Opinion

Mathew’s Top 25 Matches of 2020: #20-16

We’ve hit the 20 to 16 portion of Mathew’s trip through his Top 25 of 2020! Check it out for some matches you may not even be aware of!

Published

3 years ago

December 30, 2020

Mathew Sarpraicone

Welcome back as we continue with day 2 of my little countdown here. We already talked about the first five-set of matches and it’s time we continue with the next set of five.

Which ones make it as we get closer to number one?

Previous list(s) if you’re new to the article.

#25-21

20. Risa Sera vs. Rina Yamashita (Ice Ribbon #1057 8/9/2020)

– I will be the first one on here to say this was honestly my favorite Joshi event that didn’t involve Stardom in any shape or form. The card was fun from top to bottom with a great main event but there was another match on the card that I enjoyed better. The match that took place was for a new title that they introduced called the FantastICE Championship and for this particular belt. the title would always be defended in some sort of stipulation. What was it for this one? Well, this is something that turned into a Death Match real quick.

It didn’t start this way either since they were starting with a basic wrestling match to kick things off and we had some solid wrestling. This momentum would slowly shift as the match progresses as it would turn into a brutal match involving light tubes, and just a lot of carnage. A deathmatch or two usually makes it to my list and this would be my favorite one of the year. I said before that it’s an acquired taste and I enjoy it if done right except for when the United States tries to do it horribly. Risa would come out the winner as the inaugural and current FantastICE Champion of Ice Ribbon.

19. Naruki Doi vs. Eita (Dragon Gate Memorial Gate 8/2/2020)

– Dragon Gate had a slow start but once the King of Gate Tournament start, that was when they kicked it up a notch with their small little return. The victor of that match was Eita when he defeated the Open the Dream Gate Champion, Naruki Doi two months prior, to get this opportunity. The two had a great match in their first encounter and now the biggest test for Eita would come into play, can he beat the champion twice in a row? This time, it would be for the championship and the pressure was on Eita during this generational warfare.

Not only did the two deliver us another great match but were able to exceed their previous encounter in the process. They told a story there and the growth of Eita is what made the match all the more memorable. He would call off his unit to make sure they wouldn’t interfere in the match, even refusing to use a chair on Doi in the match since he wants to win it fairly. The final minutes of the match would give us an emotional climax with a fulfilling conclusion when Eita would finally win the big championship by making him tap out with the Numero Uno not once, but twice. One of the biggest wins in his career and it officially solidified him as the top heel in Dragon Gate.

18. Kento Miyahara and Yuma Aoyagi vs. Jake Lee and Koji Iwamoto (AJPW Real World Tag League 12/7/2020)

– Our first All Japan match of the list and the first one to make it on here is the final round of the Real World Tag League as Kento Miyahara teamed up with Yuma Aoyagi to take on JIN members, Jake Lee and Koji Iwamoto. There was a story built up between Kento and Yuma before the tournament started since Yuma was the one who turned on Kento last January and months later, they would decide to team up together for the tournament. Nobody knew how it was going to go and were wondering when would Yuma start to betray him again since he couldn’t be trusted. During the whole tournament. however, the two would cooperate and even made it to the finals of the tournament where they took on Jake Lee and Koji Iwamoto since the two had the most points in the tournament.

Last year, the two teams did fight but the only difference this time around is that Naoya Nomura is still injured and Koji would be his partner this time around. Either way, the two teams delivered a great match and turned out to be my favorite regular tag team match of the year. A lot of great action involving all four of them, giving out spectacular performances during the whole thing. Despite people’s speculations, Kento and Yuma would be the ones to win the tournament without any betrayal’s happening during or after the match. Kento did have a cooldown year after losing the Triple Crown Championship months ago but a different change of pace is good for him and let’s see if he and Yuma can stay on the same page to win some tag team gold.

17. Susumu Yokusuka vs. Hikaru Sato (AJPW Broadcast 5/16/2020)

– Another All Japan match back to back, seems as they’ve had a good year in terms of match quality. It’s been over a year since Atsushi Aoki has tragically passed away and All Japan honored him by still recognizing him as the World Junior Heavyweight Champion for the whole six months and once that ended, it was time to crown a new champion. This wasn’t the first time they encountered as the two had a match on January 3rd to crown a new champion, which I was there for live and it was a great match. The surprising thing about it was that Susumu would win the belt despite being from Dragon Gate, thinking they would have Sato win it to honor his fallen friend.

The two would eventually have a rematch four months later and it was time for Sato to try and bring the belt back home to AJPW. It was one of their first shows during their comeback and this was a great way to have us kick it off when it main evented the show. With the amount of build-up that happened during their both encounters, the two would give us hope that their junior division can recover from the loss of Aoki. Unfortunately, Sato would fail to beat Susumu once again as he was able to retain the championship. Susumu has had a memorable reign as the Junior Heavyweight Champion and this would be his best title defense of that reign.

16. Edge vs. Randy Orton (WWE Backlash 6/7/2020)

– This is the last main roster match on my list and rightfully so. The two had an encounter at WrestleMania and received a lot of praise and criticism at the same time, due to how much it dragged or just being a cluster of a mess. The two would have a rematch with Randy telling Edge that he just wants a regular wrestling match. With that being said, it was being built as ‘The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’. With a title like that, there was a lot of pressure to try and deliver this type of match, even fans would laugh at that claim since there were already a lot of matches considered some of the best ever. So with that, how would it do?

Well, since it was able to make it to my list, I say the match went pretty damn well. While it wasn’t the best match ever as billed but this would be the best match in terms of their main roster. They did everything they needed to do to sell it, Edge showed he can still go in a regular match after all the time he spent away, and Randy Orton was still on top of his game. People give Orton a lot of crap but he really is still one of the best out there, especially when it comes to wrestling psychology and when he hit certain moves to make it fit into the match or story of it. The only big takeaway would be the fake crowd noise and heavy editing from the crowd in general but with all that aside, this was still a great match. This would also be the return of Orton’s punt to the head as he used that to put Edge away, getting the victory over his old friend. It was everything it needed to be and wish WWE would try to produce more actual wrestling matches but we know that won’t happen.

That concludes the next five matches on the list and we’ll be past the halfway point with the next five before we go to our top ten. Who will make it to the next five?

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Up Next

Mathew’s Top 25 Matches of 2020: #15-11

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Opinion

Greg DeMarco’s Good, Bad, & Ugly: WWE Smackdown On FOX (November 3, 2023)

It’s the go-home show for WWE Crown Jewel, and Smackdown is in full force! As is Greg’s Good, Bad, & Ugly review!

Published

4 weeks ago

November 4, 2023

Greg DeMarco

It’s the go-home show for WWE Crown Jewel, and Smackdown is in full force! As is Greg’s Good, Bad, & Ugly review!

WWE Smackdown On FOX sends us home for the Crown Jewel premium live event, so it has to be strong. But is it? Maybe it’s Good. Possibly it’s Bad? I sure hope it isn’t Ugly.

Let’s find out!

If you haven’t checked out Mitchell’s Results & Review for this episode of Smackdown, go and check it out now!

Good

Roman Reigns & LA Knight In Ring Promo – Last week LA Knight got the better of Roman, so it made sense for Roman to get it all back this week. And he did just that. “Redneck Cosplay of my cousin” was a fantastic line from Roman Reigns, but “I ain’t here to finish something” from LA Knight got a bigger reaction from me. Roman calling himself the megastar was also a phenomenal line. Good stuff all around.
Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory – Kevin Patrick keeping “The 150 million hit man” schtick going for Austin Theory is so great. Milk that for all it’s worth! “What is your issue with Kevin Owens’ face?” “LOOK AT IT, MAN!” Absolutely brilliant shit. “How’s that feel, idiot?” Grayson Waller should be on commentary every week, for every match. And this match, by the way, was really good. Austin Theory has settled into his current role, showing he understands the WWE cycle. And Owens is Owens.
Backstage Series Of Events – We had the Bianca Belair interview where she was attacked by Damage Ctrl, followed by The Street Profits & Bobby Lashley running into Logan Paul and then B-Fab. Flowed well, no issues for me.
Chelsea Green & Piper Niven vs. Shotzi Blackheart & Charlotte Flair – No surprise that Charlotte Flair was the partner, and no surprise that Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn made an appearance. This was a perfectly fine TV match–didn’t set the world on fire, but also wasn’t Bad or Ugly. This was a step in this story, and an effective one.
The Brawling Brutes vs. Pretty Deadly in a Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook! – Shout out to Sheamus, whose return I look forward to seeing. With Ridge really coming into his own, we’re to the point where all four of these guys range from good to great to fantastic on any given night. Putting Pretty Deadly into any “manly fight” is always guaranteed entertainment. Really, Pretty Deadly in anything is typically guaranteed entertainment. Pretty Deadly picking up the win was not a shock, although I’d have loved to see Butch and Ridge Holland pick up a win here. Given the rules (or lack thereof) of this match, Pretty Deadly basically won clean here.
Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul Crown Jewel Weigh-In – A very effective way to pretape something, which saves time as part of a double taping. It was essentially a go home promo, but done in a different way. I liked it. It also smoothly transitions into the rundown of the card by the commentary team, which I always appreciate.
Bianca Belair vs. Bayley – If you know me, you know that Bianca can be hit or miss for me. She can’t “work with anyone,” but she can definitely work with Bayley. Bayley, of course, is money with anything she does. Both women delivered a main event quality match, and no one should complain that Bianca Belair won. She’s challenging for the Women’s Championship in less than 24 canon hours, so she needs to win. Bayley is a made woman, losing here doesn’t hurt her one bit.
“Just Enough Nick” Nick Aldis Usage – Triple H has done an amazing job of establishing Nick Aldis. Three weeks in and he already “belongs.” Much of that is attributed to how Aldis carries himself. But they are also using him to the right degree. It’s not too much, but it’s also not too little. Adam Pearce could miss two weeks of Raw and when he shows back up, it all makes sense. For Aldis, he needs to be very present, but not overbearing or “shoved down our throats.” They have the right balance.

BAD

Solo Sikoa & John Cena In Ring Promo – John Cena, lost voice and all, completely buries Solo Sikoa. He “cooks” Solo, as promised. And, as Cena does, he makes Solo look like crap. Bargain Basement Tazz Rip Off? C’mon man, you’re better than that. But here’s the real problem: what happens if Solo loses? Cena made him look like a loser, and then proves that he is? Solo has to win this match. If he doesn’t, and Cena is gone, then Solo is left out in the cold. And you don’t want to do that to Solo Sikoa at this point of his career.

UGLY

Misstep for Theory – Referencing Halloween as if it hadn’t already happened. You can edit this episode–c’mon, man!
Kevin Owens’ Crotch Chop – C’mon, man! We’re better than crotch chops in 2023.

The Verdict

Good – 8
Bad – 1
Ugly – 2

In all honesty this was a damn good show. Milwaukee showed out considering they’d already seen 2 hours of Smackdown before this was taped. Good on them, and good on WWE for a great go home show for Crown Jewel.

Interesting of note – the pictures for this show that are posted to the WWE website are uploaded in the order the matches and segments were recorded, not the order in which they aired. Just a little tidbit that I found interesting.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

News

Greg DeMarco’s Wrestling Ratings Report: Monday Night Raw (10/30/2023) & WWE NXT (10/31/2023)

Greg DeMarco takes a look at your Monday and Tuesday night TV ratings. What do they mean? Do they matter?

Published

4 weeks ago

November 2, 2023

Greg DeMarco

WWE NXT Halloween Havoc Night 2 Carmelo Hayes Ilja Dragunov

Greg DeMarco takes a look at your Monday and Tuesday night TV ratings. What do they mean? Do they matter?

Settle in for a look at this week’s ratings for WWE Monday Night Raw and WWE NXT Halloween Havoc Night 2! Both were up against some stiff competition–let’s see how they fared!

WWE Monday Night Raw (October 30, 2023)

Hour #1 – 1.466 million viewers, .44 demo rating, #6 for the night on cable
Hour #2 – 1.450 million viewers, .46 demo rating #5 for the night on cable
Hour #3 – 1.256 million viewers, .39 demo rating, #8 for the night on cable

WWE Monday Night Raw for October 30, 2023 faced some stiff competition on Monday night. You had Monday Night Football as normal–which aired on both ESPN and ABC–along with the usual peripheral shows (Monday Night Football Postgame, Monday Night Football Kickoff, SportsCenter, and the Monday Night Countdown, which factored into the Top 10). 6.851 million people watched Monday Night Football on ESPN, a number that more than doubles when you factor in ABC.

What does it all mean? It means that outside of Monday Night Football–on cable–WWE Monday Night Raw was the top rated show. If you take away all things NFL, Raw finishes #1, #2, and #3 for the night. Viewership did drop off for our 3, but that’s the 10 PM hour that sees kids go to bed and people checking on the Monday Night Football and World Series games.

Speaking of which, that’s another factor to consider–the World Series! 8.126 million people watched the World Series on FOX (not really that good), with another 8.356 million watching Monday Night Football on ABC (yes, more than the World Series) for a decent-at-best Lions vs Raiders match-up.

In summary, it was another successful night for WWE Monday Night Raw, which was the go-home edition of the program. You can check out my Good Bad & Ugly look at Monday’s Raw, where I gave the show an overall “Good” rating. Haven’t watched yet? Give Mitchell’s live coverage a read.

Listen to this week’s edition of Bandwagon Nerds!

WWE NXT Halloween Havoc Night 2 (October 31, 2023)

Entire Broadcast – 674 thousand viewers, .20 demo rating, #6 for the night on cable

WWE NXT (Halloween Havoc Night 2) for October 31, 2023, had to deal with a myriad of external factors this week. First is the most obvious–it was Halloween! Many people had plans, Trick-Or-Treat escapades and more. That right there will be a detriment to any ratings results. Add in two live NBA games, each drawing over a million viewers for TNT. Combine it all together and WWE NXT was the top rated program that wasn’t sports programming on TNT or ESPN. Hell, the entire Top 12 consisted of ESPN and TNT sports programming, plus NXT.

It’s easy to call this a failure since viewership was lost week over week. But that’s very shortsighted. The fact remains that NXT was among the most watched programming for the night, holding its own against live sports and sports-peripheral programming. If you’re WWE and USA Network, you’re nothing but happy with these results.

NXT, of course, featured the second week of Halloween Havoc, headlined by Ilja Dragunov defending the NXT Championship against Carmelo Hayes in the third match of their trilogy. Along with that you had The Creed Brothers in a Tables, Ladders, and Scares (Chairs) match with Angel Garza & Humberto Carrillo, Lola Vice vs. Kelani Jordan in the finals of the Women’s Breakout Tournament, and much more.

I’d call the Tuesday program a ratings success. My Good, Bad, & Ugly review of NXT Halloween Havoc Night 2 is available here, where I called it “Good” overall. If you haven’t seen the show yet, check out Mitchell’s play-by-play.

As the weeks roll on, I will compile some historical data and look more about week-over-week (and beyond) patterns in all of my ratings reports.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!