There’s more great pro wrestling in 2023 than we know what to do with. So The Ringer brings you a regular cheat sheet with the three best matches of the past week—one from WWE, one from AEW, and one from the rest of the immense wrestling world.
Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns
WWE Elimination Chamber, February 18
It is much harder to generate real emotional investment in a professional wrestling match now than it has ever been before. The wrestling fan base has shifted away from being made up of primarily sports fans to having more of a fandom culture. A wrestling audience has more overlap with a Comic-Con audience than with tailgating football fans. The new wrestling fandom represents itself as having more appreciation for the performances than investment in the life-and-death struggles being portrayed. However, the atmosphere in the Bell Centre in Montreal for Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns felt like a throwback. Seventeen thousand fans living and dying with the struggle of their hometown hero Zayn. They weren’t looking to see a great match and chant, “This is awesome,” but were hoping and praying that Zayn could end Reigns’s title reign, paying him back for his manipulation and abuse while capturing a world title. This was a Stanley Cup crowd, and the home team was going for the big one.
Reigns entered the ring first, something unusual for a champion, but the announcers explained it as a choice he made to intimidate Zayn. He slow-walked into the ring, basking in the hate of the audience. Reigns has been a heel for this entire title run, but one who normally gets 50-50 babyface reactions. But not here; this was near-universal vitriol, and Reigns is great as someone infuriated about being disrespected.
Zayn entered the arena to his newly restored “Worlds Apart” theme and received one of the biggest hometown pops I can remember hearing; it felt like the entire crowd exploded with “Olé!” chants and sang along to the music. This was a Von Erichs in Reunion Arena, Bruno Sammartino in Madison Square Garden–level response. Everything before the contact was incredible: Zayn jawed at Reigns while Reigns blew him a kiss; the crowd responded to the announcement that Zayn was from Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Reigns leered at Zayn’s wife while swinging the title belts. There were then nearly five minutes between the bell ringing and the first lockup; Reigns just reacted to the crowd’s chants, and Zayn jawed at him and fired him up. Reigns dropped Zayn with a shoulder block after the first lockup, and the crowd booed him like he had kicked a dog.
Zayn got off the first big spot of the match, sidestepping Reigns and sending him over the top rope; Zayn then hit a tope con hilo that caught Reigns on the side of the head. Reigns spent the next couple of minutes selling that the dive had knocked him off his equilibrium, which allowed Zayn to go on a run; it was a really awesome way to sell a move like that, and the kind of little thing that separates the absolute top tier of wrestlers from the rest. Zayn went for a diving elbow, only to get cut off with an uppercut by Reigns. Reigns doesn’t have an expansive set of moves, but he is absolutely elite at timing, knowing exactly when to hit a move, cut off a run, or kick out right at three. It is his A-plus-plus in-ring skill, and this whole match was a master class in timing.
Reigns started the beatdown, laughing at Zayn’s chops and pummeling him in the corner while jaw jacking to Zayn’s wife, “I wanted you to be part of my family. I wanted to provide for you.” Can you imagine a more loathsome heel move than telling your opponent’s wife that you wanted to provide for them? Makes Rick Rude putting Cheryl Roberts’s face on his tights seem downright wholesome. There is a saying that a great villain has to believe he is the hero, and one of the things that made this story line so great was that Reigns seemed to really want to show Zayn love, but he is just incapable of it.
Zayn used his speed and agility to get back into the match, springboarding off the second rope, leapfrogging Reigns, and then hitting Reigns with a big clothesline. Zayn then dumped Reigns over the top rope with a second clothesline and planted a triumphant kiss on his wife. Reigns stopped Zayn while Zayn was on the top rope, but Zayn was able to block a superplex and hit a sunset flip powerbomb for a super-close near fall (that featured an iconic kick-out by Reigns, who is arguably the all-time greatest kick-out artist—which is just another example of his great timing).
A series of tremendous near falls followed: Zayn got sniped out of the air with a Superman punch when he attempted a Helluva Kick. Zayn leapfrogged the spear and hit a roll-up for two before nailing Reigns with an exploder in the corner; then Zayn did a Superman punch into a Helluva Kick for another last-second two count. Zayn went for another Helluva Kick, but Reigns rolled to the floor; Zayn set him up for his diving DDT through the corner, only for Reigns to pluck him out of midair with the uppercut, leaving him suspended in the ring bolts with a nasty scratch along his torso like he’d been mauled by a bobcat. Reigns went running around the ring to spear him through the barricade, only for Zayn to sidestep at the last moment, sending Reigns crashing into the wall. Zayn got one more close pin with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Up until this point, we were 80 percent on our way to a perfect wrestling match. Unfortunately, they lost the thread a bit after that.
The WWE big-match house style is so calcified at this point that they couldn’t end a match before the inevitable ref bump and horseshit. Down went one ref, which signaled the beginning of the soap opera. Zayn got a long visual pin with another Helluva Kick, but then we got a Jimmy Uso run-in, a second ref bump, and an entire dramatic scene with Jey Uso that ended in Zayn accidentally hitting him (a.k.a. one of the most overused WWE tropes). This was then followed by Reigns working over Zayn with the chair and hitting a spear for a deflating victory. They tried to salvage the crowd response with a Kevin Owens run-in, but Owens just hit a bunch of mediocre Stunners like a guy in a late ’90s Northeast indie doing a fake Steve Austin gimmick.
Up until now, WWE has really hit each beat of this Bloodline story perfectly, but this was its first real miss. It had an opportunity to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime atmosphere, make an all-time special moment, and give Zayn the win. It would have blown the roof off the Bell Centre, and Zayn would be a certified superstar for the rest of his career. If WWE is hell-bent on doing Cody Rhodes vs. Reigns for the title at WrestleMania, the belt switch could have been back on SmackDown, or Reigns could have regained the belts from Zayn during Night 1 of ’Mania but lost them to Rhodes the following night. There were lots of ways to get back on track but only one chance to finish this moment the right way. I don’t think there is any real momentum for Zayn and Owens vs. the Usos in a WrestleMania match at this point, and they’ll have to do a lot of heavy lifting to get the crowd even close to as invested in Rhodes winning the title as they were in Zayn winning. Zayn winning would have been the perfect coda to arguably the greatest pro wrestling story line ever; I’m not sure what the coda will be now.
Mercedes Moné vs. Kairi
NJPW Battle in the Valley, February 18
There is an argument to be made that this was actually the biggest and most important match that happened over a huge wrestling weekend. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s women’s division is very new; the first champion was crowned just last November. Mercedes Moné (the former Sasha Banks) made her in-ring NJPW debut in this match against Kairi for the IWGP Women’s title, and she was given the chance to establish herself as a real ticket-selling draw.
NJPW has been trying to establish itself in the U.S. for the last couple of years, and with Moné, it got a bona fide mainstream U.S. wrestling star with a fan base that will travel with her to a new promotion. When I started getting into international wrestling, you needed to find a Japanese video store near you to rent wrestling videos from, trade videotapes with someone who had the goods, or send money to strangers, not really knowing what you would get back. Pro wrestling fans have a much smaller barrier to entry in 2023; if Moné turns a Sasha Banks fan into a Stardom and NJPW fan, there is an English-language streaming service that new fan can subscribe to, and stateside shows they can attend.
This was also a big gamble for Moné, who assuredly had big-money contracts available if she either returned to WWE or jumped to AEW; she could have slid right in and become part of a well-oiled machine. Instead, Moné bet on herself, trying to start something unique: to become the face of promotion without a history of women’s wrestling while simultaneously becoming arguably the first legitimate U.S. female box office draw. The show in San Jose sold out even when this was the only match that had been announced, and a great performance would go a long way in giving the debut match (which was always going to sell well) a more permanent place at the top of a promotion.
I don’t think Moné’s NJPW debut at the Tokyo Dome was a success; the Kairi vs. Tam Nakano bout preceding it was less than six minutes long and buried the undercard. I don’t think the new song or name really hit, and Moné blew her finisher. Her debut at the Tokyo Dome didn’t feel like a big deal at all then, but she sure felt like a big deal walking into this fight; she had a huge entrance with dancers and gear that paid tribute to Hana Kimura, a young Stardom star who passed away in 2020.
Kairi was a great opponent for this match. She has credibility in Japan and the U.S. after her runs in Stardom and WWE, and she had wrestled Moné before. You give the big star the belt, but it was important that Moné looked and felt credible in there with Kairi, which she did. Moné hit the first big move of the match, a springboard off the second rope into an armdrag takedown chained right into a crossface. Moné had spent her time since she left the WWE training in Mexico, and she broke out a bunch of lucha style in this match. Moné took the early part of the match, not showing any ring rust; she had a great series of spots in which she hit a handstand out of a tree of woe, landed a jumping knee to the face, and then ran Kairi chest and elbow first into the turnbuckle bolt. Moné then went after the arm, trying to limit Kairi’s ability to nail that Cutlass backfist and her diving elbow.
Kairi was able to take over when Moné attempted a Spider German suplex, which Kairi was able to counter into a vicious double stomp from the top, landing hard on Moné’s head, neck, and shoulders. Kairi went on a bit of an offensive run; this included her incredible-looking spear, which is just brutal looking, especially from someone who is the size of a 9-year-old Pop Warner linebacker. Moné was able to capture the advantage again while they were both on the ring apron; she knocked Kairi to the floor and hit a Meteora off the ring apron and another one in the ring for a near fall. They then moved into a pretty exciting finishing run; Kairi got a two count with her Cutlass backfist, Moné shouted out her former tag partner Bayley (who was among the stars, including a possible upcoming free agent, in attendance at the show) with a belly-to-belly suplex, and Kairi reversed an attempted rolling Three Amigos suplex into a nasty DDT. They started exchanging shots, and Moné pulled the referee in front of a Cutlass attempt. They brawled up the ramp, where Kairi was able to drop Moné with a powerbomb through a table. They rolled back into the ring, and Kairi attempted her diving elbow, only for Moné to raise both feet and drive them into Kairi’s elbow joint. Moné then tried a frog splash, only to land stomach-first on Kairi’s knees. Kairi tried to tap Moné with a crossface, but in an awesome bit of counter-wrestling, Moné was able to lock her arm and lift her into the Moné Maker (a Gory Special spun into a DDT) for the pin.
This was a match with a lot of hype, and it really lived up to it. Moné solidified that she could wrestle a top-level Joshi-style match against a big star, and she erased any doubts about how she would look outside WWE. It is fascinating to see where NJPW goes from here. It feels like NJPW could really establish a U.S. touring brand around Moné as the top star. I think it needs to add one or two more American or European women to balance out all of the Japanese Stardom wrestlers. Now that NJPW is working with Impact, Jordynne Grace or Masha Slamovich would be great Moné opponents for big U.S. shows. NJPW should also start putting on more than one woman’s match per show and use the eyes on a show like this to showcase possible title challengers like Mayu Iwatani or Giulia, whom U.S. fans might not be familiar with. For most of the 21st century, there has been only one promotion that could plausibly and consistently draw five-figure houses; AEW has firmly established itself as a second promotion that can do this, and I’d be very excited to see if NJPW can be a third.
Dustin Rhodes vs. Swerve Strickland
AEW Rampage, February 17
We are in the last act of Dustin Rhodes’s iconic 30-plus-year career. He shows up sporadically—this was his first match since December, and he wrestled only seven times in 2022, although there were two absolute classics with CM Punk and Claudio Castagnoli. I understand that the tread on the tires is getting a little thin, but selfishly, I want half a dozen Dustin Rhodes matches for the next half decade. He is still so good, especially when given something to chew on.
Swerve Strickland had been disrespecting the Rhodes family in promos and jumped Dustin during an interview in a warehouse. Not the most electric build, but Dustin was spitting fire in the pre-match promo, and he came out cooking in this match. He met Parker Boudreaux in the ring aisle and drilled him in the belly with a turnbuckle bolt. Strickland is a guy who has excelled in athletic moves-based matches in his AEW run, but I really dug him as a nasty brawler here; he used his agility and athleticism as a way to avoid moves and land hard shots. He busted Dustin open on the floor with a great-looking running dropkick into the metal ring barrier. Strickland then really went after the cut with sharp punches and elbows; he came off like a monster with the way he enjoyed torturing his opponent. We then got a classic crimson mask Rhodes family comeback, the kind Dusty would have done to Kevin Sullivan or ’90s Dustin to Bunkhouse Buck, although Dusty never hit a Code Red. Dustin ate a Death Valley Driver on the ring apron, which is a nasty bump for a guy in his 50s, but he was able to fire back and hit a superplex, piledriver, Cross Rhodes, and Curtain Call one after another, only for Boudreaux to pull him out of the ring for a rare AEW disqualification.
Post-match, Keith Lee came out to clean house, looking like an exasperated police captain who’d been pulled off his desk for one last big case. I assume the DQ will set up another singles match between Dustin and Strickland or possibly a tag team match, although Dustin hasn’t really followed up any of his matches in the last year. It seemed AEW might have been setting up something with Claudio over the fall when Dustin didn’t follow up the accidental low blow and lost his Ring of Honor title match, but that was put on the back burner. I would love to see a heel or tweener Dustin—obsessed with capturing a world title before the sand in the hourglass runs out—as a foil for Claudio when ROH gets rolling again. If this is his final year, I hope we get one last showcase moment or match for one of the all-time greats.
Bonus Match: Switchblade Jay White vs. Eddie Kingston
NJPW Battle in the Valley, February 18
Jay White has been doing business on the way out of the territory. He seems to be headed to WWE, but before he goes, he lost a Loser Leaves Japan match to Hikuleo last week, and this Saturday he lost a Loser Leaves NJPW match in a slugfest with Eddie Kingston. This is some really old-school stuff; back in the ’70s, if guys were leaving a territory, they dropped “loser leaves town” matches in every town the territory ran. White dropped one in Osaka before he lost one in San Jose.
This has been kind of a lost half year for Eddie Kingston. Since his feud with Chris Jericho ended, he has mostly been working AEW Dark tag matches with Ortiz. Outside of a couple of showcase matches against Naomichi Marufuji, Tomohiro Ishii, and Jun Akiyama, Kingston hasn’t had much of a chance to show what he can do. It was great to see Kingston back to being Kingston, taking and delivering a beating like few wrestlers can, and while the added stipulation that the loser leave NJPW felt a bit tacked on, Kingston fought this match like his dreams were on the line.
White was a former IWGP World Heavyweight champion, and he worked this match like a more skilled wrestler taking on someone who’s built tough. White ripped off crisp, violent suplexes, but Kingston would somehow raise his shoulder, fight through the pain, and keep throwing hands. This was a really giving performance by White; he is the bigger star in NJPW and is about to get signed to a big U.S. deal, and he really let Kingston beat the shit out of him. White got walloped by huge, thudding chops until his chest was mottled and his mouth was bleeding. White was able to duck the backfist and hit a Flatliner, and then he dumped Kingston on his head with a sick German suplex. We got an all-timer Kingston sell of that move as he tried to get to his feet and raise his fists, only to stumble back to his knees. White made the mistake of lining up another chopfest with Kingston, and they did their best to turn each other’s sternums into granola. White broke it up by digging into Kingston’s eyes, and Kingston returned the favor moments later, clawing at White’s retinas to break up a Blade Runner attempt. White was able to hit the Blade Runner moments later, but Kingston took the impact and rolled right to the floor.
When White dragged him back into the ring, Kingston pulled White right into a Kingston backfist that crossed White’s eyes. Kingston then pulled him up and offered him a fist bump as a sign of respect; White, true to himself until the very end, spit on Kingston, and Kingston responded by wiping him out, hitting three more backfists, a half-and-half suplex, and two Northern Lights Bombs for the win.
A huge, decisive victory by Kingston, ending the NJPW career of one of their biggest stars. Let’s hope this gets him some Japan bookings. Kingston has been to Japan only once, on an Osaka Pro tour in 2011, and I am sure a big G1 run is in his dream journal. We will see what’s to come for White; there are a lot of White-ish performers—lean CrossFit guys who do complex sequences—already in WWE, and I’m not sure where he stands with Seth Rollins already perched on his corner. But he’s only 30 and clearly has a ton of talent. I give him a ton of credit for how he went out like a warrior.
Phil Schneider is a cofounder of the Death Valley Driver Video Review, a writer on the Segunda Caida blog, host of The Way of the Blade podcast, and the author of Way of the Blade: 100 of the Greatest Bloody Matches in Wrestling History, which is available on Amazon. He is on Twitter at @philaschneider.
