Match of the Year Tournament - C Block - May 2026

Welcome back friends, to another edition of the Match of the Year tournament! 

May was a rougher month for yours truly, as I've mentioned a few times, but I was still able to find and reward some quality matches with a place in the Match of the Year tournament! 

 

The Pre-Quarterfinalists

Andrade El Idolo vs. Yota Tsuji - 05/03/2026

Defending his IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship after losing the IWGP World Championship the month prior, Andrade struck me as a surprising replacement for the injured Gabe Kidd, but a pleasing match regardless of how out of nowhere it was. Hard hitting and slick as ever, both men worked exceptionally well with one another and left everything in the ring. Tsuji has done an exceptional job establishing himself as one of NJPW's true current stalwarts, and Andrade has been on a blistering run since his return to AEW last year. It really should come as no surprise that these two had the match they did, but it deserves its flowers regardless.

 

Mark Briscoe vs. Tommaso Ciampa - 05/20/2026

Continuing his tear of having fantastic matches, Ciampa challenged Briscoe to an "Anything Goes" match that more than proved to live up to the promise of being a wild, violent match. Using just about everything except for the kitchen sink in this match, pounds of plunder, furniture, and blood made this match really stand out from everything else on the card. Ciampa and Briscoe have fantastic chemistry in the ring and this match was just another example of that. This match was quite possibly one of the best "plunder" matches I've seen in a good long time, nothing but praise for both men. 

 

Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita - 05/24/2026

Incredible! The slower, measured pace at the start really helped the manic, heavy-handed finish sequence feel a lot more impactful and exciting. Hitting each other with their very best moves and counters one after another was so, so fun and exciting. I bit on every near fall and counter and couldn't believe some of the stuff they were pulling out to try and best one another. Just straight up crazy work from both men. I loved this match, an easy Match of the Year contender.

 

Well, which match made it to the next round?!

 

The May Quarterfinalist

 

It really should come as no surprise. A match that I described as an "easy match of the year contender" in it's Weekly Watchlist feature, Takeshita and Okada had a blisteringly fun match that had me hooked from the opening bell. June is gonna need to work double time to try and overtake this match. 

 

Until next month, take it easy friends!

 

 

 

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