Top Matches I Watched in August 2026

Top Matches I Watched in August 2026 

By Alex Kalil

What a month! We are stacked to the grills with G1 Climax stuff and AEW TV. Plus some fun stuff with WWE but the big story was AEW All In and maybe the best AEW match ever! 2026 is a great year for pro wrestling!

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins at WWE Summerslam 2026 Night 2: A rather awesome "big match" to wrap up these two's feud. Bell sounds and both men take their time locking up. Rollins is able to toy with Roman early by using his agility to avoid Roman's big strikes and try to frustrate the bigger man. Rollins sends Roman to the outside and hits a series of dives but goes to the well once too often and Roman cuts him off. We get a bit of brawling in the crowd before Roman tries to Spear Rollins through the barricade but Rollins backdrops him up and over and back to ringside. Rollins goes to Spear Roman through the barricade himself but Roman cuts him off and Shield Bombs Rollin through an announcer''s table! Roman looks to do it again with the other table but Rollins blocks and Shield Bomb Roman through the table instead! Both men are able to beat the 10 count and make it back in the ring where they start trading big bombs. Pedigrees, Stomps, Superman Punches and Spears are all used for some great near-falls with both men even using each other's finishers for close near-falls too. The two men are exhausted after the long exchange but keep fighting with strikes. Rollins comes back with a Nigel on Roman but Roman fires back with a Paradigm Shift! Roman goes for the Spear but hits the referee instead! Stomp by Rollins and he goes and grabs the steel chair. Roman stops Rollins from using the chair and looks to hit Rollins in the back with it but stops himself. Roman wants to beat Rollins on his own. More back and forth counters and big moves before Roman finally hits one final big Spear to put away Rollins. This felt like an epic 20 minute match stretched into a 30 minute match. The story of Roman finally moving past Rollins' betrayal and beating him on his own was a nice finale to the Shield storyline as were all the callbacks in the action like the Shield Bomb and Moxley's offense. The action was a bit repetitive with both men just going for big bombs most of the match but it worked here. ****1/4

G1 Climax 2026 Block B Match: Drilla Moloney vs. Gabe Kidd at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 2: A wild fight of a match between these two former stablemates. Both men go right at each other with hard strikes and chops as the match quickly spills into the ringside and crowd. Drilla starts to gain ground on Gabe until Gabe launches a chair at Drilla's head to bust him open! Match finally gets back in the ring as Gabe works over Drilla for a bit and Drilla fights from underneath for a comeback. Some great heated strike exchanges as both men start throwing headbutts and Gabe gets busted open as well. Gabe hits Drilla with 3 Brainbusters but all 3 only get 2 counts. Drilla blocks a top rope Brainbusters with headbutts and hits Go To Hellbow. Gore from Drilla only gets a 2 and Gabe comes back with his own Gore! Drilla cuts off Gabe's momentum by hitting an O-Knee and looks for the Drilla Killa. Gabe fights to block it so Drilla hits a Drill A Hole Piledriver instead! Drilla Killa hits and Drilla walks away with the win! Really loved how this felt like a fight. Great heated strike exchanges before both men pulled out the big bombs including some of their opponent's own offense. Drilla using the Drill A Hole Piledriver to set up for the Drilla Killa was a great finish. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Yota Tsuji at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 2: A great battle of the old guard vs. the new top guy. We start off with both men locking up but neither are able to get a clear advantage. Tsuji starts firing off big chops and strikes and looks to wear Goto down with a faster paced match. Goto is able to keep fighting back though as his own big strikes and offense are able to keep Tsuji from gaining too much momentum at times. Tsuji is finally able to gain some ground by locking in the Boston Crab and softening Goto's back to the point where now Goto is clearly fighting from underneath. Tsuji lays into Goto with more big strikes and offense but when going for a Gene Blaster, Goto is able to counter into a ushi-goroshi! Tsuji still comes back and sets Goto up on the top rope but Goto fights him off with headbutts and hits a Goto Sunset Bomb from the top! Only a 2 count! GTW by Goto also gets 2 count! Goto is rolling! Tsuji is able to fight back and tries for the Gene Blaster again but Goto counters into a Shouten Kai! Goto looks for the GTR but Tsuji fights to block it, only to eat a series of headbutts. Goto hits the ropes but runs into a Gene Blaster! Kickout! Tsuji lines up for another Gene Blaster but Goto blocks it with a Spinning Wheel Kick! GTR! Another GTR by Goto, who gets the win! What a match! Tsuji looked more or less dominant all match against the veteran Goto but Goto almost stubbornly kept fighting back. Goto was able to gain more and more on Tsuji all match until we got a really great final stretch of back and forth action before Goto got the upset over the champion. Great stuff! ****1/4

G1 Climax 2026 Block B Match: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Yuya Uemura at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 3: A really great technical wrestling match that showcased the young star starting to overtake the veteran wrestler. Lots of technical exchanges and trading holds in the early moments of the match as both men are super smooth on the mat. Uemura is the first to lock onto a target as he goes after Sabre's left arm with a variety of arm submissions and his patented armdrags. Sabre gets aggressive as he responds to Uemura's offense and cranks on his neck to start working it over, only for Uemura to fire back just as aggressively in his attacks. A really interesting and subtle storytelling element to this match is Sabre constantly changing up his tactics to try and find an opening in Uemura's offense; whether it be working more aggressively in his submission work or even firing off strikes. Uemura is able to keep pace with Sabre all match, even locking in a basic wrist lock so well that Sabre thinks about going for a rope break, but Uemura gets cocky and Sabre is able to hit a Zack Driver! Uemura doesn't stay down for long though and is able to fight back and even hit a Yuya Driver before going to the top. Lion Shiner misses and Sabre ties up Uemura in a submission. Sabre keeps adjusting the hold to keep Uemura trapped but he is able to reach the ropes and break the hold. Uemura fires up and hits a German and Dragon Suplex on Sabre for a 2 count. Uemura looks for the Deadbolt Suplex as Sabre tries to fight out of it and into a submission but Uemura traps the arms and hits a release Deadbolt Suplex! Uemura to the top and hits the High Fly Flow! 2 count! Uemura goes back to the top and hits a Lion Shiner to a standing but stunned Sabre to get the 3! A really great match that showed the growth of Uemura as he was able to go hold for hold with Sabre, and even get the best of him several times. Sabre did a great job trying to switch up tactics to keep Uemura guessing but Uemura stayed right with Sabre the whole time and was able to beat him clean in the middle of the ring. Big win and a big moment for the young star. ****1/4

AEW International Championship Match: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. "Speedball" Mike Bailey at AEW Dynamite 8/5-Grand Slam Mexico 2026: Another really good match in the rivalry between these two. Match follows a very simple story of Fletcher being the much larger wrestler and tries to control Bailey with his power and size while Bailey has to try and move fast while also landing some big strikes. Really good back and forth action as Fletcher can be seen getting more and more frustrated as Bailey survives near-falls and keeps landing some big offense of his own. Fletcher finally kicks Bailey out of the ring and onto the ramp before taking him up it and looking for a Brainbuster on the ramp. Bailey slips out and Moonsaults off the stage steps onto Fletcher! Back in the ring, Bailey misses a 450 to follow up and both men start trading strikes before Bailey tries for a Hurricanrana but Fletcher keeps hold as the two roll to the floor and Fletcher powerbombs Bailey on the apron! Fletcher hits the Brainbuster and covers but Bailey kicks out at 2! Fletcher looks for the Turnbuckle Brainbuster but Bailey is able to slip out and hits a Reverse Rana from Bret's rope! Bailey goes back up and hits Ultimo Weapon! Cover! Fletcher kicks out at the last possible second! My God, what a near-fall! Bailey looks for one last kick but Fletcher catches it and Lawn Dart Bailey into the buckle! Turnbuckle Brainbuster by Fletcher and that is enough to put Bailey down. While not as good as their past matches, this was still a lot of fun. Perfect power vs. speed dynamic mixed into all the action and makes for a nice story the whole time. Some super close near-falls that got the crowd sitting on the edge of their seats before Fletcher was able to retain. ****1/4

Mexico City Street Fight: Will Ospreay vs. Mark Davis at AEW Dynamite-Grand Slam Mexico 2026: A really good violent brawl of a match. Davis tosses a chair at Ospreay's head as he makes his entrance and these two get right into it! Match is a classic big powerhouse vs. faster striker but with the added involvement of weapons that come into play early, including a tire. Davis is finally able to cut off and slow down the faster Ospreay by countering a Rana on the floor into a brutal apron powerbomb and starts getting some heat on Ospreay. This includes Davis launching a trash can at Ospreay's head and powerbombing him into the crowd and onto a fan! Davis keeps working on Ospreay by throwing him head first into a chair in the corner to bust him open before opening him up more with a fork to the head! Jesus! Ospreay drop toe holds Davis into a chair to get a breather before attacking Davis with the fork himself! Davis is bleeding now too and we got a double juice fight in Arena Mexico! Davis blocks a Hidden Blade with a Lariat and drops Ospreay head first onto a pair of chairs with a Piledriver! Ospreay kicks out! Davis tries to attack Ospreay with barbed wire as the fight spills to the apron. Ospreay cuts off Davis by grabbing him by the balls literally! Piledriver on the apron by Ospreay just like how Davis took him out a few months ago! Davis survives the referee's count and gets back in the ring and is hit with a Hidden Blade! Some back and forth bombs and counters from both men before Ospreay hits the Styles Clash for another 2 count. Elbows by Ospreay to a prone Davis before Ospreay wraps his head in barbed wire and hits him with a Hidden Blade! Davis finally stays down as Ospreay gets the win. Just a violent fight all match! The creative spots were great, brutal and really sold the hatred between these two. Just a wild match! **** 

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yuto-Ice at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 4: A hard hitting fight from these two. Ice meets Takeshita in the entryway as he makes his entrance and we get right into it as these two brawl into the crowd. Match finally gets in the ring and things officially begin as these two just keep exchanging strikes. Takeshita takes Ice to the floor and hits a DDT to cut him off and also starts working over the already taped up neck of Ice. Some great targeted strikes and offense by Takeshita all to work over Ice's neck, who keeps fighting to stay alive in the match. Ice finds an opening by landing a series of kicks including one to Takeshita's leg and a roundhouse to his head! We get a pretty great back and forth of these two just throwing bombs at each other to try and keep the other down. Takeshita nails the Powerdrive Knee but Ice kicks out! Takeshita drops the knee pad to land another Powerdrive Knee but instead of a pin, locks in a sleeper and rears back in almost a Camel Clutch position! Ice is out and the referee calls it! A short but effective match. Takeshita had every advantage going into the match but Ice made him fight for this win as he stubbornly refused to go down easy. Some awesome back and forth with Ice fighting back every step of the way. Really enjoyed Takeshita choosing to choke Ice out rather than win him for the win. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: SANADA vs. Yota Tsuji at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 4: A very well done technical wrestling vs. power match mixed in with an almost redemption story to it. We get some early lock-ups and back and forth with Tsuji clearly having the power advantage so SANADA goes to the leg with a dropkick. From there, SANADA tries to chip away at Tsuji's body with offense instead of trying to match him in a head to head fight. SANADA starts locking in Skull End to wear down Tsuji, which it does, and hits a Moonsault for a nice 2 count. SANADA goes for Deadfall but Tsuji counters out, only to try for a Gene Blaster and get countered himself into Deadfall! Kickout by Tsuji! Shining Wizard by SANADA but a second one is blocked and Tsuji locks him in the Boston Crab to wear SANADA down now. Tsuji rolls into a sit-down Powerbomb but SANADA rolls into a roll-up for 2 and right into a Shining Wizard! Moonsault again but SANADA misses and Tsuji hits Gene Blaster when he lands on his feet! 2 count! SANADA counters a second Gene Blaster into Skull End but Tsuji rolls through into his own Skull End. SANADA escapes and shoves Tsuji into the referee. Low blow by SANADA! Deadfall hits and SANADA gets the win. This was a great match! Loved seeing the old SANADA back in the ring with a more technical approach to the match as he wore Tsuji down all match with submissions and big offense. All that work but Tsuji was seemingly too big and powerful to overcome so SANADA resorted to cheating to get the win. A great story mixed into some great in-ring work. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: Shingo Takagi vs. Oleg Boltin at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 4: An all out Hoss fight from these two! Right away these two lock-up and fight like two bulls in a ring. Shingo has to use his speed to match the sheer size of Oleg for some nice storytelling early. Oleg responds with pure power offense all match as he tosses Shingo around with ease and looks to be dominant. Shingo has to work smarter against the younger and more inexperienced powerhouse and does a nice job using his in-ring experience to counter Oleg at the right time like cutting him off up top for a big Superplex. Made in Japan gets Shingo a near-fall before some Hammer and Advil elbows but Oleg fights up to his feet for a Kamikaze! 2 count! Lots of big back and forth bombs from both men before Shingo levels Oleg with a Pumping Bomber! Burning Dragon by Shingo but still only gets a 2! Shingo lays in some strikes before Oleg hits a Pop-Up Powerbomb! Another Powerbomb on Shigo! Oleg transfers Shingo to shoulder to look for Kamikaze as Shingo grabs the top rope to stop it. Oleg rips him off and hits Kamikaze to get the win. A very simple but fun match of two big lads going at it. Some nice storytelling mixed into all the big bombs and hard strikes as Oleg is able to overcome the veteran to get the win. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block B Match: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Callum Newman at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 5: A very heated fight between Sabre's technical skills and Newman's need to win. We start off fast with a lot of quick counters and exchanges as well as some strikes with Newman trying to move fast against the more experienced Sabre. Sabre goes after the neck of Newman as a way of targeting the already injured shoulder and Newman responds by taking the match to the outside and tossing Sabre into the barricade multiple times to make things more of a fight. Sabre fights back though by trapping Newman's left arm in the barricade and kicking it. Now Newman is working this match with only one good arm. Sabre stays on the arm with some brutal stomps and submissions all while Newman sells perfectly and looks for ways to fight back. Newman finds an opening with his strikes and an Excalibur but can't lift Sabre for Prince's Curse and Sabre cuts off his momentum with a Zack Driver. Newman locks in a desperation sleeper and actually begs Sabre to tap but Sabre is able to counter his way out and traps Newman in a variety of submissions all working his hurt shoulder. Newman is just able to get his foot on the rope to escape the punishment. Newman gets the best of a strike exchange and hits Excalibur for a near-fall. Kiss the Crown by Newman before he lifts Sabre up and hits Prince's Curse! Kickout! Newman looks for MAKE WAY but Sabre counters out yet again into more submissions. Newman is able to counter his way out of the holds and the two men exchange quick pin attempts before Newman rolls up Sabre with the tights to steal a win. Really good match with Newman having to fight most of the match with one good arm as Sabre picked him apart. Newman tried to brawl, use his strikes, hit big bombs and even tried for a sleeper but nothing was enough to keep Sabre away from the arm until a quick roll-up with the tights allowed Newman to pull off the win. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Oleg Boltin at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 6: A full on Hoss fight! Both men come out the gate charging at each other with shoulder blocks and trying to knock each other down. Takeshita gets the best of the early exchanges, thanks to his speed and agility, and looks to wear down the bigger Oleg for a bit. Oleg comes back and utilizes his size to toss Takeshita around before both men start laying in some big bombs. Some great counters and exchanges as these two throw everything they have at each other. Oleg catches a Powerdrive Knee and lifts Takeshita up for a Verdict for a near-fall. Takeshita slips out of a Kamikaze attempt and lands a Lariat before nailing a Powerdrive Knee! Kickout! Takeshita goes back to wearing down Oleg with a front chancery but Oleg lifts him up again and right into a Kamikaze! Kickout! Both men grab each other's trucks and start laying in forearms and strikes with neither man backing down! Awesome visual! A rolling elbow by Takeshita rocks Oleg but Oleg counters the Powerdrive Knee into a Powerbomb! Another Powerbomb right into a Boston Crab! Oleg wears down Takeshita and looks for the Kamikaze, but Takeshita is able to hold the ropes to slip out of it. Powerdrive Knee to the back of Oleg's head! Powerdrive Knee again but Oleg just eats it and fires up! Takeshita drops the knee pad for one more Powerdrive Knee followed by a Raging Fire to get the win! Damn good match with a ton of action! Both men just went all out with big strikes and bombs the whole match until Takeshita was able to counter at the right time to lay into Oleg and put him away. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: Ryohei Oiwa vs. Yuto-Ice at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 6: A well done and heated fight between these two rivals.  Both men come in hurt but that doesn't stop Ice from rushing Oiwa before the bell and starting off hot. Ice goe right after Oiwa's taped up ribs with kicks and Oiwa actually rolls to the outside and encourages Ice to follow. The two men brawl into the crowd with Oiwa ending up getting the better of Ice after a DDT onto a chair to target Ice's hurt neck. Match gets back in the ring as both men just keep exchanging blows and strikes while still managing to target the hurt part of their opponent. At one point, the damage to his neck finally prevents Ice from throwing a strike and Oiwa responds back with a headbutt! Hammer and Anvil elbows by Oiwa before he locks in a Dragon Sleeper with the Ark Clutch! Ice is still able to fight his way to the ropes and escape the hold. Elbows to the back of Ice's head and the referee starts looking to stop things but Oiwa isn't having it. More big strikes by Oiwa but Ice starts to comeback as well, including blocking a rolling elbow with a straight punch right to Oiwa's face! We get an awesome back and forth of strikes from both guys until Ice rocks Oiwa with a Superkick and hits Cruella for the win! This was an awesome fight! Loved Ice bringing out the more violent side of Oiwa who, instead of trying for a submission, wanted to knock Ice out. This led to some awesome exchanges with both men looking out on their feet multiple times until Ice was able to land that knockout blow. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: Shingo Takagi vs. Yota Tsuji at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 6: A really good battle between two evenly matched big men. Match starts off very even as both men are very equal in terms of power and speed. As the match goes on, both men start focusing on body parts as Tsuji works the midsection and Shingo goes after the neck. Things pick up as the match goes to the outside for a bit and Shingo hits Tsuji with a Takagi Driver '98 on the floor! Holy Shit! Now things are picking up as both men stop being friendly and start laying in the big bombs. Shingo nails a Made in Japan for a near-fall, only for Tsuji to come back with one of his own. Boston Crab by Tsuji to work over Shingo's back and midsection before looking for Gene Blaster but Shingo sees it coming and hits a Lariat. Big strikes exchange from both men until Shingo challenges Tsuji to charge at him, only to side step him and lay in some big bombs yet again. Tsuji cuts off his momentum with a Gene Blaster! Tsuji goes for another but Shingo counters again! More back and forth as Tsuji keeps looking for the Gene Blaster but Shingo does everything to avoid it including ducking into a super close roll-up and even hitting a Gene Blaster of his own. Burning Dragon gets Shingo another near-fall before looking for one last Pumping Bomber. Tsuji ducks it and is able to hit a brutal looking Fire Blaster to finally get the win. While the match started slow, the last 15 minutes or so were an incredible back and forth battle. Really enjoyed the aspect to the match that these two know each other so well that they were able to counter and even use so much of each other's offense for big near-falls. Tsuji was finally able to find an opening to hit Fire Blaster out of nowhere to get the win. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block B Match Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Gabe Kidd at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 7: A well done and heated strike battle from these two. Match starts off very much like a fight as both men lay in big chops, slaps and other strikes. Really like Gabe's mean and nasty style of offense like breaking up an armbar in the ropes by just biting Sabre's leg and taking the fight into the crowd for a bit. Sabre finally is able to sucker Gabe in close and goes after the knees with Dragon Screws to slow him down and work over his body parts. Now the match becomes a sort of chess game as Gabe looks to beat the hell out of Sabre while Sabre tries to chip away at Gabe piece by piece. Some really good back and forth action with Gabe again and again getting more caught up with sending a message than getting the win like going to the top for a Tanahashi High Fly Flow, only Sabre to get his knees up and roll Gabe right into a series of submissions. Gabe gets to the ropes and rolls to the apron to recover and is able to counter Sabre into a Tombstone on the apron! More back and forth counter for counter exchanges in the ring until both men just start slapping the shit out of each other. Gabe rocks Sabre with a headbutt and as he drops knees him in the face! Piledriver by Gabe followed by a Death Rider! Drill A Hole Piledriver gets Gabe the win! While the match was a little too long for the sake of going long and the selling wasn't perfect, this still felt like one hell of a fight from these two. Lots of stiff exchanges and great sequences of actions before Gabe just batters Sabre into the ground for the win. **** 

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 8: An all out Hoss fight! We get a slow start as both men feel each other out. Shingo looks to out-power Goto early, so Goto hits a really clever Russian Leg Sweep into the turnbuckle to soften up Shingo's neck. Goto tries to work smarter against the younger and faster Shingo but it doesn't take long for Shingo to fire up and start laying in some big shots. Eventually both men just start firing off every big shot and bomb they have in the tank as we get a proper Hoss fight. Shingo is able to catch a boot from Goto and hits him with a GTR. Pumping Bomber and a Burning Dragon follows but Goto kicks out. Shingo can't lift up Goto for a Made in Japan as Goto fights out and hits a Shoten Kai! Goto with a GTW before going for the GTR but Shingo fights his way out and the two men trade strikes and headbutts! Goto tries for GTW again but Shingo is able to counter with a roll-up for a near-fall before hitting a Sliding Lariat. Another Lariat before Shingo lifts Goto for the Last of the Dragon and gets the win. Just a very fun bell to bell action filled match. A little bit of storytelling mixed in as Goto tried to prove he could still go blow for blow with Shingo but Shingo got the win in the end. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: Yota Tsuji vs. Yuto-Ice at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 8: A brutal match that told a hell of a story. Match starts and right away Ice challenges Tsuji to chop him in the chest. Tsuji does so and Ice laughs it off so Tsuji keeps chopping him for almost the entire match! Match spills to the floor and into the crowd all around the venue as Tsuji just keeps chopping Ice's chest and Ice takes every shot and asks for more. Some nice stiff kicks and knees from Ice to show Tsuji that he isn't done yet as Tsuji's hand starts to hurt from chopping so much. Clever storytelling mixed into all this as Ice takes the shots but Tsuji is getting tired and his hand is feeling the effects of all the chops. Great spot of Ice kicking Tsuji's hand away to lay into him with a brutal knee. Tsuji finally has enough and starts laying into Ice with knees of his own and these two are just beating the hell out of each other! Ice goes for a knee but Tsuji catches him with a Gene Blaster! Another Gene Blaster! Ice kicks out at 1! Holy Shit! Ice blocks a Gene Blaster by kneeing Tsuji in the face! Cruella! Only a 2 count! Both men look exhausted and out on their feet but Tsuji is able to fire up and hits Fire Blaster on Ice! Both men are down and not getting up as the referee starts to count. Tsuji is barely able to get to his feet but Ice can't answer the 10 count and Tsuji wins! Such a different and unique style of match. Ice basically tried to rope-a-dope Tsuji into wearing himself out with chops until Ice could knock him out with kicks and knees. Tsuji was able to fight through it all though and beat Ice at his own game with the knockout win. Awesome match! ****1/4 

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Chad Gable (c) vs. Rey Mysterio at WWE Raw 8/17: A really good match of technical wrestling vs. Lucha style. We start off with some nice mat wrestling from both men but with a clear story of Gable being stronger and Rey being faster. Match follows this story nicely as every time Rey is able to take over it is by using his agility to hit a quick counter or high flying offense. Gable, meanwhile, looks to ground Rey and work for submissions as he starts targeting Rey's leg for the Ankle Lock as the match goes on. Some really good back and forth action with both men able to get in some good near-falls including Gable hitting a top rope Angle Slam. Gable finally gets the Ankle Lock on as Rey fights to escape. Rey is able to roll through and send Gable into the buckle before a 619 in the corner! A second 619 as the crowd starts to come up! Top rope splash by Rey but Gable gets his knees up and locks Rey back in the Ankle Lock! Rey tries to fight out anyway he can but Gable is not letting go! Roll-up by Rey for a 2 count as Gable rolls back into a pin of his own and gets the 3! A super fun match with these two perfectly blending their styles together for some great back and forth. Finish was super well done as Rey looked to have the match won but Gable got the Ankle Lock in and forced Rey to try to out-wrestle him but Gable was able to secure the pin and the win. ****

Continental Challenge Cup Quarterfinal Match: Jon Moxley vs. Jay White at AEW Dynamite 8/19: A very good match with a different vibe and style to it. Things start off with both men trying to out-wrestle the other and trading holds back and forth. Things naturally progress to bigger and bigger offense from both men with White even trying for a Bladerunner, only for Moxley to counter and attempt a Paradigm Shift for a nice early tease. White goes after the arm of Moxley with some submissions, which Moxley sells the fanatic need to escape well and keeps selling the arm the rest of the match. White takes the opening the hurt arm provides and drops Moxley on his head with multiple Cutthroat Suplexes! White is on a roll and starts looking for the Bladerunner but Moxley is able to counter into a choke. White rolls back for a pin and almost gets the win right there. Bladerunner by White but Moxley rolls to the floor! White gets Moxley back in the ring but Moxley catches him in a choke! White fights to his feet but Moxley switches things around and hits a Paradigm Shift! Kickout by White but Moxley locks in the Bulldog Choke! White tries to fight out but he can't escape and goes out. Moxley gets the win! Really enjoyed this! White is such a good counter wrestler and was able to push Moxley to rely more on his submissions as the match went on. Great finishing stretch with White looking to have the win a few times but Moxley got his hooks in and made him pass out. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: Yota Tsuji vs. Ryohei Oiwa at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 10: An absolutely amazing match of power vs. technical wrestling! Tsuji comes in with a damaged right arm and Oiwa knows it as he goes for a headlock early to ground the bigger man and wear him down. Tsuji does a nice job with his own targeted offense as he goes after Oiwa's midsection and back to soften him up for the Gene Blaster. Just masterfully limb work from both men as Tsuji tries to run through Oiwa with his offense, but Oiwa is able to keep getting the headlock in and even goes after Tsuji's hurt right arm to cut him off. Tsuji is able to lock in a Boston Crab to work over Oiwa's back more but the damage to Tsuji's right arm forces him to drop one of Oiwa's legs. Instead, Tsuji grabs both legs with his left arm for a Cloverleaf. Great looking spot! Oiwa is still able to make it to the ropes and escape though. Oiwa is able to sucker Tsuji into striking with the bad arm, which does more damage to Tsuji instead, and goes for the Ark Clutch. Tsuji fights to block it so Oiwa goes back to the headlock before looking for some big offense of his own. Tsuji gets an opening and tries for Gene Blaster but Oiwa catches him by the waist for a Doctor Bomb! Multiple German Suplexes by Oiwa followed by a Chaos Theory but Tsuji kicks out! More excellent back and forth action until Oiwa goes for the The Grip but Tsuji catches him with a Gene Blaster! Tsuji follows up with a Silver Lining but only gets a 2. Tsuji looks for the Fire Blaster but Oiwa catches him in a headlock! Tsuji tries to fight out with a Back Suplex but Oiwa holds on tight! Oiwa will not let go! Tsuji gets to his feet and hits a modified Fire Blaster to escape! Another Fire Blaster by Tsuji to get the win! What a match! The in-ring action was excellent with every move serving a purpose and being focused on one part of their opponent's body. Oiwa kept going for the headlock all match and used it to perfection but went to it once too often, which allowed Tsuji to fight his way out and get the win. Incredible stuff! ****1/2

G1 Climax 2026 Block A Match: Hirooki Goto vs. Konosuke Takeshita at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Night 10: A really good, hard hitting match. Both men are very evenly matched in the early goings before Takeshita is able to start pushing the pace with his speed, thanks to being the younger of the two. The veteran Goto fires back with a hanging neckbreaker out of the corner to hurt Takeshita's neck and give Goto a target for the rest of the match. From there, the match is a very good back and forth battle from these two. Takeshita tries to move fast by landing quick and powerful offense while all of Goto's offense is centered on working over Takeshita's neck. Lots of big offense and counters from both men like Goto countering a Powerdriver Knee into a Ushi-goroshi, Takeshita coming back with a Blue Thunder Bomb and countering a second Ushi-goroshi into a Busaiku Knee! Takeshita takes Goto up top but Goto fights him off and hits a Sunset Bomb! Takeshita stops Goto with a Hadouken and a Powerdrive Knee! Raging Fire is blocked into a Shoten Kai! GTW by Goto but Takeshita fights to block the GTR and even hits one of his own. Takeshita drops the knee pad for one more Powerdrive Knee but Goto blocks with a Lariat. Goto goes for a headbutt but Takeshita catches him with an elbow and a Raging Fire for the win! Just a hell of a fight from these two. Tons of back and forth counters and big bombs but some nice storytelling mixed in as Goto went after the neck all match. Takeshita was able to take all the punishment and dish it back before nailing a big elbow to rock Goto and finish things with Raging Fire. ****1/4

Undisputed WWE Championship Match: CM Punk (c) vs. Kevin Owens at WWE Smackdown 8/21: A very good wrestler vs. brawler match with a very story driven finish. Both men get into a slugfest at the start with Owens getting the best of it and working over Punk. Punk does a nice job trying various ways to fight back, including attacking Owens when he gets back in the ring, before going after Owens' previously injured neck. Some nice heat by Punk before Owens fights back and runs wild for a bit, even hitting a Frog Splash off the barricade to put Punk through the announce table. Punk stops Owens' momentum with a Roundhouse Kick to the head and a top rope elbow for 2 before locking in the Anaconda Vice to put more pressure on the neck. Punk looks to end things with a GTS but Owens counters into a Sharpshooter! Punk makes it to the ropes and both guys start trading counters before Owens is shoved into the referee and takes him out. Stunner on Punk but no ref! GTS by Punk but the ref is still down! Punk tries to get the ref back in the ring but Sami Zayn comes up behind him and runs him into the ring post. Owens hits another Stunner on Punk back in the ring and Sami gets the referee back in! Punk kicks out at 2! Sami gives Owens the belt to use but Owens won't do it. Sami hits Owens instead! GTS by Punk and Punk retains! A really good match that allowed Owens to be the babyface for the Canadian crowd while Punk was the sort of heel here. Sami trying to get revenge on Punk through Owens was well done as Owens wanted to win on his own so Sami attacked him. Good way to set up future matches. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block B Match: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. OSKAR at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Day 11: A near perfect David vs. Goliath match. Right from the start we get a clear story of Sabre trying to chop down the big man while OSKAR uses his size and power to throw Sabre around with ease. Both men do a great job of working body parts as Sabre goes after OSKAR's leg to get him on the mat while OSKAR works on Sabre's neck and back. Some really great back and forth action all match while keeping the story of the match as the focal point of everything they are doing. At one point, Sabre is able to hit a big Zack Driver to take some of the wind out of OSKAR but the big man comes right back with his own big offense and locks in a Nightmare Sleeper out of a European Clutch. Sabre twists OSKAR's knee to force him to let go for an awesome escape! OSKAR looks for a Tombstone but Sabre slips out and gets in a knee bar! OSKAR fights to a standing position with the hold still on and tries to strike his way out but Sabre catches his arms and ties OSKAR up like a pretzel! OSKAR has to tap out! This match was a ton of fun. Really loved how Sabre made OSKAR look like a monster he had to chip away at while OSKAR looked so dominant at times and almost got the win at several points. Sabre having to trap all of OSKAR's limbs to get the submission win was a great finish. ****

G1 Climax 2026 Block B Match: Gabe Kidd vs. HENARE at NJPW G1 Climax 36 Day 11: This was an all out fight! Gabe rushes the ring and here we go! Both men are throwing strikes, elbows and chops at each other as things spill onto the floor and into the crowd early. Some nice small touches in all the brawling with Gabe biting and going for the eyes to cut off HENARE several times. Match finally gets back in the ring as both men start landing some big bombs along with all the strikes. HENARE is able to start gaining on Gabe with more and more big offense like a Berserker Bomb before the match again goes to the outside where Gabe is able to suplex him on the floor. Gabe bashes HENARE with a chair but HENARE no sells it and rams Gabe's head repeatedly into a table! Rampage by HENARE back in the ring for a 2 count as HENARE starts rolling. However, HENARE charges Gabe and is caught with an O-Knee under the jaw! A Piledriver and a second by Gabe before he finishes HENARE with a Drill A Hole Piledriver for the win. While I think this went a little long and had a very sudden finish, the violence and hatred the two were able to put into their offense was great. This felt like two men fighting to hurt each other and it only ended because Gabe was able to rattle HENARE enough to drop him on his head until he got the 3 count. ****

Continental Challenge Cup Final Match for the AEW Continental Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness at AEW All In 2026: A very good technical wrestling match. Both men start off trading holds and mat wrestling before Moxley stomps on Nigel's bad ankle and Nigel fires back with an uppercut. Great early moment to show that Nigel has the power to fight Moxley, but his ankle is gonna be a target. Nigel starts going after Moxley's arm to try and give himself something to work on 7as Moxley keeps going after the ankle. At one point, Moxley removes the tape from Nigel's ankle to twist it more and Nigel uses the tape to choke Moxley and escape the hold. Very clever spot to show that Moxley may be more vicious but Nigel is more crafty. Nigel is able to hit a Tower of London for a near-fall before Moxley is able to lock him in the LeBell Lock just to mess with him. Nigel reverses however into one of his own but Moxley escapes and hits a Cutter to cut off Nigel. We get some great back and forth strikes but when Nigel goes for a cover, Moxley kicks out and locks in a Bulldog Choke right away! Nigel digs his chin into Moxley's arm to break the hold and is able to counter into the London Dungeon! Moxley is panicking as he tries to fight his way out! Moxley is able to roll into an armbar before transitioning into an Ankle Lock. These two go back and forth as Nigel goes for quick pin attempts, including the same one that The British Bulldog used in the same building, and Moxley keeps going for the ankle. Moxley avoids an uppercut and traps Nigel back in the Ankle Lock! Nigel fights to the ropes but Moxley keeps adjusting his grip to keep Nigel from reaching the ropes and putting more pressure on the hold. Nigel is literally a fingertip away but he can't reach it and has to tap out! Really good stuff with an excellent finish. Nigel was hurt coming in but did all he could to match up and almost beat Moxley. In the end though, Moxley got hold of the ankle and refused to let up before getting the tap out win. ****

Three Way Match for the AEW International Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita at AEW All In 2026: A non-stop, action-filled match. Bell sounds and Fletcher immediately superkicks Okada! It's every man for himself! Fletcher and Takeshita go at it for a bit 1 on 1 until Okada is able to recover and DDT both men to the floor. Okada looks to isolate and work over Takeshita until Fletcher comes back in and we get some wild back and forth offense. Awesome spot of Okada hitting Fletcher with a Brainbuster, Takeshita hitting Okada with a Rainmaker and Fletcher hitting Takeshita with a Raging Fire and everyone is down! Okada looks to use the screwdriver hidden under the turnbuckle pad but Fletcher stares him down and Okada hands it over. Rainmaker to Fletcher but Fletcher ducks it and Takeshita elbows Okada before German Suplexing both men for a near-fall! Incredible spot! Takeshita throws the screwdriver away and we get back to the action as we get some great back and forth 3 way spots and counters. Fletcher is able to take out Okada with a big lariat to counter a Rainmaker and looks for the Turnbuckle Brainbuster but Takeshita fights him off and hits a Tornado DDT from the top! Powerdrive Knee by Takeshita for a 2 count followed by Raging Fire! Okada is back in and hits Takeshita with a Rainmaker! Fletcher breaks up the pin! Takeshita and Fletcher work together to take out Okada and try to finish off each other. Fletcher is finally able to get Takeshita up and hits the Turnbuckle Brainbuster! Okada is back in though and hits a Rainmaker on Fletcher and gets the win! Just a super fun bell to bell match that I would have loved like 5 more minutes from. Okada played the spoiler all match while Takeshita and Fletcher just wanted to go at it 1 on 1 and it was all well done. Finish was great as Okada stole the win from Fletcher and even pinned him to take back the International title. Good stuff! ****1/4

AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: Adam Copeland and Christian Cage (c) vs. The Young Bucks at AEW All In 2026: A really good dream match of the veteran team vs. the younger faster team. Both teams start off evenly with some nice back and forth as Copeland and Christian try to isolate one of the Bucks while the Bucks run through their fast paced and trademark offense. Copeland and Christian are able to cut off the Bucks just long enough for Copeland to piledrive Matt onto the apron! Now, the veterans have a target as they work over Matt's neck for a bit and isolate him. Matt is able to avoid a Spear and hits a Killswitch on Christian to make the hot tag to Nick, who starts running wild. Nick hits a Moonsault from the apron and comes up favoring his leg but he seems okay until he misses a Superkick and strikes the ring post. Copeland and Christian are back in control by isolating Nick now and working his bad leg. Matt gets the hot tag this time and gets the Bucks back in the match before setting up Christian for the TK Driver. But when Nick goes for the springboard his leg gives out! Christian low blows Matt from behind and hits him with a Twist of Fate. 3D by Copeland and Christian but only gets a 2! We get a wild series of counters and big near-falls from both teams including a BTE Trigger and pop-up Spear. Christian finally goes for one of the title belts but when the referee takes it, Christian whacks Nick's leg with a wrench. Matt gets hit as well before a pop-up Spear by Copeland ends things. Really enjoyed this match and the story they were telling with the Bucks being the better in-ring teams so Copeland and Christian had to work smarter to take over. Some amazing near-falls down the stretch before Christian finally has to go back to his old ways and cheat to get the win. Finish didn't come off as smooth as they wanted but it still worked. ****1/4

Falls Count Anywhere Match for the AEW TNT Championship: Kevin Knight (c) vs. Darby Allin at AEW All In 2026: A pretty wild and insane match. Knight is able to clock Darby with a belt shot to the back of the head early to bust him open. Darby doesn't stay down though as he hits a big suicide dive into a table that Knight is pulling out to crash it into his face. The two brawl around ringside for a bit including Knight hitting an awesome Springboard Clothesline with Darby on the announcer's table. Back in the ring, Darby is able to counter Knight on the top rope and hit a Code Red from Bret's rope into a pile of chairs before a second one gets him a near-fall. Brian Cage and Jake Doyle run out to help Knight by beating the hell out of Darby. Steve Borden runs out to help out his mentor but is quickly overwhelmed as well. Darby keeps trying to fight back, even after his hands are taped up behind his back. Coast to Coast Dropkick by Knight but the lights go out! It's Sting! Sting starts taking out the heel before climbing a giant ladder. Steve stops his dad and instead jumps off the ladder himself onto Cage and Doyle! Knight tries to flee up the ramp but Darby follows as the two fight on the stage. Darby chokes out Knight before climbing the scaffolding truss. An insane Coffin Drop from the truss through the stage and Knight! Holy Fuck! Officials try to stretcher Knight away but Darby says "Fuck that" and hits a Coffin Drop off the stage onto Knight! Cover and Darby is the new TNT Champion! More of an angle than a match but this was just awesome! Some wild spots, Sting and his son teaming up to take out the heels and Darby hitting an all time insane Coffin Drop. The heel run-in was a little long and dragged things down but the rest of this was a ton of fun! ****

AEW Women's World Championship Match: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Mercedes Mone at AEW All In 2026: An excellent back and forth match of power vs. technical wrestling. Willow comes in with a broken hand so she wastes no time trying to out-power Mercedes early with some big strikes and offense. A low Crossbody by Willow catches Mercedes in the nose to break it and bust her open. Reverse Alabama Slam by Willow out of the corner with Mercedes ripping the turnbuckle pad off trying to hold on and block it. This leads to Mercedes sending Willow into the exposed buckle to slow things down and take over. Mercedes does a great job of working on Willow's hand all while Willow fights from underneath. Great back and forth action as Willow has to keep using her power to fight out of submissions by Mercedes, who seems determined to damage the hand more and more. Some really good near-falls as well like Mercedes locking in the Statement Maker until Willow fights out into a Death Valley Driver in the corner and Willow hitting a top rope Moonsault. Mercedes gets Willow in position for the Mone Maker but slams her face first into the exposed turnbuckle before hitting it. 2 count! Mercedes argues with the referee as Willow comes back and Pounces Mercedes into the referee! Match spills to the outside and Mercedes is able to finally rip off the cast on Willow's hand but Willow avoids a shot with the belt and whips Mercedes with it! Babe with the Powerbomb back in the ring but the ref is slow to recover! Mercedes kicks out! Buckle Bomb by Willow into the exposed turnbuckle before looking for an Avalanche Babe with the Powerbomb but Mercedes counters with a Hurricanrana! The two women trade counters until Mercedes locks in the Statement Maker. Willow fights to the ropes but Mercedes traps her good arm as she stomps the broken hand. Willow is out and the referee has to call it! New champion! What a match! Willow was a perfect babyface in peril all match while still being a powerhouse trying to prove herself against the veteran Mercedes. Meanwhile, Mercedes was vicious and focused in her offense on Willow, plus her being busted open added to the wild look in her eyes as she attacked Willow's hand. Amazing match! ****1/2

AEW World Championship Match: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Will Ospreay at AEW All In 2026: A perfect wrestling match from beginning to end. We get a slow but steady start to the match as each man feels each other out. We get to the story of the match early as Ospreay starts to push the pace with some fast offense and high flying offense only for Omega to cut him off and go to work on his neck and back. Omega is vicious with his offense, even bending Ospreay's neck over the metal hook that holds the ring together. Ospreay does a great job fighting for openings only for Omega to find a way to cut him off and go back to the neck and back. Match spills to the outside as Ospreay looks to put Omega through the announcer's table. Referee tries to get Ospreay to stop but he is shoved out of the way and Omega nails Ospreay with a monitor to bust him open! Ospreay is pouring blood as Omega gets him up and powerbombs him off the announcer's table into another table standing up next to it for an awesome and brutal looking spot! Ospreay is nearly counted out but makes it back in the ring at 9, only to get a V-Trigger for his troubles. Dragon Suplex on the apron as Omega is firmly in control now. Omega looks for an Avalanche One-Winged Angel but Ospreay is able to fight it off only for Omega to instead hit a Croyt’s Wrath from Bret's rope for a 2 count. Omega keeps laying in V-Triggers and Snap Dragon Suplexes until finally Ospreay is able to nail a charging Omega with a Hidden Blade! Omega gets to his feet and is bleeding under his eye as the two men start trading strikes and big offense. Styles Clash gets Ospreay a 2 count and he goes for the Oscutter but Omega catches him with a V-Trigger to the back of the head! More V-Triggers by Omega followed by a Poison Rana but Ospreay still gets to his feet! Ospreay hits the ropes but gets hit with another V-Trigger. Tiger Driver '91 by Omega! MY GOD! A V-Trigger again and Omega gets Ospreay up and hits the One-Winged Angel! 1.. 2.. OSPREAY KICKS OUT! HOLY SHIT! Omega looks for another One-Winged Angel but Ospreay slips out and hits Omega with a Tiger Driver '91 of his own! JESUS CHRIST! Both men are exhausted and Omega is so damaged from the Tiger Driver, he can't raise his left arm! Omega tries to fight still but Ospreay blocks another attempt at the One-Winged Angel and hits Omega with his own One-Winged Angel! Omega kicks out at 1! Hidden Blade and a Stormbreaker by Ospreay! Omega kicks out at 1 again! WHAT THE FUCK?! Ospreay stares down Omega as he struggles to his knees. Ospreay pulls off the elbow pad and pulls the trigger. Hidden Blade to Omega's face! 1...2...3! Ospreay has done it! This was perfect in every way possible. Omega was violent and vicious trying to defend his title and went after Ospreay trying to show he wasn't good enough to beat him. Meanwhile, Ospreay took every shot Omega had and kept fighting through it all. Ospreay was not losing on this night and nothing Omega did was going to stop him. Amazing near-falls that got the crowd to their feet before a picture perfect finish. Pro Wrestling Perfection! 5 Fucking Stars! *****