Top Matches I Watched in October 2024

Top Matches I Watched in October 2024

By Alex Kalil

We are winding down the year and not slowing down yet. AEW continues to kill it week to week and give us quality shows. WWE gave us one of the best Hell in the Cell matches in a LONG time plus TNA and MLP had some good stuff.

AEW International Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Ricochet at AEW Dynamite 10/2/24-Five Year Anniversary: A fantastic back and forth match between these two. Both men start off with some quick counters and exchanges ending with an awesome stand-off. So good! We get some nice storytelling to this match with Ricochet using his experience to counter Ospreay, who looks to be the faster and more powerful wrestler of the two. Excellent back and forth from both men before Ricochet tries for a top rope Hurricanrana but Ospreay lands on his feet! Ricochet says enough of this and uses the Oscutter on Ospreay! Piledriver by Ricochet for a near-fall. This match is now a battle of wills as both men land their biggest shots. Styles Clash by Ospreay followed by an Oscutter. 2 count! Ricochet ducks a Hidden Blade and hits a Lariat before nailing a Shooting Star Press. 2 count! Ricochet looks for Vertigo but Ospreay counters out and both men hit each other with Poison Ranas. Hidden Blade to the back of Ricochet's head! Both men fall and cover each other. Double pin! It's a draw. NO! The match restarts and both men come out swinging! Hidden Blade to Ricochet's face! Takeshita runs in and attacks both men and the match ends in a DQ. The double non-finish was kind of blah but the action and subtle storytelling was amazing. Can't wait to see these two clash again. ****1/4

Champion vs. Champion Match: AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada at AEW Dynamite 10/2/24-Five Year Anniversary: An awesome and well told story of a match. Bell rings and either man is wanting to rush things; Danielson looks to wrestle Okada to the mat while Okada wants to run down the clock so his title is no longer on the line. We get some really good back and forth with Okada trying to use his size and power to stall things while Danielson pushes the pace and looks to chip away at Okada with submissions and strikes. LeBell Lock by Danielson but Okada is able to make it to the ropes. Okada gets to his feet and is hit by a Busaiku Knee! Okada rolls to the floor though to prevent being pinned as the 20 minute mark is reached and Okada's championship is no longer on the line. Okada immediately turns the tide with a Tombstone to Danielson on the floor onto a chair! Good Lord! Okada is now confident and cocky in his attacks as he has nothing to lose now and is willing to go toe to toe with Danielson. Some nice heat by Okada before Danielson is able to rally and fire back. Danielson goes for another Busaiku Knee but Okada catches him and hits the Rainmaker, only to collapse before he can cover! Both men slowly get to their feet and keep fighting. Great moment with Okada hitting Danielson with a Busaiku Knee, only for Danielson to come back and blasts Okada with a Rainmaker! Hammer and Anvil Elbows by Danielson but Okada gets to his feet and drops Danielson with a Death Valley Driver. Okada starts to Lariat Danielson over and over again as the BCC come to ringside. Okada pauses just long enough for Danielson to counter a Rainmaker into a backslide and steal the win. I loved this match! The slow build with Danielson wanting to wrestle but Okada being so focused on stalling and taking his time until his championship was safe before going all out with his offense. A great back and forth leading into the finish with Danielson taking advantage of a distracted Okada to beat him. ****1/4

Hell in a Cell Match: CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre at WWE Bad Blood 2024: A brutal and violent feud ending match! Both men come out swinging with Drew having the obvious size and power advantage while Punk is quicker and more experienced. Doesn't take long for the match to spill to the floor with both using the cage and any weapons they can get their hands on to attack the other like Punk choking Drew with a leg of a table. Great little touch. Drew takes over with a Claymore out of nowhere and gets some heat on Punk, including busting him open. Punk rolls out the ring to avoid another Claymore and bashes Drew's head with a toolbox when Drew chases after him. Drew is pouring blood now! Jesus! GTS by Punk but Drew falls out the ring. Great way to protect their finishers. Drew goes for a Claymore, only for Punk to back up which causes Drew to miss and Punk locks the Sharpshooter on him. Drew fights out by hitting Punk with a wrench! YES! More big spots with a suplex off the apron and through a table and an Air Raid Crash on the steel steps. Punk gets Drew in the Anaconda Vice and this time when Drew tries to use the wrench to break the hold, Punk uses the wrench to choke Drew more and hits him with it. This is great! Punk goes for Drew's head but Drew low blows him! Drew pours a bag of beads over Punk to toy with him. Another Claymore but Punk moves and Drew lands back first on the steps! MY GOD! Punk fills Drew's mouth with beads and hits a GTS with a chain wrapped around his knee to end it! WOW! This was a near perfect match! The hatred was felt in every second of the match and some great usage of the Cell as well as the weapons around the ring. This was bloody, violent, brutal and just awesome! My kind of pro wrestling! ****3/4

Adam Page vs. Jay White at AEW WrestleDream 2024: A really great straight up wrestling match. Page starts things off hot and wants to fight and pummel White, while White thinks tactically and goes after Page's knee. Some really nice moments early on highlight this like Page looking for the Buckshot Lariat early but White avoiding the center of the ring to prevent it. White smartly keeps going after the leg of Page even trapping him in a Tree of Woe to injure him more. Page starts hitting White with some bigger offense to put him back on defense. Page lets his aggression get the best of him when he tries to attack with his belt only for White to duck it and drop Page knee first on the ramp! Both men start looking for their killing blow as White goes for Bladerunner but Page counters into Dead Eye! Page's knee is too hurt to cover right away and White kicks out at 2! Page tries for the Buckshot Lariat but his knee is still bothering him. Page grits his teeth and goes for the Buckshot but White catches him! Bladerunner! White gets the win! Great match with both men having clear strategies all match and they worked the whole match playing into those strategies. Loved the finish with Page being so stubborn and wanting the Buckshot, only for it to cost him in the end. ****

AEW Women's World Championship Match: Mariah May (c) vs. Willow Nightingale at AEW WrestleDream 2024: A very fun fast paced match. Willow comes out the gate looking to manhandle Mariah with her size while Mariah looks to land some quick strikes. Willow's power lets her control early while Mariah is forced to fight back with her craftiness. Cannonball in the corner by Willow but she misses the follow-up Moonsault. May Day by Mariah only gets 2! Willow fights out of a Storm Zero and goes for a Pounce but Mariah is there with a headbutt! Lariat by Willow! These women are giving it their all! Mariah tries for a few roll-ups but Willow cuts her off and stops a hurricanrana attempt in the corner to lift Mariah into a powerbomb! Mariah counters with a hurricanrana off the top! Storm Zero and that's all! Loved the fast pace of the match as both women knew the other was a threat and wanted to make quick work. Willow had the power all match but Mariah was able to find an opening to counter her and get the win. ****

Triple Threat Match for the AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet at AEW WrestleDream 2024: An absolutely spectacular match! Ospreay and Ricochet work together early to try and take out Takeshita and pick up where they left off with their last match, only for Takeshita to return and drop both men. The match has some great storytelling to it with Ospreay playing the fighting champion and going after both men, Ricochet using more of his agility and high flying and Takeshita being a monster all match. So much amazing back and forth action from all three men. Some insane counters, exchanges and big near-falls that are too many to recall all while all three men play their role of the match to perfection. Takeshita is able to finally take out Ricochet with a Bastard Driver off the apron through a table! Takeshita gets back in the ring and is hit with a Hidden Blade! One count! Another Hidden Blade! Don Callis pulls the referee from the ring to stop the pin! Callis tries to stab Ospreay with the screwdriver but Ospreay stops it and looks for the Tiger Driver! Someone stabs Ospreay in the back of the head with the screwdriver! It's Kyle Fletcher! Powerdrive Knee by Takeshita and we have a new champion! What a match! The action all match was just insane, edge of your seat excitement the whole time. A nice storyline ending with Takeshita getting the much deserved big win. ****1/2

Two Out of Three Falls Match: Hologram vs. The Beast Mortos at AEW WrestleDream 2024: An exciting and fun, fast paced, back and forth match. Things start off hot with both men playing to their obvious strengths: Hologram using his speed and agility and Mortos using his power. Some quick counters and exchanges early before Hologram counters a top rope Press Slam and hits a Crucifix Bomb to score the first fall. Mortos is quick to turn things around with his power and just tosses Hologram around. Mortos just hammers Hologram with offense before getting the second fall to tie things up. The last fall begins and we get some neat moments of both men trying for the same offense again but their opponent is able to counter them this time. Lots of big sequences and counters from both until Hologram is able to lift Mortos up and hit a Portal Bomb to get the third and final fall. Fun match with both men seeming to go back to similar offense too much but they made it work here. A great showcase match with Hologram getting a big win on PPV. ****

Darby Allin vs. Brody King at AEW WrestleDream 2024: A great David vs Goliath match. Darby comes out swinging but is shut down fast by Brody's size and power. Story of the match is Brody throwing Darby around with ease and chopping the hell out of his chest while Darby tries to do anything and everything he can to stay in the fight and take down Brody. Nice callback with Darby using Brody's Hangman Choke, only for Brody to pull Darby over the ropes and drop him on the apron! A series of brutal German Suplexes by Brody including a top rope German! But Darby still won't stay down. Darby is able to fight Brody off the top and knocks him off to the floor and onto the steel steps! Coffin Drop by Darby to the outside onto Brody on the steps! My God! Brody just barely makes it in before the 10 count. Another Coffin Drop by Darby is enough for the win! I love matches like this! Brody was bigger and stronger but Darby just fought through all the pain and threw everything he had at Brody to get the win. Great stuff! ****

AEW World Championship Match: Bryan Danielson (c) vs. Jon Moxley at AEW WrestleDream 2024: An emotional and intense fight! Moxley jumps Danielson as he makes his entrance and we are off! The two men brawl around ringside and right away the story is clear: Moxley is here to put down Danielson no matter what it takes and Danielson is fighting to survive. Danielson hits a pair of Busaiku Knees early for a big near-fall. Danielson is coming in hurt and Moxley knows it, so Danielson can not play it safe tonight. Danielson is all over Moxley until Moxley goes to Danielson's eyes and hits a Piledriver on the announcer's table! Moxley takes over from there and gets some great heat on Danielson, who tries to keep fighting back the whole time. Moxley gets frustrated at Danielson's persistence and looks for a piledriver on the concrete floor but Danielson counters with a backdrop! Danielson is back in this as both men start going back and forth with big offense, however Moxley is still able to put Danielson on the backfoot as things keep going. Danielson is able to take over and stomps in Moxley's head before trying for the LeBell Lock but Moxley gets to the ropes and rolls to the outside. Suicide dive by Danielson is caught! Paradigm Shift on the concrete floor! Moxley elbows Danielson and looks for the choke but Danielson still fights out. Danielson tries for the LeBell Lock and a Triangle but Moxley counters out of both. Danielson hits a Busaiku Knee for 2! Moxley responds with a Lariat! And another! Death Rider by Moxley but Danielson kicks out at 1! Moxley tells Danielson to not make him do this but Danielson just spits in Moxley's face! Gotch-Style Piledriver! Bulldog Choke locked in. Danielson fights for the ropes but Moxley traps him! Danielson is out and it is over! The American Dragon has been slayed. This was an emotionally draining match. Moxley came in with a mission: to end Danielson's career and he did just that. No matter how hard Danielson fought and no matter what he did tonight, nothing was enough to slow down Moxley and save his career. Danielson goes down fighting one last time. ****1/2

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn at WWE Raw 10/7/24: A fun straight forward wrestling match. Right from the bell, we get the story of the match with Gunther being the bigger and more powerful wrestler while Sami is the faster underdog. Gunther grounds Sami and looks to work him over with holds and his powerful chops while Sami fights from underneath with everything he has. Gunther goes for the sleeper early on and Sami is able to counter into a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nice near-fall. Fight spills to the outside and Sami counters a charging Gunther with an Exploder. Helluva Kick on the outside! Sami is barely able to get Gunther back in to prevent a count-out. Helluva Kick in the ring this time! Sami goes for one more but Gunther cuts it off with a Lariat! Kick-out at 2! Sami tries for a quick roll-up but Gunther kicks out and hits a Powerbomb. Another Powerbomb and Gunther covers. Only 1! Sami may be down but he isn't out! Sleeper by Gunther! Sami tries to fight to the ropes but Gunther traps him and it's over. Gunther retains. Super fun TV match with both men playing their roles in this match perfectly. ****

"Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Konosuke Takeshita at MLP Forged in Excellence Night 1: An excellent speed vs. power match. We get some quick back and forth exchanges early that highlight the story of the match: Bailey may be faster but Takeshita is stronger. Bailey is able to use his quick strikes and offence to try and keep Takeshita on defense but time and time again, Takeshita just needs one of his elbow strikes to take back over. Some amazing near-falls and big counters from both men. Love that as the match progresses, Bailey tries to use his long legs to kick at Takeshita and keep his distance. Nice little touch. Bailey is able to land a series of offence including Ultimo Weapon but Takeshita still kicks out. Bailey tries for the Flamingo Driver, only for Takeshita to counter out and hit the Inhuman Driver! Powerdrive Knee but Bailey kicks out! Raging Fire finally gets Takeshita the win. Just an awesome back and forth match from two excellent wrestlers. Loved Takeshita leaning into his elbow strike being such a difference maker and able to use them to constantly cut off Bailey's momentum and force him to fight back again. Great stuff! ****1/2

TNA X-Division Championship Match: "Speedball" Mike Bailey (c) vs. El Hijo del Vikingo at TNA Bound for Glory 2024: A really exciting and action-filled back and forth match. Both men start off evenly with quick strikes and wrestling holds until speed comes into play and Vikingo has the edge. An early sequence ends with Vikingo landing awkwardly on his previously hurt leg and Bailey goes right after it with his kicks. Vikingo puts the match back into the spotfest style where he has the advantage. Bailey again goes back to the knee to take over with some heel like intensity to his offense. Lots of big blows and near-falls for Bailey before trying for the Flamingo Driver. Vikingo counters into a Destroyer! Vikingo tries for the 630 multiple times, only for Bailey to roll out the ring and avoid it. Vikingo keeps on Bailey and hits an insane Apron Destroyer! 630 attempted again but Bailey climbs to the top and stops it. Headbutts from Bailey. Meteor Rain by Bailey finally gives him the win! Really liked this match and how hard both men worked to get the win. Bailey had to adapt a more heel style at times and hit an insane "super finisher" to put away Vikingo for the first time. ****1/4

TNA Knockouts World Championship Match: Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Masha Slamovich at TNA Bound for Glory 2024: A really good back and forth match. Things start off with both women working a slower and more cautious approach. Nice storytelling with Grace having the power advantage and Masha having the striking edge so Grace goes after Masha's knee. Great selling by Masha, who has to struggle to fight with one good leg. Nice big offence and near-falls from both women as things pick up. Awesome spot with Grace catching a kick from Masha into a suplex and right into a Juggernaut Driver for a big near-fall. Grace wastes no time and goes right into a knee bar but Masha still gets to the ropes! Grace tries for a top rope Juggernaut Driver but Masha fights out of it. Top rope Snow Plow by Masha! Package Piledriver as well by Masha and that is all! New champion! Really good match that played off their past matches and built to a nice finish. Masha had to fight from underneath and with one good leg to finally become champion. ****

AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: The Young Bucks vs. Private Party at AEW Dynamite 10/30/24-Fright Night Dynamite: A fantastic and exciting TV match. Private Party comes in super motivated and starts off aggressive against the Bucks. The Bucks try to use their tag team experience to isolate but Private Party are able to match the Bucks the whole time. Bucks try to cheat with a ring bell shot to Zay but Quen stops it, only to hit Zay by accident! Bucks waste no time isolating Quen and working him over for some nice heat all while preventing the tag to Zay. Quen finally makes the hot tag to Zay, who runs wild for a bit. Bucks are able to fight back and drag Quen up the ramp for Okada to come out and Tombstone him on the stage! Zay is all alone and tries to fight back against the Bucks, who start laying in big offence on him. Gin n Juice and a Superkick Party for big near-falls. Zay avoids the EVP Trigger for a small package, only for Nick to kick out and the Bucks nail an EVP Trigger. Kick-out again! V Trigger and One-Winged Angel by the Bucks! Quen makes the save! Holy Shit! Private Party fights back and blocks the TK Driver! Gin n Juice on Nick! Cover! 3!!! Private Party does it! What a match with Private Party taking the fight to the Bucks this time. Miscommunication almost costs them early, only for them to make a big comeback against the cheating Bucks to finally win the tag titles. What a match and what a moment! ****1/4