Top Matches I Watched in February 2026

Top Matches I Watched in February 2026

By Alex Kalil

2026 continues to deliver the goods! WWE had a few highlights as did some smaller indies but the star of the month was NJPW giving us an incredible USA show and AEW being a must watch on a weekly basis. And we still got a lot more of 2026 to get to!

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. AJ Styles at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event 1/24: A really good back and forth match from these old foes. Nakamura is able to ground and work over Styles early as Styles seems not on his game in the opening minutes. Nakamura fires up Styles, who comes back with some strikes of his own, only for Nakamura's kicks and knees to cut off Styles and work over his midsection. Styles switches up tactics and goes after Nakamura's knee with a Dragon Screw and locks in the Calf Crusher. Nakamura is locked in the hold for a while before he is able to reverse out into an armbar. Styles lifts Nakamura up for a Styles Clash but Nakamura fights out and tries to double leg Styles, only to get a knee in the face! Nakamura rocks Styles with a knee of his own but his knee gives out when going for the Kinshasa. We get some nice back and forth from both men before Nakamura goes for another Kinshasa which is blocked into a Styles Clash, but Nakamura rolls through and knees Styles in the face! Kinshasa is blocked again by Styles and a second one is avoided as Nakamura runs into the turnbuckle. Styles lands the Phenomenal Forearm and finally hits the Styles Clash to get the 3. A damn good match from these two. Really enjoyed Styles going for the knee to take away Nakamura's best weapon and also set up for the Calf Crusher. The odd back and forth before the finish felt like extra bloat and honestly took away from what could have been a tight 15 minute match. ****

Kenny Omega vs. Andrade El Idolo at AEW Dynamite 2/4: Just a really good match with a back and forth flow to it. Andrande toys with Omega by stalling at the bell before we get into the match. Omega looks in control in the opening minutes with his strikes, even rocking Andrade with a V-Trigger early to send Andrade to the floor. Andrade is able to cut off Omega with a suplex on the floor and gets some heat on Omega for a few, only for Omega to fire back. Some nice storytelling to the match with Omega able to control in a straight up wrestling match while Andrade is able to take over with some cheap shots and classic heel tactics to work over Omega. Simple but effective wrestling storytelling. Andrade locks in a Figure Four to try and take away Omega's speed and powerful knee strikes but when Andrade bridges on the hold, Omega is able to reverse it and force Andrade to go to the ropes. Omega starts building momentum and looks for a Bret's rope One-Winged Angel but Andrade counters with a Poison Rana! Hammerlock DDT by Andrade but only a 2 count! The two men trade strikes before Andrade rocks Omega with a brutal elbow and Don Callis hands Andrade the screwdriver while distracting the referee. Swerve Strickland runs out and takes the screwdriver from Andrade but also pulls the referee's attention away from the match as Andrade slips out of the One-Winged Angel and low blows Omega! DM by Andrade and he gets the win! A damn good back and forth match with some perfect babyface and heel dynamics to the action. The finish was a clever way to give Andrade the win while giving Omega an out and a new feud to focus on. ****

#1 Contendership Match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship: Taichi and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura at NJPW Road to The New Beginnings 2026 Night 1: A really great back and forth tag match. Ishii and Taichi come in looking to fight and humble the younger team but Shota and Yuya both don't let the veterans push them around as they fire back at them with their own strikes. As the match goes on we get some nice storytelling as Shota and Yuya are able to use teamwork to take the advantage while Taichi and Ishii just want to bomb them and drop them on their heads. Really great touch with the back and forth of the match as the momentum keeps changing due to one of the teammates coming in to help double team and allow their partner to take over. A small but effective storytelling element. Taichi and Ishii are able to isolate Shota and send a message to the Knockout Brothers at ringside by hitting a KOB variation with a Piledriver/Kick combo for a huge near-fall. Yuya comes in to help Shota fight back and finally hits Taichi with the Deadbolt Suplex, after trying for it all match to take him out. Shota and Yuya nail Ishii with a Dragon Riot before Shota levels Ishii with a Lariat and hits Second Chapter to get his team the win. A great tag team match from both teams. I loved the veteran team playing more of the bully heels and forcing the younger team to work together to overcome them and get the win. ****1/4

Steel Cage Match: 1 Called Manders vs. Mad Dog Connelly at GCW/JCW Jersey J-Cup 2026 Night 1: A brutal and stiff fight! These two go right at it as soon as they both enter the cage. Manders is able to toss around Connelly early with his size and busts him open against the cage. Connelly's brawling and violent style allows him to cut off Manders, bust him open and work him over with gutwrench suplexes. Awesome spot with Manders trying for a comeback, only for Connelly to gouge at his eyes like a mad man. Manders is able to eventually fight back by smartly targeting Connelly's bare feet with stomps, running them into the cage and even biting them before getting Connelly's dog collar around his neck. Match becomes a back and forth slugfest as both men just throw everything they can at the other trying to knock them down. Connelly is able to take over with a top rope gutwrench suplex and gets the other end of the chain on Manders. More big bombs from both men before Manders is able to use the chain to pull Connelly into a big Lariat to get the win. Just a great fight from these two. Loved that there were no other weapons used outside of Connelly's trademark dog collar and these two used the cage effectively to beat the hell out of each other all match. Finish was a little sudden but worked as Manders was able to use Connelly's own weapon against him to get the win. ****

AEW TNT Championship Match: Tommaso Ciampa (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher at AEW Dynamite 2/11: An insane back and forth match from these two! Fletcher tries to stall early on but Ciampa isn't having it and takes the fight right to him. We get a nice bit of storytelling with Ciampa utilizing his strikes to rock Fletcher while Fletcher targets Ciampa's back with his big power offense. Really great spot with Fletcher looking to hit a Brainbuster on the steel steps but Ciampa counters with a Psycho Driver on the steps! Fletcher is just barely able to beat the count-out, only for Ciampa to drill him with a knee as he slides into the ring! 2 count! From there the match becomes a war of attrition as both men pull out all the stops and hit huge bombs back and forth. Powerbombs, Knees and Brainbusters all get big near-falls as the crowd goes wild for the action. Fletcher goes for the Turnbuckle Brainbuster but Ciampa slips behind for a German Suplex!  Knee by Ciampa only gets a 2! Ciampa drops the knee pad for another knee but Fletcher still kicks out! Fletcher suckers Ciampa in and hits a Leg Lariat but when he goes for another Ciampa is there with a knee! Brainbuster by Ciampa but still only a 2! Ciampa charges again, but this time Fletcher is there with a Lariat! Brainbuster by Fletcher who finally gets the pin to win the championship! What a war! These two beat the holy hell out of each other and delivered an amazing match. Ciampa looked like a vicious and brutal fighter all match as he took Fletcher's best shots and gave it back to him all match but Fletcher was able to withstand it all, fight back and reclaim the TNT title. Awesome match! ****1/2

AEW Continental Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Grand Slam Australia 2026: A hard hitting and physical match of the striker vs. brawler. We get some nice mat wrestling to start from both men before the match picks up in aggression. We get some good storytelling with Moxley looking to brawl and fight Takeshita while Takeshita relies on his power offense and big strikes to cut off Moxley multiple times. Moxley is able to stop Takeshita's momentum with a nice Cutter before a stomp on the apron. Moxley is willing to take the count-out but Takeshita beats the count at 9, only for Moxley to be ready with another stomp for a nice near-fall. 5 minutes left and Moxley tries to go back to mat work with a Bulldog Choke and Armbar but Takeshita is able to get to the ropes to break it up and drill Moxley with a big elbow. Exploder Suplex and a Powerdrive Knee by Takeshita only gets a 2 count. Takeshita tries for his own submissions but Moxley counters with a Death Rider that drops Takeshita on his head! 2 count! 1 minute to go and Moxley tries for a second Death Rider but Takeshita blocks it as the two men trade headbutts that drop both into opposite corners. 30 seconds to go as the two charge and Moxley levels Takeshita with a Lariat. Cover! 1 count! Takeshita with a knee to the back of Moxley's head but only gets 2 as time runs out and we have a draw! Great match! We got a pretty average start to the match with both trying to work their style before things picked up as time ran out. Crowd went wild for the last big near-falls and back and forth before the time limit draw which nicely sets up a rematch down the line. ****

#1 Contendership Match for the AEW World Championship: Adam Page vs. Andrade El Idolo at AEW Grand Slam Australia 2026: A really good back and forth match of the hard hitting Hangman vs. the quicker and more tactical Andrade. Bell sounds and Andrade tries to stall and toy with Page, who comes out the gate swinging and not playing any games. Things settle as the story of the match plays out: Page looks to hammer Andrande into defeat with his powerful Lariats while Andrade looks to pick his spots for some quick strikes or offense. Great spot with Andrade countering a springboard by Page into a Reverse Spanish Fly to take over for a bit. Some really nice back and forth from both men before Page looks for the Buckshot Lariat, only to run right into a back elbow by Andrade! Double Knees in the corner by Andrade followed by a Hammerlock DDT only gets a 2, which frustrates Andrade. Page starts to fight back before nailing a Dead Eye and setting up for the Buckshot. Don Callis draws the referee's attention as Page goes for the Buckshot and Andrade tries to low blow him but Page catches it! Low blow by Page! Buckshot Lariat connects and Page gets the win! Really good match with Page clearly having the power and strength edge so Andrade had to try to work smarter to find openings to work him over. In the end, Andrade tried to cheat like he had in the past to get the win but the Hangman was able to beat him at his game this time. ****

Ladder Match for the AEW TNT Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Mark Briscoe at AEW Grand Slam Australia 2026: A brutal, violent and bloody ladder match! Both men get right into it and start throwing strikes at each other. Match spills to the floor and Mark goes up a ladder for a spot but Fletcher stops him and tosses Mark off the ladder onto the apron! Jesus! Fletcher is solidly in control now as he works over Mark and even Lawn Darts him into a ladder to bust him open. Mark eventually recovers as Fletcher tries to set up a ladder and starts to fight back, even busting up Fletcher as a receipt. Tons of wild big ladder spots: Froggy Bow on a bridged ladder, powerbomb into a ladder and even a Jay Driller through a ladder! Mark starts to climb but Fletcher is able to stop him in time. Fletcher hooks Mark's head and hits a Goddamn Brainbuster off the top of the ladder! Holy Shit! Fletcher climbs, but somehow Mark gets to his feet and tries to climb up and stop him. Headbutts by Fletcher before he pushes over the ladder Mark is on and Fletcher is able to retain. The guys were a little fast to get up from the insane bumps they took but this was a hell of a ladder match! Nice heated strikes and exchanges from both men plus some incredible spots that put over the dangers of the match. ****1/4

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: Knockout Brothers (c) vs. Shota Umino and Yuya Uemura at NJPW The New Beginning in Osaka 2026: An incredible and heated tag team match! Knockout Brothers rush the ring on their entrance and we start off hot! Yuya and Ice pick up right where they left off with both throwing stiff strikes at each other and Yuya going after Ice's bad left arm. Great opening exchange to set the tone of the match. OSKAR and Shota get in the ring and go at it for a bit, but this time Shota targets the neck of OSKAR with a variety of DDTs to try and take away the big man's power instead of going after his legs. Nice twist from their last match as this makes OSKAR the partner in peril and Ice the one to come in to help him out. Both teams work super well together but the intensity picks up every time Yuya and Ice get in the ring together with violent and stiff strikes and some brutal offense that brings out the best of both men. OSKAR's hurt neck keeps preventing Knockout Brothers from hitting KOB and allows Yuya and Shota to get in some double team offense like a Power and Glory and a Dragon Riot for close near-falls. OSKAR is able to fight through the pain and gets Shota up for a KOB with Ice to take him out of the match. Yuya has to go it alone against both men and does a great job fighting back and even tries for the Deadbolt Suplex but Ice is there to stop him. KOB on Yuya and the Knockout Brothers retain! What a match! Shota and Yuya came in fired up and looking to cement themselves as a top tag team by working over OSKAR and taking the fight to Ice. Their strategy almost paid off multiple times but Knockout Brothers were able to rally every time to fight back and keep themselves alive long enough to take out Shota, isolate Yuya and finish him off. An incredible display of tag team wrestling done right! ****1/2

Kenny Omega vs. Swerve Strickland at AEW Dynamite 2/18: A fantastic and exciting back and forth match. Things start off very evenly with both men showing off their impressive power and agility early on with neither having the clear advantage. Great back and forth action with both men stringing together some nice offensive flurries before Omega cuts off Swerve going to the top and nailing a Snap Dragon Suplex and a V-Trigger to take over. Omega starts laying in knees but Swerve blocks one and cuts off Omega with a backbreaker. Swerve starts to up the aggression as he rams Omega into the turnbuckle, including an unprotected one. Swerve goes for a Cop Killa on the apron but Omega reverses into a brutal Snap Dragon Suplex on the apron! Omega looks for another Snap Dragon Suplex off the apron to the floor and is able to headbutt Swerve into letting go of the ropes to hit it but Swerve flips out and lands on his feet! Brainbuster on the floor to Omega! 450 Splash back in the ring by Swerve, but only a 2 count! Swerve tries for his own Snap Dragon Suplex but Omega is able to counter out and, once again, utilizes his knee strikes to take back over. Omega gets Swerve up top and hits a Top Rope Snap Dragon Suplex! Holy Fuck! Swerve looks hurt so the referee checks on him as Omega lines up a V-Trigger. Swerve pulls the referee in the way of the V-Trigger! Omega tries for the One-Winged Angel but Swerve rolls out and nails a House Call. Cover but no referee still. Omega rolls to the apron and Swerve hits a Swerve Stomp on the apron! Swerve catapults Omega into an exposed bottom turnbuckle to soften his jaw up and nails a second Swerve Stomp as a second referee enters the match. Cover but only a 2! Jesus! Omega dodges a House Call and starts to fire back on Swerve! One-Winged Angel is blocked again by Swerve and the two men hit the ropes as Swerve drills Omega with a House Call. Big Pressure by Swerve who beats Omega clean! What a match! Two evenly matched wrestlers going at it. I loved the slow and subtle heel turn by Swerve as he got more and more aggressive trying to put Omega away, even using the referee as a shield before he was able to finally get the win. What a match! ****1/4

World of Stardom Championship Match: Saya Kamitani (c) vs. Starlight Kid at Stardom 15th Anniversary Supreme Fight 2026 in Osaka: A hard hitting and physical match between these two. We get some really nice quick wrestling and counters in the opening minutes as Starlight Kid is able to show off her speed while Saya has the edge with her powerful strikes and strength. Saya gets some heat on Starlight Kid as she throws her around ringside, allows Hate to get some shots in and hit big power moves. Classic heel tactics. Meanwhile, Starlight Kid does a great job finding ways to fight back with her high flying offense and even going after Saya's leg. Match is stopped for a few as Saya dislocated two of her fingers but once they are back in place, the pace picks way up! Saya seems annoyed at Starlight Kid hurting her and starts bombing her with offense and even goes after her mask. Starlight Kid starts to focus more on the leg and even locks in the Black Tiger Leg Killer for an amazing near submission win as Saya just barely gets to the ropes. Starlight Kid starts going for big bombs as well now as she hits an insane Avalanche Tiger Driver! Tiger Suplex follows up but only a 2! Star Suplex by Starlight Kid but only 2 again! Starlight Kid goes to the top again but this time Saya is able to cut her off and hits a Bret's rope Star Crusher! Only 2! A Spinning Star Crusher finally puts Starlight Kid down and gives Saya the win. A really great match from these two. The injury and pause took some of the energy from the match but they got it right back. Really enjoyed Starlight Kid having Saya on the ropes but switching tactics to try and bomb her into defeat instead of sticking with the leg work, which ended up costing her the match. ****1/4

Mile High Madness Match: FTR and The Demand vs. The Young Bucks, Jack Perry, Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz at AEW Dynamite 2/25: A wild and chaotic match! The heels jump Perry as he makes his entrance and we start off hot! All 10 men brawl around ringside and even into the crowd in the early portion of the match and the energy stays up for the whole match with tons of wild spots. Myron Reed saves Xavier from getting thrown off the stage by Liona and hits him with a leaping Cutter from the ramp into the ring! Superkicks to FTR by the Bucks and Rascalz. Perry looks to piledrive Liona but instead gets backdropped up and over the top to the floor through a table! Heels start working over the babyfaces and we get an awesome combo Power and Glory by FTR and GOA on Xavier before a 450 from Ricochet but the babyfaces break up the pin. Perry makes his way back in and takes out Liona with a sunset bomb through a table on the floor! Shatter Machine is blocked and the Bucks throw Cash through the ropes to crash into Dax and send both men through a table! Great spot! Double Superkicks and a Flame Wheel by the Bucks and Rascalz to Kaun. Perry with a Destroyer on Ricochet and an EVP Trigger from the Bucks. Perry gets tossed by the Bucks and nails Ricochet with a knee to get the win! Just a super fun match! Wild, chaotic and just a spotfest in the best way possible. Felt like an Anarchy in the Arena for free TV! ****1/4

NJPW Strong Openweight Championship Match: Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Boltin Oleg at NJPW The New Beginning USA 2026: A Hoss fight between two big badass dudes! Match starts off evenly with both men trying to out-power the other before they start throwing stiff strikes at each other. Some nice subtle storytelling with Oleg being the younger and maybe more powerful of the two men while Ishii has his veteran experience like chopping Oleg in the throat and is more hardened from his past physical fights and able to endure more than Oleg at times. Some awesome back and forth exchanges including an extended chop exchange before the two start going for big bombs. Lots of counters and reversals by both men including a brutal headbutt to Oleg's jaw by Ishii. Oleg is able to fight Ishii up on his shoulders for a short range Kamikaze for a nice near-fall. Ishii fires back and starts a comeback but Oleg pops him up and catches Ishii with a Verdict! Holy Shit! Kamikaze by Oleg and he gets the win! Just a hard hitting match from two big lads! Exactly what you would want from these two. ****

NJPW World Television Championship Match: El Phantasmo (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita at NJPW New Beginning USA 2026: A very good back and forth match of the fast high flyer vs. the powerful striker. We get some quick wrestling exchanges early with ELP trying to use his speed to catch Takeshita off guard. Takeshita is able to cut off ELP when going for a dive and brawls with him a bit on the floor before a DDT on the apron almost gets ELP counted out. ELP is able to mount a comeback with his high flying style including an insane Moonsault to the outside into the crowd! Some nice counters and back and forth from both men as they look for big offense to get the win. Sudden Death, Blue Thunder Bomb, Powerdrive Knee, Canadian Hammer and even CRII only get near-falls. Time is running out as Takeshita blocks Thunder Kiss '86 and goes for Raging Fire, but ELP counters with a roll-up! Kick-out but ELP goes right into hitting Raging Fire! Time runs out and we have a draw! But wait! ELP wants 5 more minutes! Both men pick up right where they left off and trade big shots and go for quick pins. Takeshita hits ELP with a CRII for a super close near-fall! ELP tries for another quick pin but Takeshita kicks out and nails a Powerdrive Knee. Raging Fire gets Takeshita the win and we have a new champion! Really really good stuff! A slow start at first but it built up to a really exciting finish with both men doing everything they can to get the win. I liked ELP seemingly having the match won before the time limit expired, only for Takeshita to beat him with 5 more minutes. ****

IWGP Women's Championship Match: Syuri (c) vs. Athena at NJPW New Beginning USA 2026: A really good match of the powerful striker and technical wrestler vs. the quick and powerful challenger. Some even back and forth sequences to start before Syuri is able to take over with her striking ability and tries to work over Athena's arm early. Athena rolls to the outside to escape and surprises Syuri by throwing her into the guardrail. This gives Athena the opening to work over Syuri's back for some heat before Syuri is able to fight back. Nice strategy by Syuri, who goes after Athena's arm to take away her big offensive bombs she is able to pull off while also working for some submissions. Awesome spot of Syuri getting Athena in a Triangle Choke but Athena is able to power her up for a powerbomb three times before Syuri finally lets go of the hold and Athena gets a nice near-fall. Both women start going for bigger and bigger bombs on each other before Athena is able to nail a Tombstone for a close near-fall! Athena tries to follow up but Syuri rocks her with a headbutt and nails Syu-Sakai to get the win! Just a really good back and forth match. Loved Athena having to work smarter against the better technical wrestler in Syuri before we got to the big near-falls down the stretch. ****

IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship Match: Yota Tsuji (c) vs. Andrade El Idolo at NJPW New Beginning USA 2026: A really great battle between the powerhouse champion and the smart, technical heel.  Match starts off evenly with Andrade toying with Tsuji and trying to frustrate him with his quick counters. Tsuji is finally able to get a hold of Andrade and goes to work on him with big power moves and targeting the midsection. Nice back and forth flow to the match with Tsuji working over Andrade with his power while Andrade is able to pick his spots and use his quickness to take over from time to time. Tsuji starts looking for Gene Blaster but Andrade is able to avoid and counter it each time and lands his own big shots like a Hammerlock DDT and a Double Underhook Destroyer! Back Elbow by Andrade rocks Tsuji and gets a very close near-fall. Andrade goes to the top, which allows Tsuji to cut him off and hit a Destroyer of his own. Gene Blaster attempted again but Andrade nails Tsuji with one of his own! Tsuji manages to fight back before finally hitting a short range Gene Blaster! A second Gene Blaster hits full on but Andrade kicks out at 2! Boston Crab by Tsuji! Andrade fights his way to the ropes but Tsuji pulls him back to the center of the ring and sits back on the hold to force Andrade to tap out! Great match! Tsuji looked like a powerhouse all match, which Andrade had to find clever and smart ways to pick apart to try and get the win. Some really good near-falls and action down the stretch before Tsuji hits his best shot and taps out another challenger. ****