Minutes to Bell Time

Must See From 2/17 – 2/23

Promotions regularly reviewed include AEW, Impact, MLW NJPW, NWA, NXT, ROH, and WWE. 

Must Watch Matches

NJPW ran four shows from Karakuen Hall between on 2/19-2/22. Ring of Honor did not run any shows this week. NWA did not run their regular programming this week. Instead, they ran a new show called Circle Squared showing potential new talent. AEW, MLW, and WWE all ran their regular programming. 

  1. Cody vs. Wardlow in a Steel Cage on AEW Dyanmite on 2/19
    • A great cage match with a lot of drama, throwbacks to classic moments from wrestling history, and an amazing spot.
  2. Kenny Omega and Adam Page vs. The Lucha Bros for the AEW Tag Team Championship on AEW Dynamite on 2/19.
    • An excellent representation of wrestling from the current era.
  3. Tag Team Battle Royal on AEW Dynamite on 2/19
    • Battle Royals can be so poorly executed, but this was amazing. This one match seemingly set up angles for the next several weeks. It makes you anxious to see a lot of weird things like Luchasaurus vs. the Butcher.
  4. Manabu Nakanishi Retirement Match (Hiroki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, and Kazuchika Okada VS. Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Manabu Nakanishi, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan) on 2/22
    • This match and the ceremony that followed celebrated the career of Manabu Nakanishi. Well done New Japan. Nakanishi and team represented the “Third Generation” in New Japan as they all broke in around the same time. They faced some of the best from the New Japan modern era. While Nakanishi isn’t a spectacular worker, everyone worked hard to make this a good match.

Other Items of Interest

  1. Symphony of Destruction Match from Smackdown on 2/21
    • The carnage makes this match interesting. The uniqueness of the ending caused Shinsuke Nakamura to get several staples in his head.
  2. Bill Goldberg’s Interview segment and confrontation with the Fiend from Smackdown on 2/21
    • Raises questions about the outcome of their Super ShowDown match on 2/28 and how that may impact WrestleMania
  3. Bianca Belair came out in the middle of a match on NXT and challenged Charlotte Flair to a match. They meet on NXT this week.
  4. AEW announced a line of action figures.
  5. Bella Twins were announced for the WWE Hall of Fame.

Championship Changes This Week – No title changes this week in AEW, Impact, MLW, NJPW, NXT, Raw, or Smackdown.

  1. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi defeated Tama Tanga and Tonga Loa to capture the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
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