Dynamite
Date: February 23, 2022
Location: Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We are two and a half weeks away from Revolution and that means it is time to start hammering down the card. That could go in a few different ways, which makes this show all the more interesting. One of the spots in the Tag Team Title match will be determined tonight in a tag team battle royal, as opposed to next week when one of the spots in the Tag Team Title match will be determined by a tag team battle royal. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Battle Royal

Dark Order, Young Bucks, Butcher and the Blade, Best Friends, Private Party, Gunn Club, Santana/Ortiz, FTR, 2.0, ReDDragon

There are ten teams in all and both members have to be eliminated. It’s a huge brawl to start, with no entrances of course, and people fighting in and out of the ring. Blade knocks Alex Reynolds of the Dark Order out but spends too much time posing, allowing John Silver to toss him out. Santana and Ortiz get rid of the Gunn Club without much trouble and the Butcher double clotheslines the Bucks.

The Best Friends low bridge Butcher out but ReDDragon gets rid of Chuck Taylor. Private Party is put out back to back, with Matt Hardy slowly walking out on them. Santana dumps 2.0 but the Bucks toss Ortiz and double superkick Santana out of the air. FTR and the Bucks have a showdown which is broken up in a hurry. Everyone brawls near the ropes until FTR tosses Matt Jackson out.

ReDDragon throws Trent over the top but Orange Cassidy pops out from underneath the ring for the save. Back in and Trent cleans house, including a running clothesline to get rid of Bobby Fish. We take a break and come back with Silver eliminating Cash Wheeler, leaving us with Dax Harwood, Kyle O’Reilly, Nick Jackson, Santana, Silver and Trent. The remaining seven circle each other until it’s time for a series of strikes, leaving Trent and Santana to slug it out.

A discus lariat drops Trent but he pulls Santana out to the apron with him. Matt and Kyle knock both of them out though and we’re down to four. O’Reilly and Harwood fight to the apron with Harwood being eliminated. Silver is back up with a running knee to Nick’s back, setting up the Spin Doctor. Jackson and O’Reilly get together for an improvised Chasing the Dragon, leaving Jackson to dump Silver…but O’Reilly tosses Jackson to give ReDDragon the win at 18:21.

Rating: C+. Battle royals are always weird to rate as they’re such a free for all until you get down to a manageable number of people. ReDDragon winning by getting rid of the Young Bucks at the end is about as logical of an ending as there could have been here, but it would not surprise me to see the Bucks somehow get into the title match anyway next week.

Post match the Bucks and ReDDragon are ready to fight but here is Hangman Page to go after ReDDragon in revenge for last week. Adam Cole comes in but has to get pulled out by ReDDragon. John Silver takes ReDDragon out so it’s the Buckshot Lariat to O’Reilly. Page grabs a chair and it’s time for Story Time With Adam Page Bay Bay! This week’s story is about a smug kid named Adam Cole who got into wrestling a long time ago and now wants the most prestigious prize in wrestling. What he doesn’t realize is that he is inching closer to a grave, and he’ll land in that grave with a BOOM.

Bryan Danielson is ready for Daniel Garcia tonight because he had a great mentor in William Regal. Imagine what Garcia could have done with a great mentor like Danielson or Jon Moxley.

Here is MJF for a chat but he has to pause for the CM PUNK chants. He used to love Punk just like us and we hear about Punk showing a photo of MJF meeting him as a kid. MJF used to wake up every morning because of wrestling because he was a huge fan. He had really bad ADD but he could succeed because of football. It wound up working, but then his teammates threw a bunch of quarters at him and said “pick them up Jew boy, pick them up.” It hurt of course, but that night he got to meet his hero CM Punk, who he wanted to be just like when he grew up.

Fast forward until 2013, when MJF had a bunch of scholarship offers to play football but all he wanted was to be a wrestler, but then Punk left everyone in 2014. Punk left when he needed them the most, but MJF promised to be the hero that Punk should have been and the man that everyone could look up to. At Revolution, Punk can whip him with the chain and make him bleed but he will not give up. Cue Punk, who doesn’t know what to say. Punk, without a mic, looks at MJF and asks if that was the truth. MJF says it’s true and leaves, possibly with tears in his eyes.

This was a VERY different MJF as there was no swerve to mock the audience and it felt like one of the best good guy promos you would have heard in a long time. Punk being freaked out over not knowing if he should believe him or not was a great twist, as you don’t see anyone get inside Punk’s head ever. Awesome stuff here.

Daniel Garcia and 2.0 are ready for Bryan Danielson.

Kings of the Black Throne vs. Pac/Penta Obscuro

Penta has a special entrance, holding a shovel and rising from behind a grave which reveals his new name. Cool, as it is basically Pentagon Dark. It’s a brawl before the bell (makes sense) with Penta diving onto both of them on the floor. The bell rings and Pac hits a quick 450 for two on Black. Penta and Black slug it out before it’s off to King to blast Pac with a clothesline.

We take a break and come back with King putting Penta on Pac’s shoulders and hitting a hard chop to turn it into a poisonrana (I’m not sure if that’s how physics work). Everything breaks down and it’s a series of strikes to give us a four way knockdown. Dante’s Inferno is broken up and it’s Pac German suplexing King. The spike Fear Factor is loaded up but Black makes the save. Black loads up the mist but Penta covers his mouth and grabs a rollup for the fast pin at 7:34.

Rating: B-. This needed a bit more time but what mattered most was having Penta get the pin. You don’t want to bring back this evil version and then have him lose his first match so well done on getting the result right. It wasn’t even a definitive win but rather a fluke rollup, which saves a bit of face for Black in the loss, so well done.

Post match the big beatdown is on with the Kings beating down Pac and Penta. Black grabs the shovel but the lights go out and it’s…Buddy Matthews (Murphy) in the ring. Black doesn’t know what to do but Matthews jumps Penta, joining the House of Black in the process. Penta gets his face stomped onto a chair.

Britt Baker says Thunder Rosa never beat her on paper. Rosa says at Revolution, it’s going t count. Still not the best sounding explanation.

Here is Eddie Kingston for a face to face showdown with Chris Jericho. With security in the ring just in case, Kingston asks what’s going on with the security. Jericho says they’re here to make sure that the two of them can talk, but Kingston says this is a wrestling company instead of a sports entertainment company. We’re just a few miles from Stamford so maybe Jericho will give him some sports entertainment, but maybe it will be entertaining.

Jericho talks about how he heard Kingston was coming and he had never heard of him. At first he thought it was Eddie Edwards but then he saw Kingston and knew why he had never heard of him: Kingston looks like a jobber. Then he saw Kingston’s match against what’s his name (Cody Rhodes) and heard Kingston’s promo and knew there was something there. Jericho even told him he would become a huge babyface and that’s what happened.

Everyone was happy to see Kingston sign a contract at 38…except for Jericho, who made it at 22. By the time he was 38, he had main evented pay per views and made millions of dollars. Kingston says Christopher only did all that because he wasn’t there. Now Jericho is out there talking, but Kingston doesn’t want to talk to him because Jericho is sucking the blood out of this place. Instead, Kingston wants to fight and the challenge is on for Revolution.

Before he answers, Jericho asks if Kingston has ever heard of the fear of success (Kingston: “No, I have a GED.”). Jericho explains that Kingston is afraid of success and if he did he had Jericho’s success, he would fall off the side of a mountain. Jericho has heard all of the stories about Kingston’s family (Kingston: “Careful. Careful.”) like his uncle, who was a failure, and his father, who was a failure.

Kingston can’t win the big one and in AEW, Jericho is the big one. If Kingston wants Jericho at the pay per view, it’s on, but if Kingston manages to beat him, he will look Kingston in the eye and say he respects him. If Kingston beats him, it means Jericho has helped him get over his fear of success. Kingston says the match is on, but don’t give him the one who gave him the Mimosa match or the one who got shoved off the cage by MJF.

Give him the one who was the first World Champion, the one who bled in Tennessee, the one got respect from Tenryu in WAR and the one who Levesque hated. If it isn’t that Jericho, Kingston is going to eat him alive. Jericho promises to be that Jericho, but he knows Kingston can’t do it because he’s a loser. Now hit Jericho’s music. As usual, Kingston brought it here and Jericho is way better as a heel.

Matt Hardy is ready to see Andrade win the TNT Title but also suggests a tornado trios match with the two of them and Isiah Kassidy vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Sammy Guevara at Revolution. Andrade seems to approve.

Face of the Revolution Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Ricky Starks vs. 10

Powerhouse Hobbs is here with Starks while the Dark Order is here with 10. Starks kicks him in the ribs to start but a running shoulder doesn’t work. A running shot to the mask puts 10 down but Starks stops to pose, allowing 10 to hammer away in the corner. 10 hits a delayed vertical suplex and we take a break. Back with 10 grabbing a full nelson but Starks makes the ropes. A discus lariat plants Starks again and another full nelson goes on. Starks pulls at the mask to escape and the spear is good for the pin at 5:55.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to get very far here and a lot of the match took place during the break. That being said, it was the right idea here as the ladder match needed someone other than a hoss to mix things up a bit. Starks is someone who could be a dark horse candidate to win and that makes things a lot more interesting.

ReDDragon and the Young Bucks argue over the battle royal with Adam Cole in the middle. The Bucks are in next week’s battle royal too and now they’re more motivated to win. With the Bucks gone, Cole tells ReDDragon to get it together because he has enough on his plate at Revolution.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. The Bunny

Cargill, with Mark Sterling, is defending. Bunny drives her into the corner for a clean break so Cargill lifts her up by the arm. A legdrop to the arm sets up an armscissors with the legs, with Cargill throwing in some pushups. Bunny manages to send her to the apron for the breather and a sliding forearm to the back puts Cargill on the floor. A Russian legsweep into the barricade drops Cargill and we take a break.

Back with Bunny hitting a running knee but charging into a spinebuster. Cue Matt Hardy to jump up onto the apron to throw in the brass knuckles, but Sterling throws in the TBS Title. The knuckles shot is cut off by a belt shot and it’s a double ejection of Hardy and Sterling. Bunny uses the distraction to hit some superkicks. Down the Rabbit Hole is loaded up but Cargill reverses into Jaded to retain at 6:43.

Rating: C+. Cargill is starting to look more and more natural and that is a great sign for her future. The problem is I’m not sure who is going to be able to take the title from her, but it is going to be a pretty big event when someone does. What mattered here was having Cargill break a sweat and then add one more name to the list, which wound up working very well.

Post match Tony Schiavone comes in to talk to Cargill, who says cut the s***. She is on the way to 50-0 and wants to know who is left. Cue Tay Conti to say she is the one who is going to beat her at Revolution. Conti charges inside and gets in the ring, with Cargill kissing her on the head. Bunny pops back up to brawl with Conti, who hits the TayKO, only to get kicked in the face by Cargill. Anna Jay runs in for the save.

Keith Lee is ready for the Face of the Revolution ladder match when Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs interrupts. Starks explains that Team Taz runs this place and wants him to mind his p’s and q’s. Lee and Hobbs have a staredown.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Daniel Garcia vs. Bryan Danielson

Danielson shoves him into the corner to start and talks some trash, setting up an exchange of uppercuts. Garcia can’t get anywhere with some grappling so he hits a chop instead. Danielson likes that and tells Garcia to chop him again, only to take him down in a leglock. A suplex looks to set up the LeBell Lock but Garcia rolls around. More rolling sets up most of the LeBell Lock, with Garcia getting a foot in the ropes for the break. Danielson flips over him out of the corner and tries the running clothesline, with Garcia taking out the leg instead for a nice counter.

We take a break and come back with Danielson hitting a missile dropkick and getting fired up. Danielson grabs a leglock but Garcia hooks one of his own, meaning it’s time to kick at each other on the mat. Cattle Mutilation goes on until Garcia slips out and goes for the leg again. Some kicks to the back of Danielson’s head don’t work as he takes Garcia down and grabs a test of strength on the mat. With their hands still interlocked, they forearm it out until Garcia goes for a dragon screw legwhip. That’s blocked for some stomping and a triangle choke, with the double bicep pose, finishes Garcia at 10:24.

Rating: B. This was what you would have expected from these two, as they beat each other up and traded holds and strikes until Danielson won. That’s all you could ask for from these two and that is a good thing, as Garcia got to look strong against a much brighter star. It’s a piece of a bigger story though and that is not a bad thing.

Post match Danielson says that is what he wanted and praises the violence. Cue 2.0 to go after Danielson but Jon Moxley makes the save and clears them out. Garcia loads up a chair but Danielson takes it away. The Paradigm Shift drops Garcia so Moxley and Danielson stare each other down. Danielson grabs the mic and says it’s on for Revolution, where Moxley might be the only one bleeding. The staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show built around talking and that is one of the better ways to make me care about a show. The Jericho vs. Kingston stuff was good but the MJF promo was special and took their feud in a direction I didn’t expect. Other than that, there was some good but not great action, which all adds up to another strong show as Revolution continues to look better each week. Granted it helps when you add three matches to the show in one night.

Results
ReDDragon won a tag team battle royal last eliminating the Young Bucks
Penta Obscuro/Pac b. Kings of the Black Throne – Rollup to Black
Ricky Starks b. 10 – Spear
Jade Cargill b. The Bunny – Jaded
Bryan Danielson b. Daniel Garcia – Triangle choke

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

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AND

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

Rampage
Date: February 18, 2022
Location: Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Chris Jericho, Ricky Starks

We’re a few hours earlier this week due to the NBA All Star Weekend. This week’s show doesn’t have quite the same level of star power that most weeks have, but Revolution is in about two weeks and it’s time to set up some more things. You can probably guess most of the matches from here though and that’s a good thing. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Adam Cole vs. 10

10 shoves him around to start before snapping off a German suplex. The right hands start up in the corner but Cole slips out and kicks 10’s braced knee. The knee is wrapped around the post but 10 is fine enough to hit a delayed vertical suplex. Cole knocks him outside though and it’s right back to the leg as we take a break.

Back with 10 not being able to get the full nelson, meaning Cole can enziguri him into a Backstabber for two. A discus lariat gives 10 his own two but Cole kicks him down again. The Panama Sunrise is countered with a spear for two so 10 grabs the full nelson. Cole drives him into the corner though and it’s a low blow to escape. Some superkicks set up the Boom to give Cole the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C. 10’s selling issues aside, this worked well enough as a showcase for both of them. Cole is only way to the World Title shot at Revolution and needed a win like this to help make him seem like a bigger deal and it isn’t like the Dark Order is going to be hurt by a loss. Nothing great, but at least Cole didn’t no sell something.

We look at CM Punk announcing his dog collar match against MJF at Revolution.

Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match Qualifying Match: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Dante Martin

Martin strikes away to start and hits a springboard dropkick, followed by a non-springboard version to put Hobbs on the floor. Another springboard is broken up though and Hobbs launches Martin hard into the corner. Then he does it again as commentary points out how that has happened in every qualifying match so far.

We take a break and come back with Martin escaping a bearhug but not getting very far with some running shots to the face. A springboard uppercut works a bit better though and a springboard corkscrew dive to the floor drops Hobbs again. Back in and Martin tries to fly around a bit too much, allowing Hobbs to plant him with a spinebuster for the pin at 9:28.

Rating: B-. Power vs. speed/high flying is about as simple and classic of a wrestling formula as you are going to get and that is what we had here. Hobbs winning actually surprised me as Martin would have seemed to be a layup for the ladder match, so I can appreciate a bit of a twist. Good enough match here as Martin got to do his flying before taking the loss.

Jade Cargill wants her next opponent so here is Matt hardy with the Bunny. Matt thinks that would be a money match so Cargill says she’s fine fine with beating up the rabbit lady.

Serena Deeb vs. Angelica Risk

Five Minute Professor Challenge. Deeb takes her down without much trouble to start before sending Risk into the corner. There’s a catapult into the bottom rope for two as Deeb pulls her up. The powerbomb sets up the Serenity Lock for the fast tap at 1:51.

We get the split screen interview, with Jay White saying he’s ready for Trent Beretta, while Trent says he is in fact ready as well.

Trent Beretta vs. Jay White

Orange Cassidy is here with Trent. Commentary hypes up White being the first Grand Slam winner in the history of New Japan, which has been around for decades. Granted the Grand Slam has only been around since 2017 but he is the first. White drives him into the corner to start and stomps away until Trent fights up with some chops.

A suplex drops White and they head outside with White being sent into the barricade. Trent clotheslines him down and then heads back inside, only to get suplexed over the top. We take a break and come back with Trent whipping him into the corner and hitting an Asai moonsault (though Trent landed HARD on the floor). They head back inside where White hits a Downward Spiral into a bridging German suplex for two.

Trent punches and elbows him down against the ropes and White is knocked outside again. Trent’s spear is cut off with a raised knee though and Trent gets suplexed into the barricade. Back in and White hits a spinning Rock Bottom but the Blade Runner is countered into a running knee to give Trent two. They strike is out until Trent hits a piledriver for another near fall. Back up and White grabs the Bladerunner for the fast pin at 15:05.

Rating: B. White continues to look good and this was a nice debut for him. Trent is someone with the value to make White’s win matter without doing that much damage to him, making this a logical way to go. White is probably in for a huge story because he’s involved in the Bullet Club, meaning we are likely to see him a lot more going forward. That’s not a bad thing.

Post match Cassidy checks on Trent but White bumps into him, which sets up a bit of a showdown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This one slowed down a bit as the star power wasn’t quite as high. That being said, it was still a good show with nothing bad and White making his debut. Rampage has a nice formula and it worked well here, albeit with some slightly weaker star power. If this is a bad one though, this show is going to be fine.

Results
Adam Cole b. 10 – Boom
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Dante Martin – Spinebuster
Serena Deeb b. Angelica Risk – Serenity Lock
Jay White b. Trent Beretta – Bladerunner

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: February 16, 2022
Location: Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

They have their work cut out for themselves after last week’s show but AEW has a tendency to make something like that work more often than not. We are less than three weeks away from Revolution as well so it is time to start hammering home the card. The good thing is that you probably know what you’re getting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We open with CM Punk sitting in the middle of the ring, where he explains the idea of straightedge, which means he is better than you. That kind of a statement might sound familiar because he said it for the first time over twenty years ago. It inspired some people to be wrestlers and some people to be straightedge. Heck it even inspired some people to sit like him, ala Maxwell Jacob Friedman.

That would be the same MJF who beat him in his hometown of Chicago (twice). MJF tries to make himself seem like some all time great but in reality he’s the same s***** little MJF from s***** little Long Island. Now though, after last week, and thanks to Jon Moxley for the assist, Punk gets to pick the rules of their rematch. That will be March 6 at Revolution in Orlando, Florida, but what kind of a match should it be?

Punk had been thinking about a cage match, but Wardlow can still tear things apart and MJF can still run away. The thing is, most important losses of Punk’s career are the kind of matches where he has left a piece of himself behind. MJF has been talking about Piper in Portland though, and that has Punk thinking. He opens a box in front of him and pulls out a dog collar with a chain attached.

Punk wants MJF out there to hear this from his mouth so here he is. Before MJF can say anything, Punk has one more thing: a photo of MJF as a kid meeting Punk. Punk: “For your, it was the greatest day of your life, but for me, it was Friday.” Revolution is going to be the worst day of your life, but for Punk, it is going to be Sunday, when the canvas will be stained with MJF’s blood. MJF picks up a mic to say something, only to drop it and walk away instead. That’s a nice choice for a stipulation and I could go for the violence that comes with it.

Video on Bryan Danielson trying to get Jon Moxley to join him in teaching the new generation.

Jurassic Express is defending their Tag Team Titles in a three way at Revolution and there will be a pair of battle royals over the next two weeks to determine their challengers (this company LOVES battle royals). Jungle Boy says he knows something about winning battle royals and taps Christian Cage on the shoulder in a nice, subtle moment. That’s cool with the champs.

Bryan Danielson vs. Lee Moriarty

Matt Sydal is here with Moriarty and this could be pretty great. Danielson offers a handshake but pulls it away when Moriarty goes for it. They go technical to start until Danielson slaps him in the face. Moriarty takes him down again by the ankle but gets reversed into a surfboard with a dragon sleeper. That’s escaped as well and Moriarty hits a running kick to the arm. Danielson’s legs are still fine enough for a moonsault over Moriarty, who gets tied in the ropes for the kicks to the chest.

We take a break and come back with Danielson holding Moriarty on the mat with a knuckle lock but not being able to break his bridge. Instead they lock legs (while still holding hands) and stand on their heads, where they start slapping each other (it’s quite the visual). Since that’s a bit nuts, Danielson tries to switch into the LeBell Lock but Moriarty makes the rope. Moriarty suplexes him down but gets kicked down to his knees.

The big kick is blocked though and Moriarty hits a clothesline. A belly to belly gets two on Danielson and it’s time for some forearms to the back. The Border City Stretch (Gargano Escape) has Danielson in more trouble but he reverses into a reverse fisherman’s suplex for the break. The running knee sets up the stomps to the head into the triangle choke to knock Moriarty cold at 12:12.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up rather well and that’s what they should have been doing. Sometimes you need a hard hitting match and the two of them did just that here. Danielson beating him down and winning in the end made sense, but Moriarty got to show what he can do as well. Moriarty is a very skilled star in his own right and it was nice to see him get this kind of a showcase. Good stuff here, as is a guarantee with Danielson these days.

Post match Danielson says that he needed to teach Moriarty a thing or two about violence but he wants Jon Moxley to help him. He has asked Moxley for his help and now he wants an answer. Cue Moxley through the crowd to talk about how he used to be just like Moriarty. When he was young, broke and a bit dumb, he wanted to take a shot at the American Dragon.

It was at a small show in Ohio but Danielson was late to the show because bad weather delayed his flight. After Tracy Smothers stalled for about 45 minutes, Danielson arrived in his gear and then got in the ring with Moxley. He fought hard, but ultimately Danielson beat him, as he has done every time. Moxley has never beaten him before and now he wants that one win that has eluded him.

But now Danielson wants to team up with him and yeah, Moxley has thought about it. Imagine the legacy of violence they could put together. He really couldn’t think of one good reason to say no, but then he got to thinking. Does Danielson want to be his partner to create things, or is it because he doesn’t want to be across the ring from Moxley? So what is Danielson saying? Either way, Moxley isn’t standing next to someone until he bleeds with them first.

That story was a great touch for this and it gave this a nice personal touch, especially with Danielson being the big monster that Moxley wants to slay. I’m not sure where this is going, but between Violence Unlimited and Violent By Design, I could go without another violence themed stable.

Keith Lee is happy with last week’s win, but it’s step one on the way to being the Face of the Revolution.

Face of the Revolution Qualifying Match: Wardlow vs. Max Caster

Shawn Spears and Anthony Bowens are here too. Caster’s rap mocks local Nashville teams and suggests that Wardlow is MJF’s b**** boy. Wardlow doesn’t like that and goes right for him, including sending Caster into the corner. We take a break and come back with Caster using a chain around his hand to escape the Powerbomb Symphony. The Mic Drop gets two but Wardlow is back up with the first powerbomb. The Powerbomb Symphony finishes Caster at 5:27. Not enough shown to rate but Wardlow dominated what we got to see.

Post match Bowens goes after Wardlow and gets powerbombed down for his efforts. Wardlow doesn’t seem interested in Spears’ approval.

Mercedes Martinez, with Britt Baker and company, is ready for the No DQ match with Thunder Rosa but Baker tells her to get this done already. A man (apparently a villain in the Karate Kid movies series….which I haven’t actually seen) comes in to say no mercy. That seemed to be a rather cool cameo.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Before he can say more than a few words, here is Adam Cole to cut him off and ask the fans to give Page a round of applause. Cole was impressed by the war that Page went through to retain the title last week and he has earned the right to be called champion. Now Cole has been a World Champion everywhere he has gone too, but for right now, Page has the title. Page talks about how Cole’s friends built up a company without him and this is the one World Title he has never had.

Cole brings up that the Young Bucks and the Dark Order have all left Page, who says Cole doesn’t have the best record with friends either. That makes Cole chuckle, but the truth is that Page is always known as the other Adam. Page rolls up the sleeves but Cole sucks up to him, saying they will fight for the World Title at some point. May the best man win, and they shake hands, with Cole walking away in peace. Cue ReDDragon to jump Page from behind though and Cole joins in for the big beatdown. Security comes in for the save, with Dark Order coming in as well. 10 even beats up security, with the Order having to hold him back.

Darby Allin talks about how wrestling is therapy to him, just like it is to Sammy Guevara. Sammy talks about their history together and now they’re fighting again.

Chris Jericho/Jake Hager vs. Santana/Ortiz

The Inner Circle implodes and here is the returning Eddie Kingston to make things all the bigger. Ortiz sends Jericho into the corner to start and it’s Santana coming in to chop away. A middle rope dropkick to a seated Jericho gets one and Ortiz’s fisherman’s suplex gets two. Jericho clotheslines his way out of trouble though and it’s Hager coming in for a belly to belly. The Vader Bomb gets two on Ortiz and we take a break.

Back with Jericho slapping Ortiz in the head but getting caught with a clothesline. Santana comes in to clean house, only to get powerslammed to give Hager two. It’s back to Jericho, who gets planted down without much trouble. The Street Sweeper gives Ortiz two and it’s time for some stunned kickout faces. Jericho is right back with the Walls of Jericho on Santana, with Kingston begging him to make the ropes. That earns Kingston a shot to the face but Santana is back up with a discus lariat to finish Jericho at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This was a solid enough tag match as Kingston’s issues with Jericho continue to cause problems. You can probably pencil them in for a match at Revolution, which very well could be Kingston’s big win. It wasn’t quite a classic, but they advanced the story as Santana and Ortiz win while Jericho gets taken down a peg.

Post match Jericho freaks out and gets in a fight with Kingston.

Adam Cole and ReDDragon ask the Young Bucks where they were earlier but the Bucks don’t have much to say. Cole is cool with that though as they are going to win both of their matches on Rampage and then they’re going to dominate the tag team battle royals. This turns into an argument over which team has the better fathers, with Cole trying to place peacemaker. Cole isn’t sure which way to go so he tells Brandon Cutler to turn off the camera instead.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Thunder Rosa

No DQ and John Kreese (the Karate Kid guy) is in the front row, where he is identified as Britt Baker’s sensei (you can imagine how this goes with JR). Rosa comes out looking like the Bride from Kill Bill and they start with the brawl in the aisle. The fans chant something I can’t make out as the fight is already heading back to the floor. Rosa pulls out the table but gets sent into the steps for her efforts.

Martinez throws some chairs inside but Rosa whips her through the barricade. They head into the crowd, where Rosa hits a dive off another barricade to take her down. We take a break and come back with Martinez hitting a fisherman’s buster off the apron through a table. Some chair shots send Rosa back inside but she counters a superbomb with a hurricanrana.

Rosa puts a trashcan over Martinez’s head and hits a running dropkick for two. Martinez is fine enough to catch her on top with a German superplex, setting up a top rope elbow (with a nasty landing) for two. A bunch of chairs are piled up but Rosa manages a crucifix bomb. The Fire Thunder Driver onto the chairs finishes Martinez at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Another good brawl and what matters most is Rosa gets closer and closer to the showdown with Baker. I would assume the title match is coming at Revolution, but I could also see it being the main event of a huge episode of Dynamite. Martinez is someone who continues to be a solid gatekeeper heel and she is perfect for this kind of a match when you need to make someone look a lot better. Not a classic fight, but Rosa got what she needed out of it.

Post match, Martinez shows respect but here are Britt Baker and company. Baker comes up to Kreese, who tells her to finish this. Jamie Hayter and Rebel run in to jump Rosa, with Martinez coming back in. She teases hitting Rosa with a lead pipe but can’t do it, meaning Hayter jumps her from behind and poses with Baker.

The House of Black talks about how they want to hurt people. A third member seems to be teased.

Jay White is ready to prove himself on Rampage.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin

Sammy is defending and Sting lets Allin do this one on his own. They stare each other down to start and then shake hands to get things going. Allin headlocks him over but has to slip out of a rollup. Back up and Sammy flips over him, only to get knocked into the corner. They head up top with Sammy getting him in a fireman’s carry and dropping him ribs first onto the top turnbuckle.

Back in and Sammy drapes him over the top for a Swanton to the back, sending Allin FLYING out to the floor in a cool looking crash. We come back from a break with Allin taking out Guevara’s knee and then falling backwards onto it to make things even worse. Allin ties him in the Tree of Woe and pulls on a loose leg to bang up the knee in a more unique way. There’s a half crab in the Tree of Woe (cool) but Sammy powers up and hits a super Spanish Fly.

Sammy’s springboard is countered into a Figure Four but they slap it out for the break. The flipping Stunner and GTH are both countered so Allin grabs the Last Supper for two. Now the flipping Stunner can connect to send Sammy outside but he counters a dive into a cutter for a big crash on the floor.

Back up and Sammy misses a Swanton onto the apron, with the landing leaving him down on the floor for a good while. They get back inside where Allin loads up the Coffin Drop but here is Andrade’s assistant Jose for a distraction. Sting takes him out, allowing Andrade to run in and hit Allin with the iPad. Sammy, who didn’t seem to see what happened, hits GTH for the pin to retain at 14:52.

Rating: B. Good stuff here and I don’t think that’s any kind of a surprise. This wasn’t so much about the wrestling but rather the big moves that leave one of them knocked silly or flying away. That’s a different way to go and it is the kind of match where these two excel, making this a solid main event, which even advanced Allin vs. Andrade. Granted your mileage on Andrade may vary, but at least they have an idea.

Post match Matt Hardy runs in to beat on Allin with Sammy making the save. Andrade hits him with the iPad poses with the TNT Titles (because there are still two of them) until Sting chases him off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Another awesome show here and that is what I have come to expect in the last few weeks. They are getting the formula right and it has me wanting to see what they are going to do from week to week. You had a bunch of matches here, but more importantly there are several things set up for later. That covers two bases at once, as we now have something to look forward to, but also the proof that they have a plan here. The plan might not be your taste, but they have something there and that is a great thing to see. Much like this show.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Lee Moriarty – Triangle choke
Wardlow b. Max Caster – Powerbomb Symphony
Santana/Ortiz b. Jake Hager/Chris Jericho – Discus lariat to Jericho
Thunder Rosa b. Mercedes Martinez – Fire Thunder Driver onto a pile of chairs
Sammy Guevara b. Darby Allin – GTH

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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So this will probably get some people talking.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-cody-brandi-rhodes-leaving-aew/

While there is always the chance that this is an angle of some kind, it certainly feels legitimate. Assuming this isn’t a storyline, you almost have to imagine Cody and Brandi coming in for Wrestlemania. I’m not sure what they would do, but it’s a very different world than when Cody left a few years ago. I don’t know how much of a loss it really is to AEW as Cody was kind of in his own universe in the first place, but the look of one of the founders leaving isn’t a great visual. Throw in Cody possibly heading back to the enemy and it looks even worse.

Rampage
Date: February 11, 2022
Location: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Ricky Starks, Chris Jericho, Taz

This show has its work cut out for it after this week’s pretty awesome Dynamite. They do have a pretty big card already set though as the Young Bucks are back in action against Roppongi Vice. That means we could be in for a Jay White appearance as well, plus maybe something more on Jon Moxley/Bryan Danielson later. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice

Orange Cassidy is here with Vice and they’re already in the ring so we’re starting fast this week. Beretta sends Nick outside to start and so Matt comes in and get punched back and forth into the corners. The Bucks get kicked down though and heads up the ramp, with Roppongi Vice giving chase.

That means the Bucks can hit stereo superkicks and try to beat the countout. Vice makes it back in time and it’s Romero getting caught with a neckbreaker/backbreaker combination. With Vice on the floor, Matt helps Nick get up for a huge dive to take them out again. Cassidy goes underneath the ring but it’s Danhausen coming out as Vice cleans house. Danhausen leaves after a hand bump with Cassidy, leaving Romero to hit Nick with a running Sliced Bread.

We take a break and come back with the Bucks in control and everything breaking down. Nick gets caught with a Doomsday Device knee on the floor (don’t worry as he’s back on his feet thirteen seconds later) and a top rope double stomp to the back gets two. An exchange of suplexes and superkicks leave everyone down until Matt and Trent are back up. Strong Zero gets two on Matt but the Meltzer Driver gets the same on Romero. Back up and the BTE Trigger finishes for Matt at 13:18.

Rating: B. That was certainly a Bucks match. They did their flips, they did their dives, and they looked very choreographed doing it all. The Bucks are crazy athletic and talented, but this isn’t the place to go if you are looking for a match that feels like a fight. I’m not sure what to call it, but it feels much more like a rehearsed performance than anything else.

Post match Brandon Cutler tries the cold spray on Orange Cassidy and gets Orange Punched. The Bucks come in and drop Cassidy so Romero makes the save. Cue Jay White with the Bladerunner on Romero.

Bryan Danielson doesn’t care about CM Punk and Jon Moxley teaming together on Dynamite because he wants a long term relationship with Moxley. That thing with Punk? Just a one night stand! Matt Sydal and Lee Moriarty come in, with Sydal saying he didn’t like Danielson suggesting that Moriarty needs a good coach. Danielson says Moriarty needs to learn violence, which has Moriarty challenging him for Dynamite. Game on.

Britt Baker vs. Robyn Renegade

Non-title. They trade chinlocks to start until Renegade is up with a wristlock. Baker pulls that down into an armbar and knocks her down again as we take a break. Back with Renegade hitting a 450 for two, which has Baker getting a bit more serious. Some low superkicks and a fisherman’s neckbreaker rock Renegade and the Stomp finishes her off at 7:28.

Rating: C. It wasn’t competitive and it didn’t need to be, as this was more about giving Baker a win to keep her warm. Baker hasn’t been in the ring as much lately and it is nice to see her getting back in there and doing her thing. The good thing is that she seems to be getting ready for the big showdown with Thunder Rosa and that is where we should be going.

Post match Baker puts her in the Lockjaw but here is Thunder Rosa for the save and the big beatdown. Jamie Hayter runs in for the save and Baker has to calm down Hayter and Mercedes Martinez.

Layla Hirsch talks about being in a Russian orphanage and doesn’t think Kris Statlander’s story matches up. Statlander says that’s the kind of attitude that made Layla’s parents give her up. Well that’s harsh. Violence is teased.

Hook vs. Blake Li

Hook throws him down to start and unloads in the corner with the heavy shots. There’s a gutwrench suplex but Li knocks him out of the corner. A springboard crossbody misses as Hook casually steps aside, setting up a t-bone suplex. Redrum is enough to make Li tap at 2:47. Hook’s star continues to rise and they continue to present him as perfectly as they could. Well maybe not having him near QT Marshall might help.

We get the face to face showdown between Billy Gunn and the Gunn Club and Christian Cage/the Jurassic Express. Billy talks about all of the statements they have made, with the Tag Team Titles coming to them next. Christian and the champs promise to destroy the Club for good.

Tag Team Titles: Jurassic Express vs. Gunn Club

The Club is challenging and Christian Cage/Billy Gunn are the seconds. Jungle Boy takes Austin down to start and they trade an exchange of wristlocks. It’s off to Luchasaurus to knock the Club outside and then beat them up inside. Snake Eyes hits Austin and there’s a big chop to put him down again. Colton gets in a cheap shot though and the Club takes over as we take a break.

Back with Colton ducking Jungle Boy’s lariat but getting superkicked instead. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Luchasaurus and everything breaks down. The double chokeslam is escaped so the Club heads outside, with Jungle Boy hitting a big running flip dive. Back in and the chokeslam plants Colton, setting up a standing moonsault for two.

Another Jungle Boy dive hits Luchasaurus though and the Quick Draw drops Jungle Boy on the floor. A belt shot to the head gives Austin a very close two but Luchasaurus pulls Colton outside. That means a chokeslam over the barricade as Christian spears Billy. Jungle Boy Killswitches Austin to retain at 12:34.

Rating: B-. The Express continues to get better as they rack up one win after another. They might not be as great as some of the top teams around here but at least they are doing the right things and building up a resume. The Club did their part here as well and that made for a solid enough main event.

Overall Rating: B+. This is what Rampage should be: a bunch of a matches that showcase some stars and get some time (some more than others) without overstaying its welcome. It might not always be the most important content, but when they get the formula right, it can be one of the more entertaining shows going. Rather good job this week.

Results
Young Bucks b. Roppongi Vice – BTE Trigger to Romero
Britt Baker b. Robyn Renegade – Stomp
Hook b. Blake Li – Redrum
Jurassic Express b. Gunn Club – Killswitch to Austin

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: February 9, 2022
Location: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

This is another big night and that is because Tony Khan has promised a huge debut in a qualifying match for the Face of the Revolution ladder match. As a result, there has been a lot of excited speculation and that has made the show feel that much more important. Other than that, we are probably seeing some more from the potential Jon Moxley/Bryan Danielson pairing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Wardlow with some cardboard cutouts of MJF sitting on CM Punk’s chest and MJF putting Punk in the sleeper. Wardlow looks annoyed as he hands Justin Roberts some cards with introductions for FTR with Tully Blanchard and Shawn Spears, who has his own introduction for MJF. As you might expect, it is as over the top as you can get, including talking about how he beat punk TWICE in the garbage heap that is Chicago in the mid-mid-mid-midwest.

MJF comes out on a throne carried by various men and kisses one of the women nearby. Confetti falls and the Pinnacle (minus Wardlow) celebrates before MJF talks about how he has proven that he is the best in the world. Actually, he is better than the Best In The World, but he couldn’t have done it without that big strapping muscular man…..Shawn Spears (Wardlow is not pleased). Speaking of Spears, he has a gift for MJF: his new Better Than The Best In The World shirt!

MJF is happy, but now he wants to be World Champion. Cue CM Punk to the stage, with Tony Schiavone going up with a microphone. Punk mocks MJF’s spray tan but realizes that he’s at a numbers disadvantage. That’s why he has some friends with him. Cue Sting and Darby Allin with baseball bats, with Punk saying he’s getting what he wants or beats it out of him: he wants a rematch.

MJF says no, but Punk wants a rematch with the man who really beat him: Wardlow. Dax Harwood is ready to fight, but MJF has an idea. We’re in Atlantic City so let’s gamble: Punk can pick any partner save for Sting/Allin and if he can beat the Revival, he can face MJF in any kind of match he wants. As for Wardlow, who is in a suit, he has a match right now!

There was a lot here, but something stuck out when Punk came to the stage. One thing I love about AEW is that when someone comes out with a microphone, it sounds like a person talking rather than a wrestler reciting lines given to them. Punk sounds different than MJF who sounds different than Hangman who sounds different than Britt Baker etc. It feels like people talking instead of people performing. That was the case here, as I’m not sure anyone else saying these lines would have worked, as they felt natural coming from these people. That’s a huge difference to what you hear in WWE and it helps a lot.

Andrade is in the back with Sting and Darby Allin and asks about Sting owning him. Sting says Allin has already explained this and Allin, who isn’t a boy, doesn’t need Sting to speak for him. Allin says he wants the TNT Title back, but Andrade says he’s the next champion.

Blade vs. Wardlow

Blade stomps him into the corner to start but Wardlow snaps off an overhead belly to belly. They head outside with Wardlow driving him into various hard things and we take a break. Back with Wardlow hitting a suplex and then the first powerbomb. The Powerbomb Symphony finishes Blade at 6:11.

Rating: C-. I doubt enough was shown for a rating but this was near total dominance, as it should have been. Wardlow continues to rise up the ranks and this time he beat someone with some more status. The Powerbomb Symphony is over and when Wardlow FINALLY turns on MJF, the reaction is going to be incredible.

Post match Wardlow celebrates and Shawn Spears chairs Blade in the back. Wardlow doesn’t look happy.

Penta El Zero Miedo is ready to destroy Malakai Black.

Here is part of the Inner Circle for a chant. Chris Jericho (who looks like he has slimmed down) says they haven’t seen Santana and Ortiz all day, but here they are to their own entrance and not in their Inner Circle gear. Jericho talks about how they wouldn’t tag him in during a six man tag a few weeks ago and wants to know what is up. Santana says it boils down to Jericho only caring about himself.

Every time Santana and Ortiz get closer to winning the Tag Team Titles, they have to come save Jericho from whatever he is doing. The days of bailing Jericho out are over because Santana and Ortiz need the titles. Jericho says Santana reminds him of Eddie Guerrero and says this is all because of Eddie Kingston getting in their ears. Kingston has never done anything but it was Jericho who brought them in and is responsible for their success.

Jericho brings up them losing the Tag Team Title shot against the Young Bucks about a year ago, which had nothing to do with him. He brought them into the Inner Circle and he can kick them out, because maybe he brought in the wrong members of LAX. Jericho: “Hey Jake, do you have Homicide and Hernandez….” and Santana lunges for him.

Sammy Guevara cuts them but Jericho tells him to shut up. Guevara tells Jericho to save it and while he loves these guys, he’ll quit again if the team can’t figure this out. Guevara leaves and Ortiz yells at Jericho about how he keeps talking about things. Instead of talking, they can fight it out next week. Jericho accepts the match on Hager’s behalf against the two of them and attendance is mandatory next week. Hager never said anything during the whole showdown.

Roppongi Vice is ready for the Young Bucks, who show up and are ready to fight right now. Adam Cole jumps Vice from behind and the big beatdown is on, including the BTE Trigger to Rocky Romero. Cue Jay White to take out Romero and seem to be happy with Cole and the Bucks.

Face of the Revolution Qualifying Match: Isiah Kassidy vs. ???

The mystery opponent is…..Keith Lee, who looks like he has gotten in better shape. The fans sing BASK IN HIS GLORY and Lee LAUNCHES Kassidy with a beal to start. Kassidy gets sent outside but comes back in to fight out of the Spirit Bomb. A dropkick has no effect on Lee, who Pounces him out of the ring. Matt Hardy walks out on the match so Marq Quen grabs Lee’s leg. The distraction lets Kassidy get in a corkscrew dive to actually knock Lee down, but Lee swats a kick to the face out of the way. The Big Bang Catastrophe finishes for Lee at 4:26.

Rating: B-. But remember: there was nothing for him to do in WWE. You know what you have him do? Beat up people every week and wow the crowd, then have him do it to a bigger name. That’s how wrestling has worked for the better part of ever, but for some reason WWE couldn’t think of something for him. Either way, at least he’s here now and got a great debut.

Post match Quen goes after Lee, who gets knocked to the floor. Then he catches a diving Kassidy, followed by catching a diving Quen.

Mercedes Martinez is ready to end Thunder Rosa in a No DQ match, because we need one every week or so.

FTR vs. CM Punk/???

The partner is…..Jon Moxley in a good choice. Harwood works on Punk’s wrist to start but Punk is out without much effort. Moxley comes in for a headlock takeover but it’s quickly back to Punk. Everything breaks down in a hurry with FTR being sent outside for a dive from Punk (who is favoring his leg).

We take a break and come back with Moxley getting choked down in the corner. Some legdrops put Moxley in more trouble but he manages a belly to back on Wheeler for a save. That’s not enough for the save though as it’s a Veg-O-Matic (old Midnight Express move) for two on Moxley.

Back up and the big clothesline gets Moxley out of trouble, allowing the hot tag off to Punk. Everything breaks down and it’s a Doomsday Device for a close two on Harwood. Wheeler pulls Moxley outside for a tornado DDT before grabbing the ring bell. Punk rolls Harwood up for two and the kickout lets Wheeler hit Punk with the bell.

The brainbuster gets two on Punk but the GTS is countered into the Big Rig for two more, with Moxley having to make a save. A simultaneous GTS/Paradigm Shift is broken up so Punk pulls Harwood down into the Anaconda Vice for the tap….which the referee doesn’t see. Instead Tully Blanchard hits Punk with a jacket so it’s a GTS (after some stumbling) to Tully. Now the Paradigm Shift/GTS can connect for the stereo pins at 19:36.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was great and I don’t think that’s the biggest surprise. I don’t think there is any shame in losing to a pair of former World Champions and it isn’t like FTR has meant much in the last few months anyway. What mattered here was having a great match with Punk and Moxley fighting through all kinds of trouble to get the win. I don’t think Punk vs. MJF II is a shock, but Moxley getting involved, even slightly, is interesting. Heck of a match.

Jade Cargill vs. AQA

Non-title and the debuting AQA was trained by Booker T. AQA goes after the arm to start but her short armscissors is countered with a deadlift into a slam. A dropkick puts Cargill on the floor but she blasts AQA with a forearm. We take a break and come back with Cargill hitting an Ultimate Warrior gorilla press slam but AQA knocks her down again. A heck of a shooting star press gets two on Cargill but she catches AQA with a Tour of the Islands. Jaded finishes AQA at 7:31.

Rating: C+. This was longer than it needed to be but AQA showcased herself well. She looked smooth and crisp in the ring and felt like she knew what she was doing. At the same time, Jade continues to be a force of nature, though she is clearly still rather green. That being said, leaving her to basic power moves that show off her natural skills is a great thing and works very well for her.

The Young Bucks, with Adam Cole, are ready to go after Roppongi Vice. Cole says Jay White can have their back next time, but the Bucks aren’t wild on Cole bringing in White without giving them a heads up. Don’t worry though, because Cole says it’s cool.

Serena Deeb vs. Katie Arquette

This is part of Deeb’s new Professor’s Five Minute Rookie Challenge, meaning there is a five minute time limit. Deeb knocks her into the corner, pulls her down, waits for a second, and finishes with the Serenity Lock at 58 seconds.

The Gunn Club is ready to win the Tag Team Titles on Friday.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Lance Archer

Page is defending in a Texas Death Match and the fight is on in the back before the bell. They come to the stage with the bell ringing and Page hitting a running belt shot. Page sends him through a glass wall and Archer is busted open. They get inside where Page hits the Buckshot Lariat to send Archer outside for a seven count. A suicide dive is cut off with a trashcan lid to the head, but here is Dan Lambert to unhook a turnbuckle. Page has to superkick his way out of a chokeslam and it’s a moonsault off the barricade to take Archer down. They head back inside, where the top rope is down, meaning no Buckshot Lariat.

We take a break and come back with two tables set up at ringside. The Black Out and the Deadeye are both broken up so Page (also bleeding) kicks Archer in the face twice but gets knocked down again. Jake Roberts hits the short arm clothesline on the floor but Archer won’t let him hit the DDT for some reason.

Instead Page hits one behind Jake’s back but a bunch of kendo stick shots wake Archer up. The chokeslam onto the trashcan knocks Page silly but Archer would rather whip out a fork to stab Page in the head. He even licks the blood off as it feels like we’re in ECW again. Archer pulls out a barbed wire chair before hitting the Blackout onto the side of the steps.

Instead of winning, Archer picks him up though and Page pulls the barbed wire off the chair. The Hangman Page, using the referee instead of a rope, with wire around the arm, drives Archer through the tables at ringside. That’s finally enough to finish Archer and retain the title at 15:24.

Rating: B. The ending was cool, but egads this was up there in the “violence for the sake of violence” category. I’m not sure how much drama there was over the result but at least they beat each other up. That being said, the fork and the licking of the blood was WAY too far for me, as it didn’t so much make me think thata the match was extreme. Instead, it made me think I was watching something out of XPW or some hardcore indy and that’s not a good thing.

Post match Adam Cole comes down and picks up the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This show was built around surprise moments and energy and they both made for an awesome night. Lee wasn’t the biggest surprise, but you could feel that he was bringing something different and it worked on all levels. Jay White is a very cool addition and Moxley made for a great partner in an outstanding match. The main event is going to be hit or miss for a lot of people, but it was a hard fought cap on one of the more entertaining nights I’ve seen around here in a long time.

Results
Wardlow b. The Blade – Powerbomb Symphony
Keith Lee b. Isiah Kassidy – Big Bang Catastrophe
Jon Moxley/CM Punk b. FTR – Double pin
Jade Cargill b. AQA – Jaded
Serena Deeb b. Katie Arquette – Serenity Lock
Hangman Page b. Lance Archer when Archer couldn’t answer the ten count

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: February 4, 2022
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Chris Jericho

We’re still in Chicago and it’s a stacked card as Jay Lethal challenges Ricky Starks for the FTW Title. On top of that, Sammy Guevara defends the TNT Title against Isiah Kassidy and Adam Cole faces Evil Uno. Ok so maybe they’re not all huge matches this time around. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Adam Cole vs. Evil Uno

Cole jumps him to start and the choking begins on the ropes. That lets Cole get a bit more cocky but Uno fights up and runs him over. The Swanton hits knees though and some kicks rock Uno. The Boom finishes for Cole at 2:25. That’s what this should have been.

Post match Cole lists off a bunch of names that he has beaten while he is still undefeated. He doesn’t care about last week because it doesn’t exist. What does exist is a new Adam Cole and now he is ruthless. He has won World Titles and always winds up dominating anywhere he goes. There is one thing that is certain: he will become the World Champion.

Jade Cargill is ready to become 27-0 and laughs at the idea that she is green. She’s green like money.

TNT Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Isiah Kassidy

Sammy, with taped ribs, is defending and Matt Hardy/Marq Quen are here with Kassidy. Feeling out process to start until Kassidy goes after the bad ribs. That doesn’t bother Sammy, who sends him outside for the big flip dive. There’s the nip up as well, just to show off a bit. Sammy goes after Quen though, allowing Hardy to hit a Side Effect onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Kassidy staying on the ribs. Sammy fights up and tries the GTH but the ribs give out. Instead it’s Kassidy charging into a superkick. Sammy goes up but here is Andrade for a distraction. A Backstabber gives Kassidy two and he sends Sammy outside for a dive. Back in and a Swanton to the back gets two but Sammy fights up and springboard dives onto Quen. A springboard cutter gives Sammy two and the GTH retains the title at 9:12.

Rating: C+. This was exactly as the match should have gone. There was no reason to believe that Guevara was in trouble in a straight match against Kassidy so stacking the odds is the way to go. It made for a nice challenge to Guevara before he can move on to something else. Doing things like this is going to make Guevara seem like a bigger deal and that’s what they made work here.

Post match Andrade gets in the ring behind Sammy but Darby Allin runs in. Allin isn’t interested in the money offered to him so it’s a big staredown instead. With Andrade and company gone, Allin slaps Guevara’s TNT Titles (because Sammy is carrying both of them), which might be a warning.

QT Marshall is sending someone after Hook.

Kris Statlander doesn’t think Layla Hirsch has been acting like an amateur wrestler…and then Hirsch blasts her in the back with a chair.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Thunder Rosa

Rosa hammers away to start and takes Martinez down for some elbows to the back. They head outside with Rosa snapping off a suplex before heading back inside. Martinez runs her over this time and we take a break. Back with Martinez hitting a super Death Valley Driver for two but Rosa plants her right back down. They head outside where Martinez whips out a pipe and hits Rosa in the face for the DQ at 7:41.

Rating: C. This was intense while it lasted, but the ending has me wondering just how hard Rosa is going to smash Martinez in their violent rematch. That’s where Rosa shines and hopefully it finally moves towards the big Rosa vs. Baker showdown. You have to do something like this to get there though and that’s a fine way to go, even if a DQ still feels weird around here.

Video on Serena Deeb.

Mercedes Martinez is happy with what she did but here is Britt Baker to say a DQ isn’t what they agreed on. If that’s what she wanted, she would have had Jamie Hayter do it for her. Baker paid Martinez to take out Rosa and now she better not lose again, or Baker will have her out of here faster than Martinez left her last job. Violence is teased but Hayter gets in between them.

Jay Lethal is ready to take the FTW Title. Ricky Starks doesn’t think so.

FTW Title: Jay Lethal vs. Ricky Starks

Starks is defending and has Powerhouse Hobbs with him. Lethal elbows him down to start and chops away as you might have expected. Starks gets sent outside for the suicide dives but a Hobbs distraction lets him run Lethal over. We take a break and come back with Lethal getting two off a backslide and la majistral is good for the same.

There’s the Lethal Combination for two more but a hurricanrana is countered into a heck of a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Lethal fights back again so Hobbs gets up for a distraction. Lethal’s dive is countered so here’s Dante Martin to take out Hobbs. Back in and Lethal hits a cutter for no cover (Jericho: “JAY YOU MISSED YOUR SPOT!”). The Lethal Injection is loaded up but Starks counters into the Roshambo (that was SWEET) for the pin to retain at 12:42.

Rating: B-. The ending was excellent as Starks couldn’t have timed that better. Lethal is someone who serves as a perfect challenger in a spot like this as he could win the title but also gives Starks a good run for his money. At the same time, I’m not entirely sure the FTW Title needs to exist around here, as it often comes off as “oh yeah that’s still a thing” more than a valuable prize.

Overall Rating: C+. Another rather good show, though it still feels like they pack in a lot. In this case, that wasn’t the best feeling as it came off as rushed. I could go for them slowing down a bit, as this feels like it would be better as a forty five minute show (which obviously can’t be done on TV). That being said, it’s still FAR from a bad show and I don’t remember the last time they had a bad one, with this being the latest solid effort.

Results
Adam Cole b. Evil Uno – The Boom
Sammy Guevara b. Isiah Kassidy – GTH
Thunder Rosa b. Mercedes Martinez via DQ when Martinez hit her with a pipe
Ricky Starks b. Jay Lethal – Roshambo

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Dynamite
Date: February 2, 2022
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

We’re back in Chicago, where a lot of big things tend to happen. There is a good chance that will be the case again here as we have a major main event between CM Punk and MJF. These two have been going at it for a long time now and we should be in for a heck of a blowoff (maybe) here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta, with Orange Cassidy and Danhausen, is taking Brian Kendrick’s place after some previous controversial comments resurfaced. Moxley runs him over to start and knocks Yuta outside for a quickly broken sleeper. Back in and Moxley ties him up in something like an STF, sending Yuta to the ropes.

Yuta is sat on top for a heck of a back rake before being sent outside. That means another Danhausen/Moxley staredown, allowing Yuta to hit a big dive to the floor. Back in and Moxley grabs a cutter for two, because almost everyone has to use a cutter around here. Yuta gets in a quick Angle Slam and a top rope splash connects for two, but Moxley blasts him with a lariat. The Paradigm Shift finishes Yuta at 7:20.

Rating: C+. Yuta is one of the people around here who can have a good match with almost anyone and he got a fired up Moxley this week. That is not a bad place to be in and he looked good in defeat. Moxley is on to bigger and better things though, with Bryan Danielson looking pretty likely. Works for me, as did this opener.

Post match here is Bryan Danielson to stare Moxley down. Danielson asks who wants to see the two of them fight. He has been watching Moxley and knows that he was the best AEW World Champion. If Moxley had a little support, he would still be champion. Danielson understands that they shouldn’t be fighting, but rather fighting together.

There is no reason for some millennial cowboy to be World Champion. There is no reason why a dinosaur is a Tag Team Champion and there is no reason why someone best known for a vlog is TNT Champion. What if they took people like Daniel Garcia or Lee Moriarty or Wheeler Yuta under their wings to train the future together? Danielson says that even if the people don’t like him, they like what he is saying. Moxley can have some time to think about it because there are possibilities. This is intriguing and it could go more than one way, which is something AEW does well.

Video on CM Punk vs. MJF.

Here is Brandi Rhodes for a chat but before she gets very far, here is Dan Lambert to interrupt. He doesn’t think much of Brandi and her fake accent/the fake bulldogs down her shirt. Brandi says the only reason they hired him was to get to Josh Alexander, but his American Top Team guys aren’t doing so great. After Brandi waits through (and acknowledges) the unpleased cheers, she talks about how Lambert’s best fighters keep getting knocked out.

Maybe he should be spending more time with American Top Team. Lambert says Brandi’s whole family should turn heel, because the only face turn people want is her own job, which was turning face down. Brandi slaps him, so Lambert brings out Paige Van Zant for the big pull apart brawl. The argument was bad and I could have gone without Stephanie vs. Rousey lite.

The AHFO wants gold, with Isaiah Kassidy promising to take Sammy Guevara’s title and girl. Matt Hardy wants to know where Darby Allin is but Andrade thinks he wants more money.

Kings of the Black Throne vs. Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac

The chyron says Knights instead of Kings and Pac’s eyes are still bandaged. After he slides between Black’s legs to start, the blindfold comes off and it’s time for stereo dives to take out the Kings on the floor. We settle down to Penta chopping Black against the ropes and handing it back to Pac for some hard shots of his own.

We take a break and come back with Penta striking away at Black, who kicks him in the chest. Pac comes back in (with Tony saying it was a blind tag, which would have been a better line about five minutes ago) and gets taken down with a legsweep. Some sliding knees to the head give Black two and everything breaks down. Penta hits a step up flip dive onto King but gets shoves off the top. The mist sets to Penta sets up Dante’s Inferno for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C+. Pac has a certain realism/aggressiveness to him that makes his matches fun to watch. They were laying it in here and the Kings winning was the only way to go. This seems to be setting up either Pac vs. Black in a huge showdown or the Kings vs. the Lucha Bros (or probably both), which works for everyone involved. I’m not sure how much Black needs someone at his side, but King is a good monster.

Adam Cole says Orange Cassidy didn’t beat him and his record is still intact (yay for legal loopholes). He’ll beat Evil Uno on Rampage and the world will know what he wants.

Nyla Rose vs. Ruby Soho

Vickie Guerrero is here with Rose. Ruby tries to start fast but walks into a Samoan drop for two. That means it’s time for Rose to start working on the arm as JR says it takes more energy to kick out for Soho than for Rose. Some more shots to the shoulder have Soho in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Soho getting planted back first onto the apron but the Beast Bomb is countered. The No Future (Riott Kick) gets two, with Vickie putting the foot on the ropes. Soho goes after Vickie but the distraction lets Rose hit a neckbreaker. Rose gets caught on top but blocks a super hurricanrana. The No Future misses completely and Rose hits a top rope Swanton to the back. The Beast Bomb finishes Soho at 10:48.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash as it’s time to reheat Rose. That’s something that has been done before, but the interesting thing here is Soho. She came in as the biggest female signing in a very long time and she hasn’t come close to breaking out. She has all of the tools, but this is the second company where she isn’t clicking. Maybe there was a reason that it didn’t work out so well in WWE?

The Gunn Club jumps Jungle Boy and takes him outside for a toss into the snow. Then they run off down the iced over road with Christian and Luchasaurus making the save.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. He has a Texas Deathmatch with Lance Archer next week but he has a five month old at home throwing peas everywhere and there’s a foot of snow on the ground, so get Archer out here night now. Cue Dan Lambert, with Jake Roberts, to say he’s surprised Page didn’t stay in a city like Cleveland that canceled its Indians. Roberts wants the fight right now so Page goes after Lambert, only to have Archer come in from behind. A chokeslam onto the steps leaves Page laying and the Black Out puts him through a table. Simple and to the point beat down the champion before the title match segment

Chris Jericho doesn’t like Santana and Ortiz not tagging him in last week because it was embarrassing and disrespectful. Is it because of Eddie Kingston? They started AEW together so what influence does Kingston have? When it comes to AEW, Jericho is a bigger influencer than Kylie Jenner on Instagram, so he demands a full Inner Circle team meeting next week. Attendance is mandatory.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. CM Punk

They have about forty minutes for this if needed and there is no Wardlow. MJF hides in the ropes to start so Punk starts punching away, giving us the teeter totter (for lack of a better term), with MJF eventually falling outside. They fight up into the crowd, with MJF getting crotched on a barricade, with Punk knocking him back to ringside. After some posing, they head back inside for the Scoop Slam Symphony. The threat of the top rope elbow has MJF rolling away so Punk misses a charge into the post instead. MJF gets in a few shots of his own and we take a break.

Back with MJF working on the shoulder but Punk forearms him off the top. A high crossbody puts MJF down and there’s a neckbreaker to drop him again. The running knee in the corner sets up the bulldog, with Punk saying it’s time to go to sleep. They head to the apron instead, with Punk slamming him outside instead.

A fan gets to chop MJF’s chest, but he’s fine enough to crotch Punk on top for a breather. MJF takes him down from the top by the arm for two of his own but Punk is back with the Pepsi Twist. The referee backs into the corner so the referee pulls Punk off, allowing MJF to choke away with some wrist tape. A sleeper has Punk in trouble….and he’s out at 14:41.

Hold on though as MJF celebrates but drops the tape, meaning we’re going to restart things. Punk unloads in the corner with about twenty right hands and an atomic drop (Excalibur: “Manhattan drop! JR: “Or an inverted atomic drop!”). MJF kicks him outside though and we take another break.

Back again with Punk hitting the clothesline but not being able to hit the GTS. The arm is snapped across the top rope but Punk scores with a suicide dive for a double knockdown on the floor. Back in and MJF scores with a stomp to the arm before busting out something like a Texas Cloverleaf Tequila Sunrise. That’s reversed into an STF but Punk has to let go due to the arm. The GTS doesn’t work either due to the knee so MJF goes with the ankle lock. That’s reversed as well and they strike it out until Punk busts out a poisonrana.

They’re both down for a bit until MJF goes after the arm, setting up Made In Japan of all things for two. MJF sends him hard into the corner for two more and we take another break. Back again with Punk getting two off a rollup and hitting his leg lariat. MJF bites his fingers and face but Punk catches him on top with the Pepsi Plunge of all things.

Neither can hit a Tombstone so Punk kicks him in the face and, slowly, hits the top rope elbow for two. Punk knocks him outside….and here is Wardlow. He steps over MJF and goes face to face with Punk before stepping side without getting physical. Punk limps over to MJF and throws him inside but the distraction lets MJF hit Punk with the ring for the pin at 39:36.

Rating: A-. This was one of the better TV matches you’ll see in a long time and the nearly forty minutes flew by. MJF winning was always a possibility and Punk has a reason for a ticked off rematch. The important thing for now though is MJF has a path to the World Title shot at Double or Nothing, which is where he belongs, assuming the Punk stuff is wrapped up. MJF continues to be able to bring it in the big matches and this is the biggest win of his career.

Post match a replay shows Wardlow passing MJF the ring (which we couldn’t see due to the closeup on Punk/Wardlow). MJF sits down ala the Pipe Bomb to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. The show was centered around one match and that took up about a third of the night at a very high level. Other than that, stories were advanced and we had some good matches, making this a pretty easy success. AEW knows how to do things when they are focused and that was back tonight. Good show, with a main event that was both great and flew by, which you don’t get very often.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Wheeler Yuta – Paradigm Shift
Kings of the Black Throne b. Pac/Penta El Cero Miedo – Dante’s Inferno to Penta
Nyla Rose b. Ruby Soho – Beast Bomb
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. CM Punk – Ring 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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Rampage
Date: January 28, 2022
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Taz, Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Ricky Starks

It’s another Friday and Jon Moxley is back in the ring. That should be enough to make the show work, but we also have a pair of title matches, as Jade Cargill defends the TBS Title against Julia Hart and Private Party challenges for the Tag Team Titles. That’s not bad for an hour so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Anthony Bowens vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley gets a great ovation. Castor’s rap is about every thing happening to Moxley as of late, save for his rehab. Moxley jumps Bowens before the bell and beats him up, including taking it to the floor. He even stops to bow to and pose with referee Aubrey Edwards. The fight goes into the crowd with Bowens getting beaten up out there too. Back to ringside with Bowens managing to post him to slow things down.

They get back in with Bowens starting in on the arm but Moxley fights out of a suplex. Bowens neckbreakers him back down though and we take a break. Back with Moxley’s super Paradigm Shift being countered though as Bowens takes him down again. Moxley sends him outside and hits a suicide dive onto Caster, only to have Bowens catch him on the way back in.

A twisting hanging DDT drops Moxley for two but Bowens is back with a series of strikes. Moxley grabs a quick piledriver for his own two though and they’re both down. Bowens knees him in the face for two and hits a kind of belly to belly for the same. Caster throws in the boom box but it gets taken away, allowing Bowens to pull out a chain. Moxley isn’t having that and knocks Bowens silly, setting up the Paradigm Shift for the pin at 13:04.

Rating: B-. I liked this one a lot more than I would have expected, as Bowens got in a good deal of offense. There wasn’t any drama about the win and that’s ok in this case, as Bowens made Moxley put in the work. It’s a way to give Bowens a rub while Moxley gets back in the swing of things and that is a smart way to go.

Bryan Danielson is watching Moxley from the back.

Nyla Rose is ready to destroy Ruby Soho on Dynamite.

Andrade El Idolo comes in to see Darby Allin and offer him a contract. Allin didn’t realize that Andrade really believed Allin worked for Sting before talking about how money doesn’t matter. Andrade leaves without incident, saying he’ll talk to Allin’s boss.

Brock Anderson/Lee Johnson vs. FTR

Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard are here too. Johnson uses some power to slow Wheeler down to start before it’s off to Harwood, who can’t do much with Anderson. Brock slips out of a headlock and teases a right hand, making Harwood pause for a breather. Everything breaks down and FTR is sent outside for a pair of dives from Johnson. We take a break and come back with Johnson hitting a neckbreaker but Wheeler cuts off the hot tag attempt.

Then the tag goes through to Anderson a few seconds later, meaning it’s time for the comeback. A suplex takes Harwood down and it’s a gutwrench suplex to plant Wheeler. Harwood gets knocked off the apron, leaving Wheeler to get DDTed. A spinning frog splash gives Johnson two, with Wheeler having to put a foot on the rope. Anderson gets taken outside, leaving Tully to get into a staredown with Arn. Tully gets punched out, but it’s a spike piledriver to finish Johnson at 9:57 back inside.

Rating: C. Anderson and Johnson had no chance here but they lasted long enough to make this an old Superstars level main event. Anderson has improved some since he was last on television and Johnson can put in a good effort when he is given the chance. That is what we got here, but ultimately FTR wasn’t going to be in any real danger.

Thunder Rosa and Mercedes Martinez are ready to end each other next week.

We look at Serena Deeb beating up Hikaru Shida and putting her on the shelf.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Julia Hart

Cargill is defending and doesn’t seem to mind when Hart jumps her early on. Hart’s forearms are shrugged off and Cargill gets in some situps. Back up and Hart charges at her in the corner, setting up a hurricanrana for two. That earns her a kick to the face, setting up Jaded to retain the title at 2:24.

We get the face to face interview, with Christian Cage mocking Matt Hardy’s handling of Private Party. Matt yells back at him, with Jungle Boy saying there is no comparison between the two of then and they’re about to prove it.

Tag Team Titles: Private Party vs. Jurassic Express

Private Party is challenging and has more of the AHFO outside. Before the bell, the champs get in an argument with the Gunn Club at ringside, allowing Private Party to jump them from behind. It’s Gin and Juice for an early two on Jungle Boy and a neckbreaker gets the same as we take an early break.

Back with Luchasaurus getting crotched against the post so Kassidy can miss a charge into the barricade. Luchasaurus gets back in but Hardy sends Kassidy back inside to break up the tag. That’s fine with Luchasaurus, who keeps walking towards the corner, with Private Party grabbing a leg apiece. The hot tag brings in Jungle Boy to clean house, including some dives to take Private Party out.

Back in and Kassidy hits an enziguri for two, which sets up a Doomsday Device. That’s fine with Jungle Boy, who counters into something like a tabletop suplex to send Quen crashing down. Luchasaurus comes back in but gets taken down by the Silly String for two. The Snare Trap goes on but Quen breaks it up with the shooting star (with commentary thinking that might have taken a bit too long). Gin and Juice is loaded up but Jungle Boy reverses into a Canadian Destroyer. The Throwassic Express retains the titles at 7:14.

Rating: B-. Another good match here as Jurassic Express keeps mowing down teams. They’re trying something different with these guys, as the idea seems to be to get them in the ring a lot more frequently. That isn’t a bad way to go, as it is going to make whoever takes the titles from them look that much better. Good main event here, with the Express being put to another test.

Post match the Gunn Club comes in and lays out Jurassic Express to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Another packed yet still rather good edition this week, with nothing bad and a lot of hard work, as usual. That’s about all you can ask for out of Rampage, though it would still be nice to see them let the show breathe a little more. They do get a lot out of their time though and the ending sets up the next mini feud for Jurassic Express. Good show this week.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Anthony Bowens – Paradigm Shift
FTR b. Brock Anderson/Lee Johnson – Spike piledriver to Johnson
Jade Cargill b. Julia Hart – Jaded
Jurassic Express b. Private Party – Throwassic Express to Quen

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: January 26, 2022
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for Beach Break, which is in Cleveland because when you think of going to the beach, you think of a place that is currently 12 degrees and on a lake. This week’s show is stacked, with a ladder match for the TNT Title and a Lights Out match where Orange Cassidy can beat Adam Cole but it doesn’t count. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara

Ladder match for the undisputed title. Cody starts fast with a dropkick and goes for the drop town uppercut, only to get blocked. The technical wrestling (which defines ladder matches) ensues until they head outside with Cody grabbing the ladder. That’s broken up so they head into the crowd (with Cody having to check on a fan he bumps into). Cody wins a slugout but stops to high five the fans, allowing Sammy to dive over the barricade with a cutter.

Back in and Sammy loads up the ladder but Cody is fine enough to break that up without much trouble. The collision knocks both of them down and they slowly climb, with Cody hitting a scary delayed vertical suplex off the ladder (with the referee holding it in place). We take a break and come back with Cody dropping Sammy ribs first on an upside down ladder. Cody grabs a Figure Four with Sammy’s legs tied in the rungs of a ladder but lets go pretty soon.

Sammy fights back and kicks away but his springboard is cut off with a ladder to the face. That lets Cody go up, but Sammy hits a springboard (off the top of another ladder) into a super cutter to send them both crashing down. It’s Sammy going up again but Cody shoves the ladder over, sending Sammy crashing into the rope. Somehow Sammy is back up so it’s Cross Rhodes to bring him back down, almost sending the ladder into the referee.

They both go up but wind up hanging onto the bar the belts are attached to. That means a double crash and they both roll outside for a breather. Cody ties the leg in the ladder but here is Fuego Del Sol to beg for some mercy. That earns him a Jay Driller inside but Sammy is back up with a save and the GTH on the floor. Sammy adds a big flip dive to the floor to take Cody down again.

Cody is laid over a ladder bridged between the ring and the barricade, allowing Sammy to climb the BIG ladder (not inside under the title, because that would make too much sense). The Swanton hits Cody, with the ladder not giving whatsoever. They’re both down and then slowly go up, with Sammy hitting him in the head with one of the belts for the big knockdown. Sammy pulls down the titles to win at 22:07.

Rating: B. This was the definition of a spotfest, with a bunch of the moves not making sense as they could have gone for the title. That being said, SWEET GOODNESS there were some amazing spots here, with that cutter being one of the cooler things I have seen in one of these in a long time. This was awesome, turn your brain off stuff and Sammy winning was a nice treat.

Earlier today, Team Taz had Tony Schiavone come to the freezing beach in Cleveland. They want to take out Dante Martin and Jay Lethal, but Tony thinks his hand has frozen to the microphone.

Wardlow vs. Elijah Dean/James Alexander

Wardlow is the hometown boy and it’s the Powerbomb Symphony for the double stack pin at 1:17.

Inner Circle vs. 2.0/Daniel Garcia

Santana and Ortiz/Chris Jericho here with the former two beating on Parker, including a splash for two. Garcia comes in and gets kicked down as well, though there is not even a look at Jericho for a tag. Jericho tags himself in out of frustration but Santana tags himself right back in.

The argument is on and the Inner Circle gets jumped as we take a break. Back with Oritz fighting out of trouble and ignoring Jericho’s hand to tag in Santana. Everything breaks down and Jericho looks on from the floor. Jericho pulls Lee outside though, followed by a Judas Effect through the ropes to Parker. Santana piledrives Parker for the pin at 8:44.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much drama in this outside of Jericho screwing over his partners, but they were a bit heavy handed with Santana and Ortiz not trusting him. The split still seems imminent and after the Inner Circle has been a thing for so long, that is not a bad idea. Jericho could use his latest freshening up and Santana and Ortiz will be fine on their own so the breakup wouldn’t be awful.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Lance Archer, which will be a Texas Deathmatch. Page, upon hearing that, has his eyes bug out as he asks “a WHAT?” in a funny bit.

We get a showdown between Jurassic Express and Private Party, with Christian Cage and Matt Hardy. Matt hypes up the team but Jungle Boy points out that Party’s watches are fake.

Here is CM Punk for a chat. He is trying to look tough tonight but Cleveland makes him smile. Everyone knows who Punk wants to fight and he wants the fans chanting for MJF so it can happen for the only time ever. Punk opens the jacket to reveal the scarf, and apparently you can get a 12 pack on Amazon for $5. He has beaten everyone MJF has so bring him out here.

Cue MJF to ask the fans if they want to see them wrestle right here right no. MJF: “No.” They can do the match next week in Chicago, with MJF finally saying he’ll have the match. MJF says he’ll beat him in Chicago (Punk: “Do it here b****, do it here.”) and talks about Punk walking out in Cleveland about eight years ago. All Punk is going to do is walk out and then talk about it on a podcast.

Punk says MJF will be listening because he is a fan. Leaving was the best thing he ever did and now being back is the best thing he ever did. Punk wants MJF to go put in his three inch lifts and come out here to fight. These people love him because he keeps getting up and fights, just like Cleveland and Chicago.

MJF wants to test that theory, so here is the rest of the Pinnacle, including Shawn Spears coming in from behind. The big beatdown is on, but Wardlow stands back and doesn’t get involved. MJF tells Wardlow to powerbomb Punk and, after thinking about it, Wardlow does so, albeit without much force. MJF sits on Punk’s chest ala the Pipebomb to wrap it up. That was awesome, and it’s time for Punk to finally crush him, possibly with Wardlow turning.

The Acclaimed doesn’t like Jon Moxley and promise that Anthony Bowens will beat his “Oskar Kokoshka looking a**.” I did not have a Hey Arnold reference on this show.

Mark Sterling interrupts a Varsity Blonds interview and gives Julia Hart the next TBS Title shot against Jade Cargill. Griff Garrison says she needs time to heal properly but she cuts him off, saying she can fight her own battles.

Leylah Hirsch vs. Red Velvet

Hirsch pulls her down to the floor for a whip into the barricade and grabs a suplex as we take a break. Back with Velvet hitting the running knees to the back but favoring her shoulder. Hirsch hits a suplex and grabs the Legit Lock, sending Velvet over to the rope. Back up and Velvet tries a rollup, only to get reversed into a cradle with Hirsch grabbing trunks for the pin at 8:13.

Rating: D+. This was WAY too long as there is no reason to believe Velvet would hang with Hirsch that long. On top of that, it wasn’t even a clean finish, which shouldn’t be the case for Hirsch against someone on Velvet’s level. The match wasn’t even very good, which makes this one of the bigger headscratchers they’ve had in awhile around here.

Post match the beating stays on but Kris Statlander makes the save.

The House of Black threatens Pac because they are inevitable.

Here is Tony Schiavone to introduce Britt Baker, who won a bunch of Pro Wrestling Illustrated Awards. She talks about how the Steelers beat the Browns and lists off a bunch of Baker Mayfield’s failures. Then she does it again before saying she is the Baker you can count on. This was oddly repetitive.

Vickie Guerrero brings out Nyla Rose, who rants about how Ruby Soho cost her the TBS Title. A challenge is thrown out.

Adam Cole vs. Orange Cassidy

Unsanctioned lights out. Cassidy takes the glasses off and crushes them, setting up the big brawl. The fight to the floor with Cole being sent into the barricade. Cole is back with a shot of his own, sending Cassidy down in a heap. It’s time to get a chair….and Cole pulls Danhausen out with him. Danhausen seems to curse him before leaving, but Cole is fine enough to superkick a chair into Cassidy’s face. Cassidy’s Orange Punch hits post to damage his hand though and we take a break.

Back with Cassidy hitting a Michinoku Driver on the open chairs. Cue a bunch of people to brawl at ringside, leaving Cassidy to hit the Orange Punch. It hurts the band hand though and it’s Cole hitting him low….only to find out that Cassidy is wearing a cup with thumbtacks attached. Cassidy hits his own Panama Sunrise for two and it’s time to fight to the back. After running Jerry Lynn off, it’s an AA to send Cassidy through a table for two.

They go back to the stage where Cole blocks an Orange Punch with a light to knock Cassidy silly. Cole climbs the set but Cassidy gets away and climbs up after him. A low blow cuts Cole down and he gives Cole a hug, setting up a dive through the stage. Cassidy lands on top and wins at 17:00.

Rating: C+.I’ve had to sit here for a bit and let this one soak in. On one hand, Cassidy winning makes sense based on the story they have been telling. On the other hand, it’s still Orange Cassidy, the guy who does the lazy kicks and the thumbs up, beating Adam Cole. This isn’t going to kill Cole and he’s not dead, but this is a case where it’s ok for Cassidy to fight hard and then lose in the end. The “but it doesn’t count!” deal will be the defense for it, but ultimately, Cassidy pinned Cole and that’s a bit much to swallow.

Overall Rating: B. This was a huge improvement over last week, which gives me some very solid hope that last week was just a misstep. The opener and main event were both good brawls, though the main event result still doesn’t quite sit right. It was a better show than last week, but there is still a little something missing from these shows. I’m not sure what it is, but the spark isn’t as bright as it was for a long time.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Cody Rhodes – Guevara pulled down the titles
Wardlow b. Elijah Dean/James Alexander – Double pin
Inner Circle b. 2.0/Daniel Garcia – Piledriver to Parker
Leylah Hirsch b. Red Velvet – Rollup with trunks
Orange Cassidy b. Adam Cole – Slam through the stage

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

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AND

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