A fun Friday and general interesting week should give us some good matches. What made the Top 5?

Since most of the Top 5 happened in November, I figured we’d seal up the October pool with the winner of last week.

October Pool:

• NXT: NXT Championship: Matt Riddle vs Adam Cole (c)
• NXT: UK Championship: WALTER (c) vs Kushida
• NJPW King of Pro Wrestling, Minoru Suzuki vs Jyushin Thunder Liger
• NXT: North American Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs Keith Lee vs Dominiki Dijakovic

SO –  it’s a very NXT heavy pool for October. All of these matches were damn good, but my vote will go to, Suzuki vs Liger, because of the history between the two.

Now let me just say, I wanted to watch MLW Saturday Night Superfight, but I had previously made plans for Saturday, and couldn’t find time to fit it into my Sunday.

With that said, this is the Top 5 of what I saw!

5, AEW Dynamite: Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: SCU (Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) vs Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr & Fenix)

Snippet from Mitchell’s Coverage:
Fans rally up, hot tag to Scorpio! Scorpio rallies on the Lucha Brothers, big leaping elbow and a big dropkick take them down! Scorpio runs in at Pentagon but is put on the apron. He hits back and slingshots, headscissors throws Pentagon out! Fenix returns, waistlocks but Scorpio elbows free. Scorpio runs, dodges Fenix and FLIES out onto Pentagon! Scorpio hurries back but Fenix wrecks him with a dropkick! Kaz climbs up to LEAP! His huricanrana crashes against the apron as he throws Fenix onto Pentagon! All four men are down and the referee checks on Kaz again. Fans hope they “Fight Forever!” but Kaz almost did himself in. Teams regroup and Scorpio has Pentagon. Kaz runs in and gets the assist for the tornado DDT! Fenix runs in, Scorpio tilt-o-whirls for his own DDT! Cover, TWO!! SCU almost had it but Scorpio calls Kaz in.

Scorpio chicken wings Fenix up but Pentagon runs in to kick SCU away. Pentagon lines up the shot, springboard DESTROYER! Scorpio boots Fenix and runs, into a somersault CUTTER! Cover, TWO!! Fenix is shocked but “This is Awesome!” Scorpio fights out of a waistlock again, but Fenix reels him out. They both run, they both crossbody! Pentagon aims at Kaz and runs over, but Kaz hops over to then kick. Pentagon blocks and says Cero Miedo, before he POWERBOMBS Kaz through the timekeeper’s table!! Fans lose their minds, Kaz has to be broken here. Pentagon and Fenix regroup but Scorpio fights them both! He runs, into a SUPERKICK! Fenix gets the boost from Pentagon for a BIG splash! Cover, TWO!! But the Lucha Brothers coordinate, Fenix climbs but Scorpio cradle counters! Somehow Kaz is back and he intercepts Fenix, SCU WINS?!

Winner:  Sky via Cradle

Rating: ****

4. Impact World Heavyweight Championship Cage Match: Brian Cage (c) vs Sami Callihan

From my Analysis:
This started off before the bell even rang. Callihan Dropkicked the door before Cage could get in, and we saw a brawl on the outside. Callihan got some space, ran into the cage and locked the door. So he thought he was pretty smart until Brian Cage scaled the steel cage like a Silverback. King Kong ain’t got shit on Brian Cage.

Their Bound for Glory match was a great blood feud match and this was as well. Hell they even flipped the blood. Sami was busted open at Bound for Glory and Cage was busted open during this match. We saw some great brawling, solid spurts of great moves and solid workrate, but everything worked towards their overall story and who they both were. Callihan was dirty and aggressive, Cage was resilient and wouldn’t die, like The Terminator that he is.

Sami dodged most of Brian’s bigger moves. Lands 3 Piledrivers in a row, but Cage kicked out and even managed to land a Discus Lariat for a near fall. Cage takes things to the turnbuckle, looks for something big, but Sami fights back, rocks Cage and hits an Avalanche Piledriver. Callihan goes for the cover and… wins the championship!

Winner: Callihan via Avalanche Piledriver

Rating: ****

3. NJPW Power Struggle: Super Junior Tag League Finals: Roppongi 3k (SHO & YOH) vs El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

From my Analysis:
Kanemaru and Desperado jump SHO and YOH during entrances, SHO was laid out on the ramp and YOH fought a handicap match for a good portion of this. The heel team pulled out chairshots and the Satori Mist, but the fan favorite Roppongi team, played great babyfaces in peril. SHO’s back was heavily taped up before the match, so that was an easy target. This was just a lot of resolve shown from SHO and YOH. SHO eventually got the hot tag, sold his ass off, and there were believable near falls on both sides. With the win, Roppongi 3k becomes the first team to win 3 years in a row. Really good, Rock ‘n’ Roll Express style match

Winner: SHO via 3k

Rating: ****

Honorable Mentions:

NJPW Power Struggle: Taichi w/Miho Abe vs Tetsuya Naito
Winner: Naito via Destino
Rating: *** 3/4
NJPW Power Struggle: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: BUSHI vs Will Ospreay (c)
Winner: Ospreay via Stormbreaker
Rating: *** 3/4
NXT: Women’s Tag Team Championship: Asuka & Kairi Sane (c) vs Tegan Nox & Dakota Kai
Winner: Kairi via Insane Elbow
Rating: *** 1/2
NJPW Power Struggle: IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Jay White (c) vs Hirooki Goto
Winner: White via Blade Runner
Rating: *** 1/2
NXT: NXT Tag Team Championship: Undisputed Era vs Keith Lee & Matt Riddle
Winner: Undisputed Era via Total Elimination
Rating: *** 1/2
IMPACT!: Naomichi Marufuji vs Josh Alexander w/Ethan Page
Winner: Marufuji via Shiranui
Rating: *** 1/4
NXT: Io Shirai vs Candice LeRae
Winner: Io via conveniently placed chair
Rating: *** 1/4
NWA Powerrr: Ken Anderson, Nick Aldis & Colt Cabana vs James Storm, Royce Isaacs & Thomas Latimer
Winner: Colt via Superman Pin
Rating: *** 1/4
AEW Dynamite: Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks vs Kip Sabian, Jack Evans & Angelico
Winner: Omega via One Winged Angel
Rating: *** 1/4
NJPW Power Struggle: Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr & Minoru Suzuki vs EVIL, SANADA & Shingo Takagi
Winner: SANADA via Rolling Double Leg Cradle
Rating: ***
WWE Crown Jewel: Team Hogan vs Team Flair
Winner: Roman Reigns via Spear
Rating: ***
NJPW Power Struggle: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi vs YOSHI-HASHI & Kazuchika Okada
Winner: Tanahashi via High Fly Flow
Rating: ***
WWE SmackDown: The Miz vs Tommaso Ciampa
Winner: Ciampa via Fairytale Ending
Rating: ***
WWE Raw: Becky Lynch vs Kairi Sane
Winner: Becky via Disarm Her
Rating: ***
IMPACT!: Street Fight: Ace Austin vs Eddie Edwards
Winner: Austin via Avalanche Fold through table
Rating: ***
WWE Crown Jewel: Mansoor vs Cesaro
Winner: Mansoor via Moonsault
Rating: ***
AEW Dynamite: Hikaru Shida vs Shanna
Winner: Hikaru via Knee Strike
Rating: ***
NXT: Cameron Grimes vs Tyler Bate
Winner: Grimes via Running Double Foot Stomp
Rating: ***
NJPW Power Struggle: Rocky Romero & Robbie Eagles vs ELP & Taiji Ishimori
Winner: ELP via CR2
Rating: ***

2. WWE Friday Night SmackDown: NXT Championship: Adam Cole (c) vs Daniel Bryan

Snippet from Mitchell’s Coverage:
Bryan wrenches hard but Cole manages to roll to the ropebreak! Bryan lets go but damage has been done. Bryan wants Cole to get up, and then he gives a YES Kick to the leg! “You want to be a champion?! Get up!!” Cole does and fires off forearms, but he gets kicks and CHOPS! Bryan fireman’s carries, but Cole pops out to a BACKSTABBER! Cover, TWO, into the LEBELLE LOCK!! Cole is caught, HHH is freaking out again, but Cole pops out, only to get Danielson Stomps! Bryan then drags Cole back into position, for another LeBelle Lock!! HHH shouts at Cole as Cole endures, and Cole works his way around. Cole reaches, but Bryan grabs the other arm for a Rings of Saturn! Cole uses his legs for the ropebreak! HHH is relieved but still frustrated that his champion is on the defensive.

Fans duel harder as Bryan gives Cole YES Kicks! Kick after kick after kick, but the buzzsaw misses! Cole O’Conner rolls, but Bryan pulls out of it, TWO! BUZZSAW! But Cole gets to a corner while Bryan fires himself up. Bryan is in the opposite corner, runs out, but into a SUPERKICK! Cole hops up, Bryan stands, PANAMA SUNRISE!! But that’s not all, LAST SHOT 2.0!! Cover, Cole wins!!

Winner: Cole via Last Shot

Rating: ****

1. NJPW Power Struggle: NEVER Openweight Championship: Tomohiro Ishii vs KENTA (c)

From My Analysis:
Both men have a pretty big dislike for one another. Ishii is still irritated at KENTA for his betrayal and the way he screwed him in the tag team championship match. KENTA however, is just reveling in being a smug prick for all of the fans to hate.

This match was probably KENTA’s best match since joining Bullet Club. Great hard hitting back and forth matchup, no Bullet Club interference, and no one can question his health or ability to take a hit. KENTA gave a few glimpses of old NOAH KENTA, with great striking, a cold demeanor and enjoying inflicting the pain. The fact that KENTA lowered the knee pad and hit a second Go 2 Sleep, just to make a point, says a lot without saying anything at all. Damn good match.

Winner: KENTA via Go 2 Sleep

Rating: **** 1/4

Thoughts

We had a lot of good television matches, so much so, they hold their own against the New Japan event. I really enjoyed Callihan finally getting his culmination as the World Champion. SCU winning makes me happy for Scorpio Sky, since he’s done so much on the Indy level, he finally gets a large accolade. Also, can’t forget how fun SmackDown was, so we need more NXT invasions.

However, my vote goes to, KENTA vs Ishii, not because of a bias, but because it was KENTA’s best match since the G1. Plus it can’t be understated that KENTA won the match with no help. So Ishii got a legit match out of Bullet Club KENTA.

Cast your vote! Let me know what you think!