Now last week we had two votes, the June Pool and the normal weekly one. Both votes came down to a tie breaker vote, and one isn’t a surprise where the other might be a small shock. Let’s show what the current MOTY Pool looks like, and you’ll see what won June.

January – Takeover Philadelphia NXT Championship Match: Johnny Gargano vs Andrade Almas (c)
February – New Beginning in Osaka IWGP Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs SANADA
March – Strong Style Evolved: Golden Lovers vs Young Bucks
April -Takeover NOLA NXT Championship Match: Andrade Almas (c) vs Aleister Black
May – WWE  Backlash Intercontinental Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs The Miz
June – NJPW Dominion IWGP Heavyweight Match -Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Kenny Omega

So yes, Omega vs Okada IV barely edged out Nakamura vs Styles. The first match to go into the July pool though, may be a surprise. Coming off of a fairly high critical acclaim G1 Special in San Francisco, one could’ve expected New Japan to take the first week. But too many votes were spread out among the ones on the list, so it came down to Jay White vs Juice Robinson or Mustafa Ali vs Buddy Murphy. The 205 Live NoDQ match, edged out all of the New Japan matches.

Will we get more of the sam? Since the G1 started on Saturday, so for the next month, it will be very hard for anything to overshadow G1 matches.

5. WWE Extreme Rules WWE Championship Match: AJ Styles (c) vs Rusev

Both men trade strikes, as AJ goes after the legs, but Rusev manages a nice Judo throw to start stomping on Styles. Styles continues the leg strikes, tries a suplex, but it gets blocked, so he goes to the ropes and Rusev catches him with a Spinebuster. Rusev is visibly favoring his left leg but manages two Vertical Suplexes and a elbow drop for a 1 count.

AJ attempts a few more kicks and tries to get something going, but Rusev throws AJ back with a huge Back Body Drop. Styles gets beat down for a while until Rusev goes for a top rope move, but AJ lands an Enzuigiri to the injured leg and sends him crashing to the floor. Styles then follows up with a Flying Forearm to the outside.

Phenomenal Blitz back inside as AJ hits the sliding forearm. Stinger Splash from AJ, as he tries an Ushigoroshi, but Rusev slides out. AJ counters Rusev’s attempt with a Scorpion Deathdrop for 2. Styles takes Rusev to the corner and tries to roll him out for the Calf Crusher, but Rusev blocks it and sends him to the outside. Suicide Dive attempt from Rusev, met with a jumping forearm.

Rusev counters another Calf Crusher attempt, going into the Accolade, as AJ slips out, kicks him in the bad leg and goes for the sliding forearm again but Rusev kicks him in the face. Fall Away Slam attempt from Rusev, but AJ turns it into the Calf Crusher. Aiden pushes the ropes forward to help Rusev break the hold, AJ gets distracted, chases Aiden on the outside as he eats a Belly to Belly Suplex followed by a Machka Kick for 2.

Macha Kick attempt number two, dodges and Styles hits a Pele Kick. Rusev catches Styles next move and hits a Roundhouse Kick for 2. Accolade attempt, but Rusev’s left leg gives out on him so it’s more like a Half Camel Clutch as Styles struggles to the ropes. Aiden gets involved again by taking the pad off the top turnbuckle. Rusev goes face first into the exposed turnbuckle since he wasn’t aware of it, Styles lands a Springboard 450 for 2.

Styles knocks Aiden down and lands the Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall victory.

Winner:  Styles via Phenomenal Forearm

Rating: **** 1/4

4. NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Moustache Mountain (c) vs The Undisputed Era

Moustache Mountain dethroned the, then NXT Tag Champions, Undisputed Era during the UK Special a couple weeks ago. So we get to see The Era try to prove something, whereas Trent Seven got his leg banged up in a previous Six Man Tag.

Trent Seven started it off, and that was the beginning of the story. Strong and O’Reilly managed to work over the injured like hunters going in for the kill. Multiple back breakers from Strong and O’Reilly with Heel Hooks and Knee Bars just killing Seven’s leg.

After a few cut off moments stopping Tyler Bate from getting into the match, Seven finally fights through and gets in the fresher man. It was at this point we get a goofy spot where Bate has Strong on his shoulders and grabs O’Reilly for an Airplane Spin/Big Swing combo, but since he couldn’t hold Strong, it made no sense why he stayed on his shoulders. So the crowd might’ve enjoyed it, but it really was rather awful.

We see Bate hit a Tyler Driver ’97, but it gets broken up. The trainers come out to work on Seven’s knee, which inspires Bate to try and fight harder without letting him come back in. Eventually, the Bate’s energy leaves him and the numbers game gets too much, so he ends up tagging in Seven.

Trent comes back in looking good, knocking them both down, hitting a Seven Star Lariat for a near fall, but it was all cooking. However, after breaking up one submission attempt the referee admonishes Bate and him being the good babyface listens to him. So we see Kyle O’Reilly go back to torturing Trent Seven by tearing his knee apart as Bate stays in the corner and tries to urge him on.

However, it becomes too much after a while. Tyler can’t watch his mentor get his knee torn apart so he throws in the towel even though Seven keeps saying not to do it. So Undisputed Era regains the Tag Titles.

Winner: Undisputed Era via Stoppage

Rating: **** 1/4

3. NJPW G1 Climax 28: SANADA vs Hirooki Goto

This match is interesting where neither of these guys have much history fighting each other. Goto, who even though he’s the current NEVER Openweight champion and a former winner of the G1, as well as, he went to the finals of G1 Climax 26, but isn’t ever seen as a strong favorite. SANADA on the other hand is seen as a future champion.

It’s hard to really put in to words what happened in this match. We saw beautiful counter wrestling from SANADA, and his athleticism was on display opposed to Goto’s technical Bushido persona. We saw the match spill to the outside for a short time, but in general the match started off a little slow. So as we watch this build, it has the skeptical hallmarks of a good but forgettable Goto match.

But once we get to a point where SANADA goes for the Skull End then we watch the counter wrestling begin. SANADA did the usual thing where he puts too much stock in the Muta Moonsault and misses, which gives Goto the opening. A nice tease is Goto looks like he’s gonna pull off a Shouten Kai which was more of his go to finish before the GTR all the time.

So Goto lands a Reverse GTR, Draping GTR and his normal GTR to pull off a hard fought victory. SANADA keeps impressing and Goto definitely showed up a lot of doubters. Could’ve easily been the number 1 match, if it wasn’t paired against the well recognized names.

Winner: Goto via GTR

Rating: **** 1/2

Honorable Mentions:

WWE Extreme Rules Intercontinental Iron Man Match: Seth Rollins vs Dolph Ziggler (c)
Winner: Ziggler 5-4
Rating: ****
NJPW G1 Climax 28: Michael Elgin vs EVIL
Winner: Elgin via Elgin Bomb
Rating: ****
NJPW G1 Climax 28: Kota Ibushi vs Zack Sabre Jr
Winner: Ibushi via Kami GoYe Knee
Rating: ****
205 Live Cruiserweight Title Match: Hideo Itami vs Cedric Alexander (c)
Winner: Alexander via Lumbar Check
Rating: *** 3/4
Raw: Drew McIntyre vs Seth Rollins
Winner: McIntyre via Claymore
Rating: *** 3/4
Impact: Sami Callihan, Jake Crist & David Crist vs Rich Swann, Fenix & Pentagon Jr
Winner: Callihan via Get Out of Here
Rating: *** 3/4
WWE Extreme Rules: Roman Regins vs Bobby Lashley
Winner: Lashley via Spear
Rating: *** 1/2
NJPW G1 Climax: Tama Tonga vs Juice Robinson
Winner: Tama via Gun Stun
Rating: *** 1/4
MLW Fusion: ‘Filthy’ Tom Lawlor vs Jake Hager
Winner: Lawlor via DQ
Rating: ***

2. NJPW G1 Climax 28: Kazuchika Okada vs Jay White

From My Coverage:

So Jay White gets his first shot at Okada since returning from excursion and joining Chaos. Jay did say he wanted more inner stable matches, but given that neither have titles currently, this is just awkward. Okada sporting red hair and new awful music, and Jay White asking people where his belt is…I don’t even know what to think here. One will bounce back after big losses, but neither seems to be mentally complete at the moment.

Okada comes out with his balloons and looking relaxed to the point of goofiness, but does manage to take an early advantage. After some time on the outside, Jay White turns it around and starts banging Okada’s back off the barricade and apron. Plenty of entertaining spots in this match. Jay rips off the banner from the apron and tries to asphyxiate Okada, wait til 4, and then reattaches it as the crowd applauds that. Jay beats down Okada on the outside, Red Shoes starts counting, but Jay goes out there and throws Okada in the ring as the crowd applauds that also. So even though he’s doing obviously heelish things, they’re applauding when he does nice stuff as a show of respect, even if Jay is being disingenuous.

Even though this shell of Okada isn’t the same man that defended the IWGP title for 720, he gets a small fire under him when Jay starts toying with him. The Okada Dropkick, Macho Man Style Elbow Drop, Scooby Dooby Doo Crossbody and even a Rainmaker pose, but Jay manages to counter the Rainmaker the first few times.

We see Jay going to any lengths necessary to try and win the match, while verbally harassing Okada and messing with the crowd. Speaking of the crowd, they were oddly quiet through a lot of it. I’m not sure if they’re still trying to figure out new Okada or if they’re just not ready to openly support him after a year of cheering ever challenger he faced. Either way, the tense atmosphere, coupled with Jay’s insistence upon cheating to make it “his Chaos”, gave the match an odd feel.

Towards the end, Jay brings in a chair, pushes down Red Shoes and goes to hit Okada, but the Rainmaker Dropkicks the chair into Jay’s face and looks to be on track to winning the match. Red Shoes gets up, Okada winds up Jay for the Rainmaker, but Jay backfists Red Shoes before eating the Rainmaker. So even though the ref could’ve counted to 12, White’s tactics paid off. Kazuchika goes to pick him for another move, Jay hits a low blow, followed by throwing the chair into Okada’s face and finally, Blade Runner ends the match as the referee comes to.

So it told a good story of Okada still not being himself, and Jay White finding a character that will go to any lengths to win all while claiming everything is his.

Winner: Jay White via Blade Runner

Rating: **** 1/2

1.  NJPW G1 Climax 28: Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito

Usually when we see these two, it’s either the finals, or leading to the finals. In two previous matchups they each have one win, but Omega wasn’t the champion at the time. Also there’s the under current of Omega’s comments about Japanese wrestlers not working as hard as gaijins (it’s a work), so Naito has something to prove not only for himself but for Japanese wrestlers.

This starts off fast and doesn’t slow down until they start to get exhausted. Naito gets his Avalanche Frankensteiner countered a few times, both the Destino and One Winged Angel get countered multiple times, and it’s just a beautiful match to watch. For as much as people talk about Okada versus Omega matches, the Naito matches have a special feeling about them.

Recounting things that happened won’t do this justice, so I’ll just fast forward to the end. Naito lands a Running Destino, but Omega kicks out. He then tries Destino four or five more times from different angles, but Omega finally gets an opening to land a V-Trigger to daze Naito long enough to hit the One Winged Angel.

Omega gets the early 2 points, which puts Naito behind the eight ball since B Block doesn’t really have an easy match up. Let’s remember that Okada went 6-0 last year before the wheels fell off, so it’s more how you finish, then how you start.

Winner: Omega via One Winged Angel

Rating: **** 3/4

Now even though my summation wasn’t fantastic, you need to watch the match to understand it, Tetsuya Naito vs Kenny Omega, gets my vote for match of the week. I can’t wait to see them have a match outside of the G1, but for now, I’ll be happy with these.

So Use Your Head, and I’m gonna go to bed.