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With both NXT TakeOver: WarGames II and Survivor Series taking place over the weekend, it's hard not to recommend them this week. That being said, they won't be a part of this week's list.
Still, if you haven't seen either show, do yourself a favor and check them out over the weekend. You'll thank us later. Specifically, the NXT event is one you'll want to watch as soon as possible. Almost every single match on the card was worthy of main eventing the show.
As far as this week's list, we start off with a familiar show dropping to the fifth spot.
#5 NXT: November 21st, 2018
NXT after any TakeOver usually drops off a bit. Normally, the show is filled with highlights from the weekend's event along with matches that were taped before it took place. That's pretty much what we got here, and even though it was an entertaining hour of TV, it was sort of hard to compete with another programming on the Network.
This week's episode featured two squash matches in order to build up a match with Lars Sullivan and Keith Lee. Both men utterly dominated their opponents in the night, but Lee rushed the ring to face Sullivan after the Leviathan Logophile continued to beat down his competitor. Lee sent Sullivan flying to the outside with a pounce, setting up their match.
The main event of the night featured Nikki Cross in a match against Candace LeRae, who felt Cross had wrongfully interfered in the business of Aleister Black and her husband Johnny Gargano. Cross and LeRae had a pretty strong showing here, with both stars getting some solid offense in. LeRae even locked in the Garga-No Escape at one point, though Cross was able to break it.
Even though the main event was fun, most of this show was highlights and setup. Still, a Keith Lee - Lars Sullivan rivalry seems like something that could keep us coming back each week, especially since we probably won't see the other major stars for a week or so.
#4 205 Live: November 21st, 2018
With Buddy Murphy coming off a successful title defense at Survivor Series, the Cruiserweight Champion opened the show by reminding the WWE Universe who runs the place. Murphy then accompanied Tony Nese to the ring as the Premier Athlete faced off against the Scottish Supernova, Noam Dar.
Dar put up a hell of a fight against Nese, managing to counter his opponent's incredible strength with cunning and some unique striking combinations. These two worked very well together and seeing them face off in the opening match of the night really got me amped up for the rest of the show.
We eventually learn that Mustafa Ali, the man who challenged Murphy at Survivor Series, would team with Cedric Alexander, the man Murphy beat for the title, in a tag match against the Juggernaut and Tony Nese next week, setting up an incredible main event in the future.
Hideo Itami's return was also announced this week, which can only mean bad news for whoever is forced to face his wrath. Itami hasn't been seen on 205 Live since suffering his last defeat at the hands of Mustafa Ali a month ago.
Finally, Gran Metalik faced TJP in a fantastic main event. Lucha House Party has been in a heated rivalry with the CruiserGreat, and with Mike & Maria Kanellis by his side, the dastardly heel seems to have the trio off their game. Would Metalik get revenge for the trouble TJP has caused his friends or did the first Cruiserweight Champion of the modern era continue to dominate the luchadors?
For the full results of this week's episode, you can click here. However, I recommend that you take some time to watch the two matches discussed above. I have a feeling those four men are going to take over the division in the near future.
#3 NXT UK: November 21st, 2018
NXT UK has been building towards their first women's champion for a few weeks now. Originally, the title was supposed to make an appearance at WWE Evolution back in September. However, due to tape delay, the title and current champion were kept away from the event to avoid spoilers.
The second round of the NXT UK Women's Championship Tournament took place this week. Both Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm, the two favorites of the tournament, advanced to the finals.
Ripley faced the Captain of Team Kick Dakota Kai. Kai has really been pushed pretty well over the past year between NXT and NXT UK. Featured in highly contested matches between the top stars of both brands, it's clear that Kai is a future star and the company really wants the WWE Universe to identify with her as their next underdog champion. She'll get there one day.
As far as the match goes, Rhea Ripley looked to break Kai with her overwhelming power. A Riptide would eventually end Kai's run, sending Ripley to the finals.
Toni Storm faced off against longtime rival Jinney. These two have faced off with each other in the past, and though this wasn't the same quality of their Mae Young Classic match, this was still a great contest between two of NXT UK's best stars.
Jinney would fall to Storm Zero after ten minutes, setting up the finals of the NXT UK Women's Championship Tournament. Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm will battle to be the brand's Women's Champion.
The rest of the show was solid, With Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews making quick work of their opponents, and Dave Mastiff knocking off Tyson T-Bone as only he could. The real bread and butter of this week's show, though, was the action we saw in the women's division. Though NXT UK is only a few months old, they've clearly built an incredible division, which will be led by either Toni Storm or Rhea Ripley in the near future.
#2 WWE 365: AJ Styles
Last year right before Survivor Series, AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship, which put the Phenomenal One in the incredible match with Brock Lesnar at last year's event. Styles had a fantastic year since that day, and this hour-long documentary covered the year in phenomenal fashion.
The opening briefly went over Styles' journey here, including some footage from his days in TNA Wrestling. Styles revealed how the hectic travel schedule he has to work can leave workers and their families stressed, but that it's worth it. The first night in the 365 days of the documentary covered the fight between Bullet Club Leaders at TLC 2017, where AJ Styles faced Finn Balor after Bray Wyatt was unable to compete.
From there, we were given backstage reactions and in-depth commentary on each big moment Styles had throughout the year, from winning the WWE Championship to defending it at WrestleMania to his lengthy run with the belt which, by the time the documentary was over, was still going on.
It's hard to reveal much else about WWE 365: AJ Styles without completely ruining it. If you have a free hour over the next few days, I highly advise you to give this a watch. To see how much success Mr. TNA has had in the WWE is simply amazing, and this show really helped put into perspective just how incredible of a ride this has been for the Phenomenal One.
#1 WWE Chronicle: Dean Ambrose
There haven't been many other stories in wrestling more intriguing than the return of the Lunatic. Dean Ambrose surprised the WWE Universe when he returned to back up Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2018. And though the Shield did eventually reform, something seemed different about the former WWE Champion.
Dean Ambrose was somewhat left behind when the brand split happened. Though he was the WWE Champion at that point, his two Shield brothers and rivals were given the spotlight on Raw, overshadowing his run at the top of the card on the Blue Brand. When he came back to Raw, Ambrose and Rollins reunited, and Roman Reigns eventually joined them to reform the most dominant faction in the past decade.
So when he came back a bit more arrogant, a bit more aggressive, and a bit more unstable, fans were anticipating the moment where he would turn his back on his brothers. Shockingly, this happened on the one day no fan wanted to see it. Roman Reigns revealed that his leukemia had returned, and he had to step away from the ring to face it once again. On that same night, Ambrose put a knife in the back of Seth Rollins and the WWE Universe.
Through this documentary, we're given a glimpse into Ambrose's life while he was trying to return to the ring, how he almost died from a Staph infection which had festered in between the two surgeries required to fix his shoulder, and his mindset when he returned.
If you're a Dean Ambrose fan, this is a must watch for you.
