This week, the world of professional wrestling was in for an enormous deal with. WWE’s developmental model NXT began its “Gold Rush” week, that includes high-profile matches with champions and seasoned WWE superstars. AEW placed on an exceptional pay-per-view occasion with NJPW known as Forbidden Door that featured among the greatest wrestling I’ve seen in weeks. Unfortunately, that occasion got here with Bryan Danielson struggling a fractured proper forearm, which seemingly means he’ll be out of wrestling motion for the following 6-8 weeks.

On the brilliant aspect, I did get to attend this week’s WWE Friday Night Smackdown in particular person and had a blast. The vitality wrestling followers carry to an occasion is not like some other sporting occasion I’ve attended, and going to a reside present is one thing I like to recommend for anybody, even when they’re not a wrestling fan.

Here are the highest professional wrestling matches from the previous week:

Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay (AEW Forbidden Door, June 25)

Two of the very best wrestlers on the earth proved why they’re a tier above so many others within the ring with this match final week. These wrestling veterans needed to pull out all of the stops on one another, because it appeared every time certainly one of them received momentum, the opposite would come again with a reversal. Ospreay’s dive to Omega exterior the ring was a spotlight that was quickly adopted by him slinging Omega into the metal steps and bouncing his face off the ring submit earlier than sending him again within the ring. But Omega matched this depth as effectively, from connecting with a flying knee to Ospreay’s head in opposition to the barricade exterior the ring to hitting a DDT on prime of the metal steps. Ospreay took the victory and received the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship from Omega.

Solo Sikoa vs. Sheamus (WWE Friday Night Smackdown, June 23)

After Solo Sikoa attacked Ridge Holland, certainly one of Sheamus’ greatest associates, Sheamus challenged him to a match. The essential occasion of the evening didn’t disappoint, though the match resulted in a no contest. For a portion of the match, Sheamus appeared to be in management, as he was hitting his signature strikes like his devastating backbreaker and brutal chest kilos on Sikoa. But that every one modified when Sikoa hit Sheamus exterior the ring and began a real beating in opposition to him. He slammed Sheamus on prime of the announcer’s desk, dragged him to sit down in entrance of the barricade and ran at full pace to attach with Sheamus in opposition to the barricade and break it. The referee had no alternative however to name the match.

Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker (WWE NXT, June 20)

Returning to NXT was the present WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth “Freakin” Rollins. He confronted certainly one of NXT’s most profitable stars of this period, Bron Breakker, placing the title on the road. Even along with his ribs taped up from the brutality of a earlier match, Rollins delivered like he at all times does. Rollins hit a frog splash exterior the ring onto Breakker, who was located completely on the announcer’s desk. From Rollins’ splash and affect, the desk broke, with Breakker falling to the ground. But this wasn’t the top for Breakker; as Rollins tried to hit one other frog splash contained in the ring, Breakker averted it and got here again with a decent submission maintain on Rollins. In the top, Rollins hit Breakker with the stomp to choose up the victory.

Joe Hendry vs. Yuya Uemura (Impact, June 22)

This fast-paced match was the spotlight of Impact Wrestling final week. Joe Hendry is a naturally gifted athlete that places on a present each time he’s in a hoop. From neck breakers to suplexes, Hendry might placed on a clinic for perfecting these strikes. The barely faster Yuya Uemura outpaced Hendry for a part of the match, hitting a picture-perfect dropkick that rocked Hendry to the mat. Uemura matched Hendry in energy however made the error of leaping off the highest rope at a degree the place Hendry wasn’t drained sufficient. Hendry caught Uemura and hit his ending transfer, the Hendry Slam, for the victory, inflicting Uemura’s first title alternative in Impact Wrestling to finish with a loss.

Across the board, this was an ideal week for skilled wrestling. AEW’s Forbidden Door can be exhausting to beat, however WWE has superb storylines and matches in place for its subsequent pay-per-view occasion, Money In the Bank, which takes place on July 1.

“Sports Entertainment Solidified” is a professional wrestling column by Maddy Myer that runs each Monday.