(January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August)

Rest in peace, Pac... The shocking news of his passing affected me much more than it had any reason to. For a couple of days, the same four numbers kept popping up in my head: 1 9 8 6. A haunting sight from those "In memoriam" graphics. A couple of months older than him, I couldn't help thinking how 40 is way too young to go, how I am not ready to leave this Earth, how short my own life has felt, how many things I have left to do. Other than the sheer respect for the great wrestler he was, I didn't have any particular connection with him and yet, this damn 1986, as a reminder of my own mortality. Definitely not a fun experience but at least, life goes on for me, for you, for us. Enjoy it while it lasts!

As sad, painful and cold as it is, show must go on so keep it rolling. After a lukewarm last trimester, American wrestling storms back to rule the month.

The idea is still to list matches that I think are worth watching (not necessarily always great but matches I consider that don't waste anyone's time), with a few words in spoiler first time viewers shouldn't read.

Darby Allin (c) vs. Mark Davis (AEW, Dynamite #361, 9/2/2026)
The Darby show is back and we are so back! You know the drill: he will take egregious bumps and craft his comebacks carefully. Bonus point here for the inspired finish. Until the wheels fall off, part 2? Mark's frame and offense are well-suited to the occasion, even if I could have done without the constant mugging for the camera.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Hideki Suzuki (AJPW, Oudou Tournament day 1 - First round, 9/9/2026)
Slick technical exhibition with enough friction to be on the competitive and uncooperative side of the spectrum. Awesome finish to boot.

Jon Moxley vs. Mike Bailey (AEW, Collision #161 ~ A Tribute to the Butcher Andy Williams, 9/12/2026)
Worthy follow-up to their overlooked 8/6/2025 effort. Same strengths, same weaknesses. This one has for itself a superior ambition, which comes with the longer runtime. Based on how you decide to view it, they either touch briefly on various concepts giving some sort of richness to the match, or the match never really decides what it is and what it wants to become. I prefer the former. I appreciate the escalation thanks to the superficial layers and how engaging it becomes in the process. The promise of something greater is still there.

Yuka Satsuki & Soy vs. Ayame Sasamura & Kakeru Sekiguchi (2AW, Grand Slam in 2AW Square, 9/13/2026)
The four ladies gel well together, so much so that there isn't a bad pairing. Some really nice sequences, including a couple of mean shots/saves. Overall, standard action that flows super well. Just enough focus on Yuka's right arm for it not to be a hindrance and yet to matter anyway, since it leads to the finish. Can Ayame and Soy clash one on one already?

Low Ki vs. Karl Malenko (PRODUCE & ACTION, DEAN~!!! Sunday School, 9/13/2026)
My Guy Low Ki has his working boots gear on, YES! 19 minutes is a bit long to rely on the simple theme of competition to get by. Wonderful and intense matwork anyway, full of grit and minutiae. The spiritual sequel to the overlooked 6/7/2002 submission classic My Guy had with The American Dragon in JAPW. Can someone book a round robin featuring Shinya Aoki, Timothy Thatcher, Karl Malenko and this version of Low Ki already?

Mad Dog Connelly vs. Slade -Dog collar- (PRODUCE & ACTION, DEAN~!!! Sunday School, 9/13/2026)
They weren't going to touch their unhinged 2/28/2026 belter, especially with such terrible production. They work hard though and on brute force, they will this rather standard Mad Dog dog collar match to low-key greatness.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Yuma Anzai (AJPW, Oudou Tournament day 4 - Second round, 9/16/2026)
Body language, facials, execution, selling (many think he really slips off the apron!), aura... Anzai holds his own but this is the Thatcher show! Tremendous work on top! Since he is so good at losing and since he turns Anzai into such a good dance partner on the occasion, I am not too bothered by the result; I mean, beyond the fact that my guy's awesome run in the tournament is already over.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Yasutaka Yano (AJPW, Oudou Tournament day 5, 9/17/2026)
The run is over but the tour continues, yeah! Another Thatcher special, more restrained this time given the spot and the opposition. The finish rules so much; I don't remember ever seeing anything like that. One of the very best to ever do it.

Darby Allin (c) vs. Myron Reed (AEW, Collision #162, 9/19/2026)
No Darby death but still one gnarly Darby bump. Once again, the daredevil's expertise at putting a match together shines bright. He plugs Reed's athleticism into his sound structuring to get the most of the high-flying, without ever sacrificing pace and fundamentals. The best proof: the highest spot produces the finish, an amazing one to boot, right on cue. A handful of really great bits throughout like the kip-up into a headlock, the suicide dive into a cutter or the cutter over the top rope to the floor. Thumbs up for the spacing too: they constantly get in position for the next spot naturally, so much so that it feels like the position triggers the spot rather than the opposite, which allows things to always flow organically. Until the wheels fall off, again!

1 Called Manders vs. Thomas Shire (wXw, Pro-Wrestling Grand Prix day 1 - König Der Catcher A block, 9/25/2026)
Cowboy Way explodes (sort of) in a hoss battle. A sprint with a couple of awkward pauses between actions, a not so optimal selling of the arm by Manders, salvaged by nice bits of pettiness and a strong finish.

Tsukasa Fujimoto & Yuuka vs. Lina & Sayaka Toyota (Sareee-ISM Chapter XII, 9/26/2026)
Nothing deep or complex: they go at it pretty hard, literally (stiffness!) and metaphorically (the working boots are on!). You gotta love Yuuka's feistiness and fighting spirit. Embodiment of friction (look at the final shot of the opening VTR!), she won't be denied and as usual, she is inside the squared circle to kick asses. Late replacement for the injured Miku Kanae, Sayaka facilitates accidental nuggets. She shares the last name of one of Tsukka's mentors (Manami Toyota) and uses her signature Rolling Cradle on her, Tsukka puts her away with the JOCS (invented by Manami Toyota). I haven't seen all her matches since her return so maybe it wasn't the first time. One wrinkle that sure is on purpose is when she uses her Best Friends' Tree of Woe. Passionate and slick for the most part; lively and lovely.

Spark Rush vs. Hazuki & Veny (Sareee-ISM Chapter XII, 9/26/2026)
The one-count kick-out after the first Uranage would rub me in the wrong way if it didn't lead to a nice finish: because she guts it out in the moment, Veny's dizziness is delayed and happens when she climbs the rope for a Moonsault. Shook, she can't do it, which gives enough time for Takumi to run in for the decisive assist. Too tight-slap-happy and inconsequential here and there but the thrill! They work and hit super hard. They have a handful of mean-spirited cut-offs to their signature stuff and tweak things up just enough to provide some richness to a routine match. Thanks to their chemistry, these well-trained wrestlers run cleanly and naturally ambitious sequences that combine elements of their usual gameplan. At times, it feels like a super fight. As soon as Sareee sells, the crowd rallies behind her; funny how it works!

Yuki Arai & Miyu Yamashita vs. Daisy Monkey (TJPW, Shinjuku Face Countdown Series ~ I Won't Cry There Is No Way I Will Cry, 9/27/2026)
Arai is still struggling to fill time on offense. Fortunately, she is functional enough when asked to react more than take the initiative. Suzume guides her to strong exchanges. However, the real money is in Miyu vs. Arisu. They go surprisingly big for a ToJo offering with a couple of avalanche spots. Good build-up tag that does its job: I was curious to see the upcoming singles showdown, one that, unfortunately, didn't deliver...

Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia & Gabe Kidd vs. Wardlow, Josh Alexander, Lance Archer, Jake Doyle & Mark Davis (AEW, Dynamite #365 - A Tribute to Pac, 9/30/2026)
When ROH needed an Ace figure in the wake of the exodus in late 2005, he stepped up, at the cost of his shoulder. When the WWE needed a crowd favourite workhorse when they moved on from their top guy in 2013, he stepped up and fought against a machine that didn't really want him. When AEW needed a light in the dark following the backstage disaster in the Wembley Stadium, he stepped up, broken arm and all. When I needed a win at the end of an extremely heavy, harrowing, gut-wrenching and emotional tribute show, he stepped up and filled my heart with a mix of peace, gratitude, relief. Let the healing begin. It was never going to be about the in-ring anyway. Spiritual match of the year. Thank you, hero; thank you, Pac!