Top Matches I Watched in January 2026

Top Matches I Watched in January 2026

By Alex Kalil

Welcome to 2026, wrestling fans! We started off with an amazing Wrestle Kingdom from NJPW, plus some amazing AEW stuff as always and even some NXT. Plus I was able to finish off 2025 with some Stardom, NOAH and CMLL. 2025 is done and 2026 awaits us!

Champion vs. Champion Match: IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita vs. IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20: An incredible back and forth battle between these two. We get a rather standard start to the match with both men feeling each other out. We can see early on that Tsuji has a clear power and size advantage but Takeshita looks more capable of enduring punishment and throwing big bombs on top of his powerful strikes. Takeshita makes a target of Tsuji's neck to soften him up for some of Takeshita's bigger bombs while Tsuji smartly goes after Takeshita's midsection to try and neutralize some of that power while also setting him up for the Gene Blaster. Some incredible back and forth action and counters from both men including Tsuji blocking a Bastard Driver with one of his own into a Wheelbarrow German but Takeshita comes back with a Gene Blaster! Tsuji goes back to the midsection to cut off Takeshita but his neck stops his momentum. German Suplex by Takeshita but Tsuji absorbs it and Gene Blasters Takeshita into the corner! Awesome spot. A knee stops a second Gene Blaster and Takeshita hits a Blue Thunder Bomb and Raging Fire! Cover! 1... 2... Tsuji gets his foot on the rope! More back and forth as Tsuji fights from underneath. A Marlowe Crash is cut off and Takeshita hits an Avalanche Blue Thunder Bomb! Holy Shit! Powerdrive Knee but Tsuji still kicks out! My God! Takeshita drops the knee pad and goes for a second but Tsuji stops him with a headbutt! The two men stand across the ring from each other and charge! Powerdrive Knee is cut off by a Gene Blaster! Boston Crab by Tsuji! Takeshita tries to power out but Tsuji sits back on the hold and Takeshita has to tap! Tsuji wins the big one! A damn near perfect match from these two. The counters and back and forth sequences were incredible as were the edge of your seat near-falls. Tsuji winning back the IWGP title from the "outsider" with the very hold taught to all New Japan Young Lions was a great poetic finish. ****3/4

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20: A perfect finale to one of the greatest all time feuds. Right from the start we get a clear heel vs. face as Okada grabs Tanahashi's hair, and heels it up early while Tanahashi runs through some trademark offense. Okada cuts off Tanahashi with a DDT on the floor and goes to work on the Ace's neck to set up for the Rainmaker. Okada gets cocky though and Tanahashi goes after his leg with a pair of Dragon Screws and a dropkick to the knee. Okada rolls to the floor to recover but Tanahashi follows with a High Fly Flow from the top rope to the outside! Tanahashi is leaving everything in the ring tonight! Tanahashi stays on Okada when he beats the count-out but Okada is able to cut off Tanahashi and starts to string together his classic offense. Rainmaker attempted but is blocked by Tanahashi with a trio of Twist & Shouts. Okada comes right back with a Tombstone and another one on the ramp! Okada walks to the ring, happy with a count-out win, but Tanahashi beats the count! A jumping Tombstone on Tanahashi but only 2! Okada gains wrist control and starts laying in Lariats on Tanahashi to set up for the Rainmaker. Some great counters and blocks by Tanahashi, who ends it by hitting Okada with a Rainmaker of his own! Okada doesn't stay down for long though and finally is able to hit Tanahashi with the Rainmaker! Only a 2 count! Okada tries to send a message to Tanahashi and locks in a Boston Crab but Tanahashi is able to will himself to fight back and get to the ropes! Tanahashi ducks a Rainmaker and starts firing back with his own offense and nails a Slingblade. Tanahashi locks Okada in a Sleeper and drills him with a Shibata PK! Tanahashi does a Nakamura pose and nails the Boma-Ye!!! High Fly Flow by the Ace! But only gets a 2! Tanahashi stays on Okada with a Dragon Suplex for a bridging pin but only 2 again. A High Fly Flow to the back of Okada. One last High Fly Flow but Okada gets his knees up! The two rivals go back and forth as they dish out strikes and offense. Okada goes for a Tombstone but Tanahashi reverses into his own attempt, only for Okada to counter and hit Destino! Cobra Flowson and a Rainmaker! Cover! Tanahashi kicks out yet again! Okada tells Tanahashi to get to his feet for a body slam and an elbow drop. Rainmaker pose by Okada! One final Rainmaker gives Okada the win and brings an end to Tanahashi's wrestling career. What a Goddamn Match! We got the classic back and forth from these two yet again but also some nice layered references to their past like Tanahashi using offense from Shitaba and Nakamura, Okada using Naito's Destino and even the Young Lion Boston Crab. The ending was perfect with Okada going back to his old New Japan ways to put an end to the Ace of the Universe. *****

World Tag League 2025 Final Match: Gabe Kidd vs. Yota Tsuji vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa at NJPW World Tag League 2025 Night 17: A really good back and forth tag match. Some nice exchanges from all 4 men to start the match and show how evenly matched everyone is. Story of the match plays out with Gabe and Tsuji being the powerhouses and looking to just bomb their opponents into the ground while Sabre and Oiwa are a nice mixture of power, strikes and their technical wrestling ability. Gabe and Tsuji make a point of going after Oiwa for most of the match and allowing Sabre to play the veteran savior, who comes in to help his young partner and get his team back in the match. As the match goes on though, we see Oiwa fighting back on his own more and more and going toe to toe with both men at times. Some great near-falls from both teams with Sabre and Oiwa locking both men in dual submissions at one point for the near tap-out win. Gabe and Tsuji rally and even hit Oiwa with War Blaster but Sabre makes the save in time. Tsuji takes out Sabre with a dive as he and Gabe look for War Blaster again but Sabe pulls Tsuji from the ring. Oiwa and Gabe trade blows before Oiwa hits The Grip to rock Gabe and get the pin. Some really great exchanges from these 4 men even if things went a little long and felt disjointed at times. Finish was good as Oiwa was able to rally and fight back to get his team the win, although a little longer on the finish would have been nice. ****

Street Fight: Andrew Everett and BK Westbrook vs. Adam Priest and Trevor Lee at DPW 4th Anniversary Show: A super fun Southern style tag team match. Babyfaces come in hot and take the fight right to the heels. Trevor and Priest try to stop their momentum by bringing in weapons to even the fight up but again, Everett and Westbrook are able to rally with their teamwork and speed. Priest cuts off Everett with a chair to the head while Everett is using a ladder and the heels start getting the heat as Everett is busted open. Really liked the heels doing a good job isolating one member of the babyface team to try and just beat the hell out of the lone member. Everett looks to fight back again but ends up having the ladder he is on tipped over and he crashes hard into a table in the corner! Westbrook is forced to go it alone while Everett recovers and gets some nice offense in after some friendly fire by Trevor on Priest. Westbrook with a Chokeslam on Priest followed by a Shooting Star Press from Everett but Trevor breaks up the pin! Match spills to the outside as Priest and Everett brawl up the balcony and Priest tries to throw Everett off it! Everett fights back though and instead hits an insane Crossbody off the balcony onto Trevor and some security! Poison Rana and a Sliced Bread on Trevor but Priest pulls the referee out! Everett takes out Priest with a Moonsault while Westbrook Chokeslams Trevor. A pair of Shooting Star Presses from the babyfaces who get the win! Just a fun match! Classic heel vs. face dynamic and some really good action with a hot crowd. ****

Dog Collar Match: Erick Stevens vs. Mad Dog Connelly at DPW 4th Anniversary Show: A wild and chaotic brawl of a match! Both men come out fired up and fighting on the floor before the match even gets started. We get an extended brawl on the floor as both men throw each other around ringside and try to attack each other with anything they can get their hands on. Connelly is able to use the chain to choke Stevens before attacking with a screwdriver to bust him open. Connelly works on Stevens for some heat while Stevens finds little openings to fight back and try to rally. Stevens goes to suplex Connelly into two chairs but ends up backdropped onto them and hurting his leg. Connelly smells blood in the water and immediately locks in a Half Crab on the injured leg. Stevens fights and crawls to try and escape before he gets his hands on the screwdriver and stabs Connelly's knee to break the hold! Stevens takes the screwdriver to Connelly's bare foot to try and get him to tap but the Mad Dog just gouges Stevens' eyes to stop him. Connelly looks to hang Stevens over the top rope and choke him out but Stevens makes it back to a vertical base to stop the choke, only to be hit by a Lariat. The two exchange strikes but Stevens gets the best of it with a Rolling Elbow to the back of the head and one to Connelly's face. Brainbuster by Stevens onto a steel chair and he gets the win! What an awesome, violent match! These two worked like they were trying to kill each other all match and found clever and unique ways to keep the violence fresh. ****

5STAR Grand Prix 2025 Final Match: Momo Watanabe vs. AZM at Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix 2025 Night 13: A really good back and forth match. The match follows a very basic story with Momo in the driver seat with her powerful strikes and big offense while AZM tries to rally with her speed and high flying offense while also trying for arm submissions. Lots of back and forth action with both women utilizing their strategies to try and get the win. AZM is able to start a big babyface comeback with some really close tap-outs and near-falls like a Destroyer right into a AZM Sushi for a 2 count. Just when it looks like AZM has the match won, HATE gets involved but Momo stops her stablemates as she wants to beat AZM on her own. We get an exciting finishing stretch of back and forth counters before Momo nails the Peach Sunrise for the win. A really good match with an easy to follow story. Some really nice near-falls all match until Momo finally hits her big bomb needed to put away AZM. ****

Champion vs. Champion Match: World of Stardom Champion Saya Kamitani vs. NJPW STRONG Women's Champion AZM at Stardom Nighter in Korakuen 9/27: An exciting back and forth match. We start off with some quick exchanges before the two take the fight into the crowd for a bit. Saya takes over with her size and power advantage plus her powerful kicks while AZM has to try to use her speed and quick offense to fight back. Things pick up as both women pull out all the stops with lots of big offense. AZM starts spamming Destroyers to try and keep Saya down but Saya fights back even countering an AZM Sushi into a Star Crusher! Insane spot of AZM hitting a top rope Destroyer but Saya still kicks out! Saya fights back with kicks to rock AZM before finishing her with a Kamigoye and a Star Crusher for the win. A great match with these two going all out to get the win.  A bit excessive near the end but still damn good. ****1/4

Darby Allin vs. PAC at AEW Dynamite 1/14-Maximum Carnage 2026: A very fun and heated match from these two. Darby hits a dive on PAC as he makes his entrance and we start off with a wild brawl on the floor and into the crowd. PAC tries to get away but ends up suckering Darby into position for a German Suplex on the floor followed up with a Belly to Belly onto the ring steps! Jesus! Match finally gets in the ring to officially start as PAC levels Darby with a Lariat and looks for the quick win but Darby kicks out. From there, PAC goes to work on Darby for the heat while Darby looks to rally and fight back. Darby starts mounting a comeback with some dropkicks and quick offense before PAC cuts him off with a Belly to Belly into the corner and a follow-up one from the top rope! Awesome Bomb by PAC sends Darby over the top and onto the ramp! Good Lord! PAC sits and watches as Darby is counted out but Darby makes it back into the ring at 9! Darby flips off PAC, who hops down from the second rope and tweaks his ankle on the landing. Darby immediately takes the opening to attack PAC,who rolls to the floor to recover. Darby follows him with a Coffin Drop to the floor! Another Coffin Drop on the apron and PAC is in trouble now! Darby splashes PAC in the corner but on the third one, PAC uses the referee as a shield. Darby doesn't let up and locks in the Scorpion Death Lock and PAC taps but no referee. Wheeler Yuta tries to attack with a chair but Darby stops him and takes the chair. Darby puts the chair on PAC's hurt ankle and hits a Coffin Drop on it! Brutal! Scorpion Death Lock again and this time the referee sees the tap out to give Darby the win! What a match! Darby looked to come out the gate fast and furious but PAC was able to work him over with some big power offense. However, PAC took too long toying with Darby and hurt himself being cocky, which allowed Darby to fight back and get revenge on PAC. The overbooked finish was a little off putting but ended up working for this match. ****

Four Way Match for the #1 Contendership for the AEW World Tag Team Championship: GOA vs. JetSpeed vs. Davis and Doyle vs. The Young Bucks at AEW Dynamite 1/14-Maximum Carnage 2026: A super fun, action-filled match. The babyfaces team start off hot by clearing the ring and hitting dives on both heel teams before getting into a bit of back and forth with each other. Heels get back involved and we pretty much get an 8 man tag as the faces and heels team up against each other for a good bit of time. Lots of big spots and double team offense that allows all 4 teams to shine in their own ways. The team up doesn't last as GOA goes after Davis and Doyle and everyone fights everyone. Some really great near-falls like Liona lifting the Bucks up on his shoulders, only for Bailey to land an Ultimo Weapon on top of all 3! UFO Splash by Knight but Khan makes the save. The Bucks lay out everyone with Superkicks before a BTE Trigger on Bailey but Ricochet pulls out the referee! Jack Perry attacks Ricochet and the two fight into the crowd. Back in the ring, Doyle counters a Rana from Bailey into a Powerbomb to the outside onto the Bucks and GOA! Pop-up Piledriver by Davis on Knight and Davis and Doyle get the upset win! Super fun PWG style match with a ton of action the whole time. Really liked the newer big man team of Davis and Doyle getting the surprising win to shake up the tag division. ****

AEW World Championship Match: MJF (c) vs. Bandido at AEW Dynamite 1/14-Maximum Carnage 2026: An excellent back and forth match! Bell sounds and we get some quick wrestling exchanges from both men. Bandido looks to be the faster of the two wrestlers and maybe the stronger one as well so MJF tries to stall on the outside. Bandido goes after him but leaves himself open for MJF to go after the previously injured shoulder of Bandido to set up for a submission but also to chip away at some of Bandido's strength. From there the match follows a very simple story: MJF works over Bandido's arm while Bandido works for a comeback, only for MJF to continuously go back to the arm to cut him off. The back and forth is excellent and exciting to watch as these two perfectly play into the story of the match and allows Bandido to get just enough shine to get the crowd behind him before MJF cuts off the momentum. Bandido starts to gain ground on MJF though but fails to hit the 21-Plex when he has the opening due to the bad arm but he can hit a dive on the floor. MJF goes over the barricade to try and get away but Bandido leaps over the barricade to crash into MJF! Holy Shit! Poison Rana and a Code Red back in the ring only gets Bandido a 2 count. 21-Plex is blocked again due to the bad arm and MJF goes for a Heatseeker, which is blocked but MJF hits a nice Cutter on Bandido instead. MJF goes for the same tactic again when Bandido blocks the Heatseeker a second time but this time Bandido rocks MJF with a kick and nails a beautiful Shooting Star Press for a 2. 21-Plex attempted again but this time MJF lands on his feet and goes for a quick small package. The two men trade roll-ups and near-falls for a fun spot before Bandido hits the X-Knee. Bandido finally hits the 21-Plex but he can't complete the bridge. Bandido just barely covers MJF! 1... 2... MJF kicks out and locks Bandido's arm in The Salt of the Earth! Bandido fights to the ropes to try and break the hold but MJF pulls him back in the ring and transitions into a LeBell Lock! Bandido is fading! A middle finger by Bandido to MJF as he passes out and the referee calls for the bell. Awesome match! Bandido looked to have the advantage early on until MJF picked apart a weakness and used it to keep cutting off Bandido's momentum. Some excellent back and forth action, near-falls and perfect build up to Bandido finally hitting his Ace in the hole, The 21-Plex, only for it to leave him open for MJF's submission which cost him the match.  ****1/2

IYO SKY vs. Mayu Iwatani at Marigold Grand Destiny 2025: A great match between the former Ace and the new Ace. Things start off friendly and very even with both women able to out-wrestle the other at times. As the match goes on though, you can see IYO getting frustrated at Mayu matching her and starts to up the aggression, only for Mayu to continue to match her every step of the way. IYO hits a big dive on the outside, only for Mayu to immediately fire back with one of her own. Mayu starts looking to work over IYO but a body slam on the apron cuts off Mayu's momentum and allows IYO to take over. Some nice targeted offense on Mayu's back, who sells it perfectly. Mayu eventually starts firing back and we get an awesome back and forth of these two throwing everything they can at each other. Mayu hits IYO with her own Moonsault at one point for a near-fall only for IYO to fire back with a Mayu Dragon Suplex for her own near-fall. Some more back and forth before Mayu hits her Springboard Reverse Rana for the closest of near-falls. IYO follows up with a Straightjacket German and a pair of Over the Moonsaults to get the win. Just an awesome match from two incredible workers. Loved the subtle storytelling of IYO getting more and more aggressive when she sees that Mayu isn't the woman she last faced so many years ago and needed to bring her best to put her away while Mayu looked like a top star against the former Ace. ****1/4

Sendai Girls World Championship Match: Chihiro Hashimoto (c) vs. Sareee at Sendai Girls Chihiro Hashimoto Debut 10th Anniversary: A good hard hitting match. Some nice wrestling exchanges to start things off before Chihiro is able to take control early on with her power and size advantage. Sareee does a great job trying to find ways to fight back like using her speed or strikes, only for Chihiro to just cut her off. Sareee finally finds success by going after Chihiro's knee for a bit of heat and forcing Chihiro to sell and work from underneath. Chihiro mounts a comeback and we get a rather long and extensive finishing stretch of these two women throwing everything they could at each other. Stiff strikes, headbutts and a ton of huge bombs for some great near-falls from both women. Sareee hits a trio of Uranages but only gets a 2 count as does the follow-up Wrist-clutch Uranage. Sareee goes for another but Chihiro blocks it and fights out to hit a beautiful stalling German Supelx to get the win. Some great action and near-falls all match but the finish felt a little out of nowhere especially with all the big shots they were throwing all match. ****

NXT Championship Match: Oba Femi (c) vs. Je'Von Evans at NXT 12/9/25: A damn near perfect David vs. Goliath match. We get the story of the match in the opening moments with Oba looking to manhandle Je'Von, only for Je'Von to catch him with a quick knee to the face for a big near-fall. From there, the match plays out very much the same: Oba looks to use his power to throw Je'Von around and hit big strikes and offense while Je'Von looks to stick and move with quick offense and some big dive and high risk offense. The match is exciting and fast paced as both men keep things moving. Je'Von dodges a charging Oba on the floor, who crashes up and over the announcer's table and almost is counted out but makes it back in a 9. Je'Von is waiting and nails a pair of Frog Splashes on Oba for a near-fall. Some great, quick back and forth action before Je'Von nails a Cutter followed by an OG Cutter on Oba! Cover! 1... 2... someone pulls the referee from the ring! It's Ricky Saints! Je'Von takes out Ricky with a dive and looks to stay on Oba, but a big Lariat shuts him down. Fall From Grace by Oba to retain. What a match! The action and storytelling was excellent all match with Je'Von really pushing Oba with the fast paced he was working. The Ricky Saints interference and Je'Von losing was a bit deflating but all worked here. ****1/4

60 Minute Iron Man Match: Kenoh vs. Kaito Kiyomiya at Pro Wrestling NOAH Kaito Kiyomiya 10 Year Anniversary Show: Another really good match from these generational rivals. The match starts off very technical with lots of mat wrestling and working holds with Kaito seemingly having the advantage. Kenoh tries to be aggressive early on and make this a fight but Kaito stays calm and keeps going back to wrestling holds. We get a bit of Kenoh in control as he lands some stiff kicks on Kaito and punishes him for a bit until Kaito starts firing back. Both men start up the pace and we get some really nice back and forth exchanges of counters from the two. Kaito looks to run through his signature offense but misses the Skywalk Elbow, which gives Kenoh the opening to lock in the Kenoh Special. Kaito is able to get to the ropes but the damage is clearly done. Kaito tries to go back to wrestling with a couple of roll-up attempts but Kenoh gets the Kenoh Special locked in again and Kaito has to tap this time to give Kenoh his first fall. Kenoh starts on the wounded Kaito and even backdrops him to the floor! Kenoh follows up with some kicks but misses one and hits the ring post! Kaito has an opening and tries to take over but Kenoh manages to block his strikes and hits a Dragon Suplex on the floor! Kenoh to the top and he hits a PFS from the top rope to the floor on Kaito! Holy Shit! Kaito tries to make it back to the ring but can't and is counted out for Kenoh's 2nd fall. Kaito struggles back in and avoids the second count-out but Kenoh is right on him. Kaito blocks a top rope PFS and manages to hit a Reverse DDT from the top to buy himself time to recover. Kaito goes after Kenoh's legs with Dragon Screws to try and slow him down and finally mounts a real comeback. Skywalk Elbow lands the second time and Kaito gets his first fall. Both men go back to exchanging strikes and offense before Kenoh hits another PFS but only gets a 2. Kenoh tries to follow-up but Kaito is able to roll him up for a pin to tie things up. Both men are exhausted but keep swinging away with strikes until Kenoh rocks Kaito, but this just fires Kaito up more who comes back wild eyed and crazed and just starts landing straight punches to Kenoh's head. Kaito lays in some big shots but comes off the top and Kenoh catches him with a kick in mid-air! PFS but only a 2 again. Kenoh nails the Flaming Circle and gets a third fall! Kenoh goes back to the Kenoh Special but Kaito is able to fight his way to the ropes this time. Kenoh pushes Kaito to fight back by telling him that he is losing and Kaito comes back with some big shots. A Shining Lancer gives Kaito his 3rd fall to tie things back up. Kaito goes back to the leg and locks Kenoh in a Figure Four but Kenoh manages to reach the ropes. Tiger Suplex by Kaito is blocked and Kenoh levels Kaito with a series brutal kicks to rock him and get a 4th fall with just a minute to go. Kaito frantically works to tie things up as he goes for quick roll-ups on Kenoh for near-falls. Shining Lancer gets Kaito another 2 count before he lands a second one but time runs out before he can cover and Kenoh wins it. A well done Iron Man match that kept the action moving and told a good story all match. Wish Kenoh's selling of his leg had been more consistent and the length does drag a bit at times. Still a great showing from both. ****1/4

Swerve Strickland vs. Kevin Knight at AEW Dynamite 1/21: A really great veteran vs. young high flyer match. Things start off very simple with Knight looking to move fast and take the fight to Swerve, who is easily able to fight off a lot of Knight's efforts with his power and size advantage. Match plays out very much the same with Swerve working over Knight with big power offense and Knight fighting from underneath and looking for quick shots to try and find an opening. Nice psychology by Swerve as he visibly gets more and more frustrated at Knight's ability to keep fighting back to the point where Swerve hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron to cut off Knight's momentum, but instead of rolling him in the ring, he decides to hit a Piledriver on the barricade! Swerve allows the count-out but Knight makes it back in at 9, only to be greeted by a 450 from Swerve for a 2 count. Swerve tries for another top rope move but Knight is still fighting and is able to slip out and hit an insane top rope Hurricanrana! Knight follows up with a big Coast to Coast Dropkick and hits the UFO Splash! Only a 2 count! House Call by Knight! Swerve is able to block Knight's follow-up offense and the two trade strikes until Knight goes for a leaping clothesline and Swerve nails him with a House Call! Cop Killa to follow-up and a Big Pressure gets the win for Swerve! Really good match that allowed Knight to shine and show what he could do against a top guy. Swerve thought he could put Knight down easily but ended up needing to break out the big bombs to put him away. ****

Grand Prix Internacional 2025 Torneo Cibernetico Match: Team International vs. Team Mexico at CMLL Grand Prix Internacional 2025: A very fun but long match. We get a bunch of back and forth action from the start as everyone gets time in the ring to go at it. The International team plays the heels of the match with their bigger teammates and more brawlish style that allows them to bully Team Mexico from time to time. At the 40 minute mark we start getting eliminations with Beast Mortos taking out Difunto first. Mistico ties it back up with a roll-up on Andretti before TJP taps out Angel with an Octopus Hold to once again take the lead. We get a series of quick eliminations as Zandokan pins Oku, Ishimori pins Templario with a 450 and Neon pins Robbie X. Team Mexico takes the lead for the first time after Volador hits Lio Rush with a Destroyer for a pin. Dijak turns things around by eliminating Zandoken with a Feast Your Eyes and a big Moonsault for the pin, only for Atlantis to get the upset pin with a Frog Splash on Dijak. Dorada and Rocky have a really fun back and forth before Dorada counters a Double Stomp in the corner with a rana and hits a Shooting Star Press for the pin. More quick eliminations as Bailey takes out Neon with a Destroyer and Atlantis tries to take out Mortos with a Frog Splash but Mortos gets his knees up and Gores him for the elimination. Titan comes in hot and hits some big offense on Mortos before a pair of Double Stomps gets him the elimination. Team International clears house though as TJP taps out Dorada with an Octopus Hold and Ishimori taps out Volador with the Bone Lock. Mistico rallies for his team and takes out Ishimori with a Spanish Fly and a Frog Splash. Titan and Bailey have a great exchange ending with Bailey hitting the Flamingo Driver for the elimination. It is down to Mistico vs. Bailey and TJP. Some nice double teaming by Bailey and TJP for some heat before Mistico is able to cut off TJP with a top rope Spanish Fly for the pin! It's one-on-one now! Mistico and Bailey go back and forth for a bit until Bailey goes for the Flamingo Driver. Mistico counters out of it and hits La Mistica! Bailey taps and Mistico wins the Grand Prix! A lot of good to great action all match and while things never dragged, this was a marathon of a match. ****

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: Knockout Brothers (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and Ryohei Oiwa at NJPW New Year Dash 2026: A really great and heated fight from these two teams. Sabre and Oiwa do a good job of trying to mix their technical wrestling while still being hard hitting by targeting Ice's bad left arm and OSKAR's knees to neutralize his size. Knockout Brothers nicely fight back with their tag team experience and more aggressive style. Some great back and forth action and some really good near-falls. Awesome spot of Oiwa blocking a KOB and locking Ice in a submission while Sabre ties up OSKAR in a submission to try for the tap out but OSKAR's long legs are able to reach the ropes. Oiwa and Ice go at it and we get some awesome heated strike exchanges that really get the crowd into the action. Oiwa looks for The Grip but Knockout Brothers use their teamwork to stop him and nail the KOB to get the win. Just an awesome match! Sabre and Oiwa tried to pick apart the more experienced team but the hard hitting style and teamwork of the Knockout Brothers was enough to retain their titles. ****1/4

AJ Styles vs. Gunther at WWE Raw 1/12: A really good hammer vs. chisel match. Gunther has the clear power and size advantage so from the opening, AJ lays in kicks to the hamstring while trying to stick and move. Lots of quick shots by AJ while Gunther looks to just manhandle and maul him. As the match goes on though, AJ's leg kicks start to pay off as Gunther starts selling the leg so AJ goes after the leg more viciously with Dragon Screws and a Calf Crusher, but Gunther quickly gets to the ropes. Match plays out very much the same from there with Gunther laying in chops and big bombs while AJ keeps chipping away at the leg, even getting the Calf Crusher on again but Gunther just slams his head into the mat to break the hold. Gunther gets in some big near-falls, while still selling the hurt leg the whole time, before AJ is able to get the Calf Crusher on for a third time. Gunther tries to get the ropes but AJ rolls them to the center of the ring! Gunther tries to slam his head again but AJ is able to keep out of reach before letting go of the hold and celebrating? AJ says Gunther tapped but the referee waves it off and while he is distracted, Gunther low blows AJ! Powerbomb on AJ and Gunther gets the win. The replay shows that Gunther tapped out on AJ but out of view of the referee to get the cheap win. The finish didn't come off as well on TV but the idea was clever. Rest of the match and the story behind it was so good that it more than makes up for it. **** 

Swerve Strickland vs. Andrade El Idolo at AEW Dynamite 1/28: A really great back and forth match. We start off fast with both men going for quick counters and exchanges and we get to see how evenly matched the two opponents are. As the match goes on we get a bit of storytelling with Swerve being the more powerful of the two while Andrade is faster and uses his speed to toy and mock Swerve from time to time. Andrade is able to cut off Swerve and get some heat before Swerve starts to make a comeback, only for Andrade to counter a piledriver on the barricade by backdropping Swerve onto it instead! Brutal! Both men are able to beat the count-out at 9 and get into a nice strike exchange ending with Andrade nailing Swerve with a stiff elbow! Andrade looks for the double knees in the corner but Swerve cuts him off with a House Call for 2! Swerve goes to the top but Andrade stops him and hits a Poison Rana from the top! Holy Shit! Double knees in the corner and Andrade hits the DM but only gets a 2! Andrade looks for the DM again as Swerve counters and tries for Big Pressure, but Andrade grabs the referee to low blow Swerve! Another DM and Andrade gets the win. Just a greatTV match with an awesome finishing stretch. Some very simple storytelling all match with Andrade feeling cocky he could beat Swerve, only for Swerve to survive his best shot and Andrade needing to take a cheap shot to get the win. ****1/4

Triple Threat Match for the #1 Contendership for the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship: ZaRuca vs. WrenQCC vs. Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid at NXT 1/20: A fast paced and exciting bell to bell match. One member from each team is in the whole time so the issue of one team being sidelined isn't a factor all match as these 6 women go at it. Lots of back and forth counters and sequences with the 3 women in the ring staying involved and coming up with some clever 3 way spots. Some good storytelling mixed in as well like Fatal Influence being the more experienced team and able to isolate and work over the other teams and Zaria being the powerhouse of the match but her hurt shoulder becomes a target for her opponents. Finish comes when Jacy Jayne pulls Kendal Grey from the ring to break up a pin. Wren Sinclair tries to come to her teammate's rescue but is taken out by Jayne as well. Fatal Influence looks to double team Zaria but Sol Ruca comes in with a double Sol Snatcher! Zaria hits a F5 on Henley to get the win for her team. A really good PWG style match with just a ton of action all match with some nice storytelling mixed in. ****