The professional wrestling world was abuzz last weekend, with WWE counterprogramming AEW’s “All Out” with “Wrestlepalooza.”
The event marked ESPN’s first foray into the “premium live event” game, kicking off the worldwide leaders relationship with WWE.
The weekend didn’t begin or end with “Wrestlepalooza” and “All Out,” though.
From CMLL’s 92nd “Aniversario” show to Tokyo Joshi Pro’s “Wrestle Princess VI,” and everything in between, here were the 10 best matches of “Wrestlepalooza” weekend.
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Mercedes Mone vs. Riho (AEW “All Out”
Below is an except from my “All Out” review:
“Mercedes Moné managed to conjure yet another impressive title defense, this time against the inaugural AEW Women’s World Champion, Riho. Unfortunately, the crowd seemed rather unimpressed by the affair, which didn’t do either women any favors. Still, this was a triumphant return to Pay-Per-View for Riho, who hasn’t competed on a marquee show since “Worlds End” in 2023.”
Rating: ***½
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Adam Priest vs. Matt Tremont (JCW “The Knockout”)
I’m an Adam Priest guy, through and through. His match against Matt Tremont at JCW’s “The Knockout” was proof positive that Priest is one of the most multifarious wrestlers on the independent scene. And, quite frankly, in any other major promotion. In keeping with the tradition of GCW’s Ultraviolent Championship, this was a deathmatch. However, Priest opted to target Tremont’s leg, adding a little more intrigue to the standard deathmatch fare.
Rating: ***¾
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Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mascara Dorada (AEW “All Out”)
Below is an except from my “All Out” review:
“In a match featuring Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita, it’s hard to imagine that the star of the show was Mascara Dorada. However, the CMLL phenom’s star shined bright in Toronto, adding a fun wrinkle to Okada and Takeshita’s burgeoning rivalry. Dorada also acted as a buffer, giving Okada an opponent to pin without soundly defeating Takeshita.
Rating: ***¾
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Miu Watanabe vs. Mizuki (TJPW “Wrestle Princess VI”)
“Wrestle Princess” is Tokyo Joshi Pro’s most important Pay-Per-View of the calendar year. In the main event of “Wrestle Princess VI,” Mizuki defended her Princess of Princess Championship against Miu Watanabe. While I’m not particularly familiar with either women’s oeuvre’s, this was the type of hard-hitting fireworks extravaganza that I expect from great, modern joshi wrestling.
Rating: ***¾
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Stephanie Vaquer vs. Iyo Sky (WWE “Wrestlepalooza”)
WWE often suffers from the uniformity of its house style. It’s a sprawling sandbox designed to create blockbusters, not cinematic masterpieces. Think Marvel Studios or Lucasfilm. Every once in a while, though, they produce a “Captain America: Winter Soldier” or “Empire Strikes Back,” that reaffirms our faith in the machine. Stephanie Vaquer and Iyo Sky’s match at “Wrestlepalooza” lies somewhere in the middle — walking a fine line between very good and legitimately great.
Rating: ***¾
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Blue Panther vs. Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL “Domingo”)
One month ago, Blue Panther and Ultimo Guerrero set the wrestling world ablaze with their match for Guerrero’s MLW National Openweight Championship. At 65 and 53 years of age, respectively, Panther and Guerrero are two of CMLL’s most decorated stars—the last of a dying breed. Last Sunday at CMLL’s “Domingo Familiar,” the two veteran luchadores had their highly anticipated rematch; once again with the MLW openweight title hanging in the balance. Great wrestling is universal in its clarity and conviction—regardless of time, place, person, or style. This match is proof positive of that.
Rating: ****
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Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley (AEW “All Out”)
Jon Moxley has been white-hot as of late, rattling off a string of gems against “Hangman” Adam Page, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Daniel Garcia, and Roderick Strong. At “All Out,” he shared the ring with one of the sickest bastards in professional wrestling, Darby Allin. Throw in a pair of coffins and you have a match made in heaven. This was the sort of grindhouse production that Moxley and Allin revel in, rife with big bumps and glorious plunder.
Rating: ****¼
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“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Kyle Fletcher (AEW “All Out”)
“Hangman” Adam Page’s third world title defense was yet another triumph for the ace of All Elite Wrestling. Although, the centrifugal force here was his challenger, Kyle Fletcher. The “Protostar” was a force of nature in this match, dominating the champion for the majority of the contest. This match’s downfall was its runtime. At a staggering 38 minutes from bell-to-bell, it was probably 10 minutes longer than it had any right to be. Unfortunately, those are the margins between great matches and transcendent ones.
Rating: ****¼
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MJF vs. Mark Briscoe (AEW “All Out”)
In just his third year as a singles wrestler, Mark Briscoe has emerged as one of the world’s preeminent babyfaces. Here, he delivered a folkloric performance against MJF in a bloody tables n’ tacks match. While the tables were sparse, the thumbtacks were omnipresent—blanketing the canvas. Every big bump was exacerbated. Every decision was calculated, weighing risk versus reward.
Rating: ****½
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MJF vs. Mistico (CMLL “Aniversario 92”)
Mistico breathes rarified air. No audience has more equity in their hero than CMLL does in Mistico. So, when his blood stained the canvas in Arena Mexico, for the first time in decades, something ethereal happened. Like Dusty Rhodes or Bruno Sammartino before him, Mistico has mastered the subtleties. To MJF’s credit, the 29-year-old phenom delivered a tremendous heel performance—adorned in Homelander’s regalia from Garth Ennis’ “The Boys.” This was more than the best performance of the weekend. This was one of the best matches of the year.
Rating: ****¾
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