The Top 5 Matches this week is interesting. With New Japan Road and Sacrifice, you had to assume a few of those might make it. But we did get a few television matches as well.
Last week’s match vote was a bit of a run away. With over 60% of the votes, NXT Takeover Portland: North American Championship: Keith Lee (c) vs Dominik Dijakovic, took first place.
This will be the last Top 5 Matches for February vote, and like I said earlier; it’s interesting. AEW did manage to get a match on there; but it’s heavily dominated by New Japan and Impact. Plus there was a tie, so it’s technically a Top 6.
Quick Top 5:
- NJPW New Japan Road Day 1: NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii
Rating: **** 1/2 - AEW Dynamite: AEW World Tag Team Championship: Lucha Bros vs Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (c)
Rating: **** - Impact Wrestling Sacrifice: Tag Team Championship: The North (c) vs The Rascalz (Trey and Wentz)
Rating: **** - NJPW New Japan Road Day 1: IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship: Roppongi 3k (c) vs Mega Coaches (Rocky Romero & Ryusuke Taguchi)
Rating: **** - IMPACT!: Best of 5: Match 3: Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards
Rating: *** 3/4 - IMPACT!: Josh Alexander w/Ethan Page vs TJP w/Fallah Bahh
Rating: *** 3/4
Honorable Mentions:
NXT: Cruiserweight Title: Lio Rush vs Jordan Devlin (c)
Rating: *** 1/2
New Japan Road Day 2: IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) vs The Golden Aces (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi)
Rating: *** 1/2
AEW Dynamite: Jeff Cobb vs Jon Moxley
Rating: *** 1/2
Impact Wrestling Sacrifice: Jake Crist vs Daga
Rating: *** 1/2
New Japan Road Day 1: Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, El Desperado, Taichi & Minoru Suzuki) vs Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI, Yuya Uemura & Hirooki Goto
Rating: *** 1/4
AEW Dynamite: Steel Cage: Cody vs Wardlow
Rating: *** 1/4
New Japan Road Day 2: Will Ospreay, Rocky Romero & Kazuchika Okada vs Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA & Tetsuya Naito
Rating: *** 1/4
NXT: Roderick Strong vs Velveteen Dream
Rating: *** 1/4
New Japan Road Day 2: NEVER 6 Man Tag Championship: Toru Yano, Ryusuke Taguchi & Colt Cabana vs Shingo Takagi, EVIL & BUSHI
Rating: *** 1/4
Impact Wrestling Sacrifice: Tessa Blanchard vs Ace Austin
Rating: ***
New Japan Road Day 1: Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Tiger Mask, Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Manabu Nakanishi vs BUSHI, SANADA, Hiromu Takahashi, EVIL & Tetsuya Naito
Rating: ***
IMPACT!: Tessa Blanchard, Tommy Dreamer & Trey vs Ace Austin & Reno Scum
Rating: ***
AEW Dynamite: Kris Statlander vs Shanna
Rating: ***
WWE SmackDown: New Day & The Usos vs Robert Roode, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz & John Morrison
Rating: ***
Impact Wrestling Sacrifice: Kiera Hogan vs Ray Lyn
Rating: ***
WWE Raw: Authors of Pain & Buddy Murphy vs Kevin Owens & The Viking Raiders
Rating: ***
New Japan Road Day 1: Kota Ibushi, David Finlay, Juice Robinson & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Guerrillas of Destiny, Bad Luck Fale & Jay White
Rating: ***
5t. IMPACT!: Josh Alexander w/Ethan Page vs TJP w/Fallah Bahh
From My Review:
If we’ve learned anything, it’s that alone The North tend to lose; but damn are the matches good. TJP may not be the most charismatic, but he is a damn good technical wrestler. Alexander is also a well known technical wrestler, but more amateur wrestling style.
Alexander dominated about two thirds of this match, where TJP only got a few strikes in; but kept fighting through the offense. Alexander hit a Release Torture Rack Bomb, that looked cool and probably sent TJP to an early chiropractic appointment. TJP had a few moments with Knee Bars and Crossarm Breaker variations; but it wasn’t until the Avalanche Brainbuster that it was close. Alexander counters the Detonation Kick, rolls through with TJP on his back; but TJP grabs for the turnbuckle to stop Alexander’s momentum. Alexander falls back to the Rear Naked Choke, and TJP floats over for the pinfall victory. Damn good match.
Winner: TJP via Submission Reversal
5t. IMPACT!: Best of 5: Match 3: Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards
From My Review:
Well it’s another non-gimmicked match; but at least Edwards tries a slightly different tactic. He takes the offense to Elgin fast and heavy with some big moves like a Suicide Dive and a Tiger Driver.
Elgin wasn’t going down that quick of course, so we got a really good back and forth. This felt like it had a little more time than the first two; and Eddie’s offense looked generally better. Elgin hit all his best moves, except the Elgin Bomb. Edwards countering it into a Small Package worked nicely for a shock win. Finally Edwards gets on the board, but Elgin still looks like the one in charge.
Winner: Eddie via Small Package
4. NJPW New Japan Road Day 1: IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship: Roppongi 3k (c) vs Mega Coaches (Rocky Romero & Ryusuke Taguchi)
From Mitchell’s Coverage:
Sho flounders and Romero jumps, but no code breaker! 3K!! Cover, but Taguchi breaks it within seconds! Yoh and Taguchi brawl, and Yoh gets the edge. Yoh runs, into the Funky Weapon! But he rewinds with the ropes, only for Taguchi to use Sho as a shield from the SUPERKICK! Romero rolls Sho and Taguchi goes after Yoh, but Yoh just pushes the cover over! Taguchi drags Yoh up, whips, Funky Weapon again! Taguchi leaps at Sho, but Sho catches him! GERMAN SUPLEX! Yoh builds speed to FLY! Direct hit takes Taguchi out! Sho builds power once more as Romero rises. Sho runs, to LARIAT Romero inside out! He drags Romero up, pump handles, SHOCK ARROW DRIVER! Cover, TWO!?!? Rocky Romero will not die! Sho drags Romero up again, Yoh is up top, Shock Arrow + Double Stomps = STRONG X!! Cover, Yoh intercepts Taguchi, RPG3K wins!!
Winner: RPG 3k via Strong X
3. Impact Wrestling Sacrifice: Tag Team Championship: The North (c) vs The Rascalz (Trey and Wentz)
From My Review:
Great spinning back kicks, dives, and Cruiserweight offense. Trey hit the Cheeky Nandos and the corner stuck Tiger Feint Kick. Wentz pulled off a Running Canadian Destroyer and tried to get something going when he countered the Tandem Mat Slam with a Double Frankensteiner. Trey came off the top to try and Meteora both members down, but instead they caught him.
Rohit Raju showed up to push The Rascalz off the ropes, allowing The North to pull off their Backbreaker/Spinebuster combo. Though most of the match was really The North dominating with size and power; Raju’s interference helps the Rascalz and the heel nature of The North. Really good match.
Winner: The North via Backbreaker/Spinebuster Combo
2. AEW Dynamite: AEW World Tag Team Championship: Lucha Bros vs Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (c)
From Mitchell’s Coverage:
Tag back to Omega, and Hangman brings Pentagon up. Omega and Hangman double whip but Pentagon kicks Omega in the face! Pentagon SLINGBLADES Hangman! Omega CHOPS Pentagon but Fenix missile dropkicks! Hangman blocks Fenix’s superkick to CHOP! Pentagon SUPERKICKS Hangman! “CERO! MIEDO!” Hangman pop-up BOMBS Pentagon and sets him up for Omega’s V-TRIGGER! Fans cheer again as Fenix rises. Fenix ducks, handsprings, but into the chicken wings! Hangman slingshots, but Fenix gets free and Omega takes the BUCK SHOT! Fenix dropkicks Hangman down! Pentagon drags Omega up, pump handles, SUPERKICK from Fenix and then Fenix FLIES onto Hangman! PENTA DRIVER!! Cover, TWO!?! Atlanta can’t believe it but they are loving it!
Pentagon drags Omega back up, tags in Fenix, and tucks him in. Fenix goes up, Omega slips out to SNAP DRAGON! Fenix tornillo into a V-TRIGGER! Omega underhooks Fenix, TIGER DRIVER ’98!! Cover, TWO!?! Fenix still lives and Omega can’t believe it! Omega slashes the throat, drags Fenix up and Electric Chair lifts. But Fenix fights out and waistlocks. Omega standing switches but Fenix elbows free of that. Hangman tags in as Fenix runs at Omega. Omega side steps, Fenix tiger feints, but Omega ducks the heel kick as Hangman takes aim. BUCK SHOT TRIGGER!! Cover, Hangman and Omega win!!
Winner: Omega & Hangman via Buckshot Trigger
1. NJPW New Japan Road Day 1: NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs Tomohiro Ishii
From My Review:
Okay, English commentary tried to remind fans that NEVER is an acronym, with the original idea of it being a title for younger wrestlers to propel them. NEVER stands for: New blood Evolution Valiantly Eternal Radical – like most Japanese applications of English words…it’s a little goofy. But it’s really no different than people that get Kanji tattoos; assuming it says “courage” when we all know it’s probably closer to saying “soup”.
Surprisingly, they start with a lock up like two bulls locking horns. From that point on, it was exactly what you would expect. Both men demonstrated their Tenryu influence with their chops and corner combinations. Shingo also proved himself as a champion in one specific moment. After a Death Valley Driver on the apron, Red Shoes was counting out Ishii; and Shingo stopped Red Shoes, and went to go collect his opponent.
Even though the acronym really means nothing anymore, and the initial idea for the belt has mutated; when a brawler holds the title, these matches are special. Ishii fought out of most moves, they had a no sell Backdrop Driver spot, but Shingo broke out a few tricks. Noshigami, Made in Japan…hell, he even pulled off an Emerald Flowsion.
Both men peppered in classic moves, influences from their teachers; all while keeping the violence turned to 11. Fantastic match, punctuated with the Shingo Style GTR and Last of the Dragon. Great stuff, as expected.
Winner: Takagi via Last of the Dragon
Thoughts:
Told you this was an interesting week of Top 5 matches. There will probably be a large number of people who don’t pay attention to Impact or New Japan; but they’re just missing out. Shingo Takagi vs Tomohiro Ishii, was a fantastic match that may even make some people’s Match of the Year list. So I’m completely sold on pick this match for the week.
If you don’t watch some of these companies, that’s fine. No one is here saying you need to; this article’s entire point is to locate quality regardless of promotion. Enjoy what you like, and with Super Showdown and Revolution next week; we’ll probably see some number make the Top 5 matches.
Remember to leave your opinion of which was your favorite of the Top 5 Matches. And again, if you didn’t watch these; don’t worry about it. Not every week will be friendly to every type of fan.
