Collision
Date: January 17, 2026
Location: Arizona Financial Theater, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re taped this week as the Arlington residency continues. There is at least a title match this week though as the Opps are actually defending the Trios Titles against Hangman Page and JetSpeed. Sure that might seem like a random combination, but they had one match together five months ago and that’s good enough. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Angelico vs. Andrade El Idolo

Don Callis is here with Andrade, who takes Angelico into the corner rather quickly. Some chops have Angelico in trouble and they go to the mat with Andrade in control. Andrade chops away in the corner again before charging into a boot to the face. Three Amigos put Angelico right back down but Andrade pulls him up at two. A twisting neckbreaker (the DM) finishes Angelico at 3:54.

Rating: C. Total squash here and yeah it’s about the same as always from Andrade. I just do not get the appeal of the guy, as while he’s fine, he’s just kind of there with nothing that makes him stand out. Having him be another member of the Don Callis Family doesn’t help either, but that has been the case with a lot of people.

The Rascalz come out of a smoky room and introduce the team: Zachary Wentz, Myron Reed and Dezmond Xavier. They want to be where the best wrestle, but like to smoke as well.

We recap the Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz. Kingston has been having troubles with them, so Ortiz is back to help him out.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Ortiz/Eddie Kingston

Ortiz takes over on Drake to start and hits a spinning high crossbody to put him down. Drake gets taken into the corner and we actually get some alternating arm cranking. Kingston gets caught in the Veterans’ corner though and a leg lariat puts him down. That’s broken up and it’s back to Ortiz, who gets taken outside for some yelling and a suicide dive.

We take a break and come back with Ortiz still in trouble but managing to strike his way out. Kingston comes back in for the chops to both Veterans, allowing Ortiz to hit a sitout powerbomb for two on Drake. Kingston and Gibson argue a lot until Gibson goes after Ortiz, leaving Kingston to grab….the scarf. Gibson hits a middle rope Codebreaker and Drake grabs the Koji Clutch on Kingston. That’s good for two arm drops but Kingston raises a middle finger and survives. Ortiz takes out Gibson and the DDT finishes Drake at 12:45.

Rating: C-. So Kingston beat up the Veterans on his own and then beat them up again when he had a partner. There’s only so much you can get out of a story like this and it didn’t help that Ortiz didn’t quite look great. He hasn’t been around in a long time and I’m not sure how many people were begging to have him back.

The Babes Of Wrath and Kris Statlander are upset after their loss, with Statlander saying she would take a bullet for them to be out there with her best friends. As for Thekla, Statlander will give her a title shot because that’s what a champion does. She likes the taste of toxic.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Here is FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, for a chat. Hathaway congratulates Davis And Doyle for becoming the #1 contenders, who have all kinds of potential. Wheeler says the team (“Jake…something….Doyle”) is good but they’re not FTR good. Harwood, after greeting Nigel McGuinness, doesn’t like the people here because they live in a fantasy world. He doesn’t have an issue with Doyle And Davis but FTR is the team who built this division. They grew up in North Carolina and beat up guys like Davis And Doyle over and over. Now it’s time for Davis And Doyle to find that out the hard way. This was rather long.

Cru wants to welcome the Rascalz in a way they’ll never forget.

Video on Zayda Steel, who was made to do this.

Zayda Steel vs. Marina Shafir

Christopher Daniels is here with Steel while Jon Moxley is here with Shafir. Steel jumps on her to slug away to start and gets sent to the floor. Back in and Steel misses something off the top so Shafir takes her into the corner as we take a break. We come back with Steel hitting a Codebreaker into a running knee in the corner. Shafir gives her a release Rock Bottom and puts on a seated full nelson but Steel fights up. That’s cut off in a hurry and it’s Mother’s Milk for the tap at 5:40. Not enough shown but it’s another loss for the newcomer because that’s how you get someone over.

Don Callis Family vs. SkyFlight

Moxley stays on commentary and Don Callis joins in to bicker with Moxley, who isn’t impressed. Eventually Moxley chases him off, saying Konosuke Takeshita can come find him before leaving as well. Cue the rest of the Family (because there are multiple lineups of the team) to jump Moxley so the Death Riders run in for the save. SkyFlight comes in to go after the Family as well and we take a break before the bell.

We’re joined in progress with Darius working on Fletcher’s arm before it’s off to Sky. Fletcher takes him into the corner and Clon comes in to stay on said arm. That’s broken up and Sky gets over for the tag back to Darius. A springboard swinging Downward Spiral gives Darius two and he (eventually) gets Alexander up for a powerbomb. Alexander breaks out and German suplexes before Clon’s elbow gets two. Fletcher elbows Darius down as well and we take a break.

We come back again with Darius still in trouble as Alexander grabs the ankle lock. That’s broken up with an enziguri and a suplex allows Dante to come in for the comeback. The swinging full nelson slam is blocked and Clon kicks Dante in the head, allowing Fletcher to come back in. Everything breaks down and Fletcher is sent into the corner for the double DDT. Alexander World’s Strongest Slams Darius onto the apron and Clon gives Dante a step up Asai moonsault on the apron. Darius gets caught in the ankle lock and the torture rack bomb sets up an arm trap piledriver for the pin at 13:07.

Rating: C. This wasn’t event that long of a match but my goodness it felt like it went on forever. I like SkyFlight but they have been beaten into the ground so much that they mean nothing anymore. On the other side you have a pretty weak Family lineup, which says a lot as they are only so interesting in the first place.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out to…hug Fletcher and then pose with the team.

Roderick Strong is ready to win the CMLL World Title but he doesn’t want the Conglomeration around him. Mark Briscoe wants to face El Clon next week. You know the old saying: If you’re ready to conglomerate, be ready to share your plate, and whether it’s English or Espanol, you best be ready to share your roll. Yeah Cassidy doesn’t know it either.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Danielle Kamela/Viva Van

Bayne clotheslines Kamela to start and then sends both of them flying. A Doomsday Device finishes Kamela at 1:35.

Post match the Timeless Love Bombs come out to promise revenge and remind us that God doesn’t wear lipstick.

Swerve Strickland’s plan to get back to the World Title: win. Kevin Knight comes in to remind Swerve about his advice. Knight thinks he is the current and seemingly wants to fight Swerve. That’s fine with Swerve, who tells him to go win the Trios Titles and then come see him about being a main eventer.

Jack Perry vs. Anthony Bowens

For a future shot against Ricochet, on commentary, for the National Title. We get a handshake to start and they go technical, with Perry getting the better of things. Bowens grabs a headlock and takes over, earning an offering of scissoring. That won’t be happening as Perry goes up, only to get crotched down, allowing Bowens to get in some scissoring. They go outside with Perry winding up on his shoulders, only to come down with a bulldog as we take a break.

We come back with Perry hitting a running DDT for two, meaning it’s time to be frustrated. Bowens ties him up with a rollup for two, followed by a clothesline. Perry is back with a jumping knee, though Bowens blocked a bit of it. A second running knee finishes Bowens at 10:13.

Rating: B-. The match was good enough and Perry winning is the more logical choice of the two, but we’ve already seen Perry vs. Ricochet for the title. It doesn’t help that the championship doesn’t exactly feel important in the first place and now the champion is already trading wins with Perry. Bowens getting a few serious matches is nice, but it’s hard to imagine him really going anywhere on his own.

Post match Perry chases Ricochet to the back.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe.

The Death Riders aren’t happy with the Don Callis Family. Pac: “Who the f*** do you think you are?” Daniel Garcia talks about what it means to be a family and Jon Moxley says he’s the worst thing anyone has ever seen in wrestling.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Trios Titles: JetSpeed/Hangman Page vs. Opps

The Opps are defending. Shibata and Bailey shake hands to start, with Shibata jumping him as a villain should. Hobbs comes in to take over on Knight, who slips out of a slam and brings Page in. The rapid fire forearms have Hobbs rocked but he runs Page over without much trouble. Bailey comes back in and gets suplexed onto the apron, followed by another on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Knight getting out of trouble and handing it back to Page. House is quickly cleaned, including the moonsault to the floor to drop Hobbs and Joe. Hobbs powers out of a Deadeye attempt but gets his leg swept out by Bailey. Knight springboards into a release Rock Bottom and Joe comes in for the snap powerslam. A backsplash gets two on Knight and Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch on Page…but Knight rolls Hobbs up for the pin and the titles at 11:15.

Rating: B-. This was dragging a bit in the middle, but the titles going to a fresh team should help them a bit. The Opps had already held the titles longer than any team in history and they hadn’t done anything with them in months. I can’t imagine Page and JetSpeed hold them for very long, but at least it’s something new.

Swerve Strickland comes out to watch to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The show picked up in the last thirty minutes or so but the first stretch dragged things way down. It felt like a show built around the lowest level stories taking place in the company and that is hard to watch. Things did get better with the title match and setting up things for Dynamite, which is the main focus of Collision most of the time. It’s far from an awful show, but dang there were some dull stretches this week.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Angelico – DM
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. Grizzled Young Veterans – DDT to Drake
Marina Shafir b. Zayda Steel – Mother’s Milk
Don Callis Family b. SkyFlight – Arm trap piledriver to Darius
Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford b. Danielle Kamela/Viva Van – Doomsday Device to Kamela
Hangman Page/JetSpeed b. Opps – Rollup to Hobbs

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

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Best Of Mike Awesome
Commentators: Joey Styles, Shane Douglas, Cyrus, Joel Gertner, Tony Schiavone, Mark Madden, Scott Hudson, Mick Foley

It’s another Best Of from the WWE Vault and that has me curious. This isn’t someone you often think of as having a long career, mainly because he didn’t, but he certainly did live up to his name. You can probably figure out some of the matches from here, but I’m wondering what they’re going to use to fill in all of the time. Let’s get to it.

Quick opening video, as usual.

From ECW Heatwave 1998.

Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka

Joey Styles is right there to explain the history between these two, which is a nice way to spend entrances. Awesome runs him over to start and swears a bit before pulling Tanaka out of the air. An overhead belly to belly sends Tanaka flying and a slingshot shoulder puts him down again. Tanaka is sent outside and dropped with a big dive as the fans already want tables.

Back in and a nice looking top rope clothesline drops Tanaka but he pops back up with a suplex. It’s time for a chair (of course), which Tanaka takes down the ramp for a running start and a big shot to Awesome’s head. Awesome is right back up and they head outside for a chair duel (which looks cool despite being rather dumb).

Tanaka is knocked over the barricade so of course Awesome goes up and dives over the barricade to take him down again (that’s just not normal). Back in and the Awesome Bomb gets two, followed by a heck of an Alabama slam into the Awesome Splash. Some absolutely sickening unprotected chair shots to the head knock Tanaka silly and it’s time to set up a table on the floor.

Even Shane Douglas on commentary knows this is stupid so Awesome goes back inside with a top rope chair shot to the head (geez). Some Awesome Bombs through the table are blocked though and Tanaka instead powerbombs him over the top and through the table for a terrifying landing. Somehow that only gets two, as does the Roaring Elbow, leaving commentary stunned. A tornado DDT onto some chairs finishes Awesome at 11:51.

Rating: B. This is going to be a collection where you instantly get the idea of the featured star. Awesome could do things in and out of (and above) a ring that almost no one else could even approach and it looked great. That’s what we saw here and my goodness it was impressive to see. Some of those chair shots were terrifying, but that’s 90s ECW for you.

From Anarchy Rulz 1999.

ECW World Title: Taz vs. Masato Tanaka

Taz is defending and you might notice something missing here. We get the Big Match Intros and Taz, who is set to leave for the WWF, is told that he sold out. Hold on though as here is Mike Awesome in the crowd (with Judge Jeff Jones) and Taz says let him through. Paul Heyman comes in to break it up but Taz wants him in, so Heyman makes it a three way dance.

ECW World Title: Mike Awesome vs. Taz vs. Masato Tanaka

Taz is defending and Tanaka dives through the ropes to take Awesome out before he can even get inside. The two of them fight on the floor while Taz chills in the corner, which is rather funny for some reason. They get inside, where Taz clotheslines Tanaka, who is tossed with a Razor’s Edge. Awesome gets caught on top with a superplex but Tanaka Roaring Elbows Taz. That and an Awesome Splash pins Taz at 2:02, guaranteeing a new champion and rather popping the crowd.

This brings out Paul Heyman with the locker room for a big farewell to Taz as the fans realize what’s going on (though Taz would be around for about another month and a half). So we’re down to one on one with Awesome sending him to the floor for the big dive. The top rope clothesline and sitout Awesome Bomb get two each but Tanaka slips out of another powerbomb. A triangle clothesline sends Awesome outside again and the running chair shot knocks him silly.

Tanaka adds a tornado DDT to send him off the ramp, followed by another onto a chair back inside for two. A tiger bomb gets the same but Awesome is back with an Awesome Bomb over the top through the table at ringside. An Alabama slam into an Awesome Splash gives Awesome two so he cracks Tanaka in the head with a chair over and over. Awesome can’t believe it and charges into a boot in the corner.

Diamond Dust (flipping Stunner out of the corner, which always looks great) gets two on Awesome, who is right back with a spear for two. A table is thrown in and Awesome caves Tanaka’s head in with another chair shot. The table is set up and they head up top, where Awesome hits a super Awesome Bomb for the pin and the title at 13:49.

Rating: B-. This was a bit of a weird one as you had a mini match at first, which was all about getting rid of Taz. Then it broke down into something very similar to the first match, which was kind of the point. Awesome winning the title is a huge moment for him of course as he hadn’t been around ECW for a long time, but now he’s on top as Taz is leaving. That’s pretty awe…cool.

Post match Taz gives Awesome the belt to really put him over.

From ECW On TNN, October 22, 1999.

ECW World Title: Mike Awesome vs. New Jack

Awesome is defending and Joel Gertner does the introduction before bailing out of absolute fear. Well to be fair, he is a rather well educated man. Jack starts fast with an oar to the head and tries to choke with a rope. Awesome slugs back and gets bitten in the face for his efforts. A missed charge in the corner has Awesome in more trouble and they go outside, which can’t go well. The running chair shot from the apron only hits the barricade, followed by a top rope clothesline inside.

As you might expect, Jack comes back with some staple gun shots to the head, followed by a guitar to the same head. Jack goes up top but dives into a chair to the head, allowing Awesome to send him through the table at ringside. The Awesome Splash retains the title at 6:20.

Rating: C+. When you get the fun version of New Jack (work with me here), he’s kind of a blast to watch. There’s something great about having the some playing throughout and the various weapons he’ll use at any time. I don’t think there was much in the way of drama about the title changing, but Awesome having to get through him was good.

From ECW On TNN, December 10, 1999.

ECW World Title: Mike Awesome vs. 2 Cold Scorpio

Awesome is defending and shoulders Scorpio down to start. A superkick gets Scorpio out of trouble and they go outside, with Awesome hitting an ax handle off the apron. Awesome’s big diving clothesline over the barricade drops Scorpio again, followed by a big shoulder back inside. Scorpio gets in a kick to the head for a breather though, setting up a top rope splash for two.

A moonsault gets the same but Awesome launches him with a German suplex. Jazz tries to come in to help Scorpio, who has to save her with a crossbody. Another superkick drops Awesome and a table is set up in the ring. The moonsault takes too long though and the super Awesome Bomb sends Scorpio through the table (in a GREAT visual) to retain the title at 9:26.

Rating: B-. The ending alone boosted this one up, but it’s always fun to see Scorpio out there. He’s a good example of a guy who just worked every time he was in the ring and some of his best work came in ECW. Getting to see him with this kind of a special chance was nice, even though he was little more than a means to make Awesome look better.

From ECW On TNN, December 24, 1999. This is an impromptu match, but I believe it was advertised in advance due to the taping schedule. I was at my aunt’s house and wanted to watch it, but my cousin threw me out of her room for watching that “stupid wrestling”. Instead I went into their attic and sat for two hours without anyone noticing I was gone. Anyway.

ECW World Title: Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka

Awesome is defending in an impromptu match, with Tanaka in workout pants as he takes Awesome outside for the running chair shot. Awesome fights back as he is known to do and runs him over to take it back inside. The sitout Awesome Bomb gets two and Awesome drops him again as we take a break.

We come back with the Awesome Splash getting two and a table being set up in the corner. That takes too long of course and Tanaka suplexes him through the table, followed by the tornado DDT onto the chairs for two. A top rope chair shot gives Tanaka two and some chairs to the head just make him mad.

One of the scariest chair shots to the head I’ve ever seen puts him down, followed by the Awesome Bomb for two. We take another break and come back again with Awesome catching him on top. That’s reversed into a tornado DDT through the table, which allows Tanaka to hit the Roaring Elbow for the pin and the title at 17:02.

Rating: B. These guys fought a lot (as you can tell) and unfortunately it’s not a rivalry that holds up well when you see it over and over. You’re seeing a lot of the same spots here, though at least Tanaka won with his finisher for a change. Tanaka getting the title is quite the step for him, as beating Awesome was a pretty rare accomplishment.

Post match respect is shown. Awesome would get the title back the next week.

ECW World Title: Mike Awesome vs. Little Spike Dudley

Awesome is defending and the idea is that Spike keeps beating giants. Before the bell, Spike loads up a bunch of tables at ringside, even getting a production worker to help him. Spike grabs the mic and calls out Awesome for putting people through tables, including women. And it’s time to fight, which is going to be painful. Spike jumps him to start and gets sent through some tables at ringside, then does it again for a bonus.

They go outside, with Awesome throwing him over the barricade for the big flying shoulder. A slingshot splash gives Awesome two back inside but Spike manages to send him outside. The dive off the apron connects but Awesome throws him around, banging up Spike’s knee in the process. The crowd chants something that warrants an edit to the audio, leaving Awesome to go after the knee again.

Back in and Spike gets in a hurricanrana, only to have Awesome BLAST HIM with a clothesline. Spike knocks him right back down though and it’s a top rope double stomp to crush Awesome again. Awesome fights up with a chair shot and sends him over the barricade, setting up the big springboard dive. The landing sees Awesome slip a bit though and he seems to bang up his (awesome) elbow.

Another table is set up at ringside, with Spike managing a quick Acid Drop to send him through the table. A top rope chair to the head knocks Awesome silly again but he’s fine enough to send Spike over the top and through another table (which Spike barely hits). Awesome sets up another table inside but Spike catches him on top. That doesn’t last long though as it’s the super Awesome Bomb through the table to retain the title at 14:11.

Rating: B. This is not exactly a match designed for everyone, but rather a match where it’s all about seeing Awesome absolute wreck Spike. While Spike got in a few shots, it was hard to imagine him actually winning the title. That doesn’t make it any less entertaining though, as Spike’s pain was quite the sight to behold. Fun match, though the physicality and destruction might be a bit much to take.

From ECW On TNN, March 10, 2000.

Tag Team Titles: Mike Awesome/Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer/Masato Tanaka

Dreamer and Tanaka are defending and Dreamer Russian legsweeps Awesome to start. Raven mocks Dreamer though and it’s a belly to back suplex to put Dreamer down. Raven comes in to hammer away and then run, allowing Dreamer to bring in Tanaka. Awesome runs him over with a clothesline but Tanaka gets in a drop toehold into the corner. The tornado DDT is countered though and it’s back to Raven to slug away in a weird combination.

A running chair shot doesn’t do much to Tanaka, who is back up to bring in Dreamer. Everything breaks down and Dreamer puts Raven in the Tree Of Woe, only to get taken out by Awesome again. The middle rope elbow gives Awesome two and Raven grabs the mic to mock Dreamer (and hit him too). It takes too long and Dreamer gets in a shot of his own, only to have Awesome come back in for some rather physical violence. A table is brought in but Dreamer avoids the Awesome Splash.

The crash is enough for the tag back to Tanaka, meaning a bunch of elbows. Everything breaks down and more tables are brought in, with Dreamer giving Raven a neckbreaker. Back up and Raven pulls Dreamer off the top for a drop toehold through the corner of the table (even the ECW fans know that was rough). The Awesome Splash gets two and the Awesome Bomb through the table gets two, with Tanaka making the save. The Roaring Elbow drops Raven and Dreamer’s DDT gets two, with Awesome making a save of his own. A running Awesome Bomb sends Dreamer through a table for the pin and the titles at 12:11.

Rating: C+. Ok, we get it with Awesome vs. Tanaka. I get that this was a big deal for Awesome to become a double champion, but this is a lot to take in such short order. The match was good enough and it was nice to see some actual tag wrestling before the wildness got going. Things weren’t exactly going well for ECW at this point and Awesome would be gone in about a month.

From WCW Starrcade 2000.

Mike Awesome vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Ambulance match and Awesome is now That 70s Guy. They start brawling as you would expect, with Bigelow clotheslining him out to the floor. Awesome fights back though and gets in a ring bell shot. Some chair shots to the back put Awesome down and they fight up the aisle with Bigelow chairing him in the ribs a few times. They go up to the ambulance, with Bigelow slamming the door onto him over and over.

Bigelow punches through a window by mistake but he’s fine enough to hit Awesome with the chair again. They go back to ringside with Awesome slugging away but the running…something is countered with a backdrop through a table. They go back up to the ambulance and fight with the lights from the top. A big shot knocks Bigelow through the roof for the win at 7:56.

Rating: C. WCW was obsessed with Awesome having ambulance matches, as he had something like seven of them in about as many months. There was no explanation of a story here, which says a lot for this kind of a gimmick match on a major show. Then again, that’s part of the reason why you don’t see WCW around anymore. See also Awesome getting to WCW in April and apparently doing nothing of note for eight months.

From One Night Stand 2005.

Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka

They chop it out to start and Styles goes on a crazed rant against Awesome for leaving for WCW and more money. You know, because ECW was known for its financial stability. Awesome comes back with a slingshot shoulder and a big dive over the top to the floor (Styles was hoping Awesome would have cracked his head open). Tanaka fights back with a running chair shot but gets powerbombed HARD through a table to knock him silly.

The Awesome Splash connects for two, followed by an even more sickening chair to the head. Tanaka is back with the tornado DDT onto a chair and something like a Conchairto. The top rope rope chair shot drives the chair onto Awesome’s face for two more so Awesome grabs the chair. That means a top rope chair shot to Tanaka and it’s time for yet another table.

Awesome takes too long loading him up though and a tornado DDT sends Awesome through the table for two more. Tanaka goes up but gets Awesome Bombed onto what’s left of the table…for two. Another Awesome Bomb through the table on the floor, followed by a slingshot Awesome Splash, gives Awesome the pin (on the floor, which is apparently legal) at 9:57.

Rating: B. These guys knew how to beat each other up, but seeing some version of it five times in less than two hours was a lot to take. At the same time, Joey Styles was REALLY annoying here, spending so much time complaining about Awesome leaving ECW. There have been reports that Awesome wasn’t being paid on time (which certainly wouldn’t be unique for ECW) but apparently he should have just stuck around. Anyway, another hard hitting fight here in what would wind up being Awesome’s last match.

Overall Rating: B-. Awesome is a VERY interesting case as there was pretty much no one like him at the time, but he never did much of anything outside of ECW. There have been reports that the bigger stars in WCW wouldn’t work with him and his physical style, though that doesn’t exactly excuse the That 70s Guy and the untouched Fat Chick Thriller. The fact that his time in WWE was basically ignored saved for the ECW reunion show is rather telling as well. Awesome was a force while he was around, but he just wasn’t around for that long.

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

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

It’s from a forgotten period of the company….and that might be for the better.

https://411mania.com/wrestling/halls-elimination-chamber-2012-review/

Smackdown
Date: January 16, 2026
Location: Wembley Arena, London, England
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Corey Graves

It’s another taped show overseas but in this case we have a pretty big focal point. This week’s show features four matches, with the winners going on to a four way for a future shot at Drew McIntyre’s World Title. That should make for a big and rather wrestling heavy night so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Drew McIntyre winning the World Title last week when Jacob Fatu got involved.

IMG Credit: WWE

Here is McIntyre, played to the ring by some bagpipers of course, for his first chat as champion. He takes his sweet time with his entrance, this is the first time he has ever had an introduction as champion in front of fans. McIntyre says he prayed for this and it happened. He’s still the first and only British WWE Champion and talks about how no one did anything for him when he was champion.

There was only one person who believed in him before and that was….himself. McIntyre wants the fans to cheer for him before talking about the former (oh he loves that word) champion, Cody Rhodes. There’s no rematch clause, so he’ll be champion for a long time…and here is Randy Orton to interrupt. Orton talks about beating McIntyre before so he knows he can do it again. Cue Jacob Fatu to chase McIntyre through the crowd but the Miz (facing Orton tonight) sneaks up from behind with a Skull Crushing Finale.

IMG Credit: WWE

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: The Miz vs. Randy Orton

We’re joined in progress with Miz hammering away, including an exchange of right hands. They go outside with Miz dropping him onto the announcers’ table for an Orton pose. Back in and Orton wins a slugout before hitting the hanging DDT. They go outside again, with Orton dropping him onto the announcers’ table a few times. The RKO is loaded up but Miz reverses into the Skull Crushing Finale for a near fall. Miz tries it again but has to settle for two off a rollup. Orton pops back up and the RKO (while getting to take a breather) finishes Miz off at 4:37.

Rating: C. Orton shrugged off Miz’s offense and took him out here, which was rather impressive. As old as he is, Orton can still make this stuff work with that RKO being as dangerous as ever. It’s one of the biggest finishers ever and it still works well. On the other hand you have the Miz, who is still a heck of a villain, even if he probably only has so much time left in the ring.

An anxious Drew McIntyre is trying to leave with the title but runs into Ilja Dragunov, who promises to take a step closer to the title tonight. McIntyre says he’ll beat him too and gets out as fast as he can.

The Wyatt Sicks aren’t wild on Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s taking the lantern, but they’ll get it back.

Charlotte comes up to see Alexa Bliss last week, with Bliss ranting about how terrible things went for her last week. She wants to know if Charlotte was really sick, which Charlotte insists was the case. Charlotte says she’s turned down a bunch of title matches for the good of the team. Bliss: “Name two.” Charlotte: “That’s beside the point.” She’s here now though and she’s stretching before her match. Bliss leaves and Nia Jax and Lash Legend come up to gloat. Charlotte isn’t pleased and makes some threats, along with saying Legend has changed.

Kiana James/Giulia vs. Charlotte/Alexa Bliss

Bliss strikes away at James to start but gets caught with a knee to the ribs. Charlotte comes in to send her into the corner, only to walk into a superkick. Everything breaks down and Bliss is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with Bliss kicking her way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Charlotte. Chopping abounds, followed by a big clothesline to James. A high crossbody gives Charlotte two but Giulia breaks up the moonsault. Giulia and Charlotte get to strike it out until Bliss is back in with the Sister Abigail DDT to finish James at 8:28.

Rating: C+. Charlotte and Bliss have turned into a heck of a team, which is nice to see as it means we have some actual teams rather than just doing the revolving door of title challengers. Let the division be built up a bit and see how well it can work. That’s what we’re getting here and it’s rather nice to see after such a long time of it not working.

Post match Nia Jax and Lash Legend run in to drop Charlotte and Bliss, with Giulia and James getting in Jax and Legend’s faces.

Solo Sikoa says if the Wyatts want their lantern back, put the Tag Team Titles on the line.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat (but only after hugging a young fan, which leaves her in tears). Normally he would tap his fist on the mat and we would all say WHOA and he’d move on to whatever he’s talking about. He was champion and saw the fans as his teammates. But now he got too complacent, but maybe it was that Drew McIntyre was just too good. Rhodes brings up the Royal Rumble, and since this is a special city, where he wrestled for What Culture Pro Wrestling to hone his skills and in a city that deserves a Wrestlemania, he is declaring himself for the Royal Rumble.

With that out of the way, he gets to Jacob Fatu, who Rhodes knew was going to be something special. Rhodes knows Fatu is a young veteran and that means he knows what RECEIPT means. Fatu can either come out here and get it or he can stay back there and Rhodes can find him. This was the intense Rhodes and that worked well.

Matt Cardona is disappointed that Cody Rhodes lost last week because he wanted to wrestle his buddy for the title. He’s back to win the title. Another intense promo here and it’s nice to see that he is feeling like something other than Zack Ryder.

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Trick Williams vs. Matt Cardona

Williams poses at him to start and gets powered into the corner. Some big shoulders drop Cardona, who is right back with a dropkick into a Downward Spiral. Cardona knocks him outside for a dropkick off the apron and we take a break. We come back with Williams forearming away but Cardona grabs a Zig Zag for two. Williams misses a Stinger Splash but he rolls away before the Reboot. Back in and Williams slingshots him over the ropes and hits the Trick Kick for two. The Rough Ryder misses and Williams Pounces him down hard. The Trick Shot gives Williams the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. Williams continues the hot start to his main roster career and that’s a good sign. There is no reason to believe that he’ll win the match at Saturday Night’s Main Event but at least he is getting a few wins like this one. As usual it’s all about the followup, but he’s doing well so far.

Post match Kit Wilson comes out and decks Cardona.

Damian Priest is ready to face Solo Sikoa, but he knows it won’t be one on one. He also knows he has to get to Drew McIntyre, one on one for the title.

Post break, Kit Wilson is still in the ring and says he is the solution to the problem around here. He’s going to solve the toxic masculinity…and Jacob Fatu is behind him. Destruction ensues and Fatu calls out Cody Rhodes. Cue Rhodes (who has changed clothes in the 15 minutes since he was in the ring) for the brawl with security and Nick Aldis not quite being able to break it up.

IMG Credit: WWE

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Solo Sikoa vs. Damian Priest

The MFTs are here with Sikoa, who headbutts him into the ropes, only to get caught with a superkick. Priest kicks him out to the floor, where the MFTs aren’t going to allow any shenanigans. Sikoa gets in a cheap shot though and the MFTs drop Priest as we take a break. We come back with Sikoa hitting a running Umaga Attack but Priest spinwheel kicks him in the face.

Priest kicks away and they trade big shots to the head, with Priest getting the better of things. Talla Tonga gets caught trying to interfere and gets ejected, leaving Priest to grab the Razor’s Edge for two. Another MFTs distraction lets Sikoa hit the Spinning Solo into the Superfly Splash for two of his own. Cue the Wyatt Sicks to go after the MFTs but Sikoa grabs the lantern. The distraction is enough for Priest to hit South Of Heaven for the win at 10:51.

Rating: B-. I got into this a bit more than I was expecting as Priest gets to move on to a pretty big match. That’s not the focal point though, as this was more about the MFTs vs. the Wyatts. That will likely be the cool down match at the Royal Rumble, or at worst at Saturday Night’s Main Event, and they are making it feel important.

Post match Priest leaves and Uncle Howdy gets the lantern back but it’s Tama Tonga dropping Howdy to take it back.

Drew McIntyre runs into Sami Zayn, bragging that Zayn has never beaten him. Zayn promises to win twice in a row so he can go to the Royal Rumble and face McIntyre again.

US Title: Carmelo Hayes vs. ???

It’s open challenge time with…TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater answering (and not defending). They lock up to start and Hayes takes him down for an early exchange of rollups. A chop hurts Slater’s hand but Hayes might have banged up his knee. Slater kicks him in the face and adds a handspring elbow to send Hayes outside. The slingshot dive connects and a nice high crossbody puts Hayes down for two.

We take a break and come back with Slater kicking away until a suplex cutter gives Hayes two of his own. Slater kicks him in the face for two more and a slingshot ax kick to the back of the head has Hayes in more trouble. They trade rollups for two each until Slater sends him outside for the huge flip dive over the top rope. Back in and the Swanton 450 misses for Slater, setting up the First 48. Hayes goes up top with Scott following, only to get superplexed into a cutter to retain the title at 11:45.

Rating: B. This was your weekly “here are some talented stars doing their thing for awhile”. Hayes is getting into a groove of this thing, though the whole open challenge thing is getting a bit old. Slater coming to WWE full time sooner than later wouldn’t surprise me, as he seems ready to come over.

Shinsuke Nakamura is watching in the back but Tama Tonga interrupts, saying he’s coming for the US Title. Tonga tells Nakamura to stay out of his way but Nakamura doesn’t seem impressed.

Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae have Axiom’s mask, with Axiom popping up. He wants the mask back but LeRae walks off with it. Cue another Axiom to punch Gargano and of course it’s Nathan Frazer, who will face Gargano next week.

Video on Oba Femi.

Chelsea Green vs. Jordynne Grace

Alba Fyre is here with Green and Jade Cargill is watching from ringside. Grace powers her down to start and grabs a rather delayed vertical suplex. Back up and Green manages to sens her into the corner for a superkick from Fyre. Grace clotheslines her down and grabs a suplex, followed by a Death Valley Driver for the pin at 2:36. Well that was almost squashy.

Post match Grace calls out Cargill, who accidentally gets decked by a charging Green.

Trick Williams puts Smackdown on notice (uh oh) that he is that dog. Damian Priest comes in to say they’re both ready for Saturday Night’s Main Event, but on Friday, he’ll whoop that Trick.

IMG Credit: WWE

#1 Contenders Qualifying Match: Ilja Dragunov vs. Sami Zayn

They slug it out to start until Zayn hits a clothesline for the knockdown. The forearms in the corner don’t do much to Dragunov, who is right back with a running boot in the corner. Something off the top misses for Dragunov and Zayn gives him a suplex for two. Dragunov is back with some rolling German suplexes and goes up top, where Zayn catches him with a top rope superplex as we take a break.

We come back with Dragunov busted open and escaping the Blue Thunder Bomb. A missile dropkick gives Dragunov two but the H Bomb is blocked with a raised boot (quite the logical counter). The Helluva Kick misses as well and they fight to the apron. Dragunov hits Torpedo Moscow to leave both of them down on the floor. Back in and Dragunov hits a powerbomb (THUD) but the top rope backsplash hits raised knees. The Helluva Kick gives Zayn the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B. These guys beat each other up in the way you would expect them to do and it made for a good main event. Zayn feels like he is finally on the path towards the World Title, however long it might take for him to get there. Dragunov losing again is perfectly fine, but what matters here is that he didn’t feel too far over his head. If that can continue, they might have something with him.

Post match Trick Williams jumps Zayn to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show had a theme running throughout, but at the same time, this was the first three hour show that felt every minute. It wasn’t a show that felt it needed to go that long and that made it a bit tedious. On the other hand, the positive was that the show featured four matches which had World Title implications, plus other stories getting coverage. This was a well put together show, but three hours a week can absolutely grind you down in short fashion.

Results
Randy Orton b. The Miz – RKO
Charlotte/Alexa bliss b. Kiana James/Giulia – Sister Abigail DDT to James
Trick Williams b. Matt Cardona – Trick Shot
Damian Priest b. Solo Sikoa – South Of Heaven
Carmelo Hayes b. Leon Slater – Superplex cutter
Jordynne Grace b. Chelsea Green – Death Valley Driver
Sami Zayn b. Ilja Dragunov – Helluva Kick

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 15, 2026
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

This is a big one as we’re on AMC for the first time. That is the kind of show that you do not see very often and it should be one of the most important shows that TNA has ever had. The main event is Mike Santana trying to get the World Title back from Frankie Kazarian, but Nic Nemeth is lurking with his Call Your Shot trophy. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at most of TNA’s big stars and talks about how they’ve worked to get here.

Here is AJ Styles as a surprise to get things going. Styles says he’s going to keep this short and sweet because we have some wrestling to do. He wants the fans to keep the energy going because the fans here are TNA.

We get a shorter form (and minus voiceover) opening sequence.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling/Darryl Stewart

Elijah/Hardys vs. Order 4

The brawl is on fast to start with Elijah using the Great Hands as stepping stones for a superplex to Ali. Order 4 bails out to the floor and we take an early break. We come back with Elijah in trouble and the Hardys being knocked off the apron. Elijah fights out of trouble though and it’s Jeff coming in to clean house. Tasha Steelz tries to interfere so Jeff hits a double Twist Of Fate for quite the cool visual. Matt comes in for a Twist Of Fate to Skyler and Jeff adds the Swanton for the pin at 8:19.

Rating: C+. They started the show fast with some of their top stars winning, which isn’t a bad idea. At the same time, having the Hardys are the starting point of a show in 2026, especially going over a team like Order 4, might not be the best idea. At some point the Hardys are going to have to be replaced and I don’t know that I see such an option anywhere for TNA.

Post match Agent Zero comes in to deck the winners but the Righteous run in to make the save. Then the Righteous jump the Hardys, even chaining Jeff to the corner so Vincent can Swanton Matt.

Frankie Kazarian is ready for the main event but here is AJ Styles to cut him off. Kazarian tells Styles to thank him for the house. Styles looks at the title, thanks him, and leaves.

Video on the X-Division.

We look at various people in the crowd. This is a bad move as it shows A LOT of empty seats.

We hear from some of the people in the front row, including Mara Sade and former WWE star Candice Michelle. Ryan Nemeth comes in and interrupts, only to crotch himself on the barricade and get chopped by an actor.

Here is Santino Marella, now looking happier than in recent weeks, for a chat. He’s happy about what is happening here, but he has been upset by what has happened with his daughter. There are a lot of responsibilities, so he is getting an assistant: Daria Rae, formerly known as Sonya Deville.

She praises Marella and hypes up the move to AMC…and then says that TNA does NOT need Marella with all of his jokes. Rae knows she can do the job better because her name is Daria Rae and she is the Suit. She has signed a new Knockout, so here is Elayna Black, formerly known as Cora Jade. Not that she actually does anything, but she is in fact here.

AJ Styles gives Mike Santana a pep talk and he’s grateful.

So to recap: we’re about 45 minutes into this show. We’ve had one match, and the big stories have been the Righteous turning on the Hardys, plus the debut of Sonya Deville, who turned on her boss in about fifteen seconds and announced the signing of Cora Jade. While that’s hardly anything, the bigger problem is TNA is treating its audience like they know EVERYTHING that has happened thus far.

On a show like this, you might want to take some time and explain some people and stories rather than just jumping right into it. AJ Styles is praising Mike Santana. Well who in the world is Mike Santana? Why should I care about him? Maybe let us know about that? Or should we just let the fans know that they’re on AMC again?

The Elegance Brand is in the ring, with the Personal Concierge introducing….Perez Hilton, as we flash back at least ten years. Hilton insults the crowd and the Concierge introduces Mr. Elegance (who looks a lot like Matt Riddle). He claims to be the far heavier (and different) man we saw teasing being in the role last week after a week on the Elegance Brand. Apparently this is OVW wrestler AJZ, who gets about as big of a reaction as you would expect.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Elegance Brand vs. IInspiration

The IInspiration is defending and jumps them to start fast but we take an early break. We come back with M’s moonsault hitting raised knees as Sol Ruca and Zaria (from NXT) are watching in the back. Lee comes in to clean house but the Concierge pulls the referee, meaning it’s time to argue on the floor. Mr. Elegance distracts the referee but gets knocked to the floor. That leaves the IInspiration to load up the Idolizer, which is broken up by Mr. Elegance’s chop block. A rollup pins Lee to give us new champions at 8:45.

Rating: D. Oh my sweet merciful goodness this show is somehow getting worse. This barely had time to go anywhere and the Elegance Brand only needed five people to beat the IInspiration. I guess they were going for the “give us a title change to make it feel important” but could they have it be in a match that was at least somewhat good?

Arianna Grace and Stacks aren’t worried about Santino Marella. Grace was also behind NXT invading. When did they do that? Who invaded? What did they do? NOT IMPORTANT!

Indi Hartwell is talking about her childhood dream…and the Elegance Brand interrupts her with their celebration.

Video on the Knockouts Title over the years.

Santino Marella is in the ring and brings out Knockouts Champion Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside for a chat. Apparently Dani Luna, who has been built up as the monster challenger for weeks, isn’t going to be at Genesis due to a visa issue, so it’s open challenge time. Cue Sol Ruca and Zaria to answer, with Ruca saying that Zaria should get the show. The contract is signed. So to know what just happened, you need to follow NXT and TNA. This show has no idea how to introduce a new crowd to the product.

Video on the history of the World Title.

Santino Marella comes up to Cedric Alexander in the back, saying that Leon Slater can’t be at Genesis either. Therefore, Alexander will still get his X-Division Title shot down the line, but for now, he’s in a three watch match with Moose and…that guy who appears when you say his name. Alexander says the name….and Joe Hendry calls him. Doesn’t APPEAR of course, but does call him.

Genesis rundown, again, making quite the series of assumptions that you know these people.

Here is the System for a chat. Eddie Edwards is ready to face JDC in JDC’s retirement match at Genesis. JDC isn’t done though, as he’ll be in the ring live next week to announce the newest member of the team. As for Genesis, Eddie better be ready to pull the trigger, or JDC will. So Moose and Brian Myers didn’t get to talk and we’re set for JDC’s retirement match. Who is JDC? Well that’s just not important enough to explain.

Video on Frankie Kazarian vs. Mike Santana, with Nic Nemeth teasing cashing in his title shot.

TNA President Carlos Silva brings in….oh my goodness Dixie Carter. She isn’t well received but puts over TNA. Bully Ray comes out to do commentary on the main event but stops for a staredown and hug with Carter.

TNA World Title: Mike Santana vs. Frankie Kazarian

Santana is challenging and thankfully we get a recap of the title match (Santana won the title at Bound For Glory but Kazarian cashed in the TNA version of Money In The Bank to win the title shortly thereafter). After a break (so that we can pass an hour and forty minutes with two matches having taken place), we’re ready to go and Kazarian stalls right after the bell. The first two or so minutes feature the standard opening stuff, with Kazarian going for the arm but getting knocked outside.

Commentary of course ignores ALL of this to hype up next week’s show, as the World Title and featured attraction of the show is just background noise. Kazarian throws him down on the floor and we take a break less than three minutes in, lest we actually see some wrestling on this show. We come back with Kazarian reversing a rollup into a Backstabber, which just seems to wake Santana up.

They strike it out until Santana hits the rolling Buck Fifty (rolling Stunner) for two. A super Spanish Fly drops Kazarian and the Code Red gets two more. Angel’s Wings and a slingshot cutter give Kazarian two of his own and it’s time to grab the title. Santana misses Spin The Block and the referee gets bumped, meaning the second Spin The Block connects for no count.

A belt shot sends Santana to the apron for Fade To Black and a near fall. Santana pops up for Spin The Block and a near fall (oh that did not look right, as it seems it was supposed to be the pin but was called two instead), followed by another Spin The Block to give him the title back at 15:51.

Rating: B-. Well that was….fine. They had the big emotional title change back at Bound For Glory so there was only so much they could do here. Santana has more than enough charisma to make this interesting, but at the same time Kazarian felt like a champion in over his head. There was pretty much no drama here outside of something terribly screwy and it made things feel more like a waiting game than a dramatic match. Also, wouldn’t it have made more sense for AJ Styles, who was around both guys earlier, to be on commentary rather than Ray, who had nothing to do with either of them?

Commentary points out that there is a rematch already set for Genesis. Not shown here? Nic Nemeth trying to cash in his title shot and getting in a fight with Santana. The result is Nemeth will be guest referee for the title rematch, which will be a Texas Deathmatch. But at least we got Dixie Carter on the show right?

Overall Rating: D-. And that’s being as generous as I can. This was a disaster, as it felt like a show where you needed to have watched the last few weeks (if not months) of TNA and NXT to get a lot of this stuff. That’s a really bad way to go when this is your big DEBUT rather than a finale.

That’s in addition to the total lack of wrestling for long stretches, as when you factor out commercials, you had maybe twenty minutes of wrestling bell to bell. Throw in stuff like battling authority figures, the pretty terrible Knockouts Tag Team Title match, various big names/champions not doing anything and the bringing back of Dixie (and freaking PEREZ HILTON around) and this was a rough, rough sit.

Now, there were some good points to this show. Santana has the title back, which he never should have lost, and bringing in some fresh names like Cora Jade and Sonya Deville is a wise move. Having a newcomer as Mr. Elegance is fine, though he needed a much better debut. Also, Agent Zero looked good as a monster after the opener. There are some good pieces on this show, but my goodness they botched this hard. Absolutely terrible show for the most part, with even Santana not being able to save things.

Results
Elijah/Hardys b. Order 4 – Swanton to Skyler
Elegance Brand b. IInspiration – Rollup to Lee
Mike Santana b. Frankie Kazarian – Spin The Block

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

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Ring Of Honor
Date: January 15, 2026
Location: eSports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

I’m not sure what to expect from this show because things are kinds of all over the place here, as usual. The only big story is Blake Christian coming after the World Title and now has Jay Lethal in his corner. Other than that, we have the usual assortment of people allegedly trying to get into title contention. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Angelico and Drake start things off with Drake wrenching the arm before sending Angelico into the corner. Some alternating elbows in the corner drop Angelico, who fights right back without much trouble. Serpentico comes in to work on the arm and drops a backsplash for two. The Veterans shrug that off and kick them down, with Drake working on Serpentico’s leg.

Gibson grabs a half crab, which is broken up, so Serpentico hits a quick backbreaker. Angelico comes back in to clean house with everything breaking down. Drake sends Angelico into the steps, leaving Gibson to give Serpentico the middle rope Codebreaker. Drake’s springboard dropkick finishes Serpentico off at 8:47.

Rating: C. In case you were wondering what a tag match between two teams going nowhere looks like, here you are. I’m assuming this was the way to heat the Veterans up before they get wrecked by Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, which makes me wonder about the logic when it’s in two different places. Either way, the technical stuff was fine, but these teams are so low on the totem pole that it just doesn’t matter.

Post match the Veterans promise the same for Kingston and Ortiz. Cue the two of them with chairs for the save.

Lance Archer vs. Vin Parker

Chops and a crossbody take Parker down and the Blackout finishes at 1:52. Total decimation, which will in no way get Archer closer to a title shot, even though he’s 15-0 here.

Kiran Grey vs. Shane Taylor

The rest of the Promotions are here with Taylor. Grey gets in a shot to the face and grabs a choke, which is broken up with pure power. A knee to the face rocks Grey and Taylor fires off some shoulders in the corner. Taylor’s big clothesline gets two but Grey sweeps the leg and gets two off a jumping splash. Taylor is back with a release Rock Bottom and his own big splash for two, followed by the right hand for the pin at 5:01.

Rating: C+. They pretty clearly see something in Grey and that’s not a bad thing. He certainly has something of a mystique to him and it’s interesting to see some fresh blood around here. It also helps that he got in a bit of offense and wasn’t totally squashed, so at least there was some protection here.

Frat House vs. Aaron Solo/QT Marshall/Von Erichs

Karter gets dropkicked by Ross to start and it’s off to Marshall for a dropkick of his own. Solo comes in to neckbreaker Garrison, who catches him with a slingshot powerslam. The House takes Solo into the corner for some stomping before Jameson misses a middle rope backsplash. Marshall comes in to clean house and Vance clotheslines Karter by mistake. Stereo Claws set up the cutter to give Marshall the pin at 6:25.

Rating: C. This was about what you would expect from these guys, though I did appreciate it being a bit shorter. The Von Erichs were their usual bland selves and Solo got to be the punching bag for a good chunk. The good thing is that it wasn’t long enough to get dull, making it more “well it could have been worse”, which is about the best you can hope for with these guys.

We look at Trish Adora beating Zayda Steel in last week’s mixed tag.

MxM TV vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Rare heel vs. heel mixed tag here. Valkyrie and Adora start things off, with Valkyrie hitting a basement clothesline to take over. Madden comes in to elbow Bravo in the back, setting up a finger tip double elbow drop. Mansoor gets caught in the wrong corner though and some clubberin sets up a chinlock. A belly to back suplex gets Mansoor out of trouble and the diving tag brings Valkyrie back in.

The running knees in the corner get two on Adora and they forearm it out. They clothesline each other and it’s back to Madden to clean house as everything breaks down. Mansoor spinebusters Bravo and hits a dive but we pause for a fan to get Mansoor’s attention. Bravo gets in a cheap shot (Bravo to the fan: “BE RIGHT BACK!”) to Mansoor, followed by the double stomp for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. I’m curious about the fan getting involved as it’s better than the same nothing matches that they have over and over. The Promotions are still about the same as usual, meaning they’re only so interesting, but MxM TV playing the heroes for a change made things a bit better. Just find something different for both of them to do already and things could improve.

Post match Bravo brings the fan over the barricade and she’s rather tall.

Red Velvet vs. Robyn Renegade

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Robyn can win or last the time limit, she gets a future title shot. Renegade uses the hair to pull her down to start but Velvet is right back with a short armscissors. That’s reversed into a fall away slam and Renegade throws her out to the floor. Back in and a springboard double stomp to the back gives Renegade two. They trade missed hand licking chops in the corner until Renegade grabs a sitout gordbuster for two more. Velvet gets fired up and hits a leg lariat, followed by the big left hand for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C. There have only been so many success stories in modern Ring Of Honor but Velvet has been added to the list in recent months. Something has clicked since she returned from her injury and she feels like a star. That’s a nice thing to see and her matches are becoming one of the highlights around here.

Tony Khan announces that Ring Of Honor will be teaming up with Metro Plex Wrestling, run by Athena, on January 29. Athena is rather pleased. Eh it’s something different at least.

Dark Order vs. Swirl

Jay Lethal is here with the Swirl. Christian and Uno start things off, with Christian flipping him off in a few different ways. Uno is back with a knockdown into his own strut, allowing Reynolds to come in for a double basement dropkick. Reynolds fights out of the wrong corner but gets kneed in the face for his efforts. They go outside, with Christian using the chair for a step up forearm to the back.

The chinlock goes on back inside but Reynolds fights up and ties him in the ropes for something like a Black Widow. The tag brings in Uno to clean house, including a big boot into a DDT for two. Christian fights out of a Gory Bomb though and everything breaks down. A Lethal Injection is countered into a Gory Bomb/Codebreaker combination to drop Christian again. Johnson is back in for the save and a pair of basement superkicks knock Reynolds silly. The Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination finishes Reynolds at 7:05.

Rating: C+. The Swirl are the top heels around here, though I’m not sure where that is leading. In theory it sets up Christian getting a World Title shot, though he’s been ready for that for a rather long time now. At least they’re looking like a dominant team at the moment and I could go for seeing that continue for a while to come.

Post match the beatdown is on again until Tommy Billington and Adam Priest make the save.

Overall Rating: C. There were parts here that I liked, but one of the biggest issues was the simple fact that it featured so many of the same people that we’ve seen time after time. How many Lance Archer squashes can we see? Or Shane Taylor Promotions for that matter? Meanwhile, the Women’s Pure Title, Tag Team Titles, Six Man Titles and Women’s Title have not been on the line in about six weeks. Fix this, as it’s making for quite the annoying show.

Results
Grizzled Young Veterans b. Spanish Announce Project – Springboard missile dropkick to Serpentico
Lance Archer b. Vin Parker – Black Out
Shane Taylor b. Kiran Grey – Right hand
Aaron Solo/QT Marshall/Von Erichs b. Frat House – Cutter to Vance
Shane Taylor Promotions b. MxM TV – Double stomp to Mansoor
Red Velvet b. Robyn Renegade – Left hand
Swirl b. Dark Order – Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination to Reynolds

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

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

WWWF Heavyweight Wrestling
Date: May 9, 1965
Location: Capitol Arena, Washington D.C.
Commentator: Ray Morgan

Well this is a little out of my normal range. This is basically the WWF grandfather, as it’s the promotion that would morph into the WWF several years later. I’ve done some of these shows before and they can be very interesting, though something this old is going to be more than a bit different. Let’s get to it.

Ray Morgan welcomes us to the show and says it’s the second half of the show, though this seems to be about the regular length. We hear the card with some familiar names, with Morgan casually holding a cigarette because 1965 was a very different time.

Before the first match, we get the card for an upcoming live event, which sounds rather awesome. The announcer also references something that happened here “tonight”, which has me wondering how this show worked.

Tomas Marin vs. Bill Watts

Yes that Bill Watts and the fans DO NOT like him to put it mildly. Watts jumps him from behind to start and hits a forearm to put Marin on the floor early on. The knee drop sets up some jumping stomps and Watts sends him hard into the corner. Marin is tossed over the top as commentary says this is the second hour of the show.

Watts drops him onto the apron and then kicks him outside, leaving Watts to shout to the crowd in a great heel touch. Marin’s comeback lasts all of three seconds as he misses a dropkick and gets kneedropped again. The bulldog (called a bulldozer) gets two, as Watts pulls him up, followed by some elbows to the back (“50,000 watts” according to Morgan in a good line). Another bulldog finishes Marin at 5:06.

Rating: C+. Yeah it’s easy to see the greatness in Watts, as he clearly got the idea of connecting with the fans. The people clearly hated him and let him know, which made for some great moments. The match is just a squash, but Watts looked like a star, which is why he was such a big deal for such a long time.

Chief Big Heart vs. Tony Newberry

Big Heart is your traditional Native American and Newberry is billed as a Big Game Hunter. Newberry jumps him from behind to start but Heart fights back and pulls Newberry’s vest over his face. The big chops send Newberry outside where he yells a lot before coming back inside. Newberry tries to get the vest off again and Heart fires off more chops, much to the crowd’s approval.

A big chop sends Newberry back to the floor, where he finds…what looks to be a foreign object but Heart beats him up again. Newberry takes the leg down to finally get control and a leglock keeps Heart down. Heart chops his way to freedom and Newberry hides in the ropes, meaning it’s time for more chops.

A half nelson (you don’t see that very often) has Newberry in more trouble but he gets in some judo shots. That just fires Heart up and the war dance is on, meaning even more chops. One heck of a chop puts Newberry down and the Bow And Arrow makes him give up at 8:25 (with Newberry tapping, though that didn’t mean anything for almost thirty years).

Rating: C+. I liked this more than I was expecting, with the deal with the vest being a nice touch. The thing is that while they were both rather gimmicky, you could instantly understand what you’re getting. It might be a bit more simplistic than most matches but it was easy to understand. That’s a nice feature and it helped the match overcome its only so great action.

Argentina Apollo vs. Bob Boyer

Apollo takes him down by the arm to start and they go to the mat. A fight over what we would call a Tombstone results in Boyer being sat on the apron and a pat on the head. Back in and they go back to the mat to grapple over the leg. That’s broken up with a grab of the ropes and the fans seem to appreciate the clean break. Well that’s rather nice of them. Apollo takes him down by the arm for a change so Boyer grabs the leg and twists for a smart break.

Boyer works on the arm and it’s time to talk about upcoming shows. A backdrop puts Apollo down but he misses a splash, allowing Apollo to crank on the arms. They both go to the mat and tie their legs together with neither being able to get anywhere. A rather painful looking leglock has Boyer in more trouble, with Boyer having to turn it over to make the rope for the break.

Well kind of as they’re so tied up that it takes a bit longer than usual. Even the referee is confused about what to do as they’re really that stuck. Apollo finally stands up and grabs Boyer’s leg, spinning it around to get him back up. Boyer has to rub some feeling back into his leg before they shake hands and we’re finally back to normal.

Apollo cranks on the leg again and then cartwheels around into another leglock for a nice sequence. The half crab goes on, but Boyer slaps him on the back, which makes Apollo let go as he thought it was the referee. Eh smart move. A snapmare puts Apollo down and some jawbreakers make it worse. Back up and they run the ropes until Apollo hits a crossbody for the pin at 14:22.

Rating: C. There was a good match in there but the extra time hurt it. I liked the technical aspect of things here, with the referee getting confused about untying them being something that felt realistic. It’s easy to see why Apollo got a following, as he was quite the athletic star. Cut off about five minutes and this is far better.

Post match….they actually keep fighting, which isn’t something you would often see back in the day.

Chief White Owl vs. Steve Stanlee

Stanlee strikes away to start but Owl goes into the war dance and knocks him out to the floor rather quickly. Back in and Stanlee knocks him into the ropes for some slow kicking but Owl gets it into the corner. Owl’s clean break earns him a kick to the ribs so he ties Stanlee up in the ropes. Stanlee gets loose and charges right into a forearm to the chest. Well that didn’t work. Back up and Stanlee hammers away in the corner so Owl fires off some dropkicks. Owl fights back but the time runs out for the curfew at 6:05.

Rating: C. You can only do so much with the short run time and it was only going to be so good in the first place. It also didn’t help that we already had a Native American gimmick on the show. Commentary mentioned that White Own and Big Heart were a team, but it doesn’t work so well when you have both of them fighting on the same show. Stanlee is someone I’ve seen before and I still don’t quite get the appeal.

Post match Owl chops him down and is declared the winner by referee’s decision.

Morgan talks to an older fan on a cane to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While this is basically the great great grandfather of modern wrestling, I had a good time with the show. You can easily tell the good guys from the bad guys and the action is fine at times. No you won’t be seeing any of the high flying stuff of today, but it’s straight up pro wrestling and it still works. While I wouldn’t want to watch a ton of it, there is something to be said about seeing the origins of what we watch today.

Results
Bill Watts b. Tomas Marin – Bulldog
Chief Big Heart b. Tony Newberry – Bow And Arrow
Argentina Apollo b. Bob Boyer – Crossbody
Chief White Owl b. Steve Stanlee via referee’s decision

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

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Main Event
Date: January 8, 2026
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Blake Howard

So for some reason this was put up on the WWE YouTube channel. I have no idea if that’s going to be a regular thing, but I can’t imagine me doing this more than once anyway. This is as low on the main roster totem pole as you can get and you’ll see what I mean if you’ve never seen this before. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Talla Tonga vs. Apollo Crews

Solo Sikoa and the MFT’s are here with Tonga. Crews is wrestling his first match in WWE in nearly a year, allowing commentary to make snake jokes as he is from Stone Mountain, Georgia. Tonga knocks him into the ropes but gets kicked out to the floor, with a dropkick through the ropes making it worse.

Back in and Tonga hits a running corner clothesline, followed by a full nelson slam. A chokeslam doesn’t work though and Tonga misses a charge into the buckle. Crews starts going after the knee and hits an enziguri, followed by a moonsault onto the back for two. Tonga isn’t having this though and kicks him out of the air, setting up the chokeslam for the pin at 5:04.

Rating: C-. Well, Crews is indeed back and he’s in the same spot he was in before. There was nothing to see here other than Crews getting to do some quick athletic stuff. That’s been his issue for a long time, as he’s more than crazy athletic, but there’s just nothing to make him connect with…well anyone really.

From Raw.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Rhea Ripley/Iyo Sky vs. Kabuki Warriors

The Warriors are defending and we start fast with the champions being sent outside for the running flip dive from Ripley. We take a break and come back with Ripley missing a second flip dive off the apron, allowing the Warriors to kick her down inside. Ripley throws her way out of trouble though and it’s off to Sky to Sling Blade Asuka. Sky gets draped over the top though and a top rope knee to the back gives Sane two.

We take another break and come back again with Sky getting bent around in a Liontamer. Sky gets twisted too far though and kicks Sane in the ribs, allowing the tag back to Ripley. House is quickly cleaned with Ripley hitting a Razor’s Edge into a missile dropkick. Ripley gets kicked by Asuka and the ankle lock goes on. She gets up but Asuka traps the leg for a German suplex (Ripley: “OH S***!”) and the Warriors fire off the kicks. The assisted Insane Elbow gets two, with Sky making the save. Sky kicks Asuka into the Riptide from Ripley, setting up Over The Moonsault for the pin and the titles at 16:29.

Rating: B. This is the right call as they set the match up as a big deal and then paid it off with the title change. Ripley and Sky have been needing to get another big win sooner or later and this is about as big as you can get. Sky continues to establish herself as one of the top stars in the division and Ripley gets back to some success, which she’s been needing for a good while.

Video on Maxxine Dupri vs. Becky Lynch.

From Raw.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri

Dupri is defending and we get a Stranger Things intro, saying this is Chapter Three: It’s Not Just Her Saying It. They take turns backing each other into the corner and Lynch knocks her into the corner to take over. A Thesz press lets Dupri hammer away and we take an early break. We come back with Dupri fighting out of trouble and hitting a running knee to the head. Dupri loads up a backslide but then drops down, leaving commentary unsure what that was supposed to be.

A high crossbody misses for Dupri and the threat of an ankle lock sends Lynch over to the ropes. Lynch misses a middle rope legdrop in the ropes though and gets caught in the ankle lock. The Disarm-Her is reversed into the ankle lock, which Lynch reverses into a DDT for two. Lynch’s ankle lock is broken up and Dupri suplexes her into a high crossbody for two. Lynch catches her on top but Dupri rolls into another ankle lock. This time though Lynch stacks her up and grabs the rope to get the title back at 10:35.

Rating: B-. It had to happen sooner or later and that’s ok. What matters the most here is that Dupri has gone from pretty much a joke to someone who looks like she can hang in there with bigger names. There is zero shame in losing to Lynch, who is simply on a higher level than Dupri. I’m not sure what is next for either of them, but this would be a fine enough way to close the story.

From Raw.

CM Punk isn’t worried about the spear because if he’s the underdog, Bron Breakker will underestimate him.

We look at (in rapid fire):

Matt Cardona returning
Trick Williams debuting on Smackdown
Je’Von Evans signing with Raw
Giulia regaining the Women’s US Title

War Raiders vs. Los Americanos

El Grande Americano is here too. Bravo shoulders Erik to no avail to start so Rayo comes in for a double shoulder. Rayo misses a charge into the ropes and gets atomic dropped, allowing Ivar to come in for a double clothesline. The Raiders launch them at each other for a midair crash and we take a break.

We come back with the Americanos starting in on the leg, including a double wishbone. A quick distraction draws Erik in so the double stomping can ensue. Ivar clotheslines his way to freedom and brings Erik back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Grande hits a loaded headbutt to Ivar, setting up a Russian legsweep/top rope headbutt combination to give Rayo the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C+. It’s so strange to see the War Raiders fall this far. They have gone from being the champions to losing on Main Event in less than a year. The entire Raw tag division has just collapsed and they’re certainly on the list. At the same time, Los Americanos are fun, but they’re just kind of there. Much like El Grande Americano actually.

Video on CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker.

From Raw.

Here is Gunther for a chat. Gunther has been asked to show respect, but what about respect for him? He brings up making John Cena tap out but here is AJ Styles to interrupt. Gunther immediately cuts him off though, saying Styles is punching above his weight. He’s the man who made Cena tap out like a little B****, so what is little AJ going to do about it? Gunther gives him a You Can’t See Me so Styles slaps him in the face. They get in each others’ faces and Styles says that’s what he thought.

From Raw.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker, with Paul Heyman, is defending. Punk grabs a headlock to start and cranks on the arm, including a takedown. Breakker catches him with a powerslam though and we take an early break. We come back with Breakker slamming him down again and hammering away with right hands. Another throw drops Punk again and he is looking rather rocked.

Some trash talk wakes Punk up though and he strikes away but the GTS is escaped. Breakker’s fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two but the running spear around the ring is cut off with a clothesline. We take a break and come back with Breakker not being able to hit the super Frankensteiner and crashing backwards. Punk’s top rope elbow gets two so he goes back up, where a super Frankensteiner brings him back down for two.

The gorilla press is countered into a DDT for two and they slug it out. Punk knocks him down but goes after a distraction Heyman. Cue the Vision for a distraction, allowing Theory to hit a Stomp. Cue Dragon Lee, Penta and Rey Mysterio to brawl with the Vision, leaving Breakker’s spear to hit the post. The GTS gets two and dang they had me on that one. Punk hits a piledriver for two so he tries the GTS, which is reversed into a Fujiwara armbar.

That’s reversed into the Anaconda Vice but Breakker powers up and hits a hard clothesline for two. Breakker tries a GTS but Punk reverses into the STF. Heyman gets on the apron for a distraction though and gets punched in the face, only for Breakker’s spear to miss. Punk tries a suicide dive, which is punched out of the air for a nasty landing. Breakker knocks him onto the announcers’ table for the big elbow from the top, through said table in a nasty crash. Back in and the spear is kneed away and the GTS gives Punk the pin at 26:45.

Rating: A-. There were multiple times in there when I wasn’t sure who was going to win and there is no better feeling to have in a match. They did a great job of having Breakker look like a monster with Punk just barely surviving, including NOT having Breakker hit the spear, which can be saved for later. Awesome match here as Punk still has it and Breakker’s time will come one day.

Punk celebrates to end the show, including dropping the title in a funny bit.

Overall Rating: B. Welp, the show continues its run of doing the exact same thing for the better part of ever. It’s an exclusive match, recaps, another exclusive match, and more recaps. That’s what this show has been for longer than I can remember and it’s kind of hard to get mad about that. The fact that it’s just on YouTube (at least this week) makes it better, as it’s not like it’s taking up a valuable space. Nothing show of course, but it featured highlights from a stacked Raw so call it a success.

Results
Talla Tonga b. Apollo Crews – Chokeslam
Los Americanos b. War Raiders – Russian legsweep/top rope headbutt combination to Ivar

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 15, 2026
Location: Arizona Financial Theater, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Bryan Danielson

It’s Maximum Carnage, which…really doesn’t seem to mean much, other than we have Bandido challenging MJF for the World Title. There is still a long time to go before Revolution, but these special named shows do tend to do pretty well for AEW, as they know what they’re doing with them. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Samoa Joe wants to deal with Hangman Page, but he needs to get ready to defend the Trios Titles. Therefore, he’s putting a bounty out on Page, with Bryan Keith here to collect it. That would be the second bounty of the year thus far.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Pac vs. Darby Allin

Allin jumps Pac from behind during the entrances and they quickly fight into the crowd. Pac gets staggered with some shots to the face, setting up the Coffin Drop off a balcony. They head back to ringside, where Pac gets in a suplex on the floor. An overhead belly to belly sends Allin crashing into the steps and they get inside for the opening bell. A very hard clothesline gives Pac two and he drops Allin onto the ropes as we take a break.

We come back with Allin hitting a missile dropkick but charging into a belly to belly into the corner. A release belly to belly superplex sets up a Razor’s Edge over the ropes and onto the ramp to drop Allin again. Back in and Allin flips Pac off and knocks him to the floor, setting up another Coffin Drop. A third Coffin Drop, this time onto the apron, connects but the referee gets bumped back inside. The Scorpion Deathlock goes on so here are the Death Riders to save Pac. A chair is wrapped around Pac’s ankle and another Coffin Drop is good for the Pillmanization. The Scorpion Deathlock finishes Pac at 11:05.

Rating: B-. It was a hard hitting match, but I’m losing interest more in Allin every time he does his “I do stupid stuff and get hurt a lot”. It’s been his thing since he got here and it is rapidly losing its charm. Allin is talented enough that he doesn’t need to do that all the time and it would be nice to see it happen a lot less frequently.

Hangman Page vs. Bryan Keith

Big Bill is here with Keith, who chops away to start but gets kicked away. Page fires off forearms in the corner and knocks him outside to keep up the hammering. Bill offers a distraction though, allowing Keith to take over in the corner and we take a break. We come back with Page slugging away, setting up a fall away slam. Bill offers a distraction to break up the Buckshot Lariat, which brings out Swerve Strickland to cut Bill off with the chain. Now the Buckshot Lariat can finish Keith at 9:27.

Rating: C+. This felt like little more than an extended workout for Page and that’s fine. He’s one of the biggest stars in AEW so it’s hard to find someone who is going to give him a real challenge. Sometimes you just need to get him in the ring and he dispatched Keith with an assist from Bill. That could have been worse so I’ll take it.

Post match Page rants about Samoa Joe not being man enough to fight him. Strickland says they’re coming for MJF too because they want to be back on top. Cue Kenny Omega to interrupt, saying three of the greatest challengers for the World Title are in the ring right now. Omega took pride in being called the god of professional wrestling and he knows he has to win some matches to get the World Title shot. He looks at Page and Swerve and says he’s going for the title, with Page saying if they cross paths, may the best man win. Page and Omega shake hands, but Swerve glares at Omega.

Swerve and Page leave and here is the Don Callis Family to interrupt. Callis says if Omega needs to win matches, he should face Josh Alexander. That’s fine with Omega, who is ready to go tonight. Alexander is ready too but Callis says not so fast. We’ll do it next week, with Omega hitting the catchphrase to wrap it up.

Brody King runs into Jon Cruz, who says don’t let Bandido punch him in the face anymore. That’s fine with King, because it’s his turn in their standby match.

Brody King vs. Jon Cruz

King punches him out of the air and finishes with the Ganso Bomb at 38 seconds. About as expected.

Post match King tells Bandido to win the World Title and then it would be his honor to get a title shot.

Video on MJF vs. Bandido.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Davis And Doyle vs. Gates Of Agony vs. JetSpeed vs. Young Bucks

Tornado tag and for a future Tag Team Title shot. The Bucks and JetSpeed start fast with dives to the floor before getting back inside for the staredown. The Bucks get in stereo slams but all four miss elbows, allowing the Gates to come in and take over. Davis And Doyle are right there for the power slugout until the four good guys are back in.

The powerhouses are sent outside for some dives, which are pulled out of the air. Nick dives onto everyone for the big knockdown and the Bucks get to pose. Davis And Doyle collide back inside and then get superkicked down. Liona is up with a moonsault from the apron to the floor and the Gates are in control as we take a break.

We come back with Matt sending Davis And Doyle into each other, allowing the Bucks to clear the ring. All eight get back in for a quadruple superkick and quadruple dives off the top. A wheelbarrow cutter drops Matt and it’s Open The Gates for two on Nick, with Knight making the save. Liona pulls both Bucks into a fireman’s carry but Bailey is in with the Ultimate Weapon to break it up. The Bucks and JetSpeed trade rollups for two each until the BTE Trigger connects. Ricochet pulls the referee but here is Jack Perry to take Ricochet out. Doyle powerbombs Bailey onto a pile at ringside and Davis’ piledriver finishes Knight at 14:51.

Rating: B-. This was your AEW match of the week, as they might as well have had an introduction saying that they scripted this down to the letter. It felt like a performance rather than a match and that took me way out of the whole thing. It’s definitely entertaining and they’re very athletic, but egads going with a wrestling match instead of insanity sounds nice.

Post match FTR comes in for the brawl with Davis And Doyle.

We get a quick tribute to Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead guitarist who recently passed away.

SkyFlight is ready for the Don Callis Family.

Babes Of Wrath/Kris Statlander vs. Triangle Of Madness

Statlander and Thekla start things off…or not as we’ll go with Hart instead. Cameron comes in to take Hart down and a running Sling Blade gets two. Some basement clotheslines and a backsplash crush Blue but she’s able to grab a springboard neckbreaker on Cameron. We take a break and come back with Cameron still in trouble, with her partners being pulled off the apron.

As usual, the tag goes through a few seconds later, with Statlander getting to come in and clean house. Hart and Blue are rammed into each other and Nightingale is in with a spinebuster. Hart helps plant Nightingale with the assisted swinging Rock Bottom and Thekla knocks her into the corner. Thekla spears Statlander (who shoved Nightingale out of the way), setting up the stomp for the pin at 11:34.

Rating: C+. This should set up at least one title match and that’s not a bad way to go. Thekla vs. Statlander has been built up for more than a little while now and it would make sense to do it in the next few weeks. Nice enough match too, as it only got wild near the end, which is a good change of pace.

Swerve Strickland gives JetSpeed a pep talk. With Swerve gone, Hangman Page comes in and decides he’s teaming with them to go after the Trios Titles on Collision. So less than an hour after Omega’s statement that “you don’t just get handed title shots”, Page just decided that he and JetSpeed are getting a title shot.

The Rascalz are coming. That’s either a perfect fit or more people who wrestle a similar style in this company.

We look back at the one time Hangman Page and JetSpeed team together (back in August), which is enough for them to get a title shot. Kenny Omega should want a word about this.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Bandido

Bandido is challenging (and his ROH World Title is not on the line). MJF shoulders him down to start and does an Eddie Dance, only for Bandido to come back with an armdrag. Back up and MJF yells at him, only to get his legs swept out for two. The gorilla press sends MJF outside and there’s the required dive to take him out again. Back in and MJF bails out to the apron, where a cheap shot lets him grab an armbar on Bandido.

MJF knocks him down and does a quick Macarena, allowing Bandido to roll him up for two. A flip of the bad arm sends Bandido into the corner and we take a break. We come back with Bandido breaking up the Three Amigos and hitting a suplex of his own. The one armed gorilla press has MJF in more trouble and he goes outside, with Bandido hitting a big dive. MJF heads into the crowd so Bandido hits an even bigger dive to take him down again.

Back in and MJF hits a Codebreaker onto the arm to cut him off for a breather. Bandido gets two off a Code Red but the 21 Plex is blocked. MJF pulls him into a slingshot cutter for two more and they trade rollups for twos, and then ones, each. Bandido hits the X Knee into the 21 Plex but he can’t bridge, giving MJF enough of a breather to kick out. That’s enough for MJF to pull him into the Salt Of The Earth and then the LeBell Lock. Bandido fights but passes out to retain MJF’s title at 19:43.

Rating: B. They worked hard and had a good match, as MJF can more than hang in the ring to go with his abilities on the mic. That makes him a rare combination and it makes sense that he’s one of the top stars in the company as a result. On the other hand, Bandido continues to have one great match after another and it’s awesome to see.

Post match MJF agrees that Bandido will be a World Champion sometimes. Oh in AEW that is. That means he has to do this, and the beatdown is on, with Brody King making the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Good show overall here, with the main event being a good way to wrap things up. At the same time, there were some less than steady storytelling, mainly involving what it takes to get a title shot. That stuff aside, it was another good night inside the ring and that’s where AEW tends to stay. Nice job here, as we should be able to move on to Revolution in the near future.

Results
Darby Allin b. Pac – Scorpion Deathlock
Hangman Page b. Bryan Keith – Buckshot Lariat
Brody King b. Jon Cruz – Ganso Bomb
Davis And Doyle b. Young Bucks, JetSpeed and Gates Of Agony – Piledriver to Knight
Triangle Of Madness b. Babes Of Wrath/Kris Statlander – Stomp to Nightingale
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Bandido – LeBell Lock

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

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Evolve
Date: January 14, 2026
Location: WWE Performance Center, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

Things are changing in a hurry around here and it’s rather interesting to see where they are all going. With a bunch of Evolve names now officially part of NXT, some changes are going to need to be made around here. That could be a good thing, but it’s definitely a thing of some description. Let’s get to it.

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

Team PC arrives and are ready to take over.

The Vanity Project arrives and runs into Aaron Rourke, Cappuccino Jones and Eli Knight. They argue a bit and a six man tag is set for later.

Opening sequence.

Video on the Women’s Title match, with Kendal Grey being ready to face the monsters PJ Vasa and Kali Armstrong.

Women’s Title: Kendal Grey vs. PJ Vasa vs. Kali Armstrong,

Grey, with Wren Sinclair, is defending and Karmen Petrovic is in the VIP section. Vasa powers both of them into the corner to start so Grey slides between her legs to pick up the pace. Some running dropkicks stagger Vasa and a double dropkick sends her outside. That leaves Grey to suplex Armstrong and then kick the returning Vasa back outside. Armstrong spears Grey but gets speared by Vasa, who stands tall as we take a break.

We come back with Vasa cleaning house, including booting Grey down while holding Armstrong in a fireman’s carry. Grey gets the ankle lock on Vasa but Armstrong makes the save. Armstrong drops Vasa with the powerslam and loads up the Kali Connection, only for Grey to springboard in with Shades Of Grey to retain at 5:08.

Rating: B-. Well it was eventful while it lasted, but I was expecting a far longer match than what we got here. At the same time, I was expecting Grey to lose here as it’s pretty clear that she’s getting elevated in the near future. That being said, her holding the title even longer isn’t a bad thing and she got a solid win here.

Post match Petrovic doesn’t think much of Armstrong, who wants to put the sword, uh, somewhere.

Trill London talks about his time in the NFL and is ready to leave you wondering who he is.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Charlie Dempsey

Shockingly enough they go to the grappling to start, with Dempsey getting a cravate, which is broken up without much trouble. A knee to the arm has Dempsey in trouble and Thatcher knocks him outside as we take an early break. We come back with Thatcher still on the arm until Dempsey takes the leg down to switch control. Dempsey ties up the leg and then goes with something close to an STF.

A gutwrench suplex drops Thatcher again and it’s back to the legbar. With that broken up, Dempsey just cranks on the leg for a change. Back up and Thatcher just hits him in the face, which is quite the logical comeback. Dempsey gets something like a dragon screw legwhip but Thatcher pulls him into a Fujiwara armbar.

That’s rolled into a leglock, which is reversed into a cross armbreaker as this is a technical clinic. Dempsey knocks him to the floor and matches Thatcher with a shot to the face back inside. A bridging butterfly suplex (nice) gets two on Thatcher, as does a bridging German suplex. Dempsey switches over to a Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 13:10.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun as you can tell both of them know this style very well. Dempsey winning is of course the right call as Thatcher is just there to make others look good. That’s what he did here and it came in a rather entertaining match. This isn’t something that works all the time, but when you see this style every so often, it’s pretty awesome.

Video on Harlem Lewis.

Vanity Project vs. Eli Knight/Cappuccino Jones/Aaron Rourke

Rourke frustrates Baylor to start and it’s quickly off to Jones for a nice dropkick. Knight comes in and gets headlocked by Drake but comes back with a nice leg lariat. The villains are cleared out to the floor and, after a quick spank from Rourke, Knight hits a big flip dive over the top. Baylor gets in a jumping knee to the face though and we take a break. We come back with Knight in trouble, including Drake raking his back.

A fisherman’s suplex gives Drake two and he knocks Rourke and Jones off the apron. The villains take turns beating Knight up in the corner, with a variety of stomps. Knight manages a high crossbody and that’s enough for the tag off to Jones. Everything breaks down and Rourke hits Eat Defeat on Smokes. The Decaffinator takes Baylor down but Smokes shoves Jones off the top. Drake comes back in with the Unaliving to pin Jones at 9:40.

Rating: C+. Pretty standard six man tag here with Drake getting to look like a star in the end. That’s a good thing, as Baylor and Smokes aren’t exactly must see stuff in the ring. I can see why they make for good background people, but that only gets you so far once the bell rings. At the same time, Knight got to showcase himself well here, but it was only for so long.

Post match Team PC comes out, with Kam Hendrix saying they’re running Evolve in two weeks. That’s not when Hendrix wants his title match though, because that’s going to be Drake vs. Carver, Riggins and Presley in a handicap match. Then Hendrix will get his title match the next week. That’s rather brilliant.

Tate Wilder is in the back and says he feels like he’s walking this road alone.

Overall Rating: B-. I still love the way this show is put together, as it feels like every show is designed to keep things moving. This show had a variety of different stuff going on and I wanted to see all of it. That’s not something you often see and the differences make it stand out that much more. Good stuff here, and they kept things moving for the future as well. Nice work, as is almost always the case.

Results
Kendal Grey b. PJ Vasa and Kali Armstrong – Springboard Shades Of Grey to Armstrong
Charlie Dempsey b. Timothy Thatcher – Fujiwara armbar
Vanity Project b. Cappuccino Jones/Eli Knight/Aaron Rourke – Unaliving to Jones

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

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