WWE’s October was slower than September in terms of “good matches,” but here were ten I thought stood out. Extra credit to Sheamus, Solo Sikoa and * sigh * JD McDonagh for multiple appearances.
1. WWE Intercontinental Title: Gunther [c] vs. Sheamus (SmackDown 10/7/22)
2. Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook Match: Sheamus, Ridge Holland & Butch vs. Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci (Extreme Rules 10/8/22)
After a Certified Classic last month, the Gunther-Sheamus pairing continued to deliver a body of work head-and-shoulders above any other wrestling happening in WWE. The SmackDown rematch had all the fun and brutality of Clash at the Castle with a few more ad breaks (and that creative/weird finish), then they brought along their lads to Extreme Rules for an amazing brawl that started the show on a note so high I’m not sure anyone else found it.
3. NXT North American Title Match Qualifier – Best of 3 Series – Match 3: Nathan Frazer vs. Axiom (NXT 10/11/22)
Frazer backflipped out of the corner, hit the ropes, jumped over a drop-down, ducked a leapfrog, did his own leapfrog but Axiom caught his leg and applied a bow-and-arrow that Frazer countered into a pin that Axiom flipped out of then ducked a clothesline and did a springboard off the ropes into an armdrag then they dropkicked each other. There was a lot of that here, heaping helpings of counter-heavy mat wrestling and high-flying athleticism that seamlessly transitioned between each without losing the feel of two guys trying to win.
4. Ambulance Match: Julius Creed vs. Damon Kemp (NXT Halloween Havoc 10/22/22)
Julius Creed keeps passing every one of pro wrestling’s big tests; here he got a singles showcase in a big gimmick match and passed another one. Nothing at Halloween Havoc felt any different from a good effort that’d close or even open NXT TV except this, this gritty brawl surrounded by props (pumpkins! chairs! an ambulance!!) that could’ve easily been silly if not for a commitment bell-to-bell to violence.
5. Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh (NXT 10/25/22)
Just a nasty wrestling match that got to the point and ended in under 10 minutes with a guy passed out and bleeding from the mouth.
6. Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa (SmackDown 10/21/22)
7. Ricochet vs. Solo Sikoa (SmackDown 10/7/22)
Young Solo Sikoa found his way on the main roster pretty quickly and these two matches helped. Ricochet impressed before Solo crushed him, while Sheamus went back-and-forth with him in a match Bill Watts would’ve just loved.
8. Triple Threat Match – NXT Title: Bron Breakker [c] vs. Ilja Dragunov vs. JD McDonagh (NXT Halloween Havoc 10/22/22)
It felt like a while before they found a rhythm, then Breakker did a Frankensteiner off the top rope to Devlin that Dragunov caught with a powerbomb and the crowd chanted This is Awesome. It got pretty spectacular from there, though it topped out at that.
9. WWE U.S. Title: Bobby Lashley [c] vs. Mustafa Ali (RAW 10/3/22)
Workrate Lashley struck again while Mustafa Ali either sold big or worked his arm, including a 450 splash right to it.
10. Rey Mysterio vs. Ludwig Kaiser (SmackDown 10/21/22)
There’s a bunch of new talent on WWE TV and Rey Mysterio is having the most delightful TV matches with some of them.
Honorable Mentions: 5-Way – Ladder Match – NXT North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Nathan Frazer vs. Oro Mensah vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Von Wagner (NXT Halloween Havoc 10/22/22), Pick Your Poison: Roxanne Perez vs. Rhea Ripley (NXT 10/18/22), Fatal 4-Way Match – Winner Earns an IC Title Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Sheamus vs. Ricochet vs. Solo Sikoa (SmackDown 10/14/22), Johnny Gargano vs. Austin Theory (RAW 10/10/22)
Rey Mysterio vs. Chad Gable w/ Otis RAW 10/10/22), NXT Women’s Tag Team Title: Kayden Carter & Katana Chance [c] vs. Zoey Stark & Nikkita Lyons (NXT 10/25/22), Karl Anderson vs. Finn Balor (RAW 10/24/22), Johnny Gargano vs. Baron Corbin (RAW 10/24/22), Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo (NXT 10/18/22), Seth Rollins vs. Austin Theory (RAW 10/31/22)
