Smackdown
Date: October 16, 2026
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re done with Money In The Bank and have a few weeks to go before Crown Jewel, wherever it is going to be taking place. That means it’s time for champion vs. champion matches, because this is still a thing that we’re doing. Other than that, Randy Orton is here to meet Cody Rhodes face to face again. Let’s get to it.

Here is Money In The Bank if you need a recap.

Here are Sami Zayn, Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae to get things going. Zayn hates to say he told us so but everyone who has been coming after his title has gotten what they deserve. This includes Trick Williams, who comes out to interrupt. Williams says this is personal because he makes Zayn see everyone turning on him. Zayn says Williams disrespected him by turning this into a joke because that’s all Williams knows how to do. Williams says Zayn looks like a joke and usually he says “let’s talk about it”, but he’s done talking. Gargano cuts Williams off, saying this is disrespectful to Zayn because Williams doesn’t have the gold. That doesn’t work for Williams and the match is on.

Trick Williams vs. Johnny Gargano

Non-title and Candice LeRae and Sami Zayn are here with Gargano. We’re joined in progress with Gargano working on a headlock but Williams drops him with a shoulder. A rather delayed suplex has Gargano bailing out to the floor so Williams throws him back in. Zayn offers a distraction though and Gargano scores with a suicide dive over the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Williams knocking him into the corner. They trade some big shots in the corner with Gargano actually getting the better of things. Williams faceplants him down but LeRae offers a distraction, allowing Gargano to grab a tornado DDT for two of his own. The slingshot spear is kneed out of the air though and a Bookend finishes for Williams at 11:00.

Rating: B-. It was a good win for Williams, even without the title being on the line. Williams is on that weird border between the main event and the midcard scene, which makes wins like these more valuable. Gargano is in a strange place of his own, as he’s kind of a lackey but not an intentional one, which makes for a situation that could go in a few different directions.

We look at Tiffany Stratton winning Money In The Bank again.

Nick Aldis tells Blake Monroe that she’s facing Giulia in a street fight next week. Chelsea Green comes in to ask if Liv Morgan is here, with Aldis saying she isn’t. Judgment Day might be in the future though, as Roxanne Perez might be getting a title shot. Nikki Bella comes in to say she’s getting a title shot soon. Green isn’t impressed, which isn’t a surprise as Bella can take the fun out of anything.

Back in March, Randy Orton attacked Cody Rhodes.

Paige vs. Nikki Bella

Bella jumps her to start and they’re quickly on the floor, where Paige sends Bella into the barricade a few times. A baseball slide misses for Bella and Paige ties her in the ring skirt to hammer away again. Bella goes after the hip and slams her on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Paige hitting some clotheslines and suplexes to put Bella in trouble. A rake to the eyes breaks up the Paige Turner and Bella grabs the STF. That’s broken up and Paige knocks her down again but Bella’s big forearm gets two. The referee almost gets bumped, allowing Paige to grab a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 9:18.

Rating: C. I’m trying so hard to care about anything these two do and it’s not working at all. This was about Paige evening the score with Bella by pinning her again but as long as Bella is out there talking, it brings down anything they’re doing anywhere else. The match was fine enough, but I don’t care about the people involved and that’s hard to overcome.

R-Truth is ready to face Damian Priest, who has been stepping on his pinkie toe. And something about arroz con pollo.

Video on Penta winning the Money In The Bank briefcase.

Nick Aldis checks on Kevin Owens, who is happy because CM Punk didn’t win the briefcase. Punk comes in and Aldis tells them to not fight until he can sell tickets. Until then, stay away from each other.

R-Truth vs. Damian Priest

R-Truth jumps him before the bell to start but runs into a boot in the corner. The Broken Arrow drops R-Truth again and Priest chokes on the ropes. The double arm crank goes on for a bit, followed by the lifting Downward Spiral to cut off the comeback. Priest charges into a boot in the corner and R-Truth pulls himself up for a missile dropkick…but is hurt in the process. The medics come in and the match is thrown out at about 3:30. No rating, but they were starting to pick things up at the end.

Post match Priest grabs a chair so Fraxiom run in for the (non-physical) save.

Gunther rants about hurting Danhausen to Nick Aldis, who is in his chair and doesn’t respond. Well in theory at least, as Gunther turns the chair around to reveal Danhausen. Gunther promises to ruin Danhausen’s Halloween, which is notable as Danhausen is set to host NXT’s Halloween Havoc that night.

Here are Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley to celebrate their Women’s Tag Team Title win. Bliss talks about how Charlotte wanted to be involved in this match but she supports the two of them. As for Paxley, she may be new around here but she deserves this. Paxley thanks Charlotte for always being there for her and has a gift whenever Charlotte gets back.

This brings out Fatal Influence, with the injured Fallon Henley ranting about Tiffany Stratton stealing the Money In The Bank briefcase. Oh and Charlotte doesn’t think anything of them and Bliss is just a convenience for her. Paxley is ready for a rematch so the fight is on with Fatal Influence getting beaten down as the champions leave.

Rey Fenix is proud of Penta winning Money In The Bank but Sami Zayn interrupts. Zayn sucks up to him a bit and asks if he has talked to Penta. Fenix doesn’t know what Penta is planning, which leaves Zayn frustrated.

We look back at Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes at Summerslam.

Jade Cargill and the Baddies tell Fatal Influence they have the next Women’s Tag Team Title shot.

AAA Cruiserweight Title: Rey Fenix vs. Ricky Saints

Saints is challenging. They trade shoulders to start and Fenix snaps off a running hurricanrana, followed by the rope walk kick to the head. Saints is knocked outside for the big dive and we take a break. We come back with Fenix escaping the Roshambo and grabbing the handspring cutter for two.

There’s the frog splash for two more so Saints gives him a Death Valley Driver for the same. What looked to be a superplex attempt is countered into a failed Mexican MuscleBuster attempt. Instead a super hurricanrana brings Saints down, with Saints shoving the referee into the ropes. Now Roshambo can connect but the referee won’t count, with Saints arguing enough to get disqualified at 9:27.

Rating: C+. The ending was a bit of a surprise but I’m guessing the idea is to turn Saints into a longer term challenger for the title. That’s not the most exciting thing but I’ll take that over having the same nothing title defenses week after week. That has been the case for way too long and I don’t need to see it continue that way. Saints isn’t the best challenger in the world but he’s better than nothing.

Post match Saints lays Fenix out again.

We look at Randy Orton beating Cody Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Rhodes comes up to Nick Aldis to ask about Orton. Aldis hasn’t seen him and Rhodes is off to the ring.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Rhodes, in a chair, for a chat. He was demanded a face to face with Orton but gets Baron Corbin of all people instead. Corbin is tired of hearing so much about Rhodes, because he just doesn’t have that killer instinct. The day Corbin came back, he took out everyone in the ring and now he’ll do it again here to Rhodes. The brawl is teased and Rhodes says get a referee out here.

Cody Rhodes vs. Baron Corbin

We’re joined in progress with Corbin knocking Rhodes (who is in workout gear) down for two. Corbin misses a charge in the corner though and they clothesline each other down. Back up and Rhodes hits the powerslam into the Bionic Elbow. The Disaster Kick connects but here is Orton to jump Rhodes for the DQ at 2:46 shown.

Post match Orton goes after Rhodes but gets taken down by the Cody Cutter. The super Cody Cutter puts Corbin down as well but Rhodes isn’t done. Rhodes gives Corbin a Punt (not shown on Netflix) and Orton knows he’s in trouble to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one as it had some moments, but there were too many times here where it stopped feeling interesting. The Orton/Rhodes stuff isn’t overly interesting until they actually have Rhodes pull the trigger in a match. That isn’t currently scheduled and it could be awhile before it happens. The only other big story is Zayn and the World Title, which is basically “I wonder if Penta is going to cash in on me”. Not the most thrilling show here and they have a lot to cover before Crown Jewel.

Results
Trick Williams b. Johnny Gargano – Bookend
Paige b. Nikki Bella – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Damian Priest vs. R-Truth went to a no contest due to referee stoppage
Rey Fenix b. Ricky Saints via DQ when Saints argued with the referee
Cody Rhodes b. Baron Corbin via DQ when Randy Orton 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

Hey everyone.

The family and I are heading for England for a few weeks to see the in-laws (back on October 30). I’ll have my laptop with me but my wrestling time will be limited. While I’m there I’ll cover what I can when I can, but I’m absolutely not going to be at my usual speed. I’m sorry for the issues but the idea of flying thousands of miles to watch ROH makes my soul hurt. I’ll be around when I can and if nothing else I might throw up some old stuff. I’m sorry for the issues.

Thanks as always,

KB

With some hidden gems and me in attendance.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-tna-sacrifice-2022-review/

This is what happens when I think about wrestling after a long day.  I’m sorry.

https://www.smarkdownsblog.com/wwe-animal-mascots-fantasy-booking

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 15, 2026
Location: Dothan Civic Center, Dothan, Alabama
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Bound For Glory and there were a bunch of title changes. The biggest of them all was the World Title, with Leon Slater becoming the youngest World Champion in company history. We also have a new X-Division Champion in newly inducted Hall Of Famer Amazing Red, who joined the match for the vacant title at the last minute. As for tonight though, the Hardys are in charge in honor of their 35 years in wrestling. Oh dear. Let’s get to it.

Here is Bound For Glory if you need a recap.

Long Bound For Glory recap.

Opening sequence.

Here are the Hardys to get things going. They brag about Bound For Glory and promise that tonight will be especially extreme. That includes a brother vs. brother match, though not between the two of them. Instead it’s Nic Nemeth vs. Ryan Nemeth and if either of them lose on purpose, they’re stripped of the Tag Team Titles. Matt previews the rest of the show and then brings out Amazing Red, the new X-Division Champion.

The Hardys praise Red for his win but Red says he’s here because of them. That’s not all though as Matt brings out new World Champion Leon Slater, who talks about how much this means for the X-Division. Slater says his mother has always been his rock and will face anyone who wants a shot. Jeff Hardy would like one but instead we’ll have a five way ladder match for the #1 contendership tonight. Sure why not.

The Nemeths aren’t happy with their match tonight but Nic would rather complain about not getting his World Title rematch. He’s not even in the ladder match!

The System comes in to see the vacationing Santino Marella, who leaves rather than dealing with them. Hold on though as the System argues a bit over their less than successful Bound For Glory.

Nic Nemeth vs. Ryan Nemeth

They take their time to start and don’t exactly go after each other. A rather gentle kick to the leg puts Nic down as the referee doesn’t look impressed. Ryan goes for a cover but cue the Hardys to say not so fast. They sit down on the stage and say fight or be stripped of the titles. They trade rollups with tights/trunks for two each and the Hardys again try to make them fight. Nic hits a superkick and yells at the Hardys, who want him to do it one more time. A Fameasser finishes Ryan at 5:00.

Rating: C-. This was barely a match and more about the Hardys getting to torment the Nemeths. That’s a good way to go as the show is all about the Hardys, but my goodness can we just get the Hardys away from the titles? Or at least until after they win a match after their loss at Bound For Glory?

Post match Nic again complains about not being in the #1 contenders match.

The Hardys run into AJ Francis and Expressions, the latter of whom wants Francis to get a World Title shot tonight. Instead the Hardys say they’ll face the two of them tonight, which has Expressions responding as expected.

Harley Hudson runs into the Righteous and offers them luck tonight against the Syx. She seems to want to be out there with them.

Righteous vs. Syx

Tables match and both members have to go through to lose. They slug it out with the Righteous getting the better of things. Everyone goes outside and grab the tables as we take an early break. We come back with Sawyer dropping Vincent with the handspring clothesline.

Vincent is knocked off the apron and onto a table, which doesn’t break, so Sawyer goes outside to powerbomb him through it (nice, quick save for a misfire on the table). Dutch knocks Sawyer through another table at ringside and we’re tied up. Another table is loaded up but Sawyer’s distraction lets Shaw slam him through said table for the win at 9:35.

Rating: C+. This was just about the Hardys getting to screw with two teams they don’t like. As a result, it’s a tables match despite not needing to be in any way. The Syx continue to move up the ranks and have been protected thus far. Now just keep it that way and don’t let the Hardys drag them down for eight months and it should work out.

The Hardys run into Frankie Kazarian and Avery Styles, who are ready to get their Tag Team Title shot. Matt approves, but says they can have a title shot without the trophy being cashed in when the Hardys get the titles back.

We get closeups of Allie and then Rosemary, the latter of whom is smiling.

AJ Francis/Expressions vs. Hardys

Jeff avoids a charging Francis to start and works on the arm, with Matt doing the same. A double suplex puts Francis down again so Expressions offers a distraction. Francis gets in a big boot and Expressions comes in to stomp away. A bearhug goes on but Expressions misses an elbow, allowing Matt to come back in. Francis is tied in the Tree Of Woe while Expressions gets Twist Of Fated a few times. The Swanton finishes him off at 5:34.

Rating: C. This was similar to the opener as it wasn’t really about the match itself but rather just something to get the Hardys in the ring. That being said, it worked out just fine because there was no reason for this to be anything more than a squash. While I’m sick of the Hardys, having them beat up an annoying manager is a perfectly fine use of them.

Xia Brookside/Apex vs. Gabby Forza/Harley Hudson/Indi Hartwell

Brookside immediately hands it off to Baszler, who gets to start with Hartwell. Baszler takes her down to try the arm stomp, with Hartwell breaking it up rather quickly. Hartwell tries running the ropes but gets dropped by Serrano, who came in off a blind tag. It’s back to Baszler to stay on the arm, with Brookside getting to grab an armbar. That’s broken up and Forza comes in for a double suplex. Everything breaks down and Hudson is left alone with the Apex, which she knows is a bad thing. She’s willing to fight but is launched into a knee to the face, setting up the Kirifuda Clutch to make Hudson tap at 4:28.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird match here, with Apex smashing through Hudson and not having much trouble with Hartwell either. That’s a good way to make Apex look good, but it didn’t do much for Hartwell, the new Knockouts Champion. I do like Baszler being here, but maybe don’t have another former WWE star come in and be the most awesome thing ever?

Trey Miguel vs. Ricky Sosa vs. Jason Hotch vs. Moose vs. Elijah

Non-title ladder match for the World Title shot at Destination X and Leon Slater is on commentary. Moose and Sosa are left alone in the ring to start and the slugout is on, with Moose dropkicking him off the top and out to the floor. Elijah is cut off so Moose clotheslines Sosa for a loop. Miguel is back in to go after Sosa, who is taken down by Hotch’s rolling neckbreaker (as stolen from Mustafa Ali).

Hotch takes down Moose and Elijah with a double DDT but Miguel is back in with a poisonrana. Moose dives onto Elijah and grabs the ladder, which is cut off by Sosa as we take a break. We come back with a ladder actually set up in the ring, with Elijah and Hotch slugging it out near the top. Sosa is back in but gets shoved off the ladder and into the turnbuckle. Moose sets up the bridged ladder on the floor, with Miguel giving him a tornado DDT.

Miguel goes up and gets pulled down into Hotch’s torture rack neckbreaker. Cue Mustafa Ali to distract Hotch as the two brawl up the ramp and into the back. Sosa pulls Miguel off the ladder and into Elijah’s jumping knee. Moose is back in to powerbomb Sosa…in the general vicinity of the bridged ladder for a scary looking crash. Back up and Elijah gives Moose a springboard guitar shot but here is Nic Nemeth to cut Elijah off. Nemeth tries to go up but gets cut off by Miguel, who goes up and gets the contract at 17:53.

Rating: B-. It’s a ladder match. We saw two of them at Money In The Bank over the weekend and another at All Out a few weeks ago. Seeing TNA run a ladder match of their own so soon after just makes it feel like TNA trying to keep up. Miguel winning is a good choice as Slater can have a nice first defense to get his reign off to the right kind of start. This just didn’t need to be a ladder match, and it was quite the use of Hotch fresh off of his International Title win. Not bad, but not the best timing for something like this.

Post match the Hardys come out to thank the fans and TNA as Slater and Miguel have a respectful staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was mainly about the Hardys getting to do their thing all night long. That’s all well and good, but it’s not the right time to do something like that, as this put Bound For Glory WAY onto the backburner. The Hardys have gotten more tributes over the years than anyone could ever use and this was just another on the pile. Too much stuff was pushed off to the side here and it doesn’t help that I’m sick of seeing the Hardys/being told how great they are. At least it wasn’t another Broken Universe show, but that’s only so much of a bar to clear.

Results
Nic Nemeth b. Ryan Nemeth – Fameasser
Syx b. Righteous – Slam through a table
Hardys b. AJ Francis/Expressions – Swanton to Expressions
Xia Brookside/Apex b. Gabby Forza/Harley Hudson/Indi Hartwell – Kirifuda Clutch to Hudson
Trey Miguel b. Ricky Sosa, Jason Hotch, Moose and Elijah – Miguel pulled down the contract

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 15, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re slowly approaching Final Battle and that means it is time to get ready to start thinking about the build to the show. Then again, there is always the chance that everything will be announced at the last minute with pretty much no particular rhyme or reason. That’s the case around here more often than not so let’s get to it.

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

Athena is ready for a Minion In Power meeting, starting with bringing in Hyan. Athena doesn’t seem happy with Hyan beating Billie Starkz and kind of offers to make her a Minion In Training. Hyan doesn’t seem overly interested. The audio on this was rather hard to hear for some reason.

Opening sequence.

AR Fox/Top Flight vs. JD Ink/Matt Mako/Charles Crowley

Crowley takes Darius into the corner to start so it’s off to Mako, who is atomic dropped. A bulldog sends Mako into Darius’ knee and Dante hits a standing moonsault. Darius is sent outside though and Crowley is right there to stomp away, followed by a jumping knee back inside. Darius flips away though and it’s off to Fox to clean house. Mako is pulled into a cutter and Top Flight hit dives to the floor. That leaves Fox to 450 Mako for the pin at 4:40.

Rating: C+. The non-winners got in some offense here and I’ve seen good things from both Crowley and Mako in the past. At the same time, Fox continues to manage to make things that he’s done quite a few times feel new, which is rather impressive work. The match was what it should have been, as they thankfully didn’t spend a bunch of time when it wasn’t needed.

Mina Shirakawa doesn’t think much of the way Isla Dawn dresses.

The Beast Mortos vs. QT Marshall

Marshall’s running shoulder doesn’t do much damage to start and Mortos snaps off a running headscissors. A running headscissors sends Mortos to the floor but he switches places with Marshall for the corkscrew dive. Marshall is sent into the steps and they take turns raining down right hands in the corner. Mortos powerbombs him down though and we’re off to a chinlock.

Back up and Mortos takes him into the corner, where Marshall is back with a sitout powerbomb. They slug it out from their knees and feet until Marshall gets in a missile dropkick, followed by a Lionsault for two. Mortos is back up with a Tombstone into a gutbuster and a pop up Samoan drop gets two. Marshall gets up with a handspring kick to the head to send Mortos outside for the suicide dive. That and a top rope elbow combine for two but Mortos gives him a pop up headbutt. A chokebomb finally finishes Marshall at 9:39.

Rating: B. Well that was a nice surprise. These guys had a heck of a back and forth match and it was not something I would have expected. Marshall is a totally decent hand in the ring most of the time and Mortos is a talented power wrestler. That turned out to give us a good match and better than I would have bet on seeing here.

Bandido has officially broken the record for most days as ROH World Champion.

We look at ELP beating Adam Brooks at Death Before Dishonor back in August. This of course gets ELP a TV Title match tonight.

We recap Emi Sakura turning on Deonna Purrazzo to set up their Women’s Pure Rules Title match.

Women’s Pure Rules Title: Emi Sakura vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Purrazzo is defending. Sakura goes for the arm at the bell and Purrazzo has used the first break about five seconds into the match. Back in and the Fujiwara armbar has Sakura getting to the rope for her first break. Purrazzo ties up the leg but Sakura bites her way to freedom, which is less than a technical solution. A Figure Four goes on and is quickly reversed, with Sakura using her second break.

Purrazzo starts in on the rope and the Fujiwara armbar sends Sakura to the rope for her final break. Sakura’s Fujiwara has Purrazzo using a second break and they clothesline each other down. Back up and Purrazzo wins a slugout but gets taken down with a neckbreaker. A spinning Vader Bomb gives Sakura two so Purrazzo grabs another Fujiwara for the tap to retain at 9:17.

Rating: B-. I guess this was the big blowoff match between them and I’m not sure it was worth the build to the thing. It was pretty much just a Pure Rules match with Purrazzo winning like she always does. I still see no reason for this title to exist as Purrazzo has been champion forever and shows up for occasional defenses. Does that really require a belt?

The Dark Order wants a Six Man Tag Team Title shot but John Silver isn’t here due to protests. Preston Vance comes in to offer his services and is reinstated.

Premiere Athletes/Beef vs. Adrian Alanis/Nic Nolan/Parker Li

The Athletes and Beef jump them before the bell and the destruction starts fast. Nolan, who wears suspenders with his trunks, is taken out by an assisted elevated DDT at 1:30. Total squash.

We look at Hyan beating Billie Starkz last week.

Athena vs. Sirena Lenton

Non-title Proving Ground match. They trade wrist control to start and Athena is sent outside, leaving Lenton to celebrate a bit. Back in and a running boot sends Lenton outside before Athena ties her in the Tree Of Woe. Some running kicks have Lenton in more trouble but the near fall has Athena frustrated. Lenton’s Samoan drop slows Athena down and a top rope twisting moonsault gives Lenton two. Athena is right back with some rolling German suplexes and an AA into the corner. A curb stomp finishes Lenton off at 7:30.

Rating: C. This was in fact an Athena Proving Ground match and by this point, you know what that means. There isn’t much of a reason to believe that Athena is going to lose, which will make for a huge moment when she does but it’s making for a pretty dull run these days. She has no competition and given how her Final Battle defenses seem to go, odds are her competition will just show up out of nowhere.

Post match Athena stays on her but Hyan comes in, only to spear Lenton by mistake.

Matt Sydal vs. Bryan Keith

As usual, Keith throws his gear at Sydal, who is smart enough to fire off a jumping knee. Sydal knocks him down again and hits a kind of standing reverse Fameasser for two. The standing moonsault gives Sydal two more but Keith is back up with a t-bone suplex. Keith’s running knee drops Sydal and another knee to the head gets two. Sydal slips out of a suplex but gets caught in a DDT to leave them both down.

Keith misses a Helluva Kick though and Sydal kicks at the leg, followed by a big kick to the head for two more. The shooting star press is broken up, as is Keith’s tiger bomb with Sydal rolling him up for another near fall. Sydal knocks him down again and finishes with the shooting star press at 8:31.

Rating: B. As much as I do not particularly get the point in having Sydal go over anyone at this point, he can still wrestle a mostly smooth, high flying match. He looked good in the process here, though I’m rather surprised that Keith got beat here. Then again Keith hasn’t had much to do lately so hopefully this changes him up a bit.

Post match Keith won’t shake hands.

Isla Dawn is ready to use Mina Shirakawa as a stepping stone.

TV Title: ELP vs. Action Andretti

Andretti is defending and would rather flip ELP off rather than shake his hand. They trade flipping escapes from a wristlock to start and it’s a clapping standoff. An exchange of missed dropkicks let them both flip up to another standoff and Andretti wants to go out for a breather. Back in and a springboard hurricanrana takes Andretti down but he goes to the leg to take over again.

A Hennig necksnap gives Andretti two but ELP is back up with a dropkick to leave them both down again. ELP gets two off some rollups so Andretti boots him out to the floor for a Lionsault. A ram into the apron has ELP in more trouble and Andretti chokes him on the ropes back inside.

We have five minutes left as ELP gets in a running boot in the corner and a tornado DDT. The right hands in the corner have Andretti in more trouble but the cutthroat driver is escaped. Andretti’s standing shooting star press gets two and a Falcon Arrow puts ELP down for the same. A running dropkick and split legged moonsault give Andretti two and we have thirty seconds left. ELP hits a spinning torture rack neckbreaker and the frog splash connects as time expires for the draw at 15:00.

Rating: B-. This is where Tony Khan’s booking becomes an issue. They were going for a big, dramatic title match here but the problem is ELP makes very limited appearances and Andretti still doesn’t feel like a serious champion. He’s perfectly fine in the ring but he still feels like he’s in over his head most of the time. Andretti got one win over Lio Rush (who has just disappeared as of late) and that’s pretty much it for him lately. This was a good match but nowhere near as suspenseful as it was designed to be.

Post match ELP wants a rematch but gets belted in the head. Adam Priest runs in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There were some good matches on here and Ring Of Honor has had far worse shows but it didn’t feel overly interesting. You might expect Bandido breaking the record for most combined days as champion to warrant an appearance but why do that when we have some lower midcard champions instead?

It’s far from a bad show, though ROH continues to feel totally unimportant week to week. You’ll get the occasional storyline, but it’s rarely given the chance to develop and then we have a pay per view in probably about six weeks where the stories are suddenly supposed to matter. That’s not how wrestling works, but ROH keeps doing it that way no matter what to the same results.

Results
AR Fox/Top Flight b. JD Ink/Charles Crowley/Matt Mako – 450 to Mako
The Beast Mortos b. QT Marshall – Chokebomb
Deonna Purrazzo b. Emi Sakura – Fujiwara armbar
Premiere Athletes/Beef b. Adrian Alanis/Nic Nolan/Parker Li – Assisted elevated DDT to Nolan
Athena b. Sirena Lenton – Curb stomp
Matt Sydal b. Bryan Keith – Shooting star press
ELP vs. Action Andretti went to a time limit draw

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

Best Of D’Lo Brown
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman

This is firmly in the “sure why not” category and I’m curious to see what they have with Brown. He’s one of the underrated good hands of his era and worked well with anyone. There are some good options in here and I’d like to see where they go. That’s the point of this series but they’ve been hit or miss at times. Let’s get to it.

Quick opening video.

From Monday Night Raw, July 2, 1998. Given that the 2nd would have been a Thursday, I’m thinking that’s an error. My guess is this would be July 20.

European Title: D’Lo Brown vs. HHH

Brown, with fellow Nation Of Domination member The Rock, is challenging and Chyna is here with HHH. An early slam has HHH down and the head shaking Brown (in his chest protector) so HHH grabs a headlock for some head slapping. A shot to the nose (JR makes his required joke) gets Brown out of trouble but he has to escape an early Pedigree attempt.

Brown bails outside to yell at Chyna, who hits him in the face (HHH approves). Back in and Brown grabs a quick Sky High for two, followed by a weird looking spinwheel kick. A jumping knee to the face cuts Brown off and a suplex drops him again. The Rock trips HHH so Chyna posts him, which draws out Mark Henry to distract Chyna again. The Pedigree is loaded up but Rock comes in with a Rock Bottom to give brown the pin and the title at 6:00.

Rating: C. The match was just another part of the Nation/Rock vs. DX/HHH feud, which was a huge part of the summer. Brown winning the title got it away from HHH, who could go after Rock’s Intercontinental Title in the coming weeks. It wasn’t much to see, but Brown would get better in a hurry.

Also of note: this match was taped on July 14. I was at a house show on the 18th and Brown was announced as champion before this show aired, which was a rare situation of spoiling TV for pretty much no reason given that it was just a house show.

From Summerslam 1998.

European Title: D’Lo Brown vs. Val Venis

Brown is defending and I knew this would be on here. Ever the good champion, Brown is now residing in Helsinki, Finland (as opposed to Helsinki, Montana). They fight up against the ropes to start until Brown lets him go for some head shaking. More grappling goes to a standoff, with Venis knocking him into the corner. Venis’ forearm to the chest just hurts himself due to the chest protector, which does indeed protect Brown’s chest.

A standing splash knocks Venis down and a running splash in the corner makes it worse. The missed charge sends Brown into the corner though, with the impact somehow hurting him. Venis dropkicks him down and they run the ropes a bit, with neither being able to get very far. A nice spinebuster plants Brown and we cut to some weird newcomer in the crowd named Edge.

Venis misses a running splash, with JR pointing out that it was kind of dumb to try on someone wearing a chest protector. Brown grabs a suplex but stops to glare at the crowd some more, allowing Venis to bust out a t-bone suplex of all things. One heck of a clothesline gets Brown out of trouble and he drops a leg, which he leaves over Venis’ neck for the cover.

Thankfully commentary mocks him for the “cover” so Brown hits a leg lariat to get them back on his side. A middle rope elbow gets two more but Venis is back up, only for his back to give out on a slam attempt. Brown grabs a Texas Cloverleaf, which Brown just releases when it doesn’t work. Brown stays on the back with a slam (Lawler: “Here comes some more!” That sound byte was used in the Attitude game for Nintendo 64.) but takes way too long loading up a middle rope backsplash.

Venis makes a comeback with a backdrop but dives into a sitout spinebuster and they’re both down. Back up and Brown plants him with a DDT for two, with Venis’ powerslam getting the same. Venis plants him again but the Money Shot hits raised knees. Brock tries a Liger Bomb but can’t get Venis up, instead just dropping him on his head. Another attempt works, though the Low Down doesn’t as Venis gets away this time.

Some right hands have Brown staggered and Venis gets smart by removing the chest protector. And then Venis gets dumb by putting it on instead, with the referee grabbing Venis’ foot to accidentally crotch him on top. Venis gets in an atomic drop and shoves the referee, which may be earned but it also draws the DQ at 15:25.

Rating: B. This is one of those matches that I’ve seen a bunch of times but it still more than holds up as a hidden gem. You had two young guys being given the biggest chance they’ve ever had and making the most of it. That’s not something you see very often and my goodness it worked. Heck of a match here and one the best ever for both of them.

From Monday Night Raw, October 5, 1998 (actually a Monday this time).

European Title: D’Lo Brown vs. X-Pac

Brown, with Mark Henry, is challenging and Chyna is here with X-Pac. The brawl is on fast with Brown grabbing a powerslam to cut him off early. The leg lariat gives Brown two and we hit the chinlock. With that going on, cue a man at ringside to give Chyna an envelope and then run back into the crowd. Chyna reads whatever is in the envelope and Henry says “it’s from me”.

The fans are all over Brown as Chyna and Henry glare at each other from opposite sides of the ring. X-Pac suplexes his way to freedom but misses an elbow, allowing Brown to grab a side slam for two. The Low Down misses as X-Pac rolls away (even though it went so far that he didn’t need to move) and a jumping spinwheel kick drops Brown again. There’s the Bronco Buster but Henry trips X-Pac and then pulls his dive out of the air for a drive into the apron. That and he Low Down give Brown the title at 5:17.

Rating: C. This was a pretty slow match for a lot of the time they had, but the bigger problem was the focus on Henry vs. Chyna. That took way too much of the attention away from the match, which was only so interesting in the first place. Brown getting the title only means so much, but DX vs. the Nation was still going, because the feud could never die.

From Monday Night Raw, August 2, 1999.

European Title/Intercontinental Title: D’Lo Brown vs. Jeff Jarrett

Title for title and Jarrett (Intercontinental Champion) has Debra with him. Brown is out of the Nation now, a good guy, and has his awesome theme song. They slug it out to start and the referee has to break it up, which you don’t see very often. Brown counters a dropkick into a sitout powerbomb for two and Jarrett is already set to walk. Back in and Jarrett dropkicks him out of the air, meaning it’s time for some choking on the ropes. After yelling at Debra for a bit, Jarrett grabs a sleeper.

Lawler gets in a funny line about how Brown’s head is always tilted to one side or the other as Brown fights up. A swinging neckbreaker gives Jarrett two and it’s time to be frustrated. Brown catapults him into the corner and hits the finger point legdrop for two. The referee gets bumped so Debra brings in the belts. That and an open jacket try to distract Brown, who grabs a belt and clocks Jarrett to become a double champion at 6:12.

Rating: C. On one hand, it was nice to see Brown, an up and coming star, get a cool honor like this. It doesn’t need to be a long reign (and it wasn’t) but it’s something he can brag about for the rest of his career. That being said, Lawler came as close as he could to sinking this match on his own. The constant puppies talk put all of the focus on Debra rather than the important match, which happened far too often for Lawler. Just shut up about it for two seconds already.

From Smackdown, September 25, 2000.

Lo Down vs. Hardy Boyz

That would be Brown/Chaz because I guess they both needed something to do. After looking at HHH sending Stephanie McMahon some flowers, we’re ready to go. The Hardys get jumped to start and Brown flapjacks Chaz onto Matt. A running tornado DDT gets Matt out of trouble and it’s off to Jeff for a double elbow.

Brown comes in as well but Chaz crotches Jeff against the post. A double release suplex drops Jeff again and a belly to back suplex cuts off his comeback bid. Brown misses a springboard moonsault though and the tag brings in Matt as everything breaks down. Poetry In Motion sets up the Twist Of Fate and Swanton to pin Chaz at 6:05.

Rating: B-. I’m not entirely sure why this was included as it’s just ok, with Low Down showing some aggression and getting to look decent against the Hardys. That being said, it’s not like they looked like the next big thing and it was a pretty standard Hardys match. Maybe they wanted the name value, but this was kind of a strange choice.

Post match Lo Down lays the Hardys out without much trouble.

From Sunday Night Heat, September 1, 2002.

D’Lo Brown vs. Raven

Brown is a commentator and leaves Coach on his own on commentary, as apparently he’s mad at us. Raven bails to the floor to start and then does it again before Brown hammers away back inside. A quick toss into the post cuts Brown off and a middle rope knee drives the shoulder to the mat.

The Raven Effect is blocked but Brown misses a middle rope elbow. They knock each other down with Brown getting up first to start the comeback. The finger point legdrop gets two and a swinging Side Effect gets the same. Raven powerbombs him out of the corner and puts his feet on the ropes for two but Brown counters the Raven Effect into the Sky High for the pin at 5:28.

Rating: C+. This was an interesting addition as the fans clearly liked Brown well enough and it felt like a grudge match. That’s more than I would have expected from this one and it was a nice treat compared to everything else that we’ve gotten on here, as it’s nice to get something of a surprise. Nice match here and kind of a different era from Brown.

From Monday Night Raw, October 7, 2002.

D’Lo Brown vs. HHH

Non-title Blindfold match and Ric Flair is here with HHH. They reach for each other to start and miss right hands, with HHH taking him into the corner and yelling. Naturally he’s yelling at an empty corner as Brown moves but it makes for a good visual. HHH catches him again and tries a Pedigree, which is countered into a backdrop. The Sky High sends HHH rolling to the apron and Flair comes in for a distraction. That’s enough for HHH to lift the hood and hit the Pedigree for the win at 2:36. Huh? Why in the world was this included? And that’s how it wraps up? Nice job guys.

Overall Rating: B-. Brown is a great example of someone who was a steady hand with cool music and a rather bouncy head. He was never a major star but he was a regular in the Attitude Era and beyond, regularly in the ring against some big names. It’s nice to see someone like him get some attention, though some of those latter choices were strange and came off like an attempt to make this a bit longer. Still though, hearing that song again so many times was worth the effort.

Results
D’Lo Brown b. HHH – Rock Bottom
D’Lo Brown b. Val Venis via DQ when Venis shoved the referee
D’Lo Brown b. X-Pac – Low Down
D’Lo Brown b. Jeff Jarrett – Belt shot
Hardy Boyz b. Lo Down – Swanton to Chaz
D’Lo Brown b. Raven – Sky High
HHH b. D’Lo Brown – Pedigree

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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Collision
Date: October 14, 2026
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Walker Stewart, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second, and shorter, half of the three hour AEW block this week and the last show before Saturday’s WrestleDream. There are still some spots left for the Clockwork Carnage match and that means we should be getting a focus on everything else on the card. Then again you never know around here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with the United Empire getting up after losing in Dynamite’s main event.

Renee Paquette asks Jon Moxley about another loss and he throws a bunch of stuff while making various noises. She kneels down next to him and asks what’s wrong. Moxley says he’s in pain but doesn’t know what kind anymore. Marina Shafir calms Moxley down, which isn’t likely to go well at home.

Clockwork Carnage Qualifying Match: Ricochet vs. Ace Austin

Ricochet backs him into the corner to start so Austin is back up with an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Ricochet pulls him down for a face first trip into the apron. They get back inside with Austin firing off some chops but getting sent outside again. The big running flip dive takes Austin out again and we take a break.

We come back with the two of them fighting over a suplex until Ricochet is placed on top. The running anklescissors doesn’t work as Ricochet flips onto his feet so Austin grabs a suplex to leave both of them down. Back up and Ricochet wins a slugout before backflipping over for a German suplex. Ricochet has to bail out of a shooting star press and gets pulled into a swinging faceplant to give Austin two. That just earns Austin a running headbutt, followed by the Spirit Gun and Vertigo for the pin at 11:13.

Rating: B. Gah stop beating Austin so often! He has some very consistent performances but loses so often that it stopped mattering a good while ago. Hopefully they find something else for him to do besides be the Bang Bang Gang’s whipping boy, as he deserves a lot better than this. I get that Ricochet needs to be in the title match but there was no one else for him to beat?

We get a sitdown interview with the Don Callis Family, who don’t want to wait for the Young Bucks. Kyle Fletcher is ready to beat the Bucks again, with Kevin Knight agreeing. Callis himself loves that plan but the Bucks run in with superkicks and right hands to break that up.

Justin Roberts reads orders to cheer for the rather handsome Nick Wayne, who is here for a celebrating of his win over Chris Jericho at Grand Slam. He announces his win and pyro goes off, which goes so well that he does it again. A third attempt just brings out Jericho, with Wayne cutting the music off. Wayne throws us to a video on the match at Grand Slam, set to Superman by Five For Fighting.

Jericho isn’t surprised at the video leaving out a few parts, so Jericho shows his own video, complete with the low blows. So Jericho made a highlight reel of himself getting hit in the groin? What a weirdly specific theme. Anyway Jericho wants a third match, but Wayne says if he wins, Jericho has to apologize to him. Jericho is in, saying he wants to teach Wayne some things. Then Jericho kicks him low as this feud just keeps going.

Tommaso Ciampa is ready to take the National Title from Andrade El Idolo. Samoa Joe (Ciampa’s partner on Dynamite) is ready to win the World Title.

Hyan/Dani Luna vs. Persephone/Britt Baker

Luna is a British powerhouse who debuted at All Out. Hyan immediately knocks Persephone into the corner to start as Baker yells at Luna on the floor. Back in and Hyan pump kicks Persephone but Baker gets in a trip from the floor. That lets Baker grab a hanging swinging neckbreaker and we take a break.

We come back with Luna coming in to clean house, including a middle rope dropkick to send Persephone flying. A top rope superplex drops Baker and Luna powerbombs Persephone for two more. Everything breaks down and all four get dropped, leaving Hyan to spear Baker for another near fall. Persephone is back up to take Hyan down on the floor and Baker’s swinging neckbreaker gets two on Luna. Persephone’s belt shot almost hits Baker but they’re sent into each other instead, allowing Luna to grab a rollup to pin Baker at 10:31.

Rating: C+. Luna getting a win is good as she’s still brand new and was already 0-1 around here. She’s not exactly a top level star in the first place so her getting a pin here is a good thing. Persephone still doesn’t feel like a huge star but at least she’s around on television fairly regularly so she’s starting to feel more normal.

Post match the villains are back up for the beatdown but Queen Aminata makes the save.

We get a vignette for someone conducting music. That almost has to be Ilja Dragunov.

TNT Title/Clockwork Carnage Qualifying Match: Hechicero vs. Darby Allin

Allin is defending in addition to trying to qualify. Hechicero starts fast on the arm and neck, with a double arm crank and a knee to the neck working on both at once. With that broken up, Hechicero pulls him into a surfboard to get the legs in on the pain thing too. That’s broken up as well so Allin bites the hand and puts it down the post to strike away. Hechicero is right back up with a spinning faceplant onto the apron, with Allin’s face taking quite the crash.

We take a break and come back with Hechicero flipping him into a choke but Allin backflips out for the escape. Allin’s sunset bomb is countered into another choke, which can’t stay on long due to the ropes. Allin gets in a rollup, with his leg giving out after the kickout. The swinging backbreaker is countered into a crucifix driver to give Allin two. That’s enough for Allin to go up but the Coffin Drop is countered into a cradle, albeit after Hechicero rolls him all around the ring. Allin knocks him outside for a suicide dive and the standing Coffin Drop connects as well. Back in and another Coffin Drop retains the title at 14:11.

Rating: B. Allin was at his best here as it felt like he was trying to survive and as usual, it worked. Hechicero does all kinds of things that no one else even approaches and it was fun to see him torment Allin until the end. It’s smart to keep Hechicero’s appearances limited around here, as it makes his stuff feel that much more special.

Post match the Don Callis Family runs in to go after Allin so the United Empire makes the save. Kazuchika Okada takes Will Ospreay down but Adam Copeland runs in for a save of his own. Ricochet comes in and takes over but gets taken down by Konosuke Takeshita, who gets taken down by Samoa Joe. The parade of knockdowns continues and the big wild brawl wraps up the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Much like Dynamite, this was about trying to get as much stuff done as they could in the limited time they had to complete the build up. It worked as well as they could have done it here and again, not their fault after everything changed a few weeks ago. They’re pretty much banking everything on Clockwork Carnage though and hopefully it lives up to the hype, as otherwise WrestleDream is in big trouble. Nice enough show here, as it felt like a third hour of Dynamite for a change.

Results
Ricochet b. Ace Austin – Vertigo
Dani Luna/Hyan b. Persephone/Britt Baker – Rollup to Baker
Darby Allin b. Hechicero – Coffin Drop

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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Dynamite
Date: October 14, 2026
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Walker Stewart, Tony Schiavone

It’s the first half of the double show bit again, as we have an hour of Collision tonight after Dynamite. That’s due to this being the last night before this weekend’s WrestleDream, meaning we need some rapid fire qualifying matches for Clockwork Carnage. That should be enough to carry things so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Death Riders vs. Wardlow/Don Callis Family

Davis backs Garcia into the corner but Garcia goes after the leg. That earns him a shot from an interfering Doyle, who gets to face Kidd. Wardlow comes in as well and runs Kidd over so it’s already back to Garcia, who is knocked into the corner. Moxley is in to get shouldered down as well, with Wardlow doing it a second time.

Some stomping in the corner has Moxley in more trouble so it’s back to Garcia. This time he escapes a Powerbomb Symphony attempt and grabs the Dragontamer, which is broken up rather quickly. We take a break and come back with Garcia powering up for his dance and knocking Doyle down. Moxley and Davis come in to slug it out with Moxley hammering him in the corner.

Davis’ piledriver is countered into a quickly broken bulldog choke so Moxley hits a running dropkick to the floor. The suicide dive takes Davis out again and it’s time for the rapid fire clotheslines to Davis inside. Marina Shafir gets in one of her own and the Dragontamer into the Stomp gives Moxley two. Wardlow is back in and gets guillotine choked, which is broken up as well. Davis is left alone to blast Moxley with the clothesline and the piledriver finishes Moxley off at 16:08.

Rating: B. The ending was the latest attempt to make Davis feel like a threat to Moxley’s title and yeah it’s just not going to work. The match was good, albeit a bit long, with Wardlow being back and not really getting to stand out. It’s not the best idea to put him in there with two powerhouse partners as it takes away what made him feel special. Fix that up, and get him away from the Family whatsoever, and it should be a lot better.

Clockwork Carnage Qualifying Match: Adam Copeland vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander grabs a headlock to start as commentary again explains Clockwork Carnage (which does make sense, though it sounds messy). They’re quickly on the floor where Alexander takes over on the leg as we take a break. We come back with Alexander staying on the leg but running into a jumping boot to the face. They trade big forearms from their knees and then more from their feet, with Copeland getting fired up to take over.

Copeland knocks him out to the floor, followed by the Impaler back inside. Alexander counters the spear into some rolling German suplexes for two and the ankle lock goes on. That’s broken up and Copeland hits an exposed buckle, allowing Alexander to get in his own spear for two. Copeland is back up to knock him to the apron for a slingshot cutter but Alexander gets in a crotching on top. Copeland escapes a superplex though and drops him onto the turnbuckle, followed by the spear for the win at 11:17.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Copeland getting in the ring on his own, which doesn’t really happen that often. He’s gotten the tag run out with Cage out of the way and if you want him to, let him do one more singles run. He certainly has the standing and resume to make it a realistic chance and this is at least a step in that direction.

Post match Copeland says that Christian Cage broke three ribs and suffered a collapsed lung five minutes into the ladder match at All Out. Cage kept going in that match for the fans, who applaud him. Due to that, Copeland had to think about some things because he knows he’s aging out. The truth is that 2027 will be his last year in wrestling (the fans disapprove), which is why he has to go for the AEW World Title.

This brings out Don Callis and Brian Cage, with Callis saying he’s known Copeland his entire career. Callis says he needs to be the one who makes this kind of a decision about Copeland’s retirement. Cue the Family to lay Copeland out. Cue Konosuke Takeshita and the Conglomeration for the save. That’s a big story and Copeland’s last year in wrestling could be quite the big deal depending on which way it goes.

Clockwork Carnage Qualifying Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Brian Cage

They immediately go to the exchange of forearms and Takeshita hurricanranas him out to the floor. Cage is able to change places with him for the running flip dive and then drops Takeshita onto the barricade. Back in and Cage choke tosses him into the corner, followed by a sitout Alabama slam for two.

We take a break and come back with Cage powering out of a full nelson. A powerbomb and spinning kick to the face drops Takeshita onto the ropes for the 619. Takeshita gets in a Blue Thunder Bomb for two of his own, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two more. Cage catches him up top for a super hurricanrana and then the apron superplex, with Takeshita rolling through into Raging Fire. That sends Cage rolling to the ropes so they trade some hard clotheslines. Cage loads up the F5 but Takeshita slips out for a jumping knee to the face. A dragon sleeper makes Cage tap at 12:21.

Rating: B. This was better than I was expecting, with Takeshita getting to show that he can work with a power wrestler, which doesn’t seem to happen very often. At the same time, Cage looked better than I was expecting and this was one of his better matches in AEW. Good stuff here, even with the result not being in doubt, which happens in a lot of these matches.

The new United Empire (Will Ospreay/Mike Bailey/Brawling Birds/Andrade El Idolo) are ready for tonight and Saturday. Of note: we’re over an hour into the show and this is the first segment to not involve the Don Callis Family. Maybe space them out a bit?

Here are FTR and Stokely for a chat on the stage. Dax Harwood says being a champion is what matters to him (rather than his annoying wife or bratty daughter) and he wants a reason why they aren’t the #1 contenders. This brings out the Motor City Machine Guns, who respect FTR but want to be the best. Harwood mentioned beating the Young Bucks three times, but could FTR beat the Guns three times? We get an official challenge for a best of five series, with Shelley wanting to do the first match tonight. Stokely says they’ll do it at WrestleDream instead. At least it gives the Guns something to do for a change.

After Grand Slam, Hangman Page ranted about Swerve Strickland but Brodido calmed him down, telling him to focus on the Trios Titles.

Clockwork Carnage Qualifying Match: Myron Reed vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title. Okada backs him against the ropes for the slap on the chest so Reed comes back with some forearms. Reed sends him outside but Okada slides back in for a flapjack. Okada has to bail out of the top rope elbow, instead knocking Reed down again as we take a break. We come back with the top rope elbow hitting Reed and there’s the middle finger. A superkick into the hanging Downward Spiral gives Reed two, setting up the big dive over the top to take him out again.

Back in and Okada counters a Stunner into a Tombstone and they head outside. This time Okada gets backdropped on the floor, setting up another hanging Downward Spiral, this time off the barricade. Reed gets in a 450 off the steps but a regular version hits raised knees back inside. A quick poisonrana off the top plants Okada, who is up 12 seconds later for the Rainmaker and the win at 11:03.

Rating: B-. This was about what you would have expected, with Okada not seeming to take it seriously and popping up after one of Reed’s big moves at the end. There was absolutely no way that Reed was winning here so the match was more a waiting game until the Rainmaker. They could have done this in about five minutes and saved us a good deal of time.

Video on MJF, who was named #1 on the PWI 500.

New Level is told that Swerve Strickland had some family business to deal with but he’s sent a friend: comedian Mojo Brookzz. Cue Brookzz, who is very enthusiastic about being here.

Here are New Level, with Brookzz and Prince Nana, for a chat. Brookzz hypes up the match again the Good, The Bad and the Ugly, with Brookzz saying Bandido wears a mask for being ugly. Kofi admits that Bandido beat him last week but it’s going to be different at WrestleDream because it’s three on three. There are levels to this so THANK GOD for the NEW LEVEL! This was pretty nothing and Brookzz was more of a distraction than anything else.

Triangle Of Madness vs. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne/Mercedes Mone

Mone shoves Thekla in the face to start but Thekla starts writing around a bit to avoid a charge. That earns Thekla a string of shoulders in the corner and Bayne blocks a middle rope Codebreaker. Hart comes in and gets choked on the rope but a quick dropkick in the corner has Bayne in trouble. It’s already back to Mone and the villains take over as we go to a break.

We come back with Blue snapping off a headscissors but Bayne counters a headscissors into a buckle bomb. Mone’s running Meteora gets two, with Thekla making the save. That lets Blue get in a basement dropkick and Thekla gets to come in and clean house. A high crossbody gets two on Kross and Thekla slaps on the Muta Lock. Bayne breaks it up and gets caught in a guillotine choke but Mone gives Blue a Backstabber. Thekla runs Kross over for two so Hart gives Kross the mist. A double gordbuster and the Stomp gives Thekla the pin on Kross at 11:10.

Rating: B-. I’ll take this over a similar deal to the opener, as Thekla pinning Mone would have felt really basic. Instead Thekla gets a win over a monster, which is quite different than what she’ll have to do on Saturday. It felt like a fresher way to get to the title match, even if Thekla getting the belt back feels like a long shot.

Samoa Joe/Tommaso Ciampa vs. United Empire

Andrade and Ciampa start things off, with the latter quickly bailing into the corner to bring in Joe. That means Andrade gets his eyes raked over the top rope but Andrade fights back for a high crossbody. Ospreay comes in with a running boot to Ciampa and a step up moonsault for two. Andrade sends Ciampa outside for a slingshot dive and of course we pause for the weekly photo.

We take a break and come back with Ciampa avoiding a crossbody, allowing the tag back to Joe. The corner enziguri gives Joe two but Andrade’s running forearm puts Ciampa down. That’s enough for the tag back to Ospreay and the comeback is on. Stormbreaker is blocked and Joe trips Ospreay up before walking away from an Oscutter attempt. Joe drops a backsplash to quite the reaction for quite the near fall and it’s back to Andrade. The Koquina Clutch is broken up so Ciampa grabs Willow’s bell onto the belt to knock Andrade silly. Now the Clutch can finish for Joe at 14:11.

Rating: B. There is something about Joe and Ciampa that make them fun to watch. They feel like people out there trying to win a fight and that’s not something you often see. Joe isn’t likely to win the title on Saturday but he feels like a threat and that’s noteworthy in any match. On the other hand, assuming Ciampa gets a title shot against Andrade, not only does he feel like a threat, but he feels like he should take the title. You don’t want Ciampa to be “that guy who won one thing months ago and keeps losing, so give him this instead.

Post match Joe hands Ospreay the title as Andrade vs. Ciampa for the National Title is set for WrestleDream to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was a rushed effort to set up the Clockwork Carnage match and that was something that was going to have to happen. Between the Pac show and grand Slam, there wasn’t much time to get ready for WrestleDream. It’s not great, but it’s not on AEW whatsoever this time. This show had some good action, though it was mainly focused on one big match at WrestleDream. It worked well enough and it had to be done, so nice job.

Results
Don Callis Family/Wardlow b. Death Riders – Piledriver to Moxley
Adam Copeland b. Josh Alexander – Spear
Konosuke Takeshita b. Brian Cage – Dragon sleeper
Kazuchika Okada b. Myron Reed – Rainmaker
Triangle Of Madness b. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne/Mercedes Mone – Stomp to Kross
Samoa Joe/Tommaso Ciampa b. Will Ospreay/Andrade El Idolo – Koquina Clutch to Andrade

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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Evolve
Date: October 14, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Peter Rosenberg

It’s time for a big one with Succession IV and that means title matches. As usual, both titles are on the line here, with Harlem Lewis defending against Harley Riggins, while Wendy Choo challenges Nikkita Lyons in a Last Woman Standing match. We also have Laynie Luck vs. Vanta The Unknown so let’s get to it.

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

The people in the title matches, and Sloane Jacobs, are ready for their title matches.

Evolve Title: Harlem Lewis vs. Harley Riggins

Riggins is challenging and they go straight to the exchange of forearms. Lewis clotheslines him to the floor but gets knocked down and stomped back inside. A tilt-a-whirl powerslam plants Lewis and we take an early break. We come back with Lewis getting in a backdrop and a nasty German suplex, with Riggins landing on the back of his head. Riggins is back up with a slam out of the corner and a twisting middle rope Swanton. Lewis spears the heck out of him though and the Boom Slang retains the title at 4:48.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted but I was expecting it to last about another ten minutes. They were starting to beat the fire out of each other and then it just went home out of nowhere. Maybe Riggins got his bell rung or something and they wrapped it up, but I was stunned by how fast they finished and not in a good way.

Post match Riggins jumps him from behind and crushes him with the steps (impact not shown due to a camera cut) before finally leaving. So there’s your rematch.

We look at Booker T. giving Reality Of Wrestling star Josiah Jean a WWE ID contract.

Vanta The Unknown vs. Laynie Luck

They trade headlocks to start and flip up to their feet, with Luck missing a charge out to the floor. Vanta catches her on top though and hits a hanging Stunner for two, followed by a choke with a bodyscissors. Back up and Vanta grabs an abdominal stretch while lifting the leg, only for Luck to power out. A spinning kick drops Vanta and a springboard stomp on the apron connects. Back in and Vanta blasts him with a discus lariat before cranking on the arm for the submission at 4:56.

Rating: C. I wasn’t sure what to think here, but the point was to make Vanta feel a monster. She ran through Luck here, who was mostly scared of whatever Vanta did. That’s fine enough and Vanta is still keeping me interested, as not knowing anything about her is the point. It might not have been a great match but it did what it should have.

Elijah Holyfield wants to fight Braxton Cole, but here is Marcus Mathers instead. Mathers agrees about Cole but says he can run circles around both of them. It’s Gal comes out to break it up.

We look at some Evolve’s stars success in NXT.

Women’s Title: Wendy Choo vs. Nikkita Lyons

Lyons is defending in a Last Woman Standing match and gets introduced by Sloane Jacobs, of course. Choo goes right at her to start and snaps off a headscissors. They’re already on the floor, where Choo gets in the chair shots. Lyons puts a trashcan over her and kicks away to come back, only for Choo to hit a clothesline. Back in and Lyons wedges a trashcan in the corner and sends Choo into it (that’s a rare success) and we take a break.

We come back with Lyons kicking her in the head and getting in a missile dropkick. Lyons have Jacobs send in some nunchucks to beat Choo down again. Choo fights out of a choke and uses one of the nunchucks to take over, setting up a hammerlock lariat. A hanging DDT out of the corner leaves both of them down, with Lyons getting up first. Lyons Michinoku Drivers her onto the trashcan but Choo is back with the Dirt Nap.

They fall out to the floor, where PJ Vasa runs in to clothesline both of them. Vasa leaves and they’re both up at nine to head back inside. Choo full nelson slams her onto some Legos and then knocks Jacobs off the apron. The Dirt Nap goes on again but Lyons drives her through the table. Choo gets up so Jacobs grabs her ankle, allowing Lyons to kick Choo off the apron and through another table. Even though Choo kind of gets up, the referee gets to ten and Lyons retains at 13:08.

Rating: B-. They had all of the usual spots in here but the Vasa interference was just in and out with pretty much nothing to it. Then they went on to the finish, which could have been done in a regular match. It was like they forgot the gimmick until the ending and that made for a weird one. Not bad for the most part, but just kind of a mess.

Post match Skylar Raye stands up in the VIP section and points and Lyons.

Harlem Lewis is out indefinitely and we’ll get an update on the title next week.

Overall Rating: C+. This special didn’t really feel special and that’s a problem. The Evolve Title match was barely anything and felt more like a way to set up the post match angle. The main event was slightly better, mainly because it got some time, but it didn’t feel big in any way. It’s not bad, but they need something a bit more interesting they do one of these things.

Results
Harlem Lewis b. Harley Riggins – Boom Slang
Vanta The Unknown b. Laynie Luck – Arm crank
Nikkita Lyons b. Wendy Choo – Spinning kick through a table

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