10 Best Wrestling PPVs Of 2017
2. NJPW Wrestle Kingdom XI
Headlined by one of the greatest matches ever held - Kazuchika Okada's masterpiece of content, strategy, and scale - Wrestle Kingdom XI was a sensation, so good that it drew a brand new audience to the promotion.
Almost as good was Tetsuya Naito's retention of the Intercontinental Title at the expense of Hiroshi Tanahashi - a match rich in pathos crafted by a man justifiably praised for his big match layouts, and the single best psychologist operating in all of wrestling. Hirooki Goto Vs. Katsuyori Shibata was another wincing instalment of their storied rivalry. As brutal, almost disturbingly so, was Hiromu Takahashi's defeat of KUSHIDA. And to think, some were mystified by his grand reintroduction to the company. Over the course of 16 spellbinding minutes, he reckoned with opponent and audience alike in a frightening showcase of his dangerous style.
The cadre of under and midcard specialists - Tomohiro Ishii, The Young Bucks, et al. et al. - welcomed those new eyes to the product, but did not outstay their own welcome, in a series of marvellous cameos.
A rising crescendo of a card, genuinely better the longer it went on, its unassailable arc mirrored the promotion's own meteoric year.