It’s time to wrap up the Ring Of Honor year with its third event, as Final Battle closes us out. As you might expect, this is mainly going to be about AEW stars as Ring Of Honor is less a promotion than a really big and loosely connected angle on AEW TV at the moment. We have a double main event of FTR defending the Tag Team Titles against the Briscoes in a double dog collar match, plus Claudio Castagnoli challenging Chris Jericho for the Ring Of honor World Title. Yeah that should work. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Jericho Appreciation Society vs. Shinobi Shadow Squad

This is one of the several added matches to flesh out the card, or in this case the card that happens before the card. The Squad is one of those teams who pops up all the time in Ring Of Honor but rarely gets to do anything important. In other words, they are perfect to face a pair of goofs like Menard and Parker in a match with absolutely nothing at stake in a spot like this.

In what is probably going to be a trend, I’ll take the AEW guys to win here as the Society gets to do their catchphrases and such and win early. It’s a match that means nothing, but the Society feels like the bigger stars because they have been around more than once in the last few months. That is about all you can ask for here in another match that is added onto the card for the sake of content.

Zero Hour: Jeff Cobb vs. Mascara Dorada

Cobb is a much bigger deal in New Japan these days and Dorada is better known as Gran Metalik. This is another match with no story that has been thrown onto the show, but power vs. speed is the easiest wrestling formula in the world. It’s always fun to watch Cobb throw someone around and Dorada is good enough to put up quite the fight against him if they can have a little time.

As good as Dorada can be, there is no reason to have him go over someone like Cobb, so we’ll go with the logical choice of Cobb winning. Cobb is someone who could be a star in AEW if he was given the chance, but for some reason he only makes an odd appearance in either AEW or ROH. Maybe it is the Japan schedule, but he should be fine to win here in one of those appearances.

Zero Hour: Willow Nightingale vs. Trish Adora

This is an interesting one as you have two women who have a good bit of charisma each. They’re both fun to watch and catch your attention every time they are in the ring so we certainly shouldn’t be having a boring match. Adora is someone better known for her independent stuff, though she was part of ROH’s women’s division (whatever that might be worth).

In another case of “well, one of them works for AEW”, Nightingale gets the win here as she is around a lot more often than Adora. Nightingale is someone who feels like she is ready to break through to the other side and steal the show in a big match, but for now she can beat Adora and use that incredible charm to give the fans a good time. That is more than a lot of people can do and it should work fine here.

Zero Hour: The Kingdom vs. Top Flight

Now this one is interesting as I could see it going either way. The Kingdom showed up a few months ago and promptly disappeared again, because that’s how AEW works for a lot of people. Top Flight is a team that can put on one entertaining match after another, but they haven’t had the time to really establish anything because of injuries. I’m not sure where this one is going and that is a nice feeling.

Since they need the win more, I’ll go with the Kingdom, as they haven’t actually done anything in a long time. Top Flight is a team that already has some fan support and can absorb a loss a bit better, but the Kingdom could go pretty far in Ring Of Honor’s tag division. In other words, it should be a good match, but sweet goodness I’m lost over whose momentum means what where as the whole thing is so all over the place.

Swerve In Our Glory vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

This was set up on Dynamite as Shane Taylor made a surprise appearance to confront his old partner Keith Lee. Instead of setting up what should have been a pretty easy single match, we’re treated to this instead, as we tie it into the AEW story. That isn’t a bad idea, but it seems like Lee vs. Taylor would be a more logical way to go, as Taylor’s partner (JD Griffey) isn’t exactly a household name in either promotion.

This seems like a good way to introduce Shane Taylor Promotions rather quickly, even if that means Swerve In Our Glory brings the loss on themselves by not being able to get along. We should be in for a nice match either way as a power and speed team like Lee and Strickland can do well against anyone, even a mostly unknown entity like Griffey. Just get to Taylor vs. Lee eventually though and this should work out.

TV Title: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Juice Robinson

The build for this one is more or less non-existent as Joe has been feuding with Wardlow, even taking the TNT Title from him at Full Gear. Robinson on the other hand just showed up (via pretape) and said he was coming for the title, match made. It’s not the best story and while normally I would say it’s better than nothing, I’m not even sure if there is something to this or not.

Give me Joe to win here, as Robinson shouldn’t be beating someone who has gotten as much focus as Joe in recent weeks. Save for Wardlow interfering and costing Joe the title, this should be Joe beating the talented Robinson after a good match. Joe is building up a list of enemies, but he should at least be able to hold onto both of his titles for a little while longer.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dalton Castle/The Boys(c) vs. The Embassy

Yes Ring Of Honor has Six Man Tag Team Titles and yes the Embassy is still supposed to be a thing that matters despite them losing so often. Castle has come off like a star every time he has appeared on AEW TV and the Boys are the perfect compliment to him. It makes sense to put him on a show like this, but anyone against Brian Cage and the Gates of Agony is asking for trouble.

You know what? Change the titles here. The Embassy is the most worthless stable in AEW/ROH but at least they’re around on a somewhat regular basis. Castle and the Boys being champions is the most forgotten detail in the entire promotion right now so get the belts off of them and move on to Castle getting to be a solo act with the Boys as his backup. It makes more sense, even if these titles have all the value of an expired coupon for free soup.

Blake Christian/AR Fox vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

This is the match I’ll point to if the show runs long and it just so happens to interfere with NXT. There is no reason for this match to exist, let alone be on the main card, yet here we are as Christian and Fox face Rush and his brother Dralistico (making his debut in either ROH or AEW). Now we’re getting what should be a one sided match, but you never can tell with something like this.

I’ll take La Faccion to win here, as they’re facing Christian and Fox in a match that feels like it belongs on Rampage at best. Rush is someone that has been pushed over and over and maybe this is the spot where he finally starts to click. Other than that you have Fox, who has a lot of talent but needs to actually win something around here. That won’t be the case here, but maybe it can happen somewhere. La Faccion wins here.

Women’s Title: Mercedes Martinez(c) vs. Athena

This match has actually gotten a bit of build, as Athena has turned into quite the bully as of late. Martinez doesn’t seem to like that so now it’s time to fight. Martinez has not been around over the last few months but once she is actually in the ring, things get a lot better rather quickly. The question now is how well that will work with Athena so maybe they have something here.

I’ll go with Athena to win the title, as there is no need to keep the title on Martinez. She is very talented but already has a great reputation. Let Athena win something to establish herself a bit better and then build up a star to take the title from her. That’s the kind of thing that should work well, assuming Athena is actually allowed to win something outside of NXT for a change.

Pure Title: Daniel Garcia(c) vs. Wheeler Yuta

Man Garcia certainly seems to have cooled off a lot in recent weeks, as he was the focal point of multiple shows and now is just kind of there. That being said, if there is ever a way for him to shine, it is by being in a Pure Rules match against someone like Yuta, who can easily hang with him. This should be good if they are given some time, which tends to be the case in a Pure Rules match.

I have long since stopped trying to figure out the thinking behind either of these two so I’ll say Yuta wins, more or less on a coin flip. The Blackpool Combat Club needs a win after everything that happened with William Regal so maybe this is the place where they get something back. Garcia winning wouldn’t surprise me either, but I’ll go with a new champion here.

Tag Team Titles: FTR(c) vs. Briscoes

This is a double dog collar match, as it does seem like the Briscoes vs. FTR is thrown into every major ROH show to pick up the interest. That seems to be the case here and yeah, that’s not a bad idea whatsoever. These teams can do amazing things with each other and have done so throughout all of their matches so far. Now just let them get crazy violent for a change.

I’ll go with FTR winning here, even if the Briscoes need to beat these guys at some point. That being said, the idea of FTR losing one of their titles probably means a big drop off for them as their entire deal is holding all three titles. I’m thinking they’ll keep the titles for now, though a title change wouldn’t surprise me. Either way, this is probably going to be another classic, which isn’t even a surprise here.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho(c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli

So here we go. After two and a half months of Jericho being treated as the greatest thing ever in Ring Of Honor and having him run through one former champion after another, this should be the time where he finally gets what is coming to him. Jericho needs someone to take the title from him and Castagnoli being that man is as good of an option not named Bryan Danielson that they have available.

In case it isn’t clear, Castagnoli wins here, putting things right back where they were before the Jericho reign began. The Ring Of Honor World Title still has some value to it and the Jericho story has been the best thing from the entire ROH universe in AEW. Now give us the big feel good moment to end the show (assuming the dog collar match doesn’t headline) and let everything be done.

Overall Thoughts

This show hasn’t been built well and some of the matches (especially Zero Hour) have been thrown together with little or no story. You kind of have to expect that when there is n TV show, but now they need to execute. Most of the matches, especially the two on top, should go very well, but it’s still a bit hard to get fired up over a bunch of stuff that has been put together either off camera or at the last minute. Either way, we should be in for at least a mostly good show, as tends to be the case with Ring Of Honor.

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It isn’t often that NXT tries something entirely new but that seems to be what we are getting here. The show has five matches and two of them are the first ever Iron Survivor Challenges (one each for the men and the women). That means the show is going to be built around those two matches and if they work, NXT should be doing just fine. Otherwise, it could be a long night. Let’s get to it.

Alba Fyre vs. Isla Dawn

So this is fire vs. magic? I’m sure there’s some gaming joke in there that I’m not smart enough to make but at least we’re getting some fresh blood featured here. Fyre is someone who feels like she should have been a bigger star a long time ago while Dawn is brand new and has already made something of an impact. This should be a good fight, though I’m not sure how it is going to go.

I’ll take Dawn here, as she is brand new without a big win yet and Fyre seems to have the unfortunate label of being bulletproof. Fyre has all of the star power you could need but she needs to win a big match in NXT at some point. This wouldn’t quite qualify, but then again I don’t think she wins here either. I’m not sure what kind of a future Dawn has here, though I think she gets the win this time.

Tag Team Titles: Pretty Deadly(c) vs. New Day

Then we have this one and I’m not sure what to make of it. On one hand, New Day is one of the most successful tag teams in WWE history and should take out Pretty Deadly in short order. At the same time, that is the kind of match that Pretty Deadly wins almost every time, often surviving by the skin of their perfectly shiny teeth. I’m not sure I can see either of them losing, even if one of them probably has to.

As much as I can imagine New Day winning, I’ll go with some kind of screwy finish that lets Pretty Deadly retain the titles. Pretty Deadly continues to be a team that exceeds what their limits should be in a great way and beating the unhurtable New Day would be another great step for them. I’m not entirely sure it’s going to happen, but it makes more sense for the young team to keep the titles.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge

Much like Money in the Bank or Elimination Chamber, this is going to be about eliminating those names who aren’t going to win and working from there. I think we can pretty safely write off Kiana James and Indi Hartwell, as neither is exactly on fire at the moment. That leaves us with three possible winners and when you look at them, there is only one name that really stands out.

I’ll go with Roxanne Perez, which is pretty much the only viable option. Cora Jade isn’t going to win for a heel vs. heel showdown and Zoey Stark is more of a villain to be beaten than a winner in something like this. That leaves Perez, who is young, popular and seems ready to win here. I could easily see her taking the Women’s Title from Mandy Rose, so there is no reason for anyone but Perez to win.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge

So we’ll do the same thing as we did with the women, meaning Joe Gacy and Axiom can be written off. Axiom isn’t ready and we’ve done Gacy in the main event scene already. Just like in the other match, we’re down to three possible winners and in this case, we have a little more drama. I’m not sure who we’re getting here, and that is what a match like this needs to be.

There are three viable options here but I’ll take Carmelo Hayes, who is long overdue to move up to the main event scene. That being said, it wouldn’t shock me whatsoever to see NXT go with JD McDonagh for whatever they see in him. Grayson Waller is also right there as someone who could steal the win, but I’ll go with the best option and pick Hayes, who could have a near classic with Bron Breakker if they are given the chance.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker(c) vs. Apollo Crews

This is one of those matches that should have no drama whatsoever but NXT has managed to turn it into something far better than it has any right to be. The solution has been the obvious fishing angle, as the two have talked multiple times and opened Breakker up even the slightest bit. I’m liking the story they are telling with this one, but now they need to actually execute.

As much as I have a bit of a hunch that Crews takes the title here in a surprise, the right answer is to give Breakker another win over a credible challenger before he gets his match against the new major threat. The match has the potential to be interesting as they are both physical marvels who can do some insane things, but Breakker should win here and then stare down his next challenger to end the show.

Overall Thoughts

I’m getting curious about how the Iron Survivor Challenges should go, but it is always a little hard to get invested in the idea of a #1 contenders match. The rest of the card should be good enough to carry things, though nothing on here is feeling like it is a must see show. That being said, you need some kind of a special event like this every now and then, just to give the fans and wrestlers something to get excited about on a bigger scale.

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It’s time for Survivor Series and for the first time in years, there is a feeling of interest about the show. Instead of the completely dead in the water Raw vs. Smackdown Battle For Brand Supremacy, WWE has thrown their old ideas out the window and brought in a pair of WarGames matches. That alone should be enough to carry the show and….well there are only three more matches so WarGames is kind of carrying things. Let’s get to it.

AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor

I would have bet on this being the elimination match but instead we’ll just have Judgment Day and the OC at ringside to make things more crowded. Then again, I think I can go with the idea of Balor vs. Styles on a major show and likely getting a lot of time. That being said, Styles hasn’t won a singles match on pay per view in something like three years, so there might not be so much drama.

Judgment Day has dominated the feud so far and it makes sense for them to do it again here, so I’ll go with Balor. At the end of the day, the OC hasn’t felt important in the entire thing, even when Mia Yim returned. Balor winning will continue his rise and once this feud is over, it wouldn’t shock me to see him get his hands on some gold. For now though, he’ll win a good match against one of the best ever.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey(c) vs. Shotzi

This is a match that feels like a stepping stone in a bigger story. Rousey is MUCH better as a heel than she was as…whatever she was for all those months. Now the question is who can give her a real run for her money as champion. Shotzi is the latest person to try and while Shotzi has all kinds of charisma, that doesn’t exactly mean that she is ready to take the title.

In case it isn’t clear, I’ll be taking Rousey, as we build to what seems like a title match with Shayna Baszler. Shotzi is certainly someone who has come a long way in a short amount of time, but she isn’t ready to take down a monster like Rousey. This is going to be a match that gets more intense than you might expect, but at the end of the day, Rousey keeps going as champion and finds her next victim.

US Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Theory

This is another match where it feels like there is something else going on instead of just the main story. While Rollins has been feuding with the two challengers at the same time, this has felt a lot more about Theory, at least in the last few weeks. Theory seems to be in the middle of a rebuild and now he needs to actually do something to get back onto the higher level after so much bad.

That being said…..yeah I think I’ll actually go with Theory winning the title. Rollins and Lashley don’t need to be champion while Theory has a long rebuild in front of him. This is a match where Rollins and Lashley can do most of the work and Theory can come in at the end to steal the title. It’s a tired cliché, but it is something that can work well, especially for someone like Theory.

Women’s WarGames

It’s still weird to see this on a WWE show but dang it feels cool. This match got turned upside down with the return of Becky Lynch this week on Smackdown. Lynch being added to the match is one of the biggest upgrades Team Belair to a much higher level. The talent is rather strong with both teams, but there is something about a pair of aces that puts one team ahead of the other.

Yeah I’ll go with Team Belair, as outside of a betrayal, I can’t imagine a team with Lynch and Bianca Belair losing to pretty much anyone. Go with what makes sense here and have Lynch and Belair get revenge on Damage Ctrl for putting Lynch on the shelf a few months back. It should be a hard hitting match, but there is pretty much just one way to go here given the lineups.

Men’s WarGames

Oh boy did this thing take a turn this week. The Bloodline has been so dominant for so long and it has seemed like it has all hinged on what Sami Zayn was going to do. The question becomes when that actually takes place, and now we might be ready to see it taking place. Zayn has already lied to Jey Uso about taking to Kevin Owens, but at some point the trigger actually has to be pulled.

If the Bloodline is ever going to lose a major match, it very well might be here so I’ll say that is what we see. Solo Sikoa getting pinned by Sheamus or Drew McIntyre isn’t going to hurt him so odds are that is how we go. Sheamus getting the Royal Rumble title shot would not be out of the question, but this is a story that could have all kinds of directions and that is a lot of fun to see.

Overall Thoughts

That is a very skinny card, but much like the Royal Rumble or most Survivor Series, there is only so much you can do when two matches are taking up twenty wrestlers. What matters here is WarGames, and if WWE manages to make the first runs go well, we should be in for a heck of a night. Bloodline and Damage Ctrl could be in for some rough matches, but at least we should have a pretty awesome show.

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It’s time for another AEW pay per view and as has been the case for a pretty good while now, things are not exactly feeling the most interesting at the moment. The World Title match doesn’t have the most personal setup and the rest of the show is feeling a bit hit or miss. That being said, the idea of AEW having a bad pay per view seems completely insane so I have quite a bit of confidence in what they are going to do. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Jun Akiyama vs. Eddie Kingston

This is a match that was added after this week’s Rampage went off the air. In short, this is Kingston’s dream match and….I’m struggling to come up with a reason that should interest me. Akiyama is a legend, but there is no real reason for the two of them to be fighting other than Kingston just saying he wanted it to happen. For some reason this is added to the pre-show and now the night is even longer than it needed to be.

I’ll go with Akiyama winning, as AEW seems to like the idea of doing everything they can to waste Kingston. I don’t remember the last time he had something important to do and while I’m sure he would love to do the honors for Akiyama, it doesn’t make any sense. That being said, I almost can’t picture Kingston winning anything more than a squash at this point so we’ll go with Akiyama here, despite a lack of logic for doing so.

Zero Hour: Best Friends vs. The Factory

Ten man tag and also added on Rampage, but at least there is a bit of a history here. This is a good choice for the Zero Hour as you have fan favorites like Orange Cassidy and Danhausen in there against a bunch of clueless putzes like the Factory. There is almost no way to screw this up and I have every confidence that AEW will do the right thing with this one.

Of course the Best Friends win here, likely with Cassidy Orange Punching let’s say Aaron Solo for the win. The fans can pop for the Best Friends spots, the Factory can get heat on one of them in the corner and Cassidy can come in as the hero. As goofy as it is, this is the kind of fun match that they need to have and it is nearly impossible to mess up, as it is almost a science at this point. Best Friends win a fun match.

Zero Hour: Full Gear Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Ricky Starks vs. Brian Cage

This is the semifinal instead of the final due to Starks being banged up last week, meaning things had to be changed up a bit (fair enough). The good thing is that there is a bit of history here as these two used to be part of Team Taz together so it isn’t a completely fresh match. Starks is going to be banged up because it’s a rather effective way to build towards a David vs. Goliath style match, but that might not be enough.

I’ll take Starks here, as I can’t imagine Cage vs. Ethan Page in the finals. Starks is a much more natural fit and after he gets the fire beaten out of him by Cage, we can get to the important part where he wins to move on to Dynamite. That is a formula that will work well and I think it is what we are going to get here, after what should be a better than expected match.

TNT Title: Wardlow(c) vs. Samoa Joe vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

This was added this week on Dynamite but it has been building for a good while. Wardlow is the monster at the moment but is up against a submission master and a literal powerhouse so this could be quite the issue. The match comes after Wardlow has been dealing with both of them, as Joe doesn’t like the idea of Wardlow getting multiple titles. Hence why his ROH TV Title isn’t on the line.

Wardlow retaining here makes the most sense so we’ll go with that, though I could absolutely go with Hobbs winning his first title here. Other than that, there is a good chance that this sets up the Wardlow vs. Joe showdown, which has a bit more of a background. For now though, this is going to be a hoss fight and that is a good thing to have on any show. We should be in for a fun one here though and if Wardlow wins, things are that much better.

Trios Titles: Death Triangle(c) vs. The Elite

Let’s get this one over with early. The Elite is back, so far with no explanation for where the heck they have been or what the vanishing videos meant (to be fair, we haven’t actually heard from them yet) but it’s already back to the title picture. There are going to be some fans who are mad about the Elite being back and vice versa, but they are in a title match and that is what we are going to be seeing.

I’ll go with what the result should be here, which would be Death Triangle retaining. I would hope that AEW wouldn’t look at their biggest scandal in history, shrug, and move right back to what they were doing before the Elite were suspended. That being said, the Elite is the reason the titles were around in the first place so them winning the titles back wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. I’ll go with Death Triangle retaining, but with absolutely no confidence.

Luchasaurus vs. Jungle Boy

We’re in a cage here and that should be an obvious ending, but that isn’t often how things work around here. Jungle Boy’s focus continues to be on ultimately getting his hands on Christian Cage, who isn’t ready to get back in the ring just yet. Therefore, we get a big showdown with the monster instead, which could make quite a nice moment for Jungle Boy, assuming it is done right.

Jungle Boy winning here would be the right call so we’ll go with that, as it should clear him out to get Jungle Boy ready for Cage (not the cage, but Cage) down the line. The question now is how far down the line, but even still, this feud has already been stretched out quite a long time already. Cage turned on Jungle Boy four months ago so it would be nice to get to the point, but for now, Jungle Boy wins.

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal vs. Sting/Darby Allin

There are two things that come to me as I think about this match. First: someone watched Ric Flair’s match, looked at the team that Flair BEAT, and thought “yeah I want them here two”. Second: Allin has completely stopped developing or evolving. How long has he been Sting’s partner or at the same level in AEW? It feels like years at this point, which isn’t good when the company isn’t four years old.

Of course this is Sting and Allin’s match to win, as I believe they are still undefeated as a team and aren’t about to lose their first match to Lethal and Jarrett. Bringing Jarrett in is one thing but I don’t think even AEW is insane enough to have him go out and win a match on pay per view in his debut. That being said, having him IN a match on pay per view is enough of a sign of insanity that it has me wondering about everything else. But yeah, Sting and Allin win here.

Britt Baker vs. Saraya

Here is your terrifying match of the show, as Saraya lasted what, a month or two in her last return to the ring? This has already become the top feud in the women’s division as Toni Storm sheds another tear for her completely dead in the water title reign. The interesting thing about this match though is they seem to be doing a double turn with Saraya becoming a heel to Baker’s face, and that could shake things up a bit.

As much sense as it would make for Baker to stand up for AEW and win here as a face after so much awesomeness as a heel, I’ll go with Saraya to win. It would be almost insane to bring her in and have her lose after several years away, but letting her say some of the things she has said is questionable enough. Saraya wins here, but it is going to be interesting in a confusing and terrifying way at the same time.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill(c) vs. Nyla Rose

Even though Rose has the title itself. I have a bad feeling that I know what this is going to be and that makes me rather sad. There is little to no reason for Cargill to be having the same matches she has been doing for a year plus now, but that is what AEW seems to have her doing time after time. At some point she needs to be able to do something else and that has not come just yet. At least now Rose has been doing something different with Cargill for a bit, they have to take the next step.

As much as I would love for Rose to win here so Cargill can FINALLY move on to something else, I think they’ll have Cargill retain here and get the title back so we can get back into what she has been doing for months on end. Cargill badly needs to evolve at least a little bit because the undefeated streak is killing her growth at this point, but she keeps the title here, even if she shouldn’t.

Tag Team Titles: Acclaimed(c) vs. Swerve In Our Glory

It’s almost weird to see a trilogy match in AEW but that is where we are with this one. It isn’t a bad idea for the most part as there is a story behind it, but with so many good teams in AEW, it is a little rough seeing the same match so many times. That being said, the Acclaimed is so crazy popular that you need to have them doing something and they should be in for another good one here.

Acclaimed retains here, as there is no reason for them to lose here as they are still crazy popular. This needs to end the feud though, as Swerve In Our Glory has gotten everything they can out of the feud already. I’m not sure what is next for the Acclaimed, but as long as they keep getting this kind of a reaction, they shouldn’t be anywhere close to losing the titles anytime soon.

Interim Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Jamie Hayter

Poor Storm. She came here to get away from nonsense in WWE and now she not only gets stuck behind (at least) Saraya vs. Baker and Cargill, but she has to be the INTERIM champion, just rubbing in the idea that she isn’t the first choice. Since Tony Khan is incapable of letting the interim deal go, this is what we get here, even if Thunder Rosa is STILL gone with nothing to indicate she will be back soon.

In addition to all of her problems, I think Storm loses the title here, as Hayter is on a roll right now and it would give her a boost to the next level. Storm is dead in the water at the moment and there is no reason for her to keep the title. Give it to Hayter and drop the interim thing so we can move on and have a decent reign, because Hayter (and Storm) is good enough to get such treatment.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Chris Jericho(c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Sammy Guevara

The Ring Of Honor obsession continues as we have the match that has gotten more focus on TV in recent months. I’m as shocked as you are that Jericho is still one of the top stars around but here we are. This is at least a Ring Of Honor style match and it should be action packed. Unfortunately it should also be the end of the story, but I don’t think that is where we are going.

Instead I’ll take Jericho to retain here, likely to set up the big savior of Ring Of Honor (possibly Castagnoli or Danielson) at Final Battle. There is also the chance that Guevara turns on Jericho to win the title, only to reunite with him for the 49^th or so time a month later, but for now I’ll say Jericho retains, setting up his big loss in a few weeks, which will totally happen. For sure. No question about it.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

So here we are, with the other match that has gotten some serious focus, though the match still feels like it isn’t that personal. Again, that is the problem with what is more or less a Money In The Bank briefcase title shot: there is no reason for the match to happen other than the challenger saying “we’ll do it then”. That doesn’t leave things feeling personal and the build has been a bit off as a result.

As for a winner….they have to put it on MJF here right? If they don’t, I don’t know what else there is to do. That being said, there is a rather strong chance that it happens at the hands of William Regal turning on Moxley, setting up a heck of a promo down the line. If nothing else, that is the kind of storyline shakeup that they need. We can worry about things after that later, but MJF needs to walk out of here as a villainous champion and they have set the stage perfectly.

Overall Thoughts

The show does have a lot of potential because of the talent involved, but it also has a lot of matches, which tends to be an issue for AEW shows. I still don’t need this thing to be close to five hours, but that is probably where we are going. They need to stick the landing with some stuff here and there are a lot of problems that the company needs to solve in the grand scheme of things. The good news it that AEW knows how to nail pay per views and there is a strong chance they’ll do it again here.

It’s time to go overseas again with the latest WWE in Saudi Arabia endeavor. As usual, the show doesn’t have the best reputation but this one does feel a bit different. Instead of some weird special show with some one off gimmick or competition, it feels like a regular pay per view which happens to take place in Saudi Arabia. Now if only they can make it work well. Let’s get to it.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Asuka/Alexa Bliss(c) vs. Damage Ctrl

This was a last minute addition as Damage Ctrl dropped the titles to the returning Asuka and Bliss this week on Raw. I’m not sure how much of a chance there is to have the titles change back here, but it is the kind of thing that could be set up for a short title reign to give the show a moment. The Saudi Arabia shows do need to feel more important and a title change, even of a minor title, would help with that.

However, I think I’ll go with the titles being successfully defended here as Asuka and Bliss coming back on Monday to win the titles and then lose them again just five days later doesn’t exactly make for a feel good moment. It might be the logical way to go, but I don’t think it is exactly the best choice. Go with the champions retaining here, as Damage Ctrl can get them back later.

Tag Team Titles: Usos(c) vs. Brawling Brutes

If there was any drama to this one in the first place, WWE got rid of it this week by announcing that the New Day, as in the team the Usos are chasing for the longest Tag Team Title reign (if you ignore the Glamour Girls and Princess Victoria/Velvet McIntyre) will be getting a shot at the winners next week on Smackdown. In the words of Mr. Turner from Boy Meets World, “gee, I wonder what’s gonna happen”.

So yeah of course the Brutes lose here to keep the Usos on the road to the record. There is no reason to believe that the titles are going to change here outside of a shock for the sake of a shock. The Usos’ reign has felt far too long for a good while now, but they aren’t dropping the titles in Saudi Arabia to a team like the Brutes, especially with the New Day showdown looming.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair(c) vs. Bayley

So after THE LAST SHOWDOWN (or whatever it was) last month on Raw, we’re treated to a rematch here in a Last Woman Standing match. This isn’t a match I’m overly interested in seeing as the two have fought so many times already, but that has never stopped WWE before. This really does need to be the last match to wrap up the feud though and that opens up some interesting questions.

As much as I want to say Bayley wins the title here, it just doesn’t feel right. It’s weird in that I think she’ll probably win, but I’ll go with the instinct and say Belair retains. That would more or less end Damage Ctrl meaning anything but I think WWE would rather have someone else go after the title for the time being. Belair retains here, as WWE continues her Superwoman style push.

Braun Strowman vs. Omos

Are we sure Vince McMahon is really gone? This is the kind of freak show match that he would love to run and I can see the appeal. The difference here though is you have two people who are prominently featured and in this case it means someone has to lose. In theory at least as this would be a good place for some kind of a screwy finish, but I don’t think that is what WWE is going to do.

I’ll take Strowman to win here, as not only will MVP not be there for Omos but Strowman is freshly back in the company and doesn’t need to be taking a loss anytime soon. Omos is someone who can be reheated rather quickly and has already absorbed a loss on the big stage just fine. Let Strowman look like a monster again and go from there, as it is the (second most) right way to go.

Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross

This is inside a cage as the feud continues. Kross has already beaten McIntyre in a strap match and that again means we have some options here. While Scarlett got involved to help Kross the first time, the idea of the cage is to even things out. That being said, no one actually buys that as being the case, meaning McIntyre is basically in a handicap match here, at least to some degree.

Even with that, I’ll go with McIntyre winning as some good guy has to win one of the bigger matches on the show. McIntyre can escape the cage to keep Kross from winning, though it wouldn’t surprise me to see him just hit the Claymore anyway. This should be perfectly watchable and feels like a house show main event, which isn’t a bad way to go for this situation.

OC vs. Judgment Day

This match comes down to one question: is the Rhea Ripley problem solved here or is this the final straw that leads to it being solved next time? You could go with Ripley costing the OC the match or you could have the OC bring out their solution here and get them on to what is likely an eight person tag coming up down the line. That could go either way, so we’re basically at a coin flip here.

I’ll take the OC to win here, as they’ll debut their solution, likely in the form of Raquel Rodriguez, to deal with Ripley. Just cutting her off alone should be enough to take out one of the team, likely in the form of Dominik Mysterio, and give the OC a win. Judgment Day shouldn’t be losing again, but it would probably be the right way to go given the circumstances they have set up.

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley

And now we have the hoss fight and it should work well. These two had a good enough power fight at the Royal Rumble in a huge stadium and now they should get to do it again on another big stage. Lesnar has turned heel….I think….to set this up, as you can never quite tell with him and it should be a heck of a fight because, well, what else are these two going to do against each other?

Since Lesnar is probably leaving again, there is no need to have Lashley lose here. Lashley is someone who could beat Lesnar and make it pretty easy to believe and Lesnar can absorb a loss like no other. Go with Lashley here, as he is the one who needs the win at some point. I don’t see any need for Lesnar to win and while that is always an option, Lashley wins here, as he needs to.

Undisputed WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Logan Paul

That leaves us with this, for reasons of celebrity status. The entire feud has been built around the idea of Paul not getting knocked out in a boxing match last year and the chance that he will catch Reigns with a lucky punch. When that is the entirety of your build, it is pretty clear that there is something lacking with what you are doing. I don’t think this has the most doubt but that is where we are for a major event.

Of course I’m taking Reigns here as there is a grand total of no reason to believe that he is losing. Reigns has been World Champion for over two years now and celebrity status or no celebrity status, Paul isn’t going to be the one to take the title from him. I’m sure Paul will get in a quick shot here or there for a near fall but he isn’t going to win, which I don’t think is in any serious doubt.

Overall Thoughts

What are you expecting? It’s a Saudi Arabian show and that means there is only going to be so much to get out of the thing. What matters here is having some big matches and getting them to go well, which should not be that big of a problem. It also helps that they have gotten rid of a lot of the bad ideas that you see on this show, meaning this might actually have some potential. Now just live up to those possibilities.

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It’s that time again as we get another WCW event being used better by NXT than by WWE. Halloween Havoc is a simple concept that can be done rather well with a cool set and some rather gimmicky matches. As luck would have it, the second one of those is already guaranteed and the first is all but guaranteed so we should be in for a pretty fun, and maybe even eventful, night. Let’s get to it.

Apollo Crews vs. Grayson Waller

We’ll start with a match that we don’t know yet, as this is going to be Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal. Crews has suddenly developed the power of foresight and keeps seeing Waller in varying states of pain so now they’re having a match as a result. Waller is one of the hotter prospects in NXT and Crews is able to work well with just about anyone so, gimmick depending, this should be good.

I’ll take Waller to win here, as there isn’t much of a need for him to lose. Crews is someone whose legacy is already established and he can take a loss here and there without having many consequences. On the other hand you have Waller, who seems like he could be ready to break through to the next level, if not the main roster. Waller goes over here, probably with a goofy enough stipulation.

Julius Creed vs. Damon Kemp

This is an ambulance match and somewhere along the line, NXT managed to turn this into a decent feud. The Diamond Mine is all but split and now we get to see what happens when Julius gets a big singles match, which happens to be for his brother Brutus’ career. At the same time, Roderick Strong is in a wheelchair and seems to have had a change of heart, which sounds like a red flag if I’ve ever seen one.

While Julius winning would be the logical way to go, this seems too primed for a surprise swerve from Strong, who will likely wipe out Brutus’ career by helping Kemp. Julius seems more ready to be the breakout singles star from the team, though it might be a bit early to pull that trigger. I’ll still go with Kemp winning via Strong shenanigans, as it seems like a prime way to end an ambulance match.

Cora Jade vs. Roxanne Perez

Here we have a Weapons Wild match, which is the 38^th different way to say “street fight”. These two have turned what was little more than another tag team split into a decently heated rivalry, with Jade doing better than I would have expected. That being said, Perez seems like she has star written all over her and could quickly become the next next big thing in NXT.

I’ll go with Perez here, as she has lost a few matches to bigger names and could use the win in the match that matters the most for her. It is clear that WWE sees something in her and it would be ridiculous to have her lose again. I know Jade is on her way up as well, but there is something in Perez that you do not see very often and she needs the win here more than Jade right now.

North American Title: Wes Lee vs. Oro Mensah vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Nathan Frazer vs. Von Wagner

For the vacant title and oh goody it’s a ladder match. At least there are only five people involved this time so things might be a little less insane than usual. There is no way to guess what is coming in a match like this as the whole thing is designed to be little more than chaos with one person doing a dive and then another doing a bigger one. That doesn’t give me much to work with, but it could still be fun.

Since putting the title back on Hayes would be a waste of time and I can’t imagine Wagner or Mensah getting it, I’ll take Lee to win here in a bit of a surprise. Frazer would make more sense, but ladder matches can be a way for title wins that don’t make a lot of sense otherwise. It’s certainly not my favorite kind of match but at least the dives should be good and Hayes is always worth a look.

Women’s Title: Mandy Rose(c) vs. Alba Fyre

I know I’ve been saying Rose has to lose the title at some point….but Rose has to lose the title at some point right? She has been champion for about a year now and is rapidly approaching Shayna Baszler for second all time. I’ve liked a lot of what Rose has done as champion and she is better than she is often given credit for, but dang she has held that thing for a long time.

In a pick I expect to be wrong, I’ll take Fyre to win the title here, on the grounds of “well, someone has to beat her”. I can’t imagine waiting around for Nikkita Lyons to be ready for the belt and Rose is running out of steam as champion. She has improved by leaps and bounds, but after so long with the title, losing isn’t going to hut her. Fyre wins here and takes the title in a different direction, even if I’m almost sure I’m wrong.

NXT Title: Bron Breakker(c) vs. JD McDonagh vs. Ilja Dragunov

Is it just me or is this kind of a flat title match? While it has picked up some in the last week or two, with the big segment this week being an upgrade, the tease of a Money in the Bank cash-in doesn’t exactly instill me with confidence. It will be nice to have Dragunov around, but Breakker has already beaten McDonagh so there is only so much interest in him in the first place.

This really could go any way but it seems that they are teasing a McDonagh win enough that I’ll say he wins through some kind of shenanigans. Breakker really doesn’t need to be champion at the moment as he has held the thing for about six and a half months. Dragunov already had his title reign (which granted he never got to finish) and that leaves McDonagh with nothing major on his resume. I’ll take McDonagh, even if that leaves us with NXT Champion JD McDonagh and….egads. And no, no cash-in.

Overall Thoughts

This show isn’t exactly inspiring but there is enough good on there to make it work. One of the problems right now is that there isn’t a big story that makes NXT feel must see. There is interesting material, but nothing on there is something I’m overly interested in watching. That needs to change soon too, as the interest really needs to go up. We should be in for a hard worked show though and that is usually enough to carry NXT as far as it needs to go.

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We’re off to another WWE pay per view and in this case it is another show where they already seem to have moved on to getting ready for the next major shows. In this case it’s Extreme Rules, but WWE is already hyping up Crown Jewel next month. That is the kind of show that can make for some good violence, but the show has been hit and miss over the years. Let’s get to it.

Edge vs. Finn Balor

We’re starting big with an I Quit match, as Edge’s war against Judgment Day continues. This is the kind of a win that could mean quite a bit for Balor, but WWE has a history of giving Edge one big win after another in major spots. I’m not sure why they would do that here, but there is a very real chance that they could go in the wrong direction, as Balor needs the win FAR more than Edge.

I’ll go with what should be the sane move here and pick Balor, likely due to Judgment Day threatening Rey Mysterio, or more likely Beth Phoenix. This is probably going to be quite the violent brawl with the usual assortment of weapons, including Edge’s obsession with breaking off a piece of a chair and putting it in Balor’s mouth. Despite that though, Balor wins, as he definitely needs to. I hope.

Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair(c) vs. Bayley

This is a ladder match, because WWE enjoys those quite a bit. Bayley returned at Summerslam and has gone on to become one of the biggest deals in the division, as she is pretty easily the top heel at the moment. That means she is going to need some gold sooner rather than later, and this would be a very good place to start for her. In theory that is, as it might not be that easy.

As much as I want to go with the easy path here and take Bayley, I’m not sure I can imagine Belair losing the title so soon. I’ll go with my instinct and pick Bayley, but this is one of the picks that doesn’t give me much confidence. I could absolutely see WWE wanting to give Belair a longer win, but I would hope that Bayley isn’t going to lose in one of her first major matches since her return.

Brawling Brutes vs. Imperium

The feud continues with a Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook, which is the latest fancy (Is that fancy?) term for a street fight. It is the kind of match that suits these guys the best and after the screwy finish to Sheamus vs. Gunther II on SmackDown, there is a lot of revenge to be had for the Brutes. This is tailor made for these guys and they have a story to go with it, so we should be in for a…well a good old fashioned donnybrook actually.

I’ll take the Brutes winning here, as there is a good chance that Sheamus is going to get the pin over Gunther here to set up their third match. What matters is that these guys are going to be able to beat each other up for awhile and hit each other really hard until one of them doesn’t get back up. That is exactly what you need on a sow like this and I’m looking forward to a brawl, which hopefully keeps a good feud going.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Liv Morgan(c) vs. Ronda Rousey

They have backed themselves into a pretty severe corner with this one, as Extreme Rules or not, there is almost no way for me to buy that Morgan would ever be a threat to Rousey. The first win came via Money in the Bank cash-in and the second came on a fluke. Yet here we are, being asked to believe that Rousey wouldn’t rip her head off in a matter of seconds. That is something that can be set up, but Morgan suddenly wanting to prove how violent she can be isn’t the way to go.

I’ll take Rousey here, as hopefully Morgan’s title reign is finally put out of its misery. Morgan has been trying but WWE has done a pretty miserable job of making Morgan feel like she is a serious threat to the top names in the division. You can only get so far winning off of flukes and screwups and Morgan has hit that wall. She needs to drop the title here, if nothing else before Charlotte comes back and beats her even worse. Rousey wins here, as she should.

Drew McIntyre vs. Karrion Kross

This one has gotten my interest over the last few weeks as it feels like the kind of match where two guys are going to beat each other up while looking like they want to destroy each other. Kross is in one of his first major matches on the main roster while McIntyre is still pretty much the default top face on SmackDown. That makes for a showdown and they have made this feel like a violent feud.

As much as it would make sense for McIntyre to win here, this needs to be Kross getting a win. After debuting and feeling like little more than a joke, Kross needs to come in and make a name for himself with a big win. That can be with or without Scarlett’s help, but Kross needs to go over here. McIntyre has been a made man for a long time now and he can get a win back later, but for now, this should be Kross.

Seth Rollins vs. Matt Riddle

I’m guessing that this will be the main event, as it is the most developed and by far most personal feud on the show. This is going to be in the Fight Pit, which was only used in NXT and is a cage featuring a platform around the top. There is potential to this one and Riddle could get a heck of a rub out of beating him. That being said, beating Rollins is quite the task and I’m not completely sold on Riddle being able to pull it off.

I’ll go with what makes sense here though and have Riddle win. It’s his match type and I’m not sure I can imagine Daniel Cormier being brought in to hold up Rollins’ hand after this kind of a violent match. Riddle could become a big deal with a win and the company needs some more top faces, so I’ll pick Riddle to win here, as he certainly could use a victory like this more than Rollins.

Overall Thoughts

The best thing about this show is its variety. There are some different gimmicks throughout the card and some of them feel like they have been built up over the last few weeks. Last year’s show had a total of one violence based match so having everything involved actually be about the carnage this time should help. I’m not sure how big of a show this is going to be, but at least they have set things up well. The White Rabbit stuff (I’ll go safe and say it’s Bray Wyatt) should help as a big moment, though I’m not sure how it is going to play in. I’m interested in the show though and now I have a reason to believe that it could work.

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I know Impact Wrestling might not be at the top of everyone’s hit list at the moment but the company does have a long history of important shows and big moments. This show is the biggest thing that they offer and we should be in for a special night as a result. The build has gone well and there are some promising matches on here so if they can live up to the hype, we could be in for a lot of fun. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Digital Media Title: Brian Myers(c) vs. ???

I’m glad to be getting this out of the way early as there is no way of knowing how this is going to go. It’s a mystery opponent/open challenge deal because we haven’t had one of those in at least 14 seconds. This could be almost anyone and while that is interesting, there is only so much to be had out of a Kickoff Show match for the lower midcard title, even with the entertaining Myers involved.

We’ll go with Myers to….lose here, as a title change like this one would be a nice way to get the night started. As for who takes it, I have a grand total of no idea, but we’ll stay home and say Trey Miguel, who is always getting some kind of a match and could certainly use the win. Odds are it will be some outside or Bhupinder Gujjar getting another shot, but Miguel is more fun so we’ll go there instead.

Mia Yim vs. Mickie James

Sometimes you come across a match where the end result isn’t in doubt but it should be a fun ride getting there. That is what we have here, as James’ career is on the line in a recreation of Ric Flair’s final (ha) run in 2007/8. In other words, James isn’t likely to lose for a very long time as she moves through one challenger after another. It just happened to start pretty close to Bound For Glory so it isn’t likely ending here.

Obviously I’ll be taking James, as there is no reason to believe that she is going to lose anytime soon. Yim beating her would be an upset, although not the biggest in recent memory. The good thing is that James should be around for a long time to come and we should get to see her having good matches like this one for the time being. The match will work and it goes to James.

X-Division Title: Mike Bailey(c) vs. Frankie Kazarian

This is the paying tribute to our past match, as former champion Kazarian, who somehow doesn’t age, comes back to challenge the hot new champion. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not a big Bailey fan, but he is certainly putting in the work to make the most of his time with the title. Bailey is a lot of things but he definitely isn’t lazy, which is always a positive.

I’ll go with Bailey to retain here, as he gets a heck of a challenge from Kazarian. The good thing about someone like a Kazarian is you can put him out there to do just about anything and know that it is going to work. Other than that though, Bailey is going to have to eventually drop the title to a big name, whoever that might be. It just won’t be Kazarian here, as Bailey retains.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: VXT(c) vs. Death Dollz

I had kind of forgotten these titles existed and that tends to be the case quite often with them. VXT does at least feel like a regular team and have done well so that could be a lot worse. Other than that though, you have the latest incarnation of Rosemary/Jessicka/Taya Valkyrie, who have been around and doing their thing for what feels like the better part of ever now.

There is no reason for the Dollz to get the titles here so I’ll go with VXT to retain here. It makes sense to keep the titles on them until a new team is built up to go after the belts later on. The Rosemary etc. stuff isn’t exactly interesting anymore but there is a good chance that they are going to a split after this match goes badly for them. Or at least that is what should happen.

Tag Team Titles: Honor No More(c) vs. Motor City Machine Guns

This is one of those matches that should be good and probably will be, just because of who is involved. Mike Bennett and Matt Taven are underrated as a team and it would be nice to see them getting a chance on a big stage like this one. Throw in the Guns and they should be able to do as much good stuff as you would expect them to against a team as talented as the champions.

I’m not sure what to think of this one as you could go either way. The Guns getting the titles back would be a nice moment, but I’m not sure if there is any need to have them stop Honor No More. If the stable is continuing then they need to keep the titles here. Therefore I’ll go with Honor No More to retain in the match that I’m expecting to get completely wrong.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

This is their version of a Royal Rumble for what amounts to the Money In The Bank briefcase. There are twenty people involved but since a lot of them are unknown, there is only so much guessing that can be done. It should include at least a few surprises and predictable moments, but the question now is where does the whole thing end, which tends to be the important part.

Given who we know is already in the match, I’ll go with a bit of a gut instinct and say Joe Hendry, even if I have no reason to believe that he’s going to win. Getting eliminated from a battle royal is hardly crushing and Henry getting to inspire us somehow is always a good thing and it would be a nice way start off his Impact Wrestling career. Odds are he doesn’t win, but I’ll go with him as the pick anyway.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace(c) vs. Masha Slamovich

Impact has been pushing the heck out of this one in recent weeks, even giving it the go home spot on this week’s TV. Slamovich was the clear challenger for this show several months ago as she has come into the promotion and wrecked havoc on the Knockouts division. You have the unstoppable Slamovich against the monster that is Grace and that should make for a good one.

I don’t see any reason for Grae to retain here as Slamovich has been built up as untouchable for the last several weeks. That is where she needs to just win the title and become the new star, so hopefully Impact gets this one right and doesn’t try to do anything funny. Grace is awesome at what she does but this is the time to change the title and I think they will.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Josh Alexander(c) vs. Eddie Edwards

Now this is where things get complicated as you really could go either way. Alexander getting his win would be the second time in a row that he has won the (scheduled) Bound For Glory main event but that would come more or less at the destruction of Honor No More. The team feels like it is ready to either drop off the map or become the focus of the company, which is more or less what is decided by this match.

With that being said, I’ll go with the illogical choice here and take Edwards to win, making Honor No More the dominant faction of the promotion. Edwards is more than capable of being the World Champion, even if it is for the short term, though I don’t know where that leaves Alexander. It could go either way, but I’ll say Edwards wins the title here, just to mix things up a bit.

Overall Thoughts

While I don’t know if this is going to live up to Bound For Glorys of years past, there is enough here to make me care about what we are going to be seeing. If nothing else, just having the name Bound For Glory means something as it has been the biggest show for the company for the better part of twenty years. Even if it can live up to most of the hype, this is going to be a good night.

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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For the first time in a good while, we are getting a full scale AEW pay per view rather than AEW and some other promotion mixing together to make a big special. As tends to be the case on AEW pay per views, the card is absolutely loaded, even to the point of being WAY too big. There are fifteen matches between the Zero Hour (better than Buy In) show and the main card, all of which are absolutely necessary. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: FTW Title: Hook(c) vs. Angelo Parker

You know, because we needed to get Hook onto this thing. Or is it that we needed to get the “Sports…..Innderdainers”? Either way, this is the kind of a match that is not likely to take very long because Parker has never been treated as anything serious and Hook runs over everyone. I don’t know what else anyone is really expecting here, but at least Hook should pop the crowd.

Of course I’ll take Hook to win here, as there is no reason for it to go any other way. Hook is one of those unique stars that just works for some reason and it would be nuts to have him lose to one half of a comedy due. I’m sure Matt Menard will get his chance to be destroyed later, but for now, this will be Hook crushing Parker and going off to find some more chips.

Zero Hour: AAA World Mixed Tag Team Titles: Tay Melo/Sammy Guevara vs. Ruby Soho/Oritz

If anyone can explain why this match is on the card, you’re smarter than I am. This is the third time that these teams have fought in ten days and that isn’t exactly my idea of interesting. The first two matches weren’t good but now we’re seeing them again after a second match this week on Rampage. But at least they’re on the shwo and something is on the line, so points for that I guess?

There is almost no reason to believe that the titles are going to change here so we’ll go with Melo and Guevara retaining. If I had to guess, maybe Soho can even get pinned again to keep the titles where they already are. This feels completely out of the norm for AEW and I’d like to believe that it isn’t something they are going to do regularly. Either way, this isn’t something I’m interested in seeing but we’re getting it anyway, because something about a trilogy.

Zero hour: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Eddie Kingston

So these two fight back at a New Japan event in May and this it he rematch, which AEW is hosting so I guess they can fight each other once on equal footing? This is another match that was added on to the card and the story seems to be that Kingston is wanting to prove that he has become a better man since Ishii beat him the first time. I’m not sure how interesting that is but you know AEW will take a New Japan star when they can.

I’ll go with Kingston here, even if it is a match with virtually no build or reason to exist other than to get the two of them on the show. Much like the previous match, it is one of the first matches I would cut from the card, but it should at least be a heck of a fight with two guys hitting each other really hard. Ishii is getting up there in years but he can still do his thing well enough to get by.

Zero Hour: All Atlantic Title: Pac(c) vs. Kip Sabian

After several months of sitting in the front row with a box over his head, commentary just said “yeah that’s Kip Sabian” and now he is getting a title match against Pac. Why that is supposed to be interesting isn’t clear, as it’s still Sabian, who has never been much more than just ok during his time in AEW. It should be nice to see Pac defend the title on AEW TV for once, even under these circumstances.

Despite having no idea what they’re going for with the whole box thing, I’ll go with Pac to run through Sabian without much trouble. Pac is on a higher level and I don’t see the point in messing with the title on someone so far out of Pac’s league. Maybe commentary can explain something about Sabian’s deal, but for now, this is just a weird story that came out of nowhere and leaves me wondering why it’s happening.

Interim Women’s Title: Britt Baker vs. Toni Storm vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Jamie Hayter

Yes we’re still doing the Interim Champion deal and no I don’t quite get it either. This is the thing they’re doing rather than just vacating the title and moving on and it’s still not exactly a great way to go. This time Thunder Rosa has suffered a back injury and will not be able to defend the title, so this is what we’re getting instead. At least there are some options to win here, which always helps.

I’ll take Storm to win, even if the signs seem to be pointing to Baker. If nothing else, it would be nice for Storm to win and give us something fresh, as Baker and Shida have both been champion for so long. Hayter would be interesting as well and is a dark horse to win the thing, but I’ll go with Storm here, if nothing else to set up the Storm vs. Rosa match when she gets back.

Ricky Starks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

For the life of me I don’t get why it took so long for these two to have something significant to do but at least they’re finally getting some kind of a match here. Both of them have the potential to be break out stars and that could very well start with this match. This is the result of a tag team split and that is as good of a reason as any for two young stars to be fighting.

I think I’ll take Hobbs here, even if Starks seems more ready to move up to the next level. The good thing here is there is no bad choice for a winner, as long as AEW picks someone and moves forward with them. Hobbs is a monster and Starks is more of a complete package, which opens up several possibilities no matter which choice they make. I’ll flip a coin and go with Hobbs though in what should be a fine match either way.

Jungle Boy vs. Christian Cage

We’ll stick with the grudge match theme here as Jungle Boy finally gets his hands on Cage after a lot of horrible things were said about him. These two have been on a collision course for several weeks now and we should be in for something good when they finally get to face off. There is a major wild card in the background though and that could be the big factor in the whole thing.

I think I’ll go with Cage here, as Luchasaurus has been so notorious in his absence for the last few weeks. If nothing else, it seems a bit too easy that Luchasaurus was Cage’s heavy and then stepped aside while Jungle Boy got to Cage. Maybe that is a red herring, but I have a feeling that Luchasaurus turns on Jungle Boy to let Cage get the win, which would set up even more between these three going forward.

Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho

Hey, did you know that Jericho calls himself a Sports Entertainer and is a bad guy in a company that focuses on wrestling? I wasn’t sure if AEW had hammered the idea in enough just yet. This is a match that has been set up for a few weeks and should be a good one if they do it right. Jericho has a hit or miss track record, but Danielson seems incapable of having a bad match no matter what he does in AEW, meaning I have a lot of hope.

Danielson needs the win more than Jericho so we’ll go with what makes sense here and pick Danielson to go over. Jericho seems to be bringing back the Lionheart as he continues his own version of the 3 Faces Of Foley, but Danielson wrestling him down and then beating him, likely with Daniel Garcia not helping Jericho when he needs it, is the way to go. This needs to be Danielson’s to give him a win over a bigger name and that is what they’ll do here.

TNT Title: Jade Cargill(c) vs. Athena

Well it’s about time. This is a story that has been built up for the last few months and I cannot bring myself to care after so many months of Athena getting beaten up by Cargill and the Baddies. They have to have the match at some point though and this is as good for a place as any, even if it is something that should have happened at least a few weeks ago when the interest was still there.

Of course Cargill retains here and there is no reason for this to be anything else. Cargill is someone who is going to need a special opponent to finally take her down and as good as Athena is, I can’t picture that being the case. Athena will probably hit the O Face for a near fall, but ultimately it’s going to be Jaded to keep Cargill undefeated, as she should be at the moment.

House Of Black vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Miro

This is another match that feels like it was forgotten until the last few days and now it is taking place on the show. That isn’t the best way to go but there are a lot of names in here who should probably be on the pay per view. Miro vs. the House Of Black alone should be good and Sting/Allin already have issues with the team. Now just let them all go nuts and it should be fun.

This should be fun and I’ll go with Miro making Matthews tap to win. Sting and Allin can do their wacky things and Sting can probably have his showdown with Black, but with all of the reported personal issues for Black, I can’t imagine his team winning here. This is a way to redeem Miro a bit and that is the way they should go, as it’s almost easy to forget he is even in AEW half of the time.

Casino Ladder Match

A few weeks ago, I was wondering when AEW was going to announce another ladder match and here we are. This is the latest future World Title opportunity on the line and so far we have seven names, plus more to come. In other words, this is all about the Joker, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a big name return in that spot, as he is certainly overdue to do so.

In short, I’m going with MJF making his triumphant return, likely setting up the title match in New York City later this month. MJF has been gone for several months now and it is long past time to get him back so he can continue his reign of amazing. If nothing else, seeing him come in at the very end and win the thing without having to put in much, if any, work, would be a heck of a troll job and something I can see him doing.

Wardlow/FTR vs. Jay Lethal/Motor City Machine Guns

And here we have the weirdest match on the card, as I still don’t know why this is the best thing that they can offer. The match has felt thrown together since it was announced and for a very good reason: it is a thrown together match for the sake of getting the people involved on the show (you might be noticing a pattern emerging here). It’s nice to have them here, but Harwood’s speech explaining why the match matters didn’t quite sway me.

Give me FTR and Wardlow to win here, which is the only logical way this can go. At the end of the day, they both REALLY need something to do and this isn’t likely to lead anywhere. While I could go for FTR vs. the Guns later on, Wardlow vs. Lethal has already been done. I’m not sure why this match is taking place, but hopefully it isn’t AEW giving up on the three of them so soon, as that would be incredibly stupid.

Tag Team Titles: Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland(c) vs. Acclaimed

Now this one intrigues me and I’m not sure about where it is going to go. On one hand you have the champs, who have not exactly been given a major run yet and have only held the titles for a few weeks. On the other hand though, you have the Acclaimed, who are on fire and the fans absolutely love them, meaning there has to be some temptation to pull the trigger here. That makes this a little complicated and I’m not sure what they are going to do.

I’ll take the champions to retain though, as it just isn’t like AEW to take someone who is getting their big break and just cut them off so soon. The Acclaimed has come a long way but I don’t know how much they need the titles. Caster’s raps alone, or with Bowens’ nutty charisma, are going to keep them over for a very long time so why bother with giving them titles that they don’t really need yet? The champs keep the belts.

Trios Titles: Hangman Page/Dark Order vs. Elite

Yeah I don’t think there is any real shock that this is where we wound up after the whole tournament was announced. Even if Page wasn’t involved in the tournament in the first place, I don’t think there was any shock in the fact that he wound up in the finals anyway. These titles feel more and more like a vanity deal for the Elite anyway, and that is where things get screwy.

I’m actually taking Page and the Dark Order to win here, as it is more of a feel good story for the lovable goons to FINALLY win something than for the Elite to get another title on their resume. Throw in Omega possibly being blamed for the loss, Page redeeming himself, and whatever else the Bucks are going to talk about and the underdogs winning is the much more interesting way to go.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. CM Punk

CHICAGO! Ok there now we can move on. For some reason this feels like it is designed to be a match for the live crowd than everyone else watching. I get the idea of keeping a crowd hot, but this story has been so all over the place and I’m still not sure I get why we’re getting things going this way. At the very least, this is the kind of story that needs to end so everyone can move on to something else, and in theory that is what they’ll be doing.

I’ll take Punk to win here, again going off of the idea of MJF getting his title shot in New York later this month. MJF vs. Moxley doesn’t have the history to it and Punk winning the title back to set up the big loss to MJF is a better way to go. This really doesn’t feel like a main event though and I wouldn’t be hurt if they went with the Trios Titles headlining instead (The heck am I saying?). Oh and one more time: CHICAGO!

Overall Thoughts

Long. That’s the overall thought for this show: it sounds really long. There are so many matches crammed into this card that I’ve been dreading it more and more eveyr week. I’m still not sure why AEW insists on doing this but for some reason this is what we get with their regular pay per views anymore. I’m sure people will be burned out by the end, but why let that get in the way of what they want to do?

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This is a unique kind of show as it is going to be the big finale for NXT UK, which has been all but done for a very long time now. It is nice to have a show that actually seems to make it matter again though and I could go for seeing what they have in mind. There almost has to be at least one NXT UK star to leave with a title and there are a few options to make that work. Let’s get to it.

NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles: Katana Chance/Kayden Carter(c) vs. Doudrop/Nikki Ash

This was a match set up with a surprise return from Doudrop/Ash, who have lost all kinds of matches on the main roster so this is the best thing that they could do. For once I’m not being sarcastic there, as there is a good chance that they will actually be treated as something seriously in NXT. Then again there is only so much that you can get out of Doudrop/Ash, but I’ll take what I can get.

The champs retain here, as there is no reason to believe that Doudrop and Ash, who have been treated as major total failures on the main roster. Chance and Carter need to be built up as champions, especially when they didn’t beat the previous titleholders. The team will be fine by building them up with some wins, including some wrestlers who are on the main roster (despite how little they do there).

North American Title: Carmelo Hayes(c) vs. Ricochet

Now we have a returning star getting a shot at a title that he held during his time in NXT. That isn’t a bad way to go and Ricochet even sounded decent on the microphone while the match was set up. What matters here though is that Hayes is going to be made to look good against someone as talented as Ricochet, which is why you bring him in for this spot in the first place.

It should be a good match but there is no reason to believe that Hayes is losing so we’ll say he retains. Hayes is someone who has become a big star in NXT because he is one of the more consistent names around. I’m curious to see how well this goes and Hayes can keep up with Ricochet so they should be in for a heck of a match. It’s a good way to go and this has a lot of potential.

NXT Tag Team Titles/NXT UK Tag Team Titles: Creed Brothers(c) vs. Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs(c) vs. Pretty Deadly vs. Gallus

This is the first of three title unification matches and that means we have some options. To make it even better, we are going with elimination rules, meaning that while there are going to be a lot of people in the ring for even longer, there aren’t going to be champions who stole a pin to leave with all of the belts. I can always go with that more and it is making me happier with this match.

I’ll go with….dang I this I’ll take the Creeds to win the whole thing, even if I really want to say Gallus. Pretty Deadly isn’t likely to win the titles back and Jensen/Briggs have felt like a filler team since they won the titles. This is a match that will give the show the chaotic feeling that it has been needing and it is a good way to build up the Creeds (or Gallus) and that makes a lot of sense.

NXT Women’s Title/NXT UK Women’s Title: Mandy Rose(c) vs. Meiko Satomura(c) vs. Blair Davenport

I certainly wouldn’t consider this a dream match but it is a match with multiple possibilities. The biggest thing here is that Satomura does not seem likely to take the titles. While I can’t imagine she is there to give up the fall, there is little reason to have her win either. Satomura is a legend but she has served her main purpose as champion already. That leaves us with two options, neither of which is that thrilling.

I think I’ll take Rose winning here, as NXT is trying desperately to make her into as big of a deal as possible. Nikkita Lyons still seems to be the most likely candidate to take the title from her and that means she needs to keep her belt here. Davenport might be there to take Scorpion Rising so Rose can steal the pin, but either way I’ll go with Rose retaining here after probably the weakest match on the show.

NXT Title/NXT United Kingdom Title: Bron Breakker(c) vs. Tyler Bate(c)

This is an interesting way to go for Breakker as it is much more about competition/the title rather than something personal. That isn’t something he has done very often and it should be interesting to see how he does. Breakker is someone who can do all of the physical stuff (minus some hiccups here and there) and Bate is already an established star, so this should be a heck of a fight.

As much as I would be interested in Bate becoming the champion and getting the biggest win of his career, there is no reason to believe that Breakker is losing here. Breakker is the future of NXT (if not WWE) and giving him another win over an established star is the smartest way to go. Breakker wins here, and he does it after another classic from Bate, who is near the top of WWE when he is on his game under the bright lights.

Overall Thoughts

The go home show made me a lot more interested in this show than I would have been otherwise and that is where I am a few days out. What matters is giving us a bunch of good matches to establish the former NXT UK stars as big deals around here. That is going to be easier said than done, but they have made me interested in a show I didn’t care to see, so well done in continuing an NXT tradition, even as another ends.

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