{"id":38488,"date":"2017-02-06T11:39:01","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T17:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=38488"},"modified":"2017-02-06T16:54:34","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T22:54:34","slug":"top-five-list-top-five-matches-january-2017-including-omega-vs-okada-styles-vs-cena-dunne-vs-bate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/02\/06\/top-five-list-top-five-matches-january-2017-including-omega-vs-okada-styles-vs-cena-dunne-vs-bate\/","title":{"rendered":"TOP FIVE LIST: The Top Five Matches in January 2017 including Omega vs. Okada, Styles vs. Cena, Dunne vs. Bate, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2748263613\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>It\u2019s only January and we already have 2 MOTY (one perhaps of the decade) contenders. Here are JG\u2019s top 5 Matches of the Month.<\/p>\n<h3><i>Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn &#8211; Raw &#8211; Jan. 23, 2017<\/i><\/h3>\n<p>The path towards Wrestlemania may have come to an unfortunate halt for The Architect. After recovering from a vicious knee injury that made him miss the \u201cShow-of-Shows\u201d last year, Seth\u2019s recent reinjuring of said knee (FINGERS CROSSED) could keep him on the bench again for Orlando. The worst part is that it throws a wrench into one of the longest and most popular storylines the WWE have been working on between Triple H\u00a0and his first prot\u00e9g\u00e9 NXT champion. WITH ALL THAT SAID:<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s flash back almost two weeks ago to Monday Night Raw in Cleveland Ohio. Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins faced-off against each other for Seth\u2019s spot to enter the Royal Rumble and fight for a chance to headline Wrestlemania. While this formula has been done before, never has a \u201cthrowaway\u201d match seemed so important and by GOD did these two work as if that final spot meant they could be champion. While these guys have always been praised as two of the best workers on the current roster their chemistry together calls for them to eventually have a show-down on a much bigger stage. Until then, we can go back and watch the highlights of this one which include some of the crispest chemistry and LOUDEST superkicks you\u2019ll ever witness.<\/p>\n<h3><i>Roode vs. Nakamura &#8211; NXT Takeover San Antonio<\/i><\/h3>\n<p>The phrase \u201cThis Takeover Card isn\u2019t as exciting\u201d needs to be exited from your vocabulary. These events have consistently delivered on all aspects: match quality, storytelling, smart-booking, and production value.<\/p>\n<p>The main event for the NXT Title between Shinsuke and Bobby is a prime example. The hype for this particular bout was much smaller in comparison to previous Takeovers and while the two ooze of charisma this didn\u2019t seem like a blood feud that\u2019s been the motto of NXT.<\/p>\n<p>And it didn\u2019t need to be. This was as simple as it gets. A #1 contender facing off against the current champion in order to become the new face of the promotion. Entrances alone put this one over the top, with Roode shooting an exclamation point on his playboy attitude and Nakamura gliding in like a goddamn Dragon Ball Z character. In terms of ring-work, the meshing of Nak\u2019s strong-style and Roode\u2019s wear down psychology complimented each other fantastically. Bobby avoiding all of Shinsuke\u2019s major spots gave it that \u201cwell scouted\u201d sporting feel and details like that make these fights stronger in both story and action.<\/p>\n<p>The ending was a work of genius. Nakamura hits Roode with a Kinshasa to the outside but severely damages his leg in the process. A long-stoppage of time occurred which normally riles up fans, but in this case it was used to put-over how bad Shinsuke\u2019s leg was. When Shinsuke manned up and re-entered the match, Bobby (LIKE THE MASTERMIND HE IS) immediately took advantage, hitting his inverted-ddt for the closest near-fall of the night before finally scoring the major upset and claiming his spot at the top. GLORIOUS.<\/p>\n<h3><i>Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne &#8211; UK Tournament Day 2<\/i><\/h3>\n<p>The Cruiserweight Classic was a work of beauty from WWE, but if there is one thing it lacked it was angles. While it was exciting to watch the work-load of guys like Kota Ibushi and Zack Sabre Jr. the tournament was much more athletic based then it was story-based. The UK tournament on the other hand was the exact opposite.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3921150542\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>After the first day of matches William Regal (He\u2019s a Lord to some of you) brought out the remaining 8 superstars to hype the fights for day 2. Pete Dunne, aka the Bruiserweight, aka I need a dentist, took that opportunity to attack his opponent Sam Gradwell and make the statement \u201cI\u2019ll do whatever it takes to win.\u201d It may not have been pretty, but his gameplan did get him to the finals.<\/p>\n<p>Tyler Bate on the other-hand fights with his heart and his spirit, and immediately won over the UK crowd with his stiff Euro-Style and loving smile. After defeating Wolfgang in the semi-finals (How f#$king cool was Wolfgang) he played to the crowd when he was blind-sided by you guessed it\u2026Pete Dunne. Bate would have some time to recover, but the message was sent.<\/p>\n<p>When the match finally occurred, the buzz was vibrating. In two short segments Dunne vs. Bate was as strong a rivalry as Michigan vs. Ohio State, and the England fans (as well as the entirety of the WWE Universe) were anxious to see these two have it out. The match itself was as hard-hitting and well paced as anything you\u2019ll see all year. Both Pete and Tyler have incredibly diverse and expansive move-sets, and seeing them bust out all of that plus more really cemented these two as future stars and it was capped off by Bate (who is 19 BEE TEE DUBS) overcoming that devious heel Dunne and capturing the first ever United Kingdom Championsip. Whether the UK television program works out or not, this tournament should certainly be considered a success.<\/p>\n<h3><i>John Cena vs. A.J. Styles &#8211; Jan. 29 &#8211;\u00a0Royal Rumble<\/i><\/h3>\n<p>There will never be enough positive things to say about John Cena vs. AJ Styles. Anytime one of them steps into a ring the crowd around them is electric, but when it\u2019s both of them together? INSANITY. (Not the stable\u2026stay with me) The question was could they possibly top their previous performance at Summerslam? To quote my good compadre Luke Harper: \u201cYEAH YEAH YEAH.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Big-move big-move nearfall nearfall. That is the quickest way to describe to an important John Cena match, but it wouldn\u2019t do it the service it deserves. While the story of this feud hasn\u2019t really changed the relevance of its meaning has. AJ Styles is champion now, and Cena has waited a long time to make history.<\/p>\n<p>What the fans in the Alamo-Dome witnessed was the most fluid exchanges these two have had up-to-date and the uniqueness of some of the transitions into big-moves was so original that at no point were the fans able to predict what would happen next, because that happens. The smarter fans have watched enough of the product to predetermine how certain things could go, so when a calf-crusher is reversed into a figure-four we lose our minds because \u201cHOW DID THEY THINK OF THAT?\u201d It should be noted that the best aspect of this match is that the crowd was involved and attentive from the very beginning, and no dangerous or unnecessary spots were needed to win them over because star-power was enough. Cena hitting an AA and then immediately rolling into another one will be a moment of in-ring action that should never be forgotten.<\/p>\n<h3><i>Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega &#8211; Jan. 4 &#8211;\u00a0WrestleKingdom 11<\/i><\/h3>\n<p>Just thinking about this match makes the hairs on my belly stick up. If you still haven\u2019t watched even a portion of it you are truly doing yourself a disservice. I was certain that nothing would top Okada and Tanahashi\u2019s EPIC encounter at last years WrestleKingdom but this match took that match out behind a barn and put it out of its misery. (THAT\u2019S MURDER IF YOU\u2019RE SCORING AT HOME)<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get right to it. Whether you agree with the star-rating or not this match is one of the greatest of all time. I\u2019m sorry, but I\u2019m NOT sorry. What a statement it would be for the Bullet Club if their fearless leader Kenny Omega could walk out of the biggest NJP show of the year with the IWGP Heavyweight Title, and dethrone the Rainmaker at his home field. HE SURE AS HELL TRIED. Here are just some of the spots that this match had:<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2827002870\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Spring-Board Moonsault over the barricade from the top rope, back body drop from the ring through a table, German Suplex from the top-turnbuckle\u2026and those were just SOME of the spots HOW ARE THESE GUYS STILL ALIVE? The answer is that they probably won\u2019t be for very long. This bout had everything the Cena and Styles bout had but with the addition of those OMG moments and it is in those moments that this match gets elevated to GOAT status.<\/p>\n<p>There was also the classic psychology game going on. During the beginning there was a long slow build of Omega slowly working over the neck of Kazuchika to set him up for the One-Winged Angel. When the match reached its crescendo in the final 8 minutes we saw Okada counter Omega\u2019s deadly finisher multiple times, each time getting a louder reaction from the crowd. Never\u2026ever\u2026have I seen a crowd pop for a move that DID NOT happen. That is having a crowd in your hand. Add that to the stiffness in strikes, the unpredictability, and Okada overcoming the well-favored Kenny Omega and you have yourselves the best match of the month of January, and possibly of all time.<\/p>\n<p>So there you have it. The top 5 for this month. Do you agree or disagree? Comment below on our desktop site and mobile users can sound off @RamJam89 and @pwtorch.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3420191709\"><div id=\"pwtor-3887161443\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>It\u2019s only January and we already have 2 MOTY (one perhaps of the decade) contenders. Here are JG\u2019s top 5 Matches of the Month. Seth Rollins vs. Sami Zayn &#8211; Raw &#8211; Jan. 23, 2017 <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2017\/02\/06\/top-five-list-top-five-matches-january-2017-including-omega-vs-okada-styles-vs-cena-dunne-vs-bate\/\" title=\"TOP FIVE LIST: The Top Five Matches in January 2017 including Omega vs. Okada, Styles vs. Cena, Dunne vs. Bate, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,27,4488],"tags":[90,116,306,201,4212,335,245,84,308,4664],"class_list":["post-38488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists","category-top-five-lists","tag-aj-styles","tag-john-cena","tag-kenny-omega","tag-okada","tag-pete-dunne","tag-robert-roode","tag-sami-zayn","tag-seth-rollins","tag-shinsuke-nakamura","tag-tyler-bate"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2016\/12\/NakamuraShinsukeBeaven3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38488"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38495,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38488\/revisions\/38495"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}