10 Best NJPW Matches Of 2017 (So Far...)

8. Kenny Omega Vs. Tomohiro Ishii - Wrestling Dontaku

Ishii Reverse Hurricanrana Kenny Omega
NJPWWorld.com

Going into 2017, wrestling fans were practically foaming at the mouth of the prospect of a singles bout between Kenny Omega and Tomohiro Ishii. Omega had stated that working with Ishii was high on his agenda, and the two subsequently went at it in the first round of the 2017 New Japan Cup.

Omega and Ishii have had three matches in 2017 to date, and all three deserve high praise. Ishii defeated Omega in that first meeting, and the two went at it again in the semi-main event of Wrestling Dontaku in May. Could they top the New Japan Cup classic?

If you still doubt the abilities of Omega and Ishii, you are a fool. Ishii took the fight to Omega early on, and it almost seemed as though a quick win was on the cards. The first few moments were the Stone Pitbull at his intense best, throwing bombs at a stunned Omega. The Cleaner was able to take stock of the situation, however, and what started as an Ishii match soon became an Omega match. The finishing stretch was a thrill-ride of professional wrestling excellence, as both men tried desperately to hit their biggest moves to no avail.

The highlight was Ishii busting out a reverse 'rana to avoid being hit with the One Winged Angel, but Ishii couldn't avoid it forever. Omega picked up the win, and the series was then tied 1-1.

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Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.