My Top 10 matches of ALL Time By Nathan K Major

Alright, it's time for me to show my hand, I've sent out my opinions on wrestling for a few months now, but what are my favourites? Well, I'm about to tell you, but before I do, a few points of things you won't see on my list: Any Hulk Hogan matches, I've only ever had the luxury of looking back at Hogan's career, but in my humble opinion, as much as I respect his drawing power, I really don't like his matches, sorry. You also won't see Bret Hart matches, his matches are good, they just don't rank among my favourites, even though I enjoy them. You'll also notice that I have very varied tastes in wrestling, enough talk let's list.

Honourable Mentions:

Triple H vs The Undertaker (WWE Wrestlemania 28)

Most people tend to only remember Undertaker's matches against Shawn Michaels a few years previous, what people tend to forget is how solid his matches with Triple H at 'Mania 27 and 28, their match at Wrestlemania 27 was a No Holds Barred match, with a great finish, but the Wrestlemania 28 match was a great story in itself, Billed as 'The End of An Era' and had Shawn Michaels as the special guest ref, the match itself was great, and the end visual, 'Taker, Triple H and Shawn Michaels supporting each other at the top of the ramp. Brilliant, but it doesn't break my Top 10.

Mankind vs The Undertaker (WWE King of the Ring 1998)

'What? Call yourself a Mick Foley super-fan but this match doesn't break the top 10?' I hear you cry, well, it isn't my favourite Mick Foley match (as you'll find out) and as iconic as this match is, it isn't his best, and if you don't agree, fight me.

Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe (TNA Unbreakable 2005)

The only TNA match to gain a perfect 5 stars from internet wrestling luvvie Dave Meltzer, and for good reason, the match eschews all previous three way tropes by all going at it full pelt for the entire match, it was a very tasty cake indeed, and genuinely one of the most innovative matches of it's time, still doesn't break the top 10 though.

Now it's time for the actual list, tie up your bootstraps and read on.

10. Chris Hero vs Tomohiro Ishii (RPW Global Wars UK Night 1)
     
    Without a doubt my favourite match I've ever seen live, it's rare these days that a match can get me on the edge of my seat from bell to bell, Hero vs Ishii was one such match. Ishii was already one of my favourite current wrestlers going into this match in London, and even more so afterwards, this was, I make no exaggeration, bloody brutal. Two guys seeing how hard they can elbow each other before one of them dies, or passes out, that sounds less violent. Throughout the match, a story was built that Ishii wouldn't stay down, Hero would give him his most vicious elbows, and Ishii would spring straight back up, shaken but not out, it took a spinning forearm and a Gotch-style pile-driver to put away the angry Japanese pit-bull. Also, an elbow Hero gave Ishii gave him a massive purple bruise, I saw it in person, believe me it looked horrible, Ishii's HEAD did that. Unbelievable.

9. Cactus Jack vs Triple H (WWE Royal Rumble 2000)

I told you Mick Foley would appear again. So let's take you back to the start of 2000, Mick Foley was burnt out, and ready to retire, but not without one last main event run, bringing back his deranged Cactus Jack character to face Triple H in this street fight at the Rumble. First off the finish was Jolly old Saint Mick taking a pedigree onto thumb tacks, that's FACE FIRST onto sharp tacks. Prior to that, was a good 20 minutes of mental brutality and story telling, run ins from the Rock, a flaming barbed wire bat and blood, and at the end of the match, Mick had made Triple H look like an even bigger star, as Foley had a habit of doing.

8. CM Punk vs Austin Aries (ROH Death Before Dishonor III)

The match that kicked off the first (and best) 'Summer of Punk' storyline. The story goes that Punk was going to WWE and leaving his home of Ring of Honor and the fans were ready to give him a great send off, he was competing in a ROH World Title match on his way out, so Punk was gonna lose right? Ha. No. This is Gabe Spolsky era ROH, he had a better idea. The two had a great match, and to the surprise of pretty much everyone, Punk pinned Aries with a Pepsi Plunge and the crowd lost their damn minds, after that Punk cut a promo that turned him heel and started, and I'm serious, the best story any wrestling company outside WWE has told, and this was the catalyst for that, also the match itself was great.

7. John Cena vs AJ Styles (Royal Rumble 2017)
   
   
   After a career of wowing people wherever he went 'The Phenomenal One' finally arrived in WWE, and had one of the best first years in the company and on his one year anniversary he put on this stormer with John Cena. Prior to this, Styles owned two pin-fall victories over Cena, albeit with one screwy one. I was going to put their Summerslam 2016 match on here, but to me this one topped it, it's not very often that Cena comes in as somewhat of an underdog, and the story was hot, Cena hadn't beaten Styles, and he was chasing a record tying 16^th World Title, and they had impossible levels of chemistry, no matter how much you criticise Cena, there's no denying that he pulls out the best main event matches of the last decade, and having Styles in the ring certainly doesn't hurt, it was in a word, amazing. And even though Styles lost. He looked damn strong doing it and Cena cemented his status as one of the greatest of all time.
    
   6. TLC II (Wrestlemania X-7)
    
   I'm not a complete hipster, sometimes I like my wrestling to be a delightful car crash, and that's exactly what this was. Three teams that had revolutionised tag team wrestling with the Triangle ladder match and the first TLC match, The Dudley's, Edge and Christian and the Hardy's walked into Wrestlemania X-7 with the goal of stealing the show, and walked out having contested a Wrestlemania classic, featuring death defying leaps and bumps, including Edge's now iconic spear on the dangling Jeff Hardy, creating an image that will live on in video packages for years to come.

5. Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada (Wrestle Kingdom 11)

Everything that can be said about this match has already been said, within two days of it's occurrence it was being heralded as one of, if not the, greatest matches of all time. And it's a testament to these two men's work-rate to keep an entire world of wrestling fans on the edge of their seats. I like to think I've seen the bulk of things that can happen in wrestling and therefore, can be seen as a bit jaded, however, this match was the first time in a long time to have me on the edge of my seat through pretty much the entire match, not only did it tell an outstanding story over close to 50 minutes, and included things previously not usually seen in New Japan, like a table spot and a dive into the commentary area. Just when you thought this match was coming to an end, they hit the acceleration pedal again only to masterfully slow it down to a thrilling conclusion, maybe after further viewings it might make it's way further up the rankings.

4. Tomohiro Ishii vs Katsoyuri Shibata (Wrestle Kingdom 10)
    
   Probably my most 'hipster' entrant in this list, however, strong style is just what I like, and it was not personified better in years than in this match, two of the biggest hitters in Japan not standing down from the fight at all, at one point head-butting each other head to head, and knowing how hard Ishii's head is, it's either really brave or really stupid of Shibata, also at one point both men took turns sitting down and kicking each other as hard as they can. This match is exactly the style of 'something different' that I love, in the same way I loved Hero vs Ishii, except multiplied by 1000 given who Ishii was in there with this time. Two of my favourites right now, making the most of the big stage, great stuff.
   
   
   3. The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (WWE Wrestlemania 26)
    
   Oh, how many people have acclaimed the two matches between two of the greatest names in wrestling history, some people will say their first meeting is superior, I prefer this one, simply for the added drama of having Michaels' career on the line, oh and The Undertaker's reaction to Michaels kick out of the first tombstone was brilliant, the whole match was, it also helped that it was placed at the main event, where it should have been the year earlier, the two legends put together another masterpiece that stands with their previous meeting as the best matches Wrestlemania has ever offered, the fact that it's hard to pick negatives from both matches is a testament to both men's skill in building a match, long after both men have gone, this match will serve as their greatest legacy.
   
   
   2. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn (NXT Takeover: Dallas)
    
   I watched this match 5 times in the week after it took place, such was the impression it left on me. It was Wrestlemania weekend and one of Japan's biggest stars was landing in NXT, and standing across the way was one of NXT's mister reliable s, someone who'd help take NXT to where it was, Sami Zayn, what followed was an absolute wrestling clinic. The pace was blistering from the opening bell, Nakamura brought both his out of the world charisma and outstanding in-ring ability and mixed it with Zayn's considerable talents to create something truly special. Seeing the Boma Ye (now Kinshasa) in WWE was special for those who had seen Nakamura in Japan, as was seeing him bring his personality, unchanged and wholesale over to America and not losing his step for a second, he mesmerised the audience from the second he stepped in the arena, and built a five star classic that levels any match in wrestling history, and it was ALMOST my number one, but only one match could be number one for me...

1. CM Punk vs John Cena (WWE Money in the Bank 2011)

I could only, in my heart of hearts, pick one match to rank at number one here. Sometimes a hot crowd can make a good match great, and in this matches case it took a great match and made it a legitimate 5-star classic. Coupled with the white hot story of Punk's contract being up, in front of Punk's home-town crowd giving the best atmosphere for a match in not just recent memory but possibly ever. CM Punk and John Cena had a special chemistry, in that, they seemed like they couldn't possibly have a bad match, but they both hit their peak here, with Cena in particular going out of his way to make Punk look every inch the star that he is, everything about this match was perfect, the story telling in the match, the big moments, the finish and Punk blowing that kiss goodbye to McMahon, it was all as close to perfect as it's possible to get it seems. This is truly a match that will live in wrestling memory, and also as my favourite match of all time.

WWE 'Best PPV Matches 2016' DVD Review By Tim Ricketts.

The Best Pay-per-View Matches compilation is often one of the most worth-while DVD sets to pick up, offering up an interesting selection that chronicles the year, barring Survivor series onwards presumably for production reasons. 

This year's iteration is presented by Lita, and whilst I normally enjoy her role as a talking head on the WWE Network, this one did not suit her talents.  Her reading of an autocue was obvious, with noticeable micro-pauses that left her sounding (and often looking) slightly uncomfortable. Nevertheless, her infrequent interjections add context to this match compilation.

DVD one focuses on the Road to WrestleMania, with the first stop being the time-honoured Royal Rumble and a Last Man Standing Match for the Intercontinental Championship between Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens.  A perfectly set match for two of the roster's most inventively dangerous brawlers, in which anything available at ringside was used a weapon.  Ambrose retained the championship by sending Owens through a stack of tables, unable to respond to the ten-count. Good match to open the Rumble, and this DVD set.  A highlight package of the PPV follows, including AJ Styles' WWE debut at number 3 in the Rumble match and Triple-H winning the Championship.

AJ Styles Enters The Royal Rumble

Next up are a pair of matches from Fastlane.  Styles' initial feud with Chris Jericho is featured in their bout from this event, a nicely-paced technical exposition from these experienced ring masters, whilst the number-one contender triple-threat main event of Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns sees Reigns meeting 'The Game' at WrestleMania.  I can see why this match was included for narrative continuity, although it isn't really up to the 'best' moniker in my opinion, largely due to the pace and predictability of the conclusion.  Fastlane highlights follow, but the Network-only 'Roadblock' event is understandably omitted from this set.

A hat-trick from the record-shattering WrestleMania XXXII in Arlington, Texas, completes the first disc.  Zack Ryder finally had a pay-off for all his hard work over the years, taking Owen's Intercontinental Championship in a 7-way ladder match.  Every competitor added something acrobatically exciting to this match, and with a couple of continuing or burgeoning feuds in operation there was some good psychology too.  The Triple Threat Match for the newly-forged Women’s Championship was up to its historic importance, Charlotte defeating Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch in the gritty technical style that these revolutionary ladies have become famous for.

The Undertaker Facing Off Against Shane McMahon

 The last match of the disc is the almost nostalgic Hell in a Cell between Shane McMahon and The Undertaker.  Shane-o-Mac rolled back the years to take one of those ultra-high dives that made him so famous, but other than that, these two competitors past their prime proved they can still put on a brutal bout in the WWE's famous steel structure.

The middle DVD starts with a continuation of modern wrestling's most enduring feud.  For those not familiar with Steen versus Generico, thankfully WWE brings Owens versus Zayn with a barnstorming encounter from Payback in May.  Highlights follow, with a subsequent rematch of the Payback main event, this time an Extreme Rules bout from the Extreme Rules event.  Roman retained his championship against the on-fire AJ Styles; but with both having a point to prove about being on the top of the card, what started as a promising anything-goes brawl ended up interference-laden as first The Club, then The Usos appear.

Money in the Bank is up next with its titular Ladder Match: Cesaro vs. Zayn vs. Ambrose vs. Del Rio vs. Owens vs. Jericho.  Ladder Matches with this many competitors are often fast-paced frenetic things and this captured that to a tee, with plenty of early ringside action. The zenith of this match came when all six men were battling atop two ladders, dropping one by one until only Ambrose and Owens were left, the former SHIELD man grabbing the Canadian through the top rungs and smashing him unconscious.  Taking the briefcase and the opportunity, Dean Ambrose also adds a new potential threat to the main event, conveniently next on this DVD.

Action from The Crazy MITB Match

 

Seth Rollins, back from injury and determined to regain the belt he was stripped of, had Reigns firmly in his sights. Roman had other ideas; even if he had given up trying to win over the still largely hostile WWE Universe, he needed to prove that he actually is 'the Guy' by putting away this particular personal demon.  He started the match with methodical control, making every strike, kick and manoeuvre as hard as possible, Rollins only retaliating occasionally on the counter.  The brutalised Architect finally established himself on to the match with some high-flying action from the turnbuckle to remind his former SHIELD team-mate why he had been champ too. Back in the ring, after some ringside brawling, Roman went for the Spear. Mid-air, the staggered Seth reacted instinctively to turn it into a Pedigree. One repetition on Roman was enough to get the pin, vindication and the Title.  This story wasn't over yet though.  Dean Ambrose's music hit, as did the MitB briefcase with Rollins' head, and all it took for us to have our third WWE Champion of the evening was one sweetly struck Dirty Deeds!

The Brand Split between RAW and SmackDown changed the layout of WWE before the next PPV, Battleground, and so the drafting of Superstars and titles came to the forefront.

The overwhelming sense of anticipation for the next bout lay in Sasha Banks' unknown teammate to face Charlotte and Dana Brooke, so when the music of the un-drafted, former NXT Women's Champion Bayley hit, the pop from the crowd was enormous.  The match itself was an opportunity to advance Charlotte and Banks' feud and introduce Bayley to the wider WWE Universe rather than any great technical exposition, compared to other Women's matches in this set.

Following up on the WWE Championship storyline, we have a No-DQ Triple-Threat match.  If either challenger dethrones SmackDown's Dean Ambrose, the historic title will be heading to RAW instead. The match was fast-paced and balanced, Ambrose brawling well, Rollins stunning with his high-flying athleticism and Reigns, back from a 30-day 'Wellness' suspension, taking out his obvious frustration with explosive power; all demonstrating the complementary styles that made them such a great team.  It was Ambrose however, biding his time whilst recovering ringside, that took advantage of Reigns wiping out Seth with a Spear to employ his own Dirty Deeds and get the 3-count.  Fantastically well executed Triple-threat that delivered a lot of uncertainty and suspense with the fast and brutal action. 

'Big Match John' versus AJ Styles at SummerSlam is probably my main-roster match of the year, so an excellent choice to start Disc three. Both athletes pulled out their extensive arsenals immediately, although each was countered into another then back into yet more.  You can't crack out the big guns early without it taking its toll, but these two kept picking themselves up and increasing the calibre. A springboard Frankensteiner from Styles couldn't keep Cena's shoulders down, but neither could the return Super-AA floor Styles.  It finally took a combination of finishers, a Clash followed by the Phenomenal Forearm to put pay to John Cena, a fair and square pinfall.  Distraught and despondent, Cena left his 'Never Give Up' sweatband on the canvas before following the victorious Styles up the ramp.  In my opinion, the spiralling knife-edge one-upmanship makes this match a modern classic.

Next up we get to see WWE's inaugural Universal title holder. With the necessity of crowning the champion buy either pinfall or submission, it effectively makes the match no disqualification. Finn Balor, the demon king who battled his way past the cream of the RAW roster to earn his opportunity, started aggressively. Seth Rollins, the number one draft pick and automatic Challenger, responded with athletic resilience and powerful offence. A sickening blow to Balor's shoulder from Seth Rollins' bomb to the Barricades slowed him momentarily, and would prove to be significant in the coming days.

Finn Balor vs Seth Rollins From Summer Slam

They traded increasingly powerful manoeuvres, frustration and exhaustion building, until Finn unleashed another volley of feet which culminated in his coup de gras double-foot stomp. Former NXT champion was victory over former WWE champion, to be the first Universal champion.  A suitably great match, where Seth Rollins' agile and usually effective attack was no match for the supernatural resilience and single-mindedness of Finn Balor.  As usual, the highlight packages bookend each PPV.

September's SmackDown Live event, Backlash, is featured with a 6-Pack Challenge Match to crown the inaugural WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion.  Becky Lynch defeated Nikki Bella, Naomi, Natalya, Alexa Bliss and Carmella. While none of the women had excessive amounts of ring-time, each and every one gave enough to show exactly why they deserved to be there. In particular, the more recent NXT graduates were surprising in how aggressively engaging they were with the more experienced roster members.  The elimination stipulation also left the finish nice and clean with Lynch forcing Carmella to submit with the Dis-arm-her.

The clean finish contrasts starkly with that of the next match, the culmination of the Best of Seven Series between Cesaro and Sheamus at Clash of Champions.  Set up as a knife-edge encounter with the series at 3-3, the match itself was a take-no-prisoners brute-fest between two of RAW's rather under-appreciated heavyweights.  Rather than coming to a nice satisfying conclusion, however, the match ended when both men took a spill over the top rope and came crashing down on the floor.  A ringside Doctor declared them unable to continue. A No-Contest.  Whether this was legitimate or not, it was subsequently leveraged to pair these gents into a tag-team.

Another post-draft rivalry had formed on SmackDown, between Dolph Ziggler and intercontinental champion The Miz, culminating in a Career versus Title match at No Mercy.  Ziggler used rope-breaks well, and countered the incessant duplicity of Miz's camp (with wife Maryse and Dolph's former tag partners from the Spirit Squad interfering) to save his career and leave 'The King of Soft Style' humiliated and title-less.  Inspiring resilience from the ever durable Dolph.

The DVD set wraps up with another slice of history, as the RAW Champion Sasha Banks defends her title at Hell in a Cell, taking on Charlotte for the first women's match in the eponymous structure.  The action got started before the cell had descended, Charlotte taking it to Sasha, followed by a very long injury tease as Banks was stretchered away.  Abandoning the medics, the match finally got under-way in the cage.  This was a fully executed hardcore cell match, no halfway measures for such a momentous occasion, and a fantastic conclusion to this year's 'Best of' set.  Charlotte regained her championship, reversing Banks through a table before applying her Natural Selection finisher.

Every year, the 'Best of PPV Matches' DVDs are a fantastic summary of the most significant matches, but the 2016 vintage is a very refined one.  The acquisition of AJ Styles seems to have bought the best out of John Cena in years, the NXT production line is starting to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.  Add the continuing Women's Revolution, the Brand Split that seems to have learned the lessons of last time and a genuine atmosphere of change, and we have a collection of the best matches in years. Long may it continue.

Available now from www.WWEDVD.co.uk

A Woman's World: The Evolution of Womens Wrestling By Nathan K. Major

Many fans will get bleary eyed about how great the Attitude Era was, the big matches, the celebrities and the outlandish goings on are what sticks in the mind from that period of time, but not many people tend to remember the negatives about this time. Say what you want about the current product lacking a certain something, but I think we're spoiled when it comes to in-ring talent. The mid-card is filled with talented wrestlers, while others wait in the wings in NXT. The main glaring difference from the Attitude Era to now however, is this: The treatment of women.

Now, I may not be the best qualified person to speak of the injustices women face each day for daring to be different and in charge of themselves, but I am a big believer in Equality for all, and if that means I'm called a feminist then so be it, as if such a thing would be an insult. Besides, I don't tread on this sensitive topic alone, as I'm assisted on this look through history by Christy from @wrestlingsexism who is the fountain of knowledge and wisdom one needs in these situations (you can also check out Christy's blog here: www.wrestlingsexism.blogspot.nl)

Way back when, your only exposure to women in the wrestling world was WWE, and it's questionable, at best, portrayal of women, yes they had a title, but it seemed like they couldn't be on screen without Jerry Lawler (don't get me started) yelling: “Puppies!” or something along those lines, and matches would consist of slapping, hair-pulling or spanking, because women, am I right lads? The women would be paraded around in various costumes like dress your own love dolls and not one of them was treat like you know, a human being with thoughts and emotions, no, to the WWE they were just bimbo's, in the tightest costume their seamstress could make.

And then there was the piece de resistance, the Bra and Panties match, can you imagine any other workplace where this would happen? Imagine for a moment you work in an office and your boss tells Sandra from accounts that she has to work in her underwear the next day, there'd be uproar! Recently Sasha Banks came out and mentioned this on RAW, and how women had evolved, this caused former writer Vince Russo to critisise Banks' as according to Russo they 'drew money' was this justification for having these matches? Christy thinks not: “No, absolutely not. That shows you consider money more important than respecting women and treating them like human beings.”

You're probably now thinking: “It wasn't all bad, what about Trish Stratus and Lita?” Ah yes, Lita, let's explore her background shall we? The first thing that springs to mind is her story with Kane and Gene Snitsky, anyone remember that little chestnut? Of course you do, it was that time that WWE thought that a miscarriage was a great story. Long story short, Kane forcibly marries Lita, oh did I forget to mention that he WON Lita's marriage? Yes, won as if she was a prize, anyhow, Lita eventually comes round to married life and they conceive a Demon baby, until one fateful night Snitsky hits Kane with a chair and he falls on his pregnant wife. Ugh. This makes me uncomfortable just typing about it. Snitsky would go on to say: “It wasn't his fault” and punt a baby doll into the crowd, Lita however would go without getting comeuppance, I assume because WWE just saw her as a prop that can be used and then forgotten about.

That wasn't all that poor Lita had to put up with though. In 2005 Lita had an affair with Edge, while she was in a relationship with Matt Hardy, an affair that went public online and got Matt fired for airing his dirty laundry in public. Obviously to cheat on someone is an awful thing to do, but she wasn't the first person to do it, and why for the rest of her run was she seen as somewhat of a 'whore' while Edge's 'Rated R Superstar' gimmick was supposed to be positive, he went on to be an 11 time World Champion and his retirement was met with emotion and a celebration of his career. Lita? Not so much. “When she retired from WWE, after years of putting her body on the line and being disrespected by fans and WWE alike, her send-off was being mocked and abused by Cryme Tyme. This was WWE's way of thanking one of their best and most popular women's wrestlers ever. With abuse and disrespect. And that just solidified my belief that WWE doesn't respect women. It had me in tears.” says Christy. The WWE thought it appropriate to send Lita off, by having Cryme Time (don't even mention the racial undertones of THAT gimmick) sell her panties to the audience. Yikes WWE, way to have tact, you afforded Trish a great send-off less than a year earlier, why do this to Lita?

It isn't even the more modern crowd that can land on the wrong side of offensive when it comes to women wrestling, the older guys, with their old school views unsurprisingly land themselves on the wrong side of internet debate, for instance, the always controversial Jim Cornette recently stated that it was 'unconvincing' for women to wrestle men as well as insinuating that women were weaker than men and this would be why, what does our sexism consultant Christy have to say about this? “I find it silly. Mostly because wrestling is, sorry to say, 'fake' and we're happy to accept smaller guys beating huge, big, tough guys, yet women beating men is a bridge too far? If it's written well, anything can be believable. If you start judging on what you think is believable, then you need to do this for all wrestlers and limit interaction between those in different weight classes, etc. Not just the women. You need to write it well, but that's the case for everything.”

It seems someone else disagrees with you there Corny. Even if you think about it though we shouldn't need to be told this, there are certain people who could beat the crap out of you no matter whether they were a man or a woman, would you say that Ronda Rousey or Amanda Nunes couldn't beat up say someone like, Kofi Kingston? Even in the wrestling world, would you tell Awesome Kong that she was weaker than you because she's a woman, if you would you're braver, or stupider than I.
Cornette however, doesn't take issue with Women's Wrestling, there are some old guys who are, take for instance, Greg Valentine, who a few years back said that women should be, and I quote: “Women should be at home, cooking, barefoot and pregnant.” Wow Greg wait to enter the 21st Century. What does Christy think? “He clearly doesn't belong in this century and I refuse to give his ancient, ridiculous opinions any serious thought. I don't have the energy to deal with men like that, really.” Not an entirely surprising response, but in all honesty what did he expect people to think? Did he expect society to see the ill of it's ways and set itself back another century or two? At what point does a wrestler, and not a very interesting one at that, think that it';s justifiable to say stuff like that?

Anyway, at least we're through the woods now right? Right? Well, not quite. While presentation of women has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, we still have some ways to go, take for example the recent Enzo Amore/Big Cass feud with Rusev and Lana. Don't get me wrong I like Enzo, he's a charismatic guy, I don't like what he's had written for him, the sort of half-sexual misogynistic comments that somehow make him a face, yet make Lana and Rusev heels because they're 'foreign'. “I have much more of an issue with the way Lana was treated there than Rusev. WWE seems to like writing their faces attack the heel's wife/girlfriend while feuding with the heel and it's so unnecessary. And almost all of these women only went through this for the sake of a man's storyline. It's not even their story. They don't come out the hero, or the victor. They facilitate a man's evolution. As if they're props. Just as Lana was the prop used for Enzo to feud with Rusev. Just as Eve was used for Kane and Cena to feud. To make Cena a bigger hero who could 'save the damsel'. That whole Enzo/Lana/Rusev angle still makes me angry.” More strong comments there from Christy, There's much to think about in this feud, and it just seems like women are given these sort of storylines by a writing staff and upper management made up of: “Mostly white, straight, middle-aged yes-men.” As Christy put it to me, this seems to be a problem widespread in all media that women aren't well written because they're frequently not written by women either.

Still, no-one can deny the progress made in-ring in the last few years, we've seen women headline PPVs, and weekly TV broadcasts, participate in matches that were previously for the men only, we've seen the hideously outdated term 'diva' phased out and the Women's Championship reinstated. “I'm not sure how much of it is willing and what is forced by society, but they treat their women so, so much better. Fewer degrading matches, more time given, more distinct characters and better chances to have excellent matches.” Says Christy of recent developments, but where do we go from here? Well I'd say the first big step should be more women in positions of power and creative (who don't have the surname McMahon) and the lessening of use of degrading relationship stories, I'd say that'd be the first step in a bold new direction.

The Top 5 Rematches That Need To Happen in 2017 By Tony Quant

 Rematches in any sport are always tricky to predict. Inside the squared circle the outcome is not so much the issue, more the quality that the fans can expect from the bout. After all, there is a reason that the original contest is considered a classic match leaving fans desperate for more.

That first match took the fans on an emotional roller coaster that allowed them to fully commit and invest themselves into that match. The rematch therefore is often looked upon with cautious eyes, fearful that the second installment will not be able to live up to its original self.

Looking at the history books, the reality is that rematches in wrestling don't usually live up to the hype and expectations that were set by the original. Whether that is down to the ageing of the performers, the pressure on duplicating an excellent first encounter or just the performers not caring as much is all open to interpretation.

But whilst the history doesn't defend rematches, there are some golden nuggets which were most certainly better second time around. Bret Hart vs Mr Perfect at the 1993 King of the Ring, Bret Hart vs Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 and John Cena vs The Rock from WrestleMania 29 to name just a few.

Whilst 2016 will largely be remembered for one particular rematch, Lesnar vs Goldberg, fans across the globe were treated to a number of incredible matches and here are five of them that we want/need to see duplicated as we head into 2017.

5. The Revival vs DIY

The Revival and DIY (Sorry but this name just doesn’t do anything for me) tore the roof down when they competed in a two out of three falls match at NXT Takeover Toronto. It was without a doubt the true highlight of the weekend for many wrestling fans across the globe and whilst The Revival dropped the Tag Titles in the match, argument could be had that their contribution to the match took it up a few notches. Dawson and Wilder desperately forcing each other not to tap out at the end of the bout is an image that will stay with wrestling fans for a long time.

But why should we care for a rematch that we have seen on numerous occasions? Well because every time the four have come together we have been treated to something quite spectacular. Both teams could slot right in on the main roster and with a lack of depth in strong tag teams 2017 could be a great opportunity for both teams. The Revival in particular stand a great chance of making the main roster due to the lack of top heel tag teams and a run with DIY later on in 2017 is all that the promotion would need to push forward the Tag Team division under either brand.

4. Young Bucks vs The Hardy Boys

The Young Bucks vs The Hardy Boyz initial match may not go down in history as one of the best tag matches ever, however, there is a method to this madness which means that we truly must see these four go at it again in 2017. The initial match was littered with the expected array of Superkicks, Twist of Fates and Indytaker’s but the phenomenal character of “Broken” Matt Hardy was very much absent from this “Dream Tag Match.”

Fast forward to 2017 and the ground work has already been laid for the foursome to put on a true wrestling spectacle. That is everything we wish for, a spectacle. We know that it won’t be the most technically sound match we could see but the air of mystery makes it an even more attractive proposal. Matt Hardy’s character is one of the hottest things on the independent scene and having called out “The Bucks of Youth” on numerous occasions it surely has to be just a matter of time before these four are back within a squared circle/eight sided ring giving the fans just what they need.

3. Nakamura vs AJ Styles

Nakamura vs AJ Styles from Wrestle Kingdom 10 was simply phenomenal (That’s once). The co-main event of the biggest NJPW show of the year and these two men left absolutely everything in ring, lets not forget Styles had a back injury going into this one. This match had absolutely everything from drama, to near counts to the classic heel vs face tactics that left us begging for more.

Moving onto 2017 and we simply must be treated to this phenomenal (That’s twice) encounter again, this time on the grandest stage of them all. Ok right I get we won’t see it at Mania but stay with me. It simply has to be a matter of time before Nakamura joins the main WWE roster and if they truly intend to carry on with his mysterious, charismatic ways then they need to put him in there with the right dance partner. No dance partner is better suited to him that AJ Styles on the main roster which is why we have to see these two get at it again, hopefully in 2017.

2. Chris Hero vs Ishii

The initial match which took place during the Revolution Pro Global Wars shows was such beautiful, unadulterated violence that truly needs to be seen to be believed. Chris Hero and Tomohiro Ishii literally tore the roof off of York Hall en route to four and a half of Dave Meltzer’s finest stars. Without the need for a gimmick or Title belt to add to the hype of this match, the hard hitting duo proved that pure talent will always shine through and capture a crowd.

The sheer brilliance of seeing a match like this take place again is more than enough justification for seeing these two go at it again. But with the rumours of Hero signing with the WWE it may be too little too late for us to witness such an intense battle between two veterans of the independent wrestling scene. But what better swan song than a rematch with Ishii anywhere in the World to give Chris a Hero’s (C’mon you got to give me that one) send off on his way to pastures new.

1. Ospreay vs Ricochet

If there is one thing that 2016 taught us, it’s that “Flippy poop” is just like marmite and you either love it or hate it. It takes something special to get the Korakuen Hall audience chanting “This is awesome” and “One more match”, something Will Ospreay and Ricochet achieved back in May. The pair laid on an instant classic during the NJPW Best of Super Juniors Tournament which featured some insane spots and some of the craziest “flippy poop” we have ever feasted our spot monkey eyes on.

The rematch, (whilst already having been done on a number of occasions) in 2017 should stand for something and have certain Title ramifications for either man. Both of these guys are undoubtedly the future of the wrestling world and if you are too ignorant to understand that then you simply cannot be helped. The hype both good and not so good, that these guys created inside one match far surpassed most other matches throughout the entirety of 2016 and it is for that simple reason alone that we must simply see more of it in 2017."