At the end of August 2022 I gave some thought to how WWE, now emphasizing “pro wrestling” matches more on their programming, neared a Top 25 Matches of the Month at Happy Wrestling Land for the first time since April 2021, which was kind of an anomaly after a couple years where I had trouble writing up a Top 10. That’s why the end of September 2022 brings great cheer, because those crazy kids finally did it!
1. WWE Intercontinental Title: Gunther [c] vs. Sheamus (Clash at the Castle 9/3/22)
There’s a lot of different styles in wrestling and some of them even made it to WWE. This hard-hitting one bred in Europe is one of the best: Violent! Dramatic! FUN!!! Sheamus has a reputation for working stiff but against a willing opponent it made magic, not just from the violence but by the way the violence was capitalized on to lead to exciting near falls, all in the presence of an incredibly loud and appreciative U.K. crowd. An awesome and occasionally uncomfortable championship wrestling match plopped in the middle of a Premium Live Event.
2. Sheamus, Ridge Holland & Butch vs. Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Fabian Aichner (SmackDown 9/9/22)
Less than a week later, Sheamus and Gunther were on SmackDown in a match that wasn’t as epic but nearly as fun because 1) the Clash match cemented Sheamus as an unexpected beloved fan favorite and 2) both guys teamed with their mates. If I’m in charge of some department at FOX, I’m saying this: More Butch!
3. NXT North American Title: Carmelo Hayes [c] w/ Trick Williams vs. Ricochet [c] (NXT Worlds Collide 9/4/22)
Ricochet stopped by NXT to challenge for his old title and have an NXT Black & Gold classic with young Melo Hayes, a match filled with high-flying and strikes and at least 3 things done only because of the TV cameras. There were plenty of impressive spots but they built-up to a major one where they agreed to springboard off opposite second ropes and collide with each other like superheroes. On one level it made no sense; on another they were superheroes.
4. Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Drew McIntyre (Clash at the Castle 9/3/22)
Accompanied by the presentation of a WWE arena show the main event of Clash at the Castle began with and nearly maintained a Big Match Feel for 30+ minutes, if not for the occasional boring patch and a finish then post-match that rendered everything kind of useless. Before that though Roman stalled like a great heel Champion, the crowd stayed behind their returning Countryman on the comeback, and the two – two! – run-ins at the end were both pulled off flawlessly.
5. NXT Title & NXT UK Title Unification Match: Bron Breakker [c] vs. Tyler Bate [c] (NXT Worlds Collide 9/4/22)
Tyler Bate has wrestled less than Brock Lesnar since COVID but he is still so good, from his graceful delivery on to the way he ups the speed on his opponent towards the end and creates such a frantic environment that any result feels possible. Bron Breakker is another guy who grew up in the biz albeit played some more football, and while he’s playing a role (WWE main event guy) he’s stepped into that role with gusto.
6. Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory (RAW 9/5/22)
I don’t think anyone felt as revitalized on TV by Vince McMahon’s retirement than Kevin Owens, and in early September he was still on a mission: moulding young talent, kicking their ass to make them seem credible, bumping on steel stairs for them and making them seem like a competitor before going over. As good as the WWE TV midcard gets.
7. NXT UK Title Tournament – Final: Tyler Bate vs. Trent Seven (NXT UK 9/1/22)
The last NXT UK match had few surprises but two of the originals sent it off with a quality main event showcasing influences of Jim Breaks, Shawn Michaels and Kenta Kobashi, all packaged delightfully for the sparse television studio it took place in.
8. Johnny Gargano vs. Chad Gable w/ Otis (RAW 9/12/22)
Johnny Wrestling returned to the ring on Monday Night RAW against Chad Gable, who is always game to deliver an incredible 10 minutes of television that showcases exactly what’s so good about his opponent in the first place.
9. Bianca Belair, Asuka & Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley, IYO SKY & Dakota Kai (Clash at the Castle 9/3/22)
Look cool, keep it simple, and make sure there’s extra attention to detail on your key points like the cut-offs and beatdowns and comebacks – this is how you open a show! The booming noise of the audience helped too.
10. Undisputed WWE Tag Team Title: The Usos [c] vs. The Brawling Brutes (SmackDown 9/23/22)
The Usos’ great matches are less frequent now, not necessarily because they’ve fallen off but because thanks to The Bloodline stable they are big WWE TV stars now and are usually in a promo over a match. This was a great one though, a SmackDown main event with Pete “Butch” Dunne and Ridge Holland that had all the Ucey excitement down the stretch but also showcased Butch’s moves, selling, and ability to moonsault into a double superkick.
11. Viking Rules Match: The Viking Raiders vs. The New Day (SmackDown 9/2/22)
With a viking ship propped up at ringside, the Viking Raiders and New Day had themselves a brawl. A fight! Something that could’ve led them all to something bigger if there was a follow-up. Ridiculous gimmick match, good wrestling match.
12. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn w/ Solo Sikoa (RAW 9/26/22)
Though they’ve taken a step back the last couple years, AJ and Sami always bring it against each other, as they did here in Canada before a hot crowd rooting for both. Sami’s Blue Thunder bomb remains gorgeous.
13. Steel Cage Match – NXT Tag Team Title: Pretty Deadly [c] vs. The Creed Brothers (NXT 9/13/22)
Here’s two teams that just get pro wrestling. Their match in June at In Your House stole the show; here was the TV version a few months later inside a Steel Cage.
14. Butch w/ Sheamus vs. Ludwig Kaiser w/ Gunther (SmackDown 9/2/22)
Butch wore his Pete Dunne gear and wrestled like him to, which was appreciated because it made for a good believable match between two of SmackDown’s young European guns. Call it Sheamus vs. Gunther Jr., but also don’t.
15. Edge & Rey Mysterio w/ Dominik Mysterio vs. Finn Balor & Damian Priest w/ Rhea Ripley (Clash at the Castle 9/3/22)
Good basic match made kind of amazing thanks to a bonkers crowd – on a show with many big reactions, Edge received a monstrous pop and genuine affection for his UK in-ring return. After some time on the apron watching Rey get beat up he rewarded them for it too, not just with signature moves but a silly 619 and tope suicida spear — I mean this guy is a wrestler!
16. Triple Threat NXT Women’s Title Unification Match: Mandy Rose [c] vs. Meiko Satomura [c] vs. Blair Davenport (NXT Worlds Collide 9/4/22)
A month-and-a-half later I’m still impressed by how good this was. The WWE Triple Threat was overcooked years ago, but Meiko kept it together and Mandy over-performed and they built to a big Meiko reversal spot that convinced me and everyone else she was winning.
17. WWE U.S. Title: Bobby Lashley [c] vs. Seth Rollins (RAW 9/19/22)
An unexpected but welcome development post-McMahon retirement was Bobby Lashley deciding to become a Workrate Guy. Last month he crushed it with Ciampa (and to a lesser AJ Styles) and here he was having an ROH Showcase Match on TV with Seth Rollins, all competitive and counter-heavy until the 3-count.
18. NXT Title #1 Contender’s Match: Tyler Bate vs. JD McDonagh (NXT 9/20/22)
This had all the elements of a good match but I didn’t like it very much. It felt like they were trying too much – countering cradle after cradle is a fun spot, but maybe not a few minutes into the match. They locked in for the finish but nothing prior seemed very cohesive, which caused all the excitement at the end to feel a little forced.
19. Best of 3 Series – Match 1: Nathan Frazer vs. Axiom (NXT 9/6/22)
20. Best of 3 Series – Match 2: Nathan Frazer vs. Axiom (NXT 9/20/22)
Compared to the last match of the series these first two felt like exhibitions, but they were really fun exhibitions: fast pace, unique submissions, and impressive dives, all steeped in a weird credibility. Frazer and Axiom are both excellent at doing new things in wrestling while keeping it grounded and believable, too.
21. Matt Riddle vs. Seth Rollins (Clash at the Castle 9/3/22)
This was more Cool Stuff than Grudge Match (and the feud called for Grudge Match!), but Rollins’ barricade bomb and superplex-to-falcon arrow as well as Riddle’s “Floating Bro” to the floor were all incredibly cool.
22. Ricochet & Madcap Moss vs. Sami Zayn & Solo Sikoa (SmackDown 9/30/22)
Good character development hidden inside a wrestling match, or maybe it was vice versa. Either way, this was fun. Sami Zayn is on one of his best runs ever, Solo Sikoa is promisingly fitting in on the main roster, and though Ricochet and Moss always get their momentum stalled it felt like they slipped right back into relevancy here.
23. Meiko Satomura vs. Roxanne Perez (NXT 9/6/22)
Low key TV match featuring legend vs. rookie that did a good job teasing a bigger match down the road, with confident wrestling by Meiko and natural reactions by Roxanne.
24. Braun Strowman vs. Otis (SmackDown 9/23/22)
The big boys were wrestling each other and doing big boy stuff. Classic!
25. RAW Women’s Title: Bianca Belair [c] vs. Sonya Deville (RAW 9/12/22)
Another low key TV match, but I thought RAW Ace Bianca Belair deserved another shoutout.
Honorable Mentions: Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest (RAW 9/5/22), Bianca Belair vs. IYO SKY (RAW 9/26/22), Ricochet w/ Logan Paul vs. Sami Zayn w/ Paul Heyman, The Usos and Solo Sikoa (SmackDown 9/16/22), Kevin Owens & Johnny Gargano vs. Alpha Academy (RAW 9/26/22), NXT UK Women’s Title #1 Contender Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match: Amale vs. Isla Dawn vs. Blair Davenport vs. Eliza Alexander (NXT UK 9/1/22), Wes Lee vs. JD McDonagh (NXT 9/6/22), NXT North American Title: Carmelo Hayes [c] vs. Solo Sikoa (NXT 9/13/22)
Matt Riddle vs. Damian Priest (RAW 9/26/22), Street Profits & Madcap Moss vs. Alpha Academy & Theory (Clash at the Castle 9/3/22), WWE Women’s Tag Team Title: Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah [c] vs. Dakota Kai & IYO SKY (RAW 9/12/22), WWE Tag Team Title #1 Contender’s Fatal 4-Way Match: The New Day vs. Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs. Los Lotharios (RAW 9/5/22)
