Tags
Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Brock Lesnar, Buddy Murphy, Cedric Alexander, Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntyre, Ember Moon, Hirooki Goto, Ilja Dragunov, Jay White, Johnny Gargano, Jon Moxley, Kassius Ohno, Kyle O'Reilly, NJPW, NJPW G1 Climax 29, NXT Takeover, NXT TakeOver: Toronto, NXT UK, Raw, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Shingo Takagi, Smackdown, Smackdown Live, Street Profits, Summerslam, Taichi, Tetsuya Naito, The Undisputed Era, Tomohiro Ishii, Trish Stratus, William Regal, WWE, WWE Network, WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown, WWE Summerslam
We took a little break from doing these top matches of the week and it was a much needed break. The landscape has been pretty bleak as far as top matches from the WWE were concerned which is in part the reason for the break. But as you all know, we are in the midst of a revolution in wrestling especially since AEW debuted with Double Or Nothing and with the fact that they have a weekly show coming in October. So with all this wrestling going on, I am once again here to present to you guys what I consider to be the top matches of the week from all the promotions that I have watched. If there is any match I may have missed and you think I should check it out then tweet me @EddieValiant82 on Twitter. Here are the matches that I believe you should check out, but to hear what my match of the week was, you’ll have to tune into my podcast Five Star Wrestling Podcast to find out when we read our five star moments/match of the week.
Adam Cole Vs Johnny Gargano 3 (NXT TakeOver: Toronto 8/10/2019)
The question going into any rivalry that heads into a rubber match is always how can we top the first two? The WWE/NXT and William Regal definitely set them up for success with the best two out of three falls match, but with stipulations (sort of like a 3 stages of hell match). The first stipulation of the match was chosen by Adam Cole and it was a straight up wrestling match. The first fall overall was in Johnny Gargano’s pocket as he was dominating Cole, but after a blatant low blow, Johnny lost it and hit Cole with a steel chair giving him the first fall. The second fall of the match was a street fight chosen by Gargano and he dominated the fall beating Cole up all over the arena and even put him through a table at one point, but it was a Gargano escape applied on to Cole that would even things up at one. The third and final stipulation was chosen by William Regal and it was a no escape barbwired steel cage match that saw them beat the hell out of each other with Kendo sticks, steel chairs, and even a sledgehammer. After surviving so much punishment, Adam Cole climbed to the top of a table on top the cage as he was trying to escape Gargano who had cut a piece of the barbwire, but it was one moment that would change it all. They were on top of the table and Johnny tried to hit Cole with the barbwire that was wrapped around his hand, but Cole blocked it and launched each other right into the tables waiting 20 feet below in the ring. Unfortunately for Gargano, that was all she wrote as Adam Cole is still NXT Champion.
Taichi vs Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 18 8/11/2019)
We all knew that at this point in the tournament that Tomohiro Ishii and Taichi were not going to be crowned the winners of the B block as Ishii came into the match with 8 points while Taichi had only 6 points. So, it’s safe to say that this match was all about ending the tournament the right way by saving face. These guys were throwing everything at each other but the kitchen sink as neither man refused to lose and it showed. At one point, Taichi tried for his patent Black Memphisto, but Ishii did his homework by countering it and then hitting Taichi with a huge lariat that you would think Taichi was out, but he kicked out of the ensuing pin attempt. Later on in the match, you were feeling that something had to give so Taichi attempted to end the match with a super kick, but Ishii blocked it. Unfortunately for Ishii, he didn’t see the enziguri coming, but never fear cause he shook that off like it was nothing. Shocked that it happened, Taichi was quick on his feet and he hit Ishii with a superkick that connected this time and allowed him to hit the Black Memphisto which was all she wrote as Taichi picked up as huge win to be a part of six way tie for fifth place.
Shingo Takagi vs Hirooki Goto (NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 18 8/11/2019)
One of my favorite Japanese superstars is the Dragon Shingo Takagi who has continuously impressed me in all of 2019. Unfortunately for Shingo, he didn’t have a lot of success in the G1 Climax tournament which was why he was also looking to save face as he entered the match with only six points. Now his opponent on the other hand, Hirooki Goto had a pretty decent tournament as he was in tie for first place with Tetsuya Naito, Jon Moxley, and Jay White. So in order for Goto to have a chances stay alive, he needed to beat Shingo, but that wasn’t going to be easy. They were throwing everything at each other in this match from suplexes to lariats as they were trying to take each others heads off. At one point, they were involved in a huge exchange with rights and lefts flying everywhere, but Goto thought he was going to have Shingo dazed with a headbutt. Unfortunately for him, Shingo returned with a huge lariat that helped setup the holy bomber that nearly took Goto’s head off and Shingo finished it all by hitting the last of the dragons for the win.
Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins (WWE SummerSlam 2019 8/11/2019)
I never thought in a million years that I would be putting a Brock Lesnar match into this category, but after what I saw you can’t deny it. Brock Lesnar was defending the WWE Universal Championship in the very hurt Seth Rollins and the question heading in was how much was Rollins going to be able to take from the beast with injured ribs? The match looked as if Brock was going to dominate again, but as soon as he went to hit that first German, Seth was able to land on his feet and he nailed Brock with a superkick. It dazed Brock a little, but Brock would soon go back to work on Rollins. Brock would then go on his rampage of hitting six German suplexes and an F5 before Rollins got his opportunity to strike and your damn right Rollins took advantage. Lesnar started clearing the Spanish announce table, but as soon as he turned to grab Rollins, he was met with a superkick that sent him lying on the table. Rollins would climb the ropes to the top of steel post and he connected with a huge splash. He would then hit Lesnar with a curb stomp, but Lesnar would kick out of the ensuing pin attempt. As soon as Rollins tried for a second curb stomp, Lesnar countered and attempted an F5, but Rollins would counter that with a superkick and then he finished off Lesnar with another curb stomp that secured the win.
Buddy Murphy Vs Roman Reigns (WWE Smackdown Live 8/13/2019)
I was super excited for this week’s episode of Smackdown because it featured the first ever match featuring Buddy Murphy who is WWE’s best kept secret, but I am going to be honest with all of you. Knowing that I was excited for the match, I never thought it would end up here cause I figured it would be a total squash match for Roman, but Buddy brought the fight to the big dog almost right from the get go. After being launched into the opposite corner of the ring, Buddy comes full steam ahead and he nails Roman with a big knee shot that almost gets him the pinfall. For the most part Buddy held his own against Roman whether the fight ended up on the outside of the ring or back inside. At one point, I thought the WWE was going to allow Buddy to defeat Roman after a series of knee shots that found their mark and followed with a brain buster, but Roman would ultimately kick out. He would go on to hit a superman punch and he followed it up with a spear that put Buddy away for the 1-2-3. One thing is for sure, Roman knows who Buddy Murphy is that is for sure.
Ilja Dragunov vs Kassius Ohno (NXT UK 8/14/2019)
Ilja Dragunov has been undefeated in NXT UK since he started with the British brand, but he was getting his real test when he took on the wrestling genius Kassius Ohno on this weeks episode. The match looked as if Ilja had this high octane adrenaline fueled ability that almost made him immune to attacks by Ohno in the beginning of the match because he seemed to have an answer for everything until Ohno was given the window of opportunity. Ilja made a mistake in the match which allowed Ohno to damage his left arm and from there Ohno was relentless, but much to Ilja’s credit he never gave up as well. Ilja had so many opportunities in the match to win, but the damage to the arm would come back to haunt him. He would nail Ohno with a German suplex into a pin cover, but he couldn’t hold on because of the arm. He would hit Ohno with a huge powerbomb into a cover attempt, but he couldn’t hold on because of the arm. Finally in the end, it was the genius of Ohno that would prevail as Ilja climbed the ropes, Ohno used the referee as a shield. He would do it long enough to give himself an opportunity to knock Ilja off the ropes into the steel post and on to the floor to which he followed up by throwing him against the steel post, and then proceeded to hit Ilja with a death by elbow to the back of the head which was enough to gain the win and hand Ilja his first loss.
Honorable Mention:
The NXT Tag Team Title match between the Street Profits (Champions) and The Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish started off a little rough, but they definitely finished strong as the Street Profits retained. I know everyone was worried what type of a match was Trish Stratus going to have with Charlotte at SummerSlam, but that match was so good it almost ended up at the top. Drew McIntyre vs Cedric Alexander deserves some kudos as both men were able to put on a good show on RAW. The match between Ember Moon and Charlotte from this week’s Smackdown Live was good, but not amazing enough to end up int he top matches.
This weekend is one of the coolest weekends in professional wrestling besides WrestleMania weekend because not only is it Royal Rumble weekend, it also marks the start of the Road to WrestleMania. This is the most important time of the year because all of the storylines throughout the year have been building up to this point (or so we hope it does). Tonight at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, the WWE presents NXT TakeOver: Phoenix which features some of the most power packed matches which are a true testament to what they have been building all year long. NXT is the superior brand right now and that is a testament to all the amazing indy talent they pick up all the time as well. Usually with a PPV, there are a couple of matches that I am looking forward to, but that is not the same with NXT which is all killer and no filler. Every match on the card has the potential to be a show stealer and as a wrestling fan that is all I can really ask for. One match that I am interested to see where they will go with it is the NXT Women’s Championship match that sees Shayna Baszler put her title on the line against the undefeated Bianca Belair. Is Shayna going to end her run or is Bianca going to be challenging Auska’s record run in NXT? The other question is what kind of a factor are the rest of the Horsewoman going to play and if Shayna loses, do we see her in the Royal Rumble?
Tommaso Ciampa is the best heel in the business as we speak and I am so thankful that he went in this direction because he has mastered the arts of the dark side. The only problem is his way is Aleister Black, a man that many feel Tommaso cannot beat because of the interference that occurred thanks to Gargano. However, one cannot contest that Tommaso is not a serious threat as he has been NXT champion for 190+ days. That is no easy feet as the man has run through competition like Gargano and the Velveteen Dream to name a few. Will Tommaso pay for his sins or will he succeed in defeating Aleister Black and ending that notion once and for all? Another match that I am looking forward to it the NXT Tag Team Championship match that pins NXT Tag Champions The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong) against the behemoths known as the War Raiders (Hanson And Rowe). The WWE really needs to build their tag team division and what they don’t realize is that it’s thriving in NXT. This is going to be one unbelievable match due to the contrast of styles and I can’t wait to watch.
I definitely saved the best for last because NXT North American Champion Ricochet is going to be putting his belt on the line against the underachiever Johnny Gargano. Gargano is going to be under a lot of pressure in this match because he has to prove that he can win under pressure and when it counts in a championship match. I truly believe for his legacy in NXT, Gargano really needs this win more than you think he does because if he loses then what’s next? This match in my opinion is going to be the match of the night as we witness some magic that is going to be on display as Johnny Wrestling clashes with a man that defies the laws of gravity in Ricochet. The other match on the card features indy wrestling darling Kassius Ohno who is looking for some revenge over the embarrassing loss to the “King of Bros” Matt Riddle who defeated Ohno in six seconds at NXT TakeOver: War Games II. Something tells me that we are actually going to get more of a wrestling match out of this one, but I expect the same outcome when it is all said and done. I hope all of you wrestling fans are going to check this one out because it’s going to be phenomenal. Check out my predictions below:
One of the greatest things to happen in the WWE in the last year or two has been the women’s evolution where the men finally have to step up their game against a women’s division that is evolving at a high pace. The greatest thing to happen to the women’s evolution in that time span has been the one and only Becky Lynch, the Smackdown Live Women’s Champion who has been cutting some of the best promos around. At the WWE’s 32ND edition of Survivor Series, we were supposed to have the incredible match up between Becky and WWE Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, but we were robbed of that due to a Nia Jax elbow to the face put Becky out of commission. It is not completely Nia’s fault because accidents do happen, but that would have been match of the night. But now, we were left with Smackdown and it’s writers deciding to flip the script and change everything. We will get the rumored WrestleMania 35 match between Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey and then for some god awful reason we got a heel turn from Daniel Bryan as he defeated AJ Styles for the WWE Championship which now means that Daniel is taking on WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar in what will surely be billed as David vs Goliath.
Now all the excitement for the PPV has almost completely left my body, but there are some matches that could save the night from being a total waste. I honestly believe that WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins vs WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura has the potential to be a match of the night winner as two of the best in the business in my opinion go at it for brand supremacy. I honestly do not believe that Brock Lesnar has what it takes anymore to put on an OK match which is why I think they are giving Daniel Bryan a shot, but I’d be surprised if he won. I honestly believe that Charlotte is going to be the saving grace of that match just like Becky Lynch would have been meaning that they will carry the match. As much as I would love to see the RAW women’s team win their traditional Survivor series match, I just think there is too much tension between Natalya and Ruby Riott right now that will somehow come into play during the match. I am just wondering who the last member of the Smackdown Live women’s team is going to be since Charlotte can no longer do it. I say that we bring in Nikki Cross since she already wrestled on the show a couple of weeks ago.
I don’t understand the point of having two heel tag teams face each other, but I am afraid to say that A.O.P. (Authors Of Pain) vs The Bar (Sheamus and & Cesaro) could actually be one hell of a match. I do not have too much invested interest in what 205 Live is bringing to the table only because I haven’t followed that in a while, but I like Mustafa Ali and what he brings so I’ll check it out when he challenges WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy. Now, the men’s traditonal Survivor Series match that sees Drew McIntyre, Dolph Ziggler, Braun Strowman, Finn Bálor, and Bobby Lashley represent RAW as they take on Smackdown’s team of The Miz, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, Shane McMahon, and Rey Mysterio should be a very interesting match. The line in the sand could be drawn from this match as we inch closer to the road to WrestleMania 35. I think the WWE lost faith in the Tag team version of the traditional Survivor Series match when they placed it on the pre-show, but mark my words it will set the tone for the rest of the night and reveal to you which brand will take it all this year.
If you missed last night’s showing of NXT TakeOver: WarGames II then you missed one hell of a night. That event definitely set the tone for the weekend that it always does. The first match saw Matt Riddle, the king of bros, dispose of Kassius Ohno in seconds. With a little help from some friends Shayna Baszler disposed of her arch nemesis Kairi Sane 2-1 in a best two out of three falls match that left much to be desired. The next three matches are a complete toss up of what could be considered match of the night. First in what was an excellent match, Aleister Black and Johnny Gargano fought an epic match where both men left everything they had in the ring, but Aleister dug in deep and found a way to win hitting not one, but two Fade to Black’s. The very next match did much of the same as the previous match, but one thing is for certain. Even though the Velveteen Dream lost to NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, he earned my respect and I look forward to watching this man whether it be in NXT or when he gets the call up. I loved the theatrics and the ode to Hollywood Hogan that Dream displayed last night. Last, but certainly not least the WarGames match once again lived up the hype as Ricochet, Pete Dunne, and the War Raiders went to war with The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly). Both teams blazed a path of destruction that I will never forget, but The Undisputed Era couldn’t get it done this time around. While it’s a hard choice to make, but the match of the night winner in my opinion is Aleister Black vs Johnny Gargano. Check out the event on the WWE Network and check out my predictions below for Survivor Series.