Csonka’s Top 11 Chris Hero Matches of 2016

WELCOME back, back to the column that makes lists and hopes that you enjoy them. This week’s column will look back at Chris Hero’s best of 2016. I always hear a lot of people saying that they can’t decide what to watch because they do not have enough time to follow everything, so maybe this will help those of you short on time find some stuff to check out. Chris Hero had an outstanding 2016, making the case for most outstanding as far as an in ring worker goes. Following reports of his signing with WWE, I thought that this was the right time to do the column .Have fun, and always, thanks for reading. Also, if you saw matches from companies I do not regularly catch; feel free to share them with the others. The more wrestling we share, the more fun we can have. While I did not see every Chris Hero match in 2016, I saw a lot of great matches from him. There has been a lot of buzz around his work in 2016, I hope you may consider this a Chris Hero playlist, some essential viewing if you’re interested in some of his best from the year.

11. From Evolve 70 – Drew Gulak vs. Chris Hero [****]: As you would expect, they opened things up with a slick and well-done grappling exchange. While the opening grappling exchanges aren’t exactly fast paced, both guys clearly have a goal and you can see it as they execute. Gulak had the early advantage, grounding Hero to nullify his size advantage. Hero worked to escape and went to his striking game, but Gulak again grounded him. Hero made the ropes, and after trading strikes Hero tried for the piledriver, Gulak fought it off and Hero hit a series of elbows. Gulak would again fight off a piledriver, and hit a series of dropkicks. Hero finally hit the big boot and sent Gulak to the floor. They brawled on the floor as Hero slammed Gulak into the barricades. Gulak fought back and in the ring he scored with the dragon sleeper; hero got the ropes and they returned to the floor. Hero then started to destroy him with strikes as they battled on the floor. Gulak would beat the count, but walked into Hero back on the attack. Hero continues to beat on Gulak, and Gulak finally scored with a belly to back suplex. More than anything this pissed off Hero, but Gulak finally was able to fire up and put some extended offense together. Gulak hit a series of atomic drops, which Hero sold like death, and Gulak got a near fall off of those. Gulak then hit a series of corner forearm smashes, but Hero dropped him with a cyclone kick for a near fall. Hero started to punish Gulak with forearms and then spit in Hero’s face. They traded big strikes and Gulak got the lariat for a near fall. Gulak then stomped away on Hero and called him a piece of shit. They went face-to-face and started to destroy each other with strikes and chops. Gulak got a sunset flip for a near fall, and then got the dragon sleeper. Hero dropped to the mat and fought for the ropes and got them. Gulak looked for a piledriver, Hero fought and then got a roll up for 2. Hero then hit the stuff piledriver, and then a Gotch piledriver followed, but Gulak survived. Hero then delivered a series of forearm strikes, Gulak looked to be finished and Hero hit a rolling elbow to the back of the head and that was that. This was a brutally awesome match, with Hero playing the bully perfectly and Gulak fighting for everything he had, and finally failed after Hero hit him with everything. The intensity was off the charts here, and they delivered an excellent outing that the show needed.

10. From Evolve 72 – Tracy Williams vs. Chris Hero [****]: Williams attacked with suplexes as Hero was making his entrance. Great aggressive start by Williams, looking to get revenge for Hero previously knocking him out. This has a great vibe early, with both guys beating the hell out of each other and then hitting a dive. Hero hit a sick looking cravat suplex to take control. Hero then started work elbows, Williams battled back with forearm strikes as Hero hit the bicycle kick. Hero sent Williams to the barricade, and back in Hero tried to decapitate Williams with a rolling elbow Williams fired up and hit the dropkick off the second rope. The brainbuster followed for a close two. Williams attacked with forearm strikes and chops, and then the double under hook superplex into the cross face. Williams continued to try and strike with Hero as they are brutalizing each other. Rolling elbow by Hero, but Williams gets a German for a near fall. Hero teased a piledriver, Williams with a sunset flip and Hero countered with the Gotch piledriver, but Williams kicked out at 2. Elbows by Hero followed as Williams fought to stay on his feet. Williams fired up and laid into Hero with strikes and pair of big boots. Huge lariat by Williams, but Hero kicks out at 1. Williams with another lariat and then the crossface and Hero has to tap. Huge win for Williams. This was an excellent math, easily the best thing on the show so far, with of the charts intensity from both guys. This was a huge win for Williams and another awesome performance by Hero.

9. From Evolve 74 – Dick Togo vs. Chris Hero [****]: Togo looks like Gedo tonight, I hope he uses Memphis heel tactics. At 47, Togo is in great shape. Togo didn’t allow Hero to bully him, taking him to the ground. Hero then methodically out grappled Togo, getting to his feet and then they went back and forth, Hero eventually went after the leg, taking Togo down. Hero started to bend Togo’s ankle the wrong way, back to the feet and Togo tried shoulder block, which failed. They then traded kicks to the face, Hero hit another and then the running senton. To the floor they go, Hero abused Togo with some forearm strikes, back in and Hero maintained his control. After some streaming issues, Hero hitter rolling elbow, but Togo survived. Togo then got planted with the piledriver for a near fall. Togo then escaped the tombstone piledriver. Stuff piledriver by hero, Togo goes all Road Warrior Hawk and no sells it and head up top. They battled up top, Togo counters the elbow but hits the DDT of the ropes for the near fall. Togo then looks for a pedigree, escape, elbow, tombstone by Hero but Togo kicks out at two. The crowd loves Togo. Togo fired up one last time, shoots Hero the bird and then they go back and forth beating the shit out of each other. PEDIGREE by Togo! Hero kicks out at 1!Thre superkicks by Togo, pedigree and then Togo up top… big senton by Togo and that gets the win. This was excellent, Togo never allowed Hero to settle in and bully him around, which he does to everyone else. Togo was great as the veteran who takes no shit and was out for one last great war before it is all finished. Pairing him with Hero, who is my most outstanding in ring performer of 2016, and has been having four-star matches with everyone and their mother. Seriously, I think he worked Judy Bagwell in Marietta, Georgia. This makes the list because Chris Hero allowed Dick Togo to be DICK FUCKING TOGO for one more night in 2016.

8. From Evolve 73 Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle [****¼]: This was exactly what I wanted it to be, hard hitting intense and worked with aggression the whole way through and played well off of the previous encounters. There was no need for it to go any longer, these two work well together and the 10-15-minute window works or Riddle’s strengths. Hero has been a huge part of the rise of Riddle in 2016, legitimizing him and also helping him grow as a performer.

7. From PWG Battle of Los Angeles Stage Two – Fenix and Pentagon Jr. vs. Heroes Eventually Die (Chris Hero and Tommy End) [****¼]: One part of Hero’s awesome run of indie matches has been his work in tags. Hero is not only a student of the game, but he’s a massive wrestling geek, just like us, only way better. Hero’s pairing with Tommy End really worked and provided some great matches. Hero’s approach to his mates, general grasp of psychology also flows into tag matches. His ability to allow his opponents to shine and to adapt to their strengths and styles is another reason the man had so mush success and delivered so many top tier matches and why he has received so much praise. The match lasted just over 18-minutes, worked at a frantic pace, and featuring Hero working LUCHA; something I thought I’d never see. Hero and End played bullies, Pentagon got a great hot tag, leading to he and Fenix running wild with some amazingly well done double teams, those two are so great. The pacing here was beautiful, the match never felt long and the work between the four was effortless, like they worked together all the time. This was excellent overall, and well worth tracking down even though the BOLA tournament and Young Bucks tags stole all of the attention from the event. Hero going against someone in Pentagon he couldn’t bully and then tossing around the little flippy dude in Fenix was the best of both worlds when it comes to Hero.

6. From Evolve 71 – Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle [****½]: Riddle went for takedowns early, but used his power advantage to shove Riddle away. Hero then grounded Riddle and tried to rip off a toe, but Riddle made the ropes. Riddle quickly tried for the heel hook, but Hero got the ropes and took a powder to the floor. Back in and they traded chops, but then Riddle fired up and laid in knee strikes and forearms in the corner, great flurry by Riddle there. Hero would fight back and sent Riddle to the floor with a bicycle kick. Hero followed Riddle to the floor and worked him over with chops and slaps. Riddle tried to fire back, laid in forearms but hero drop shim with an elbow strike. Back in, and Hero jacked Riddle with another bicycle kick in the corner. He followed with forearms and nee strikes, the senton then hit and Hero covered for 2. Hero then started to stomp on the exposed feet of Riddle, landed a kick to the head and knee drop and covered for 2. Riddle tried to fight back with chops, hero teased the piledriver but Riddle fought it off so hero kicked him in the face and tried it again. Hero then laid in a series of forearm strikes and kicks and he just destroys Riddle here. Riddle hit the desperation gut wrench suplex, went for a German but Hero fought it off initially, but Riddle then connected and hit the running senton. Great fire from Riddle here as he makes the comeback and pus together his first sustained offense of the match. Riddle ht the delayed fisherman’s buster, which got a near fall. Riddle laid in a rapid-fire series of strikes and then hit the springboard knee strike. Hero managed to hit the cyclone kick, but Riddle kicked out at 2. Hero told him to stay down as he kicked him in the face, and hit another senton. Hero kicks him in the face again, but Riddle keeps firing up and taking all of Hero’s best, finally avoiding the senton and locking in the bro-mission. Hero managed to get the ropes, Riddle worked body kicks but Hero countered and looked for the elbow, but Riddle countered that and hit the BRO TO SLEEP. Hero went to the corner to try and get a break, hero then beat the ref’s count and hit two tolling elbows on Riddle. A third followed and then Hero missed the elbow to the back of the head and Riddle laid in rapid fire strikes and then teased the tombstone, but Hero countered and hit a tombstone of his own followed by the stuff piledriver! Hero went for the Gotch piledriver, Riddle countered into a triangle. Hero escaped, and transitioned to hit another piledriver, but Riddle kicked out! Hero finally hit the rolling elbow to the back of Riddle’s head and put him away. This was an amazingly heated and physical main event match, and despite the fact that there was some great wrestling early on, they managed to surpass it. Hero knows how to work Riddle, he kept the time frame in that window that works well for Riddle and worked that style that allows for Riddle to deliver great looking offense as well as sell, which Riddle excels at so early in his career. Also, no one, and I mean no one, works the bully formula better than Chris Hero in 2016. Everything he does has a purpose, it comes at the right time in the right place and it just works. If you’re not watching Hero and Riddle this year, you’re missing out on some special performances. This was another example of an excellent match where both the winner and loser come out looking good.

5. From Evolve 53 – EVOLVE Tag Team Title Tournament First Round Match: Sami Callihan & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chris Hero & Tommy End [****½]: This was some insane shit. It lasted nearly 30-minutes and never felt like it to me. They worked a nice beginning, and then built and built and built and it was awesome. This had great wrestling, grappling, striking, violence and drama; it was an ass kicking adventure and I loved it. This was a great match, one of the best of the year so far, and exactly what the show needed. This was the best of bully Chris Hero with some SamiSprint mixed in for added fun.

4. From Evolve 62 – Timothy Thatcher vs. Chris Hero [****½]: After what I consider a very rough start to 2016, I have to admit I wasn’t as excited for this match as I would have been last year. Hero has been great, but I felt that Thatcher’s early 2016 had been poor. I dig the style he works, but I also feel that he can be a slave to that formula and refuses to change or adapt mid-match; he does he shit and sticks to it. There’s something to be said for that, not giving into fickle crowds, but when crowds that had supported you turn because they aren’t interested, you need to change gameplans. Thankfully Thatcher seemed on his game here, and was working effortlessly with Hero, who is simply one of the best going today. Thatcher worked the style you’ve come to expect from him, but in there with Hero things seemed to click on every level. The best part is that they were working the exact match you knew that they would, and it was really good, but then Thatcher did the one thing I had been begging him to do, and that was change things up. He actually dropped his constant desire to attack the arm, and actually got into a striking battle with Hero. They then worked a tremendous homestretch, playing off of their trademark offense, leading to Thatcher retaining with the arm bar. I loved this, they started slowly, picked things p well, mixed things up and had tremendous intensity throughout. Without a doubt this was Thatcher’s best showing of 2016; for Chris Hero this was a day ending in “y.”

3. From RPW Global Wars 2016 Night 1 – Tomohiro Ishii vs. Chris Hero [****¾]: The great thing here is that this was a battle of two guys that bully their opponents and impose their will whenever they wish. The big difference between this math and the Shibata match was that Shibata refused to take Hero’s shit, and then basically scared Hero into the realization that he couldn’t fuck with Shibata. Here, Ishii just out bad-assed Hero; constantly fighting back, overcoming and giving as good as he was getting. They took all the best parts of Ishii’ matches, his refusal to quit, his desire to pummel his opponents and added in Chris Hero, who can seemingly work with any one in any style and make it work. Hero ends Ishii’s night at around 14-minutes, and after this and the Shibata Match, I desperately want Chris Hero in the 2017 G1 (Guess I can keep wishing).

2. RPW Global Wars UK 2016 Night 2 – British Heavyweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata vs. Chris Hero [****¾]: This was an absolutely amazing match and one I really wanted to see. Shibata is awesome, Hero simply travels the world, having **** matches with everyone and their mom and is a joy to watch. Hero tend to bully opponents, due to the size advantage, and does it better than anyone. Shibata was able to stop that bullshit, and even though he was the smaller man, Shibata is meaner and simply more vicious, and was able to back of the bully. Shibata basically intimidated Hero in the striking game, and out grappled him on the mat. It built and built through out, with the violence escalating at the right times and they went home perfectly, not even coming close to going long. As a matter of fact, I wanted it to go longer.

1. From Evolve 60 – Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. [****¾]: The closing stretch was a beautiful display of mixing in callbacks to the previous matches very well here. Hero then adjusted the elbow pad and looked for another KO of ZSJ. ZSJ fought with all he had to avoid another piledriver, got the Gotch hold but ZSJ countered out and then bent Hero in half with the double arm bar and then into the pinning combo, but Hero barely escaped. ZSJ hit a German and then Tiger suplex, the soccer kick followed, but Hero was still alive and then connected with the ripcord elbow and spinning kick. SICK TOMBSTONE on ZSJ, and that was that. These two men were made to wrestle each other, and not only put together another awesome match, but played into the feud and previous matches very well. Chris Hero simply has ZSJ’s number right now, no matter how hard or how much heart ZSJ shows. These guys can feud forever as far as I am concerned.

In closing: What made Hero’s 2016 so special was his ability to work great matches with a big variety of opponents, and to not only just work his game, but to adapt to them and work to their strengths. Whether it be Hero bullying guys around, destroying them with strikes or just beating down little men that try to do flips; he could do it all and seemingly did it with ease. Hero’s WWE return to WWE will hurt Evolve in the short-term, but they have constantly done well in replacing stars when they move on. There are some big shoes to fill in 2016, someone just needs to step up.