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Looking back on 2017- The Impressions on Wrestling Awards!!!!

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By Andrew Snyder
2017... a crazy year. Not my favorite year in terms of world happenings, but a hell of a year for wrestling. There was an obscene amount of great matches last year. We also had some juicy news stories. I have decided to do a mini awards celebration for this incredible year. Please note that I do miss a lot of wrestling every year due to the sheer amount of content. These awards are voted on by one person, who happens to be me.  So this is a very biased list based on my opinions. There will be a mix of positive and negative awards, which will hopefully keep it fresh.

Alright... all of the introductions are out of the way. Let's get to it!!!

First up...


Best Promotion

New Japan Pro Wresting

This is an easy pick for me to make. The in-ring quality of NJPW was off the charts in 2017. It started off with an amazing show in Wrestle Kingdom 11 and had some amazing shows along the way, like the G1 and Dominion. We had two amazing trilogies with Okada/Omega and Naito/Tanahashi. They had a really great year attendance wise, with New Japan is on another level right now and they started 2018 off with a bang as well.

Biggest Blunder of the Year

FloSlam Dies

What a doozy this was. FloSlam didn't really get off to a great start in 2016, but WWN Live did their best to keep their end of the bargain, but they were signed to a huge contract. FloSports had the perfect storm of mistakes. They had a service that cost $20 a month (double the WWE Network) which had a minimal amount of attractive content. They had a service of niche products with Evolve being the headliner. While Evolve is a very good promotion by all accounts, it isn't a huge draw. FloSlam spent a lot of money and never had a chance to recover their expenses.  They realized this and filed a suit against WWN Live, claiming that they lied about their numbers. FloSlam died shortly thereafter, and will go down as an absolute disaster.

Best Show of the Year


NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11 (1/4/17)

I don't think this is a surprise to anyone. This show is incredible. The undercard is completely passable (with an excellent opener in the Young Bucks vs. RPG Vice), but the last four matches are insane.  The Jr. Heavyweight Championship match between Hiromu Takahashi and Kushida is absolutely kickass. They left you wondering how anybody could follow it... then two badasses took to the ring. Goto vs. Shibata beat the living crap out of each other and put on an amazing match all in the name of the NEVER Openweight Championship. 

Most Disappointing Show of the Year


Wrestlemania 33 (4/2/17)

This show is an actively bad wrestling show. Wrestlemania 33, although it had a few good matches, was way too long. Including the pre-show, this show clocked in around SIX AND A HALF HOURS! This is made worse with bad pacing and a terrible main event. Roman Reigns vs. Undertaker did not work on any level, especially if the rumors of Taker's return are true. This match was really hard to watch, but you hoped it was his last so we didn't have to stomach these uncomfortable performances anymore.  This show was a victim of bad match placement, and having the single worst WWE Championship matches of all time in Orton vs. Wyatt. I never want to watch this trash again.

Match of the Year


Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega (Wrestle Kingdom 11- 1/4/17)

This match... How can I possibly put into words how much I love this match? The easiest way to justify this pick is that this match is my favorite of all time. I will never forget how I felt when I watched this live at my friend's apartment in the early morning. I was gasping at the huge spots, I bought in to so many near falls. This match made me forget about my cynical and critical side, and I just became an excited kid watching two athletes astonish me with their skills. These two men put their bodies on the line, and gave nothing short of maximum effort. This would be the start of one of the greatest trilogies of all time. This match is obviously highly regarded and has gotten a lot of hype. If you are somehow reading this blog and have not seen this match, please stop now and watch this instant classic.

Wrestler of the Year


Kazuchika Okada

This is a no brainer pick for me. This man has been on a tear, and is having the single greatest championship reign I have ever personally watched. Okada's 2017 seems impossible. I gave four of his matches 5 stars... Four matches in the same year!!!! He had my favorite match of all time, he had two more amazing matches with Omega. He also had an incredible match with Shibata that will go down as one of the greatest matches of this era for many people. Okada has put New Japan in a very good position and with great performers to work alongside, he and NJPW have a very bright future.

...

That is it my friends! What an incredible year of wrestling. I hope 2018 can hold a candle to 2017.  If it can, we are in for a treat.

Until next time....
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