Collision
Date: October 3, 2026
Location: Truist Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Paul Wight

We’re done with All Out and rapidly closing in on Wrestledream, with the schedule being a bit crunched because of the Pac tribute show from earlier this week. That should make for a bigger Collision here, as they don’t have a lot of time to waste with just two weeks before the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

Kofi is excited to be here and can’t wait to get going. Lee Moriarty says he’s been Pure Champion for 799 days and wants more respect. Kofi doesn’t get what’s wrong with him.

Kofi vs. Lee Moriarty

Non-title and Austin Creed is on commentary. Moriarty spins out of a hammerlock to start and we’re at a standoff. They trade a crossarm choke and Moriarty takes him over to the ropes for the break. Kofi sends him to the floor and teases a dive but bounces off of the ropes instead.

Back in and a leg lariat gives Kofi two but Moriarty plants him with a running DDT and it’s time for a breather on the floor. Moriarty bridges back on his neck and mocks Kofi as we take a break. We come back with Moriarty hitting a backdrop but getting knocked off the top. A tornado DDT and dropkick have Moriarty in trouble until he pulls Kofi into a triangle choke. That’s broken up and Kofi tries a springboard….I think crucifix driver but completely misses.

Instead Moriarty gets in a suplex so Kofi kicks him down and drops the double leg. Trouble In Paradise misses and Moriarty pulls him into a Border City Stretch. Kofi makes it over to the rope so Moriarty punches him in the head. Kofi’s choke has Moriarty in the rope, only for Moriarty to send Kofi head first into the buckle. A European clutch gives Moriarty two but Kofi is back up with Trouble In Paradise for the pin at 13:17.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was exactly what you would have expected, with two established talented guys getting to show what they could do. Moriarty can wrestle a technical match as well as anyone and Kofi is one of the most consistently successful stars of his generation. This was quite the opener and Kofi is quite a good addition to the roster.

We take a look at the Pac tribute show, which is still hard to see.

Commentary gives some thoughts on Pac, with McGuinness sounding close to breaking.

The Young Bucks talk about Pac and how helpful he was to them in Japan when they were starting out. You can hear the emotions here and Nick breaks down in tears.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada at Grand Slam Paris, which was announced after All Out.

Commentary announces Clockwork Carnage, which is a rather complicated match involving eight wrestlers entering but possibly being eliminated until they’re all in. Once that is up, the remaining wrestlers have what is basically a fifteen minute Iron Man match and the most points win. So a Royal Rumble/Iron Man hybrid?

Conglomeration vs. Solorato/Griff Garrison

Garrison gets taken into the corner for some double chops as Wight pops back onto audio to yell at McGuinness for muting him. Cassidy gets more fired up than usual and hammers away with about twenty five right hands in the corner. Comorato crotches Cassidy on top but Solo stops to do the Macarena. A tornado DDT gets Cassidy out of trouble and Garrison gets high/lowed on the floor. Back up and Solo tries a 21 Plex of all things, which is easily broken up. The Orange Punch finishes Comorato at 3:09.

Rating: C. This was a more serious Conglomeration than usual and that’s certainly a way to go, as Cassidy being serious might not be the best idea. I’m assuming this is in response to Strong being annoyed at the team’s recent loss so maybe they’re going in something of a different direction. Then again it’s just Solorato/Garrison so it only means so much.

Post match here are the Death Riders for their scheduled match and a staredown.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Death Riders

The Gang starts in on Yuta’s arm with some alternating shots before Austin gets pulled into the wrong corner. Austin fights back against Garcia and Yuta, meaning it’s time for the double fireman’s carry with the squats. Castagnoli breaks it up with a big boot though and we take a break. We come back with Austin hitting a brainbuster, allowing the tag off to Colten. That means right hands and a dropkick to take over, with Austin coming in for the still cool Quick Draw.

Everything breaks down and a step up clothesline to the back gets two on Garcia. Castagnoli’s powerbomb out of the corner gets two on Colten and it’s off to the six way slugout/knockdown. Marina Shafir and Juice Robinson tease a fight but Gabe Kidd breaks it up. The Gunns chase Kidd off but Yuta dives onto both of them. That leaves Austin to get crushed with running elbows in the corner, with Shafir getting in a shot of her own. The running knee and Dragontamer finish Austin at 12:20.

Rating: B-. Hey look: Austin takes the fall in a match with the Gunn Club there to do it instead. For the life of me I do not get why Austin has to take so many losses but here we are again. Other than that, it was a good enough tag match and a way for the Riders to get a regular win after their big showcase on Wednesday.

Darby Allin talks about how things have been put into perspective and he thought Steven Borden’s career was over at All Out. The Tag Team Titles will still be waiting for them though and it’s time to focus on the TNT Title. Kyle Fletcher never lost it so Allin wants to give him a title shot at Grand Slam so Allin can feel alive.

Myron Reed vs. Dante Martin

They trade rollups to start as McGuinness and Wight have what sounds like a less than playful exchange on commentary. Martin knocks him outside and rolls through a slingshot sunset flip attempt. Reed is right back up with a dropkick and we take a break. We come back with Reed hitting the hanging Downward Spiral from the apron to the floor. Marin is back up for the suicide shove but Reed tries the running diving cutter. The term is try as Martin blocks it and reverses into a poisonrana on the floor. Back in and Martin goes up for…something that takes so long that he dives into a cutter. Reed’s 450 finishes at 9:49.

Rating: B. It was a nice collection of flips and dives with the 450 being a cool looking finish but this felt like it would have been better suited for a middle of the show match on Ring Of Honor. Martin feels like he has been ready to move up to the next level for years now and there is no reason to suggest that is the case. Reed is talented but I have no reason to believe he’s going anywhere either.

Thekla tries to go see Mercedes Mone but can’t get an answer to a knock. Then Mone sneaks up from behind and knocks Thekla down. This has been “Mone is smart and her challenger is dumb”.

Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Emily Rose/Joiya Blake

Divine Intervention finishes Rose at 46 seconds.

Post match Julia Hart comes out for her match and a staredown with Bayne/Kross. Yeah I saw them do that about thirty minutes ago.

Julia Hart vs. Queen Aminata

Hart gets headbutted out to the floor to start, followed by the Chocolate Kisses back inside. Hart knocks her down out of the corner though and Aminata is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with Aminata getting two off a stomp and putting her in a chair on the floor. That means a running double stomp to drive Hart through chair for a nasty crash and they go back inside. Back in and Hart gets in an Octopus, which is reversed into an Air Raid Crash for two. A Backstabber with the feet has Aminata in trouble again but she knocks Hart into the ropes. Off With Her Head finishes Hart at 9:13.

Rating: C+. They were hitting each other hard but this show has been on a streak of matches that do not feel even remotely important. You know where Hart and Aminata are at the moment and it would be ridiculous to think that either of them is going anywhere off of this win. Maybe Aminata can get a shot in Ring Of Honor or something but it’s not happening here, at least not in anything serious.

New Level are glad about what they’re doing so far and Kofi wants to be a singles champion. That means an official challenge to Bandido for Grand Slam, which is certainly a switch.

Jack Perry says he beat Katsuyori Shibata and wants Samoa Joe, who returned at All Out.

Samoa Joe is back and hopes that Perry can be man enough after the beating he’s going to get.

Adam Priest vs. Mark Davis

Davis chops him down to start but Priest is able to get in a knockdown to the floor. A dragon screw legwhip over the rope has Davis in trouble but he’s able to run Priest over as we take a break. We come back with Priest taking out the leg and hitting a top rope DDT. Another twist of the knee has Davis in trouble but it’s too early for the half crab. And then the half crab goes on to have Davis screaming quite a bit. That’s broken up and Priest goes after the leg again but gets pulled into the piledriver to give Davis the pin at 8:39.

Rating: C+. This show has turned into ROH Collision as you’re getting longer matches with zero doubt about who wins. At the same time, and really far worse, is that neither of these two are going to have anything changed with the result. Davis beat someone he should beat and Priest lost to someone he should lose to. That’s been the case with most of the matches this week and it’s making for a very dull watch.

Queen Aminata is told she might get a title shot and says she’ll face Mercedes Mone at Grand Slam. Then she can go on to WrestleDream to beat Thekla up.

Grand Slam rundown.

Jon Moxley vs. Jake Doyle

Non-title Eliminator Match. They start slowly and Moxley can’t get very far by running into Doyle. A running shoulder doesn’t work but the second is more successful for Moxley. Back up and Doyle powers him into the corner but Moxley reverses and hammers away. A running shoulder sends Moxley off the apron and into the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Moxley in trouble on the floor and a ridiculously slow count, which allows Moxley to sit down next to the post for a few moments. Back in and Moxley wins a slugout, even throwing in some kicks to the leg. The rebound lariat hits Doyle and a cutter sends him outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Doyle tries a powerbomb but gets his face bitten instead. A piledriver just wakes Doyle up and he powerbombs Moxley for two. Back up and Doyle tries Into The Void but gets pulled into the rear naked choke to give Moxley the win at 13:19.

Rating: B. That was exactly what I was expecting, with Moxley selling a bunch and then winning in the end. The match was good and all, but the result was exactly the same as it so often is with Moxley and that makes for a tedious watch. Moxley being there made it feel more important than the rest of the show but dang this did not come off like a main event.

Overall Rating: C+. This really did feel like a Ring Of Honor show, with a bunch of people having matches to fill in the time. A few of them might be building to something, but so many of the matches felt like background noise while commentary announced matches for the two upcoming shows. You have a live television show with the wrestlers there so make this more like this week’s Dynamite. The wrestling was good but the presentation didn’t work, which made this feel very, very long.

Results
Kofi b. Lee Moriarty – Trouble In Paradise
Death Riders b. Bang Bang Gang – Dragontamer to Austin
Myron Reed b. Dante Martin – 450
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Emily Rose/Joiya Blake – Divine Intervention to Rose
Queen Aminata b. Julia Hart – Off With Her Head
Mark Davis b. Adam Priest – Piledriver
Jon Moxley b. Jake Doyle – Rear naked choke

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

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

Universal Wrestling Federation
Date: June 7, 1986
Location: Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Jim Ross, Michael Hayes

So last week was a white hot angle with Eddie Gilbert and the Russians humiliating Cowboy Bill Watts by covering him with the Soviet flag. That’s not going to sit well with Watts, who has already come chasing after them with a baseball bat. The house show matches are coming soon enough, but we’ve got some work to do on the way there. Let’s get to it.

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

The WWE Vault version of this show is missing almost 20 minutes so a match almost has to be missing. Or at least a music video. At least a lot of it will be entrances and bumpers due to music rights, because those things have to ruin a lot of classic footage.

We open with a recap of Dark Journey turning down Michael Hayes.

Commentary welcomes us to the show and Hayes claims last week was a misunderstanding.

Kamala vs. Mike Reed

One Man Gang and Skandor Akbar are here with Kamala. Before the match, Akbar says no team in the world can stand up to these two. I’m sure they could stand up to the monsters. Maybe not beat them but standing up can’t be that hard. Kamala jumps him before the bell and kicks him down, setting up a pair of splashes for the win. I didn’t hear an opening bell but we’ll say about 28 seconds.

We recap Bill Watts getting into it with Eddie Gilbert and the Russians, resulting in Watts being covered with the Soviet flag last week. JR is in his glory as he screams about what he is seeing.

Watts is at his house and talks about World War II and the Korean War and how everyone is sure that America is going under because we play by the rules. He’s not playing by the rules and is calling his friends to come help him. This was so AMERICA IS GREAT that it made my teeth sweat.

Here is Eddie Gilbert to introduce the Russians and mock Bill Watts.

Russians vs. Jeff Gaylord/Ken Massey/Perry Jackson

Ivan wrestles Jackson down to start and drops a leg before it’s off to Nikita. The quick tags continue as Massey comes in, with Nikita dropping him with the Sickle for the pin at 1:19.

Post match, Gilbert does the flag thing again.

Bill Watts talks to Dusty Rhodes and wants him to fight for America. Rhodes is ready to come to Houston and help fight, with Watts telling us not to come to the show if you don’t want to see mud, blood and beer. Watts: “WE HATE RUSSIA!” I’m not sure why Dusty was wearing a top hat but maybe it’s subtext.

Michael Hayes introduces a video on the Freebirds. Said video is set to Can’t Stop Rockin by ZZ Top so of course it’s missing from the Vault version. Oddly enough this seemed to be mostly if not all WCCW footage.

Eddie Gilbert and the Russians are ready for Houston.

Brett Wayne Sawyer vs. Jack Victory

Victory has the giant Lady Maxine with him. Sawyer takes him down to start and cuts off a boot to the ribs. Back up and Victory takes over by choking in the rope, with Maxine getting in a choke. Sawyer gets some boots up in the corner and walks into some dropkicks but avoids a third.

Maxine low bridges Sawyer to the floor and here is Dark Journey to glare at Maxine, which has the fans interested. Sawyer throws Victory over the top and tells the women to go at it, with the brawl kicking off. Victory pulls Maxine outside and we’ll call it a no contest (unless Sawyer was DQ’d for the toss over the top, but I can’t imagine it matters) at 5:00.

Rating: C. Obviously the match wasn’t the point here, as this was ALL about the women going nuts out there. That made for a good segment, and you could tell the fans were very interested. That’s not something you want to do very often, but dang it works when you have an angle the fans are into and you can feel the energy.

We look at the UWF Championship tournament, with Jim Duggan vacating the North American Title to retire it and then entering the tournament. This includes highlights of the entire tournament, with Terry Gordy beating Duggan in the finals, partially thanks to a pre-match brawl between Duggan and One Man Gang. Seeing the bloody Duggan fight for everything he had was great stuff as he knew how to make a comeback like few others. The recap eats up about ten minutes, none of which is shown on the Vault version.

TV Title: Buzz Sawyer vs. Terry Taylor

Sawyer, with Rick Steiner, is defending and Chavo Guerrero is here with Taylor. Hayes makes jokes about Mexican food as Taylor grabs a headlock and hits a crossbody for two. Another headlock doesn’t work so well as Sawyer is up with the forearms in the corner. Taylor is right back with another dropkick out to the floor but misses another crossbody, sending him outside as well.

Back in and a suplex drops Taylor but Sawyer misses a top rope splash. Steiner trips Taylor so Guerrero puts the foot on the rope and jumps Steiner as we’re rapidly running out of time. The credits start to roll and Taylor gets a small package for the pin and the title at 4:28.

Rating: B-. The pin taking place during the credits was quite the surprise as you wouldn’t expect to see a title change that late in the show. Taylor continues to feel like one of the bigger prospects around here, but the more I see of Sawyer, the more impressed I am. At the same time, it’s a shame that he was such a horrible person outside of the ring because it really brings the opinion of him down.

Overall Rating: C+. Here you have a show that is good enough on its own but brought WAY up due to the crowd. The fans were molten for everything going on and it made things that much better. It really is easy to see why this place was seen as a big deal and if not for the upcoming economic crash, the question of “what if” is so strong. Anyway, while not as big as last week’s show, this is still a breeze to watch and hopefully we get the Superdome or Astrodome show to wrap up the month in a few weeks.

Results
Kamala b. Mike Reed – Splash
Russians b. Jeff Gaylord/Ken Massey/Perry Jackson – Russian Sickle to Massey
Brett Wayne Sawyer vs. Jack Victory went to a no contest when Lady Maxine and Dark Journey brawled
Terry Taylor b. Buzz Sawyer – Small package

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

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

Universal Wrestling Federation
Date: May 31, 1986
Location: Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Jim Ross, Michael Hayes

So this was randomly posted to the WWE Vault and might be the next of their month long Throwback Thursday series. Either way, this is the renamed Mid-South Wrestling promotion and the promotion is still rather hot, with Bill Watts at the helm. That should be enough to carry things so let’s get to it.

Note that the WWE Vault version is about 32 minutes long and from what I can find, about ten minutes is edited out. A good chunk of this seems to be the bumpers saying “this wrestler is coming up next”, which are likely missing due to the music. Thankfully, a full version can be found online.

We open with a clip from last week, with Michaels Hayes calling out Ted DiBiase for a fight, with DiBiase heading to the ring.

Opening sequence.

Jim Ross and Michael Hayes welcome us to the show with Hayes talking about being attacked last week. They’re gearing up for shows at the Superdome and the Astrodome and Ross runs down the card. Hayes is ready for a big match at Reunion Arena in Dallas.

Rick Steiner vs. Perry Jackson

Buzz Sawyer is here with Steiner and hang on as Eddie Gilbert is here with a red flag. He talks about something that happened two weeks ago with Bill Watts, who woke Gilbert up with his fist and for being against America. Gilbert insists that he is NOT a Communist and wants to tell Watts face to face. Referee Tommy Gilbert (Eddie’s father) comes out to ask what Eddie is doing and Eddie walks out.

So we get the bell and Steiner gets slammed early on. That earns Jackson a shot from behind and Steiner rubs his face in the mat for a bonus. A suplex drops Jackson again but he gets in a crossbody. Jackson backdrops and slams him for two but Steiner is back with a shot to the ribs. Steiner’s belly to belly out of the air finishes Jackson at 2:22.

One Man Gang vs. Ken Massey

Before the match, the Gang reveals that he is the latest member of Devastation Inc. and is ready to slap and splash some punk. Gang, with Skandor Akbar, pounds Massey in the back and they’re quickly on the floor. Back in and the yet to be named 747 finishes Massey at 59 seconds.

Here is Dark Journey, who has been dealing with Lady Maxine and promises to take care of her no matter where. Michael Hayes says Journey doesn’t need to worry about “this Amazon” (Maxine) or Jack Victory. She just needs a journey down Badstreet with her, earning himself a slap in the process. Hayes: “SHE’S PLAYING HARD TO GET!”

Here is Eddie Gilbert once again to ask Bill Watts to come talk to him so Gilbert can show that he’s not associated with the Russians. Watts finally comes out, with Gilbert thanking him for the wake up call to show that he doesn’t need the Russians or their money. Gilbert wants to burn the Soviet flag and while he’ll still be with his wrestlers, he’s done with the Russians.

Cue said Russians (Ivan Koloff/Nikita Koloff/Korstia Kornchenko) to jump Watts and beat him with a chain, with Gilbert taking out a referee with a shovel. The Soviet flag is draped over the unconscious Watts as Gilbert’s Blade Runners hold off Jim Duggan, Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase. The three of them get through and clear the ring for the save. Bill’s sons Joel and Eric come in to check on him.

Now, that’s a hot angle in its own right as the most American star in the world, the Cowboy, was beaten down and humiliated in a way that would have him absolutely livid. That’s more than just about anything you could ask for, but what put this over the top was Ross’ commentary. Ross made it sound like he was seeing the most heinous, despicable thing that he could possibly imagine. He sold it like nothing else you could imagine and my goodness it made the whole thing that much better. Ross was the star here, with the fans going insane as they should have.

Steve Williams vs. Gustavo Mendoza

Williams’ entrance is missing, which I’m sure has nothing to do with his entrance music being Born In The USA. Williams is ticked off about Watts and hits some running shoulders to send him outside. Back in and a running clothesline takes Mendoza down again, followed by another shoulder. The Oklahoma Stampede finishes Mendoza at 1:17.

Jim Ross introduces us to Frank Dusek, who will be working with various charity shows. Ok then.

Here’s how to get a fundraising show! Yes this is edited out too.

Fabulous Freebirds vs. Terry Taylor/Ted DiBiase

Music gets rid of the entrances here too. Roberts backs DiBiase into the corner to start so DiBiase cranks on the arm. Hayes (now off commentary obviously) comes in and gets punched down to the floor by a fired up DiBiase. Taylor comes in for a headscissors as Ross runs down a bunch of upcoming shows.

It’s back to Hayes, who gets slammed a few times and then backs away from DiBiase, who runs into a raised boot in the corner. Roberts gets to drop a middle rope stomp to the head but some right hands knock Hayes into the wrong corner. Hayes breaks up a sunset flip though and it’s back to Roberts to take over on Taylor. That doesn’t last long either as DiBiase comes back in for a double atomic drop but a Hayes distraction lets Roberts get in a cheap shot, with DiBiase going head first into the post.

The piledriver on the floor is broken up but Hayes stays on DiBiase, who is bleeding from the forehead. The chinlock doesn’t last long as DiBiase is up with a suplex and it’s back to Taylor to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Birds are sent into each other but DiBiase is sent outside. That means Hayes can cheap shot Taylor and suplex Roberts onto him for the pin at 8:45.

Rating: B-. This was the only match on the show that got any kind of time and it shouldn’t be a surprise that the talented wrestlers had a good performance. DiBiase was so much different than he would become in the WWF and it’s rather impressive to see such a change of pace. As always, the Freebirds can work a crowd like no other and the whole thing worked.

And never mind as another referee comes out to say what Hayes did with his cheap shot and the decision is reversed.

Here are Eddie Gilbert and the Russians to brag about taking out Bill Watts. The Fantastics come out for a brawl (the Fantastics got an entrance (also edited out) but the match never started) but Watts runs in with a baseball bat to clear the ring as Ross ERUPTS to end the show. This might have had a better impact without the credits rolling over the whole scene.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was mostly short, but that’s just what you had to be expecting on a show from this era. At the same time though, MY GOODNESS what an angle that was with Watts and the Russians. It’s something that worked well back in the day and it completely holds up, even if the houses weren’t great as a result. Pretty solid show here and I could go for more of it.

Results
Rick Steiner b. Perry Jackson – Belly to belly suplex
One Man Gang b. Ken Massey – Splash
Steve Williams b. Gustavo Mendoza – Oklahoma Stampede
Terry Taylor/Ted DiBiase b. Fabulous Freebirds via reverse decision

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

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

Smackdown
Date: October 2, 2026
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re in the fourth quarter of the year and just over a week away from Money In The Bank. The big story this week is another qualifying match, but we also have the issue of basically everyone being mad at World Champion Sami Zayn, which will have to be solved. That should be enough to carry things here so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of CM Punk beating Gunther and Finn Balor last week to qualify for Money In The Bank.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Candice LeRae vs. Tatum Paxley

LeRae gets smart early on by throwing Paxley at Stratton. That sends Paxley outside, leaving Stratton to get back up with a running hip attack in the ropes. Paxley is back in and they trade rollups for two each until LeRae and Stratton are knocked out to the floor. A moonsault takes the two of them out and Paxley is rather giggly as we take a break.

We come back with everyone down so Paxley gets up to clean house. Cole thinks it will change Paxley’s career trajectory if she wins here. No Cole, it won’t. Stratton gives LeRae an Alabama Slam into a Swanton but walks into a spinwheel kick from Paxley. LeRae’s Lionsault is broken up and the Cemetery Drive hits Stratton, with LeRae making the save this time. Paxley hits LeRae with her 450 but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever breaks it up, allowing Stratton to pin LeRae at 9:36.

Rating: B-. This was more of a showcase for Paxley than anything else but, you know, triple threat and stealing the pin and all that. I will be so glad when we get to the pay per view next week and can stop with these qualifying matches. They’ve been good for the most part, but my goodness mix it up a bit already.

Chelsea Green isn’t sure who is winning the briefcase. Nikki Bella comes in to say she’s taking the title anyway but Paige comes in with a challenge for Bella. They can fight in two weeks, but for now Paige will just slap her.

Rey Fenix/Fraxiom vs. War Raiders/Ricky Saints

Ivar and Frazer start things off with Ivar knocking him down without much effort. Erik comes in and gets enziguried, allowing the tag off to Axiom. Fraxiom fire off the dives and Fenix tries one of his own but messes it up pretty badly and doesn’t make a ton of contact. Everyone is down on the floor and we take a pretty quick break.

We come back with Saints hammering on Axiom and going after the mask as any villain should do to a masked wrestler. Erik grabs a front facelock but Axiom fights his way out, allowing Fenix to come in for the handspring cutter. The rope walk kick sends Erik outside and a superkick puts Ivar down. The frog splash connects with Erik making the save as everything breaks down. Axiom has to moonsault onto the floor to save Frazer and Fenix goes up top, only to get Roshamboed down to give Saints the pin at 10:33.

Rating: B-. It’s another good enough match, though seeing Saints challenge Fenix for the Cruiserweight Title isn’t the most interesting idea. If nothing else, it’s nice to see some people getting some TV time, even if neither of the teams has much going on right now. Perfectly fine match here, though I’m a sucker for this kind of six man tags.

Cody Rhodes knows that he and Kevin Owens have history but he’ll deal with Owens and Johnny Gargano. Trick Williams comes in to say he hopes Rhodes wins but Rhodes is losing at Money In The Bank. Williams: “Let’s talk about it.” Rhodes: “Sounds like we just did.”

Damian Priest is in New York City and says he’s getting back to what he was before. Yes it was personal when he attacked R-Truth and he’ll do it again.

Charlotte has gotten herself and Tatum Paxley a Women’s Tag Team Title shot. Paxley is thrilled but wants Paxley to be serious.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. Zayn says he hears the noise here and asks how many people are here to ride or die with him. The reaction is a bit disappointing to them but he’s still playing with injustice in the form of inequality. WWE Champions are supposed to get respect but there are a lot of people saying they are going to beat him. He knows he can overcome any of them and if you don’t believe him, ask Cody Rhodes or CM Punk.

Cue Raw’s Je’Von Evans of all people to say Zayn is sounding worried before moving on to Money In The Bank. Zayn cuts him off, saying he’s been where Evans is before. Evans suggests he might cash in on Zayn if he wins the briefcase, which brings out Penta. Zayn doesn’t seem happy as Penta promises to cash in on someone and win a World Title.

Trick Williams, Gingerbread Man jokes, respect, same thing Penta said. Zayn says he’s look at at least two losers, if not three, and gets in Williams’ face to say no one can do what Zayn can do. As Zayn goes to leave, Finn Balor comes out to say that he’s coming for the title. Cue Gunther to choke Balor out and send Zayn into the ladders.

Tiffany Stratton are very happy over Stratton’s win.

Gunther is asked why he did that and is interrupted by Danhausen (who appears to have a Ghostbusters PKE meter). This doesn’t work for Gunther, who is sick of this and leaves Danhausen laying.

Blake Monroe vs. Giulia

Giulia goes right after her to start but gets stomped down in the corner. A running hurricanrana out of the corner gives Monroe two so Giulia kicks her in the face. They go to the floor and Monroe knees her in the face as we take a break. We come back with Giulia shouldering her down a few times and getting two off a missile dropkick. Monroe’s Neutralizer is broken up so Giulia hits the running knee. A curb stomp gives Giulia two so she goes up top, with Monroe knocking her face first into the post. That’s enough to knock Giulia cold for the pin at 8:22.

Rating: C+. That’s certainly an interesting way to go as Giulia was dominating and then got knocked silly with one single shot. You don’t see it happen very often and it lets Monroe brag about her win without really beating Giulia. Odds are they’ll do a rematch where Giulia can lose again because that’s pretty much all she does these days.

We look at Jaida Parker taking out Jacob Fatu and joining 946 on Raw.

Johnny Gargano tells Candice LeRae that the night can still be salvaged but Sami Zayn comes in to give Gargano a big pep talk.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens vs. Johnny Gargano

Rhodes hammers away at Owens to start before rolling Gargano up for two. Gargano is back up and Rhodes is knocked down, with Gargano knocking Owens out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Owens setting up a table but Candice LeRae saves Gargano. Rhodes is back up with a snap powerslam but gets caught in the Gargano Escape. Owens breaks that up and tries a Stunner, only to be pulled into the Gargano Escape as well.

That’s broken up as well and Rhodes drops Gargano onto Owens. LeRae tries another distraction so Rhodes knocks Gargano into her and…well not really through the table, which just cracks. Gargano is knocked through the rest of the table, leaving Owens to knock Rhodes down as we take another break. We come back again with Owens hitting Gargano with his swinging superplex and going up again. This time Rhodes cuts Owens off but gets shoved down, allowing Owens to hit a Swanton.

Gargano superkicks Owens to steal a near fall, earning himself a Stunner. Rhodes breaks up the cover by diving in front of the referee, which leaves Owens rather unpleased. Owens and Rhodes slug it out until Rhodes counters the Stunner into Cross Rhodes. This time it’s Randy Orton making the save so Rhodes goes after him with some rams into various hard items. Gargano jumps Rhodes though and grabs One Final Beat for two on Owens. Back up and Owens powerbombs Gargano, with Orton cutting Rhodes off to give Owens the pin at 17:03.

Rating: B. This was pretty much all you would have expected, with Orton’s interference being a nice bonus. If nothing else, it was cool to have the finish be anything other than a version of someone stealing the pin. If nothing else, Gargano can continue to pester Sami Zayn while Rhodes goes after Orton, likely in a big grudge match at Money In The Bank.

Post match Orton runs away from Rhodes to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a perfectly fine show, with the two qualifying matches being the focal points and people now talking about what happens when the briefcases actually get into play. That’s going to be one of the bigger stories for the next few months, though Zayn needs a challenger at the moment. Good enough show here, though it should be interesting to see what happens next week when they don’t have the qualifying matches to eat up so much of the show.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Candice LeRae and Tatum Paxley – Prettiest Moonsault Ever to LeRae
Ricky Saints/War Raiders b. Fraxiom/Rey Fenix – Roshambo to Fenix
Blake Monroe b. Giulia – Ram into the post
Kevin Owens b. Cody Rhodes and Johnny Gargano – Stunner to Gargano

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 1, 2026
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Port, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re only a few weeks away from Bound For Glory and last week saw the reveal of the Syk as the recent mystery attackers. That should open up a big showdown with the Hardys at Bound For Glory, but we have some other things to cover. That includes more on Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Pac.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: BDE vs. Mr. Elegance

BDE starts fast with a springboard crossbody and an armdrag sends Elegance outside. Back in and BDE misses a springboard to let Elegance take over, including a cravate. Some rolling suplexes give Elegance two but the wind up DDT is blocked. BDE can’t get his Kliq Cutter but he can get a sunset flip to pin Elegance at 4:30.

Rating: C. The match was what you would expect but BDE getting a win does actually feel like a nice moment. He’s never going to be a big star but they’ve put something into the idea that he’s worked so hard to get here and he finally beat someone. It’s not like Elegance is going to lose anything by being beaten here anyway as he’s just a goofy villain so nice job here.

John Skyler and Jason Hotch have to team together tonight and Hotch is a bit condescending about Mila Moore. Skyler talks about how he had nothing and finally found someone but Hotch can’t be happy for him. Tonight, he hopes Skyler will be in his corner.

The Hometown Man meets the Dude Wipes mascot but AJ Francis comes in to steal the wipes that the mascot gave to the Man.

Zoey Serrano vs. Indi Hartwell

Xia Brookside is on commentary. The brawl starts on the floor with both of them being rammed into the apron. They get inside with Hartwell in control and the bell rings. Serrano is up with a superkick and half nelson suplex to put Hartwell down. Some big crossface shots have Hartwell in more trouble but she spinebusters Serrano out of the air. They head outside again, with Hartwell being sent into the steps. That’s not enough for Serrano, who kicks a security guard in the face and then hits Hartwell with a chair for the DQ at 3:04.

Rating: C. This was more of an angle than a match but I do like the ending, as you don’t want either of them taking a pin right now. Serrano is doing something different by being the unhinged woman who attacks random people while Hartwell is on her way to the title match at Bound For Glory. It was kept rather short, which granted might not be a bad idea.

Post match Serrano unloads on Hartwell with the chair and Brookside belts Hartwell in the head to stand as tall as she can.

Order 4 vs. Great Hands

Tasha Steelz and Mila Moore are here too. Ali dropkicks Skyler off the apron to start and flips over Hotch in the corner. A missed charge puts Ali on the floor though and Hotch takes him out with a moonsault. That just earns him a gorilla press drop onto the apron from Zero though and Ali DDTs him onto the floor.

Skyler is up with a pair of spears to Ali and the Hands are back up, only to get clotheslined outside by Zero. The big no hands dive takes them out again and a spinebuster gets two on Hotch back inside. The swinging Downward Spiral plants Hotch for two more and Zero knocks Skyler off the apron.

Ali’s chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s a sitout powerbomb to put him down. That’s enough for the tag back to Skyler and the Hands get together to take Zero down. The double superplex is broken up though and it’s a double powerbomb to drop the Hands again. Back up and Hotch knocks Zero to the floor, leaving Ali to miss a 450. The slingshot spear gives Skyler two but Ali is right back with a Sharpshooter for the tap at 11:41.

Rating: B. It’s nice to see the Great Hands back together, as they’re rather talented when they get to work together. At the same time, it should be interesting to see where this goes. I was surprised to see the Hands lose here, though it wouldn’t make the most sense to have Ali lose in a tag match and Zero losing getting pinned again wouldn’t be a great idea either.

Post match Ali won’t let go so Skyler makes the save. Ali makes Zero take Hotch out again and then yells at Zero….so Steelz tells Zero to take Ali out. That’s exactly what Zero does, followed by a chokebomb to Moore.

Post break the four of them get in a big brawl but Santino Marella comes in to make a four way International Title match for Bound For Glory.

AJ Francis vs. Moose

Francis, with Expressions, splashes him to start fast and avoids a charge in the corner to put Moose down. They’re quickly on the floor with Francis sending him into the steps but it’s too early for the Down Payment back inside. Moose kicks him in the face but Francis is right back with a suplex into the chinlock. That’s broken up as well so Moose goes up, where he is quickly crotched.

Moose manages to shove him off the top and hit a high crossbody, setting up a top rope superplex to send Francis crashing back down for two. The spear is broken up by an Expressions distraction and Francis’ spear gets two. The villains load up the table, which is then covered with Dude Wipes, so the Dude Wipes mascot gets inside (oh boy). Expressions gets kicked through the table so Moose goes after the mascot, meaning Moose can get in the spear for the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C. The focus of this match was an inflated box of wipes in underwear. I’m well aware that the company got a nice check for this but that doesn’t make for good television. As for the match itself, it was a fine power fight between two big guys, but it was kind of hard to get the focus on that with everything else going on.

Rosemary and Kiera Hogan go to meet Rosemary, who isn’t sure if this is real and says she can’t go back. Rosemary rams herself into a chain link fence and warns them of SNAKES IN THE GRASS before wandering off.

Joe Alonzo vs. Leon Slater

Before the match, Alonzo says his own name a lot and says Slater isn’t going to win the title. He references Nic Nemeth (on commentary) from 2006 and says that Slater isn’t going to take away his spot while promising to take away Slater’s Bound For Glory spot. The bell rings and Slater better beat him in about 30 seconds. A leg lariat and the Swanton 450 finish Alonzo at 21 seconds. There we go!

Post match Nemeth steals Slater’s jacket…so Slater steals Nemeth’s titles. Keeping Slater looking smart is an important idea and they’re doing well.

We look at Frankie Kazarian training Avery Styles.

Elayna Black comes in to see the Elegance Brand and promises to take the Knockouts TV Title. Black mocks the Elegance Brand, with M saying she doesn’t need them. That’s enough for Black to get her to agree to not have the Brand next week. The Personal Concierge points out that might be a bad idea.

Ricky Sosa vs. Cedric Alexander

Sosa backs him up against the ropes for a clean break to start and then grabs a quick northern lights suplex. Alexander is knocked to the floor for a big no hands dive as we take a break. We come back with Alexander hitting a basement dropkick and sending Sosa outside. The chinlock goes on back inside, which is broken up just as fast.

Sosa flips over him out of the corner and…I think DDTs him out of the air for two. Alexander is right back with a suplex but springboards into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Cue the System for a distraction, which is cut off just as fast. Alisha Edwards offers a distraction though and here is Eddie Edwards to kick Sosa low. The Lumbar Check finishes Sosa at 9:57.

Rating: B-. They’re doing a nice job of setting Sosa up for his big win over Eddie at Bound For Glory and that should make for a good moment. Sosa hasn’t quite broken through as a star around here yet but the fans like him. Let him have the moment on the big stage and see where he can go. Eddie is as smart of a choice to make him look good in the ring so the pieces are in the right place from here.

Here is the Syx for their first big speech. Shaw says “we’re here” and says now you know who the attackers have been, but why? This is a rotten place and sometimes a place is so rotten that it has to be cut apart. Sawyer says it doesn’t matter who you are around here because you’re on the chopping block. The Hardys have survived everything over the years and that just means the Syx get to try it again. Now we get to see how hard it is to kill them.

Cue the Hardys, who say they’re still standing because they’re unkillable and will not die. If the Syx want to find out how hard they are to kill, let’s do it at Bound For Glory, anything goes and falls count anywhere. The Hardys are ready to go right now but Syx bail to end the show. You knew the match was coming so just announcing it quickly is the way to go. At the same time, are we really having the former Wyatts pick up the Eric Young sickness deal?

Overall Rating: B-. This was the kind of show that the company needed for Bound For Glory, as we’re getting closer to the show and they were running out of time to build everything up. That’s what they did here, with most of the matches getting at least some time. They still have one more week to finalize everything and it should be interesting to see how they put everything together. This is the most important time of the year and I’m curious to see how they make it work. This week’s show did some good stuff and that’s a positive step forward.

Results
BDE b. Mr. Elegance – Sunset flip
Indi Hartwell b. Zoey Serrano when Serrano used a chair
Order 4 b. Great Hands – Sharpshooter to Skyler
Moose b. AJ Francis – Spear
Leon Slater b. Joe Alonzo – Swanton 450
Cedric Alexander b. Ricky Sosa – Lumbar Check

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: October 1, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re closing in on the end of the year and that means we have a few more months to start getting ready to get ready for Final Battle’s build…eventually. That’s more than enough time so this week is likely going to be more of the usual, even as we are only a few months away from Bandido breaking the record for the longest World Title reign in company history. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the Pac tribute video from the end of Dynamite, which is still hard to take.

Soloroto/Griff Garrison vs. Dalton Castle/Outrunners

Garrison and Magnum start things off with the latter grabbing an armdrag and headscissors. Solo comes in and can’t get a fireman’s carry so it’s off to Comoroto, who skins the cat. That earns him a knock out to the floor and Garrison is pulled right back in. The Outrunners hit ax handles off the apron but Magnum is caught in a suplex/dropkick combination back inside. A running big boot gives Garrison two but Magnum flips over him and falls into the tag to Floyd. House is quickly cleaned and it’s off to Castle for the suplexes. The Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle finishes Solo at 6:43.

Rating: C. This was little more than a squash for Castle and the Outrunners and they continue to look good together. I’m not sure I can imagine them getting back to the titles, but it’s not like they need to do anything with them anyway. Soloroto and Garrison are the latest incarnation of the usual suspects in the jobber league and that’s about all they can be expected to do at the moment.

AR Fox vs. LJ Cleary

Feeling out process to start and Fox flips over him to start, followed by the running clothesline in the corner. Cleary slides between Fox’s legs to escape and…I guess we’ll call it dances a bit before hitting a dropkick. A neck twist gives Cleary two but Fox is back up with a DDT out of the corner, followed by a spinning suplex for two. Cleary is back up with a double stomp to the back but Fox superkicks him out of the air. They trade rollups for two each until Fox catches him with Lo Mein Pain. The 450 finishes Cleary at 7:20.

Rating: B-. Yeah believe it or not, Fox has an entertaining, fast paced match that looks different than most of the others on the show. That’s what turned him into a star around here and it’s nice to see him getting to do more of the it so regularly. Now just let him do something serious again for a change.

Post match Fox goes outside to acknowledge a TONIGHT IS FOR PAC sign in a nice moment.

Cassie Lee vs. Lady Leigh

Jesse McKay is here with Lee but since she’s pregnant and can’t get physical, she brings out Steph de Lander with her. They tease a pushup exchange to start but Lee grabs a headlock instead. An exchange of failed toss attempts gets them nowhere so Lee slides between her legs for a takedown into the pose. Back up and a spinning kick takes Leigh down again, with Lee stopping to yell at the referee. Lee chokes in the ropes and poses with her cohorts before asking what the fans want to see. Announcing a fisherman’s suplex allows Leigh to get a small package for two so Lee knees her in the face. A Pedigree finishes Leigh at 4:48.

Rating: C. This was at least fun and a bit of a different kind of squash. Lee needs something to do with McKay out of action for the foreseeable future and this is as good as anything else. The Pedigree is a good finisher for her if nothing else so maybe she’s got something of a direction for the time being.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz are mad about RPG Vice cheating and Kingston calls out Trent Beretta for a fight right now.

Il Cartello Grillo vs. MxM Collection

Mansoor and Seal start things off with Mansoor walking over him and striking the pose. A takedown lets Mansoor grab a rollup for two and it’s off to Impala vs. Madden. That means Madden gets to clean house with a hip attack to Impala, followed by a side slam/legdrop combination to Seal.

Some double teaming takes over on Mansoor, with Rosario Grillo getting in a choke from the floor. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Mansoor rolls between the two of them allowing the tag back to Madden. House is quickly cleaned and the Collection goes outside to beat on Grillo with…breadsticks. Back in and a running knee/German suplex combination finishes Impala at 5:41.

Rating: C. This was a good example of what makes ROH such an uninteresting show to watch. The wrestling was, as always, completely competent at worst and the match was hardly bad. Instead, the problem comes from these teams having absolutely nothing going on. They’re not feuding with anyone, they don’t have an angle going on and they’re just there, taking up space on a show. It’s one thing when you have an act or so doing that, but that feels like the vast majority of what you see around here week to week. That makes for a very dull show, because there’s nothing to care about from these people.

Trish Adora vs. Rachael Ellering

They fight over a lockup to start and trade shoulders until Adora takes her down by the arm. Back up and Ellering connects with a running shoulder and a gutwrench suplex. Christyan XO grabs Ellering’s leg though and Adora stomps away, followed by a running shoulder. Ellering grabs a release fisherman’s suplex and a running elbow to the face gives her two. Some big forearms have Adora in more trouble but she snaps off a German suplex. The Lariat Tubman finishes Ellering at 8:18.

Rating: C. Remember what I said about the previous match? This was the women’s singles edition, as neither of these two have anything going on whatsoever. There’s no reason to believe that is going to change, especially with Final Battle coming up where someone either from ROH or Japan will get a random title shot. The Lariat Tubman is good and that’s about the only highlight here.

Premiere Athletes/Beef vs. Troy Hollywood/Saieve Al Sabah/Darian Bengston

The Athletes and Beef jump them from behind to start and Beef headbutts Bengston a lot. Hollywood tries to make the save and gets pulled outside by the Athletes. Beef looks for a top rope splash but Daivari tags himself in for an elevated DDT to pin Bengston at 2:43.

AR Fox wants the World Title and challenges Bandido.

B3cca vs. Red Velvet

Non-title Proving Ground match. Velvet grabs a wristlock to start and takes her down for a short armscissors. They go into a double splits and forearm it out until B3cca is up with a snap suplex. An arm/leg crank lets B3cca pose a bit but Velvet is back up with a crossbody. That just earns her a crossarm choke but Velvet is up with a superkick.

They’re both down as we have 5:00 to go, which seems to trigger Velvet’s comeback. A bridging German suplex cuts Velvet off for two, though she’s fine enough to grab an Iconoclasm for two of her own. B3cca’s springboard Codebreaker gets two but she misses a 450, allowing Velvet to hit the spinning kick to the head for the pin at 8:16.

Rating: C+. They threw a challenger out there, had her give Velvet some trouble for a few minutes, and then Velvet won in the end. That’s the whole thing and it leaves Velvet right where she was before the match. Find something better for her already, because she’s been champion forever and has nothing to do.

We look back at the Dark Order’s issues involving Preston Vance.

Bustah And The Brain vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Oliver ax handles Drake down to start and it’s off to Price for a rolling elbow. Gibson saves Drake from a suplex though and Price is run over with a shot to the face. Oliver gets a quick tag and comes in with a flipping neckbreaker off a rather smooth sequence. That’s fine with Gibson, who sends him shoulder first into the post and suplexes him down by the arm.

Oliver is sent outside, where he cuts off Gibson’s dive and ties him in the ring skirt. That’s enough for the tag off to Price, who comes in with a top rope Blockbuster. Gibson is finally pulled out of the apron (Gibson: “You think it’s funny???”) and everything breaks down, with Price hitting the big dive to the floor.

Back up and Gibson uses his scarf to choke Oliver, allowing a Doomsday Device to connect for two. Everything breaks down again and Oliver AA’s Drake onto the top rope for a double stomp from Price. Gibson makes the save so Drake tries a low blow, which is reversed into la majistal for the pin at 10:20.

Rating: B-. As usual, Bustah And The Brain are a very fun team to watch but the two of them have been stuck in the same place forever. There is no reason to think that’s going to change, which is as frustrating as you can get with them. At the same time, the Veterans are still in the same place they’ve been in for months that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Il Cartello Grillo thinks there is a bias against Italians around here.

Trent Beretta vs. Eddie Kingston

Kingston headbutts him to start and unloads in the corner, with Beretta bailing out to the floor. That’s fine with Kingston, who rips at his face and sends him into the barricade a few times. Coleman quotes Hakuna Matata (ok then) as Beretta knees Kingston down back inside and actually decides to slap him for whatever reason.

A DDT onto the apron drops Kingston onto the apron and he seems to have banged up his shoulder. The tornado DDT is broken up back inside and Kingston hits a clothesline but the arm is banged up. The good arm fires off the Kobashi chops in the corner but Beretta is back with a tornado DDT. They go up top and Kingston hits a superplex for two so Beretta gives him a running knee for the same.

Kingston snaps back up with some suplexes and a spinning backfist for two, meaning it’s already time for the frustration. Beretta kicks him down and gets in a piledriver for two more so here is Rocky Romero for a distraction. Cue Ortiz to cut him off so the spinning backfist can finish Beretta at 12:43.

Rating: B-. Kingston is always going to get a reaction from the crowd but dang does he feel like he’s slumming it with RPG Vice. They’re a comedy duo in the massive heel stable and that’s the best they have for a former World Champion? Ortiz isn’t much better than they are either, as he feels like someone who is just there. Kingston being there gave this some name value but this wasn’t much of a main event.

Overall Rating: C. There are some good enough matches on here but this was back to the old ROH standard, with a bunch of wrestling that feels like it’s there for the sake of filling up a show. There are names you recognize, but it felt like almost nothing on this show mattered. That’s the case around here most of the time and it makes for a show that feels like it’s never going to end with one more match after another. Use the good talent they have around here and stop trying to make everyone a thing without actually doing much of anything with them.

Results
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Soloroto/Griff Garrison – Mega Powers Elbow/ax handle combination to Solo
AR Fox b. LJ Cleary – 450
Cassie Lee b. Lady Leigh – Pedigree
MxM Collection b. Il Cartello Grillo – Running knee/German suplex combination to Impala
Trish Adora b. Rachael Ellering – Lariat Tubman
Premiere Athletes/Beef b. Troy Hollywood/Saieve Al Sabah/Darian Bengston – Elevated DDT to Bengston
Red Velvet b. B3cca – Spinning kick to the head
Bustah And The Brain b. Grizzled Young Veterans – La Majistral to Drake
Eddie Kingston b. Trent Beretta – Spinning backfist

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

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Dynamite
Date: September 30, 2026
Location: Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

These things never get easier. Unfortunately this is another tribute show to a fallen wrestler, as Pac tragically passed away over the weekend, less than twenty four hours after wrestling at All Out. I would be surprised if there is much of anything in the way of regular storyline development here and that is absolutely fine in this case. The rules are basically out the window with this kind of a show and that’s how it should be. Let’s get to it.

In Memory Of Pac.

Excalibur is alone on commentary to start and reads a tribute to Pac and you can hear his voice breaking as he talks about things Pac cared about.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring with a photo and wreath for Pac, who he says taught them all a lot. Pac taught them about how you could be a bastard (which he uses in a friendly way) to some people and part of a family elsewhere. You can learn to be friendly to everyone, which is what Pac taught us.

We go to a clip from after All Out, with Jon Moxley talking about how he gave everything he could and you just have to keep getting up. There’s nothing better than this and every day is a gift. There are two kinds of eulogies: some about who you were and some about what you did. Moxley wants to be the former and he and Will Ospreay have wrestling in the palm of their hands. He gets up and leaves with the Death Riders following him, with Pac the last one to leave. That was about as haunting as you could get.

Back in the arena, the locker room is on stage for a ten bell salute.

Continental Title: Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy

Moxley is defending and Pac’s chair is left sitting in its usual spot as he walks to the ring. You can tell Cassidy is shaken up here and Excalibur sounds on the verge of tears. The bell rings and Cassidy pauses for a second before Moxley grabs a hammerlock, sending Cassidy to the ropes. An armdrag sends Moxley into the ropes and they trade some quick near falls. Moxley tries the bulldog choke, sending Cassidy straight over to the rope. Back up and Cassidy is sent out to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Moxley getting two off a delayed piledriver. Moxley hammers away in the corner but gets sent into the buckle for his efforts. That doesn’t last long for Moxley, who knocks Cassidy down, meaning it’s time to roll around a lot. Moxley finally catches him but Cassidy pops up for a high crossbody. Cassidy goes up top and this time it’s Moxley rolling away, which is rather rather clever.

The Orange Punch connects, with Moxley popping off a cutter to leave them both down. Back up and they trade the lazy kicks, with Moxley teasing the hands in the pockets but flipping Cassidy off instead. The Stundog Millionaire hits Moxley but he’s right back with a big clothesline. The Brutalizer is blocked so Cassidy tries his own, which is blocked as well. A Stomp and Death Rider retain the title at 17:17.

Rating: B. This was a good, hard hitting match between two people who were associated with Pac in different ways. Slipping in some of Pac’s moves was a great touch and you could feel the emotions from both of them. That’s how this match should have gone and it was a nice moment between two guys who are probably wrecks.

Post match Moxley sits up…and here is a rather somber looking Bryan Danielson. He gets in the ring, looks at Moxley, and breaks into tears for the big hug.

Hangman Page talks about getting to know Pac and how much Pac cared about everyone.

Don Callis Family vs. The Elite

Eight man tag (RPG Vice/Kyle Fletcher/Kevin Knight for the Family) and yeah that’s quite the reunion. The Family jumps them to start fast but get beaten up by the Bucks, with the flipping neckbreaker/backbreaker combination putting Fletcher down. The Bucks pose but get taken down by Romero, only to get stared at by Page.

Romero is surrounded before the Elite clears the ring for a four man Rise Of The Terminators. Naturally that means a quadruple dive and quadruple right hands in the corner. Fletcher breaks up More bang For Your Buck and Strong Zero gets two on Nick with Matt making the save. The Family clears the ring and we take a break.

We come back with Matt fighting out of trouble and grabbing the rolling northern lights suplexes. It’s back to Page to clean house, with a running shooting star press getting two on Knight. Omega gets the tag and fires off the Snapdragon as everything breaks down. Another Strong Zero is broken up with some superkicks, followed by a Buckshot Lariat/V Trigger combination. The One Winged Angel finishes Trent at 14:01.

Rating: B-. This was about having a special treat for the fans with the Elite getting back together. Like them or not, they’re the core group of AEW and having them back together is a big moment. I doubt it leads to some full time reunion, but as a way to give the fans something memorable on a night like this, it worked well.

Cash Wheeler and Jay White offer tributes.

Renee Paquette reads a statement from Pac’s family and has some trouble getting through parts of it.

Here are New Level and Swerve Strickland (with Austin Creed in tears) to lay the Trios Titles down and put a Pac towel over them (as Pac held the titles for more combined days than any individual person).

Ricochet talks about basically living with Pac in Japan and how they had known each other for such a long time.

Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay

Non-title. They both kneel in the middle of the ring and hug for quite the emotional moment. Ricochet takes him down to start and they trade some flips for an early standoff. Ospreay misses a charge in the corner and gets taken down by a springboard high crossbody. Back up and Ospreay knocks him outside for the slingshot dive. They get back inside with Ricochet taking over and getting in his own big dive.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet charging into an overhead belly to belly into the barricade. Back in and Ospreay hits the Kawada kicks and a DDT plants Ricochet on his head for two. A hurricanrana gives Ricochet two of his own and a middle rope Phoenix splash gets the same. Ospreay is back up with a super poisonrana so of course Ricochet sticks the landing. Ricochet’s poisonrana works about the same so Ospreay snaps off a poisonrana to leave them both down.

They get up and trade forearms until Ospreay flips him up into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Ricochet’s sitout powerbomb gets two more and he shooting star knees Page in the back of the head for a nice tribute to Pac. The shooting star press gives Ricochet two but Ospreay is right back with a Styles Clash. A Hidden Blade connects and Ospreay looks up, with the fans knowing what’s coming. The Black Arrow (with the camera showing the Pac graphic in a great visual) finishes Ricochet at 16:13.

Rating: B+. You knew what you were going to get coming in and that’s exactly what it was. This was all about being a tribute to Pac with both of them using his offense, including Ospreay in the end. They were trying to honor their friend and it was a heck of a match between two people who know exactly how to do this style. Rather great stuff.

Post match the seconds come in as Ospreay breaks down in tears. Ospreay and Ricochet share a big hug.

Will Ospreay talks about being told he was similar to Pac and it couldn’t have been a bigger compliment. Then he got to meet and work with the real Pac, who was such a great person.

Hyan/Marina Shafir/Thunder Rosa vs. Britt Baker/Persephone/Mercedes Mone

Shafir comes to the ring in a jersey which I’m assuming has some kind of a tie to Pac. Persephone headlocks Hyan to start with Hyan getting out and hitting a big boot. Rosa comes in and gets caught with a basement dropkick for two. That’s shrugged off and Shafir comes in for a 619 into a headscissor driver to plant Persephone on the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Rosa in trouble and getting Meteoraed by Mone. Persephone comes in for a chinlock with a knee in the back but Rosa is up with a knockdown. It’s back to Shafir, who strikes and throws Mone without much trouble. Everything breaks down and a spear hits Shafir and Baker adds a Stomp. Lockjaw is loaded up but Shafir flips Baker into the Brutalizer for the tap at 10:57.

Rating: B-. Shafir winning was almost a guaranteed result and that’s not a bad thing. She was clearly close with Pac and rarely gets in the ring so let her have the moment like this. Much like the rest of the show, the wrestling wasn’t the point here, as this was about having Shafir get in the tribute ending.

Swerve Strickland talks about meeting Pac and immediately knowing how great he was. He misses Pac already and always will.

Darby Allin talks about fighting Pac on a golf course and hopes they can fight there again someday.

Don Callis Family vs. Death Riders

Wardlow is here as the newest (I think?) member of the Family (teaming with Jake Doyle/Josh Alexander/Mark Davis/Lance Archer). The Riders come to the ring and do their circle around Pac’s chair and Jon Moxley sits in on commentary so the Riders need a fifth man. That would be…..freaking BRYAN DANIELSON, wrestling his first match in nearly two years (well, save for an 8 second pin over Max Caster last June but I think we can let it slide.

The big brawl is on to start with Yuta giving Doyle a basement dropkick and not covering. We settle down to Garcia getting caught in the wrong corner but he fights out for the tag to Kidd. After Kidd rams his own head into the buckle, he gets pulled into a quickly broken chinlock. Castagnoli comes in to drop Alexander over the top rope and it’s the Swing as everything breaks down.

Wardlow Samoan drivers Yuta and we take a break. We come back with Yuta fighting out of trouble and hitting a missile dropkick. Danielson gets the tag and fires off right hands into the YES Kicks. Alexander pulls Danielson into an ankle lock, which is broken up rather quickly. Castagnoli’s springboard uppercut drops Wardlow and we hit the parade of knockdowns.

Danielson gets in the big kick to the head and it’s Garcia coming in to strike away at Doyle. Yuta and Danielson hit stereo running knees Shafir gets caught by Archer, who is triangle choked over the top. Garcia gets in his dance and the Riders hit about 20 running clotheslines to Doyle in the corner. The Dragontamer with a Stomp from Castagnoli is enough to pin Doyle at 15:23.

Rating: B. Same as everything else on the card here as the wrestling wasn’t the point. Having the Riders win was the only way to go and Danielson being out there was a great surprise. He’s kind of the “in case of emergency” wrestler for AEW and again, this isn’t exactly a regular show so going outside of the regular rules is perfectly fine.

Post match we get the big hugs from the Riders and Danielson.

And now we close it up with the big tribute video, taking us through the history of Pac’s career, including his time on the indies and then AEW, looking at Death Triangle and the Death Riders. We see clips of him with Brodie Lee and the Butcher, along with some narration, including Jon Moxley’s eulogies line from earlier. Pac says until we meet again to wrap it up.

We get one final shot of the chair with the Death Riders and Danielson in the background to end the show. That’s as emotional and gutwrenching of a moment as I’ve seen in wrestling in a long time. I know everyone is messed up over this in the first place but AEW could not have done this better.

Overall Rating: A. What else is there to say? This show was designed to pay tribute to Pac and they did that about as perfectly as could have been done. This was pretty much just raw emotion and grief throughout the night as a lot of the people probably still haven’t processed what happened. Pac was a part of this company’s (and the industry’s as a whole) family and it is never easy to lose someone like that. This was an incredible spectacle as they basically stopped everything else to get us here, which is how it should have been. Pac will be missed very much and this show explained why. Absolutely outstanding.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Orange Cassidy – Death Rider
Elite b. Don Callis Family – One Winged Angel to Beretta
Will Ospreay b. Ricochet – Red Arrow
Marina Shafir/Hyan/Thunder Rosa b. Britt Baker/Persephone/Mercedes Mone – Brutalizer to Baker
Death Riders b. Don Callis Family – Stomp to Doyle

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

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Worlds Collide 2026
Date: September 30, 2026
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield

Here we have a special, which was certainly not designed to mess with the AEW pay per view taking place at the same time. It’s WWE/NXT/AAA getting together for a special combined show, with CM Punk and some other guest stars involved. We also have a Reina de Reinas Title match as Roxanne Perez gets a shot at new champion La Catalina. Let’s get to it.

Mascarita Sagrada/Mr. Iguana/Adelicious/La Parka vs. Vanity Project/Mini Abismo Negro

Iguana, and Yesca, scares Smokes away so it’s off to Adelicious to roll Lockwood up for a quick two. Lockwood is right back up with a flipping fall away slam for two, which has JBL rather pleased. Adelicious is able to snap off a headscissors and Iguana comes back in for a spinning DDT to Baylor. Parka and Sagrada get in some running shots in the corner so Smokes comes back in, with Parka suplexing Smokes and Baylor at once.

That means it’s time for Parka to dance and then flip away from Smokes out of the corner, only to get clotheslined out to the floor. The villains get in a bunch of stomping on the floor and it’s Baylor coming back in for some gyrating of his own. Abismo’s running shot in the corner gets two and Smokes’ slingshot spear cuts Parka down for two. A flapjack finally gets Parka out of trouble and Iguana comes in to clean house.

That includes a springboard headscissors and it’s off to Sagrada (JBL: “I’ve always wanted to buy a mini!”). The suicide dive hurricanrana takes Abismo down on the floor but Sagrada runs into Lockwood back inside. Adelicious has to save Sagrada from a gorilla press and then dives onto Lockwood on the floor. Iguana and Parka hit dives of their own and Sagrada does his rather spinning headscissors into a small package to pin Abismo at 12:09.

Rating: B-. This is the signature kind of fast paced opening match that always works in AAA. Let them fly around and pop the crowd, which is exactly what you should be doing here. You get a bunch of people on the card and they get to do stuff without being out there too long. Fun opener, which was the goal here.

Corey Graves pays a quick tribute to Pac, who was his tag partner in NXT. That one still hurts.

Jack Cartwheel vs. Dragon Lee

They go with the grappling to start and flip away from each other without much effort. Cartwheel seems to win a flipping contest (the four straight standing cartwheels are hard to top) and headscissors him out to the floor. That means the Sasuke Special can connect with Lee, who is right back in with a slingshot dropkick in the corner.

Cartwheel is sent to the apron and tries some kind of a kick but gets knocked to the floor instead. Back in and Cartwheel flips out of a German suplex but is lifted up into a powerbomb for two. A running hurricanrana to the floor doesn’t work as Cartwheel sticks the landing, with Lee being rather stunned.

They slug it out on the outside and they go back inside, where Cartwheel hits a clothesline to the floor. Lee is fine enough to superkick him over the barricade but Cartwheel is back up with a Spanish Fly inside. Cartwheel fights out of the Styles Clash and grabs a poisonrana but a Black Arrow (in an amazing coincidence) hits raised knees. Operation Dragon finishes for Lee at 8:58.

Rating: B. You knew why this was on the card and it went exactly as you would have expected. This was two smaller, impressive high fliers being sent out there to do a bunch of crazy things. As usual that worked very well and it wouldn’t have been a AAA show without a match like this one. Lee is on fire right now and I could go for seeing more of him in the near future.

We look at Omos taking out Rey Mysterio at TripleMania, leaving Mysterio in a neck brace.

Fatal Influence vs. Las Toxicas

Non-title. Jacy Jayne and La Maravilla are here too, with JBL absolutely losing his mind at the entrances. Hiedra and Henley start things off with Hiedra sending her straight into the corner. It’s quickly off to Reid, who avoids a charge in the corner, allowing Flammer and Henley to come in instead. Henley gets double crotched against the post and Hiedra gets two off la majistral.

Everything breaks down and Hiedra hits both of them with some running hip attacks in the corner. Jayne offers a distraction, which just lets Flammer come in with a double high crossbody. Another Jayne distraction lets Reid get in a faceplant and a flapjack into a running Blockbuster gets two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long and Hiedra avoids some charges, allowing Flammer to get the hot tag. A suicide dive hits Reid but Henley is back in with a sliding German suplex. Reid’s moonsault gets two with Hiedra making the save. Flammer gets in a big running dropkick in the ropes but Hiedra is legal so there’s no count. Hiedra comes in and is immediately rolled up to give Reid the pin at 10:13.

Rating: C+. This was fine for a women’s tag match and a way to get more women on the card. That’s a good idea in this case, as the AAA women’s division has been hit and miss a lot of the time. WWE’s division isn’t much better but it has more star power and Fatal Influence have been doing well in their few months on the main roster.

Axiom vs. Mini Vikingo vs. Je’Von Evans vs. EK Prosper

The idea is that there’s one from each brand. They circle each other to start until Vikingo hits Evans in the face. Vikingo and Prosper are sent outside, leaving Evans to flip away from Axiom. Prosper is back in to take over on Evans until Vikingo is back in with a corkscrew high crossbody. Vikingo’s dive takes out Prosper for two and Fraxiom small packages Vikingo for two more.

The other two get back inside but Axiom and Evans are sent outside for a huge springboard moonsault from Prosper. Back in and Prosper gives Vikingo a super hurricanrana in to a frog splash for two. Evans and Axiom are back in for some rollups before Evans starts to take over.

The big dive to the floor hits Axiom and Vikingo gets two off a crucifix driver. Axiom and Evans get two each off super Spanish Flies before Evans hits him with a running knee. Prosper is back in to knee Vikingo for two and Evans gives Axiom an OG Cutter. That means Prosper can hit his great moonsault but Vikingo is in with a shooting star. The Phoenix 630 (geez) gives Vikingo the pin on Axiom at 12:40.

Rating: B. Of course this was good and it’s smart to have Vikingo, the AAA star, get his big win here. It was all action from beginning to end and everyone looked great. I was surprised that Evans didn’t win as he’s the biggest star of the match and currently firmly in the Raw midcard. Vikingo is clearly a big project though and him getting the win is a good move. More awesome high flying here.

Reina de Reinas Title: Roxanne Perez vs. La Catalina

Catalina is defending and grabs a headlock to start. That’s reversed into some quick rollups for two each before Perez gets in a rather cocky slap. That just earns her a spinning slam and elbow for two but Perez is back up for some forearms to the back. They head outside with Catalina being sent into the steps, followed by a kick to the face back inside.

A flipping kick to the head gives Perez two and she grabs a sleeper. That’s broken up and Perez misses a charge into the corner, setting up Catalina’s missile dropkick. Back up and they forearm it out with Catalina taking over off an exchange of running uppercuts. Perez knocks her down but a springboard moonsault hits raised knees.

Catalina’s Gory Bomb is countered into an armdrag and Perez faceplants her into the crossface. That’s escaped and Catalina gets in a running hip attack against the ropes. Perez sends her outside and hits a suicide dive but can’t get Pop Rox. Instead Catalina grabs a flipping backslide to retain at 12:43.

Rating: B-. This was a good win for Catalina and that’s why the match was put together. Perez is a star with some status and having Catalina beat her makes the still new title reign feel that much more legitimate. The match was back and forth as well, with Perez feeling like a threat to take the title.

Post match Perez lays her out and poses with the belt.

Los Perros del Mal vs. Penta/Rey Fenix

Penta has been dealing with Los Perros and now has his brother to help. Fenix and Berto start things off with Fenix trying to roll around and an exchange of near falls get two each. Penta and Daga come in and Fenix help take over. Everything breaks down and some stereo basement superkicks hit Berto, as does an elevated splash to Berto. Penta and Daga strike it out until Penta chases him on the floor, right into a cheap shot.

Back in and Penta quickly gets over to Fenix but Karmen Petrovic cuts off a dive so Berto can come in and work on the leg. A tag attempt is cut off and it’s back to Daga to stomp away in the corner. Fenix manages a pop up hurricanrana though and…well actually doesn’t tag, instead hitting a frog splash.

Now it’s back to Penta to hurricanrana Berto before Fenix comes back in, with his handspring cutter being blocked. Daga brainbusters Fenix for two and a running forearm gets the same. Back up and Fenix hits a rolling cutter into Penta’s running Mexican Destroyer to Berto, sending him outside. Petrovic gets on the apron for a distraction though and Daga goes low for the DQ at 15:17.

Rating: B. This was the second biggest match on the show and feels like it could become part of a big feud. It could be interesting to see who Penta and Fenix get to help them against Los Perros as they’re rather outnumbered at the moment. The ending definitely suggests that there is more coming and it was nice to see Los Perros avoid another big loss.

Post match the rest of Los Perros come in but Fenix and Penta clear them out.

We look at El Grande Americano winning the Mega Title at TripleMania with help from Rey Mysterio.

Omos/Judgment Day vs. CM Punk/El Grande Americano/Rey Mysterio

Before the match, Dorian Roldan rants about Omos and Dominik Mysterio, with the fans not approving. Punk even goes old school with the Straightedge Society mask and is of course over like free (non-alcoholic) beer in a frat house. To really mix it up though, we go old school with This Fire Burns, which is a great flashback. Americano starts with McDonagh…but they both tag in their respective Mysterio.

Rey hammers away and grabs a headscissors, allowing Punk to work on the arm. McDonagh comes in and gets his arm cranked as well but actually gets Punk in a wristlock. That’s broken up and Punk shoulders him down and gets a catapult to send McDonagh into the corner. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker allows the tag to Americano for quite the reaction. Some impressive flipping sets up a hammerlock, with McDonagh getting a headlock but Americano headstands his way out.

Back up and McDonagh drives him into the corner for the tag off to Dominik. Americano stomps Dominik right back and gets two off a running kick to the face. Rey comes back in and tries the 619 to Dominik, who rolls away so McDonagh can take over. That doesn’t last long either as it’s right back to Americano, who is knocked down as well. Omos comes back in and elbows away in the corner before handing it off to Dominik. Americano’s fingers are bitten before McDonagh gets to rip at the mask.

A Blockbuster gets Americano out of trouble and we get what I’m guessing is some mistiming, as Americano basically has to freeze in place rather than tagging. It doesn’t make much sense anyway as Americano gets over for the tag a few seconds later and it’s a string of running knees to Judgment Day in the corner.

Omos teases coming in but gets the rope kicked into him, which is quickly shrugged off. Omos is back in so all three good guys get together to knock him outside again. Some dives have Omos in trouble but Dominik tries Three Amigos on Rey. The third is broken up and Dominik has to escape the GTS attempt. Instead it’s a double 619 to Judgment Day and Americano headbutts Dominik. The GTS finishes McDonagh at 20:04.

Rating: B-. It was a big time six man tag and more of a fun match than a good one, which is fine for a main event like this one. The match was a question of whom was going to pin McDonagh, as there’s no way you pin the giant and Dominik doesn’t need to lose any of his heat. This was a good time and how the show should have ended.

Post match the bad guys are back up to fight back but the lights go out…and it’s Oba Femi here for the save (ok that’s a better ending). Judgment Day bails and we get the Femi vs. Omos showdown. Omos shoves him and is immediately clotheslined over the top. Femi celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. What you had here was basically a big commercial for AAA, as you had all kinds of high flying and some big names in the main event. That’s in addition to the title defense and the tag match, which should set up a rematch. It’s not a must see show, but it’s rather entertaining and felt like a AAA focused event with some guest stars. This show did its job and that’s more than enough.

Results
Mr. Iguana/Mascarita Sagrada/Adelicious/La Parka b. Vanity Project/Mini Abismo Negro – Small package to Mini Abismo Negro
Dragon Lee b. Jack Cartwheel – Operation Dragon
Fatal Influence b. Las Toxicas – Rollup to Hiedra
Mini Vikingo b. Axiom, Je’Von Evans and EK Prosper – Phoenix 630 to Axiom
La Catalina b. Roxanne Perez – Flipping backslide
Penta/Rey Fenix b. Los Perros del Mal via DQ when Daga hit Penta low
CM Punk/Rey Mysterio/El Grande Americano b. Judgment Day/Omos – GTS to McDonagh

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

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Evolve
Date: September 30, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Blake Howard, Robert Stone

We’re rapidly approaching Succession IV and there is a good chance that some of the card will be set up tonight. In this case we’re going to be seeing a #1 contenders match for a shot at the Evolve Title. That should be enough for a main event but we also have a few grudge matches. Let’s get to it.

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

It’s Gal declares himself a superhero and he’s ready to beat Harley Riggins to become #1 contender. Riggins is a big guy but Gal is parking him in the junkyard.

Elijah Holyfield vs. Braxton Cole

Holyfield starts with the jabs so Cole reverses him into a headlock takeover. Back up and Cole fires off some right hands in the corner, which just earn him a side slam. Cole knocks him down again and drops a leg for two, followed by a catapult into the ropes. The chinlock doesn’t last long and they go to the floor, with Holyfield missing a charge into the post. Cue Marcus Mathers to go after Cole, but Holyfield punches Mathers by mistake. Cole grabs a chair, which is punched back into his face and grabbed by Holyfield…which is enough for the referee to DQ Holyfield at 5:56.

Rating: C. Holyfield is starting to become more of a wrestler than someone who throws punches and does a few moves. It’s still too early for him to be in a long match but that’s the point of Evolve. Let him be out there in front of a small crowd in short matches with relatively low stakes. It makes sense to have a show like this and this is the kind of development that can help someone a lot.

Harley Riggins is ready to take out It’s Gal and move on to Succession.

Gianna Capri vs. Wendy Choo

Capri takes her into the corner to start and gets shoved down, with Choo grabbing a headlock. Some running shots in the corner have Capri in more trouble but she pulls Choo down by the hair. A choke in the corner just wakes Choo up enough for a boot to the face but Capri spinebusters her for two. Choo is up with the clothesline comeback until she can’t get a full nelson. Capri misses a high crossbody though and the Dirt Nap finishes her off at 4:41.

Rating: C+. This was all about getting Choo back in the ring after her return last week. That’s not a bad idea as Choo is on the way to a title rematch with Nikkita Lyons and needs a few wins to set it up. Capri feels like a jobber to the stars at this point and given that she’s called the Sauce Boss, that’s about what you would expect.

Post match Choo says she wants a rematch with Lyons at Succession IV in a Last Woman Standing match.

Sloane Jacobs isn’t convinced but Lyons is in.

Timothy Thatcher congratulates Ulka Sasaki on his first win. Laynie Luck comes in and isn’t sure if she’s good enough to be around here. Thatcher thinks they both love wrestling though and gives Luck a match against Vanta The Unknown at Succession.

Shido Ash vs. Cappuccino Jones

Jones, with his bad shoulder, strikes away to start and hits a dropkick. Ash is right back with some shoulders in the corner and a rather logical shoulderbreaker. The arm is wrenched around the rope and Ash grabs a Fujiwara armbar. Back up and Jones is sent shoulder first over the corner and then into said corner to make it worse.

Jones manages to get to the middle rope but dives into a powerslam as we take a break. We come back with Jones explodering him into the corner and connecting with a high crossbody. A top rope splash is countered into a Koji Clutch, with Jones popping out. That just earns him Fade To Ash for the pin at 7:12.

Rating: C+. Ash looked better here as he was picking apart the injured body part and wore Jones down until he could finish him off. That’s a simple, basic story and Ash did it well. Jones continues to fall apart and I’m expecting him to go bad soon, as coffee tends to do when it is around too long. The match was nice enough here, with Ash getting better in the ring match by match.

Post match here is the Mog Squad, with Max Abrams livid over his nose being injured again. Jones is going to go to TAP WATER! The Squad comes in to go after Jones but Chazz Hall runs in, getting taken out as well. The team wants to be on Succession but Timothy Thatcher comes in, saying the Squad is getting a special surprise next week.

We recap It’s Gal and Harley Riggins being told to fight for a shot at the Evolve Title. To recap: Gal and Riggins were told to fight for a shot at the Evolve Title. Therefore tonight, Gal and Riggins will fight for a shot at the Evolve Title.

It’s Gal vs. Harley Riggins

They’re fighting for a shot at the Evolve Title and Riggins jumps him from behind during the entrances. They get inside and the bell rings so Riggins gives him a running boot for an early two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Gal knocks him off the top, setting up a high crossbody. Riggins sends him outside though and we take a break.

We come back with Gal still in trouble and getting twisted down by the arm. Gal manages to spin around for a Codebreaker and they head outside, with Riggins being sent into the steps. Back in and Riggins breaks up an Iconoclasm and a TKO gets two on Gal. A chokeslam into a knee to the face finishes for Riggins at 5:29.

Rating: B-. This was one which could have gone either way but Riggins vs. Harlem Lewis should be a heck of a hoss fight. Riggins has come a long way on his own and it should be interesting to see what he can do, assuming he and Jax Presley aren’t teamed up again. Good main event here and we should have the Succession main event set.

Post match Harlem Lewis comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There were four matches on the show and it felt like there were four stories being advanced in the span of about forty five minutes. It continues to astound me that they have this set up so well and know how to make it work. They did it again here and I want to see Succession, which is looking like a good card. The whole show might already be set, which shouldn’t be a surprise with two weeks before the event. More Evolve goodness here.

Results
Braxton Cole b. Elijah Holyfield via DQ when the referee accused Holyfield of using a chair
Wendy Choo b. Giana Capri – Dirt Nap
Shido Ash b. Cappuccino Jones – Fade To Ash
Harley Riggins b. It’s Gal – Chokeslam knee to the face

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

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NXT
Date: September 29, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s time for an NXT Title shot…but it’s not the one that was planned. Mason Rook was the scheduled challenger for the NXT Title shot but is not medically cleared, meaning that Grayson Waller will defend the title in an open challenge. Other than that, the Dusty Cup continues its first round matches so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Adrian Neville. He was one of the original NXT stars.

We see Robert Stone telling Grayson Waller about Mason Rook being swapped out of the NXT Title match in exchange for an open challenge. He’s not happy, but he’s in.

Women’s North American Title: Zaria vs. Thea Hail

Hail is challenging and immediately goes for the Kimura, with Booker calling her a “one trick pony”. That’s broken up and Hail is tossed down a few times, followed by the hard shoulders in the corner. Hail can’t get a sunset flip but can get a quickly broken Fujiwara armbar. An armdrag and dropkick work a bit better with Zaria rolling out to the floor. The suicide dive is elbowed (and elbowed hard) out of the air though and Hail is in trouble as we take a break.

We come back with Hail striking away until a headbutt knocks her down. Hail is able to send her outside for a suicide dive and a high crossbody connects back inside. A World’s Strongest Slam looks to set up the springboard backsplash but Zaria is up with a suplex. The spear is countered into a Kimura and Zaria is in trouble until she kicks Hail into the ropes. Another spear and the F5 retain the title at 9:19.

Rating: C+. Zaria gets another win as she should, as it’s a good idea to pile up victories over various challengers. At the same time, I have no idea where Hail is supposed to go. It feels like she is trying to come up with something to make her stuck but it often comes off like she’s cosplaying as a wrestler and just doing whatever she thinks a wrestler should do. If that doesn’t change, she’s not likely going to get much better.

Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno are with Los Wagners and seem happy about their efforts in the Dusty Classic. Fraxiom comes in to say they’re coming for Dar and Moreno. Los Wagners are ready too but the Vanity Project comes in to brag about being the #1 seed for a reason.

Here is Myles Borne for a chat. He says he had no master plan for Tavion Heights but he never wanted it to be a team. All Borne wanted was to be his own man but then they won the Tag Team Titles. Borne thought he could have it all and then he lost both the Tag Team and North American Tag Team Titles on the same day. Ethan Page told him to have his killer instinct though, because there can only be one face of the brand.

So was he going to be one half or be the star he should be? That’s why he smashed Heights’ ankle, even though he was only being himself. People only liked him because they felt sorry for him for being the deaf guy. He was the one who made Heights a champion and he feels sorry for everyone here. Yeah he might be the deaf guy but you’re all here watching him. Sure you might not be able to understand him but he’s going to show you instead. He knows we’re not deaf so hear him when he says this: go to h***. Not bad at all here, as Borne sold the story well.

Lizzy Rain is in Robert Stone’s office and is going to get some good news tonight. Mini Vikingo and Chazz Hall come in and are told they should do well in the Dusty Classic.

Grayson Waller is ready for anyone in the open challenge.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Birthright vs. Mini Vikingo/Chazz Hall

Vikingo grabs an early rollup but gets slammed down by a rather cocky Connors. Back up and Vikingo flips away from Birthright, allowing Hall to come in and clean house with the kicks. Birthright is sent outside for the stereo dives but get caught and whipped into metal things as we take a break.

We come back with Connors coming off the top to crush Hall for two but Hall gets in a double Pele. Vikingo gets to come in and pick up the pace, including a tornado DDT to Connors. Everything breaks down and Vikingo is sent crashing outside and Stacks drops a top rope headbutt to Hall.

Vikingo makes the save off the top and everyone is down. Back up and they strike it out until Vikingo’s crucifix bomb sends Connors out to the floor. Hall starts firing off the kicks and Vikingo dives onto Connors. A victory roll gives Hall two and he tornado DDTs Stacks, allowing Vikingo to hit a….we’ll say Phoenix Swanton for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: B. Vikingo and Hall are probably just a team being thrown together so we can have some high fliers in the tournament but they did that rather well. They’re two smaller guys who can do some incredible looking stuff in the air. Have them beat up a couple of goofs like Birthright and then lose to a bigger team.

Post match Birthright goes after Vikingo and Hall but Zilla Fatu runs in for the save. Fatu says he’s tired of dealing with Birthright so he’s going to take them out one by one. That’s for later though, because he’s going to take the open challenge and win the NXT Title tonight.

We get a special sitdown interview with Cruz Montana, who is ready to answer the open challenge too. He recently dropped his daughter off at school and was so glad that she has a better life than he had. The reality is he didn’t get to go to school very often because he had to help his mom raise four kids.

Yes she was a drug dealer but she wasn’t proud of it and had to do things she didn’t want in order to take care of her family. Then there is his father, who was told at 12 that he would be blind by the time he was 25. His father drowned in his demons and wasn’t there all the time but he was there to hear Montana say that his father’s presence was the greatest present. Montana would go on to have his own struggles and he had to tell his daughter that he was a drug addict and an alcoholic.

Then he went to rehab and got clean and now he’s a story of going from the bottom to the top. He wants Dion Lennox to understand that his past is his superpower and he’ll finish this. As usual, Montana talking about his past and his family is great stuff and it worked very well again here. You can tell this means the world to him and you want to see him succeed.

Zaria goes into the locker room and finds a bunch of stuff mocking her appearance in Wicked. She insists she’s not that person anymore.

Here is Kelani Jordan for a chat. She’s glad to not be the afterthought anymore and now that we’re on the way to Halloween Havoc, she isn’t sure who her next challenger will be. Everyone is either gone or not very good and while she hasn’t been a champion very long, she has cleared the division out.

She’s not going to be like Grayson Waller with his open challenges because no one has handed her anything. Instead she’ll wait for a proper challenger, but it won’t matter how long it takes. Robert Stone comes out to interrupt and next week it’s a battle royal for a title shot, with challengers from various promotions, including TNA. Cue Reina Vulcan to jump her from behind, saying she’s in the battle royal.

Naraku wants to answer the open challenge but Saquon Shuggars comes in to say the same thing. Instead Robert Stone gives him Tristan Angels in two weeks. Shuggars thinks Naraku is evil.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Darkstate vs. Fraxiom

Axiom and Griffin start things off and it’s Frazer coming in for some rapid fire dropkicks. The right hands in the corner have Griffin in trouble but Frazer is knocked down rather quickly. James comes in to take over but Frazer flips off of the ropes and gets in an enziguri. That’s enough for the tag off to Axiom and everything breaks down in a hurry. Darkstate runs both of them over and a spinning backbreaker has Axiom down as we take a break.

We come back with Axiom still in trouble but he avoids a charge into the post. Frazer gets the tag and strikes away at Griffin in the corner, followed by a big running flip dive onto James. Fraxiom’s double missile dropkick gets two on Griffin, who pops back up with a torture rack neckbreaker for two on Axiom. Griffin is cleared out and the super Spanish Fly hits Cutler into the Phoenix splash to give Frazer the pin at 10:48.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Fraxiom get to showcase themselves as they’re one of the most successful teams in NXT history and they got to look good again here. If nothing else, they’re not exactly getting much TV time on the main roster so let them get a bit reheated around here. Darkstate losing is hardly a surprise, as that’s kind of their thing.

Kendal Grey is still in therapy and says that wrestling is all she does. She tried to learn Spanish and playing the guitar which didn’t go well. The therapist asks if the lack of balance is what has gotten her here but Grey doesn’t know how to stop. She’s asked what happens if working harder isn’t enough, which she says is a good question. These segments have been, shall we say not great.

We look back at Zaria’s annoyance at the Wicked dress.

Izzi Dame comes in to see Robert Stone and laughs about the dress. She’s in the battle royal next week….and Zaria is too.

NXT Title: Grayson Waller vs. ???

Waller is defending against….well we’ll find that out in a second, as first he says that he’s here at work, unlike Mason Rook. He doesn’t care who is coming out to face him and the first person in the ring gets the shot. We see different groups of people trying to get to the ring and they brawl into the aisle. Zilla Fatu gets out in front of them but stands there until Cruz Montana gets in as well for the brawl. They both stop the other from getting in the ring and then get jumped. As Waller watches, EK Prosper sneaks in from behind and is in the ring for the opening bell and the title shot.

Prosper hits a springboard missile dropkick and Waller slides to the floor for a moonsault from the apron. Waller is down on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Prosper reversing a suplex into a rollup for two. A victory roll gives Prosper two more but Waller gets in a knockdown of his own. The cravate holds Prosper down, followed by an electric chair suplex for two.

Prosper gets back with a Stundog Millionaire but is knocked out to the apron. Waller gets the pad off of the turnbuckle rod and drops Prosper throat first across the steel as we take a break. We come back with Waller grinding away on a chinlock until Prosper fights his way up. Prosper hits a superkick but his super hurricanrana is broken up. Waller takes too long going up as well though and gets hurricanranaed back down.

A Michinoku Driver gives Prosper two, with Waller getting in a running stomp for the same. Prosper is sent outside for a running clothesline but gets in a superkick to put Waller onto the table. A great looking Asai moonsault puts Waller through the table and a top rope Rough Ryder gets two back inside. Prosper’s knee is hurt though and Waller hits a pair of rolling Stunners to retain at 20:34.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was really good and a heck of a main event. Prosper is a great underdog and someone who can make you believe that he could pull off the miracle title win. At the same time, sweet goodness what in the world has happened to Waller? The guy was a goof for years and now he’s having one impressive performance after another. This was a great match and I was digging it the whole way, especially that outstanding Asai moonsault.

Zilla Fatu says they don’t want to see him win and he blames Birthright for not getting the title shot. I’d think it was more standing at ringside instead of getting in the ring but that’s just me. Anyway he promises to CENSORED Lexis King up next week.

Overall Rating: B. That main event was more than good enough and the tournament matches were fine. I’m not overly thrilled with the Dusty Classic thus far but this week’s matches worked. You also had the really strong Montana promo and Borne’s promo was more than good enough. Solid show here, with Waller’s improvements deserving all of the praise.

Results
Zaria b. Thea Hail – F5
Mini Vikingo/Chazz Hall b. Birthright – Phoenix Swanton to Stacks
Fraxiom b. Darkstate – Phoenix splash to James
Grayson Waller b. EK Prosper – Rolling Stunner

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