The Silver Report: March 2019

WrestleMania is just around the corner and if you looked below, I have a whole lot to talk about. Maybe a little too much, but WrestleMania season really gets me in the mood to rant. And to be honest, I'd rather write my frustrations here than screaming at my TV.

Who am I kidding? I'll scream at the TV regardless.

The State of WrestleMania

Maybe it was rose-tinted glasses or a lack of exposure to wrestling outside of WWE, but WrestleMania was the be-all-end-all for the formative years of my fandom. Although shows, matches, and storylines could surpass the Grandest Stage of Them All throughout the year, I always looked to WrestleMania to consistently be the best that wrestling had to offer.A decade ago that idea slowly started to be chipped away with WrestleMania 25.

Despite having arguably the greatest match of all time in Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels on the card, WrestleMania 25 was nowhere near the standard that I held WrestleMania to. A few years later, I eventually started to notice the build to WrestleMania slowly deteriorate. No longer did it feel that WrestleMania was built on the biggest and best feuds WWE had to offer, but whatever matches got the most people and the biggest stars on the card.

WrestleMania lost the spark that made it special in order to appeal the most casual audience possible. While I've reluctantly come to accept this fact, there are ways for WWE to make WrestleMania appeal to both casual and hardcore audiences. WrestleMania 30 and 31 are proof. The problem is that most of WWE — chief among them being Vince McMahon — is out of touch with the companies' fanbase and the current state of the industry, so they don't change their way of booking until they absolutely have to. The "Women's Evolution" is more than enough evidence of that fact.

With the stage set, let me say that the build to WrestleMania 35 has been the worst I've experienced in 16 years watching.

Mainly due to the card not being finalized backstage until early March, the last couple of months have been rudderless. As a viewer, it has felt like stories and possible matches changed dramatically from week-to-week with no real direction. Due to this haphazard approach to booking, the last two months following the Royal Rumble has been wasted. For proof, just look at the main event program.

Over the course of the last two months, Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey has gone from one of the most anticipated main events in WrestleMania history to a nonsensical mess. To help demonstrate how insane it has gotten, the build for this match has consisted of:

• Becky Lynch being suspended for not getting her injured knee checked by doctors;
• Becky attacking Stephanie McMahon, which led to Steph further injuring Becky's knee;
• Becky being reinstated after apologizing to Triple H and Steph;
• Vince McMahon suspending Becky until the after WrestleMania because he doesn't like her attitude; 
• Vince placing Charlotte Flair in the WrestleMania match in Becky's stead;
• At Elimination Chamber, Becky outrunning trained security guard while hobbling on crutches to attack Charlotte and Ronda Rousey with said crutches;
• Becky being arrested for doing the same thing on Raw a week later;
• Ronda "vacating" the Raw Women's Championship because she wanted to fight Becky;
• Becky being reinstated to fight Charlotte Flair for the "vacant" Raw Women's Championship at Fastlane;
• Ronda returning to take back the championship she previously vacated (that's not how vacating a title works!!) and turning heel by attacking Becky;
• Heel Ronda going on to remind the world that professional wrestling is fake ad nauseam;
• Becky finally being added to the WrestleMania match thanks to a Ronda rundown and beatdown;
• Charlotte beating Asuka for the Smackdown Women's Championship;
• Steph announcing both Raw and Smackdown Women's Titles will be on the line in the WrestleMania main event, and;
• All three getting arrested for brawling after their match against the Riott Squad.

All of that happened over the course of 10 weeks. Just take all that in. It didn't happen over a six months, a year, or some other reasonable timeline. No, it was all crammed in 10 damn weeks! 

As proved by the build to Survivor Series, WWE had an open goal with Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey. Instead, they overbooked this match way past the point of jumping the shark. They cleared the shark and have completely obliterated my confidence in this match. While the talent may be there, none of the booking has proven that this match won't be as big of a debacle — if not worse.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is KofiMania.

This campaign to get Kofi Kingston into the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania all started with an unfortunate twist of fate. Mustafa Ali was originally meant to compete in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber but had to be pulled from the match following a concussion. Kofi would take Mustafa's place in the match and go onto steal the show in a gauntlet match on the Smackdown before the pay-per-view and in the Elimination Chamber itself.

Despite plans for the WWE Championship already being put in place, these incredible performances along with the thunderous crowd reactions forced WWE creative take notice and give Kofi the chance to finally shine in the main event scene.

While the road to the WWE Championship match being set in stone was a little rough, the story has been a resounding success. Much like Daniel Bryan's road to WrestleMania 30, Kofi's plight has felt organic and heartwarming. Little touches, like the entire face roster cheering on Kofi and callbacks to Bryan's plight with the "B+ player" verbiage, have gone a long way in making this feud feel well thought out and main event caliber. Instead of insulting our intelligence with overbooked nonsense, out-of-touch booking, and drastic changes on a weekly basis.

At the end of this long, long rant, all I really have to say is WrestleMania has the lost the magic that I remember from my formative years of watching. Although I don't hold it to the same reverence, it's not all doom and gloom. For all the underdeveloped stories, overpacked matches, and hotshot booking, there are some glimmers of greatness. You just have to expect it won't be for the entire eight-hour runtime.

Source: Digital Spy

March Madness

You can't talk about wrestling in March without talking about the New Japan Cup. However, this year New Japan's annual March tournament saw a few changes.

First, a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the main event of G1 Supercard was on the line, instead of the winner getting a shot at the singles title of their choice. With these higher stakes, the field of competitors was expanded from the regular 16 to 32. Considering the entrants doubling for this year's New Japan Cup, entry was given to all comers including junior heavyweights, Young Lions, and champions.

As the biggest New Japan Cup in history, did bigger mean better?

Yes and no.

Doubling the pool of competitors opened the tournament to a lot of variety, be it in style, character, or even move set. Within a three week period, we saw epic strong style slugfests, stunning technical showcases, hilarious comedy matches, and unbelievable athletic performances. Out of the 31 matches, no bout felt the same — a very impressive feat.

Unfortunately, not everything was the best New Japan had to offer. Despite playing host to the best match of the tournament in Ishii vs. Nagata — no joke, it's a bona fide Match of the Year contender — the first round was a mixed bag as New Japan put everybody in this year's Cup including green newcomers, broken down older talent, and Taichi. Plus, some highly anticipated match-ups, such as Okada vs. Ospreay and Tanahashi vs. Sabre Jr., were a little disappointing in my opinion.

Although some may scoff at Okada, an established main eventer, winning the Cup over pushing somebody new into the main event picture, remember that the current IWGP Champion Jay White is that new star in the midst of a push. Plus, the New Japan Cup elevated talent in different ways. Just look at Young Lion Shota Umino's incredible performance against Tanahashi, Ishii getting the best out of Nagata, Taichi, and Yoshi-Hashi, Chase Owens' surprise victory over Juice Robinson, and Will Ospreay defeating two more heavyweights. On top of all that, Sanada had a career-defining run in this year's tournament beating the likes of Hirooki Goto, Minoru Suzuki, and Hiroshi Tanahashi before falling to Okada in the finals.

All-in-all, we won't fully know if the 2019 New Japan Cup was an outright success until we see its fallout at the G1 Supercard. However, we do know it put a spotlight a great wrestling and some upcoming stars.

Source: New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Must-See Matches of March

3/3/2019
Stardom
Momo Watanabe vs. Jungle Kyona

3/6/2019
47th Anniversary
Jay White vs. Will Ospreay

NXT

Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner

#DIY vs. Undisputed Era

3/8/2019
New Japan Cup Night 1
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata

3/10/2019 
New Japan Cup Night 3
Kota Ibushi vs. Tetsuya Naito

3/11/2019
New Japan Cup Night 4
Hirooki Goto vs. Sanada

3/16/2019
New Japan Cup Night 7
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

3/21/2019
NXT
Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black vs. Matt Riddle vs. Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream

3/23/2019
New Japan Cup Night 11
Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Sanada

3/24/2019 
New Japan Cup Finals
Kazuchika Okada vs. Sanada

The Silver Report: February 2019

Considering we are already at the end of March when this Silver Report goes live, there's not much for me to recap that you readers haven't already seen and possibly analyzed yourself. So, I'm dedicating this Silver Report to the huge developments coming out of New Japan's New Beginning tour. So, let's jump right in.

Let the Cutthroat Era Begin

Coming out of Wrestle Kingdom, one question bounced around wrestling circles: could New Japan keep up their high standards with the loss of big names like the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Kushida? Although New Year's Dash served as the start of this transition, all eyes turned to the first big tour of the year, the New Beginning tour, for New Japan's answer to said question.

For the most part, the New Beginning shows were similar to New Year's Dash — solid wrestling, but something missing in the story department. Despite the rather straightforward nature of this tour, Gedo saved the major developments until the final show in Osaka.

First, Kota Ibushi made his first appearance since suffering a concussion in his match with Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom. Ibushi's surprise appearance came with the announcement that the Golden Star had committed to wrestle exclusively with New Japan for the foreseeable future. For a wrestler that has notoriously avoided being tied down to one promotion, this is a major win for New Japan as they secure a big main event talent in this current wrestling bidding war spurred on by the introduction of AEW.

The final major development came in the main event of the Osaka show. After conquering Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom, wear and tear cost Hiroshi Tanahashi his eighth title reign. After a competitive 30 minutes, Jay White turned Tanahashi's High Fly Flow into a Blade Runner for the shock victory. As Red Shoes Umino's hand smacked the mat for the three, the air was sucked out of the Edion Arena and around the world. Although many speculated that we may see a result similar to when Okada first captured the IWGP Championship from Tanahashi seven years ago— the infamous Rainmaker Shock of 2012 — nobody fathomed that history would repeat itself with Jay White.

Well, we were all wrong and personally, I'm happier for it. While White might be a polarizing figure as people either love him for his untapped potential or hate him for being pushed to the top so fast, White's quick ascent to the main event of New Japan has filled the void that has been desperately missing in the company — a top heel. Ever since Naito and Omega transitioned from outright heels to lovable anti-heroes in early 2018, New Japan has been missing an antagonist force to unify the babyfaces. Although White's surprise IWGP title win catapults him right into the main event scene, it has also placed the Bullet Club on top of the food chain once again as the de facto heel faction. And to be honest, a dominant Bullet Club is a great thing.

On the topic of whether or not Jay White is deserving of his current position, I personally think he has grown into the role over the last year. That can easily be seen in White's character work and mic skills, which are among New Japan's elite. In my opinion, the missing piece is in the ring. Although White has consistently put on solid matches as the Switchblade, I can't think of one that has really clicked with me. Even his title match with Tanahashi —  while good — never got out of second gear. To prove the naysayers wrong, White will need to step up and consistently put on main event caliber matches throughout his reign.

Much like the Rainmaker Shock from seven years ago, Jay White's shocking IWGP Heavyweight Championship win signifies a new era in New Japan. What exactly that era will be is anybody's guess, but we do have a name: the Cutthroat Era.

Source: New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Must-See Matches of February

2/3/2019

The New Beginning in Sapporo Night 2

Bushi & Shingo Takagi vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Evil & Sanada vs. Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr.

Halftime Heat

Aleister Black, Ricochet & Velveteen Dream vs. Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa

2/12/2019
Smackdown
Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton - Gauntlet Match

2/17/2019
Elimination Chamber
Boss 'n' Hug Connection vs. Fire & Desire vs. Riott Squad vs. IIconics vs. Naomi & Carmella vs. Nia Jax & Tamina - Elimination Chamber
Daniel Bryan vs. Samoa Joe vs. Kofi Kingston vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton - Elimination Chamber

2/20/2019
NXT
Aleister Black vs. Roderick Strong
Johnny Gargano vs. Velveteen Dream

2/22/2019
Honor Rising Night 1
Will Ospreay vs. Dalton Castle

2/27/2019
NXT
Keith Lee vs. Dominic Dijakovic

The Silver Report: January 2019

As has become tradition, January starts the new year with high drama and excitement. Great matches, interesting storylines, and big news all seem to happen within January's 31 days. This January, in particular, has felt even more exciting. Thanks to the introduction of All Elite Wrestling (which I will get to in just a moment), wrestling fans are clamouring for information as rumours fly about wrestlers looking to branch out from WWE and news of major signings become a daily occurrence.

To summarize, it's a great time to be a wrestling fan as promotions jockey for your time and money by putting on the best product they possibly can. It's an even better time to be a fan of the inner workings of this industry as companies fight tooth-and-nail to secure talent and solidify their place in this new wrestling landscape.


No matter what side of pro wrestling you enjoy, we're in an exciting time as the industry stands on the precipice of another boom period.

Going All Elite

In late 2018, rumours surfaced that the Young Bucks and Cody were looking to start a new wrestling promotion off the heels of All In's success. With the financial backing of Tony Khan, co-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and long-time wrestling fan, this new promotion would be called All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and had trademarks set for a number of potential shows.

While these rumours were swirling, an interesting storyline was playing out on Being the Elite. One by one the cast found a mysterious timer on their phone; a timer that looked to run out on New Year's Day. Originally believed to be WWE courting the cast members, that possibility was thrown out when the Bucks denied the offer with a superkick to Triple H lookalike.

So when the clock struck midnight on New Year's, a special episode of Being the Elite was uploaded to YouTube. The episode saw the Bucks, Cody, and Hangman Page meet in front of the Tokyo Dome as the timer ran out. Once time expired, the logo for AEW appeared on the Bucks' and Cody's phones while Page revealed a logo for an event called Double or Nothing, which was rumoured to be the follow-up to All In.

Despite the sparse reveal, wrestling fans only had to wait eight days for more information as the company held a press conference in front of TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. At the conference, Cody, Brandi, and the Bucks gave some insight into their vision for AEW including equal pay for all employees no matter gender and wins/losses having weight. Plus, the likes of Britt Baker, So Cal Uncensored, Joey Janela, PAC, and Chris Jericho were revealed as AEW's first signings.

While there are still a lot of unknowns at this very moment, the introduction of AEW into the current wrestling landscape is incredibly exciting. With the financial backing of the Khan family — who is worth more than the McMahons — AEW looks to be more than willing to spend top money on their talent, production, and marketing. Add in the fact that key parts of the company, such as the booking and talent relations, are being handled by wrestlers that know the business, it truly feels like something special is brewing in All Elite.

Source: WhatCulture

Trouble for New Japan?

When it comes to Wrestle Kingdom, New Japan knows how to deliver an incredible show. From unpredictable results to awe-inspiring matches, this year's offering was four-plus hours of wrestling bliss, bookended by two early match of the year candidates. Every title changed hands, the Elite was completely shut-out — most likely indicating the end of their working relationship with New Japan — four foreign stars got big wins, and Hiroshi Tanahashi completed his comeback by becoming the first G1 winner to successfully cash-in their title shot for heavyweight championship gold.

Despite an incredibly newsworthy Wrestle Kingdom, New Year's Dash was a rather tame show. Unlike previous years, there were no big angles or major shake-ups to the status quo. The only real surprise to speak of was Yoshi-Hashi's return from injury. Although new feuds were set in motion for February's New Beginning tour, everything felt like an extension of what was happening at the end of 2018. In all honesty, that isn't a bad thing as New Japan's booking builds over the months and years — it just felt weird.

Instead of building on the big upswing of momentum that was Wrestle Kingdom 13, New Japan feels like they're in the middle of a transition. With the Elite on their way to AEW, Kota Ibushi currently out with a concussion, Kushida leaving for WWE, and Chris Jericho's future with the company up the air, New Japan's roster has taken a considerable hit. While New Japan might be hurting at the moment, they are building for the future, especially with their foreign talent. Gedo has four men selected to be New Japan's big foreign stars in Jay White, Juice Robinson, Will Ospreay, and Zack Sabre Jr. Considering each of them had huge wins at Wrestle Kingdom and are all set to be permanent fixtures in the upper mid-card and main event scenes for the foreseeable future, they will eventually fill the current void. It will just take time.

Source: New Japan Pro-Wrestling

Must-See Matches of January

1/4/2019
Wrestle Kingdom 13
Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay
Chris Jericho vs. Tetsuya Naito - No DQ Match
Kenny Omega vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

1/5/2019
New Year's Dash
Will Ospreay, Tomohiro Ishii & Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb, Kushida & Yuji Nagata

1/12/2019
NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool
Mustache Mountain vs. Zack Gibson & James Drake

1/15/2019
Smackdown
Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio

1/23/2019
NXT
Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner

1/26/2019
NXT TakeOver: Phoenix
Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black

1/27/2019
Royal Rumble
Women's Royal Rumble Match
Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor
Men's Royal Rumble Match

Best Matches of 2018

Source: WWE

It's that time of year again. Time to look back at the past year and determine which matches were the best of the best.

Personally, I'm finding it harder and harder to whittle down the list since there is so much high-quality wrestling readily available. I only regularly follow WWE and New Japan, which is just a small piece of this enormous pie that is professional wrestling. There are great matches happening everywhere — and some aren't even televised!

What I'm trying to say is don't take this or any other "Best of 2018" as the be-all end-all. It's all subjective since we all like and dislike different things. Use these lists to get a feel for matches you may have missed or gain a new appreciation for the matches you already love.

So without further ado, here are my favourite matches from 2018 in chronological order. If you are looking to check any of these bouts for yourself, I highly recommend subscribing to the WWE Network, NJPW World, and/or the Global Wrestling Network.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito 

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 12

While Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho gets all the attention from fans and critics, it's the main of Wrestle Kingdom 12 that does it for yours truly.

Going into this match, both men wanted a chance to redeem their underwhelming IWGP Heavyweight Championship match from four years prior. Suffice to say, they did just that and more. In fact, Okada and Naito put on one of the slickest matches of the year as they kept the fast and dramatic pace you see in the closing minutes of most New Japan matches going for nearly 30 minutes.

Despite falling short of fulfilling his destiny of winning the Heavyweight Title in the Tokyo Dome, Naito proved to the critics and the world that he can deliver when the lights are the brightest.

Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. Johnny Gargano 

NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia

With how many phenomenal NXT TakeOver matches that happened in 2018, it can be easy to forget that arguably the best year in NXT history all started with this bout.

As the first match by WWE to receive five stars from Dave Meltzer in over six years, Almas vs. Gargano was nothing short of special. Looking at this match technically, it's a master class in wrestling. Both men weaved together moves and counters in a way that was much more than a combat sport — it was pure artistry.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

NXT TakeOver: New Orleans

Nothing last year could touch the feud between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. From their beloved partnership as #DIY to Ciampa's heartbreaking betrayal, the NXT faithful watched this feud bubble in the background for two years before it was brought front and center for NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.

Unlike Gargano's wrestling clinic with Almas, this Unsanctioned match was all about storytelling. The match slowly built over the course of its 40-minute runtime by making some ingenious callbacks to their match at the Cruiserweight Classic, Gargano's sacrifice in the ladder match against the Authors of Pain, and Ciampa's attacks with the crutch. After an emotionally draining 40 minutes, this slow burn hit its climax as Gargano used Ciampa's own knee brace — from the knee injury that led to Ciampa's betrayal — for the submission victory.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

NJPW Wrestling Dontaku Night 2

To newer fans of New Japan brought in by the likes of Okada, Omega, Naito, and Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi felt like a relic of a bygone era. Although the Ace was key in leading New Japan to its current success, many — myself included — believed his position at the top of the company had been passed to the new crop of main event talent.

Well, we were all wrong as Tanahashi used 2018 to prove to his critics that he is still one of the best wrestlers on the planet. And this meeting with Okada at Wrestling Dontaku was the match that made everyone take notice.

Despite falling short of stopping Okada's record-breaking title reign, Tanahashi put on an unbelievable performance that saw the Ace hit Okada with everything from his signature Slingblade and High Fly Flow to Okada's own Tombstone Piledriver and Rainmaker lariat.

Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori 

NJPW Best of the Super Jr. 25 Finals

Rather than being a spectacle of high flying and fast-paced action that the Junior Heavyweights are known for, the finals between Hiromu Takahashi and Taiji Ishimori blended the disparate styles showcased throughout the Best of the Super Jr. tourney into one epic match-up.

The match was mostly a technical affair where both men worked over different body parts. Fast-paced action segments and huge spots were used as brief flourishes, heavy hitting strong style strike exchanges emphasized the physical toll of the match, and quick move-countermove sequences conveyed their intense desperation to win.

All-in-all, this is the absolute best of New Japan's Junior division putting on a 34-minute wrestling clinic. Enough said.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega 

NJPW Dominion 2018

Talk about an emotional rollercoaster. The fourth meeting between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada — their third for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship — was easily the tensest match of 2018.

This match was so tense that every move felt monumental. The swings in momentum made your heart skip a beat, especially if you were cheering for Omega. Each fall in this two out of three fall affair built to an incredible crescendo as Omega hit the One-Winged Angel for the final three count to the soundtrack of Don Callis repeatedly screaming "Hook the leg!"

As the culmination of Kenny Omega's two-year journey to the top of New Japan, this match is as perfect as you can get in this sport. I know that I couldn't hold back the tears when the final fall was recorded — and a match that can move one to tears is indeed special.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa

NXT TakeOver: Chicago II

Did you think this feud was over with the Unsanctioned match at TakeOver: New Orleans? Well, think again.

The deep-seated hatred between Gargano and Ciampa boiled over into a Street Fight reminiscent of the old-school hardcore matches from the late 90s and early 2000s. As such, both men tried to maim each other with anything they could get their hands on — even ripping up the ring to reveal the wooden boarding underneath! Every strike, grapple, and weapon shot escalated the tension of the match until it was all released through the incredible and highly emotional climax.

While I've gone into detail on it before, the final five to 10 minutes of this Street Fight skyrocketed it to legendary status. Seeing Ciampa pull Gargano down to his level by making Johnny Wrestling snap felt like watching the fall of a once great superhero. It unleashed demons within Gargano that have gone onto mold him into something darker and arguably better.

Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era 

NXT 7/11/2018

Considering the consistently excellent quality of NXT TakeOvers, people have forgotten how good matches on NXT TV can be.

During 2018, NXT TV played host to a whole bunch of matches that could've easily stolen the show at a TakeOver. Although I don't have enough room to highlight them all here — that's what the Silver Report's Must-See Matches section is for — there's one match that deserves to be showcased on this list. That match is Moustache Mountain vs. Undisputed Era from the July 11 edition of NXT.

Looking at this match on a base level, it's a textbook tag team match. The heels (Undisputed Era) isolate a member of the face team (Moustache Mountain) and work over a body part until the faces get the hot tag. What makes this match special is how it slightly subverts this formula to elicit a passionate response from those watching.

Most of the Undisputed Era's offense is spent dissecting Trent Seven's leg in order to set up the impassioned finish. After Tyler Bate accidentally falls into Seven for a tag, the injured Seven puts up a valiant fight only to be caught into a devastating heel hook from Kyle O'Reilly. Blocked from breaking up the submission by the referee, Bate struggles with the decision of whether to throw in the towel or not. As Seven screams worsen, Bate caves, thus ending Moustache Mountains' NXT Tag Title reign but saving his partner and mentor for further injury.

Pentagon Jr. vs. Sami Callihan

Impact Slammiversary XVI

2018 was a major year for Impact Wrestling. After years of rampant mismanagement, laughable storylines, and horrendous wrestling, nobody thought the former Total Nonstop Action would ever turn things around. To the surprise of everyone, Impact, with the help of Don Callis and Scott D'Amore, did just that and Slammiversary XVI was the event that solidified their new place in the industry.

The one match on the card that — quite literally — hammered home Impact's bold new lease on life was Pentagon Jr. vs. Sami Callihan, Mask vs. Hair. While both men showcased some great technical wrestling throughout, it was the sheer brutality and gruesome violence that etched this match into the minds of wrestling fans.

I will admit I may be a little bit biased since I saw this match live. But in all honesty, being there live to hear the ting of metal as both men hammered each other with railroad spikes and experience the crowd lose it when Callihan kicked out of a Penta Driver through two chairs was the best birthday present this wrestling fanatic could ever ask for.

Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano

NXT TakeOver: WarGames II

Johnny Gargano's slow descent into villainy was easily the best storyline of 2018. What made this storyline even better was that Gargano still believed he was the hero — that he was only doing what was absolutely necessary to get rid of evil incarnate, Tomasso Ciampa. Unfortunately, one of Gargano's "heroic" actions made an enemy of Aleister Black.

Much like Gargano's other matches on this list, the ensuing bout was nothing short of phenomenal. In a match that stole the show at TakeOver: WarGames II, Black and Gargano held nothing back. Black brought the stiff strikes and cracking kicks while Gargano brought the smooth chain wrestling and high-flying offense.

Although the wrestling was top notch, the story of Gargano trying to play both sides of the face/heel coin as Black cut through the shenanigans in order to get his revenge made this match feel incredibly significant to development both wrestlers. Plus, Black absolving Gargano of his sins before hitting the final Black Mass for the win was the cherry on top of this delicious match.

The Silver Report: December 2018

Let's begin this edition of the Silver Report by winding the clock back a year. I'd been at my current job as a copy editor for a year at the time and I felt that my writing was getting out of practice. While I had chances to write on the job, they were few and far between since writing wasn't one of my main responsibilities and because I'm a rather slow writer. So, I thought to start writing on here as a way to keep myself in practice and voice my opinions on a sport that I love, no matter how big or small my audience is.

At the time, I thought it'd be great to keep this up for at least a year just to see if I could do it. Now, here we are at the last Silver Report of 2018. Time flies when you're overthinking professional wrestling storylines and politics.

In all seriousness, writing on here has been very therapeutic as it's given me a chance to write down my feelings and show a vulnerable side of myself through the lens of wrestling. As such, I'd like to thank everybody who has been along this journey with me from liking my social media posts to reading these articles all the way through. I'm just glad this blog exists and it might help somebody somewhere broaden their views on pro wrestling or reignite their passion for this sport.

Considering how everything is wrapping up for the new year, December isn't the most newsworthy or exciting month of the year. While there was still good wrestling happening, just not as much as previous months.

A New Leaf for the American Dragon

With one swift kick to AJ Style's groin, Daniel Bryan's fortune changed for the better.

Before this moment, Bryan was the plucky babyface that fought for his dreams. Unfortunately, those dreams led to lackluster feuds with Big Cass and the Miz and slowly dulling cheers. In summation, WWE dropped the ball with Bryan's return to wrestling. Well until this heel turn.

With a kick to the groin and a running knee, Daniel Bryan captured his fourth WWE Championship while simultaneously throwing away the love and affection of the fans. Exclamations of "Yes!" were replaced by disapproving shouts of "Fickle". Inspiring speeches about fighting for one's dreams were replaced by self-righteous sermons on protecting the environment. You might say it was a "new" Daniel Bryan.

To be honest, my emotions were all over the place when Bryan captured the WWE Championship using nefarious means. I was happy that he finally won the WWE Title while healthy. I was stunned and confused that he would use heel tactics to win. Ultimately, I was worried that this heel turn was ill-conceived; just done as a moment to spike ratings rather than a fully realized development in Bryan's character.

How wrong I was.

From the cutting promos to more vicious demeanor, the ensuing weeks showed just how great this "new" Daniel Bryan is. Much like CM Punk's heel run as the straight-edge saviour, Bryan's eco-preacher persona took an aspect of his life — in this case, his vegan eating habits and belief in environmentalism — and turned it up to eleven. As such, these crazed antics have effectively turned Bryan into one of the best heels in the company, only behind Tomasso Ciampa.

Considering this heel turn is only a month and a half old, the best is yet to for the "new" Daniel Bryan and his hopefully lengthy WWE Championship reign.

Source: Figure Four Online

Must-See Matches of December

12/4/2018
Smackdown
Cesaro vs. Jey Uso vs. Xavier Woods

12/12/2018

NXT

Ricochet vs. Tyler Breeze

12/15/2018

Road to the Tokyo Dome Night 2

Golden Lovers vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay

12/16/2018

TLC

AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan

Asuka vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair - TLC Match

12/19/2018
NXT
Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano - Steel Cage Match

The Silver Report: November 2018

Looking at things objectively, November was a great month for yours truly. I got to reconnect with some friends I haven't seen in a while, went to ROH's Global Wars: Toronto with my amazing crew of wrestling fans, met Juice Robinson and Kushida (who put the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship over my shoulder), and got to watch an unbelievable NXT TakeOver: WarGames with those same wrestling friends. Despite all the great things that happened in November, I've been a complete mess mentally.

While I have spoken about this ailment in other forums, I've never talked about it here. I live with anxiety and depression. Although it has never progressed into anything severe — and hopefully never will — it is a constant struggle. Lately, I'm just finding it a little harder to cope, especially when I start thinking about my dating situation or rather lack thereof.

But what does this have to do with wrestling?

As one of my greatest passions, professional wrestling has helped me through the toughest of times. From watching a match to fantasy booking a current storyline to pouring over the latest news, fixating on professional wrestling and its many aspects, both in the ring and behind the scenes, helps get my mind off of the negativity that permeates my thoughts from time to time. While this next statement might sound like hyperbole, I can't think of how my life would've turned out without professional wrestling. For all the frustration it can cause, it has brought me just as much or even more joy and more importantly, relief from the anxiety and depression.

Crown Dud

While WWE's 10-year deal with Saudi Arabia was controversial from the very beginning — due to the country's restrictions on women — recent events have put this business relationship at the forefront of public discourse.

On October 2, Washington Post journalist and critic of the Saudi government Jamal Khashoggi entered Saudi Arabia's consulate in Turkey. Khashoggi would never leave the consulate as he was assassinated within. The assassination caused an international incident that saw many countries and corporations cut ties with Saudi Arabia. That is everybody but WWE.

Unfortunately for WWE, this incident and the resulting investigation happened right in the middle of the build for their second show in Saudi Arabia, Crown Jewel. Despite being vilified by the media and most of the roster being against doing the show, WWE decided to put their head down and push forward. They put their head down so far, in fact, that they lost all common sense. To be honest, that's the only way you could explain the rather distasteful "respect is out the window" storyline used to build the Brothers of Destruction vs. D-Generation X.

As horrible as everything proceeding Crown Jewel was, it couldn't get any worse ... right? Right?!

Although the live crowd reactions may say otherwise, Crown Jewel was quite easily the worst pay-per-view of 2018. Confirmed racist Hulk Hogan was paraded out to "host" the show. The supposed WWE World Cup to determine the best in the world was filled with mediocre matches and won by Shane McMahon — who wasn't even in the tournament. Brock Lesnar squashed Braun Strowman to win the Universal Championship yet again, a result I should be frustrated over but I've stopped caring about the Universal Championship at this point. And as the awful cherry on top, the Brothers of Destruction vs. D-Generation was an absolute disaster as Triple H tore his pectoral muscle in the opening minutes, Shawn Michaels almost spiked himself doing a moonsault, Kane's mask slipped off at one point, and Undertaker forgot how to perform a simple Irish whip.

In summation, what goes around comes around. So hopefully, WWE's recent loss to karma will cause them to rethink the future of their business relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Source: SportingNews

When The Man Comes Around

WWE's handling of their women's division on the main roster has been laughable at best, but I'll give them credit for stumbling on gold in Becky Lynch's new badass attitude. Although this attitude started as a misguided heel turn as WWE creative tried their best to frame Becky as the villain despite overwhelming cheers, WWE finally gave up pushing Becky as a heel and started pushing her as a badass babyface, nicknamed "The Man", after Evolution. Positioned to face Ronda Rousey in a champion vs. champion match at Survivor Series, it looked like Becky's rising star in the women's division and WWE as a whole would be fed to the company's new golden girl.

Well, that wasn't how things would go down.

On the final Raw before Survivor Series, Becky Lynch would lead the women of SmackDown in an all-out assault on Ronda Rousey and Raw's roster of women. In the chaos, Becky would have a chance encounter with Nia Jax. Becky accidentally hit Nia a little hard, which caused Nia to retaliate with a wild fist to the face. The resulting blow gave Becky a concussion and a broken nose. Unfortunately for the women of Raw, that punch only fired up The Man as she laid waste to their entire roster before leaving through the crowd with blood smeared all over her face like war paint.

As a result of the concussion that Nia's punch caused, Becky was pulled from her much-anticipated match with Rousey at Survivor Series. Despite that disappointment, Becky's popularity has skyrocketed to heights unseen. You could say she has even surpassed Rousey as the most popular wrestler in the company.

Now fingers crossed that WWE can capitalize on their accidental superstar.

Source: WhatCulture

Must-See Matches of November

11/3/2018

Power Struggle
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Minoru Suzuki

11/11/2018
Global Wars: Toronto
SoCal Uncensored vs. Super Smash Bros.
Juice Robinson vs. Baretta

11/13/2018
Smackdown
AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan

11/14/2018
NXT
Hanson vs. Kyle O'Reilly

11/17/2018
TakeOver: WarGames
Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream
Undisputed Era vs. Pete Dunne, Ricochet & War Raiders - WarGames

11/18/2018
Survivor Series
Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

11/28/2018
NXT UK
Pete Dunne vs. Jordan Devlin

The Silver Report: October 2018

Good God Almighty, October was one wild month. A whole lot happened in the wacky world of professional wrestling. Some absolutely amazing, some very sombre, and some downright distasteful. Considering how much went on and how some stories bleed over into November — mainly everything involving Crown Jewel — I'll focus on two of the biggest developments from October.

Before you glance down and see there isn't a section on WWE Evolution, I wanted to write up a section, but noticed that there wasn't a lot of enough content for an entire section. I'd be covering the same points that I discussed when WWE announced the show. So, I though it would be best to give my opinion in the introduction.

With that said, I know my opinion on this show lies in the minority, but I found Evolution to be just fine. While it wasn't anywhere close to the dumpster fire that my friends and I thought it'd be considering the non-existent build, the show was plagued by WWE's generic match planning, their inconsistent rules (see the Last Woman Standing match), and an over-reliance on nostalgia acts and models. I give props to the women wrestling and all those managing everything behind-the-scenes for giving their all to make this show feel special. Unfortunately, everything rings hollow about Evolution when the women's division just goes back to its little representation and poor booking on the shows following it.

Roman Relinquishes the Universal Championship Due to Leukemia

Nobody could've predicted the topic of Roman Reigns' announcement to kick off Monday Night Raw on October 22.

The show started off rather normal as Reigns walked down to the ring to a chorus of boos from the live audience. The only thing off was his clothes as Reigns was dressed in a casual black top and jeans, instead of his regular black vest and pants. While the change in clothes might be easy to overlook, the kayfabe-breaking promo that followed was not.

Speaking as Joe Anoa'i, Reigns first apologized to the fans for not being the fighting champion that he promised before revealing he has been living with leukemia for 11 years and it has come back. As such, Reigns had to relinquish the Universal Championship. The boos suddenly stopped as the crowd just sat in utter disbelief, but that silence slowly turned to cheers and chants of "Thank you, Roman" as Reigns' promo continued.

While it might seem odd to those outside watching from the outside to comprehend this shift — to them, wrestling fans have booed face Roman Reigns consistently for the better part of three years to suddenly cheer him — nobody is heartless. The boos were originally out of protest of WWE pushing the Roman Reigns character to the detriment of the entire product; nobody in their right mind would wish the man behind the character to suffer. Plus, leukemia is a serious disease. Reigns may never wrestle again or he might — god forbid — lose his life to the disease.

In closing, I want to say get well soon Roman. We will all be hoping, praying, and cheering for you to conquer leukemia and return to the ring one day.

Source: India Today

The Fall of Gargano

Leading up to NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4, Aleister Black tore his groin at a NXT house show. To write Black out of his scheduled NXT Championship match against Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, Black was found knocked out in the parking lot of Full Sail by William Regal. While this incident immediately to a stellar Last Man Standing match between Gargano and Ciampa at Brooklyn 4, it would eventually lead to something much more pivotal.

The episodes of NXT following Brooklyn 4 had numerous segments dedicated to Regal trying to determine Black's attacker before the Dutch Destroyer made his return to Full Sail. Despite finding a lead in Nikki Cross, Regal's efforts were in vain as Black got the information from Cross when he interrupted the main event of the October 17th edition of NXT. The following week, Black would again interrupt the final segment of NXT while on a rampage to find his assailant. Black's rampage ended by screaming at Regal, "Where is he?!" only to turn around to a superkick from Gargano and the reply of "I'm right here."

In one moment, this month and a half long mystery solidified itself as one of the best angles in NXT history and easily the best payoff to a mystery in WWE history. Although it was easy to predict that Gargano would turn out to be the assailant since he had the most to gain, sometimes going with the predictable is the best choice. Plus, this Johnny Gargano heel turn has been building subtly for months now, so to finally see it come to fruition was incredibly satisfying.

Although many may decry turning a natural babyface Johnny Gargano heel on the basis that it betrays his character, don't forget that even the greatest heroes can be corrupted by the darkness. The key to the fall of a hero is what they eventually learn from it. So don't worry, Gargano's redemption will come. For the time being, let's just enjoy this dark and twisted ride.

Source: Figure Four Online

Must-See Matches of October

10/8/2018

King of Pro Wrestling

Kushida vs. Marty Scurll

Cody vs. Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi

Raw
Shield vs. Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler

10/10/2018

NXT

Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne vs. Ricochet

10/24/2018

Mae Young Classic

Toni Storm vs. Meiko Satomura 

10/28/2018

Evolution

Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm

10/30/2018

Smackdown

AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan