Flashback - TNA No Surrender 2005 - Samoa Joe vs Chris Sabin

Today Samoa Joe is one of WWE's top heels and is challenging for the title on SmackDown but the foundation for his successful mainstream career was built on a very dominant run in TNA. Chris Sabin meanwhile, was one of the most impressive X Division athletes in TNA and would later go on to become one half of the then best tag team in the world (the Motor City Machine Guns) and also TNA Champion.

When Joe came in to TNA in 2005, the high flying Chris Sabin was a perfect opponent who could take on the then unbeatable Samoan submission Machine. 

Flashback : RoH Showdown in the Sun 2012 - Kevin Steen vs El Generico (Last Man Standing Match)

Except for Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa, have there ever been two wrestlers in recent memory that have lived up to the old adage, good friends, better enemies? Kevin Steen (or Kevin Owens as he is popularly known now in WWE) and El Generico (supposedly linked to Sami Zayn but I cant be certain of that) were a fabulous tag team in Ring of Honor until they imploded and kickstarted a long rivalry that has continue into WWE NXT and the WWE main event roster. 

What makes this match billiant is how these two master storytellers weave in so many smaller elements organically into the fast paced action. Watch how Steen takes umbrage at the fans for helping Generico get back to his feet and how Steen avoids the 10 count by falling to his feet while rolling off the stage and admire the masters at their best. Brutality. Brainbusters. Brilliance. 

Flashback : WCPW World Cup Semi Finals 2017 - Ricochet vs Will Ospreay

Will Ospreay and Ricochet are two names that are consistently in the mix when it comes to discussions on the top indie talent. While their futuristic aerial offence may not be to the liking of wrestling purists, it does seemingly be the direction that the industry is moving towards. 

While this new generation of wrestlers have often been criticised for not focusing on selling or psychology but this bout proves that it is not necessarily true. This fast paced match from the semi final of the WhatCulture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) semi finals could be the sign of things to come. 

Flashback : RoH Reloaded 2016 : Jushin Thunder Liger vs Dalton Castle

Jushin Thunder Liger is a true living legend of the wrestling business and has had a storied career across every major wrestling promotion in the world. The current Ring of Honor world champion, Dalton Castle has all the makings of a major star with his flamboyant persona and charismatic in ring style. So when these two fan favourites collided in the RoH Reloaded 2016 tour, the fans were in for a very entertaining bout that mixed some light hearted moments with some exciting wrestling (how about Liger pulling off the top rope rana at his age?!). 

As the fans in attendance chanted at the beginning of the match "We're not worthy". 

Flashback : Impact vs Lucha Underground 2018 - Austin Aries vs Pentagon Junior vs Fenix

With their most recent change in management, Impact Wrestling has been slowly and steadily been improving their wrestling product and their Wrestlemania weekend crossover event with Lucha Underground held a lot of promise on what was a packed few days of wrestling. 

Image courtesy : Impact Wrestling Twitter

The main event had Alberto El Patron and Pentagon Junior face off against the team of Impact World champion Austin Aries and Fenix but Alberto infamously no showed their event which led to plans being changed and the main event being changed to a 3 way at the last minute. And what a match it was. It is easy to get carried away with booking matches that are just too long with way too many false finishes (especially on Wrestlemania weekend where every show is trying to one up the other) but this one was short and exciting enough to build anticipation for the just concluded Redemption PPV. 

If Impact Wrestling can capitalize on the popularity of lucha stars like Pentagon Junior, Fenix, Drago etc, wrestling fans are in for a treat! 

Adam Cole is finally in NXT!

It's the Summerslam weekend and with both the NXT Takeover: Brooklyn and Summerslam cards boasting of strong match lineups, it was tough to say what would be the biggest talking point coming out of the weekend. Would Asuka and Ember Moon steal the show? Will Ambrose and Rollins win the titles to help build the eventual Shield reunion? Will Baron Corbin's failed MITB cash in lead to a new aggressive streak as he takes on Super Cena? 

We are just one show down but WWE will really have to pull out all the stops for Summerslam if they have to create more buzz than they did with the arrival of Adam  Cole (Bay Bay!) and his partnership with former Ring of Honor alumni Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. Things down at NXT have never been more exciting!

Flashback: WCW Fall Brawl 1997 - Eddie Guerrero vs Chris Jericho

Despite WWE's attempts at resuscitating the cruiser weight division with their 205 Live show, fans are yet to embrace most of the wrestlers from the division, except the champion Neville. Why, you ask? Just take a look at this show opening instant classic from Fall Brawl 1997 between Eddie and Jericho. That's right, this is Chris Jericho from 20 years ago. 

Eddie's movements in the ring are just so slick and Jericho is the perfect plucky baby face champion and together, they show why they would go on to become world champions in time to come. When was the last time you saw a surfboard dragon sleeper and a reverse gory special? Not only does Eddie do a masterful job of selling but the commentators are absolutely on point and pick up these little nuances as well. The finish is masterfully done with Eddie reversing a superplex into a crossbody and then hitting the best Frog Splash in the business for the win. A far cry from what fans are treated to in 205 Live!