Andrew’s Top 5 Matches: Week Ending 1/31/2021

With WWE having one of the Big Four PPVs and New Japan chime in with some New Beginning; there may be some show overlaps. Does anything else fill out the Top 5?

Last week we had a solid AJPW Triple Crown title match, and a #1 contender’s match for the Impact Tag Titles…but they didn’t win. Ricochet vs AJ Styles, took home the votes for last week.

Either way, let’s get to the Top 5 for the last week of January so we can get that January Pool finalized!

Quick Top 5:

1. NJPW New Beginning Nagoya: NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
   Rating: *****
2. WWE Royal Rumble: Men’s Royal Rumble
   Rating: ****
3. NJPW New Beginning Nagoya: Satoshi Kojima vs Will Ospreay
   Rating: *** 3/4
4. WWE Royal Rumble: Universal Championship: Last Man Standing: Roman Reigns (c) vs Kevin Owens
   Rating: *** 3/4
5. AEW Dynamite: Dax Hardwood vs Jungle Boy
   Rating: *** 3/4

Honorable Mentions:

• NJPW Road to New Beginning: SANADA, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi vs SHO, Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi
  Rating: *** 1/2
• NXT: Kushida & Leon Ruff vs Grizzled Young Veterans
  Rating: *** 1/2
• NJPW New Beginning Nagoya: Loser Can No Longer Use Mongolian Chops: Great O-Khan vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan
  Rating: *** 1/4
• NXT: Finn Balor & Kyle O’Reilly vs Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
  Rating: ***
• WWE Royal Rumble: SmackDown Women’s Title: Sasha Banks (c) vs Carmella
  Rating: ***
• IMPACT!: Moose, Sami Callihan, Ken Shamrock & Chris Bey vs Rich Swann, Tommy Dreamer, Willie Mack & Trey Miguel
  Rating: ***
• WWE Raw: Sheamus vs John Morrison
  Rating: ***
• NXT: MSK vs Drake Maverick & Killian Dain
  Rating: ***
• WWE Royal Rumble: Women’s Rumble
  Rating: ***
• IMPACT!: Matt Cardona & Josh Alexander vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
  Rating: ***
• NXT UK: Elimination Tag:Wild Boar & Primate vs Lewis Howley & Sam Stoker vs Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews vs Oliver Carter & Ashton Smith
  Rating: ***
• AEW Dynamite: Good Brothers & Young Bucks vs Dark Order
  Rating: ***

3t. AEW Dynamite: Dax Hardwood vs Jungle Boy

From Mitchell’s Coverage:
JB drags Dax back up, suplexes but Dax slips out to spin him around. Both men bob ‘n’ weave, Dax fakes JB out and DDT’s! Cover, TWO!! Fans rally but Dax grits his teeth as he drags JB up. Dax puts JB in a corner and up on top. Dax climbs up but JB CHOPS him! And CHOPS and headbutts! Dax falls, JB adjusts, and JB leaps to crossbody! But Dax rolls through to a cover, TWO!! JB has the cover, TWO!! JB runs in, goes up Dax to victory roll but Dax sits on it! TWO and JB has the cover, TWO! JB ducks to crucifix takedown, TWO!! Dax has the Oklahoma, TWO! Dax trips and jackknifes, TWO as JB bridges up! JB spins it around, back slides but Dax turns that into a knee!

Dax waistlocks, O’Conner rolls, TWO! JB rolls Dax up, TWO! But JB has the legs! SNARE TRAP!! Dax is caught, Luchasaurus is holding FTR back as hard as he can, but JB shifts! DAX TAPS! JB WINS!

Winner: Jungle Boy via Snare Trap

3t. WWE Royal Rumble: Universal Championship: Last Man Standing: Roman Reigns (c) vs Kevin Owens

From Greg’s Review:
Now, I know Roman Reigns hit Kevin Owens with a golf cart, and Matt Hardy did it to Sammy Guevara. But keep this in mind: Roman and Kevin did it better, and Matt Hardy just stole the spot from WrestleMania 17.

Kevin Owens hitting the Swanton off of the forklift, and it (legit) looked really safe. I also loved Owens rolling off of the staging to his feet to break the count. Roman Reigns taking out the official because he was handcuffed and couldn’t physically stand was outstanding. Of course Reigns standing while Heyman was taking his Jack Swagger sweet time to unlock the handcuffs kinda ruined it.

Guillotine Choke and it’s all over, #LOLROMANWINS. But that was a DAMN GOOD MATCH.

Winner: Roman Reigns 

3t. NJPW New Beginning Nagoya: Satoshi Kojima vs Will Ospreay

From My Results:
A big story through this match was really every time Ospreay tried to introduce new weapons, they got turned around on him more often than not. Early on getting Backdropped through a trash can, then Kojima lariated Ospreay off the top rope through a broken ladder he had draped earlier in the match.

The ladder spot was huge since Ospreay wasn’t moving even at 12, but Kojima stopped the count because he wanted to inflict more punishment. Kojima with a Brainbuster on chairs, a Koji Cutter, but every time he went for the Cozy Lariat without the elbow pad, Ospreay found a way to duck it. Ospreay finishes his dodging with throwing a chair at Kojima, then running his elbow into the chair, following with Hidden Blade and then Stormbreaker.

Ospreay bumped hard, this was a really fun match and the fact that Ospreay won off of a last second surge of adrenaline after getting screwed by his own match stipulation made for an entertaining story.

Winner: Ospreay via Stormbreaker

2. WWE Royal Rumble: Men’s Royal Rumble

From Adam’s Review:
Bryan and Riddle take shots at each other as the first ones up and Daniel wins his brawl as Edge comes in and tries to fight Bryan, getting a knee in and nearly eliminating Edge. Christian comes in and fights for a bit until he gets a dropkick in his face. Riddle and Daniel have a technical matchup in the ring after and takes down Riddle with a diving dropkick. Rollins on the outside comes in and takes Daniel Bryan out of the rumble match. OHHHHH AND NOW RIDDLE AND ROLLINS AT IT. MA GET THE CAMERA! Riddle jumps over and Rollins stomps him out of the rumble. Rollins tries to recruit Braun to his side but he refuses as E&C try to take out Braun after but taking a beatdown of their own. Braun and Christian get eliminated from behind as Seth comes in to do it. Seth gets thrown over by Edge so Edge wins?

Nope Randy returns, RKO time! RKO out of nowhere and goes to toss Edge out but Edge reverses it and takes Orton out of the Royal Rumble! January 31^st must be Edge’s lucky number on Royal Rumbles for his second Rumble win!

Winner: Edge

1. NJPW New Beginning Nagoya: NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

From My Results: 
This had a great build with Tanahashi employing his strategy early. He started chipping away at Shingo legs with Dropkicks, Dragon Screws and generally trying to take away the power base of Takagi. In typical Shingo fashion though, he remains defiant and stubborn. Going for Death Valley Drivers, Made in Japan, Pumping Bombers and continuing his power game, hampered however, not ineffective.

Shingo sells his legs wonderfully with hitches in the giddy up, stumbles and double clutches on catching Tanahashi. Tana almost had Shingo dead to rights when he locked in the Cloverleaf, but hitting the High Fly Flow to the prostrate Takagi jarred some life back into him, so the Ace missed the second High Fly Flow.

This was a war, also the longest NEVER championship match in the history of the title. Lariat trades, strike trades, great fighting spirit and strong style from both men. Tanahashi counters Last of the Dragon with a Slingblade, hits one High Fly Flow followed by a Dragon Suplex Hold, but Shingo kicks out. So the Ace goes up once more, hits the finish and wins the NEVER Openweight Championship!

Winner: Tanahashi via High Fly Flow

Thoughts:

Oh – this is the point where I usually try to make a point for a few of the matches, but yeah, not today. Shingo versus Tanahashi was a display of two masters of their craft in a classic that told a story throughout even without context of the lead up. This is currently my Match of Year (I know it’s barely February and those words pop up), so nothing will touch it right now.

Rumble was really good show and Dax helped to legitimize Jungle Jack, but #LOLTanahashiWins.