This tends to happen when we have a few bigger shows during a week/weekend. Between Impact, NXT and WWE, there were plenty of big match feelings. How many delivered?

Last week, the voting actually went in lock step with my rankings, so that’s always nice to see. So with that, NOAH the Chronicle Vol 3: GHC National Openweight & GHC Heavyweight Championship Double Title Match: Kenoh (c) vs Go Shiozaki (c), won the vote to join the August pool.

Now on to this week!

Quick Top 5 (okay, 7 this week):

1. Impact Wrestling Emergence: Impact World Tag Team Championship: Motor City Machine Guns vs The North
   Rating: **** 1/2
2. NXT TakeOver XXX: Timothy Thatcher vs Finn Balor
   Rating: ****
3. Impact Wrestling Emergence: X Division Championship: TJP w/Fallah Bahh vs Rohit Raju vs Chris Bey (c)
   Rating: ****
4. NXT TakeOver XXX: NXT Championship: Karrion Kross w/Scarlett vs Keith Lee (c)
   Rating: ****
5. WWE SummerSlam: Raw Women’s Championship: Asuka vs Sasha Banks (c) w/ Bayley
   Rating: *** 3/4
6. NJPW Strong Ep.3: NJPW Cup USA Finals: KENTA vs David Finlay
   Rating: *** 3/4
7. NXT TakeOver XXX: NXT Women’s Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs Dakota Kai w/Raquel Gonzalez
   Rating: *** 3/4

Honorable Mentions:

• WWE SummerSlam: WWE Championship: Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre (c)
  Rating: *** 1/2
• Impact Wrestling Emergence: Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs The Good Brothers
  Rating: *** 1/2
• NXT TakverOver XXX: Vacant North American Championship 5 Way Ladder Match: Damian Priest vs Johnny Gargano vs Bronson Reed vs Cameron Grimes vs Velveteen Dream
  Rating: *** 1/2
• WWE SummerSlam: SmackDown Women’s Championship: Asuka vs Bayley (c)
  Rating: *** 1/4
• NXT TakeOver XXX: Adam Cole vs Pat McAfee
  Rating: *** 1/4
• WWE SmackDown: Intercontinental Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs Jeff Hardy
  Rating: *** 1/4
• WWE SummerSlam: Raw Tag Team Championship: Angel Garza & Andrade w/Zelina Vega vs Street Profits
  Rating: *** 1/4
• NXT: Rhea Ripley & Shotzi Blackheart vs Mercedes Martinez & Aliyah
  Rating: ***
• NXT TakeOver XXX: Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza ) vs Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs Breezango
  Rating: ***
• NJPW Strong Ep. 3: Brody King & Flip Gordon vs Jay White & Chase Owens
  Rating: ***

5t. NXT TakeOver XXX: NXT Women’s Championship: Io Shirai (c) vs Dakota Kai w/Raquel Gonzalez

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

The crowd rallies up, Shirai endures, Dakota pulls, Shirai reaches with a leg for the ROPEBREAK! Dakota lets go at 4 but is frustrated as Shirai gets to the apron. The crowd rallies up again as Dakota heads over. Dakota brings Shirai up but Shirai ROCKS Dakota! Shirai springboards but Dakota ROUNDHOUSES her first! Shirai blocks the buckle bump to give the buckle bump! Dakota ROUNDHOUSES again! Dakota drags Shirai out to a fireman’s carry, DRAPING GO TO KICK!! Cover, ROPEBREAK!! Shirai survives and Dakota screams! Dakota can’t believe she was that close yet that far! Dakota drags Shirai up, whips her around at the ref! Dakota goes side to side, Shirai moves, the REF takes the boot!! Shirai GERMAN SUPLEXES!

Shirai heads up top, DESCENT INTO DARKNESS! Cover, but the ref can’t count! Shirai would’ve won twice over! Shirai didn’t even realize what happened to the ref! Raquel ATTACKS! Raquel clubs, and hits the GIANT CHOKE SLAM! Raquel gets the ref up as Dakota covers, TWO!?!? Shirai survives and no one can believe it! Dakota composes herself, drags Shirai back up, fireman’s carries and GO- NO! Shirai gets a CROSSFACE!! Even with her bad arm, Shirai cranks back on Dakota! Dakota reaches with her leg but can’t get to ropes. They go around, Dakota rolls free but Shirai KAMI-GOYES! Raquel gets Dakota out but Shirai ASAI MOONSAULTS! Direct hit on Raquel and Dakota! Shirai puts Dakota in, Shirai heads back up top, another DESCENT INTO DARKNESS! Cover, Shirai wins!!

Winner: Io via Moonsault

5t. NJPW Strong Ep.3: NJPW Cup USA Finals: KENTA vs David Finlay

From My Results:

This was surprisingly hard hitting given that KENTA has been a very half-assed heel version of who he used to be and David Finlay isn’t exactly the brawler that his father is/was. Finlay did come out with a solid plan, but KENTA fell back on his powdering out and this stalling heel tactic.

Finlay was caught in the ropes a few times and left open for big kicks and that Jumping Knee Strike, but he never stopped coming forward. Finlay fought back the entire match, even exploding from the corner with a great Spear. It looked like Finlay was trying to focus on KENTA’s injured shoulder and neck, to soften him up for Prima Nocta. But honestly, it was very back and forth, so it turned into more of a fight then a methodical attack.

KENTA however never seemed to waver from his plan. Sure the match was a scrap, but every time it got a little too hot, he’d powder, or shove Finlay into the referee and hit the trademarked kick to the boys. Finlay did manage to kick out from the Low Blow that took down Jeff Cobb, but he still succumbed to the Go 2 Sleep.

Winner: KENTA via Go 2 Sleep

5t. WWE SummerSlam: Raw Women’s Championship: Asuka vs Sasha Banks (c) w/ Bayley

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

Bayley asks if Sasha is okay and then tells her she has this. Asuka’s leg is done for, Sasha is better than Asuka! Two belts for life! But Sasha runs into a TAKEDOWN! ASUKA LOCK!!! Sasha flails, pries at the body scissors, gets around, but Asuka reels her back in! Sasha uses the buckles to push off and roll back to a cover, TWO! BANK STATEMENT! Sasha has Asuka now, but Asuka reaches, crawls, but Sasha kicks off the ropes! Asuka gets free to get the ASUKA LOCK! Sasha scrambles around, gets up and elbows free! Sasha throws Asuka away, but the ROUNDHOUSE rocks her!

Asuka and Sasha stagger about, Bayley is on the apron just like the earlier match! Asuka runs in but both Sasha and Bayley avoid the hip attack! Asuka BACK HANDS Bayley down! Sasha gets Asuka, but Asuka rolls out of the backstabber into an ASUKA LOCK!! Sasha flails, reaches, but she’s all alone!! Sasha taps, Asuka wins!!

Winner: Asuka via Asuka Lock

2t. NXT TakeOver XXX: NXT Championship: Karrion Kross w/Scarlett vs Keith Lee (c)

Winner: Kross via Avalanche Doomsday Saito

2t. Impact Wrestling Emergence: X Division Championship: TJP w/Fallah Bahh vs Rohit Raju vs Chris Bey (c)

From My Results:

Beautiful story telling in this match, and a big reminder of how great TJP is in the ring. Rohit starts off the match dapping it up with Chris Bey, and the fix is immediately in. Fallah also does a great job at staying out of everything, playing the perfect babyface second.

TJP put on a clinic, even though it was 2v1 90 percent of the time, TJP always looked to be in control. Great submissions, references back to little Suicide mannerisms, a fantastic Cobra Twist Bomb, just…TJP wow. To Rohit’s credit, the swerve wasn’t in until the very end. Even when Bey accidentally tagged him with a boot, Rohit still broke up the pinfall attempts. Rohit grabbed Bey’s hand as to stop him from tapping, all fantastic heel work. It wasn’t until Bey and TJP are on the top rope, Rohit tosses off TJP and Bey is hanging Tree of Woe style, while trying to get up.

Rohit looks like he’s about to hit something to help Bey, and then the genius washes over his face like a cheesey action movie villain. He gets this huge grin, cackles and Dragon Stomps Bey, with no remorse. Remember, his mother calls him SUN, cause he shines like it!

Winner: Rohit via Dragon Stomp

2t. NXT TakeOver XXX: Timothy Thatcher vs Finn Balor

From DeMarco’s Coverage:

• Finn Balor is a great example of what I’ve been saying about faces and heels not mattering anymore, and it instead being heroes and villains. Thatcher is the villain tonight, and Balor is the hero. But both are heels. And that’s okay.
• Not gonna lie, I miss the NXT crowd. Even at Full Sail. But imagine this in Boston?
• Timothy Thatcher might not be the only person in WWE who likes to utilize this style, but he damn sure is the best.
• Thatcher works a style that could really work on the “main roster.” I know he’s already 37, but I could actually see him pulling off a huge WrestleMania match someday, even as a show closing talent.
• Starting a single-leg crab, and Thatcher just lays kicks into Finn instead. Damn, dude is SO GOOD. I really hope more people take notice in this match.
• On the flip said of the Thatcher-WM comments, you have Finn Balor who damn well better close a WrestleMania before he’s done. I hate to say he’s wasted in NXT, but I can’t think of a better word.
• Balor going over and Thatcher doesn’t even kick out of a finisher–not that he would want to–seems like a missed opportunity. Is losing to Balor really a break-out opportunity like they want us to think?

Winner: Balor via 1916

1. Impact Wrestling Emergence: Impact World Tag Team Championship: Motor City Machine Guns vs The North

From My Results:

In a switch from their first match, Sabin starts off and does a lot of the earlier work. Shelley takes the bigger bumps through the match, but we did get a much better look at Sabin post 3^rd ACL surgery. This had all the trappings of a classic tag team match with great moves, awareness and just all around great work.

The North played the perfect foils, taking a few shortcuts, but when they had the guns vulnerable, posing and ego got in the way of finishing the job. There was a great call back though, when The North went for Northern Assault, Sabin rolled up Page in the Small Package again. Alexander saw this, reversed it and then held Alex Shelley at bay, but it was only a two count.

From there we get the Five Hole Dive, the tandem Chancery/Sliding Kick, even a small taste of the ASCS Rush, before The North fight back. I definitely like how the finish callback was placed a little before the actual finish since it helped build suspense even more. The Guns breaking out Skull and Bones for the finish was also very nice.

Winner: Machine Guns via Skull & Bones

Thoughts:

As you can see from the 5 turning into 7 this week, there was a lot of solid quality. Also as you can see, I had no time to fit in AEW this week, so that may skew some other people’s match opinions. Either way, there was plenty of good wrestling even without Dynamite.

Emergence really showed up for night 1, and that was the highlight of my week on Tuesday. With that said, Motor City vs The North, gets my personal vote, since that match was as good, if not a little better than their first meeting.

Now I just hope night 2 of Emergence is as good as the first one.