2019 Ongoing MOTY List: Ohno vs. Scala British Rounds!

25. Kassius Ohno vs. Sid Scala NXT UK 9/1 (Aired 9/18/19) 

ER: I loved this entire angle. It was a simple old school angle that nailed all the notes it should have and finished just as it should have. Ohno was supposed to face Jack Gallagher, Gallagher was pulled at the last minute, Ohno demands an opponent anyway. Sid Scala, who hadn't been an active wrestler in NXT UK for a year, filled in as the only option and got beaten handily while still wearing his dress clothes. It easily could have ended there and they could have had someone else step up and challenge Ohno in defense of Scala, but Scala himself stood up and demanded a British Rounds match against Ohno. Now, this was the 60th episode of NXT UK, and it's pretty amazing that the idea of a match under classic World of Sport rules hadn't even been mentioned until Ohno showed up calling himself the best British wrestler on the planet. It was only a two week build, and it didn't need to be more than that. They had Regal, Saint, and McGuiness do promos talking about the importance and difficulties in British Rounds rules, people tried to talk Scala out of taking the match, but Scala insisted. Simple build, simple payoff, excellent execution. 

Ohno really makes this match by coming in with the exact right attitude, but Scala deserves a lot of credit for wrestling the right match. This was an awesome Ohno show, but Scala did everything he needed to do to make this concept work. At no point was he ever treated like Ohno's equal, and at no point did Ohno ever sell a piece of offense inappropriately. They were great at creating nearfalls for Scala when he was able to leverage Ohno's size into a crucifix or backslide or flash pin, enough to get the crowd keen for some kind of upset, but Ohno was smart about not getting into a position where he had to sell anything silly. The size difference was extreme, more than against any other of Ohno's NXT UK opponents, and I love how Ohno kept leaning jaw first into everything Scala threw. Ohno had the right mix of cockiness and killer instinct, wanting Scala to know that his elbows weren't going to move him, that his dropkicks could be brushed off, and that Scala was always one moment away from getting wasted by a rolling elbow. 

We've seen a ton of guys try to appropriate Johnny Saint offense over the past 20 years, but Scala using Saint feints and submission escapes here makes much more sense than almost any other appropriation of Saint moves we've seen. Most of those instances felt like "I saw a Johnny Saint match for the first time and now I want to do those moves" and then we got a stupid lady in the lake spot on every indy show for a decade. Here the Saint aping made total sense and fit perfectly into the match, never used for the sole purpose of "I recognize that spot!" Scala used Saint's tactics as a strategy to beat Ohno, used Saint as his mentor, and it actively added to the match. Scala's gains were always temporary, as Ohno was quick to snap in a cravat or toss him with a few snapmares, dropping elbows and knees (that all paid off in a fun finishing stretch). I loved Ohno taking Scala dropkicks full to the face before getting the first fall with the elbow. 

But I love how the match never got stupid after that first fall. Ohno didn't change his strategy, knowing he didn't NEED to win another fall, could easily just play defense and win out. But Scala also didn't start doing stupid things, and they avoided the temptation to have Scala tie things up off something that never would have otherwise pinned Ohno. Scala gets a great run in the 6th and final round, rolling out of the way of elbows and kneedrops and getting his knees up on a senton (and again, Ohno sells ALL of this exactly the way it should be sold, no overdone dramatics, not acting like Scala's tiny knees would have done anything other than temporarily slow him), and Scala ends up getting what would have been a match tying backslide right as time expired. There was no realistic way to give Scala a win here, and luckily they recognized that him merely lasting 6 rounds was him winning his war. 

PAS: Ohno had to be thrilled to be able to run a "true heir to Johnny Saint" angle on something that was technically WWE TV. What a weird thing NXT UK was and I am assuming still is. I liked how Ohno got frustrated by getting outslicked by Scala in the early rounds and just went with violent hard shots to get an advantage. Ohno was brutal in this, twisting Scala's neck, headbutting him in the back of the neck, and just wasting him with huge single shots. Scala's moments of advantage worked really well, and Ohno gave him those moments without ever making Scala his equal. Working on top is a real skill and Ohno is great at it. I liked the tease at the end of the match, and this was a really satisfying time limit finish. Great match.

2019 MOTY MASTER LIST