Opinion
NXT Minus 6: Pre-Quarantine Matches of the Year
Drawing a distinction between the year with and without fans; Brad brings us his NXT matches of year, before the “new normal” was a thing!
Wrestling is made for a live audience. Crowd reaction can make a moment, take a match from good to great, from great to MOTY. For that reason, I don’t think it’s fair to compare pre- and quarantine matches. Here are the six best NXT matches from 2020 that had the benefit of a live audience.

6. Broserweights versus Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews, NXT TV, 4.6 stars
The Dusty Rhodes Classic is designed to showcase the NXT tag team division. What do we get? “Random thrown together oddball team” and two Brits not widely known by the American audience. And what do you do with that? Give them 20 minutes to tear down the house and leave the audience no choice but to fall in love with both teams. Only in NXT. The DRTTC had plenty of excellent matches, but this was the cream of the crop.

5. Imperium versus Undisputed Era, Worlds Collide 4.7 stars
I don’t think I noticed this at first. After rewatching this match, if I was new to NXT I’d assume WALTER, Roderick Strong & Kyle O’Reilly are the top guys. Everybody looked great, but those three shined the brightest. Strong in particular crushed it. He deserves a solo run and a shot at the NXT title. In general, Worlds Collide was a phenomenal showcase for NXT UK. It probably won’t happen in 2021, but I hope they keep the event going.

4. DIY versus Mustache Mountain, Worlds Collide 4.8 stars
This was everything that’s great about wrestling. It started with flash & showmanship, everyone clearly enjoying the playful moments. Business eventually did pick up and we got exactly what we expected from two of the best tag teams of this generation. It ended with a genuine show of respect between the four. The crowd ate up every crumb. Had this been for a title or something to give it that extra bit of story, it easily would have been 5 stars.

3. Tyler Bate versus Jordan Devlin, Takeover Blackpool II, 4.8 stars
Chemistry. These guys fit together like hydrogen and oxygen. They slugged it out for almost 23 minutes and it never felt that long. Great build. Great intensity. Great exchanges. Bate hit the world’s longest airplane spin. Devlin has a vicious right jab. These two were born to fight forever. Bate seems to have Devlin’s number…for now. I want to see this rivalry run as long as possible, because I know they have a MOTY in them.

2. Keith Lee versus Dominik Dijakovic, Takeover Portland 4.8
The match itself was the high flying, hard hitting spectacle we expect from Lee & Dijakovic. The post match took it from great to MOTY territory. Lee didn’t have to help Dijakovic up or help him climb the ropes so the crowd could show their appreciation for his effort. He did it because wrestling is real, and the Moment Maker gave us one of the great moments of the year. It was a great moment that could not have happened during the quarantine.
And the pre-quarantine Match of the Year for 2020 is…

1. Broserweights versus Undisputed Era, Takeover Portland, 4.8
This feels like a match from an entirely different era. A sold-out live audience is molten hot. Mauro Ranallo is still at the announcer’s table. The match within a match between Matt Riddle and Kyle O’Reilly was so good it breaks my heart we didn’t get more between those two. They even made me believe Riddle and Dunne would self destruct and lose. Part of me is sad that we didn’t get the inevitable Riddle/Dunne feud. The other part of me says the best you can do is leave when you are on top. It is better to burn out than to fade away.
Up next: The 6 best NXT matches of quarantine 2020
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Opinion
Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania.
‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman?
I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!
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Opinion
Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month.
Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while.
The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev.
All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet.
As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!
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