Joseph Montecillo's Best of the Month (August 2023)

Honorable Mentions

• Kota Minoura vs. BIG BOSS Shimizu (Dragongate 8/3/23)
• Sareee & KAIRI vs. Arisa Nakajima & Takumi Iroha (Sareee-ISM 8/4/23)
• CM Punk vs. Ricky Starks (AEW 8/5/23)
• Mad Dog Connelly vs. Jordan (Timebomb Pro 8/10/23)
• Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage (AEW 8/19/23)
• Gunther vs. Chad Gable (WWE 8/21/23)
• Hechicero, Barbaro Cavernario, & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Averno, Euforia, & Mephisto (CMLL 8/25/23)
• Mistico, Atlantis Jr, & Volador Jr vs. Soberano Jr, Hiromu Takahashi, & Titan (CMLL 8/25/23)
• Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler YUTA, & Proud ‘N’ Powerful vs. Eddie Kingston, Penta el 0 Miedo, Orange Cassidy, & Best Friends (AEW 8/27/23)
• Eddie Kingston vs. Wheeler YUTA (AEW 8/30/23)

Madoka Kikuta vs. BIG BOSS Shimizu (Dragongate 8/3/23)

Kikuta and Shimizu have spent much of the year and opposite ends of various tag and trios matches so there’s a very familiar chemistry between the two coming into this. The occasion of the semi-finals of King of Gate allows them to escalate and build upon their tag interactions though. Yes, they’re still the two big hosses crashing into each other, but here Kikuta actually takes a more domineering role in control. He’s not quite heelish in execution, but it gives the BIG BOSS space to really flex his chops as a sympathetic babyface. Shimizu spends most of this working from underneath, and for someone of his size to do it as well as he does here really speaks to how well-rounded his abilities have become. It also makes Shimizu’s eventual victory in the match all the sweeter, having seen him struggle up and into the finals. The best Dragongate match of the year.

Rating: ****1/4

Soberano Jr, Mistico, & Atlantis Jr vs. Stuka Jr, Ultimo Guerrero, & Gran Guerrero (CMLL 8/4/23)

Even the best CMLL trios matches tend to run together in the memory. That’s thanks to the rather rigid and, yes, repetitive formula these matches adhere too. So whenever one of these breaks from the mold, it can’t help but stand out. That’s the case here as these two trios play with the form in really fun and interesting ways. It’s a breezy 11 minutes, which only gives it the space for two falls, but they utilize that second fall excellently. Instead of the “all at once” approach to fall finishes often employed in matches like this, they actually run through eliminations, staggering out the final moments of the match. Filled with all the wild dives and beautiful athleticism one wants, combined with a solid yet unpredictable structure, it’s one fo the best CMLL trios of the year.

Rating: ****