Top Matches I Watched in October 2023

Top Matches I Watched in October 2023

By Alex Kalil

Another really great month of wrestling! NXT gave us some great stuff. AEW had another killer PPV and some great weekly matches. Impact and even some smaller Japanese promotions had some great stuff. 2 months to go in 2023 and we show no signs of slowing down!

NXT Championship Match: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Ilja Dragunov at NXT No Mercy 2023: A physical and hard hitting match! Ilja goes right after Carmelo from the start with heavy shots and Carmelo is forced to play defense. Carmelo does a nice job of fighting back and trying to use his quickness to counter the raw power of Ilja. We get a ton of great counters and exchanges with both men throwing bombs at each other. Lots of big near-falls as Ilja continues to punish and beat down the champ and Carmelo starts taking more and more risks to stay in the match. Carmelo goes for Nothing But Net only to be caught by a lariat from Ilja. H Bomb from the top rope by Ilja and Ilja gets the win! Just a really great bell to bell action-filled match with Ilja overwhelming the champion with his powerful and hard hitting style. ****1/2 ROH World Championship and NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship Match: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata at AEW WrestleDream 2023: A really great Strong Style match. Both men start off trading strikes before Shibata takes Kingston to the mat to try to work him over with submissions. Some great mat work by Shibata as he picks apart Kingston and tries to out-wrestle the brawler. Kingston is able to fire back on Shibata with some strikes only for Shibata to respond back with some of his own. The two start trading shots and big bombs. A really nice near-fall with Shibata getting the Octopus Hold on Kingston, who falls to the mat and barely gets to the ropes to break the hold. Kingston is finally able to rock Shibata with a Spinning Backfist and gives him the opening for a Northern Lights Bomb and a second Backfist before a folding Powerbomb ends things. A very fun brawler vs. wrestler match. **** Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland at AEW WrestleDream 2023: A fantastic back and forth match! Swerve comes into his hometown as the natural babyface and allows Page to wear the black hat in this match. We get a very nice back and forth all match with Page being the more aggressive one while Swerve looks to pick his spots. Nice storytelling with Page going after Swerve's hurt hand anytime Swerve starts to get some momentum to play into Page's aggression at Swerve as well as being the heel of the match. Page goes for the Buckshot Lariat but Swerve counters into an arm breaker, which damages Page's right arm. Doctors check on Page, only for Swerve to hit the Swerve Stomp on the apron! Swerve starts looking for a submission on the wounded Hangman, who fights with everything he has to block it and tries to finish Swerve. Page finally hits the Buckshot Lariat but he is too hurt to cover right away! Page covers Swerve but Prince Nana puts Swerve's foot on the rope! The distraction by Nana allows Swerve time to recover and nails Page with Nana's crown as he goes for a second Buckshot! A pair of House Calls by Swerve and the JML Driver puts Page away! Swerve with the big win! A great match that built to an amazing finish with both men playing their roles perfectly. ****1/4 Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. at AEW WrestleDream 2023: A phenomenal pro wrestling match! We get some amazing back and forth mat wrestling early on as both men look even in every way in terms of skills. Sabre starts to go after the previously broken right arm of Danielson to try and make an opening and Danielson responds with some brutal and violent looking Dragon Screws to the leg of Sabre. Fantastic back and forth counters into pinning attempts and submissions from both men. As the man goes on, Danielson's arm starts to fail him and Sabre's submissions start to get locked on deeper and deeper to the point where Danielson is unable to escape and has to fight to the ropes. Danielson still has his kicks though and nails a roundhouse to rock Sabre. Stomps to the head as Sabre tries to keep fighting out only to get dropped on his head by a Regal-plex. Busaiku Knee by Danielson but only 2! Danielson pulls down the knee pad and hits a second Busaiku Knee to end things! What a match! Danielson gets the win but wasn't able to tap out or out-wrestle Sabre to do it. A damn near perfect match! ****3/4 AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: FTR (c) vs. Aussie Open at AEW WrestleDream 2023: A really well done classic tag team match. We get a nice slow start with both teams working to take advantage. Aussie Open is able to isolate and work over Cash for some nice heat. Dax gets the hot tag and runs wild including a great chop exchange with Davis. FTR starts rolling but gets cut off going for Power and Glory and Aussie Open hits a nasty Doomsday Kick! We get a bunch of big tag team offense from both teams including Aussie Open hitting a Shatter Machine and Coriolis for big near-falls! FTR is able to rally and take out Davis with a Spiked Piledriver on the apron! Fletcher goes to the top but is cut off by Dax and FTR hits a Super Shatter Machine! And that gets the 3! Both teams worked hard and built to a really good finish. **** Best Two Out of Three Falls Match for the AEW TNT Championship: Christian Cage (c) vs. Darby Allin at AEW WrestleDream 2023: A fantastic storytelling match. Christian comes in saying Darby can't out-wrestle him so right at the bell Darby does just that and is able to wrestle Christian to the mat several times. Christian tries for the Killswitch early but Darby is able to pull Christian's turtleneck over his head to blind him before getting a quick pin and the first fall. Christian slows the match down by grounding and working over Darby with his size and tries to work over his hurt back. Christian takes his eyes off Darby to mock Nick Wayne's mom in the first row and leaves himself open for a big dive by Darby! Darby tries to follow up with a Coffin Drop but Christian gets his knees up. Christian gets more vicious and slams Darby into the ring steps multiple times before slamming him on the steps from the apron! MY GOD! Darby is counted out for the 2nd fall. As the referee and doctors check on Darby, Christian starts to take apart the ring. Frog Splash by Christian to Darby while he is being loaded on the stretcher! Christian tries to tap out Darby with the Scorpion Deathlock but Darby fights to the ropes! Scorpion Death Drop by Darby! Coffin Drop! But only 2! Christian goes for a Spear but hits the referee! Christian gets the belt to hit Darby but Nick Wayne runs in and takes it from him. Nick Wayne hits Darby! Christian covers Darby and gets the win. In many ways, this was more an angle than a match but it all worked. Darby was able to out-wrestle Christian so Christian used every trick he could to try and survive, only for Darby's own friend to betray him. Just great stuff. **** IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Yota Tsuji at NJPW Destruction in Kobe 2023: An incredible back and forth match! Both men come in with something to prove and waste no time showing off their skills. Tsuji is able to surprise Ospreay with his impressive speed and agility on top of his size and power but with Ospreay's experience and own power, Ospreay is able to target and work over the back of Tsuji and force him to fight from underneath. As the match progresses, both men go for bigger and bigger offense. Ospreay is able to avoid the Curb Stomp on the apron and hits an Oscutter on the floor for a nice count-out tease. Ospreay starts unloading on the big man and looks to end things with a Stormbreaker but Tsuji is able to counter out of it and hits a huge Spear! 1...2... Ospreay gets his foot on the rope! So close! Tsuji tries to finish off Ospreay even using his own Stormbreaker on him. Another Spear but Tsuji runs right into a Hidden Blade! Spear by Ospreay and Storm Driver 93! Tsuji kicks out! Tsuji is back on his feet! He stalks toward Ospreay, almost challenging him to put him down! Ospreay answers with a Hidden Blade to the face of Tsuji and a Stormbreaker finally puts the young man down. What a match! Ospreay had to give everything he had to put away the young Tsuji, who took everything Ospreay could throw at him with a smile on his face. Incredible match! ****1/2 ROH Women's World Championship Match: Athena (c) vs. Leyla Hirsch at ROH on HonorClub 10/5/23: A very good back and forth match. Athena plays the cocky heel early on only for Leyla to surprise her with some quick submission attempts. Leyla works at a fast pace and looks to move fast to put away Athena, who nicely uses her experience and ring IQ to take back over. Lots of good action and counters from both women. Leyla hits a crazy sunset flip German Suplex off Bret's rope and goes high risk again with a moonsault but Athena catches her with a superkick! Despicable Knee by Athena finally puts Leyla away. A really good match with Leyla making the mistake of going high risk late into the match and Athena making her pay for it. **** #1 Contendership Match for the AEW TNT Championship: Bryan Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland at AEW Dynamite 10/10/23-Title Tuesday: A fantastic wrestling match here. Both men start off wrestling and looking for holds and appear to be even. Danielson starts to work towards an opening by going after the arm of Swerve, but Swerve quickly drops Danielson back first on the apron to put him on defense. Some great heel work by Swerve as he works over Danielson's ribs and back. Swerve goes high risk with a 450 but Danielson gets his knees up and starts to fight back. Swerve is able to take back over by putting Danielson in the Tree of Woe and hitting a brutal Swerve Stomp on the apron. Swerve tries to follow up with a second one in the ring but Danielson catches him in a Half Crab and works into a bunch of different submissions before Swerve gets to the ropes. Danielson is fully in control now as he works over Swerve to try and put him away. Danielson hits a corner dropkick but hits the corner going for another and hurts himself. Danielson is a wounded man. Swerve with a House Call and Swerve Stomp but only 2! Nana distracts the referee and Swerve looks to hit Danielson with the crown but Adam Page stops him. Danielson takes the opening and nails a Busaiku Knee to get the win. Just a great pro wrestling match with great psychology, selling and a really hot finish. ****1/4 AEW TNT Championship Match: Christian Cage (c) vs. Bryan Danielson at AEW Collision 10/14/23: A really great pro wrestling match with a clear babyface, heel and story to the match. The match starts off with some back and forth mat wrestling, which Danielson is easily able to control as he wrestles Christian to the ground multiple times and works him over with various holds. Christian hits a hammerlock slam onto the apron to start going after Danielson's right arm and takes control of the match. Some great heat by Christian as he works over Danielson's arm and Danielson sells like his arm is broken but keeps fighting back. Danielson is able to start rallying and firing back on Christian as the match becomes more back and forth. Danielson goes for the Busaiku Knee but Christian catches him with a Spear! Killswitch by Christian but only 2! Christian tries for another Spear but runs into a Busaiku Knee! Still only 2! Danielson locks in the LeBell Lock but Christian fights to the ropes. Danielson pulls him back into the center of the ring to reapply the hold as Big Bill runs out to distract the referee. Starks in and hits Danielson with the belt! Christian covers and gets the win. A great match with Christian exploiting Danielson's weakness, only for Danielson to fight back all the same. In the end, the numbers were too much for Danielson to overcome unfortunately. ****1/4 Fuminori Abe vs. Takuya Nomura at KTDan We are the Fighting Detectives: A phenomenal, physical match. The two start off with some excellent mat wrestling. The story becomes clear with Nomura being the better wrestler in just about every aspect while Abe is more fiery and works a more desperate style, looking for any and all openings to fight back. Nomura is able to keep Abe on the backfoot most of the match until Abe catches him with a vicious Dragon Screw. Abe ups the intensity and even busts his own head open from headbutts to Nomura! Both men unload everything they have on each other before Abe is able to lock Nomura in a leg submission. Fantastic selling by Nomura, who fights with everything he has to try and reach the ropes or force Abe to release the hold but it's no good. Nomura has to tap and Abe gets the win. Excellent stuff from both men and really showcased how great these two are. ****1/4 Bryan Danielson vs. Andrade El Idolo at AEW Collision 10/21/23: A very enjoyable back and forth match. A nice slow start with both men trying to out-wrestle the other and going for quick pins. Danielson starts to go after Andrade's arm and utilizes his strikes to work him over. Andrade makes a nice comeback before hitting a series of Dragon Screws to work over Danielson's leg. We get some great back and forth exchanges including Danielson getting the LeBell Lock on only for Andrade to counter it into the Figure Four! The two go back to trading quick pins with Danielson able to get the advantage and successfully pin Andrade for the win. Just a super fun TV match that showed the fantastic wrestling abilities of both men. **** Orange Cassidy and Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli at AEW Dynamite 10/25/23: A super fun TV match. Danielson and Cassidy start off the match and Danielson makes it known right away that he isn't playing games with Cassidy and goes right after him. We get some nice opening exchanges from both teams before Danielson and Claudio are able to isolate and work over Cassidy. Awesome moment with Cassidy going for the tag only for Claudio to slide into the ring and physically push him back to block the tag. So good! Cassidy gets the tag to Okada at last and Okada and Danielson face off! Super fun and fast paced last few minutes with Cassidy and Claudio having amazing chemistry while Okada and Danielson have some heated exchanges. Danielson tries to fight out of the Rainmaker only for Cassidy to hit an Orange Punch and allow Okada to nail the Rainmaker. Cassidy looks for an Orange Punch on Claudio, but Claudio muscles him up for Swiss Death and gets the win! Just a great match and super fun to sit back and watch. **** "Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Will Ospreay at Impact Wrestling Bound for Glory 2023: A fantastic back and forth match. Both men are very evenly matched almost all match with Ospreay having the edge in terms of size and power while Bailey is faster and maybe the better striker. Some truly incredible exchanges and counter for counter wrestling throughout the match. Ospreay starts to take control as things progress and starts to toy with Bailey, who fires up for an amazing strike exchange. Bailey goes for the Tornado Kick but is destroyed by a Hidden Blade to the face! More incredible back and forth as both look for the killing blow. Ospreay fights out of the Flamingo Driver and hits a Styles Clash! Storm Driver '93! Only 2! Finally, Ospreay is able to put Bailey down with a Hidden Blade and Stormbreaker for 3. What a match! Two amazing wrestlers giving it their all to win. Excellent match! ****1/2 Impact World Championship Match: Alex Shelley (c) vs. Josh Alexander at Impact Wrestling Bound for Glory 2023: A well done technical wrestling match with a nice touch of personal heat between the two. Both men come in needing to prove themselves and we start off with some great mat wrestling and looking for holds. Alexander looks to his power on Shelley and throw him around while Shelley goes after the previously injured arm of Alexander looking to set for a submission as well as take away his strength. Some great limb work by Shelley, who works an almost heel style to combat Alexander, who is able to still manhandle Shelley. As the match goes on, Alexander starts to target the knee of Shelley as just relying on his power isn't getting the job done, only for Shelley to get vicious in his offense and even starts going to the neck of Alexander. A really great back and forth sequence before Shelley is able to nail Shell Shock and drop Alexander right on his neck! A superkick and one more Shell Shock gets the job down. Shelley stuck to his game plan and picked apart the more powerful wrestler to find an opening and out-wrestle him to get the win. Very good match. **** AEW World Championship Match: MJF (c) vs. Kenny Omega at AEW Collision 10/28/23: An amazing back and forth match between these two. A very nice slow start to the match both trying to work holds and get the advantage. A nice story beat with Omeg looking to be a step slower than MJF and MJF able to match him every step of the way. MJF goes to work on the arm of Omega to set up the Salt of the Earth and Omega, feeling the match slipping, starts to up the intensity and goes for more and more high risk offense. The match becomes an incredible back and forth battle as both men are able to hit big offense and counter each other. MJF is able to fight out of the One-Winged Angel and hits a Heatseeker on Omega for a big near-fall. MJF follows up with Adam Cole's Panama Sunrise and one more Heatseeker to get the win. An amazing match that told a nice story of MJF able to surpass Omega in the ring fair and square and seemingly be crowned the Ace of AEW. What a match! ****1/2 NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. The Motor City Machine Guns and Josh Alexander at NJPW Destruction in Ryogoku 2023: A fun trios match from these two teams. Things start off with everyone getting some early moments to shine before the more experienced team of the Guns are able to isolate and work over Okada for some nice heat. Ishii gets the hot tag and runs wild for a few before Alexander's power is able to slow him down. Slowly throughout the match, the champions start to work more and more like a team before Alexander accidently nails Shelley and allows the champions to triple team Shelley before a High Fly Flow from Tanahashi ends things. Just a very fun match with everyone looking great here and showing off their specialty. **** Josh Alexander vs. Steve Maclin at Impact Wrestling Victory Road 2023: A really great heated match from these two. Both men start off aggressively trying to out-wrestle the other with Alexander having the advantage with his power. Maclin starts to go after the previously injured arm of Alexander, which Alexander does a nice job selling while still trying to keep the match in his wheelhouse. Maclin starts to take over when Alexander's arm goes out and we get some good heat. Alexander tries to go for the Ankle Lock as well as taking shots to Maclin's leg to go after Maclin's own past injury. We get a really good back and forth with both men throwing bombs at each other. Alexander tries for a C4 Spike but his arm is too hurt. But a quick shot to Maclin's leg buys him enough time to lock his arms and hits the C4 Spike to win. Very good match with Alexander overcoming his hurt arm to hit the big move needed to put away Maclin. Picture perfect wrestling. ****1/4