Collision
Date: July 22, 2023
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to what I guess passes for normal around here after last week’s huge show. That could make for some interesting changes, as this week’s show features a Trios Titles match. Other than that I’m sure CM Punk is going to want some revenge on Ricky Starks after last week’s screwy finish so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, Action Andretti and Darius Martin, Bullet Club Gold and Ricky Starks are ready for tonight.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone brings out Ricky Starks, with the Owen Hart belt and a bag, for a chat. The fans tell him he deserves it and he certainly seems to agree. As for the bag…..there’s nothing in it but he wanted to show off what he treated himself to after he won last week. As for the controversial ending, it isn’t about how he won but how many he won, and anyone in his (Prada) shoes would do the same thing. It’s by any means necessary so talk to him about how stylish he is. He doesn’t want to be a pillar because he stands by himself and those Pillars haven’t won any Owens.

Cue CM Punk (no music) to say this is Starks’ celebration and he is only mad at himself. He’s cheated some people before and so has everyone else. Maybe if the New Jersey Devils did it before, they could have made it out of the first round. Punk says he can live with the loss, but isn’t sure if Starks can live with the win. He goes to leave, but Starks says the bag Punk has been carrying is empty, which brings Punk back.

Punk says he is the real world’s champion…but here are Christian Cage and Luchasaurus to interrupt. They are contractually obligated to be here as champion but this is taking too long. Christian says that he, er, we, are the faces of TNT but here is Darby Allin to interrupt. Allin promises to become the new face of TNT at All Out, though that’s a ways off. For tonight, let’s have a tag match (Allin: “Christian you don’t wrestle anymore so give me the TNT Champion.”) This was the most WWE opening since the last time WWE opened a show in their signature “talking leads to a main event” style.

Andrade El Idolo was not allowed in the building due to his actions last week.

Action Andretti/Darius Martin vs. Bullet Club Gold

The Gunns are here too. Martin takes over on Robinson to start and hands it to Andretti for the twisting crossbody. Andretti’s multiple springboard wristdrag sends Robinson down again but he’s right back with a kick to the face. A hanging neckbreaker on the floor drops Andretti and he’s sent hard into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Andretti hitting an enziguri and diving over for the tag to Martin. Some right hands and a high crossbody get two on White, followed by Andretti’s Asai moonsault to the floor. Back in and a dropkick into a German suplex (which didn’t look great) gets two on Robinson. Andretti gets dropped though and Robinson hits the big left. The forward DDT into the Blade Runner finishes Andretti at 10:18.

Rating: C+. This was one of those matches that wasn’t about drama but rather Bullet Club Gold having to work a bit to get their momentum back after last week’s classic. There’s nothing wrong with a match like that and it worked well here without lasting too long. Andretti and Martin are fine as the young high fliers and everything worked out there.

We look at Willow Nightingale winning the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament last week and then losing to Athena last night at Death Before Dishonor because Ring Of Honor isn’t about having fun.

Miro vs. Nick Comorato

Comorato jumps him from behind on the stage and sends him into the steps to start fast. Some shoulders in the corner have Miro in trouble as the match officially starts. Miro avoids a charge though and hits the jumping superkick, setting up Game Over to finish Comorato at 1:26.

Video on FTR.

Trios Titles: House Of Black vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

The House of Black is defending and break up Caster’s rap to start fast. Caster gets caught in the wrong corner and Black hits him in the face for two. King drops the backsplash for two and Matthews drives Caster into the corner. Caster manages to send Matthews outside and then kicks him away, allowing the tag off to Gunn. House is cleaned but King blasts him with a clothesline, setting up Black Mass to retain the titles at 4:30.

Rating: C. This was pretty much a squash as Acclaimed and Gunn never got anything going. It was little more than destruction and that isn’t what you expect to see from them. Also, unless I missed it, there was no mention of the House Rules deal so maybe that has already been dropped.

Post match the House seems to show respect to Gunn. The House leaves and Gunn takes off his boots, leaving them in the ring to show his retirement. The Acclaimed tries to stop him but he walks off anyway.

Here is FTR for a chat about their Tag Team Title defense next week against Adam Cole and MJF. They have unfinished business with a bunch of teams but first they have to deal with these two. Wheeler gets that the fans like MJF and Cole at the moment, but he has first hand experience dealing with MJF’s lies. Harwood talks about having to get a job when he was about 14 and some of the rich kids made fun of him for having to work. He always wanted to punch them in the face but it brings him here, where people like MJF take wrestling as a joke.

We pause for a DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE chants before Harwood talks about how he doesn’t like how much of a joke MJF and Cole make wrestling. Next week, Harwood is giving them the beating he should have given those other kids. Nice job here of keeping composure when the fans were on the other side.

Video on Blood & Guts.

Skye Blue vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya goes with the power to start and takes Blue down, allowing some kicks to the ribs. Back up and Blue gets in an armdrag but is knocked hard off the apron. Blue gets back inside and gets Blue Thunder Bombed for two as we take a break. We come back with Blue kicking away but getting caught in the ropes for the sliding German suplex. Taya hits a hard clothesline and a curb stomp finishes Blue at 8:54.

Rating: C. That was quite the surprise as Taya more or less ran through her here without much trouble. It’s a bit weird that Taya seems to be getting reheated, though I’m not sure how far that is going to take over. Blue seemed ready to move up the ladder and then she just gets beaten clean like this. Weird but ok then.

Post match Taya calls out Britt Baker for Dynamite.

Video on AR Fox.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ricky Starks/Christian Cage vs. CM Punk/Darby Allin

Luchasaurus is here too. Starks has to start with Punk and is so hesitant to get in that the referee gets to a nine count with Starks on the apron. Once inside, Starks gets rolled up twice in a row and has to get away from the GTS. Christian comes in and gets caught in an armbar, allowing Allin to come in and stay on said arm. It’s already back to Punk, with Christian having to convince Starks to come back in. Punk and Allin clean house, setting up the double dives and we take a break.

Back with Punk in trouble as Scorpio Sky is watching from the sky box. Punk gets away and brings Allin back in for the house cleaning, including a Code Red for two on Starks. Allin’s suicide dive is knocked out of the air by Luchasaurus and Cage sends him head first through the bottom of the announcers’ table. Back with Allin still in trouble but Christian misses a top rope headbutt. Starks pulls Punk off the apron though and there is no one for a diving Allin to tag.

Allin kicks christian away and it’s back to Punk to clean house, including body slams and cartwheels. A clothesline gets two on Christian and the top rope elbow gets the same. Starks blocks the GTS and hits a headbutt to really rock Punk. He’s fine enough to get over to Allin off the tag but a quick Roshambo gives Starks two. Starks takes him up top but a superplex is reversed into a super reversed DDT. Christian saves but gets pulled outside into a GTS on the floor. Luchasaurus breaks up the Coffin Drop though and Starks grabs a rollup, with rope, for the pin at 25:07.

Rating: B. Another long main event here and Starks continues his rise after last week’s big win. The interesting thing here is that he cheated again after saying it didn’t matter earlier, as he is leaning into his turn a bit more. That could be quite the thorn in Punk’s side going forward and I’m curious to see where it goes. Allin vs. Cage/Luchasaurus is already set, so the other side worked well on its own. Good match here, with the time well spent.

Overall Rating: B-. Maybe it was how much Tony Khan produced wrestling I’ve seen in the last few days but this show felt long and didn’t have nearly the same pop to it that the previous episodes have had. There was no big moment for this one and it was hurt a bit as a result. That being said, there was good wrestling throughout and it advanced enough stuff to make it worth a look. Certainly not a bad show, but the first few episodes gave it a pretty high bar.

Results
Bullet Club Gold b. Action Andretti/Darius Martin – Blade Runner to Andretti
Miro b. Nick Comorato – Game Over
House Of Black b. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn – Black Mass to Gunn
Taya Valkyrie b. Skye Blue – Stomp
Ricky Starks/Christian Cage b. CM Punk/Darby Allin – Rollup to Allin while holding rope

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

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Rampage
Date: July 21, 2023
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re in for one of the more unique shows this week as this was taped after Blood & Guts, meaning it’s a double ring. Therefore, we’re getting the Royal Rampage two ring battle royal, which was rather well received for the most part last week. Other than that, the road to All In/Out needs to get started so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Royal Rampage

So you have a red ring (with Darby Allin in at #1) and a blue ring (with Swerve Strickland in at #2). Those rings have a Royal Rumble each (with one minute intervals) and the winners eventually go one on one for the All Out TNT Title shot. Jay Lethal (Red) and Nick Wayne (Blue) are in at #2…..as Excalibur has lost his voice. Allin and Wayne take over to start as Excalibur’s voice suddenly pops in (I wonder if that’s in post production) and Jericho gets in the interesting bit of three of these entrants being from the Seattle area.

Minoru Suzuki (Red) is in at #3 and teams up with Lethal to beat on Allin as Brian Cage (Blue) is in at #3 to help go after Wayne (Red and Blue are now getting alternating entrances rather than coming in at the same time). Cage plants Wayne as Ethan Page (Red) is in at #4 to go after Lethal until Komander (Blue) is in at #4. Komander walks the ropes and steps over Cage’s shoulders to DDT Strickland in a cool spot. Butcher (Red) is in at #5 as we still haven’t had any eliminations.

Big Bill (Blue) is in at #5, with Chris Jericho going into MJF’s story of slamming Bill for a nice chuckle. Page gets rid of Lethal but Lethal grabs his hand, allowing Suzuki to toss Page as well. Butcher and Suzuki slug it out, with Butcher actually getting rid of him as Blade (Red) is in at #6.

We take a break and come back with Brother Zay (Blue) having come in at #6. Toa Liona (Red) is in at #7 and the three villains throw Allin into the corner. Matt Sydal (Blue) is in at #7 and teams up with Zay to clean a bit of house (still no eliminations in Blue). Bishop Kaun (Red) is in at #8, giving us Butcher/The Blade vs. Gates of Agony as Allin tries to recover. Zay is tossed and Butcher and Blade follow to clear things out rather quickly. Matt Hardy (Blue) is in at #8 and hits a DDT on Bill. Allin has to dodge the Gates as Matt Menard (Red) is in at #9.

Sydal is out as the Gates stare Menard down for some reason. Instead Menard goes after Allin in the corner as Jeff Jarrett (Blue) is in at #9. Angelo Parker (Red) is in at #10 to complete the first ring (Toa, Kaun, Parker, Menard and Allin). Jake Hager (Blue) is in at #10 to complete the second ring (Matt Hardy, Big Bill, Jake Hager, Jeff Jarrett, Komander, Brian Cage, Nick Wayne, Swerve Strickland) and we take a break.

Back with Allin slipping out of a quadruple powerbomb and dropkicking the Gates to the apron. The Gates dump Menard and Parker and Toa tackles the heck out of Allin. Hardy gets rid of Jarrett but gets F5’d into a cutter, allowing Bill to knock him out. As Komander and Hager were apparently eliminated during the break, Swerve dumps Bill to get us down to three in the Blue ring.

Actually make it two as Wayne just jumps to the Red ring (which I guess you can do) and helps Allin get rid of Kaun. So we’re down to five total (Cage, Wayne, Strickland, Allin and Toa) until Wayne and Swerve get rid of Cage. Swerve drops Wayne out and All low bridges Toa, leaning we’re down to Swerve vs. Allin for the whole thing.

Allin sends Swerve to the apron but cue Prince Nana to hit Allin with a skateboard. Swerve powerbombs Allin onto the skateboard (wheels up because of course) and they go to the apron, but Allin slips out of a suplex to get back inside. Allin hits a spear through the ropes (not over so he’s fine) for the win at 28:32.

Rating: B. I really didn’t care for last year’s version all that much but they put this one together far better, with the cameras cutting just enough to keep track of everything going on. Allin going wire to wire is a very Allin thing to do and him getting the big title shot in Chicago will work well. Good stuff here and it never felt long, so well done on fixing what was wrong last year.

Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. QTV

Billy and Johnny TV start things off and don’t go anywhere, so it’s off to Marshall, complete with a very bandaged back. Bowens comes in for the jumping Fameasser and we get some scissoring to send us to a break. Back with Gunn getting the hot tag as everything breaks down. Bowens gets to clean house but Johnny clotheslines Billy and Max down. Solo adds a top rope double stomp for two on Billy but Bowens is back in with the Arrival. Max drops the Mic Drop for the pin at 8:47.

Rating: C+. See now this is a good use of QTV. They can do their backstage stuff and wacky segments but then put over a bigger team in a decent match. Why that needs to involve Powerhouse Hobbs and drag him down is beyond me, but there is a place for goofs like them. The Acclaimed and Gunn get a decent win before their Trios Titles match tomorrow as well, so this was the right way to go.

Post match Bowens says they’re winning the titles tomorrow.

Video on Marina Shafir vs. Kris Statlander for the TBS Title.

TBS Title: Marina Shafir vs. Kris Statlander

Statlander is defending. They go with the grappling to start until Shafir grabs a suplex to take over. Some right hands on the mat have Statlander in trouble but she’s back up with an electric chair drop (good for three replays). Back up and Statlander hits a running knee in the corner, setting up a delayed vertical suplex (again with the three replays). Shafir gets a standing Figure Four but Shafir reverses and hits Friday Night Fever to retain at 5:02.

Rating: C. This was just a quick “hey here’s a title match” match and it went as well as could be expected. Statlander is still in the mode of having to reestablish herself and the best way to do that is stacking up wins. Shafir is fine as the grappler/MMA woman of the division and she did fine here, but there wasn’t time for this to get anywhere.

Overall Rating: B-. About half of this show was one match which went well so you could only complain so much about it. If you ignore that some of the wrestlers were working both the ROH PPV and appearing here at the same time (which must be the most difficult issue to overcome in history), it’s a completely entertaining enough show. Granted that’s mainly due to something that won’t be around every week, but I’ll take what I can get.

Results
Darby Allin won the Royal Rampage last eliminating Swerve Strickland
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. QTV – Mic Drop to Solo
Kris Statlander b. Marina Shafir – Friday Night Fever

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

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Dynamite
Date: July 19, 2023
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s time to get violent, as this week’s show is all about Blood & Guts. That alone is going to be enough to carry things but we also have the FTW Title on the line as Hook defends against Jungle Boy, plus the tag team tournament finals. That should guarantee us a good show so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Jungle Boy

Jungle Boy is challenging and we get the old Tarzan Boy music…..but instead here’s a video of Jungle Boy burying someone in the desert, then getting in a car. That seems to leave us with this.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Jack Perry

Perry (formerly Jungle Boy) is challenging. Hook starts fast and slugs away in the corner, with Perry being knocked outside. The beating continues in the crowd and Hook hits a jumping shot to the face off the barricade. Back in and Perry rakes the eyes to take over, meaning the beating can be on as we take a break.

We come back with Perry not being able to hit a German suplex off the apron. Instead, Hook exploders him to the floor and Perry needs a breather. Perry is fine enough to hit a draping DDT onto the floor but Hook is right back with another suplex. A low blow cuts Hook down and the running elbow to the back of the head gets two. The referee gets bumped so Hook’s head and arms suplex gets no count. Perry gets up and hits a belt shot to win the title at 11:38.

Rating: B-. The ending was a bit flat as I was expecting someone to come in and help Perry, but the result is what matters most. Perry has had failure after failure as the good guy but wins something here after going evil. Above all else, Jungle Boy is no more and that should be enough to make a huge difference. Hook is going to want revenge too and that’s your rematch.

Chris Jericho and Don Callis had a meeting but security got the camera out.

Adam Cole went to a restaurant last night, where MJF got to face two of his biggest fears: Spicy food and poor people. They sit down and MJF tells a story about slamming the 600lb Big Bill in front of 95,000 Maxamaniacs, bu then the food is really spicy. They drink a lot to kill the spice and then realize they drank 100% alcohol. Later, Max tells the Bill story again and then think the waiter looks like Daniel Garcia…..or maybe Sammy Garcia. There is one thing left to do: and they seemingly double clothesline the waiter. Still hilarious, with the Hulk Hogan storytelling being a gem.

Don Callis and Chris Jericho arrive and call Alex Marvez an idiot.

Britt Baker vs. Kayla Sparks

Baker stars fast with the Sling Blade and a fisherman’s neckbreaker, setting up the Lockjaw for the win at 1:06.

MJF and Adam Cole are ready to win the Tag Team Titles and Plan A is the double clothesline. MJF: “Unlike Sammy Guevara’s wife, we don’t need Plan B.” They even have matching trunks and jackets, plus one more surprise from Cole. The two of them leave, but here is Roderick Strong in a neck brace to chase after Cole.

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament Finals: Daniel Garcia/Sammy Guevara vs. MJF/Adam Cole

Chris Jericho comes out to join commentary and we find out that Cole’s surprise is…..a theme music mash up! Garcia and MJF have a dance off before the bell, complete with music. After the lights and music end (and Jim Cornette dies), the villains jump MJF and Cole to start fast. Back to back eye pokes put Garcia in trouble though and MJF clears the ring, runs the ropes about eight times, and then stops to pose. Garcia gets in a cheap shot though and we take a break.

Back with MJF doing the staggering falling headbutt low blow to Guevara. MJF gets over to Cole, who ducks a double clothesline and superkicks Garcia. Guevara breaks up the Boom and a double Spanish Fly gets two. A half crab is broken up but MJF can’t bring himself to dive. Cole begs him to do it and MJF actually does hit a dive (leaving himself shocked). Back in and the Panama Sunrise sets up the DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE to finish Garcia at 10:42.

Rating: B. The heck do you say about this? It’s a match where you’re either having a good time with it or it’s not your thing whatsoever and that is completely understandable here. The friendship deal, as short term as it is going to be, is cracking me up more than once and it isn’t like this is going to be anything more than a bunch of fun. The match was inconsequential as MJF and Cole working together was so much fun. This was a blast overall and one of the funnier things I’ve seen in a good bit from AEW.

Post match Guevara and Garcia walk away from Jericho. With the villains gone, the referee hands Cole the World Title and MJF snaps. Cue FTR for the big staredown and everyone leaves.

Darby Allin, Nick Wayne, Orange Cassidy, Kris Statlander and the Best friends are ready for their respective matches. Allin owes AR Fox a favor and gets him an International Title shot next week. Wayne and Allin won’t put their hands in.

Chompy the dancing shark (Shark Week mascot) annoys commentary.

Here is what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Blood & Guts. The Blackpool Combat Club and Elite hate each other so let’s fight.

Here are the rules:

Two men enter for a five minute round.

The team who won the coin toss (Blackpool Combat Club) send in their second man for a three minute advantage.

The teams alternate entrances until all ten are in.

First submission wins.

Blackpool Combat Club/Pac/Konosuke Takeshita vs. Elite/Kota Ibushi

Claudio Castagnoli starts for the Club and Kenny Omega is in for the Elite. Castagnoli starts with the uppercuts before they fight over a suplex. Omega is sent into the space between the rings and sends Castagnoli into the corner. A high crossbody lets Omega hammer away but the fans want them in the other ring. Omega obliges and stomps away in the corner, setting up a standing hurricanrana. Pac comes in to make it 2-1 though and we take a break.

Back with Hangman Page coming in to even things up 2-2 and the fight is on again. House is cleaned and Page gives Pac a pop up powerbomb, setting up a top rope moonsault onto Castagnoli. Page German suplexes Pac and they split up into different rings. Castagnoli and Page take over their respective fights until Jon Moxley is in for the Club to make it 3-2. He comes complete with screwdriver (or maybe a fork) and gets to carve people up before grabbing some weapons. We get the broken glass but before anyone can get carved up, Nick Jackson is in to tie it up at 3-3.

Nick snaps off some hurricanranas to send people into the glass until Moxley drops Nick into it instead. Moxley even puts it on Nick’s chest and stomps away before Omega is slammed onto the glass. Wheeler Yuta is in to make it 4-3 with the villains taking over again. We take a break and come back again with Matt Jackson coming in to even things up at 4-4.

Matt faceplants Pac and hits an assisted Sliced Bread on Castagnoli. Moxley is back up for some suplexes to drop the Bucks as Castagnoli seems to have stolen Page’s vest. A Kitaro Crusher sends Yuta into the glass but here is Konosuke Takeshita to complete the evil team and make it 5-4.

Takeshita suplexes both Bucks at once (take that Moxley) and then punches a chair into Omega’s face. Don Callis is now on commentary as Omega has a freaking bed of nails. Moxley whips him into it and slams him onto them, with Castagnoli looking terrified. Kota Ibushi is in to finalize both teams at 5-5, so Yuta goes to meet him on the stage and gets dropped.

Moxley stands on Omega’s hand on the nails but Ibushi comes over to kick away at him. Ibushi puts him on the nails and hits a standing moonsault as Matt and Wheeler fight outside the cage. The Club gets in another quick advantage and we take a break. Back with Matt suplexing Yuta around the top of the cage until Yuta suplexes his way out of danger. Moxley piledrives Ibushi onto the glass and a bunch more piledrivers are loaded up.

Instead Matt drops thumbtacks from the roof and Castagnoli/Pac are backdropped onto the tacks. Nick fires off a bunch of superkicks to take over again. A toss powerbomb into two kicks in the corner drop Pac and a string of shots from the top rope have him in more trouble as we take another break. Back with the villains hitting a string of superplexes as Pac goes up top. A dropping double stomp puts Matt through a table in a crazy crash.

We get the big ten man brawl in the middle, with the Bucks (screw that falling stomp from the top of the cage) up for superkicks. The parade of strikes set up the dragon suplex to drop Takeshita onto the glass. A bunch of submissions have the Elite in trouble but Ibushi makes some rather slow motion saves. Hold on though as Castagnoli and Pac have issues, resulting in Pac flipping them off and leaving.

Omega uses the distraction to get up and clean house with a bunch of suplexes. The Buckshot Lariat drops Castagnoli and Wheeler gets hit in the head a lot. Moxley gets handcuffed to the ropes as Don Callis pulls Takeshita out of the match. Yuta is sent face first into a boot covered with thumbtacks before a chain around the throat makes him give up at 50:49.

Rating: B-. And that’s probably being generous. This was WAY too long (longer than the 1991/1992 editions combined) with far too much time spent standing around and not even trying to win the match. I still can’t stand all the weapons (like the BED OF NAILS that Omega was slammed onto, only to be up a few minutes later) being brought in as the cage and violence itself really should be good enough.

Other than that, Ibushi did just shy of nothing here and looked like he would have rather been anywhere else. The match was far from terrible as the violence was good in parts, but this needed to be at least twenty minutes shorter. The point of these matches is supposed to be hatred and violence, not stretching it out for as long as you can. Cut it down, sell more and stop with the ridiculous weapon spots. You’re in a double steel cage. That’s enough for the majority of the carnage, or at least it should be.

Overall Rating: B. This was the pay per view level TV show that you get to see at times and it worked rather well. You had a title change, a very fun tag match, and a main event that certainly felt big but didn’t exactly stick the landing. What mattered here was the big atmosphere though and they absolutely nailed it. Very entertaining show, but the main event needed some work.

Results
Jack Perry b. Hook – Belt shot
Britt Baker b. Kayla Sparks – Lockjaw
MJF/Adam Cole b. Daniel Garcia/Sammy Guevara – Double clothesline to Garcia
Elite/Kota Ibushi b. Blackpool Combat Club/Pac/Konosuke Takeshita when Yuta submitted

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

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Battle Of The Belts VII
Date: July 15, 2023
Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccboni, Nigel McGuinness

It’s back to the series that doesn’t seem to matter much to AEW. Most of the card was announced last night on Rampage so it isn’t like there was a ton of effort put into the build. That has been the case for a long time now with this series but maybe this one will be different. Let’s get to it.

We open with Ricky Starks celebrating winning the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and walking up the ramp, where Jushin Thunder Liger is waiting with the cup. Starks snatches it out of his hands, celebrates really fast, and leaves with Liger being a bit confused.

We run down the card.

International Title: Lance Archer vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is defending and has the title back after Jake Roberts (with Archer) took it on Rampage. Cassidy slugs away to start but gets caught on top with a shot to the face. The Blackout is countered into a sleeper but Archer powers out and sends him outside. We get a Cassidy vs. Roberts tease until Cassidy kicks away at Archer. That doesn’t matter, as Archer swings him hard into the barricade before stopping to beat up some security. The distraction lets Cassidy dropkick him into the barricade a few times and then stack some security on top.

Archer shrugs that off and sends Cassidy into the barricade, followed by into the corner back inside. We take a break and come back with Cassidy escaping the Blackout and a chokeslam attempt. A basement superkick connects but the Orange Punch is knocked out of the air. Archer grabs a hammerlock swinging Rock Bottom for two and Cassidy is sent outside. Roberts loads up a DDT but Archer stops him, only for Cassidy to grab his own DDT. They fight on the apron until Cassidy knocks him to the floor to retain by countout at 10:15.

Rating: C+. This was Cassidy being dominated again but retaining again, which is a bit of a huge stretch. The idea of Cassidy being hurt and overwhelmed has been done for months now and I’m not sure when they are actually going to do something with it. Cassidy has gotten almost all he can out of the title, but he should be seeing Archer again soon.

Tony Schiavone brings out the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn for a chat. They don’t like QTV mocking them and promise revenge next week in a trios match. Then next week on Collision, they get a Trios Titles match against the House of Black. Four way scissoring ensues.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Taya Valkyrie

Storm, with Ruby Soho, is defending. Taya starts fast and hammers away to send her outside (where Soho says Storm NEEDS A MINUTE). Running knees against the ropes get two back inside but they fight right back to the floor. Taya runs her over again and we take a break.

Back with Taya running her over and hitting a running hip attack in the corner for two. The television feed seems to go out and we take an unexpected break, coming back with…..part of Julia Hart vs. Bambi Hall from last week’s Collision. We then cut to commentary welcoming us back from the satellite feed being knocked out by bad weather. They don’t actually say who won the match but we’ll say it ended at about 11:00. I won’t rate half of the match but they were having a pretty physical fight before it was cut off.

Here are Tony Khan and Martha Hart to present Willow Nightingale and Ricky Starks with their titles and trophies. She gives a speech about the greatness of Calgary and what it means for the two of them to carry on Owen’s legacy.

TNT Title: Shawn Spears vs. Luchasaurus

Luchasaurus, with Christian Cage, is defending and commentary tells us that Toni Storm retained the title. Spears is sent outside for the early beating and we take a break. Back with Spears hammering away in the corner before they head outside. Spears rips off Christian’s jacket and gets sent through the barricade for his efforts. Back in and a chokeslam gets two on Spears but Luchasaurus charges into a chair in the corner to give Spears the same. Cage offers a distraction though and a Northern Lariat retains the title at 10:04.

Rating: C+. This went about as expected as Spears was there to give the Canadian fans something to cheer about. He was a good choice to get beaten down and Luchasaurus’ stuff did look solid, but I’m not sure how much anyone else was interested in Spears as a challenger. It’s an odd choice to close the show, but at least we could see everything.

We see a clip of Ruby Soho forearming Valkyrie so Storm Zero could retain the title. That’s a nice touch.

Overall Rating: C. As usual, this is a show that serves no real purpose other than having another AEW show on television. There hasn’t been a title change on the show in over a year, making it feel less and less important. Two of the show’s matches were added on last night, as despite all the talent and titles available in AEW, nothing can be given a nice 2-3 week build. It’s a shame and while it seems clear that AEW doesn’t care, it would be nice to see them try something for at least one match.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Lance Archer via countout
Toni Storm b. Taya Valkyrie – Storm Zero
Luchasaurus b. Shawn Spears – Northern Lariat

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Collision
Date: July 15, 2023
Location: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a big night around here with three title (kind of) matches. First of all, Bullet Club Gold gets their rematch for the Tag Team Titles in a two out of three falls match. That isn’t enough though, as both Owen Hart Foundation tournaments wrap up tonight. You can’t say they’re slacking this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

FTR, Bullet Club Gold, Willow Nightingale, Ricky Starks and CM Punk are ready to win.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold

2/3 falls and FTR is defending. Harwood and White start things off, with White trying the mind games to no avail. Back in and Harwood shoulders him down, setting up an early headlock. Wheeler comes in to headlock Robinson before running him over hard with a shoulder. The Club needs a breather on the floor as we take a break.

Back with White still in trouble until he rolls over and brings in Robinson. That means the punches can be thrown, with Robinson’s big left dropping Wheeler fast. They trade rollups for two each until Wheeler gorilla presses Robinson. It’s back to Harwood for some chops in the corner before a suplex sets up the chinlock.

Robinson fights up and sends him into the corner for the break before handing it back to White. A bunch of chops in the corner set up a Death Valley Driver for two, with Wheeler having to make the save. White’s bridging belly to back suplex gets two and they clothesline each other down. Everything breaks up and the Shatter Machine is blocked. Instead White grabs the Blade Runner for the first fall at 16:34.

We take a break and come back with Harwood in the corner but backdropping his way to freedom. Wheeler comes in for a running back elbow in the corner but gets taken down by White. We hit the long chinlock until White takes him into the corner some some chops. Another chinlock, this time with a knee in the back, keeps Wheeler down so Wheeler can come in for a backsplash. A second one only hits knees though and Wheeler gets two off a sunset flip.

The chinlock goes on again, but this time Wheeler gets up and brings Harwood back in to clean house. Harwood can’t get the Sharpshooter (big pop for the attempt) so White kicks him into the corner for two. The spike piledriver is broken up and Harwood’s super sunset flip gets two more. Redneck Boogie gets another near fall and FTR is absolutely stunned. The PowerPlex connects but Robinson comes in for a cheap shot so White can get a VERY close two. With nothing else working, a blind tag brings Wheeler back in so the Shatter Machine can tie it up at 37:30.

We take another break and come back with Harwood beat on on White again. They head outside with White managing a hurricanrana over the barricade, meaning we now pause to make sure they’re both alive. White is back up so he gets suplexed again, followed by a double suplex to each challenger on the floor. Back in and they pull themselves up for the big staredown and the fans certainly approve. Wheeler and Robinson crash out to the floor and we take another break.

Back again with Harwood making the ropes to get out of a leglock, meaning White can Tune Up The Band. Instead White grabs the Sharpshooter, with Harwood biting his hand to avoid the tap. White stumbles a bit though and Harwood dives over to make the rope. They go up top with Harwood getting a belly to back superplex as we have five minutes to go.

Robinson pulls Wheeler off the apron to break up the tag attempt, allowing White to grab his bridging belly to back suplex for two more. Everything breaks down and FTR gets stereo Sharpshooters for a huge reaction until both of them fall apart. Back up and Harwood grabs another Sharpshooter on Robinson, who finally taps to retain the titles at 58:10.

Rating: A-. This was another great match between these four as they just let it go nuts and get in everything they could think of for one heck of a performance. What matters is that they tore the house down and had me wondering how it would end with the time calls. It’s hard to talk about a match like this as there was almost nothing to complain about. Save for maybe the required Sharpshooters in Canada, which is a tribute that has LONG since overstayed its welcome. Move on already.

Post match the handshake is offered but the Club walks away instead.

Video on Blood & Guts.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Finals: Ruby Soho vs. Willow Nightingale

Soho’s armdrag is blocked and Willow runs her over with straight power. A fisherman’s suplex gives Willow two and we take an early break. Back with Willow’s running powerslam getting two for a British Bulldog reference. A victory roll gives Soho two but Willow spinebusters her into a half crab. Soho grabs a rope and the spray paint, which she throws to Willow for a distraction. No Future gets two but Willow is up with the Pounce. The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Willow the pin and the tournament at 9:04.

Rating: B-. They had a nice match here and it’s great to see Nightingale winning something in this company for a change. She has so much charisma and now she has a prize of her own. Now there is a good chance that she goes on to face Athena for the Ring Of Honor Women’s Title and she has the momentum built in to make it work this time around. Good stuff here, as Willow’s power worked well.

We look at QT Marshall costing Powerhouse Hobbs the Owen Hart Tournament match last week.

Marshall begs Hobbs’ forgiveness but Hobbs doesn’t seem impressed.

Kings Of The Black Throne vs. Randy Myers/???

King shoves them both around to start so it’s off to Black for a kneebar. Cue Andrade El Idolo for a distraction though, only to have Black Mass connect for the pin at 2:51.

The big staredown ensues post match.

Men’s Owen Hart Hart Foundation Tournament Finals: CM Punk vs. Ricky Starks

Feeling out process to start with Punk grabbing a headlock takeover. Starks reverses into one of this own and the fans aren’t sure what to make of this so far. Punk sends him outside for a crash though and holds the ropes open for Starks to return as we take a break. Back with Punk missing a charge into the corner, allowing Starks to hit his rope walk to send Punk outside.

Punk gets back in and drops him again, this time setting up Bret Hart’s Five Moves Of Doom. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Starks slips away and pulls Punk off the middle rope. We take another break and come back with Punk charging into a raised boot in the corner. Starks misses a top rope elbow though and a hammerlock lariat gives Punk two.

Frustration seems to be setting in and stereo crossbodies leave both of them down. Back up and Punk grabs a guillotine choke but Starks makes the rope. Starks is sat on top for a super hurricanrana, which is countered into a rollup so Starks can grab the rope for the pin at 19:38.

Rating: B. Solid main event here, though giving us ANOTHER heel in the end is certainly a choice. AEW has a big problem with making one heel after another and that is what they did here, albeit after giving him the biggest win of his career. I can go for Starks winning and Punk can’t brag about being the undefeated champion, so they covered a lot at once in a good match.

Overall Rating: A. What more could you ask for from this show? The opener was a match of the year candidate and ran over half of the show, plus you got both tournaments wrapped up. Throw in a fun enough squash and this was one heck of a show. I’m not sure if they can keep it up going forward, but egads they made this work very well. Outstanding show.

Results
FTR b. Bullet Club Gold 2-1
Willow Nightingale b. Ruby Soho – Babe With The Powerbomb
King Of The Black Throne b. Randy Myers/??? – Black Mass to Myers
Ricky Starks b. CM Punk – Rollup while grabbing the rope

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

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Rampage
Date: July 14, 2023
Location: SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Tony Schiavone

We have to be about done with this Canadian tour as the thing just keeps going. This week we’ll get to find out the other finalist in the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament, plus whatever else Excalibur went through oh so quickly earlier this week on Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Keith Lee/Dustin Rhodes vs. Angelo Parker/Matt Menard

Lee slams both of them around to start and then slams Dustin onto them for a bonus. Dustin grabs an armbar on Menard before hitting the drop down uppercut. Menard manages to send him outside for a ram into the corner as the villains manage to take over. A clothesline gives Menard two as we take a break.

Back with Dustin hitting a backdrop but Lee has been knocked to the floor so there’s no tag. The snap powerslam allows that tag a few seconds later though and it’s Lee coming in to clean house. Lee throws Rhodes at the two of them but gets caught with a double DDT for two. Dustin is back in to clean house and the Supernova finishes Parker at 9:50.

Rating: C. This went on for a bit but Lee has been looking a lot more like his old self in recent weeks. If nothing else, shaving the beard is that much of an improvement. Dustin is right there to look good at just about everything as well and they got to beat up a couple of goons. Nice opener here, even if it’s hard to imagine Lee and Rhodes going anywhere.

It’s QTV time, with Harley Cameron being proud of the success of her rap video. We cut to Johnny TV, who challenges the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to a six man tag.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Izzy McQueen

Taya spears her down to start and hits a curb stomp for the pin at 24 seconds. The first eight seconds were slow and the last eight seconds were a bit better, but the middle eight seconds were as good as you were ever going to get. Right up there with Thesz vs. O’Connor.

Post match here are the Outcasts, with Toni Storm calling Taya a loser. And it’s because she’s a Canadian! Storm says she’s beaten everyone, but Taya says they’ve never fought. The challenge is on for Battle of the Belts, with Storm eventually being pushed into accepting.

Hook is having lunch and accepts Jungle Boy’s challenge for a title match next week. He’s tired of chasing Jungle Boy around.

Trent Beretta vs. Lance Archer

Chuck Taylor and Jake Roberts are here too. Archer chokes on the rope to start but Trent knocks him to the floor for a dive. Back up and Archer nails a clothesline as we take a break. We come back with Trent hitting a running knee and a piledriver for two. Archer crossbodies him down but the chokeslam is countered into a rollup for two. Beretta hits another running knee but Archer knees him on top. The Blackout and a hard lariat finish Beretta at 8:55.

Rating: C+. They were hitting each other rather hard here, but what I liked about this match was Archer was up against some bigger competition for a change. You can only beat so many jobbers before it stops mattering so switching him up to someone like Trent, who is at least a name, is a good idea.

Post match Archer beats up Taylor as well but here is Orange Cassidy comes out for the save. Well, kind of save as Archer chokes him down, with Roberts taking the backpack with the International Title. Cassidy can come get it (in the already announced title match) at Battle Of The Belts.

Video on Jeff Jarrett and company, plus Matt Hardy and Ethan Page, who will be in the Royal Rampage.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mentallo

Don Callis is here too and gets in the ring to introduce Mentallo as the childhood friend of Kenny Omega. Callis tells Takeshita to kill him (in Japanese of course) and the beating is on. A running shot in the corner rocks Mentallo but he strikes away at the chest. Takeshita isn’t having that and hammers away but a running knee is countered into a dragon screw legwhip. A suplex drops Mentallo, though Takeshita’s knee is screwed up. It’s fine enough for a leg trap Tombstone and a top rope backsplash finishes Mentallo at 4:06.

Rating: C. It was a little strange to see Mentallo get in that much offense but at least Takeshita ran him over in the end. There was a nice little story added in with the whole Omega’s training partner thing and it boosted it above a regular squash. Takeshita vs. Omega in London wouldn’t stun me, and they’re taking some steps to get there.

The Dark Order is still mad at Hangman Page for abandoning them. Last week was their resurrection and the question is if you are Dark Order or not.

Video on Athena vs. Willow Nightingale.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament Semifinals: Athena vs. Willow Nightingale

Athena’s Ring Of Honor Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Willow powers her down without much trouble to start, followed by a running forearm in the corner. Back up and Athena catches her in the ropes and DDTs the leg to take over. The beating continues until we take a break, but come back with Willow hitting a Pounce.

The spinebuster gets two but the Babe With The Powerbomb is broken up. Athena hits a gordbuster and an elbow is good for two. A backsplash misses for Willow and Athena his a standing moonsault for two more. Willow snaps off a Death Valley Driver for two more, only to get her knee taken out. Athena misses the spinning knee to the face and gets rolled up for the upset pin at 10:39.

Rating: B-. So that’s Athena’s big loss after the winning streak and likely sets up the rubber match at Death Before Dishonor. If that’s the case, why not have the tournament be for a title shot and take Athena out? Either way, having Nightingale be the big winner or a change is cool to see, though I really could have gone without Athena losing here, as it feels like something of a waste.

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t a show you needed to watch as the action was good enough, but it was more about setting things up for later. We got the traditional last minute build towards Battle of the Belts and a surprise result in the main event, but it’s not like anything was must see. Good enough show, but there are better options for your wrestling viewing.

Results
Dustin Rhodes/Keith Lee b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Supernova to Parker
Taya Valkyrie b. Izzy Mcqueen – Curb stomp
Lance Archer b. Trent Beretta – Lariat
Konosuke Takeshita b. Mentallo – Top rope backsplash
Willow Nightingale b. Athena – Rollup

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

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Dynamite
Date: July 12, 2023
Location: SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re still in Canada and a week away from Blood & Guts next week. That means we should be getting a big build towards the match, but at the same time, there are also three tournaments, plus Battle Of The Belts coming up. For now though the Blind Eliminator tournament gets a little more focus so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Komander vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho sends him into the corner for the headstand to start so Komander comes back with a very bouncy hurricanrana. Komander tries to bounce around but gets forearmed in the face, setting up the backbreaker. Back up and Komander snaps off some kicks to the face, only to be hiptossed out to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Komander in trouble, including a pair of powerbombs to plant him hard. The Lionsault misses so Komander grans la majistral for two. Back up and Jericho takes his head off with a clothesline but Komander kicks him down. The rope walk shooting star press gets two and Jericho misses a dive to the floor. Komander hits the rope walk flipping dive (or trick as Tony calls it), setting up a phoenix splash for two back inside. Jericho’s Codebreaker gets two so Komander tries another springboard, only to get pulled into the Liontamer for the tap at 12:50.

Rating: B-. Komander was trying here but there were so many instances where Jericho had to stand there for Komander to set something up. That doesn’t make for the best visual as I keep waiting for Jericho to do something about it. Other than that, Jericho pulling him in and ultimately catching Komander trying once too often is a good way to go. Just stop being so ridiculous and Komander’s stock goes way up.

Post match Don Callis comes out to show us a clip of himself and Jericho, with their mentor Bad News Allen, early in their careers. Jericho remembers this and says Allen told them to stay together. They didn’t keep his promise but Callis believes that Allen is looking down and smiling at the idea of the two of them getting together again. Jericho still doesn’t say yes.

Jungle Boy will not get out of his car so here is Hook to chase him away. Hook: “Keep running Perry.”

Don Callis is ready to name the fifth member of his team for Blood & Guts.

We recap MJF’s efforts to win over Adam Cole.

MJF and Cole were at a bar last week, with MJF not being pleased over Cole not wearing their team shirt. Some attractive women come in and MJF says two for him, two for Cole. That’s not going to work for Cole, which MJF says makes four for him. MJF and the ladies leave and we cut to MJF coming back, saying the maximum ride is spent.

Cole says he’ll put the team shirt on if they do what he wants to do next. Cool with MJF…..but Cole wants to play video games. It happens to be Fight Forever, where they bond over how they were going to turn on each other. They win the titles in the game to wrap up this hilariously goofy segment.

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament Semifinals: Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy vs. Sammy Guevara/Daniel Garcia

Sammy mocks the hands in the pockets to start before they trade armdrags. Cassidy puts his hands in his own pockets, leaving Sammy to spin into his pose. Allin comes in for a handshake before hitting a heck of a suicide dive onto Garcia. Back up and Garcia tags himself in for the spinning front chancery to Allin as we take a break.

We come back with Cassidy getting the hot tag and coming in to take over. Garcia’s sleeper is quickly broken up but the Dragontamer has Cassidy in trouble. Allin makes the save and it’s the Stundog Millionaire into Allin’s flipping Stunner into Cassidy’s spinning DDT. Guevara is back in with a running knee but a second misses, allowing Cassidy to hit the Beach Break.

Cassidy and Garcia trade rollups for two each until they trade shots to the face for a double knockdown. Sammy misses the shooting star press as Garcia Dragontamers Cassidy. Cue Prince Nana of all people to hand Garcia the skateboard. With Allin going after Garcia, here is Swerve Strickland for a cheap shot. The GTH hits Allin for the pin at 12:53.

Rating: B-. It would have been hard to imagine MJF/Cole not going through to the finals but this practically seals their spot. The interesting thing here is you could have gone either way for the winners, as both teams were options to move on. Strickland interfering works well as a way to save Allin’s status, but the Society moving on to the finals makes all the sense in the world too.

Video on Nick Wayne, who started training for wrestling at 9 years old. Then his father died and now he wrestles for both of them.

Roderick Strong, in a neck brace, asks Adam Cole if he is starting to really like MJF. Cole gets a text from MJF, saying he has the flu and might not be able to go.

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament Semifinals: Brian Cage/Big Bill vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Adam Cole

And MJF is fine. Cole even has his team shirt as MJF asks who wants to see him slam Bill. MJF tries and there goes his back as a result. That means we need a quick meeting on the floor before it’s off to Cole vs. Cage. We pause for Cage to do some pushups and it’s back to Bill vs. MJF, the latter of whom still can’t hit a slam. Bill gets dropped as we take a break.

We come back with MJF losing his shirt and telling Bill to hit him. Instead Bill grabs a choke but MJF manages the slam. Cage comes back in and blocks a piledriver so MJF goes to the eyes and dives over to Cole. MJF calls for the double clothesline but Bill clotheslines both of them instead. Some superkicks put Bill down for a change but Cage hits a double clothesline of his own. The fall away slam/Samoan drop combination has Cole and MJF in more trouble. Not that it matters as Cole is right back with the Boom to finish Cage out of nowhere at 10:14.

Rating: C+. Sweet goodness this team is fun. I know it isn’t a long term thing and it shouldn’t be, but I’m having a great time watching Cole and MJF be goofy together. That’s exactly what they’re going for before the big betrayal, which should be a heck of a moment (even better if the double clothesline is involved). This story has been all kinds of fun and they made a match work that way too.

Post match MJF acknowledges how over he is in Canada but then has Cole do his own catchphrase. MJF says the double clothesline is coming and we get a rare DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE chant. After explaining boundaries to MJF, Cole says he never expected this to work, but they’re doing pretty well. They’re ready to win the tournament.

Roderick Strong is in the back and doesn’t seem impressed.

Jake Hager goes to see Chris Jericho, who is considering the Don Callis offer. Hager goes over their history together and hands him his hat.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Semifinals: Ruby Soho vs. Skye Blue

Soho runs her over to start and they go to the apron, where Toni Storm’s distraction doesn’t work. Instead Blue faceplants Soho on the apron but gets sent knees first into the steps. Soho kicks at the knee back inside and wraps it around the post to keep Blue in trouble. Back up and Soho gets in some kicks of her own, allowing her to plant Soho for a fast two. The knee gives out but Blue is still able to block Destination Unknown. A half crab sends Blue over to the ropes but her leg gives out again. Soho hits a middle rope No Future for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C. I could have seen this one going either way as Blue winning the whole thing would not have shocked me. Soho could use a win of some kind if she isn’t going to be a champion anytime soon, so sending her forward makes sense. The match itself was only so good, but an underdog fighting through an injury is almost always going to work.

Harley Cameron has a music video for a song called Rap Lessons.

Swerve Strickland vs. Nick Wayne

Wayne turned 18 the day before yesterday and takes Strickland into the corner for a tap on the jaw. Some kicks miss for Wayne and that’s an early standoff. Wayne sends him to the apron where a hurricanrana sends Strickland outside as we take a break. Back with Wayne fighting out of a chinlock and catching Strickland on in the corner.

Cue Darby Allin to cheer Wayne on as a reverse hurricanrana gives Wayne two. Wayne’s World (diving cutter) gets another two but Strickland counters a hurricanrana attempt into a powerbomb. The Last Call, plus a glare at Allin, sets up the JML driver to finish Wayne at 10:36.

Rating: B-. Wayne is incredibly young and definitely feels like someone who came up through the independents, but he does have a natural athleticism that works for him. I’m not sure how far he is going to go right off the bat, but it’s certainly a unique story. He got in a lot on Strickland here, though ultimately AEW did the right thing.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Here is Don Callis to announce the fifth member for Blood & Guts. Callis mocks Kenny Omega, who comes out but gets cut off by Jon Moxley and Konosuke Takeshita. Cue Pac, who will be the fifth man, to help with the big beatdown of Omega. Hold on though as Omega, despite being choked with a chair, says his team has a fifth member as well: Kota Ibushi. The Elite make the save and Omega promises to destroy Callis to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was another tournament heavy show but the good thing is next week will be completely focused on something else. The MJF/Cole stuff is pretty great and that makes for more than enough of an interesting story. Other than that, you had a lot of focus on the Chris Jericho/Don Callis stuff and….yeah I cannot bring myself to be interested in Callis and his unending string of “remember when’s”. It was a good show for the most part, but Blood & Guts next week will change everything.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Komander – Liontamer
Daniel Garcia/Sammy Guevara b. Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin – GTH to Allin
Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Adam Cole b. Brian Cage/Big Bill – Boom to Cage
Ruby Soho b. Skye Blue – No Future
Swerve Strickland b. Nick Wayne – JML Driver

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

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Collision
Date: July 8, 2023
Location: Brandt Center, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

The Canadian tour continues, as do the Owen Hart Foundation tournaments. In this case, the main draw is Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk, which was the biggest feud on the independent circuit about twenty years ago and could be very interesting today. Other than that, FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold, which could be pretty great. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, Samoa Joe and CM Punk are ready for their tournament matches tonight.

Opening sequence.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He is ready for Samoa Joe and it is the biggest match of his career. It feels like it should be the final, but he isn’t looking past Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs. Joe is the reason Punk is missing teeth and has scars on his head, but the name Punk wants to hear tonight is Owen Hart. Owen is the reason a lot of people are here and while there is talent in that locker room, they aren’t here without Hart. Punk isn’t superstitious so he goes over to touch the trophy that he will earn. Win, lose or draw tonight, he will leave it all in the ring tonight.

We get a video on Punk vs. Joe, complete with old and new footage.

Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Semifinals: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks

QTV is here with Hobbs, who shoves him around to start without much effort. Back up and Starks clotheslines him out to the floor, only to have Hobbs run him over with another clothesline back inside. The beating in the corner ensues and a delayed suplex drops Starks again as the dominance continues.

We take a break and come back with Starks fighting out of a bearhug. Hobbs shrugs it off and fires off some clotheslines in the corner. Some middle rope right hands are countered into a powerbomb and Starks kicks him in the head. A springboard tornado DDT doesn’t go so well and Hobbs is back with the spinebuster. For some reason QT Marshall distracts the referee, allowing Starks to ram Hobbs into him. The spear gives Starks the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C+. Hobbs’ bad luck continues, but at least in this case it might lead to the end of his association with QTV. At the same time, at least the loss was to someone like Starks, who could use the boost that would come with winning the tournament. That isn’t out of the question, though I could still go for having more than bragging rights on the line.

Post match Marshall goes to talk to Hobbs, who shoves him away. Aaron Solo tries to play peacemaker and gets planted with a spinebuster. Harley Cameron gets between Hobbs and Marshall so Hobbs finally leaves.

Miro is ready to hurt anyone because no one can hurt him. Nothing can tempt him. Not a shiny belt, a jealous god or a double jointed hot wife.

Willow Nightingale is upset about being injured when Athena interrupts her. Athena was looking forward to beating her, but Nightingale is ready for this match, which can happen on Rampage.

Video on Blood & Guts.

Julia Hart vs. Bambi Hall

Hart kicks away at the leg and avoids a charge in the corner. Hall runs her over but Hart starts firing off some kicks. Hall’s attempt at a backbreaker is pulled into something like the Rings of Saturn for the tap at 2:22. Hall felt like she could be something with some more time.

Malakai Black talks about how Andrade El Idolo has put too much value and faith in his mask. It’s like a child who can’t let go of his teddy bear but Black is willing to show him the truth.

Andrade says he is a businessman but the mask represents his family and culture. When he takes the mask off, it is time to fight and win.

Bullet Club Gold vs. FTR

Non-title Eliminator Match, so if the Club wins they get a title shot, but if they lose, they can never challenge FTR again. Dax and White start things off with Dax sending him into the corner and grabbing a headlock. With White not being able to get anywhere, he hands it off to Robinson to work on Wheeler’s arm. Everything breaks down and we wind up back in the ring for the four way brawl, with the fans rather approving. FTR get in a part of German suplexes and we take a break.

Back with Robinson getting elbowed and legdropped, setting up an atomic drop out of the corner. A White distraction lets Robinson hit a hot shot to Wheeler to take over. Some shoulders in the corner set up a backsplash to stay on the ribs and we hit the waistlock. White goes after the illegal Dax and sends him into the barricade before suplexing Wheeler into the corner for two. Robinson cuts Dax off again so we can’t have a hot tag, followed by White backdropping Wheeler to the floor as we take another break.

Back again with the hot tag bringing in Harwood to clean house, including a bunch of suplexes. Some rolling German suplexes have White in trouble before a brainbuster gets two. Wheeler and Robinson slug it out on the apron until a belly to back suplex puts Robinson down. The PowerPlex gets two on White but he’s back up with a sleeper suplex to Wheeler. Harwood breaks up the Blade Runner but the Shatter Machine doesn’t work.

White rolls Wheeler up for two but gets caught with the spike piledriver for two more, with Robinson having to make a diving save. Back up and White gets a very close two off a fisherman’s suplex and Wheeler breaks up a double suplex. White’s swinging Rock Bottom hits Wheeler but Harwood reverses another one into a slingshot sitout powerbomb for two.

Robinson comes back in with a leg lariat to Harwood but Wheeler powerslams him for two more. White grabs the Blade Runner though and everyone is down. Harwood and White chop it out but Robinson comes in off a blind tag. The forward DDT plants Harwood and Wheeler can’t break up the pin at 28:11.

Rating: A-. They had me wondering if the time limit draw was coming, which made the pin that much better. This was a heck of a match and they were going nuts with the near falls near the end. It’s hard to praise a match like this as it was one awesome piece after another and it was one of the best tag matches I’ve seen anywhere in a good while. Now how do they top it in a rematch?

Set for Battle Of The Belts: Shawn Spears challenges Luchasaurus for the TNT Title. And that’s why Battle Of The Belts is seen as a nothing show.

FTR is in the back when Bullet Club Gold comes up. They want their title shot next week and let’s make it 2/3 falls. That’s how they top it in a rematch.

Scorpio Sky vs. Action Andretti

Feeling out process to start with Andretti grabbing an armdrag into an armbar. Sky fights out without much trouble and we take a break. Back with Andretti hitting a backbreaker into a neckbreaker, followed by a Spanish Fly for two. Sky can’t get a backslide but he can block a split legged moonsault. Sky’s TKO finishes at 7:26.

Rating: C. So Sky is back after a year away and his match gets about three and a half minutes of TV time? That’s pretty hard to fathom, but it was only so good of a match in the first place. As usual, Sky is a good hand, but that doesn’t make him the most exciting. On the other hand, Andretti continues to be fine in his role as a jobber to the stars and can keep the pace up rather nicely.

Here’s what’s coming on various show, at a reasonable pace.

Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Semifinals: Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk

Non-title. Feeling out process to start with Punk looking to avoid the strikes. Joe wins a test of strength so Punk hits a chop of his own. You don’t do that to Joe, who runs Punk over without much effort and hits a big chop to the back. Joe snaps off the right hands in the corner and sends Punk outside as we take a break. Back with Joe working on a neck crank until Punk fights up and strikes away.

The leg lariat staggers Joe and Punk hits the running knee in the corner. The bulldog out of the corner is countered into a standing Koquina Clutch, which is countered into a belly to back suplex. Punk’s top rope elbow gets two but the GTS is countered into a crossface. With that broken up, Joe snaps off a powerslam for two and frustration/exhaustion are starting to set in. Punk kicks him in the head for two more but a tornado DDT is blocked. A swinging neckbreaker sets up a failed GTS attempt so Punk rolls him up for the pin at 15:32.

Rating: B-. This was never going to be some barn burner, as they’re both in their mid-40s and broken down from years of wear and tear. This match was build on the feeling and the atmosphere and in that sense, it worked very well. It felt like a big showdown and I was feeling some dread whenever either loaded up one of their finishers as it felt like it would be the end. What matters here is giving a huge feeling while also setting up Punk vs. Starks in what could be a great final. Well done here, though the action wasn’t the point.

Post match Punk offers a handshake but gets pulled into a Koquina Clutch. Joe grabs a chair but FTR makes the save. Ricky Starks comes out to stare at Punk but leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. The tag match and the feeling of the main event make this a show worth seeing, as this is the much more by the book, wrestling focused series from AEW. I’m not sure how many people are going to be interested in watching it going forward, but for now it seems to be working. If nothing else, the Owen tournaments end next week so we don’t have much longer of them dominating shows. The tag match is absolutely worth going out of your way to see, and that is the kind of stuff Collision needs to put it on the map.

Results
Ricky Starks b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Spear
Julia Hart b. Bambi Hall – Rings of Saturn
Bullet Club Gold b. FTR – Forward DDT to Harwood
Scorpio Sky b. Action Andretti – TKO
CM Punk b. Samoa Joe – Rollup

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

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AND

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Rampage
Date: July 7, 2023
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

It’s the 100th episode of the show and we have something of a grudge match on our hands. This time around, Hangman Page/the Young Bucks are facing the Dark Order, who still aren’t happy with how Page has treated them. Other than that, we have more tournament shenanigans to get through so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Young Bucks/Hangman Page vs. Dark Order

Reynolds shoulders Nick down to start so it’s off to Page. That means Reynolds needs to bail a bit and then he does it again on the floor. This time Nick kicks him in the head and it’s time for the Elite to start diving. Back in and Matt rolls the northern lights suplexes on Reynolds before adding Silver for the last one. Risky Business gets two on Reynolds and the fans describe this one sided match, which hasn’t lasted four minutes yet, as AWESOME.

Silver gets in a cheap shot from the floor though and Evil Uno comes in to strike away in the corner. Nick tries to flip over to the corner but the Order pulls Page and Matt down and we take a break. Back with Matt knocking Reynolds off the top and diving onto Uno and Silver. Page comes in to clean house, including a clothesline to send Reynolds outside for a slingshot dive.

Everything breaks down and Un is sent tot he apron for a big boot from Page. The Bucks catch Uno, allowing Page to hit the running shooting star from the apron. Back in and Matt hits a slingshot Canadian Destroyer on Reynolds, followed by a top rope elbow for two. Silver is back in for a kick to the head but Nick makes the save, setting up the Meltzer Driver on Matt for two with Uno making the save.

Page and Uno slug it out until the Bucks come back in to clean house with the superkicks. Page can’t bring himself to Buckshot Lariat Uno so the Bucks dive onto the rest of the Order. Cue Konosuke Takeshita for a distraction, allowing Claudio Castagnoli to hit a heck of an uppercut on Page. Uno gets the pin at 13:56.

Rating: B-. Pushing the Dark Order as something serious is certainly a choice, though it’s not like this was some clean win that is going to change their fortunes. The action was good as Silver and Reynolds are still a pretty decent tag team. Castagnoli or Takeshita vs. Page could make for a good showdown and that’s what matters here, especially if it gets Page away from the Dark Order again.

Post match Kenny Omega comes out to clear the ring.

QTV is still relatively clueless, including Harley Cameron thinking she’ll make a cute couple with Anthony Bowens. In a related story, Johnny TV doesn’t like Max Castor’s music.

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament: Daniel Garcia/Sammy Guevara vs. Matt Hardy/Jeff Jarrett

The rest of Jarrett’s cronies are here too. Garcia waistlocks Matt to start but gets reversed into a headlock. Guevara comes in and gets hiptossed by Jarrett, setting up the strut. That earns Guevara a dropkick to the floor and garcia gets in his own strut. The running flip dive takes out Jay Lethal by mistake though and we take a break. Back with Matt hitting Splash Mountain for two on Garcia and punching Guevara out of the air. Jarrett’s cronies try to offer a distraction (despite Jeff’s partner being in control) so the guitar can be slid in. Matt is sent into Lethal, allowing Guevara to hit the GTH, though Garcia steals the pin at 8:45.

Rating: C+. They got the result right here, as the Society team moves forward over a team who wasn’t going to work together well. Both Garcia and Guevara need to break free of Jericho, but they do work well together without him. Matt not wanting to cheat like Jarrett and his friends made sense, though I’m almost scared of the Hardys getting together to fight Jarrett and his cronies.

Post match the beatdown is on and Brother Zay’s save attempt doesn’t work. Ethan Page makes the real save.

Video on Collision.

Hikaru Shida vs. Marina Shafir

Shafir kicks her down to start but Shida is back with a bunch of kicks. A running knee gets two on Shafir and the Falcon Arrow gets the same. The Katana finishes Shafir off at 3:30.

Rating: C. It’s nice to have Shida out there getting a win, even if it is over Shafir. I’m not sure if it is the constant having to head back to Japan or something else, but you would think Shida would be worth a stronger push. She has all the tools, with the striking being on display in this one.

Kris Statlander is a fighting champion and she’ll face anyone anywhere. She is the defeater of the undefeated (and thinks that would be a good shirt) and Kris Stat is where it’s at. Those are some pretty terrible taglines but giving Statlander camera time is a good thing.

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament First Round: Trent Baretta/Matt Sydal vs. Brian Cage/Big Bill

Cage runs Sydal over without much trouble to start and it’s off to Bill vs. Trent. Some shots to the face stagger Bill and Trent knocks him outside, where Bill chokeslams him onto the apron. A fall away slam sends Trent flying and we take a break. Back with Trent DDTing his way out of trouble, allowing the tag off to Sydal. Cage and Bill get struck down and stereo double stomps to the back keep Bill in trouble. Cage is back up with a double clothesline and all four head outside.

Sydal Meteoras Bill on the floor but Cage and Bill hit stereo slams for two back inside. Bill and Cage clothesline each other by mistake but Cage is back up with a discus lariat to Trent. Sydal ducks another discus lariat but the top rope Meteora is blocked. Trent release German superplexes Cage and adds a piledriver, setting up a top rope Meteora from Sydal for two. Back in and Bill runs the good guys over and it’s a powerbomb/clothesline combination to finish Sydal at 12:24.

Rating: B. This match was a blast with everyone going hard and fast for a long time. Cage and Bill are rather good as a pair of monsters while Sydal and Trent worked well for a first time team. What mattered here was just letting everything go nuts and have a good time, which is all you can ask for out of something like this. Fun stuff.

Overall Rating: B-. You had a pair of fun matches here and the tag tournament is starting to take some shape. It made for an easy show to watch and that is what you need from Rampage. The show almost never feels important compared to Dynamite and Collision so letting it be an easy hour of TV is as important as it gets. Nice stuff here, and I’ll take something like this week to week.

Results
Dark Order b. Hangman Page/Young Bucks – Uppercut to Page
Daniel Garcia/Sammy Guevara b. Matt Hardy/Jeff Jarrett – GTH to Hardy
Hikaru Shida b. Marina Shafir – Katana
Brian Cage/Big Bill b. Matt Sydal/Trent Beretta – Clothesline/powerbomb combination to Sydal

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

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Dynamite
Date: July 5, 2023
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re into the second half of the year here and the slow build towards All In continues. Before we get to that though, Blood & Guts is in two weeks, with the BCC vs. the Elite. That could be a bit tricky for both as the Elite will need an extra hand if Eddie Kingston is still in Japan and Bryan Danielson is still hurt. Maybe we find out something for that this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Darby Allin tells Keith Lee to do something to make himself dominant again. Allin: “Pull your head out of your a** and take this seriously or you can just sit on the apron and cry about it.”

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament First Round: Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin vs. Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland

Lee LAUNCHES Allin to start so it’s off to Cassidy for the lazy kicks instead. The Grizzly Magnum puts Cassidy in the corner, where he puts his hands in his pockets and gets chopped down again. Strickland comes in and kicks Allin down as this is one sided so far. We take a break and come back with Lee Tower of Dooming Strickland and Allin out of the corner. Cassidy comes back in and gets caught in a bearhug as Strickland buries Allin underneath the steps.

They go outside with Cassidy trying a sleeper….but Lee walks up the steps, with Allin still underneath them (egads man). Back in and a Stundog Millionaire to Lee sets up a Canadian Destroyer from Allin. Strickland makes the save with a 450, which hits Lee by mistake (Strickland doesn’t mind). Cassidy DDT’s Strickland and hits a diving DDT to Lee on the floor, leaving Allin to grab the Last Supper to pin Strickland at 11:12.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match with Lee looking like his old self. Cassidy and Allin as a dark horse team could go on rather well though I’m not sure I can see them getting the title shot. For now, I can go with Lee being happy with running people over and then seeing Strickland lose in the end. Heck of an opener here, at least partially due to Lee throwing people around.

Video on Nick Wayne, an 18 year old prodigy who has signed to AEW. Darby Allin knew Wayne when he was a kid and helped get him signed.

We look at Hook chasing Jungle Boy off last week.

Jungle Boy wants an FTW Title match against Hook, who runs up and jumps Jungle Boy instead. Another daring escape in a waiting car ensues.

Video on Adam Cole and MJF’s history together.

MJF and Cole worked out together. Cole doesn’t pay attention spotting MJF, who then makes fun of a large man working out nearby. Then MJF doesn’t spot Cole bench pressing, and it doesn’t go very well.

Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Blade/Bollywood Boyz

After soaking in some cheers, Gunn grabs a headlock on Blade and punches him hard in the face. Harv comes in and gets caught in Scissor Me Timbers, meaning we have a three way scissoring. We take a break and come back with Bowens cleaning house and handing it off to Gunn to drop Gurv. The Mic Drop finishes for Castor at 6:42.

Rating: C. This has been your weekly “why did this match need a break” match as the Acclaimed and Gunn should have run them over a good bit faster than they did. At least they’re getting back to what made the team worked, though giving them something that matters would be nice. As in not QTV.

Post match Harley Cameron (of course) pops up on screen to say she’ll prove her talents with a video next week. Gunn tells her to suck it.

Eddie Kingston won the Strong Openweight Title in Japan earlier today.

Jon Moxley talks about how he and Kingston have known each other for a long time and they have gotten more out of wrestling than they could have hoped. Now though, Kingston needs to answer his phone.

Matt Hardy draws Jeff in the tag tournament. Jarrett that is.

Wheeler Yuta is ready to hurt Kenny Omega.

Here is Chris Jericho for a chat. Jericho thanks the fans for their cheers but he has a lot of big losses over the last few months. Maybe it is time for him to make some changes, and there is no better place to do it than right here. We hear about Jericho’s career starting around here and now it is time to be the best Jericho he can be.

Cue Don Callis to interrupt and talk about how he set up the Jericho vs. Omega match at Wrestle Kingdom. Jericho can’t hear him over the booing and they take credit for each other’s current success. Callis recaps his issues with Kenny Omega and offers Jericho a spot in his new family. Jericho says maybe and leaves. Callis gets some amazing reactions but my goodness he is as uninteresting as it gets.

Video on CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

Video on Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

Samoa Joe laid out Roderick Strong on Collision and hurt his neck.

Strong is banged up and wearing a neck brace. Adam Cole comes in to check on him but gets a text from MJF about using a double clothesline tonight.

Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament First Round: MJF/Adam Cole vs. Butcher/Matt Menard

Cole and MJF get stomped down in the corner to start. We settle down to MJF telling Menard to wait and then hitting him in the face. The abdominal stretch goes on and MJF starts a DO IT chant to get Cole to cheat. Cole won’t do it so MJF what his deal is. Then Cole cheats and MJF is WAY too happy. Menard gets out and sends MJF into the corner, allowing Butcher to take over as we take a break. Back with MJF poking Menard in the eye and bringing Cole back in to clean house. MJF calls for the double clothesline but Cole just Booms Menard for the pin at 8:43 instead.

Rating: C+. This match was all about the will they/won’t they deal and that made for an entertaining match. You could go in a bunch of different ways here and that makes for an interesting story as I want to know which path they take. If nothing else, MJF begging for the double clothesline and getting to hit it one day should be fun. Butcher and Menard were little more than two warm bodies who weren’t going to be hurt by a loss and that is a good role for them here.

Post match MJF tries to put over Cole, who isn’t overly impressed. They’ll team together one more time, but first of all, MJF wants to wish Cole a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Some backstage workers bring out a small cake and party hats. MJF sings a rather nice rendition of Happy Birthday as Cole looks on in utter confusion. Cole finally says that MJF has done more than enough but MJF wants him to make a wish. MJF teases sending Cole’s face into the cake but gets sent into it instead (Schiavone: “It never fails.”). Cole tries some cake and thanks MJF for doing all this. He even calls MJF his friend and leaves without incident. That’s interesting.

Britt Baker doesn’t like Ruby Soho saying she’s taken everything Baker cares about. Soho hasn’t taken her pride and Baker is ready to beat her.

Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara want an explanation from Chris Jericho but are told that they’re in the tag tournament together. Jericho is happy and tells them to go win without him, because he can’t be with them forever.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation First Round: Ruby Soho vs. Britt Baker

The rest of the Outcasts are here with Soho, who is sent outside to start. Back in and Baker can’t get Lockjaw but can hit a Sling Blade. What looked to be a suplex doesn’t go so well and winds up being something of a DDT to Soho. An Outcasts distraction lets Soho pull Baker to the floor and we take a break.

Back with Baker hitting a fisherman’s neckbreaker for two but not being able to add the Stomp. Instead she kicks Soho in the head but gets tripped by Toni Storm. Baker is fine enough to try the Lockjaw but a distraction lets Soho send her into a title belt. No Future connects for two so Soho puts on her own Lockjaw. With that not working, it’s something closer to the Bank Statement, sending Baker to the ropes. Baker’s Lockjaw goes on but Saraya pulls Soho to the floor. Baker beats the Outcasts up but gets rolled up for the assisted pin at 10:24.

Rating: C-. Two things about this match stick out to me. First of all: they really, really, really need to introduce a prize for the winner of the Owen tournaments. Otherwise, it’s just a bunch of matches for the sake of matches and then after about a week, any momentum gained is pretty much gone. It really shouldn’t be asking too much to put something up for grabs.

Second, there was WAY too much interference here. How many distractions or interference spots were there here? About four in a ten minute match? That’s pounding something into the ground and it really dulls things down a lot. You really shouldn’t need that many interferences and distractions to get through a ten minute match and it was just annoying by the end.

Post match Skye Blue comes out for the staredown with Soho.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Kenny Omega

Yuta jumps him to start but Omega says bring it and unloads in the corner. Omega knocks him down and stomps away but You Can’t Escape hurts Omega’s own neck. Yuta hits a missile dropkick for two and the suicide dive sends Omega into the barricade. Omega gets dropped again and we take a break with Yuta in firm control.

Back with Omega fighting out of a chinlock and getting his knees up to block a backsplash. A running clothesline drops Yuta as Excalibur lists off a bunch of upcoming matches. The V Trigger misses though and Yuta goes with a suplex for two. Yuta goes up top and gets superplexed right back down in a huge crash.

A poke to the eye slows Omega down and some rolling German suplexes give Yuta two. Omega is back with the snapdragon and then he does it again for a bonus. There’s the V Trigger but the shoulder gives out on the One Winged Angel. Yuta Seatbelts him for two but Omega runs him over again. Cue Don Callis for a distraction so Konosuke Takeshita can Blue Thunder Bomb Omega. Yuta’s splash gets two but Omega catches him on top and hits the One Winged Angel for the pin at 15:32.

Rating: B-. Another good match to close out the show as Yuta was in over his head but hung in there rather well with a top star. There’s nothing wrong with having Omega working a bit until he got the win, despite the screwiness. Good stuff here, as Yuta is starting to feel more natural when he is in there with bigger names.

Post match Claudio Castagnoli comes in for the beatdown. The Young Bucks can’t make the save so here is Hangman Page with a chair…but the Dark Order comes in to take it away to end the show. Because of course the Dark Order had to be involved.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where the good stuff was rather good and the weaker stuff wasn’t that bad, making for a rather strong effort. The MJF/Cole parts were great and the opener was a lot of fun, which combined to be enough to carry a lot of the show. They were focusing more on the storytelling and moving things forward here, which makes sense as Blood & Guts is coming up soon. Very entertaining show here and I had a good time getting through an easy two hours.

Results
Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy b. Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee – Last Supper to Strickland
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. Blade/Bollywood Boyz – Mic Drop to Gurv
MJF/Adam Cole b. Butcher/Matt Menard – Boom to Menard,
Ruby Soho b. Britt Baker – Rollup
Kenny Omega b. Wheeler Yuta – One Winged Angel

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.