Roman Reigns not wrestling a single match this month and most of the wrestling becoming background noise for WrestleMania build means this wasn’t a top-tier in-ring month for WWE. The Cruiserweight Title Tournament brought some great stuff, otherwise ya have to settle for some solid stuff on Fastlane and some decent TV matches.
1. WWE Cruiserweight Title Tournament – Semi Final: Mustafa Ali vs. Drew Gulak (205 Live 3/20/18)
One part great cruiserweight match, one part straight-up brawl between two fellas who wanted to go to WrestleMania. It had all the mesmerizing professional wrestling these two are capable of with the added bonus of a bunch of punches to the head. Gulak beats ass, Ali bumps like he’s some kind of modern day Sabu, and they throw a bunch of epic moments in there and get the most out of every single one, from Ali’s big somersault plancha to Gulak just chucking Ali around on the floor.
2. WWE Cruiserweight Title Tournament – Semi Final: Cedric Alexander vs. Roderick Strong (205 Live 3/13/18)
This had a Dream Match feel with both guys showcasing everything they’re capable of, but it didn’t feel empty like some Dream Matches do. Sweet hold trading and mat wrestling, big time urgency, and a couple epic moments to top it off. They did the whole “he has an answer for everything” thing so well and every big spot they did looked and felt spectacular. Cedric strung together so many moves here that all his flying around looked like completely legitimate offense too, like he could’ve won a bar fight with a springboard clothesline. The crowd was pretty quiet for a lot of this but there’s an insane bump Cedric takes that you can just feel everybody go “Oh, I should probably pay attention now” all at once.
3. Six-Pack Challenge – WWE Title: AJ Styles [c] vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin (Fastlane 3/11/18)
A wild, fun main event match that ultimately felt kind of meaningless given the sucktitude of SmackDown for the past year. But it’s not like these guys aren’t good, and they all went balls out and brought the non-stop fast-paced high energy craziness that the crowd totally ate up. Good stretches to showcase certain guys, fun individual spots, a few great pairings, and as per usual a world class AJ Styles performance.
4. SmackDown Tag Team Title: The Usos [c] vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) w/ Big E (Fastlane 3/11/18)
Like some kind of inverse of an Usos/New Day tag classic, with both teams doing each others moves and managing a match that was just as good as any of their others before The Bludgeon Brothers ran out and killed everybody.
5. Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic – Round 1: Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (NXT 3/21/18)
There is just something about four great wrestlers WRESTLING. Sweet hold trading, nasty strikes, Oney Lorcan being a crazy person, Burch and Dunne trading shots, and just BOMBS getting thrown at the end that flipped out Center Stage.
6. WWE U.S. Title: Bobby Roode [c] vs. Randy Orton (Fastlane 3/11/18)
This was basically top notch pro wrestling that didn’t completely get me. A real throwback of a match where not much happened, but it built up slowly and eventually willed the crowd into going crazy. Maybe it was excellent. Maybe stretches of it were a chore. I don’t know. Kind of brilliant, also kind of lost me there for a bit. At the end of the day, there was a point in this match where the massive crowd legitimately went “YEAH!” for a freakin’ leapfrog.
7. Fatal 4-Way Match: Kalisto vs. Akira Tozawa vs. TJP vs. Buddy Murphy (205 Live 3/27/18)
Whoa! WHAT!? That was cool. Oh my – WHAT!? How? WHAT!?!?! I’VE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE! This was fun: TJP’s wacky double submissions, Kalisto flying around like he wanted a last minute Mania spot, Buddy working like he wanted somebody – anybody – to notice him, and a completely unique wild tower of doom-type spot towards the end.
8. Asuka vs. Nia Jax (RAW 3/5/18)
These two have one of the best dynamics in wrestling – I LOVE Asuka as an underdog and she knows how to work around Nia, who has the tools but rarely gets used to her fullest. Basically a fast food version of their usual gourmet epic, with big suplexes and slams from Nia and Asuka trying to take down with submissions. Awesome finish where Asuka trapped Nia in an armbar and just wouldn’t let go.
9. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev w/ Aiden English (Fastlane 3/11/18)
Slow build, credible work, hot finish – it’s New Japan Pro Wrestling opening up a WWE PPV! Totally balls out finish… the Machka Kick counter of the Kinshasa is an all-timer, folks.
10. Jimmy Uso & Big E vs. The Bludgeon Brothers (SmackDown 3/13/18)
I freakin’ loved this match – an amazing 5-minute sprint, really fast impactful fun as hell professional wrestling. So good.
11. Mark Andrews vs. Tony Nese (205 Live 3/27/18)
Could’ve used a little more energy and crowd heat but that’s the bargain you make with Tony Nese. This had a feel of two guys who absolutely positively HAD to win this 15-minute 205 Live opener and I respect it for that. Impressive flying early and the near falls and intense strikes at the end were the cherry on top.
12. AJ Styles vs. Rusev w/ Aiden English (SmackDown 3/13/18)
Not the greatest match of all time, but a total Chemistry Dream Match, with AJ Styles bumping his head off for big Rusev. Leave it to Nakamura and Styles to have two of the best Macha Kick bumps ever.
13. Mixed Match Challenge – Semi Final: Finn Balor & Sasha Banks vs. Bobby Roode & Becky Lynch (MMC 3/27/18)
High-end Mixed Match Challenge match with Sasha and Becky were working like they missed each other and Finn and Bobby were working like they were opening a Maple Leaf Gardens show. Armdrags, baby! The Sasha tope on Bobby was sweet too.
14. No DQ Match: John Cena vs. Kane (RAW 3/26/18)
The first half of this is very much a fine No DQ house show main event, but between Cena taking a suplex on a guardrail and a nasty table bump and all of his Undertaker call-outs (the sit-up, the throat slash, and the chokeslam), it actually got kind of awesome.
15. Falls Count Anywhere Symphony of Destruction Match: Braun Strowman vs. Elias (RAW 3/5/18)
Tremendous dumb fun… Braun does the best garbage brawls, as there’s such a sense of WTF ARE THEY GOING TO DO to them. Plus this one had MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
16. Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya (SmackDown 3/20/18)
Love it when these two pair up, as you can tell they love professionally wrestling each other. Fun technical stuff early, a few cool spots including a big time spinning sit-out powerbomb, and Nattie bumping like an absolute loon.
17. SmackDown Women’s Title: Charlotte Flair [c] vs. Ruby Riott (Fastlane 3/11/18)
Very cool match, if not maybe lacking a big moment. A great example of Big Match Charlotte while also finally showcasing what this Ruby Riott gal is capable of.
18. Mixed Match Challenge – Semi Final: Braun Strowman & Alexa Bliss vs. The Miz & Asuka (MMC 3/20/18)
This is no mat classic but it’s a really fun match between two teams of CHARACTERS. You’ve got Braun working as an uber babyface milking crowd chants, Braun and Alexa teasing sexy time, well done tag-out shtick, and Braun wrecking Miz while Asuka flipped out about her streak. Asuka is like some silent film actor in getting over her exasperation over the streak, it’s amazing stuff. Sweet Asuka/Bliss finish too, felt like we got what would’ve been their Mania spots here.
19. Shinsuke Nakamura w/ AJ Styles vs. Shelton Benjamin w/ Chad Gable (SmackDown 3/27/18)
A fun as heck enhancement main event, with Nakamura busting out a bunch of fun offense and Shelty B playing his credible opposition. Neat submission struggle finish too.
20. Braun Strowman vs. Sheamus w/ Cesaro (RAW 3/26/18)
This is like 5 minutes long but a lot of fun. I loved how they kept things moving – these are two big boys who had to stay on each other to win. Braun deadlifting Sheamus for the powerslam finish was sweet too.
21. WWE Cruiserweight Title Tournament – Quarter Final: Mark Andrews vs. Drew Gulak (205 Live 3/6/18)
Great dynamic, pretty good wrestling match. Gulak just roughly throwing Andrews around and keeping him in armbars was the good stuff, so good that Nigel made a Johnny Valentine reference. Gulak of course also took all of Andrews flying perfectly too.
22. Braun Strowman vs. Cesaro w/ Sheamus (RAW 3/19/18)
Nothing fancy but this is Cesaro getting some time to play with BRAAAUUUNNN and that’s pretty cool.
23. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor (RAW 3/12/18)
A match I can’t talk about without sounding like a curmudgeon. It delivered what the crowd wanted to see and the athleticism was impressive, but it was also a bit lifeless and light. Finn’s block of Seth’s knee with an elbow was nice though.
24. The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) w/ Kofi Kingston vs. The Bludgeon Brothers (SmackDown 3/27/18)
Another cool little Bludgeon Brothers match. New Day goes right after Harper and stays on him until they are just bodied with big man dropkicks. I love how the Bludgeon Brothers don’t just cut off the ring like a regular tag team – they wreck a guy and then go wreck the other guy on the apron before he’s even tagged in.
25. Becky Lynch vs. Ruby Riott w/ Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan (SmackDown 3/27/18)
A match predicated on Becky’s ability to sell and get a crowd into a comeback – so yeah, it worked. The rapid-fire elbows were awesome. Nice little TV match.
Honorable Mentions: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev w/ Aiden English (SmackDown 3/20/18), Kassius Ohno vs. Adam Cole (NXT 3/21/18), Tye Dillinger & Breezango vs. Mojo Rawley, Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable (Fastlane Kickoff 3/11/18), Jimmy Uso w/ Jey Uso vs. Harper w/ Rowan (SmackDown 3/20/18), WWE Cruiserweight Title Tournament – Quarter Final: Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy (205 Live 3/6/18), Hideo Itami & Akira Tozawa vs. Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado w/ Kalisto (205 Live 3/13/18)
Fatal 5-Way Match: AJ Styles vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin (SmackDown 3/6/18), Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic – Round 1: The Authors of Pain w/ Paul Ellering vs. TM61 (NXT 3/7/18), Aleister Black vs. Killian Dain (NXT 3/7/18), Asuka vs. Mickie James w/ Alexa Bliss (RAW 3/12/18), Mixed Match Challenge – Round 2: Bobby Roode & Charlotte Flair vs. Rusev & Lana (MMC 3/13/18), Titus Worldwide (Apollo & Titus O’Neil) w/ Dana Brooke vs. The Revival (Main Event 3/28/18), Asuka vs. Jamie Frost (RAW 3/26/18)
