Top Matches I Watched in December 2023
By Alex Kalil
2023 is done and Holy Hell! What a year this was! The Continental Classic comes to an end in amazing fashion. Final Battle was a great show! We wrapped up NJPW and even WWE and AJPW had some last minute great matches. What a year this was! Truly one of the best bell to bell years for wrestling.
Continental Classic Blue League Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston at AEW Collision 12/2/23: A physical and intense wrestling match here. Both men start out slowly, feeling each other out. Danielson starts to open up with some leg kicks and chops before Kingston puts him on his ass with one monstrous chop. Danielson immediately changes strategies and focuses on leg kicks and trying to out-wrestle Kingston and not get in a striking match. Kingston responds by catching Danielson on a dive to the outside and nailing a Backdrop Suplex on the floor! Story of the match from here is Kingston is a hammer and easily outpowers Danielson, who is a chisel and tries to break Kingston down, piece by piece. Some great back and forth as Danielson looks for submissions while Kingston looks to bomb Danielson into the ground. Danielson is able to counter a second Backfist by Kingston into a Regel-Plex and then just stomps and kicks Kingston's head in! Kingston struggles to his feet and refuses to give up but a Busaiku Knee ends it and gives Danielson the win. Kingston fought with all his heart but Danielson was too good at picking him apart for Kingston to overcome the odds. Great match. ****1/4
Chris Jericho vs. Konosuke Takeshita at DDT Ultimate Party 2023: A really good veteran vs. young wrestler match. The match starts off on an even foot but it doesn't take long for Takeshita's power and speed to allow him to take over. Jericho does a nice job of using his experience and veteran instincts to fight back and counter Takeshita a few times, even locking in the Walls of Jericho, only for Takeshita to power his way to the ropes. A big dive by Takeshita hurts his back and Jericho is quick to go after it. Jericho gets the Walls in again but this time, Takeshita can't make it to the ropes and has to roll through to escape. Takeshita's power is still effective as he gets a lot of good near-falls on Jericho, while Jericho keeps taking every opening to fight back. Takeshita goes for a big knee to end things but Jericho catches him and gets the Walls of Jericho in for a third time. Jericho sits back on it deep and moves Takeshita back to the center of the ring before he gets the ropes and Takeshita has to tap. A small injury and persistence was enough for Jericho to beat the clearly bigger and stronger Takeshita. ****
Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre at WWE Monday Night Raw 12/4/23: A really nice big man vs. little man match. Drew is quick to show off his power by tossing Sami around the ring. Sami fights back by using his quickness to stick and move and land some nice shots on Drew. An elbow off Bret's rope causes Sami to hurt his knee on the landing and slows him down slightly. Drew takes over and once again easily manhandles his smaller opponent. Sami does a great job of changing his strategy to trying to counter Drew's big offensive bombs when he can't use his speed. We get some nice back and forth action and near-falls from both men. Sami tries to avoid Drew once more but his knee finally gives out on him. Drew shows no mercy though and chop blocks his knee before finishing him with a Claymore. A very good match with Sami playing the perfect underdog babyface and Drew just being a ruthless powerhouse. ****
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Jey Uso at WWE Monday Night Raw 12/4/23: A well done back and forth match. Both men start off even before Rollins is able to take over with his experience. Jey nicely starts working the back to go after Rollins' nagging injury. The match becomes a back and forth of bigger and bigger bombs as both men try to put away the other for some nice near-falls. An Uso Splash isn't enough to keep Rollins down nor is a Pedigree enough for Jey. Rollins goes for the Stomp only for Jey to counter with a Spear for a nice near-fall. Rollins tries to take back over with a Buckle Bomb but Jey comes out the corner with another Spear! Uso Splash but again only 2! So close! Jey goes for a third Spear but Rollins catches him this time with a Pedigree. A Curb Stomp to end things and Rollins retains. Great showing by Jey but he went to the well once too often and the veteran Rollins made him pay for it. ****
Best Two Out of Three Falls Killer Impact Match: Frankie Kazarian vs. Eddie Edwards at Impact Wrestling 10/12/23: A really well done and heated feud ender match. The first fall starts with both utilizing some nice wrestling before Edwards starts taking some cheap shots to take control. Kazarian tries to fight back but makes one mistake and Edwards nails Boston Knee Party to get the quick pin. Second fall begins and Edwards goes to town on Kazarian with chops to the point where Kazarian's chest is busted open! Edwards starts to get cocky and Kazarian catches him with the Crossface Chickenwing! Edwards taps out quickly and the third fall starts. Kazarian fires up on Edwards and at one point bashes the hell out of him with a trash can. We get a fun weapons brawl from both men with Kazarian getting the best of Edwards most of the time. Alisha, Edwards' wife, runs out to help Edwards take over before Kazarian hits a Style Clash on the ramp! Kazarian takes out Alisha and hits Fade to Black on Edwards through a table! Kazarian beats the count and gets the win in the final fall. A slow and well built start to this match before we got into the crazy and wild brawl to wrap up the feud. Maybe a little long but still well done. ****
AEW Continental Classic Gold League Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Swerve Strickland at AEW Dynamite 12/6/23: A really well done TV match. Mark starts off the match working a more reserved style and not wanting to take any big risks; he is in a must win situation here. Swerve is able to use his unique style and offense to catch Mark off guard a few times to take over. Feeling the match start to slip, Mark has to go for broke with his offense and pulls off some nice high risk stuff to fight back. We get some nice back and forth from these two before Mark goes for the Jay Driller but Swerve backdrops him out of it. House Call by Swerve before he goes to the top. 450 by Swerve but Mark gets his knees up! Roll-up only gets 2! Mark is able to hit a Death Valley Driver and goes for Froggy Bow but Swerve gets his knees up this time. Roll-up by Swerve only gets 2! Mark goes for a killing blow with a Jay Driller on the apron but Swerve reverses out and hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron! Mark is out and Swerve rolls him back in the ring to end things with a Swerve Stomp. Mark is now mathematically eliminated from the tournament. Heartbreaking loss for Mark, who tried to play it safe early on before having to take risks in the hopes of winning, only for it to cost him in the end. ****
Josh Alexander vs. Will Ospreay at Impact Wrestling 11/16/23: A phenomenal wrestling match from these two. We get some nice early exchanges with Ospreay able to take control with his speed and agility. Alexander is able to take over with his power and goes after Ospreay's back. Alexander works over Ospreay for a bit before Ospreay is able to rally and starts to fight back. Ospreay goes for the Leap of Faith but Alexander rolls out the way and Ospreay lands on his feet but hurts his leg on the landing. Alexander goes right after the injury and locks in an Ankle Lock. Great job by Ospreay at selling the leg, which causes him to switch from using his speed to using his strikes to try and fight back. Ospreay looks for the Stormbreaker only for Alexander to counter into a Tombstone for a big near-fall! Alexander goes for the C4 Spike but Ospreay fights out and nails him with a Hidden Blade. Storm Driver 93 but only 2! Hidden Blade to the back of Alexander's head and a Stormbreaker finally gives Ospreay the win! Alexander tried to pick apart Ospreay but Ospreay was able to fight through the pain to land a killing blow. ****1/2
Athena and Billie Starkz vs. Ronda Rousey and Marina Shafir at ROH on HonorClub 11/23/23: A really fun and well done tag match. Things start off with Ronda and Marina running wild on the more inexperienced Billie while Athena tries to avoid getting in the ring with Ronda. A cheap shot by Athena on the apron allows her and Billie to take over on Marina for a few before Ronda eventually gets the hot tag and gets in the ring with Athena. We get some really nice back and forth tag team action from both teams and a nice story develops with Billie always being there to save Athena when she gets in too much danger. Amazing spot with Athena going for the O-Face only to be caught in an armbar by Ronda for a nice near-fall. Athena and Billie are able to isolate and work over Ronda and finally Athena hits the O-Face on Ronda but Billie has tagged herself in! Billie goes for a Swanton but Ronda moves and locks Billie in an armbar! Athena tries to get in to break it up but Marina keeps her out of the ring and Billie has to tap. Great stuff here and a clever finish with Billie trying to prove herself to Athena only to cost them the match and Athena being unable to save Billie like Billie did for her all match. Also Ronda looked fantastic here! ****
Continental Classic Blue League Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia at AEW Rampage 12/8/23: An amazing wrestling story-telling match. We get some excellent wrestling early on as both men try for quick pins and submissions. Danielson starts to unload some leg kicks on Garcia, who gets pissed and starts to fire back his own shots at Danielson. Here we go! The whole match from here has a more aggressive feel to it with Garcia being more focused and vicious with his offense and Danielson almost provoking him with shots and asking him if he is going to dance now and daring him to fight back. Danielson gets more and more aggressive and goes for the Busaiku Knee but Garcia drops to the mat. He's playing possum and tries for a quick roll-up! Danielson kicks out but Garcia goes right into the Dragon Tamer. Garcia is able to stay on top of Danielson and even uses some Danielson offense to rub it in. Garcia gets cocky and does his dance, only for Danielson to catch him with a brutal Busaiku Knee. Stomps from Danielson before he locks in the LeBell Lock. Garcia tries to fight out but he can't do it and passes out. Garcia looked like his old self here and was able to go toe to toe with his idol but one mistake with Garcia losing focus and being a "Sports Entertainer" was enough for the "wrestler" Danielson to make him pay for it. Brilliant match! ****1/4
Continental Classic Blue League Match: Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli at AEW Collision 12/9/23: Another great battle in these two's rivalry. Kingston comes right out the gate at Claudio and nails a Backfist and Backdrop Driver in the opening minute. Claudio rolls to the floor, only for Kingston to follow with a suicide dive! Kingston is here to fight and win! Kingston tries to stay on Claudio, but the power of Claudio soon puts him in control of the match as he works over Kingston. Great selling by Kingston, who takes everything Claudio throws at him and refuses to back down. Kingston does a good job of trying to fire up and fight back only for Claudio to keep shutting him down. Everything Kingston tries, Claudo has a counter or escape for it. So Kingston goes back to his tried and true strategy: he swings for the fences. Kingston is able to get Claudio to start trading shots with him and Kingston is able to rock Claudio. Powerbomb attempt by Kingston but Claudio reverses it into a pin but Kingston counters it back! Kingston pins Claudio with the same counter that Claudio beat him with! Claudio was bigger and stronger but Kingston had heart and was able to force Claudio to wrestle the match his way and learn from their past to beat Claudio with his own reversal and bring this feud full circle. ****1/4
Continental Classic Blue League Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Andrade El Idolo at AEW Collision 12/9/23: A really good technical match that turned violent. Both men start off with some good mat wrestling and trying for holds. Andrade tries to work the leg of Danielson but Danielson is the better wrestler and stays a step ahead. Andrade gets frustrated and goes after the injured eye of Danielson and even busts him open right above his eye. Danielson has to fight from underneath here as Andrade keeps on top of him and keeps going to the eye anytime Danielson starts to gain some ground. Danielson is somehow able to lock in the LeBell Lock at last but Andrade is able to reach the ropes to break the hold. Danielson tries to follow up only for Andrade to connect with a brutal back elbow to the eye of Danielson again. Andrade shows no mercy and hammers Danielson into the corner. A double knee to the back of Danielson's head, driving his face into the turnbuckle and Danielson is out! Hammerlock DDT finishes things with Andrade getting the win. Great stuff here with Danielson coming in with the clear advantage but Andrade showed off a more vicious side of himself by going to the injured eye to create an opening and stayed on top of it all match to get the win. ****
Iron Survivor Challenge Match for the #1 Contendership for the NXT Championship: Tyler Bate vs. Dijak vs. Josh Briggs vs. Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams at NXT Deadline 2023: A really well laid out and exciting match. Dijak and Briggs start off and the two big men go right at it and look for big bombs early on. Dijak hits Feast For Your Eyes on Briggs to get a point right as Bate enters. We get a really fun back and forth from Dijak and Bate before Briggs returns to the match to steal a pin on Dijak out from under Bate. Dijak rushes back into the match after his time in the penalty box only to get rolled up by Bate. Great spot. Trick enters next and comes in hot, looking to take over. Bate catches Trick with a Tyler Driver 97 to get a point and take the lead. Bron enters last and cleans fucking house! Spears and pins for everyone in the match and Bron now has 3 points! Holy Shit! Trick goes up against Bron and tries to hold him off until everyone reenters the match, only to get booted by Dijak, who gets another point. Awesome spot as Bron hits a Super Frankensteiner on Dijak, who falls right into a powerbomb by Bate for a pin. Dijak and Briggs work together briefly and get dual pins with a pair of Moonsaults. Trick reenters the match, only to get speared into the barricade by Bron, who is quickly chokeslammed through the announcer's table. Whole lot of chaos! Bron, Bate and Dijak have 3 points while Briggs has 2 and Trick has no points. Trick rolls up Briggs for a point. Dijak goes for Feast For Your Eyes on Trick but Eddy Thorpe distracts him and Trick gets a quick pin on Dijak. Bate goes for a Tyler Driver 97 but Trick gets a pin on him as well! Trick has 3 points now! Bron goes for a Spear but Trick catches him with a knee! Trick gets the pin with seconds to go and wins the whole match! Holy Shit! The last few minutes were so well laid out and led to a huge babyface pop for Trick, somehow coming from behind to win the whole thing in less than 2 minutes. What a match! ****1/4
World Tag League 2023 Final Match: Bishamon vs. El Phantasmo and Hikuleo at NJPW World Tag League 2023 Night 16: A grueling and well fought tag match. Bishamon come into the match beat up from the tournament, which allows ELP and Hikuleo to control the early portions of the match. Eventually, the teamwork of Bishamon is enough to fight back and take over the match. Some nice back and forth action from both teams with Hikuleo doing a nice job of coming to ELP's aid time and time again. ELP starts to go all out with high risk offense to try and secure the win as we nicely see him taking more and more damage from his own offense. A big Thunder Kiss 86 only gets two and even Jado's old tag team finisher isn't enough to get the job done. Hikuleo goes to the top for his own splash but misses! Bishamon swarms ELP to try and end things but Hikeleo keeps making the save. A Shota off the apron through a table finally removes Hikeleo from the match. ELP does a great job staying alive and fighting back like a true babyface, even managing to hit a one man Shota on Goto for a big near-fall. Even with all that, Bishamon is able to put away ELP with Naraku to get the win and win the tournament in a 40 minute battle. Maybe a little long but a fantastic story of these two teams doing all they can to win. ****
Adam Page vs. Roderick Strong at AEW Dynamite 12/13/23-Winter is Coming: A really nicely done and heated match. Both men start off hot by just chopping and beating the holy hell out of each other. Roderick, the veteran, sees that Page is younger, bigger and stronger so Roderick can't trade strikes with him all match. A distraction by The Kingdom allows Roderick to hit a brutal backbreaker on the turnbuckle to Page. From here, Roderick relies on his patented strategy of working the back of Page for some nice heat. Page is able to fire up late into the match and shows off a more aggressive edge he possesses now as the match becomes more back and forth. Page sets up for the Buckshot Lariat but The Kingdom gets involved again. Page takes both men out with a Moonsault to the outside. Roderick is able to block the Buckshot Lariat but Page is able to fight his way into hitting a Deadeye to get the win. A very fun, hard hitting match that showcased both men nicely. ****
Continental Classic Blue League Match: Brody King vs. Andrade El Idolo at AEW Dynamite 12/13/23-Winter is Coming: A really well done monster vs. wrestler match. Right at the bell, Andrade tries to control the pace of the match and works a long series of headlocks on Brody to keep the monster controlled as well as work the neck. Brody is eventually able to outpower Andrade and starts to lay in some heavy blows. Andrade tries to answer with his own but none of them even faze the big man. A nice story unfolds as Andrade tries every trick he has to chip away at Brody including heavy strikes and high flying offense. Even with all that, Brody still seems too much for Andrade until a nice back elbow rocks Brody momentarily. Andrade goes to the top but Brody is able to stop him quickly. Andrade uses his craftiness to expose part of the turnbuckle and DDTs Brody onto it! Brody is out of it! El Idolo by Andrade gives him the win! Great job of Andrade having to work smarter and use multiple strategies to find a way to beat the monstrous Brody. ****
Continental Classic Gold League Match: Swerve Strickland vs. Jon Moxley at AEW Dynamite 12/13/23-Winter is Coming: A really great first match from these two. Right at the bell, the crowd is ready for this match. Both men start off slow, working holds and almost toying with each other. Swerve is able to get the early edge and Moxley quickly gets frustrated and immediately looks to start brawling and fighting Swerve. Things pick up as Moxley gets more aggressive in his offense and goes after Swerve's hurt shoulder while Swerve looks to use his quick offense. Swerve is able to take over and uses the BCC stomps and elbows to rub it into Moxley, who violently shoves Swerve off the top to the floor and looks for a count-out. Moxley is just looking to win now. Swerve beats the count but gets a Stomp by Moxley for a nice near-fall. Moxley goes back to the shoulder looking for a submission but Swerve manages to get the ropes. Moxley is pissed at being unable to put Swerve away and goes for a chair, but Swerve cuts him off with a Swerve Stomp on the floor! Back in the ring, Swerve hits a second Swerve Stomp for only 2! Swerve goes for the JML Driver but Moxley rolls him up. Handful of tights by Moxley and he steals a win. Swerve looked to be even with Moxley and maybe better, which frustrated Moxley and forced him to try any way possible to beat Swerve, even cheating to do it. A perfect starting point for another match from these two down the line. ****
Top Flight and Action Andretti vs. Penta El Zero Miedo, El Hijo del Vikingo and Komander at AEW Rampage 12/15/23-Winter is Coming: A crazy and wild trios match. We get a very fun opening exchange with everyone getting a chance to shine before the Lucha team takes over for a few. Nice little story of the match with Top Flight and Andretti being the stronger team while the Lucha team is faster. Tons of incredible high flying spots and great near-falls before Top Flight and Andretti hit a nice triple team move to get the win. Just a great TV match that was a blast to watch. ****
AAA Mega Championship Match: El Hijo del Vikingo (c) vs. Black Taurus at ROH Final Battle 2023: A really great big man vs. small man match. Vikingo looks to start off fast but Taurus quickly shuts him down by catching him on a dive and hitting a powerbomb on the floor! Taurus does a nice job working over Vikingo before a missed dive gives Vikingo an opening. Match becomes more back and forth as Vikingo has to go all out with his offense to try and chip away at Taurus, who just keeps hitting big bombs of his own looking for the win. Vikingo hits an insane 720 dive onto Taurus on the outside to rattle him. Back in the ring, Vikingo hits a meteora in the corner and finally hits a 720 to get the win on Taurus. Very fun match that played into both men's strengths with Taurus relying on his power and Vikingo with his incredible agility. ****
Survival of the Fittest Match for the ROH World Television Championship: Dalton Castle vs. Komander vs. Kyle Fletcher vs. Lee Johnson vs. Lee Moriarty vs. Bryan Keith at ROH Final Battle 2023: A really well done and exciting multi-man match. The match starts off with everyone getting some early shine and a fun recurring spot of Dalton trying to get involved only to be thrown out the ring time and time again. Finally, Dalton is able to get in the ring and tosses Fletcher to the floor for a big pop. Fun spot. Some more fun back and forth before Moriarty is able to tap out Johnson for the first elimination. Dalton and Moriarty go at it for a few before a distraction by Johnny TV gives Moriarty an opening to get a second elimination on Dalton. The remaining 4 men all go at it and we get some great exchanges. Keith is able to rock Moriarty with a brutal knee before a Tiger Driver eliminates him. Fletcher doesn't let Keith rest for long and is able to slip out of a Tiger Driver to hit a Hammerlock Tombstone to remove Keith. Down to Fletcher and Komander now! We get an amazing finishing stretch from these two as both go all out looking for the win. A ropewalk 450 on the apron by Komander, who follows up with another 450 in the ring for a big near-fall! Komander goes to the top again but Fletcher stops him this time and hits a Turnbuckle Brainbuster! Holy Shit! Only 2! Hammerlock Tombstone finally puts Komander away, who gave a hell of an effort but Fletcher gets the win here tonight and is the new Television Champion! Amazing showcase of a lot of young talent and a big crowning moment for Fletcher. ****1/4
Fight Without Honor: Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli vs. FTR and Mark Briscoe at ROH Final Battle 2023: A phenomenal match to honor Jay Briscoe. We get a nice start with everyone getting some early exchanges and chances to shine. Dax gets run shoulder first into the ring post and the BCC goes to work on the arm for some nice heat. Love the heated way the BCC work together and their quick tags. Cash gets the hot tag and Dem Top Guys take over with some good tag team offense including some old Briscoe moves. Doomsday Device attempted but Claudio catches Mark with an uppercut coming off the top! The match starts to break down as all 6 men get into it and the match spills into the crowd for a double count-out. But Mark ain't having that! The match is now a Fight Without Honor! The wild brawl continues in the crowd and ringside. Moxley starts stabbing FTR with a fork! Mark is busted open and shoved off the top onto a barbed wire ladder on the floor! Danielson locks Cash in a LeBell Lock while Moxley attacks his eyes with barbed wire! Mark makes the save but is almost choked out by Moxley. BCC goes for a spiked piledriver on Mark but Cash drives Claudio into a table. Dax cuts off Moxley and piledrives him through a table covered in thumbtacks! My God! Danielson and Mark are all alone now. Mark is able to fire up and nails a Jay Driller on a pile of chairs to finally get the win. An awesome match that started as a heated tag match before becoming a wild and bloody weapon-filled fight! What a match! ****1/2
ROH Women’s World Championship Match: Athena (c) vs. Billie Starkz at ROH Final Battle 2023: A great mentor vs. student match. Athena comes in with a broken nose, thanks to Starkz, who nails her with a forearm right at the bell, just like Athena would do. Doesn't take Athena long to take back over and run Starkz into the barricade multiple times and even busts her open early. Athena easily dominates the match with her vicious style of offense. Starkz is able to land a few shots before going to the nose of Athena and even removes the protective mask Athena has on. Starkz starts to show off her own vicious side and is able to land some nice offense of her own. Athena is able to take over again through and lands a big top rope German on Starkz. The referee gets bumped momentarily and Athena asks her minion, Lexi Nair for the belt. Lexi hesitates just long enough for Starkz to recover and dropkick Athena into the belt! Starkz' End only gets a 2 though! Starkz goes bigger with an Electric Chair Driver on the apron, but the follow up Swanton misses. Athena hits a Despicable Knee but only gets 1! Starkz is still fighting! Athena goes for the O-Face but Starkz has it scouted! The two have a really nice back and forth counter exchange before Athena ties Starkz up in an Octopus Hold. Starkz has nowhere to go and has to tap out. Great storytelling match with Starkz using all the tricks she learned from Athena to try and beat her. Athena had to dig deep and pull out something new to get the win here but in the end, Starkz earned the champion's respect. ****1/2
Continental Classic Blue League Match: Eddie Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia at AEW Collision 12/16/23-Winter is Coming: A really great heated match between these two. Both come into the match in a "must win" situation. Garcia starts out and takes a cheap shot to Kingston's throat before going to Kingston's knee. Kingston fires back by dropping Garcia on his head! Kingston is able to start working over Garcia with some nice strikes but Garcia tells Kingston to keep hitting him. Nice story beat with Garica frustrating Kingston with his antics and Kingston leaves himself open for Garcia to go back to the knee. Garcia starts to ground Kingston and works various submissions to try and get the win but Kingston keeps getting to the ropes. Kingston is able to rally by catching a charging Garica with an Exploder in the corner. From there, Kingston unloads Backfists and big bombs on Garcia, who keeps struggling to his feet. An exhausted Kingston lands one final Backfist and collapses on Garcia to get the win. Garica had a great game plan for this match; trying to frustrate Kingston into making a mistake and going to the knee but Kingston was just too powerful and able to weather the storm to get the win and stay alive in the tournament. ****
Continental Classic Blue League Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Brody King at AEW Collision 12/15-Winter is Coming: An excellent David vs. Goliath match. Right at the bell, Danielson picks at Brody with leg kicks and does all he can to dodge the big man's offense. When Brody does get his hand on Danielson, he immediately hammers him with powerful blows and goes to the hurt eye of Danielson. From there, Brody works over Danielson, who does everything he can to stay alive and willingly throws himself at Brody to try and find an opening. Danielson is able to dodge a cannonball in the corner to lock in a Single Leg Crab to try and ground Brody but Brody just boots Danielson in the face to break it up. Danielson goes back to the leg kicks to get Brody down but when he goes for the BCC stomps and Hammer and Anvil Elbows, Brody just gets back up! Danielson slips out of a powerbomb by Brody and drills a Busaiku Knee. Brody kicks out at 1! Danielson tries to stay on him but Brody catches him with a stiff Lariat. Another powerbomb attempt but Danielson counters with a small package for a near-fall. Before Brody can recover, Danielson hits him with a Busaiku Knee! And another one! A third Busaiku Knee to the back of Brody's head! Danielson covers and finally gets the 3, only for Brody to kick-out at 3.1. Danielson was able to chip away at the big monster, but even with all that still had to use his best strike multiple times to keep Brody down just long enough to get the pin. Brody still looks like a monster even in defeat. ****1/4
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Gunther (c) vs. The Miz at WWE Monday Night Raw 12/18/23: A really well worked match from these two. Gunther easily controls early on and even mocks The Miz's attempts to fight back. Miz starts to go after the legs of Gunther and even surprises him with some nice leg submissions. Gunther decides to stop messing around and gets serious with The Miz and starts unloading chops on him and utilizes his impressive power and size to work over Miz. The match spills out to the floor and Gunther hits the ring post on a missed chop and damages his right hand. Miz tries to go after the injury but Gunther is great at working around the injury to keep mostly in control. Very nice touch with some of Gunther's trademark offense being less effective or unable to be hit due to the hurt hand. Miz is able to counter Gunther's offense due to the hand and hits a Skull-Crushing Finale for a big near-fall. Miz tries to follow up with a Bret's rope Skull-Crushing Finale and hits it! But Gunther rolls to the floor to avoid the cover! Miz rolls Gunther back in trying to capitalize but Gunther nails him with a big boot as he enters the ring. From there, Gunther grits his teeth and just bombs on The Miz with a powerbomb, ripcord Lariat and one final powerbomb to end the match. Great effort by The Miz, who was able to stay on Gunther long enough for him to make a mistake and create an opening but Gunther's ring IQ and sheer power was too much to overcome. ****
AAA Mega Championship Match: El Hijo del Vikingo (c) vs. Black Taurus at AEW Rampage 12/22/23-Holiday Bash Night 2: A match very similar to their Final Battle encounter. Both men start off with some quick exchanges and counters early on before Taurus is able to start taking control with his power. Vikingo tries to rally with his quickness but Taurus is able to nicely counter a lot of his high risk offense with his sheer power and size. In a really cool spot, Vikingo is able to muscle Taurus up and slams him on the floor! Vikingo starts rolling only to get cut in half by a huge Spear. Taurus goes to the back and looks to finish off Vikingo, who keeps kicking out and Taurus starts to get frustrated. Taurus charges and runs into a Superkick that rocks him. Vikingo uses the opening and unloads big shot after big shot on the wounded Taurus, ending things with a 630 to get the win. Another really good match with both men playing their roles perfectly. A little bit more focused and streamlined match from their last one. ****
Continental Classic Blue League Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli at AEW Collision 12/23/23-Holiday Bash Night 3: A really great match-up from these two teammates. Both men start off with some nice clean mat wrestling, looking for the advantage on the mat. Claudio gets frustrated at Danielson taking him to the mat and fires back with an uppercut. From here, the story of the match is Danielson wrestling Claudio and utilizing submissions and holds to work over the bigger Claudio, who uses his power and size and even goes to the bad eye of Danielson when the match starts to slip for him. Some great back and forth action from both men, including an awesome spot with both men using the BCC stomps to the other before both end up on the ground and kicking each other in the face. Claudio, again, goes to the eye and is able to lock in a Sharpshooter with a minute to go in the time. Danielson fights to the ropes but Claudio pulls him back to the center of the ring. Danielson still won't tap! Seconds to go and Claudio abandons the submission and nails an uppercut to try and get the pin but time runs out. It's a draw! An excellent back and forth battle from these two with an exciting finish that leaves you wondering if Claudio had the match won with more time. ****1/4
NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Great-O-Khan, HENARE and Jeff Cobb at NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome 2023 Night 1: A good tag team battle from these 6. Match starts off with everyone getting a chance to shine and show off. United Empire looks to isolate and work over Ishii or Tanahashi while Okada keeps coming in to put his team back in the driver seat. The champions eventually are able to control for a bit as Tanahasi goes to work on knees and Ishii starts to throw bombs at their opponents. We get a lot of nice near-falls from both teams before the match comes down to Ishii and HENARE. Really great extended finishing stretch as both men throw their best shots at the other while their teams try to help out as much as possible. In the end, Ishii is just more powerful and able to hammer HENARE before a Brainbuster ends things. Just a good tag match with a really hot and exciting finish that the fans were eating up. ****
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Callum Newman at NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome 2023 Night 2: A really well done veteran vs. Young Lion match. Newman comes in looking to prove himself against one of the biggest and baddest in the company. Newman is able to use his speed early on to try and catch Ishii off guard but it doesn't take long for Ishii to shut down Newman's offense with his own. Nice babyface fire by Newman,who is clearly outmatched but keeps fighting back against Ishii. As the match goes on, Newman gets more and more shots in and is able to even get a few near-falls including a great one from an Oscutter. Even with all that, Ishii is still too much for the young man and is able to drop him with a few big blows before a Brainbuster ends it. Newman may not have gotten the win but he did show what he could do here. ****
Coffin Match: Catch 22 vs. Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney at NJPW Road to Tokyo Dome 2023 Night 2: A really well done and violent match from these two rival teams. Bullet Club jumps Catch 22 from behind to start the match and we get a wild brawl around ringside. Catch 22 are able to use their quick tag team offense to make a nice comeback and take control of the match. Bullet Club responds by upping the violence and pulling out dog collars! They lock the collars around the necks of Catch 22 and start choking and whipping the babyfaces. But still Catch 22 are able to fight back and even use the chains on Bullet Club! More great back and forth from both teams before Connors kicks Akira low. Connors takes Akira to the corner and chokes him with the dog collar! Akira passes out! Bullet Club takes advantage of TJP being all alone by hitting a barrage of tag team moves before rolling TJP into the coffin and getting the win. A great stipulation to show the hatred between these two teams. Would have loved for there to be some blood here to really sell it but this was still great. ****
Continental Classic Blue League Final Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston at AEW Dynamite 12/27/23-New Year's Smash Night 1: A fantastic match from these two. A nice feeling out process early on; Kingston looking to fight while Danielson goes for leg kicks and tries to stall Kingston and frustrate him. Kingston is not playing tonight and drills Danielson with a Saito Suplex. Kingston is all over Danielson with vicious chops and brawling around ringside. Danielson is able to drop Kingston with a DDT on the apron and starts to work on picking apart Kingston's banged up body, mainly his knee and arm. Kingston does a great job of firing up on Danielson and fighting back to stay alive, all the while Danielson just mocks and toys with Kingston calling him a "bum". Danielson catches Kingston on the top rope and goes for a big Backdrop Suplex but Kingston is able to reverse it and lands on Danielson's bad eye. Brillant spot! Both men start throwing hard shots at each other. Nice storytelling moment of Kingston trying for the same tactics that beat Andrade and Claudio in past matches but Danielson is able to kick out and responds with Hammer and Anvil Elbows. Kingston looks out but Danielson isn't done yet. BCC stomps to Kingston's head! Kingston flips off Danielson! Danielson goes for the Busaiku Knee but Kingston catches him with a Backfist! A second! And a third! Kingston with a powerbomb and he gets the 3! Kingston has beaten Danielson! An excellent match and follow-up to their first match. Danielson was a bully who pushed Kingston to his breaking point and forced him to not just use strategies that worked in the past but to keep fighting. This time instead of Kingston flipping off Danielson and accepting defeat, he got to his feet and gave everything he had to slay the Dragon. This is Pro Wrestling! ****1/2
No Disqualification Match for the AEW TNT Championship: Christian Cage (c) vs. Adam Copeland at AEW Worlds End 2023: A wild and heated fight between these friends turned enemies. Copeland jumps Christian during his entrance and here we go! They brawl into the crowd and around ringside before Copeland misses a Spear into the steps and Christian is able to take over. Christian goes right after Copeland's surgically repaired neck for some nice heat including a brutal looking Boston Crab with a chair on Copeland's neck. Copeland is able to fight back and gets a Crossface in on Christian with a rod in his mouth. Nice! The violence gets upped with the introductions of chairs, ladders and tables with both men utilizing them. Lots of nice near-falls from both with Nick Wayne getting involved multiple times to protect Christian. Copeland finally gets rid of Wayne by powerbombing him through a flaming table! My God! Copeland low blows Christian and hits a Killswitch to win! New champion! An awesome weapon-filled fight between these two with Copeland beating the odds and beating Christian at his own game. Until Killswitch allowed Christian to cash in his title shot and win the belt back. What a heel! ****1/4
Continental Classic Final Match for the Continental Crown Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston at AEW Worlds End 2023: A really great finale to this tournament. A slow start with both men taking measured shots and looking to grapple and wrestle for openings. Kingston takes the first big risk with a dive to the outside but hits Moxley and the barricade! Moxley jumps all over this and targets the neck with a Paradigm Shift on the floor! Kingston is able to fire up and lights up Moxley with some chops despite being clearly hurt. Moxley falls back on his submission game and tries to tie up Kingston in his holds, only for Kingston to bite his way out. Kingston is fighting this match his way now. More chops and hard strikes by both men with neither giving an inch. Moxley's knee starts to give out and he knows he can't fight like this forever. Moxley again tries for big bombs and even a Bulldog Choke, which worked on Kingston in the past but again, Kingston is not giving up tonight. Kingston starts dropping the big shots on Moxley, only for the damage to his neck to slow him down. Now both men are wounded and hurt. The two warriors decide to go for broke and just swing away at each other until one goes down. Kingston scores a Backfist on Moxley and drops him! Cover! Kingston wins the Continental Classic and the Continental Crown! Loved this more shoot style and hard hitting match. Both men gave it their all to win but Kingston was the one to overcome the odds and win it all. ****1/4
AEW World Championship Match: MJF (c) vs. Samoa Joe at AEW Worlds End 2023: This was a great story driven match. MJF comes in banged up and hurt and Joe knows it. Joe goes right to work on the arm with his normal offense switched up slightly to target the hurt arm. MJF does a nice job of trying to find any and all ways to stay alive and get the win. A brutal Muscle Buster on the apron by Joe! Good Lord! Joe goes for the kill but MJF is still fighting! MJF goes to the arm of Joe and drops him with a Heatseeker. MJF goes for a second one but Joe fights it off only to get caught in the Salt of the Earth! MJF pulls back as best he can with one arm, only for Joe to reverse it into one of his own! MJF fights and barely makes it to the ropes. Joe follows up with a choke but MJF shoves Joe into the referee to take him out. Low blow by MJF! MJF gets Joe up and hits an F5! Only a 2 count! MJF goes to Adam Cole for the Diamond Ring but Cole takes too long and Joe grabs a choke on MJF! MJF tries for a roll-up counter but Joe kicks out and gets MJF on the mat! MJF's hand drops three times! He is out! Joe is the new champion! A great match with MJF fighting with everything he has to try and retain but in the end, Joe was too much for the wounded champion. ****
Triple Crown Championship Match: Katsuhiko Nakajima (c) vs. Kento Miyahara at AJPW Mania X 2023: An excellent rematch to these two's first match. Both start off slowly looking for an opening before Nakajima starts to fire off leg kicks. Kento isn't willing to play defense tonight though and fires back on Nakajima with his own shots and some rather vicious headbutts. The match becomes a slight back and forth affair before Nakajima blocks a Lariat with a brutal kick and looks to have broken Kento's arm. Nakajima is all over the arm with his lethal offense while Kento tries to fight back. Awesome moment with Kento catching Nakajima with a big knee and the two start to go all out with some nice near-falls for both men. Kento tries for the Shut Down but his arm is too damaged to lock it in and Nakajima is able to fight out. Nakajima drops Kento with a Northern Lights Bomb but doesn't go for the pin, and instead locks in an armbar. Kento fights as much as he can but he has to tap out. Nakajima tapped out the AJPW Ace. Wow! Kento came in fired up and looking to prove himself this time against his rival but found himself in deep waters with this new and more dangerous Nakajima. ****1/4
Comentarios