10 Best Wrestling PPVs Of 2017

8. NJPW G1 Climax - Day 17

Finn Balor AJ Styles TLC 2017 Too Sweet
NJPW1972.com

Headlined by what would have been, in any other year, the best match held anywhere, Day 17 of the G1 Climax benefitted from its showcase dramatic masterclass and the urgent, do-or-die stakes of the perfectly-calibrated tournament's latter stages.

Hiroshi Tanahashi Vs. Tetsuya Naito was so good - a seesawing spectacle of dramatic peaks and troughs, in which the winner was impossible to predict. It was also impossible to determine who you wanted to win; Tanahashi wrestled with such characterful shades of grey, at once a battling babyface and a desperate, despicable heel, that fans were left in a state of emotional frenzy. He wrung every last emotion from the audience with his performance, one which required little in the way of high spots. Hirooki Goto and Kota Ibushi, meanwhile, contested a classic last-ditch sprint. Zack Sabre, Jr. and Tomohiro Ishii underscored their respective styles in a superb fusion of them. Yuji Nagata, in the form of his life, carried Bad Luck Fale in a superb bout to bookend his uplifting last stand arc.

There were more showy NJPW cards in 2917 - but few better shows.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!