Dynamite
Date: December 8, 2021
Location: UBS Arena, New York City, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re in New York again and this time around it’s the homecoming of MJF, which should be interesting. Other than that we have the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal as the company has some traditions going for it already. I’m not sure what to expect here, but Bryan Danielson kicking John Silver’s head in should be good. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is MJF…..’s music to start, but CM Punk comes out instead. The fans aren’t pleased, so Punk asks if that’s all they’ve got. Punk: “I’ve figured out why the Islanders have yet to win a game in this building.” Punk says the fans don’t disappoint, unlike their guy, MJF. It’s getting hot in here so he takes off his hoodie, revealing the AEW pillars, including Britt Baker. After explaining that he can respect Baker without trying to get in her pants, Punk says MJF was talking about being better than Roddy Piper in Portland. He’s not even better than Roddy Piper in Hell Comes To Frogtown!

The fans chant something at him but he can’t understand them, just like how the Islanders can’t understand how to put a puck in a net. Hey they beat the Ottawa Senators, which is like Punk beating QT Marshall. Punk remembers hating Dennis Rodman as a kid, because he played for the Detroit Pistons. Then Rodman came to the Chicago Bulls, and then he was Punk’s Rodman. It’s like MJF being Long Island’s guy, just because they’re stuck with him. Punk is looking at next week’s AEW World Title match and he wants next.

MJF is going to be looking at the same thing, and it’s going to be one of them going after the title. Punk knows that it looks like two people arguing and no one knows who the bigger idiot is (unless you’re from Chicago). This is between the two of them, with MJF even bringing in Punk’s dog Larry, who is neutered and still has more balls than MJF.

Punk gets it though, because MJF is the kind of guy this town would have since the Islanders haven’t won anything since 1984. He wants MJF to fight like they do in Chicago, but if MJF is the guy in Long Island, they’re all chickens***. Punk did exactly what he should have here and he was reveling in it.

We get a narrated video of MJF arriving in a rather nice car and talking about how he is a hero to the people around here. As he walks across his high school football field, we hear about some of his accomplishments, including football, acapella singing and keg standing. This man might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but around here, he is the salt of the earth.

Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal

Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Matt Hardy, Wardlow, Jay Lethal, Matt Sydal, Powerhouse Hobbs, Lio Rush, Dante Martin, Lee Moriarty, Ricky Starks, Frankie Kazarian, Lee Johnson

I think that’s everyone. The last two standing advance to next week for a singles match for the diamond ring. MJF, in his varsity football jacket, gets a hero’s welcome and even greets fans on the way to the ring. Lethal almost tosses MJF out in a hurry but he saves himself in a hurry. Another elimination attempt is broken up by Shawn Spears (on the floor) and Wardlow tosses out Moriarty.

Sydal is out as well as the Bunny slips Hardy the brass knuckles to knock Lethal silly. Hardy poses too long though and gets dumped by Sydal, setting up the showdown with Rush. That’s broken up so we get Warlow vs. Hobbs instead. They collide a few times but Hobbs saves himself on the apron, only to have Rush kick him out. Rush has to save himself from Starks and we take a break.

Back with MJF getting a cheap shot on Martin and running to the top to pose. A brawl breaks out near the ropes and MJF tosses Johnson, Rush…and Wardlow, which might not have been the best idea. Kazarian misses a charge and eliminates himself, leaving us with Starks/Martin vs. MJF. Martin doesn’t waste time in throwing Starks out, leaving MJF and Martin as the winners at 8:45.

Rating: C-. I can go for a short battle royal, especially when it’s something to set up next week instead of having a winner here. MJF had to be one of the winners here so it was about who else was going to get into the match next week. This worked out fine enough, and they kept things moving as a bonus.

Post match Martin rips off the Team Taz armband and shakes MJF’s hand. MJF actually leaves without incident but Starks runs back in to jump Martin. After thinking about it for a bit, MJF runs back to the ring for a shove off with Starks and then double teams Martin as he should. CM Punk runs in, sending MJF running off. Starks and Punk have the showdown but Marin enziguris Starks into the GTS.

Varsity Blonds/Jurassic Express vs. Acclaimed/2.0

Julia Hart and Daniel Garcia are here too. Since that’s a lot of teams, this is Brian Pillman Jr./Griff Garrison/Jungle Boy/Luchasaurus vs. Anthony Bowens/Max Caster/Matt Lee/Jeff Parker. Jungle Boy clears the ring to start and Garrison hits a heck of a dive over the top to the floor. Back in and the Blonds take out Bowens, setting up the right hands in the corner. Bowens shoves Pillman outside though and the crash allows the villains to stomp on Pillman in the corner.

Parker comes in for a chinlock but Pillman gets away, only to get cut off by Caster. Pillman can’t even armdrag his way out of trouble and it’s Bowens kicking him in the face. A double suplex is broken up with some knees to the head though and the hot tag brings in Luchasaurus to clean house.

Everything breaks down and Luchasaurus crushes all four villains in a pair of corners. Luchasaurus chokeslams Bowens onto Caster and it’s off to Jungle to blast Parker with a clothesline. Bowens punches Garrison down but Pillman hits a fisherman’s driver. Caster high crossbodies Pillman but Jungle DDTs Caster into the Snare Trap. Cue Eddie Kingston to take out Garcia but Jungle lets Caster go. Caster misses the Mic Drop though and it’s the Snare Trap for the tap at 8:57.

Rating: C+. It was a fun match but there were a lot of people running around at the same time. I like Jungle Boy getting a win as the Express is on their way to a Tag Team Title match but it might have been better to have two teams instead of eight people plus two more at ringside. They got the ending right though and that makes up for a good bit of the problems.

Post match Kingston steals a cameraman and goes backstage to find Ortiz. Kingston goes into a speech….that we can’t hear as he seems to not have a microphone on. 2.0 and Garcia show up to beat down Kingston and Ortiz.

Tully Blanchard talks about how FTR has defeated the Lucha Bros more than once, even in Mexico. It’s time to put this to bed and now they are finishing the Bros on Rampage by winning the Tag Team Titles.

Young Bucks vs. Chuck Taylor/Rocky Romero

Brandon Cutler, Adam Cole and Orange Cassidy are here too. Romero dropkicks Nick down to start and hits an Eddie Guerrero dance for a bonus. An armdrag into an armbar has Nick in more trouble so it’s off to Chuck. Everything breaks down and the Bucks kick Chuck off the apron. Romero comes back in and hangs in the ropes, allowing him to low bridge Nick to the floor.

A dive takes Nick out again and Matt hits a dropkick through the ropes to take Romero down as well. Back in and Romero gets sent into the corner but a quick roll allows the tag off to Chuck. House is cleaned but Chuck is kicked outside so the Bucks can tease a dive but kiss Cole on the cheek instead. There’s a flip dive to take Chuck out again and it’s time to mock Cassidy. Back in and Chuck gets draped across the ropes for the top rope flip dive and we take a break.

We come back with Nick missing a kick to the face to Cassidy, allowing Taylor to get in a few shots of his own. Romero is back up with the forever clotheslines, setting up a double hurricanrana. Everything breaks down again and Chuck hits Nick with Soul Food on the floor. That leaves Matt to roll the northern lights suplexes on Romero, who counters the third into a DDT.

Cole comes in so Cassidy cuts him off with the lazy kicks, earning himself a kick to the face from Nick. The referee gets shoved down in the melee and it’s Cutler cold spraying Matt by mistake. A piledriver into a jackknife cover gets two with Nick making the save, leaving Rocky to send the Bucks together. Romero backslides Matt for two but it’s the Meltzer Driver to give Nick the pin at 15:41.

Rating: B-. Oh yeah the Bucks are back and this was a very Bucks style match. They did their flips and dives and big saves before shrugging off things at the end and finishing with one of their big moves. It was an entertaining match, but I wasn’t exactly missing the Bucks and this didn’t change that feeling. They shouldn’t be losing to the Best Friends, but it would be nice to see them mix things up a bit from their usual formula.

Post match the beatdown is on until Wheeler Yuta runs in for the save. That’s broken up as well and Cole plants Cassidy with the Panama Sunrise. Cue the Best Friends’ music and here’s Sue with the van, containing the returning (hometown boy) Trent Beretta. The real save is made and the 918 members of the Best Friends have a big hug.

Ruby Soho’s interview is cut off by the Bunny and Penelope Ford. They mock Soho for not having fans and here are Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero for the beatdown. Tay Conti and Anna Jay make the save with chairs.

Sammy Guevara is cut off on the stage by Cody Rhodes, who is getting the TNT Title shot on Rampage on Christmas Day. Cody makes sure to say it’s from one god guy to another before teasing going down the heel ramp. Hold on though as the Men of the Year pop up in the balcony to say they should get their title shot. Maybe they should be Executive Vice Presidents and then they’ll get a chance. Dan Lambert has gotten them a chance and he’s coming back! Guevara lays the title down and says bring it.

Video on Thunder Rosa vs. Jade Cargill.

Jamie Hayter vs. Riho

Britt Baker and Rebel are here with Hayter. They start fast with Hayter slamming her down for two before sending Riho into the corner for some choking. Baker adds some choking of her own but Riho runs Hayter over and hits a top rope dive for two. Hayter heads outside, where Riho’s top rope dive bounces off of her, leaving Hayter to pick her up for a posting. The chinlock goes on back inside and we take a break.

Back with Riho slugging away and rolling Hayter down to set up a double stomp. Riho avoids a charge in the corner, setting up a dragon suplex for two. Hayter is back up with a brainbuster for two, setting up a chokebreaker for the same. The half crab stays on Riho’s back but she fights up and hits a Code Red for two of her own. Riho’s top rope double stomp gets two more on Hayter so she goes up top for a super crucifix bomb. The running knees finishes Hayter at 13:13.

Rating: B. These two beat the fire out of each other and I was wondering how it was going to go, even if the ending was fairly obvious. Above all else, it was nice to have a match that was about the two women (with some occasional interference) rather than having everyone running all over the place. Riho is on a roll head into her title shot and it should feel big, though I’m not sure how much drama there is to the thing.

Post match Baker puts Riho in the Lockjaw to leave her laying.

We run down the Rampage card, including the in-ring debut of HOOK.

Video on Hikaru Shida vs. Serena Deeb.

Malakai Black interrupts (this is getting annoying) a Varsity Blonds interview and mists Julia Hart.

John Silver vs. Bryan Danielson

Danielson tries to take him down to start but Silver runs him over. Some kicks put Danielson down against the ropes but he pulls Silver to the apron for the running knee to the head. We take a break and come back with Danielson getting kicked down but Silver can’t follow up. Silver is back up with some strikes into a kneebar of his own, with Danielson’s kicks to the head having no effect.

Danielson escapes and goes outside, where Silver is back up with a Cannonball off the apron. Back in and more kicks to the face set up a German suplex, but Danielson lands on his feet. A kick to the head rocks Silver but he’s back with another of his own, setting up a German suplex for two. The Spin Doctor is countered with a rake to Silver’s eyes and Danielson drives in elbows to the head. The Gotch style piledriver knocks Silver silly and a choke finishes for Danielson at 10:44.

Rating: C+. Silver got in more offense than the rest of the Dark Order has, but ultimately he was only going to be able to take it so far. Danielson running through the team has been a good enough way to get us to the title match, and if it means some of the Dark Order goes away for a bit, that makes things even better. This was a hard hitting fight and Silver was game as always, but there was no way this should have had any other ending.

Post match Danielson brags about taking out the Dark Order and then starts kicking Silver’s head in. Cue Hangman Page for the save and Danielson bails to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling was good but this show had way, way, way too much going on at times. Between the first three matches being a battle royal, an eight man tag (with interference) and a six man tag (with interference followed by three people getting involved after the match), there was too much stuff going on for too long. AEW has long since had trouble allowing its shows to breathe and that was the case here. It felt like one thing was immediately following another and almost nothing had the chance to sink in.

Now at the same time, this was a rather good show with some solid matches and stories being advanced to get us to the next big slate of shows. Next week should be a heck of a showdown with the World Title match plus probably one of the other big matches being added to the card. AEW is doing some very good things at the moment and if they would slow down and let them have more of an impact, we could be in a really great place.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Dante Martin won the Dynamite Diamond battle royal last eliminating Ricky Starks
Jurassic Express/Varsity Blonds b. 2.0/Acclaimed – Snare Trap to Caster
Young Bucks b. Chuck Taylor/Rocky Romero – Meltzer Driver to Romero
Riho b. Jamie Hayter – Running knees
Bryan Danielson b. John Silver – Choke

AEW, 2021, CM Punk, MJF, Ricky Starks, Dante Martin, Dynamite, Jurassic Express, Varsity Blonds, 2.0, Eddie Kingston, Acclaimed, Young Bucks, Chuck Taylor, Rocky Romero, Riho, Jamie Hayter, Bryan Danielson, John Silver, Hangman Page, Tully Blanchard, FTR, Sammy Guevara

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.

Rampage
Date: December 3, 2021
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Taz, Ricky Starks, Excalibur

This week we get to find out what happens after Cody Rhodes lit himself on fire to try and get people to cheer for him. That could make for a slightly weakened crowd, but I’m not sure how much of a difference it is going to make. At least the card looks good this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Tony Nese

Guevara is defending and goes right after Nese at the bell. Nese is sent outside and the big running flip dive takes him down again, but Guevara bangs up his own ribs in the process. Guevara gets sent into the steps but comes back with some chops against the barricade. Back in and a gutbuster plants Guevara again and Nese gets to stomp away at the bad ribs. The double springboard moonsault gets two on Guevara, setting up a spinning kick to the face for two. The logical bodyscissors goes on and we take a break with Guevara in trouble.

Back with Guevara fighting out of a half crab and kicking away at Nese. That just earns him another half crab, which is broken up as well. This time Guevara hits a Spanish Fly for two and Guevara sends him outside, setting up a heck of a springboard moonsault. Back in and another Guevara springboard is broken up, setting up Nese’s running flip dive to the floor. A 450 gives Nese two so he powerbombs Guevara into the corner. The running Nese is countered with a kick to the face though and a nasty GTH retains the title at 13:03.

Rating: B-. AEW certainly does love itself some rib injuries, but Guevara knows how to make this work very well. There’s a lot of Jeff Hardy in him, as it is easy to want to see him fight through the odds and win in the end. That’s one of those intangibles that you either have or you don’t and Guevara makes it work as well as anyone else these days.

A rather intense Christian Cage promises to make Jurassic Express the Tag Team Champions if it is the last thing he does.

Jade Cargill vs. Janai Kai

Kai, the Kick Demon, is Thunder Rosa’s student so Rosa is on commentary. Jade kicks her in the face and Jaded finishes at 32 seconds.

Post match the beatdown continues so Rosa comes to the ring and the fight is on, with Rosa’s strikes not exactly looking great. Referees break it up, fail to break it up, then break it up again.

The Superkliq tells Orange Cassidy to find his best friends and meet them in a six man. I’m not sure why Don Callis casually walked by during the segment but at least he didn’t talk.

Eddie Kingston is ready to end 2.0 and Daniel Garcia.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. John Silver. Danielson says that Silver is thirty and making jokes. When Danielson was thirty, he was winning World Championships.

Mark Henry does his face to face interview between FTR and Pac/Pentagon. Pac is ready for revenge for revenge on FTR for taking out Rey Fenix.

Pac/Penta El Cero Miedo vs. FTR

Non-title with Alex Abrahantes and Tully Blanchard as seconds. Penta and Cash start things off and the glove is thrown, with Abrahantes catching it on the floor. Pac comes in for his share of some stereo dropkicks to put Wheeler on the floor. A quick breather on the floor doesn’t go well for FTR as Harwood comes back in, only to get caught with the dropkick What’s Up.

Pac gets to strike away but the eye patch messes with his vision, allowing Harwood to punch him down instead. We take a break and come back with Pac knocking Wheeler into the barricade but Harwood breaks up the tag attempt. Something like a Demolition Decapitation gets two as the fans want Penta. Pac knocks Harwood off the top though and it’s back to Penta to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Backstabber out of the corner gets two on Wheeler.

Pac superkicks Harwood down and a spinning sunset flip to Wheeler gets two more. Penta and Harwood head outside and it’s a right hand into a tiger driver for two on Pac. Back up and Pac is rammed into Tully on the apron but he’s fine enough to roll Harwood up for two. Wheeler hits a tornado DDT to plant Penta on the floor but Pac moonsaults onto FTR. Back in and Harwood claims a knee injury, allowing Malakai Black to come in and mist Pac so Harwood can steal the pin at 20:20.

Rating: B. As good as you would have expected from these guys and that’s a rather nice result to have. Death Triangle was doing their hard hitting stuff while FTR was working hard and using every dirty trick in the book. It’s a chemistry that works well and they were feeling it here. Good main event, even with the last minute substitution.

Post match Black goes after Pac’s eye like a good evildoer should.

Overall Rating: B+. Another heck of a use of an hour here as they had two good matches and set up Rosa vs. Cargill in the tournament. This is the kind of show that works best for Rampage: giving some actual time to stuff that can’t be crammed into Dynamite and letting it have an impact. Somehow the hour long show feels far less rushed than the two hour edition and that is quite the upgrade a lot of the time.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Tony Nese – GTH
Jade Cargill b. Janai Kai – Jaded
FTR b. Pac/Penta El Cero Miedo – Rollup to Pac

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: December 1, 2021
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Hangman Page, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re two weeks away from Winter Is Coming and that could be a heck of a big night. You can probably guess some of the card from here and that means AEW has a path to take on the way to the show. Other than that, we have a street fight this week as Cody Rhodes faces Andrade El Idolo. Let’s get to it.

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

Jim Ross isn’t here tonight so Hangman Page is filling in.

In two weeks: Page vs. Bryan Danielson for the World Title.

Bryan Danielson vs. Alan Angels

Danielson wastes no time in starting with the kicks as Angels is in trouble early. The fans are behind Angels and Danielson throws in a Hulk Hogan hand to the ear to turn up the anger another notch. The kicks and chops in the corner make it even worse, followed by the running corner dropkick. Angels fights back but gets pulled into a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so Angels sends him outside for a pair of dives, setting up the standing Spanish Fly back inside. Danielson cuts that off with the running knee and the stomps near the head lay Angels out again. A kneebar (complete with the bicep pose) finishes Angels at 6:09.

Rating: C. This was exactly what it should have been as Danielson beat him up, survived a bit of a comeback, and then finished him decisively. There was no reason for Angels to get in any more offense than this and it didn’t go too far. Simple, to the point, and went as it was supposed to.

Post match Danielson says he kicked Angels’ head in in his hometown and he’s heard he can do the same thing next week in Long Island. Then he’ll do it again to Hangman Page in two weeks in the home of the Cowboys. Page is ready to fight tonight but John Silver cuts him off, saying Page can’t touch Danielson tonight. Silver says he can touch him though and charges the ring but Danielson says Silver is beneath him and bails. He’d love to slap Page in the face tonight (Page: “DO IT!”) but these people don’t deserve it.

Miro talks about trying to figure out what he should do next but then he received a vision. Now it is time to find what he is doing. He will repair one of the problems in his life but the other he will embrace.

Lee Moriarty vs. CM Punk

Hold on though as here is MJF (in an amazing Hanukkah suit) to join commentary. Punk spins out of Moriarty’s wristlock to start but gets pulled right back in. The wristlock sets up an armbar but Punk drives him into the corner for another escape. A leg lariat puts Moriarty down and we take a break.

Back with Punk slipping out of a suplex and getting a boot up in the corner. The springboard spinning high crossbody is rolled into a Gargano Escape but Punk escapes again. Moriarty heads up top but Punk blasts him in the face, only to come back with a super sunset flip. They trade near falls for two each until Punk kicks him in the head for a knockdown. Moriarty kicks him in the head and the kickout triggers a freak out. Punk is back up with a reverse suplex, which he flips into the fireman’s carry and the GTS for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C+. Moriarty got a lot out of this as he gets to hang with one of the biggest stars AEW has to offer. I’ve liked Moriarty since the first time I saw him and now he is getting the chance to showcase himself. Give him something to do and he could go somewhere in a hurry. Punk is starting to find a style around here, as he was getting a bit more athletic this time around, with the GTS being the big blockbuster finish to get him out of trouble.

Post match MJF says cut the music to say the only thing Punk is the best in the world is at trying to get into Britt Baker’s pants. MJF says Punk looks confused….just like Baker would look if he got her in bed. Punk says MJF is wearing Larry David pajamas and calls him out for making fun of him for taking time to beat QT Marshall and Lee Moriarty. They’re both better than MJF and he knows it.

The challenge is on again but MJF turns him down for the second week in a row. MJF brags about winning next week’s Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal and promises to be better than Piper in Portland, Bret in Canada and Punk in Chicago. That’s not it though, because he promises to put Larry (Punk’s dog) to sleep if he sees him again. That’s too far for Punk, but Wardlow comes out to get between the two of them. More good stuff from these two, as you would expect.

Britt Baker isn’t happy about having to face Riho again but she’ll do it anyway. Jamie Hater gets called out for losing to Thunder Rosa, but she points out that Baker lost to her as well. Don’t worry about that though as Baker is ready for Hayter to beat Riho next week to get back in the good graces.

Adam Cole comes to the ring and then joins commentary. Cue Orange Cassidy to stare Cole down but the Young Bucks show up. Cassidy turns his back on Cole and does the lazy kicks, earning himself a low blow and a big beatdown. I know Cassidy has his shtick, but this made him look like a moron in every sense of the word.

Tony Nese is ready to take the TNT Title on Rampage.

Wardlow vs. AC Adams

Four straight powerbombs end Adams at 1:38.

Penta is ready for FTR and he’ll have Pac as his partner. Pac, with his eye patched up, is ready to fight on Rampage.

Sting/Darby Allin vs. Gunn Club

Sting has Allin styled face paint, it’s Colton/Billy for the Club and Team Taz is on commentary. Allin armdrags Colton down to start and dropkicks him into the corner for a bonus. Sting comes in for the staredown with Billy, who bails outside from the threat of the Stinger Splash. Back in and Billy hits a heck of a cobra clutch slam on Darby before taking him into the corner as we take a break.

We come back with Allin getting over for the hot tag off to Sting, who cleans house with the Stinger Splash. The Scorpion Deathlock goes on but Billy offers a distraction so Austin can get in a cheap shot. Allin dives onto Austin but Billy gets the Fameasser to give Colton two. Another dive takes out Billy on the floor (as the top of Allin’s head is busted open) and the flipping Stunner sets up the Death Drop for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C. So ends the Gunn Club’s run, putting an end to their more or less negligible value. It’s not like Sting pinning a guy best known for his time on Dark is going to hurt him at all so this completely acceptable. That cobra clutch slam looked awesome and thankfully Allin “only” busted himself open on that dive, as he looked to land on his head.

Chris Jericho denies helping Eddie Kingston last week because he wanted to beat up 2.0 and Daniel Garcia. Cue Daniel Garcia and 2.0 to beat him down. Why you can hear the earlier Superkliq/Orange Cassidy segment taking place at the same time is anyone’s guess.

Team Taz, still at commentary, is ready for next week’s Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal but here is Lio Rush to interrupt. Rush says that as a commentator, Taz should know who he is. He has a chance to win the battle royal too but Taz says they already took Dante Martin away from him. Rush talks about being a fighter and says he’ll be there, even if he has a one percent chance. Forgive me for not feeling emotional about a split of a pairing that was together…three weeks?

Jade Cargill is ready to take out Thunder Rosa’s student on Rampage. Rosa comes in to say she’ll be on commentary and rants in Spanish.

TBS Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho

Statlander takes her down to start but the threat of a right hand has Statlander staring at Soho. Back up and Soho drops to the mat, where Statlander teases a boot but pauses in time, instead going with the boop. Soho scores with a Flatliner for a quick two and we take a break.

We come back with Statlander grabbing a headlock and countering a Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Soho is back up to avoid a charge in the corner, setting up a poisonrana for two, giving us some of the biggest bugged out eyes I’ve ever seen. Statlander loads up the Big Bang Theory but gets rolled up for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t great as they were kind of all over the place with Statlander looking lost more than once. I’m not sure if it is a lack of experience on the big stage or what but she has never been able to make it to that next level. Soho needed this win, as she came in red hot and then hasn’t done much of anything since, which has made for a weird path for her so far in AEW. Maybe a run to the finals (or a win) can fix that.

Post match they shake hands but here is Vickie Guerrero to yell at Statlander. The distraction lets Nyla Rose come in and take out Soho.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Cody Rhodes

Street fight and Andrade brings a knife. Well that’s serious. It’s a brawl in the aisle to start and Cody hits him with a trash can full of trash. They make it to ringside with Cody getting in a chair shot but Andrade is right back with a shot of his own. Andrade hits him in the back with the weightlifting belt and throws the belt into the crowd before pulling out….a laptop? Tribute to the York Foundation perhaps?

That’s broken over Cody’s head and Andrade hits him with the broken pieces. Andrade puts a chair over Cody’s chest and hits the split legged moonsault for two (With the kickout showing some weird stuff on Cody’s back. It almost looks like he has feathers stuck to him.). Cody is knocked outside hard as we take a break.

Back with Cody throwing a chair into Andrade’s face to break up a moonsault and the slugout is on. A powerslam plants Andrade but he blocks a suicide dive with a chair to the head. The floor pad is pulled back but the Shadow (the new name for the hammerlock DDT) is broken up with a backdrop. Cody, now busted, pulls out a sledgehammer….which he throws down to pick up a golden shovel. Cue Jose with a taser, but Cody hits him with the shovel.

The distraction lets Andrade hit a dive from the top, setting up the running knees into the chair into Cody’s face in the corner. That’s good for a delayed two so Andrade sets up a table, only to be hiptossed through it. Another table is set up and Cody loads up a superplex….as Brandi Rhodes pops up to pour lighter fluid on the table (ah so that’s what’s on Cody’s back). The reverse superplex through the table finishes Andrade at 19:29. Ignore that Andrade barely grazed the table and Cody’s ARM WAS ON FIRE during the pin.

Rating: B-. This is one where your mileage may completely vary as I have no idea what to make of this match. They packed A LOT into this one and the violence was good, but I’m not sure this feud warranted this kind of chaotic brawl. It wasn’t bad or even close to it, but it felt like Cody trying to have some breakthrough match to get the fans behind him and I don’t think that worked.

Then there’s the big finish and…no. Cody took most of the landing himself and again it felt like it was going too far for the sake of going too far. It wasn’t something that needed to be there and it looked more like a stunt for the sake of a stunt than something that should have taken place in this situation. It didn’t ruin the match, but it’s all people will remember about it and that’s not a good thing.

Overall Rating: C. They were all over the place this week and it was a lot to keep track of in two hours. A lot of the stuff was good and they did the right thing in a lot of their stories, but at the same time a lot of it felt stupid (Cassidy/flaming table) or like they were trying too hard (see also flaming table). Winter Is Coming should still be great just because of the action, but this felt really out of step with some of their more recent shows, which were a lot more smooth.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Alan Angels – Kneebar
CM Punk b. Lee Moriarty – GTS
Wardlow b. AC Adams – Powerbomb
Sting/Darby Allin b. Gunn Club – Scorpion Death Drop to Colton
Ruby Soho b. Kris Statlander – Rollup
Cody Rhodes b. Andrade El Idolo – Reverse superplex through a burning table

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Rampage
Date: November 26, 2021
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Taz, Ricky Starks, Chris Jericho, Excalibur

The Chicago swing continues and this time around we have the short form show. There are a few matches announced this week, including the Confirmed Time Period vs. the Best Friends and Riho vs. Britt Baker. That makes for a good start to the show and we should be in for a fun night. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Adam Cole/Bobby Fish vs. Best Friends

Fish kicks away at Yuta to start but it’s quickly off to Cassidy vs. Cole for pockets vs. Boom. Cole blocks another pockets reach and gets flipped down by the arm. Cassidy flips around Cole to increase the frustration and it’s back to Yuta for two off a backsplash. Yuta gets taken into the corner though and the double teaming puts him in trouble. Cole kicks him down and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy getting knocked off the apron but getting back up for the hot tag anyway. Some slow motion kicks annoy Cole and Fish and it’s stereo dives to take them down on the floor. Cassidy hits a big dive on Fish and Yuta hits an even bigger frog splash for two on Cole. Stundog Millionaire into a German suplex into a jackknife cover gets the same with Fish making the save.

Fish dragon screws Cassidy’s leg and grabs a kneebar but Yuta makes a save of his own. Beach Break hits Cole but Fish drives Cassidy into the corner. Yuta is back in with a fisherman’s buster for two on Fish as Cassidy is sent into the steps. Back in and Fish catches Yuta on top, setting up a super Falcon Arrow to pin Yuta at 12:55.

Rating: B-. Solid back and forth match here with the right team winning. Cole and Fish have had some issues getting their footing but they shouldn’t be losing to this version of the Best Friends. I’m sure Cassidy will get another chance at them in the future, but this was good action with the correct ending so I can’t complain all that much.

Tony Nese wants the TNT Title on Dynamite. He isn’t impressed with Sammy Guevara, who comes in to say Nese hasn’t done a thing around here. The open challenge is accepted though and they’re on for next week. Nese punches him down and puts a knee in the bad ribs.

Riho vs. Britt Baker

Non-title, Rebel and Jamie Hayter are here with Baker and Riho gets a title shot if she wins. Riho takes her down by the arm to start but has to go to the ropes to escape a quick Lockjaw attempt. A dropkick puts Baker on the floor and Riho hits a huge dive onto all three of them. Baker gets in a shot of her own back inside though and we take a break.

Back with Baker cutting off Riho’s comeback but getting sent into the corner for the running knee. Riho misses the top rope double stomp though and it’s an Air Raid Crash for two. A northern lights suplex gives Riho two more and now the top rope double stomp can connect for two more. Baker avoids the running knees in the corner and tries the fisherman’s neckbreaker, only to get countered into a rollup for the pin at 11:11.

Rating: C+. It’s strange to see Baker lose clean but Riho is certainly a top star in the division so this is hardly some complete shock. I don’t think Riho is any real threat to win the title but at least they have something set up for later. Baker needs something to fill in her time until she’s ready for the Thunder Rosa rematch and this is a good choice.

2.0 and Daniel Garcia are ready for Eddie Kingston and promise to be all serious. Kingston tells them to shut up because they’re not ready for him.

Daniel Garcia vs. Eddie Kingston

2.0 is in Garcia’s corner. Garcia charges at him to start and gets grappled to the mat. Back up and Garcia sends him outside, where Kingston beats up 2.0 to make things easier. Kingston gets back in and Garcia stomps him down in the corner before starting in on the knee. Kingston pokes him in the eye and bites away to escape but the knee gives him trouble as we take a break.

Back with Garcia staying on the knee but Kingston gets in a shot for a breather. The Saito suplex is blocked though and Garcia is right back on the knee. The heel hook sends Kingston to the ropes so Garcia just hammers on him instead. Kingston fights back up but the knee gives out to keep him in trouble. The slugout goes to Kingston but Garcia blasts him with a running clothesline. Garcia knees him in the face, only to get caught with the Saito suplex. The spinning backfist gives Kingston the pin at 15:00.

Rating: B. I thought this was wrapping up a few times and they just kept beating on each other. Kingston is one of those guys you want to see fight so he can somehow pull out the win in the end and that’s what you got here. Garcia is a good technical villain but there is something great about someone hitting a spinning fist to the face for a pin.

Post match 2.0 comes info for the beatdown but Chris Jericho gets off commentary to make the save.

Overall Rating: B-. This was another show where they focused on the midcard stuff but it was still a good week. That’s always nice to see and it worked well here, with Kingston getting the fans into things and three quality matches. It was another hour that flew by, though I’m not sure how many people are going to see a show on a holiday weekend. At least it was good for those who watched though.

Results
Bobby Fish/Adam Cole b. Best Friends – Super Michinoku Driver to Yuta
Riho b. Britt Baker – Cradle
Eddie Kingston b. Daniel Garcia – Spinning backfist

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Dynamite
Date: November 24, 2021
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re back in Chicago, as AEW really likes coming here. It’s also just before the start of Thanksgiving weekend, so this is going to have a bit of a special feeling. Bryan Danielson and CM Punk are both in action this week so it certainly feels like a big show. Now just make that work. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

CM Punk comes out for his match (they know how to make a Chicago crowd feel welcome) but hold on though as here is MJF to interrupt. MJF says it doesn’t feel so good to be interrupted and calls him Punky Brewster. Fans: “SHUT THE F*** UP!” MJF: “No.” Last week was almost as bad as that time when Punk took his ball and went home. MJF brings up the Pipebomb, which was a great moment. The thing is though, every MJF moment is the best moment because he isn’t a one trick pony.

MJF respects Punk for everything he does, including being straightedge, though he can’t believe that a straightedge man could look so much like a meth addict. He says Punk has always been a big fish in a small pond on the mic, but now he’s just a minnow. Now MJF is about to finish him faster than Punk’s UFC career. Punk can drop all of the pipebombs he wants, because MJF is dropping nukes.

Punk gets the mic and says he’s disappointed in MJF. He thanks MJF for introducing him last week, like a proper young man is supposed to do to his elders. Oh and he found out that his name is Maxwell, because Punk had thought it was My Jealous Fan. It seemed to get to MJF that Punk never brought him up when he was doing media. That was by design, because he didn’t want to feed MJF’s ego.

Then last week, he did the impossible by shutting up the great MJF by not saying a word. Now MJF comes out here with the lowest hanging fruit because he thinks he’s somebody. Punk: “In reality, he’s just a less famous Miz.” MJF says that’ almost what he wanted, which is how you describe Punk’s entire AEW run so far. The fans chant for the Miz as MJF talks about how Punk is nothing but nostalgia, who hasn’t done anything of note. He also mocks Punk’s breath, which is probably because Punk has been kissing so much a**.

MJF would like to do a quick impression of Punk, which sees him being a robot who is very happy to be doing just about everything. Punk has gone soft, his hair is going gray and he looks like the one who needs to go to sleep. This isn’t CM Punk, because it’s PG Punk. What happened to the renegade that MJF crew up watching? This guy in front of him might as well be teaching hustle, loyalty and respect.

The only difference is that MJF can still see him, but why did Punk come back? Was it because Punk was too busy making comic books no one read or movies no one saw? In that other company, fans wanted to believe in Punk because he was being held down. Now he has the chance to be the #1 guy, but can he still do it? MJF is born for this and every wrestling promoter’s dream. Punk always claimed that someone held him down, whether it was the You Can’t See Me Man or the King of Kings, but MJF is better than him and Punk knows it.

Punk says there is some truth in what MJF said, because he was a bit scared when he got here. He isn’t scared anymore though, because he was selling out MSG when MJF was marking out for Rosie O’Donnell. MJF has talked his way into a college his parents can’t afford. MJF is another guy who talks too much, just like Punk did, but Punk can back it up without his backup.

Punk came here and beat Darby Allin without the need of a ring while MJF brags about being one of the Four Pillars. The thing is, MJF has been talking so much that he doesn’t realize he’s been replaced by Britt Baker. MJF talks about being #2, but he isn’t going to be #1 until Tony Khan has a daughter that he can marry. Punk is ready to fight but MJF takes his jacket off and bails.

Overall Rating: A. I…oh yeah. We have a show to go after that all timer.

CM Punk vs. QT Marshall

Punk starts with the slams and Marshall is in early trouble. Cue the Factory, who are ejected almost as fast. Marshall can’t get very far in the corner so Punk whips him into said corner for an upside down crash. Back up and Marshall manages a shot to the face for two to take over for the first time. Punk comes back with a clothesline to the floor and another running clothesline, this time from the apron to send us to a break.

We come back with Marshall hitting a Spirit Bomb for two before shoving Punk in the face a few times. That’s enough to get the fans right back behind Punk and he hits Marshall in the face. The swinging neckbreaker into the short arm clothesline sets up the top rope elbow. The GTS finishes Marshall at 10:49.

Rating: C. Marshall has this amazing ability to suck the fun out of almost anything he’s doing and that was kind of the case here. He’s such a generic heel and it’s hard to find a reason to care about him. That being said, Marshall wasn’t the point here as Punk gets another win, albeit this time over someone with a bit less star power.

Christian Cage is excited that Jurassic Express are the #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles. They’ve been here before, but never with Christian behind them. He’s going to make sure that they win the titles.

Eddie Kingston is having some cake and talks about how he misses Jon Moxley. He wishes Moxley a Happy Thanksgiving but here are 2.0 and Daniel Garcia to break it up (Eddie: “Here we go.”). They read the piece in the Players Tribune and it was awesome, but Eddie isn’t hungry anymore. They bring up Eddie not being able to help Moxley and that’s a step too far. Eddie is ready to fight but they throw coffee in his face, drawing in security to break it up.

Gunn Club vs. Bear Country

Gunn Club jumps them from behind before the bell and clears the ring before we’re ready to get started. The bell rings anyway and the Bears are in early trouble. Boulder fights back and Billy is sent to the floor but Colton is right back with Colt 45 for the pin at 1:45.

Post match here is Sting so Billy sends Austin after him….but Darby Allin CHARGES out of the tunnel and hits him with a tackle that would make Monty Brown jealous. Sting and Darby clear the ring.

Bobby Fish and Adam Cole are ticked off about the Best Friends when said team shows up. A match seems to be set for later.

Team Taz is with Dante Martin and Taz wants his decision right now. He also wants to know why Lio Rush is here, with Rush saying any of Martin’s business is his business too. Rush goes to take the pen away from him, but Martin signs anyway, officially joining Team Taz. He even takes some candy!

TBS Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Jamie Hayter vs. Thunder Rosa

During the entrance, Britt Baker says she can’t wait to have Hayter as the other Women’s Champion around here. Hayter chokes up against the ropes to start and Rosa looks fairly annoyed. Some of that annoyance is let out with a loud slap but Hayter sends her outside. Rosa gets sent into the barricade and it’s some kicks to the back back inside. This time Rosa sends Hayter outside and into the barricade, setting up a snap suplex on the floor. Hayter posts her hard though and a slam makes things worse as we take a break.

Back with Rosa breaking up a superplex attempt and hitting a missile dropkick. Slingshot and running dropkicks in the corner rock Hayter but Rosa’s back is too banged up for a suplex. Hayter grabs a backbreaker for two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Rosa’s back. That’s broken up and Rosa grabs Hayter, drawing Rebel to the apron. Britt comes in for the save but superkicks Hayter by mistake, allowing Rosa to grab the rollup for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: C+. Pretty good match, as Rosa continues what should be her path to either the title or a huge rematch against Baker. You could go either way and get a good result and it’s always nice to have some options. Hayter continues to be sharp in the ring and I could go for seeing more of her once she gets away from Baker.

Daniel Garcia and 2.0 interrupt Chris Jericho in the back so he threatens them with Eddie Kingston violence. If that (and some Spongebob Squarepants jokes) isn’t enough, some Jericho knuckle sandwiches are promised as well. The villains bail as Jericho seems to have a new target.

Tony Schiavone is having Thanksgiving dinner with Britt Baker and Rebel. Britt is sorry Thunder Rosa advanced, but we can still be thankful that she is the Women’s Champion. Tony loves them both but has some bad news. We see a video of Riho not being eliminated from the Casino Battle Royal. Therefore, Tony Khan has signed Riho to a Black Friday Deal match with Baker. If Riho wins, she gets a future title shot. Baker says Rosa can go tot he mall if she wants a Black Friday deal and Tony is NOT invited to Christmas. Baker: “No we’re not doing the DMD! YOU RUINED IT!”

Bryan Danielson vs. Colt Cabana

Danielson isn’t waiting here and takes Cabana down into the cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so Danielson gets in a kick to the back of the tights and stares at him a bit. Cabana cranks on both arms but Daniels slips out and kicks away at the leg. Chops and kicks take Cabana down but the fans are right behind him.

Cabana is back up with the Flip Flop and Fly but the Flying Apple misses. Instead Danielson hits the running corner dropkick but Cabana breaks up the belly to back superplex. Cabana hits a moonsault for two but Danielson takes him down again. A bunch of stomps set up a LeBell Lock (with a double bicep pose) to finish Cabana at 5:04.

Rating: C+. They hit each other really hard and Cabana worked well as the hometown boy who went down swinging. Cabana has a reputation as nothing but a comedy guy but he can wrestle an above average match when he gets the chance. I could go for more of Cabana in the ring as he’s better than a good portion of the roster, but this was going to be the Danielson show, as it should have been.

Post match/break, Danielson calls the fans FICKLE for booing him. Danielson has heard that some of the Dark Order is from Atlanta and he’d love to kick their heads in next week. This is all leading up to the ultimate head kicking in…and here is Hangman Page to interrupt. Page is ready to defend the title right now, which Danielson says is coward s*** because he just had a match. Page isn’t leaving Chicago without a fight and offers Danielson the first shot. Danielson considers that an insult and the fight is on but he bails before the Buckshot Lariat can connect.

Video on Ruby Soho vs. Kris Statlander, who meet in the TBS Title Tournament next week.

Malakai Black/FTR/Andrade El Idolo vs. Cody Rhodes/Death Triangle

Dax Harwood drives Cody into the corner to start and then goes to a headlock. Cody shoulders him down and throws the weightlifting belt into the crowd. The fans want it thrown back…..and there it is, flying right back into the ring. Pac comes in as Andrade throws the belt underneath the ring, much to the fans’ delight. Pac works on Cash Wheeler’s arm as someone throws the belt back to Cody, who has to put it back on to a chorus of boos.

Pac kicks Wheeler in the face and Penta adds the top rope double stomp (ala What’s Up) for two more. It’s off to Andrade, who gets small packaged for two but all of Death Triangle comes in to kick him down. Cody comes in and gets stomped down in the wrong corner, earning quite the positive reaction. That doesn’t last long either as Cody gets over for the hot tag to Fenix in a hurry.

A double springboard cutter drops FTR and Andrade is sent outside. Fenix kicks Black in the head but gets sent into the corner as we take a break. Back with Fenix kicking Wheeler in the face, setting up the hot tag to Penta. Everything breaks down and Pac gets to kick a bunch of people in the face. Wheeler breaks that up with a backbreaker though and it’s time for the parade of secondary finishers.

Cody Final Cuts Black and throws the belt down again, only to kick Pac in the face by mistake. Andrade lays out Cody but charges into a heck of an overhead belly to belly suplex in the corner. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard get in the ring for the legends showdown but Jose breaks that up and gets double punched. FTR gets in to chase Anderson but Fenix makes the save. Penta hits some Sling Blades on FTR and the Lucha Bros hit big dives to take them down on the floor. Back in and Black mists Pac and kicks Cody down, leaving Andrade to hit El Idolo for the pin on Pac at 16:12.

Rating: B+. This was a blast and felt like one of those insane Ring of Honor eight man tags that you would see from time to time. They started off well and had the big deal with the battle of the weightlifting belt before getting down to everything serious. It was a heck of a match and a blast throughout, though the focus continues to be on Cody’s obsession with not turning heel. It’s a borderline parody at this point and I have no idea how they’re going to manage it if he insists on not turning.

Overall Rating: A-. The opener and closer make up for anything that took place in the middle of the show, as that was a heck of a main event to go with an absolute masterpiece of a promo battle. It takes a lot to make me gasp at a promo exchange and they did it more than once here. Great show, with Punk vs. MJF being more than worth your time to see, as opposed to the main event, which was merely great.

Results
CM Punk b. QT Marshall – GTS
Gunn Club b. Bear Country – Colt 45 to Boulder
Thunder Rosa b. Jamie Hayter – Rollup
Bryan Danielson b. Colt Cabana – LeBell Lock
Andrade El Idolo/FTR/Malakai Black b. Cody Rhodes/Death Triangle – El Idolo to Pac

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Rampage
Date: November 19, 2021
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Taz, Ricky Starks

We’re fresh off of Full Gear and the next big thing, probably for their upcoming Clash Of Champions style special, is Hangman Page defending the World Title against Bryan Danielson. That will be more than enough to carry the shows for a bit, but we should be in for some other stuff this week. What other stuff? Well probably some AEW stuff. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Billy Gunn vs. Darby Allin

The Gunn Club and Sting are all here. Feeling out process to start with Gunn not seeming that worried here. A test of strength isn’t happening but Gunn hits a heck of a backdrop to send Allin bailing for a breather. Gunn follows him out and sends him back inside, albeit with a pause for a staredown with Sting. After a hug to Austin Gunn, Billy pulls Allin out from under the ropes for a crash to the floor.

Another Sting distraction doesn’t do much for Allin, who misses a dive and crashes into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Allin biting his way out of a superplex attempt and diving onto the rest of the Club. Allin gets back inside but is sent into the corner. Billy does the Sting shout but misses the Stinger Splash. Instead Allin hits a flipping Stunner into the Coffin Drop for two. Another Coffin Drop pins Gunn at 8:51.

Rating: C. Gunn still looks great but it’s hard not to look at him and think back to twenty five years ago when he was still pretty deep into his career. That being said, Allin beat him and got the win so it isn’t like they did anything crazy here. I’m not sure why Billy had to kick out of the first Coffin Drop, but the pin is what matters here.

Post match the Gunn Club beats down Sting and Allin to leave them laying. The Sting vs. Billy showdown doesn’t do much for me.

We recap CM Punk interrupting MJF without saying a word.

QT Marshall wants to beat up CM Punk in his hometown of Chicago. Various threats are made to Punk and Tony Schiavone isn’t impressed.

The Men of the Year say that the Inner Circle won at Full Gear, but this isn’t over. Beating a manager doesn’t mean anything and you’ll see American Top Team Again.

TBS Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Red Velvet vs. Jade Cargill

Velvet goes right at her to start and ducks a pump kick. Cargill tries a powerbomb but Velvet counters with a failed sunset flip attempt. A fall away slam sends Velvet flying and there’s a knee to the ribs to make it worse. Back up and Velvet kicks dropkicks her to the floor for a crash.

Velvet loads up a dive but pauses to get hung up in the ropes, allowing Cargill to get in a slap. A chokeslam onto the apron connects and we take a break with Velvet in trouble. Back with Cargill unloading in the corner and then stopping for some pushups. Velvet uses the distraction to kick away at the ribs, setting up some running knees to the back. Cargill is right back up with a big boot to the face to cut Velvet off in a hurry but Jade is blocked. The Final Slice is blocked as well though and a fast Jaded gives Cargill the pin at 9:44.

Rating: C-. While I wouldn’t call it exactly good, it is impressive to see just how far Cargill has come in a pretty short time. She did well enough in a nearly ten minute match here, which is amazing considering how short everything as for her a long time. Velvet has gotten a lot better to and it’s great to see that much progress. She’ll get there one day, but this was Cargill’s to win.

Thunder Rosa is ready to beat Jamie Hayter and move on to the next round. Rosa yells in Spanish a lot.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

CM Punk is ready to face QT Marshall in Chicago. You don’t come into his hometown on the day before Thanksgiving because we’ll find out who the turkey is.

We look back at the confrontation between Bryan Danielson and Hangman Page on Wednesday with Danielson going evil before their title match.

We get the face to face showdown between the Superkliq and Bobby Fish and Jurassic Express/Christian Cage. Cole rants about the Conchairto being used to try to get rid of them but Jungle Boy talks about how he has beaten Fish before. Christian thinks it’s interesting to see the Superkliq talk when they have the numbers advantage. Fish can be there, but Cage is bringing his own friend, which means a chair.

Bobby Fish/Adam Cole vs. Jurassic Express

Jungle Boy chops at Cole to start and hits the very spinny springboard armdrag. Cole kicks him in the face and brings Fish in to strike away in the corner. Back up and Jungle Boy starts spinning around a bit more, including the same spinny springboard armdrag. Luchasaurus comes in to clean more house on Fish but a cheap shot slows Jungle Boy down.

The villains start beating on Jungle Boy in the corner as we take a break. Back with Jungle Boy fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a rebound lariat. That’s broken up but Jungle Boy can’t get to the ropes. Cole misses the Boom though and it’s Luchasaurus getting the tag to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Express starts cleaning house. The Extinction Level Event gets two on Cole but Luchasaurus is sent outside.

What used to be Chasing the Dragon gets a very close/surprising near fall on Jungle Boy. The Snare Trap is blocked but a springboard is cut off by Cole’s superkick. The Panama Sunrise is countered into a powerbomb but Fish breaks up the cover. Fish hits a running splash to Jungle Boy in the corner and it’s time to kick at the legs. Jungle Boy suplexes a charging Fish into the corner and here are the Young Bucks for a distraction. Christian comes out to chase off Cole and the Bucks, leaving Jungle Boy to Snare Trap Fish for the tap at 15:07.

Rating: B. This one felt like a big time tag match and that’s how ti should have gone. Above all else, Jungle Boy’s star continues to rise and it would not surprise me to see him move into more of a solo act going forward. Fish is there to take the fall on the reunion tour, which leaves Cole and Jungle Boy strong for their eventual faceoff.

Replays and posing take us out.

Overall Rating: C+. Not one of their stronger Rampages, but it was still a fine show with a good main event. There wasn’t a major match taking place this week, though Jungle Boy getting a big win in the main event was good for him. If this is on the weaker ends of this show, it is going to be just fine going forward.

Results
Darby Allin b. Billy Gunn – Coffin Drop
Jade Cargill b. Red Velvet – Jaded
Jurassic Express b. Adam Cole/Bobby Fish – Snare Trap to Fish

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: November 17, 2021
Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We’re done with Full Gear and Hangman Page is FINALLY the AEW World Champion. To say this is a long time coming is an understatement but now we get to see where things go from here. That could be in a variety of directions but this week is all about the big celebration. We have a long way to go before Revolution next year so let’s get to it.

Here is Full Gear if you need a recap.

We open with a Full Gear recap.

The Elite is in the back and Kenny Omega is rather sad. He hasn’t watched the match with Hangman Page back but he knows he has some things to fix. Omega wants them to hold the fort down while he’s gone and Adam Cole says they’ve got it. Omega just meant the Bucks though and they walk off. This would be the write off for Omega so he can go have shoulder surgery.

The Dark Order is in the ring and here is Hangman Page, in a Virginia Is For Lovers shirt. Fans: “YOU DESERVE IT!” Page: “I’m gonna stop you right there. I didn’t deserve it. I f’ing earned it.” Page says he doesn’t usually come out here and talk but since he’s the World Champion, he’s going to do whatever he wants. He’s still just a man with a boss to answer to and that boss is the fans.

The title means a lot and now his responsibility is Bryan Danielson….and here is Danielson to interrupt. Danielson is here to say one thing: congratulations. He’s excited for the match, but he’s a bit disappointed that it isn’t Kenny Omega standing across the ring from him. Page says it’s not Omega because he beat Omega at Full Gear…and he did it in less than 30 minutes. Danielson isn’t here to start anything but he’s here for some wrestling instead of flapping his gums.

When he won the World Title at Wrestlemania, he wrestled the very next day (Without actually doing a move!). The fans aren’t thrilled and Danielson isn’t surprised that Virginia doesn’t appreciate hard work. Danielson is here in his gear while Page is in cowboy boots and….whatever that vest is. Page says we might not have the match here in Virginia, but we can have a fight. The Dark Order breaks that up and Danielson mocks Page for hiding behind his friends. I can absolutely go for heel Danielson so this is a nice change of pace. It’s more interesting than the idea of good vs. good so well done.

Bryan Danielson vs. Evil Uno

Danielson takes him down in a hurry and grabs a half crab. Some shots to the mask and an Affirmative Kick to the chest have Uno in trouble. More kicks to the back allow Danielson to say HE HAS UNTIL FIVE. Uno tells Danielson to kick him so Danielson obliges, only to get caught with a neckbreaker. Danielson just blasts him with a shot to break up the comeback and then slaps away in the corner. There’s the running knee but Danielson would rather stomp away than cover. The triangle choke knocks Uno out at 6:24.

Rating: C+. This was exactly as it should have been, with Danielson toying with someone who was out of his league. Uno was destroyed throughout here and Danielson knows just how to come off as evil. Good stuff here, as Page is going to be angry at Danielson for hurting his friend to make the title match all the more personal.

Post match Danielson says he is going to take out the Dark Order one by one. Next week they’re in Chicago and that is the hometown of Colt Cabana. If Cabana is interested, come get your head kicked in.

MJF talks about being covered in Darby Allin’s shame. He has destroyed every wrestler who thinks he can do nothing but talk. Yeah his knee is banged up but he got every one of your little mark chants and then won anyway. He has the best right hand in wrestling and now everyone has to admit it.

We look at Eddie Kingston vs. CM Punk, with Kingston walking away from a post match handshake.

Daniel Garcia and 2.0 come up to Kingston to say they’re tired of the losses. Kingston isn’t cool with 2.0 calling Garcia their son and a fight is proposed. With them gone, Kingston goes to catering while complaining about never being able to get in one promo without being interrupted.

Butcher and the Blade vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Orange Cassidy

Matt Hardy, the Bunny and Rocky Romero are here. Ishii and Butcher start things off but it’s quickly off to Cassidy to put his hands in his pockets. That earns him a knock to the floor and we take an early break with Cassidy in trouble. Back with Ishii suplexing Blade for two so Butcher comes in for the big power brawl. Some chops in the corner just wake Ishii up and he walks through some forearms, backing Butcher (who is still firing off strikes) into the corner.

A superplex gives Ishii two with Blade making the save. It’s off to Cassidy for a Stundog Millionaire and a tornado DDT to Blade for the near fall. Butcher and Blade hit a powerbomb/neckbreaker combination for two with Ishii making a save this time. Ishii comes back in and unloads on Butcher in the corner but Matt Hardy and the Bunny offer a distraction. Bunny slips in the brass knuckles but Rocky Romero breaks it up, with Cassidy diving onto Matt and Blade. Cassidy throws Blade back in so a heck of a clothesline and the brainbuster can finish for Ishii at 11:24.

Rating: C. The Cassidy vs. Hardy N Pals feud continues, though I did miss the elbow being involved this time around. They have to be setting up the hair vs. hair match at this point and that could very easily headline the first hour of an upcoming Dynamite. Other than that, it was cool to see Ishii here, as his presence alone is worth a look.

Andrade El Idolo, with FTR, brags about beating Cody Rhodes and Pac clean. Now he’s going to show them his good size. FTR says they’re so annoyed that they’ll wave their fee, get Malakai Black in there, and make it an eight man tag against Rhodes/Pac/the Lucha Bros. Tully Blanchard even threatens Arn Anderson because he has one more fight in him.

We recap Tay Conti vs. Britt Baker at Full Gear, with Conti saying she’s coming out of her next title shot as champion.

Britt Baker can’t wait to see Jamie Hayter destroy Thunder Rosa and make her not a thing.

TBS Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida

Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose. Shida takes her into the corner to start but gets powered over with a suplex. That earns Rose a kick to the head and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Back in and Rose drives some shoulders into the ribs before slowly starting in on the knee. They head outside with Shida sending her into the barricade and then setting up the chair. It turns out that setting up a chair and then yelling at the camera is enough for Rose to make a comeback (good, because Shida looked stupid there), only to cannonball off the apron and through the chair.

Vickie tries to take the kendo stick away and gets blasted with it instead. The delay (the second one) lets Shida get slammed off the top and we take a break. Back with Serena Deeb, who popped up during the break, jumping Shida and sending her back inside. Rose adds the top rope knee to the back for two but Shida pulls her into a triangle choke. That’s broken up with a powerbomb but Shida raises the knees to block a backsplash. Shida misses something off the top though and it’s a stretch muffler to give Rose the win at 10:59.

Rating: C. The ending surprised me a bit here and Rose moving forward makes sense. This also opens up a third match between Deeb and Shida, which should work out fine. I could see Rose making it to the finals of the tournament as the next monster for the winner to slay. That’s a classic formula and it should work fine if they do it here.

Malakai Black is ready for next week’s eight man tag.

Here is MJF, flanked by Wardlow and Shawn Spears, the latter of whom talks about how MJF can beat any hero with a headlock takeover. MJF says he’s the man who will start a bidding war in 2024. He could take your hometown horse and send him straight to the glue factory. The rankings won’t tell you this, but he deserves to be the next World Champion. There is no one in that locker room on his level….and here is CM Punk. The fans (and JR) like this while telling MJF to shut up. MJF extends his hand but Punk walks away without saying a word. Yeah I think this is going to be fine.

Darby Allin says he’ll face MJF again but for now, he wants the biggest and the baddest AEW has to offer. Cue the Gunn Club, with Billy accepting the challenge.

The Superkliq doesn’t like Jurassic Express so on Rampage it’s the two of them against Bobby Fish/Adam Cole.

Acclaimed vs. Dante Martin/Lio Rush

Stereo dives take out the Acclaimed to cut off the rap (about Martin and Rush’s issues with relationships) and Caster in trouble to start. Martin gets sent outside for a ram into the barricade, setting up a middle rope stomp back inside. It’s Martin getting stomped in the corner, setting up Caster’s neckbreaker for two.

We take a break and come back with Rush coming in to clean house, including the spinning kick to Bowens’ head. Caster gets kicked to the floor and an ax kick gives Rush two on Bowens. Rush has to bail out of the frog splash and Bowens strikes away to put him down. Martin springboards in with a missile dropkick though and everyone is down. Back up and Caster clotheslines Rush’s head off and Bowens plants him with a spinning slam. Caster drops a top rope legdrop for two but Martin makes a save. Martin plants Bowens down and a heck of a frog splash gives Rush the pin at 10:24.

Rating: B-. These guys know how to do this kind of thing and they didn’t waste time here. This was about flying around and letting Martin/Rush look good over a team with a reputation. The Acclaimed might not be the flashiest team but they know how to get the fans annoyed at them in a hurry, which is a lot more important most of the time.

Post match here is Team Taz for another sales pitch to Martin. They think Martin could be a heck of an addition to the team, but saying no might be a bad idea.

Christian Cage and Jurassic Express are ready for Adam Cole/Bobby Fish at Rampage because you don’t bring a fish to a fist fight.

Video on Red Velvet vs. Jade Cargill.

Here’s what’s coming on Rampage and Dynamite.

The Lucha Bros are ready for next week’s eight man tag.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Jay Lethal

Lethal is challenging in his company debut. Guevara (with bad ribs) tries a quick GTH but settles for an exchange of rollups for two each into a standoff. Lethal hits his hiptoss into the basement dropkick for two and starts in on the bad ribs. A jumping knee sends Lethal outside though and there’s the big flip dive. Back in and the shooting star press hits raised knees and Guevara is in trouble.

We take a break and come back with Sammy blocking the Lethal Injection to hit a Spanish Fly. Lethal rolls outside for a breather before they change places so Lethal can try the suicide dive. That’s blocked in a hurry though and Sammy hits a brainbuster on the floor. Sammy loads up the Swanton but only hits a table at ringside for the huge crash.

Back in and Lethal’s Hail To The King elbow is countered into a cradle for two. He’s right back up with a reverse fisherman’s suplex into a faceplant, setting up the Figure Four. Sammy grabs the rope and is back with another knee but the ribs won’t let him hit the GTH. That means another jumping knee to rock Lethal and now the GTH retains the title at 12:55.

Rating: B. Lethal looked awesome in his debut but they’re not taking that title off of Guevara until they want to take away a piece of the audience’s soul. The fans know who Lethal is and what he has accomplished so he already has a leg in the door. Guevara fighting through an injury and winning with his hard hitting finisher was the right way to go here and Lethal is going to be fine going forward.

Tony Nese (in the crowd) is not impressed. The Inner Circle comes out to celebrate and Lethal shakes Sammy’s hand. Lethal gets some respect from the team to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show started off well, hit some lulls in the middle and then bounced back strong for the last thirty minutes or so. The important thing here was setting up a bunch of stuff for the future and that is looking bright. Odds are we’ll see another special Dynamite in December for some of these matches and that should be enough to get us to the Clash of Champions style show in January. Another solid week here, as they come off the pay per view looking good.

Results
Daniel Bryan b. Evil Uno – Triangle choke
Tomohiro Ishii/Orange Cassidy b. Butcher and the Blade – Brainbuster to Blade
Nyla Rose b. Hikaru Shida – Stretch muffler
Dante Martin/Lio Rush b. Acclaimed – Frog splash to Bowens
Sammy Guevara b. Jay Lethal – GTH

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Full Gear 2021
Date: November 13, 2021
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s time for what is likely going to be one of the best AEW shows in history as the card is stacked. AEW has shown that they can put together an awesome card and then deliver on the potential. I’m looking forward to more than a few things on the show and that is a great feeling to have. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In: Thunder Rosa/Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose/Jamie Hayter

The four of them are matched up in the TBS Title tournament and Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose/Hayter. Rosa and Rose start things off with Rosa grabbing some rollups for two each. A basement dropkick has Rose staggered and it’s off to Shida for a running knee in the corner. It’s back to Rosa, who gets powered into the wrong corner though, meaning the stomping is on. Rosa manages to roll away and brings Shida back in to start striking away as Serena Deeb is watching from ringside.

Hayter runs Shida over and grabs a chinlock before sending her into the corner for a bite from Rose. A double chokeslam gets two on Shida and it’s an Irish Curse to put her down again. Shida finally manages a German suplex and that’s enough for the hot tag off to Rosa. Everything breaks down and some running kicks to the face put the villains on the floor. The stereo dives take them down again but a Deeb distraction lets Vickie get in a shot to Shida’s knee. Back in and Rosa and Hayter fight straight back to the floor, leaving Shida to hurricanrana Rose for the pin at 8:42.

Rating: C. This was all it needed to be as they started with a fun, fast paced tag match. You don’t need to do anything more than that in a spot like this and the match worked out rather well. Shida pinning Rosa is the best possible outcome and it came after a rather nice opening match to get the already warmed up fans going even hotter.

We run down the card.

Darby Allin vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is introduced as “the man who can beat Darby Allin with a headlock takeover”. Allin’s intro video this time shows him driving a car with LOSER painted on the side, which blows up after a wreck. MJF takes him to the mat with the headlock takeover for some early near falls as the mind games are on. A shoulder puts Allin down, allowing MJF to bust out the cartwheel. Allin armdrags him down and they bridge up at the same time.

MJF gets driven into the corner but comes out with a right hand as JR says these are two of the four “pillows” of AEW. Allin is sent outside and then back inside, with MJF stopping to yell at the fans. That’s not a good idea as Allin is right there with a big suicide dive to take him out, only to miss the Coffin Drop onto the apron. Back in and MJF slowly hammers away, with Allin’s backbreaker not getting him very far. A superplex is loaded up but Allin bites his way to freedom.

The super flipping Stunner is blocked and MJF loads up a super Tombstone, which thankfully is countered into the flipping Stunner. That bangs up the back again though and MJF hammers away at a kneeling Allin. The right hands just make Allin rise back up though and now the comeback is on, only to have MJF pike him in the eye. Allin kicks the knee out but Code Red is countered into a heck of a powerbomb for two.

The Scorpion Deathlock has Allin in more trouble but Allin punches at the knee to escape. A chop block slows MJF down until he gets in a shot of his own. MJF hits a middle rope stomp to the arm but Salt of the Earth is blocked. Instead, Allin goes for the knee again and slaps on the Figure Four in a smart move. The rope is finally grabbed and they fight to the apron to slug it out.

Allin tries a bit of a running start but gets caught in a jumping Tombstone. The impact bangs up the knee again though and they’re both down on the floor. They both beat the count back in but MJF’s knee gives out, allowing Allin to small package him for two. They fight over some small packages for two each and roll around the ring until breaking it up. MJF tries the headlock takeover for two but Allin reverses into one of his own.

MJF’s powerbomb is countered into Code Red for a heck of a near fall and that’s a standing ovation (kind of hard to argue after that kind of a sequence). The Coffin Drop is loaded up so MJF rolls outside before it can launch. That’s fine with Allin, who hits said Coffin Drop on the floor instead.

Back in and another Coffin Drop hits raised knees to make Allin scream. Cue Wardlow and Shawn Spears but Sting runs out to cut them off. MJF rolls Allin up with tights for two so it’s time to grab the skateboard. He offers it to Allin and drops to his knees so Allin can use the skateboard, but that’s not happening. The referee gets rid of it, allowing MJF to get in the shot with the ring. Allin is out cold so it’s a headlock takeover to give MJF the pin at 22:48.

Rating: B+. This was great and that’s all you should have expected. AEW knows that they have some very talented younger stars on the roster and they know how to let them go out there and tear the house down. MJF might be the best talker in wrestling today and he can have some great matches to go with it too. Excellent stuff here and another star making performance from both. MJF’s bragging alone will be worth the whole thing.

Team Taz is in a sky box.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. FTR

The Lucha Bros are defending and it’s Alex Abrahantes/Tully Blanchard as the seconds. The Bros’ entrance features a lot of explosions and some people ducking for cover. Penta takes Wheeler down for an early rollup and that’s good for the quick standoff, sending Harwood outside for a breather. Back in and Wheeler gets taken down but Harwood saves him from a double superkick. Instead the Bros’ dives are caught, with Fenix being thrown at Penta to drive him into the barricade.

Wheeler chokes Fenix on the ropes but it’s quickly back to Harwood and Penta, with the former getting caught with an assisted Cannonball in the corner. Everything breaks down and the Bros tie FTR’s legs together before grabbing a Crossface and Octopus at the same time. The referee isn’t having any of that so it’s down to Penta hammering on Harwood in the corner. Tully offers a distraction so Wheeler can get in a cheap shot to take over though and the champs are in trouble.

Penta’s mask gets tied to the rope so the beating can continue for a bit. With that broken up, Harwood grabs a chinlock to slow things down a bit. Penta fights up and kicks Harwood in the ribs before using Wheeler to roll himself over for a jumping DDT. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Fenix for a bunch of kicks all around. A double cutter drops FTR for two on Harwood but Fenix’s rolling DDT is countered.

Fenix tries an O’Connor roll but accidentally knocks Penta off the apron. The kickout sends Fenix into the AAA title belt (as held by Wheeler) to set up a brainbuster for a very close two. Back in and Penta cleans house but stops to yell at Tully, allowing Harwood to try Three Amigos.

That’s broken up so Fenix can do the real version, setting up a heck of a frog splash for two. Penta gets sent outside again and the spike piledriver gets two on Fenix. Back up and Fenix superkicks Harwood and it’s a Fear Factor/Code Red for stereo near falls. It’s time to get creative so Wheeler (illegal) puts on a mask and grabs a rollup for two. The spike Fear Factor pins Wheeler at 18:38

Rating: B. I liked it better than their first match and that’s a good thing. The ending was all about setting up a rematch, which should be another good one. I could see it being a way for the Bros to get the AAA Tag Team Titles back to wrap it up, but they might even have a surprise to get the belts back on FTR. Either way, good, exciting match here as the first two matches have worked out well.

We recap Miro vs. Bryan Danielson for the #1 contendership. Danielson wants to win to prove he is the best and Miro wants to win the title to return to his wife.

World Title #1 Contenders Eliminator Tournament Finals: Miro vs. Bryan Danielson

Miro still isn’t interested in a handshake so Danielson kicks away at the thigh to start. Some more strikes stagger Miro until he hits a knee to the stomach to put Danielson outside for a needed breather. Back in and Miro is ready for the moonsault out of the corner so Danielson (not Daniel Bryan JR) kicks away in the corner. Miro knocks him outside for his own breather though and Danielson gets whipped into various hard objects.

Back in and we hit the chinlock, complete with another “Daniel Bryan” from JR. Miro whips him hard into the corner but stops to grab his own leg, allowing Danielson to strike away again. Some more strikes rock Miro and the Affirmative Kicks have him in trouble in the middle of the ring. Danielson grabs a kneebar but Miro powers out with a gutwrench suplex. Another hard kick gives Danielson two more and it’s a front facelock for some knees to Miro’s head.

The hard stomps have Miro down again but he cuts off the running knee. Game Over goes on but Danielson eventually slips out and grabs the LeBell Lock. Miro slips out again and tries to hammer down right hands but gets pulled into the triangle choke. Danielson adds the elbows to the head until Miro powers his way out. Back up and Miro invites Danielson to keep kicking him, though said kicks don’t do much damage. Miro takes him up top but Danielson reverses into a tornado DDT, setting up a guillotine choke for the win at 20:00.

Rating: B+. Commentary described this as a struggle and that’s exactly how it felt. This was about Miro powering his way through Danielson’s offense until Danielson finally found the weak point. It felt like two guys trying to break the other one down and that’s a great way to go. Awesome stuff here as this show is on a crazy roll to start.

Superkliq vs. Christian Cage/Jurassic Express

Falls count anywhere and the Bucks are all in purple, which is too much for Tony. JR: “Looks like a Bret Hart meet and greet.” It’s a brawl to start with the Bucks being sent outside, where Luchasaurus takes them down with a moonsault from the apron. That leaves Cole to charge into Christian’s elbow to put him down. Back in and the Bucks block Jungle Boy’s springboard double wristdrag so Luchasaurus makes a save of his own. Cole comes in as well and gets a chair thrown into his face but the Bucks break up a powerbomb onto an open chair.

Jungle Boy takes the Bucks down from the chair and has a seat, allowing Cole to knee him in the face. The BAY BAY pose takes too long though and Christian reverse DDTs Cole onto the chair. Everyone heads outside with Luchasaurus getting in a trashcan shot for two, much to JR’s annoyance. Luchasaurus kicks Cole in the face so Jungle Boy can send him face first into a chair.

A table is set up at ringside but Jungle Boy would rather load up a Conchairto on Cole. That’s broken up by the Bucks so Jungle Boy and Nick fight off towards the stage. Cole is busted open bad as Luchasaurus kicks him in the corner but Cole slips out of a Razor’s Edge. That means a parade of superkicks until Jungle Boy hurricanranas Cole off the apron through the table at ringside.

Matt springboard elbows Luchasaurus through another table at ringside and everyone is down. We cut to the stands where Brandon Cutler sprays Nick by mistake, allowing Christian to go up onto a balcony and crossbody down onto both of them for two. Back to ringside and Christian gets sent knees first into the steps, followed by Jungle Boy getting wheelbarrow suplexed into the apron. It’s time for the thumbtacks, which go into Jungle Boy’s mouth, but we need to stop for the double kiss to Cole.

With that out of the way, the double superkick gets two on Jungle Boy with Cage making the save. Since we need to check it off of a list, a ladder is put in the corner but Christian is back in. A tornado DDT (with Christian’s foot getting caught in the ladder) drops Nick as Luchasaurus gets back in. Cole gets tossed HARD onto the ladder in the corner and there’s a chokeslam to put Nick onto it as well.

The standing moonsault connects for two as Matt makes the save with a trashcan. A superkick gets one on Luchasaurus (JR: “Never count down a dinosaur Tony. EVER!”) so Matt walks up the ramp, only to have Jungle Boy charge out and grab the Snare Trap. Cole makes the save this time and everyone winds up on the ramp. Luchasaurus’ double chokeslam to the Bucks is broken up by Cole’s low blow and Cage catapults Nick onto the set.

Cage charges into a superkick from Cole so Nick dives down onto his for a bonus. Jungle Boy and Cole fight near the set until Cole hits a Panama Sunrise onto the stage for two more. A bunch of superkicks put Luchasaurus down and Cole busts out a thumbtack kneepad (Tony: “A THUMBTACK KNEEPAD???”). The Superkliq all have one and a three man BTE Trigger….gets two as Jungle Boy makes another save.

Jungle Boy suplexes Nick and Cage spears Matt, leaving Cole to be chokeslammed off the ramp and onto Cutler/Nakazawa. Luchasaurus shooting stars down onto everyone and Jungle Boy is impressed. Cage loads up the Conchairto to Matt, but Jungle Boy wants to do it instead. Matt’s head is crushed for the pin at 22:18.

Rating: B. This was the wild brawl you would have expected with some crazy spots, but it went too long and that hurt things. This needed to have about five minutes cut off as they could have dropped at least a few of the false finishes. That being said, good choice in having Jungle Boy pin one of the Bucks, as that image at the end was a great way to elevate Jungle Boy, who needs to get higher up the card. Luchasaurus looked more like a monster than usual too so this was a good way to move people up.

We recap Malakai Black/Andrade El Idolo vs. Cody Rhodes/Pac. Black and Cody have been feuding so Black got El Idolo to help him. Pac has been feuding with El Idolo so everything is combined.

Malakai Black/Andrade El Idolo vs. Cody Rhodes/Pac

Jose and Arn Anderson are at ringside. Pac and Andrade start but Cody tags himself in, earning even more booing. Hold on though as Pac tags himself in, with Andrade finally hitting Pac to get started. Black comes in to work on the arm as JR isn’t sure on the quality of the teamwork here. Pac gets over to the corner and it’s back to Black, who distracts Cody long enough for Andrade to get in a cheap shot. Cody fights back and suicide dives onto Jose, setting up the powerslam on Andrade back inside.

Pac tags himself back in and gets taken into the corner. Black’s belly to back suplex doesn’t work as Pac sticks the landing and staggers into the corner for Cody’s blind tag. The Cody Cutter hits Black but Pac makes another tag, just as Black kicks Cody’s head off. Pac sends the villains (not Cody in this case) to the floor for a big dive, leaving Arn Anderson to punch Jose out.

They fight to the back (read as Jose runs as Arn walks after him) as Andrade sends Pac outside for the running flip dive. Back in and Black kicks away, setting up Andrade’s split legged moonsault for two. Pac finally gets in a shot of his own but Cody is STILL down on the floor. Andrade uses the distraction to hit a pendulum DDT onto the apron for two back inside. Cody is back on the apron as Pac and Black kick each other down. The hot tag brings in Cody, which does not sit well with the fans.

House is cleaned in a hurry and Andrade gets crotched on top, setting up the reverse superplex. Cody grabs the Figure Four but Pac tags himself in and hits a 450 for two as Andrade grabs the rope. Everything breaks down again and Pac’s big running flip dive takes Cody out. Back in and Black knees Pac to set up a German suplex for two with Cody making the save. Black hits a heck of a running kick to the face to put Cody over the barricade, sending them both crashing into the crowd. Pac suplexes Andrade into the corner, setting up the Black Arrow for the pin at 16:55.

Rating: B-. They had a lot going on here but this Cody stuff isn’t going to work much longer. Having him get booed out of the arena every time isn’t exactly a great look and they are going to need to come up with something to fix it. The ending likely sets up something else with Cody and Pac, which doesn’t exactly leave Andrade looking good or Black with anything to do. I’m sure they’ll find something, but this feels like a flat way to end the feud.

Post match FTR runs in to jump Pac and Cody, probably setting up a big Dynamite main event.

We recap Tay Conti vs. Britt Baker for the Women’s Title. Conti thinks Baker has had everything handed to her but Baker thinks Conti keeps coming up short in the big matches.

Women’s Title: Britt Baker vs. Tay Conti

Baker, with Rebel and Jamie Hayter, is defending and is played to the ring by the guitarist from Fozzy. Some early rollups give Baker two but she can’t get Lockjaw. Baker takes her into the corner but gets caught in a cross armbreaker over the ropes. With that broken up, Baker works on the arm as well before kneeing Conti in the face. Conti fights out of the Lockjaw again with some shots to Baker’s formerly broken hand. A running knee rocks Baker and the comeback is on for Conti.

Some running boots in the corner set up a high crossbody for two on Baker. A neckbreaker out of the corner gives Conti the same but Baker is back with a running stomp for her own near fall. The Lockjaw glove is loaded up (with Rebel being VERY excited) but Conti grabs a cutter for two. They fight to the apron, where Baker hits an Air Raid Crash. Somehow that’s only good for two so it’s the Lockjaw, with Conti going straight to the rope.

They trade some rollups for two each until the TayKO gives Conti two more. A Gotch style piledriver gets another near fall on Baker but Rebel offers a distraction. Hayter gets in a cheap shot on the floor and Baker adds a stomp on the steps. Another stomp back inside sets up the Lockjaw….which is reversed into a cradle for two. Conti kicks her to the floor but can’t follow up due to exhaustion.

Eventually Conti moonsaults down onto Rebel and Hayter as Baker walks away. Instead, Conti spins Baker down into a slam on the floor, setting up the DDTay for two back inside. A bunch of kicks to the head rock Baker again but she pulls Conti into Lockjaw, which is countered into a rollup. Baker counters the countered rollup into a rollup of her own to retain at 15:30.

Rating: B-. The lack of drama hurt this a good bit, but Conti was trying hard and it is amazing how far she has come in the last year or so. Conti is going to be a big star in the near future, but it’s really hard to buy anyone not named Thunder Rosa as a threat to Baker’s title. Another good match though, with probably just a few too many false finishes for its own good.

We recap Eddie Kingston vs. CM Punk. They’re similar, but Kingston thinks Punk doesn’t respect him. Punk thinks Kingston keeps failing to live up to his potential and now it’s Kingston’s chance to prove himself in his biggest match ever.

CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston

Punk marches to the ring and doesn’t even stop for his signature stuff. Kingston isn’t waiting either and hits the spinning backfist before the bell. Punk is knocked outside as the match officially starts, with Punk hitting a few shots in the corner as they go back inside. Another shot in the corner is countered with a t-bone suplex and Kingston unloads on him in the corner.

Punk gets in another shot and takes it to the apron for a big kick to Kingston’s head. Kingston’s hand gets crushed in the steps as the fans are behind both of these guys. Punk has been busted open somewhere in there but he throws Kingston back inside anyway….for John Cena’s Five Moves Of Doom, albeit with a middle finger instead of You Can’t See Me. Kingston flips him off right back so Punk hammers away again and hits Three Amigos.

Back up and Kingston catches him on top with a shot to the face, setting up a top rope superplex. They pull themselves up and slug it out, allowing Excalibur to drop an old school UFC reference. Why he wouldn’t drop an old wrestling reference is beyond me, but Excalibur can be a strange duck. Kingston knocks him down again but walks into a GTS. Punk can’t follow up though so it’s a double breather. After Kingston pulls himself up though, he misses the backfist and it’s another GTS for the pin at 11:11.

Rating: B. As much as I would have liked to see Kingston get the big win, this was about the only way they could have gone. Punk is one of the biggest stars in the company and it would be a bit much to see him losing anytime soon. Kingston got the run of his life here and he’ll be getting another shot at something down the line. Heck of a fight, with the right ending.

Post match Kingston pulls himself up but walks away from the offer of a handshake.

We recap American Top Team/Men of the Year vs. the Inner Circle. Dan Lambert has run his mouth over and over and Chris Jericho is fed up. Tonight Lambert gets in the ring and it’s time for revenge in a street fight.

Baron Von Raschke of all people is here.

American Top Team/Men of the Year vs. Inner Circle

Street fight and Dan Lambert is in a blue tracksuit. Since that’s a lot of groups, that would be Dan Lambert/Andrei Arlovski/Junior Dos Santos/Scorpio Sky/Ethan Page vs. Chris Jericho/Jake Hager/Santana/Ortiz/Sammy Guevara. Scorpio Sky starts with Sammy Guevara (because there are tags in this thing) and drives him into the corner for a rake to the eyes. Sammy comes back with a middle rope kick to the chest and a dropkick into a nipup.

Santana and Ortiz hit a double suplex and another suplex is handed off to Hager. Arlovski comes in for a slugout but Hager pulls him into a failed ankle lock attempt. Hager gets taken down and Dos Santos comes in for a double shoulder. It’s off to Jericho, who gets suplexed down as well, setting up a standing moonsault (with Dos Santos’ head crashing into Jericho’s chest) for two.

Now Lambert comes in to slap Jericho in the face as everything breaks down (as it should have from the beginning). Lambert has to run away, allowing Ethan Page to hit Jericho with a hockey stick. Sammy hits a dive of his own but Sky and Hager hits a big dive onto a bunch of people. The weapons (Minneapolis things) come in, including a Prince sign, setting off a PURPLE RAIN chant. A chair gets wrapped around Ortiz’s throat and then sent into the post, leaving Santana to get beaten double teamed inside.

That doesn’t last long as Ortiz is back in to put a trashcan over Page’s head, allowing Santana and Ortiz to beat on him with hockey sticks. Then we get a Gory Stretch/Boston crab/camel clutch combination from Santana/Ortiz to the Men of the Year (that’s a new one, or maybe two or three), with Sammy throwing a football at Sky’s open ribs. Arlovski comes back in to clean house but Hager busts out a toaster to take everyone out.

Jericho has to save Hager with a water ski but Lambert trips him down. Sammy is back in with a double springboard cutter to the Men of the Year and a Swanton to Sky for two. A table is set up at ringside but Arlovski makes the save with a bundt cake pan. Santana and Ortiz superplex Dos Santos off the top as Sammy is climbing a really high ladder. The big Swanton drives Sky through the table but Ethan Page goes to yell at Hager’s wife.

That earns him a Baron Von Raschke claw, leaving Santana to take Page over the barricade. Lambert poses in the ring but gets caught by Jericho, who chops him down in a hurry. Jericho shouts for Dos Santos, who pops up to block the Lionsault so Lambert can get two. Lambert’s Walls are broken up with kendo stick shots….and Jericho pulls out a stapler for a shot low. Another frog splash finishes Lambert at 20:01.

Rating: C+. It was wild and nutty, but it wasn’t as good as the other big brawl from earlier. The ending wasn’t exactly great either, as it was all about Jericho beating up a manager when his team had an advantage. This really needs to be it though, as this wasn’t exactly an enthralling story in the first place and then it wasn’t a great blowoff match.

Tony Schiavone brings in the newest AEW star: Jay Lethal. He is officially All Elite and wants to answer the TNT Title open challenge Wednesday on Dynamite. Cue Sammy to say it’s on.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega for the World Title. They used to be friends (a long time ago) but Page had all kinds of self doubt and drank his way out of his problems. Now it’s time to redeem himself and win the title, though Omega isn’t quite nervous.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page

Page is challenging and we see a video of him riding a horse through the street as clips of Page’s various failures play on screens behind him. Once he gets in the arena, Page’s chiron says “We’re Proud Of You – Graphics Team”. They stare each other down to start with Page taking him into the corner to hammer away. Don Callis grabs Page’s boot though and Omega gets in a shot from behind to take over.

Page backdrops him to the apron though and it’s a springboard clothesline to send Omega outside. Omega gets the better of things on the floor though and brings Page back inside for the running reverse bulldog for two. Callis offers a distraction so Omega can knock Page outside again, setting up the Terminator dive. Back in and Page cuts him off, including kicking Omega in the face.

This time it’s Omega being knocked outside for the suicide dive from Page, setting up the moonsault out to the floor. They get back up to their feet and head up top, where Omega hits a springboard super Liger Bomb to knock Page silly. There’s the snapdragon to set up the V Trigger but the One Winged Angle is countered into the victory roll to give Page two. The Deadeye is countered into a tiger driver 98 for two and Omega bites at the cut on Page’s head from Dynamite.

Omega goes up but gets crotched, allowing Page to bite away for a change. The super flipping fall away slam into a cover gives Page his own two and Omega is down on the floor. Page hits a big clothesline from the top but might have banged up his knee in the process. Back in and Page misses his own V Trigger but Omega pulls the referee in the way of a charge.

Callis grabs the belt but Page scares him away, setting up the Deadeye for two on Omega. Page picks up the title, only to throw it right back down so the slugout can be on instead. Omega slugs him down to one knee and then knees Page in the head. More knees set up the V Trigger but Page cuts him off and strikes away. The next V Trigger connects but Page is back up with a discus elbow.

Some Kawada kicks rock Page, who comes back (after an F bomb) with a heck of a clothesline. Cue the Young Bucks (Tony: “Dip**** alert.”) as Page drops Omega on the top of his head with a belly to back suplex. The Buckshot lariat is countered with the V Trigger but the One Winged Angel is countered into one from Page for a near fall. Now the Buckshot lariat hits Omega from behind but Page stops to look at Matt Jackson. A nod sets up the Buckshot lariat to give the pin and the title at 25:06.

Rating: B. They didn’t have another choice here and thankfully they pulled the trigger at the right time. There was no reason to keep the title on Omega any longer and hopefully this wraps up the main portion of the Elite saga. Page had to win here or I’m not sure if he ever would have otherwise. The match was rather good, though not quite great, but what matters is the ending, which was the right call.

Post match the Dark Order comes out to celebrate with Page and the big hug ends the show.

Overall Rating: A. Another classic show from AEW, which tends to be the case when they get on the big stage. There was nothing resembling a bad match all night long with even the worst match on the show being completely fine. Some of the matches probably went a big longer than they needed to, but I’m not about to complain about a show that delivered this well. Awesome night and the big title change wraps it up, so well done all around.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Darby Allin – Headlock takeover
Lucha Bros b. FTR – Spike Fear Factor to Wheeler
Bryan Danielson b. Miro – Guillotine choke
Christian Cage/Jurassic Express b. Superkliq – Conchairto to Cole
Cody Rhodes/Pac b. Malakai Black/Andrade El Idolo – Black Arrow to El Idolo
Britt Baker b. Tay Conti – Rollup
CM Punk b. Eddie Kingston – GTS
Inner Circle b. American Top Team/Men of the Year – Frog splash to Lambert
Hangman Page b. Kenny Omega – Buckshot lariat

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: November 12, 2021
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ricky Starks, Chris Jericho

It’s the go home show for Full Gear but we still might get some changes, or at least a hard sell, for the show. Dynamite did that very well this week but maybe a bit more could make it even better. I’m not sure what to expect here, though Matt Hardy vs. Orange Cassidy in a lumberjack match is certainly a thing. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jungle Boy vs. Bobby Fish

Jungle takes him down to start but Fish is right back with a pull off the ropes to bang up Jungle’s arm. Back in and Jungle chops away, only to be knocked outside with the arm being banged up again. A posting gets Jungle out of trouble but Fish takes him down again as we take a break.

We come back with Fish staying on the arm but he charges into an overhead suplex into the corner. Jungle grabs a waistlock until he is sent shoulder first into the buckle. Fish grabs his own suplex for his own two in a very near fall. Somehow Jungle is able to pull him into a one armed Snare Trap for the tap at 10:18.

Rating: C+. This is where Jungle shines: fighting from underneath and overcoming the odds with his killer finisher. It has worked well for him before and that was the case again here, as they put together a good story and the dangerous Fish puts Jungle through some pain. That should play into tomorrow’s six man tag so this was well thought out.

Post match Adam Cole runs in for the double beatdown. The Conchairto is loaded up but Christian Cage and Luchasaurus run in for the save. Cole bails and it’s a Killswitch to Fish.

Video on Bryan Danielson vs. Miro in the #1 contenders match tomorrow night.

The Superkliq is bragging about tomorrow night when Hangman Page comes in. Adam Cole gets in his face but Page wants to talk to the Bucks. Page has something he has needed to say for a long time: he’s sorry for what he did to them for a long time. He cost them a Tag Team Title shot but they cost him a World Title shot. That makes him think they’re even, so if they get involved on Saturday, he’ll kill them.

Jade Cargill vs. Santana Garrett

This is Cargill’s one year anniversary and there is a cake for her at ringside. Red Velvet, who will face Cargill in the TBS Title tournament, is here too. Cargill starts fast and knocks Garrett outside, setting up a ram into the barricade. Velvet has to be held back as they head inside. Jaded finishes Garrett at 2:01.

Post match Velvet spears Cargill down and shoves the cake into Mark Sterling’s face. Cargill and Velvet brawl until referees break it up.

Video on Eddie Kingston vs. CM Punk at Full Gear. Punk says he sees similarities between them but Kingston won’t put in the work and will come up short, as always. If Punk has to hurt Kingston to teach him a lesson, so be it.

Dante Martin vs. Ariya Daivari

They’re both hometown boys. Martin starts fast and spins around into a headscissors but Daivari breaks up a springboard. A springboard legdrop knocks Martin out of the ropes and a knee to the ribs cuts him off again. Martin is back with a sunset flip for two, followed by an enziguri to put them both down. Daivari knocks Martin down again and hits a frog splash for his own near fall. That’s too much for Martin, who sends him outside for a big springboard dive. Back in and the double springboard moonsault press finishes Daivari at 5:37.

Rating: B-. As is usually the case with Martin, this was all about flying around and firing up the crowd, which works a lot better with a hometown favorite like Martin. There is something awesome about watching Martin doing his thing, as he really is that talented at everything he does. Develop him a bit more and AEW has a breakout star on their hands.

Post match Team Taz comes in to the ring, with Ricky Starks (at commentary) offers Martin a spot. Starks tells him to read it over and they’ll be waiting. Martin doesn’t say yes or no.

Full Gear rundown.

Video on Tay Conti vs. Britt Baker, with the talking heads split.

Mark Henry gives us the face to face interview for the main event between Matt Hardy and Orange Cassidy. They don’t like each other.

Matt Hardy vs. Orange Cassidy

Lumberjack match and Cassidy has bad ribs coming in. The bell rings and Hardy offers $23,000 to anyone who can take Cassidy out. The bad lumberjacks get in an immediate fight with the good ones, leaving Cassidy to jump Hardy. Cassidy wins the brawl but has to escape a Twist of Fate attempt. Hardy sends him outside, where Butcher gets in a few cheap shots to put Cassidy in trouble.

We take a break and come back with the Best Friends flipping onto a bunch of lumberjacks. Cassidy adds his own dive and Hardy is sent outside. The Best Friends give Cassidy the assist for a flip dive onto the lumberjacks, setting up a high crossbody for two on Hardy back inside. Some of the lumberjacks come in for a brawl but get cleared out, leaving Cassidy to hit the Beach Break. More lumberjacks come in and a brass knuckles shot knocks Cassidy silly, allowing Hardy to steal the pin (after dropping an elbow which was at least six inches away from Cassidy, who thankfully didn’t sell it) at 10:28.

Rating: D+. That’s certainly one way to go, just in case building this feud up for about two months wasn’t enough for you. I can almost guarantee this isn’t the ending, as the hair has been too much of a focus to not have it be a factor somehow. There was way too much going on here though and the match was an afterthought to all of the shenanigans going on.

Post match the Hardy Family Office cleans house with the brass knuckles and stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Kind of a bizarre choice for an ending aside, this was a pretty solid final push towards Full Gear. Those videos with the talking heads make the pay per view matches feel that much more important and I want to see some of the card more than I did coming in. There was some good action to go with it so this was a completely fine use of an hour.

Results
Jungle Boy b. Bobby Fish – Snare Trap
Jade Cargill b. Santana Garrett – Jaded
Dante Martin b. Ariya Daivari – Double springboard moonsault press
Matt Hardy b. Orange Cassidy – Brass knuckles to the head

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: November 10, 2021
Location: Indianapolis Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s the go home show for Full Gear and that means things might actually be interesting around here. AEW knows how to stick the landing on their way to a pay per view and there is still some stuff that they need to cover. Odds are they’ll hit a lot of those points this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bryan Danielson vs. Rocky Romero

Orange Cassidy is here with Romero. They go technical to start and the fans are behind Danielson as he grabs a headlock. The threat of an armbar sends Danielson over to the ropes so Romero elbows him in the face. Danielson flips over Romero in the corner but misses the running clothesline. Instead, Romero sends him outside, where Cassidy gives Danielson the hands in the pockets.

The delay lets Romero score with a suicide dive but Danielson is back with the kicks and chops in the corner. A kick to the back sets up a knee to Romero’s face but Romero is back with a springboard tornado DDT. Romero drapes him over the ropes and hits a dropkick to the side of the head. There’s a running Sliced Bread for two and it’s off to a triangle choke.

Danielson stacks him up for two and then grabs a sitout powerbomb for the real break. Another cross armbreaker is broken up and Danielson kicks him in the face for a breather. Romero tries another Sliced Bread but gets countered into the stomps to the face. The LeBell Lock is blocked so Danielson switches to something like a Tequila Sunrise for the tap at 10:53.

Rating: B. This was the match that you would have expected from these two as they both know how to work this exact style. Danielson continues to be a wrestling machine on this show as he will fight anyone, often in a match that gets some time. That is a great thing to see and fits Danielson so well, which is all you can ask for from him.

Commentary runs down the card.

Tony Schiavone brings out the Inner Circle for a chat but American Top Team jumps them and lays everyone out, including sending them into various things. Dan Lambert gives Chris Jericho an assisted powerbomb through a table and gets to brag a lot. The Men of the Year promise to destroy the Inner Circle at Full Gear, where Lambert will pin Jericho. Tonight though, they’re going to make Lambert tap Jericho out, so put him in the Walls! Lambert puts it on and shouts about it being a Boston crab. Scorpio Sky grabs Jericho’s hand and slaps the mat to really rub it in. Classic heel stuff here and it worked as a result.

Tay Conti/Anna Jay/Thunder Rosa vs. Rebel/Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter

Rosa and Baker start things off and you can see Baker getting more serious about this one. Rosa can’t hit a quick Fire Thunder Driver and the fans are split. Baker bails over to Rebel to hammer on Rosa but it’s off to Anna. Rosa whips Anna into Rebel in the corner but it’s Anna being knocked outside for the double teaming.

We take a break with Anna in trouble and come back with her suplexing her way to freedom. The hot tag brings in Conti to clean house until the numbers game gets the better of her. Rosa comes in and gets to run some people over as everything breaks down. Rosa dives onto Hayter and CRUSHES HER with a high crossbody to the floor (with Rosa immediately checking on her). Conti loads up the TayKO, glares at Baker, and plants Rebel for the pin at 7:58.

Rating: C. Not much of a match here, but again it was about building things up for Sunday. I don’t know if Conti has the greatest chance of winning the title at Full Gear but you have to do something like this to set her up as a potential threat. Just Baker looking scared of her at the end is enough to get her somewhere, so this worked out perfectly well given what they were trying to do.

Video on Ruby Soho vs. Kris Statlander.

Anthony Bowens vs. Jungle Boy

Max Caster’s rap insults Jungle Boy’s physique and wonders why he leaves his girlfriend (Anna Jay) alone with seven guys. Feeling out process to start until Bowens takes him down and poses. Bowens chops away in the corner but Jungle is right back with his own set of chops to take over.

Caster offers a distraction though and Bowens hits a Codebreaker over the ropes as we take a break. Back with Jungle striking away and grabbing the Snare Trap but Caster offers a distraction. That earns Caster a suicide dive but Bowens gets in a kick to the head and a twisting hanging DDT for a near fall. That’s about it for Bowens, as Jungle pulls him into the Snare Trap for the win at 10:07.

Rating: C. This is what the match should have been, as it was the same thing that happened with Bowens vs. Bryan Danielson on Rampage: Bowens can only get the advantage over a bigger star when his partner is helping him, which makes perfect sense for a tag team wrestler. Bowens has a lot of the tools but needs to be built up a little more, which can happen in the future. Jungle gets to overcome some odds and win though, which is what he should be doing.

Post match here is Bobby Fish to take out Jungle Boy, with Luchasaurus and Christian Cage making the save.

We get a video on Hangman Page vs. Kenny Omega, with both guys plus some talking heads going into what it means for Page. Omega says he never loses big matches and Page never wins them, so Page doesn’t have a chance.

Adam Cole introduces Bobby Fish to the Young Bucks, who the Bucks know very well. There is no dispute around here though, because this era is about the Elite. Cole has an idea: Fish vs. Jungle Boy on Rampage, but he’d like Fish to leave just a little piece for Cole on Saturday. Deal.

We get a video on CM Punk vs. Eddie Kingston, featuring a bunch of clips from their time on the independent scene, cut together with clips from their epic argument on Rampage.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Wardlow

The Best Friends are here too. Yuta starts fast and kicks away, only to miss a dropkick. Wardlow hits a heck of a powerbomb and then does it again. Two more powerbombs set up the knee to the face in the corner to finish Yuta at 2:18. Total dominance.

Post match the Hardy Family Office jumps the Best Friends. Matt Hardy wraps a chair around Orange Cassidy’s neck and hits the Twist of Fate to leave Cassidy writhing in pain. Can we please just get to the match already? This is reaching Brian Cage vs. Ricky Starks levels of GET ON WITH IT.

CM Punk and Eddie Kingston have to be held apart in the parking lot. Those are always cool to see.

Lio Rush/Dante Martin vs. Lee Moriarty/Matt Sydal

Moriarty works on Martin’s arm to start but they trade leg sweeps for no counts each. Martin rolls him up for two and then Moriarty rolls him up for two as they’re flying through this stuff. They go to a standoff and the fans give them a standing ovation. It’s off to Rush vs. Sydal, with Rush dodging around to avoid anything from Sydal.

Moriarty gets in a shot from the apron but Rush dodges more right hands. A springboard hurricanrana takes Sydal down and Moriarty gets knocked off the apron, setting up a big showdown. We take a break and come back with Rush and Moriarty coming in off the double tag to pick the pace right back up.

Everything breaks down again and Rush nails Sydal with a sinning kick to the face. Moriarty gets kicked to the floor as well and the fans seem very pleased with him. A double handspring elbow drops Sydal and Moriarty again, setting up back to back suicide dives. Sydal loads up something on top but gets pulled down, leaving Moriarty to hit a running uppercut for two on Martin. Rush enziguris Sydal and kicks Moriarty in the head again, setting up the double springboard moonsault press to finish Moriarty at 10:18.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked and a lot of that was due to Rush going insane to hit everything he could think of in a pretty short amount of time. The rest of the people involved were holding up their ends as well, as this was all about getting in as much as they could. It might have been a total spotfest, but dang it was a fun one.

Miro asks if Bryan Danielson thinks his God is messing with him. Would he trade Miro’s bad neck for Danielson’s bad neck? Danielson should fear him because this is going to hurt.

Dax Harwood vs. Pac

Tully Blanchard is here with Harwood. A lockup doesn’t go anywhere so Harwood cranks on the arm instead. Pac shoulders him down and starts taking over, including a bunch of chops in the corner. They forearm it out in the corner until ac sends him into the ropes for a German suplex. A clothesline puts Harwood on the floor and Pac nails a big running flip dive as we take a break.

Back with Harwood on top and getting kicked in the head to stagger him again. The top rope brainbuster (geez) connects and they’re both down in quite the heap. Pac knocks him into the corner again but Harwood rolls away before the Black Arrow can launch. Instead, Tully pulls Harwood out of the corner to avoid a charge, allowing Harwood to hit a brainbuster of his own for two.

Pac superkicks him out of the corner but the Black Arrow is broken up again. Harwood’s belly to back superplex drops Pac but he can’t follow up. Pac is back up but can’t hit a German suplex. Instead Harwood elbows him in the face, setting up a Liger Bomb for two. A backslide gives Pac two before he grabs the Brutalizer for the very fast tap (with commentary making it clear that Harwood doesn’t want to be hurt for Full Gear) at 13:47.

Rating: B. This was another hard hitting match with both guys doing everything they could. It helped that they got some extra time and they had a rather clever way out of either of them taking a definitive loss. Harwood tapping so fast made a lot of sense and it came after a heck of a fight.

Post match Cash Wheeler runs in for the beatdown and the lights go out. Cue Malakai Black and Andrade to help stomp Pac, drawing out Cody Rhodes and the Lucha Bros for the big brawl.

Here’s what’s coming on Rampage and at Full Gear.

Video on MJF vs. Darby Allin, which is a battle of two of the pillars of AEW.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring for the contract signing between Hangman Page and Kenny Omega. Before he signs, Page says that he can’t wait to get his hands on Omega and win the World Title. Page signs but Omega talks about how this could have all been for Page in the first place. Then Page had to deal with his insecurities and failures and it was always the Elite helping him up to do his cowboy s***.

Omega did it because he saw himself in Page but how wrong he was. Page brings up Omega’s former (unnamed partner) and maybe he didn’t live up to that partner either. Last year, Omega said that he was proud of Page, but the truth is Omega was scared. Omega didn’t want Page to become what he could become, which he will do at Full Gear.

They shake hands and Omega says he’s proud of Page before leaving (without signing)….and the cameraman jumps Page. It’s Don Callis and the beating is on, with Page being busted open. Omega signs the contract in blood to end the show. The Callis deal was a nice surprise, until you remember that it’s Don Callis.

Overall Rating: B+. This show did a rather good job of hyping up Full Gear, as they were in full on final push mode. I want to see the show more than I did coming in so at least they are on the right path with most of this stuff. They had some rather entertaining wrestling to go with it so it was a very well put together use of two hours. Now keep up their regular work on pay per view and they’ll be in better shape than usual.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Rocky Romero – Tequila Sunrise
Tay Conti/Anna Jay/Thunder Rosa b. Rebel/Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter – TayKO to Hayter
Jungle Boy b. Anthony Bowens – Snare Trap
Wardlow b. Wheeler Yuta – Knee to the face
Lio Rush/Dante Martin b. Matt Sydal/Lee Moriarty – Double springboard moonsault press to Moriarty
Pac b. Dax Harwood – Brutalizer

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.