BWOTW: 21/8/17 - 26/8/17

Hey there readers and welcome to this newest instalment of this ongoing blogging adventure of mine 'Noah's Best Wrestling of the Week' AKA 'Love Me Some Tag Teams' AKA 'Fuck Sexy Star'. Apologies for the delay on this, I've had a rough few days, further apologies for what might be a lesser quality.

But before we get down and dirty in it, lets first look at the news;

1. Belts, belts, belts! Championship changes aplenty here. NXT saw SAnitY and Drew McIntyre become champions, as well as the main roster seeing Neville, The Usos, Natalya, Sasha Banks and Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose picking up some gold. Lots and lots and lots of changes. Also, on ROH's UK tour, the six-man belts traded places, with the trio of 'The Hung Bucks' (Page and the Bucks) picking them up. That's a lot of metal.
2. Adam Cole has debuted in NXT, forming this rumoured ROH stable with Fish and O'Reilly! Can't wait to see where this goes!
3. Bobby Roode has debuted on SmackDown! LIVE, as well as FUCKING FINALLY SHELTON BENJAMIN! 
4. Despite retaining at Brooklyn, Asuka has vacated the NXT Women's Championship. She will be recovering from an injured collarbone for now, but will be called up when she returns
5. Talking of injuries, Big Cass has injured his knee this past Monday on RAW. Though I thought this Enzo/Cass feud was dogshite, can't help but feel bad for the guy. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.
6. Leading on from that, Enzo Amore debuted on 205 Live this week. If anyone can carry him through a feud it's Big Nev.

And now for the undisclosed meat in this mysterious pie of a wrestling blog, its the matches!

NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III

Best Match on Takeover: Brooklyn III: Asuka vs Ember Moon - NXT Women's Championship Match
Honourable Mention(s): The whole goddamn card

The women of NXT take centre stage once again as we get Asuka defending her title against the woman she couldn't beat clean in their last bout, Ember Moon.

This was a really great match. I would go as far to say this is both of these women's best matches so far in their respective runs in NXT. I think this match has finally sold me on Ember Moon. I've always been pretty so-so on her, but she sure had a great showing in this match. Her selling was really good in this match, making it all the more dramatic. Add to this the dynamic of Asuka's cocky championship reign, and the mocking of Becky Lynch at ringside, it all made her being on the backfoot more compelling. I honestly believed we were getting a title change here, making Asuka's out of nowhere Asuka-Lock all the more exciting and shocking.

I have seen all the praise this is getting, and whether it was from my tiredness on the night staying up late over here in jolly ol' Englande Towne, but I wouldn't say this is the best women's match we've had. I'd still rank both Sasha/Bayley matches, as well as Becky/Sasha too, above it. Nevertheless, this was great and definitely worth a watch.

WWE SummerSlam

Best Match on SummerSlam: The New Day vs The Usos - SmackDown! Tag Team Championship Match (Pre-show)
Honourable Mention(s): Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman vs Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns - WWE Universal Championship Match

DOWN SINCE DAY ONE-ISH! This was more awesome than anyone could have imagined. The New Day went with my favourite pairing, Big E and Xavier Woods and busted out some awesome new combo moves, such as Woods picking E up in an electric chair (fuck!) for an assisted splash.

You could see the work these guys were putting in, more than likely a response for putting them on the preshow, when they very much deserved to be on the main card, especially in the later minutes. With there already being plenty of near falls to the match, things got even more hyped from some insane spots like this bad boy;



Then soon near immediately after that, we got to see Big E risk his life once again with his big dive through the ropes, but with a less wince-inducing landing than his previous performances of that move. 

Things looked to be going well for New Day, until The Usos channelled their inner Young Bucks, laying out E with a barrage of superkicks and finally finishing the match.

And there you have it, Usos are new tag champs. What a fucking awesome match, and I hope it goes as a reminder to not put these guys in this position again, because they will make it hard to follow - certainly the case here with the show not getting anywhere near this level until the main event.

Monday Night RAW

Best Match on RAW (21/8/17): Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff Hardy)

We're on RAW now and we have a pretty damn good tag team match here between the new RAW Tag Team Champions, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, taking on The Hardy Boyz.

This was much better than the standard sort of tag matches you tend to get on RAW, with this having many more near falls and false finishes than usual. Like the above matches, this adds to the drama and overall excitement of what we get here. The Hardys looked like they were real close to beating the new champions, landing a couple Twists of Fate and Jeff almost scoring with a Swanton Bomb too. 

Rollins and Dean are showing more double team offence with each match, and considering it was Rollins and Reigns who were tag champs in the Shield, these two are a very promising team. Plus, being in the ring with awesome teams like The Hardy Boyz and Shesaro really helps.

Overall, a real good match here on RAW, a fun li'l something here on the show.

SmackDown! LIVE

Best Match on SD! (22/8/17): AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens - WWE United States Championship Match w/ Special Guest Referee (Baron Corbin) 

On SmackDown! LIVE now and we have another United States Championship match between AJ Styles and Kevin Owens.

Summing this up, its another good match between these two that's soured by the stipulation and the muddying of a special referee, here Baron Corbin, a great next step after facing John Cena at SummerSlam two days prior. Basically, this is a perfectly fine match, but the SummerSlam match between these two, and probably the SmackDown! matches from this past month, are better. I'd watch those instead.

205 Live

Best Match on 205 (23/8/17): Neville vs Akira Tozawa - WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match

Another SummerSlam rematch here on 205 Live, pitting the recently re-crowned King of the Crusierweights, Neville against Titus Worldwide representative, Akira Tozawa.

This is another instance of the SummerSlam match being superior, but this was also a very good match. I can't really recall any specifics from this, other than that it boiled down to Big Daddy Nev making Tozawa tap from the Rings of Saturn. Can I just say that it is great that WWE have kept that name for the move. Perry Saturn's luck hasn't been great over the past few years, and I sure am happy his legacy gets to continue with his signature submission being used to such devastating effect. Lovely. So yeah, good match here on 205, seeming closing the book on this Neville/Tozawa feud. 

NXT

Best Match on NXT (24/8/17): Tyler Bate & Trent Seven vs Wolfgang & Pete Dunne

Woooo nelly we've got ourselves an amazing match here on NXT. Taped before Takeover: Brooklyn III, it's Moustache Mountain, Tyler Bate and Trent Seven teaming up to do battle with Wolfgang and the WWE United Kingdom Champion, Pete Dunne.

This is my first time seeing Bate and Seven together like this, something I've been wanting to for a long time, so this was an absolute treat, though any of WWE's UK division matches are for me. They got in some really cool tag moves in, like Bate vaulting off of Seven's shoulders with a senton. I feel Bate in particular shone in this match, with him getting some of the biggest pops in ring, my favourite being with this slick as all hell rebound lariat;



After a bit of misdirection, it boiled down to Wolfgang landing a swanton bomb (can't remember the name he has for it) on the former champion Bate interestingly, and gaining the pinfall for his team. From the backstage segment preceding this match, it looks like Wolfgang/Dunne might be the next title match, but from what I've heard about the newest NXT tapings, there is a lot more to be looking forward to.

Awesome match here on NXT, I definitely recommend checking it out. Please do.

Ring of Honour

Best Match on ROH TV (Episode 309): Coast 2 Coast (Leon St. Geovanni & Shaheem Ali) vs Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Baretta)
Honourable Mention(s): Dalton Castle & The Boys vs Colt Cabana & The Tempura Boys - ROH World 6-Man Tag Championship Match

The Best Friends are back in Ring of Honour, taking on the up and coming team of LSG and Shaheem Ali, Coast 2 Coast. This match, bell to bell, was packed with exciting action that tickled me lovingly. Both of these teams had some great spots, with Coast 2 Coast doing some insane dives, notably LSG springboarding to the outside with a move with more flips than I have fingers. An Awful Waffle from Chuckie T brought about the end of this great match.

At this point in time, I feel like Chuck and Baretta are the best candidates to take the tag belts off of the Young Bucks who have had them for a long ass time. They are running out of challengers, plus with them teaming with Page as The Hung Bucks as a six man group, I can see them dropping them soon.

As always, you can catch ROH TV for FREE on either www.rohwrestling.com/tv/current, on the Fite TV app, or at www.fite.tv,


ROH: War of the Worlds UK

Best Match on WotW UK: KUSHIDA vs Hiromu Takahashi vs Dalton Castle vs Marty Scurll - ROH World Television Championship Match

It was another War of the Worlds event this past week, uniting ROH, CMLL, New Japan and even RevPro this time at one event in Liverpool in the exact same building as ROH: Unified that saw the McGuinness/Danielson classic, a nice little factoid to this match. Here, we have a fatal-4-way with KUSHIDA defending his ROH World Television Championship against Hiromu Takahashi, Dalton Castle and 'The Villain' Marty Scurll.

This was a pretty fast paced match that went more for the one-in, one-out approach to the multi-man dynamic, with a lot of spots and big moves keeping things flowing. I was a bit disappointed that Hiromu didn't get more a showing outside of antics with Daryl, and I do wish this match could have gone longer. It did feel a little bit rushed, but it was good. KUSHIDA retained the title after connecting with his new small package driver 'Back to the Future'. KUSHIDA's reign doesn't show any sign of slowing, with him having one of the hottest streaks currently in wrestling, having just won the WCPW World Cup as well. God damn that man knows no defeat.

Lucha Underground

Best Match on LU (S3E32): Johnny Mundo vs Rey Mysterio - Lucha Underground Championship Match

The Cuerto Cup Finals happened this week, but a better match, in my opinion, was the massively hyped up match for the Lucha Underground Championship between Johnny Mundo and Rey Mysterio.

To me, it is still insane to see how Rey is working these days, just so much better than his later time in WWE its ridiculous. I think its pretty safe to say that under AAA, LU might not have quite the same standard of wellness policy WWE has and that might be involved in that to some degree, but hey, I'm not one to judge.

Mundo continues to be great in championship matches, and I know he is a heel and it makes sense to garner heat, but the constant interference of the Worldwide Underground is getting pretty repetitive at this point, and its no longer a matter of 'if' with them getting involved, but 'when'. That is what led to Mundo retaining once again here on the show. It was a great match for the belt, but I can't help but be soured by the shenanigans.
PWG: Pushing Forward Back

Best Match on PFB: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs The Unbreakable Fucking Machines (Brian Cage & Michael Elgin)

Things are looking towards Reseda now in the last show before this year's Battle of Los Angeles (I think), and we have one more tag team match stealing the show, this time around with the Jackson brothers taking on the team of Brian Cage and Michael Elgin, The Unbreakable F'N Machines.

If I'm remembering correctly, this may be the first time that I haven't heard a Young Bucks chant not interspersed with 'Fuck The' in between the shouts. Being booked against these guys and the likes of War Machine, they've been the smaller underdogs against these big hoss teams. Even so, I can't think of any circumstance where the Young Bucks will be universally booed. 

The match itself was full of high spots a plenty, with the Machines having some of the most impressive movesets I have ever witnessed. Cage's new powerbomb/slam combo on both the Bucks is a sight to behold, and Elgin has no business moving around the ring like he does. The Bucks are ever-entertaining, both in character antics and wrestling manoeuvres and I doubt I will ever get bored with them. 

This was an awesome match, however I've felt that PWG shows may be a bit of step down from around this time last year I'd say, but with BOLA just around the corner, with some very talented individuals on the cards, it should be a fantastic trio of shows.

SUPERKICK COUNTER: 17

The Verdict

Best Match of the Week:The New Day vs The Usos - SmackDown! Tag Team Championship Match - WWE SummerSlam Pre-show

YEAH THAT'S RIGHT, DAMMIT. Yes, Asuka/Moon was very good indeed, but this match truly blew me away. My expectations from these two teams were exceeded greatly, putting on one of the best tag team matches in recent WWE memory. Plus, if I'm honest, Asuka/Moon didn't quite hold my attention the same way that New Day/Usos did, and I just enjoyed it that much more. Shoutouts this week to the tag match on NXT as well as on ROH TV, they were great too.

With those results in the books, here's how the leaderboard looks, with things still looking very New Japan at the top, but with WWE guys catching up.

And now for the 'Best Promo of the Week' that this time around goes to this impassioned and absurd promo by the returning Dolph Ziggler getting pretty meta in places. Ziggy's gone cray-cray;

Now all that's left is to wish you all a very merry few days ahead (and even shorter span probably due to the delay on this), and in every sense of the phrase, I wish you the best of luck. I've been Noah, this has been the week, and that was it's best wrestling. Seeya next time!

BWOTW Special: New Japan's US Expansion

Hey there readers! Why don't you make yourselves comfortable and settle in snugly as we have a talk about New Japan Pro Wrestling's US expansion in this 'BWOTW Special'

The Build

First, lets discuss what we know. It was at this past year's WrestleKingdom we got the announcement that New Japan would be running two shows in Long Beach, California, titled the 'G1 Special'. These shows are slated to act as a prelude to this summer's G1 Climax tournament, taking place on July 1st and 2nd. Tickets went up the day before WrestleMania, quickly selling out - as did the additional seats added in May.

Then, at this past weekend's War of the Worlds show with Ring of Honour, it was announced that not only would we get defences of the IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight Championships, but we would see a tournament take place over the two dates to crown the inaugural IWGP United States Championship.

So, those are the Stone Cold Steve Austin facts. These are far from comprehensive in what New Japan is planning for the future, but from that, there's a few talking points I've queued up. I do not claim to be an expert on New Japan, but I feel I am competent enough to address such things. Nevertheless, if it does sound like I'm chatting shit at any point, let me know and we can settle this like men over the internet. Here goes...

The Possible WWE Conflict

I didn't know how else to represent this

On an international scale, it is safe to say that the US is WWE's territory, touring all over the nation year round. Domestically, the closest competition WWE has are TNA and ROH, which are quite far from being able to run head-to-head with the 'E. Could New Japan's venture into the US give Vince McMahon something to worry about?

Whilst NJPW's presence in the US would certainly be felt, in regards to having them compete with each other, they are two different beasts in how they produce their product with some stark contrasts. WWE produces upwards of 7 hours of content a week, branching across their television deals and the WWE Network. They also tour constantly throughout the year, all over the world, without much a break. New Japan also has quite a dense touring schedule, but with times of rest here and there. As far as I'm aware, their television shows tend to be highlights and such, rather than a live broadcast. Currently in North America, New Japan has an hour slot on AXS TV. They also have their own streaming network, New Japan World, priced at 999 Yen, more or less the equivalent to WWE Network's $9.99 cost.

I highly doubt that New Japan are going to change their product to compete with WWE a la the Monday Night Wars. Their current state of business has made them as successful as they already are, so why change things up? Don't fix what isn't broken and all that jazz. It would alter with New Japan's style of storytelling, with press conferences and 'Road to...' shows building up to future matches. However, I wouldn't be surprised if they cut a deal with another network or AXS TV to produce a similar show to what they already have for this US expansion.

We also have no idea what they are thinking for house shows, wheher they will be similar to that of their Japanese schedule. WWE's house shows continue to pull in a more casual audience, which helps boost numbers, keeping them more or less profitable at this point in time. New Japan do have an established fanbase in the USA, though I would doubt it being the size of WWE's following. Yes, more devoted and hardcore wrestling fans will be knowing and keep up with New Japan and be willing to attend their shows, evidently as their G1 Special shows are sold out already. But, a fanbase the size of WWE would have to be cultivated, possibly making early touring a difficulty. 

Whilst that side of things is up in the air with a fair bit of speculation, there is one aspect that I feel might be a predictable outcome; talent. There are two ways to look at this; wrestlers signing with NJPW over WWE, and wrestlers jumping from WWE to New Japan. We have seen such occurrences already, with the likes of Juice Robinson (FKA CJ Parker) and Cody Rhodes moving across and finding success, as well as reports of wrestlers having received offers from both and heading to Japan.

New Japan opening up more opportunities is sure to attract those on the US indies away from WWE, and even appeal to those in WWE who feel they could do much better elsewhere or want a change. In a recent interview with Daniel Bryan, he expressed the possibility of returning to wrestling away from WWE once his contract expires. Could New Japan US be in the cards?

Although we may not be seeing any direct clashes of competition, we may well be seeing a sort of wrestling cold war. There are signs of a battle already, with the tickets for the G1 Special going up the day before 'Mania, likely resentment from WWE's acquisitions of early 2016 (AJ, Nakamura, Gallows & Anderson), WWE's tours of Japan and expansion into the Asian market, and I'm sure I remember some not so subtle comments by NJPW officials about being better than the 'E.

It would be foolish to assume WWE isn't taking notes on this, with their ever watchful eye on the wrestling world more open and all-seeing than ever. If the rumours are that WWE pushed for a UK division in reaction of World of Sport of all things, then surely they must be talking about New Japan's arrival on their turf. 

I'm not expecting another RAW/Nitro clash going on, but I expect some sort of proxy war on the indies, with WWE-aligned wrestlers being pitted against New Japan signed stars (already seen with The Elite versus British Strong Style). But, never say never.

The ROH Partnership

Since 2014, New Japan Pro Wrestling has had a partnership with Ring of Honour. In this, the two companies have hosted each other in their respective countries with the annual War of the Worlds tours, Honour Rising shows in Karouken Hall and the ROH World Championship being defended at WrestleKingdom the past couple years. Talent exchanges and sharing is also a part of this, notably with The Bullet Club branching between the two organisations, the participation of ROH stars in New Japan tournaments (Best of Super Juniors and World Tag League), and the occasional NJPW wrestler popping up on ROH TV. 

So, what will happen with this partnership in the future? At present, things seem like they will continue to be healthy and amicable. As said, the announcements on the IWGP US Title were made at Ring of Honour's last pay-per-view. Jay Lethal, coined as the franchise of ROH, is taking part in the tournament, and it appears Hangman Page will be as well. The G1 Special takes place in California, whilst ROH primarily operates in the east, Las Vegas being their only western frequent locale. 

I can see there being some possible tension arising on the possibility of wrestlers having to decide between signing with ROH or New Japan. Though, due to the partnerships, there is always the possibility of appearing for both. With Lethal already confirmed, I'd imagine that more ROH wrestlers will be taking part in the tournament, and appearing on any future shows that may be booked. 

I've seen comments online saying that NJPW could potentially end their ROH connection in their pursuits in the American market. I don't think this will happen. I can see why some might think that as the partnership is already favouring of the NJPW side; their guys being booked strong on ROH shows and more talent being sent to NJPW than to ROH outside of joint shows. However, 'The New IWGP Conception' has brought increased New Japan's global influence, aligning them with CMLL, Global Force Wrestling (or whatever's left), RevPro, wXw, the NWA as well as ROH. Looking at the NWA and GFW, those partnerships are surely less valuable than their ROH ties, so if anything, they would be cut instead. It's not like ROH would inhibit their progress into the US market, so I don't see any reason to end the partnership. Plus, as far as I'm aware, Japanese culture is pretty big on loyalty, so there's another factor that would play into a continued alliance.

What would they have to gain from ending the ROH deal? The talent trade, joint shows and advertisement is plenty enough incentive to keep it going I would have thought. But, I'm not a business man, so what do I know?

The Championship

Initially, I didn't think this title looked good. All the stars and stripes, the red leather, the mix of silver and gold on the face plate, it did put me off. But, as I look at more pictures of this title, I am beginning to warm up to it. This discussion point is a less political than the previous two, rather, a look at the logistics of the belt and talking about what would be more beneficial. 

We've got another month and a half before the G1 Special, and in that time I would imagine that we will be seeing the tournament brackets be filled. It will be interesting to see the composition of competitors, with the possible make up featuring currently active roster members, ROH talent and new signees. 

One thing I am curious about is whether the title will only be open to American wrestlers, akin to WWE's United Kingdom Championship, or whether it is just people who will be featured in the probable US division (such as Canadians, British and even some Japanese wrestlers). I think the former would be a better option, with there being a talent pool on the independents that would thrive if signed. Plus, it gives the belt a bit of a niche and a special feel to it in relation to the rest of New Japan's collection of gold.

Another thing that I find interesting to consider is whether it will be an openweight championship, with both heavyweights and juniors being eligible to contend for it. The belt's name doesn't have a weight class assigned to it. The only other belt in New Japan to share this trait is the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, though this has only ever been held once by a junior (La Sombra AKA Andrade 'Cien' Almas which I'm not sure I believe because that dude is built!). Even the NEVER Openweight Championship has only had one junior champion in Yujro Takahashi. This can be explained by NJPW's tendency to regard juniors as lesser than their heavier counterparts, with heavyweights tending to be regarded as the biggest stars of the company. I think it's going to be an open belt, though if not, could we be seeing a belt for American juniors in the future?

Also, there has been some talking about whether this belt will only be defended on American soil, or perhaps being fought for all over the place. Again, comparing it to WWE's United Kingdom Championship, that has been defended in the US despite it's British requirement for contenders on NXT, PROGRESS's Orlando show, and the upcoming TakeOver: Chicago. Though I would imagine that title defences will mainly be staged in the US, it is plausible that the belt will be seen on the line in Japan at WrestleKingdom, and possibly one or two of the other big pay-per-views. 



That just about does it from me on the matter, but what do you think? Let me know on what you think is in store for New Japan's venture into America, and what will happen with the IWGP US Championship. Thank you for joining me in this 'BWOTW Special', if you think there's something else that warrants such a thoughtpiece, do tell. Until the next one, be good to each other and take care!

BWOTW: 8/5/17 - 13/5/17

Hell there weary web traveller and welcome to this newest edition of 'Noah's Best Wrestling of the Week' AKA 'Send a Villain to do a Cleaner's Work'

But before we send this thing into a nosedive into Parts Unknown the main bit, lets have a quick look at the news;

1. Adam Cole has been kicked out of The Bullet Club, and was done so by the BlizCliz's newest member, 'The Villain' Marty Scurll. A superkick apiece from the Bucks and a crack of an umbrella from Scurll and Cole is outta here. 
2. It has been announced that coinciding with New Japan's G1 Special, there will be a round robin tournament to crown the first IWGP US Champion. It looks like they're gonna be having their own US brand, and to discuss this more, look out for a BWOTW Special soon.
3. It has been confirmed that at TakeOver: Chicago, #DIY will challenge The Authors of Pain for the NXT Tag Team Championship in a ladder match! This will be the third in the brand's history, after Neville/Bo and Finn/Owens. 
4. Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella have welcomed their daughter into the world, Birdie. Congratulations to the couple and good luck in their future parental endeavours!

And now for the turkey legs in this wrestling blog of a trip to DisneyWorld, its the matches!

Monday Night RAW


Best Match on RAW (8/5/17): Seth Rollins vs Samoa Joe

Yes, its this pairing again, and whilst I am getting a little tired of seeing these two going at it on a near weekly basis, in a vaccuum, this is was a decent match. If you look past the fact that we've seen this face-off on a few occasions now, this was fine.

We did get a fair of things we have seen these two do before, with some development upon them, for example the countering of Joe's big sitout kneebreaker thing. I wouldn't necessarily say that this was a memorable clash in their feud, apart from maybe the end which was quite cool. Joe drove the head of Rollins into the exposed steel of the turnbuckle, causing a DQ, and then choking the fucker out.

Joe really needs to be put across more as a brutal killer. With Strowman and Lesnar (to a lesser extent) being the monsters of RAW, I feel that whilst Joe fits that archetype, I think that he could perhaps instead be a more calculated and sadistic destroyer. He takes out the body parts, targets people, whatever, just something a little different from Strowman.

Anywho, this was a fine match, but I definitely feel their match at Payback was better. In all, RAW isn't amazing right now, you might be better off keeping up with news/highlights and your favourite guys/girls, because it is feeling more and more like a slog to get through.

SmackDown! LIVE

Best Match on SD! (9/5/17): AJ Styles, Sami Zayn & Randy Orton vs Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin & Jinder Mahal

Going across to SmackDown! now and we are main-evented this week by a six-man tag featuring what is shaping up to be the competitors in Backlash's singles matches, with Randy Orton, AJ Styles and Sami Zayn teaming up to take on Jinder Mahal, Kevin Owens and Baron Corbin.

It was your sort of typical six-man tag with thrown together teams. Lots of in and out, Sami being the one to take the brunt of the bad guys' beatdown. The ending sequence saw everyone getting in a signature move, sans Kevin Owens who just did a big push to Styles, though it was still awesome, seeing him fly out like that.

Jinder pins Orton! So, that was it, a nice match here on SmackDown! which did feel like a bit more filler until Backlash allows us to reevaluate and push on with storylines.

205 Live

Best Match on 205 (9/5/17): Akira Tozawa vs Brian Kendrick

Its another rematch here on 205 Live now, but it was much better than Joe/Rollins I feel, its Akira Tozawa taking on Brian Kendrick.

One thing that certainly stuck out was the thudding strikes we had from both men, chops and forearms letting their presence be known to the arena. Plus, a boot or two in there as well, with one really looking like it rocked Tozawa. A slapping sound of rubber sole meeting Akira's face was nasty and the sights matched it too. The British crowd were behind Tozawa pretty consistently throughout this, lots of 'AH's sounding through the arena and cheers for all his spots.

It's been a while since these two have had a one-on-one encounter, with them having won the acclaim of being 'The Best Match of the Week' on the last 205 Live before WrestleMania, so I can't really compare them, with it not being as clear in my mind. This one had a cleaner finish, though still a roll-up was what finished it so it leaves room for there to be even more to come from these two. Not sure what else they can do with these two, so hopefully we get some more fuel on this fire, or perhaps let them move onto new things. 

In conclusion, this was a good match, better than the RAW and SmackDown! matches I'd say. But, will these two's performance be able to take the crown this week? Let's check out what's next, or you can just scroll to the bottom, up to you.

NXT

Best Match on NXT (10/5/17): Hideo Itami vs Roderick Strong - No.1 Contender's Match for the NXT Championship

Moving on to NXT now and we have some more fruitful results as we have a No.1 Contender's Match for Bobby Roode's NXT Championship, with the returning Hideo Itami heading up against the freshly built up Roderick Strong.

This match was really, really good. A very competitive and back'n'forth match, with both of these men proving their worth and right for contention to the title. 

Like the Tozawa/Kendrick match just above this, strikes were a heavy influence in this match being as good as it was. Itami of course has a lot of his ring work centred around his array of stiff strikes and combinations, which always look brutal. Roddy kept up with this, having his own nasty chops and knee strikes being thrown into the mix that I adore. 

It's a shame that I haven't managed to collate clips of them all, but Roddy went full 'Messiah of the Backbreaker' in this one, which is a surefire way to keep me enthralled. Dropped him on the apron, pumphandled him down on the knee and this corner catch one were Strong's methods of realigning Hideo's vertebrae;

The crowd were hot for this, and aside from a dickish chant or two, they were invested into this contest, counting along with the pins and reacting to all the big moves. Even sat at home I was fidgeting and shifting in my seat as I watched this, with the action here being a damn good watch.

Eventually, it came down to Itami winning with a GTS and pinning Roddy to secure his place in the main event of TakeOver: Chicago. Due to the injuries he's sustained, this is only his third TakeOver match, his last one being against Tyler Breeze at Rival. Jesus that was ages ago - to help with the time frame, that's the show where Owens won the NXT Championship.

It looks like Strong might be facing Eric Young at Chicago, being attacked after the match sa shown on their YouTube. I hope Strong gets a title match soon, and with those video packages that have certainly got him majorly over with me, it looks like things might be going that way shortly.

Ring of Honour

Best Match on ROH TV (Episode 294): Dalton Castle & Christopher Daniels vs The Bullet Club (Adam Cole & Cody Rhodes)

We're on the last episode before War of the Worlds now with Ring of Honour. Main-eventing this time around, we have the team of ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels and Dalton Castle facing a duo from The Bullet Club, Adam Cole and Cody Rhodes.

This was another match this week that felt a little inconsequential. It was a perfectly fine match, but it was a little hard to get invested knowing that the pay-per-view was soon and with me not being too high on Cody, his interactions with Daniels didn't have the same payoff for me. The stakes may not have felt too high, but I can't say this was a bad match, or even an okay one because this most definitely was good. Hell, those who do quite enjoy Cody's work will probably like this more than me.

What I did like from this match was the fake out of Adam abandoning Cody, coming back near the climax to superkick Daniels from behind and set Cody up for the win. I thought that was a nice creative play that I cannot remember seeing before. 

As always, you can watch ROH TV for completely FREE on either www.rohwrestling.com/tv/current or on the Fite TV app.

ROH: War of the Worlds

Toronto

Best Match on WotW Toronto: Hiroshi Tanahashi & The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson))
Honourable Mention(s): Jay Lethal vs KUSHIDA

The....Elite.....The, The Elite (break it down)

With his work visa or something inhibiting his ability to wrestle in the US or something like that, Kenny Omega joins us here on the tour in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to team with The Young Bucks to face Tanahashi, Daniels and Kazarian.

This was a very good match, with The Elite's presence being a treat whatever the occasion and whatever the promotion. There was a strong build to a face off between Omega and Tanahashi, which they teased and teased, letting us have it in the final few minutes of the match. It did feel a little topsy turvy in some regards. Daniels and Tanahashi are meant to be pretty much the biggest babyfaces in their respective companies, but The Elite were so massively cheered that it ended up with them getting dampened cheers, or even boos. Whilst Kaz and Daniels have experience as incredible heels, and did tap into it in this one, Tanahashi kept a performance akin to the fan favourite, which really was Omega in this one hands down.

No matter what, whatever match the Bucks inhabit, they always make their finishes memorable, and adding Kenny to this one made it even more so. Reminiscent of their combos with Styles back in the day, after and Indytaker they passed over the destroyed Daniels to Omega, who muscled him up to a powerbomb position, turned him round and hit with the One Winged Angel for the 3 count.

Awesome match this, definitely centred around Omega, with this being his first appearance in ROH in ages. I've always thought that Omega would make a great ROH World Champion, and maybe if he doesn't win the IWGP belt at Dominion, he could have a tenure in ROH, maybe swap him and Cody around for a bit. It'd certainly stimulate the main event scene, and maybe with this pin on Daniels, he might get put into the running.

SUPERKICK COUNTER: 19

New York City (PPV)

Best Match on WotW NYC: Jay White vs Will Ospreay

Taking the cake on ROH's pay-per-view this time around, it was the 'dream match' contest between Jay White and Will Ospreay.

Right off the bat, I wanna say that for a long time, I've been a bit of a critic on Jay White. I figured his debut in PWG at 'Only Kings Understand Each Other' against Marty Scurll might have finally gotten me on board with him, but it didn't really. However, I feel this match may have now sold me on him. I'd felt in his previous matches he didn't do a lot to wow me, with a bit of a basic moveset. In this one, he got to flaunt some fancier and flashier parts of his arsenal. The competitiveness of this contest made me feel like he had more of a character and attitude to intrigue me. I hope that he can keep this up.

Ospreay, as ever, is nothing short of a joy to watch. Throughout all the controversy and polarising nature of some his matches and ringwork, I am forever in awe of Ospreay and what he can do, plus being a little bit of a hero to li'l British me. The flips, the strikes and even his overlooked technical game all were on full show in this, making for an awesome match. 

This match had so many good moments, and I felt that the exclamation point to this one was the false finish deep into the match, with White millimetres away from a 3-count. Had it ended there, this match would still have been the show's best. From then after, things went to the next level and so did the excitement levels. Then everything leading up to the climax with the springboard Shooting Star Press and following Oscutter from Will was fantastic. Great stuff from these two.

Oh, and happy birthday, Will! 

The Verdict

Best Match of the Week: Jay White vs Will Ospreay - ROH/NJPW: War of the Worlds NYC

Yes, it's only gone and done it. It built and built as time went on into a truly incredible match. Whilst I might not go as far as Meltzer who deemed it the best match seen in North America so far this year, it's certainly up there for me. This is Ospreay's sixth 'Best Match of the Week' and Jay's first (of perhaps a few if he keeps it up).

I also wanna say, that until I watch War of the Worlds this morning (Saturday), Strong/Itami on NXT was my clear cut winner of this week, and should be recognised as also being great. My recommendation would be to check both of those out.

With another week done, dusted and put on the fridge for everyone to see, here's what the leaderboard looks like now.

And now the last thing to be decided upon this week, it's 'The Best Promo of the Week' and once again, its the insane Usos taking the microphones and spewing out an awesome promo in preparation for their clash with last week's winners, Breezango, at Backlash, check it out;

That just about does it for me for this one readers. Thank you for joining me and I hope to see you again soon! Like I said, I'll be doing a BWOTW Special on New Japan's venture into the US wrestling scene, and it should be on your screens soon. I'm too far away to give you my hugs, so being good to yourselves in your part of the world will suffice. Take care, and I'll catch you down the road!