Again with the annoying work schedules and lack of time. You know, with quarantine clearing up and things returning to old normal…I’m of the head space to just ask life “could you not”. Not that I don’t want things back to mostly normal, but sheesh, not all at once, ease me in…be gentle.

ANYWAY – we had a head to head vote for May since that was the beginning of my awkward truncated timey wimey stuff. And I was surprised in how it shook out. Take a look! This ain’t a book! – I’m not finishing that, just read…please.

MOTY Pool:

• January: NJPW New Beginning Nagoya: NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
• February: NXT Vengeance Day: North American Championship: Johnny Gargano (c) vs Kushida
• March: NJC 3.21.21: NJC Finals: Will Ospreay vs Shingo Takagi
• April: NXT Stand & Deliver: UK Championship: Walter (c) vs Tommaso Ciampa
• May: WWE WrestleMania Backlash: Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs Cesaro

If that isn’t something to be surprised about, the fact the Dragon Gate stans woke up last week to celebrate Kzy finally getting an inkling of a push, is also surprising. So, King of Gate Finals: Kzy vs Kota Minoura, won the weekly vote!

Now this week is a little more normal. It’s not all Japanese matches, but it is some of the expected players in the quality game.

Quick Top 5:

1. NJPW Dominion: -VACANT- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs Shingo Takagi
   Rating: **** ¾
2. NXT In Your House: NXT Championship: Karrion Kross (c) vs Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano vs Kyle O’Reilly vs Pete Dunne
   Rating: **** ½
3. NXT UK: NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura vs Kay Lee Ray (c)
   Rating: **** ¼
4. NJPW Dominion: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) vs YOH
   Rating: ****
5. Impact Against All Odd: Knockouts Championship: Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Rosemary
   Rating: *** ¾

Honorable Mentions:

• NXT In Your House: Million Dollar Championship Ladder Match: Cameron Grimes vs L.A. Knight
  Rating: *** ½
• IMPACT: NO DQ: W. Morrissey vs Willie Mack
  Rating: *** ½
• AJPW Dynamite Series: World Tag Team Titles: Kohei Sato & Shuji Ishikawa vs Kento Miyahara & Yuma Aoyagi (c)
  Rating: *** ½
• NJPW Dominion: Jeff Cobb vs Kota Ibushi
  Rating: *** ½
• Impact Against All Odds: Impact World Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs Moose
  Rating: *** ½
• Impact Against All Odds: Chris Bey vs Petey Williams vs Trey Miguel vs Rohit Raju vs Ace Austin
  Rating: *** ½
• Impact Against All Odds: Satoshi Kojima vs Joe Doering
  Rating: *** ¼
• NXT In Your House: Winner Take All: Legado del Fantasma vs MSK & Bronson Reed (c)
  Rating: *** ¼
• IMPACT: Petey Williams & Trey Miguel vs Chris Bey & Rohit Raju
  Rating: *** ¼
• Impact Against All Odds: W. Morrissey vs Rich Swann
  Rating: *** ¼
• AJPW Dynamite Series: World Junior Heavyweight Title: CIMA (c) vs Koji Iwamoto
  Rating: *** ¼
• WWE SmackDown: Kevin Owens & Big E vs Sami Zayn & Apollo Crews
  Rating: ***
• NXT In Your House: NXT Women’s Championship: Raquel Gonzalez (c) vs Ember Moon
  Rating: ***
• Impact Against All Odds: IMPACT Tag Team Championship: Black Taurus & Crazzy Steve vs Rhino & Deaner (c)
  Rating: ***
• AEW Dynamite: Hangman Page & 10 vs Hobbs & Brian Cage
  Rating: ***
• WWE Raw: Matt Riddle vs Kofi Kingston
  Rating: ***
• Impact Against All Odds: Tenille Dashwood w/Kaleb vs Jordynne Grace w/Rachael Ellering
  Rating: ***
• Impact Against All Odds: Tag Team Street Fight: Good Brothers vs Sami Callihan & Tommy Dreamer
  Rating: ***

5. Impact Against All Odd: Knockouts Championship: Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Rosemary

From My Results:

This had great story telling elements. Deonna worked the arm, which Rosemary sold well. Between tying the arm in the post, Russian Leg Sweeps into joint locks and then the Venus di Milo. Rosemary manages to get the ropes, which just pissed off Deonna.

Deonna does a variation of the Garvin Stomps, then takes Rosemary’s knee brace off. Rosemary fights back, hits a sudden Spear which Deonna barely kicks out of. Rosemary goes for her “As Above As is Below” but her knee gives out. Deonna kicks the other leg, kicks her in the head, snaps in the Gotch Style Piledriver “Cosa Nostra” and retains the Knockouts title.

Winner: Purrazzo via Cosa Nostra

4. NJPW Dominion: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: El Desperado (c) vs YOH

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

Desperado gets Yoh back up, double underhooks, but no Pinche Loco! Yoh wrenches out to JUMP KNEE! Desperado CHOPS, then catches Yoh for a cradle, to the STRETCH MUFFLER! Yoh rolls it over to a cradle, TWO!! Desperado hurries to his feet, but Yoh tackles him for a CALF KILLER!! Desperado endures as Yoh pulls back harder on the leg! Desperado fights, reaches, claws, but Yoh rolls him away from ropes! Yoh has the Calf Killer deep, but Desperado isn’t giving up! Yoh wants the other leg now! Yoh makes it a FIGURE FOUR CALF KILLER! Desperado desperately reaches out and gets the ROPEBREAK! Yoh lets go in frustration but fans stay fired up!

Yoh gets to his feet, looms over Desperado, then brings him up into a half nelson. Full nelson, DRAGON SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Desperado survives but Yoh fires up! Yoh gets Desperado back up, double underhooks, but Desperado fights free! Yoh blocks the punch but not the HEADBUTT! Now Desperado fires up and fans follow suit. Desperado underhooks, PINCH- NO! Jackknife from Yoh, TWO!!! Desperado barely escapes, both men get up, and Yoh SUPERKICKS Desperado! Desperado stays up to LOCO MONO!! Yoh goes down in a heap but Desperado isn’t done with him! Desperado drags Yoh into position, PINCHE LOCO!!! Cover a la the Deadman, Desperado wins!

Winner: Despy via Pinche Loco

3. NXT UK: NXT UK Women’s Championship: Meiko Satomura vs Kay Lee Ray (c)

From Mitchell’s Coverage:

KLR rushes in, Meiko dodges the belt shot and hits a DEATH VALLEY BOMB to the floor!! A ring count starts but Meiko drags KLR up and puts her in at 5 of 10. KLR bails out as Meiko gets back in, but Meiko pursues. KLR drags Meiko down and tosses her to the floor! Meiko gets up but KLR gets the arms! APRON GORY BOMB!!! KLR shoves Meiko back in, covers, TWO!!! Meiko still refuses to lose! KLR grits her teeth and hobbles over. KLR gets Meiko up, reels her in, but Meiko back drops free! Meiko fires up and stomps KLR into a drop zone. Meiko climbs but KLR SLAPS her! KLR climbs, stands Meiko up, but Meiko fights back!

Meiko clubs and clubs and SUPER SUNSET BOMBS!!! Cover, TWO!?!?! KLR survives, and though Meiko is frustrated, Meiko keeps focus. Meiko drags KLR up to KICK her in the chest, then wrap on a SLEEPER! KLR snapmares free, scrambles, but Meiko is back on for another sleeper! Meiko grinds KLR down and squeezes tight! KLR is already turning red and is reaching! KLR FALLS to the ROPEBREAK! Meiko lets off and KLR is somehow conscious. KLR staggers up into Meiko’s PELE! Cover, TWO, KOJI KLUTCH!!?! KLR gets Meiko outta nowhere, but Meiko pushes to a cover, TWO!! KLR has to let Meiko go, Meiko hits a BASEMENT WHEEL KICK!

Meiko says she’s going to end this! Fireman’s carry, DEATH VALLEY BOMB!! KLR flounders but Meiko says this isn’t enough! Meiko roars and runs, SCORPIO RISING!!!! Cover, Meiko wins!!!

Winner: Satomura via Scorpio Rising

2. NXT In Your House: NXT Championship: Karrion Kross (c) vs Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano vs Kyle O’Reilly vs Pete Dunne

From AJ’s Review:

All the challengers return to the ring and take it to one another and even getting some accidental two on ones on people. Dunne and Gargano meeting in the middle on O’Reilly. Gargano doing a Poison-rana in combination with a Superkick from Cole to Dunne and finally, a Enziguri into a back suplex from Gargano and O’Reilly to Cole and Kross returns to take apart each challenger, one by one. Everyone works together to try to take out Karrion Kross and even gets a small Undisputed Era reunion to Powerbomb Kross on the announce table so all the challengers face off.

Gargano and Adam Cole hit each other with superkicks, Dunne and O’Reilly put submission holds on them and drop it to fight each other. After a submission transition, Adam Cole and Gargano come in to spoil the party and use speed and superkicks to go to them and hell breaks loose once again. O’Reilly stops a double Garga-No Escape and takes full control as Adam Cole takes ultimate opportunity for this and hits a Panama Sunrise to Gargano after pushing Kyle off. Dunne breaks the pin attempt of Adam Cole and X-Plexes him on the outside and Karrion Kross rises up and Dunne fights off Kross, landing the Bitter End and it’s a nearfall. Changing it up to and putting a Triangle on Kross, everyone returns and now it’s Pete Dunne’s second wind.

Kross comes back though and removes Adam Cole from the match once more and puts the Kross Jacket on. Dunne breaks it, “breaking” Kross’ fingers and Johnny comes in to One Final Beats Dunne to eliminates him from the match and O’Reilly returns to clean house until Adam Cole gets his second wind as well, superkicking everyone involved and gets caught in a Leg Lock but too close to Karrion Kross and Karrion Kross applies the Kross Jacket onto Kyle O’Reilly to make him fade.

Winner: Kross via Kross Jacket

1. NJPW Dominion: -VACANT- IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada vs Shingo Takagi

From My Results:

Okada said he was feeling healthy when he declared interest in the title, but it appeared his back was still not fully recovered. You could see Okada was pacing the match a little differently, he was trying to combat Shingo’s unbridled aggression with skill and class.

There were moments when Okada tried to wear out Shingo to attempt to remove the explosion from his offense, and went to the Money Clip a few times. Thankfully that terrible move didn’t come close to finishing the match. When things went to the outside, Shingo finally turned the tide by hitting a huge Made in Japan on the outside.

From that point, Okada was on the backfoot and just searching for an opening. The Million Dollar Dropkick opened up a few spots for the short arm version of the Rainmaker. But every time Okada went for the official Rainmaker, Shingo avoided it with a Rainmaker or Pumping Bomber of his own. Okada tried to keep Shingo down, but Shingo found his second wind the way he tends to, absorbs some shots and fires back in the aggressive Tenryu style. Elbows, chops, Lariats and a quick Death Valley Driver sets the stage. Okada is rocked, Dragon Suplex from The Dragon, Sliding D (shout out to Masato Tanaka) catches Okada in the face, then Last of the Dragon and…SHINGO WINS!

Winner: Shingo via Last of the Dragon

Final Thoughts:

You know, I’m really happy that there are two women’s matches in the Top 5 this week. This year particularly, it has felt a bit light in the high quality matches, though due to time that could also have been me no searching as hard as I usually do. But Deonna has proven herself since her return to Impact and Meiko is finally getting a chance to shine on the WWE stage.

My vote is going to Shingo vs Okada, just because Shingo was the main reason I watched Dragon Gate years ago, and I’m happy they put the strap on the guy with momentum for a change.

It was a fun week of wrestling, it was a solid week of matches, and it’s just nice to be getting back in the swing of things. Now where’s my Tripleshot Starbucks thingy…I’ve got important work to do…