Hi!
How’s your August going? Ours is going great. Watched some wrestling too.
This week in Happy Wrestling Land:
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Nights 13 - 19 (8/9/22 - 8/17/22) - Dum Dum Daniels
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Finals (8/18/22) - Dum Dum Daniels
AJPW Royal Road Tournament Round 2 (8/14/22) - Captain Lou
AJPW Royal Road Tournament Round 2 (8/16/22) - Captain Lou
Best WWE Matches of the Month (May, June and July ‘22) - Dum Dum Daniels
NEXT TIME!!! Clash at the Castle! More 5-Star GP, probably! And other things…
NJPW G1 Climax 32 (8/9 – 8/17/22): Tournament Updates All Month Long
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 14 (8/9/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi
I remember a match where these two over-performed against each other, but after a look more exhaustive than I was hoping I’m sure that was a dream – or worse. YOSHI-HASHI can step up in singles, Yujiro I’m still not sure. It evened out to a very average 13 minutes of wrestling. **1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block B: SANADA vs. Chase Owens
After a Paradise Lock, Chase Owens competed with SANADA. I think the main problem is that while many of his G1 singles matches are competent, there’s nothing Chase Owens brings to their beginning or end to distinguish them from anything else. The matches aren’t bad, just weaker versions of everything else + a beer belly. ***
3. G1 Climax – Block B: Tama Tonga vs. Taichi
Amid a rock solid G1 match, each was occasionally possessed by Takashi Iizuka’s old Iron Fingers. Like the Juice/ELP match a night before, I may not recommend it to just anyone but I’m glad they were trying something. The fingers killed enough time that it just felt seamless when they turned it up and started throwing bombs. ***1/2
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Lance Archer vs. JONAH
Not as cool as JONAH’s last two efforts but still plenty of big boys beating each other up. Archer hit a Pounce and JONAH rebounded with a body block, and there was a real buzz in the crowd as JONAH seemed primed to win with another splash. Then: Archer hit a step-up knee, which knocked JONAH to the floor and led to an uninspired countout conclusion. ***1/4
5. G1 Climax – Block C: Tetsuya Naito vs. KENTA
Bits and pieces of vintage Naito and KENTA goodness that were just moments within a much longer, slower match. For two guys who are really good at all the non-wrestling parts of wrestling, they sure like to wrestle for really long periods of time. ***1/4
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 15 (8/10/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: David Finlay vs. El Phantasmo
Here they are, the breakout boys! Are they still breaking out? Not really. They had a decent little contest here that was reacted to politely enough. ELP provided more high-flying than your average David Finlay match, which was never all that grounded to begin with. ***
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Tama Tonga vs. Great O-Khan
I liked the part when they were trading strikes then O-Khan opted for a judo throw. Otherwise, can we just call this a clash of styles? O-Khan put Tama in his Eliminator submission for a good while until he lifted him up for a chokeslam, which Tama countered into a Stun Gun for 3. Eh. **3/4
3. G1 Climax – Block C: EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
ZSJ used young lion Kosei Fujita as a (hilarious) decoy before the match, then appeared from behind the curtain and used the mayhem to beat EVIL in a minute – fabulous! N/A
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tom Lawlor
The best Tom Lawlor match I’ve seen remains the one he had with Yuji Nagata at Windy City Riot where they stuck mostly to the mat, but they got this cooking towards the end. Lawlor hasn’t settled on an identity enough to distinguish this from any other good Okada match, but he wasn’t dragging Okada down either. He stayed on Okada’s arm for most of the match before going down to not a Rainmaker but a flash rollup. ***3/4
5. G1 Climax – Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto
These two are just masters of the craft. Really. Most matches follow the same recipe – Tanahashi’s leg work carried most of this, while Goto kept attempting comebacks. It made sense. It worked.
One of those comeback attempts came in the form of a surprise clothesline, but it wasn’t just that: Goto watched Tana hit the ropes, then hit the ropes himself and tried his own clothesline, which Tanahashi ducked. When Tanahashi turned around in wait for what would likely be another clothesline, Goto utilized a rolling version of the clothesline to surprise Tanahashi and take him down.
Tanahashi has been cagier than ever this tournament – early on when he backed Goto into the ropes, he skipped the clean break and punched him right in the gut. He’s used a small package to win a couple times, and he tried it here – for a big near fall.
The tournament has been waiting for someone to actually take this cagey bastard to his limit, and Goto did here. The crowd rallied behind him and his lack of success (plus a bloody mouth) before he finally was able to get Tana to fall. These two won’t be around forever but my goodness are they still good. Two bros. Two pros. ****1/2
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 16 (8/13/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block C: KENTA vs. Aaron Henare
This was the G1 match where both participants decided they’d hold back on all their strikes until the last minute. Thought that was odd. They flubbed a Blue Thunder bomb too. Henare tapped to a crossface. KENTA is basically Jado. **3/4
2. G1 Climax – Block A: Jeff Cobb vs. Toru Yano
Yano didn’t show at first, then when the referee began to count him out he snuck up from behind — this trickster! Cobb got rolled up by Yano in the ring apron and looked like a freaking idiot. Then he did a dropkick with his hands tied behind his back and looked kind of cool. There’s been worse Yano matches in this G1. Longer ones too. **
3. G1 Climax – Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Yujiro tried to attack before the bell but Shingo said NO, not now. Pieter teased him with her body and Shingo MAYBE, but not yet. Yujiro used a chair and Shingo finally said YES, I will accept your stretch of offensive maneuvers.
That’s what we call storytelling, and SHO was there too. Eventually Shingo threw a clothesline through Yujiro’s chair, threw the chair at SHO’s face, and won the match. This wasn’t great but was good enough until the finish, which was. ***1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block D: Will Ospreay vs. YOSHI-HASHI
Here were two guys not known for being tough guys acting real tough. Ironically it didn’t really work until they were holding each other’s hand and throwing elbows. YOSHI kicked out of an OsCutter, ducked a Hidden Blade, caught another OsCutter with a kick then did a Canadian Destroyer for 2. It all led to him just kind of laying in wait for two more elbows to the back of the head. ***
5. G1 Climax – Block B: Jay White vs. Taichi
Jay White talked shit and suckered Taichi in with sumo spots, then Gedo grabbed and dragged Miho Abe by the hair at ringside. “Come on, Taichi, your damsel in distress… is in distress!” was a great line out of a dumb situation. Taichi ripped his pants off and looked like a badass for a minute, then all the interference caught up to him. This is New Japan Pro Wrestling. ***1/4
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 17 (8/14/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: YOSHI-HASHI vs. David Finlay
YOSHI is so mean with his chops sometimes. They do come off better than the dropkick and neckbreaker he does. When he kicked out of a Blue Thunder bomb they acted like it was some dramatic moment, then David tried his take on the Acid Drop which YOSHI countered with a cradle for 3. Everyone seemed tired. **1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Taichi vs. Great-O-Khan
They went ahead and sort of had a whole sumo match here, with genuine elation after Taichi managed the first takedown. O-Khan eventually grabbed Taichi’s face with the Claw, which he held onto even as Taichi was doing takedowns. A fun match!***
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Tom Lawlor vs. Jeff Cobb
Early in the match, Tom Lawlor jumped up to hit a knee and got slammed down. He tried a sleeper hold and got dropped outside. Tried a triangle choke and got powerbombed on the apron. Sometimes the message is right there, you know? Eventually he kicked and kneed Cobb enough to get an unconvincing win. **3/4
4. G1 Climax – Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA
KENTA beat on Tanahashi using the guardrail, a bodyscissors, and a crutch. None of it seemed to be a match for some good solid leg work but kept trying the GTS too, and eventually was able to down a fatigued Tanahashi with that. Their match earlier this year at Wrestle Kingdom was really only good because of a big ladder bump; without that all that was left was a pretty straightforward match that was too slow to really recommend. ***1/4
NJPW G1 Climax Night 18 (8/16/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: Will Ospreay vs. Juice Robinson
They started on the floor and stayed there for a while. By the time they got back inside they looked properly spent, which led to a fun finish. Juice’s neckbreaker on the guardrail and Will’s apron sunset flip powerbomb were very cool and they packed in a ton of near falls (and the U.S. Title) for the close. ***1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. El Phantasmo
Junior heavyweight becoming a heavyweight takes on the guy who just successfully did it— it’s a tale that’s not as old as time — pretty recent actually. ELP brought an assault of impressive dives which ended when Shingo started punching, including one punch that stopped an ELP tope cold. The finish included an exasperated Shingo powering through as ELP kicked out of all sorts of things; late in the match it seemed like ELP was just accepting the punishment as if it that was somehow his only route to victory. Then it actually was, which I thought was kind of neat. ELP isn’t my favorite but there’s talent that made it very easy to Shingo make some magic (and maybe a new star? I don’t know. I don’t decide these things). ****1/4
3. G1 Climax – Block C: Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL
EVIL struck from behind before the bell, and Goto fought back with not only his bow staff but his heavy expensive jacket. I believe both had no chance of advancing so they just brawled away in search of a future program. Goto’s spinning wheel kick in the corner is still gorgeous and he seemed to be finding a way out of the EVIL interference, but then he got kicked in the balls. ***1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block C: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Attitude! Even before the bell. Attempts! At winning right away. Cradles cradles cradles! Much inoki Driver countered with a Destino tease that actually became a roll up for the 120-second Naito victory. Watching ZSJ wrestle for a while is great but the G1 sprints he had with Naito and EVIL were, too.
5. G1 Climax – Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA
Awesome 10-minute match that was basically the close of some longer, more boring match. They got a major near fall just a minute into the match off a cradle similar to the one that ended Naito/ZSJ, then just went from there. Last night, no holding back. ****
6. G1 Climax – Block B: Tama Tonga vs. Jay White
Jay White and Tama Tonga climbing up the New Japan ranks never really rocked my world but in the last couple years my standards have lowered or they’ve figured something out. Jay was mean on offense, just aggressively chopping and raking Tama’s eyes and other assorted things that are mean. Tama cut a babyface comeback that included a massive Stinger Splash and, well, Jado and Gedo going at it on the floor.
In the mayhem they ended up making the possibility of Tonga winning with the Stun Gun seem so possible, so exciting, so close yet so far, that when it actually happened I felt like I had watched something excellent. ****
7. G1 Climax – Block A: JONAH vs. Bad Luck Fale
Not Jonah’s biggest or best match during this tournament but considering it was such a fine Bad Luck Fale match, it may have been his most impressive performance. Think about that. ***
8. G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer
Archer hadn’t done much in Block A in the main event with Okada, he showed up cloaked in a hood all mysterious-like before starting the match with a chokeslam and just going off. The man they call the Murderhawk Monster slammed the back of Okada’s head against the guardrail, did a cannonball into the guardrail that flipped out commentary, bodyslammed a Noojie on top of Okada, and kept yelling at the crowd to shut up even though no one was saying anything. Incredible work, and that was before the awesome Okada comeback. Great, efficient, Okada advances. ****1/4
G1 Climax 32 Night 19 (8/17/22)
As leaders in their respective Blocks, advancing to the G1 Climax 32’s Semi-Finals were fellow good guys Kazuchika Okada and Tama Tonga and fellow … I don’t know – Complex guys? Daredevils? Tetsuya Naito and Will Ospreay.
1. G1 Climax – Semi Final: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tama Tonga
Tama Tonga is just a guy that stuck around, the likable enough colleague who worked hard enough and wrestled enough respectable matches that he ended up one-on-one against Kazuchika Okada at the Budokan and one match away from the G1 Climax Finals. It’s a heck of a world, and we’re just living in it.
Tama began with dropkicks but Okada found an opening and started playing the hits, which put Tama in the natural (!?) underdog role. Outside of one weird spot where he kind of gave a spinebuster to himself, I thought Tama did a great job throughout the match bringing the babyface fire while balancing alternating roles of guy trying to keep up with Okada and guy who actually might be able to.
Each buddy held their gut in pain as they headed to a wild finish highlighted by Tama Tonga’s many near falls and Okada resorting to not one but two sneaky cradles. I don’t think “Big Match Tama” is a thing that will take off anytime soon, but he was more than capable here against Okada in a great G1 semi-final. Never did hit the Stun Gun either. ****1/2
2. G1 Climax – Semi Final: Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay
Sometimes the professional wrestling just makes you step back and go, “whoa.” Anyone watching knows the deal with these two or they will in the first thirty seconds, and for 20 minutes they did all their stuff kind of perfectly. It was a see-saw battle of guys who are really good at combining their insane feats of athleticism with some kind of logic to create epic main events. They are two wrestlers known for kind of always going for epic, but it’s a match like this that’ll help you realize that even when they’re going “all out” they’re still saving stuff for the really big matches, if not the spots then just the pace and flow.
Neck work filled in gaps between some heated G1 action before a standing Spanish Fly led to an elbow exchange that Naito went “hey!” during to a reverse Frankensteiner to a StormBreaker countered with Destino and somehow, someway, it kind of all made sense. Will followed up some uncomfortably heavy breathing with a ridiculous kick to the side of Naito’s face and a Hidden Blade delivered like he was scrambling for an offensive rebound. Naito’s Destino and a version of Ospreay’s Hidden Blade to the face were kicked out of at the last second, then Ospreay’s StormBreaker moved him onto Okada. Again: whoa. ****1/2
Best Block Matches
1. Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. JONAH (8/7/22)
2. Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto (8/10/22)
3. Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay (8/6/22)
4. Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. El Phantasmo (8/16/22)
5. Block A: JONAH vs. Jeff Cobb (8/5/22)
6. Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer (8/16/22)
7. Block D: David Finlay vs. Juice Robinson (7/26/22)
8. Block D: YOSHI-HASHI vs. El Phantasmo (8/6/22)
9. Block C: Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (8/6/22)
10. Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi (7/17/22)
Honorable Mentions: Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA (8/16/22), Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito (7/24/22), Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White (7/23/22), Block B: Tama Tonga vs. Jay White (8/16/22), G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tom Lawlor (8/10/22)
G1 Climax 32 Finals (8/18/22): Lies, Damned Lies, and Great Wrestlers
Ah, the G1 Climax. A concept always evolving kind of settled on a format in 2002, one tested in the last couple years as a public health emergency made the talent stale and crowds quiet.
This year had some new faces but with four blocks and twenty-eight entrants, even the peaks – which were there, albeit less than usual – could get lost in the glut of insignificant and forgettable Block matches. The schedule didn’t allow anyone beyond the usual suspects to gain much momentum day-to-day, and while some of the matches used their 15-20+ runtimes well there were many more that didn’t.
And yet: the G1 Climax concept and New Japan in general can still produce good wrestling. The consistency can get stale (example: this tournament that sometimes bordered on skippable garbage) but it can also produce some incredible gems (example: this tournament that sold me on 2-3 new wrestlers).
The usual suspects like Okada, Tanahashi, Naito, Shingo, Ishii, and on a lower key level Goto, Taichi, ZSJ and YOSHI-HASHI all kept things steady while JONAH, Tama Tonga, El Phantasmo and sometimes David Finlay managed to really shine. Jay White was pretty good too.
There were some real drags and several Toru Yano routines that approached or surpassed 10 minutes, but only a few matches that were meant to be good were actually not good. I’m not going to tell many of my friends to go watch Goto vs. KENTA from Night 10, but I’d be willing to admit to a close one that I enjoyed it.
After 83 block matches and a semi-finals, the 32nd-annual G1 Climax tournament concluded in Tokyo at Budokan Hall, where New Japan’s largest audience since before COVID-19 saw last year’s winner Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay in the finals as well as Luke Gallows, from the Good Brothers.
1. Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & YOH vs. EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Dick Togo
The boys are back. And they’re brawling. Sometimes they seemed more fired up than they were in their lesser G1 matches. A few genuinely inspired double or triple teams led to YOH pinning Togo. Goto continued to gouge at EVIL’s eyes on the floor after the match, so SHO took the opportunity to knock out YOH. Well. **1/2
2. JONAH & Bad Dude Tito vs. Tom Lawlor & Royce Isaacs
Sometimes, usually around my birthday LATELY, I’ll think about the aesthetic choices these guys who are around my age make as they try to breakout as wrestlers. Sometimes I hate it, then I take a beat and think maybe their approach is exactly what I would do. Anyways: “Filthy” Tom Lawlor had a good match with Okada but spent most of the G1 doing jokes and stuff.
JONAH had a better G1, probably the best of anyone who didn’t win their Block. Once he got past Yano on Night 1 he had most guys’ best match and looked dominant all tour, especially when he actually beat Okada. That continued here with plenty of good smashing and crashing by him and the Bad Dude, including an assisted blockbuster that looked especially impressive considering their size. ***
3. Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan & Aaron Henare vs. Juice Robinson, Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
Cobb caught a Juice crossbody off the top and turned it into the Tour of the Islands at the end of this match, which featured many of the G1 32’s underachievers coming together for a little bit of swearing and wrestling. **3/4
4. Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi
Fun guys having fun undercard match. SANADA and Taichi did push-ups, Naito and ZSJ got really mad at each other, and Naito bumped for a shoulderblock from Archer so big it made me want to see the singles match. ***
5. Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi vs. KENTA & El Phantasmo
Shingo ensured this G1’s quality while ELP ensured something happened. I love when things happen. This 6’1″ super athletic guy with a sense for getting under people’s skin seamlessly moving from the junior to heavyweight division in New Japan wasn’t very surprising, but the heel to babyface move being so seamless was. His tournament win over Shingo was a shock but came after a long and grueling match; this plus-sized tag match clocked in at half the time and ended with a punch to the balls but the way ELP tried to fight back during Shingo’s rapid-fire strikes was really awesome. I think I’m sold on ELP. ***1/4
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi & David Finlay vs. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows
Hiroshi Tanahashi was a fascinating watch this tournament, putting out mostly good matches and the occasional great one but relying on more tricks than ever. The weight of injury and age was there but it wasn’t just selling for Tanahashi this time; he came prepared and in most matches was just cagey as heck. Here… the Good Brothers put him in chinlocks. Breakout Dave got a little run too. It all made sense even if it wasn’t always fun to watch. ***1/4
7. Tama Tonga & KUSHIDA vs. Jay White & Taiji Ishimori
Tama Tonga and Jay White both had quality G1 campaigns, but they took a step back tonight and let the juniors do the wrestling thing. KUSHIDA is just back and wrapping up New Japan guys in leglocks. And pinning the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion! ***
8. G1 Climax – Final : Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
Like my new favorite wrestler JONAH said on Night 13, “if you shine a light bright enough it will be seen for millions and millions of years.” I’m not sure how much control a you (some “individual”) has over how bright said light shines – it’s usually more collaborative – but otherwise that’s just a fact.
Sometimes something – or somebody – comes along and messes with the facts. They might make you feel like you can’t see or say things so simply, for they have messed with the “scale,” which is supposed to be correct – for if it is not, then by golly – what criteria is being used to verify the facts!? And if we can’t agree on the criteria, how are we even sure we are using the facts to take actions correctly? What is the point of even measuring something in the first place!? Are we to just… experience it?
This will not be me going on any further about how Will Ospreay – all of 29-years-old and one of the biggest non-WWE names in wrestling – breaks some scale of quality so thoroughly that it cannot be measured by the status quo. Happy Wrestling Land isn’t introducing 5.5 or 6-star ratings, and if they were going to they probably wouldn’t be used much on Will Ospreay.
What is a great wrestler? A brilliant one? Are they masters of pacing, psychology, and * sigh* facials? Do they do cool shit? Can they keep up with Okada – proven great wrestler, by scales both past and present – in the G1 Finals at Budokan? Or does someone just have to move the spotlight a little?
In the G1 Climax 32 and this night in particular, the lights shined brightest from two stars in particular: Okada and Ospreay. They shined bright against each other before, the last two Wrestle Kingdom shows in fact. Both of those were great but sort of bloated matches that still did nothing to dissuade me from a sigh of relief when, a few matches before this one, New Japan announced Wrestle Kingdom would be going back to a one-night affair.
Is Will Ospreay a great wrestler? A star? I see people say he is – fans and wrestling promoters alike. He commands attention, or a kind of it. I’ve taken in a ton of his matches called good – or “epic” or “brilliant” – but when the lights do shine brightest on Will they don’t always convince me the units of measurement allowing it to happen line up. The calls of “epic” and “brilliant” do hit sometimes, but like… 20% of the time. When it doesn’t hit it’s not the end of the world, but it does make me feel like somebody’s lying.
Sidenote that I’ve probably opened any conversation about the G1 Final with: nothing matches the environment of a puroresu tournament final, especially the G1 Climax. Gift a great wrestler said environment and oh wow.
So, is Will Ospreay a great wrestler? Well. Of all the people to take Okada’s DDT on the floor this Summer, Ospreay took it the best. He delivered a perfect corkscrew plancha to the floor then pumped his fist. He worked Okada’s neck and sold Okada’s neck work. He threw a combo of stiff chops and Kawada kicks, did an OsCutter on the apron, a Van Terminator, a flying forearm to the back of the head and another OsCutter — then he held his neck — for a near fall. Once Okada kicked out, it was on – the light, the action, the dramatic near falls. Over time, one’s dramatic near fall became another’s affront to the fabric of the business — now it feels somewhere in between. Or beyond that.
Okada countered the Stormbreaker with a Rainmaker that Ospreay stayed up for, followed by another he went down for. Each guy jockeyed to hit a pair of gorgeous but effective dropkicks, then Ospreay began pulling out the finishing moves of top New Japan guys who came before him: a Styles Clash, a V-Trigger. When he tried the One-Winged Angel, Okada slipped out and dropped him on his head then hit another nasty Rainmaker for an incredible 2.
What stood out to me here (beyond the excitement of the G1 environment and great wrestling match) was that in contrast with their matches before, Ospreay didn’t have to prove himself as Okada’s equal because Okada gave him that to begin with. Okada’s always been giving, sometimes to his detriment, but the approach here compared to the matches they had when Will was a junior showed pretty incredible growth by both of them.
Go watch this match because it’s the finals of the G1 Climax tournament. In a tournament where the matches more often than not felt a little too long, this was the longest and didn’t feel like it for a second. Most of the time. ****3/4
Happy Thoughts: Solid undercard, tremendous final. It didn’t position New Japan as must-follow again but was certainly a reminder they’re still capable of greatness — albeit a status quo greatness. 3.5 / 5.0
Captain Lou’s Review: AJPW Royal Road Tournament 2022 – Round 2 (8/14/22)
Yoshitatsu & Rising HAYATO vs. Hikaru Sato & Dan Tamura
Unveiling HAYATO’s new E-Boy gimmick at Shin Kiba 1st RING with Allowed Cheering was a stroke of genius. 10/10 crowd reactions. It sure didn’t hurt that young Rising wrestled his ass off and looked like a million bucks. Him and Dan are an eternally-great pairing with a pleasing power/speed dynamic. The new character feels very Dragon Gate/DDT and I’m not sure how far it’ll go in crusty old AJPW, but I badly want it to work. ***
Izanagi vs. Black Menso-re vs. TAJIRI – 3-Way Match
These psychopaths tried to break Menso-re’s SHA hand!? What is this – the Snyderverse? *3/4
Yuma Aoyagi & Atsuki Aoyagi vs. Ryuki Honda & Yusuke Kodama
The Shin Kiba magic at it again. Loud-ass ring. Loud-ass clap crowd. These guys could’ve coasted off Yuma’s sunglasses trolling, but instead they went out and wrestled professionally. That’s right. Atsuki seems to be practicing classic Sayama spots (corner backflip into TIGER SPIN~!) – a very cool way to spice up his upcoming junior title match with his feline disciple. ***
Minoru & Toshizo © vs. Takao Omori & Ryo Inoue – All-Asia Tag-Team Titles
This had been delayed due to a Minoru COVID scare, but now here we are. Knee deep into the three-star jungle thanks to some fine performances from these All-Asia tag warriors. Inoue took center stage and excelled at the two tasks that were asked of him – getting his ass kicked and making a spirited comeback before losing.
If you’re familiar with Toshizo/Ryuji Hijikata’s back catalogue, you know this man’s an expert at beating the piss out of youngsters. Him and Minoru once again pulled a solid heel act without overdosing on shenaniganz. Old man Omori was there to provide moral support and the occasional chop. Bless him. ***1/4
Jake Lee, Shuji Ishikawa & Hokuto Omori vs. Suwama, TARU & KONO
Were you expecting some kind of wrestling match? Here’s a sweet-ass angle instead. Complaining is not allowed. This was essentially the birth of the new sekigun/home army – the Aoyagi Bros coming to the aid of Big Shuj and the former Total Eclipses to generate massive babyface heat. Despite being allowed to cheer, the crowd had been extremely reserved up to this point and here they just let loose. Beautiful.
Kento Miyahara vs. Cyrus – Royal Road Tournament (Round 2)
Cyrus/Big Shuj was a fairly-solid tournament introduction for Cyrus, but this accomplished the same thing in less time. Big ol’ monster rampage with Kento getting thrown around for 7 minutes of fun. The big man’s offense looked better than ever – what with that apron Powerbomb of white-hot death. They also wisely went out of their way to make their new gaijin brute look strong in defeat – Miyahara barely sneaking away with the pin. ***1/4
Yuji Nagata vs. Shotaro Ashino – Royal Road Tournament (Round 2)
Ashino built this thing up on social media as a full-on revenge match for Nagata denying him entry into the New Japan Dojo many years ago. A compelling back story that came through loud and clear in the way these guys wrestled. The ‘physicality’ and ‘hatred’ boxes of the wrestling reviewer’s checklist were very much checked. Shit was tense.
Beyond beating the shit out of each other, Nagata and Ashino revealed themselves to be a pretty great stylistic match. Both leaned into their submission game and rolled out a nifty Arm vs. Leg subplot that should please all true Wrestling Observers across the world. The crowd let it rip during the ending stretch – a sign of a job well done. One of the better matches of the tournament so far. ***3/4
Top 10 WWE Matches of the Month – May, June & July 2022
Two nights of WrestleMania in April raised the significance and quality of WWE’s wrestling matches if not the amount of them, and one night of WrestleMania Backlash in May brought them back to the baseline. Here were ten matches in May that still stood out.
1. I Quit Match – SmackDown Women’s Title: Charlotte Flair [c] vs. Ronda Rousey (WrestleMania Backlash 5/6/22)
Charlotte and Ronda throw it back to the days of the WWE women’s division when a couple ladies would just beat the shit out of each other. For the business. In between the brawling and violence they packed this with cool spots (flying camera! swear words! kendo stick ninja!) and kept an unbelievable pace, like Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah the Butcher if they had God-tier cardio. Their approach to the “I Quit” stipulation felt refreshing too, rooted less in submissions or convoluted setups and more just them trying to hurt each other and assuming the other would say they’re done.
2. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn (SmackDown 5/20/22)
I think it’s safe to say Nakamura and Zayn have or will one day reach legend status so I probably shouldn’t have been surprised this was so good, but it was so good! And they barely did anything! Maybe I’m just numb to the repetition that comes with being employed by WWE, but armed with just a pair of (two!) countout teases these two legends briefly made SmackDown the most exciting thing on television.
3. Triple Threat Match – NXT North American Title: Cameron Grimes [c] vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Carmelo Hayes (NXT 5/3/22)
The Triple Threat Match has been bastardized, the WWE Triple Threat Match has been worse than that, but put the right combo of fellas in there and sometimes it can still hit. Here’s a great example of that happening.
4. Drew McIntyre & RK-Bro vs. Roman Reigns & The Usos (WrestleMania Backlash 5/6/22)
Very fun 6-man tag that got pretty incredible off a few near falls towards the end, and would’ve been even better if Riddle was a better or more sympathetic face-in-peril. It couldn’t help but feel like something thrown together to pass the time, but then again: what is professional wrestling, anyways? Namaste.
5. Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins (WrestleMania Backlash 5/6/22)
The inherent big feel that came with WrestleMania and Cody’s return was swapped with the inherent exciting feel of a WWE PPV opener, and this ended up a more focused, surprising, and just better wrestling match than their first one – which was already pretty good, even if both occasionally felt like subpar tributes to Cena or Triple H’s efforts after 2015. Special shoutout to Rollins’ early counter of the Beautiful Disaster too: a push!
6. Nathan Frazer vs. Grayson Waller (NXT 5/3/22)
Nathan Frazer made his debut in NXT U.S. by having an especially good match with Grayson Waller, who stepped in the background and let the kid shine. One of Frazer’s best matches in WWE, to be honest.
7. Heritage Cup Rules: A-Kid [c] vs. Charlie Dempsey (NXT UK 5/26/22)
A-Kid and Charlie Dempsey round two had actual rounds, as it was Heritage Cup Rules which are European Rules. You know the drill here: lots of holds and counters of holds, but good ones.
8. Kofi Kingston vs. Butch (SmackDown 5/13/22)
The consistency of Kofi Kingston allowed for a fun TV showcase by the artist formerly known as Pete Dunne. Ol’ Butch had another fun one with Xavier Woods the next week too.
9. Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler (SmackDown 5/6/22)
One of those pairings that could’ve had a solid program at some point, but will probably have to settle for the few sweet moves they got on TV here.
10. Riddle & Street Profits vs. Sami Zayn & The Usos (RAW 5/23/22)
WWE does the 6-man tag almost too well. A crowd-pleaser and whatnot.
In the middle of June, the Wall Street Journal dropped a bombshell that felt like it was coming years ago, reporting on investigations into Vince McMahon’s… Jesus Christ, all of it. But mostly, apparently, his fondness for both the women who work for him and using Non-Disclosure Agreements to keep them quiet after they do.
Lacking in decency can keep you in charge for thirty-five years, but using publicly traded company money to keep the charade going was an accusation even Mr. McMahon – still wealthy – did not seem capable of defending.
As they did right through the COVID-19 outbreak, WWE’s shows went on. In fact, Vince McMahon cut a couple promos on some, even with a stench of speculation on future reporting hanging above him that was so thick I think I saw it.
WWE still did some wrestling matches in June too, and here were ten that stood out.
1. Triple Threat Match – RAW Women’s Title: Bianca Belair [c] vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch (Hell in a Cell 6/5/22)
For 20 minutes they ensured another WWE show kicked off strong. For 20 minutes they somehow kept a rapid pace while maintaining character and avoiding contrivance. For 20 minutes they kept the action moving, action taken up another level with bits of timing, strategy, and three people who are so good at this, whatever that is.
2. Losers Join the Other Gang: Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde & Cruz del Toro vs. Tony D’Angelo, Two Dimes & Stacks (NXT In Your House 6/4/22)
WWE was two for two in June on PLE openers at least, this 6-Man Tag kicking off NXT 2.0’s In Your House with big stakes and impressive sequences. Joaquin Wilde and Cruz del Toro have found this weird good spot in WWE where they barely wrestle but usually get to go off every few months, as they did here with Stacks and Two Dimes (RIP) who impressively blended in. The eventual Escobar/D’Angelo showdown got a huge reaction as did the eventual spot where both sides ended up in the ring, made angry faces at each other, and charged with punches.
3. Hell in a Cell: Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell 6/5/22)
It is still stupid that working with a torn pec was necessary to make a memory in today’s professional wrestling, but hey: Cody Rhodes made a memory. The crowd’s uncomfortable silence after he revealed the injury’s deep purple lasted longer into the match than he and Seth probably would’ve liked: wrestling can be a lot of things, but rarely do you get to take in a crowd going through a crisis of ethics. Everybody powered through and what came out was visceral, compelling, memorable, and stupid.
4. If Riddle Loses, He Can Never Challenge Roman Reigns Again – WWE Undisputed Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Riddle (SmackDown 6/17/22)
The build-up, setup and stipulation all felt like a lot of work for what ended up being a SmackDown main event that was quickly moved on from, but as a stand-alone match this did hit on some excellent babyface/heel notes that felt like Jericho/Triple H from 2001, if not more over-manufactured.
5. Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn (SmackDown 6/24/22)
Sami and Shinsuke have both settled into this era where they have more zero’s on their W2’s than great matches a year, but the last few years of downtime gave their bodies rest and are probably the reason we can still get these random little gems on TV.
6. NXT Tag Team Title: Pretty Deadly [c] vs. The Creed Brothers (NXT In Your House 6/4/22)
Pretty Deadly and The Creeds are both throwbacks to a simple dynamic of wrestler, the obnoxious and brightly-colored but objectively gorgeous pretty boys against the Steiner-esque hard-working former amateur wrestlers who turned pro and have their parents in the crowd. The good guys used suplexes and the bad guys used shortcuts, and Julius Creed has some things to figure out around selling a beating but he did do a brilliant Shooting Star Press at the end. Hot match, hot finish, Brutus Smash!
7. Triple Threat Tag Match – NXT UK Tag Team Title: Moustache Mountain [c] vs. Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith vs. Teoman & Rohan Raja (NXT UK 6/2/22)
If this happened on another show, people might have talked about it. I’m just saying.
8. RAW Tag Team Championship Contender’s Match: The Usos vs. Street Profits (RAW 6/6/22)
Another good one from the Usos/Profits, a group of wrestlers who manage to keep it pretty fresh despite being attached at the hip all the time. It’s almost as impressive as Ford’s kickoff to bulking season.
9. NXT Breakout Tournament – Final: Roxanne Perez vs. Tiffany Stratton (NXT 6/7/22)
Two bright additions to the very crowded NXT 2.0 have been Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton, young talents who are babyface and heel personified and were given a decent platform here to show that.
10. Sam Gradwell vs. Von Wagner (NXT UK 6/2/22)
This match ended when Wagner lifted out of a sleeper hold with Gradwell still on his back, then withstanding Gradwell punching at his head as he powered through into a fireman’s carry for his finisher. Better than another Drew/Sheamus match, I thought.
WWE sounding interesting again and feeling left out? We’ve got you baby! If you trust us. Check out the Best WWE Matches of the Month archives going back to at least 2016, and follow along to see if this category ever reaches a “Top 25” again.
1. RAW Women’s Title: Bianca Belair [c] vs. Becky Lynch (SummerSlam 7/30/22)
In broad daylight, Bianca Belair swung that ponytail all the way down the entrance ramp and opened up SummerSlam with another classic versus Becky Lynch. It was missing WrestleMania’s big stage and those awesome good vs. evil costumes — plus Becky separated her shoulder a few minutes in — so while it didn’t reach those heights, it was still pretty incredible. They emphasized their signatures, Bianca’s strength, and her persistence in hitting the K-OD before she finally did. There was a Spanish Fly spot that made every other Spanish Fly look kind of stupid too. Excellent. So excellent.
2. Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match – Winner Faces the WWE Champion at Clash at the Castle: Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (SmackDown 7/29/22)
Drew and Sheamus opened up a SmackDown just beating the shit out of each other. All the Euro-reference gimmicks surrounding ringside got in the way of that more thanhelped, though they did eventually draw blood and Sheamus’ buddy Butch did a plancha off a barrel.
3. Last Man Standing – Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Brock Lesnar (SummerSlam 7/30/22)
This was the match where Brock Lesnar tipped over the wrestling ring with a tractor. That wasn’t even the finish, either… kids these days have no respect for the business! Before that (and a little after), they delivered what was probably their second-best match together. Babyface Brock is undeniable sometimes.
4. No Holds Barred: Asuka vs. Becky Lynch (RAW 7/4/22)
I saw so many Asuka/Becky matches over the on RAW that they began to run together. They never got to the heights of that amazing Royal Rumble 2019 match but this was pretty great, with a bunch of fun spots (for us, not them) including an Exploder suplex on chairs, superplex on chairs, and a Rock Bottom through a table.
5. WWE Undisputed Tag Team Title: The Usos [c] vs. Street Profits (Money in the Bank 7/2/22)
After I watched this match, I wrote this: “The Usos and Street Profits have wrestled almost as many matches as The Usos and The New Day but somehow, some way, they’re able to not only deliver great wrestling but keep that wrestling fresh.” I stand by that as of the day, but considering the dud of the SummerSlam match might’ve jinxed them. This had its’ downtime but was a quality tag with Montez Ford standing out: charisma while fighting back, charisma while taking heat, and the audacity to tell an Uso to Suck It. I don’t always find value in comparing AEW to WWE, but as good as this was, that FTR/Briscoes match from Death Before Dishonor blew this out of the water.
6. NXT North American Title: Carmelo Hayes [c] vs. Grayson Waller (NXT 7/5/22)
Carmelo Hayes’ North American Title run has kept the spirit of NXT Black & Gold alive, delivering a handful of very good if not indistinguishable wrestling matches. With under 10 minutes of TV time, they got right to impressing people and had “This is Awesome” chants halfway in. Those aren’t always a mark or greatness, but I thought that was pretty impressive.
7. Ezekiel vs. Seth Rollins (RAW 7/4/22)
Since taking on the role of his own twin brother, Zeke has developed a really strong babyface game. Seth Freakin Rollins, probably still on a high from Money in the Bank, made good use of that. They had a rematch a few weeks later that was almost as exciting.
8. Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor & Damian Priest (RAW 7/25/22)
One can wish it felt more meaningful or inspired than your standard RAW TV tag; one can embrace the lively vibes of the MSG crowd and Rey’s 20th anniversary match.
9. NXT UK Heritage Cup: Noam Dar [c] vs. Mark Coffey (NXT UK 7/14/22)
Sometimes these guys just wrestle and it’s pretty good. What stood out after a few rounds of trading holds was just how much they upped the pace and energy for the last round, which actually resulted in the quieter Coffey brother winning a singles title.
10. Andre Chase vs. Giovanni Vinci (NXT 7/26/22)
Where did this come from? The repackaged Giovanni Vinci showcased his moves while Andre Chase re-emphasized his abilities as NXT 2.0’s ultimate hand.
Captain Lou’s Review: AJPW Royal Road Tournament 2022 – Round 2 (8/16/22)
Toshizo © vs. Black Menso-re – GAORA TV Title
Remember the badass Menso-re/Hikaru junior title match during the Champ Carnival? This wasn’t quite as good, but they tried hard to get there. Toshizo was the perfect foil for Strong Style Menso-re – dude spent half the match soccer kicking him into oblivion to awaken his snake lord babyface energy. Both guys hit hard and told the simple but effective story of two pro-wrestlers laying their shit in. That’s all you need, bro. The match also gave us that powerful image of Nikkan Lee standing against the whipping spot. Bless her and bless this wildly-solid match. ***1/2
Kento Miyahara, Rising HAYATO & Oji Shiiba vs. Yuma Aoyagi, Hokuto Omori & Atsuki Aoyagi
Considering the level of maturity in this ring, I was really worried about how HAYATO and his new K-Pop gimmick would be received. To my entirely pleasant surprise – not only did he fit in seamlessly, but he worked in some sweet pose-offs with Kento and Atsuki. Mission accomplished. The rest of the match was your run-of-the-mill Nextream house show 6-man. By this I mean it overdelivered massive amounts of laughs, hot near-falls and high-flying fun for the whole family. ***1/4
Takao Omori vs. Naoya Nomura – Royal Road Tournament (Round 2)
If you were looking for SUBSTANTIATED EVIDENCE that Naoya Nomura has successfully reinvented himself as a Worker of the Arm – look no further than this match. A stiff, compact little blast of wrasslin’ augmented by Nomura’s limb-centric strategizing. Omori, 52 years young, is once again along for the ride but will take your head off with an Axe Bomber if you’re not looking. It is weirdly-satisfying/somewhat hilarious that Nomura went after old man Omori with the same intensity shown in his first-round match with Yuma. ***1/4
Jake Lee vs. Takuya Nomura – Royal Road Tournament (Round 2)
Judging by the entrances alone, one might’ve been expecting a stylistic catastrophe here. Barebones 80’s traditionalist taking on the The Actual Prince of Darkness? How could such a match work!? Well, these guys are professional wrestlers and they made it work. Many subplots were presented to YOU, the wrestling fan – and all of them were good.
Tall vs. Small, Tummy vs. Arm, Insider vs. Outsider. A rich tapestry of wrestling constructs taking place before the watchful eye of a single house show camera. Just like God intended. The Jakester came off as a dominant figure all the way through, but he also subtly reminded you that deep down he has a heart of gold. How did he accomplish this? By selling the arm of course. ***1/2