NXT UK
Date: June 23, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

Things have gotten a little more interesting around here as Trent Seven has gone full evil and it should set up a heck of a personal feud with Tyler Bate. Other than that, Kenny Williams is still trying to figure out what is up with Tiger Turan and Ilja Dragunov needs something to do. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Moustache Mountain losing the Tag Team Titles and the official split last week.

Opening sequence.

Here are Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter to get things going, with Smith having his knee heavily braced and showing a limp. Smith talks about how he was going nowhere until Carter became his partner. Now he is a champion in WWE because they are the NXT UK Tag Team Champions. However, that makes what he is about to say next all the harder: he has ruptured his MCL and the titles have to be vacated due to his injury.

Smith apologizes to Carter, who says Smith didn’t let him down. Carter says he’s always there for Smith, who tells Carter to make a go of it while he’s out of action. Sid Scala comes out to accept the vacated titles, but does announce Smith and Carter as the champions one more time. Smith and Carter leave so here is Die Familie to interrupt. Those titles should be theirs but here are Josh Briggs/Brooks Jensen, Jack Stars/Dave Mastiff and Mark Andrews/Wild boar to interrupt. No one says anything, but Scala makes a four way elimination match for the titles in tonight’s main event.

Sarray comes in to see Meiko Satomura and pays some respect. With Sarray gone, Meiko tells Emilia McKenzie that she gets to face Fallon Henley next week. Meiko wants some fighting spirit.

Sha Samuels isn’t happy with Sid Scala but Wolfgang interrupts and a match is teased.

Myla Grace vs. Isla Dawn

Grace takes her to the mat to start and spins around a lot, setting up the basement dropkick to the side of the head. Dawn isn’t having that though and kicks her down, setting up the chinlock. Grace fights up and strikes away before a tornado DDT gets two. A middle rope dive misses though and Dawn kicks her in the head. The half nelson slam finishes for Dawn at 5:05.

Rating: C. Not much to this one but Grace is someone who has been around a few times now and isn’t too bad. The division can always use some fresh blood and that is what we might be seeing here. She wasn’t squashed here but there is no shame in losing to someone who has been around as long as Dawn.

Tyler Bate has taken a leave of absence after Trent Seven attacked him last week.

Kenny Williams is still obsessed with Tiger Turan.

Noam Dar comes in to see Sid Scala and thinks he is going to have to retire as Heritage Cup Champion. Or maybe he’ll have one more match, for some money money.

Nina Samuels vs. Sarray

Sarray grabs the leg to start and the threat of a half crab sends Samuels over to the rope. Back up and Samuels cranks on the wrist until Sarray sends her into the corner. Samuels knocks her down though and ribs at the face in the ropes. That’s broken up and Sarray dropkicks the knee out before knocking her off the top. The running dropkick against the ropes sets up a high collar suplex to finish Samuels at 5:35.

Rating: C. I get the idea of Sarray, but the transforming thing is just a weird deal that doesn’t add anything and is weird throughout. I’m not sure what the point of the thing is other than to give Sarray something, but it isn’t exactly working. Samuels continues to be the person with a gimmick who you can put out there for loss after loss and not have her drop very far. That’s a good thing to have and NXT UK seems to know it.

Blair Davenport is back next week.

Xia Brookside and Eliza Alexander mock Sarray but Meiko Satomura comes in to scare them off.

Tag Team Titles: Brooks Jensen/Josh Briggs vs. Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff vs. Wild Boar/Mark Andrews vs. Die Familie

Elimination match for the vacant titles with Charlie Dempsey in Die Familie’s corner. Starz and Andrews flip around to start so it’s Raja coming in, only to get sent into the corner by Boar. Jensen comes in to powerslam Boar so Teoman tags himself in and hammers away. A clothesline out of the corner gets Boar out of trouble and Mastiff brings himself in to start wrecking people.

Starz and Mastiff start double teaming Teoman, with Starz grabbing a chinlock. Mastiff comes back in and glares Teoman off, meaning Briggs comes in for the monster staredown. They knock everyone else off the apron first though and then clothesline each other down for a bit of a twist. Everything breaks down and Briggs chokeslams Teoman onto the pile at ringside.

Andrews adds the big dive before throwing Teoman back in to get beaten up as well. A running dropkick/German suplex combination sends Teoman into the corner for the tag off to Starz, who gets blasted by Boar’s lariat. Fall To Pieces hits Stars but Mastiff makes a save, allowing Starz to cradle Andrews for the elimination at 9:36.

Starz is banged up and the referee checks on him, only to have Teoman kick him in the bad knee. A dropkick out of the corner gives Starz a breather though and it’s Jensen coming in to fight Mastiff. That works for Mastiff, who crossbodies him down but a distraction lets Raja hit a jumping Downward Spiral to finish Mastiff at 12:15.

So we’re down to Die Familie vs. Briggs/Jensen for the titles with Jensen getting enziguried into a spinebuster for two. A belly to back suplex gets Jensen out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Briggs to really clean house. Dempsey’s distraction lets Teoman hit a Backstabber for two with Jensen making a save. Teoman stomps on Briggs’ back a few times, setting up a crossface. That’s broken up with a rollup and the second hot tag brings in Jensen to clean house. Teoman and Dempsey get kicked off the apron and it’s a high/low to give Briggs the pin and the titles at 18:16.

Rating: B-. The match was long and felt like a big deal, which is one of the best things that can be aid here. What matters here is that Briggs and Jensen won the titles, which may or may not be a good thing. It felt like a cool moment as the team finally wins something, but at the same time it is a bit much to have the Americans come over and win the titles over three NXT UK teams. Die Familie winning here might not have been as fun of a moment, but it would have made more sense.

Fallon Henley comes in to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event was the big deal as NXT UK had to do something big to take care of a bad situation. That was accomplished, though the rest of the show wasn’t exactly great. What matters here is that they got the important part right, which is often a lot harder than it seems. Good enough show here, though the creeping factor of the lower NXT card coming over to NXT UK isn’t a positive sign.

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: June 29, 2022
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s another major show here as we go from Forbidden Door on Sunday to Blood & Guts tonight. That would be AEW’s version of WarGames, albeit with twelve people this time as the match needs to be bigger, but it does look good on paper. Other than that, I’m not sure what else we have as so much has been put into the New Japan stuff for the last few weeks. Let’s get to it.

Here is Forbidden Door if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Dig that double ring setup.

Ethan Page vs. Orange Cassidy

Before the match, Dan Lambert complains about the Best Friends being here because they aren’t official managers and we have regulations in his state. Oh and Cassidy is skinny and has no muscles whatsoever. Page starts fast and knocks him down but Cassidy nips up and grabs an armdrag to the floor. There’s the suicide dive, followed by the high crossbody for one back inside. Page is back up with some shots of his own and Cassidy gets knocked into the corner as we take an early break.

Back with Cassidy escaping a Razor’s Edge and then countering another into a hurricanrana. A powerslam cuts Cassidy off but he grabs a Stundog Millionaire and hits the tornado DDT for two. The Orange Punch is loaded up but Lambert, with orange juice, offers a distraction. Cassidy hits some very soft punches and takes the juice, setting up the Orange Punch. The juice is spat in Lambert’s eyes and another Orange Punch sets up the slam (third try) for the pin on Page at 10:57.

Rating: C+. The slam bit was fun and gave the fans something to cheer about, as Cassidy continues his slight rise back up the card. Page is someone with enough name value but nothing going on at the moment so the loss doesn’t really hurt him. Not exactly a great match but it was fun enough to work with a bit of a house show feeling.

Here is Christian Cage for a chat. He has heard a lot of things about saying Jungle Boy’s father was dead last week. Christian hasn’t apologized for many things, but he’s sorry that Jungle Boy’s entire family isn’t dead. Christian: “Well, except for your mom.” Who should call him. As for tonight, he has requested a match, but he never said it was for him. Cue Luchasaurus, with a rather intense new entrance.

Luchasaurus vs. Serpentico

The Snare Trap with a nerve hold finishes Serpentico at 49 seconds. That worked.

Post match Luchasaurus hits a chokeslam on the floor to leave Serpentico laying.

Wardlow and Scorpio Sky have a staredown in the back with Sky saying he beat Wardlow last time. Wardlow says bring every member of American Top Team and the title match is made for next week. We’ll make it a street fight.

Max Caster/Gunn Club vs. Danhausen/???/???

Caster’s rap makes various Michigan references but he won’t let the Club say the city names. Danhausen comes out and he does have some partners.

Max Caster/Gunn Club vs. Danhausen/FTR

Wheeler takes Austin down to start and hits a slam for a bonus. A spank to Austin brings Harwood in to chop away in the corner. Danhausen comes in and gets blasted by Colten as we take a break. Back with Harwood having to save Danhausen and everything breaks down. FTR rolls some German suplexes on the Club until Austin grabs most of the Quick Draw on Harwood for a breather. Danhausen comes back in and tries a GTS on Austin, but Anthony Bowens pops up to his feet (out of a wheelchair). The crutch shot hits Austin by mistake though and Danhausen steals the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C. Well you knew that was coming one day. The Acclaimed vs. the Gunn Club has the potential to be a rather fun mini feud and that is what we are probably going to be getting here. Danhausen getting the pin is going to work almost every chance he gets, as it isn’t like he did anything to earn it. At the same time though, did Caster do anything at all here?

Post match the Gunns and Acclaimed yell at each other but Billy sides with his not-sons.

Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal still want Samoa Joe to give him a Ring Of Honor TV Title match at Death Before Dishonor.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Leila Grey

Cargill, with Stokely Hathaway and Kiera Hogan, is defending and throws Grey down with no effort. Leila’s forearms have no effect and it’s Jaded to retain the title at 1:55. Total dominance.

Post match Cargill says she wants better competition. Stokely says this woman got a chance after the open challenge was on last night at 11:40. So Athena and Kris Statlander are just lazy for not being in the ring here. Cue Athena and Kris to go after Jade but Leila makes the save. The villains stand tall but Leila isn’t getting a handshake.

Grand Slam is back in September.

The Young Bucks talks about how all of their friends are hurt and they have no one here. The only thing they have left are the Tag Team Titles but they have no competition. On Friday though, they can keep the Forbidden Door open a bit, with Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi getting a shot at the titles.

Jim Ross comes out for commentary on Blood And Guts.

The cage is lowered.

We recap the Jericho Appreciation Society vs. Eddie Kingston/Blackpool Combat Club. The idea is that Kingston doesn’t trust his partners but he needs to take out Jericho and company.

Jericho Appreciation Society vs. Eddie Kingston/Santana/Ortiz/Blackpool Combat Club

Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Matt Menard, Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, Angelo Parker
Eddie Kingston, Santana, Ortiz, Wheeler Yuta, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli

It’s WarGames with the opening period lasting four minutes. Then the Society will get the one man advantage for three minutes before they start alternating entrances. After everyone is in, it’s submission or surrender only. Claudio Castagnoli starts for the Club and throws Sammy Guevara over the ropes into the other ring. The running uppercut rocks Sammy, who tries to climb out and gets in a chase around the side of the cage.

Multiple springboards lets Sammy get away to the other ring before they fight between the rings for a change. Back in and the pop up uppercut is countered into a cutter to drop Castagnoli but we pause for a kiss from Tay Conti. Castagnoli loads up the Swing but Daniel Garcia comes in to make the save as we take an early break. Back with Wheeler Yuta evening things up to give Castagnoli a needed breather. A running uppercut/German suplex combination drops Guevara and the Club sends the two of them into some cages.

Jake Hager comes in to make it 3-2 and cleans some house, setting up the battle of the former Real Americans. The springboard corkscrew elbow drops Hager but Garcia is back up to take Castagnoli down. Yuta is back to make a save of his own but the numbers game takes him down. Jon Moxley is in to even things up again, complete with a chair, to start cleaning house again. What looks to be a fork is driven into Garcia’s head to give us the first blood. A Hart Attack of all things drops Garcia and a gorilla press into a cutter drops Guevara.

The Club set up the stereo hammer and anvil elbows (with Moxley’s elbows to Hager looking particularly terrible). Angelo Parker comes in and knows he’s in trouble so he tries to run away as well as he can. That works for all of ten seconds before the Club catches him and starts the big beatdown. The numbers game gets the Society out of trouble but it’s Ortiz coming in to clean house.

We take another break and come back with Menard coming in with a chair of his own to wreck a bunch of people. During the break, Moxley piledrove someone onto broken glass, because that’s what you do during a break. Things even up a bit and it’s Santana coming in with a table and a barbed wire bat to make things even bigger. The blood starts flowing even more, with Moxley pulling out some skewers to stab Menard in the head. Yuta and Garcia stand between the rings and slap each other a bunch until Jericho comes in with Floyd to clean house.

Jericho takes over until it’s Kingston coming in with the kendo stick to complete the field. Kingston walks through the Society with little trouble until Jericho is all that is left. The beating is on so Kingston pulls out rubbing alcohol, which is broken up for the sake of a lack of extreme pain. Conti slips the rubbing alcohol to Jericho as the table is set up between the rings. Hager goes through the table (JR: “SOMEBODY GET THE TABLES!”) and it’s time for the tacks.

Menard is dropped into the tacks as the mat is being ripped off of the ring. Garcia, COVERED in blood, is somehow hanging from the cage outside of the ring as we take another break. Back again with Jericho dragging Moxley through the tacks and then putting on the Walls. Kingston makes the save and gets to beat on Jericho, who is sent into the cage. Jericho finds a fire extinguisher to spray Kingston as Tay grabs the key from the referee.

Cue Ruby Riott to go after Tay and the brawl is on. The women are gone so Jericho goes up top of the cage, with Kingston following close behind. Regal: “This is the one thing I couldn’t strategize with anyone about. I’ve never even been on the top rope.” Kingston hits the backfist on top but Guevara joins them on top. A low blow cuts Guevara down and Eddie throws him through the well placed announcers’ table at ringside.

We take another break and come back again with Jericho getting Kingston in the Walls on top of the cage as Claudio climbs up as well. The Walls are broken up Claudio Swings Jericho. Menard comes up for the save but it’s the Stretch Plum to Jericho and the Sharpshooter to Menard for the tap and the win at 46:45.

Rating: A-. This might be the best example of “your mileage may vary” that you’ll see for a very long time as Blood & Guts is one of the most unique matches you’ll find. They had the blood and the violence and it didn’t feel too cluttered (the double ring thing gives it SO much more breathing room than NXT), though the ending wasn’t exactly amazing. What mattered here was having the teams beat the heck out of each other with a bunch of blood (Garcia was COVERED) and violence, as Claudio vs. Eddie continues. Heck of a match, though I’m still not sure if we need weapons in a WarGames match. Just seems like overkill.

Post match Kingston is mad at Claudio for being the one to get the tap. Respect is shown, but Kingston keeps running his mouth. The winners (minus Santana, who was apparently hurt during the match) all get on top to celebrate, for a rather good while, to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This is one of the harder shows to rate as it’s pretty much ALL about the main event. Everything else was good enough, but the second half of the show was focused on one match and that worked out pretty well. It’s a bit weird to have it be so sudden after Forbidden Door, but the match had been set up for weeks so it isn’t out of nowhere. Very good show, though as far as what the focus was on, it’s a one match episode.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Ethan Page – Slam
Luchasaurus b. Serpentico – Snare Trap with a nerve hold
Danhausen/FTR b. Max Caster/Gunn Club
Jade Cargill b. Leila Grey – Jaded
Eddie Kingston/Santana/Ortiz/Blackpool Combat Club b. Jericho Appreciation Society – Sharpshooter to Menard

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

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

AND

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

So I took in the Lexington Legends game last night.  The Legends are co-owned by former MLB star Brandon Phillips, who has a certain wrestling wife.  It happened to be Phillips’ birthday last night and his wife seems to have been there to see him.  I was down in the concourse between innings and ran into someone.

Very nice lady who seemed pleased that someone recognized her. Granted being taller than I am, the biceps, the hair and the AEW shirt tied around her waist were some hints.

NXT
Date: June 28, 2022
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph

It’s the go home show for the Great American Bash and that means it is time for the big push towards the show. Most of the card is already set, including the NXT Title match main event, so we should be in for a good one. Odds are we get a little more from Legado del Fantasma and the D’Angelo Family, even if the Family is now down a member. Let’s get to it.

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

Katana Chance/Kayden Carter vs. Roxanne Perez/Cora Jade

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot next week. Cora and Carter start things off with a lockup until Jade grabs a wristlock. That’s broken up and Jade is sent into the corner, setting off a chop exchange. Chance comes in and rolls Jade down, allowing her to get in a smiling pose. Perez comes in to roll Chance up for two before working on the armbar. It’s off to Carter for some forearms to the chest and two of her own.

Everything breaks down and Perez clears the ring, only to have Carter cut off the dive. Perez gets sent outside and we take a break. Back with Chance getting two on Perez, who fights up and brings Jade back in. Jade runs Carter over for two before handing it back to Perez. Carter kicks her down without much trouble and but Jade breaks up the 450/neckbreaker combination. Pop Rox finishes Chance at 13:47.

Rating: C+. It might not have been a classic but this set up next week’s title match as well as it needed to. Both teams are starting to gel and while the division is still little more than three teams, it is nice to have someone fighting over a chance at the titles. Chance and Carter still don’t get to the belts, and the longer they wait, the less sure I am that they are going to.

Joe Gacy and the Dyad invades Diamond Mine practice and gives them a sales pitch. That isn’t happening, but a six man tag is on for tonight.

Toxic Attraction isn’t sweating Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade next week. Mandy Rose isn’t worried either so here is Nikkita Lyons saying she’s coming for the title.

Giovanni Vinci vs. Ikemen Jiro

Vinci works on the arm to start but Jiro pops up. The jacket punches are shrugged off and Vinci snaps off a German suplex, followed by one heck of a chop. More jacket punches don’t work as Vinci hits a heck of a springboard tornado DDT, prompting some HOLY CENSORED chants. The sitout Last Ride finishes Jiro at 2:59. Vinci’s offense looks good, and if he moves on from the low level opponents soon, he could be just fine.

Post match, Vinci says the Great American Bash isn’t happening without him.

We look at Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen winning the vacant NXT UK Tag Team Titles last week.

Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are happy with getting the title back. Grayson Waller comes up and gets some stuff signed, which certainly doesn’t seem nefarious.

Here are Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen with Fallon Henley. They’re very happy with the title win but when Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter (the former champions who had to vacate the titles due to Smith’s injury) are ready to go, their shot is waiting on them. Jensen thanks Briggs for believing in him, but now it’s time to drink some beer. Cue Pretty Deadly to cut them off though because they don’t like their British titles being spoiled by Americans. Threats are made and the fight is on, with the champs clearing the ring without much trouble.

Video on Bron Breakker.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance rant about their loss and don’t like people staring at them.

Indi Hartwell vs. Kiana James

They lock up to start with Hartwell having to fight out of a wristlock. Some armdrags have Hartwell in control and the armbar has James down. That’s broken up and James drives in a shoulder into the ribs in the corner. A bodyscissors doesn’t last long as Hartwell fights up with some shots to the face. Pretty Savage misses though and James grabs a rollup (with quite the stretch to get a foot on the rope) for the pin at 3:53.

Rating: C-. Pretty quite and to the point match here as Hartwell can’t quite get anything going while James gets a win, especially with cheating. Not exactly a great match, but NXT seems to be working on rebuilding the women’s division and James could be part of that. Now just go somewhere with her and build on that potential.

Tony D’Angelo seems to have murdered Two Dimes by having him thrown into a river. Then Santos Escobar calls to laugh at D’Angelo for not winning the North American Title last week, so D’Angelo throws his phone into the river too.

Wes Lee is ready for Trick Williams next week.

Joe Gacy/Dyad vs. Diamond Mine

Gacy headlocks Strong to start but Strong is back with a chinlock. With that broken up, Dy comes in and gets taken into an armbar, allowing the tag off to Brutus. Dy is dropped and Julius comes in to suplex Brutus onto him. That’s enough for Dy to be sent outside for a pep talk from Gacy. Back in and Dy takes Julius down and puts on the chinlock before handing it off to Ad.

The front facelock has Julius in trouble but he powers up into a suplex. Triple suplexes have Diamond Mine in control and we take a break. Back with Gacy getting two on Brutus before handing it back to Ad. Gacy does a handstand in the corner and then hits a release Rock Bottom for two.

A neckbreaker drops Brutus again but he gets out of the chinlock without much trouble. Brutus gets over and brings Julius back in to clean house, or at least until Strong tags himself in. Strong and Julius argue, leaving Brutus to break up Gacy’s handspring elbow. Dy and Ad trade places and it’s the double elevated DDT to finish Strong at 13:58.

Rating: C. It is kind of astounding to see how uninteresting and boring Gacy and company are every time they are on this show. Now we are probably going to have to see more of them too because the Dyad is probably getting a title shot. The Creeds are starting to mesh that much better, but enough of Gacy being all culty.

Post match the rest of Diamond Mine yells at Roderick Strong.

Trick Williams is ready for Wes Lee, but Carmelo Hayes doesn’t know anything about a title defense against Grayson Waller. Remember him signing things earlier tonight? One of them was a contract. Ok that was kind of clever.

Lash legend cuts off a medical update on Alba Fyre and says Fyre is on the shelf permanently.

Sanga and Xyon Quinn get in a fight before their scheduled match.

Roderick Strong yells at Diamond Mine for not listening to him. The result: Strong/Damon Kemp vs. the Creeds next week.

Xyon Quinn vs. Sanga

It’s a brawl to start with Quinn hitting a boot to the face. Sanga runs him over with a shoulder and a clothesline sends Quinn outside. Back in and Sanga drops him onto the turnbuckle and then does it again for a bonus. Quinn fights back and knocks him into a sleeper, which is broken up with a ram into the corner. Sanga hits a clothesline, setting up a chokeslam for the pin at 5:09.

Rating: C. Sanga wasn’t anything as Grayson Waller’s bodyguard but he has become something a bit more interesting during this singles run. He is a big guy with a unique look who can do a basic enough power match. Build him up and let someone take him out down the line, then have him do whatever. That’s a fine enough idea, even if it meant Quinn had to lose here again. I’ve given up on him, but that doesn’t make it easier.

Video on Cameron Grimes getting his NXT Title shot against Bron Breakker next week.

We see another Wendy Choo dream, this time looking at her tormenting Tiffany Stratton over the last few weeks. Then she wakes up and goes to brush her teeth, where we hear her thoughts telling herself that she is NOT stupid. Then she looks at the camera and says she’ll beat Stratton next week.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Mandy Rose

Non-title and the rest of Toxic Attraction is here too. Lyons powers her around to start and hits a running splash in the corner. Rose gets sent outside in a heap and we take an early break. Back with Rose hammering away and working on the recently injured knee. Lyons gets in some shots of her own but a choke is broken up. A running clothesline drops Rose though and a release German suplex gives Lyons two. Rose comes back with a shot to the face and a missile dropkick, only to miss the running knee. That’s enough for Toxic Attraction to come in for the DQ at 8:58.

Rating: C-. This was another good example of Lyons not working so well in a longer match. She punches a lot but doesn’t seem to have much in the way of in-depth offense. I get why WWE wants to push her, but there is a pretty firm limit on how far she seems likely to go at the moment. Odds are she’ll get the title sooner than later though and that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Post match the beatdown is on until Cora jade and Roxanne Perez make the save.

Solo Sikoa rants to Apollo Crews about his loss to Grayson Waller last week. Xyon Quinn comes in and has a chat with Crews about potential. Crews doesn’t see much for Quinn’s future.

JD McDonagh is coming.

Great American Bash rundown.

Wade Barrett brings out Cameron Grimes and Bron Breakker for a chat. Breakker tells Barrett that they have this so the two of them can talk about how Grimes has nothing to lose. Grimes says that it’s another title defense for Breakker and if he loses, he’s off to Raw and Smackdown. If he loses, he’s probably on Summerslam. Grimes is betting everything he has on beating Breakker and that’s what makes them different.

That’s because Grimes doesn’t have a backup plan, which is similar to Breakker, because THIS is his backup plan. Breakker wanted to be in the NFL but since that didn’t work, he called his famous daddy and got into WWE. That doesn’t work for Breakker, who promises to send grimes to the moon and then spear him in half. Grimes isn’t impressed and promises to keep getting up.

Breakker promises to keep spearing him down so Grimes can need Ted DiBiase to tell him what to do again. Grimes mentions Rick Steiner again and the fight is on, with Breakker missing a hard charge into the corner. Grimes sends him into it again and the turnbuckle breaks. Breakker’s arm is hurt, with Grimes looking concerned, only to switch to being happy to end the show. Grimes going borderline evil without going over the line is good, though it’s still hard to believe that he has any kind of a chance against Breakker next week.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t exactly a thrilling show but it did enough of a good job of pushing towards the Bash that it worked out. There are still some very bad parts of the show, including anything Gacy related, but they do seem to be trying to push some different people. The Bash looks good on paper and certainly has some big matches, but NXT might need a bigger change of pace in the next few weeks and I don’t know if that is going to be coming.

Results
Roxanne Perez/Cora Jade b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Pop Rox to Chance
Giovanni Vinci b. Ikemen Jiro – Sitout Last Ride
Kiana James b. Indi Hartwell – Rollup with foot on the rope
Joe Gacy/Dyad b. Diamond Mine – Double elevated DDT to Strong
Sanga b. Xyon Quinn – Chokeslam
Nikkita Lyons b. Mandy Rose via DQ when Toxic Attraction interfered

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

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

AND

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

Make sure you check out some recent reviews.

Smackdown – June 24, 2022

Rampage – June 24, 2022

Forbidden Door

Monday Night Raw – June 27, 2022

Impact Wrestling Star Reveals She Is A Transgender Woman.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/impact-wrestling-star-reveals-transgender/

It Keeps Going: Two More Matches Added To AEW Forbidden Door Buy-In Show.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/keeps-going-two-matches-added-aew-forbidden-door-buy-show/

WATCH: WWE Tag Team Turns Evil In SmackDown Return.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-wwe-tag-team-turns-evil-smackdown-return/

Negative Backstage Reaction To Major WWE Shakeup.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/negative-backstage-reaction-major-wwe-shakeup/

They’ll Make It Work: Injury To WWE Star Forces Change To SmackDown Plans.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/theyll-make-work-injury-wwe-star-forces-change-smackdown-plans/

Double Homecoming: Two NXT Stars Expected To Return From Injury Soon.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/double-homecoming-two-nxt-stars-expected-return-injury-soon/

WOO! Ric Flair Has A New Business Venture And It’s A Unique One.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/woo-ric-flair-new-business-venture-unique-one/

Details On Backstage WWE Meeting Over Vince McMahon Situation.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/details-backstage-wwe-meeting-vince-mcmahon-situation/

Yes, Again: Another Last Minute Change To AEW Forbidden Door Card.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/yes-another-last-minute-change-aew-forbidden-door-card/

WATCH: Alexa Bliss Rocks Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” On Stage At Music Festival.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-alexa-bliss-rocks-eminems-lose-stage-music-festival/

Believe It Or Not: Another Popular AEW Star Injured.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/believe-not-another-popular-aew-star-injured/

LOOK: Randy Orton Has Changed Up His Look While Away From WWE.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/look-randy-orton-changed-look-away-wwe/

Ring Of Honor Could Be Announcing Its Next Event Soon.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ring-honor-announcing-next-event-soon/

More Details On AEW’s Blood & Guts Match, To Be Bigger This Year.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/details-aews-blood-guts-match-bigger-year/

Him Too: Former WWE Star Makes AEW Debut At Forbidden Door.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/former-wwe-star-makes-aew-debut-forbidden-door/

A Big Night: Multiple New Champions Crowned At AEW Forbidden Door.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/big-night-multiple-new-champions-crowned-aew-forbidden-door/

Check Him Out: Celebrity Teases WWE Match By Training In A Ring.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/check-celebrity-teases-wwe-match-training-ring/

Update On Jungle Boy’s Injury Status.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/update-jungle-boys-injury-status/

Look Who’s Back: Next Ring Of Honor Event Officially Announced.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/look-whos-back-next-ring-honor-event-officially-announced/

Adam Cole Reportedly Suffers Serious Injury At Forbidden Door.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/adam-cole-suffers-serious-injury-forbidden-door/

Call Back: WWE Confirms Celebrity Returning At Summerslam.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/call-back-wwe-confirms-celebrity-returning-summerslam/

There They Go: Two More Names Qualify For Money In The Bank On Second Try.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/go-two-names-qualify-money-bank-second-try/

WATCH: Wrestling Legend Reveals Why He Turned Down AEW Offer.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-wrestling-legend-reveals-turned-aew-offer/

WATCH: AEW Stars Appear On Monday Night Raw To Praise John Cena.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-aew-stars-appear-monday-night-raw-praise-john-cena/

Kind Of Another One: AEW Star Reveals He Has Separated His Shoulder.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kind-another-one-aew-star-reveals-separated-shoulder/

WWE Made A Match, Upgraded The Match And Didn’t Air The Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-made-match-upgraded-match-didnt-air-match/

AEW President Tony Khan Unhappy With Locker Room Leaks, Calls Them “Shameful”.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/aew-president-tony-khan-unhappy-locker-room-leaks-calls-shameful/

WRESTLING RUMORS: How John Cena Is Helping The WWE Locker Room.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-john-cena-helping-wwe-locker-room/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page.

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 27, 2022
Location: Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Jimmy Smith

It’s a very special night as John Cena is here to celebrate twenty years (to the day) of his WWE debut. That should be enough to carry the night and that might need to be the case. This is also the go home edition of Raw for Money In The Bank, meaning it’s time to build momentum, establish dominance, and maybe even come up with an original tagline for what the participants are doing. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, John Cena returned to quite the hero’s welcome, meeting a bunch of applauding wrestlers and backstage workers. He does kind of deserve it.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Battle Royal

T-Bar, Mustafa Ali, Shanky, Akira Tozawa, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, Jinder Mahal, Riddle, Miz, AJ Styles, Ciampa, Reggie, Shelton Benjamin, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, Veer Mahaan

Tozawa is tossed out fast and Mahaan clotheslines Benjamin out. The Mysterios and Ali get together and eliminate Mahaan, leaving R-Truth to try to dance with Shanky. Mahal is having none of that though and Truth is tossed. Styles eliminates Mahal and Shanky, with T-Bar throwing Reggie onto them.

We take a break and come back with Ali gone at Ciampa’s knee but Styles knocks Ciampa out. Miz blocks Rey’s 619 and hits the short DDT, which isn’t enough for the elimination. Dominik tries to get rid of Ziggler but gets tossed himself. Miz manages to toss Rey but can’t do the same to Riddle, who gets back in underneath the bottom rope. Ricochet knocks T-Bar to the apron, where he pulls Ricochet out with him.

Ricochet gets thrown onto a standing ladder before diving back to the apron. A not so great headscissors takes T-Bar out as we take another break. Back again with Riddle, Miz, Ziggler, Ricochet, Nakamura and Styles still alive. Miz hits a middle rope ax handle on Riddle but hurts his leg on the landing and goes down. Nakamura knocks Ziggler out but gets kicked to the floor by Riddle. Miz is down on the floor (not eliminated) with medics looking at his knee as Ricochet is catapulted onto the middle rope.

A spinning crossbody is dropkicked out of the air by Styles, who throws Ricochet out. That leaves us with Riddle vs. Styles, with Corey saying we’re down to two. Styles loads up the Phenomenal Forearm but Miz pops up to pull Styles out, meaning it’s Miz vs. Riddle. The hanging DDT drops Miz but he counters the RKO into the Skull Crushing Finale. Riddle manages to hurricanrana him out to the apron and the RKO is good enough to give Riddle the win at 19:23.

Rating: C. It was a battle royal and they almost had to go with Riddle getting the win here. At the end of the day, he has one of the biggest stories in the company at the moment and it involves Roman Reigns. As for the match itself, it was a long battle royal but at least they had some star power there at the end and that is what makes these work as well as they can most of the time.

Commentary: The field is complete!

Commentary: There is one spot left!

Get it together people.

The Street Profits introduce John Cena….but he’s on the wrong side, meaning the camera has to swing around a bit. They ask Cena for advice at Money In The Bank but he reminds them of their success. Cena tells them to never stop, which they interpret as……Never Give Up.

Shawn Michaels, Big Show (he doesn’t even go here), Booker T., Daniel Bryan (he doesn’t even go here either), Trish Stratus and HHH all congratulate Cena on his 20 years.

Riddle is fired up about Money in the Bank and shakes Kevin Patrick to blow off some of the steam.

Jimmy Uso vs. Montez Ford

Uso runs him over to start but gets armdragged into an armbar for his efforts. That’s broken up and they head outside, with Ford being sent into the steps as we take a break. Back with Ford fighting up and hitting a clothesline, followed by a kick to the ribs. The running Blockbuster gives Ford two and he hits a heck of a dive against the barricade. Back in and one heck of a frog splash finishes Jimmy at 9:50.

Rating: C+. They had a good enough match here, but I could go for ANYTHING ELSE to keep the story going until Saturday. Have them talk to each other if you have to, but find a way to fill in the gap a bit differently. They’ve done this over and over now and odds are we’ll see it again on Smackdown, because you have to complete the concept you see.

The Mysterios run into Finn Balor and Damian Priest. Balor talks about Rey coming up on his 20 year anniversary but says Rey hasn’t been doing so well as of late. Priest gives Dominik a sales pitch and Rey has to be held back. The match seems to be set for next week in San Diego.

Here’s a long John Cena career retrospective, complete with a look at Cena debuting against Kurt Angle and Undertaker giving him the famous handshake of respect. We also see stuff on his Make-A-Wish work and wrap it up with the testimonials. I know he might not be the most popular and there are some fair criticisms about him, but my goodness Cena is one of the all time legends for a reason.

Here is Miz for a chat, but first we need to look at Logan Paul training at the Performance Center. Miz promises that he and Paul will be back at Summerslam, but first we need to look at Miz turning on Paul at Wrestlemania. Miz mocks the idea of the interviewer being a journalist and hypes up his own media career. After Wrestlemania, he told Paul that was an education and promises that they will be Tag Team Champions. The only disappointment is AJ Styles, which prompts a question about Miz’s tiny……and we are NOT making that a thing. Cue AJ to deck Miz and the match is on.

AJ Styles vs. Miz

Styles starts fast and hits the drop down dropkick but Miz is right back with a shot of his own. The running crotch attack in the ropes drops AJ again and the ax handle gives Miz two. The chinlock goes on for a bit, only to have Miz get knocked to the floor. Styles misses the moonsault though and Miz drops him again as we take a break.

Back with Miz hitting the YES Kicks but AJ snaps off a German suplex for a breather. The fireman’s carry neckbreaker gives AJ two but Miz gets in a shot of his own to cut him off. AJ counters the Skull Crushing Finale into a rollup for two and there’s a brainbuster to leave both of them down. Styles loads up the Phenomenal Forearm but Miz bails to the floor and takes the countout at 13:00.

Rating: C. Not exactly a great match but Miz being a coward continues to work out for him. This felt like a match sent out there to fill in time though and that is rarely a good feeling. It was fine while it lasted, but both guys seem to be waiting on something to do. Miz has that in the form of Logan Paul, though I don’t know about Styles at the moment.

John Cena meets Ezekiel, which has him a bit confused. Cena asks about Elias, who is apparently giving Elrod (yes Elrod) a tour. His advice to Ezekiel though: never forget who you really are. Ezekiel leaves but Theory comes in and hypes himself up, listing off his accomplishments. Oh and Cena is a grown man wearing jorts. Theory loads up the selfie but Cena slips away.

Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, JBL, Chris Jericho (there’s a gasp), Stephanie McMahon and Steve Austin all pay tribute to John Cena.

Here is Bianca Belair for a chat. After a look at Carmella jumping her last week, Belair lists off her catchphrases and tells Carmella to come get her right now. Cue Carmella to say she has the beauty and the brains and is going to take the title on Saturday. Kevin Patrick tries to ask Belair another question so Carmella tries a cheap shot, which earns her a right hand to the face. Belair stands tall. This felt like they had to get these two on the show and they couldn’t think of anything else.

Liv Morgan and Alexa Bliss are friends now but they won’t be on Saturday. Badly written lines with worse line reading ensues.

Liv Morgan vs. Alexa Bliss

Asuka is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with some grappling going to Bliss. She misses the moonsault knees though as Asuka can’t quite master English again. Bliss avoids a middle rope dropkick and grabs the chinlock. Back up and Oblivion misses, allowing Bliss to grab the DDT. That’s countered into a rollup to give Morgan the pin at 3:23, leaving Asuka worried/surprised.

Rating: C-. Asuka was a bit of a distraction here but the match wasn’t going to be much in the first place. This felt like the kind of match where Morgan was supposed to build momentum but, as is the case every time, it has nothing to do with a ladder match. I don’t know how much of a chance either of them have on Saturday, though I can take these two getting a few minutes to remind us that they’re around.

Video on John Cena’s Make-A-Wish stuff. Still absolutely incredible.

Here is Vince McMahon to introduce John Cena, who comes through a tunnel of adoring stars. With Vince gone, Cena says this is a milestone, which he rarely likes to celebrate because he is always looking forward. However, tonight he has been looking back at what he has done and he couldn’t do it without these people. Cena has been allowed to do this for two decades and that is because of the fans.

The people have been honest enough to tell him when he sucks and kind enough to tell him when he doesn’t. Cena has been waiting for that right moment and this feels like that right moment. We get a THANK YOU CENA chant and he says his heart is beating out of his chest. Cena thanks the fans for moments like that one and for making him who he is. He has always said WWE prepared him for anything and he doesn’t mean Fast and the Furious or Peacemaker.

WWE has made him a better human being, person and husband. Spending moments with the families he has spent time with today has taught him empathy and kindness. The fans have taught him humility and perseverance and every time he gets in the ring, he gives everything he has because these fans give him everything they have. This isn’t about a last name but about people coming together and he’s 45 years old. He doesn’t know when you’ll see him again, though he isn’t saying it isn’t happening. Fans: “ONE MORE MATCH!” Cena: “It ain’t just gonna be one. Don’t worry about that.”

It isn’t about him but about us. If you like something, tell the people. If you see something that sucks, tell the people. Cena thanks the people and asks Laredo to show what kind of noise they can make. Some catchphrases wrap us up. Cena didn’t say much here, but it felt a lot more real than some of the things he usually says. Good stuff, even if it didn’t mean a great deal.

Alpha Academy vs. Bobby Lashley

Theory is guest enforcer. Lashley can’t clothesline Otis down to start but he can shoulder him down. Theory gets on the apron to break up the suplex attempt though, leaving Lashley to send Otis into the corner. Lashley chases Theory outside, allowing Chad Gable to hit a flip dive off the apron. Otis adds the splash and we take a break.

Back with Lashley still in trouble but fighting out of a neck crank. Otis breaks up a superplex and powerbombs Lashley down, setting up Gable’s moonsault for two. Otis goes up this time but Lashley catches him in an electric chair. Gable comes off the top, only to land in the Hurt Lock for the tap at 8:18.

Rating: C. All this match did is make me wonder why we didn’t get to see this match last week to set up Lashley vs. Theory at Money In The Bank. It kept Theory from taking a loss and served the entirely same purpose. At least they kept Lashley looking strong and he should be in for a good match against Theory at the show.

Post match the beatdown is on but Lashley fights them all off.

We look at Cody Rhodes defeating Seth Rollins inside the Cell and Rollins attacking him the next night on Raw.

We get an interview with Cody, who has his pectoral muscle taped up while sitting in a gym. Cody says he might have been flying a little too close to the sun and now he is out for nine months, though he is trying to beat that. He gives his thoughts on the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match, which includes Rollins. If Rollins wins, Cody will be the first to congratulate him.

Seth Rollins comes up to John Cena in the back and laughs to the tune of Cena’s music. Rollins compares their careers and success before saying he’ll win Money in the Bank. Then Omos pops up to scare Rollins a bit, which MVP seems to like. Rollins looks to Cena for help but Cena wishes him luck and bails.

Money in the Bank rundown.

Becky Lynch vs. Tamina vs. Doudrop vs. Nikki Ash vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Xia Li

Elimination match and everyone jumps Becky to start. The ring is cleared other than Tamina and Doudrop but Nikki breaks up the staredown. Ash breaks that up but the fight goes through anyway, allowing Becky to come in with a Molly Go Round to Doudrop. Li comes back in to roll Becky up for two but Li has to deal with Ash. The Manhandle Slam gets rid of Li at 2:32 so it’s Shayna coming in to go after Becky.

With that broken up, Doudrop comes in to crush Shayna in the corner but Tamina makes a save. Ash sends Tamina into Becky’s missile dropkick, only to have Becky Disarm Ash for the tap at 4:25. We take a break and come back with Becky suplexing Baszler against the barricade but Doudrop crushes Becky and Tamina against the same barricade.

Back in and we hit the Tower of Doom to leave everyone laying again in the big crash. Baszler kneebars Tamina but gets splashed by Doudrop for the pin at 10:55. Tamina Samoan drops Becky but misses the Superfly Splash. Doudrop Vader Bombs Tamina for the pin at 12:22, ending my thinking that WWE might actually go there. That leaves Doudrop to miss the Vader Bomb on Becky, who is back with a super Manhandle Slam for the win at 13:18.

Rating: C+. Did they just forget about Becky being a heel for a night? This was Becky mowing down the women’s undercard without much trouble and acting like a total heroine the whole time. I was slightly worried that they would go with Tamina here but they got Becky into the match, as they needed to do. Just remember what kind of a person she is at the moment.

Overall Rating: C. Cena carried this show with star power alone because the rest of the show was only so good. It was about building up two spots in the ladder matches and a few other things for Saturday, as the card is only looking so interesting. You can only get so much out of a pay per view that is about a future title shot rather than the title that night, which might explain why it is in the friendly confines of an arena. The show wasn’t all that exciting, but Cena helped it along well enough.

Results
Riddle won a battle royal last eliminating Miz
Montez Ford b. Jimmy Uso – Frog splash
AJ Styles b. Miz via countout
Liv Morgan b. Alexa Bliss – Small package
Bobby Lashley b. Alpha Academy – Hurt Lock to Gable
Becky Lynch won a five woman elimination match last eliminating Doudrop

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

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

AND

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

Forbidden Door
Date: June 26, 2022
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Kevin Kelly

It’s a special show as we have a host of international guest stars from New Japan coming in for a bunch of big time matches. The main event is for the Interim AEW World Title as CM Punk being stripped of the title was off the table. Other than that, we have a series of title matches which should make for a great show. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In: Hirooki Goto/Yoshi-Hashi vs. QT Marshall/Aaron Solo

Solo and Hashi start things off with Hashi working on a headlock. A running shoulder drops Solo again so it’s off to Marshall vs. Goto, with the latter knocking Marshall around without much trouble. Solo comes back in and cheap shots Hashi though, allowing Marshall to get in a cheap shot on Goto. That lasts all of a few seconds before the big beatdown is on to put Solo back in trouble. Everything breaks down and Marshall’s cartwheel tumbling dive drops Goto and Hashi.

Back in and Goto shrugs off the beating and hits a suplex, followed by a running clothesline to Marshall. The hot tag brings in Hashi to clean house, including a Blockbuster for two on Marshall. Everything breaks down and Marshall grabs a Diamond Cutter for two, with Goto having to make the save. A 450 misses for Marshall and Solo can’t hit his top rope double stomp, allowing the tag back to Goto. The superkick into the fireman’s carry backbreaker sets up a GTR/powerbomb combination to finish Solo at 8:53.

Rating: C+. It was energetic but this went a bit longer than it needed to. Marshall is a good pesky heel but it is a little hard to buy the Factory hanging in there this long. Goto is still a big enough star though and the right guys won in the end. For a warmup match, this did about all you could need it to pull off.

Buy-In: Lance Archer vs. Nick Comoroto

Archer rocks him to start but Comoroto picks him up for a gorilla press. That doesn’t work as Archer slips out and hits a big boot, only to be knocked outside and into the barricade. Comoroto’s collection of forearms just wake Archer up so Comoroto punches him back down. Back up and they slug it out until Archer takes over and hits the rope walk moonsault for two. Comoroto hits a powerslam for two of his own but Archer catches him on top. The Blackout finishes Comoroto at 6:05.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure I get the idea of commentary talking about Archer being in a big role at the G1 Climax tournament and then having him go 50/50 with a low level guy like Comoroto. This didn’t really make me think much of Archer and I’m not sure what the benefits was of adding this in. They didn’t pull an upset, but this didn’t do much for anyone.

Buy-In: Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee vs. El Desperado/Yoshinobu Kanemaru

The fans sing to Lee as he starts with Kanemaru, who doesn’t like said singing. Lee cranks on the arm and sends him into the corner, meaning it’s off to Desperado vs. Swerve. A drop down from Swerve is countered into a quickly broken Brock Lock and Desperado is sent outside. That’s fine with Desperado, who grabs the hold again on the floor.

Back in and Lee comes in again, with Swerve accidentally kicking him in the knee. The leg is cranked back and it’s a DDT for two on Lee. Desperado comes back in for more stomping but Lee kicks him away and brings Swerve back in. A brainbuster gets two on Desperado but he trades running elbows with Swerve. Lee tries to come back in, only to have Desperado kick the rope to keep him on the floor.

Swerve wins a strike off and hits a backbreaker, setting up the rolling Downward Spiral. Lee comes back in and, along with Swerve, gets taken down into stereo leglocks. With those broken up, Kanemaru loads up his whiskey and spits it in Lee’s face. The ensuing rollup gets two but Swerve is back up with a double stomp to Kanemaru. The Big Bang Catastrophe finishes for Lee at 12:03.

Rating: C+. Pretty nice match here, though I could go for Lee and Swerve either splitting up or being a team rather than teasing it for months on end. That is something AEW tends to do far too often and I hope they don’t try it again here. They work well together, but the will they/won’t they stuff is kind of played out.

Post match Team Taz pops up in a sky box to make basketball references and call Lee a broke Phillip Banks. The challenge seems to be thrown out.

Buy-In: DKC/Kevin Knight/Alex Coughlin/Yuya Uemura vs. Max Caster/Gunn Club

After the Acclaimed’s entrance, here is Danhausen with a customized entrance and theme song for the Gunn Club. That sends Austin and Colten chasing after him, leaving Billy and Caster to get beaten up. We settle down to Coughlin cleaning house and Caster getting double teamed to put him in trouble. Billy gets suckered in but Caster fights out of the corner anyway, only to get knocked back down. DKC drops a chop for two but Caster fights out of the corner (again) and hands it off to Billy to clean house. The Fameasser sets up the Mic Drop for the fast pin on DKC at 5:35. Austin and Colten were never even at ringside.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird match here as while the New Japan guys are mostly Young Lions, would it be that big of a stretch for them to give the Gunn Club some trouble? Turning it into a handicap match with Gunn and Caster winning doesn’t exactly make the New Japan guys look great, especially with it being so short. This is one of the matches that could have been dropped without missing much.

The opening video looks at the companies colliding.

No Jim Ross for the show, which might be for the best.

Eddie Kingston/Shota Umino/Wheeler Yuta vs. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara/Minoru Suzuki

The winning team gets an advantage in Blood & Guts on Wednesday (which has nothing to do with Suzuki and Umino). Yuta wastes no time in rolling Jericho with some German suplexes and the Crossface goes on. Everything breaks down for a bit and it’s Guevara getting in some shots to Umino to take over. That doesn’t last long as Kingston comes in to face Jericho, who hands it back to Suzuki.

Kingston takes the straps straight down and the fight is on, with Kingston’s chops having little effect. Suzuki drops him with a single forearm so it’s back to Jericho. That’s fine with Kingston, who chops away in the corner and gets in a shot on Guevara for a bonus. Suzuki armbars Kingston over the arm to put him back in trouble, setting up the penalty kick for two. Everything breaks down and the triple submissions have Kingston and company in trouble again.

With that out of the way, Kingston suplexes Sammy out of the air and sweeps the leg out, allowing the tag off to Umino to clean house. Umino sends Jericho outside for a flip dive but Sammy hits a top rope shooting star onto the floor. Kingston adds a dive but Suzuki loads up his own…and of course he isn’t doing that.

Back in and Yuta gets to come in and strike away, setting up a cradle for two on Guevara. Kingston’s backdrop driver sets up the Stretch Plum until Suzuki breaks it up. The spinning backfist drops Suzuki but Jericho German suplexes Kingston. We hit the parade of secondary finishers until everyone is down. The Codebreaker drops Umino but he catches Jericho on top with a super powerslam.

Suzuki makes the save and Guevara hits a GTH on Yuta on the floor. Jericho’s Lionsault is broken up by Kingston so Umino can get two but Tay Conti gets in a baseball bat shot to Umino. The Judas Effect misses though and a tornado DDT into a brainbuster gives Umino two. Jericho has to be saved from the Walls and Suzuki piledrives Kingston. The Judas Effect finishes Umino at 18:45.

Rating: B. This got going rather well and the action was very good, though it did run a few minutes longer than it needed to. Umino being in there all but guaranteed he was taking the fall but he did showcase himself here. Heck of an opener and it got the needed goal so there isn’t much to complain about with this one.

We recap the Tag Team Title match, with the United Empire’s IWGP Tag Team Titles and FTR’s Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles on the line. They all want to win for the gold and honor.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles/IWGP Tag Team Titles: FTR vs. United Empire vs. Roppongi Vice

That would be Cash Wheeler/Dax Harwood vs. Great O’Khan/Jeff Cobb vs. Trent Barretta/Rocky Romero, Vice is the only challengers and it’s Harwood headlocking Trent to start. That’s reversed into a headscissors and we get an early standoff. Cobb comes in and shrugs off Harwood’s chop so Romero tags himself in, much to Cobb’s annoyance. Harwood fights back but seems to have hurt his shoulder and drops to the floor after handing it off to Wheeler.

The Forever Clotheslines have Wheeler in trouble and Harwood is taken to the back. O’Khan sits on Wheeler’s head in the corner and Cobb adds a swinging suplex to send him into the corner. Wheeler fights out and tries a tag but realizes Harwood isn’t there. Instead he goes with Trent to clean house, but Cobb blocks a tornado DDT. Everything breaks down and the fight heads to the floor, with Trent hitting a running knee off the apron to drop Cobb.

We settle back down to Wheeler chopping his way out of trouble against the Empire. That doesn’t last long as O’Khan chops him down….and Harwood is back, with his shoulder taped up. Harwood comes back in to clean house, including some rolling German suplexes to Cobb. Trent helps Harwood with a double superplex but Wheeler tags himself in to add a top rope splash for two. O’Khan gets to take over on Wheeler in the corner, only to have Romero help on a spike piledriver.

Cobb is back up with a powerbomb to Romero and we hit a parade of knockdowns. The claw slam into a German suplex from Cobb gets two on Trent, who kicks out without any help. FTR gets taken out on the floor and it’s a spike Strong Zero for two on Cobb, with Wheeler diving in for the save. Romero and Harwood trade rollups until an enziguri staggers Harwood. Not that it matters as the Big Rig gives FTR the pin and the IWGP Tag Team Titles at 16:16.

Rating: B. There was some serious relief when Harwood came back out, even if he still might be injured. FTR winning was the right call as it sets up the big winner take all match against the Young Bucks at All Out. The action was there throughout the match and it was a lot of fun, which shouldn’t be a surprise. I don’t know how any team can be better than FTR right now, because dang they are on the roll of a lifetime.

Juice Robinson and Jay White don’t think much of their competition and promise to win.

All-Atlantic Title: Pac vs. Miro vs. Malakai Black vs. Clark Connors

For the inaugural title. It’s a brawl to start (as you might have expected) with Connors knocking Miro to the floor (which you might not have expected), leaving Black to knock Miro into the corner. Miro comes back in to knock Black down, only to have Black come back with the springboard moonsault. Connors comes back in for a kneebar but Miro is back in to clean house. Miro runs Connors down and slams him for two before Black and Miro stomp Pac down.

Black doesn’t like anyone else getting to stomp Pac though and yells at Miro, setting up the required forearm off. With Black knocked to the floor, Pac superkicks Miro and tosses Connors outside as well. There’s the big flip dive to Black, followed by a shotgun dropkick to Miro. Connors comes back in with the German suplexes until Miro knocks him down. Black loads up a table against the barricade and gets in a fight with Miro on the floor.

Connors spears Miro through the table and powerbombs Pac for two back inside, as the fans get behind Connors for a change. Miro is back up though and Game Overs Pac until Black uses the mist to break it up. That means a Black Mass to Miro and a cross armbreaker on Connors, but Pac’s 450 makes the save. The Brutalizer to Connors gives Pac the tap and the title at 15:04.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but the ending worked well, with Pac coming in for the save and winning the title. It’s nice to see Pac winning a title for a change, as he hasn’t done much in the way of championships in his career. Connors showcased himself too and has a nice future, but he was in over his head here. Black and Miro need a win, but that mist could be the start of something between them.

Dudes With Attitude vs. Bullet Club

That would be Sting/Darby Allin/Shingo Takagi vs. the Young Bucks/El Phantasmo. And there’s no Sting, though Hikuleo is here with the Club. Hold on again though as we look at the catwalk above the arena….and then Sting dives off the set to take the Club down. We get inside with the bell ringing and Takagi taking over on Phantasmo as commentary dubs the Dudes Los Stingobernables.

Allin comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Phantasmo to flip around a lot and hit his back rake. Then Matt flips around, dances, flips some more, and then rakes Allin’s back too. Phantasmo stands on Allin’s crotch in the corner and Hikuleo pulls Sting off the apron for a whip into the barricade. Allin manages to knock Phantasmo away though and the hot tag brings in Takagi.

A snap suplex gets two on Nick Jackson and a pop up Death Valley Driver drops him again. Now it’s back to Sting for the well received house cleaning but he has to no sell Phantasmo’s nipple twist. Hikuleo’s distraction lets Phantasmo punch Sting low though and it’s a Superkick Party. Sting shrugs off the superkicks, clotheslines them both down, and then goes down. The tag brings Allin back in but the Coffin Drop hits Matt’s raised knees.

Everything breaks down and it’s More Bang For Your Buck on Allin, setting up Phantasmo’s rope walk moonsault onto everyone on the floor. Back in and Sting teases a dive, which is cut off by a triple superkick. The BTE Trigger misses though and Sting hits a double Scorpion Death Drop. Now Sting gets to twist Phantasmo’s nipples (Tony: “This is so much fun! Unless someone is grabbing your nipples!”), allowing Takagi to blast Phantasmo with a clothesline for two. Last Of The Dragon finishes Phantasmo at 12:58.

Rating: B-. This was a lot of fun and the lighthearted match that the show needed after three more serious fights to open the show. Sting and Tony were both having fun here and it wound up being good stuff, with Phantasmo getting to be the showcase star. Takagi continues to be great at just about anything so another nice job with this one.

Chris Jericho and his goons jump Shot Umino, setting up the fireball.

AEW Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa

Storm is challenging, making me wonder why she didn’t just win the Owen Hart tournament. Feeling out process to start with Rosa taking her to the mat for a quickly broken headscissors. Back up and Rosa cranks on the wrist before getting two off a crucifix. Storm takes her down for a double arm crank but gets small packaged for two more. It’s time for the slug out with screaming until Rosa knocks her against the ropes.

The running dropkick sets up the northern lights suplex for two more, followed by a double stomp to Storm. They head outside with Rosa snapping off another northern lights but the Death Valley Driver on the apron is blocked. Storm hits a DDT onto the floor, followed by the hip attack and another tornado DDT for two. Rosa is right back with a nasty Fire Thunder Driver for two, followed by the Final Reckoning to retain the title at 10:39.

Rating: C. This got better near the end, but it wasn’t exactly a great match at its best. The sudden ending didn’t help things, and it was another loss for Storm, who can’t take many more of them. They also felt rather rushed here and Rosa continues to not exactly blow anyone away with her defenses. Not a great match here, but they didn’t embarrass themselves or anything close to it.

We recap the IWGP United States Title, as champion Will Ospreay is a major star but might have trouble with Orange Cassidy.

Now JR comes out to join commentary.

IWGP United States Title: Will Ospreay vs. Orange Cassidy

Ospreay, with Aussie Open, is defending but doesn’t have the title with him. Cassidy starts fast with the hands in pockets running shoulders so you know he’s serious. Ospreay is knocked outside for a breather so Cassidy can mock Ospreay’s pose (in slow motion of course). You know that’s too far for Ospreay, who runs around the ring and takes Cassidy down, followed by a hard whip into the corner back inside.

That lets Ospreay get in some situps before we hit the abdominal stretch. Ospreay makes sure to put his hand in Cassidy’s pocket so Cassidy hiptosses his way to freedom. There’s the high crossbody but the tornado DDT is blocked. A top rope forearm to the head drops Cassidy but he collapses before the Hidden Blade can launch. Some Kawada Kicks put Cassidy down again, until he powers up to his feet.

Cassidy, with his hand in his pocket, hits his own Kawada kicks but has to avoid the Oscutter. The Stundog Millionaire into the Michinoku Driver gets two and the tornado DDT sends Ospreay to the floor. A springboard flip dive takes out Aussie Open, setting up the top rope DDT for two. Cassidy catches him on top and sends Ospreay face first into the camera (for a wacky visual), allowing Cassidy to….drop down and avoid a double moonsault.

Ospreay is fine enough to try a standing shooting star press but Cassidy gets the knees up, setting up the Beach Break for a close two. The Orange Punch is countered into the Oscutter for two but the Hidden Blade misses. Stormbreaker is countered into a hurricanrana for two more so Ospreay blasts him with a clothesline. The Hidden Blade gets two more, setting up Stormbreaker to retain the title at 16:10.

Rating: B. They did what they should have done here with Cassidy by not having him do a bunch of stupid stuff. Instead, this was the serious match that they should have had and it worked well as a result. I didn’t quite buy the near falls, but I had a good time with the match and it was probably the best Cassidy has looked in a singles match to date.

Post match the big beatdown is on but Katsuyori Shibata comes in for the save and Ospreay has a new challenger. Shibata shows quite a bit of respect to Cassidy.

Zack Sabre Jr. wanted Bryan Danielson but gets a mystery opponent, which doesn’t matter to him.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. ???

It’s Claudio Castagnoli, better known as Cesaro, who is now part of the Blackpool Combat Club and will be in Blood & Guts on Dynamite. Claudio starts fast with the running European uppercut and the Neutralizer gets a very fast two. Sabre goes straight to the floor for a needed breather to cool things off a bit, earning himself a whip into the barricade. Back in and Claudio hits a suplex but Sabre gets in a Disarm-Her to slow things down.

That just ticks Claudio off though and he forearms the heck out of Sabre. A rake of the eyes breaks up the spinning torture rack and Sabre is back on the arm. That’s broken up with the deadlift but they crash over the top and out to the floor. Claudio doesn’t let go though and walks up the steps to powerbomb Sabre back inside (because that’s a thing a human can do).

Back in and Sabre grabs a guillotine but gets taken up top to break it up. That’s fine with Sabre, who pulls him into an octopus hold on top. Claudio reverses into a gutwrench superplex and they’re both down for a bit. The Giant Swing is loaded up but Claudio’s arm gives out. Claudio tries a Sharpshooter instead, which is reversed into a heel hook. That’s broken up but Claudio still can’t get the Sharpshooter. A Pele Kick to the arm sets up a sleeper on Claudio, followed by some hard kicks to the chest. Those just tick Claudio off though and it’s a pop up uppercut into the Riccola Bomb to pin Sabre at 18:23.

Rating: B+. This was the Claudio that fans have been wanting to see, as he got to show the fire and then hit a bunch of his signature/power stuff. Throw in Sabre Jr. being able to do just about anything imaginable to someone’s limbs and this was a fun chess match. Eventually though it was Claudio wrecking him for the win and that is how a debut should have gone.

IWGP World Title: Hangman Page vs. Adam Cole vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White

White is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. After the Big Match Intros, we ring the bell and pause for the fans to cheer a lot. White bails straight to the floor so the other three can fight but Cole winds up out there with him. Cole pitches the alliance but Okada and Page join them on the floor to start the brawl. Page gets double suplexed on the ramp and a neckbreaker drops Okada inside.

Back up and Page whips White into the steps, only to be taken down by Cole. Page fights back again and gets to clean house but Cole superkicks the moonsault out of the air. That means Okada can come back, including the dropkick to knock Cole off the top and out to the floor. The running crossbody over the barricade drops everyone else before they head back inside. Cole’s brainbuster onto the knee gets two on White, who is right back up with the swinging Rock Bottom.

A sleeper suplex drops Cole and White hits another on Okada. Page gets one too but he pops back up with a lariat for the four way knockdown. We get the tag team double forearm off until Cole and White slug it out. Page goes after White but has to deal with Gedo, only to hit the Deadeye. The Buckshot Lariat gets two on White with Okada having to make a save. Page and Okada forearm it out until the Rainmaker misses. A discus lariat drops Okada but Cole breaks up the Buckshot.

The Panama Sunrise is countered into Okada’s White Noise onto the knee but White breaks up the Rainmaker (after the zoom). Cole superkicks Okada for two, earning himself that perfect dropkick. Some more superkicks drop Okada and Page but the Rainmaker misses Cole, as he collapses. Okada gets Sling Bladed, allowing White to pin Cole to retain at 21:04. Something looked wrong there and White was talking to the referee after the match. I don’t know if Cole got hurt or something but that didn’t look right.

Rating: B. That ending didn’t help things as they didn’t get the chance to go to the big climax. What we had instead was a very good match with White escaping again, which is the right call. The lack of a Rainmaker tells me that there was something bad with the ending, so this felt like it was lacking something. The fact that it worked as well as it did is quite the impressive result though, as the talent got to shine.

Interim AEW World Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jon Moxley

For the vacant title. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far. A dragon screw legwhip puts Moxley down though and Tanahashi is starting to get the confidence going. That’s broken up as Moxley grabs a quick cutter, setting up the running corner clothesline. The piledriver drops Tanahashi again and Moxley stomps away, setting up a Texas Cloverleaf (a Tanahashi signature). Tanahashi fights out and hits his middle rope flip splash for two of his own.

The Sling Blade is countered into a whip outside though and Moxley puts him through a table. Tanahashi beats the count back in so Moxley kicks away at the chest. The Sling Blade cuts Moxley down for a change and somehow he’s busted open. A dive to the floor drops Moxley again, setting up Twist and Shout back inside. Moxley manages a suplex though and it’s time for the hammer and anvil elbows.

With those broken up, Tanahashi headbutts him down and hits the high crossbody. High Fly Flow connects but Moxley rolls him into the bulldog choke. That’s broken up so Moxley BLASTS HIM with the King Kong Lariat….for one. The Hammer and Anvil elbows set up a rear naked choke but Tanahashi fights up again. Moxley shifts into another bulldog choke, followed by the Death Rider for the pin and the title at 18:14.

Rating: A-. This was a good example of two guys beating the fire out of each other until Tanahashi couldn’t keep going. The blood was a bit too much and felt out of place, but Moxley winning the title makes the most sense. He is a good placeholder until Punk gets back and people will buy him in the role, so this is the right choice after a great match.

Post match respect is shown but Chris Jericho and Daniel Garcia run in for the beatdown. Eddie Kingston runs in, setting off a string of run ins until the Jericho Appreciation Society beats everyone down. Claudio Castagnoli runs in for the save and gets in a Swing. Kingston yells at Claudio (who he has never liked) and leaves so Moxley’s music can play us out.

Overall Rating: A. I don’t think there was any real surprise that this was an instant classic with one great match after another, though it was lacking THAT match that took it to the next level. It helps that it felt more like a New Japan show, as they cut out a bunch of the goofy stuff and focused on the in-ring action. The talent is there to make it work and this was a fantastic show. I didn’t care for the build but the show delivered on all levels, including time, as they shaved off about an hour from Double Or Nothing. Great stuff.

Results
Hirooki Goto/Yoshi-Hashi b. QT Marshall/Aaron Solo – GTR/powerbomb combination to Solo
Lance Archer b. Nick Comoroto – Blackout
Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland b. El Desperado/Yoshinobu Kanemaru – Big Bang Catastrophe to Kanemaru
Max Caster/Gunn Club b. Yuya Uemura/Alex Coughlin/DKC/Kevin Knight – Mic Drop to DKC
Minoru Suzuki/Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara b. Eddie Kingston/Shota Umino/Wheeler Yuta – Judas Effect to Umino
FTR b. United Empire and Roppongi Vice – Big Rig to Romero
Pac b. Clark Connors, Miro and Malakai Black – Brutalizer to Connors
Dudes With Attitude b. Bullet Club – Last of the Dragon to El Phantasmo
Thunder Rosa b. Toni Storm – Final Reckoning
Will Ospreay b. Orange Cassidy – Hidden Blade
Claudio Castagnoli b. Zack Sabre Jr. – Riccola Bomb
Jay White b. Adam Cole, Kazuchika Okada and Hangman Page – White pinned Cole after he collapsed
Jon Moxley b. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Death Rider

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This is a special show as we will be getting a big crossover between AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling in a series of….I guess you would call them dream matches. The show has had a lot of things thrown onto the card in a short amount of time and the build has been ok for the most part. The good thing is that the action itself should be more than enough to make it work, so hopefully they can live up to the hype. Let’s get to it.

Buy-In Show: Gunn Club/Max Caster vs. Yuya Uemura/Alex Coughlin/DKC/Kevin Knight

We have the AEW mashup team against the Young Lions and that is a good way to go here. Throw in Billy Gunn to make things work and be the in-ring coach and it should work out well enough. I’ve seen the Lions before and they’re capable of having some good stuff, so the pieces are set up here. Give them a few minutes and let them warm the crowd up and everything should be ok.

I’ll take the Young Lions to win here, as pinning one of the Gunns isn’t going to hurt them that much. If nothing else, you don’t want to start the show with the outsiders losing so let them pick up a win over some names that people know. This match runs a risk of having too much going on at once, but at least they should be able to get the crowd off on the right foot early on.

Buy-In Show: QT Marshall/Aaron Solo vs. Hirooki Goto/Yoshi-Hashi

Remember like two weeks ago when Goto was in contention to main event this show? Well now he’s fighting the Baron Of The Bowling Shirt and Bayley’s ex-fiance. That’s a heck of a drop, but I remember liking Goto most of the time so this might not be the worst idea. I’m not sure how necessary another tag match is, but maybe AEW just really wanted them on the card for some reason.

I see no reason to go away from New Japan here, as they are a pair of stars (or at least names) and they’re up against Marshall and Solo. What else are you expecting here other than near dominance? I’m sure the Factory will get in a little offense of their own, though it doesn’t need to be anything more than minimal, as Goto should be able to take these two out on his own without much effort.

Buy-In Show: Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee vs. El Desperado/Yoshinobu Kanemaru

I guess they needed a Buy-In Show tag match where the AEW guys can win too. Strickland and Lee aren’t the most successful team yet but they do have some chemistry together. It might not be the best choice for a third match on the hour long show but at least they seem to have an idea here. Now just the match work well and everything should be fine, which shouldn’t be that big of a surprise.

So yeah we’ll go with Strickland and Lee here, as they need the win as a team. Assuming that is where they are going instead of to a feud (which has potential as well), a win here would do them some good and give them a place to start from as a winning team. Desperado is fun to watch so we should be in for a solid ten or so minute match to really get things going.

AEW Women’s Title: Thunder Rosa(c) vs. Toni Storm

So yeah, somehow in the middle of all this, there is a title match between two AEW wrestlers. Rosa’s title reign is about three and a half months old now and she still just isn’t that interesting as champion. Again it doesn’t help that Jade Cargill is the real star of the division and Storm has been kind of middle of the road since her initial strong debut. Now she’s getting a title match because….well….one of the three Women’s Titles being defended in this promotion needs to be on this show.

As much as I think they should go with Storm here, I’ll take Rosa retaining to keep her still mostly weak reign alive. So far, she just isn’t that interesting as champion and doesn’t have anything of note going on. Her feud with Storm just popped up without much hype but at least they’re getting a pay per view title match. Rosa returns here, though I’m not sure if that’s the best idea.

Young Bucks/El Phantasmo vs. Dudes With Attitude

That would be Sting/Darby Allin/Shingo Takagi and no, Takagi and Phantasmo haven’t made any important appearances on any of the shows leading up to this (save for maybe popping up in the show closing brawls). I guess this is about revenge for Sting and Allin injuring Kyle O’Reilly a few weeks back and somehow that means the Tag Team Champions being involved against a team that rarely wrestles together anymore.

It would be weird to see Sting lose so I’ll go with Sting N Pals to win here, likely after Sting does some big dive to pop the crowd. This feels like a match that is there to get some of the stars on the show and while I get the idea, they are being added into a card that is already packed. Watching Sting with the Bucks is going to be odd enough, but at least the match should be ok.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. ???

The mystery opponent here is not only the newest member of the Blackpool Combat Club but also the replacement for Bryan Danielson in next week’s Blood & Guts match. The heavy favorite seems to be Claudio Castagnoli/Cesaro, but it almost seems too good to be true. If nothing else, I’m not sure they bring in one of the biggest names off of the free agent market and have him get in a competitive match with Sabre Jr., who doesn’t seem likely to be squashed.

While it will likely be Castagnoli, I’ll go with a swerve and pick Lee Moriarty here, as the Combat Club did pick Wheeler Yuta for a young up and comer. I have little confidence that it will be him, but he at least made an appearance earlier this week and it would be nice to bring someone younger to the mold. Odds are it’s Castagnoli, but let’s have a little fun with a somewhat random pick.

All-Atlantic Title: Pac vs. Miro vs. Clark Connors vs. Malakai Black

This is for the inaugural and still rather badly named title. It would be a bit of a stretch to call this a tournament but they had qualifying matches to get here so close enough. They could be in for a good, hard hitting brawl here, even without Tomohiro Ishii, who is out of the match with a knee injury. As much as I don’t think this company needs ANOTHER title, maybe they can do some good stuff here to make it work.

I’ll take Black to win here, as the House of Black needs to win something already to make them feel like a threat. Just having them out there acting spooky and taking Julia Hart as a trophy isn’t enough so maybe some gold can make it better. If nothing else, it means that Black will likely be defending the title a bit more and I’ve liked having him in the few singles appearances he has had. This could go almost any way, but I’ll say Black for the title.

IWGP United States Title: Will Ospreay(c) vs. Orange Cassidy

This was quite the letdown for me, as while I get that they want Cassidy on the show, it’s a bit much to have him get a title match against someone who just headlined Wrestle Kingdom about six months ago. I would have hoped for a slightly stronger opponent, though Cassidy can have a hot match when he is taken into the deep end. I don’t know how long it takes to get him there though and that could be a problem.

Give me Ospreay to retain here of course, as there is almost no chance that Cassidy is getting a title in New Japan (or at least a singles title). Let them do their thing here and be entertaining enough, but after a few Orange Punches, this is going to be the Hidden Blade to retain Ospreay’s title. I could go for a bigger match, but Cassidy is a made man in AEW and getting the shot isn’t a totally horrible idea.

IWGP Tag Team Titles/Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: United Empire(c) vs. FTR(c) vs. Roppongi Vice

This is winner take all and if FTR wins, there will be a pretty ridiculous four Tag Team Titles running around the promotion. I’m sure this is meant to set up some big showdown with the Young Bucks at All Out, which does seem like a big match. It would have to be a big match with all of that gold floating around, but at least they do seem to have a plan, assuming of course that is where we are going.

After their recent losses, give me FTR to win here, as FTR vs. the Bucks again is a bit of a dream match in AEW. I really don’t need so many Tag Team Titles running around but it should set up a major match down the line. The Empire and Vice are just kind of there at the moment, though at least we got some Jeff Cobb out of things. I hope this isn’t the FTR fan in me clouding my judgment, but they seem to be the most likely choice.

Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara/Minoru Suzuki vs. Eddie Kingston/Wheeler Yuta/Shota Umino

The winning team here gets the advantage in Blood & Guts as AEW continues to advance their own stores in this show (good) while throwing in the New Japan stars without really needing them here (not so good). Suzuki is a good choice for a monster to help out Jericho and Guevara, though it does feel a bit weird to have him here and then have him leave again before the big violent match. It should be ok though, which brings us to the match.

I’ll go with the villains winning here, as even AEW should know better than to give the villains the disadvantage in WarGames. Umino probably takes the fall here, as he should, possibly after Suzuki does the work and Jericho gets the glory. The Blood & Guts feud is only so interesting in the first place and tacking it onto this show doesn’t really help things. Jericho being on the show makes sense and I can go for Kingston’s violence, but this might have been better suited for Dynamite (or a coin toss next to the cage). But yeah, the villains win here.

IWGP Heavyweight Title: Jay White(c) vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Adam Cole vs. Hangman Page

This is one of the two main events, even though a four way for a New japan singles title feels a bit weird. White only picked the title up from Okada about two weeks ago so could offer some long term stability on top of the card. If nothing else, this should give us a taste of Okada and that has the potential to make anything better. It’s likely to be a two man match though, making the pick a bit easier.

As much as I could go for Okada taking the title back (not saying it’s a good thing), White stealing a pin to retain the title feels like a better idea. White is one of the better things going in wrestling today and the Okada fatigue at the top of New Japan must be setting in at some point. Let White win here and somehow set up Cole vs. Page for down the line and we should be good to go.

Interim AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahasi

For the vacant title, because CM Punk can’t just be stripped and made instant #1 contender. The other problem here is the very tacked on “Moxley must protect AEW” jazz that we had to hear about on Dynamite. That isn’t how the feud has been going until then and Moxley even wanted to take out Tanahashi before that was the case. Don’t try to turn this into something it isn’t, because that isn’t helping anyone.

I’m tempted to go with Tanahashi here as it isn’t like having him as the World Champion is a bad idea, but I think they’ll play it safe and go with Moxley to win the thing here. Moxley vs. Punk isn’t exactly a must see dream match, but it is big enough to headline All Out, assuming they don’t take a quick turn before then. Moxley wins here, and I’m at least 50% sure that is the right move.

Overall Thoughts

As has been the case since the show was announced, I’m sure that the action will be good and that I’ll have a good time with the whole thing. The build is still pretty weak though as they have thrown a bunch of people and matches together, with some of those people seemingly there just to say there is more New Japan around. I do want to see the show, but I am really looking forward to getting back to whatever passes for normal in AEW.

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

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Rampage
Date: June 24, 2022
Location: UW Panther Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Taz

It’s the go home show for Forbidden Door and I have no idea what that is going to mean here. This week’s Dynamite was a huge push towards the show, including several New Japan stars being added. That could mean more than a few things for this show and I’m curious to see where it going. Now to find out if that is a good thing. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Rey Fenix

After one week of including entrances for the opener, we’re right back to rushing straight to the opening bell. Jose and Alex Abrahantes are here as the seconds. They don’t bother with the feeling out process to start until it’s Fenix hitting a quick springboard hurricanrana to stagger Andrade. A boot in the corner staggers Fenix but he is right back with a kick to the ribs.

Something out of a fireman’s carry is countered into Andrade’s Three Amigos, which Fenix reverses into his own Three Amigos. That’s enough to send Andrade outside so Fenix hits a heck of a flip dive to drop him again (Jericho: “He looked like Wile E. Coyote falling off a cliff!”). Back in and a bridging German suplex gives Fenix two but a springboard something is shoved off the top for a huge crash to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Andrade hitting the Alberto double stomp for two more. Fenix tries a rolling cutter but has to settle for a springboard missile dropkick instead. Now the rolling cutter connects for a slightly delayed two but Fenix’s frog splash hits knees for two. Fenix goes up again and gets kicked off the top, allowing Andrade to take him to the apron. The running knees hit post though and a top rope double stomp to the back crushes Andrade as we take another break.

Back again with Fenix hitting a super reverse Spanish Fly for another delayed two, as Andrade got his foot on the bottom rope. Hold on though as we pause for a look at Fenix’s knee, allowing Andrade to grab the table from Jose. That’s caught so Andrade pokes Fenix in the eye and kicks him in the knee. Fenix knocks him right back to the floor and hits the running suicide flip dive for another double knockdown. As the managers fight in the ring, here is Rush (oh yeah he’s a thing) to kick Fenix low. That’s enough for Andrade to hit El Idolo for the pin at 18:43.

Rating: B. The ending felt a bit flat but they beat the heck out of each other and left it in the ring here. Fenix continues to be able to do one crazy spectacle after another while Andrade can work well with a lot of people. I wasn’t wild on having Rush pop up again but at least it makes sense after what was set up at Double Or Nothing.

Post match Andrade and Rush show of the La Faccion Ingobernable shirts before ripping off Fenix’s mask. Penta Obscuro runs in with a shovel for the save.

Eddie Kingston is ready for Forbidden Door but he also wants to see Chris Jericho bleed at Blood And Guts. Maybe he’ll even have a taste.

Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee are ready for their match with El Desperado/Yoshinobu Kanemaru at Forbidden Door. Then they can get back to normal, though Lee isn’t sure if they’re ready for that yet.

Mercedes Martinez/Serena Deeb vs. Laynie Luck/Sierra

Deeb puts Sierra in an early abdominal stretch and then chops her down. It’s off to Luck, with Deeb taking her down into an Indian deathlock. A rope is reached so it’s Martinez coming in for a running dropkick in the corner. A double drop across the top rope has Luck in more trouble but Martinez runs into Deeb on the apron. Not that it matters as stereo submissions get the double tap from Sierra and Luck at 3:36.

Rating: C-. Just a squash here with Martinez and Deeb’s issue near the end meaning nothing whatsoever. Deeb vs. Martinez could be interesting down the line, though it will need to be after everything else cleans out a bit more. It should be a good match and that is all you need a lot of the time.

Tully Blanchard brags about his monsters, who I don’t know if we’ve seen since the Ring of Honor show nearly three months ago.

Post break Tully Blanchard interrupts Jonathan Gresham and Lee Moriarty, the latter of whom seems to want a ROH World Title match. Tully Blanchard interferes and says his guys deserve a title shot first. A tag match is made.

Hook vs. DKC

Hook takes him down into a leglock to start but DKC takes him into the corner for some chops. A high crotch suplex drops DKC and the crossface shots set up Redrum to finish at 1:45.

Cash Wheeler is ready for Jeff Cobb tonight and to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles on Sunday. Cobb doesn’t like the lack of respect

Billy Gunn explains to the Gunn Club and Max Caster that they’re on the Forbidden Door Buy-In show. This requires an explanation to his kids that they aren’t going to Tokyo, but rather Chicago.

Jeff Cobb vs. Cash Wheeler

Caprice Coleman is on commentary. They lock up to start and neither can get anywhere, meaning Wheeler grabs a quickly broken headlock. Wheeler bounces off of a shoulder block attempt and there’s the suplex to send him outside. We take a break and come back with Wheeler grabbing a sleeper (not a full nelson Jericho) but getting knocked away again. Cobb blocks a backslide with straight power so Wheeler starts striking away.

That’s enough to knock Cobb outside for a slingshot dive but he runs Wheeler over again. Back in and Cobb’s apron superplex is blocked and Wheeler hits a sunset bomb. The Tour of the Islands is blocked and a doctor bomb is countered into a hurricanrana to give Wheeler two. For some reason Wheeler tries a powerbomb and gets German suplexed for his efforts. The Tour of the Islands gives Cobb the pin at 10;56.

Rating: B-. FTR gets to lose again, which has me wondering what happens to them on Sunday. I would hope that if they lose, at least they don’t take another fall in the process. Both of them can do some great things in the ring, though it starts to mean less if they never win anything to keep them boosted up.

Post match the rest of the United Empire comes in to jump Wheeler but Orange Cassidy, Dax Harwood and Trent make the save. Eddie Kingston runs out and tries to stab Chris Jericho with a pen as the big brawl ends the show (eventually, as the fight goes on for a good while).

Overall Rating: B+. Rather strong show this week, even if it went very heavy with the ROH stuff for a bit of a curve ball. After barely talking about ROH for weeks, waiting another few days to put the focus back on them wouldn’t have been the worst idea. That being said, we had two rather good matches here and they toned down some of the invasion stuff so it wound up being a solid show as a result.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Rey Fenix – El Idolo
Mercedes Martinez/Serena Deeb b. Laynie Luck/Sierra – Double submission
Hook b. DKC – Redrum
Jeff Cobb b. Cash Wheeler – Tour of the Islands

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

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Smackdown
Date: June 24, 2022
Location: Moody Center, Austin, Texas
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

We are eight days away from Money In The Bank and the ladder matches need to be filled in. This includes a women’s qualifying match tonight, but odds are some of the focus is going to be on what Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar. You know, because we need to build towards Summerslam before Money In The Bank. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Roman Reigns retaining the World Title over Riddle last week. After the match, Brock Lesnar returned and took Reigns out, setting up their Summerslam rematch.

Here is Drew McIntyre to get things going. He’s looking forward to Money In The Bank but he’s looking even more forward to Summerslam, because he is going to cash in on whoever wins between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. Cue the Brawling Brutes to interrupt, with Sheamus saying Drew is off his bleeding rocker if he thinks he is going to be the one to cash in at Summerslam. Sheamus mocks Drew for having someone cash in on him, which Sheamus did to Reigns before.

Cue Paul Heyman to interrupt, complete with an annoyed looking Adam Pearce behind him. Heyman laughs at the idea of cashing in on Brock Lesnar because Reigns is retaining his title. However, even Heyman knows that Reigns might be in danger of a cash in after the Last Man Standing match because Reigns could be a bit vulnerable after such a match. That’s why Pearce has a special announcement: after some strenuous negotiations, neither Sheamus nor McIntyre will be in the Money In The Bank ladder match, because neither of them won. Therefore, they do have a way in though: teaming together to beat the Usos tonight.

I really don’t see this going well, as Sheamus and Drew winning changes nothing other than having the Usos get beaten. Also, it doesn’t exactly make me think that Sheamus or Drew are winning the briefcase, but it does make me think that it’s going to be teased for weeks until Summerslam.

Sami Zayn is very happy with what just happened and is ready to get rid of Drew McIntyre and Sheamus. Then he can win the briefcase and….protect Reigns.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura kicks away to start and hits a sliding German suplex to drop Zayn again. There’s the running kick to the face for two but Sami knocks him outside for a not very near countout. Back in and they come crashing off the top as we take a break. We come back with Nakamura catching him on the middle rope and pulling him down. Zayn is fine enough to grab a nasty Michinoku Driver for two more but he misses something off the top.

The middle rope knee to the back of the neck gives Nakamura two but the threat of Kinshasa sends Zayn outside. Kinshasa connects outside with Zayn having to beat the count back inside. That means Kinshasa can be set up back inside but Zayn catches him with a quick Helluva Kick for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C. You could tell that Zayn isn’t what he used to be due to the age and injuries, but he has changed his style enough to make this work. The countout teases are a good enough way to go and it’s a surprise to see Zayn win in the end. He’s a more interesting choice for the ladder match right now and I could go for seeing the creative stuff he busts out for the thing.

Here are New Day and Jinder Mahal/Shanky for a dance contest. Why you ask? According to New Day, because no one wants to see this match again and new Day doesn’t do rematches. I’ll let you laugh at that as Shanky dances to Woods’ trombone music and then shoves Mahal away for not liking the dancing. Cue the Viking Raiders’ graphics on screen and then charge in from behind for the big beatdown. They’re rather vicious here and it is working for them.

Sonya Deville storms into Adam Pearce’s office and yells about not being used since she has been back on Smackdown. Raquel Rodriguez sure has been though, which is why Pearce puts Deville in a match with Rodriguez….and Lacey Evans. Next.

Lacey Evans/Raquel Rodriguez vs. Sonya Deville

Shayna Baszler and Xia Li come to the ring with Sonya. Evans drop toeholds her down but Sonya is back with a shot to the knee. Another shot drops Evans so she gets over for the tag to Rodriguez. The Tejana Bomb connects to knock Sonya silly and it’s the Woman’s Right to give Evans the pin at 3:03.

Rating: D. So what were they going for here? Pearce getting revenge on someone who was a villain? I’m not sure why they needed to pick that story up a few months later but hopefully this is it. Having Shayna and Li as Deville’s lackeys isn’t much of an idea, but WWE does love to put women together out of nowhere. Evans and Rodriguez beat her up pretty easily here and I’m not sure I get what they were trying.

Post match the beatdown is on but Evans and Rodriguez clean house.

The Street Profits walk through the back and run into Los Lotharios with a woman, Drew Gulak exercising and Madcap Moss standing there. Dawkins has a joke for him and it doesn’t quite work.

Here is Natalya, dressed as Ronda Rousey (complete with a lot of eye makeup) and pushing a baby stroller. Natalya talks about how she had Rousey THIS CLOSE to tapping out in the Sharpshooter so Rousey should just hand over the title now and get back to taking care of her baby.

Cue Rousey to say she didn’t recognize Natalya without her rack hanging out. Rousey says she didn’t mutilate her body to conform to some beauty standard and isn’t giving Natalya the title now. No one has cared about Natalya before because she has no charisma and brags so much about being a Hart. The closest Natalya has become to being a star in the main event is dressing like Rousey. The brawl is on with Natalya hitting her with the stroller to escape.

This segment summed up the problem with this entire feud: Natalya is not a threat to Rousey and never will be, because Natalya is not interesting enough to be seen on that level. Her entire selling point was that she ALMOST made a tired Rousey tap to a Sharpshooter after Rousey’s match. Oh and she dressed up like Rousey to prove….something. Bad segment to push a bad feud, with Rousey getting in a few zingers to keep it a few steps above dreadful.

Sheamus and Drew McIntyre are ready for the Usos.

Intercontinental Title: Ricochet vs. Gunther

Gunther, with Ludvig Kaiser, is defending. A boot to the face drops Ricochet early and we hit the half crab. Make that an STF (with Cole calling it a Crossface and McAfee making an Attitude Adjustment reference, neither of which is really appropriate). Ricochet makes the rope and flips out of a German suplex, setting up a jumping knee to the face. The clothesline sets up the chop to send Ricochet flying though and now the release German suplex connects. The shotgun dropkick sets up the powerbomb to retain the title at 3:05.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash and that is what it should have been. Gunther is flat out better than Ricochet at the moment and there is no reason to have Gunther be in trouble here. Ricochet gets his rematch and loses in an even more decisive fashion and that is all he needed to do. Gunther can move on with the title and Ricochet can (hopefully) move on to something else.

Sami Zayn reassures Paul Heyman that he would never cash in Money In The Bank on Roman Reigns. Maybe on Brock Lesnar….but Zayn realizes he shouldn’t have said that and leaves from a glaring Heyman.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Tamina vs. Shotzi

Tamina throws her around to start, setting up a powerslam. Shotzi gets in a shot of her own though and an enziguri rocks Tamina again. A superkick out of the air gives Tamina two more with Shotzi getting her foot in the vicinity of the ropes. Shotzi manages a whip into the post and Never Wake Up (a leg trap DDT) finishes Tamina at 2:33.

We look back at the Viking Raiders’ return.

The Raiders are tired of being forgotten and are here to run through anyone who gets in their way.

Max Dupri’s new models aren’t here tonight because they didn’t get their dressing room demands. Adam Pearce says next week, which Dupri says means they can titillate the juices of the masses. I’m curious to see where they’re going, but the fact that Dupri is still appearing every week gives me some hope for his future.

Pat McAfee stands on the announcers’ table to talk about how Happy Corbin threw a fit last week. We see Madcap Moss beating Corbin last week and McAfee laughing at Corbin as a result. McAfee talks about how much he loves his job and how alive he felt the first time he was in the Thunderdome. He loves talking to the millions (AND MILLIONS) so the challenge is thrown out for Summerslam. McAfee is a better promo than most of the roster.

Usos vs. Drew McIntyre/Sheamus

Non-title and Sheamus and McIntyre have to win to stay in Money In The Bank. The Street Profits join commentary as Sheamus throws Jimmy down to start. Jimmy takes Sheamus into the corner though and it’s Jey coming in for a shot to the face. That doesn’t last long as Sheamus is back with the ten forearms to the chest. Hold on though as Drew goes outside to go after Butch. Sheamus goes outside and brawls with Drew, allowing the Usos to take them down as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus punching his way out of trouble but Jimmy comes in with a superkick. The running hip attack in the corner is cut off with a knee to the face though and the hot tag brings in McIntyre to clean house. Some superkicks drop Drew though and the Superfly Splash gets two with Sheamus making the save. Everything breaks down and Ridge Holland has to hold Butch back. Cue Sami Zayn to go after Drew but Dawkins cuts him off. The Profits and the Uso argue until Drew flip dives onto all four of them. Back in and Jey manages a superkick before the Claymore finishes Jey at 11:12.

Rating: C+. Nice match, the champs lose, and we are right back where we were when this show came on the air. The Street Profits didn’t even cost the Usos the match so I’m not sure who good this does. This felt like they needed a main event and added something in to fill in a spot but this is something that belonged on a house show rather than Smackdown.

Overall Rating: C-. I wasn’t feeling this show as it felt like they ran out of ideas before Money In The Bank and moved on to the Summerslam build. They have announced the Summerslam main event and are teasing another match with McAfee vs. Corbin but Money In The Bank is still over a week away. That is something WWE has done before and it rarely works, though it isn’t like there is much that can be set up for Money In The Bank anyway. Just get to it already before they run even further out of ideas, which was pretty obvious tonight.

Results
Sami Zayn b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Helluva Kick
Lacey Evans/Raquel Rodriguez b. Sonya Deville – Woman’s Right
Gunther b. Ricochet – Powerbomb
Shotzi b. Tamina – Never Wake Up
Sheamus/Drew McIntyre b. Usos – Claymore to Jey

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

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

AND

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