The Silver Report: May 2018

May was a busy month for yours truly. In between watching the insane amount of wrestling programming week-to-week, I made it out to a live show in my general area. The show was ROH's annual stop in the Great White North for War of the Worlds, ROH's joint tour with select wrestlers from New Japan.

As my third time going to the Toronto stop of the War of the Worlds tour, I knew what to expect in terms of quality, but what made it special this time around was going with my friends (two of which had never been to a ROH show before). As fun as it was see the Young Bucks and Super Smash Bros. tear the house down and how funny it was to watch Colt Cabana pick a fight with Darryl Jr., seeing my friends enjoy it with me made my night.

Well that and meeting Tetsuya Naito. I still can't believe I worked up the courage to meet him.

Lucky Number 12

Kazuchika Okada's fourth reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion has broke a number of records for New Japan. At just shy of two years come June's Dominion supershow, Okada has the single longest reign in the championships' 31 year history, along with ousting Hiroshi Tanahashi for the top spot for total combined days as champion by 200 days. While those records are incredible, there's one record that New Japan's golden boy wanted to overcome — Tanahashi's 11 straight defenses as IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

When Okada tied the feat with a victory over Zack Sabre Jr. at Sakura Genesis, there was no way Tanahashi would just stand aside and let his greatest rival break the record that established his legacy. So, Tanahashi made the challenge for the title at May's Wrestling Dontaku. Wouldn't it be poetic for Tanahashi to end Okada's reign in Okada's 12th defense of the title, just like Okada did the same to Tanahashi in 2012?

The stage was set for Wrestling Dontaku. With the crowd in Fukuoka clearly behind Tanahashi, the former Ace hit Okada with everything he had from his signature Slingblade and High Fly Flow to Okada's own Tombstone Piledriver and Rainmaker lariat. Despite Tanahashi's best efforts, Okada overcame his offense to hit a single desperation Rainmaker for the win and Tanahashi's most cherished record.

Despite the heart-breaking loss, Hiroshi Tanahashi put on a phenomenal performance that showed to many newer New Japan fans, myself included, that he is truly as legendary as his "Once in a Century Talent" moniker proclaims. As for Okada, he's got one hell of a 13th title defense set for Dominion — a two out of three falls no time limit match against Kenny Omega. But I'll talk more about that match next month.

3,000 Times Better

Beginning on May 18, the Best of the Super Jr. 25 took up the last weeks of May and continued into early June. For those not familiar with New Japan, Best of the Super Jr. is a round robin tournament which pits 16 wrestlers from the Junior weight class (pretty much New Japan's Cruiserweight division) to determine the best of the division. The 16 competitors are broken into two blocks of eight wrestlers, and the two that score the most points in their respective block will compete in the finals for the Best of the Super Jr. trophy and a Junior Heavyweight Championship match at June's Dominion.

Considering the nature of these style of tournaments, there is a whole lot of wrestling to watch. 57 matches if you want to watch the tournament in its entirety. While it's understandable to not have the time to watch it all (I am currently halfway through at the time of writing), doing so paints a great picture of the talents on display. One phenomenal performance or a string of high-quality matches can raise anybody's stock.

This year's tournament saw some established stars, like Will Ospreay, Hiromu Takahashi, and Marty Scurll, solidify their positions on top of the Juniors, strong performances from foreign talent such as Chris Sabin, Flip Gordon, and Dragon Lee, a dangerous new threat in Taiji Ishimori, and two dark horses steal the spotlight.

These two dark horses, which I'd like to highlight, were Sho and Yoh of Roppongi 3K and what a tournament these two had. As their first time in singles competition since their return from excursion, these two showed that they are two to watch in the coming years. Sho, in particular, put on one intense bout with Dragon Lee that stole the show on the first night of B-Block competition. Plus, Yoh had a great match with Will Ospreay which came very close to being among the best of the tournament; it just needed a few more minutes of back-and-forth action in my opinion. Despite their current ties to the Junior Heavyweight tag division, both members of Roppongi 3K showed that one day they will be among the top of this division.

Must-See Matches of May

5/4/2018
Wrestling Dontaku
Will Ospreay vs. Kushida
Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

5/6/2018
Backlash
Seth Rollins vs. The Miz

5/8/2018
Smackdown
Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz

5/11/2018
Epic Encounter II
Keith Lee vs. Tomohiro Ishii

War of the Worlds: Toronto
Young Bucks vs. Super Smash Bros.

5/16/2018
NXT
Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Birch vs. Undisputed Era

5/18/2018
Best of the Super Jr. 25 Night 1
Will Ospreay vs. Taiji Ishimori

5/19/2018
Best of the Super Jr. 25 Night 2
Dragon Lee vs. Sho

5/22/2018
Best of the Super Jr. 25 Night 4
Kushida vs. Marty Scurll
Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado

5/24/2018
Best of the Super Jr. 25 Night 5
Will Ospreay vs. Yoh

5/25/2018
Best of the Super Jr. 25 Night 6
Chris Sabin vs. Marty Scurll
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Dragon Lee

Top 5 WWE Championship Matches

Last week marked the 50^th anniversary of the WWE Championship.  To celebrate this monumental milestone for their premier championship, the WWE decided to put quite a few features about the WWE Championship on WWE.com.  One of the features that caught my attention was the WWE’s Top 50 WWE Championship Matches.  I skimmed through the entire list and it was just okay.  There were quite a few matches on the list such as John Cena vs. JBL from Judgment Day 2005 and John Cena vs. Batista from Over the Limit 2010 that should not have been on the list while some excellent matches such as John Cena vs. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Micheals from Taboo Tuesday 2005 and John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels from Backlash 2007 that were omitted from the list.  From looking at that list, I was inspired to share what I consider the greatest WWE Championship matches I have ever watched.  It was hard to cut this list down to just five matches, but here are the Silverdome’s Top 5 WWE Championship Matches in honour of the WWE Championship’s 50^th anniversary.

5.  The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker- Vengeance 2002

When people think of the greatest matches of all-time, they focus more on the one-on-one encounters that the multi-man matches such as Triple Threats and Fatal 4 Ways do not get their chance to shine.  Multi-man matches can be as or more thrilling than singles matches due to the addition of more competitors.  The Triple Threat Match between The Rock, Kurt Angle and the Undertaker over the WWE Undisputed Championship at Vengeance 2002 is among the greatest Triple Threat Matches of All-Time.  The insane pace of the match keeps your eyes glued to the screen and the incredible chemistry these three have keeps you smiling.  It is an incredible match that sees each competitor steal each other’s finishing moves (The Rock executing a Chokeslam and the Ankle Lock, Undertaker performing the Angle Slam and Kurt Angle hitting the Rock Bottom).

4.  CM Punk vs. John Cena- Money in the Bank 2011

Hands down, this match is one of the greatest moments in WWE history.  CM Punk walked into his hometown of Chicago with the entire crowd on his side to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship.  In less than three hours, Punk’s contract with the WWE was set to come to an end.  The circumstances gave the Straight-Edge Superstar the chance to do the unthinkable, leave the WWE with their biggest prize in tow.  Fans around the globe wanted to see Punk walk out of the WWE with the WWE Championship and all made sure they were able to watch this match just to that moment.  Holding their breath for every near fall, pulling their hair out with every kick out and screaming at every big move hit; the emotion this championship match induced can hardly be matched.  The final jump for joy every wrestling fan in the crowd and at home did when Scott Armstrong’s hand came down for the three count was unforgettable.  CM Punk vs. John Cena from Money in the Bank 2011 is the best WWE Championship match of the Modern Era.

3.  Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart- Summerslam 1994

Bret and Owen Hart worked some of the greatest displays of technical wrestling this business has seen.  When WWE decided to put these two in a Steel Cage for one of the main events of Summerslam 1994, fans were given possibly the greatest wrestling match to take place in the confines of a Steel Cage.  Bret and Owen used the structure of the Steel Cage to the fullest.  This match is what the WWE should use as inspiration for how to put on a Steel Cage match now.

2.  John Cena vs. Edge- Unforgiven 2006

Each era in wrestling has a rivalry that defines it.  Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in the late 80s, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart in the mid 90s, Stone Cold and The Rock in the early 2000s are only a few examples over the years.  When John Cena stepped up as the Face of the WWE, the WWE needed somebody to counter everything Cena represented.  That somebody was the Rated R Superstar Edge.  John Cena and Edge would put on some excellent matches throughout their entire rivalry, but this TLC Match from Unforgiven 2006 stands out as the best match these two ever put on and one of the best WWE Championship matches of the 2000s.

1.  Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit- Royal Rumble 2003

Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit have put on some of the most spectacular showcases of technical wrestling to grace the squared-circle.  This classis from Royal Rumble 2003 is hands down the greatest showcase that these wrestlers put on.  Countless number of holds, counters, near falls and grueling submissions kept fans in awe of their performance.  From the opening bell to the standing ovation the Boston crowd gives once the match is over, everything about this match sums up the wrestling excellence that the WWE Championship represents.