Andrew’s Top 5 Matches: Week Ending 4/19/20

So as we learn more of Eorzea, the primal beasts are threatening the land – erhm…-wait that’s not what I write about. MATCHES! Yes, wrestling matches of the quarantine weeks.

It’s the 6th Sunday of the decade of April…

Alright I’ll stop being a moron now. Last week’s match vote was a complete runaway for; NXT: Tommaso Ciampa vs Johnny Gargano. Even though it had a mixed reception from many, it’s been a slow few weeks.

Let’s see what we have to work with this week!

Quick Top 5:

1. Pro Wrestling NOAH: Global Tag League Finals: AXIZ (Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima) vs Rene Dupree & El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr
   Rating: ****
2. NXT: NXT Tag Team Championship: Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher (c) vs Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong
   Rating: *** 3/4
3. WWE SmackDown: Cesaro vs Daniel Bryan
   Rating: *** 1/2
4. NXT: Akira Tozawa vs Isaiah Scott
   Rating: *** 1/2
5. WWE Raw: Oney Lorcan vs Aleister Black
   Rating: *** 1/2

Honorable Mentions:

• IMPACT!: Tenille Dashwood vs Taya Valkyrie w/John E. Bravo
  Rating: *** 1/4
• AEW Dynamite: Kip Sabian vs Chuck Taylor
  Rating: ***
• IMPACT!: Dez & Wentz vs XXXL vs Reno Scum vs Fallah Bahh & TJP
  Rating: ***
• NXT: Fabian Aichner vs Finn Balor
  Rating: ***
• IMPACT!: Ace Austin vs Trey
  Rating: ***
• WWE Raw: Rudy Riott vs Asuka
  Rating: ***

5. WWE Raw: Oney Lorcan vs Aleister Black

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

Aleister lets Oney free but starts kicking away. Oney clinches and swings, into an armlock! Oney stays up but Aleister cranks on the arm! ROPEBREAK! Aleister lets Oney go and Oney CHOPS! Aleister BOOTS back then throws more EuroUppers. Oney shoves but Aleister rallies with forearms and elbows. Aleister unleashes the strike fest! KNEE THRUST! Aleister kips up and runs, but Oney gets under the springboard to LARIAT! Cover, TWO!! Aleister lives but the Fury of 205 Live fires up! Oney half nelsons but Aleister wheelbarrows to a victory roll! TWO and Oney CHOPS again! Oney CHOPS again and fires up. He dares Aleister to stand, and Aleister KNEES back! Aleister brings Oney back up with a foot, to BLACK MASS! Cover, Aleister wins!

Winner: Aleister via Black Mass

4. NXT: Akira Tozawa vs Isaiah Scott

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

Tozawa cranks on Swerve and brings him to a knee. Swerve fights out and pops Tozawa around, but Tozawa makes it a hanging dragon sleeper! Tozawa drags Swerve to the mat and cranks hard! Swerve gets free of the body scissors for only a moment as he turns around. Tozawa has a guillotine but again Swerve powers out with a BRAIN BUSTER! Both men are down but Swerve grits his teeth. Swerve stands first and drags Tozawa up. He begins the full nelson but Tozawa resists. Swerve clubs away on Tozawa’s back then lifts, but Tozawa victory rolls! TWO, and Tozawa kicks, spins, slides under and waistlocks! Swerve breaks free, trips Tozawa and rolls him, to a DEAD LIFT GERMAN of his own! HOUSE CALL!! Cover, TWO!?

Swerve can’t believe Tozawa survives! Swerve drags Tozawa to a corner and hoists him up top. He gets under Tozawa to push him up, but Tozawa kangaroo kicks back! Tozawa OVERHEAD SUPLEXES Swerve into buckles! Swerve staggers into the ROLLING ROUNDHOUSE! Tozawa heads up top with Swerve in the drop zone! He’s up top, for the SUPER SENTON!! Cover, Tozawa wins!!

Winner: Tozawa via Senton Drop

3. WWE SmackDown: Cesaro vs Daniel Bryan

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

But into a Crossface! Cesaro and Bryan struggle but the hold locks on! Bryan is stuck, but he rolls and rolls, and pops out to his YES LOCK!! Cesaro is the one caught now, but he pries the fingers apart. They fight for a cover, ONE, then another, TWO! Cesaro LARIATS Bryan down! Cesaro looms over Bryan and brings him up. He gives more EuroUppers in the corner, until the ref counts at him. Cesaro brings Bryan up to whip corner to corner. Bryan goes up and over, but Cesaro catches him! But Bryan spins through to a takedown, and the YES LOCK!! Cesaro endures, Nakamura gets in, but Gulak stops him! Nakamura kicks at Gulak but Gulak won’t let go! Gulak throws Nakamura into barriers, and Cesaro taps! Bryan wins!!

Winner: Daniel via Yes Lock

2. NXT: NXT Tag Team Championship: Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher (c) vs Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

Thatcher drags Strong up, butterfly underhooks but Strong resists. Fish runs in but Thatcher easily kicks him back out. Thatcher walks into the boot! And the enziguri! Strong tags Fish and Fish runs, to body check Thatcher down! Cover, TWO! Tag back to Strong and the Undisputed Era bring Thatcher up. Gutbuster drop to flying knee! Cover, TWO!! Thatcher survives but the Undisputed Era adds strikes. Riddle SPEARS Fish before the next double team! Strong KNEES Riddle but Thatcher EuroUppers Strong! Strong KNEES Thatcher then reels him in. But Thatcher drags Strong down, FUJIWARA! Strong taps, Riddle and Thatcher win!!

Winner: Thatcher via Fujiwara Armbar

1. Pro Wrestling NOAH: Global Tag League Finals: AXIZ (Go Shiozaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima) vs Rene Dupree & El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr

Pro Wrestling NOAH held a truncated version of their annual tag league to find a new opponent for MochiMaru (Masaaki Mochizuki & Naomichi Marufuji). The former champions; and fans favorite edgy boys AXIZ, prove their worth by getting to the finals. Conversely, the surprise foreign Sugiura-Gun squad of Rene Dupree & Hijo de Dr Wagner Jr, made a great push. Who pulls it off; AXIZ or Les Mexicanos?

The match starts off like most Japanese tag matches with each of the partners taking turns, in a fairly respectable way. Wagner manages a few power spots, but Nakajima gets the better of things with quick Hamstring Kicks and keeping things moving. Eventually, Dupree keeps Shiozaki on the outside while Nakajima and Wagner work toward the decision. Nakajima hits the Vertical Spike, but Wagner kicks out. Wagner hits the Wagner Driver, Dupree hits a Gotch Piledriver; then goes to wipe out Shiozaki while Wagner goes for the Moonsault Press. Overshooting a little, it looks more like a Moonsault Headbutt, but it gets the job done.

This was a nice evolution of Wagner Jr in NOAH. He went from being an opening match, low points in the N-1, tag along in Sugiura-Gun; to finally getting a chance to shine and show his progress. A nice feather in the cap for the son of a legendary luchador, coupled with a familiar face that many probably forgot about.

Winner: Wagner Jr via Moonsault Headbutt

Thoughts:

If for no other reason than the way NOAH built up Wagner Jr’s legitimacy over the past year; the Global Tag League match gets my vote. It was a really solid match, along with the built in story…just great wrestling.

Since most of us know who Rene Dupree is, follow the link in the Quick Top 5, to check out the match.