Best Matches Of September 2018



September came and went, and it was one of the less stacked months in this crazy wrestling year. Having said that it still contained a couple of exceptional examples of why wrestling is great. Also, even though Jay White wasn't involved in any of the matches on this list, the way in which he destroyed two legends deserves to be the main focus in the above picture. 


Honourable Mentions

BUSHI vs KUSHIDA - NJPW Destruction In Kobe ****

Austin Theory vs AR Fox - Evolve 113 ****

Shane Strickland vs Tracy Williams (Evolve Title) - Evolve 113 ****

CCK vs Sexy Starr - PROGRESS Coast To Coast: Seattle ****

Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus vs British Strong Style - PROGRESS Coast To Coast: Seattle ****

Young Bucks vs Guerrillas Of Destiny (IWGP Tag Titles) - NJPW Fighting Spirit ****


15. Bandido, Rey Horus & Rey Fenix vs Golden Elite (Kota Ibushi & Young Bucks) - All In

This was a really fun match that could have been even better if it hadn't have suffered due to the show running late. ****

14. Matt Riddle vs Tyler Bate - PROGRESS Coast To Coast: Boston 

These two never disappoint when they face off, and this was no different. Riddle got to go through some of his greatest hits in one of his last independent dates. ****

13. AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe (WWE Title) - WWE Hell In A Cell

This was a really good match, albeit one where you can't escape the feeling that, with better booking, would have been even better. The finish was cheap as hell too. ****

12. Cedric Alexander vs Drew Gulak (Cruiserweight Title) - WWE 205 Live 18th September

As expected, they took what they did on the PPV Kickoff show and improved on it. Both men are great wrestlers and if you let them do their thing you will get a great match. ****

11. Jay Lethal vs Will Ospreay (ROH Title) - ROH Death Before Dishonor

The booking in ROH is all over the shop but there are some things that you can't really fuck up. Lethal vs Ospreay falls into that category. Both men worked their asses off to put a good finish on an otherwise lackluster show. ****1/4

10. Joey Janela vs Hangman Page (Chicago Street Fight) - All In

This was something else. Janela is a crazy person (and owner of one of the best entrance themes in wrestling), but the match, and story, are even crazier. From Page's hatred of everyone named Joey (or Joe) to the frankly ridiculous Rites Of Passage off the ladder, this was a blast. ****1/4

9. Marty Scurll vs Will Ospreay - NJPW Fighting Spirit

While this wasn't on par with their match from earlier in the year, it would have been unreasonable to expect it to have been. That match was a classic, this was just an excellent match that almost stole the show. The callbacks were a nice touch and it is expected that Ospreay will move up to the heavyweight division. ****1/4

8. CCK vs LAX - PROGRESS Coast To Coast: New York

LAX are, simply put, one of the best teams in the world right now. CCK are pretty darn good too, even with a switch up in personnel. This was the best match on the Coast To Coast tour, one that showcased the quality of both teams, and I would love to see LAX feature on the main PROGRESS chapter shows. ****1/2

7. Kenny Omega vs Penta El Zero M - All In

I love a good dream match that you never really knew how much you wanted. This played out pretty much like a big time New Japan match would, with big spots and a massive finishing stretch. It was an excellent match that was unfortunately held back a tiny bit by the fact that the result was never really in doubt. The post match Jericho appearance was nice too. ****1/2

6. Kenny Omega vs Tomohiro Ishii (IWGP Title) - NJPW Destruction In Hiroshima

Is it possible for a match to be both excellent and a slight disappointment? If so, this is it. These two had one of the best matches this year in the G1 and I was expecting that level again here, perhaps unwisely. Having said all of that, this was clearly still an excellent wrestling match, as evidenced by how high it is on this list. ****1/2

5. Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre (Raw Tag Team Titles) - WWE Hell In A Cell

I love a good tag team match, and this was certainly a very good tag team match. A large portion of this PPV was forgettable so it needed a match like this. You could tell that all of the wrestlers went out there and gave their all to put on the best match they could, probably because they were aware that the main event would go over like a lead balloon. Great stuff. ****1/2

4. Pete Dunne vs Ricochet (NXT North American & UK Titles) - NXT 19th September

When you put two of the world's best wrestlers against each other, even on TV, you expect the match to be memorable. Mission accomplished. These two put together one of the best matches that has appeared on weekly NXT TV. Even the somewhat predictable Dusty finish couldn't bring this down. I hope to see a rematch at a Takeover in the future. ****1/2

3 & 2. Golden Lovers vs Will Ospreay & Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW Road To Destruction Night 2 [&] Golden Lovers vs Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii - NJPW Fighting Spirit

I have decided to lump these two matches together as they only have a slight change in line up and they were both equally excellent. Both matches showed how good the Golden Lovers are as a team and how well put together these somewhat random matches can be. Neither match was for a title but that didn't stop them putting together matches that were beautifully paced and brilliantly executed. Superb stuff on both accounts. ****1/2

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Kazuchika Okada - NJPW Destruction In Kobe

Here we go again. Much like last month, these two put together a match that was another notch in what must be considered the best feud in wrestling history, at least from a consistent match quality standpoint. By this point you should know the score here, they had another wonderful match that looked as effortless as usual. This match also featured a stunning post match incident where Gedo turned on Okada and sided with Jay White, who destroyed both men. *****

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