This was an underwhelming week for wrestling, but as a Buccaneers fan, I’m quite a happy puppy! Next week things will ramp up with No Surrender, NOAH’s Budokan show and 2 New Beginning shows.

So next week will be slammed, but let’s look at the fourth match to make the January list.

January MOTY Pool:

• Wrestle Kingdom Night 1: Will Ospreay vs Kazuchika Okada
• NXT UK: NXT UK Championship: Walter (c) vs A-Kid
• WWE Raw: Ricochet vs AJ Styles
• NJPW New Beginning Nagoya: NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

The right match won last week, and it’s my vote for January. Shingo vs Tanahashi is my number 1 of the year so far and is just a fantastic match that everyone needs to watch.

Now on to getting this week over with!

Quick Top 5:

1. NXT: Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher vs The Undisputed Era
   Rating: *** 3/4
2. WWE Raw: Randy Orton vs Edge
   Rating: *** 1/2
3. AEW Beach Break: Pac, Rey Renix & Jon Moxley vs Good Brothers & Kenny Omega
   Rating: *** 1/2
4. WWE SmackDown: Intercontinental Championship: Big E (c) vs Sami Zayn vs Apollo Crews
   Rating: *** 1/4
5. IMPACT!: Moose & Chris Bey vs Rich Swann & Tommy Dreamer
   Rating: *** 1/4

Honorable Mentions:

• AEW Beach Break: Thunder Rosa vs Britt Baker
  Rating: ***
• IMPACT!: Madman Fulton w/Ace Austin vs Josh Alexander
  Rating: ***
• NXT UK: Dave Mastiff vs Jordan Devlin
  Rating: ***
• IMPACT!: TJP vs Rohit Raju
  Rating: ***
• Legado del Fantasma vs Lucha House Party
  Rating: ***

4t. IMPACT!: Moose & Chris Bey vs Rich Swann & Tommy Dreamer

From My Results:
There was fairly solid chemistry with Dreamer and Swann. Even though they started being a little contentious with Rich implying since Tommy is old her could do most of the heavy lifting. Bey and Swann had a fantastic exchange of counters, flippy cool spots, handstand back kicks and just a very fun athletic back and forth; where after Rich came out ahead he just stared down Moose a bit in the “Top That” kind of vibe.

We get a lot of nice back and forth, this was just a really solid tag team match. Dreamer hits a few moves we haven’t seen him do in a while, there’s a lot of stare downs and sizing up as people mimic moves to just show someone up. A blind tag from Moose, saves the team when Bey gets the Art of Finesse countered. Dreamer tags in Swann, Moose pushes Dreamer into the ropes than sets up the Lights Out. Moose aims for Dreamer, but he Ole’s the Spear, and Swann gets cut in half. Bey holds off Dreamer and Moose picks up the win for his team after the visible pin over the champion.

Winner: Moose via Lights Out

4t. WWE SmackDown: Intercontinental Championship: Big E (c) vs Sami Zayn vs Apollo Crews

From Mitchell’s Coverage:
Apollo fires up as Sami goes to a corner. Apollo runs in but into an elbow! Sami boots but it’s blocked! Big E adds on, GERMAN SUPLEX EXPLODER!! All three men are down and the fans are rallying on their ThunderDome screens! Apollo crawls to the apron to save himself from a cover, so Big E looks at Sami. Sami also goes to the apron, Big E builds speed, but Sami KNEES Big E away! Sami realizes he has an opening, sees Big E in a corner, HELLUVA KICK!! Cover, but Apollo drags him off! Sami is furious, that should’ve been three! Sami fires off fists on Apollo and then he argues with the ref! But there’s nothing that can be done, Apollo goes after Sami!

Sami begs for mercy, but Apollo ROCKS him with haymakers! Apollo military presses Sami to TOSS him into the timekeeper’s area!! And Apollo goes back to Big E in the ring! Big E scoops him, BIG ENDING!! Cover, Big E wins!!

Winner: Big E via Big Ending

2t. AEW Beach Break: Pac, Rey Renix & Jon Moxley vs Good Brothers & Kenny Omega

From Mitchell’s Coverage:
Gallows BOOTS Moxley! Fenix missile dropkicks Gallows! Anderson whips Fenix, Fenix rewinds to HEEL KICK! Fenix DIVES and takes Anderson and himself out! Omega runs but the V-Trigger gets buckles! Moxley kicks low but no Paradigm Shift! Wait, Omega underhooks and steals Paradigm Shift!! But Pac is up top as Omega covers, 450 onto Omega’s back!! Pac, Omega and Moxley are all down and fans are losing their minds! Omega crawls, Anderson tags in! Anderson runs at Moxley, but no cutter, Moxley steals GUN STUN! Fenix tags in, springboards and QUEBRADAS! Cover, TWO!!

Fenix whips, Anderson reverses, but Fenix elbows him away. Fenix goes up, springboards again, into a SPINEBUSTER! Anderson tags in Gallows, Omega gets in, Good Brothers hit MAGIC KILLER! V-TRIGGER for Pac, Gallows covers, BIZ CLIZ WINS!

Winner: Elite via Magic Trigger

2t. WWE Raw: Randy Orton vs Edge

From Mitchell’s Coverage:
Orton goes to an apron, drags himself up, and Edge is doing the same on the opposite side. Edge runs over and BLASTS Orton off to the barriers! The ring count begins as Orton is down, and is already to 5 of 10. Edge goes out to fetch Orton, not wanting this to end on a ring count. He puts Orton in, hurries after Orton, but Orton rolls all the way back out. Orton stays standing by leaning on the apron, but Edge heads over. Orton goes to the announce desk, and he pokes Edge in the eye! Orton gives Edge an ANNOUNCE DESK BACK SUPLEX! The ring count is climbing, Orton drags Edge up off the desk, to put Edge in at 7.

Orton slithers behind Edge, Edge crawls to the far side, but Orton grabs his legs! ROPE GUILLOTINE! Edge sputters but Orton drags Edge up through the ropes now! DRAPING DDT! But Orton isn’t done there, he’s starting to hear the voices in his head! Orton wants Edge to stand, but wait. ALEXA IS BACK! Orton turns around to see her on the top corner, and she’s drooling… Blood?! Ink? What is it? EDGE SPEARS ORTON!! Cover, Edge wins!!

Winner: Edge via Spear

1. NXT: Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher vs The Undisputed Era

From Mitchell’s Coverage:
The Undisputed Era has dual submissions, but Ciampa powers Strong away to CLOBBER Cole! Ciampa saves Thatcher and the teams regroup. Cole tags Strong, Strong fireman’s carries Thatcher but Thatcher slips out to shove Strong into Cole! Thatcher wants the arm, drags Strong down but Strong rolls him! TWO, and Thatcher SLAPS Strong down! Thatcher drags Strong up to GERMAN SUPLEX! Tag to Ciampa and Ciampa takes over to GERMAN SUPLEX, too! Tag back to Thatcher and he dead lifts Strong. Ciampa tags in, GERMAN SUPLEX turns Strong inside out, PSYCHO KNEE! Cover, Thatcher intercepts Cole, but TWO!! Strong still survives!

Thatcher throws Coles out and goes back to his corner. Ciampa cools off, drags Strong up and reel shim in. Ciampa clubs away on Strong’s back from all sides, then double underhooks! But no Fairytale Ending, OLYMPIC SLAM instead! Hot tag to Cole and he SUPERKICKS Thatcher! Cole aims at Ciampa, Strong joins in, SUPERKICK STRONG KNEE COMBO! Cover, TWO!?!? Ciampa survives and the Undisputed Era is shocked! Cole tags Strong, they drag Ciampa up and coordinate, END OF HEARTACHE, but Thatcher drags Cole out! Thatcher blocks the kick, EuroUppers Cole, then hurries to get Strong!

Thatcher BLASTS Cole again, but Strong KNEES Thatcher, into a BARRIER BACKBREAKER! Strong gets in, but into WILLOW’S BELL! Cover, Ciampa & Thatcher win!!

Winner: Ciampa & Thatcher via Willow’s Bell

Thoughts:

Super Bowl LV is my match of the week. It turned out to be a hell of a squash match, but Thanos Brady continues to dominate sportsball in ways unseen.

Oh – should I be serious? I mean whatever wins this week won’t really stand a chance in the MOTY Pool round, but FINE, I’ll play in this play space. Ciampa and Thatcher get my vote just because it was the best match, but will probably be outclassed by matches that end up being Honorable Mentions next week.

Let’s go for back to back Buccaneers Super Bowls! Brady can be the first person to win back to back since…himself; that would be a heck of a storyline. Make it so number one…erhm…twelve.