10 Awesome Wrestling Matches From 2017 (That You've Already Forgotten About)

4. Asuka Vs. Nikki Cross - NXT June 28

Wyatt Styles EC
WWE.com

NXT tends not to overdo it with stipulations, which has the fortunate effect of making them mean something - and Last Woman Standing was the perfect battleground to settle the Asuka Vs. Nikki Cross rivalry. Both women, bluntly, are insane - their crazy ids surpassing any sense of reason within them, any rational notion to stay down in the face of further punishment.

Only a definitive knockout blow could end it - and their expert grasp of their acts justified what was a bruising, content-stuffed match totally OTT on the violence meter. But then, they are OTT themselves. It worked within the parameters of the storyline.

“You’re nothing!” Cross screamed at Asuka as she trapped her behind the ring apron after a purposefully ugly mess of strikes and shrieks. Sound is an ironically quiet method of really adding to the psychology of match. This was an assault both visually and sonically striking. Cross blasted Asuka with four consecutive swinging neckbreakers, each thud of the skull more sickening than the last. She then powerbombed Asuka on a pile of steel chairs on the jagged edges of the legs, laughing at her pain.

Asuka recovered to win a masterclass of the forgotten art of character wrestling, layering a sports entertainment staple with her imported joshi fighting spirit.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!