Andrew’s Top 5 Matches: Week Ending 8/2/2020

This week was a little light. A few shows I tried to catch, I had technical difficulties and just couldn’t get through stuff…but this should be a fair snapshot of the week.

Before we get to the Top 5, we’ve got a July Pool to look over! You’ll be able to see the match that won last week, in the rundown for the pool!

July MOTY Pool:

• NXT: North American Qualifier Triple Threat: Bronson Reed vs Johnny Gargano vs Roderick Strong
• Impact Slammiversary: Vacant Impact World Championship 5 Way: Eric Young vs Ace Austin vs Trey vs Rich Swann vs Eddie Edwards
• NJPW Dominion: NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs SHO
• New Japan Cup Day 7: Tomohiro Ishii vs Hiromu Takahashi

Now my choice will be for Shingo Takagi vs SHO, not purely for a New Japan bias, but because that’s my personal Top 5 of the year. Thus, since I have it so highly ranked, of course I’m going to vote for it.

Time to see this week’s Top 5!

Quick Top 5:

1. Talk N’ Shop A-Mania: Boneryard Match: Sex Ferguson vs Chad 2 Badd
   Rating: Over 9000
2. NJPW Summer Struggle: Minoru Suzuki vs Yuji Nagata
   Rating: ****
3. IMPACT!: Impact World Championship: Eddie Edwards (c) vs Trey
   Rating: *** 1/2
4. NXT: Roderick Strong vs Johnny Gargano
   Rating: *** 1/2
5. NJPW Summer Struggle: Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo w/ Jado vs Kazuchika Okada & SHO
   Rating: *** 1/4

Honorable Mentions:

• NXT: Tegan Nox & Io Shirai vs Candice LeRae & Dakota Kai
  Rating: ***
• NJPW Summer Struggle: LIJ (BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito) vs Darkness Club (EVIL & Taiji Ishimori w/Dick Togo)
  Rating: ***
• AEW Dynamite: No DQ Tornado Tag: Ricky Starks & Brian Cage vs Jon Moxley & Darby Allin
  Rating: ***
• WWE Raw: Raw Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs Sasha Banks
  Rating: ***
• NJPW Summer Struggle: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Kota Ibushi, Yuya Uemura & Master Wato vs Suzuki-Gun (Taichi, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, ZSJ & DOUKI)
  Rating: ***
• SmackDown: Intercontinental Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs Gran Metalik
  Rating: ***
• NXT: Dexter Lumis vs Timothy Thatcher vs Finn Balor
  Rating: ***

5. NJPW Summer Struggle: Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo w/ Jado vs Kazuchika Okada & SHO

From My Results:

A competitive match with, a very unusual twist! There was great back and forth in this match, where Gedo and Yujiro had to take a few shortcuts to get the better of Okada and SHO, but at this stage in the game, that’s to be expected. The unusual aspect is toward the end of the match, Gedo is about to use the brass knuckles, but Yano shows up and gives Gedo a Low Blow! A member of Chaos actually came out to make a “save”. WOW!

Also an interesting note from this match is Yujiro seemed much more animated than usual. He was all fired up and you could hear him say “Singles match” a few times.

Winner: SHO via Cross Armbreaker

3t. NXT: Roderick Strong vs Johnny Gargano

Snippet from Mitchell’s Coverage:

Strong has the legs, Gargano fights him but Strong kicks away on the back. Gargano kicks back with his heel then kangaroo boots Strong down. Strong gives them back! Both men are down but the crowd fires up. Gargano stands, wrenches an arm but Strong CHOPS back. Gargano forearms, Strong CHOPS, Gargano enziguris! Strong boots, enziguris and catches the superkick into a scoop! Gargano knees free first, but Strong back elbows. Gargano spins but the discus ends up in the fireman’s carry, for a pop-up, to a RANA! Gargano throws Strong and SUPERKICKS him down! Strong flops out of the ring, Gargano slides but misses. Gargano tilt-o-whirl headscissors Strong into barriers! Then POSTS him!

Gargano rams Strong into Plexiglas! And more Plexiglas! Strong ends up in the ring, Gargano takes aim. Slingshot, ONE FINAL BEAT!! Gargano still has to crawl to a cover, Gargano still wins!

Winner: Gargano via One Final Beat

3t. IMPACT!: Impact World Championship: Eddie Edwards (c) vs Trey

From My Results:

Trey had a few glimpses, the closest attempt when he countered the first Tiger Driver with a Huricanrana. But as I’ve covered in the previous weeks, I want nothing to do with Trey near the main event and even with a couple moments, he was generally outclassed throughout this match.

Eddie winning the match with the Boston Knee Party tells a story as well, since Ace ate 2 of them and had to get beaten by the Die Hard Flowsion at Slammiversary. So the Knee Party isn’t considered the big weapon, and beating Trey after only one, does really establish a gap in Trey’s qualifications.

Winner: Eddie via Boston Knee Party

2. NJPW Summer Struggle: Minoru Suzuki vs Yuji Nagata

Snippet from Mitchell’s Coverage:

Nagata eggs Suzuki on so Suzuki HITS him! Nagata takes a moment to steady himself. Suzuki dares Nagata to come back and even puts his arms back to give Nagata a shot. Nagata hits Suzuki but Suzuki comes back. They both egg each other on, Suzuki hits but Nagata shakes his head. Nagata hits Suzuki, Suzuki hits Nagata, and repeat! Suzuki takes a moment, but then it’s fast and furious all over again! Suzuki ROCKS Nagata, Nagata ROCKS Suzuki! Yet neither wants to stop! Fans cheer as things change to SLAPPING palm strikes! The sweat flies as hands make contact! It’s SLAP after SLAP but just as furious as the forearms! Suzuki grins again and fans cheer.

Nagata waits for Suzuki to return, and the slapping continues! As soon as one hits, the other comes back! They start hitting at the same time! Suzuki gets the edge, fires from all sides, a good 10 shots! Then another FOREARM! Nagata falls!! Suzuki drags Nagata up and into position, fans rally up as he goes for the Gotch lift! Suzuki lifts Nagata up, for the PILEDRIVER!! Cover, Suzuki wins!!

Winner: Suzuki via Gotch Style Piledriver

1.  Talk N’ Shop A-Mania: Boneryard Match: Sex Ferguson vs Chad 2 Badd

-A match so bad, it was great. Like The Room of a wrestling match. Tommy Wiseau booking is the best.-

From Adam’s Review:

Chad 2 Badd coming in by a hearse but the druids drop him when taking him out of back, the druids run off because Chad is pissed off. Sex Ferguson shows up in his chopper of a Golf Cart with a lot of cameos from some amazing legends in the business. The Rock N’ Roll Express selling merch at a table, Heath Miller and Brian Myers enjoying some Talk N’ Shop Beerskis on some lawn chairs and the other half of Air Raid; Air Paris, sadly without his Phenomenal tag team partner back in WCW. Sex takes it to Chad. all the way to the ditch where Chad talks to Uncle Allen’s hand from the Bone(r)yard they saw and says it’s not his fault and he switched shows since Ball Lameman screwed them. Chad gets distracted by Maria again and dances with her just like Japan. Ferguson goes and hits Chad then is taking care of what he should have done in Japan before Maria pumps the breaks and stops all violence. Ferguson and 2 Badd keep laying into each other and kick nZo, falling into the merch table.

The two go to the top of the hearse and Sex goes for the tombstone but gets it reversed because Chad rips ass in Ferguson’s mouth. Suddenly, we get a “flashback” to September of last year where The Young Bucks sign Gallows and Anderson to AEW but, turn it down because texts from Triple H are cool. After some superkicks to get us back to the current day, we get to the end. Chad 2 Badd retains the 24/7 Championship, wins the Boneryard Match and the cowboy rides off into the sunset, not letting Sex Ferguson get his singles, babyface, IC Championship run.

Winner: Chad 2 Badd

Thoughts:

See, this is what happens when buffering and general technical issues don’t allow me to watch Dragon Gate. Was it a light week? Yes. Was Talk N’ Shop A-Mania still worth watch even though it was irreverent ridiculousness? Of course; hell that’s more reason to watch it.

My real vote will obviously go to Nagata vs Suzuki, but would I be mad if the joke match won? Not at all. Now go get some toilet paper, so you can wipe your sweaty ass!