2020 Ongoing MOTY List: Kendrick vs. A-Kid

7. Brian Kendrick vs. A-Kid NXT UK 1/18 (Aired 2/27/20)

ER: Man NXT UK rules ever since they let Ohno and Kendrick go over there and work their specific magic on the roster. Those two are a good influence on that style, so now they need to send Gallagher over there and let the three of them just hang out. These two were a great pairing that I wouldn't have thought to ask for, but I'm glad we got. A-Kid's biggest strength is his fast matwork and quick attacks, and Kendrick is a guy who knows how to do cool things against that and with that. Their fast early exchanges were really good, starting with a hard Kendrick shoulderblock and going through some quick but snug work, A-Kid working Kendrick's arm and Kendrick always finding crafty reversals, and A-Kid surprising him with a slick armdrag and dropkick. Things really pick up when Kendrick starts working a disgusting cravat, locking his knuckles around Kid's windpipe. Kendrick is really great at keeping a thread going through a match, and great at making opponent's offense look meaningful. 

A-Kid grazed Kendrick on a fast tope and spilled deep into the entranceway, and instead of selling the tope, Kendrick sold the bump from the tope and sold pain in his arm and shoulder from earlier. Kid hits a nice heavy high crossbody, and Kendrick faceplants hard on Kid's La Mistica, really made it look like Kid could come away with his arm. Kendrick is probably the best rope worker on the roster, as he's so great at working submissions around ropes and making distance to the ropes part of the drama in smart ways, and his escapes and struggles to get to the ropes really validate opponent's submissions. The home stretch is hot (but the whole match was work this pace, so it was really a culmination of everything), with Kendrick cruelly knocking Kid crotch first on the top and getting a great butterfly suplex, then getting what I thought was actually the finish with a killer Captain's Hook (my favorite submission in wrestling). But instead we get Kid working in a springboard DDT and Kendrick absolutely spikes himself on it. Keep these legends over in the UK, they're making it my favorite weekly wrestling show.

PAS: I had no idea until Eric mentioned this match that A-Kid was in the WWE. He is a guy I mainly know for kind of fucking up an Ambition show last year and having a Meltzer rated ***** match with Zack Sabre Jr. which I will never watch. Kendrick is a guy who can do cool things with a guy with bad habits, and none of the fighting spirit stuff or weak strikes were present here. A-Kid has some big offense and Kendrick sold it great, the La Mistica was beautiful, the top rope springboard DDT looked amazing, and all of the big moments happened at the right time. Kendrick is great at adding simple nasty flourishes to his matches. The spot where he grabbed Kid's arm and drove him into the top rope throat first was killer, and I loved him grinding out the neck in the cravat too. Kendrick is pretty brilliant and I would love to see him get a run in the Gulak/Bryan stable. They need a third to combat Zayn/Nakamura/Cesaro and Kendrick makes too much sense.


2020 MOTY MASTER LIST