Figure Four Weekly 2/20/2017: Looking at pro wrestling’s stellar start to 2017

While making judgments about a year less than two full months into it probably isn’t a good idea, it’s clear that 2017 is already on pace to surpass its predecessor in terms of match quality.

That’s not entirely unexpected. The stellar in-ring work that defined professional wrestling in 2016 didn’t come out of nowhere. It was the result of there being more qualified workers, more opportunities for them to work, and a wider variety of promotions for them to work for than there have been in many years.

New Japan Pro Wrestling has led the way this year, as it often does, in high-end match quality. The race for Match of the Year almost assuredly ended just four days into 2017 with Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 11 earning the type of praise that few matches in the industry ever have.

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