Wrestling Inc's Top 5 Matches Of The Week: 12/22/2023
Welcome to another edition of Wrestling Inc.'s top five matches of the week! As per usual, five members of the WINC staff have selected their favorite match from the week of 12/15 to 12/21 (i.e. since last Friday's "WWE SmackDown"). We have a fun collection of matches this week — one championship contest, two Continental Classic matches and two street fights! Please keep in mind that this is not a ranked list — these are just our top five picks in chronological order. Most of them tend to be from WWE and AEW, but hey, welcome to the party, Ring of Honor!
As we celebrate various winter festivals and prepare to move into 2024, it's an undeniable truth that we're gifted more wrestling every week than most people could possibly consume. If you only watch five matches from the week that was, these are the ones we recommend. Happy holidays from Wrestling Inc.!
ROH Women's Championship: Athena (c) vs. Billie Starkz, ROH Final Battle (12/15)
On December 15, wrestling fans were treated to a riveting main event showdown between the veteran ROH Women's Champion Athena and the tenacious underdog Billie Starkz at ROH Final Battle. In the months leading up to the event, Starkz had diligently trained to become Athena's next "minion." Unfortunately, Starkz's efforts were in vain, as Athena named Lexy Nair as the sole graduate of MIT (Minion in Training). In response, Starkz sent Athena crashing into the ringside barricade, declaring her intention to knock her mentor from her pedestal.
Despite Athena's evident experience advantage, Starkz kept herself right on par, fighting with an urgency and resilience that had the live crowd on the edge of their seats. Every near-fall, every counter, and every moment further solidified Starkz as not just a rising star, but a legitimate contender to her superior, who had reigned as ROH Women's Champion for over one year.
Toward the end of the match, Athena ascended to the top rope with the plan of delivering an O-Face -– the same move that has sealed the fate of several previous opponents. To the surprise of many fans, and Athena herself, Starkz countered it into a two-count roll-up. Amidst Starkz's comeback, Athena then reversed the momentum back into her favor, trapping Starkz inside her innovative submission hold. After an intense nearly 30-minute battle, Starkz was forced to tap out.
While the aftermath of this title match (which saw Athena officially offer Starkz an opportunity to be her minion) left us with some questions, the match itself was absolutely mesmerizing to watch. As an added layer, Athena is now the only woman in history to headline an ROH pay-per-view twice — a well-earned reward for being one of ROH's top flag bearers this year.
Written by Ella Jay
Texas Street Fight: Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez & Diamante, AEW Collision (12/16)
Last Saturday's "AEW Collision" proved that Texas Street Fights aren't just for the boys, as Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale tok on Mercedes Martinez and Diamante. The intense tag team match started with all four women attacking each other and Nightingale getting a glass bottle smashed over her head.
While it was Nightingale and Statlander who won the match, Martinez was in control in most of the time, and her primary target was Nightingale. At one point, Martinez hit Nightagle with a hurricanrana into some steel chairs; later, when Nightingale was about to perform a Death Valley Driver, she ended up being power-slammed into a table by both Martinez and Diamante. Statlander saw her share of violence too, getting her face mashed into glass and thumbtacks.
It was Statlander who won the match for her team, wrapping a chain around her arm and clocking Diamante for the pin. It's also worth mentioning that Statlander and Nightingale were both dressed up as one of the most famous duos in movie history —- Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield from "Pulp Fiction," which scored this contest points all by itself. It was a brutal and fun match that definitely stood out for this week, which is an accomplishment in a time when AEW is all about the Continental Classic tournament.
Written by Kellie Haulotte
Miracle on 34th Street Fight: R-Truth vs. JD McDonagh, WWE Raw (12/18)
Look, not every match needs to be serious. Sometimes it's just nice to have something fun to break up the more serious segments that fill up the rest of the show, and the "Miracle on 34th Street Fight" between R-Truth and JD McDonagh was just that.
Truth and McDonagh put on a hard hitting, back and forth match full of kendo stick, table, fire extinguisher, and of course, Christmas tree spots. What's more, this was the perfect choice for the opening match of the night, as it help set the tone for the rest of the holiday-themed show and felt even more important with the loser (supposedly) being forced to leave The Judgment Day stipulation.
Truth ended up emerging victorious, sending McDonagh through a table from off the top rope. While it may have been somewhat of an unexpected choice, it was one that felt right considering how over Truth is with the audience right now, and we certainly hope he'll be continuing to try and earn a spot in The Judgment Day for the foreseeable future. With McDonagh still in the stable per the agreement of the rest of the group, it'll certainly be interesting to see where things go from here.
Written by Olivia Quinlan
Mark Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal, AEW Dynamite (12/20)
The Continental Classic has been a long, dark night of the soul for Mark Briscoe, with the sentimental favorite not only heading into Wednesday's final block competition match winless, but also having just been at the center of a social media controversy surrounding WWE's use of the term "Dem Boys" less than a year after the death of his brother Jay Briscoe, as well as being misidentified as his deceased brother just a week ago by AEW's own social media team.
All of this bleak context made Wednesday's match between Briscoe and Jay Lethal all the more emotionally gripping. Both men entered the match mathematically eliminated from winning the tournament, and yet by the end of the match, the entire crowd was on their feet. This supposed consolation match was essentially the highlight of the show, and it was all thanks to the steady, depressing build to the contest that made Briscoe's hard-fought victory over Lethal that much sweeter. Next week will likely belong to the three-way dance between Jay White, Swerve Strickland, and Jon Moxley, but this week, Mark Briscoe was victorious — not only for himself, not only for his brother, but for every wrestler mathematically eliminated from the tournament, still forced to trudge through and fight their hardest.
Written by Ross Berman
Jay White vs. Jon Moxley, AEW Dynamite (12/20)
Wednesday's "AEW Dynamite" was headlined by a pivotal Gold League match in the AEW Continental Classic, as Jon Moxley and Jay White battled to determine who would compete in their league's finals. Notably, it was their second singles match ever, but their first ever in AEW — their prior encounter took place in Block B of the 2019 G1 Climax, and guess who won?
Moxley may have walked into this match as the points leader, but he quickly turned into the underdog thanks to a knee injury that was exasperated by White's cunning offense. This had all the makings of a classic "big fight feel" as fans sat on the edge of their seats waiting to see who exactly would punch their ticket to the finals. Knee injury be damned, Moxley kept fans guessing by countering the Blade Runner with a Paradigm Shift and eventually subsequent stomps. It wasn't enough, however, as White did ultimately connect with Blade Runner and pinned Moxley just after the 15-minute mark. Incidentally, when White defeated Moxley in their 2019 G1 Climax encounter, he did so via pinfall mere seconds after the 15-minute mark.
Not only was it a pleasure to witness the first AEW encounter between Moxley and White, it was also a clever callback for fans who watched them clash over four years ago. Better yet, it sets up a must-see three-way dance also involving Swerve Strickland on the next "Dynamite." Kudos to these men.
Written by Colby Applegate