikely to drop the title anytime soon.

Those defenses started out with an epic encounter with Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 11. The match broke Dave Meltzer's star scale and rightly so. It was easily one of the best matches I have seen put on by two consummate professionals at the sport of kings. From there, he defended the title against the returning Minoru Suzuki (leading Suzukigun back from a two year run in NOAH), Katsuyori Shibata (in an epic match that cost Shibata more than his career), and Bad Luck Fale (in probably Fale's best match ever.)

This all brought Okada and Omega back together in another encounter at Dominion 6.11. In the only title match not won by Okada in all of 2017, he went to a sixty minute draw with Kenny Omega.

His next defense would be his first on United States soil. During the two day G1 Climax Special event, he would pick up a title win over the at-the-time undefeated Cody.

Before he would have a chance to defend the title again, he would meet the recently anointed United States champion Omega in another bout during the G1 Climax. It was one of only two losses, Omega would take in singles competition during the tournament, but unlike EVIL, Omega was not given another shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, leaving a huge question mark for the future of that feud in 2018.

His final defense of the year came against the aforementioned EVIL. It was a brutal battle, but with EVIL's stablemate Tetsuya Naito on his way to Wrestle Kingdom 12's main event, the result was obvious.

Okada didn't have any major character development points over the course of the year, but his character has developed in the aftermath. He's clearly been poised as a near unstoppable champion. It remains to be seen who will be the major star to topple him however.

But limited character development or not, Okada put on great match after great match in 2017 and looks to continue to do so into 2018. With a great finisher and a solid look and years left in the tank, he could be New Japan's ace for many years to come. With multiple upper midcard titles, it will be interesting to see if anyone can topple him where Omega and Naito have failed in the last two years.

Let's wrap things up with a look at his title defense against Cody this last summer.


Tomorrow, we take a look at another international star that made waves in 2017.

Tetsuya Naito: the ungovernable #10

For the first time in this list's history, half the talents on it are not WWE exclusive talents. New Japan Pro Wrestling invaded America in a huge way in 2017 with people seeking out the show on AXS or signing up for NJPWWorld to watch live events streamed with commentary by Kevin Kelly and Don Callis. A few names can be pointed out as the reason for this sudden rise, but perhaps the one with the most chance to soar up this list in 2018 is Tetsuya Naito.

In the biggest run of his career, Naito couldn't look more relaxed.
Image credit: NJPW.

It's hard to believe that eight years ago, Naito was one half of the IWGP Junior Tag Team champions as he made his international run on TNA television. He debuted there (alongside Yujiro Takahashi) in a handicap match loss to way past his prime Kevin Nash during the Main Event Mafia push. Unlike Kazuchika Okada later in TNA's relationship with New Japan, they did get something of a push. Aligned with Sheik Abdul Bashir and Kiyoshi, they formed an effective tag team in the heel faction. It would also be the last time Naito played the heel for several years.

Naito came back to New Japan with fanfare, but after No Limit broke up and Yujiro joined the Bullet Club, his push to the main event floundered. He won his first G1 Climax in 2013, but fans weren't wowed by the thought of Naito versus Okada in 2013. A fan vote put the Intercontinental championship match into the main event with Hiroshi Tanahashi facing Shinsuke Nakamura in yet another match of their endless feud.

Ultimately, it would take another excursion for Naito to find his true calling. A trip to CMLL brought him into the stable Los Ingobernables (The Ungovernables). Lead by La Sombra (now Andrade "Cien" Almas), the stable were a bunch of tweeners in a wrestling culture known for strict heroes and villains. But with them, Naito shed his nice guy image as the "Stardust Genius". When he returned to Japan it was with a new demeanor and a legend was born.

Naito made his presence felt in the 2015 G1. And that presence made it clear he didn't give a shit what the fans thought. Even hated Bullet Club members were cheered in their matches against Naito. He would bring in more wrestlers to join his evil alliance: Bushi, EVIL, Sanada and Hiromu Takahashi. In a matter of a year, he would take reigns as both IWGP Intercontinental and IWGP World Heavyweight champion. Naito made it clear that he would not let the chosen of NJPW, Tanahashi and Okada, dominate the field with him around.

The first half of 2017 was built around Intercontinental title defenses, with victories at Wrestle Kingdom 11 over Tanahashi, Michael Elgin and Juice Robinson. He would drop the title to Tanahashi at Dominion, but that would just set up a huge run for Naito in the G1 Climax. He would win his block in the world's biggest tournament, then defeat Kenny Omega in the finals to win his second G1 Climax and his second five star match of the year. (The first was against Elgin.) He continued on a winning streak from there, even as his allies in Los Ingobernables won Junior Heavyweight and Six Man Tag Team gold. As 2018 dawns, Naito takes his place in the main event of another Wrestle Kingdom, but even with Omega vs. Jericho on the card, Naito's place at the top of the card is solid.

Naito proved he was ready to hang with the biggest talents in wrestling during 2017, but 2018 could be even bigger. It remains to be seen if he can end Okada's year and a half long reign as he did once before. But wherever the year takes him, it seems likely that Naito will remain a dominant force in New Japan and professional wrestling for years to come.

Kenny Omega: #6 in the Top 10 Wrestlers of 2016

I am actually a bit sad that more wrestling fans aren't familiar with the impressive credentials of New Japan regular Kenny Omega. Though he makes sporadic appearances in Ring of Honor, he's mostly an NJPW stalwart. The Canadian has been a Japanese regular for a decade now, speaks the language and has become the key player in the Bullet Club in the wake of Styles, Gallows and Anderson's disappearance.

Image credit: Senor Lariato

In the process, he's done things gaijin wrestlers don't normally do. Now his sudden shot into the main event isn't necessarily abnormal. AJ Styles basically debuted to win the World title. But the shots he's received are very different. He beat ace Tanahashi to become Intercontinental champion, only to drop it to Michael Elgin. He feuded with both men for most of the summer and scored numerous victories over both, albeit without recovering the title.

But the most impressive feat of 2016 was his victory in the finals of the G1 Climax. The world's most prestigious tournament has regularly featured outside stars, but rarely do they reach the finals. In 26 previous G1 tournaments, only two non-Japanese stars ever made it to the finals: Rick Rude (in the only single elimination version of the tournament) and Karl Anderson. Neither won. Kenny Omega broke that drought, becoming the first North American star to ever win the prestigious tournament. In the process, he was also the first gaijin to ever main event a Wrestle Kingdom. While that event held earlier today falls out of the purview of the 2016 award, just his movement towards that event was impressive. He scored victory after victory over NJPW champion Kazuchika Okada in multi-man matches leading towards the event.

This is all very impressive for a wrestler that wasn't even considered a heavyweight in NJPW until January 5th of 2016. His rise has been astronomical and he backed up every ounce of it with impressive in ring work, both on his own and as a trio with the Young Bucks. The three men won the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag title twice in 2016 and remain the only team to successfully defend it more than once.

Omega ended 2016 as arguably the best in ring worker in the world and the second highest man on the NJPW roster. Despite a loss today, he seems poised to make even bigger strides in 2016.

Next, we will look at a very different Japanese star, one that made major waves in two promotions this year.

The 2016 End of the Year Honorable Mentions List

For the next two weeks, The Wrestling Weekday will look at some of the best wrestlers in the world, the men and women that shaped the industry in 2016.

Tomorrow, the list actually starts to get into wrestlers that earned multiple votes before the Top 10 list starts full speed ahead on Tuesday. All remaining vote getters, the ones that fell short of the Top 10 but received votes from multiple sources, will be revealed next week.

But for now: on with the first list of Honorable Mentions, presented in point order from lowest to highest.

Image credit: WWE.com.

Sami Zayn did not have a spectacular 2016 clearly as he received only a single 25th point vote. He stands alongside James Ellsworth, an ignominious spot if ever there was one, and Hallowicked, a talent I might have ranked much higher if I was anywhere near to caught up with Chikara in 2016.

I expected The Miz to get a bit more support because of his great work on Smackdown Live in the second half of 2016. He just missed my list and perhaps failed to make a few others as well. Similarly, only I was impressed enough by Baron Corbin's work in 2016. Admittedly he only had a few great weeks in NXT at the beginning of the year and his impressive work since Survivor Series with a huge lull in the middle, but he is decidedly a talent that grew exponentially in the year. He's easily one of the best WWE developmental talents without an indie background ever.

I also was a bit surprised that I was the only person to rank the Cruiserweight Classic winner TJ Perkins at all and that he came in behind Randy Orton in points total. NJPW's Katsuyori Shibata and TNA's Lashley both came ahead of him on my list though, as both showed amazing growth in ring and, in Lashley's case, character-wise in the year.

Andy Sheets gave the only votes for Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, two talents that just barely missed my list. He also gave a vote to Tomohiro Ishii, a man that fell out of the NEVER division in NJPW early in the year but had a few great showings for ROH as their Television champion.

Sami Callihan (or Jeremiah Crane for certain fans) did amazing work on the indies and in Lucha Underground this year, showing why WWE seriously missed the boat with Solomon Crowe. I can see him entering a few more folks radar in 2017.

A bunch of tag team wrestlers got single votes as well. Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable only received votes from yours truly, while John Morgan Neal gave Heath Slater and Rhyno their only props. Other talents that made their most significant strides as part of a tag team in 2016 also fell in this place, such as Bray Wyatt or Brother Nero, Jeff Hardy.

I thought Rich Swann deserved a place on the list here as well, as he's the man that seems to have lit a fire under the Cruiserweight division as 205 Live kicks off. Dalton Castle and Pentagon Dark (#10 in last year's poll) get similar rankings, I expect for similarly great character work backed by strong in will skills.

Much like Sami Callihan, I felt Cody Rhodes deserved a place on this list. He's electrified audiences in huge ways since his time as Stardust ended and he took to basically every non-WWE wrestling company. He may have lost his last name (a real poor move by WWE in my opinion), but he's showed why he deserved a higher spot on the card than he ever received on the WWE stage.

Kofi Kingston and Big E both made last year's list (at #8 and #5 respectively), but only got one vote this year. Ricochet (a.k.a. Prince Puma) fell similarly, dropping to only receiving a single vote after ranking at #7 last year. Just ahead of them was the final member of The New Day, Xavier Woods, who fell just short of the 2015 list but through increased in ring presence really cemented himself as a strong third member of The New Day in 2016.

Image credit: Lucha Underground.

We close out today's list with a few of the folks that ranked in several folks' Top 10 positions. Lucha Underground's Cage and NJPW's Kushida and Kazuchika Okada all made Andy Sheets' list in the #8, #7, and #6 spots respectively. Joe Crowe named Goldberg as his sixth best wrestler, an impressive feat for a man with two minutes of ring time in 2016. But they were an impressive two minutes, we all must admit. I ranked Finn Balor at #6, higher than I expected most people to do so, but I was shocked to see him make no one else's list. The first WWE Universal Champion dominated NXT in the first half of the year and impressed on Raw for the month he was on television. It still amazes me he didn't get props from anyone other than yours truly. Finally, Jeff Yelton gave a fifth place vote to ROH's Adam Cole, saying “The two-time ROH World Champ has come from being a bland good guy to a great heel. And he can go in the ring. I keep wondering when WWE is gonna call.”

With this list I have revealed all but twenty names that received votes in the 2016 Top 10 Countdown. The ten final Honorable Mentions will be revealed next week, but for now, stay tuned for tomorrow and the reveal of the #10 wrestler in the world today, despite almost all of their acclaim coming from one tiny venue in Southern California.

The Top 10 Wrestlers of New Japan Pro Wrestling for January 2016

With Wrestle Kingdom 10 in the past, Shinsuke Nakamura's removal as Intercontinental champion and a shake up already in place, the roster of New Japan Pro Wrestling is definitely in flux. But that won't stop me from bringing the second edition of the NJPW Top 10 list for this spot between the January 4th supershow and The New Beginning events in mid-February.

So without any further ado, on to the list!

Nakamura no longer holds this belt, but he's leaving New Japan with a great
sendoff during the CMLL FantasticMania events. Image credit: NJPW.

ESO-PRO presents the Wrestling Weekday Top 10 Wrestlers of 2015: Honorable Mentions Part 6

As we prepare to reveal the wrestlers at number one and two later today and tomorrow, it is time to look at the final five wrestlers that didn't quite make it into our Top 10. These names might serve to throw a few people's guesses for those top two positions into disarray.

Image credit: NJPW.

15. Shinsuke Nakamura: I was the sole voter for Nakamura, but I strongly suspect that won't be the case in 2016. Easily one of the most gifted in ring competitors in the world today, he has a natural charisma that breaks all language barriers as well. The King of Strong Style has one of the fastest, hardest hitting styles in pro wrestling and matches between him and the likes of Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins would be dreams come true.

The NJPW Top 10

As we close out 2015, I continue my look at some of the top wrestlers in various promotions as the year draws to a close. This time around, the focus turns to New Japan as it ramps up for its January 4th Wrestle Kingdom 10 event.

Coming off of the World Tag League, New Japan seems to be firing on all cylinders with amazing talent, great import stars from Ring of Honor and a bevy of talent itching to put on the best matches they can. This is New Japan's Wrestlemania season and even in their smaller events they are really showing that fire in six and eight man tags. 

Image credit: NJPW

The G1 comes to an end with Nakamura versus Tanahashi

I'm not going to cover Night 18 in much detail here. Both Goto and Anderson lost which guaranteed the main event of Nakamura versus Okada would determine the B Block winner. After a long match, Nakamura made Okada tap with an armbar. The Nakamura / Tanahashi rivalry continued into Night 19's main event.

The G1 Climax brought two very familiar foes together again.
Image credit: NJPW.

Two interesting notes came on the final night in addition to the action. Delirious made his first New Japan appearance in his first onscreen role as booker of ROH. He announced a 2016 ROH/NJPW crossover show in Japan, clearly in answer to the success of the ROH/NJPW American shows.

Later in the night, Genichiro Tenryu made his way to the ring. Thirty-nine years into his career, he is now on his path to retirement. He is probably one of the best traveled talents in Japanese wrestling, but of late has stuck to running his own Tenryu Project promotion. But with his retirement set for November 15th, he picked his final opponent as none other than IWGP Heavyweight champion Kazuchika Okada.

Things get complicated for B Block at G1 Climax Night 16

With only one show left for them between this one and the finals, the top of B Block was still packed with contenders, though the IWGP Heavyweight champion still sat on top. As the night progressed, things would start to take shape for a math-heavy final.

Image credit: NJPW.

Tournament action started out with another Bullet Club battle as Karl Anderson battled Yujiro Takahashi. Both men entered together with MAO draped between them as the entire Bullet Club looked on. The two men started to fight though as Anderson seemed to want to steal Yujiro's girl from him.

G1 Weekend update: Night 13 and Night 14 results

Because of a busy weekend, I wasn't able to watch all of this weekend's action in full, but here's some quick results.

Night 13 was A Block action again and featured:

• Bad Luck Fale over Kota Ibushi. (Ibushi is eliminated from contention.)
• Tetsuya Naito over Toru Yano.
• AJ Styles over Hiroyoshi Tenzan. 
• Togi Makabe over Doc Gallows.
• Hiroshi Tanahashi over Katsuyori Shibata in an incredible main event.

These results leave former win leader Shibata in danger of elimination, while a five way tie for the top still exists between the five winners.

The B Block heats up at the G1 Climax Night 12

It was another single camera action night as the B Block continued in the top half of the G1 Climax Night 12.

Image credit: NJPW.

Michael Elgin and Yuji Nagata started things off. Nagata looked very solid against Elgin. This was probably one of his high points in the touranment, but another buckle bomb/sitout powerbomb combo brought Elgin up to 8 points, already a great number for a debuting gaijin. He and Nagata shook hands post-match in a great sign of respect.

In the second tournament match of the night, Tomoaki Honma sought to finally get on the board, but he had a tall task against an angry Karl Anderson. Honma looked great again in action here, but he still couldn't quite get the win against the Bullet Club's leader.

The G1 Climax reaches its halfway point with an amazing morning of action!

Image credit: NJPW.

Night Ten of the G1 opened with a rare singles match in the preliminatires as David Finlay (the son of WWE produce Dave) took on Ryusuke Taguchi. Since Prince Devitt left NJPW, Taguchi has been rather lackluster, but the two men worked well together here. Finlay is coming together well, much like fellow black short Jay White, but he wasn't ready for the win here.

The preliminaries otherwise were fairly predictable, though KUSHIDA and Naito as a dysfunctional team was entertaining. One other note would be the aftermath of the Bullet Club match, where Sunday's opponents AJ Styles and Doc Gallows exchanged more than nasty words. Either Styles or Gallows might find their way out of Bullet Club sooner rather than later.

Weekend brings two more mornings of G1 action

No time to waste as we have a packed weekend report of G1 action!

Image credit: NJPW.

Night 8 started with some preliminaries with little to note outside the return of KUSHIDA to Japan after a US tour that saw him working the first Global Force Wrestling tapings.

Tournament actin kicked off with Yujiro Takahashi and Satoshi Kojima. Kojima beat the holy heck out of Tanahashi for most of the match, but interference by Cody Hall allowed Yujiro to hit a low blow for the win.

Karl Anderson worked super old school against Yuji Nagata, picking him apart before getting the win in one of Nagata's best fights of the tournament.

Michael Elgin took out Tomoaki Honma in a brutal back and forth match. Honma continues to be a top performer in the tournament, but his loveable loser gimmick kept him without points again, as Michael Elgin moves up to four. The show had a bit of delay to get Honma out of the ring. Hopefully this doesn't mean an injury.

Even short a match, Night 6 of the G1 Climax continued a streak of great shows

Night six opened with the depressing news that Shinsuke Nakamura was not yet recovered from his elbow injury and would be unable to wrestle. This causes Michael Elgin to win by default and score his first two points in the tournament. He was moved to the first half of the card to team with Tanahashi and Naito.

Image credit: NJPW.

Yujiro Takahashi was out first for the tournament, but he would be up against the legend Yuji Nagata. Nagata put on a great performance, but help from Cody Hall (and a few Terminator beats on the ring apron) helped bring Yujiro the win and his first two points, even without MAO at his side.

A busy weekend with Night 4 and 5 of the G1 Climax!

I have two shows to cover here, so let's get right into the tournament action.

Image credit: NJPW.

Night 4 kicked off with a brutal battle where Tomohiro Ishii became the first B Block fighter with 4 points when he overcame Yujiro Takahashi. (I blame the poor substitute MAO for his loss.)

Michael Elgin and Satoshi Kojima beat the hell out of each other in a match that shows how good Kojima still is. Elgin took the loss in a true back and forth battle with a great show of respect in the aftermath by both men.

Karl Anderson continued to upset Japanese favorites, this time overcoming Intercontinental champion Hirooki Goto in a brutal match.

B Block brings some hard-hitting offense in their first night of the G1 Climax

Thursday was the second night for G1 action, but of course here in the States that means waking up at 4:30. Luckily for me and my readers, being up at 4:30 is pretty natural, so here is what happened tonight in part two of the G1 Climax.

The night kicked off with the regular multi-man matches but only the alliance of Katsuyori Shibata and Tetsuya Naito (with Ryusuke Taguchi) offered any real intrigue. Shibata and Naito meet tomorrow night and it was interesting to see each try to get into the other's head while ostensibly working together.

Ouch. Image caption: NJPW.

The tournament matches started off with a brutal blast of punches and kicks as Satoshi Kojima took on Tomohiro Ishii. I went in expecting this to be a solid match with Kojima coming out on top. Instead I got a solid brawl with Ishii hitting a mean brainbuster for the two points. Ishii actually looked better than I usually expect here, so maybe we will get more solid matches in the G1 from him.

Yujiro Takahashi had Mao back at his side for his first tournament match, but the beauty was no help against Hirooki Goto. In a match that featured multiple biting spots and some painful looking bumps, Takahashi just couldn't bring it together for Bullet Club. Goto walked away with a relatively easy win.