Monday Night Raw
Date: November 2, 2026
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

It’s a special early show this week and it happens to be one heck of a show. We have the final Raw before this weekend’s Crown Jewel, but in addition, John Cena is in the house. There is a good chance it’s to deal with that still weird sounding tournament and I’m almost worried about what it’s all about. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is Roman Reigns….slowly….taking his time….at his own pace….and after about three days, he talks about how everyone is coming after him lately. That includes the secondary champion Sami Zayn and 946, who took a beating from the Bloodline. Cue Zayn to interrupt and say that he meant what he said about Reigns being gone a lot. They’re both here now though, so they should talk family to family and champion to champion.

Reigns finds it interesting because the one who benefited from the Bloodline the most was Zayn himself. It’s due to the Bloodline that Zayn is making millions of dollars a year as WWE Champion because when Reigns found him, he was doing stuff with Johnny Knoxville. Zayn says people will remember that match ten years from now, but no one is remembering Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar Part 12.

The only thing people remember about Reigns is him getting hit with a chair and it was Zayn swinging it. Reigns gets more serious and says that he beat Lesnar to free that title so Zayn could win it. He’s tired of Zayn acting like he matters and Saturday is his last day on the Island Of Relevancy. They were both bringing it here and it’s by far the best thing to happen with this story.

We recap Ethan Page challenging Chad Gable for the Intercontinental Title. Page has been mocking and attacking Gable to get a title shot so now it’s time for the showdown.

Intercontinental Title: Chad Gable vs. Ethan Page

Page is challenging and immediately goes after Gable’s neck (as banged up by Page last week). A neckbreaker and some shots to the neck have Gable in more trouble but he knocks Page off the top. Gable clotheslines him to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Page rolling through a high crossbody for two, followed by Gable’s sunset flip for the same.

A hot shot gives Page two and we hit the chinlock. Gable is right back up to go after the leg, which is wrapped around the post. Some dragon screw legwhips set up the rolling German suplexes, followed by the ankle lock. Page gets outside so Gable gives him an Angle Slam onto the announcers’ table. Back in and the moonsault gets two and they go outside again, with Page getting dropped hard on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Gable’s Swan Dive hitting raised boots to give Page two. They slug it out on their knees until a quick Twisted Grin gives Page two of his own. The ankle lock goes on and is broken up again so Page goes up top. Gable runs the corner and gets powerslammed back down for two and they both need a breather. Page catches him on top and gets powerbombed down again, meaning the ankle lock goes on again. This time Page kicks him into an exposed turnbuckle and it’s an EgoPlex to give Page the title at 18:13.

Rating: B+. Heck of a match here and it accomplished the rather necessary goal of giving Page something on the main roster. While I don’t see Page as the new top heel or really ever going much higher on the card than this (that’s not a bad thing), he had to win something to make him feel like a threat. They accomplished that here with a rather good match as Gable’s injury was played up throughout. Good stuff here and the right result.

946 is ready for Royce Keys to run the play on Solo Sikoa tonight.

Sikoa is ready and gets a pep talk from the Bloodline.

We recap Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green having issues with the Judgment Day, but they have Iyo Sky to back them up.

Judgment Day vs. Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green/Iyo Sky

Perez flips away from Stratton to start and the annoyance begins quickly. Rodriguez comes in for some running knees from Stratton and Green, the latter of whom is muscled up for a slam. It’s off to Morgan for a kick to the chest but Green escapes Rodriguez’s powerslam. Green hits a heck of a suicide dive and Stratton adds a suicide dropkick. Naturally Sky hits a big dive of her own and we take a break.

We come back with Sky in trouble but fighting out of a chinlock. The comeback is enough for Stratton to get the tag and start cleaning house, including a Swanton for two on Morgan. A springboard Stunner hits Rodriguez but she’s right back with a powerbomb. The corkscrew Vader Bomb misses though and it’s Sky coming in to wreck everyone. Everything breaks down and Green gives Perez the Unpretty-Her, with Rodriguez grabbing the leg for the save. Stratton is sent over the announcers’ table, leaving Green to try another Unpretty-Her. Perez makes the save this time and it’s the Oblivion to pin Green at 10:23.

Rating: B-. This was good enough, but it’s another case where a champion has to lose to build towards a match where a champion will lose and the titles won’t be impacted whatsoever. It’s the downside to this whole thing and Green vs. Morgan is only so interesting in the first place. At least Money In The Bank adds a bit of spice to the whole thing, but it’s still pretty lacking.

946 says there is strength in numbers and no one is safe.

Here is John Cena, who calls Alicia Taylor into the ring for the full proper introduction. Cena gets to the point because tonight is about the John Cena Classic. There are three major points to cover tonight. First up: it’s December 14…in Disney World. There will be two Raw’s in one night, with one airing live in Perth, Australia and another being live from Orlando, Florida.

Then we have the second point, which is something underneath a covering. Apparently the belt shaped object is the title going to the winner and it’s a title with his name and silhouette. The power to vote will be exclusive to Club WWE and that brings us to the third part: who will be involved?

This brings out Cody Rhodes, with Cena saying he’s going to be everywhere inviting people to be in the tournament. He’s happy to have Rhodes as the first invitee though because no one is more important to WWE…and here is Randy Orton to interrupt. Cena immediately leaves and Orton, eventually, brings up his Last Man Standing match with Rhodes at Saturday’s Crown Jewel.

It’s a kind of match where Rhodes has no experience but Orton brings up coming up 25 years ago with people like Cena, Brock Lesnar and Batista. They’re all gone and retired but he’s still right here in this ring. He has no aspirations to be a movie star or have his face on an ice cream cone. It’s in his blood to be in this ring and he broke his back doing this a few years ago.

Then he found the best surgeon in the world and the best neurosurgeon in the world (Orton: “Shoutout to Adam Kanter!”). If Rhodes breaks his back, Orton will get stitched up again like Robocop and come after Rhodes again. Orton brings up something that hasn’t been mentioned yet, which is that he beat Dusty Rhodes at the 2007 Great American Bash in a Texas Bullrope match. Orton retired Dusty and if Cody wants to be like his father, that can be arranged on Saturday. This was the kind of promo that has turned Orton good so many times over the years. As for the tournament….yeah whatever. It still sounds like a mess.

We look back at Bayley beating Roxanne Perez last week.

Bayley asks Adam Pearce about her future when Jade Cargill and the Baddies interrupt. Bayley isn’t happy and calls that disrespectful, with Pearce begging for peace for one night. That seems to actually be the case for once and Bayley leaves.

The Vision vs. Dragon Lee/Penta/Je’Von Evans

It’s a big brawl to start and the Vision clears the ring. Penta breaks up a Super Spear to Evans, who flips away from Theory and hands it off to Lee. Penta’s step up flip dive takes the Vision out on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Lee in trouble in the corner but he gets a boot up in the corner. Reed misses a backsplash and it’s off to Penta to start fighting back.

Breakker blocks the Penta Driver and Lee gets powerslammed. That lets Penta get in a superkick, only to be knocked down by Breakker. The spear hits post though and Logan Paul tries to slip in the briefcase, only to get cut off by Penta. Jagged Edge plants Lee on the floor and Evans is right there with the big dive. The OG Cutter misses Theory though and a spear cuts Evans in half for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: B. This was a pretty standard six man until things went nuts at the end, with Breakker’s spear being a sight to behold. There is something to be said about having Breakker just go through someone else and it’s part of why he’s this big of a star. There’s a good chance this means the titles change hands on Saturday and…yeah that’s the right move given that the Vision isn’t doing much with them.

We recap the John Cena Classic announcement.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Liv Morgan says the win earlier was just another day at the office for Judgment Day. Morgan loads up her catchphrase but is cut off by Jade Cargill and the Baddies beating Bayley down and injuring her arm. So that’s probably how Bayley gets into WarGames.

Solo Sikoa vs. Royce Keys

They stare at each other for a long time to start and then lock up, as per their blood feud. Sikoa ducks a right hand and chops away before knocking Keys outside. Back in and they take turns firing off right hands in the corner until Sikoa knocks him to the floor again. We take a break and come back with Sikoa in trouble and Keys talking a lot of censored trash.

A powerslam gives Keys two but Sikoa is right back up with a clothesline. Sikoa knocks him into the corner but the running Umaga Attack is cut off. The second attempt works just fine so the Samoan Spike is loaded up, only to be countered into a Sky High. Sikoa is sat on top but knocks Keys down for the Superfly Splash. Cue the rest of 946 to jump Sikoa for the DQ at 10:25.

Rating: C+. This was fairly slow paced but it was all a matter of time to see which side interfered for the DQ first. What matters the most is that Keys feels like he belongs around here as the 946 has felt like a heck of a threat. I could go for seeing more of this stuff, especially when it goes to WarGames as is a guarantee at this point.

Post match Sikoa gets to the floor so here is the Bloodline to even things up. They stare each other down and Jey Uso claps a lot and the brawl is finally on. Roman Reigns starts getting the better of things but we’ve got a masked man with a chair. Reigns is chaired and discus lariated down before the man helps Keys up.

It’s…CRUZ MONTANA from NXT and oh my this just got a lot more interesting. The Bloodline is destroyed with Jey Uso being handcuffed and Keys giving Reigns the USB. 946 bails through the crowd and Reigns sees what happened….as Sami Zayn sneaks in for a Helluva Kick to knock him sillier. Commentary is aghast at this to end the show. Montana is an outstanding pick for the spot, as he’s been one of the best stars in wrestling for the last few years and has nailed every spot he’s been in thus far. I’m excited for this and that’s a great feeling to have.

Overall Rating: B. That last surprise at the end boosted this up a lot and even canceled out some of the hardly interesting John Cena promo. The opener was very good and we took some big steps towards WarGames. That’s in addition to a good Reigns vs. Zayn exchange to build up Crown Jewel. This was an efficient show, but dang I’m not interested in the Cena tournament. At the same time, I’m rather interested in Montana so we’ll call it good overall.

Results
Ethan Page b. Chad Gable – EgoPlex
Judgment Day b. Chelsea Green/Iyo Sky/Tiffany Stratton – Oblivion to Green
The Vision b. Penta/Dragon Lee/Je’Von Evans – Super Spear to Evans
Solo Sikoa b. Royce Keys via DQ when 946 interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Halloween Havoc 2026
Date: October 31, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the Halloween night special and it’s going to be quite the big one. In this case we have the NXT Title on the line as Grayson Waller defends against Tony D’Angelo. Other than that, we have the usual multitude of title matches and a big grudge match at least a few grudge matches. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how this is the night to unleash havoc….or be CURSED, by host Danhausen. The card gets the usual rundown as well.

Here is Danhausen, with the Minihausens, to get things going. He thinks there might be some goblins in the crowd but he’s been paid a lot of human monies to be the host of the evening. They’ll spin the wheel but he has also turned some rooms of this building into scare rooms.

Tavion Heights vs. Myles Borne

Weapons Wild match, basically meaning street fight. They slug it out to start and Heights sends him outside, where Borne grabs a kendo stick. A few shots put Heights on the floor as well so he whips out a fire extinguisher out to blast Borne in the face. Borne is rammed into the apron and it’s time for the table. Borne’s chair shot hits the post and Heights throws him down as we take a break.

We come back with Borne Pillmanizing the ankle and chairing him into the corner for the stomping. Back up and Heights throws a trashcan at Borne’s head and pulls out a toolbox. Borne knocks him down and pours out a bag of nuts and bolts but Borne Again is knocked away. That leaves Borne to crash onto the nuts and bolts but he’s fine enough to powerslam Heights onto a chair for two.

A chair to the back knocks Borne into the steps and Heights loads up a Pillmanizing on the ankle. The Conchairto Pillmanizes the ankle and the ankle lock goes on but Borne rolls him into the exposed buckle. They fight up top at the same time and Borne grabs a camera to knock him off the top and through a table. Borne Again onto a trashcan finishes Heights at 14:45.

Rating: B. This was exactly what you would have expected, but at least there were some unique spots for a change. That being said, having Borne land on a bunch of nuts and bolts and then popping right back up was a bit of a stretch, as was some of the other fast recovering. Heights is pretty much done as a singles star for the moment though, as Borne has beaten him time after time.

Tristan Angels and some women go into the scary rooms in the back and Sean Legacy pops up to scare Angels. Then Legacy leaves with the women.

Shiloh Hill and Naraku get in a fight in the back, with some orange mist blinding Naraku. We go to what looks like a tunnel where Naraku is haunted by images and we’ve got a cinematic match. Hill, who was misted as well, wakes up surrounded by Jack-O-Lanterns, and runs off towards them in happiness. To Be Continued.

Zaria vs. Izzi Dame

Non-title. Zaria rolls to the ring in a big ball, which ties into the whole Wicked thing, which continues to be quite the stretch for a reason to see them fight. Dame mocks her some more after the bell and Zaria gives chase to the floor. Back in and Zaria grabs a double leg and hammers away but Dame slips out of a slam. Dame trips her down but a basement superkick is blocked as Dame can’t get anything going. Some whips into the corner have Dame in more trouble so she sends Zaria face first into the buckle instead and we take a break.

We come back with Zaria hitting some clotheslines and a German suplex. Zaria knocks her out of the air and gets two off a fall away slam. Back up and Dame ties her in the Tree Of Woe for a running shoulder. They go up top and Zaria knocks her down, only to miss a moonsault. A middle rope Codebreaker gives Dame two more and they slug it out again.

Dame gets in a chokeslam for two so Zaria hits a spear, only to have various Wicked things pop up around the arena. That’s enough for Dame to get two off a small package, and a Widow’s Peak gets the same. Dame grabs the belt but gets caught with a discus lariat. Zaria picks up the belt and it is quickly kicked into her face to give Dame the pin at 12:56.

Rating: B-. This was a weird one with the stuff from stuff from Zaria’s past being forced into the whole thing. I’m also not clear on why Dame made sure that this wasn’t for the title, as she just won the match and isn’t champion anyway. It’s a weird story, but at least Zaria should be able to come back and win the rematch, which should be the case. I think.

Hank & Tank and Noam Dar/Romeo Moreno have a meeting in front of the Dusty Classic trophy. Both teams are ready to win.

Robert Stone comes up to the Vanity Project and isn’t happy with their interference on NXT. As a result, they’re facing Dragon Lee, Rey Fenix and Chad Gable next week on NXT.

The pre-show hosts talk about hosting things.

Danhausen spins the wheel for the next match, which is a Very Nice, Very Evil match. This means no rules and falls count anywhere. Shocking I tell you.

Zilla Fatu vs. Charlie Dempsey

Anything goes, falls count anywhere and Birthright is here too. They slug it out to start with Dempsey getting the better of things and stomping him down. A gutwrench suplex gives Dempsey two but Fatu is back up with a slam. Dempsey gets pulled into the Tree Of Woe but misses a charge into the corner. Fatu is fine enough to knock Dempsey outside and it’s time to crush Dempsey’s hand in the steps.

That’s broken up by Birthright, who beats Fatu down, only for Fatu to steal a shovel from Lexis King. Fatu holds the team off and we take a break. We come back with Fatu getting two off a DDT and they take turns sending the other into shovels in the ropes. Fatu is dropped onto a piece of barricade in the corner, followed by a ram into the steps. A pumpkin shot misses and takes King out by mistake but Dempsey is fine enough to send Fatu’s hand into the steps a few times.

Back in and Dempsey uses a chain to tie him up in an octopus stretch, which is somehow escaped as well. Fatu gets in a running clothesline and takes out Birthright, followed by a spinebuster to Dempsey. The Triple Z hits a shovel but Fatu is right back to hit it with the second attempt. A Superfly Splash finishes Dempsey at 13:16.

Rating: B. This was a violent match and a good way for Fatu to overcome some odds and beat Birthright again. This should wrap up their feud as he fought through adversity and beat their best star on his own. It was another weapons based match and that’s kind of annoying to see so quickly after the first but the result went the right way.

Shiloh Hill keeps walking through the weird nightmare realm and is impressed by various creepy people/things. One guy looks like a better dressed Tristan Angels and Hill thinks Tatum Paxley would love the spooky woman with her baby. Then he finds a skull room and beats up three monsters before walking through some hallways. More on this later.

We look back at Cruz Montana attacking Dion Lennox and getting arrested as a result. They’re having an unsanctioned match this week on NXT and UFC fighter Michael Chandler has volunteered to be guest referee.

Earlier today, Montana and Lennox sat down, with Montana saying that Lennox has backed him into a corner. Lennox says he has pushed Montana past his breaking point, which was the idea the whole time. He wants the violent Montana so he can prove that he’s different. Montana’s daughter shouldn’t watch on Wednesday, because she’ll just see her daddy with a broken promise. Montana gets up, takes off his sunglasses, and says this is the first time Lennox has made a mistake his parents can’t get him out of. Then Lennox will be a thing of the past, forever. As usual, Montana is on another level when things get personal.

The women’s division is in a room full of mirrors, which Chantel Monroe doesn’t find scary. Then Lizzie Rain jumps her.

We recap the Women’s Title match. Wren Sinclair snuck into a battle royal to win the #1 contendership and now Kelani Jordan wants to stop her for good.

Naraku keeps looking for Shiloh Hill, ignores various creepy images, beats up some…we’ll say people, and talks to an evil king who tells him to look beyond a door.

Women’s Title: Wren Sinclair vs. Kelani Jordan

Sinclair is challenging and takes her down by the arm. It’s too early for the stomping though as Jordan is back up with a Regal Roll. Jordan sends her outside but gets tripped on the apron as we take a break. We come back with Sinclair missing a crossbody and getting kicked in the head. Jordan goes to try to take a bottom turnbuckle pad off before getting two off a standing legdrop.

A northern lights suplex gets two more but Sinclair is back with a butterfly suplex. Sinclair’s high crossbody gets two but Jordan jumps down onto the arm as we take a break. We come back with the two of them hitting stereo faceplants but Jordan is up with a shoulder breaker. The frog splash gives Jordan two and she grabs a Fujiwara armbar on the bad shoulder.

With that broken up, Sinclair grabs a rather spinning faceplant for two before grabbing the Final Wrench. Jordan gets out again and sends the arm into the exposed buckle. That and a 450 give Jordan two more but Sinclair blocks a moonsault with raised boots. Sinclair gets the Final Wrench again and wrenches away but gets rammed into the buckle. Jordan flips back onto her and puts a foot on the rope to retain at 18:40.

Rating: B-. This felt like it should have been a bigger deal, as they just kind of had a long match. There was only so much drama to the whole thing and Jordan winning with a fairly basic method of cheating felt a bit flat. It’s not a bad match by any standards, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

We go back to the weird place where Naraku and Shiloh Hill find each other. What appears to be a zombie referee shows up and tells them to go so I think we’re having a match?

Shiloh Hill vs. Naraku

They immediately slug it out and go through a wall…and into the arena. The fight goes inside as Booker wants a bell, because even zombies have to follow rules. They both spray mist at each other and Hill’s belly to back neckbreaker finishes at 2:31. Ok then.

Kelani Jordan comes up to see Robert Stone and is told she’ll be defending the Women’s Title on NXT against someone from the main roster. Since it’s Halloween, it’s a mystery.

The pre-show hosts do their thing again. Tatum Paxley says she’s been called a mystery so she’s not sure if she’s the challenger or not.

TLC is coming in December. Cool. I think.

Kam Hendrix meets Danhausen, who thinks they should clone Hendrix and make sports teams to make a bunch of human monies. Danhausen leaves and various people in hazmat suits come in. One of them happens to be EK Prosper, who beats Hendrix down.

Here’s what’s coming on NXT, which again is on Wednesday.

We recap Grayson Waller defending the NXT Title against Tony D’Angelo. Waller returned as a much more serious version of himself and won the title, with former champion D’Angelo earning a shot to get his rematch. Then Waller went to D’Angelo’s house to make things really personal. Granted he didn’t do anything, but he was there.

NXT Title: Grayson Waller vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo is challenging. The brawl starts fast with D’Angelo getting the better of things and knocking him outside. D’Angelo throws him off of the steps and we take a break. We come back with D’Angelo fighting out of a cravate and muscling him up for a gutwrench suplex. Waller is right back with a neckbreaker over the turnbuckle rod and D’Angelo is in trouble again.

Some forearms in the corner have D’Angelo in more trouble and a leg lariat gets two. Another neckbreaker gives Waller two more and he tied D’Angelo in the Tree Of Woe. An armbar with a neck crank goes on for a bit before D’Angelo is sent outside. That’s fine for D’Angelo, who flapjacks Waller onto the apron.

A DDT onto the steps rocks Waller but he stops to yell at D’Angelo’s family and the comeback is on fast. We take another break and come back again with Waller firing off knees in the ropes. D’Angelo catches him up top with a toss belly to belly superplex. Waller is fine enough to hit a jumping stomp and a middle rope flipping…we’ll say Fameasser gets two.

A spear (or most of one) sends Waller outside again, where Dead To Rites is countered into a cutter through the announcers’ table. Back in and a rolling Stunner is countered into Dead To Rites for two so let’s grab the crowbar. Naturally the referee gets crushed and D’Angelo hits the spear for the visual but unofficial cover. Waller is up with the crowbar shot and the rolling Stunner retains the title at 22:37.

Rating: B+. This was a match that went far better than I was expecting, as the two of them beat on each other rather well until the finish. Waller got the pin to give him the big definitive win over D’Angelo, which puts the latter into a weird place. I can’t imagine D’Angelo going to the main roster, but he has nothing left to do in NXT. Good main event though, as Waller’s career re-invention is remarkable.

Post match here is Danhausen to say congratulations on the win, but he has a message from his good friend. Cue CM Punk on the screen, saying he’s tired of Waller running his mouth about him. That’s why this Wednesday, Punk is coming to NXT and challenging Waller for the title. Well then. That’s a big ending.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, they did a great job with the atmosphere and the Halloween feeling (Danhausen as the host was the biggest layup imaginable) but I’m a bit over Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal. It’s almost always some variation of a street fight/hardcore match and that’s not exactly inspiring watching.

Now, that being said, you can absolutely see the next generation rising up here. Look at the list of winners on this show: Borne, Dame, Fatu, Jordan, Hill and Waller. While Waller is the most experienced, this is a new and fresh version of him, with Jordan being the second most established of that list. That’s quite the turnaround and it’s not even factoring in names like Cruz Montana. As usual, NXT does a great job of building stars up in a hurry and it’s taking place again. The future has been built up in a hurry and you can see the positive results. Good show, and a sign of a brighter future.

Results
Myles Borne b. Tavion Heights – Borne Again onto a trashcan
Izzi Dame b. Zaria – Kick to the title to the face
Zilla Fatu b. Charlie Dempsey – Superfly Splash
Kelani Jordan b. Wren Sinclair – Rollup with foot on the rope
Shiloh Hill b. Naraku – Belly to back neckbreaker
Grayson Waller b. Tony D’Angelo – Rolling Stunner

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Collision
Date: October 31, 2026
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Paul Wight, Tony Schiavone

It’s Halloween night and we’ve got the second half of this week’s Fright Night special. Hopefully this show has a bit more festiveness as the Halloween aspect seemed pretty tacked on with Dynamite. We’re rapidly approaching Full Gear and the card has only started coming together so we should get something else here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

McGuinness is a vampire. That’s something at least.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Matt Sydal

Ciampa appears to be dressed as Kratos and misses a chop in the corker to start. A dropkick puts Ciampa out on the floor but he moves away before Sydal can dive. Back in and they try a test of strength with Ciampa breaking it up to stomp him in the ribs. Sydal is right back with a standing reverse Fameasser for two and the Meteora off the apron drives Ciampa onto the floor. It’s too early for the shooting star press though and Ciampa rolls outside again, only to be tossed inside for his efforts. One heck of a running knee catches Sydal though and we take a break.

We come back with Ciampa’s jumping knee knocking Sydal out of the air (that looked/sounded great) for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Sydal is up with more kicks to the head. Sydal dives out to the floor to take Ciampa down again and he reverses a super Air Raid Crash back inside. A running shot in the corner sets up the shooting star press, which hits raised knees. Project Ciampa is countered into a hurricanrana to give Sydal two more but the second attempt connects for Ciampa. The running knee finishes for Ciampa at 11:54.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting match, but it’s another good example of a match that felt like it was going long for the sake of killing time. There was a grand total of no way that Ciampa was losing to Sydal, not matter where the match was taking place, and it got a bit long in the tooth at times. The match was good, but trim a few minutes off and it’s that much better.

We take a quick look at Swerve Strickland winning the World Title two years ago at Dynasty in St. Louis.

Hurt Syndicate vs. Soloroto

Soloroto actually jumps them to start and Lashley gets splashed in the corner as commentary insults each other. Lashley fights out of trouble rather quickly and knocks Comoroto outside. Benjamin comes in and toys with Solo before German suplexing him down. MVP beats up Griff Garrison on the floor and the running knee hits Solo inside. The fans want more so Lashley gives Solo a spear for the pin at 4:11.

Rating: C. There is something so fun about watching the Syndicate slaughter poor human beings. It works every time and while I knew there are some issues there, it would be great to see it more often. They’re big scary monsters and that is something that can be effective for a very long time.

Gabe Kidd swears revenge on the former Dogs. The team is used to being outnumbered and they’ll do it again, Claudio Castagnoli or not.

After Dynamite, Persephone ranted about losing her TBS Title to Queen Aminata and wants both of them in Blood & Guts.

Artist Of Stardom Titles: Trinity vs. Triangle Of Madness

The Triangle is defending against Hazuki/Koguma/Fuwa-Chan. Hart and Fuwa-Chan start things off with Hart taking her straight into the corner. Fuwa-Chan escapes a fireman’s carry and everything breaks down, with the champions being knocked into the ropes for some running knees to the face. A double suplex drops Blue for two but Thekla stomps Fuwa-Chan off the apron and we take a break.

We come back with Trinity hitting a double dive and then spinning Hart around in a choke. Thekla is back in to cut off the tag attempt but Koguma runs the ropes to bring Hazuki in instead. A crossface has Thekla in trouble but the champs get up for a triple Octopus hold. With that not lasting long, Fuwa-Chan and Blue slug it out until Fuwa-Chan gets an Octopus of her own.

That’s broken up as well and a top rope splash into a Shining Wizard gets two on Black as Hart makes the save. Thekla dives onto Trinity on the floor and Code Blue is broken up back inside. Blue mists Fuwa-Chan and the assisted swinging Side Effect retains the titles at 13:05.

Rating: B-. Ok then. I’m not sure what else to say as these titles don’t mean a thing around here and this was the first time two of the challengers have wrestled in AEW. Then again I’m sure all I have to do is watch a few years of Stardom and I’ll get why this matters. Titles were involved though and that’s what matters. Or something. I think. Either way, the match was fine, albeit rather meaningless.

Samoa Joe isn’t sure who is is causing the problem with the Opps but the monster is back and teases changes.

Ilja Dragunov vs. The Beast Mortos

Dragunov chops away to start but can’t get very far. That earns him the pop up Samoan drop for two but Dragunov is back with a running shot of his own. The missile dropkick in the ropes connects for Dragunov and we take a break. We come back with Dragunov muscling him up for some German suplexes and a top rope backsplash gets two. The D Bomb is cut off and a discus lariat gives Mortos two. They slug it out from their knees until Mortos hammers away in the corner. That’s reversed into a powerbomb and the Torpedo Moscow drops Mortos. The D Bomb finishes for Dragunov at 10:56.

Rating: B. They beat each other up rather well and the idea here was rather clear. This was Dragunov getting to fight against a monster and come up looking good, which has been his bread and butter for a long time. It wasn’t supposed to be a match with any drama about the result, but the fans still need to get to know Dragunov.

Post match Tommaso Ciampa comes out for the staredown with Dragunov.

Video on Nick Wayne bragging about beating Chris Jericho, who gave him some advice.

Wayne is on the streets of Miami bragging about his two wins over Jericho. Now this is more like it with him, as it plays into that punchable face.

Darius Martin vs. Mike Bailey

Commentary gets into it about Bailey’s mullet as Martin takes him down to start. Back up and they trade some flips until Bailey gets in a kick to the chest. Bailey sends him outside for a running dive but a Christopher Daniels distraction lets Martin get in a dropkick. A DDT off the apron drops Bailey again and we take a break. We come back with Bailey knocking him off the top and firing off the kicks for two. A standing Spanish Fly gives Martin two but Bailey knocks him outside for a triangle moonsault. Back in and Martin tries some rollups but Bailey reverses into his arm trap sunset flip for the pin at 9:02.

Rating: B-. It was another match with no reason to believe that anything out of the norm was going to happen here. Martin is half of a low level tag team and Bailey is on his way to a huge match on Dynamite. That makes for a fine enough match, but it’s not exactly something that is the most interesting.

Post match respect is shown.

Will Ospreay is ready for Blood & Guts.

Lena Kross/Megan Bayne vs. Nixi XS/Leela Feist

Bayne is in….Fred Flintstone style gear? The destruction is on quickly and it’s a pair of fall away slams on the floor. XS breaks up Divine Intervention so the monsters beat her down as well, setting up Divine Intervention to pin Feist at 2:01.

Queen Aminata is in for Blood & Guts. Willow Nightingale introduces the team, minus the Brawling Birds, who apparently will be there. This really does not need to be a twelve person match.

Adam Priest vs. Konosuke Takeshita

They go to the mat and fight over headlocks until Takeshita hits a jumping clothesline. Takeshita knocks him outside but Priest avoids a charge back inside. A dropkick has Takeshita in trouble and Priest knocks him outside for a change. Takeshita avoids a charge into the barricade and hits a DDT on the floor as we take a break. We come back with Priest tying up Takeshita’s leg in the ropes and striking away. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita two but Priest is back with the half crab. That’s broken up as well and Takeshita wins a slugout, including the discus forearm. The Raging Fire pins Priest at 8:23.

Rating: C+. Priest is someone who continues to work hard and continues to feel like little more than someone who is never going anywhere. Maybe he could go somewhere in the ROH midcard, but that’s about it. It isn’t about his talent, which is indeed there, but rather just that he has lost a bunch and is on the smaller side and that is going to hold him back from anything significant.

The Triangle Of Madness and company are ready for Blood & Guts.

Video on Mercedes Mone vs. Marina Shafir.

The Cut vs. The Conglomeration

Everyone comes in for a staredown at the bell and it’s Robinson getting caught in the corner for the chopping. O’Reilly and Strong take turns firing off the right hands and even Cassidy gets in on the fun. The Conglomeration snaps off some suplexes and Austin Gunn gets caught in the ropes for the chops and kicks, as the Conglomeration tends to do. Robinson knocks O’Reilly into the corner though and the stomping is on as we take a break.

We come back with a high/low getting two on O’Reilly and we’re off to the chinlock. Everything breaks down with the other four brawling on the apron, meaning O’Reilly has no one to tag. It’s back to Strong a few moments later and house is quickly cleaned. Cassidy even gets a springboard flip dive to the floor but everyone is knocked down for a big breather. Robinson slugs away at O’Reilly but gets caught in the ankle lock. Jay White sends in the brass knuckles though and a big left hand gives Robinson the pin on O’Reilly at 12:48.

Rating: B. This was a fast paced match and it was nice to see a match that actually felt important. The Cut at least feels like one of the biggest stories going in AEW right now and it’s interesting to see what’s going on with the rather large team. Beating the Conglomeration is important, especially by playing the numbers game again.

Post match the beatdown is on, with the brass knuckles helping to leave the Conglomeration laying.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was fine, but my goodness it did not feel important. Look at the matches and outside of the main event, find something that felt like it mattered. I get that has to happen on occasion, but on Halloween night? This was the best they had? I would have had no idea that this was a holiday show and they didn’t exactly put in the work to change that mindset. It’s a good enough show, but egads this would have been so much better at half the length.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Matt Sydal – Running knee
Hurt Syndicate b. Soloroto – Spear to Solo
Triangle Of Madness b. Trinity – Assisted swinging Side Effect to Fuwa-Chan
Mike Bailey b. Darius Martin – Arm trap sunset flip
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Nixi XS/Leela Feist – Divine Intervention to Feist
Konosuke Takeshita b. Adam Priest – Raging Fire
The Cut b. The Conglomeration – Left hand with brass knuckles to O’Reilly

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AAA On FOX
Date: October 31, 2026
Location: Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield, Rey Mysterio

So it’s week two of Heroes Inmortales and the big Mega Title match has already taken place. This week should feature Rey Fenix defending the Cruiserweight Title against Mini Vikingo but the latter is hurt so it’s open challenge time. The rest of the show should be fine as well so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video, which is at least very similar to last week’s, talks about the difference between being a hero and a villain. Either way, all that matters is being immortal. I’m assuming the people featured here are different but the narration seems to be the same.

Here is Laredo Kid to get things going. He’s the king of the cruiserweights and held the title for over 1,500 days. That’s why he’s here to take the title back and doesn’t need his brother to help him. Cue Jack Cartwheel to jump him from behind and say he wants the title. Takuma, of the Tokyo Bad Boys, comes in to say the same and it’s a three way brawl. Rey Fenix comes in to say he’s Kid’s daddy and he’ll beat all three of them tonight.

Psycho Clown finds Pagano in his dressing room. Pagano gives him one more chance to leave but Clown says no. Cue El Carnicero to beat Clown down.

Tag Team Titles: Los Vipers vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr./Galeno

Los Vipers are challenging. Wagner shoves Histeria around to start and it’s off to Galeno to knock him down again. Taurus comes in as Histeria cheap shots Wagner, allowing Taurus to get in a clothesline. The chinlock goes on for a bit, with Wagner wasting no time in escaping. Galeno comes back in to clean house, including holding Histeria up for a rather ridiculous amount of time. The big running flip dive hits Taurus on the floor and it’s a Wagner Driver into the frog splash to pin Histeria at 6:27.

Rating: C+. This was short and to the point, with the Wagner Brothers getting to go out there and show what they could do. The Wagners are turning into a good team and definitely feel like the best around here, which is how the champions should seem. Los Vipers could as well have been any two warm bodies but the match worked well enough.

Psycho Circus vs. El Carnicero/Pagano

Dave and Murder for the Circus here. It’s a brawl to start and Dave suplexes Pagano. That doesn’t last long as Pagano is up to knock Dave into Carnicero, allowing Pagano to get in a running headbutt. Carnicero seems scared of Pagano’s tag but then takes it and hits a hard clothesline. The Circus is dropped again and we take a break.

We come back with Carnicero and Pagano continuing to wreck various clowns. Carnicero boots Pagano down by mistake though and Murder gets in a short DDT. A top rope splash gets two but Pagano low bridges Murder to the floor. That leaves Carnicero to Boss Man Slam Dave for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to think of Carnicero, but he’s a good enough monster and that’s all he needs to be. At the same time you have Pagano, who fits so much better as a villain, with the personal issues against Psycho Clown being that much better. Good enough match here, but the story has a long way to go.

Post match Psycho Clown tries to come in for the save and is quickly crushed.

Cruiserweight Title: Rey Fenix vs. Jack Cartwheel vs. Takuma vs. Laredo Kid

Fenix is defending. They start fast with Takuma armdragging Fenix and grabbing a tornado DDT. Kid makes the save and chops Cartwheel in the corner. A nasty inverted Michinoku Driver drops Cartwheel and Kid hits a 450 for two, with Fenix making the save. Fenix’s springboard cutter hits Cartwheel and the running flip dive takes Kid out. Back in and Kid’s destroyer DDT gets two on Fenix and he drops a frog splash for the same, with Takuma making the save.

Takuma’s Backstabber gets two on Cartwheel and Fenix’s Angel’s Wings gets the same. Takuma is right back up with a crazy springboard dive to Fenix on the floor but has to dive in for a save of his own on Kid. Fenix Swantons the cover and then goes up but Cartwheel makes the save. Cartwheel hits a big dive to the floor, leaving Fenix to catch Takuma on top. The Mexican MuscleBuster retains Fenix’s title at 11:14.

Rating: B+. You knew what you were going to see here and that’s what they delivered, with a bunch of flying around and crazy saves/dives. That’s all it should have been and it worked like it always does. Fenix is on a roll right now and that has been spreading over multiple shows, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise if you’ve followed his career.

Dorian Roldan is on the phone and wants an answer next week.

Overall Rating: B-. It still messes with me that these specials are all top heavy with such a big drop in the second and third weeks. That being said, even if this show didn’t feel as important, it was still a perfectly acceptable week of TV. The action, especially in the main event, was good and there is enough being built up for the coming weeks. I want to see where the Pagano/Carnicero/Circus stuff goes and that’s enough to carry my interest for the time being. Perfectly acceptable show here, again.

Results
El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr./Galeno b. Los Vipers – Frog splash to Histeria
El Carnicero/Pagano b. Psycho Circus – Spinning Boss Man Slam to Dave
Rey Fenix b. Jack Cartwheel, Laredo Kid and Takuma – Mexican MuscleBuster to Takuma

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: October 30, 2026
Location: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the Halloween special and, say it with me, the show is being hosted by Danhausen. That’s about the only person you could have hosting thing kind of a show, but at the same time, Gunther probably won’t be thrilled with the idea. Other than that, Crown Jewel is in just over a week and that’s going to need another push. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We start with Our Creature Presentation and go to Danhausen, in his castle, who welcomes us to the Very Nice, Very Evil Smackdown. There are three title matches tonight and we’ll get to see his greatest experiment, whatever that is.

We do have a nice Halloween set, which is always appreciated.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes gets right to the point by talking about the Last Man Standing match that he’s ready to have against Randy Orton at Crown Jewel. He’s going to do something a bit different this time by apologizing in advance for what happens. Rhodes knows that Orton has five children and things could get bad. We see a photo of how he looked after Wrestlemania and is ready to take Orton out again, as the winner will likely be the #1 contender. And that’s that.

We look at Tiffany Stratton almost cashing in Money In The Bank on Liv Morgan on Raw.

Stratton, with Chelsea Green (dressed as Nikki Bella), is ready to win the title so she and Green can be an iconic team. Green goes to get ready and here is Danhausen to interrupt. He offers her a jaw of teeth in exchange for the briefcase and that’s not happening. Danhausen blames interviewer Cathy Kelley.

Women’s Title: Nikki Bella vs. Chelsea Green

Green is defending and Bella doesn’t seem impressed by the costume. An early Unpretty-Her attempt doesn’t work so Green tries it again and gets rolled up for her efforts. Green goes up and gets caught, with Bella slamming her down. A Bella Buster gives Bella two and we take an early break.

We come back with Bella’s spinning kick out of the corner getting two. The Broski Boot misses for Bella and Green’s Rough Ryder gets two more. The Fearless lock sends Green over to the rope and the Rack Attack connects, with the aggressive cover sending Green into the ropes by mistake. Bella is ticked off and gets small packaged to retain the title at 8:02.

Rating: C. This was the usual Bella match as she is only so good in the ring these days and Green, while great in her own right, isn’t the kind of person to bring anyone up to a very high level. At the same time, Green already has a bigger story going on with Liv Morgan anyway so it was hard to believe that the title was changing here. I’m not sure what is next for Bella, but hopefully it is pretty firmly different because this isn’t exactly working.

Post match here is Liv Morgan to say that she’s a champion but Green is a joke. If Green would get fired for a third time, no one would notice. Morgan promises to eat her alive but here is Tiffany Stratton with the briefcase. Judgment Day runs in to go after her but she fights them off, only for the team to get back up to stop the cash in. Iyo Sky runs in and a six woman tag seems likely.

Sami Zayn is tired of being disrespected as champion. No he isn’t about to lose to Trick Williams, who only has things that can be bought in a store. What makes Zayn great are things that Williams will never have. Tonight, Zayn will beat Williams and then move on to Roman Reigns.

We look at Blake Monroe beating Giulia last week.

Monroe wants the Women’s Title because Chelsea Green is choking under the pressure. Paige comes in and they bicker a bit.

AAA Cruiserweight Title: Rey Fenix vs. Ricky Saints

Saints is challenging and slugs away to start before rolling away into his pose. Fenix sends him to the apron for the running flip dive and a high crossbody gets two back inside. Some hard knees have Fenix in trouble on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Saints going after Fenix’s mask before something close to a super Jackhammer gets two.

Fenix kicks him in the head for two of his own and a heck of a springboard moonsault gets the same. A big springboard tornado DDT gives Saints two more and his Death Valley Driver drops Fenix again. Saints puts him up top but gets powerbombed down, with Fenix missing a moonsault but rolling into a nice cutter. Another rolling cutter gets two but Fenix catches him on top with the Mexican MuscleBuster to retain at 11:58.

Rating: B-. Super Jackhammer aside, this was about what you would have expected. Fenix gets to go out for another televised defense of his title, with the non-AAA fans getting to see a AAA title in action. It wasn’t some blow away, game changing match but it worked perfectly fine, at least partially due to having the two of them work together so often.

Jade Cargill and the Baddies aren’t impressed by Charlotte or Tatum Paxley but Fatal Influence come in to say they aren’t impressed by the three of them. As usual, cattiness ensues.

Trick Williams doesn’t think any more of Sami Zayn because he has a title now. Tonight Williams is winning another title and then going on to Crown Jewel to face Roman Reigns. Williams and Lil Yachty go to leave but Yachty goes into Danhausen’s laboratory. And Danhausen has resurrected the Gingerbread Man. Well of course he has.

Jade Cargill vs. Tatum Paxley

The Baddies and Alexa Bliss are here too. Cargill is in Poison Ivy inspired gear, which Graves says has him wanting to watch Batman Forever. Given that Poison Ivy was in Batman & Robin rather than Batman Forever, that probably isn’t as big of a compliment as he meant. Paxley jumps her from behind to start but gets shouldered in the corner.

A sliding lariat gives Cargill two but Paxley’s jumping facebuster gets the same. They head outside where Paxley misses a moonsault and gets superkicked down as we take a break. We come back with Paxley getting two off a sunset flip and kicking Cargill in the head. A flipping kick to the back of the head puts Cargill down for two more. B-Fab and Bliss get into it on the floor, with the distraction leaving Cargill to hit Jaded for the pin at 9:07.

Rating: C+. The whole point here was to have Cargill looking dominant before the upcoming showdown with Charlotte. That has been set up for a long time now and it seems like a short matter of time before we actually see it happen. I’m not wild on Paxley losing, but this was about getting us ready for a much bigger match.

Post match Graves does correct himself on the Batman film situation.

Damian Priest is not happy that Trick Williams is getting a World Title shot and blames R-Truth for dragging him down. If he doesn’t get his World Title shot, he’s going to start stacking bodies. Fraxiom comes in to say they’re going to get a match with Priest to fix this stuff. Priest isn’t worried.

Here is Danhausen for his big announcement. First though, he has to make some adjustments, which brings out Gunther (Danhausen: “Aw s***.”) to beat him up. A powerbomb puts Danhausen through a table and they go inside, with Danhausen loading up another powerbomb. Cue the Minihausens, who get in a few shots but get taken out rather quickly. The minis are sent through a table as well and Danhausen gets sleepered, though he manages to send out a curse at the same time.

Cue the Demon, who rises off a table at the entrance to…we’ll say crawl towards the ring and Gunther knows this isn’t good. The Demon strikes away and, after no selling a belt shot, sends Gunther through a table. The Coup de Grace puts Gunther through the announcers’ table and Danhausen is rather thankful. This had a kind of weird but sound logic, as Danhausen being the one to bring back the Demon makes good sense.

Video on CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens, which will now be No Holds Barred.

Smackdown World Title: Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn

Only Zayn is defending and Lil Yachty, Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae are here too. Zayn takes him into the corner to start but gets punched in the face for his efforts. Williams rains down the right hands in the corner but is dumped out to the floor as we take an early break.

We come back with Williams shaking off the right hands to knock Zayn into the corner. Williams stomps him down and hits a spinning leg lariat for two more. The Bookend is countered into an exploder but the Helluva Kick is blocked to put them both down. Back up and the Bookend connects but Gargano pulls the referee out at two, which is enough for the match to be thrown out at 7:39.

Actually hang on as here is Nick Aldis to say the match is restarting, with the seconds heading to the back, and now No DQ. Williams uses the new rules to hit Zayn in the head with the Trick Stick for two as we take another break. We come back again with Williams getting in a neckbreaker to cut Zayn off. The Trick Kick gets two but the Bookend onto the chair is broken up. Zayn’s Blue Thunder Bomb gets two and the Trick Shot gives Williams the same. Williams grabs a belt but gets hit low, allowing Zayn to get in the belt shot to retain at 14:36.

Rating: B. Much like the opener, there was pretty much no reason to believe that the title change was in the card. At the same time though, this was about Williams getting to show how well he could do in a bigger match. Williams did well here and he’s all but destined to be a main eventer in due time.

Overall Rating: B-. Oh yeah it’s Crown Jewel season for sure as this is all about setting up the champion vs. champion matches. What do those matches get us? Well not very much for the most part but that’s how these things tend to go every year. The rest of the show was its usual self, as the build to Crown Jewel continues to be mostly mediocre at best.

Results
Chelsea Green b. Nikki Bella – Small package
Rey Fenix b. Ricky Saints – Mexican MuscleBuster
Jade Cargill b. Tatum Paxley – Jaded
Sami Zayn b. Trick Williams – Belt shot

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 29, 2026
Location: Dothan Civic Center, Dothan, Alabama
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re in a full on youth movement as the X-Division is getting a bit of a renewed focus thanks to the upcoming Destination X. That should make for a good show here as we might be getting to see something a bit different than usual. At the same time, the current X-Division Champion is the 44 year old Amazing Red, who is defending against Cedric Alexander this week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts TV Title: Jada Stone vs. M By Elegance

Elegance is defending. Stone starts fast and knocks her outside, setting up the early suicide dive. Back in and Elegance drops her right back over the top for a big crash. The dragon sleeper just seems to wake Stone up as she strikes away but gets knocked right back down. Elegance’s moonsault misses and a hurricanrana gives Stone two.

They trade some running shots against the ropes until the Spark Stunner has Elegance in trouble. A moonsault to the floor takes out the entire Elegance Brand and there’s a Spanish Fly off the steps. The Brand offers a distraction, though Mr. Elegance doesn’t seem happy with this and says he quits. Not that it matters as the kneeling tombstone retains the title at 6:40.

Rating: C+. This was about what you would have expected, with the Brand costing Stone the wind. At the same time though, the bigger deal here was the Mr. Elegance issue, though I’m not sure how much of a difference he’s going to make elsewhere. Good enough match though, as Elegance has done far better on her own than I would have expected.

The System is ready for Cedric Alexander to get the X-Division Title back tonight, but the team still doesn’t seem happy with Eddie Edwards.

An unknown man interrupts Daria Rae (and her stupid catchphrase) and says he’s an official observer sent by the Board Of Directors. Oh dear.

Zero vs. BDE

BDE’s early springboard is pulled out of the air but he slips away. A big right hand has BDE in trouble and a release suplex sends him crashing into the corner. Zero’s legdrop gets two but BDE gets in a springboard cutter. That just earns him a chokebomb for the pin at 3:01.

Rating: C. This was just a squash to show that Zero is still a monster after his time with Order 4 came to an end. That worked well here, as it was a total smashing of BDE to make the result happen. There isn’t much of another reason to have BDE around other than stuff like this and it worked out perfectly well enough.

Post match Rich Swann runs in for the save and gets chokebombed as well. Security comes in and is quickly taken out too.

Ricky Sosa and Fabian Aichner both enter the World X Cup and they’re ready to go, albeit respectfully.

Shotzi Blackheart talks about how she’s looking forward to hurting everyone.

X-Division Title: Amazing Red vs. Cedric Alexander

Red is defending. They run the ropes to start and a running shoulder sends Alexander outside. That means the big dive connects for Red and we take a break. We come back with Red caught in a waistlock. A Death Valley Driver gives Alexander two more and we’re right back on the waistlock.

Red fights up and hits a spinning DDT but Alexander plants him with a Michinoku Driver. They slug it out until Red gets some near falls off some rollups. A middle rope spinning faceplant has Alexander in even more trouble and sets up the Code Red to retain the title at 11:15.

Rating: B. Yeah this was the good stuff you would have expected, with Red still being this good in the ring being rather impressive. You wouldn’t think he would still have it this late into his career but he pulled it off again here. His title reign isn’t likely to last very long but he’s making the most of it and that’s cool to see.

Elayna Black comes up to see Heather By Elegance and suggests they both want the Knockouts TV Title.

Indi Hartwell journals about how hard it was to get here and how hard she’s working to keep the title.

The Apex runs in to say they’re here to end Hartwell’s dream and turn it into a nightmare. Shayna Baszler appears to be her next challenger.

Harley Hudson is in with the Righteous.

Fire N Flava are ready to make Shotzi Blackheart’s life miserable for attacking them.

John Skyler vs. AJ Francis

Mila Moore and Expressions are here too. Francis misses a charge into the corner to start and gets knocked outside. Expressions’ distraction lets Francis take over though and a running knee connects in the corner. Back in and Skyler hits a slingshot spear for two but Expressions and Moore get in an argument on the apron. Skyler is sent into Moore for the crash to the outside and Skyler is distracted, but still manages a springboard tornado DDT for two anyway. Francis is right back up with the Down Payment for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C+. I can’t believe it but I’m becoming a fan of Francis. He gets what it means to be a big monster heel and that’s what he should be doing. It’s working well and I could go for seeing what happens with him in a bigger role. What he does in the ring is what it is, but he’s a heck of a heel character and that’s what he needs to be.

Bear Bronson blames Cedric Alexander’s loss on Eddie Edwards and challenges him to a match for leadership of the System.

Daria Rae tells the representative that he’ll see how she does things her way. The representative, apparently named Brian Johnson, says he’ll do whatever to work around here.

Here is Leon Slater for a chat. He talks about growing up without a dad and now he’s made it all the way to the top of the mountain. His X-Division Title reigns are a blueprint for how he wants this to go, which includes facing all challengers. That brings him to Trey Miguel and the two of them got off to a bad start. He wants to make things right to his face so here is Miguel to join him.

Slater praises Miguel, saying he’ll be a World Champion but Slater isn’t done with it yet. Miguel says he’s fought his entire life as well but Slater was 14 when Miguel started around here. He hasn’t had a World Title shot in six years and he has no idea when another might come. Miguel respects him but wants to be on top as well. They have a staredown but it doesn’t seem that they dislike each other.

Ryan Nemeth vs. Elijah

This match is presented by the movie Stranglehold, which features Nemeth. Speaking of Nemeth, he grabs a headlock to start but gets knocked to the apron. Walk With Elijah connects but Nemeth is right back with some choking on the ropes. That earns Nemeth some choking in the middle of the ring (Elijah is a proper cheater.) and the Highwayman’s Farewell finishes Nemeth at 3:59.

Rating: C-. There wasn’t much to see here but that was kind of the point. This was more about plugging the movie (fine, as a sponsor is a sponsor) and having Elijah get a win before what is likely going to be a big match with Nic Nemeth. It’s not like there is any reason to have Ryan around and he’s fine enough in this low level pest role.

Post match Nic Nemeth runs in for the beatdown but Elijah guitars Ryan out.

Mustafa Ali tells Frankie Kazarian to worry about Avery Styles but Kazarian has this and tells Ali to worry about his own former stable.

The Hardys, carrying shovels, head into the boiler room (or close enough) to face the Syx in the Slaughterhouse match and the brawl is quickly on. Shaw beats on Jeff and crushes his head in a ladder but Jeff is right back up. Matt and Sawyer brawl off but Shaw is there to help take Matt down.

Matt is locked in a room and a board is put in front of the door so Jeff is back up to go after both of them. The Syx put a trashcan over Jeff’s head and then beat on it with axes as Amazing Grace plays. There was no match (or commentary) here but of all the violent ways to write Jeff off TV before a Canadian show, this was the most recent.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a big slower than what we had last week but it did a nice enough job to get us ready for Destination X. The renewed focus on the X-Division, even if it isn’t going to last long, is still a fun thing to see and we started getting some of the build towards the World X Cup. We also found another way to murder Jeff Hardy, which is often a fun way to go. The Red vs. Alexander match was good but the rest was just ok, with nothing else really standing out. Good enough show here, but not really something you need to see.

Results
M By Elegance b. Jada Stone – Kneeling Tombstone
Zero b. BDE – Chokebomb
Amazing Red b. Cedric Alexander – Code Red
AJ Francis b. John Skyler – Down Payment
Elijah b. Ryan Nemeth – Highwayman’s Farewell

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Ring Of Honor
Date: October 29, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re on the way to the biggest show of the year with Final Battle though it’s still too early to officially set anything up. Possibly before we get there though, World Champion Bandido has to deal with Bishop Kaun. That might be difficult as Swerve Strickland wrecked Bandido earlier this week so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a clip from Dynamite, with Swerve Strickland revealing that he has unmasked and bloodied Bandido. You know, ROH might feel more important if the World Champion wasn’t beaten up/taken out on AEW so often.

Brandon Cutler vs. Soleil

Cutler armdrags him down to start and hits a quick backsplash but Soleil sticks the landing off a hurricanrana. A running flipping Fameasser gives Soleil two but Cutler dropkicks him off the ropes. The dragon sleeper doesn’t last long for Cutler and Soleil slugs away, setting up something like a reverse House Call. Cutler is right back with a gutbuster and running knee for two but Soleil backflips away to avoid a clothesline. Instead it’s a cutter to finish Cutler at 5:22.

Rating: C+. This was a much more serious Cutler here and it’s a far better choice than what he has done most of the time. He’s not bad at all in the ring and it was nice to see that version of him. At the same time, Soleil was doing his usually impressive stuff, with that backflip into the cutter looking great.

The Kingdom and the Grizzled Young Veterans think AI can point them to another win. The Veterans admit that it’s worked before and they’re in, but don’t let them down.

We look at Bishop Kaun challenging Bandido last week.

Main Man Oro vs. Scorpio Sky

They trade arm control to start and Sky trips him down, with Oro refusing a handshake. Oro cuts him off on top and drops a knee before slapping Sky in the back of the head. We’re already off to the chinlock but Sky is up with some running shots of his own. The TKO is broken up and Oro gets in his neckbreaker for two.

They slug it out again and Sky backdrops him, with Oro seeming to have banged up his knee. Oro is fine enough to sweep the leg and send Sky outside for a fast dive. The running spinwheel kick in the corner and a discus lariat to the back of the head gives Oro two. They go outside again and slug it out, with Oro driving him into the steps. Both of them get back inside to beat the count and it’s Sky with a quick TKO for the pin at 9:23.

Rating: B-. I was expecting this to be Oro getting a win back to rebuild him but it’s nice to see Sky getting a win of his own. Sky is someone who can still be a good hand with anyone and boost anyone up. That’s what we had here, with a perfectly nice TV match between two talented wrestlers.

Post match respect is shown and they’re all friends.

We look at Athena recruiting Hyan as a Minion.

Cassie Lee vs. Lacey Lane

Jessie McKay is here with Lee, who starts fast to frustrated Lane early on. Lee sends her into the corner and they trade some missed shots, only for Lane to get two off a rollup. Lane knocks her outside where Lee hides behind McKay, allowing Lee to get in a kick to the face. Another shot gives Lee two and she hammers away in the corner, which is almost reversed into a powerbomb. Instead Lee tries another kick and gets reversed into a sunset flip to give Lane the pin at 5:43.

Rating: C. Lane didn’t have much offense here but it was another case where she needed a win. Lee and McKay are the kinds of stars who can be built back up in all of a few seconds after just being themselves. Lane is someone who needs wins like this one and it worked well enough here, even in a less than dominant performance.

Colons/Serpentico vs. Dante Casanova/Saieve Al Sabah/Chad Skywalker

Casanova spinebusters Serpentico before the bell and they’re starting fast. Serpentico gets sent into the wrong corner but comes out with a quick hurricanrana for the tag to Orlando. Al Sabah is right back with a suplex and Casanova gets in a slam. Skywalker’s slam into the chinlock doesn’t get him very far as Eddie is back up with a dropkick. Eddie comes in and cleans house as everything breaks down. The Backstabber to Al Sabah sets up the frog splash to give Serpentico the pin at 6:37.

Rating: C. I still do not get the appeal of the Colons and Serpentico, as Serpentico has been treated as a loser for years around here while the Colons haven’t meant anything forever. In theory they’re here to fill up time on the card, but dang that’s the case for a rather large number of people around here. The finish did at least look good though, as Serpentico has a pretty frog splash.

Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay call out Steph de Lander and seem to want revenge on Lacey Lane.

Lio Rush vs. Charles Crowley

Crowley takes off his had and reaches into it, finding a right hand to Rush. Back up and Rush rolls away, setting up a Thesz press. Crowley is sent outside for the suicide dive but he’s right back with another shot to the face for two more. A World’s Strongest Slam gives Crowley two but Rush bites his finger. Rush’s rolling kick to the head gets two but he dives into a spinning powerslam. Back up and Rush grabs a spinning DDT into his cutter choke for the win at 7:47.

Rating: C+. It was nice to have Rush back in the ring as he’s been gone for a good while. I’m still not sure why they took the title off of him but at least he’s back now and getting to showcase what he can do. Just find him something better to do than rehashing his feud with Action Andretti, because that’s not going to help him whatsoever.

We look at Lee Moriarty retaining the Pure Rules Title last week. This is described as a classic, which isn’t the case.

Top Flight/Bustah And The Brain vs. The Kingdom/Grizzled Young Veterans

The villains jump them from behind to start but we pause for an AI intervention. The Veterans aren’t having that and hit a pair of suicide dives. Back in and the Backpack Stunner is broken up but Taven knocks Top Flight down instead. Dante is back up to avoid Gibson and Darius comes in with a tornado DDT for two.

Gibson sends Dante throat first into the rope though and it’s Drake hitting a clothesline for two of his own. AI says Drake should stay in and Dante gets in a suplex. Bustah And The Brain come in to clean house as everything breaks down. A diving tag brings in Darius, with a standing Spanish Fly setting up the suicide dive to the floor. Just The Tip is broken up and Price hits a double top rope Blockbuster. The double underhook DDT finishes Gibson at 9:19.

Rating: B-. Take eight guys, give them time, have a fun match. The idea here is that the winners had regular chemistry together while the other side went with the AI stuff, which didn’t exactly pay off. It’s at least a story though and that’s more than a lot of the people around here can say.

Overall Rating: C+. Nice, relatively short show this week, even with pretty much nothing on the Bandido vs. Kaun front. I can’t imagine that’s where they’re going with Final Battle, but who is supposed to go after the title there otherwise? The right answer would seemingly be Swerve Strickland, but I don’t think that’s where it’s going. Either way, good enough show here, though the build to Final Battle needs to start soon.

Results
Soleil b. Brandon Cutler – Cutter
Scorpio Sky b. Main Man Oro – TKO
Lacey Lane b. Cassie Lee – Sunset flip
Colons/Serpentico b. Dante Casanova/Saieve Al Sabah/Chad Skywalker – Frog splash to Al Sabah
Lio Rush b. Charles Crowley – Cutter choke
Top Flight/Bustah And The Brain b. The Kingdom/Grizzled Young Veterans – Double underhook DDT to Gibson

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Evolve
Date: October 28, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Robert Stone, Blake Howard

The Evolve Title picture is a bit weird at the moment, as you have Harlem Lewis injured but not injured and…maybe he’s able to defend the title? It’s not entirely clear, but he’s probably not done with Harley Riggins. Other than that, the Mog Squad is having some issues of their own so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Elijah Holyfield promises to knock someone out tonight, whether it’s Braxton Cole or Marcus Mathers. Why not both?

Opening sequence.

Harley Riggins vs. Milosh Jovic

Jovic snaps off some armdrags into an armbar to start but Riggins is back up with right hands. Riggins sends him into the corner and it’s a stungun into a clothesline for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Riggins switches to a front facelock. Jovic fights back with a dropkick but Riggins drops him with a spear. The choke knee to the face finishes Jovic at 3:19.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t quite a squash but it was there for the sake of making Riggins look good. That’s all it needed to be as Riggins gets to run through some people until Harlem Lewis is back for the real fight. That’s all this needed to be, though Jovic looked good in defeat.

Post match Riggins sends Jovic into the steps and tries the big crush, with referees cutting him off.

Marcus Mathers is ready to show what being from Philadelphia is all about.

Here is Jasper Troy to say he is going to take everything over around here and wants someone to step up to him.

Jasper Troy vs. Jax Presley

Presley appears to have gone good now. Troy starts fast by sending him hard into the corner and gets two off a suplex. Presley is quickly out of a bearhug but gets stomped down without much trouble. Troy gets in the abdominal stretch for a bit, only to miss the Vader Bomb. Presley fires off some elbows in the corner and gets in a running clothesline for the pin at 5:29.

Rating: C. Presley didn’t get in a ton of offense here but I liked what I saw of him before his injury so hopefully he is able to get right back on the horse. He and Riggins remind me of a gimmick where the promoter said they looked like they had gone to a** kicking school rather than wrestling school. That still feels like the case and it worked well enough here. I’m hopeful for Presley’s future and that’s always a good sign.

We look at Max Abrams’ facial injuries and how hard he has been working on recovery. Abrams, with help from the Mog Squad, promises to be back and better than ever. The big PRAY FOR MAX banner is a nice touch.

Here is Sloane Jacobs to welcome us to the nationwide celebration of admiration for Nikkita Lyons. This brings out Lyons, who brags about her greatness and wants us to open our third eye and look to her future. Cue Anya Rune to say she is both the main character and on a winning streak. She wants a title shot, which has Lyons and Jacobs cracking up.

Cue Timothy Thatcher to say Rune needs one more win, with Thatcher saying that she can have a title shot if she beats Jacobs. However, Jacobs also said that Lyons could beat Wendy Choo, Skylar Raye and Thea Hail all at once (Lyons immediately knows where this is going and appears to have a headache) so she can have a four way title defense next week. And then Rune transforms into her ring gear (yes with lights) to clear them out.

Shido Ash is on his own at the moment but he’s here to win everything.

Aaron Rourke asks Laynie Luck to help her against Alix Brooks and Kale Dixon. Luck is in.

Elijah Holyfield vs. Marcus Mathers vs. Braxton Cole

Before the match, Cole says he is the perfect mixture of brains and athleticism and he’s ready to show it tonight. Holyfield drives Cole into the corner for the shoulders to start but Mathers breaks it up. Mathers dropkicks Cole down but Holyfield sends Cole outside. Back in and Cole quickly cleans house until Holyfield and Cole get in a fight on the floor. Naturally Mathers is right there for the big dive and we take a break.

We come back with Mathers dropkicking Cole for one but getting sent outside. Cole kicks the ropes for a low blow on Holyfield and an uppercut gets two. Mathers is dropped again and a neckbreaker hits Elijah but Cole goes after Mathers again. That lets Holyfield grab a spinebuster on Cole but Mathers is back in for the save to send Holyfield outside. Cole’s release Falcon Arrow gets two on Mathers but he takes a chair away from Cole back inside. That’s enough for Holyfield to hit the uppercut for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: B-. Well at least Mathers didn’t take the pin. I was expecting Cole to win here due to him not getting a promo until the entrances so it was nice to be wrong. Holyfield is clearly a big project and it’s easy to see why, so hiding his weaknesses in a match like this is a good idea. Nice job here, with the match going about as well as could be expected.

Thea Hail, Skylar Raye and Wendy Choo are ready to win the Women’s Title next week.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked this show, which had a focus on some non-top stories. The key there is focus though, as Evolve has figured out how to make just about anything feel important. That’s what we got here and it was a good event, as I continue to be surprised about how much they can do in about forty minutes a week. That’s hard to do and they make it work time after time.

Results
Harley Riggins b. Milosh Jovic – Choke knee to the face
Jax Presley b. Jasper Troy – Running clothesline
Elijah Holyfield b. Braxton Cole and Marcus Mathers – Uppercut to Cole

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Dynamite
Date: October 28, 2026
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s the Halloween Dynamite with Fright Night, which very well could mean some snappy costumes. We also have some title shots with the TBS and TNT Titles on the line. That’s all in addition to the build towards Full Gear and Blood & Guts, which should make for a rather full show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Commentary runs down the card.

Death Riders vs. The Cut

Yes the Cut, as The Last Outfit was dropped after less than a day. Moxley and White start things off and of course White hands it off to Finlay instead. That’s fine with Moxley, who chops away in the corner before it’s off to Garcia. The Cut stomps him down in the corner, which doesn’t last long either as it’s back to Moxley. That means White bails out to the floor and Finlay takes over on Moxley’s leg.

Now White is willing to come in and crank on said leg, followed by a chinlock. Garcia gets in a running clothesline and hammers away on both villains in the corner at the same time. The Dragontamer goes on and is broken up just as fast, with the brawl heading outside as we take a break.

We come back with Garcia neckbreakering his way out of trouble and bringing Moxley back in. A bunch of rights and lefts in the corner have White rocked and Moxley sends him outside for a whip into the steps. Back in and the Paradigm Shift connects, setting up the running corner clotheslines. There’s the cutter to White and a dive to Finlay, with Garcia getting two on White. Cue Ace Austin so Wheeler Yuta cuts him off, allowing Clark Connors to spear Garcia. The Blade Runner gives White the pin at 14:06.

Rating: B-. This is what it should have been with White looking to be on the way towards a big Continental Title match with Moxley. Have him win some matches against Moxley and company to set that up and everything should go well. The Cut (thank goodness for that name change) is already feeling like a threat and that’s nice to see.

Post match the beatdown continues with Gabe Kidd’s save not working. Claudio Castagnoli comes in for the real save though and the Death Riders grab chairs to clean house. Moxley issues the challenge for Anarchy In The Arena at Full Gear.

We look back at the challenge being thrown out for the women’s Blood & Guts on Collision.

Jack Perry vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher bails outside for an early hug from Don Callis so Perry goes outside for one from Taz. Back in and Fletcher backs him into the corner before taking Perry down. Perry knocks him outside for a dropkick into the barricade and then sends him over said barricade. Another running dropkick knocks Fletcher off the barricade but Fletcher gets in a leg lariat. We take a break and come back with Perry still in trouble off a slam.

Another slam wakes Perry up a bit and he gets in a hard clothesline. Fletcher is sent outside for some dives but catches the third into an apron bomb. Perry is fine enough to snap off a hurricanrana to the floor but Fletcher snaps off a dragon suplex. The brainbuster gives Fletcher two so he hammers away in the corner, with Perry reversing into a powerbomb.

Perry is back with a poisonrana into the Snare Trap, sending Fletcher straight over to the rope. They fight in the corner, with Fletcher getting caught in a super hurricanrana. Perry gets superkicked out of the air and the brainbuster onto the buckle finishes for Fletcher at 16:22.

Rating: C+. So Fletcher seems to be in line for another big push, though I’m not sure what is left for him to do outside of winning the World Title, which he shouldn’t be doing soon. Then you have Perry, who was getting warm for a bit and then got smacked down by Samoa Joe. That’s only going to get him so far for so long without a change.

Post match Fletcher challenges Will Ospreay for the World Title at Full Gear.

Video on Blood & Guts, as narrated by Dean Malenko, known violent wrestler.

Here is the New Level for a chat. They’re not sure about the idea of a Texas Deathmatch as they haven’t been around long enough to hate Brodido. They kind of like the champs but they like the idea of taking the Trios Titles that much better. Cue Brody King but Hangman Page calls him off, again saying we don’t want to get into a Texas Deathmatch. Hold on though as here is Prince Nana to point at the screen.

We see Swerve Strickland holding Bandido’s match, which he then puts back on a rather bloody Bandido. Back in the arena and King thinks New Level was behind the attack, with Page having to calm him down as they plead their innocence. I get the idea, but they’re already having Anarchy In The Arena. Do we really need another big team violence match? Especially with Blood & Guts so close to Full Gear?

Don Callis and his Family are ready to beat various opponents.

FTR vs. Motor City Machine Guns

Match #3 (1-1 so far) in a best of five series and Stokely is dressed as James Brown. Shelley and Harwood go to the mat to start with Shelley getting an armbar, allowing Sabin to come in and stay on the arm. The Guns take turns on the arm, followed by the Dream Sequence. Harwood needs a breather on the floor, which allows him to take over on Sabin back inside. It’s right back to Shelley, with Wheeler having to make a fast save. FTR is sent outside and we take a break.

We come back with Sabin hitting his big suicide dive but Harwood rolls through a high crossbody for two. Wheeler gets in a powerslam and Harwood’s slingshot powerbomb connects, albeit on the illegal man for no count. Shelley breaks up the PowerPlex but the second attempt is a lot more successful for a near fall. Some rollups get two each on Harwood and a Shatter Machine drops Harwood for two more. Back up and Wheeler grabs a German suplex but Shelley rolls through into a cradle to pin Harwood at 12:58.

Rating: B. You know what you’re going to get with these guys and the matches are still good. The important part here is that we’re already over halfway done with the series and it hasn’t overstayed its welcome yet. In other words, it’s still going to be fresh when they wrap it up and that’s a great thing to see.

Post match FTR shakes hands but throw powder in the Guns’ eyes and take out Shelley’s knee.

Queen Aminata and Persephone have a staredown in the back, with Britt Baker (in a 1972 Olympics sweatshirt and looking rather large in….some kind of costume) mocking Aminata.

Here is Tommaso Ciampa for a chat. He had the National Title won at WrestleDream and everyone but the referee saw it. That’s why he’ll be taking on Matt Sydal this Saturday on Collision, which is a message to Andrade that he wants a rematch. This brings out Ilja Dragunov, who takes issue with Ciampa saying he can beat anyone. Ciampa might have a match set for Collision, but what about the two of them fight right now? The fight is teased but Ciampa bails instead. Yeah this should work.

Roderick Strong wants the Conglomeration to be more serious and they’re facing the Cut on Collision.

Marina Shafir vs. Rachel Armstrong

Shafir sends her into the corner to start and hammers away, followed by some judo throws. A double underhook facebuster sets up Mother’s Milk to make Armstrong give up at 1:37.

Post match Shafir calls out, and receives, Mercedes Mone. They argue about genitalia and Mone slaps her (with Shafir allowing it) but Shafir takes her into the corner. Cue the Cut to jump Jon Moxley (who was on commentary) as well as Gabe Kidd for trying to make a save. More Death Riders are beaten down as well so here is Claudio Castagnoli with a trashcan.

Castagnoli throws the trashcan at a Gunn….and it bounces back to Castagnoli, who catches it on the fly in a stroke of luck that made the save that much better.. Juice Robinson chairs Castagnoli in the back and Castagnoli gives him an amazing glare, with Robinson being too stupid to know he’s about to die. The Cut finally holds Castagnoli back for a wrench shot to the head to put him down. White isn’t done and gives Castagnoli a Blade Runner on the exposed concrete. Good beatdown, but nothing was topping that trashcan catch.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Josh Alexander

Allin is defending and tries to start fast but gets knocked outside rather quickly. Alexander sends him into the steps and they go up to the apron. Allin gets caught in an ankle lock, followed by a scary German suplex onto said apron. Taz is of course right there to talk about the physics until Allin throws Alexander off the top for a crash onto the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Allin’s Coffin Drop to the floor being countered into a release German suplex. Allin is of course able to pop back up for a suicide dive but comes up favoring his elbow. Back in and Allin gets Alexander’s head gear off for some hard shots, setting up the Scorpion Deathlock. That’s broken up so they go outside again, with Allin sitting him in a chair. Alexander gets up and trips Allin down before setting up another chair.

A jumping Tombstone off the apron sends Allin through both chairs, say it with me, for two (34 seconds later) so here is RPG Vice. Cue Steven Borden (in a clown mask in the front row) for the save and Alexander gets the ankle lock. That’s reversed into a Last Supper to retain the title at 13:19 (or 2:15 after Allin got Tombstoned through chairs).

Rating: C. Yeah whatever. I was getting into the match and then Allin took that ridiculous bump which just slowed him down a bit rather than, you know, HURTING HIM. We got the idea of Allin a long time ago and yet here he is, doing more dumb stuff and surviving it every time. If driving him from the apron through two chairs doesn’t finish him, why would I think anything else would?

We look at some AEW moments in St. Louis.

Steven Borden says he’s doing this because something like Blood & Guts is in the Borden Family. He trusts his teammates and Darby Allin wants blood and guts.

TBS Title: Queen Aminata vs. Persephone

Persephone, with Britt Baker, is defending (thankfully commentary points out that Baker is Miss Trunchbull from Matilda, which leaves me less confused). Aminata starts fast with an attempt at the Chocolate Kisses, with Persephone breaking out rather quickly. Back up and they chop it out until Aminata gets in a running faceplant. Now the Chocolate Kisses connect but a Baker distraction lets Persephone choke in the ropes.

We take a break and come back with Aminata caught in a headscissors but crawling over to the rope. A headbutt sets up the clothesline comeback on Persephone, followed by a fisherman’s neckbreaker. One heck of a hard stomp gives Aminata two but Persephone is up with a spear.

Aminata sends her into the ropes though and Off With Her Head sends Persephone crashing to the floor. Persephone is sat in a chair for a running dropkick but Baker gets in a belt shot. Back in and Persephone’s moonsault gets two, leaving Aminata to hit another headbutt. Off With Her Head gives Aminata the title at 13:27.

Rating: B-. Aminata still doesn’t do much for me but what matters here is that she got to win something. She has spent a lot of time being built up and now she has finally gotten somewhere, which has been lacking for her entire time in AEW. The company definitely deserves credit for trying someone new and hopefully it works out.

The locker room comes out to celebrate with Aminata to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Overall, the show was a good one with some nice action (and the latest stupid Allin moment) but I’m not sure why this show had a special branding. You had a few people in costume (Renee Paquette had some cat ears and Persephone and Aminata were in black and orange) but there was no special themed match or promo or really anything that made this show feel special. Anyway, the good thing is they built towards the two upcoming big events and that’s a hard thing to do with two major things coming up so soon.

Results
The Cut b. Death Riders – Blade Runner to Garcia
Kyle Fletcher b. Jack Perry – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
Motor City Machine Guns b. FTR – Rollup to Harwood
Marina Shafir b. Rachel Armstrong – Mother’s Milk
Darby Allin b. Josh Alexander – Last Supper
Queen Aminata b. Persephone – Off With Her Head

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

An underrated Austin moment, but a much better Foley moment:

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-wwe-raw-review-7-14-97/