Ranking The Top 50 WWE, NJPW, ROH, Impact Wrestling Moments Of July 2018
NJPW: Tama Tonga Has Enough
Throughout 2018, one of the biggest storylines in wrestling has been instability in the Bullet Club, as Kenny Omega’s leadership was challenged by Cody Rhodes every step of the way. With the Young Bucks on his side, Omega finally turned aside Cody once and for all, as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion reigned supreme against The American Nightmare at the G1 Special.
When Omega pinned Cody off the One-Winged Angel, we thought it was over. Kenny won, and we could all move forward without the same unrest within the Bullet Club. But how wrong we were…
Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa came into the ring, seemingly to celebrate with Omega. Instead, they laid out every member of the new Bullet Club, sending a message that LAX isn’t the only faction with disgruntled OGz.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, Tama Tonga let all his frustrations out, stating that this attack was a long-time coming. Despite his loyalty to all past members of the Bullet Club, he always felt threatened by Omega, Cody, and The Bucks creating “The Elite”, which was a sign of a rift in the faction.
This story is far from over, and Tonga is playing his role to perfection. It’s easy to see why he and the OGz of the Bullet Club would be so upset with The Elite, and, on some level, I’m hoping for Tonga to get his revenge.
Tonga has respect for AJ Styles and Finn Balor. He doesn’t have the same respect for the “egotistical clowns” (his words) in The Elite.
IMPACT: Hair vs. Mask
Sami Callihan and Pentagon Jr. have shown wrestling fans before that they are capable of tearing the house down, but they may have outdone themselves at Slammiversary in front of a fired-up crowd. We all had a feeling Callihan would end up with his head shaved, given that Pentagon was in no real threat of losing his mask, but the near-falls were enough to make this the most dramatic match of the night.
Clearly, Pentagon Jr. is just as sick as Callihan, and some of the spots here were scary. Impact Wrestling did not hold back at all at Slammiversary, and this match was as hardcore as any match I’ve seen on Pay Per View this year. When Callihan kicked out of the Fear Factor onto four chairs while foaming at the mouth and screaming for more, I knew in that moment that Impact had arrived as a “special” wrestling promotion. This was a brilliant fight.