Watching STUFF! NJPW, NXT, AEW, SD

NJPW Dominion 2020: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi vs. Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.

This thing sounded far more interesting & better when just reading about it rather than actually watching it, BUUT with that being said, it was still good. It's lengthy, a bit too lengthy for sure, but for the most part it tells a nice narrative throughout w/ the Suzuki-gun duo being one step ahead each step of the way & it paying off big in that awesome Tanahashi destruction sequence leading into the finish. ***

WWE NXT 07/15/20: Io Shirai vs. Tegan Nox

For the most part this was largely forgettable & basic TV-stuff w/ Io dominating most of the match, as Tegan rocked the underdog role; I would say that Io's control stuff was really meh all around -- it was basically some extremely generic heel TV-stuff w/ them super weak looking restholds & all, but thankfully they do up the action eventually as they kick the thing into a 2nd gear, and that is when the whole match comes to full fruition, so to say, and the action gets genuinely pretty good. Solid match by the end of it for sure, but very much nothing to write home about overall. **1/2

AEW Fight For The Fallen 2020: Brian Cage vs. Jon Moxley

Man, this was a disappointment. I usually don't have high expectations at all for Brian Cage matches, but reading about how this went, I was genuinely pretty excited to watch it, but for some reasons, it just didn't translate well in my viewing of it. Cage's work on top was EXTREMELY boring to say the least, and while I can appreciate Moxley's continued assault on his surgically repaired arm, his work on that said bodypart wasn't the most compelling stuff, sadly. I don't want to call it a 'bad match', but I'll just say that it sounded far more compelling when reading about it, than it was when actually watching it. **

WWE SmackDown 07/17/20: AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle

This was missing the pure energy & spark that their first encounter had. A very forgettable & meh match overall -- didn't care for much of it at all, except for a few bits here n' there, with AJ's brainbuster being THE highlight of the thing, for sure. It was almost like their first match if it was stretched out like a "big" title match, and it just doesn't & didn't work with these two against one another. *3/4