With that in mind, I'm going to do my own. I watch enough wrestling each month to try it, so let's give this a go!
Please note: I currently record Raw and SmackDown, watch the pay-per-views and NXT: Takeover cards on the WWE Network, watch the major events on NJPW World, and I follow the Friday shows of CMLL on their Youtube channel. Anything else that I see will come from major events I find for free (like AAA's recent Guerra de Titanes card on Twitch) or matches recommended to me. Places like 411 or Cubsfan's Lucha Blog will help with lucha stuff, but for Impact, ROH, RPW, AJPW, NOAH and others, comments on this blog will have to advocate for them.
(Though I will be at the ROH anniversary PPV since it's in a casino near me.)
Anyway, on to the list!
Honorable Mentions:
3.75 Stars (6 matches, Listed Chronologically)
1) Hirooki Goto d. Minoru Suzuki - Hair vs. Hair Lucha de Apuestas for the NEVER Openweight Championship. This match was brutal and did a good job of getting people behind Goto's comeback. I just feel the heat went a bit too long to be believable.
2) Will Osperay d. Marty Scrull, KUSHIDA and Yujiro Takahashi for the IWGP World Junior Heavyweight Championship. Fun match, lots of spots, but much like most four-ways, a mess to follow.
3) Sobernaro Jr. d. Sanson for the Mexican National Welterweight Championship. This is from night one of Fantastica Mania. A high-flying affair with good psychology. Just nothing to put it into the must-see territory.
4) Niebla Roja d. Gran Guerrero for the CMLL Light Heavyweight Championship. From the same night. If I had to choose, I liked Sobernaro's match better, but this one actually had some hard-hitting moments that pushed it to even level.
5) Faby Apache d. Lady Shani for the AAA Reina de Reinas championship. These two decided to just beat the tar out of each other and it was a grand old time. It felt like it ended abruptly, but before that I was having a blast. The bright spot in an otherwise non-stellar card
6) Alestair Black d. Adam Cole at NXT Takeover. A brutal, extreme rules match that had a strong ending. It felt like it should have ended two or three times before it actually did.
4-star matches (2 did not make the list)
12th place) Jay White d. Kenny Omega for the IWGP US Championship. From New Beginning Night 2. It's more notable for the storyline that followed it than the actual match. It's the best I've seen from Jay White, but that's not saying much. Not sold on him yet.
11th place) Asuka wins the Women's Royal Rumble Match. A fun ride with plenty of nostalgia, but the early part of the rumble with the stable members getting in was a slog.
On to the top 10!
10th place: Kazuchika Okada d. Tetsuya Naito for IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
This was the main event of Wrestle Kingdom. Admittedly, watching this for the first time after midnight didn't help it, but this felt a little more by-the-numbers than I was expecting. I didn't feel the desire from these two in a way that matched the hype. I do acknowledge it as a must-see match, and have given it a second look, but ultimately, this is the best I can give it.
9th place: Ultimo and Gran Guerrero d. Mistico and Dragon Lee - Fantastica Mania Final Night
This was the final match of a brothers tournament, and it delivered a solid main event. It never excelled into match-of-the-year territory like I was hoping, but all four guys did push each other and the outcome was in doubt the whole way. This is a great introductory match to CMLL tag teams.
8th place: Kota Ibushi d. CODY w/ Brandi Rhodes
This is from Wrestle Kingdom, and it was my match of the night. I really hope the former Cody Rhodes gets a run with a title this year because he has grown into an excellent heel pair alongside his wife. Ibushi remains my favorite Japanese wrestler and wish he'd just settle into a NJPW contract so they could give him a major title run. Honestly, this match suits my taste better than most other people, but it's still a must-see.
7th place: The Undisputed Era d. the Authors of Pain for the NXT Tag Team Championship
I legitimately didn't expect anything to top this opening match on the NXT card last week. This was a great classic tag team match. Good psychology, good action, brutality; this match had plenty. I liked the cheap win from the champs, though I would have liked it to have looked a bit better, but a seriously great time.
The following matches are 4.25 stars.
6th place: Shinsuke Nakamura wins the Men's Royal Rumble Match
Nakamura-san's performance from the 14th slot was amplified by an excellent final 6 and final 4 competitors. It's about time WWE booked this thing the right way. It's hard to make a more-than-an-hour match into a MOTYC, but they got close.
5th place: Roppongi 3K d. Young Bucks for the IWGP World Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
I'm not a fan of these two teams constantly trading the belts, but it is at least distracting from the fact that the division is a wasteland. NJPW seriously needs to invest more in this division because while these teams are getting better with each other every time they square off, that trend will break eventually.
4th place: Minoru Suzuki d. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP IC Championship
The main event of New Beginning Night 1 got its position here almost entirely based on the last 10 minutes. The early match was too slow for me, but the brutality of the last 10 made up for it in spades. My only major gripe with the ending is that wrestling needs to really get away from seeing tapouts as a sign of weakness, especially in one-fall matches. It makes guys with submission finishers feel instantly outdated and less credible. Tanahashi should have tapped, if I'm blunt about it.
The following matches are 4.5 stars.
3rd place: Kenny Omega d. Chris Jericho for the IWGP US Championship
The match that got so much hype really did live up to it. It's worth noting that anything 4.5 or above will get a re-watch at the end of the year, so good on these two for earning that spot. I felt like the match should have ended after the table spot, but they at least made the part after-the-fact feel like time well-spent. Good stuff.
2nd place: Volador Jr. d. Barbaro Cavernario for the NWA Historic Welterweight Championship
This was the main event of Fantastica Mania's penultimate night, and it delivered big time. Cavernario did not grab my attention watching CMLL, but in the hands of a Japanese crowd, he stepped up to a new level. I loved the energy in this match and found a wrestler in Volador Jr. to look forward to on a weekly basis, as I go deeper into CMLL. It's not a super-long match, so give it a viewing.
And the No. 1 match for the month, and the only 5-star match from January 2018 (for now) is...
1st place: Andrade "Cien" Almas d. Johnny Gargano for the NXT Championship
There really couldn't be any other match, honestly. I thought I was going to be disappointed by this match, having only really been tangentially interested in these two before this match, but I was blown away by how good these two are. Most already love Gargano, and I get why. He's a great Rocky Balboa-esque character, making comebacks and pushing his limit. But I think the unsung hero in this match is Almas. He worked a great match as the heel, and Zelina Vega has found a real calling as a heel manager. I look forward to the next Takeover card to see Almas wrestle Alestair Black (in all likelihood), though I doubt it reaches this level.
See you at the end of February!
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