2020 Pro Wresting Truth Year End Awards (Elite 80, Best Matches of the Year List + more)

 2020 PRO WRESTLING TRUTH YEAR END AWARDS

THIS IS HELLA LATE AND WAS WRITTEN BACK IN JANUARY BUT I NEVER GOT AROUND TO POSTING IT AND I WILL NOT BE REVISING IT ANY FURTHER SO HERE GOES...

Hello, it is about a month late, but life and the world has been crazy. I haven't done anything like this since 2014, I think? Or 2015, actually now that I think about it. Pretty crazy! I'm not sure what dove me fully back into wrestling in the last year and a half after an on/off break in 2016-2018. Maybe it's just having more time on my hands now that I'm not doing much of anything with music and work is the only thing on my plate. Regardless, it's been a very enjoyable, but tedious dive back into doing this stuff.

Having to rebuild my audience after years away from reviewing has been tough, but I'd like to think I'm starting to build some consistency back and I hope to meet more new people through this outlet in the new year. Thanks to anyone who's stuck around from the old glory days of 2014-2015 and thank you to anyone who's new to reading my stuff. I appreciate you taking the time to check this blog out and see what I have to say. I truly do this just for fun and because I love compiling lists and trying to keep up with a sport I've loved since childhood. I'd also like to shout out my friends Donnie and Mike, both of whom have contributed to this site in some form in recent years, and are my 100% consistent in real life wrestling buddies that I watch almost everything with. I love y'all <3

Now, onto this. So this year I'm doing things like how I used to. I'm bringing back my PRO WRESTLING TRUTH ELITE 80 wrestlers of the year list (with a sliiiiightly different format) and am also doing Top 10 Wrestler lists for WWE, AEW, and NJPW with write ups on each plus a Top 25 Overall Matches of the Year List consisting of any promotion. Individual promotion Top 10 Matches of the Year List will be listed on my 2020 Year in Review tab at a later date, probably a few days from now. I just needed to get the main stuff out before I let it slip under the rag as the year starts pressing onward. Also, if you want a month by month list of every match I watched and rated that was ***+ you can find that here!

Without further a due, let's start this thing off with the 25 Best Matches of 2020::::::

Best Matches of the Year (Overall): 

1) Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (c) vs. The Young Bucks - AEW World Tag Team Title Match - AEW: Revolution - 2/29/20 - *****

NJPW: Best of the Super Juniors/World Tag League 2020 Finals - December 11th, 2020

NJPW: BOSJ/WTL 2020 Finals

December 11th, 2020

1) Taiji Ishimori, Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens vs. SHO, Robbie Eagles & Toru Yano 

It’s Bullet Club vs. CHAOS here in this opener and it’s more fun than any Fale/Owens match from WTL. Honestly surprised me how enjoyable this was. Very action packed and compact with BC getting a dominant win and bullying Yano post match for trying to slam Fale. They break his KOPW trophy and his go pro :( 

Match rating - **3/4 

2) Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, & Great O’ Khan (w/ Bea Priestley) vs. Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Toa Henare 

It’s the first time seeing the Empire all together in the same match. Okada calls out Ospreay to start and surprisingly gets him and we get a preview of January 4th to start which is cool. Since this the Empire’s first trios match it’s important they get an impressive showing and they definitely did. Henare looked like he may have Cobb beat, but he doesn’t and gets put away with Tour of the Islands. Another fun match that helped further build towards Wrestle Kingdom with GOK taking a chair to the leg of Tanahashi after an OsCutter from Ospreay. So not only are we getting Okada/Ospreay, but boy does it look like GOK/Tana is likely now too. 

Match rating - **1/2

3) EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi vs. Shingo Takagi & SANADA

Togo chokes out SANADA early and Shingo is in a 2 on 1 situation. This makes for an insane comeback from SANADA as he shows an urgency and intensity I’ve NEVER seen from him as he attacks EVIL and throws stiff blows to his former partners face. Meanwhile, this allows Shingo to destroy Yujiro for the win. Very short match, more about the brawl between SANADA and EVIL which carried on after the match and into the back.

Match rating - **1/4

Shingo is left alone in the ring and Jeff Cobb shows up. He takes the NEVER belt. Shingo tries to take it back and gets pulled into tour of the islands! Awesome spot. Cobb wants Shingo’s NEVER title as he poses over him with it after this assault. 

4) Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI 

Wow, what a huge match for Wato to be in. And wow we are getting to see Naito & Ibushi link it up before WK. They are really pushing how dangerous those two are in the ring together by having a doctor at ringside even for this match and that scares me for what they will do at Wrestle Kingdom. This was the best of the opening matches on this show. Wato gets worn down by LIJ, Ibushi gets the hot tag and there’s an awesome finishing run. Wato does a corkscrew plancha onto Naito whilst Ibushi hits BUSHI with kamigoye for the win.

Match rating - ***

5) Guerillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) - World Tag League Tournament Finals

FinJuice are looking for their second tournament victory in a row. GoD has kinda been the story of the tournament, as expected, as they are trying to get the one thing that has always alluded them - the World Tag League Tournament victory/trophy. The match is about what you'd expect. They deliver some good action and there's some interference. Jado is thrown out early, but returns which allows for fellow Bullet Club member KENTA to SMACK Juice with the IWGP US Title briefcase which leads to the GoD victory & also busts Juice open OOF. That was nasty. GoD gets the victory they have been preaching about for a while. Fun stuff. 

Match rating - ***1/2

6) Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado - Best of the Super Juniors 27 Tournament Finals 

If you would’ve told me this would be the finals match a few month ago, I’d probably be underwhelmed. As someone who has watched NJPW moderately for a couple years, I admit Desperado is not someone who ever caught my eye. I watched mostly all big events then just the standout matches, so I never saw much of him except a couple of Junior tag matches or some random BOSJ stuff from prior years. I really regret that because in this tournament that some people have called less star studded without the additions of many outside talent and the loss of Shingo & Ospreay to the heavyweight division, I feel a number of people who have been around a while got a chance to break out. And El Desperado is undoubtedly the one that not only broke out, but completely solidified himself as a top singles star in the Junior division. Great matches across the board and the history I’ve learned he has with Hiromu & DOUKI.. it’s just all so fucking good. And then we get here and holy shit almighty. This match is one of the best NJPW matches of the entire year and possibly my favorite one. As said before, Hiromu & Desperado have a steep history together as young lions. One I highly recommend looking into because it’s what makes this match so special. Hiromu has been a star for a while, Desperado has been on the back burner and he’s sick of it and will do anything to show Hiromu up on the biggest stage of all. These two throw absolute bombs and give each other everything they’ve got. The moment that turned this into an epic though was Hiromu ripping part of Despy’s mask off and Despy stands up and rips the rest of it off himself and they ABSOLUTELY TEAR INTO EACH OTHER. FUCK. These two went to war. Despy gets the Death Valley driver into the corner that has the turnbuckles exposed and it bruises and cuts his back/shoulder open. He’s bleeding in his front teeth. He fought like hell and refused to give up even after a timebomb. It takes two to put him away after the best match of his career and the best match of this tournament. Hiromu wins his second BOSJ. Epic match. Wow. 

Match rating - ****3/4

WWE Monday Night Raw Review (kind of) - November 30th, 2020

I don’t watch much WWE these days. Little to no TV stuff, an occasional NXT viewing and I tune in for atleast a little bit of every PPV if not the whole thing. However, I saw Styles/Riddle/Lee advertised for the show tonight and decided to give it a watch.

I’ve had this happen a few times where I see a match I expect to be good and decide to try to watch, but most times I’m bored before the match even starts or left disappointed. Tonight was the first time that didn’t happen in god only knows when.

That’s not to say tonight’s show was amazing, hell, I didn’t even watch the whole thing. However, I did catch three of the matches and a segment or two. And what I did catch was good enough that I wanted to write this little review/article up about them. 

Randy Orton opened the show as a guest on Alexa Bliss’ Moment of Bliss. I immediately sighed as I have no interest in 2014 Orton/Wyatt rehash. However, this segment honestly kept my interest. Orton continues to be awesome in 2020 and hooked me as soon as he started cutting his promo on the similarities he has with the Fiend and his past with Wyatt. Orton says he found Wyatt’s weakness and now he has to find The Fiend’s and he thinks he has... it’s Alexa. Vintage Orton stuff. Lights go out and Fiend shows up. Orton has Bliss in his arms and tosses him back to the Fiend and backs away. As Orton walks up the ramp, he says “who’s laughing now?” — now, I enjoyed this segment. I highly doubt it will make me excited about this feud going forward, but I normally wouldn’t even care to give this the time of day so I’d say that’s a win. 

Jeff Hardy vs. Elias - Symphony of Destruction Match 

This match followed the opening segment. A Hardy/Elias feud is something nightmares are made of, but this match was super fun for TV. Hardy’s swanton off the top turnbuckle to the floor crashing Elias through a table was a sick finish and honestly pretty scary as Hardy’s head landed on the corner of the steel steps. 

Match rating - ***

Cedric Alexander (w/ MVP & Shelton Benjamin) vs. Xavier Woods (w/ Kofi Kingston) 

So much talent surrounding this match, it’s just a travesty it’s been so misused, mainly in reference to the Hurt Business because New Day are the goats. None the less, this was a hot little singles match. Both guys got their shit in and it was a breeze to watch. Cedric wins and leaves to celebrate on his own which was... weird. MVP and Shelton look confused.

Match rating - **1/2 

AJ Styles vs. Keith Lee vs. Riddle - #1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match 

First off, why the fuck is Matt Riddle now just known as “Riddle?” Okay.. now to the good shit aka this match. It isn’t a PPV caliber MOTY contender that it probably could’ve been given more time and drama considering the talent involved, but it’s pretty damn suffice. We get spurts of what made Riddle & Lee’s matches on the indies so special. Styles has some awesome striking exchanges with Riddle and is the perfect sly heel and provided a great dynamic for two big time baby faces like Lee & Riddle. Also, the backstage segment between Riddle & Styles before this match was a lot of fun too. Anyways, after a bunch of action, Styles pins Riddle to win and will go on to TLC to face Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship! 

Match rating - ***1/4

Drew McIntyre & Sheamus vs. The Miz & John Morrison 

And with the result of the triple threat, I had a feeling we’d see AJ pop up during this main event so I made sure to tune back in for it and I’m sure glad I did. To begin, this match was a lot better than I expected. They isolated Sheamus and Miz & Morrison had some awesome new offense I hadn’t seen them use before. They build towards an EPIC Drew McIntyre hot tag. He really does feel like the main event guy WWE has built him as even without a crowd. Just great shit, AJ interferes and lays out Drew with a flying forearm and... tries to get Miz to cash in his briefcase?!?!? This is brilliant. Not AT ALL what I expected from this match or aftermath. I expected a simple AJ interference spot however WWE actually threw us something exciting as it felt like Miz may cash in which always generates that buzz feeling especially since the WWE Title did change hands on TV a few weeks ago thus making it more believable that it could happen again. This also builds AJ even moreso as the coward heel who sees Miz as an easier opponent than big Drew. It’s beneficial for both parties and I love it. Having Omos carry AJ out to “save Drew from getting embarrassed” was the icing on the cake. This match is gonna rule. 

Really sorta refreshing show here? I left thinking hm.. I’ll tune into TLC for sure and this time I’ll actually have some backstory because I normally just catch up day of the PPV’s. Not sure if I’ll tune in next week, probably depends on what matches are announced, but this was a pretty enjoyable Monday night and they have a lot of promising stuff in the works, let’s hope it continues and delivers. 

NJPW: World Tag League/Best of Super Juniors 2020 Night One Review - November 15th, 2020

NJPW World Tag League/BOSJ Night One Double Header 

November 15th, 2020 

The pandemic set everything back a few months so New Japan is combining the World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors into one tour and in smaller blocks. This is one of the few joint shows with both tournaments hosting matches on the same event and is the kickoff event for both.

1) Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (CHAOS) vs. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens (Bullet Club) - World Tag League Tournament Match 

It’s been a whiiiiile since we’ve seen Fale & Owens and I can’t say I’ve necessarily missed them. Owens pie faces Ishii to start and gets knocked on his ass before the classic bullet club tactics allow he & Fale to isolate the stone pitbull. Ishii fires back and throws Owens with a suplex and gets Yano in. Yano & Fale work for a bit. We get a clever bit for the finish with Owens going to break up a pin, Yano moving and then jumping on top of both Owens & Fale for a quick three count. This was exactly what it should have been because if this had gone much longer it probably would’ve been a huge stinker, but for what it is here, it’s harmless. 

Match rating - **

Fale destroys Yano post match. 

2) Master Wato (w/ Hiryoshi Tenzan) vs. Yuya Uemura - Best of the Super Juniors Tournament Match

NJPW: Power Struggle 2020 Review

NJPW Power Struggle 

November 7th, 2020 

The fall out from the G1 Climax 30 and the final big stop before NJPW's biggest event of the year that happens every January - Wrestle Kingdom.

1) Toru Yano (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr - No Corner Pads Match for the KOPW Trophy 

Yano/Sabre is always fun. This stip is dumb and the KOPW thing is pretty much worthless aside from giving Yano something to do. Sabre has said if he wins this he will just throw the trophy in the trash. Some shenanigans early, but this is serious for the most part, Sabre works on the legs and keeps Yano grounded forcing him to wrestle. Yano hits a belly to belly for some separation but finds himself back in a hold moments later in the center of the ring. They roll to the floor and Zack has Yano in a leg lock across the railing and unbeknownst to Zack, Yano ties Zack’s laces to the railing and wins via countout. 

Match rating - **

2) Minoru Suzuki (c) vs. Shingo Takagi - NEVER Openweight Title Match 

AEW: Dynamite Review - October 7th, 2020

AEW: Dynamite

Chris Jericho 30th Anniversary Appreciation Night 

October 7th, 2020 

Show opens with various stars talking about Chris Jericho and his influence on them/their favorite moments of his. Darby Allin, Santana & Ortiz, Scorpio Sky, & Britt Baker are among those featured. 

We are thrown to the commentary booth that is even more packed than usual with Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur, Taz and Ricky Starks residing. They run down a couple things for the night and we are kicking off with Brian Cage defending the FTW Title against Will Hobbs !! 

1) Brian Cage (c) vs. Will Hobbs - FTW Title Match 

It’s finally here - Will Hobbs’ first big singles match and I’d say he definitely delivered. Just your basic Brian Cage style match with a little more emotion than normal bc it’s Hobbs’ big opportunity. Cool moment I enjoyed near the end was Hobbs hitting Cage with his spine buster finisher and Cage kicks out which leaves Tony Schiavone with the line “now let’s see what he’s made of” as Hobbs stands trying to figure out what move he can even do next. He goes for a big frog splash only to miss and get drilled and lose. I look forward to a rematch between these two. 

Match rating - ***1/2

As fun as the match was, the post match was even fucking better. Ricky Starks steps from the commentary table and hits the ring looking like a STAR. I love that dude, I swear. He just has the look and he & Cage are perfect together with Taz. Taz gets on the mic and is as on point as ever as he offers Hobbs the chance to join Team Taz or get the hell beat out of him. Darby Allin’s music hits as they corner Hobbs and I GOT CHILLS. Starks & Cage slowly back away as Darby taunts them with the skateboard. Taz calls Darby a rotten punk and that he will learn not to get in Team Taz’s business one day soon. This angle is so hot right now. 

Slash, Hiroshi Tanahashi and several others are the next group of Jericho shout outs. Never thought I’d put Slash and Hiroshi Tanahashi in the same sentence but hell yeah. 

2) FTR (c) vs. TH2 (Jack Evans & Angelico) - AEW World Tag Team Title Match 

Jack flips his way to the damn ring, literally. What an insane human being. The Young Bucks are shown watching FTR’s entrance with a shitty look on their face. Jack Evans hits some crazy, sloppy fast offense to stun FTR early. This turns into a pretty competitive match. You could tell Jack had some ring rust, but other than that this was fun. FTR retains. 

Match rating - ***

Best Friends come out to a huge reaction and feel. I swear they are possibly the biggest stars in this company right now - definitely in the tag division. They have shirts on bridging off them calling FTR weenies last week. Next week Best Friends challenge FTR for the Tag Team titles and I am READY. This little feud rules. 

3) Brodie Lee (w/ John Silver) (c) vs. Cody (w/ Arn Anderson) - Dog Collar Match for the TNT Title 

It’s Cody in a gimmick match fueled by emotion so you know it rocks. They milk the stipulation, beat the hell out of each other and bleed buckets. Cody winning the title right back seemed a little abrupt and brought some flack from some. But it’s what we got and the match was good and having to see Brodie covered in blood and beaten to that pulp is the only way I think we should see him getting beaten right now so hell yeah on that note. 

Match rating - ****

Post match, Cody is riled up and says he will always be for the people and will defend the title again next week. Out walks FRESHLY SQUEEZED ORANGE CASSIDY and here we fuckin go. Cody/OC next week as they give each other the thumbs up as we go to break. 

COLT CABANA, WARDLOW, & HANGMAN PAGE are announced for the AEW Title tournament that also features Kenny Omega, Jungle Boy & Rey Fenix. Fuckin WARDLOW huh? Stoked on that. 

Big thing from that announcement was Page being announced. Also excited about that although I think we all saw it coming from a mile away. Kenny gets interviewed backstage and says he will win the tournament because he’s won tournaments around the world and it doesn’t matter if a “tag team wrestler like Page” is in it or not. Inject Page/Omega final into my veins. 

4) Big Swole vs. Serena Deeb

Yo this was solid. Both women busted their ass and delivered a great match despite being in the cool down portion of the show after the hot TNT title match. The final few moments were nuts and Serena Deeb was defnitely an amazing addition to the AEW team. Swole takes the victory when all is said and done.

Match rating - ***1/4

5) Inner Circle (Chris Jericho & Jake Hager) vs. Chaos Project (Luther & Serpentico) 

After a night of videos congratulating him, Jericho finally appears for our main event and it’s a fitting one for this show. They work a basic tv main event tag and it’s more than suffice considering we already had a blow away melodrama match like Brodie/Cody. This really felt special for Jericho and another awesome moment to cap off a special night for Y2J. And of course he & Hager win to boot. 

Match rating - **3/4 

Jericho goes to give a speech post match with The Inner Circle beside him. MJF interrupts with gifts and they do a bit to close before celebrating together. Yeah yeah. 

DYNAMITE ANNIVERSARY SHOW NEXT WEEK WITH ALL THE TITLES ON THE LINE SEE U THEN

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Eleven Review - October 7th, 2020

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 30

OCTOBER 7TH, 2020

1) Tomohiro Ishii (2-3) (4 pts) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0-5) (0 pts) - Block A Match 

Ok what da fuck. Yujiro has an opener that doesn’t put me to sleep. Ishii can make a match with just about anyone good even if it’s against an 0-5 Yujiro Takahashi in a Grade One Climax opener. Lots of sick action down the stretch. Ishii wins and gets a much needed two points! Poor Yujiro is 0-6. 

Match rating - ***1/4 

2) Kazuchika Okada (3-2) (6 pts) vs. Jeff Cobb (2-3) (4 pts) - Block A Match 

First time ever match here. And I swear man, even if Okada has been kinda off this year he’s still that dude. The vibe is just always off the charts. None the less, yeah, this was what it was. Starts slow then has a hot final few minutes and Okada wins with the same cradle/pinning combo thing he caught Suzuki in on Night 9. Cobb was real cocky here even throwing up the rainmaker pose at one point. 

Match rating - ***

3) Minoru Suzuki (3-2) (6 pts) vs. Will Ospreay (3-2) (6 pts) - Block A Match 

IM SO READY FOR THIS. I want to see our lord and savior Suzuki pummel this man. They start with a strike battle right at the bell. Kevin Kelly says when you face Suzuki “you know you’re gonna get beat half to death” lmao. Hot start, middle portion slows down for a minute or two then they go into insanity. Suzuki threw stiff shots and Ospreay returned in kind which was wild to see in both regards. This felt like it was just heating up as it ended. Ospreay wins with storm breaker. 

Match rating - ***1/2

4) Jay White (3-2) (6 pts) vs. Taichi (3-2) (6 pts) - Block A Match 

Never on paper would I expect these two to have such a banger but then again, maybe I would considering that hot run Taichi has been on. Jay taunted Taichi by sitting in a chair in the corner of the ring as Taichi made his entrance which really set the tone for this match of two men with some similar personality traits as far as doing whatever it takes to win. Things really heat up down the stretch after Jay kinda controlled things early. Taichi targets the leg and Jay tries to thwart him from it asking for a forearm which Taichi obliges later and it’s a STIFF ONE. So yeah Taichi mounts his comeback, they do some ref bump/overbooking shit but it is actually fun here. Anyways, they both go for finishers but Jay nails the blade runner for the win. 

Match rating - ***1/2

5) Kota Ibushi (4-1) (8 pts) vs. Shingo Takagi (3-2) (6 pts) - Block A Match 

This is the match I was most excited about when the blocks and cards were announced. My two favorite Japanese wrestlers. Two men I've followed for a decade clashing on a grand stage for the first time ever. Kota is fighting for a second G1 Climax tournament victory and Shingo is battling for his first in a tournament of ups and downs thus far. This match was exactly what you’d expect from the two - bombs. They didn’t go into epic territory but they definitely threw the fuck down and made me gasp on a couple occasions. Plus, seeing them in this setting was special on its own. It’s felt like some matches in this year’s G1 have been missing something or not on the level of normal and I can’t help but wonder if some of our expectations are just too high. I wanted a five star match here and I didn’t get that, but I got a great fucking fight and to see two of my favorites clash so I’m not gonna complain one bit. 

Match rating - ****1/4

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Ten Review - October 6th, 2020

NJPW: G1 CLIMAX 30 

OCTOBER 6TH 2020

 

1) Hirooki Goto (1-4) (2 pts) vs. Toru Yano (4-1) (8 pts) - Block B Match 

I am nervous for poor Goto here. But it turns out that there is no reason to be because this is the quickest match in G1 history as Goto defeats Yano with a roll up in 18 seconds. Lord jesus. 

Match rating - **

2) Zack Sabre Jr (2-2) (4 pts) vs. SANADA (1-3) (2 pts) - Block B Match

Zack defeated Sanada at Wrestle Kingdom this year to retain the RPW British Heavyweight Title. Circumstances are a little different here as SANADA is coming off a massive victory over Naito that could turn his tournament around. ZSJ is hot off a flashy victory over Goto and they open this thing trading roll ups and pinning combinations. Fucking great, hot start honestly and it stayed that way for pretty much the entire stretch and I really kinda fucking loved this. Hold for hold, near fall for near fall. It felt like it could end at anytime and was different than any match either man had in the tournament prior. Let’s go! SANADA wins with a moonsault. 

Match rating - ***1/2

3) EVIL (w/ Dick Togo) (2-2) (4 pts) vs. Juice Robinson (3-1) (6 pts) - Block B Match 

Idk I just could not get into this. Juice rules and is the ultimate baby face but EVIL is such a drag. My favorite part of this aside from the action in the last minute or two was Togo and Juice going at it on the floor. EVIL wins and no one is very surprised. Pretty forgettable average match despite not being outright bad (like a lot of these lowercard G1 matches this year sadly :/)

Match rating - **3/4

4) Tetsuya Naito (3-1) (6 pts) vs. YOSHI HASHI (1-3) (2 pts) - Block B Match

Yoshi continues his trend of giving hell to all his big name opponents in the tournament and Naito continues his trend of never delivering a bad match. This did seem to go a little long considering it’s almost 25 minutes, but the entire final 10 minute stretch fucking rules. If you take out some of the filler in the first 15, this could’ve probably been a four star match, but as it sits, it’s a solid 3.5. Naito wins, but Yoshi looked fucking great. Match of the night. 

Match rating - ***1/2

5) Hiroshi Tanahashi (2-2) (4 pts) vs. KENTA (2-2) (4 pts) - Block B Match

Vintage face vs heel pro wrestling here. Last year, KENTA defeated the Ace in their first and only singles match in the G1. A big moment as it was essentially NOAH vs NJPW. Fast forward a year later and KENTA has become a despised character and wants to one up the Ace and embarrass him again. KENTA works the leg early. Tana fights but gets caught with stuff like a dragon screw off the apron to the floor. This also plagued Tana when he went for the clover leaf and couldn’t quite hang on or lock it in like he wanted. Things break down and KENTA nails Tana with his briefcase following a ref bump. But Tana still kicks out! Baby face fire ~~~~ this leads to the comeback and he taps Tana forces him to tap. Good main event. 

Match rating - ***1/4 

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Nine Review - October 5th, 2020

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Nine 

October 5th, 2020 

1) Shingo Takagi (1-3) (2 pts) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0-4) (0 points) - Block A Match 

How is Shingo 1-3??? Anyway he just had an insane main event against Ishii so he struggles a little to put this away as quick as you’d think, but it’s quite the enjoyable little opener even if it felt like it went a slight bit too long. Shingo wins with last of the dragon. 

Match rating - **3/4 

2) Jay White (3-1) (6 pts) vs. Jeff Cobb (1-3) (2 pts) - Block A Match

This felt like a rushed upset. For such a huge win for Cobb, it felt flat with White seeming to never have Cobb’s number despite having the most dominant run of anyone in this block so far. Idk, just didn’t make sense to me, but I’m also probably still bitter ab Cobb beating Shingo lol. None the less, White struggles to combat Cobb’s power and falls to it and the tour of the islands after around 12 minutes despite Gedo’s interference attempts. If this has played out and gotten 10 more minutes it could’ve been awesome because the story was good it just seemed disjointed in delivery. 

Match rating - **1/2 

3) Kazuchika Okada (2-2) (4 pts) vs. Minoru Suzuki (3-1) (6 pts) - Block A Match

I've seen some flack on this, but I really enjoyed it. Okada/Suzuki had a match a few years back that was high on my MOTY list so I was excited for a rematch even though this is under entirely different circumstances. Suzuki really works over Okada early on and Okada has to fight from under and fire back and in the midst of that sneaks a victory with a pinning combo and manages to escape a match with Suzuki unscathed and with 6 points! Fun little match.

Match rating - ***

4) Tomohiro Ishii (2-2) (4 pts) vs. Taichi (3-1) (6 pts) - Block A Match

These two always have bangers and this was no different as it was probably the match of the night. Taichi having such a great run in the tourney this year so far definitely added to the heat and intensity that these two already have against each other naturally. After a hell of a slugfest, Ishii secures a much needed victory. 

Match rating - ***3/4 

5) Kota Ibushi (3-1) (6 pts) vs. Will Ospreay (3-1) (6 pts) - Block A Match 

Ahhhhh this was so good in the final few minutes. Sorry to jump ahead but I got real riled up at the finish. This is a rematch from Wrestle Kingdom where Ospreay seemingly solidified himself in the jump from junior to heavyweight with a victory against a man who did the same. Here, Ibushi gets his victory back in a match that starts off pretty ordinary but turns into a heater in the last few moments but ends just as it starts getting good. Fair enough, though, it was about time for a shorter main event. IBUSHI WINS AND MY HEART IS HAPPY :) 

Match rating - ***1/2 

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Eight Review - October 1st, 2020

 NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Eight Review - October 1st, 2020

Okay so I am literally FIVE nights behind so we are skipping young lions matches totally going forward. I am so sorry but I gotta keep it moving. They did have a draw in the opener on this night though so there’s your update <3 moving onnnnn 

1) Juice Robinson (2-1) (4 pts) vs. Toru Yano (3-0) (6 pts) - Block B Match

“No bullshit, now, okay?” -Juice Robinson 

Lots of more typical Yano fun here and Juice is hilarious in this stuff too so it was good. But we got some solid action as it went on before the inevitable fairly quick finish with Juice ending Yano’s crazy win streak via a roll up. Yano & Juice are both now tied at 6 points. So FUNNN. 

Match rating - **1/2

2) Zack Sabre Jr. (1-2) (2 pts) vs. Hirooki Goto (1-2) (2 pts) - Block B Match

Wow this ended so quickly. Goto has a hurt shoulder and is coming off a grueling Naito match. Sabre toys with him a little. They throw a bomb or two then Sabre catches him in his signature bridging pinning combo thing for the win. 

Match rating - **

3) Hiroshi Tanahashi (1-2) (2 pts) vs. YOSHI-HASHI (1-2) (2 pts) - Block B Match

Yoshi has really shown up to this G1 and he locks up with Tana here to start things off in what turns out to be a pretty evenly contested match. Yoshi gives Tana a real struggle and although it never made me doubt a Tana victory, it felt like there could be an upset on a few occasions. Tana wins with the high fly flow. 

Match rating - ***1/4 

4) KENTA (2-1) (4 pts) vs. EVIL (1-2) (2 pts) (w/ Dick Togo) - Block B Match

Ahhhh ok. So modern Bullet Club is hit or miss but I am still a mark for the group bc of the history and the glory days. Therefore, this is super intriguing to me. I love KENTA and Togo, could care less about EVIL as I’ve said before but the fact remains that EVIL emerged as a new member of BC, along with Togo, while KENTA was away in the US due to Covid so seeing these two clash is super interesting. EVIL refuses to too sweet KENTA despite teasing it. KENTA tries to play mind games early by attempting to whisper stuff in Togo’s ear at ringside and coaxing him to hit EVIL. Togo disparages this apparent doubt by grabbing KENTA’s legs and tripping him up moments later. This allowed EVIL to take control and work the shoulder and arm of KENTA. EVIL was clearly more of the rudo here which was a little weird since KENTA has been super heel for so long. KENTA hits Togo with the briefcase at one point and that sets up for Togo to get involved down the stretch. KENTA lifts him for a GTS but this leads to a low blow from EVIL off the distraction and the finish. 

Match rating - ***

5) Tetsuya Naito (3-0) (6 pts) vs. SANADA (0-3) (6 pts) - Block B Match

Honestly dreading this. Love me some Naito, but SANADA in a main event has never done much for me.  The only interesting part is they are stable mates and this is in SANADA’s home town per say. I have to say though, this turned out pretty great. Especially considering the low expectations I had. Naito is truly the ace of this block and knocks his main events out of the park every single time. The final few minutes featured some awesome drama and back & forth and the finish came as a huge surprise to me and I wasn’t even mad about despite my disinterest in SANADA. It was an awesome moment for him and his post match promo/moment with the crowd and the lights dimmed down felt special. Also noting that Naito was 3-0 and SANADA was 0-3 heading into this adds even more to the story, I may actually have to re-watch this bc I didn't realize that in my initial viewing. 

Match rating - ***3/4

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Seven Review - September 30th, 2020

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Seven

September 30th, 2020

Let’s gooo. Back to Block A we go. Also I’m super behind so I’m skipping the young lions match on this show DONT HATE ME. 

1) Minoru Suzuki (2-1) (4 pts) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0-3) (0 pts) - Block A Match 

Godddd I love Suzuki’s theme. I feel bad for Yujiro here. But just as I type that he charges Suzuki with a boot and we get a pretty sick brawl to start. They’re on the outside for a while before it heads back in the ring and despite a few flurry attempts, Suzuki puts down Yujiro with the gotch style piledriver. 

Match rating - **3/4

2) Jeff Cobb (1-2) (2 pts) vs. Kota Ibushi (1-2) (2 pts) - Block A Match 

First time meeting here and it bangs! Not a blow away match, but you get what you’d want out of it. Crazy power and speed stuff from both dudes. Cobb hits a fuckin F-5,000 that spins Ibushi in the air and flattens him to the mat for a near fall. Ibushi won’t give up as usual and is able to hit a Kamigoye for the win. I want this rematch again down the line. Ibushi shows respect to a fallen Cobb post match and god damn I love him so much ugh. 

Match rating - ***1/2

3) Kazuchika Okada (1-2) (2 pts) vs. Taichi (3-0) (6 pts) - Block A Match 

Okada/Taichi is always a good match. With the circumstances this year it's no surpise it was indeed just that. Taichi is on arguably the run of his career as far as the G1 goes. He's 3-0 and Okada has been hit or miss. Can Taichi get this huge upset and 8 points to put himself in the lead of the block? Well, the answer is no, but he put in a hell of a fight, dominating the rainmaker from the outset and targeting his back. Some awesome exchanges down the stretch, it never felt like an epic or even the best match they've had together, but it was good. Taichi submits to the money clip. 

Match rating - ***1/4

4) Will Ospreay (2-1) (4 pts) vs. Jay White (3-0) (6 pts) - Block A Match

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Jay White is looking to continue billing this entire tournament as his - the J1 as he is undefeated with victories over Shingo, Okada, & Ibushi. Ospreay is trying to bounce back after his loss to Shingo. This match was honestly great from start to finish. It was basic Jay formula which helped keep Ospreay from getting out of hand and going off the deep end. It honestly hurt to see White take the pin here as I'm still very sour on Ospreay continuing to be pushed. But yeah, this match ruled.

Match rating - ****

5) Shingo Takagi (2-1) (4 pts) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (0-3) (0 pts) - Block A Match

These two tore the damn house down last year in a match where Shingo was victorious. This year, we have Ishii without a single victory yet in three nights of competition so you know he's gonna be pissed as fuck and add even more to this hoss fight. Ishii did just that and came out swinging, but Shingo was able to combat it and take control after a few minutes. This was pretty back & forth for the majority of it and ended up going almost 30 minutes which was a little too long, even for my taste. They weren't able to top or match their bout from last year which I felt is what they were going for, but they still delivered us one hell of an exhausting slugfest with a logical ending as Ishii finally hit the brainbuster he's been unable to hit all tournament and subsequently gets the victory.

Match rating - ****

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Six Review - September 29th, 2020

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 - Night Six 

September 29th, 2020

1) Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura - Young Lions Match

Kidd runs his ass to the ring and this thing gets underway. Honestly didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to this until Uemura started working over the back which led to the finish with another deep single legged Boston crab which forced Kidd to tap. 

Match rating - **1/4

2) SANADA (0-2) (0 pts) vs. Yoshi Hashi (0-2) (0 pts) Block B Match 

Yoshi had a solid showing against EVIL on Night Four - will that happen here? I certainly hope so bc it takes a lot for me to get into a SANADA match. They fight to the floor and Sanada hits a hanging twisting suplex off the railing that allows him to start taking control and ground YOSHI back in the ring. YOSHI ends up coming back but it’s back and forth and pretty basic. But THEN the final 2-3 minutes kick in and those fucking rule. Mainly thanks to YOSHI and subsequently he gets the victory. Zero points no more.

Match rating - **3/4

3) KENTA (1-1) (2 pts) vs. Zack Sabre Jr (1-1) (2 pts) - Block B Match 

WHEW. This was something serious. KENTA is pissed following his loss to Juice and used that as motivation to avenge his loss to Sabre in last year’s G1. The action here was simple. KENTA focused on strikes and Sabre focused on grappling. In the end, KENTA and his strikes were just too much and ZSJ falls to the GTS after a real good match. 

Match rating - ***1/2

4) Hiroshi Tanahashi (0-2) (0 pts) vs. Juice Robinson (2-0) (4 pts) - Block B Match 

Huge match for Juice here against the ace. But also a huge match for the ace as he hasn’t been able to secure a victory in the tournament thus far. With that in mind, Tana fights hard here and Juice always has his heart on his sleeve so this was fun. Tana gets the win with a cradle when all is said and done to break his losing streak. 

Match rating - ***1/4

5) EVIL (1-1) (2 pts) vs. Toru Yano (2-0) (4 pts) - Block B Match 

I have a feeling I’m gonna get a hoot out of this... and yes I fucking did. Yano beats EVIL and I am fucking rolling. In less than FIVE MINUTES. Was slightly confused/bummed at him beating Tana & Okada bc <3 but I couldn’t care less about EVIL so LETS GO. 

Match rating - **

6) Tetsuya Naito (2-0) (4 pts) vs. Hirooki Goto (1-1) (2 pts) - Block B Match 

I’m super high on Naito rn and I have a soft spot for Goto however this match proved to be a very good display of why Goto has never moved up higher than where he’s at. His best matches are the short bangers with dudes like Ishii because although he is super solid in these long main events, there’s no fire or real intrigue. So, yes, this didn’t bother me, but it also didn’t grab me. It was just a good match that happened. Naito wins with two destinos around the 20 minute mark. 

Match rating - ***

Final thoughts: Nothing must see on this show. KENTA/ZSJ is worth a look but everything else is passable. Except maybe the Yano match bc it’s so such short and harmless fun. 

WWE: NXT Takeover 31 Review - October 4th, 2020

WWE: NXT Takeover 31 

October 4th, 2020

The 31st NXT Takeover event and the start of a new era as the performance center has been redesigned as the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

1) Damian Priest (c) vs. Johnny Gargano - North American Title Match 

As I said when watching this, this is where Johnny belongs, in hot openers, not hot opener style matches billed as main events. Not to hate too bad bc I like Johnny, I’m just so glad he’s out of the main event picture. Damian Priest is the perfect opponent for him and they proceed to knock this out of the park. Lots of back and forth and big moves. They tease the same stair spot that fucked Priest up at the last Takeover before going into the finish. Priest retains in a great match with a huge victory. 

Match rating - ***3/4

2) KUSHIDA vs. Velveteen Dream 

KUSHIDA is PISSED and I love it. He absolutely tears Velveteen apart here with nothing stopping him. Dream fights back but KUSHIDA is focused and keeps his attack focused on the arm in the most vicious ways. I hope they keep this momentum going for KUSHIDA and don’t let him flop. Flipping hoverboard lock off the top rope. Dream rolls through and Death Valley driver’s  KUSHIDA but KUSHIDA KEEPS IT FUCKING LOCKED IN AND DREAM TAPS. 

Match rating - ***3/4

3) Santos Escobar (c) vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott - NXT Cruserweight Title Match 

Wooooooowwww. How in the actual fuck was this so good? I had no backstory to this, but it had me on the edge of my seat for the entire final half of the match. Swerve looked like an absolute STAR, throwing out a ton of high flying moves early and stunning the champion. When it goes into back and forth, we get a run down from Mendoza & Wilde and Swerve hits a damn step up flying rana throwing Escobar onto them. Ashante Adonis runs down for the save and this feels like actual chaos. A couple kick outs later and we are in the midst of one of the best cruserweight title matches of all time. The finish came off a little weak with the camera angle, but this was still so insanely good and better than it had any right to be. This is the best cruserweight title match alongside Rush/Garza from earlier this year and makes me want to tune in to 205 Live if these guys are even still on that?? I hope so because they could really develop some goooood shit off this match, but I won't get my hopes too high.

Match rating - ****1/4 

4) Io Shirai (c) vs. Candice LeRae - NXT Women’s Title Match 

This pretty much ruled. The only thing I disliked was the Johnny Gargano interference. He adds so much unnecessary melodrama to a match that was good on its own without the overbooking, but atleast it’s happening here and not in the main event (hopefully). None the less, this was another great match on an awesome show. Candice hits the god damn curb stomp ala Super Dragon. Shirai hits a insane Spanish fly off the top rope followed by a deep ass moonsault for the pin to retain. 

Match rating - ***3/4 

Post match, Toni Storm is on the screen and says she’s coming back to NXT. THEN Ember Moon returns. The women’s division just got hella re-spiced up. 

5) Finn Balor (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly - NXT Championship Match 

I was insanely stoked for this. I have been a massive fan of Kyle O’Reilly since his first real rise as a singles competitor in the 2013 Battle of Los Angeles so to see him here getting such a huge main event and opportunity warmed my heart. Everyone surrounding this story from Adam Cole to the commentators hyped this up just as highly as it should have been. Kyle felt like the true underdog finally about to get his moment. I was also excited about this as Finn's first defense because Finn has been better in his NXT return than he was on the main roster, but still not peak Finn level and I felt Kyle could guide him to one of his best matches yet. None the less, this gets going and the vibe is epic to begin with Strong, Fish, & Cole sending O'Reilly out to the ring on his own. Finn comes out and Kyle stares him down from the ring. They work on the mat for a while. Balor throws the first big strike and ends up targeting the mid section about 5-6 minutes in with a super stiff kick to the gut which Kyle sells SO FUCKING WELL. This becomes the story of things. Balor targets the abdomen/liver, Kyle targets the legs of Balor. They scrap and fight and are very stiff from start to finish. Kyle has a bloody mouth and is worked over with abdominal stretches and various strikes to the stomach. So much awesome selling from Kyle. And on the flip, when Kyle would fire back and work the leg, it was even more vicious with the different directions he would have Balor's leg/foot twisted. O'Reilly hits a knee to the jaw in the corner near the end that apparently broke Balor's jaw as we saw blood pouring from the mouth of the champion as he fired back and hit a coupe de grace on the mat and then off the top rope, traditionally, thus ending this war. This wasn't an all timer, but it was a fucking fight and it showed that Finn is tough as nails and deserves this title reign and that Kyle can undoubtedly hang. It was also the best NXT Title main event this year and I'm thankful to be out of the melodramatic shit and back to just pure wrestling. 

Match rating - ****1/4

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Five Review - September 27th, 2020

NJPW: G1 Climax 30

Night Five

September 27th, 2020 

The almighty A Block sports one of its most loaded cards of the whole tournament with Shingo/Ospreay in a BOSJ rematch, Ibushi/Ishii in a rematch from prior G1’s, and Okada/White. 

1) Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji - Young Lions Match 

It really feels like these guys are getting more intense as the tournament goes on. They work on the mat then go into throwing some BOMBS. Kidd puts away Tsuji with the under hook suplex. It looked great once again. Decent little jawn. 

Match rating - **1/2

2) Taichi (2-0) (4 pts) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0-2) (0 pts) - Block A Match

On the most loaded card, we also have possibly the most uninteresting match in the block on paper as the opener. Taichi is on a hot streak with two wins over Cobb and Suzuki whereas Takahashi is still searching for his first tournament victory. Taichi is cocky early and dominates, but Takahashi fires up and fires back and they throw big moves at one another for a minute or two before Taichi picks up the win. Not nearly as painful as expected on paper. Taichi goes 3-0 and Takahashi goes 0-3. 

Match rating - **3/4

3) Minoru Suzuki (1-1) (2 pts) vs. Jeff Cobb (1-1) (2 pts) - Block A Match 

This was probably one of the more underwhelming matches of the G1 so far. Not that it was bad, but it’s not the dream match you’d expect at all. Suzuki wears down Cobb for 2-3 minutes early then they slug it out for a few minutes and Suzuki pins Cobb with a gotch style piledriver. It’s good for what it is and has a simple story with some decent action, I just had way higher expectations so I guess I let myself down for than anything. None the less, big win for Suzuki after his loss to Taichi. 

Match rating - **3/4 

4) Kota Ibushi (1-1) (2 pts) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (0-2) (0 points) - Block A Match 

Damn these two can do no wrong I stg. Ishii has yet to gain any points and Ibushi is coming off a loss to Jay White.  This was your vintage Ibushi/Ishii and it doesn’t top their epics from G1 27 & G1 28, but it’s another awesome edition to their list of matches. Just a banger of a match where they get stiff as fuck and throw each other around with tons of fighting spirit. Ibushi wins with a Kamigoye. Ishii gets knocked loopy and tries to tussle after the bell which just added to how great this was. Not much more can be said, loved it. 

Match rating - ****

5) Will Ospreay (2-0) (4 pts) vs. Shingo Takagi (1-1) (2 pts) - Block A Match 

So here it is, the big rematch from their classic BOSJ final last year. I went five stars on it and have been hyped about this rematch since it was announced. Ospreay is undefeated in the G1 and Shingo is 1-1. It appears to be a slight Shingo advantage bc we are in Kobe hall - an arena he had many many great matches in with Dragon Gate. But at the same time, Ospreay’s record heading into this is much stronger, not to mention he beat Shingo in a huge match last time in their first meeting. Early, Ospreay shows this confidence and does a good job of a looking like a cocky dick which isn’t hard considering he’s already a dick in real life. They have an insane fast paced exchange early and Shingo shows he isn’t phased by Ospreay. This turns out to be a pretty awesome match that had me reeled in the entire time. It was hard to come close to their BOSJ match though. It just was lacking something in comparison to that. HOWEVER, on its own, it fuckin rules and is my second favorite match of the tournament so far only behind Tana/Naito. Very verg good stuff with a lot of near falls down the stretch and my man SHINGO getting his victory back in his home arena. Hell yes! 

Match rating - ****1/4

6) Kazuchika Okada (1-1) (2 pts) vs. Jay White (2-0) (4 pts) - Block A Match

The story behind this is cool and all, but I haven't been the biggest fan of Okada/White matches and this turns out to be no different. Okada's 2020 hasn't been great and this didn't do it many favors. White nails his gimmick and the focus on his heel persona is awesome. However, it was very hard to stay invested in this one for the entire duration. Despite that, it's not TERRIBLE, especially since it barely hit the 20 minute mark and didn't overstay it's welcome. A few good moments and a decent story, just didn't feel like a main event or touch anywhere near Ibushi/Ishii or Shingo/Ospreay. Jay White wins and is 3-0 and leading the A Block. 

Match rating - **3/4

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Four Review - September 24th, 2020

 NJPW: G1 Climax 30 - Night Four

September 24th, 2020

1) Yota Tsuji vs. Yuya Uemura - Young Lions Match 

Another good effort from these two here. Tsuji looked like a monster with an insane running power slam and a nice spear. This power advantage leads him to victory as he’s able to control Uemura and force him to tap to the same move he made Tsuji tap to on Night One. 

Match rating - **1/2

2) Hirooki Goto (0-1) (0 pts) vs. SANADA (0-1) (0 pts) - Block B Match

I have to say - this was a lot better than I anticipated. I love Goto and SANADA can pull out a good match, but this was balls to the wall from the start and kept my attention from bell to bell. Goto got his arm worked and SANADA flew around a little bit. Goto fought from underneath and it looked like the start to a disappointing G1 for our main man Goto but he fights back and gets the win. 

Match rating - ***1/2

3) Hiroshi Tanahashi (1-0) (2 pts) vs. Toru Yano (1-0) (2 pts) - Block B Match

Largely a comedy match as you’d expect but it’s fun. I enjoyed it a lot more than the Sanada match. Probably because Tana has a lot more personality than Sanada to match what Yano brings to the table. The finish with Yano almost getting counted out with a towel wrapped around his head only for him to cradle Tana for the surprise win was wild. 

Match rating - ***

4) KENTA (1-0) (2 pts) vs. Juice Robinson (1-0) (2pts) - Block B Match 

KENTA is in major don’t give a fuck mode here and you can tell he takes Juice very lightly. It’s honestly exactly what I hoped for in this match. Typical KENTA weaseling his way out of locking up and stuff but to me with an extra sense of caring even less bc of how he small of a threat he considers Juice, if at all. Juice is the perfect full of heart and hope babyface to go against that. Anyway this is all pre match/opening moments talk. KENTA tries to ground Juice early and wear him down. Juice fires back but gets cut off on the top rope with headbutts and KENTA starts running through with him with all his signature stuff. They end up in the middle of the ring and Juice throws some hellacious forearms but KENTA hits an amazing spinning back fast exchange only for Juice to floor him with a lariat. This started a little slow but the final moments ruled. Juice picks up a huge victory with pulp friction and he’s so sensational as he stares down KENTA post match and points at his NJCup USA briefcase that I almost wanna cry. 

Match rating - ***1/4

5) EVIL (0-1) (0 pts) (w/ Dick Togo) vs. YOSHI HASHI (0-1) (0 pts) - Block B Match

Well this had way more life to it than I expected. EVIL's title reign and stuff was cool on story level, but the matches were so dull and empty for me that it takes a lot to get me into anything he does. He and Zack had a good match on Night Two of the G1, but they always work well together. Hashi is hit or miss and admittedly he's on here and they have a real solid match. I didn't enjoy it as much as some others because of reasons previously stated, but it was better than I anticipated it would be. Hashi looked strong, but EVIL pins him when all is said and done despite the match being very competitive.

Match rating - ***

6) Tetsuya Naito (1-0) (2 points) vs. Zack Sabre Jr (1-0) (2 points) - Block A Match

Hot damn this built up into one hell of a match. It starts a little slow, outside of a few early pinning combos from Zack that ruled and felt like legit nearfalls. It felt like it lost it's focus a few moments in the early/middle, but the work was still great. Sabre and Naito work awesome together and have had several outstanding matches in the past. No MOTYC shit, but still really good stuff. This was no different. Like I said, early with a lot of mat work and stuff that took a minute to build up, but once they found their grip, it turned into a barnburner. Listening to this with Japanese commentary instead of English also helped because their enthusiasm is off the charts. Last few minutes had me gasping a couple of times. Naito wins after a couple destinos.

Match rating - ****

NJPW: G1 Climax Night Three Review - September 23rd, 2020

NJPW G1 Climax 30 Night Three Results & Review

September 23rd, 2020

Hokkaido, Sapporo

1) Gabriel Kidd vs. Yuya Uemura - Young Lions Match

My fav Young Lions match so far. Mainly for the finish as Kidd gets his first win and breaks out a sick ass double underhook suplex that popped myself and the commentary team HARD. Hell yes. This was super fun.

Match rating - **3/4

2) Shingo Takagi (0-1) (0 points) vs. Jeff Cobb (0-1) (0 points) - Block A Match

MAN FUCK. So, I was excited for this. I love Shingo. And on the other hand, Jeff Cobb is someone who can have really good matches despite his run in last year's G1 being quiet and sorta underwhelming. This turned out to be a pretty banging opener. They traded moves and shots. Just about everything you'd expect. A cool counter or two and a few good nearfalls. Then Cobb pins Shingo and I get SAD. I admit I'm biased because DAMN. My man is now 0-2 :( Good match, none the less and the story made sense considering Shingo is a junior technically and Cobb is a heavyweight so Shingo's stuff didn't have the same full effect on Cobb as it does most of his smaller opponents. Cobb wins with Tour of the Islands.

Match rating - ***1/2

3) Kazuchika Okada (0-1) (0 points) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (0-1) (0 points) - Block A Match

A lot of people expecting an upset here. Will Okada start the tourney 0-2? Will Takahashi get a major win? One thing is for sure heading into this - some pick em' brackets will be smashed depending on the outcome. From the jump, Takahashi seems to have some momentum. So much so Okada is forced to hit a springboard cross body to the floor to get the advantage at one point. It turns into a fairly back & forth affair about mid-way through with some exchanges that will make you gasp. But in the end, Okada hits a vicious lariat or two and then forces Takahashi to submit. So much for an upset, but this was a lot of fun and the most I've enjoyed a Takahashi match, maybe ever?

Match rating - ***

4) Minoru Suzuki (1-0) (2 points) vs. Taichi (1-0) (2 points) - Block A Match 

Another match of winners here where someone will take their first loss and it’s stable warfare as Suzuki-Gun members face off. Suzuki hits the ring immediately shoves Taichi in the face to establish his leader-esque dominance. Lots of the story here was Suzuki clearly showing that he believes himself to be above Taichi. Lots of plunder early then they go into a slugfest. Taichi reverses out of the gotch style piledriver and drives Suzuki into the mat with Black Memphisto for the surprise win. WOW. Taichi is 2-0. Good match. 

Match rating - ***1/4

5) Will Ospreay (1-0) (2 points) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (0-1) (0 points) - Block A Match 

Solely based off Ospreay being a complete shithead in real life, I wanted to see Ishii really light his ass up here. Unfortunately I didn’t get as much of that as I hoped, but the match was still good. Typical stuff you’d expect from a power/strikes vs. speed/agility match from these two. Ospreay wins with the stormbreaker after some false finishes. 

Match rating - ***1/2

6) Jay White (1-0) (2 points) vs. Kota Ibushi (1-0) (2 points) - Block A Match

Rematch from last year’s G1 finals and from Wrestle Kingdom. Jay talks a lot of shit with the fans early and works on Kota’s leg hard. He goes back to it to cut off every flurry Ibushi has. They go into some big stuff down the stretch. Gedo gets on the apron, Ibushi kicks him and then goes for the kamigoye BUT JAY CATCHES HIM WITH THE MOST SICK BLADE RUNNER OF ALL TIME for the huge win over Ibushi. 4 points for Jay. Not on the level of Suzuki/Ishii or Naito/Tana but definitely the best match on this night and a very good main event. 

Match rating - ***3/4

---------

UPDATED BLOCK A STANDINGS:

Jay White - 4 points

Will Ospreay - 4 points

Taichi - 4 points

Kota Ibushi - 2 points

Kazuchika Okada - 2 points

Minoru Suzuki - 2 points

Jeff Cobb - 2 points

Tomohiro Ishii - 0 points

Shingo Takagi - 0 points

Yujiro Takahashi - 0 points

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Two Review - September 20th, 2020

 NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night Two

September 20th, 2020

Block A kicked off the tournament last night in great fashion with Suzuki & Ishii undoubtedly stealing the show. Tonight, Block B takes center stage! Pardon there only being gif's for a couple of the matches. I watched half of this on my computer and the other half on my TV sooooo... yeah. 

1) Gabriel Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji - Young Lions Match

BUT FIRST. Young Lions action. Tsuji lost to Uemura last night via tap out despite a valiant effort. He has another tough opponent here in Kidd. They chain wrestle for a bit before they start laying into each other with strikes. They do a nice call back to how Tsuji lost last night with a lion tamer, but Tsuji gets the ropes this time and ends up catching Kidd in a crab and wrenching down it on deep, forcing him to tap.

Match rating - **1/2

2) Juice Robinson vs. YOSHI-HASHI - Block B Match

WOW. Juice looks great. He's changed his look so many times, but always pulls it off. This was about what you'd expect. They went pretty hard and gave us some good action. It's not anything to write home about, though. Juice hits pulp friction for the win. I'm looking forward to what he can do in his bigger matches in the tournament.

Match rating - ***

3) SANADA vs. Toru Yano - Block B Match

This was... somethin. Yano is coming off a victory over OKADA not too long ago to win the KOPW 2020 thing. Well. He gets a big win here in a pretty funny match. He gets checked for tape pre-match and it's found on him. But the bell rings and the match unfolds. Sanada ends up tying Yano in a paradise lock along the entrance way after some back & forth in the ring. Yano escapes thanks to YOUNG LION Yuya Uemura untying him. Yano uses this distraction to tie he & SANADA's legs together and get the.. countout.. victory over SANADA. 

Match rating - **

4) KENTA vs. Hirooki Goto - Block B Match

Switched over to English commentary since it popped up when I tuned back into this show and wow. Kevin Kelly’s call at the end of this talking about how big of a set KENTA has for his game plan in this is hilarious. Yeah, KENTA’s proclamation was to tap out Goto with the game over here. This match is centered around that with KENTA targeting the arm and in vicious fashion like he’s known for. Goto fires back with some heavy strikes and limb work of his own but it’s not enough as he ends up tapping to the game over just as KENTA said he would. Real good match of struggle between two vicious workers. It never really got into high gear but I don’t think that was the point, it was a struggle from start to finish. 

Match rating - ***1/4 

5) Zack Sabre Jr vs. EVIL (w/ Dick Togo) - Block B Match

These two have had killer matches in the past so I was riled up on this one. However I did have my doubts considering I haven't been wild at all about EVIL's title win and stuff. None the less, this turned out to be my favorite match on the show so far. Sabre grabs Dick Togo’s arm before the bell and EVIL charges him which leads to an awesome brawl outside the ring to start. The middle portion of the match was smooth and didn't drag at all. Lots of good wrestling and counters and everything made sense. I was worried when Togo came into the ring after a ref bump, but it wasn't overdone and Zack locking him into the cross arm bar popped me hard. The finish with Zack's quickness giving him the edge as he kicks out of darkness falls and manages to trap EVIL in a bridiging pin combination out of nowhere for the victory. Loved this, not their best match together but very fun and with a surprising outcome to boot. 

Match rating - ***1/2 

6) Tetsuya Naito vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - Block B Match

WHAt. THE. FUCK. This is the Grade One Climax baby. Tanahashi wants to prove he's still the ace. Naito wants to prove he's here to stay and is every bit as good as Tana is and ever was. This match had me hooked from the jump. Tana looked amazing in entrance and as the match went on, you could tell his head was in the right spot as he was the first take aim at a body part in Naito's knees and he didn't hesitate to nail him with whatever it took to keep the advantage. He was focused and determined. Naito though, despite from fighting from underneath for most of the match, never seemed to lose his confidence and felt like a true champion and leader of the company. This was a classic performance from both guys in their first meeting in three years. This was the match both guys needed. For me, I wasn't hype on Naito heading into this coming out of the disappointing matches with EVIL and Tanahashi is just coming off being primarily a tag team wrestler - so, to see both of them come in here and shatter any doubts was just fucking amazing. I had minimal interest in the B Block on paper partially for reasons previously stated, but this turned that around because holy hell, if these two keep going at this level I'm gonna have a heart attack. Naito with a huge win and Tana with a huge loss, but that sets the table for some great stories to be told as this tournament goes on I'm sure. 

Match rating - ****1/2

Post-match, Naito cuts a promo and roll calls the entire LIJ crew and I fuckin LOVE it. NAITO, BUSHI, HIROMU, SHINGO, SANADA WE ARE LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPON!!!!

NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night One Review - September 19th, 2020

 NJPW: G1 Climax 30 Night One 

September 19th, 2020

Osaka

ITS THAT TIME. G1 SEASON. Except in the fall. I'm so glad this tournament was able to happen despite being a month or two later than normal. But yeah - it's the 30th Anniversary of the greatest wrestling tournament of all time. I've never been able to keep up with and review every single night but I am determined to this year so let's fuckin GO. Block A action is kicking us off in Osaka and boy, is Block A loaded.

 1) Yota Tsujji vs. Yuya Uemura - Young Lions Match

First time seeing both these guys and they do an awesome job putting on a compact sub 10 minute opener. Uemura taps out Tsuji with a deeeeep lion tamer for the win just over 6 minutes in. 

Match rating - **1/2

2) Will Ospreay vs. Yujiro Takahashi - Block A Match

Easy first match in the tourney for Ospreay. This is these two's first meeting and they mesh super well with Takahashi being a very solid base for Ospreay to get his shit in. Takahashi got a little bit in, but this more of a prolonged squash despite being a little competitive at times. A very fun one, though. Ospreay had some cool counters and the finish was sick. 2 points for the Aerial Assasin.

Match rating - **3/4

3) Jeff Cobb vs. Taichi - Block A Match

DAMN this popped off. I have been a "fuck Taichi" kinda guy, but the fact remains he pulls out some little bangers every now and again and this is one of them. Taichi took Cobb to the floor and worked over Cobb's leg on the railing. He continues this in the ring, but can't keep Cobb down and they go into a pretty back & forth exchange that had me on the edge of my seat a couple times during the near falls. Taichi picks up the shocking (at least to me) victory as he evades the Tour of Islands a couple times and hits Black Memphisto for the victory. 

Match rating - ***1/4

4) Minoru Suzuki vs. Tomohiro Ishii - Block A Match

This was never not going to deliver. They start off throwing elbows and things gradually get more stiff & intense. This was everything you would expect and want from these two and it built up so well into such a heated battle between two insane motherfuckers. Suzuki nails Ishii with a gotch style piledriver for the win after a badass slugfest. Match of the night.

Match rating - ****1/4

5) Shingo Takagi vs. Jay White - Block A Match

LIJ vs Bullet Club wages on here. Apparently these two faced off once before, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it so this is a first time match for me and I honestly was pretty stoked on it. Jay pleays weasel heel from the jump by sliding out of the ring at the bell. Once he gets in and gets going, he fires at Shingo hard with a lot of deep suplexes/head drop spots. I'd say this match was as good as I expected but there was lots of low blow and ref bump type shit down the stretch, plus Gedo got involved a couple times. All of these things brought it down a good bit for me, but the work itself was strong. I feel like both of these guys are in a similar spot in the company at the moment and in their runs in New Japan so that added to this also. Jay White wins after a low blow and a blade runner. 

Match rating - ***1/4

6) Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi - Block A Match 

This is probably the weakest match these two have had together, but it's Okada and Ibushi so it's still very good. The finishing run with Okada going for the kamigoye and Ibushi catching him with a sitout powerbomb instead was NUTS and set up for the perfect finish with Ibushi going apeshit on Okada with two back to back kamigoye's to take the pin and get a HUGE win to start the G1. Ibushi beat Okada in last year's G1, then lost to him at Wrestle Kingdom, and now finds redemption in the G1 yet again. Awesome stuff. Good match to close out the night. 

Match rating - ***1/2

ROH TV: Pure Title Tournament Night One Review - September 11th, 2020

ROH TV

September 11th, 2020

Baltimore, Maryland

Before the pandemic hit, Ring of Honor decide to bring back a championship that was active in the promotion for a few years (2004-2006) - the Pure Championship. A title held by the likes of Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, and Nigel McGuinness. A title that clearly has a legacy, hell, the finals of the tournament to crown the first champion was between AJ Styles and CM Punk. The most notorious match associated with it however was the five star classic between Bryan Danielson & Nigel McGuinness when the title was unified with the ROH World Title in 2006 at their "UNIFIED" event.

The rules of Pure Titles vary slightly from normal matches and handshakes are required pre & post match. I’ll let you google all the specifics if you don’t already know.  

The first two matches in this single elimination tournament take place on this show. In the tournament, first round matches have a 15 minute time limit, semi finals have a 20 minute time limit and the finals have a 30 minute time limit. 

Before the matches, we get some super well done sit down interviews/video packages with each wrestler. Honestly some of the best video work I’ve seen ROH do. Lethal & Castle’s here were particularly exceptional and made me care way more about their match than I ever would have before. 

1) Jay Lethal vs. Dalton Castle - Block A First Round Match

So yeah as I said before, the pre match video made me care about this match more than I ever would have prior. I love Lethal, but Castle has never done much for me however his pre match promo honestly changed that. He felt legit and serious and had me invested. The sad thing is, this only has 15 minutes max and although they do make the most out of that time, it can’t help but feel like it had just started kicking into gear when it ended especially considering how invested the interviews made me. Maybe I should go back and watch their prior matches. So, fun stuff here. Lethal Injection gets the win for Lethal in a fun 13 minute pure struggle. 

Match rating - **1/2

2) Jonathan Gresham vs. Wheeler Yuta - Block B First Round Match

Gresham’s video package here was really good. Yuta’s was fine and a solid introduction to him as I’ve never seen or heard of him before. This match felt super reminiscent of old ROH matches as they went hold for hold early and often. It’s easy to see that Yuta was trained by Drew Gulak and Tracy Williams. The match turns serious when Gresham is unable to break his submission hold bc of how the legs were locked, but Yuta takes it personal and when it is broken by the ref, he charges Gresham with a closed fist shot which sends the momentum of this match right up. It’s also a great play on the rules of pure title matches. This leads to a fast paced final few moments where the leg Gresham had been working over throughout the match is slammed repeatedly into the match and Yuta is forced to tap. Simple and to the point. I loved this match. Gresham should win this whole thing and this sub 10 minute match is an example of why. He makes the most out of everything. 

Match rating - **3/4

Final thoughts: Good kick off to this tournament. I will definitely be turning in each week to see how things unfold. I just hope some of the other first round matches can hold my attention as I’ve been out of ROH viewing for a while. One things for sure though, I want Lethal/Gresham in the finals! It was teased here and I hope that’s the route they go. 

WWE: NXT Review - September 8th, 2020

WWE NXT

September 8th, 2020

I didn’t watch the Iron Man Match from last week just because the thought of it pained me. They recap it before we head into the opening match of the night which also happens to be the tie breaker from the iron man match between Adam Cole & Finn Balor who both had two falls a piece at the bell. 

1) Adam Cole vs. Finn Balor - NXT Championship Match 

Now this was good. Not amazing, but good none the less. It’s hard for me to have any sort of reaction to almost anything Cole does anymore because it all seems so robotic and formulaic however Finn has been spiced up since coming back to NXT as I’ve said in previous reviews so his fire here combined with the backstory of this being between the two longest reigning champions and both men having a history in Bullet Club kept me into it from bell to bell. Things start slow and pick up nicely down the stretch. The finish is bonkers with Balor hitting a 1968 off the top turnbuckle to become a 2x NXT Champion. He deserves this and I am stoked on it. 

Match rating - ***1/2 

Rhea Ripley pre-taped promo heading into her “battle of the badasses” cage match with Mercedes Martinez later

Throughout the night we get a series of vignettes with Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae inviting Tegan Nox over for dinner to talk through their issues. 

Backstage, Adam Cole too sweets Finn Balor and shakes his hand as does Triple H. Finn says this is why he came back to NXT — to be champion. 

Io Shorai is in the middle of a photo shoot when Aliyah accidentally knocks into her brawling with Shotzi Blackheart. Io chases Aliyah to the ring. Io & Shotzi take out Aliyah. Robert Stone comes down and gets taken out by the women also. Io & Shotzi look to be working well together until Shotzi is hesitant to give Io the title back. Io says “don’t make me hurt you” OMG that fucking ruled. 

Big Tim Thatcher hosts a film study on Damian Priest. He challenges Priest for the North American Title next week. Excited for that match. 

2) Velveteen Dream vs. Ashante Adonis

Squash. Also big thumbs down for Dream still being featured prominently on this show. 

Post match KUSHIDA viciously attacks Dream and it absolutely god damn rules. I haven’t seen KUSHIDA this intense since he came to NXT but I hope it continues because this pull apart/attack made me want this match super bad and I hope it delivers. 

Tyler Breeze & Fandango and Imperium exchange words in a pre-taped promo to hype their match next week. Imperium says next week they get their titles back and end the shortest NXT tag title reign of all time. I kinda like seeing two guys like Breeze & Dango get this tag title run considering they are veterans of the NXT brand. 

3) Bronson Reed vs. Austin Theory 

This was solid. Best I’ve seen Reed look in a singles match and Theory nailed his role also. I really think Theory could be something special considering he’s only 22 years old. 

Match rating - **1/2 

Adam Cole backstage says Finn was the better man tonight, but he won’t be next time. 

Mercedes Martinez says when the cage door shuts she won’t stop until there is nothing left of Rhea Ripley. 

4) Roderick Strong (w/ Bobby Fish) vs. Killian Dain 

Roddy wins this off a distraction from Fish. The match is ok, but very forgettable and didn’t last long enough to develop into much. 

Match rating - ** 

Post match Drake Maverick runs down to save Dain from an attack from Roddy & Fish. Drake ends up taking a beating himself before Dain makes the save. Drake asks for a handshake but Dain elbows him in the face. 

Back at the Gargano house, Johnny leaves Candice & Tegan alone. They appear to have mended their friendship until Candice says she will be the next NXT Champ in a toast. Tegan challenges this and Candice throws salad at her. Little food fight breaks out and Candice accidentally throws something through Johnny’s tv. She chases Tegan out of the house as Johnny mourns the loss of the television. You could tell Tegan was holding back laughing during the entire food fight portion. 

Damian Priest vows to re arrange Tim Thatcher’s face next week. 

5) Rhea Ripley vs. Mercedes Martinez - Steel Cage Match 

I hate the “battle of the badasses” tag line but this match was awesome. They brought some weapons into play like a chair and a kendo stick, but also worked the stip well and did a number of sick spots off the top rope and using the cage. It felt like a good classic grudge match and didn’t go into overkill at all either. Fantastic job by Ripley & Martinez here. Ripley wins after planting Martinez through a table. 

Match rating - ***3/4 

Final thoughts: Pretty solid episode of NXT this week. First one I’ve been interested enough to make it all the way through in a month or two so hell yeah. They should keep NXT on Tuesday nights, tbh.