2019 Ongoing MOTY List: Gallgher vs. Ohno
15. Jack Gallagher vs. Kassius Ohno NXT UK 4/20 (Aired 5/29/19)
PAS: Pretty crazy that the WWE has expanded so much that they can run a match built around determining who is the superior World of Sport grappler. Really cool that they can find a roll for this kind of niche wrestling. Gallagher is such a technician, his grappling is so slick and impressive, and every time I see him I wonder why I don't watch everything he does. The first part of the match has both guys using WOS grappling and signature holds, and Gallagher getting the edge. He catches Ohno with the handstand in the corner, and goes for the lady of the lake, Ohno stares at it for a second, and instead of playing along, stomps Gallagher right in the head. He then hits him with a big right hand which busts Gallagher's mouth, and we move from a Johnny Saint match into a Terry Rudge match, with pretty nasty stiff brawl, including Gallgher countering a rolling elbow by headbutting the wrist, and some great Gallagher body shots. Finish was OK, with the little bit of business about the ref missing the leg under the ropes, but I think a bigger finish really could have elevated this to the top tier of matches this year.
ER: I loved pretty much every single thing about this, from the fact that it happened at all down to (obviously) everything they did. You get Nigel talking about how they did an ode to Steve Grey, and ode to Johnny Saint, an ode to Nigel McGuinness, and man if Ohno keeps doubling down on Arby's Beef 'n Cheddars he could give us an ode to Big Daddy. But at no points did any of this feel derivative. Lesser workers could have made this look like a minor league baseball stadium Al Snow match, all World of Sport equivalents to doing Stunners and People's Elbows. No, we were getting cool WoS spots worked nicely into their own match, with twists we didn't always get in WoS. They played off familiar moments and gave them right turns, successfully playing off our expectations and giving us something fresh out of something near and dear.
2019 MOTY MASTER LIST
Labels: 2019 MOTY, Jack Gallagher, Kassius Ohno, NXT UK
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