WWE: NXT on USA Review - December 11th, 2019

Coming off a hot Survivor Series showing that boosted them over AEW in the weekly ratings war, can NXT keep the momentum?

1) Lio Rush (c) vs. Angel Garza - Cruserweight Championship Match

Okay, so, this match answered my opening question right of the bat - yes. This is easily one of the best WWE/NXT matches of 2019 and one of, if not the best cruserweight title match since the title's reintroduction. No offense to Drew Gulak, Tony Nese, or even Buddy Murphy, but these two crushed this title match. Lio Rush is just such a good dickhead and Angel Garza is super easy to love. Rush jumping Garza before the lights even came on during the ring introductions fucking RULED. And set the tone for a way more aggressive cruserweight title match than we are used to. This had what most of them lack - urgency. A reason to stay glued to your screen. And they kept from bell to bell along with a hot, wild ass finishing stretch to boot with a bunch of false finishes for a very responsive crowd. I am FIRED ~ UP ~. Angel Garza wins a banger via submission to become the new cruserweight champion. I want a rematch, god dammit.

Match rating - ****1/4

Shayna Basler video package airs talking about her match with Rhea Ripley next week, she says she's just another trend of the week that will fall to her.

Finn Balor promo is next and it's GOOD. He runs down Keith Lee and Tommasso Ciampa in route to their match later on to determine who faces Adam Cole for the NXT Title.

2) Cameron Grimes vs. Raul Mendoza

Cameron Grimes is Trevor Lee's WWE incarnation for those who didn't know and its... weird. But the booking of it match wise has been good so far. He stomped everyone in quick matches for a few weeks only for KUSHIDA to beat him last week. This led to Grimes having a breakdown and attacking KUSHIDA backstage. Which leads us here where Raul Mendoza scores an upset win in an extremely short amount of time thanks to KUSHIDA coming down and distracting Cameron Grimes. Ready for that rematch!

3) Travis Banks vs. Jackson Ryker

Thank the lord this was short and thank the lord Banks won. That's all.

4) Mia Yim vs. Dakota Kai

First off, Mia Yim rules. That was the big highlight of this. Kai won the match which was fairly short, but decent. After the match, Yim snapped and suplexed Kai off a balcony through two tables in dangerous fashion in the crowd. DANGEROUS. So sick, though.

4) The Singh Brothers vs. Fandango & Tyler Breeze

This was honestly pretty fun. Fandango almost killed one of the Singh brothers with a powerbomb on the apron at one point which was brutal. Breezango wins.

Match rating - **

6) Bianca Belair vs. Kayden Rose

Squash for Bianca. Luv her. Bye.

7) Finn Balor vs. Keith Lee vs. Tommaso Ciampa - #1 Contender's Match

This was super fun, especially towards the end with the exchanges they came up with. However to me, it just couldn't match the Garza/Rush match from earlier. Which is a super weird thing to think about when you look at both on paper. I hate to say it but I feel like Finn being on coast mode until the finishing stretches typically drags his matches down. Keith Lee ruled all around here and Ciampa was fine. The big highlight wasn't one person, but moreso the various spots near the end. Very innovative finish with Finn getting the win. God help us during his match with Cole, I hope they both bring their A game.

Match rating - ***1/2

NXT on USA Review - October 2nd, 2019

Wednesday Night Wars are on and underway. I admittedly watched AEW live and just caught the NXT replay, but I'm reviewing them both and posting at the same time.

I haven't watched NXT since Takeover 25 so I have a little catching up to do but let's get to it!

1) Adam Cole (c) vs. Matt Riddle - NXT Title Match

Insane choice for an opener, but it was definitely the right move because the crowd was red hot and ate every bit of this up. We all know the story going into this without even really having to look into it, Cole is the cocky, smug reigning champ and Riddle is the vicarious challenger. The fans eat it up and Cole & Riddle give us one hell of a bombfest that hit every marker for the 15 minutes or so they were in the ring. Amazing energy and not one mis-step. Awesome contest with Cole retaining by use of his cast despite multiple moments where it felt like Riddle was gonna come out on top. Much better than Cole/Gargano at Takeover 25 oops.

Match rating - ****1/4

Post-match, I get goosebumps as FINN GOD DAMN BALOR returns to NXT. He comes to the ring and simply says "As of now, Finn Balor is NXT" and Cole scurries away. This is gonna rule. It's what Balor needed and will be a huge boost to my interest (and I'm sure others' interest) in NXT on Wednesday nights.

Velveteen Dream comes out and declares his intent on getting the North American Title from Roderick Strong.

NEXT WEEK: Drew Gulak defends the Cruserweight Title against Lio Rush

2) Mia Yim vs. Io Shorai

AEW: Dynamite on TNT Review - October 2nd, 2019

It's AEW's first live broadcast. on TNT from Washington, DC - SOLD OUT.

The Wednesday night Wars begin ~~~~

1) Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara

Interesting, but sorta logical choice for the first ever Dynamite. Including one the biggest names in Cody to kick things off makes sense, but looking on paper a Cody/Guevara match isn't very appealing. They somehow really busted out a great, high energy opener here though which ended with a handshake/moment that will be remembered as an epic piece of foreshadowing.

Match rating - ***1/2

And after the match, Cody's arch rival for months and the man he will challenge at Full Gear, the first PPV since the AEW TV era next month, CHRIS JERICHO hits the ring for a god damn beatdown. Oh, he's also the AEW Champion how must I forget. Good stuff to get Jericho in during the first half hour.

2) Brandon Cutler vs. MJF

This was essentially just a showcase for MJF. I'm really excited that Cutler got the job and chance to work with AEW bc of his association with the Bucks. The Cutler Bros ruled in a circa 2009-10 era PWG so this is well deserved. I doubt he will ever be more than a quick sprint guy and that is fine because he's a very solid base esp in this position. MJF goes over and looks good.

Match rating - **

3) PAC vs. Hangman Page

As you probably know, this was supposed to happen back at Double or Nothing in May, but PAC pulled out for Dragon Gate or disagreements or whatever reason. BUT he is here now and we get this match. Hangman is still a big hit or big miss for me. Here, he was decent enough however PAC was what really shined to me just because he's such a good villain right now. This was solid though, super hard hitting and urgent - exactly how it should have been.

Match rating - ***1/2

4) Riho vs. Nyla Rose - AEW Women's Title Match

This match is to crown the first ever AEW Women's Champion. Both women get good responses. I am admittedly pretty unfamiliar with both, but I left a fan of them both. Very good first display for what the women's division will be in AEW despite not being a barnburner like I'm sure some had hoped. But definitely a fantastic first showing for both women in my opinion, as someone who was unfamiliar with both. RIHO wins and is my new favorite wrestler <3

Match rating - ***1/4

5) Chris Jericho, Ortiz, & Santana vs. The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega

Lord have mercy. So, the match was whatever. Basic wild Elite six man tag. All the angles, the finish and post match was the must see part of this. Jon Moxley runs down to beat the hell out of Kenny Omega and put him through a glass table during the middle of the match to hype their upcoming bout at Full Gear. Eventually, the bad guys go over and we proceed to get a segment that I never expected to ever see in my life, much less get excited over. Jericho and his LAX buddies proceed to continue to take advantage of the 3 on 2 advantage on the Bucks. Cody Rhodes runs down because ELITE/BULLET CLUB 4 EVER only to get lowblowed by the man who shook his hand earlier Sammy Guevara. DUSTIN RHODES is out next cause he ain't having that shit. Dustin cleans house only to get taken out by.... JACK SWAGG-- I mean.. JAKE HAGER. What the fuck. This was so hype. I admittedly I always oddly liked Jake in WWE under the name Jack Swagger, and just felt he was under utilized and this debut felt like a total rebirth. He clears everyone out to an insanely hot and responsive crowd.

Jericho, Ortiz, Santana, Guevera, and Hager all stand tall to close the show and it looks like we have our first stable in AEW!

Final thoughts: They tried to cram a lot in here to get every character and a feud a good start on this big first night and with that in mind, it felt a litle cramped at times, but that will shake out in the next few weeks (I'm writing this in retrospect). The ending of this left me insanely stoked to see what comes next and all in all, this was the best episode of wrestling TV in a long time and definitely felt like the start of a new era.

AEW: Fyter Fest 2019 Review - June 29th, 2019

Saturday, June 29th, 2019

Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, & Alex Marvez

1) Christopher Daniels vs. CIMA

As a SoCal/Dragon Gate mark, this was a really hype opener choice. These two go back even further than So Cal or Dragon Gate though, with 20 years of history this is something that will be looked back on in 10-20 years when AEW is (hopefully) rolling super strong and developing a legacy. This was a simple little action packed match that did just what it should. They didn't try to steal the show or go to the long, they busted this 10 minute or so match out and hit the road. Great showing for CIMA with a huge meteora for the win.

Match rating - ***

2) Nyla Rose vs. Riho vs. Yuka Sakazaki 

This honestly exceeded my expectations. Not familiar at all with any of those women, plus a rough moment or two early made me doubt, but boy did they make a believer out of me. They got this crowd on it's feet with a number of crazy exchanges and nail biting near falls. Nyla Rose got made into a star with an insane showing here despite taking the pin fall to Rohi.

Match rating - ***1/2

Excalibur welcomes Kip Sabian to the commentary team. He faces the winner of the upcoming four-way match!

3) Hangman Page vs. MJF vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Jungle Boy

These are four vastly different individuals, but this meshed super well and makes me have strong faith in the depth of AEW's roster. All four of these guys in particular can be stars in completely different capacities and we got to see a glimpse of it all here. Hangman Page gets a big victory despite working with an injured knee.

Match rating - ***1/4

4) Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin 

It's crazy seeing Darby Allin in a slot like this. The Seattle native is one of the most unique characters in today's game and on this night he debuted a theme song by Wicca Phase Springs Eternal which aptly fits his vibe as he carried a body bag with Cody's name on it to the ring. Despite all this praise to Allin, I never expected this to be as good as it was. I think it's about time everyone stop knocking Cody because he took Allin to a 20 minute draw here and it ruled from start to finish. The work on Cody's arm and Darby's back was superb. The coffin drop on the apron spot was insane. This was just all around great and they worked the final few minutes super well. Stoked for the re-match!

Match rating - ***3/4

Post-match, Shawn Spears shows up and wraps a fucking steel chair around Cody's head. This made headlines being the first head shot with a chair in ages and god damn it was rough. Cody needed 20 staples afterwards.

5) The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega vs. Pentagon Jr, Rey Fenix, & Laredo Kid

I'm a sucker for these matches and this was no different. So much insanity and fun. They some manage to do something new and innovative every time, and in this case, they established a new name in Laredo Kid. What a fucking debut. But yeah, this was exactly what you'd expect. Craziness and on the edge of your seat action from beginning to end.

Match rating - ****1/4

6) Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela

Moxley's first main event in America since leaving WWE and he & Janela gave us a match that lived up to its billing. Tables, barbed wire, and thumbtacks were among the weapons used in a contest built around the deathmatch daredevil of the independents 10 years ago against the young man in that role now. This did a good job of establishing where Moxley's character will go in the company as well as Janela's, which is super important with him being a fresh face.

Match rating - ****

Post-match, Kenny Omega brutally attacked Moxley to hype their upcoming match in August.

NJPW: Best of the Super Juniors 26 Review Thread

Starting off behind as usual, going to be keeping this an archive for all the matches from the 2019 BOSJ that I watch/review.

Marty Scurll vs. Jonathan Gresham - Night One - 5/13/19

I'm so glad Gresham got this opportunity and although I was super sour on Scurll near the end of his run in BC, he's back on his own and actually pretty enjoyable again especially in matches like this. Gresham keeps everything grounded and from being wacky and it's great. Just a pure back and forth wrestling match. The crowd seems to be taking really kindly to Gresham so I think he came out of this looking well despite taking the loss.

Match rating - ***1/4

Shingo Takagi vs. SHO - Night One - 5/13/19

This is a match that had extreme heading in. R3K and Bushi & Shingo have been embroiled in an awesome feud for the junior titles for the past few months. Shingo is undefeated and SHO is determined to beat him despite having the disadvantage in experience, size & momentum. This made for an incredible match that more than delivered in the expectations that everyone held for it. In fact, it's my favorite NJPW match this year so far and that's saying something. Matches like this make the BOSJ feel so important and matches like this make stars. SHO is the future. And Shingo? If his Dragon Gate and independent resume didn't already solidify him as one of the best in the past decade, his run in New Japan right now most definitely is and I think that will be one of the big stories of this whole tournament.

Match rating - ****3/4

Dragon Lee vs. Taiji Ishimori - Night One - 5/13/19

Crowd was completely burnt out heading into this one and so was I. Sho & Shingo tore it down in the semi-main and there was no way they were going to follow this. None the less, it was still a good little match. Ishimori gets his win back over Dragon Lee finally, but BARELY. Lee hit a dvd on Ishimori in the corner that was NASTY as fuck. I honestly don't see how Ishimori came out of it unscathed.

Match rating - ***1/2

Rocky Romero vs. Robbie Eagles - Night Two - 5/14/19

I mainly watched this because I'm excited to see Rocky Romero back in high stakes action. He's so underrated. This is Rocky's first BOSJ appearance in three years and Robbie's first apperance ever. They work a pretty smart match here showcasing Eagles' tunnel vision ability as he focused on Rocky's leg from the jump. They went back and forth and played that into the finish with a 450 on Rocky's leg before locking him in a submission to tap him out. Big win for Robbie.

Match rating - **3/4

Will Ospreay vs. BUSHI - Night Two - 5/14/19

This started off slow, but picked up for the second half. Ospreay's neck was the focal point of things and they milked a 20 count really well following a brutal DDT on the apron. Ospreay fights back and hits all his stuff on BUSHI for the win. My prediction is Ospreay and Shingo in the finals of this whole thing.

Match rating - ***

Bandido vs. El Phantasmo - Night Two - 5/14/19

A really fun sprint that gave both fairly new talents a chance to properly showcase what they could do and I think it went over really well.

Match rating - ***1/4

Dragon Lee vs. SHO - Night Three - 5/

Another banger from SHO here. Huge match for him as he's challenging the champion and even though he doesn't take the win, it felt like he was going to on several occasions due to how well they executed everything and the atmosphere the crowd created.

Match rating - ****

Bandido vs. YOH - Night Four - 5/16/19

Neither of these men had won in the tournament at this point so there was a real sense of urgency in this one. Both guys kept it simple and crisp and this was a perfect little undercard match. Bandido rules, YOH rules. The depth of this tournament RULES. Fun stuff.

Match rating - ***1/4

Will Ospreay vs. Rocky Romero - Night Four - 5/16/19

Okay, here we go. So the first few days of the tournament were fun and had a banger or two, but as we crawl closer into the tournament, we get a number of must-see matches that I think are on the level they are due to the stories built and told within the tournament itself, including this one. Rocky is in this tournament with something to prove after a few years away and he takes Ospreay to the absolute brink here and it's nuts. This would be just the start of an inspirational run from Rocky and god damn it's awesome. Ospreay triumphs in the end after a clinic.

Match rating - ****1/4

Dragon Lee vs. Jonathan Gresham - Night Five - 5/18/19

Simple little 10 minute match here. Mainly watched bc I'm a Gresham stan, it saddens me this didn't get more time, but you can't win 'em all and gotta keep the champ looking strong after he gave SHO so much the night before. Still good fun, though.

Match rating - **1/2

Shingo Takagi vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru - Night Five - 5/18/19

Shingo is looking to roll undefeated through this tournament so that story creates a lot of good matches. Kanemaru had Taichi run interference here and it made for a great comeback for Shingo that the crowd popped for. Another W for the Dragon.

Match rating - ***1/2

Will Ospreay vs. YOH - Night Six - 5/19/19

Ospreay's on a killer streak just like Shingo with something to prove. YOH has the pressure of how insane of showing SHO had against Shingo in his big main event and boy, he delivered. Not quite on the same level, but he was fiery as fuck and Ospreay gave him probably his best singles match.

Match rating - ***3/4

Shingo Takagi vs. Marty Scurll - Night Seven - 5/22/19

This was really similar to the Kanemaru match that Shingo had, except less good because it's Scurll and smh. But anyway, it still was good because Shingo is good and made me dislike Scurll a little less if he would work this way more often.

Match rating - ***1/4

Will Ospreay vs. El Phantasmo - Night Seven - 5/22/19

An absolute movezfest. Phantasmo's best showing in the tournament so far and another performance from Ospreay that makes him look like the ace that he is on a mission to become.

Match rating - ****

Will Ospreay vs. Bandido - Night Eight - 5/23/19

Dream match here and it fucking delivered. These two are just out of this world athletes and they were running at 100 here. This was everything you'd expect from these two. Ospreay is on a hot ass streak and Bandido more than pulled his weight in arguably his biggest match in the tournament.

Match rating - ****1/4

Dragon Lee vs. Shingo Takagi - Night Eight - 5/23/19

Shingo is undefeated. Dragon Lee is the champion of the division this tournament is based around. This is the most vulnerable Shingo has looked and it is a hell of a ride. Watch this match.

Match rating - ****1/4

Dragon Lee vs. Titan - Night Nine - 5/24/19

Korakuen Hall is hot and this was some fun friendly lucha that gave Titan an extremely good showing. This was a sleeper match in the tournament for me so definitely give it a look if you have a chance because these two have some history and you can tell they know each other well.

Match rating - ***3/4

Rocky Romero vs. El Phantasmo - Night Nine - 5/24/19

Okay. So. Phantasmo had a bombfest against Ospreay. That's fine. But this. I never expected him to be able to put on such a stellar match like this against Rocky Romero in the year 2019. Rocky and his run to prove himself to himself has won the hearts of Japan and they are screaming his name from start to finish and the drama he & Phantasmo created is unreal. One of, if not, THE best match of the tournament. Must watch.

Match rating - ****1/2

Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay - FINALS - 6/5/19

Although, I don't review every single match of this tournament and still have a few I'm going to go back and watch, I think it's safe to say that you can tell who the two stand-outs were. Shingo Takagi and Will Ospreay. Every match they had was either must-see or worth a viewing and they elevated every person they stepped in the ring with, as well as themselves. Both men had something to prove. Shingo had his undefeated streak to keep in tact in his first big singles run in NJPW. Will Ospreay had mental battles to overcome and a mission to put Junior division back on the level it should be while also showing he could fill the void that Omega, Kushida, and others had left. And when time for the finals came, that mission also turned into proving that unlike everyone else, he wasn't afraid of Shingo Takagi. So with all that in mind, New Japan really picked the most perfect final they could to a tournament that is already an all timer and what would better way to end an all time great tournament than with the best match of the entire calendar year. With all the backstory and the ability of these two, there was virtually no way this could be anything, but amazing however I don't think many expected the absolute classic that this would become with a super hot crowd and big fight energy. This match will be a standard bearer for future Best of the Super Junior tournaments, a game changer for Takagi AND Ospreay, and a game changer for the entire junior division. My favorite match of the year and my first five star rating of 2019. Watch this match.

Match rating - *****

----------

Be sure to check out my match rating archive with ratings for all the good-great matches I've watched this year by clicking here!

WXW: 16 Carat Gold Tournament 2019 - Night One Review

WXW 16 Carat Gold Tournament - Night One

March 8th, 2019

I haven't ever watched a full WXW show. Only one-off matches and comps for reviewing purposes. So, this is a totally new venture and I'm stoked on it. This tournament is a yearly thing that everyone from El Generico (Sami Zayn) to Shingo Takagi to Chris Hero to Zack Sabre Jr has won and this year is equally stacked with big names. You've got WALTER, who has been a staple in WXW for a long time and is currently working there along with WWE's NXT UK camp. You've got a Japan all-star Daisuke Sekimoto. Lucha standouts Pentagon Jr, Fenix, and Rey Horus. The list goes on and on so let's get right into it.

1) Axel Dieter Jr vs. Marius Al-Ani - First Round Match

Axel Dieter Jr is another talent pulling double duty as he also competes for NXT. This is his first singles match in WXW since 2017 so it's a pretty big deal. With that in mind, the crowd was hot for this opening match and it got the show off to a good start with Axel picking up the win and starting his march towards one of the things he never achieved - a 16 Carat tournament victory.

Match rating - ***

2) Fenix vs. Rey Horus - First Round Match

You may expect these two to go all out since that has become their staple, but they don't here. That is not a bad thing, though because they still killed it. Just in a sprint fashion rather than trying to have a blow out match two matches into a tournament. You get what you want from a match involving these two including a number of breathtaking exchanges, but they leave you wanting more and with Fenix advancing, I'm sure we will get some more in-depth craziness later down the line. 

Match rating - ***1/4

3) Shigehero Irie vs. Chris Brookes - First Round Match

IRIE IS A MONSTER. And he killed it here. Brookes played his part pretty well, but things never really got kicked into a super high gear. I don't think that was really their end game, though. This was more of a display for Irie and it worked just fine. 

Match rating - **3/4

4) Timothy Thatcher vs. Lucky Kid - First Round Match

Pre-match video package with a gruff looking Thatcher hitting us with the tag line - "I'd rather be forgotten than remembered for giving in." Thatcher feels left behind by Axel & WALTER, his former partners. He didn't get signed. He's still independent and grinding it out and this year, it's all about him and he's taking the 16 carat trophy. So, into this match he goes, brutalizing a vastly smaller opponent in Lucky Kid. Lucky tries everything from comedy to speed to get ahead but is shut down, until he catches Thatcher off guard and reverses out of a chokehold into a pinning combo for the shocking victory. The grief on Thatcher's face is insane. 

Match rating - ***1/2

5) Avalanche vs. Jurn Simmons - Falls Count Anywhere - First Round Match

Thanks to WXW's excellent video work, I got caught up on the backstory that led to this contest that saw Avalanche & Simmons battle through the catacombs of the building this event was held in. This felt like an old school Raw Falls Count Anywhere match. There's no *BIG* spots, but the finish is pretty cool. 

Match rating - **1/2

6) Pentagon Jr vs. Mark Davis - First Round Match

Love Penta and heard good things about Davis, but this sorta flopped. Not that it's bad, it just never kicked out of low gear and catch my attention til the last minute or two. Penta wins.

Match rating - **

7) Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Ilja Dragunov - First Round Match

Sekimotooooooooo. I'm a mark for him so I'm stoked for this. Dragunov & he have had killer matches before so this was solid. It's nothing crazy and really just a basic match from the two however it's their thing so it was good. Lariats and head drops in between various power struggles and holds. Dragunov puts out Sekimoto when all is said and done and I am sad :-(

Match rating - ***

8) WALTER vs. David Starr - First Round Match

In 2019, David Starr is my favorite promo. From the ROH video that got pulled to this heart wrenching plea/declaration about his desire to defeat WALTER and how it keeps him up at night because he's never done it despite having 10-20 times to do so. David Starr is up fucking next. I remember first seeing him in Beyond Wrestling years ago and he was good then, but this is next level and so is this match. He rushes WALTER from the bell and keeps that fire & desperation throughout the match. WALTER remains all business, cold, and ruthless. You can tell it just gets under his skin that Starr won't just take his beating. There was good drama here and a lot of moments where you thought it was about to be over. The outcome isn't what anyone wanted, but it leaves the door open for another match in the future and paired with Starr's post match rant where he appeared mental, I'm dying to see what happens next. AWESOME match here. My favorite Indie contest I've seen so far in 2019. Watch this.

Match rating - ****

WWE Monday Night Raw Review - April 15th, 2019

It's Superstar Shakeup (aka draft) time!!

Stephanie McMahon opened the show to hype tonight being the superstar shakeup. Shane McMahon comes down and he makes sure to show photos of him embarassing The Miz and his father from the past few months which leads to the first ~shake up~ of the night as The Miz makes his Raw return attacking Shane from behind and holy shit I'm not even gonna hide how much I love this feud. It feels so *not* PG Era if that makes sense. Like the Mania match felt like we teleported back to the late 90's/early 2000's and now they're brawling on Raw and Miz stares Shane down from the ring with blood pouring out of the top of his head. Time for Shane-O and Miz to carry Raw with this badass feud.

1) Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. The Revival & The Viking Experience

So, they decided to call the War Raiders up and change their name to... The Viking Experience. I'm sure you've already seen my bitching on Twitter about this along with pretty much everyone else, but I can't believe they changed the current NXT Tag Team Title holders names in the midst of such a great run. I can only imagine this was a Vince decision mid-day when they decided to call them up. None the less, despite the cringy name changes, this absolutely ruled. You could tell WWE wanted to showcase the tag division with Ricochet & Black also being announced as exclusive members of the Raw roster and they gave them a good 10-15 minutes to work and it was great. Everyone looked strong and the Viking Experience picked up a pin on the tag champs, Hawkins & Ryder.

Match rating - ***

2) Finn Balor vs. Andrade (w/ Zelina Vega)

NJPW/ROH: G1 Supercard 2019 Review (Partial)

So, I missed the first half of the card which just so happened to mainly be ROH garbage. I went back and re-watched Cobb/Ospreay, but other than that I don't have the energy to sift through anything Ring of Honor related, especially after the clusterfuck they delivered as a whole on this night.

Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Will Ospreay (c) - ROH Television and NEVER Openweight Championship Match

This opened the card and was super high stakes with two titles being on the line. It was the perfect match to kick off the show. Short, sweet and played to both Cobb & Ospreay's strengths. Both men got their shit in and got the crowd rowdy. Cobb hit an avalanche tour of the islands off the second rope followed by a normal one for the victory. Good stuff.

Match rating - ***1/2

Flip Gordon, Mark Haskins, & Juice Robinson vs. Bully Ray, Silas Young, & Shane Taylor - New York City Street Fight

Tuned in just in time for this mess. It's a decent mess though. Bully Ray attacks the rapper who came out to perform before the match which leads to everybody else involved in this running to the ring and the match starting off. It was a good basic brawl with kendo sticks, tables, and an array of different weapons. Flip Gordon got FUKT up by a kendo stick early on. Felt like this got way too much time as a whole, but the faces win and onward we go.

Match rating - ***

Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Dragon Lee vs. Bandido - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match

This is one of the matches that I was most excited for and although it ended before it could turn into the MOTY contender that I feel like it could've been, it still ruled. And on top of that, I'm sure everyone left satisfied. Bandido had a real coming out party here, getting the best reaction from his spots of the three. Dragon Lee gets the pin on him, though, to take the belt and set up a match between himself and the champion that never got pinned at Wrestling Dontaku in May.

Match rating - ***3/4

GOD (Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa) (c) vs. Brody King & PCO (c) vs. The Briscoes vs. EVIL & Sanada - ROH/IWGP Tag Title Match (Winners Take All)

This was absolutely nuts. From PCO getting powerbombed over the top rope to the damn floor to the post match ringside ~worked shoot?~ attack from Enzo & Big Cass. This was just chaos all around and whether you think the booking was dumb or not, this was super fun to watch. Hated seeing the Tongans retain AND gain a new title, but so it goes. Crazy match.

Match rating - ***3/4

Zack Sabre Jr (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - RevPro British Heavyweight Title Match

Re-match from the quarter-finals of the NJ Cup. Tana took that victory which earned him a shot at Zack's RevPro title here. These two had a match different from anything else in the night. Tana worked the leg of Zack and Zack was working over Tanahashi in general in prep for what would be the finish as he locked in Napalm Death and Tana had nowhere at all to go. Sabre retains in a good match because these two can't have a bad one.

Match rating - ***1/4

Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi - IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match

Fucking hell. These two can't not have an amazing, breathtaking match. Up front I will go ahead and say these two outright stole the show. They are known for bringing out the best in each other and they told that story with another war over the IWGP Intercontinental Title. It's hard to say whether or not they topped their match from the Cup a few weeks ago, but with this ending up being Ibushi's first big heavyweight division title win, I tend to say it did because as a massive fan of his, it was a special moment to witness following an absolute bonkers match that had me screaming from the couch.

Match rating - ****1/2

Jay Lethal (c) vs. Marty Scurll vs. Matt Taven - Ladder Match for the ROH World Championship 

A lot of people shit on this because fuck ROH (a sentiment I agree with) however I thought this was an awesome ladder match, booking decision aside. Jay Lethal is fantastic in his role and Taven & Scurll can do spots, plus the crowd was hot and the outcome was pretty up in the air which made for a lot of anticipation throughout. A number of crazy spots that I will undoubtedly want to look back on at some point. Taven takes the W which I don't fuck with, but it was a sick ride to that outcome.

Match rating - ****

Jay White (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada - IWGP Heavyweight Title Match

I wanted this to be a classic. To the short, it wasn't. The crowd wasn't completely invested in White and frankly, I wasn't either, I never fully have been. So this made the first half sort of dreadful, esp since Okada matches tend to be somewhat repetitive in that regard. If they could've trimmed some off this, it could've been up there as one of the best matches of the weekend. None the less, the final half rocked and Okada saved this thing in a fashion that only the Rainmaker can and THUS we have a new IWGP Heavyweight Champion. All hail the Rainmaker.

Match rating - ****

WWE NXT Takeover Brooklyn 2019 Review

April 5th, 2019

1) War Raiders (c) vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet - NXT Tag Team Title Match

Tag Title openers at Takeover always rule and this was no different. A red hot crowd and balls to the wall action. It was one hell of a way to send off Black & Ricochet and also give the War Raiders a huge win over a team that features two former NXT singles champions. Awesome stuff and a blazing way to kick off the show.

Match rating - ****

2) Velveteen Dream (c) vs. Matt Riddle - NXT North American Title Match

Despite both of these men having vibrant personalities, stylistically these two are polar opposites and it made for a perfect clash. Riddle came in hard and no non-sense right out of the gate and never let up. It stunned the champion and they played off with Riddle shaking off every little bout of offense Dream tried to throw. Dream fought from under for a while which led to him firing up and getting a huge pop. Riddle keeps hammering him with a fucking second rope deadlift suplex from the apron to the inside of the ring and it RULES. The finish with Riddle locking in the bro-mission and Dream flipping around into a pinning combo to win caught me by surprise, but really was a fitting end to an awesome match and in my opinion, sets the stage for another match between the two since it wasn't a ~definitive~ win for Dream and you know Riddle is gonna have something to say about that. Another banger here.

Match rating - ****

3) Pete Dunne (c) vs. WALTER - NXT United Kingdom Title Match

The Bruserweight has been champion for over 600 days and undoubtedly made his mark in WWE and established himself as an NXT legend. Enter WALTER. The new giant on the block and someone who I've been watching for years. Seeing him get this platform and a push to a title match immediately is so sick so there's a lot of hype for this in every aspect. Dunne & WALTER responded to the hype by delivering just as stiff of a match as you would expect that had a slow, steady build and never stopped thumping. I wasn't as ~blown away~ by this as most, but it was a great match. As I said to Mike post-match, I was hoping for WALTER dominance and more desperation from Dunne. Those two emotional bits could have sent this over the top, but then again these two are fighters so maybe that would've been out of character. Either way, this was a straight brawl and it ruled.

Match rating - ***3/4


4) Shayna Basler (c) vs. Io Shirai vs. Kairi Sane vs. Bianca Belair - NXT Women's Championship Match

Good little four-way here. I love Shirai and Sane so much, all their exchanges here ruled. They teamed up at first then ended up breaking up each other's pins and it broke down. Bianca got her spots in which included a DOUBLE KOD on Shirai AND Sane. Basler locked Bianca in a choke right after and she SOLD IT LIKE A QUEEN. HOLY FK. The heat on Basler was nuts too as Bianca tapped out.

Match rating - ***1/4

5) Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole - 2/3 Falls Match for the Vacant NXT Championship

This one is gonna draw super mixed reviews. And it even took me a while to decide how I was gonna go with this one because there's so many thoughts. But to me, the bottom line is they had this crowd in the palm of their hand the entire time and the biggest thing to note is how they took it from being a split crowd to being fully 100% behind Gargano. This could've been a huge letdown due to the split in the audience recently with a lot of people feeling they overkilled Gargano and Ciampa and that whole thing (myself included), however, they pulled this shit off phenomenally. I can only imagine what it was like to witness this live. I felt the electricity through my computer screen. So much drama and storytelling in the final 10-15 minutes. Such a battle for Johnny to finally get the NXT Championship. Amazing final chapter to this story, hands down. Candice coming out to celebrate followed by Ciampa was the icing on the cake and enough to get the tears swelling in my eyes. BAD ASS.

Match rating - ****1/2

WWE Smackdown Live Review - April 2nd, 2019

WWE Smackdown Live Review - April 2nd, 2019

The Kevin Owens show w/ AJ Styles & Randy Orton

I haven't seen anything from this feud until now, but this RULED. They went straight for the verbal kill. Orton namedropping independent wrestling and shitting on AJ's legacy. Styles responded talking about Orton failing drug tests and getting suspended. Owens gets up and leaves as the conversation intensifies. Orton & Styles get to their feet and the crowd follows suit. They start brawling and it ends with AJ going for the flying fore arm only to catch an RKO in mid-air. Short, sweet, and to the point. I hope the match at Mania matches the intensity of this segment.

1) The Usos, Ricochet, & Aleister Black vs. Sheamus, Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, & Rusev

WWE Monday Night Raw Review - April 1st, 2019: The Final Raw Before WrestleMania 35

WWE Monday Night Raw Review - April 1st, 2019

First time I've watched an entire Raw and reviewed it in ages. All in the honor of WrestleMania week. Pray I make it through this.

Seth Rollins and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar opened the show. This entire feud has been your basic Brock-WrestleMania build that we've gotten the past several years so everyone is more or less used to this formula so it's been nothing special. The crowd is super into Rollins, though, so this segment went over well with Rollins & Lesnar breaking down into a brawl and the "Beast Slayer" coming out on top using a low blow to get the advantage and following it up with a curb stomp.

1) Sasha Banks, Bayley, Natalya, & Beth Phoenix vs. Nia Jax, Tamina, Billie Kay, & Peyton Royce

This was actually solid aside from a few hiccups early. It didn't overstay it's welcome and accomplished what it set out to in good fashion. Beth got re-established and had a nice spot where she speared Nia through the barricade which got a "you killed Nia" chant. This made her & Natalya look like a legit threat to Sasha & Bayley and even though that move & moment led to Beth getting the win for her team which included Sasha & Bayley - you could see the frustration they had over it. Fun stuff. Hopefully the four-way tag at Mania is like this and doesn't turn into a complete cluster fuck.

Match rating - **1/2

BATISTA is in the house. He comes out to a mixed reaction in his hometown. He points to the screen and a video package hyping the fact that H has never beat him airs. Dave then says "Hunter - kiss my ass" and leaves. Let's rock. I'm honestly excited for the Mania match with the stipulations and everything.

2) Apollo Crews vs. Jinder Mahal

New Japan Cup 2019 Review

This is LATE, I know. I was trying to catch up before Mania weekend, but I literally got to the final round match and ran out of time so I had to wait til after I finish this series up. But here's the top matches from the NJCup with thoughts and star ratings <3


Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata - First Round Match - Night One - 3/8/19

Main event of the first night of NJCup action and the first stand out match of the tournament here. This has a lot of his history behind it as Ishii has lost in the first round of the cup to Nagata twice in years past. Plus, in more recent memory, they've been brawling ever since the night after Wrestle Kingdom at New Year's Dash and it has been boiling ever since. So, with that in mind, the fighting spirit/strong style display we got here made perfect sense. It wasn't even a minute or two in before the stiff strikes began to be thrown and it was only 8 or 9 minutes before Nagata was bleeding from the mouth. From top rope exploders to breathtaking forearm battles in the middle of the ring, this ruled on every front if you like this style of wrestling and it was super well built.

Match rating - ****

Kazuchika Okada vs. Michael Elgin - First Round Match - Night Two - 3/9/19

Any time Okada & Elgin step foot in a ring together, I think we pretty much know what to expect. A barnburner. This was no different with the action being heated as you got down the stretch. Many people didn't fuck with this match because it didn't feel believable and Okada matches like this tend to have a similar formula (as do Elgin matches, if we're being honest *power move* *nearfall* repeat) and a year or two ago, I probably would've felt the same, but I've admittedly become an Okada mark as of late so everything he does, I enjoy to some extent plus the action here wasn't bad at all and kept myself and the crowd invested. Okada comes out on top after a bunch of back and forth.

Match rating - ***3/4

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shota Umino - First Round Match - Night Three - 3/10/19

Huge coming out party for the young lion, Shota Umino. Even though he was the obvious underdog and had likely no chance to win, it didn't always feel like it and they did a good job of making him look like a believable opponent for the Ace without pushing it too far. Really simple, but amazingly executed stuff here.

Match rating - ***1/2

Zack Sabre Jr vs. EVIL - First Round Match - Night Three - 3/10/19

Quick Six w/ Barrington Hughes (1/31/19)

The Quick Six consists of six question mini interviews with pro wrestlers from around the world. A fast series meant to be a quick and enjoyable read. Full of relevant and fun questions from “where do did you get your start in pro wrestling?” to “if you could beat up a celebrity and get away with it, who would it be?” and everything in between.

Welcome to the Quick Six Interviews.

Our first guest is the Caramel Colossus, leader of the #NahFam Movement, Mr. Barrington Hughes. 

Now let’s get into some questions!

Q: What is on the agenda of the Colossus this year?

A: The agenda this year is just like last year. Travel the world, compete against the best wrestlers and raise my stock in the eyes of the fans. 

Q: Let’s say you have to represent for the big boys in a tag team. If you could pick one super heavyweight throughout pro wrestling history for a massive man tag team, who would it be?

A: This is a tough question. It's a tie breaker between Great Kokina (pre-WWE ﹰYokozuna) or Gary Albright. 

Q: If you had to be a part of a 1990’s pro wrestling faction, which one would you choose and why?

WWE: Royal Rumble 2019 Panel Predictions

Getting back into the swing of things this year. My 2019 match ratings tracker is already up & going and can be found HERE. Plus Donnie (@donnie2sweet) will now be joined by my friend Mike (@mikexklinsky) to feature on some columns and some other cool things we have planned for the next few months that will be announced later. But for now, we're all gonna throw out our predictions for the Rumble and see how things shake out!

Donnie:

Men's Rumble - Braun Strowman

Women's Rumble - Charlotte

Styles/Bryan (WWE Title) - Daniel Bryan

Lesnar/Balor (Universal Title) - Finn Balor

Sheamus & Cesaro/Shane & Miz (Tag Titles) - Sheamus & Cesaro

Rousey/Banks - Ronda Rousey

Asuka/Lynch - Asuka

Rusev/Nakamura - Rusev

Cruserweight 4 way - Buddy Murphy

Ethan:

Men's Rumble - Braun Strowman

Women's Rumble - Alexa Bliss

Styles/Bryan (WWE Title) - Daniel Bryan

Lesnar/Balor (Universal Title) - Brock Lesnar

Sheamus & Cesaro/Shane & Miz (Tag Titles) - Shane McMahon & The Miz

Rousey/Banks - Ronda Rousey

Asuka/Lynch - Asuka

Rusev/Nakamura - Rusev

Cruserweight 4 way - Hideo Itami

Mike:

Men's Rumble - Seth Rollins

Women's Rumble - Charlotte

Styles/Bryan (WWE Title) - Daniel Bryan

Lesnar/Balor (Universal Title) - Brock Lesnar

Sheamus & Cesaro/Shane & Miz - Sheamus & Cesaro

Rousey/Banks - Ronda Rousey

Asuka/Lynch - Becky Lynch

Rusev/Nakamura - Shinsuke Nakamura

Cruserweight 4 way - Hideo Itami

Ethan's 2019 Match Rating Archive/MOTY TRACKER (Best Matches of 2019)

Will be updated as the year goes on.

JANUARY:

Masashi Takeda & Yuki Miyamoto vs. Takayuki Ueki & Toshiyuki Sakuda - 1/2/19 - BJW: New Year - ***1/4

Daisuke Sekimoto (c) vs. Hama - BJW Strong World Heavyweight Title Match - 1/2/19 - BJW: New Year - ****

Masaya Takahashi (c) vs. Takumi Tsukamoto - BJW Deathmatch Heavyweight Title Match - 1/2/19 - BJW: New Year - ***3/4

Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Will Ospreay - NEVER Openweight Title Match - 1/4/19 - NJPW: Wrestle Kingdom 13 - ****

Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr - RPW British Heavyweight Title Match - 1/4/19 - NJPW: Wrestle Kingdom 13 - ***1/2

Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White - 1/4/19 - NJPW: Wrestle Kingdom 13 - ***1/2

Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito - IWGP Intercontinental Title Match - 1/4/19 - NJPW: Wrestle Kingdom 13 - ****

Kenny Omega (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - IWGP Heavyweight Title Match - 1/4/19 - NJPW: Wrestle Kingdom 13 - ****

Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto, & Will Ospreay vs. KUSHIDA, Jeff Cobb, & Yuji Nagata - 1/5/19 - NJPW: New Year Dash - ***3/4

Strong Hearts (CIMA, El Lindaman, Duan Yingna, & Seiki Yoshioka) vs. Kaz Hayashi, Andy Wu, Jiro Kuroshio, & Jun Tondokoro - 1/5/19 - Wrestle-1 - ***1/2

Shotaro Ashino (c) vs. T-Hawk - Wrestle-1 Championship Match - 1/5/19 - Wrestle-1 - ***3/4

Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. PAC - Rev Pro Heavyweight Title Match - 1/6/19 - Rev Pro: Live From the Cockpit - ***1/4

Samoa Joe & Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio & Mustafa Ali - 1/8/19 - WWE: Smackdown Live - ***1/4

Cedric Alexander vs. Hideo Itami - 1/9/19 - WWE: 205 Live - ***3/4

Moustache Mountain (Bate & Seven) (c) vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake - WWE NXT UK Tag Team Title Match - 1/12/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover UK Blackpool - ****

Finn Balor vs. Jordan Devlin - 1/12/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover UK - ***

Dave Mastiff vs. James Dennis - No DQ Match - 1/12/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover UK - ***1/4

Bandido vs. PJ Black - 1/13/19 - ROH: Honor Reigns Supreme - ****

The Briscoes & Silas Young vs. Marty Scurll, PCO, & Brody King - 1/13/19 - ROH: Honor Reigns Supreme - ****

Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama (c) vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi - BJW Tag Title Match - 1/13/19 - BJW: To Was Gat Early - ****1/4

Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley - Intercontinental Title Match - 1/14/19 - WWE: Raw - ***1/4

Finn Balor vs. John Cena vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Barin Corbin - 1/14/19 - WWE: Raw - ***1/4

Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade - 1/15/19 - WWE: Smackdown - ****1/4

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre - 1/21/19 - WWE: Raw - ***3/4

Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade - 1/22/19 - WWE: Smackdown - ****

Gran Metallik vs. Humberto Carrillo - 1/22/19 - WWE: 205 Live - ***1/2

Kyle O'Reilly & Roderick Strong (c) vs. War Raiders - NXT Tag Team Title Match - 1/26/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover Chicago - ****

Kassius Ohno vs. Matt Riddle - 1/26/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover Chicago - ****

Shayna Basler (c) vs. Bianca Belair - NXT Women's Title Match - WWE: NXT Takeover Chicago - ***3/4

Ricochet (c) vs. Johnny Gargano - NXT North American Title Match - 1/26/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover Chicago - ****1/2

Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Hideo Itami vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa - WWE Cruserweight Title Match - 1/27/19 - WWE: Royal Rumble - ***1/4

Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch - Smackdown Women's Title Match - 1/27/19 - WWE: Royal Rumble - ****

Sheamus & Cesaro (c) vs. Shane McMahon & The Miz - WWE Tag Team Title Match - 1/27/19 - WWE: Royal Rumble - ***1/2

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles - WWE Title Match - 1/27/19 - WWE: Royal Rumble - ***3/4

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor - WWE Universal Championship Match - 1/27/19 - WWE: Royal Rumble - ***3/4

Men's Royal Rumble Match - 1/27/19 - WWE: Royal Rumble - ****

Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, Sanada, Shingo Takagi, & BUSHI vs. Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr, El Desperado, Kanemaru, & Taichi - Elimination Match - 1/28/19 - NJPW: Road to New Beginning - ***1/2

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KUSHIDA - 1/29/19 - NJPW: Road to New Beginning - ***1/2

FEBRUARY:

Drew Gulak vs. Jordan Devlin - 2/2/19 - WWE: Worlds Collide - ***1/4

Adam Cole vs. Tyler Bate - 2/2/19 - WWE: Worlds Collide - ***1/4

Velveteen Dream vs. Jordan Devlin - 2/2/19 - WWE: Worlds Collide - ***1/2

Velveteen Dream vs. Tyler Bate - 2/2/19 - WWE: Worlds Collide - ***1/2

Minoru Suzuki vs. SANADA - 2/2/19 - NJPW: New Beginning in Sapporo Night One - ***1/2

Zack Sabre Jr vs. EVIL - 2/2/19 - NJPW: New Beginning in Sapporo Night One - ****

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White & Bad Luck Fale - NJPW: New Beginning in Sapporo Night One - ****

BUSHI & Shingo Takagi (c) vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru - IWGP Jr Heavyweight Tag Title Match - 2/3/19 - NJPW: New Beginning in Sapporo Night Two - ***1/4

Dragon Kid, Masato Yoshino, Genki Horiguchi, & YAMATO vs. Masaachi Mochizuki, Naruki Doi, Ryo Saito, & Susumu Yokosuka  - 2/10/19 - Dragon Gate: Truth Gate - ***3/4

PAC (c) vs. Kzy - Open the Dream Gate Title Match - 2/10/19 - Dragon Gate: Truth Gate - ****1/2

Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Ryusuke Taguchi - IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title Match - 2/11/19 - NJPW: New Beginning in Osaka - ***3/4

Kazcuhika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale - 2/11/19 - NJPW: New Beginning in Osaka - ***3/4

Hiroshi Tanahashi (c) vs. Jay White - IWGP Heavyweight Title Match - 2/11/19 - NJPW: New Beginning in Osaka - ****

The Miz & Shane McMahon (c) vs. The Usos - WWE Tag Team Title Match - 2/17/19 - WWE: Elimination Chamber - ***1/4

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy - WWE Title Match - 2/17/19 - WWE: Elimination Chamber - ****1/2

Ricochet vs. Eric Young - 2/19/19 - WWE: Smackdown - ***1/4

Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, & Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston, AJ Styles, & Jeff Hardy - 2/19/19 - WWE: Smackdown - ***3/4

MARCH:

Jake Atlas vs. Jungle Boy vs. Trey Miguel - 3/1/19 - PWG: 200 - ***1/2

Puma King vs. Laredo Kid - 3/1/19 - PWG: 200 - ***1/4

Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent) vs. Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) - 3/1/19 - PWG: 200 - ***1/2

Darby Allin vs. Brody King - 3/1/19 - PWG: 200 - ***3/4

Jonathan Gresham vs. David Starr - 3/1/19 - PWG: 200 - ***3/4

The Rascals (c) vs. Lucha Bros (Penta & Fenix) vs. LAX - PWG World Tag Team Title Match - 3/1/19 - PWG: 200 - ***1/4

Jeff Cobb (c) vs. Bandido - PWG World Title Match - 3/1/19 - PWG: 200 - ****

R-Truth (c) vs. Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade - United States Title Match - 3/5/19 - WWE: Smackdown - ***1/2

BUSHI & Shingo Takagi (c) vs. Roppongi 3k (Sho & Yo) - IWGP Jr Tag Title Match - 3/6/19 - NJPW: 47th Anniversary Show - ***1/2

Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Jushin Liger - IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title Match - 3/6/19 - ***1/2

Jay White vs. Will Ospreay - 3/6/19 - NJPW: 47th Anniversary Show - ****1/4

Fenix vs. Rey Horus - 3/8/19 - WXW: 16 Carat - Night One - ***1/4

Timothy Thatcher vs. Lucky Kid - 3/8/19 - WXW: 16 Carat - Night One - ***1/2

WALTER vs. David Starr - 3/8/19 - WXW: 16 Carat - Night One - ****

Kazuchika Okada vs. Michael Elgin - 3/9/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 2 - ****

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shota Umino - 3/10/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 3 - ***1/2

Zack Sabre Jr vs. EVIL - 3/10/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 3 - ***1/2

Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi - 3/10/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 3 - ****1/2

The Usos (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon - WWE Tag Team Title Match - 3/10/19 - WWE: Fast Lane - ***1/4

Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade vs. R-Truth - United States Title Match - 3/10/19 - WWE: Fast Lane - ***1/2

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Mustafa Ali - WWE Title Match - 3/10/19 - WWE: Fast Lane - ****

Minoru Suzuki vs. Satoshi Kojima - 3/11/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 4 - ***3/4

Hirooki Goto vs. SANADA - 3/11/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 4 - ***1/2

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi - 3/13/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 5 - ***3/4

Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer - 3/14/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 6 - ****

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Kota Ibushi - 3/16/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 7 - ***3/4

Minoru Suzuki vs. SANADA - 3/17/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 8 - ****

Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (c) vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama - AJPW World Tag Team Title Match - 3/19/19 - AJPW: Dream Power Series Day 6 - ****

Tomohiro Ishii vs. YOSHI HASHI - 3/20/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 9 - ***1/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay - 3/20/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 9 - ****

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr - 3/21/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 10 - ****

Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii - 3/23/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 11 - ****1/2

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA - 3/24/19 - NJPW: New Japan Cup Day 12 - ***1/2

APRIL:

Yuji Okabayashi vs. Shuji Ishikawa - 4/4/19 - AJPW: Championship Carnival Tournament - ****

War Raiders (c) vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black - NXT Tag Team Title Match - 4/5/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover Brooklyn - ****

Velveteen Dream (c) vs. Matt Riddle - NXT North American Title Match - 4/5/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover Brooklyn - ****

Pete Dunne (c) vs. WALTER - NXT UK Title Match - 4/5/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover Brooklyn - ***3/4

Shayna Basler (c) vs. Io Shorai vs. Kairi Sane vs. Bianca Belair - NXT Women's Title Match - 4/5/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover Brooklyn - ***1/4

Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano - NXT Championship Match - 4/5/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover Brooklyn - ****1/2

Will Ospreay (c) vs. Jeff Cobb (c) - NEVER Openweight & ROH TV Title Match - 4/6/19 - NJPW/ROH: G1 Supercard - ***1/2

Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Dragon Lee vs. Bandido - IWGP Jr Heavyweight Title Match - 4/6/19 - NJPW/ROH: G1 Supercard - ***3/4

Guerillas of Destiny (c) vs. PCO & Brody King (c) vs. The Briscoes vs. EVIL & SANADA - ROH & IWGP Heavyweight Tag Title Match - 4/6/19 - NJPW/ROH: G1 Supercard - ***3/4

Zack Sabre Jr (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - Rev Pro British Heavyweight Title Match - 4/6/19 - NJPW/ROH: G1 Supercard - ***1/4

Tetsuya Naito (c) vs. Kota Ibushi - IWGP Intercontinental Title Match - 4/6/19 - NJPW/ROH: G1 Supercard - ****1/2

Jay Lethal (c) vs. Matt Taven vs. Marty Scurll - Ladder Match for the ROH World Title - 4/6/19 - NJPW/ROH: G1 Supercard - ****

Jay White (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada - IWGP Heavyweight Title Match - 4/6/19 - NJPW/ROH: G1 Supercard - ****

Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Tony Nese - WWE Cruserweight Title Match - 4/7/19 - WWE: WrestleMania 35 - ***1/2

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Seth Rollins - WWE Universal Title Match - 4/7/19 - WWE: WrestleMania 35 - ***1/2

AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton - 4/7/19 - WWE: WrestleMania 35 - ***1/4

The Usos (c) vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. Cesaro & Sheamus vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev - WWE Tag Team Title Match - 4/7/19 - WWE: WrestleMania 35 - ****

Shane McMahon vs. The Miz - Falls Count Anywhere Match - 4/7/19 - WWE: WrestleMania 35 - ****1/4

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kofi Kingston - WWE Title Match - 4/7/19 - WWE: WrestleMania 35 - ****1/2

Triple H vs. Batista - No Holds Barred Match - 4/7/19 - WWE: WrestleMania 35 - ***3/4

Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch - WWE Women's Title Match - 4/7/19 - WWE: WrestleMania 35 - ***1/4

Kento Miyahara vs. Shuji Ishikawa - 4/14/19 - AJPW: Championship Carnival Tournament - ****

Yuji Okabayashi vs. Dylan James - 4/20/19 - AJPW: Championship Carnival Tournament - ****1/4

Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr - IWGP Intercontinental Title Match - 4/20/19 - NJPW: Sengoku Lord - ****1/4

Yuji Okabayashi vs. Zeus - 4/21/19 - AJPW: Championship Carnival Tournament - ****

AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe - 4/22/19 - WWE: Raw - ***1/4

BUSHI & Shingo Takagi vs. Sho & Yo - 4/26/19 - NJPW: Road to Dontaku - ****

Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii, Kota Ibushi, & Roppongi 3k vs. Testuya Naito, EVIL, Sanada, Shingo Takagi, & BUSHI - 4/29/19 - NJPW: Road to Dontaku - ***1/4

Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. Baron Corbin & Drew McIntyre - 4/29/19 - WWE: Raw - ***

MAY:

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Daniel Bryan - WWE Championship Match - 5/6/19 - WWE: Raw - ****

Marty Scurll vs. Jonathan Gresham - 5/13/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night One - ***1/4

Shingo Takagi vs. SHO - 5/13/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night One - ****3/4

Dragon Lee vs. Taiji Ishimori - 5/13/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night One - ***1/2

Will Ospreay vs. BUSHI - 5/14/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night Two - ***

Bandido vs. El Phantasmo - 5/14/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night Two - ***1/4

Dragon Lee vs. SHO - 5/15/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night Three - ****

Bandido vs. YOH - 5/16/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night Four - ***1/4

Will Ospreay vs. Rocky Romero - 5/16/19 - NJPW BOSJ Night Four - ****1/4

Shingo Takagi vs. Yoshinobo Kanemaru - 5/18/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night Five - ***1/2

Will Ospreay vs. YOH - 5/19/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night Six - ***3/4

Bayley vs. Carmella vs. Dana Brooke vs. Naomi vs. Mandy Rose vs. Natalya vs. Ember Moon vs. Nikki Cross - MITB Ladder Match - 5/19/19 - WWE: Money in the Bank - ***1/4

Seth Rollins (c) vs. AJ Styles - WWE Universal Title Match - 5/19/19 - WWE: Money in the Bank - ****1/4

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Kevin Owens - WWE Title Match - 5/19/19 - WWE: Money in the Bank - ***1/2

Brock Lesnar vs. Ali vs. Andrade vs. Ricochet vs. Randy Orton vs. Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre - MITB Ladder Match - 5/19/19 - WWE: Money in the Bank - ***1/2

Shingo Takagi vs. Marty Scurll - 5/22/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night Seven - ***1/4

Will Ospreay vs. El Phantasmo - 5/22/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night Seven - ****

Will Ospreay vs. Bandido - 5/23/19 - NJPW BOSJ Night Eight - ****1/4

Shingo Takagi vs. Dragon Lee - 5/23/19 - NJPW BOSJ Night Eight - ****1/4

Dragon Lee vs. Titan - 5/24/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night Nine - ***3/4

Rocky Romero vs. El Phantasmo - 5/24/19 - NJPW: BOSJ Night Nine - ****1/2

JUNE:

Roderick Strong vs. Matt Riddle - 6/1/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover XXV - ****

Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. The Street Profits vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. The Forgotten Sons - Ladder Match for the NXT World Tag Team Titles - 6/1/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover XXV - ***3/4

Johnny Gargano (c) vs. Adam Cole - NXT Title Match - 6/1/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover XXV - ****

Juice Robinson (c) vs. Jon Moxley - IWGP US Title Match - 6/5/19 - NJPW: BOSJ 26 Finals - ****1/4

Will Ospreay vs. Shingo Takagi - Best of the Super Juniors Finals - 6/5/19 - NJPW: BOSJ 26 Finals - *****

Jon Moxley vs. Shota Umino - 6/9/19 - NJPW: Dominion - ***1/4

Kota Ibushi (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito - IWGP Intercontinental Title Match - 6/9/19 - NJPW: Dominion - ****

Chad Gable vs. Jack Gallagher - 6/11/19 - WWE: 205 Live - ***1/2

Akira Tozawa vs. Oney Lorcan vs. Drew Gulak vs. Humberto Carilllo - 6/11/19 - WWE: 205 Live - ****

Seth Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan - 6/17/19 - WWE: Raw - ***1/2

Ricochet vs. AJ Styles - 6/24/19 - WWE: Raw - ***3/4

Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin - 6/29/19 - AEW: Fyter Fest - ***3/4

Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks vs. Pentagon Jr, Fenix, & Laredo Kid - 6/29/19 - AEW: Fyter Fest - ****1/4

Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela - Unsanctioned Match - 6/29/19 - AEW: Fyter Fest - ****

JULY:

Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer - 7/6/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Night One - ****1/4

Kota Ibushi vs. KENTA - 7/6/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Night One - ***3/4

Zack Sabre Jr vs. SANADA - 7/6/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Night One - ***3/4

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - 7/6/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Night One - ****

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb - 7/13/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Night Two - ****1/4

Shingo Takagi vs. Juice Robinson - 7/13/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Night Two - ***1/2

Darby Allin, Joey Janela, & Jimmy Havoc vs. MJF, Shawn Spears, & Sammy Guevara - 7/13/19 - AEW: Fight for the Fallen - ***1/2

Pentagon Jr & Fenix vs. Christopher Daniels & Kazarian - 7/13/19 - AEW: Fight for the Fallen - ****

Kenny Omega vs. CIMA - 7/13/19 - AEW: Fight For the Fallen - ****1/2

Bobby Lashley vs. Braun Strowman - 7/14/19 - WWE: Extreme Rules - ***3/4

Daniel Bryan & Erick Rowan vs. Big E & Xavier Woods vs. Heavy Machinery - 7/14/19 - WWE: Extreme Rules - ***3/4

Will Ospreay vs. SANADA - 7/14/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Night Three - ***1/2

Kazuchika Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr - 7/14/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Night Three - ****

Kota Ibushi vs. EVIL - 7/14/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Night Three - ***3/4

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA - 7/14/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Night Three - ****

Will Ospreay vs. Kota Ibushi - 7/18/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax - ****

Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii - 7/19/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax - ****1/4

PAC (c) vs. Ben-K - Open the Dream Gate Title Match - 7/21/19 - Dragon Gate: Kobe World 2019 - ****1/4

AUGUST:

Tetsuya Naito vs. Shingo Takagi - 8/7/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax - ****3/4

Will Ospreay vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - 8/10/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax - ****

Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr & Minoru Suzuki - 8/13/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Finals - ***1/2

Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White - 8/13/19 - NJPW: G1 Climax Finals - ****



OCTOBER:

Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara - 10/2/19 - AEW: Dynamite - ***1/2

PAC vs. Hangman Page - 10/2/19 - AEW: Dynamite - ***1/2

Adam Cole vs. Matt Riddle - 10/2/19 - WWE: NXT - ****1/4

The Young Bucks vs. Private Party - 10/9/19 - AEW: Dynamite - ****

Roderick Strong vs. Isaiah Scott - 10/9/19 - WWE: NXT - ***1/2

WALTER vs. KUSHIDA - 10/9/19 - WWE: NXT - ****

Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janela - 10/15/19 - AEW: Dark - ****

Chris Jericho (c) vs. Darby Allin - Street Fight for the AEW Championship - 10/16/19 - AEW: Dynamite - ***1/2

Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr & Fenix) vs. Private Party - 10/23/19 - AEW: Dynamite - ****

Jordan Devlin (c) vs. David Starr - OTT Title Match - 10/26/19 - OTT: 4th Anniv show - ****1/2


NOVEMBER:

Adam Cole (c) vs. Daniel Bryan - NXT Title Match - WWE: Smackdown - 11/1/19 - ***1/4

Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega - Unsanctioned Match - 11/9/19 - AEW: Full Gear - ****1/2

Shayna Basler, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair, & Kay Lee Ray vs. Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, & Dakota Kai - War Games Match - 11/23/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover War Games - ***3/4

Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Donovan Dijakovic, & Kevin Owens vs. Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish - War Games Match - 11/23/19 - WWE: NXT Takeover - ****

AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong - 11/24/19 - WWE: Survivor Series - ***1/2

Adam Cole (c) vs. Pete Dunne - NXT Title Match - 11/24/19 - WWE: Survivor Series - ****

Seth Rollins, Ricochet, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, & Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Shorty G, & Mustafa Ali vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Matt Riddle, WALTER, & Damian Priest - 11/24/19 - WWE: Survivor Series - ***3/4

DECEMBER:

Lio Rush (c) vs. Angel Garza - Cruserweight Title Match - 12/11/19 - WWE: NXT - ****1/4

Finn Balor vs. Keith Lee vs. Tommaso Ciampa - 12/11/19 - WWE: NXT - ***1/2

Adam Cole (c) vs. Finn Balor - 12/18/19 - WWE: NXT - ***1/2

Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. Lucha Bros - 12/18/19 - AEW: Dynamite - ***1/2