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

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

The match I think of when I think of Pac.

https://www.smarkdownsblog.com/pac-death-adrian-neville-vs-sami-zayn

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 28, 2026
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re coming up on Money In The Bank and the question this week is what 946 is going to do this time. The trio has been going kind of nuts around here, with Solo Sikoa being kidnapped last week. It’s going to take a special force to take them out and that should make for some interesting developments. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Neville. I still can’t get my head around that one.

Opening recap.

We look at a special clip from last week, with Solo Sikoa being kidnapped and then left to walk away with a bag over his head.

Here is the Bloodline to get things going. They recap 946 coming after them, with Jimmy Uso saying that attacking and kidnapping their little brother was too far because that’s their blood. Jacob Fatu says that he’s been telling his brothers that it’s not tonight because the first move isn’t the best move. Now this is on him because it was his fault. Tonight though, it’s time to go to war and dog walk 946.

A car arrives in the back and the Bloodline goes after it without the door opening. We cut to the back where the door is opened, with an attendant saying that Adam Pearce is expecting them. The Bloodline shows up and takes him out…but it’s NXT’s Jaida Parker, who is hear to see Pearce. Jey Uso and Parker have a bit of a staredown in a wink wink moment.

Penta runs into Je’Von Evans in the back but Judgment Day interrupts. Dominik Mysterio says Penta stole his Money In The Bank spot and asks if he even cares that Solo Sikoa was kidnapped. Evans points out that JD McDonagh has a big head and the match is teased for later.

Lola Vice vs. Roxanne Perez

Vice knocks her down to start and grabs a headlock takeover, which is broken up as soon as they hit the mat. Perez’s headlock works a bit better but she has to fight out of a cross armbreaker attempt. Vice knocks her outside so Perez tries to leave, only to be sent back inside. A choke has Perez in trouble and she flips backwards for two but can’t break free. Instead they roll outside, where Perez has to ram her into the steps for the break. A northern lips suplex onto the arm has Vice in trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Vice kicking her down into the corner and hitting the running hip attack. Perez is back up with a running elbow to the back and a crossface, which is kicked away from the ropes so Vice can grab a triangle choke. With that broken up, Perez kicks her in the ribs but walks into a great looking spinning backfist (that came out of nowhere and Perez went down like she ran into a boulder) for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: B. The ending alone bumped this up a bit as Vice’s spinning backfist looked perfect. Other than that, this was the kind of win that helps make Vice feel like she belongs around here and that’s still being established. We’re still waiting for her first real feud, but at least she’s off to a good start.

Post match Vice dances but Raquel Rodriguez runs in to boot her in the face. Sol Ruca runs in for the save with a springboard dropkick but Perez breaks up the Sol Snatcher. That means Rodriguez can hit the Tejana Bomb to Ruca and Pop Rox to Vice. I’d think that covers the first real feud part.

Dragon Lee, with Rey Mysterio, is ready to face Big Cass tonight. He promises the fire but Cass comes in to say he’s putting the fire out. Mysterio holds Lee back.

946 has released a video, saying they knew what the Bloodline was going to do and promising that no one is safe tonight.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. He says he’s not here for combat (though that can change) but he has to do things the right way. Over the last few weeks, he has been having issues with the Vision. It is no secret that things have changed since Bronson Reed came back. Reed wasn’t around when Femi won the King Of The Ring or beat Brock Lesnar so he doesn’t understand that Femi is the captain now.

Femi has a contract to face Reed at Money In The Bank, which is approved by Adam Pearce. He has already signed and is ready to do this the right way, which is how a wise man taught him to do it (the fans are interested in that). Femi wants and receives Reed out here on his own right now. Cue Reed, who says that he’s wrecked Femi twice and he’ll do it again. There’s the signature and Reed goes to leave, with Femi saying Reed has guts for sealing his own fate. I’ll take this over a formal contract signing but this could have been announced without the segment in general.

Earlier today, Iyo Sky was talking to Adam Pearce about an opportunity but Lyra Valkyria came up to ask why she’s having to ask what is next for her. The women get in an argument so Pearce puts them in a match. Sky: “She has issues.”

Dragon Lee vs. Big Cass

Lee jumps him on the way into the ring and the bell sounds with Cass in trouble on the floor. They get inside with Cass hitting a heck of a big boot to cut Lee off just as fast. Cass knocks him over the corner and out to the floor, where a chokeslam drops Lee onto the apron. We take a break and come back with Cass still in control and planting Lee down for two.

The kickout has Cass annoyed and it’s off to a crossface chickenwing. Lee fights out and kicks away, with some running dropkicks connecting in the corner. Cass misses a running big boot and gets hurricanranaed to the floor, with a camera being taken out. A great looking suicide dive hits Cass and Lee pulls him into something like an octopus. That’s broken up as well and Lee rolls into a DDT to plant Cass again. A running elbow to the head gives Lee two and he reverses a chokeslam into a flipping rollup for the pin at 12:15.

Rating: B-. This got rolling with a hot crowd carrying it again, as the story of the match was hardly anything brilliant. You can see Cass falling down the mountain as he is now just a good look and a heck of a big boot. As long as this doesn’t lead to Enzo Amore returning to suck the life out of everything he touches, I’m fine.

Jacob Fatu thinks 946 is going to try to split the Bloodline up so they have to stick together. The Usos are in, though Jey wasn’t thrilled at first.

Stephanie Vaquer is ready to defend her Women’s Title. Next week, it’s Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch and the winner gets a title shot at Money In The Bank.

LA Knight talks about how he became a star the second he got here. Then he got a title shot against Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso cost him the match. People like Reigns held him down for three years but now Knight is here again to do what he should have done a long time ago. As usual, Knight knows how to make anything sound serious and that he believes everything he’s saying. You can’t teach that kind of thing and it’s great to watch.

Iyo Sky vs. Lyra Valkyria

Feeling out process to start with Valkyria taking her down and working on the arm. Sky is right back to take the leg out and hit a running basement dropkick. Valkyria tries a monkey flip, with Sky landing on her feet. Valkyria’s rocking horse is broken up and Sky dropkicks her her out to the floor. Sky gets up on the barricade (with the fans helping her) and hits a high crossbody. Back up and Sky gets caught in the ropes, with Valkyria dropkicking her down and mocking the crazy pose as we take a break.

We come back with Sky armdragging her into a flapjack. A springboard missile dropkick looks to set up the Bullet Train, which is cut off with a superkick. Valkyria powerbombs her for two but Nightwing is countered into a double stomp. Sky kicks her in the face again and a butterfly powerbomb gives Sky two more. Valkyria gets in a catapult into the ropes and they go to the apron, with Valkyria hitting a fisherman’s buster.

Sky avoids an Asai moonsault though and Valkyria kicks the post by mistake. Now the Bullet Train can connect in the corner but Over The Moonsault is countered. Cue Bayley (with a BEN armband to honor Pac) to stand on the announcers’ table for a distraction, allowing Sky to dropkick her out of the air. Over The Moonsault finishes Valkyria at 14:11.

Rating: B. This was a couple of things at once, with Sky getting to show just how good she is again, which is always worth a watch, and Valkyria vs. Bayley continuing. That’s going to lead to a big showdown in the near future and I’m curious to see how it goes. Another good match here as the show is on a roll tonight.

LA Knight comes in to see the Bloodline, who blame him for Solo Sikoa being kidnapped last wee. Knight doesn’t seem to agree and says he’ll be waiting for Roman Reigns next week.

AAA Cruiserweight Champion Rey Fenix gets to defend his title across all brands so he wants to defend it on Raw. Chad Gable comes in to say he’s happy to have him here but Ethan Page comes in to mock the whole thing. Fenix tells him to shut up and a match is made for next week.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Judgment Day vs. Penta/Je’Von Evans

Judgment Day jumps them to start fast with Penta and Evans being sent outside. Mysterio hits a dive to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Penta getting to come in and clean house, including a slingshot dropkick to McDonagh in the corner. A springboard tornado DDT plants Mysterio and it’s back to Evans to hammer away in the corner. Penta sends both of them to the floor for a big running flip dive, which has Evans impressed.

We take a break and come back with Mysterio pulling at Penta’s mask. The 619 connects but Penta shrugs it off (not a great look there) so they can trade superkicks and clotheslines for a double down. Evans is back in to hit the Red Dot to McDonagh (that looked great) and then gets a heck of a dive to crush Mysterio in the timekeeper’s area.

Back in and a springboard dive gets two on McDonagh but the OG Cutter misses. A superkick nails McDonagh but another OG Cutter hits Penta by mistake. The headbutt sends Evans into Mysterio’s 619 for a rather near fall. Cue Joe Hendry with the McDonagh Funko Pop, which has McDonagh going up the aisle. Mysterio misses a frog splash and Penta superkicks McDonagh into Evans’ big dive. The Mexican Destroyer finishes Mysterio at 17:00.

Rating: B. You take out the latest WWE “OK WE GET THE JOKE!” with the Funko Pop and this is that much better of a match. They were going nuts out there with the action and it made for a heck of a main event. Mysterio and McDonagh work well together, but Evans stole the show here with that big sequence he had near the end. It made him look like a superhero and that’s where he shines best. Heck of a match, with a better performance from Evans. Just stop with the Funko Pop deal already.

Post match here is Bron Breakker to take Penta and Evans out.

Becky Lynch is ready for her #1 contenders match against Liv Morgan, who comes in to interrupt. Morgan talks about how she’s been cheated so much and deserves the title shot. Lynch says then Morgan should have no trouble beating her.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

946 arrives and they have their tickets in hand. Security is taken out and here is the Bloodline to join things. The big brawl is on with the Usos taking over on OTM but they come back to send the Usos into the post. Fatu is taken out as well and seems to have hurt his knee. OTM and the Usos brawl into the crowd, where a bunch of fans are taken out. Jey is dragged to the back where Jimmy joins them but we cut back to Keys unloading on Fatu with a chair.

Some superkicks get Fatu out of trouble though and he hits the running Umaga Attack in the corner. The chair is wrapped around Key’s neck but he slides to the floor before it can get crushed. Fatu is fine with getting in some chair shots on the run and we cut to the back where the other four are still being sent into various things. Fatu and Keys join them with Keys trying to escape in his car.

Fatu charges at the car but Keys opens the door to cut him off. Then a car runs Fatu over (or more than likely the stunt double given the amount of camera cuts)….and it’s Jaida Parker driving. Now one might think something is up as she was driven to the arena and is now leaving in a different car and indeed, Parker says no one is safe and leaves with Keys (“All gas, no brakes!”) to end the show. The Bloodline is going to need someone to help them deal with Parker, who is new at this and might need to proceed with caution.

Overall Rating: B+. The action here was good throughout the card and I like the angle at the end, which could help make 946 into a bigger story. They’ve been terrorizing the show for weeks now and it’s starting to work, but with Reigns back next week, things could go badly for them. In addition to that, this was a very good show with a red hot crowd making it even better. Solid show here and it should get bigger next week.

Results
Lola Vice b. Roxanne Perez – Spinning backfist
Dragon Lee b. Big Cass – Rollup
Iyo Sky b. Lyra Valkyria – Over The Moonsault
Penta/Je’Von Evans b. Judgment Day – Mexican Destroyer to Mysterio

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

https://411mania.com/wrestling/aew-pac-passes-away-40/

I don’t get shocked by much in wrestling but this did it.  We still don’t have a cause of death or any details (do not speculate on it as I’ll delete any such banter) but my goodness this is insane no matter what.  This comes less than a day after he was challenging for a title at AEW All Out.  He was a heck of a star in NXT and should have been a bigger deal on the main roster before totally reinventing himself in AEW and elsewhere.  I’ll have a column up about a certain match of his in a day or so.

Favorite moments/matches/etc of his?

AAA On FOX
Date: September 26, 2026
Location: Coliseo Centenario, Torreon, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re still done with TripleMania and maybe this week will see us getting back to a normal show after last week’s glorified PPV recap. If nothing else, we have Heroes Inmoretales coming up next month and it should be time to start getting ready for the show. That should be enough to carry us this week so let’s get to it.

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

Commentary runs down the card.

We look at Mr. Iguana requesting/receiving a title shot at TripleMania but coming up short. Iguana isn’t done coming for gold though.

Mr. Iguana vs. Taurus

Iguana goes after the arm to start and slaps on a cross armbreaker, which is reversed into a surfboard. That’s escaped as well and it’s back up for a standoff. Iguana knocks him back out of the corner and hits a high crossbody, with Taurus rolling outside. That means a slingshot dive but Taurus sends him into the barricade. Back in and Taurus sends him into the corner and a spear gets two. Another hurricanrana gives Iguana two but gets planted with a sitout powerbomb. Taurus goes after Yessica though, which is enough for Iguana to grab an electric chair DDT for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: C+. Iguana getting a bit more serious and wanting to win something is an interesting change of pace and I’d like to see if they pay it off some how. If nothing else, it’s a good sign that the fans are still with him, as that isn’t always the case when someone has such a big change. Taurus looked good as a monster here too, which you have to with that kind of a name.

Post match Los Vipers run in for the beatdown, with El Fiscal making the save.

We look at Galeno and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. winning the Tag Team Titles at TripleMania.

The Wagner brothers talk about how important it is for them to carry on the tradition of lucha libre, which runs in the blood of their family. They’re in the NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic to win the thing.

Video on the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, with Cody Rhodes talking about the importance of tag wrestling and promising to present the trophy to the winners.

We go to NXT, where Romeo Moreno/Noam Dar beat Los Americanos in a first round match.

Dinamico vs. Texano Jr.

Texano backs him into the corner to start but gets taken down with an anklescissors for a standoff. An armdrag and dropkick put Texano on the floor, which of course sets up a big dive. Back in and a faceplant drops Dinamico and we’re off to the chinlock. A leg lariat gives Texano two more but Dinamico’s Shining Wizard gets two more. The frog splash misses though and it’s a double bomb to give Texano the win at 5:20.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t quite a squash as Dinamico got in some offense as he continues to slowly move up the ladder. At the same time though, he’s not about to beat a former Mega Champion who has been showing up a bit more frequently in recent weeks. Texano isn’t the most intricate star but he does his thing well and feels important, which can take you a long way.

We look at some luchadors going to a children’s hospital. That’s always great to see.

We get a special look at El Grande Americano on the day of his Mega Title shot at TripleMania, including meeting a bunch of fans at a huge rally.

La Catalina talks about how big a deal it was to win the Reina de Reinas Title. It was the moment of her career and she gets to represent the entirety of Latin America. The title got her back on Raw and yes she lost, but then she won on NXT and is proud to be an honorary Mexican (she’s Chilean). This is just the beginning for her and she’ll see us soon.

Adelicious vs. Lady Shani vs. La Hiedra

Hiedra and Shani brawl to start but get taken down with a double armdrag. The two of them send Shani into the corner for some running shots to the face before going outside. Adelicious is up with the big dive onto the other two and they go back inside, where Hiedra is tossed again. Shani rolls over into a rocking horse on Adelicious, with Hiedra making a save.

Hiedra gets in some kicks but is bulldogged down to give Adelicious two. Shane is up with a choke to Adelicious, with Hiedra Stunnering both of them for two. An iconoclasm gives Shani two as Hiedra makes another save, with Adelicious giving her a Backstabber. Hiedra is back up to pull Shani away from Adelicious’ dive though and a Michinoku Driver gives Hiedra the pin at 8:31.

Rating: B-. Hiedra feels like she has come a long way from being little more than a second to Flammer to feeling like a legit threat to winning the title. She could serve as a good first challenger to La Catalina and it should be interesting to see how Flammer responds to it. You also have Adelicious, who hasn’t been around for very long but is already looking like she can hang with most of the stars in the ring.

Post match Hiedra mocks both of them to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. We’re definitely still in the post-TripleMania period but this was at least somewhat more normal than last week’s show. The good thing is that we did have some more action this time and promises of people showing up in the coming weeks. Odds are the Worlds Collide show threw off some of the taping possibilities, though they did a good enough job of keeping it interesting. As usual, it also helps to have the show be about an hour long as you can only get so dull in that length of time. Not a great show, but it would have served fine as background noise.

Results
Mr. Iguana b. Taurus – Electric chair DDT
Texano Jr. b. Dinamico – Double bomb
La Hiedra b. Adelicious and Lady Shani – Michinoku Driver to Shani

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

All Out 2026
Date: September 26, 2026
Location: Now Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s the sequel to the biggest show of the year (in case you couldn’t tell by the name) and we have a pair of huge matches on top of the card. That would be a ladder match (tables and chairs implied) for the Tag Team Titles and Will Ospreay defending the World Title against Jon Moxley. Let’s get to it.

In today’s “AEW Needs To Stop”, I just spent 20 minutes watching the Buy In (where matches have aired at least the last two editions) on their YouTube channel expecting to get to the matches (as listed in the chapters on said YouTube channel) and then realized it was just the talking one. I need to watch the OTHER pre-show, the Tailgate Brawl. Stop making this more complicated than it needs to be.

Pre-Show: Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata takes him down with a headscissors so Perry headstands his way out. Back up and Shibata allows him to fire off some chops, with a bigger chop putting Perry down. They go outside for more Shibata chops and we take a break. We come back with Perry uppercutting him into the corner and pounding him down.

A running boot sends Shibata out to the apron and Perry suplexes him on the floor. Back in and Perry pulls him into the Snare Trap but Shibata rolls out and fires off some kicks to the chest. Perry dropkicks him down and gets two off a tiger driver. Shibata gets in some more chops and tries a sleeper, with Perry backflipping into a cradle for the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C+. This was Perry working his way up through the Opps to Samoa Joe, which isn’t a big stretch as the team other than Joe is hardly top level opposition. The match could have been on pretty much any edition of Collision with the same result and that’s about what you would want on a pre-show. Perry winning was never really in doubt and that’s ok for a match like this. It was little more than a hill to climb and Perry did fine.

Post match Samoa Joe comes back and Perry wants a handshake but gets headbutted instead.

Pre-Show: Sisters Of Sin vs. Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata

This was teased on TV earlier this week due to a brawl after a singles match. Hart fights out of Shirakawa’s early headlock but gets rolled up for a quite two. Blue (the hometown star) comes in to take over on Aminata, who is right back with the Chocolate Kisses. Shirakawa is back in and gets DDTed as we take an early break.

We come back with Shirakawa fighting back and hitting a top rope Codebreaker to Hart. The Figure Four goes on to Blue, with Aminata adding a top rope double stomp. Hart makes the save and the Sisters get in some stereo submissions, which are broken up as well. Aminata gets in a fisherman’s neckbreaker to Blue but Hart pulls Aminata off the apron. That leaves Blue to grab a quick Code Blue for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: C+. It’s another perfectly fine match to keep the crowd going and having the hometown star win is fine. Naturally Shirakawa took the fall because that’s what she does most of the time. I’m still not sure how this is the best use of her AEW can find but at least she was on the show.

Pre-Show: Bang Bang Gang vs. The Dogs/Death Riders

Texas Tornado rules and both teams have football gear, including helmets and shoulder pads for the villains. They go down into three point stances and the bell rings to start the fight. Finlay gets caught in the corner and caught with some running forearms. White chops Finlay outside, where we run a football play so Connors, in his football pads, can run people over.

We take a break and come back with White getting crushed in the corner over and over to knock him silly. Don’t worry though as Austin has a football and gets in a three point stance to run down the ramp and take the other team out. Austin gets inside for a running flip dive right back to the floor.

White gets the football and flip dives onto the pile at ringside, leaving Finlay alone in the ring against the entire Gang. We pause for a brawl between Marina Shafir and Juice Robinson, allowing Finlay to hit Austin in the head with a football helmet. The parade of knockdowns leaves almost everyone down until the Blade Runner pins Yuta at 11:55.

Rating: B-. Of all of the football themed matches I’ve seen over the years, this has been the most recent. The idea of tying it into the pre-show’s name was pretty unnecessary for teams who have had such issues, but if this means I don’t have to see the Dogs for the rest of the night, I’ll take what I can get. And the Gang actually won something!

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at both Chicago and the show’s main matches.

National Title: Pac vs. Andrade El Idolo

Andrade is defending and the fans seem to like him. An early Dia de Los Muertos gets two on Pac, who can’t get a crossface. Pac flips out of a running hurricanrana and they trade running boots to put each other down. Back up and Pac suckers him in off a handshake attempt but gets high crossbodied for two. The third Amigo is broken up so Andrade goes with a dropkick to the floor instead.

The slingshot dive to the floor is kicked out of the air though and Marina Shafir gets in some stomps. Pac sends him into the barricade but Andrade fights back as they go up top. Back in and the double moonsault gives Andrade two but he takes WAY too long loading up the running knees, allowing Pac to grab a suplex into the corner. A slingshot cutter gives Pac two more and they trade forearms, with Andrade getting the better of things.

Now the Three Amigos can work a bit better, allowing Andrade to take his pants off. The springboard corkscrew dive hits Pac on the floor but we pause for the photo…which is broken up by Shafir. Pac gets in a cheap shot so a 450 can connect for two back inside. Andrade hits him with a big Dia de Los Muertos so Pac rolls outside. That means a whip into the barricade to put Andrade in more trouble. The Black Arrow misses so Shafir offers a distraction, allowing Pac to hit his big running clotheslines. The Brutalizer goes on, with Andrade rolling him up for the pin to retain at 18:39.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was as fired up and impactful as you would have expected, with Andrade getting a big pay per view win on his way to getting his World Title shot. Pac was a good choice for a challenger as well, as he was able to offer a good challenge without losing much by not winning the title. Rather good opener here in a match that lived up to its high expectations.

We recap the Don Callis Family vs. Steven Borden/Darby Allin. The Family is trying to become a more cohesive in an effort to get some gold, while Allin seems to want to turn Borden into another version of his partner in Sting.

Don Callis Family vs. Steven Borden/Darby Allin

For a future Tag Team Title shot. Fletcher wants to start with Borden and powers him up against the rope. Borden fights out of the corner with Allin coming in as well to clear the ring out. Knight comes in and gets armdragged into an armbar, followed by a dropkick to send Knight into the ropes. It’s off to Allin for the rather high springboard armdrag but Knight knocks him into the corner.

Fletcher kicks Allin off the apron and then powerbombs him onto the steps for a nasty crash. Back in and Allin tries a sunset flip but Knight tags out, allowing Fletcher to get in a quick kick of his own. Allin gets over to the corner for the tag, which the referee doesn’t see thanks to a Knight distraction. The Family gets sent into each other though and now the tag brings in Borden to clean house. That doesn’t last long as Borden is knocked outside and sent into the barricade, leaving Allin to come out with the dive.

Knight clotheslines him right back down and ties Allin in the Tree Of Woe, meaning it’s time to load up the Coast To Coast. Borden gets up to save Allin and climbs up for a top rope staredown with Knight (uh oh). They springboard at each other and collide (which wasn’t helped by Borden jumping way before Knight, with Borden slamming his head into the mat and knocking himself cold. The doctor comes in and the referee stops the match, with the Family winning at 12:25.

Rating: B-. I’ll wait to hear how Borden is doing before going into a rather lengthy rant about how utterly idiotic it is to allow someone who hasn’t even been wrestling for a year to do that kind of a spot. Anyway, Borden continues to look fine in limited doses (that dropkick is very good) but he’s still in over his head. Allin doing most of the work for his team is the right way to go, though I’m not wild on a former World Champion spending so much time trying to bring up the son of a legend on TV every week.

Commentary gets rather serious, as they should after this kind of an ending. This also serves as a way for Borden to get out of the arena, likely on a stretcher.

Persephone has issued an open challenge for the TBS Title.

TBS Title: Persephone vs. ???

Persephone, with Britt Baker, is defending against….the debuting Dani Luna (powerhouse, formerly from TNA). They fight over a lockup to start and an exchange of shoulders doesn’t go anywhere. Persephone grabs a belly to belly and gets in some rollups, only to get blasted by the rather strong Luna. A basement clothesline puts Persephone down again and Luna easily blocks a monkey flip attempt.

Baker pulls Luna outside though and Persephone hits her suicide dive. Back in and Persephone gets two off a northern lights suplex but Luna hits a middle rope dropkick. Luna puts her down again with a running boot and something close to a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. They go to the apron, where Persephone gets in a German suplex before hammering away back inside.

A rolling Kimura has Luna in more trouble as the fans only seem so interested in this. Back up and they clothesline each other for a double down so Persephone rolls to the apron. Luna muscles her up with a German superplex for two more, followed by her Lunar Landing (fireman’s carry into a sitout spinebuster) but Baker makes a save. Luna dives onto Baker but gets taken down by Persephone, setting up the Razor’s Edge to retain at 13:41.

Rating: B-. The match was fine, but this had no business being on pay per view. Persephone doesn’t feel like a star and she’s defending against someone who a lot of the fans either don’t know much about or don’t care about. That’s not a recipe for a pay per view match and it shouldn’t be a surprise that it only got so far. The wrestling was fine, but it was a match between two people who only mean so much around here.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa challenging Kazuchika Okada for the International Title. Ciampa is stepping up and wants one of the best in the world so the title shot is on.

International Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Ciampa is challenging. Okada backs him into the ropes for the slap to the chest to start. That works so well that Ciampa does it right back to him, with Okada coming back with a knockdown of his own. Back up and Okada teases the middle finger, which sends us into an exchange of forearms. The running knee misses for Ciampa and Okada realizes he dodged a big shot there.

Ciampa gets in another knee to send Okada outside, where a knee lift knocks Okada off of the announcers’ table. A Don Callis distraction lets Okada elbow away in the corner and a neckbreaker puts Ciampa back down. Okada hits a DDT to send him to the apron, where Ciampa is able to get in some chops. The super Air Raid Crash is broken up and Okada dropkicks him head first into the post.

Ciampa is hung over the barricade for a DDT and it’s time to flip off Ciampa’s daughter (on her 8th birthday). The girl flips him off right back and Ciampa is up to unload on Okada at the barricade. Back in and Ciampa rolls some German suplexes before the Fairy Tale Ending gets two. Okada gets in the Air Raid Crash onto the knee, setting up the top rope elbow. The middle finger is extended and then bitten by Ciampa so Okada gives him a dropkick.

Ciampa pulls him up for a quick Project Ciampa for two so Callis gets off commentary for a distraction. The big screwdriver shot is cut off by a knee and the running knee gives Ciampa two. Ciampa’s Rainmaker is blocked and he misses another knee, allowing Okada to get in a tilt-a-whirl powerslam. The Rainmaker retains the title at 21:02.

Rating: B+. This was another awesome match and the kind that I was expecting when it was announced. Ciampa has been doing very well since he came to AEW, though there was no real reason to believe he was winning the title here. Okada still seems to be involved in the long running story with other members/ex-members of the Don Callis Family so this was just a rather good side trip. As a sidenote, good luck topping Ciampa’s daughter flipping Okada off, because that was just great.

Steven Borden is awake and alert and being observed. That’s good to hear.

We recap the Women’s Tag Team Title match. The Brawling Birds won the title last month in London so it’s time for a rematch with no rules.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Brawling Birds

The Birds are defending in a Chicago Street Fight. Naturally the fight, including the weapons, starts on the ramp with the Birds taking over. Hayter throws in some chairs before setting up a table at ringside. They get inside, where Kross and Hayter are knocked down but manage to send the challengers into the open chairs. A double suplex drops Bayne onto a chair onto Kross but she’s fine enough to suplex Windsor into the corner.

Bayne sends a chair flying at Windsor and Hayter gets sent though the table at ringside. Kross holds Windsor over the ropes for the kendo stick shots from Bayne. Hayter is back up for the save and Windsor gets the kendo stick. Kross gets a trashcan put over her head for a missile dropkick and a double chair shot puts her down again. Back up and Bayne gets in her own knockdown, leaving everyone down and Bayne/Kross busted open.

Four chairs are put up so they can sit down and trade forearms, with the Birds being dropped for two each. Hayter gets up to kick away, only for Bayne to hit a double German suplex. It’s time to bring in a piece of the barricade, which takes too long, allowing the Birds to suplex Kross onto it instead.

That’s shrugged off and the Divine Intervention onto the open chairs gets two, with Hayter making the save. We get to the next natural step, meaning a barbed wire board being put up in the corner. That takes too long as well, allowing Hayter to Death Valley Driver Bayne through the board. The thumbtacks are poured out and Two Birds One Stone sends Kross into them to retain the titles at 17:40.

Rating: B. This was the kind of violent match that you would expect, though it ran a few minutes longer than it needed to. You had both teams beating the fire out of each other, with the Birds getting their win in what should be their match. It’s pretty much exactly what was expected and it went well, though dang I’m sick of the tacks spot.

Steven Borden is at the hospital and speaking, which is a good sign.

We recap the Trios Titles match. New Level debuted last month and joined forces with Swerve Strickland to win the titles. Now the former champions are getting a one on one rematch.

Trios Titles: Brodido/Hangman Page vs. New Level/Swerve Strickland

New Level/Strickland are defending. Kofi starts with Bandido, the latter of whom easily pulls him out of the air. They trade finger gun points to the face and Bandido dropkicks him down, leaving Kofi to stick the landing off of a monkey flip. That’s enough for a handshake so Creed and King come in for a change. Creed fires himself up and is promptly knocked down to the floor, with page getting in a shot from the apron.

Back in and Page comes in to kick Creed in the face, with Bandido adding a slingshot hilo. Strickland is up and goes after Page on the floor, with the old anger coming out again. That’s broken up and Strickland gets the tag in the melee to stomp Bandido down in the corner. An assisted moonsault gives Kofi two on Bandido and something like a Hart Attack gets the same.

Bandido’s comeback attempt is cut off by a backbreaker so he goes with a corkscrew crossbody instead. Page and Strickland almost get into it again, leaving Bandido to hit a pop up cutter. The tag brings in King to clean house, including a Death Valley Driver to Kofi on the apron. The Cannonball to Kofi gets two, with Strickland making the save. Now we get the Page vs. Strickland showdown, with the two of them slugging it out and going nose to nose, followed by, of course, more slugging.

Page is sent outside and Strickland hits a running flip dive to take him down again. Kofi kicks Bandido from the apron and Strickland gives Page a House Call to leave everyone mostly down. Back in and stereo Blockbusters give Page two and Creed chops away at King. Creed manages to fireman’s carry King, leaving Bandido to fireman’s carry Page and Kofi at the same time. Geez what a showoff.

King gets out and stacks Creed on top of the other two for a triple Samoan drop. Bandido moonsaults out onto the floor, followed by King German suplexing Bandido, who German suplexes the New Level at the same time. Creed is able to powerbomb King out of the corner and Swerve’s 450 gets two. Page is back up to stare Creed down but it’s broken up too, with everyone being knocked down. Page uses Kofi as a launchpad to hit the Buckshot Lariat but gets caught with a House Call. The 21 Plex is countered into Big Pressure to retain the titles at 23:59.

Rating: B+. As soon as this match was announced, you could guarantee two things. One, it would be a wild party match with no tagging and that Bandido would take the fall. Bandido losing on AEW PPV has become a running theme and now he’s getting pinned by the same person multiple times. Anyway, this was the crazy match you would expect and it was a blast, with tagging just being kind of a suggestion rather than a rule.

We recap Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale. It was seemingly designed to be a triple threat also involving Mercedes Mone but Mone is injured so let’s do a #1 contenders match instead.

Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale

For a Women’s Title shot at WrestleDream. Thekla sends her into the ropes to start but misses a charge. It’s too early for the Babe With The Powerbomb so they trade some rollups for two each. Back up and Nightingale Pounces her into the ropes but Thekla is back up to knock Nightingale off the top. The whip into the barricade has Nightingale in more trouble and Thekla gets to snap the fingers back inside.

A stomp onto Nightingale’s injured hand has her in more trouble but she’s fine enough to knock Thekla down again. The basement dropkick gives Nightingale two of her own and it’s off to a Texas Cloverleaf. With that broken up, Thekla is sent crashing out to the floor but she’s able to take over again. A big dive to the floor takes Nightingale down again and they trade some forearms. Since we’re actually having a count, they dive back inside at nine, where Thekla misses a stomp.

The Death Valley Driver gives Nightingale two and they both go up top. Thekla knocks her down though and a double stomp hits the bad hand. They both spider up and a clothesline leaves both of them down. Cue Julia Hart so Skye Blue can get in a belt shot to Nightingale, only for Hart to miss a belt shot of her own and hit Thekla by mistake. That’s enough to give Nightingale two so Thekla kicks her in the head. The Stomp gives Thekla the pin at 13:37.

Rating: B. Another perfectly good match which didn’t quite feel like it was a major pay per view showdown. I do like the idea of Thekla getting the shot as it means getting to hear her talk some more, though I don’t quite like Thekla’s odds in the title match. Nightingale gets to move on to something else, which won’t be a lengthy World Title reign because that’s not her style it seems.

We recap the Tag Team Title match, which has tables, ladders and chairs. Does the rest really matter?

Tag Team Titles: Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. FTR vs. Young Bucks

Copeland and Cage are defending in a ladder match and FTR’s British Tag Team Titles, which they just had to wear here, aren’t on the line. The brawl is on to start fast with Copeland and Harwood going outside to grab the first ladder. Back in and the champs take over, including bringing in the chairs. The Bucks set the chairs up and bulldog FTR onto them, with the champs getting back up and hiptoss Matt onto the chairs.

FTR grabs a ladder to beat on the Bucks, earning themselves dives from Copeland and Cage. Copeland goes up the ladder, which is cut off by a dropkick from Matt. The Bucks go up and are pulled right back down, meaning it’s time for the Bucks and FTR to take turns breaking up climbs. Nick gets a ladder dropped down onto him so FTR beats up the champions instead.

The Bucks get back up to take over, including monkey flipping Cage onto a ladder against the ropes. Copeland finds the really big ladder, which is bridged into a regular ladder. Harwood superplexes Copeland onto the bridged ladder and it’s time for more slugging. The tables are set at ringside with a backdrop sending Wheeler through one. Matt is sent onto another one, which doesn’t break. With that OUCH out of the way, Cage gives Nick a super Killswitch onto the ladder to leave him on another planet.

Copeland is back in to beat on FTR with a chair but Stokely throws powder at Cage. Stokely climbs a ladder and is shoved down, sending him crashing through a table at ringside for the huge crash. A spike piledriver onto the apron knocks Copeland silly and a Meltzer Driver on the floor does the same to Harwood. Copeland and Harwood are put on tables for stereo splashes from the Bucks, allowing them to go up.

Harwood makes the save (oh come on) and they all climb up for the six way brawl on the ladders. That’s broken up and a Shatter Machine hits Matt so Copeland and Cage chair FTR down. The Conchairto misses though and Nick springboards onto the ladder. Matt is back up as well and it’s a BTE Trigger to Cage, allowing the Bucks to get the titles back at 23:29.

Rating: B+. Well of course they did. The Bucks winning the titles isn’t exactly a major shock in AEW and it was either going to happen at All In or here. This was exactly what you would have expected, with a bunch of violence and carnage as the weapons were destroyed. If you liked TLC matches, you’ll like this and that’s about as much thought as I’m going to put into a match that has been done to death.

Wardlow is coming back. I’m sure it’ll be a smash.

We recap Will Ospreay defending the World Title against Jon Moxley. Ospreay came back from a broken neck (at the hands of Moxley) and won the World Title after Moxley helped train him. Now Moxley is getting a title shot.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay

Ospreay is defending and Moxley’s Continental Title isn’t on the line. We get a special entrance for Ospreay, including narration, a live violin and what I believe is Assassins Creed gameplay footage. They stare at each other for a good while until Ospreay’s attempt at a single leg backs Moxley against the ropes. Ospreay goes for the arm and they grapple to the mat, with neither being able to get very far. A shoulder puts Moxley down so he grabs a headscissors, with Ospreay bouncing up for the escape.

Ospreay’s running hurricanrana sends Moxley to the floor and of course Ospreay is right there with a slingshot dive. Back in and Moxley bites Ospreay’s head on top, where a DDT brings him down onto the buckle. That’s enough to bust Ospreay open so Moxley fires off crossface shots to the head. A neckbreaker gives Moxley one and he snaps Ospreay’s finger. The piledriver gives Moxley two as the fans aren’t reacting that hard on the kickouts, likely knowing that the insanity is still to come.

Ospreay counters another piledriver to Moxley pulls him into an STF of all things. Ospreay is able to reverse a cross arm choke into one of his own, followed by a Phenomenal Forearm for two more. The standing corkscrew moonsault gets another near fall and yes indeed it’s time to trade forearms. Moxley has to block a Styles Clash and pulls him into a rear naked choke. That’s broken up so Moxley hits a Gotch style piledriver for two more.

The Stomp is blocked and Moxley can’t believe it, even as Ospreay strikes away and grabs a Styles Clash for two. The Oscutter gets two more so the Death Riders offer a distraction, meaning it’s time to brawl with the United Empire. A Hidden Blade hits Moxley but the referee is bumped somewhere in there. The Riders and Empire get inside to keep up the brawl so here is Andrade El Idolo to take Pac out.

A Paradigm Shift and Hidden Blade connect but Marina Shafir hits Ospreay with the briefcase. The rather slow count gets two on Ospreay so here are the Brawling Birds to go after Shafir. Hayter hits a big dive to the floor and everyone else brawls off. Moxley crosses himself and hits a big briefcase shot to Ospreay for two more. Two more Paradigm Shifts drop Ospreay for two so Moxley grabs his choke. Ospreay gets up and flips out of the corner for another Hidden Blade. Stormbreaker gives Ospreay two and Moxley starts laughing, only for another Hidden Blade to knock him cold and retain the title at 32:45.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting match that you would have expected, with all of the interference and such bringing it down. It felt like something closer to a Jeff Jarrett or HHH title defense from way back in the day, which isn’t the best thing to see. Ospreay needed this win as it ties up his biggest loose end as champion and now we get to see whomever is next. Good match here, but tone it down with all of the interference next time.

Post match Moxley takes the belt from Ospreay and gives it back to him. Make up your mind man.

Overall Rating: B+. This show was going to have trouble getting out of All In’s shadow but it was more than good enough. The action was good and it felt like a big card, which thankfully didn’t feel like it was dragging. I liked it rather well and while it didn’t have any great matches, it had a bunch of very good ones and that’s more than enough for a solid PPV, as usual.

But cut out that two pre-shows thing. It’s just stupid.

Results
Jack Perry b. Katsuyori Shibata – Rollup
Sisters Of Sin b. Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata – Code Blue to Shirakawa
Bang Bang Gang b. The Dogs/Death Riders – Blade Runner to Yuta
Andrade El Idolo b. Pac – Rollup
Don Callis Family b. Darby Allin/Steven Borden via referee’s decision
Persephone b. Dani Luna – Razor’s Edge
Kazuchika Okada b. Tommaso Ciampa – Rainmaker
Brawling Birds b. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne – Two Birds One Stone onto tacks to Kross
Swerve Strickland/New Level b. Brodido/Hangman Page – Big Pressure to Bandido
Thekla b. Willow Nightingale – Stomp
Young Bucks b. FTR and Adam Copeland/Christian Cage – The Bucks pulled down the titles
Will Ospreay b. Jon Moxley – Hidden Blade

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

Saturday Night’s Main Event #11
Date: May 2, 1987
Location: Edmund P. Joyce Center, Notre Dame, Indiana
Attendance: 9,345
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura

It’s another classic one and in this case we have the fallout from Wrestlemania III. There are a pair of title matches on the show and that is quite a stacked card. In addition, Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant are likely to have something to say about what happened in the biggest match of all time so let’s get to it.

Randy savage is sick of George Steele, who cost him “his World Wrestling Federation Title” at Wrestlemania. Tonight, it’s their final confrontation.

Ricky Steamboat is ready to melt Hercules’ chains.

The Hart Foundation is ready to shut the British Bulldogs up for good.

Jim Duggan is not standing for Nikolai Volkoff singing the Russian National Anthem and even breaks his 2×4.

Bobby Heenan, in a neck brace, has footage to prove that Andre The Giant won at Wrestlemania.

Hulk Hogan thinks that’s nonsense.

There’s the classic opening, now with Wrestlemania III footage.

Ventura and McMahon welcome us to the show and run down the card. There’s something interesting about the two of them sharing one microphone.

We see footage from earlier today (on television) with Bobby Heenan and Ken Patera having a debate. Heenan went after him with a belt which went as well as you would expect, resulting in Heenan’s neck injury and the need for the brace.

Mr. Fuji is now managing Kamala and promises to be ready to overcome his fear of snakes. Kamala and Kim Chee run away at the mention of a snake so this isn’t off to a great start.

We look at Honky Tonk Man bashing Jake Roberts with his guitar on the Snake Pit back in February.

Gene Okerlund thinks that guitar shot is the only reason Roberts would be crazy enough to face Kamala. Roberts offers to have Okerlund ask Damien about that.

Kamala vs. Jake Roberts

Mr. Fuji and Kim Chee are here too. Roberts sends Damien into the ring to scare Kamala outside but spends way too long tying the bag, allowing Kamala to get in a cheap shot. The comeback is cut off by a shot to Roberts’ throat and we hit the bearhug. Roberts gets smart by stomping on the bare feet and hammers away, only to get choked even more.

Kamala mixes it up with some foot choking and Roberts falls out to the floor. The chase is on and Roberts gets in a knee lift on the way back inside. A middle rope knee lift (that’s cool) connects but Fuji offers a distraction so Chee gets in a cheap shot. The big splash gives Kamala the pin at 4:19.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one, save for that rather good looking middle rope jumping knee. The point though was to have Fuji looking good as Kamala’s new manager and continuing Roberts’ tough stretch. Granted it helps to have three managers, which is quite a lot even by 80s standards.

Post match Chee takes off his mask and reveals the Honky Tonk Man. Ventura asks if Honky Tonk Man has been Kim Chee all along and somehow makes it sound both mocking and serious at the same time. Honky Tonk Man gets in a Shake Rattle And Roll to leave Roberts laying. That was one heck of a surprise, as you didn’t get angles like this very often. The fans were surprised and ticked off so that seems to be a success.

We take a quick look at Wrestlemania III, including the iconic opening shot from the start of the stadium and Hogan/Andre’s staredown.

George Steele doesn’t seem to get the idea of a lumberjack match but does understand Elizabeth.

The lumberjacks come out for the match and Honky Tonk Man and Kim Chee both being there has commentary confused.

Ricky Steamboat accuses George Okerlund of TRYING TO CONFUSE George Steele. Okerlund denies it but Steamboat will be escorting Steele to the ring.

Randy Savage, with Elizabeth, is not happy about being called the former Intercontinental Champion. He blames Steele for his issues and wants his title back from Steamboat, who will be at ringside too.

George Steele vs. Randy Savage

Lumberjack match. Steele goes after Elizabeth before the bell and gets jumped from behind but is sent outside. Savage, with his sunglasses still on, goes over to see his friends on the floor before getting back inside so Steele can bite him. Steele sends him outside, where the British Bulldogs send Savage back inside.

This time Steele gets tied in the ropes and punched in the face, with Steamboat and company helping him back inside. Naturally Ventura doesn’t like this because he didn’t like much at all. The top rope ax handle connects for Savage and he’s thrown outside for the group stomping. Duggan gets the 2×4 for the save and chases Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff (of course), earning himself an ejection as we take a break.

We come back with Steele fighting back against the lumberjacks and getting to choke Savage a bit. Naturally Steele goes after a turnbuckle pad, allowing Savage to get in a rather low suplex. Back up and they take turns getting sent to the floor for the expected results. The lumberjacks get in their fight and Danny Davis (who Steele punched earlier) comes in with the bell to knock Steele sillier. The big elbow finishes for Savage at 6:40.

Rating: D+. These guys feuded for the better part of ever (remember that they fought at last year’s Wrestlemania II) and I don’t think they ever had a single good match. That’s rather impressive as you would think that Savage would be able to make anything work. The match was another mess but thankfully it had a bunch of people out there to give us other options other than the match itself.

Post match Steamboat goes after Savage so Hercules breaks it up. The lumberjacks get in and the brawl is on until Jake Roberts runs back in with Damien to go after Kim Chee.

Gene Okerlund sits down with Bobby Heenan and Andre The Giant, with Heenan insisting that Andre won the match at Wrestlemania III. Andre says he was cheated, with Heenan claiming that all of the referees in Hogan’s matches are biased. We see the opening of the Wrestlemania match and Heenan insists that Hogan was pinned off the failed slam attempt. Okerlund points out that the referee counted two, with a desperate Heenan shouting that HE’S LYING. Heenan wants a rematch or for Andre to just be made the champion.

Ventura thinks Heenan might be on to something. And that’s how you make an angle like this work.

Jim Duggan threatens Nikolai Volkoff again.

Gene Okerlund (dude earns his money on these shows) yells at the Hart Foundation for STEALING the Tag Team Titles from the British Bulldogs and calls them a black eye on the face of professional wrestling. Jimmy Hart says the crying Bulldogs will get their shot but Okerlund says it won’t be fair with Danny Davis around. Davis LUNGES at Okerlund (that fiend) and has to be held back.

Tag Team Titles: Hart Foundation vs. British Bulldogs

The Harts are defending in a 2/3 falls match and Jimmy Hart/Danny Davis and Tito Santana are here too. Matilda goes after Jimmy Hart and even bites the Megaphone, with Hart claiming to have been bitten in the leg. Bulldog takes Hart down by the arm to start but gets caught in a headlock. Hart knocks him down and hands it off to Neidhart, who allows Hart to choke in the corner.

It’s already back to Hart for a backdrop and legdrop but Bulldog finally gets a boot up in the corner. That’s enough for the tag off to Dynamite to clean house but everything breaks down. Bulldog is knocked outside and Davis gets in a few cheap shots, earning a chase from Santana. The Harts stomp on Kid and it’s a DQ for the first fall at 4:33. We take a break and come back with Dynamite still in trouble and something like a Demolition Decapitator getting two.

A headbutt looks to get Dynamite out of trouble but Neidhart is there to grab a front facelock. That’s broken up and Hart misses a charge into the ropes, which allows the tag off to Bulldog. Some dropkicks have the Harts in trouble and a clothesline gets two. Neidhart takes over on the Bulldog but hits Hart with a forearm by mistake. Santana has to take Davis out and Bulldog tosses Dynamite onto Hart for the pin and the second fall at 9:48.

Rating: B. The crowd reaction alone was great, though Ventura’s laughing should tell you that something is up. The thing here though as just reminding you how great the tag division was at this point. These teams were able to have some great matches and there are all kinds of teams waiting to come up and go after the titles. It was so awesome to see and these were two of the best teams around (both then and ever).

The fans go NUTS on the fall…and it doesn’t mean a title change because the first fall was a DQ. That’s the definition of a cheap wrestling rule and while it can be done for stuff like this, the whole idea of “you can’t win the title on a DQ” doesn’t work so well when it comes after a pinfall.

Hulk Hogan is still fired up after winning at Wrestlemania and we see some of the same footage from the Andre match. The right hands were going off “like Mount Susuvius” but even he thought he was done when the slam didn’t work. We see some stills of the slam and it’s quite the visual to go from Andre getting two to being upside down. As for Bobby Heenan’s comments, Hogan says go ahead and have your investigation but he’s not giving up the title.

Intercontinental Title: Ricky Steamboat vs. Hercules

Steamboat is defending and Bobby Heenan is here with Hercules. We also cut to Randy Savage and Elizabeth watching in the back, with Savage saying he wants Steamboat to win so he can take the title back himself. Hercules wins a strike off to start so Steamboat slides between his legs and fires off some dropkicks. Even Ventura approves as it’s a smarter strategy, with an atomic drop having Hercules in more trouble on the floor.

Back in and Hercules sends him into the corner as Savage is shown cheering in the back, which has Ventura befuddled. Hercules drops some elbows but gets kicked in the face as Ventura thinks Savage might be too selfish even for himself. The comeback is cut off and Hercules gets the full nelson and Savage storms off, shouting DON’T SURRENDER! Cue Savage in the arena to pull Savage into the ropes for the save. Heenan accurately says that should be a DQ and we take a break as the arguing continues.

We take a break and come back with Hercules’ top rope splash hitting raised knees (it was quite the length too as Hercules could go the distance (yes I am that much of a Disney geek)). Back up and Hercules missing a big elbow, leaving Heenan looking like he’s near death. A missed charge in the corner lets Steamboat chop away as Savage demands that he “SAVE IT FOR ME”. Hercules gets in a knee to the back and with Steamboat down, Heenan throws in the chain for Hercules to choke him for the DQ at 6:43.

Rating: C+. Well that was…something. I’m not entirely sure what as it was mainly Savage losing his mind on the floor (ok that’s not a big leap) and taking the focus off of the match. Hercules is of course a good choice for a challenger, even if he didn’t actually win at Wrestlemania. Steamboat was his usual self here, though the focus was all on Savage, who was his usual insane self.

Post match Hercules chokes with the chain even more to leave Steamboat laying. Savage comes in to help turn Steamboat over and then gives him the big elbow, with Ventura being far too happy.

Jim Duggan is in the front row to again praise America and say that Nikolai Volkoff won’t be singing his national anthem. Yes he’s been banned from ringside but he bought a ticket (which looks like a raffle ticket) and will be watching Volkoff.

Slick says that America cannot deny Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff their freedom of speech.

Can-Am Connection vs. Nikolai Volkoff/Iron Sheik

Slick is here with Sheik and Volkoff, the latter of whom sings the national anthem. That’s enough for Jim Duggan to come in and hit Volkoff with the 2×4 and give the rather pro-American speech. We take a break and come back to start with Martel jumping over Volkoff in the corner and hitting some dropkicks. Zenk comes in and gets kicked down, setting up Sheik’s gutwrench suplex for two.

A regular suplex gets the same and the cover is so weak that even Ventura calls him out on it. Sheik’s belly to belly bangs up the ribs so he grabs an abdominal stretch, which is finally broken up with a hiptoss. Everything breaks down and Zenk is sent outside in front of Duggan while Martel is sent outside as well. Duggan comes inside with the board because security around here is that bad, with the distraction letting Martel roll Sheik up for the pin at 3:57.

Rating: C+. There is something so awesome about watching Sheik doing those suplexes. The gutwrench suplex was his biggest signature move outside of the camel clutch and it looked good every time. On the other hand you have the Connection, who were as white meat of a white meat team as you could have gotten around this point. They were on fire here and dang it would have been fun to see them stay together.

Post match all three villains beat Duggan down but the Connection makes the save. Duggan gets back up and marches around the ring a bit.

Commentary recaps the night and we’re out.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: B. This was a heck of a fallout show from Wrestlemania, with the focus being on the aftermath of the two big Wrestlemania matches. Hogan vs. Andre is clearly not done and Savage is still obsessed with Steamboat. Throw in the tag division still being awesome and the pretty cool Honky Tonk Man angle and this show was a blast.

Results
Kamala b. Jake Roberts – Splash
Randy Savage b. George Steele – Top rope elbow
British Bulldogs b. Hart Foundation 2-0
Ricky Steamboat b. Hercules via DQ when Hercules used his chain
Can-Am Connection b. Nikolai Volkoff/Iron Sheik – Rollup to Sheik

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

So we’re just a few weeks after All In and we’re already looking at something of a sequel, if nothing else with the opposite name. That makes for something of a problem as it’s going to be a bit of a step down from the biggest show of the year. This show is basically a two match card and that should be enough to carry the whole thing. Now if the rest of the card can live up to that standard, we should be in a good place. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Bang Bang Gang vs. Death Riders/The Dogs

I’m running out of ways to explain how uninterested I am in the Dogs. They’re on almost every show and they’re just the most generic heel team. At least Gabe Kidd isn’t involved in this and that should help a bit, but the team still isn’t interesting. In this case, at least we have the Gang in there and they can make just about anything work. If nothing else Ace Austin…yeah he’s not going to get the fall is he?

I’ll go with the Riders and Dogs to win here, as the Dogs continue to be the team that AEW wants to get over no matter what. The Gang is a team who seem ready to move up the ladder but it isn’t going to happen if they keep losing. The problem is they always lose and that’s what I’m expecting to see again here. Just don’t make it be Austin again, as good grief he deserves some wins. Or at least less losses.

Zero Hour: Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata

This is part of the latest attempt to get Perry over as a big deal but it’s just a stopping point on the way to what is likely Perry vs. Samoa Joe. The problem is Perry kept mentioning Joe in the last few weeks and then Joe isn’t here. Instead it’s Shibata, who might be talented (he certainly is) but he’s not seen as a top star. This is the kind of a match that feels like it belongs on Collision and that’s not the best feeling.

There is no reason to think that Perry is going to lose here so I won’t bother suggesting that anything else will be happening. Perry wins here and gets to move on to a big showdown with Joe. Why would they bother doing anything else? At the end of the day, Perry is someone who has always been teasing getting into the main event scene and this could be a step in his latest attempt. I’m not sure if this needs to be on the pay per view but Perry is a big enough star to warrant a spot.

TBS Title: Persephone(c) vs. ???

So the problem here is rather simple: Persephone doesn’t feel like a big star. She’s talented, she has a good associate with Britt Baker as her (close enough) manager and is the champion, but does she really feel like someone important? Honestly, not really, and that makes it hard to buy her as a manager champion. I have no idea who is coming after the title, but it’s likely only going to feel so important.

On the grounds of “I don’t know who is challenging for the title”, I’ll say that Persephone retains here. I’ve heard a rumor about who will be challenging and I won’t spoil it here (it’s easy to find online if you’re that interested) and I would hope they have something bigger than that. Persephone needs to beat some big names and this is a good chance for it to happen, assuming it actually does.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Brawling Birds(c) vs. Megan Bayne/Lena Kross

This is a rematch from last month where the Birds won the titles in London and now it’s time to do the rematch in their style of match, with a street fight. That should make for a fun match, with Kross and Bayne being rather impressive on the way to the match. It’s a simple story of the Birds trying to fight back against the two monsters and that is going to be easier said than done.

I see no reason to expect the titles to change hands here, as Bayne and Kross have already had that big reign with the titles. They don’t need to do it again and there is no reason to have the Birds lose the titles right back in what should be their signature match. Do the right thing here and let the Birds get their important title defense. I don’t know if it’s going to be a long title reign, but it shouldn’t be ending here. Birds retain.

Darby Allin/Steven Borden vs. Don Callis Family

This is for a future Tag Team Title shot and…yeah I’m not sure where to go. At the end of the day, Allin is a star but Borden is just so, so new at this and putting him into a title program is a big leap. At the same time, that might be the story they’re telling, as Allin and Borden have already had an issue with the reigning champions. Then again it’s not like the Family winning and getting the shot would be a stretch either.

I’m really not sure here but we’ll go with….I guess the Family, as it would be a step too far to have the a pair of former champions lose to someone who has had what, two matches on TV? I could easily see Allin and Borden winning, but I’m not sure it makes the most sense. The fact that I’m this unsure tells me that AEW is doing well with their storytelling, as having two viable options is a good thing.

National Title: Andrade El Idolo(c) vs. Pac

Now this is an interesting one, as There is no reason to believe that Idolo is going to lose as he’s the hottest star in the company. The catch though is that he has the World Title contract and it would be reasonable to think that he needs to get the National Title out of the way before he gets into the main event picture. At the same time though, I’m not sure I can picture the loss happening here.

Give me Idolo to retain the title here, as it’s too early for him to lose a match like this. The good thing is that Idolo and Pac should be able to tear the house down and have one of the better matches you’ll see on the show. These two know how to have an exciting match and they can tear the house down on this kind of stage. Idolo retains, though him losing the title wouldn’t be totally out of the question.

Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale

The winner gets to challenge Mercedes Mone for the Women’s Title at WrestleDream. It felt like we were getting a triple threat title match but I’ll take these two facing off, as Mone being taken out here gives them more of a chance to shine. That’s a great thing to see, and now we get to find out what they can do against each other in such a situation. Now who wins here?

It’s a Nightingale match, so of course I’m assuming she loses. Nightingale is one of the most beloved stars in all of AEW but she isn’t going to be a realistic threat to win here. We’ve already seen Mone vs. Nightingale on the big stage and it’s time to get us on to Thekla trying to get her title back. I’ve liked the build, but there is no reason to think that Nightingale is winning.

Trios Titles: Swerve Strickland/New Level(c) vs. Hangman Page/Brodido

As good as Strickland and New Level have been together, it still makes me wonder why we haven’t seen more of New Level on their own as a team. You know, that whole “we signed one of the most successful teams of this generation” and all that. Anyway, this is the closest thing to a big time match as we have, though it’s only going to feel so important given that it’s about the Trios Titles.

I’ll go with the champions retaining here, as there is no reason to switch the belts back. At the same time, Bandido is on pay per view and that gives him roughly a 94.4% chance of taking the fall. Yes he’s on his way to the record for longest Ring Of Honor World Title reign and that has meant a grand total of nothing when it comes to winning on AEW PPV. The champions retain here and we wait for them to find another serious set of challengers.

International Title: Kazuchika Okada(c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa

I waited to go ahead with this one as I don’t want to get to the result. Ciampa is someone who has felt like a breath of fresh air in AEW as he just has something that makes you want to watch him. That has already made him a champion, but it is only going to do so good when it comes to challenging here. I think you can tell where this one is going from here and that should be the case.

Okada retains here, as while Ciampa is rather awesome, he’s not going to be put in a spot where he can beat someone as high up on the totem pole as Okada is at the moment. Okada has too much going on with the Don Callis Family to lose the title because Callis…gah. I want to see Ciampa get a breakthrough win, but there does not seem to be much of a reason to believe it’s happening.

Tag Team Titles: Adam Copeland/Christian Cage(c) vs. FTR vs. Young Bucks

This is the ladder (tables and chairs implied) match that I was expecting at All In and I cannot bring myself to care. We are 27 years removed from Copeland and Cage having the first tag team ladder match. 27 years. We already have the Hardys and the Dudleys still running around on various other shows and all it does is make you realize how long we’ve been watching these same people. The Bucks and FTR aren’t much better, as they’ve been feuding with each other for the better part of ever in AEW. Seeing them all together with ladders does nothing for me, but you knew it was coming one day.

I’ll take the Bucks to win here, as it’s just been too long since they’ve won something big. I’m aware that I say that a lot, but the Bucks are one of those acts that just will not go away no matter how uninteresting they continue to be. This will have a bunch of big spots and old people crashing through things and I’m sure it will get quite the collection of pops. Then we can move on to whatever the next ladder match happens to be.

AEW World Title: Will Ospreay(c) vs. Jon Moxley

We’ll wrap it up here and it’s quite the odd build. The story has been set up and built over the last few months. Ospreay got close to Moxley after Moxley…broke his neck, because that’s how this thing has gone. After that though, Ospreay went on to feud with Kenny Omega with Moxley just kind of there in the background. Now we get to spin back around to them and it feels like it could have used some more swerving time.

This is the kind of match that is going to go into a big, long fight and I’ll take the champion to retain. Ospreay had his big moment last month and it is WAY too early for him to lose here. Moxley has already had a bunch of title wins on his own and keeps the Continental Title (because we need to have a chance of someone to be a double champion again) and doesn’t need to win here. Ospreay retains in a very long and even harder hitting match.

Overall Thoughts

There are two major matches on this card and they should be enough to carry things. The rest of the card might not feel as important, but it should be more than good enough to carry the night. There are more than a few matches here which feel like they could steal the show and that’s a nice situation to have. This show has a big shadow to escape from All In but the pieces are there to make it happen.

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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Smackdown
Date: September 25, 2026
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Money In The Bank and as usual we’ll be seeing more qualifying matches. The other big story is of course the World Title picture, with Sami Zayn escaping as champion last week. That’s going to be a bigger issue on the way to next month’s pay per view so let’s get to it.

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

We recap Trick Williams vs. Baron Corbin, which has been going on for a few months now. Tonight, it’s a cage match. You might want to mention that on TV the week before next time.

US Title: Trick Williams vs. Baron Corbin

Williams, with Lil Yachty (we need Corbin to bring in Tugboat to even things out), is defending in a cage. A leg lariat puts Corbin down to start but he’s back up with a toss into the cage. Corbin plants him down hard and we take a break. We come back with the two of them sitting on top of the cage and slugging it out. Williams gets the better of things and goes down but Corbin cuts him off with a superplex back down for two.

A ticked off Corbin kicks the cage door into Yachty, allowing Williams to get in the Trick Kick for two. Corbin gets in a chokeslam and goes for the door but Yachty slams the door on his head in a bit of revenge. The Trick Shot connects for two and Corbin gets in Deep Six for the same. Williams plants him with a Book End and then does it again and a third time for the pin at 12:05.

Rating: C+. I’m really not sure if this was as epic as they were hoping it to be, as it didn’t exactly warrant a cage match with no build. The three Book Ends wasn’t exactly Hogan dropping three legs on Zeus at No Holds Barred. At least Williams gets to move on though, which is what matters the most.

Nia Jax and Lash Legend are ready for Alexa Bliss and Charlotte, with Jax interviewing Legend about what she’s going to do.

We look back at CM Punk costing Kevin Owens the World Title against Sami Zayn last week.

Nick Aldis comes up to Punk and wants to see him in his office. Punk: “I’m not in trouble am I?” Aldis insists he isn’t so Punk goes along.

Post break Punk and Aldis go into the office where Kevin Owens is laying on the couch. Aldis says this has to end between them, especially with Money In The Bank qualifying matches taking place. Punk says Owens has nothing he wants and he’ll leave Owens alone if Owens leaves him alone. Owens (wearing a Randy Orton hoodie) leaves without saying anything.

Chelsea Green is panicking over Money In The Bank and Nikki Bella. Tiffany Stratton and Paige try to come her down before leaving. Bella pops in, with a grand total of no way that none of them saw her standing two feet away. Anyway, Bella says that Green is a joke and can’t trust Paige. This brings Paige and Stratton back in to get rid of her.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Charlotte vs. Lash Legend vs. Giulia

Giulia goes after Legend and is knocked down to start but Charlotte is up for the chops. A double clothesline takes Charlotte and Giulia down but Giulia is back up with a guillotine to Legend. That’s broken up with Legend tossing her away, leaving Charlotte to hit a great looking high crossbody on Legend. The flip dive off the apron hits Legend (albeit in slow motion) but Giulia dropkicks Charlotte from the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Charlotte knocking Legend down again and giving Giulia a fall away slam. Giulia takes Charlotte up top so Legend powerbombs both of them down. Charlotte is up with a knee to Legend’s face but Legend muscles her up for a fall away slam. That earns Legend a missile dropkick from Giulia and Charlotte gives Legend a….well it was called a Backstabber but that’s a stretch at best.

Charlotte boots Legend off the apron so Giulia superplexes Charlotte, with Legend coming back in to steal the near fall. Legend goes for a Figure Four on Charlotte, which is quickly broken up. Instead Charlotte launches Giulia off the top into Legend and moonsaults onto both of them. The Natural Selection hits Giulia and Charlotte gets the Figure Eight (doesn’t look right) on Legend, with Giulia making the save. Giulia gives Charlotte the northern lights bomb but Legend is up with the Lash Extension for the pin at 12:43.

Rating: B-. Well, I’ll take that ending over Legend stealing a pin off of someone else’s move. They had some unique and fresh spots in here and it helped a lot, though it was hard to get interested in another triple threat. Legend belongs in the ladder match, though I’d be surprised if Charlotte doesn’t get in there either.

We look back at last week’s sitdown interview with Cody Rhodes. After the interview was over, Rhodes thanked Cole and said that he was going to take Orton’s f’ing head off.

Earlier tonight, Orton came up to commentary and demanded that Cole interview him tonight.

Blake Monroe blocks Giulia for her loss and gets slapped in the face. The brawl is on and Nick Aldis comes in to say they’re facing each other next week.

Michael Cole sits down with Randy Orton but isn’t sure what to ask him. Orton brings up the Cody Rhodes interview and what Rhodes said after it was over (the threat to Orton), which Cole explains again. Orton finds it funny that Rhodes only said that after the cameras were off and thinks it’s because Rhodes is compromised. The funny thing is that Rhodes has changed so much over the years and he’s still a good guy.

There is only one person who has never changed and that’s Orton himself. He’s been himself his entire time here and if Rhodes does go after him, Rhodes has compromised himself again. Otherwise, he has peaked, so Orton asks Cole what he thinks will happen. Orton yells at him for not responding and ends the interview. The mental chess continues, as Rhodes turning heel is starting to look more and more like a possibility.

Sami Zayn says Orton is back in the title picture and a lot of people don’t want Zayn to be champion. That’s the story of the title reign, because Zayn will survive no matter what. Zayn is going to keep his title because he’s doing this for the right reasons. Finn Balor pops up to say everyone is going after Zayn after he screwed them all over to get to the title. Balor is coming for the title, Money In The Bank or not.

Johnny Gargano comes up so Zayn wants his help. Gargano asks where his title match is and a frustrated Zayn finally says that Gargano deserves it. Zayn claims to have asked Nick Aldis for the title shot but got turned down. Instead Zayn has gotten Gargano and Candice LeRae Money In The Bank qualifying matches. Gargano asks if that’s how he gets his title match and seems to accept it. Zayn wants to know if Gargano has his back and after a less than happy look from LeRae, Gargano agrees. Zayn looks like he knows he dodged a bullet there.

Tiffany Stratton/Paige/Chelsea Green vs. Fatal Influence

Reid gets sent into the ropes to start for some running hip attacks. Henley is knocked down as well and we take an early break. We come back with Stratton in trouble. A running Blockbuster takes her down but she’s up for the tag off to Green a few seconds later. Everything breaks down and Paige hits a Paige Turner on Henley. Green is caught on the floor so Stratton dives onto the villains for the save. Paige loads up a dive but Nikki Bella pops up to cut her off. The Rolling Encore gives Jayne the pin on Paige at 7:30.

Rating: C+. This was all about the Bella interference because Bella has to have something to do around here. Her inclusion still feels totally forced in but the Bellas are going to be a thing no matter what. Other than that, I do appreciate a regular team of champions not losing, even with the shenanigans.

We look at Damian Priest attacking R-Truth at the Performance Center and blaming him for Priest not being a champion.

Gunther calls it a disgrace that he has to go to Money In The Bank. He’s most interested in Finn Balor and seeing what he’s dealing with here. Is it the legendary Finn Balor or is it his ghost? Danhausen pops up to say they can take the human money in the case and then split it to buy some nice watches and….hey wait. Gunther isn’t going to split the money at all is he? Gunther grabs him by the throat and chokes Danhausen away.

CM Punk threw out the first pit and sang Take Me Out To The Ballgame at a Cubs game.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes talks about how he had the World Title won at Summerslam until Randy Orton interfered. Now though, Punk has lost the World Title to Sami Zayn, but Rhodes can deal with that later. Instead, he needs to talk about the lunatic who talked to Michael Cole earlier. Orton is trying to put Rhodes in an unwinnable position.

Rhodes talks about things he’s had to do, such as not sell his soul in front of millions of people, beat John Cena on his retirement run and face all kinds of beloved wrestlers. He knows what it means to be in unwinnable positions and this time, he will not hesitate to kick Orton’s head off. The thing is, he might not be the only one. As Rhodes goes to leave, here is Punk for his match. Rhodes walks by him without saying anything. This wasn’t much to say here, as we’ve been here before and it doesn’t matter until Rhodes actually pulls the trigger.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: CM Punk vs. Gunther vs. Finn Balor

Gunther knocks Balor outside to start before hitting a big boot to Punk. The Boston crab goes on, with Balor making the save, which just earns himself a loud chop. Balor gives Gunther a Russian legsweep with Punk adding a running boot. A double DDT puts Punk and Gunther down but Gunther is back up to cut off Balor’s running dive. Balor is able to send Gunther outside though and now the flip dive connects as we take a break.

We come back with Gunther hammering on Balor before twisting his neck around. The standing choke in the corner has Balor in more trouble but Punk is back up. That doesn’t last long as Gunther drops him onto the barricade but Balor gives Gunther a Pele Kick. Punk is back in with the falling elbow drop to Gunther and a double clothesline to both of them. Gunther is back up with chops and tries a double powerbomb, which is countered into a double half crab.

That’s broken up with a small package and Gunther is knocked outside. Balor gives Punk a Sling Blade and the Coup de Grace connects but Gunther pulls Balor outside. The powerbomb to Punk is broken up with a Sling Blade, only for Gunther to knock him outside. The powerbomb gets two on Punk, who can’t hit the GTS. Instead Punk gets caught in the sleeper, with Balor hitting a Coup de Grace to break it up. Punk is able to cover Gunther and steal the pin at 11:55.

Rating: B+. That was kind of a reverse stolen finish and I’ll take that as a change of pace. This was a good case of a match where I didn’t know who was going to win and that is a very nice thing to see. Punk going forward is fine, especially if Sami Zayn winds up costing him the match in some way. Very good main event here, as it felt like something that belonged on a pay per view.

Post match Balor and Punk show each other some intense respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event was rather good and the rest of the show worked well. You have a few stories here, with the qualifying matches as the thing tying them together. The best thing here though is that a lot of things feel important and it’s interesting to see where those stories go. You haven’t had that as the case on Smackdown in a long time and it’s working very well. Now, just stop having so many freaking triple threats and this show is that much better.

Results
Trick Williams b. Baron Corbin – Book End
Lash Legend b. Giulia and Charlotte – Lash Extension to Charlotte
Fatal Influence b. Paige/Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green – Rolling Encore to Paige
CM Punk b. Gunther and Finn Balor – Coup de Grace to Gunther

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: September 24 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s an AEW PPV weekend and oddly enough we didn’t get a bonus episode of ROH. In this case that’s a good thing as it means we won’t be seeing as many matches that are there to fill in time on the card. As usual I have no idea what to expect on here, but I’m sure a bunch of wrestlers will be moving closer towards title matches which aren’t likely to wind up happening. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Lee Moriarty vs. Serpentico

Non-title Proving Ground Pure Rules match and we’re at a recent AEW show with AEW commentary because I guess that’s a thing we’re doing with this show now. They fight over arm control to start with Moriarty’s armbar making Serpentico burn his first rope break. A rollup gives Serpentico two and he armdrags Moriarty down, only for Moriarty to take out the leg.

Moriarty gets two off a bridging suplex and keeps the bridge after the kickout for some showing off. An abdominal stretch goes on and Serpentico has to fall into the ropes for the second break (with commentary not being sure who made the rope first, which actually matters here). Serpentico’s hurricanrana out of the corner gets two but Moriarty is back with a belly to belly suplex into a bridge (as it sounds) for two of his own. The Border City Stretch makes Serpentico tap out at 5:40.

Rating: C+. This was the most recent Moriarty match where he did just about the same thing he’s done for however many years it is now. Moriarty is good at them, but he’s run through the competition so many times now that there is no one left to come after the title. I hope we’re not waiting on Nigel McGuinness, because that could take some sweet time.

Post match Moriarty gives the downed Serpentico a handshake in a rather heelish move.

We recap Emi Sakura turning on Deonna Purrazzo all those minutes into their time as a team.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rebecca Scott

Non-title Proving Ground Pure Rules match. Purrazzo wastes no time in stacking her up for two and almost gets the Fujiwara armbar. An exchange of rollups gets two each so Scott snaps off a headscissors into the corner. Back up and Purrazzo cuts her off in the corner and goes after the arm. They hit stereo pump kicks to leave them both down before trading shots to the face. A Liger Bomb into the Venus de Milo finishes Scott at 4:15.

Rating: C. As usual, this was about making the newcomer look good while missing the bigger point. Purrazzo is the best Pure Rules wrestler in the history of the women’s division and she should be ticked off because of Sakura. Instead, she has trouble beating someone who isn’t a player around here. That’s missing the bigger point and it’s something that happens way too often on this show.

Post match we get a more respectful handshake.

And now, to Jacksonville.

Main Man Oro vs. Mark Davis

Davis misses an early backsplash but knocks him off the top. Oro’s leg is bent around the top rope and a chop off goes to Davis. A series of clotheslines gives Davis two and he crushes Oro in the corner for the same. The big clothesline is cut off by a rolling Liger kick so Davis forearms him in the face.

Oro’s neckbreaker gets two and they go to the apron for more striking. Davis is sent outside for a corkscrew dive from the top and a hard shot to the back of the head gets two back inside. Oro tries a rollup but gets pulled into the piledriver to give Davis the pin at 6:49.

Rating: B-. This was a nice back and forth match and that’s a lot better here because Davis doesn’t have anything going on around here. It also helps that Oro has been around for a pretty good while. While he hasn’t done much of anything, he’s at least a name and it’s good to see him getting a chance.

Caprice Coleman sits down with the IInspiration, who are busy talking about their nails. Coleman asks about their history and they talk about going to high school together in Australia. That’s a cool situation but the bigger detail is that Jesse is pregnant with a baby girl. They can’t wrestle together right now but they have a plan that involves Australia.

Vertvixen/Viva Van vs. Athena/Billie Starkz

Athena and Van fight over arm control to start so Athena sends her over to Vertvixen for the tag. Starkz comes in for a running knee to the head but Vertvixen is up for a running shoulder and two of her own. It’s back to Athena, who is sent into the corner for some running elbows. Starkz makes the save with a tornado DDT and it’s Vertvixen getting choked down in the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by some running shots to knock Vertvixen even sillier.

Athena misses some running knees in the corner though and Van comes back in to chop away on Starkz. A rolling kick to the face gives Van two and she dropkicks Athena out to the floor. Vertvixen comes back in and gets dropkicked by Athena but Starkz’ Swanton hits raised knees. The string of strikes knocks everyone down until Starkz takes Vertvixen out on the floor. Athena’s flipping Downward Spiral pins Van at 10:52.

Rating: B-. Athena is like so many of the other champions around here, as she has no one to challenge her and nothing in particular to do. I would certainly hope that they aren’t building up Starkz as the challenger again, but that is always a chance. It’s almost like leaving her in Ring Of Honor for almost four years isn’t a great idea.

We look at Bandido and Komander winning last week’s main event over AR Fox/Soleil.

Alan Angels vs. Tommy Billington

Commentary thinks the winner might be in the TOP TEN for the TV Title. At this point, I’d almost take the rankings again. Billington shoulders and armdrags him down to start and scares Angels out to the floor as the audience is quiet. Not that they aren’t reacting, but it’s like you can hear a lot more in the arena.

A backdrop takes Angels down but he’s right back with a northern lights suplex for two. Back up and Billington monkey flips him to the floor, where Angels finds….a breadstick? Angels is able to grab a half nelson suplex for two but gets hits running powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana. The Tombstone gives Billington the pin at 6:55.

Rating: C+. This was about what you would have expected as the two of them have shown what they can do before and did it again here. I’m not sure what was up with the breadstick but it’s more interesting than just having another basic match. I’m sure they’ll be in the title hunt any day now.

Deonna Purrazzo says Emi Sakura only had to ask for a match. She’ll see Sakura soon.

Preston Vance vs. Jarrett Diaz

Vance chops him in the corner but gets knocked down. Diaz’s moonsault misses though and Vance pulls him into a big spinebuster. The discus lariat and full nelson finish Diaz at 1:50.

Post match the Dark Order comes out for the main event but John Silver still doesn’t trust Vance.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Dark Order vs. Lethal Twist

The Order is challenging. Lethal struts away from Reynolds to start so Reynolds struts right back. A dropkick puts Lethal down so the Swirl comes in and double teams Reynolds to cut him off just as fast. That’s fine with the Order, who are in as well to take over on Johnson. A triple basement dropkick has Johnson down again and he gets chopped in the corner.

Silver asks if the fans know how to count before he rains down the right hands but Christian comes in for the save. Everything breaks down and the Order gets in their rollup, with Christian making the save with a top rope double stomp. The Order gets in their triple superkick and the triple flipping slam gets two on Lethal with Johnson making the save.

The Big Shot Drop and a springboard splash combination gets two on Reynolds and it’s time for the parade of strikes to the face. Christian gives Uno the sliding German suplex out of the corner, leaving Silver alone against the champs. Silver suplexes Johnson and Christian at the same time and a brainbuster knocks Lethal silly. Reynolds hits Silver by mistake though and the top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination pins Silver to retain the titles at 9:28.

Rating: B-. This was easily the biggest match of the show and felt good enough for the main event slot. It’s a problem when you have that many titles floating around but only having one of them on the line in the show makes it feel more important. The Order getting a quick title shot is fine as it’s not like they’re going to win or be a serious threat. Nice job here.

Post match the Order argues and Preston Vance comes in, which has Silver shoving people and leaving on his own.

Overall Rating: B-. While there’s still a lot of matches that feel like they don’t matter in the slightest, it’s so much easier to watch this at a more manageable hour and fifteen minutes (ish). If nothing else, getting to the main event that much faster had me more interested in it, especially the angle that was involved. This stuff really isn’t that complicated and it’s nice to see it done better, even if that’s as simple as cutting out thirty minutes of unnecessary content.

Results
Lee Moriarty b. Serpentico – Border City Stretch
Deonna Purrazzo b. Rebecca Scott – Venus de Milo
Mark Davis b. Main Man Oro – Piledriver
Athena/Billie Starkz b. Viva Van/Vertvixen – Flipping Downward Spiral to Van
Tommy Billington b. Alan Angels – Tombstone
Preston Vance b. Jarrett Diaz – Full nelson
Lethal Twist b. Dark Order – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to Silver

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