We are in the top half of the list now. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here. Let's continue with the countdown.
50. AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura vs Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler vs Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn (Money In The Bank Ladder Match) - WWE Money In The Bank
With the talent involved this was always likely to be a great match, and it was. It started off slowly but it kicked into overdrive down the closing stretch. We also finally got a face to face between Styles and Nakamura in a WWE ring. This was one of the best MITB matches ever and it is highly recommended.
49. Keith Lee vs Donovan Dijak (Evolve 81)
You will have to search long and hard to find a more athletic big man match than this. The things that these two can do are basically unheard of from people their size. Lee flies around, and out of, the ring like a cruiserweight which is no mean feat for a 350 pounder and Dijak, at 6 foot 8, isn't one to be outdone. Great stuff.
48. KUSHIDA vs Hiromu Takahashi (IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title) - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11
This was a fantastic match that featured some superb cruiserweight wrestling mixed in with some great highspots. There is a spot where KUSHIDA caught Takahashi in an armbar on the outside that is a thing of beauty. This was a great start to Takahashi's new gimmick and he just got better from here.
47. Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins vs Bray Wyatt vs Finn Balor (Extreme Rules, Number 1 Contenders Match) - WWE Extreme Rules
This had too much talent to be anything less than great. Samoa Joe and Bray Wyatt did most of the heavy lifting here but everyone got a chance to shine. It didn't really fall in to the traps of most multi-man matches either. Excellent main event on an otherwise poorly booked show.
46. Undisputed Era vs SAnitY vs Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong (WarGames Match) - NXT Takeover: WarGames
While it may not have been the WarGames match of old, that could have honestly been for the best as it allowed for them to have a wild brawl that also included high spots. It was a blast to watch and that suplex off the cage was nuts. One of the most fun matches of 2017.
45. WALTER vs David Starr - WxW Fight Forever London
I have been putting together a top 100 wrestlers of 2017 list and I originally left out Starr but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that was a daft idea because he is great. WALTER's chops are fucking evil, and half the story is seeing if Starr can survive them. The second half of this match is spectacular.
44. Verserk [Shingo Takagi, T-Hawk, Takashi Yoshida, El Lindaman & Punch Tominaga] vs Jimmys [Genki Horiguchi, Jimmy Susumu, Ryo Saito, Jimmy Kanda & Jimmy K-ness JKS] (5 Unit Survival Race, Losing Unit Must Dissolve, No DQ) - Dragon Gate Dangerous Gate
That match description is confusing. It's a 5-on-5, no DQ, elimination match. It mixes the incredible pace of multi-man Dragon Gate matches with a sprinkling of violence. There are a bunch of barbed wire board bumps and the ring even gets taken apart. In addition to this there is the fact that one of these established teams will be forced to disband forever. Excellent.
43. Hiromu Takahashi vs KUSHIDA (IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title) - NJPW Dominion
In addition to being an excellent match this told a great story too. KUSHIDA was having a rough time of things following his loss to Takahashi at Wrestle Kingdom and this was the culmination of his road to redemption. These two could have an exceptional match in their sleep and they added another chapter to their feud here.
42. Tomohiro Ishii vs Keith Lee - RPW/NJPW Global Wars Night 1
Well, shit, this was awesome. The crowd loved Ishii, as they should, and they lost their minds when he gets Lee up for the brainbuster. This match is like one tank against another slightly smaller tank and it is a thing of beauty. The finishing stretch features a ton of great near falls.
41. Dante Fox vs Killshot (Hell of War) - Lucha Underground Ultima Lucha Tres Part 1
This is a 3 Stages of Hell match with the stipulations being Primera Sangre (first blood), No DQ and Medical Evac (ambulance match). You can tell from the stipulations that this will be a violent match but the level of violence is incredible. It may well be the most violent match to be broadcast on TV. There are some astonishing bumps in this and the level of blood loss, by Fox in particular, is crazy. It sells hatred very realistically. A small warning though, there is a spot where Fox loses a chunk of skin from his back and it's pretty grim. It is an incredible effort from both men though and I highly recommend it to everyone.
40. John Cena vs AJ Styles vs Bray Wyatt vs Baron Corbin vs The Miz vs Dean Ambrose (Elimination Chamber) - WWE Elimination Chamber
This may have featured a new less dangerous Chamber structure but that in no way stopped it from being in the discussion for the best Elimination Chamber match ever. It had some really good storytelling, some great spots and high quality wrestling. It's just a shame that they wasted Wyatt's title run, as it felt like their last chance to make a star out of him.
39. Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman vs Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns (WWE Universal Title) - WWE SummerSlam
This was just carnage and it was glorious. This was the night that Braun Strowman became a true star, this was his show. He threw around chairs and tables like they were nothing. A lot of credit has to go to Samoa Joe too as he was the glue that held this match together. Beautiful destruction all round.
38. Konosuke Takeshita vs Tetsuya Endo (KO-D Title) - DDT Ryogoku Peter Pan
I don't watch much DDT due to time constraints but I check it out when I get a recommendation and I'm glad I did here. This match was top notch. It fits solidly into the big match, Japanese main event formula but that is in no way a bad thing. They pull out everything from stiff strikes to shooting star presses, with plenty of great near falls that build to the finish expertly. As DDT was the company that brought us Kota Ibushi it would be great to see these two follow a similar career path.
37. Yuji Nagata vs Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW G1 Climax 27 Night 11
Nagata had a better G1 than anyone could have expected from a 49 year old. He put on great matches show after show in his final G1 appearance and this was the best of the lot. Ishii was the perfect foil for him here too with the two of them beating each other into oblivion. I'm going to miss Blue Justice in the G1, the mad old bastard. On a separate note, the sendoff Nagata gets after his last match was one of the best things in wrestling in 2017.
36. Kento Miyahara vs Suwama (AJPW Triple Crown) - AJPW Raising An Army Memorial Series Day 4
This was Miyahara's first title defense, and therefore nobody expected him to lose, but he did. He fought like a trooper until he did though, refusing to give up until he physically couldn't carry on. Suwana had a game plan, working the knee into disintegration, and it paid off. This was a fantastic match, and one that I missed at the time, and one that I recommend to everyone.
35. Brock Lesnar vs AJ Styles - WWE Survivor Series
I don't think many people thought this would turn out this well but it was perfectly booked. They knew people would fear the worst when Lesnar was completely dominant for the first portion of the match and it made Styles' comeback feel even more impactful. Styles is the best in ring talent of this generation. Yes, even better than Daniel Bryan.
34. Aleister Black vs Velveteen Dream - NXT Takeover: WarGames
The wrestling on show is really good here but that isn't what puts this match so high on the list. What made this stand out was the quality and attention to detail put into the story being told. Very rarely will you hear a crowd react so vociferously to one wrestler saying the name of the other, but that was the quality of the build, and execution, here. Enjoy infamy, Velveteen Dream.
33. Chosen Bros (Matt Riddle & Jeff Cobb) vs Monstars (Donovan Dijak & Keith Lee) - PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night 1
This was a delight. Three of these men are incredibly athletic giants, and the other is Matt Riddle, who has crazy strength. It was great fun to see them switch between doing high flying moves, to suplexing everything in sight, to slapping the shit out of each other. All of these men deserve a shot at the highest level and I wouldn't be surprised if in the next few years all of them are seen on WWE/NXT TV. Dijak is already in NXT.
32. Kota Ibushi vs Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW G1 Climax Night 5
This was a fantastic match that was brilliantly laid out. Ishii beat the shit out of Ibushi and dragged him down to his level but Ibushi was able to keep himself one step ahead. A tremendous match between two excellent wrestlers and an example of how Ibushi is far more than just a crazy risk taker.
31. Tomohiro Ishii vs Katsuyori Shibata - NJPW New Japan Cup Semi-Final
Brutal. Not that you would expect anything else from these two. If you like the hard hitting style then this match is definitely for you. These two never have bad matches against each other and this is just a continuation of it. Superb.
30. Kenny Omega vs Michael Elgin - NJPW G1 Special in USA Night 1
This was the best match from the excellent first night of the G1 specials. These two had a couple of great matches against each other in the same month. The two Canadians work brilliantly together and when they go all out it's something special.
29. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC Title) - NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11
The story was that Tanahashi was pissed off with Naito's treatment of the title, as he was throwing it around and generally treating it like shit, and he wanted to take it back to restore it's integrity. The match is a superb display of professional wrestling and storytelling and it features everything you need for a big title match. Great wrestling and great booking. Tanahashi fell short in his aim which will play into a match later in this list.
28. Will Ospreay vs Ricochet - NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors Night 2
If you have seen the previous matches between these 2 then you have a basis for what to expect here. This one adds some extra stuff to the repertoire, there is some mat based stuff to go with the high flying, and it adds to the overall feel. These 2 could have spectacular matches without even trying and this is definitely no exception.
27. Michael Elgin vs Kazuchika Okada - NJPW G1 Climax Night 4
It's easy for me to forget how bored I was getting of Elgin before he started in New Japan. It has revitalised him and he has established himself as one of the top tier big men in wrestling. Okada is Okada, he can put on a great match with pretty much anyone. This is fantastic stuff by both men and is highly recommended.
26. Kenny Omega vs Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW New Japan Cup Night 2
When Omega has his working boots on there are very few wrestlers that can match him. Ishii is one who can. This is a wonderful hard hitting match aligned with really good storytelling. Omega's attempts to hit the One Winged Angel are repeatedly thwarted by Ishii. It's just really well done professional wrestling.
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