Hawke’s Top 10 Matches from WrestleMania 2018 Weekend

Notable Omissions

Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Kenny Omega vs. Cody Rhodes

ROH Ladder Match

Matt Riddle vs. Daisuke Sekimoto

Munenori Sawa vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

 

Honorable Mention

WALTER vs. PCO – GCW

Wrestling is virtually impossible to enjoy free of cynicism. The biggest company in the world is owned and operated by the very worst of America. The people  in the business you look to for optimism seem to continuously disappoint you time and time again in real life and/or on screen. It’s basically the most problematic hobby a fan can have that is also relatively mainstream.

For years, you would read about wrestling and the constant battle to make the audience suspend its disbelief with regards to how obviously staged it is. For the modern and self-aware fan though, they are fighting a different battle. They are constantly trying to suspend their cynicism. Anything and everything that can make them feel good about what they are watching is welcome for however brief a time it lasts.

It does not matter that PCO can’t move for shit. It doesn’t matter how slow and plodding the first half of the match was.  It does not even matter that the crowd’s reaction to 95% of the match could be described as politely invested (at best).

What mattered was for a few weeks Joey Janela convinced everyone that PCO was someone to be nostalgic about.

What mattered was that PCO, despite any physical limitations, so earnestly approached this match and was in there with someone who was perfectly willing to put ego aside and do his part to make the match work.

What mattered was that (seemingly) everyone watching in person and at home loved what they saw because they were able to suspend their cynicism about what they were watching.

What mattered was…that the match mattered. That’s good enough sometimes. Wrestling fans no longer want to believe that the fight is real; wrestling just needs to not be awful all the time. We want to believe. (n/a)

 

10. Kota Ibushi vs. Adam Page – ROH

This worked out quite well and accomplished everything that the company could have wanted. For starters, they actually had a good match which is always nice. Page has proven in the past to work well in match that emphasize big spots and broad in-ring storytelling. And that was exactly the kind of match that Kota does best.

The other main objective of this match was to improve Adam Page’s standing, and in that way the match was an unqualified success. It’s hard to say what exactly Page’s ceiling is as a star (or even as a performer), but more matches like this will make people care about him far more. Good stuff. [Kota won with his new brutal knee strike to the face.] (***1/2)

 

9. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz – WWE

This was for The Miz’s Intercontinental Championship.

This was an excellent example of three talented yet flawed wrestlers being put into a position to succeed and then delivering accordingly. They worked a match that was heavy on action and limited the amount of needless dead time. They did not try to tell a terribly substantive story, but instead put a focus on cool sequences and genuinely surprising in-ring moments.

It all organically built to a chaotic (if cliche) finishing three-way sequence with loads of finishers and reversals. This was the ideal opener for Wrestlemania in that it got the fans excited while not being so high-level as to make it impossible to follow. [Rollins won via Curb Stomp on Miz.] (***1/2)

 

8. Charlotte vs. Asuka – WWE

This was for Charlotte’s Smackdown Women’s Championship.

While this match did not really come close to the heights of the very best matches the womens’ divisions have put on in recent years, there is no question that this match was a success on a number of levels.

For starters, both women established an awesome tone from the get-go, as they were working with something to prove to themselves and each other. They worked like this was going to be a tough challenge, and they could not let their guard down for a second.

To make things even better, they did a great job of progressively getting more and more physical throughout. It was an even fight, and both women had to simultaneously limit their mistakes while taking more chances if they wanted to win.

It all built to a dramatic, if surprising, finishing stretch that resulted in Asuka tapping out cleanly to Charlotte. The match itself was unquestionably good within the bubble of bell-to-bell. (***1/2)

That decision will obviously result in a lot of second-guessing from fans and critics. It’s mostly troubling because Asuka seemed happy that Charlotte won after, and then the commentators pulled out the “overcome with emotion” bullshit line.

Asuka finally losing is a significant moment that should lead to impactful change in characters. It’s not simply yet another accomplishment for Charlotte. And it’s also not a mere transition moment to the show-long John Cena story, as the WWE decided Asuka standing in the ring was the time for Cena to learn that The Undertaker was in the building which caused Cena to run backstage. Yawn.

 

7. Matt Riddle vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – Evolve

This was for Zack’s Evolve Championship.

While Matt Riddle has of course largely been a great performer in Evolve who has been so consistently good in his time there, the actual story of his character in the company has left a lot to be desired. (Good matches but bad stories? In Evolve???)

Part of the issue was timing of course. The rise of Matt Riddle was unexpected, and it happened at the same time as The Thatch Man’s lengthy run on top and while the company was haphazardly trying to set up Zack to be The Guy.

That may not have been ideal, but the solution was clear as day. Matt Riddle was so talented and so chill about everything that he clearly did not need to chase the title. In fact, after his unsuccessful chase of the title while Thatch was champ, the company should have had him claiming that he was not interested in titles. It would both be a unique character trait while also opening up roads for Zack, as champ, to actually challenge him later on.

Did Evolve go for that nuanced and obvious direction though? No, instead they did what WWE would do and created a second title for Riddle to carry around.

A year later we get this match. Riddle, after carrying around the meaningless WWN title for a while (before dropping it to Keith Lee), got a second coronation here as The Guy. All of that stuff felt meaningless and phony, and it was actually probably a distraction from the match itself (or at least made the aftermath feel fake af).

Luckily, it was at least a very good match. Zack dominated and picked Riddle apart. Riddle was forced to just survive on instinct, as he would sporadically throw out strikes and big throws. Zack continuously went for submission after submission, but Riddle managed to live long enough to pull off the Bro-mission out of nowhere to pick up the win.

Riddle being champ in WWN feels like it’s already been done now so it will be interesting how they try to portray him going forward. Matt “Happy to be here and look at the shiny thing I carry around!” Riddle was literally just done by the company. Hopefully, they have enough sense to not just repeat that. (***1/2)

 

6. Andrade Almas vs. Aleister Black – WWE

This was for Almas’ NXT Championship.

This was a really good title match largely due to the physical and urgent tone established from the start.

Black came out firing and made clear he was not going to sit back and let anyone dictate the place. This was the biggest match of his NXT career, and he was going to work it on his terms.

From there, both guys busted their ass and went at it all match long. The two key takeaways were that Andrade was leaning on Zelina Vega for assistance, and it seemed like in this match in particular he would have been lost in the woods without her. The other main point was that the match was threatening to go stale due to the slight monotone nature of the action.

And then things got wild down the stretch.

The action just became slightly unhinged as both guys were reduced to wildly throwing out their biggest stuff to one up the other guy. It felt like both guys were metaphorically up against the ropes and all they could was throw bombs. It was wonderfully dramatic and exciting, and then had a pitch-perfect payoff.

Zelina went to interfere again, but she accidentally ended landing in Almas’ arms. That left Almas prone to finally take the massive back heel kick from Black which ended the former’s title reign.

While this did not quite reach great status due to the somewhat lagging middle portion, this was still very, very good. (***3/4)

 

5. Shayna Baszler vs. Ember Moon – WWE

This was for Moon’s NXT Women’s Championship.

These two have had an interesting, if not perfect, in-ring dynamic. Stylistically, they work together quite well. Baszler is the violent fighter who will pick you apart with brutal strikes and submissions. Ember is the athletic worker who often relies on bigger spots to do the damage.

From an in-ring storytelling perspective, the differences work perfectly together. The actual physical chemistry between the two has always seemed a little awkward though. It has been like watching dance partners who are offbeat (that’s a dance thing, right? I’m going to assume it is.).

They took that weakness in their chemistry though and turned it into an advantage. Their lack of smoothness allowed them to easily transition into a violent and nasty match where each wrestler was trying to hurt the other. It actually helps a story like that if they look out of step so that nothing seems too coordinated.

Shayna initially had the advantage due to her willingness to be brutal and violent. Ember stepped up though, took Shayna head on, and actually did serious damage to Shayna’s arm. It seemed like Ember was well on her way to victory, but Shayna showed real grit (including a sequence where she tried to pop her arm back in its socket). She kept it competitive long enough for her to adjust and choke out Ember with the damaged arm.

This was some very compelling work. Baszler is a total fucking superstar; she’s the complete package. (***3/4)

 

4. WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PROGRESS

PROGRESS World Championship #1 Contendership Match

These two are just so effortlessly great together. You obviously know how Walter would approach a match like this one. He’s not gonna play around and instead will just try to run through Zack. It’s simple but effective. What’s really interesting though is how Zack works him with such arrogance and a indignant streak. He was still going to go for submissions, chops, and try to act as if he was not facing an insurmountably large competitor. It was beautiful in its nuance. Fantastic stuff. [Walter won with a rear naked choke.] (****)

 

3. Matt Riddle vs. Minoru Suzuki – GCW

This was everything you would want it to be. MiSu brought out the side of Matt Riddle that had been slowly dying over the last eighteen months. Gone were the multiple Canadian Destroyers and no-sell spots. Instead, it was just mean and gritty Riddle looking to win a fight against one of the most violent men in pro wrestling. It was a beautiful battle between two of the most compelling performers in all of professional wrestling. Pro wrestling is goddamn fucking awesome. [Suzuki made Riddle pass out to pick up the win.] (****1/4)

 

2. Ricochet vs. EC3 vs. Adam Cole vs. Killian Dain vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Lars Sullivan – WWE

This was a ladder match for the North American Championship.

About once a year or so, a ladder match happens that seems to completely underwhelm. Then the narrative begins that ladder matches are too played out as a concept. To a certain extent, this is of course true.

With that being said though, this match succeeded greatly due to a few clear reasons. For starters, it had the buzz of having two new wrestlers to the roster (EC3 & Ricochet) who fans were crazy about.

The second point in its favor was that basically everyone worked with reckless abandon. This allowed for non-stop crazy action that basically forced people to keep their eyes glued to the action because you did not know what was going to happen next.

When you combine those two key factors with just the general investment of fans in NXT and the typical hotness of a Wrestlemania weekend crowd, you had one of the wildest ladder matches ever. It was just one of those matches that you can sit back and enjoy from beginning to end without thinking too much about it. Kudos to all. (****1/2)

 

1. Matt Riddle vs. Will Ospreay – Evolve

This was a no rope breaks match for Riddle’s Evolve Championship.

About eighteen months before this battle, these two had a classic in Progress. It was not the kind of the match that would go on to have that “classic status” reputation for reasons that are beyond the scope of this article shit post match review. Instead, it’s worth mentioning because knowledge of that match became immediately important here.

In their first encounter, Matt Riddle displayed all the attributes that made him explode on the indies within months of debuting. He did not work like every other j-brone geek out there. He jumped Opreay during his entrance with a flying knee and then promptly dropped him on his head to kick off the match. That sequence encapsulated everything that made Matt Riddle one of the best wrestlers in the world in his very first year working.

Something happened to Riddle though in his second year. He became far more basic. He began to rely on cliche aspects of US indie wrestling that made him seem like everyone else instead the unique stallion that he could and should always be. All of a sudden he was doing or receiving multiple Canadian Destroyers in a match, doing back-to-back no-sell spots, and turning his matches into finisher fests. All in the same matches mind you. The ordinariness was alarming.

Enter the rematch between Ospreay and Riddle.

While their first match did not develop the reputation it deserved, both men let everyone know of its importance right away in the follow-up. Riddle decided to channel his old self and went for the flying knee to start the match just as he did in the original.

Ospreay was ready for it though.

He avoided the knee and then jumped Riddle with a flurry of offense. Before Riddle knew it*, Ospreay had wiped him out with a tope suicida and had him primed for a one-man Spanish Fly from the apron to the floor.

*In a moment that proved to be prophetic, Ospreay tried to drop Riddle on his head with a German like Riddle would do. Riddle was unaffected though and then hit Ospreay with a knee. Ospreay not relying on his stuff would be his downfall in this match.

Ospreay hesitated though. Less than a week earlier, he nearly decapitated himself delivering this variation of the Spanish Fly on a NJPW PPV. That uncharacteristic hesitation from Ospreay would be his undoing, as it gave Riddle enough time to recover and promptly drop Ospreay on his head with a German on the apron. It looked devastating.

With Ospreay receiving a brutal blow to his already very injured neck, it seemed like a Riddle victory became inevitable. The problem for Riddle was that he was not working like the total killer we all know he could be. He was in control, yes, but he was still moving a bit too methodically for no good reason. That lack of killer instinct on his part gave Ospreay enough room to fight back on occasion and make the match seem competitive.

The Riddle of 2017 may have grown complacent in this spot and began to go for more flashy moves and worry less about decimating his opponent. As the match went forward, Riddle grew progressively more and more violent and brutal. He was finally beginning to unleash his true full potential.

Instead of backing down though, Ospreay simply grew more and more desperate. He match Riddle’s brutal with an equal reaction of desperation. And that just fed Riddle more.

It all build to this horrifying sequence. Riddle had a choke on Ospreay. Ospreay decided to carry him on his back, but Riddle would not let go. Ospreay foolishly began to climb to the top rope in a moment of insane delusion. He nearly paid for it with his life, as Riddle reversed it into what could only be described as an avalanche crucifix bomb that seemed to be the end of Ospreay.

Both men’s true colors were revealed after that. Riddle never has been as violent and relentless in a pro wrestling match as he was in the ensuing moments. The moment Ospreay recovered, Riddle delivered a massive running knee to the back of Ospreay’s neck. He followed it up with a tombstone (to the neck) and more repeated strikes after ripping off Ospreay’s medical tape. The basic-ness in Riddle of 2017 was dead here.

Ospreay continued to keep fighting. In his desperation though, he lost his way and was no longer thinking rationally. In a series of dramatic but misguided moments, Ospreay busted out a triangle choke, a Rainmaker, and a Liger Bomb in an attempt to even things up. Instead of relying on his offense, Ospreay turned to those greater than him. And it became clear that the damage was not truly done.

Ospreay thought he had Riddle ready to finish. He opened himself as much as possible by calling for the springboard cutter. Riddle caught him and then immediately transitioned into the Bro-mission to force Ospreay to submit.

 

This match was about one man fully rediscovering the violence within himself and simultaneously about how irrationally desperate a person could get when pushed into a corner.

Matt Riddle genuinely has the potentially to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers ever. It was on full display here.

Will Ospreay, while far from a perfect performer, has delivered in many big spots over the years and plays several roles excellently.

These two almost secretly have the greatest modern in-ring rivalry going at this point. Both of their matches have featured all the classic elements and modern tweaks that come together to make great professional wrestling. It’s a beautiful combination of violence, in-ring storytelling, character development, extraordinary action, and emotion. Can’t wait to see where they go with Round III. (*****)