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The month of August has come and gone for the WWE. Always one of the company's bigger months on the calendar, thanks to SummerSlam and NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, fans expected the ring product to deliver, although unfortunately, SummerSlam itself only had one true standout match, but what a match it was!
With SmackDown firing on all cylinders, NXT delivering its characteristic excellence, and the Mae Young Classic about to begin, fans can expect a strong September (a month which is usually one of WWE's weakest), but that month in many ways was built on the foundation of an August which delivered. Here are the 10 matches that delivered the most.
#10 Pete Dunne vs. Zack Gibson (NXT, August 22nd)
While this match wasn't as strong as their bout at the United Kingdom Championship Tournament in June, it nevertheless stood out in one of NXT's most infamous spots - the post TakeOver lull. Not only did this match make the August 22nd episode of NXT worth watching by itself, it positioned Pete Dunne strongly for what's sure to be a big fall for him. He'll be the lead player in the UK brand's launch, and he's certain to be a part of NXT's War Games match in November.
Zack Gibson, for his part, put up a strong fight that won't see him suffering too poorly going forward. He's going to be one of the leading heels on the NXT UK brand, and while he came up short this time, he's still going to be an important figure in the main event scene across the pond.
#9 Mustafa Ali vs. Hideo Itami (205 Live, August 7th):
This was just a brutal contest that really escalated the rivalry between Mustafa Ali and Hideo Itami. Both threw the best moves in their respective arsenals at their competitor, and it appeared that Mustafa Ali had the match won at times, but he was hurt so badly that Hideo Itami eventually picked up the victory following three corner dropkicks to the head.
In the aftermath, an angle centring on Ali being concussed was sold to the audience. He stumbled and insisted he was fine, but GM Drake Maverick didn't agree and sent him home to recover.
Now he's back, and the rivalry will be even better after this match.
#8 The New Day vs. The Bar (SmackDown, August 7th):
This was a sign that tag team wrestling, at least on the blue brand, is finally picking up again and has a very promising future now that the Bludgeon Brothers dropped the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
If this was a preview for a rivalry we can expect in the fall, sign me up!
This match hearkened back to the classics both teams put on in last year's tag team renaissance, and with the Bar and New Day already having significant history together, we can expect it all to be taken up a notch in the fall.
#7 The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers (SmackDown, August 21st):
After a disqualification victory at SummerSlam two nights before, it looked like the rivalry between the two teams would continue, but injury intervened. This match wasn't supposed to happen, but it was nevertheless a treat.
The two teams went all out in a showing of the match that probably would have happened at Hell in a Cell. Weapons were out and flying everywhere along with the bodies of the competitors.
Despite the beating they took, the New Day won the match, and the titles, bringing the division to a much more promising place.
#6 Buddy Murphy vs. Kalisto (205 Live, August 28th):
There's a rule in WWE that, appropriate to one of its namesakes, is one of the best-kept secrets in the organization. The rule is as follows: If Buddy Murphy or Mustafa Ali is in the main event of 205 Live, you're in for a match of the month candidate.
That's been the case all year, and it was no different to close August out as Murphy took on Kalisto in a gruelling, high-flying and hard-hitting match. The action spilt outside and several incredible reversals came and went.
The Australian eventually emerged victorious, and we can only hope that it's a springboard to finding the direction that he's lacked since his loss to Cedric Alexander at the end of May.
#5 Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4):
Yes, placing this here will be controversial, but for me, this match was derivative from their first two encounters in New Orleans and Chicago, as it was pretty much the same type of match. A different stipulation (or Aleister Black's presence, as originally intended) would have better helped it to stand on its own merits.
That's not to say the match wasn't worked excellently between a fallen hero and the best heel in the industry today, because it was. It's just that the law of diminishing returns has been reached. These two need time off from each other and a different stipulation when they clash again. Fortunately, that will be the case.
Now that I've made those disclaimers, we can talk about the brutal spots in the match. The burial was pure genius, and it was nice to see Tommaso Ciampa get a taste of his own medicine in a DDT to the wood, only to roll out of the ring on his feet.
The ending sequence was a bit of a letdown, but it was what it was. Ciampa sliding by in the cheapest, luckiest way possible will only make his eventual fall that much sweeter.
#4 Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4):
This was one of the best pure babyface vs. pure heel battles all year and ended in one of 2018's most cathartic moments. Both women played their parts perfectly. The way Kairi Sane got inside Shayna Baszler's head early on, the inhuman way in which Baszler twisted her opponent's foot, the multiple reversals and false finishes at the end with Sane snatching victory from the jaws of defeat thanks to her experiential edge over her opponent, it all came together masterfully.
I wasn't a fan of Shayna Baszler kicking out of the Insane Elbow, a spot which, if it needed to happen at all, should have been saved for an upcoming showdown with Io Shirai, but that's a minor gripe.
This was easily the best NXT Women's Championship match since Asuka and Ember Moon a year before, and hopefully will be a sign of things to come under the reign of the new champion.
#3 Moustache Mountain vs. The Undisputed Era (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4):
This match was electric from bell to bell. It was a perfect reversal of the story from the previous match, as well. This time, it was Tyler Bate's leg which was in trouble, with Trent Seven weighing whether he needed to throw in the towel or not. This time, he chose not to, and both teams beat each other up to start a hot TakeOver show.
Bate's strength continues to make fans marvel, and the Undisputed Era showed once again why they've been trusted to sit atop the tag team division for so long.
The only thing that detracted from this match was the multiple finisher kickouts. If Kyle O'Reilly can kick out of a double team Burning Hammer, it felt anticlimactic when Trent Seven eventually fell to the far less spectacular High-Low.
Still, this was surely one of the year's best tag team matches.
#2 AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe (SummerSlam):
This was the match that AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, SummerSlam, and the WWE Championship needed. It was the best in all four categories this year, and despite a screwy finish, it somehow managed to not make you feel disappointed beyond that singular moment because it escalated the feud and the story being told by both men.
For the first time in a while, AJ Styles looked like a fighting, aggrieved champion to get behind instead of a filler one. Samoa Joe looked positively vicious and ruthless, and who can forget "I'll be your new daddy!?"
This match sent the feud over the top into the main roster's best program of 2018, and if NXT wasn't having such an unbelievable year, it would likely be set in stone as one of WWE's top 10 matches this year.
#1 Adam Cole vs. Ricochet (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4):
Moonsault, meet superkick.
That's surely going to be the thing that's most remembered about this incredible match, but it was merely one of many spots that proved Ricochet isn't quite human and that Adam Cole does what he does so, so very well.
This was simply a high-flying, high-energy affair that stole the show in Brooklyn, even over perennial match of the year contenders Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. Ricochet's North American Championship victory is also a significant milestone in Adam Cole's story, as it's his first major setback since joining NXT a year ago. It will force his character to evolve.
Ultimately, the decision was best for the both of them. Now, who can't wait to see them again in War Games?
