With a disappointing NXT WarGames as the only big show to feature “wrestling matches”, it was up to WWE TV to bring the good wrestling this month and that’s not really what it has ever been there for. So… here’s this:
1. The New Day vs. The Usos (SmackDown 12/17/21)
In a year of WWE output that appeared to satirize the concept of chaos itself, the most reliable thing was being reliable. The first show of a 2-show TV taping in Chicago ended with this: Jimmy and Jey and Kofi and King providing the thing that most resembled good professional wrestling from WWE all month — and I watched it all. All of it.
2. NXT UK Tag Team Title: Pretty Deadly [c] vs. Moustache Mountain (NXT UK 12/9/21)
Speaking of reliable, here’s a Moustache Mountain match. First one in a while. Pretty Deadly put on the most ridiculous bright yellow wrestling jumpsuits and kept up as Trent Seven rallied the small crowd into demanding he succeed, the latter of which is a pretty basic setup but seems to keep improving.
3. NXT UK Heritage Cup #1 Contender’s Match: A-Kid vs. Nathan Frazer (NXT UK 12/16/21)
This was a swell little showcase of two promising young wrestlers in a match that was both restrained and helped along by the Heritage Cup rounds rules. A-Kid’s second-rope sliding German suplex is a sight, people.
4. RAW Women’s Title: Becky Lynch [c] vs. Liv Morgan (RAW 12/6/21)
It didn’t always connect but there was all sorts of good work here, with big fire from Liv and big selling from Becks. Morgan just stomping the shit out of Becky mid-match felt particularly inspired, as did the out-of-nowhere Rings of Saturn.
5. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (SmackDown 12/10/21)
Drew and Sheamus had a series of epics inside the Thunderdome earlier this year, but here they are again beating each other up for ten minutes in front of TV executives in Los Angeles. Lot of worse options.
6. Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler (SmackDown (12/3/21)
NXT Sasha and NXT Shana were a long time ago, but Sasha gave and sold enough for Shayna that this made for good TV. Watch that knee smash sell. Watch it!
7. Riddle w/ Randy Orton vs. Otis w/ Chad Gable (RAW 12/13/21)
8. Bianca Belair vs. Doudrop (RAW 12/13/21)
These two pretty identical matches happened back-to-back, two stories of strength vs. size with a pair of classic pops when the strength overcame the size. WWE has been a bummer, but the re-emergence of dumb basic stuff like this has been appreciated.
9. Bron Breakker vs. Roderick Strong w/ Diamond Mine (NXT 12/14/21)
With his Undisputed buds reunited elsewhere, Roderick Strong is still here and getting it done. Good, physical wrestling match that made everybody’s favorite newcomer look, as they say, strong.
10. 12 Days of Christmas 12-Man Gauntlet Match – Winner Earns IC Championship Opportunity (SmackDown 12/24/21)
This match was booked to do nothing more than kill time, but out of it you got guys like Ivar and Humberto wrestling with stakes and Sheamus and Ricochet just wrestling really well in general. Check out Ivar catching Angel‘s moonsault, random Sheamus/Cesaro, and Ricochet’s major league quebrada.
Honorable Mentions: NXT UK Title: Ilja Dragunov [c] vs. Rampage Brown (NXT UK 12/2/21), NXT Tag Team Title: Imperium [c] vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Von Wagner (NXT WarGames 12/5/21), RK-Bronament – Final: Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. Street Profits (RAW 12/27/21), AJ Styles vs. Apollo Crews (RAW 12/27/21), Cesaro vs. Sheamus (SmackDown 12/3/21), Miracle on 34th Fight: Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston & King Woods vs. The Usos & Madcap Moss (SmackDown 12/24/21), Street Fight: Raquel Gonzalez vs. Dakota Kai (NXT 12/21/21)
