Welcome back friends, to the end of the B Block!
What a month April was, eh? Busy, busy, busy. I was a bit worried that there wouldn't be a lot worth talking about this month, with how the 'Mania week shows were panning out, but we sure lucked out.
Let's get right into things, shall we?
The Pre-Quarterfinalists
A month that was busy for all the wrong reasons, hospital visits during my busiest week of reviewing had me burning the candle at both ends to try and stay on top of things. Sadly, or luckily, depending on how you look at it, not every match from 'Mania week was stellar, so I was able to glaze over a lot of the matches I watched, but it still doesn't help the fact that I watched nearly 200 matches in one week. God help me. But! I did manage to find some gems! Here's three of them!
Syuri vs. Chihiro Hashimoto - 04/12/2026
Featured in Weekly Watchlist 098 - Big Hash Tackle's God's Eye
Blue Panther vs. Ultimo Guerrero - 04/16/2026
When you have two wrestlers that are the combined age of 119, you'd be perfectly in the right to expect the match to be sluggish, boring, and filled with weak offence that would put even the most wired fan to sleep. But man, this match had me wired. I'll never forget it, sitting in the dining room of my local Popeye's after spending the last 7 hours in the hospital with my dear wife, I pulled up this match and was having the time of my life. Far and away one of the most insane things I've seen all year, these geezers had an insane bout that will live with me for years to come. Insane work.
Darby Allin vs. Tommaso Ciampa - 04/22/2026
A match made so much better thanks to watching it live, Ciampa and Darbs knocked any and every expectation I could have had for his match out the window. This was insane in all the right ways, completely bonkers for all the right reasons, and hard hitting at the very best times. My lord, did I love this match. Watching it with my dear wife, a Darby lover and Ciampa fan, the very next day made for this match to be even more memorable and fun. Ciampa is on the run of a lifetime in AEW and Darby may be set to have the best title run in company history if he keeps having matches like this one.
Well, which of these matches managed to make it on to the next round?
The Quarterfinalists
C'mon, did you expect anything else? I'm a Ciampa guy! This match was so much fun! How can you not love it!
So, which match won out for the B Block, advancing to the Semi-Finals?!
The Semifinalist
Yeah it was pretty easy, honestly. As much as I loved the Spark Rush/Hash & Syuri match, this Ciampa/Darby affair was exceptional. I loved it so much and can't help but think of it from time to time. A shoe in for match of the year.
Next month we start the C Block! May and June mark the end of the first half of the year, with a finalist being decided for the first half of 2026. At this point, if Ciampa has an exceptional match in wither May or June, there's a very real chance it will be a three-way dance of Ciampa matches pushing for the finals. Insane. And to think, he was in tag team hell at the very best last year, and not featured at all at worst. What a difference a year can make. So happy for Ciampa.
Until next month, take it easy friends!
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