NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 In Tokyo Dome - 04/01/2026
NEVER Openweight Title Match: EVIL (c) vs. Aaron Wolf
After a long night of average, this is finally a match worth talking about on this show. It was easily the 2nd biggest match and would be number 1 if Tanahashi wasn’t retiring. Aaron Wolf’s debut was obviously the result of careful planning and large prep for sure. And while Wolf has to maintain the same qualities later on when he’s just another wrestler, you gotta take the work one match at a time. And for this match, he delivered. Despite all the noise about what he should be, he proved himself good at selling, capable of showing firing and developing a large and hot crowd into making even more noise. And he improved and got more fluid offensively as it progressed too, which is only natural. EVIL took the led and looked wonderful in his own right. The true win for the match was its ability to turn what is a standard run in spot into another strength where Wolf looked great conquering HOT. An obvious match, but they have to deliver and they did. And I loved the finish where Wolf embodied Hashimoto submitting Takada. ***3/4
IWGP World Heavyweight Title / IWGP Global Heavyweight Title Match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Yota Tsuji (c)
Credit when credit is due. Takeshita’s reign is a near dud and a detour in the eventual result, but he delivered here where it mattered. I think it’s his work that’ll be taken for granted ultimately because Tsuji shined so much, so I’ll praise him here. Tsuji came across as a star though. His selling was great and added tremendously to this. It’s always strange when people reject the idea that you need to sell because moves are cool on their own. When Tsuji is making each move, even when spammed like this, it feels like life and death. And the timing of his moves are sweet. He just has a knack for making them stand out. The crowd got behind this, which was a must and Tsuji felt like a superstar in the finish. He took Takeshita’s submission finisher and won. King. ****
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada
Emotion of the moment aside, I don’t truly think this is one of the best matches between the two so the rating might be low to the eyes. The rating is ultimately arbitrary because Tanahashi's retirement is so significant that it overpowers everything else. Now the match was still really strong. Okada delivered one of the strongest performances I’ve seen from him for a few years. Initially he came across as very blase, but he soon found his rhythm and became a tremendous subtle heel which worked perfectly to Tanahashi’s emotionally driven babyface performance. It was strong in that regard. The move to move has been done better before by both, that’s not what this was. It was something broad and way more emotionally piercing. Strong match in all the ways. ****
WWE Monday Night RAW 2026 - 12/01/2026
AJ Styles vs. Gunther
I thought this was really good. Gunther’s selling was particularly excellent from start to finish. And AJ seemed to turn back the clock here, putting together all his skills for one cohesive performance. I can watch these two wrestle all day. They didn’t need to go crazy because they made small moments enough for the story of the bout. Gunther, for his size and role as a heel, is great as a selling heel and AJ knew enough tricks to hobble the big man. The part where Gunther taps is an interesting moment. If it was intended, it makes Gunther smart. If it was a genuine tap, it makes Gunther more cowardly and heelish. It works both ways, and it’s why I think it landed as well as it does. A great TV match. Another good one for WWE this year. That’s one per week on average. This is not the WWE I know. I need more yeet. ****
NJPW Road To The New Beginning 2026 - Day 1 - 19/01/2026
IWGP Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Match: Taichi & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shota Umino & Yuya Uemura
I thought this was spectacular. Not a special showcase of storytelling or anything, but it was pure action built up in a logical manner that fully engaged the hot Korakuen Hall crowd and had me amped up. Shota Umino continues to be the duality of man as he puts in a heck of an effort, but his choice in clothing continues to confound me. He was terrific in this, more so than Uemura, who has been a long favourite of mine in recent years. Uemura was good though. He is quite low-key but just puts in the work and knows how to just wrestle. Could do with a bit of shining in order to progress, but that’s no issue here. Ishii and Taichi provide that excellence and crowd connection that only long beloved veterans can give. Maybe the glue of this match and just held this and their opponents up to a great level. ****1/4
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