Category: Pro-Wrestling

AEW Match of the Year 2021

After talking about WWE a couple of weeks ago, the time has come to see the best of what AEW has had to offer this year.

As my interest in WWE has waned significantly in 2021, my interest in AEW has grown twice as much. I can’t pinpoint exactly why it is. Truthfully, there are several reasons. All I can say for certain is that at this exact moment – while I like both companies – I consider myself more of an AEW fan than a WWE fan.

That wasn’t something I’d expected I’d ever say, but AEW has done a fantastic job of appealing to exactly what I want out of wrestling and is yet to let me down in a major way like WWE regularly do. That’s not to say the company’s flawless. I’ll talk about some of that throughout this list, but I know which wrestling company I’d rather spend more of my time watching right now.

12 – Bryan Danielson vs Eddie Kingston – Rampage 29th October
(Eliminator Tournament Semi-Final)

Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson featured in two matches on my WWE list, and you can be damn sure he’s going to feature on more than one here, in what you could argue has been the best year of his career. I wasn’t sure how he was going to fit into AEW when he left WWE, but he’s just been getting better and better.

Eddie Kingston has had a similarly great year. I’ll talk about it in more depth shortly, but his fire and passion for pro-wrestling are like nothing I’ve ever seen, and he has all the potential to be the biggest star in the industry if he wants to, even if he isn’t the most polished in the ring.

Arguably, it’s that lack of polish that makes Kingston’s matches so great to watch, especially when in the ring with an ultra-polished technician like Bryan. Kingston fought with the level of scruffy desperation that he always does, and Bryan used that to his advantage to slowly wear Kingston down and out-pace him throughout the match.

He weathered the storm of Kingston’s brutal onslaughts and picked his openings to take control. It’s classic psychology, but they meshed so well together and made for an intense bout that Kingston even carried with him after it was over.

11 – MJF vs Darby Allin – Full Gear

For those who claim AEW has “no future” and “doesn’t build new stars”, I wonder if they keep their eyes tightly shut during matches like this. While MJF espousing the “pillars” of AEW’s future might be a bit over the top and self-aggrandising, there is a level of truth to it. There’s absolutely no question that both of these men will have great AEW World Championship reigns at some point in their careers.

Both of these men have such clearly defined characters, and they understand exactly how their characters should interact with the world around them. MJF talks and talks and talks, forging words that can make crowds react however he wants. Darby, meanwhile, is closed off and only talks when he has something impactful to say. They really are polar opposites of each other, and I have no doubt that they will have multiple feuds throughout their careers.

I certainly hope they do, at least, because if this match is anything to go by, their future matches could be some of the best the company will ever see. People praise MJF’s talking skills all the time (and rightfully so), but his ability for in-ring storytelling is just as strong. No matter who his opponent is, he knows exactly how to get the most heat out of the situation.

Allin, of course, is worthy of this praise too. He’s the kind of cool babyface WWE don’t understand how to make at the moment, and he has such a great command over maintaining that persona, even when getting his arse kicked in the ring.

To put it simply, these were two men with incredible in-ring chemistry letting loose and putting on a show.

10 – Hikaru Shida(c) vs Britt Baker – Double or Nothing
(AEW Women’s World Championship)

Throughout 2020, I heavily criticised AEW for its failure to treat its women’s division properly. In 2021, the problem definitely isn’t solved; however, they have made significant steps in the right direction. The TBS Championship has showcased the depth of the division and ensured that there is more than one major story on the go in the division at any given time.

Their other biggest positive step was putting the belt on Britt Baker, who is arguably one of their most popular wrestlers right now, despite being a heel. That’s not to be down on Hikaru Shida, her title run was full of brilliant matches, but the company treated it poorly, which tainted it. Britt Baker, meanwhile, has gotten the right kind of treatment and feels like a big deal because of it.

This match was a showcase of exactly what makes both of these women so great. Shida allowed her babyface potential to flourish and showed how a babyface’s in-ring style can be sufficiently brutal and hard-hitting. Baker, meanwhile, upped her heel game, allowing her character to take centre-stage, which enhanced all of her excellent in-ring work.

Even though the crowd was cheering Britt Baker, the heel, when she won, it still felt like the story had been told effectively, and it’s telling that following that match, she gets the boos, despite still being popular with fans.

9 – CM Punk vs Eddie Kingston – Full Gear

Just about everything that can be said about CM Punk’s return earlier this year has already been said, but I’m still so thrilled to see him on TV week-to-week. I started watching WWE in December 2013, and he’d be gone from the company just a month later. It meant that while I love his work, I only ever got to experience it through the lens of history.

Ever since Punk has come back, his presence has felt truly special. His handling hasn’t been perfect, but at the moment, he’s in a situation where his star won’t fade as long as he’s handled at least semi-competently. His current work with MJF is fantastic, but the first true glimpse of the “Punk of old” we got was this feud with Eddie Kingston.

Usually, in wrestling, the point of the story is to serve the match. However, this was a case where it felt like the match was serving the story. I mean this in a good way, to be clear. This match was simply a physical version of their first promo battle. They fought messy and dirty but still beat the ever-loving shit out of each other.

In just eleven minutes, they put on a gripping match that could’ve been the main event of any Pay-Per-View and worked so hard to stand out from the other brilliant matches on Full Gear’s stacked card. Punk can still create incredible wrestling matches and moments like he did in his WWE heyday, and anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves.

8 – The Young Bucks(c) vs Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston – Double or Nothing
(AEW World Tag Team Championships)

After Moxley lost the AEW World Championship at the end of 2020, there was some worry about how he’d fit into the roster when not in the main event. He cooled off significantly in the second half of the year, but throughout Spring and early Summer, he was as hot as ever.

AEW’s fantastic treatment of its Tag Team division means that when the big matches roll around, it feels like a main event scene in and of itself. Moxley & Kingston feel like two men bound in spirit for all sorts of reasons, and watching them officially team up throughout the year was a joy.

The ironic thing about AEW having consistently amazing tag matches on PPV is that you start to run out of new things to say about them after a while. The Young Bucks did what they always do best, pulling big moves and exciting action out of any opponent they step in the ring with.

Not that Moxley or Kingston needed that “pulling out” of them. They’re firmly on the Bucks’ level. They brought an extra dose of brutality to this kind of match, which isn’t seen very often in the fast and flippy world of AEW Tag Team wrestling. I think that’s what made it stand out to me. Every major tag match the Bucks have is incredible, but this felt unique compared to the rest.

7 – The Lucha Bros(c) vs FTR – Full Gear
(AEW World Tag Team Championships)

The other side of the “always incredible tag team matches” coin is The Lucha Bros, who finally feel like they’ve been truly unleashed on AEW as a team. They’ve been putting on hype-worthy matches in both the tag & singles division since AEW started, but now they’re finally the focal point of the tag world.

Their feud with FTR was an odd one, especially since it started with them taking the AAA tag titles. A genius move, don’t get me wrong, it just felt a tad messy in terms of storytelling. That said, the themes were clear. FTR have no respect for the Lucha Libre style, and they were on a mission to destroy it.

This plays through in the match, as FTR are geniuses at getting the most heat out of a match depending on their opponents. Over the years, I’ve professed my love for their style all I can, and watching The Lucha Bros collide with it was as joyous an experience as I expected.

The pace was start-and-stop enough to give someone whiplash, but that’s exactly what the story needed. When the openings came for Lucha Bros to get their signature style into the match, they made the most of it before FTR shut it down. The last section was classic near-fall drama, which rounded off an exciting match with several highs.

6 – Bryan Danielson vs Minoru Suzuki – Rampage 15th October

I’ve never been as into Japanese wrestling as I’d like to be. I did my best to keep up with it for a few years, but once AEW started, I didn’t have the time or energy to keep watching NJPW. It’s a shame, because, on the rare occasion I watch a show, I always have a good time. More importantly, the one man I always love watching more the most others is Minoru Suzuki.

He carries himself with an aura of complete indestructibility, but he’s not some big-guy monster-type. His style is genius and technical and meshes perfectly with wrestlers who are traditionally a bit more flashy in the ring. Thankfully, Bryan Danielson is a man who knows how to do both.

The reason why I love a match like this is similar to why I love just about any match Walter puts on. It’s hard-hitting, brutal and exhausting to watch (in a fun way) and builds moves and spots that are traditionally a bit more mundane (by modern standards) to be match-ending high spots.

At its core, this is two of the best technical wrestlers in the world doing what they do best, and that’s always a recipe for success. A recipe that AEW knows to let speak for itself, rather than muddying the waters like a certain other company.

5 – Kenny Omega vs Bryan Danielson – Dynamite 22nd September

From this point upwards, ordering this list was insanely difficult. All five of the matches I’m about to talk about were simply incredible in their own way. In a situation like this, what ranks highest comes down entirely to personal preference, so that’s what I’ll try to explain.

Having come into the wrestling world on WWE’s style of wrestling, the idea of time limits on matches seemed weird to me. I’d seen NJPW do it, but the idea of having a match go for 30 or even 60 minutes and then on a draw seemed like an awful idea.

I didn’t hate it when Okada & Omega did it a few years ago, but this year I really saw exactly how brilliant of a narrative tool it could be. Two major matches accomplished this, and this one was the first. Omega & Bryan have long been regarded by many as the two best wrestlers in the world today, so people immediately wanted to see it when Bryan showed up in AEW.

Thankfully, Tony Khan knew that’s what everyone wanted and booked it immediately. To say it was what everyone was hoping for would be an understatement. I don’t think words can adequately describe the spectacle these two put on, two of the best to ever do it, in their prime, working their asses off.

While the rematch hasn’t happened yet, this 30-minute draw has kept it at the forefront of everyone’s mind, and people will pay through the nose to see it whenever it happens.

4 – Hangman Adam Page(c) vs Bryan Danielson – Winter Is Coming
(AEW World Championship)

The second big-time limit draw of the year, this one was even more impressive for various reasons.

Firstly, it was 60 minutes instead of 30, and yet the action never once dipped. As far as hour-long matches go, I’ve seen a few better-constructed ones, but I was still completely and totally gripped from start to finish by this one. Secondly, it was for the title, which gave it such a more important aura than the previous one, where the lack of the title took away from the drama somewhat.

I think it shows just how much faith everyone had in Hangman Page that they threw this match at him as his very first match as World Champion. His skill was never in any doubt, but even some of the best wrestlers couldn’t make an hour-long match entertaining the whole way through. Both in storyline and in real life, this felt like a true test of what kind of Champion Page could be, and he passed with flying colours.

I have no idea how the rematch will go down in a couple of weeks, but I know I’ll be just as glued to my screen as I was while this one was on.

WWE Match of the Year 2021

While I’ve been busy in the latter half of this year writing content for GameRant and Keengamer, I still wanted to come back to my personal page this December and cover my favourite parts of my favourite things from the year. WWE, AEW, games old & new will all be covered over the next month.

I’m starting with WWE because, truth be told, I’ve enjoyed WWE a lot less this year than previously. I’ll talk about it more in my AEW list, but I’ve found myself really losing interest in what the company is showing week-to-week. That’s not even mentioning all of their horrible business practices and baffling creative decisions that have intensified this past year.

That said, I’d be a fool to deny the fact that the company put on some cracking shows throughout the year. While weekly TV is still pretty dire, WWE’s Pay-Per-View output has been mostly great in 2021, a darn sight better than what 2020 offered.

11 – Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair – Survivor Series

The situation surrounding this match was odd, to say the least. The heat between Becky & Charlotte seems to come from a genuine place, but the way it was used on TV took the reality out of it a bit. It’s hard to say for sure where the line between kayfabe and reality was, and we’ll probably never know until both women retire and include it in the books they’ll inevitably write.

What I can say, though, is that it led to a somewhat strange, but very compelling match between them. Going in, I had very little interest since Becky vs Charlotte had been done to death by this point, but this wasn’t like anything they’d done before. Both women were technically heels and they brought in this real heat everyone’s been hearing about to create a great match.

There were so many sections in there where they wrestled almost like it was a shoot. I don’t mean actually hitting each other, but doing the kind of things that often happen when a match breaks down. Awkward shoving, an exchange of sloppy strikes, that kind of thing. They knew exactly the story they were playing with and built a match around it.

The finish could’ve been a bit better, rollups are stupidly overdone, but it’s very much an in-character move for both wrestlers.

10 – Finn Balor(c) vs Pete Dunne – NXT Takeover: Vengeance Day
(NXT Championship)

A quick moment of silence to mourn the loss of NXT as it was.

…

*sigh*

One of WWE’s worst decisions this year has been “NXT 2.0” and everything it entails. They deliberately and systematically dismantled everything about what was my favourite wrestling brand for many years, and rebuilt it in the shape of mid-2000s WWE; the worst version of WWE.

Putting my endless complaints about that aside, the first half of 2021 was stuffed to the brim with the usual NXT magic, and this match is just the tip of that iceberg.

Balor & Dunne are two guys who you know will click in the ring as soon as look at them. Balor flourished during his second run with the NXT title, able to work both face and heel styles with ease. He could bust out the fast-pace crowd-popping stuff, but took great care with the slow technicalities of his opponents.

This style made Dunne a perfect opponent. Dunne’s all about keeping his opponents grounded and picking them apart with carefully-placed attacks. Balor could go for extended sequences of counter-wrestling, before bursting free with something flashy. It felt like they were slightly stiffer with their strikes in places too, bringing together a proper battle.

9 – Cameron Grimes vs LA Knight – NXT Takeover: In Your House
(Million Dollar Championship)
(Ladder)

Cameron Grimes was an unexpected star this year. His comedic chops were always obvious, but it never felt like he’d rise about the lower mid-card in NXT. However, the right story came along at the right time and sent him…well, you know.

His unexpected wealth that came from the GameStop stock bump at the start of the year created this brilliant character of something with all the money in the world, but no idea how to be rich. To describe any of the comedic segments would rob them of their glory, but I can assure you they were all fantastic.

LA Knight was the perfect foil in this instance, and they created a story that elevated both men and all of the matches they had together. Naturally, Ted Dibiase was on hand to throw some money around, and the Million Dollar Championship gave it a strong set of stakes.

That match itself culminated everything perfectly. Ladder matches tend to be multi-man affairs these days, but this was a reminder that one-on-one variations of the match can be just as thrilling. Unlike a multi-man, these two were able to tell a very strong story using the ladders while the pace steadily escalated to miraculous heights.

8 – Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn – Smackdown 2nd July
(Last Man Standing)

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are the definitions of “destined to do this forever”, topped perhaps only by Bayley and Sasha Banks.

Their feud surrounding and after Wrestlemania was pretty great for the most part. While Logan Paul was certainly an unwelcome addition, Zayn was able to make it work better than I expected. They had a bunch of matches throughout the year, and all of them were good-to-great, but this was by far the best one.

On free TV and to qualify in the Money in the Bank ladder match, these two destroyed each other in the most fun-to-watch way possible. Whether intentional or not, it felt like it wrapped up all the elements from the few times they’ve feuded in their WWE career.

The action was mad but had a good pace to it. Last Man Standing matches can often get really dull with all the counting to 10 the referee has to do, but this match got it right. The escalation of the destruction was on point, with every spot building on the last as they tried to put each other out to pasture.

If this is the last match these two ever have in WWE (which might be the case if the rumours about Owens’ contract are true) then it will be the perfect finale for their time in the company together.

7 – Roman Reigns(c) vs Daniel Bryan – Smackdown 30th April
(Universal Championship)
(Daniel Bryan Leaves Smackdown If He Loses)

If anyone ever had any doubt that Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson is the best wrestler in the world today, then his performances across 2021 should put those doubts to rest. This man is going to appear multiple times in both my WWE & AEW lists this year. To think just three years ago we thought he’d never wrestler again.

As the culmination (for now) of Bryan’s WWE career, this was a brilliant way to go out. His involvement with Roman Reigns through the spring was a rousing success at every turn and showed the best sides of both characters. Reigns has firmly taken his place as the evil overlord of WWE this year, and the ways he continually competed with Bryan in the ring and in promos is a big part of that.

Reigns’ style at the moment can be a bit lacking at times, but when he’s in the ring with someone who can make the most of it, he shines brighter than ever before. His match with Cesaro at Backlash was a close contender for this list, for that very reason.

Reigns’ slow way of wearing his opponent down absolutely has its place in the modern wrestling scene and this match proves why. Yes, when he does with with someone like Orton, it’s dull, but when he does it to a guy like Bryan who is an expert at mat-based counter-wrestling, it’s a thing of beauty and makes Roman seem untouchable, even when he’s having to cheat to win.

6 – Adam Cole vs Kyle O’Reilly – NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver
(Unsanctioned)

Adam Cole is another name who has made a huge splash across both companies in 2021, and it’s wonderful that his last feud in NXT was one as epic as this.

While crowds have turned on Kyle O’Reilly lately (and given the crap NXT 2.0 has him doing, I can’t say I blame them) performances like this prove he absolutely could be the face of NXT with the right booking. He has the charisma, and the in-ring prowess to do it all.

The pair had a few matches throughout the year, and each one appeals to people differently dependant on their tastes. Personally, I prefer this first match because of the epic atmosphere surrounding it. The criticisms against it are valid, and the kickouts did get a bit ridiculous, but I think people let that take too much away from the rest of what there was.

This truly felt like two men who couldn’t stand the sight of each other trying to end the other’s career. The spots were cool, absolutely, but it was the way each man performed these spots that brought the story to the forefront and made sure the audience were constantly feeling the burn of their hatred for each other.

Even the endless kickouts played to this somewhat. It felt almost like they were staying in the match purely out of spite for each other.

5 – Sasha Banks(c) vs Bianca Belair – Wrestlemania 37
(Smackdown Women’s Championship)

The duel main events of Wrestlemania absolutely crushed it this year. I’ll talk about Night 2 shortly, but Night 1 was equally as wonderful.

Sometimes the content of a match is secondary to the momentous occasion, and the atmosphere of the room on the night. This was absolutely one of those cases. The shot of Sasha and Bianca taking it all in at the start was utterly beautiful. Few wrestlers get this epic of a coronation, it was Bianca Belair’s night and she owned it.

Everything came together how it should. The wrestlers had all the chemistry in the world, the entire crowd was behind Belair and the story had pulled the best out of both women. Sasha got to play the heel, which is objectively where she’s best, and Bianca knew exactly how to play off it. Belair felt powerful, endlessly likeable and so very deserving of the championship.

The moment-to-moment action was virtually flawless, with a handful of memorable spots thrown in for good measure. However, everything surrounding it is what will make this go down in history as an all-time great Wrestlemania match.

4 – Roman Reigns(c) vs Edge vs Daniel Bryan – Wrestlemania 37
(Universal Championship)

Triple Threat Wrestlemania main-events are apparently sure-fire recipes for brilliance, there’s never been a bad one.

This match had everything going for it. It was Edge’s first world title shot since his return, Daniel Bryan was the underdog once again, worming his way into the match unexpectedly. Roman Reigns was the unstoppable force. In hindsight, Reigns winning was pretty obvious, but the build was so brilliant that, in the moment, I thought all three men had equal odds of winning.

The match itself was a beautiful mix of technical prowess, fast manoeuvres and slow, hard-hitting action. Reigns’ slower style went over so well in this triple threat environment, as the third man could constantly keep things going. It largely shunned the major tropes of the match too, there were very few times where one man was removed from the situation.

The action built in every meaningful way, with The Usos getting involved, all kinds of weapons brought into play and all three men getting believable nearfalls. The stacking for the finish was brilliant too, both Bryan & Edge had done enough that it didn’t damage their credibility and it boosted Reigns to the monster we see today.

3 – Walter(c) vs Tommaso Ciampa – NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver
(United Kingdom Championship)

Walter became NXT’s best wrestler slow gradually, I didn’t even notice…or maybe he’s just been this good the entire time.

I’ve sung Walter’s praises before. His match with Pete Dunne was my 2019 match of the year, and his first match with Ilja Dragunov in late 2020 made the whole internet sit up and take notice. The man continued this roll into 2021, with not just one, but two incredible Takeover matches.

The first was against Ciampa at Stand & Deliver, and there was a lot of hype going into this one, knowing it was sure to be a killer match. Ciampa is no stranger to working a hard-hitting style, but here his quick & technical manoeuvres served him better against the mass of meat that is Walter.

The most memorable moment of the match, which I can’t fail to mention is when Walter chopped THROUGH the announce table, splitting a section of it in half. The man has always had the best chops in the business, but seeing something like that was one of those “holy shit” moments that make a match feel special.

The rest of it was technical mastery, and to try and describe it would rob it of some of its magic. It just built and built and built until one man simply couldn’t carry on.

2 – Women’s Royal Rumble – Royal Rumble

Both Royal Rumbles were brilliant this year. The men’s had an emotional story and all the fun action people want from the match, but it was the women’s Rumble that had that little something extra.

I’ve talked about Bianca Belair’s rise to the top already, but this was yet another monumental moment on that path. The booking of the match was utterly spectacular the entire way through. Belair coming in at Number 3 let him shine several times in the match, especially against her long-time rival, Bayley, who carried a significant portion of the action.

The first seven entrants of the match were some of the best wrestlers on the roster, including a number of notable NXT entrants, making the thing feel really star-studded early on. The ring got pretty full pretty quickly, and that meant there was always plenty going on, and everyone was getting their stuff in. This is when Royal Rumbles are at their best.

Once all the entrants were in, things got real exciting real fast. Charlotte, Rhea & Bianca were the absolute perfect picks for the final three because they all easily could’ve won the thing. What’s more is it was two wrestler the fans really wanted to win vs Charlotte, who was not popular at the time.

Having the younger women team up on Charlotte was the right decision, and having Rhea & Bianca duke it out in the final two made the thing so very tense, and one of the most exciting final twos in recent memory. Both women could’ve won, but it was Bianca Belair’s night, and to say she earned it would be an understatement.

1 – Walter(c) vs Ilja Dragunov – NXT Takeover 36
(United Kingdom Championship)

I still feel like I’m reeling from it all these months later.

After their match set the wrestling world on fire in late 2020, a rematch was a certainty. It also made Dragunov the clear and obvious choice to end Walter’s historic 800+ day title reign.

If they beat the life out of each other in their first match, in this one they damn-near murdered each other. It felt more brutal than any weapons match I’ve ever seen in the best way possible. Dragunov’s determination to topple Walter came through loud and clear and made it impossible not to root for him.

The fact that he didn’t try to use any tricks to take Walter down was noteworthy either. He wanted to beat Walter at his own game, just hitting the man as hard as he possibly could until something finally gave. The way they continually leathered each other with strikes and chops of all kinds was mindblowing and way more compelling than you’d think it would be.

Each man’s technical prowess shined through clear as day too. This was a masterclass in mat-based wrestling, a style I didn’t think I enjoyed just a few years ago, but now adore.

Then, of course, it was topped off in the glorious emotional climax of Dragunov finally putting the nails in Walter’s coffin and winning the title. The fact that he actually made him tap was incredible. Walter seems like the kind of character that should never tap, but it didn’t diminish him by doing this, it just made Dragunov’s win the definitive article.

WWE Money In The Bank 2021: Predictions & Analysis

I don’t know if it’s because crowds are back or if WWE has finally pulled out of the post-Wrestlemania slump, but I’m more excited for this show than I have been for any WWE show since Royal Rumble.

Money In The Bank has had a disappointing few years. The women’s briefcase was non-existent last year thanks to Becky’s pregnancy, and the men’s briefcase has been treated like garbage and hasn’t had a good cash-in since 2016. I don’t know why, but I feel like this year is going to be different. WWE’s history doesn’t really warrant this optimism, but sod it; I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.

The non-ladder matches all look pretty damn promising too. As much as the weekly TV product has been in the toilet, WWE’s Pay-Per-View output this year has been surprisingly great every time.

Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio(c) vs The Usos
(Smackdown Tag Team Championships)
(Kickoff Show)

Surprised this was the match that got bumped to the pre-show rather than the other tag titles. It’s reasonably arbitrary at the end of the day. It just felt like this match had more build & heat going into it.

Either way, I think it will be good. I know pre-show matches don’t usually get as much time as they need, but The Usos practically lived on pre-show tag matches for a while, and they still pulled it out of the bag in a major way every time. Rey & Dominik have been great, and I’m super happy for them about getting the tag titles, but I don’t see their reign lasting any longer.

The Usos have the momentum right now, and them winning the tag titles will just make Roman look even more legit if he’s backed up by two champions. I guess their disagreements could screw things up, but they already told that story last month with Roman costing them, so now’s the time to switch those belts.

AJ Styles & Omos(c) vs The Viking Raiders
(Raw Tag Team Championships)

The one thing that hasn’t picked up since Wrestlemania is the tag title scene on either show.

Styles & Omos are great in general as a pairing, but this tag title reign has been really underwhelming. They’ve defended the titles twice, and neither match has been anything worth shouting about. I feel like we’re all still waiting for Omos to show us what he can do, and it’s starting to seem like he can’t do a whole lot. Either that or management don’t trust him to do anything. I’m not sure which is worse.

That said, this could still be a good match. The Viking Raiders are one of the best tag teams WWE have on the main roster, and even with Omos’ limited moveset, I’m hoping the other three can pull this out of the bag. Unfortunately, if any match is going to get cut for time or bumped to the pre-show, it’s going to be this one.

I’ll go with AJ Styles & Omos to retain. It’s a possibility Raiders win the titles. It’s not like it would make much difference, either way, to be honest. It just felt like WWE were trying to do something with Styles & Omos in this title reign, and they haven’t done it yet, so the reign should continue.

Bobby Lashley(c) vs Kofi Kingston
(WWE Championship)

I’m just happy to see Lashley defending against someone other than Drew.

This storyline has been pretty good. Xavier Woods has surprisingly been the MVP of the storytelling (pun intended). Even though this is Kofi’s story (who has still been great), Woods is the one whose fire I can feel whenever he cuts a promo. He’s looked surprisingly good against Lashley, too, even getting a win on Raw.

I’m confident this will be a great match. Kofi’s run as champion a couple of years ago proved he could compete in high-quality singles world title matches consistently, and Lashley is better than he’s ever been right now. The big man vs little man dynamic is obvious, and both men know how to play to that potential.

Bobby Lashley is 100% retaining, though. A second run with Kofi at the top would be incredible, but there’s just no way Lashley’s losing that title before Summerslam. Every story the rumour mill has about Summerslam involves plans where Lashley is champion, so I don’t think WWE is budging on him anytime soon.

Rhea Ripley(c) vs Charlotte Flair
(Raw Women’s Championship)

After the bizarre and terrible ending to their match at Hell In A Cell, I’ve not been particularly interesting in this rematch. I really only care about the result.

The build’s been ok, but nothing particularly special. Charlotte & Rhea have been going back and forth since just after Mania now, so we’re running out of directions for the story to go. They’re also taking Rhea’s character in a weird direction. They want her to be heel, but they’re putting her up against Charlotte, who is even more of a heel, so it’s not going to work. I’m sure the match will be good. Both these women are at the top of their in-ring game. It’s just all a bit heatless at this point.

As for the result, it’s a hard one to pick. It’s Charlotte, so her winning is always a possibility; it’s just a matter of what you think the Summerslam plans are. Becky Lynch is definitely going to be fighting for one of the women’s titles; it’s just a matter of which one. If she’s going for the Raw title, Rhea is almost certainly retaining here because no one wants to see Becky vs Charlotte for the 100th time.

However, I actually think Becky is going to return to Smackdown and challenge Bianca. This is partly because, after Bayley’s injury & Sasha’s absence, the main-event scene of the Smackdown women’s division is pitifully shallow. It is also partly because that’s where Rollins is, and WWE (rightfully) like to keep couples together on the road.

It’s really a coin flip in my head, so I’m going with Rhea Ripley to retain because it’s what I want.

Roman Reigns(c) vs Edge
(Universal Championship)

As much as I was thrilled when Daniel Bryan got added to the Wrestlemania main event, I was a little disappointed we wouldn’t see the singles match between Reigns & Edge instead. Thankfully, WWE knew there was still money there.

Edge came back and kept all that fire he had in the Wrestlemania build. The added wrinkle of the drama between The Usos has given this build a different feeling to the Wrestlemania one, though. Reigns has very much settled into his groove for this character, and we know what to expect from him, which allows his opponents to consistently play off it to great effect.

The last few PPVs have shown that Reigns’ title matches will always get as much time as they need, so I’m really looking forward to seeing these styles collide. Roman hits hard and fast, while Edge is notoriously more wily and opportunistic. I think a lot of great storytelling will come from Edge picking his spots and creating opportunities for himself.

Roman Reigns is winning, though. Unless something monumentally unforeseen happens, there is no way Reigns is losing that title any time this year. In fact, assuming WWE can get Reigns vs Rock for next year’s Wrestlemania, I wouldn’t expect to see Reigns drop that title before 2022’s Summerslam.

Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

The booking surrounding this match has been bizarre. Raw sorted out all four of their participants the week after Hell In A Cell, but Smackdown has been drip-feeding them. They also conspicuously left the final spot open, only to suddenly announce it would be Tamina on Twitter.

The last-minute nature of it all very much feels like some sort of plans have fallen through, especially considering fans were speculating that people like Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch or even Sonya Deville could fill that final spot.

Regardless, here are each competitor’s chances.

Natalya & Tamina – Lumping these two together because the reason they won’t win is the same, they’re the Women’s Tag Champs. I know that just a year ago, those champions were also singles champions, but Natalya & Tamina are not in the same position that Bayley & Sasha were this time last year.

Zelina Vega – A surprising return, especially considering what her husband’s currently up to, but a welcome one. Hopefully, on this run, WWE will fully treat Vega as a wrestler and not as a manager who sometimes gets in the mix with other women. Vega would be the most interesting choice to win, in my opinion, but I don’t see it happening.

Asuka – Asuka’s run as Raw Women’s Champion last year was great when it was allowed to be. Unfortunately, the lasting impression of that reign was how badly she was treated in the latter half of it. I don’t think WWE have any intention of putting her back in the title picture anytime soon, and she’ll probably move to Smackdown in the draft, so she’s not getting the briefcase.

Nikki Cross – I’m not really sure what this new character of Nikki’s is supposed to be. From what I’ve seen, it looks like she’s the one who came up with it and is enjoying doing it, so good for her; I just don’t quite get it yet. Of course, if it gets her featured on TV more often, then I’m all for it; I think she’s great. I think she has a very small chance to win this briefcase, but I’m not optimistic.

Naomi – Again, I think her chances are slim, but not zero to win. She’s been on the back burner for a long while, but people react to Naomi when given the opportunity. I could easily see WWE wanting to put her back in the spotlight with this briefcase, and I’d be all for it too.

Liv Morgan – Normally, I’d discard Morgan as someone with no chance, but on Smackdown, she actually has been making some waves in her story with Sonya Deville. It would be awesome to see it go somewhere, but I can’t really convince myself it will. I certainly hope it does because, as I’ve said, Smackdown is in desperate need of more top talent in the women’s division; I’m just unsure.

Alexa Bliss – On the surface, Bliss seems like the only legitimate pick, but I’m not so sure. I think Bliss will get a women’s title match at Summerslam (assuming Becky goes to Smackdown, as I have previously predicted), but I don’t think she needs the briefcase to get there. She’s been slowly building since Wrestlemania, and even if her stuff is just a poor man’s Bray Wyatt, it’s more interesting than Charlotte going after the title for generic reasons.

This is a really tough pick because the field is so open, and I’m not behind the seemingly obvious choice. I’m going to go with the only person with a solid story going into this match and pick Liv Morgan.

Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match

What an incredible lineup this is. I’ve really got nothing more to say, this is eight of the best out there right now, and we could be in for one hell of a match when they all get together in the ring. It’s made it a very tough match to call too.

Ricochet & John Morrison – The “no chance” club, as I like to call them. They’ll no doubt both get some great spots, and the rivalry they’ve built for themselves has been fantastic. The Falls Count Anywhere match on Raw was a great watch and showcased both men to their fullest. Unfortunately, I don’t think they’re going to get even close to winning this thing. The only way I could see Morrison winning is to further drive the wedge between him & Miz.

Drew McIntyre – Normally, I rank these in order of how much chance I think they have, but honestly, all six of these remaining guys have an equal chance as far as I’m concerned. Drew has only just got out of the WWE title scene, and I don’t see him going back into it anytime soon. He’s not even allowed to challenge Lashley anymore, so I see little point in giving him the briefcase.

Riddle – He’s got the tag team with Orton waiting in the wings, which will be a good story whichever way they go. Personally, I hope they challenge for the tag titles at Summerslam, but Riddle winning the briefcase and then feuding with Orton would be a good way to push him to the top as fast as possible. Like almost everyone in this match, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he won.

Shinsuke Nakamura – It looked like he was going to receive a substantial push at the start of the year, but it ended up going to Cesaro instead, so maybe Money in the Bank would be a way to make that up to him. He’s been on quite the hot streak recently, and it’s put him in the forefront of people’s minds in regards to this match. I just can’t quite see it.

Seth Rollins – This top three is so hard to pick between. Ultimately, what’s made me move away from Rollins is that I think he’s going to stay on Smackdown after the shakeup. As I’ve said, Roman is not losing that title anytime soon, so having a Smackdown guy win it is pointless. Whoever wins it will end up on Raw after the shakeup, which I think both of these next two guys will do.

Big E – The man who seems to be the sentimental favourite to many (myself included) Big E’s time in the spotlight feels like it’s so very close. I think a switch to Raw and a New Day reunion is in the works for the shakeup, and he would be arguably the perfect candidate to eventually take the title from Lashley. There’s a really compelling argument to be made here.

Kevin Owens – Like Big E, I feel pretty confident that Owens is switching to Raw soon. He’s done all there is for him to do on Smackdown. He wrapped up his feud with Sami Zayn, feuded with Roman at the start of the year and has been everywhere in between. There’s nothing left for him to do on the blue brand. His face run is absolutely deserving to be in the world title picture, and Lashley vs Owens is a nice, fresh matchup, which Raw is desperately lacking. On top of that, Money In The Bank has always felt like a gimmick that’d suit Kevin Owens perfectly.

This is such a tough choice. There are six viable candidates, and I could honestly be talked around to the other two as well if someone conjured a compelling enough argument. This is going to be one hell of a match where I will be on the edge of my seat.

I want it to be Big E, but I think it’ll be Kevin Owens.

Man, I’m excited.

Thanks for reading! I’ve been a lot less active on here lately because I’ve been writing for Game Rant! Check out my stuff here: https://gamerant.com/author/ryan-woodrow/

WWE Hell In A Cell 2021: Predictions & Analysis

Hell In A Cell is just around the corner, and…I’ll be honest, I’m not very excited. Smackdown has been pretty consistently great week-to-week, but all of their matches on this show are rematches, so it’s not that interesting. Raw, meanwhile, has been terrible. With the possible exception of the celebrity guest host era, I can’t think of another point in time where Raw has been this consistently bad on a week-to-week basis. I hate to use the word “unwatchable”, but when even the wrestling YouTubers – who make a living off of watching & reviewing Raw – are like “fuck this, I don’t wanna watch it anymore”, something is clearly dire.

All told, there is only one match on this card that we haven’t seen before. That is the clearest sign ever that WWE is creatively bankrupt right now. However, their Pay-Per-View output has been pretty consistently good so far this year, even if the TV product isn’t up to scratch, so maybe this will be surprisingly good.

Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn

Why though?

Surely an Intercontinental Championship with one or both of these guys would’ve been better than them going one on one for…nothing? It’s not even for the number one contender ship. Don’t get me wrong, it’s Owens vs Zayn, so it’s not going too bad. I’m just not entirely sure what the point is. When Reigns vs Mysterio got bumped to Smackdown, and this is what they replace it with, it seems like a hilariously stupid decision.

As I said, Owens & Zayn always put on great PPV matches, but I would’ve preferred to see an original match over this one, preferably for the IC title, since that seldom gets onto PPVs these days.

I don’t really know who’s going to win, but it probably doesn’t matter. I want to say Zayn because Owens won at Wrestlemania, and if there’s one thing WWE loves more than endless rematches, it’s giving all of those rematches 50/50 booking. However, Owens is probably next in line to challenge Crews for the IC title one-on-one, so he seems like the better choice. It’s a coin flip, but I’m going with Kevin Owens.

Alexa Bliss vs Shayna Baszler

Two – Three years ago, I would’ve been very excited about this match. Alexa Bliss has always been better in the ring than people give her credit for, and I am still firm in my belief that Shayna Baszler is the best of the best when it comes to women’s wrestlers in WWE. Seeing these two clash would’ve been a sight to behold in 2018/19.

Unfortunately, the story building to this match has been FUCKING AWFUL.

First of all, Baszler gets thoroughly manipulated by Nia Jax in their “frenemies” relationship to look like a chump. She then loses to Reginald of all people because God is dead, and Vince McMahon killed him. Then there was that Raw segment where Lily…did some spooky things while Shayna was in the room. It was WWE trying to do Bray Wyatt’s stuff without any of Bray’s creative genius that made it work.

Alexa Bliss is going to win, and I hate it. I hate that Shayna Baszler has been relegated to the first stepping stone on Bliss’ path to the title.

Cesaro vs Seth Rollins

Out of all the rematches on this show, I think this is the best-built one.

Rollins’ attack on Cesaro at the end of his Backlash match against Reigns was a brilliant way to reignite the feud, and the build week-to-week on Smackdown has been pretty good. Rollins feels like he’s a revitalised version of his messiah character that was getting a tad stale, and Cesaro has had a meaningful way to continue his momentum from the Roman Reigns feud.

Additionally, it will be a fantastic match. Cesaro & Rollins put on a great showcase at Wrestlemania, and after Cesaro put on a blinder against Reigns last month, I think this match might get more time than the Wrestlemania match and be even better. Even if it is a rematch, I’m going to get my enjoyment out of it somehow.

This is another one where picking the winner is tough. Cesaro could do with a win after losing to Reigns. However, he’s definitively beat Rollins twice over the past couple of months. This makes me think Rollins will get the win because otherwise, what was the point in doing this again? Additionally, I have a feeling that Rollins is going to be going after the Universal title soon, or possibly even winning Money in the Bank, so a win would solidify his rise after a string of losses.

It’s a bit of a coin flip, but I’m going to go with Seth Rollins.

Rhea Ripley(c) vs Charlotte Flair
(Raw Women’s Championship)

I feel I should be more excited for this than I am.

The feud this month took all of the fun intensity between the women from their Backlash feud and just threw it all away. Instead, the story has centred around both women failing to beat Nikki Cross over and over, which is so stupid. It doesn’t make anyone look good. Cross constantly gets treated like a pushover, making her wins feel flukey and meaningless, while Flair & Ripley keep losing someone they see as beneath their level.

I am, and I’m not excited about this match. On one level, it’s Rhea vs Charlotte. They had Wrestlemania’s best non-cinematic match in 2020 and were involved in two of WWE’s best matches last year. On the flip side, this is a relatively heatless story, and I can’t get past the fear that WWE will end Ripley’s title reign prematurely just because…it’s Charlotte.

I really don’t know who to call for the winner. I would hope WWE have shown they’re committed to Ripley as champion, but when Charlotte’s involved, you can really never tell. Even if Ripley does win, I doubt it’ll be clean. Bliss will probably cost Charlotte, or, hell, maybe Becky Lynch will show up. There are too many moving parts, so I’m going to play it safe and say Rhea Ripley will retain.

Bianca Belair(c) vs Bayley
(Smackdown Women’s Championship)
(Hell In A Cell)

Again, this is a good feud that I’ve just seen enough of.

At least this one has the Hell In A Cell stipulation for some intrigue, but it’s not exactly a game-changer. The story beat of Bianca using her hair was going to come up eventually, and Bayley was the right character to be able to run with it and make it compelling. Bianca has played a largely reactionary role in this feud, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as Bayley has slowly become more unhinged and unpredictable.

Is this feud intense enough to justify using Hell In A Cell? Not really, but it’s better than most feuds that just get shoved inside when this show comes around. I’m sure it’ll be a good match, though. I enjoyed what they did at Backlash, and as long as this match properly builds on that, it’ll be good. We’ve yet to see how Bianca handles a hardcore environment, but Bayley is well-versed in this type of match, so they should be able to put together something great.

Bianca Belair is absolutely retaining. There’s nothing to be gained in Bayley winning the title back, and Bianca can continue her first run at the top in glorious fashion.

Bobby Lashley(c) vs Drew McIntyre
(WWE Championship)
(Hell In A Cell)

I’m so done with this.

What amazes me is that this is actually only the second time these two have gone one on one this year, and yet it still feels like it’s dragged on forever and has gotten really boring. Lashley’s general characterisation has been great, but creative has failed to utilise that characterisation to build an interesting feud or tell any kind of good story with it. Drew is still Drew, and he’s still great, but he’s lost so much fire since Wrestlemania, and I can’t summon the passion to get behind him like I could last year because of it.

I’m honestly not expecting much from this match. If they massively ramp up the brutality and make them really try to destroy each other, it could be good, but I don’t think it’ll be that. I think it’ll be the standard, plodding Hell In A Cell match where they just lumber about setting up spots for 5 minutes for 5 seconds of underwhelming payoff.

I initially thought there might be some possibility Drew gets the title back, but there’s no way that’s happening. Not only have all the rumoured Summerslam plans we’ve been hearing about recently feature Lashley as champion but Drew actually pinned Lashley on Raw, and that seals his fate. Bobby Lashley is retaining, and there is no doubt in my mind about it.

AEW Double or Nothing 2021: Every Match Ranked

Another Pay-Per-View is behind us. Some got double, some got nothing (I don’t understand this metaphor), but generally, it was a pretty good night of wrestling. I don’t think it ranks among AEW’s best, but that’s a pretty high bar, and I still found the show entertaining. Let’s just talk about the matches.

10 – Cody Rhodes def. Antony Ogogo

As much as I had a strong disliking toward the story of this match, I thought the action itself could still be good. I was wrong.

It wasn’t necessarily bad; it just felt a bit heartless compared to everything else on the show. It only went 10 minutes, and nothing memorable happened during it. Ogogo came out of the gate with a bit of fire, Cody mounted a comeback, they traded momentum for a bit, and that was that. The commentators were desperately selling it as some huge moment and tough triumph for Cody, but it’s just not.

I’ve often defended Cody when people talk about him having too much of an ego, but with every pointless and heatless major win like this, I’m starting to come around to that way of thinking. What was the benefit of this? The crowd were noticeably quieter during this match than most of the show, save for some half-arsed USA chants. Cody didn’t beat a particularly strong opponent, and Ogogo looks pathetic in defeat. What was the point? Other than an ego wank from Cody with a chance to be America’s “hero”.

9 – Jungle Boy Wins The Casino Battle Royale
(Winner Receives A Future AEW World Championship Match)

I mentioned in my predictions that this battle royal format was a little awkward. Although I said that, I have by and large enjoyed all of them up until now. However, watching this one on Sunday, it made all of this format’s flaws really obvious.

Competitors entering five at a time just flat-out does not work. It’s awkwardly paced as each person has to get their own music, but it means that none of them get to have a chance to shine on their own as they come in the ring. People don’t get to come into the match full of steam and clean house to look good. They just immediately fade into the background. On top of that, so much time is spent on entrances that the pacing of the match feels disjointed. Eliminations get missed, spots get overlooked, and it can be hard to tell who’s even in the match sometimes.

When the match got good was towards the end. The Joker entrant, Lio Rush (who I’m pleased to see), got a great moment to shine in their entrance, and they got in the ring. Then, once the field had cleared, the story with Matt Hardy & Private Party got to take the forefront, and things were more compelling. The final sequence with Christian & Jungle Boy was great too, and I’m pleasantly surprised by the winner.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You’re never going to beat the Royal Rumble, so stop trying to be the Royal Rumble because all it does is make me wish I was watching the Royal Rumble.

8 – Sting & Darby Allin def. Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page

I don’t have a great deal to say about this one. It was good, but nothing particularly special. It’s nice to see Sting wrestle again, and it’s clear he’s still got some left in the tank, which is always good.

I just want to see both him & Allin used differently now. I’d rather see Sting mentoring Allin in a singles capacity at this point rather than random tag matches that damage the credibility of mid-card heels.

7 – The Inner Circle def. The Pinnacle
(Stadium Stampede)

I promise this is the last match I’m going to moan about, but this match didn’t really click with me.

For context, I loved last year’s Stadium Stampede match. It had tonnes of memorable moments and gripped me for the entirety of its 30-minute runtime. This one was not even remotely like that, and it was a huge detriment to the match’s quality.

The intensity of this feud was through the roof, and they tried to play the Stadium Stampede match a lot more seriously because of it, and that is where this match fell short. The entire concept is inherently silly, so you’ve got to play up to that fact. Rather than a long string of memorable and entertaining spots, this match was just people wandering around, punching and occasionally hitting each other with things.

Just off the top of my head, I could give you a laundry list of memorable moments from last year’s Stadium Stampede. The charge at the start. The Northern Lights suplex across the field. One of the Young Bucks Moonsaulting off of the goal post. Page wandering around on a horse. The Omega & Page bar fight and several others that I’m leaving out, so this doesn’t go on too long.

Compare that to this year, what are people going to remember in a year’s time? The Inner Circle’s entrance, absolutely, that was brilliant, but in the actual match? Not a lot. The “disco” fight was pretty memorable, I guess, but I’d be hard-pressed to think of anything else. The motorbike/golf cart chasing Shaun Spears was good, but even that was just a callback to last year’s match.

At the end of the day, it was fine and still held my attention throughout. I just don’t think it justified the 30 minutes it had this time around.

6 – Miro(c) def. Lance Archer
(TNT Championship)

Yup, thumbs up for this one.

It was pretty short, clocking in at just under 10 minutes, but the intensity that both men brought to it felt like it justified the shorter runtime. Miro is finally unleashed in his full potential, and it’s as glorious as we all knew it would be. Naturally, Archer responded to his style of offence in kind, and the match held the feeling of two men really trying to crush each other.

It worked somewhat slowly throughout the middle, but the hard-hitting style both wrestlers brought made up for it, and the flurries of fast stuff mixed in there wrapped it all together nicely.

I’m not the biggest fan of Archer taking yet another major loss like this, but I can understand that it’s probably worth it for the sake of building Miro up as a monster. I’m excited to see where this title reign goes, Miro has shown throughout his career that he can work against both big & small guys, so there’s some interesting dynamics to play around with throughout his reign.

5 – Serena Deeb(c) def. Riho
(NWA World Women’s Championship)
(Buy-In)

A pretty simple but very engaging match. Maybe it’s because WWE has conditioned my expectation of pre-show matches to be so low, but I was surprised at how much these two were able to get in.

Serena was great at getting the crowd to turn on her from the get-go. I didn’t realise that she’d become a heel on NWA programming, but the in-ring storytelling quickly clued me in and adjusted my expectations accordingly. Riho responded to it in the right way too. Her general presentation presents her as quite the underdog, and she knows how to play up to it.

The champion retained, but it was still a fantastic feature for both women.

4 – Hangman Adam Page def. Brian Cage

Another simple but great singles match here. They played this one very balanced in terms of momentum, which kept it interesting throughout. 12 minutes was the perfect length of time for what this match was, and the pacing flowed perfectly from start to finish. Cage’s powerful offence gave him this force-of-nature aura, but Page handled it well and told the story of learning from their first encounter.

Team Taz getting involved at the end was an interesting wrinkle. I find it interesting that almost all of the attempts at match interference on this show went wrong in one way or another. Cage’s desire to do it alone added an extra layer to the story and justified what would’ve otherwise been fairly stupid decision-making on his part.

I’m interested to see where they take his character following this. While I think he could’ve gotten more out of his run with Team Taz, at this point, I think it might be best to let it go and change his status quo. You don’t even need to turn him face. Just breaking away from Team Taz would be enough of a change to let him start fresh. As for Hangman Page, him winning was the right decision, and I’m looking forward to seeing his rise continue.

3 – Britt Baker def. Hikaru Shida(c)
(AEW Women’s World Championship)

A worthy end to Shida’s title reign.

I didn’t realise they’d given her a new title belt, but I like it. The only real problem with the original belt was how pitifully tiny it was, and this fixed that. Now it looks like a throwback belt with a modern style, and I like it.

The match itself had a lot to love. Not as quickly paced as I would’ve liked, but most other aspects of the match made up for that shortcoming. The momentum shifted gradually between each woman, and that combined with the ramping up in intensity for a compelling contest. The styles between these two meshed in the way I had hoped, and it brought the shine out of both of them.

The story elements were great too. Despite the crowd largely being pro-Britt, she stayed true to her character and did everything in her power to turn them against her. Admittedly, it didn’t work, but I still enjoyed watching it. Rebel’s interference going wrong was a great dramatic moment, although I’m glad it was only a false finish. I’m sure something will come of that in the long term.

The finish made both women look pretty good too. Shida wasn’t soundly out-wrestled, but she made a mistake and got caught by a competitor on her level who knew how to make the most of it. With Britt at the top, I’m confident AEW’s women’s division will reach the status it deserves at last.

2 – The Young Bucks(c) def. Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston
(AEW World Tag Team Championship)

This was definitely the most fun match of the evening.

The story between these two teams focusing on a pair of shoes was an odd choice. I know it was symbolistic of the wider conflict, but still, especially considering how little bearing they ended up having on the match. Also, before I get into the match properly, did The Young Bucks pay off that referee or something? Both Bucks were in the ring for almost the entire match, and the referee didn’t even try to count them out, but he still had a go at Kingston for even thinking about it.

The action was fantastic throughout this match. With how dominant of a champion he was, it’s easy to forget how great Moxley is at taking a beating. He got his clock cleaned by the Bucks at almost every opportunity but still came out of that gate swinging in the way only he can. Kingston got to be the controlling factor for his team, but the Bucks still found a weakness to exploit. That was a great device to turn momentum back the Bucks whenever it was needed.

Towards the end, when things got more chaotic was when things hit their peak. The kickout at one was nice, although I feel like that’s becoming a bit of an overused trope, especially considering we basically never saw it a couple of years ago. Things went off with a bang in the final sequence, with the exception of the actual finish, which felt like more of a whimper. However, it couldn’t take away from what was a fantastically entertaining bout.

1 – Kenny Omega(c) def. Orange Cassidy & Pac
(AEW World Championship)

Triple threat matches are just the most entertaining things.

The balance of power between all three guys was really interesting. I said in my predictions that Orange Cassidy would serve as more of an exclamation point on the match, and I think that was more or less the role he filled. While the crowd loved all three guys, it was clear they were fully behind Cassidy, and whenever he popped back in the ring for a few quick punches, it was a joyous occasion.

Pac & Omega trying to out-wrestle each other helped carry the bulk of the action and gave things the technical flavour we love to see. Both men are very familiar with each other by this point, and it shows, as the ebb and flow of the match never faltered. The tropes of triple threat matches are very well established by this point, but I feel like this match didn’t lean on them too heavily. While there was some amount of powdering out, I feel like all three men were a featured part of the action for more of the match than not.

Things got a bit convoluted towards the end but in the right kind of way. Kenny using all four of his belts to clobber Pac was a cool twist on an established spot, and the ridiculous amount of false finishes were a lot of fun. The final one was especially great and does everything it needed to for Orange Cassidy. He almost caught Omega on several occasions and only lost because of some quick thinking on Kenny’s part. Both Cassidy & Pac can be waiting in the wings now and can be pushed back into the title picture whenever they’re needed.