Ranking The Top 50 WWE, NJPW, ROH, Impact Wrestling Moments Of July 2018
ROH: Flip Gordon Earns Cody Rhodes’s Respect
One of the best long-term stories in wrestling this year has been Flip Gordon’s path to being booked at “All In” on Sept. 1. Although Gordon is more than deserving of being at the show, every time he made a push to get on the card, Cody pulled the rug out from underneath him.
At ROH’s Honor For All Pay Per View, Flip had one final chance to earn a spot on the card, but he had to defeat the nearly-undefeatable Nick Aldis for the NWA World Championship. If Flip won that match, he would be able to defend that title against Cody in the main event of All In.
Although Flip came up short, the heartbreak didn’t last, because he impressed everyone in the arena and everyone watching at home with his gutsy performance against Aldis. Most of all, he impressed Cody, who was cheering for Flip by the end of the match.
There’s no doubt that Flip will find his way onto the All In card, and that special display at Honor For All cemented my belief that Gordon has been one of 2018’s breakout stars. There’s a reason why “The Elite” have been behind him as a character; he has a bright future in pro wrestling.
WWE: Bobby Lashley Vs. Roman Reigns At Extreme Rules
Defeating Roman Reigns is a massive deal, because even though he’s lost more matches than he’s won in 2018, it’s never easy to pin one of wrestling’s premier bad-asses. Thanks to a bevy of tag team matches against The Revival, the feud between Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns got off to a slow start, but by the time they had a pull-apart brawl on the go-home show to Extreme Rules, most fans were invested in this fight.
Lashley and Reigns had a very good match at Extreme Rules, with some arguing that it was the match of the night. It started a bit slow, but Lashley came back after being hounded by Reigns, who took too long to play to the crowd. That allowed Lashley to hit Reigns with a spear, of all moves, for the three-count.
I’m a sucker for watching two big, super-athletic dudes fighting, and this was one of those matches.