Survivor Series 2020
Date: November 22, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe, Tom Phillips, Michael Cole, Corey Graves

I can list off the lineups for just about every Survivor Series up until the mid 90s, but I couldn’t tell you what headlined this show if my life depended on it. There is something about the Battle For Brand Supremacy years that suck the fun out of these shows and that was certainly the case again with this one. Maybe it holds up better upon seeing it though. Let’s get to it.

We’re still in the original Thunder Dome for this one, just in case you needed a time capsule effect.

Kickoff Show: Battle Royal

Dolph Ziggler, Elias, Chad Gable, Cedric Alexander, Humberto Carrillo, Shelton Benjamin, Shinsuke Nakamura, Robert Roode, Jeff Hardy, Apollo Crews, Ricochet, Angel Garza, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Murphy, Kalisto, Miz, John Morrison

This is the first match for Brand Supremacy so I don’t bother listing brands for everyone. The Mysterios and Miz (Mr. Money in the Bank)/John Morrison are the only ones to get entrances. Dominik clotheslines Morrison out in a hurry as Kalisto and Rey have a lucha off in the middle. Cedric gets rid of Kalisto though and Ziggler superkicks Rey to break up the 619.

Ziggler tosses Rey and Garza gets rid of Carrillo to clear out a bit of the ring. The Hurt Business (Benjamin/Alexander for you non-history geeks….who are reading this by mistake) eliminate Garza but Ricochet gets rid of Alexander. Benjamin eliminates Ricochet with a knee but Crews tosses Benjamin for some rapid fire eliminations.

Ziggler gets in his first of probably 183 saves before fighting to the apron with Murphy. Roode knocks Murphy out but gets dumped by Dominik, who avoids a Ziggler charge and kicks him out. Crews and Elias double team Miz until Nakamura knees Crews out. We’re down to Hardy, Nakamura, Gable, Miz, Dominik and Elias, with Hardy getting rid of Nakamura and Elias back to back.

Hardy and Gable pair off with Gable tossing him out before Miz kicks the other two in the face. Some YES Kicks have Dominik in more trouble but he sends Miz to the apron. Miz slides back in just before Dominik baseball slides him outside (that’s clever). Gable is back up with some rolling belly to bellys to Dominik but Rolling Chaos Theory is blocked. Dominik hits a 619 and dumps Gable, only to get thrown out by Miz for the win at 12:08.

Rating: C-. As usual, a battle royal is usually based on how long it went and this didn’t quite overstay its welcome. At the same time, it had a smart moment with Miz rolling back in, even if it was the “hey he’s not out!” deal. This was a simple way to get a lot of people on the show and just like Wrestlemania, it served its purpose well.

Raw – 1
Smackdown – 0

The opening video looks at the Battle For Brand Supremacy, including the champion vs. champion matches. Oh and one more thing: it 30 years to the day of Undertaker’s debut and he’s making his final farewell. The fact that I forgot about that tells you how nutty the last year has been.

Team Raw Men vs. Team Smackdown Women

Raw: AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman, Riddle
Smackdown: Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, King Corbin, Seth Rollins, Otis

It’s kind of amazing to see how many of these people have changed shows in just a year, as things continue to be shaken up. Omos is here with Styles (self appointed team captain) and everyone gets individual entrances, including Lee, allowing commentary to talk about his amazing performance at Survivor Series 2019. The fact that he wound up doing absolutely nothing as a result is very sad, as well as telling about how bad things have gotten in WWE. Otis is the Blue Collar Working Man and Jey is freshly on Roman Reigns’ side. It’s also still part of Rollins’ messiah phase, which hasn’t gotten better with age.

Styles and Uso start things off with Jey working on a headlock. That’s broken up and AJ hits a quick dropkick, only to miss the Pele kick. The pop up Samoan drop gets two on Styles as Graves thinks Cole wants to take Styles out for a chocolate malt (I’ll go if AJ won’t). Otis comes in and misses a charge, allowing the tag off to Riddle.

Some kicks to the chest wake Otis up (via gyrating) but he takes Riddle down and hands it off to Owens. Things get intelligent as Owens stomps on Riddle’s bare feet, only to let him get over for the tag to Sheamus. Rollins wants to come in and face Sheamus….which means dropping to his knees. Rollins tells Sheamus to DO HIS PART, so there’s the Brogue Kick for the elimination at 6:07, as Rollins needed to go off on paternity leave.

Team Smackdown has a meeting on the floor so Strowman runs them over and tells Team Raw to work together. In this case, that means Lee comes in to face Otis so they can fight over a power lockup. Lee can’t shoulder him down and can’t hit the Grizzly Magnum, but neither can throw the other. A shot to the face puts Otis down though and it’s Strowman coming in for a dropkick. Otis jawbreaks Styles to get a breather though and it’s off to Owens for a backdrop. Everything breaks down and Owens hits a bunch of Stunners but walks into the Phenomenal Forearm to give Styles the pin at 12:17.

Corbin comes in with Deep Six to Sheamus but AJ Peles him down. Riddle adds the Floating Bro and Corbin is done at 13:08. It’s Uso and Otis vs. the whole Raw team and Sheamus knees Jey in the face for two. Otis is back in to run various people over but Strowman comes in to kick him in the face. Somehow Otis knocks him down though and hits the Caterpillar but the Vader Bomb is countered into the running powerslam at 16:40.

Uso is left alone so he fires off as many superkicks as he can, setting up a dive onto the whole team. Omos pulls AJ out of the way of the Superfly Splash but Uso superkicks AJ’s leg to break up the Phenomenal Forearm. Lee comes in off a blind tag though and it’s the Spirit Bomb to finish Usos for the win at 18:59.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t great as Raw never felt like it was in any serious danger. Even at the start, it’s a little hard to buy Jey Uso and Otis as threats against three former World Champions, Riddle and Lee. It wasn’t a terrible match, but this started off slow and then got weaker as things went on. Uso’s comeback at the end was good, but how much can you do when it’s 5-0?

Raw – 2
Smackdown – 0

New Day (Raw) vs. Street Profits (Smackdown)

New Day is in Gears of War costumes (due to being in the game) and they look pretty awesome. Before the match, the Profits sing Shawn Michaels’ theme and do his pose for reasons of they like to talk a lot. Dawkins and Woods start things off and, after doing a grand total of nothing, it’s off to Kingston vs. Ford. They jump over each other a few times until Ford kick shim outside.

That doesn’t last long so Ford takes him down inside and Dawkins adds a splash for two. Kingston blocks the belly to back suplex into a moonsault and it’s the Profits taken outside for a big dive. Back in and Woods gutbusters Ford for two and we hit the chinlock, with Kofi grabbing a solo cup. Said cup is then kicked, sending it all of two feet. Kofi comes in for a waistlock but Ford finally grabs a jumping DDT, allowing the hot tag to Dawkins. House is cleaned in a hurry and Dawkins throws Woods at Ford for a belly to back suplex.

Back to back spinning splashes crush Woods in the corner but he escapes what looks to be the Midnight Hour. Instead, Kofi is back in for the real thing (or as real as it can be without Big E.) for two on Ford. One heck of a dropkick rocks Kingston though and it’s back to Dawkins for the Anointment.

Ford adds the Cash Out but the ribs mean there’s a very delayed near fall. Woods comes in with a missile dropkick to Dawkins but Ford hits Kingston with Trouble in Paradise. That earns him a gorilla press gutbuster for a very close two and Ford is taken up top. It takes a bit too long though and Dawkins loads him into an electric chair for a Doomsday Blockbuster and the pin at 14:03.

Rating: B. Now this picked up the pace a lot and was the kind of match that should have opened the show. The Profits get to prove that they can beat one of the best teams ever, and it’s not like New Day can be hurt by pretty much anything. I got into this with all of the near falls and big moves and it felt like a big match throughout.

Raw – 2
Smackdown – 1

The Smackdown women begrudgingly agree to work together.

Nia Jax rallies the Raw women but leaves Lana out because she’s mean.

Bobby Lashley (Raw) vs. Sami Zayn (Smackdown)

The rest of the Hurt Business is here with Lashley. Zayn bails to the floor to start but takes too long yelling at the Hurt Business, allowing Lashley to get in his first shot to the back. They get back in and Sami tries a clothesline, which Lashley runs through in an impressive visual. Zayn tries to run off but can’t get around the Hurt Business. Instead, he snaps Lashley’s throat across the top rope to take over.

Back in and the beating is on, at least until Lashley sends him flying with a release suplex. The delayed vertical suplex drops Zayn, who says it gives him vertigo. Sami uses the goldbricking to get in a cheap shot before going outside to yell at the Hurt Business. That’s just enough time for Lashley to get back up and jump Zayn, only to miss a charge into the pose. As Lashley barely beats the count, Sami tries to take off the turnbuckle pad but charges into a spinebuster instead. One more attempt at going after MVP fails and it’s the Hurt Lock to make Zayn tap at 7:45.

Rating: C-. This was the most realistic way to go, but that doesn’t make it the most interesting match. The main thing here was you had to have Zayn running away from the monster that is Lashley. No one is going to buy Zayn as a physical threat to Lashley, so trying to get the DQ was the right call. What we got was a long cat and mouse game until Lashley finally pulled him in, as he should.

Raw – 3
Smackdown – 1

Roman Reigns fins the Usos and blames Jey for the loss. Jey lost because he couldn’t control the team, meaning they don’t respect Reigns or his family. That makes it hard for them to have a seat at the table, so go find your brother and get out of here.

Asuka (Raw) vs. Sasha Banks

Banks takes her down into an armbar to start and then switches into a headlock. The chinlock sets up a quick armbar as Asuka can’t get anything going to start. Asuka tries to roll out of an armbar but has to fight out of a Bank Statement instead. That’s broken up and Asuka grabs a fireman’s carry into the Asuka Lock. Banks is right back out of that too and the Backstabber gets two, meaning Asuka needs a breather.

Back in and the hip attack sends Banks outside, setting up the mocking dancing. A sliding kick to the face drops Banks again and we hit the armbar. We’ll make that an abdominal stretch but Asuka drives her into the corner for the break this time. They fall out to the apron, where Asuka gets the world’s fastest ankle lock. That’s released after about half a second so it’s the running hip attack to put Banks on the floor.

Banks is right back up to the apron but she dives into a Codebreaker to put them both down. Back in and Banks grabs the Backstabber for two as the noise machine is getting more into this. The running knees in the corner set up the Bank Statement, which is reversed again so Asuka can grab another Codebreaker for two more. The pinfall reversal sequence gets some more near falls until Asuka kicks her in the head, only to charge into a rollup to give Banks the fast pin at 13:02.

Rating: B. Good stuff here as they are talented women getting time to do their thing. Banks is someone who can feel like a huge star with every tool you could ask for and it’s great to see her showcase herself on the big stage. Asuka might not be the top star anymore, but she can easily hang in a match like this and arguably have a better match than anyone else else in the division. Rather solid match here and that shouldn’t be any kind of a surprise.

Raw – 3
Smackdown – 2

We recap Miz winning the Kickoff Show battle royal.

Also on the Kickoff Show, the Gobbledy Gooker won the 24/7 Title from R-Truth.

The Gooker follows a trail of birdseed (ala Wile E. Coyote) so Akira Tozawa can win the title.

R-Truth hits Tozawa with a bag of birdseed to win the title back.

Raw Women vs. Smackdown Women

Raw: Nia Jax, Lana, Shayna Baszler, Lacey Evans, Peyton Royce
Smackdown: Bianca Belair, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Bayley, Natalya

This is during the stretch where Nia put Lana through a table nine times in a row (complete with counter) and then shunning her into fear. Smackdown seems more united here, more or less guaranteeing their downfall. Evans drives Bayley into the corner to throw the napkin in her face. That means Natalya can come in to front facelock Peyton, setting up a double suplex from Natalya and Belair.

Morgan comes in to hit Royce in the face but it’s a double clothesline to put them both down. It’s off to Baszler vs. Riott with the former firing off the hard kicks to the face. Jax comes in and has to fight off the big group beatdown in the corner. Lana tags herself in much to Jax’s annoyance but Natalya shoulders her down. Commentary makes it clear that Lana is about to get killed so Jax tags herself in and yells at her, ordering Lana to stand on the steps.

It’s off to Royce (who plays cheerleader) and gets tossed into the corner by Bayley. Belair comes in for a gorilla press Snake Eyes, setting up Bayley’s top rope elbow. We hit the parade of secondary finishers until Peyton superplexes Bayley onto a pile on the floor. Back in and Royce hits Deja Vu (swinging suplex) to finish Bayley at 9:55.

Natalya comes in and elbows Royce in the face, setting up the belly to back drop. Royce pulls her into a half crab but Belair offers a distraction from the floor, allowing Natalya to tie Royce up in…..I have no idea what she was trying. The more recognizable Sharpshooter makes Royce tap at 11:48. Evans comes in, misses the double jump moonsault (which still looks awesome) and pops back up to hit the Women’s Right to finish Natalya for the elimination at 12:39.

Evans catches Belair on top and it’s a super Spanish Fly for two. With that not working, it’s off to the Riott Squad to beat up Jax in the corner, including the Riott Kick to really stagger her. Baszler tags herself in and goes after Riott’s arm but has to settle with the Kirifuda Clutch. That’s flipped over for a near fall but Riott is out cold anyway and Baszler gets the pin at 16:57.

Morgan wants Baszler but gets to hip attack Evans in the corner instead. A missile dropkick sets up the crucifix to finish Evans at 18:05. We’re down to Jax/Baszler/Lana (still standing on the steps) vs. Belair/Morgan so Morgan hits a running tornado DDT on Jax. An enziguri doesn’t do much to her so it’s the Samoan drop to finish Morgan at 19:08.

That leaves Belair alone between Jax and Baszler but she sends Baszler outside and hammers on Jax. A big shot to the face puts Belair down and Jax drops the leg for two so it’s back to Baszler. The Kirifuda Clutch goes on in a hurry but Belair gets to her feet. The walk to the ropes only kind of works though as she passes out and lands in the ropes. That doesn’t bother Baszler, who won’t let go and gets disqualified at 22:32.

So it’s Jax/Lana (still standing there) vs. Belair, who is mostly unconscious. Belair is able to fight out of the Samoan drop through the table and they fight on the floor for the double countout at 23:22….meaning Lana is the sole survivor. She’s so excited that she starts crying while celebrating like a moron.

Rating: D+. This was stupid when it aired live and it’s stupid now. The whole Raw side was about Jax being horrible to Lana, who I guess we’re supposed to cheer because she cowered in fear. In other words, she didn’t actually do anything but we’re supposed to cheer for her anyway because she’s plucky or something for getting put through nine tables and then standing there. Morgan was working hard out here and did as much as she could, but she isn’t Lana or Jax so it doesn’t matter. This Lana vs. Jax feud was terrible and this was the latest bad part of the whole thing.

Raw – 4
Smackdown – 2

TLC is coming.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre in the battle of the World Champions. Reigns is the unstoppable monster and McIntyre beat Randy Orton on Raw to get the title back. Now we have a showdown.

Roman Reigns (Smackdown) vs. Drew McIntyre (Raw)

Non-title again and Paul Heyman is here with Reigns. They hold their titles up at each other before we get the big lockup to start. An exchange of shoves don’t get either of them anywhere until Reigns grabs a headlock takeover. McIntyre does it right back and then shoulders Reigns to the floor in a power display.

Back in and Reigns starts pounding him down into the corner, setting up a ram into the buckle to send McIntyre outside. A whip into the steps has McIntyre in more trouble and we hit the chinlock back inside. That works so well that Reigns knocks him down and grabs another chinlock to keep McIntyre in trouble. McIntyre fights up again but the Future Shock is countered.

Reigns scores with a Samoan drop for two and they’re both down for a bit. Back up and the Superman Punch is countered into a spinebuster for two and they head outside again. This time it’s Reigns being sent into the barricade and then the steps before they head back inside. Reigns kicks him in the head to take over again though and it’s time to start talking a lot.

They trade big shots to the face but Reigns misses the running clothesline and gets dropped with the Future Shock for two. Back up and Drew has to send him flying to break up the guillotine choke but gets sent shoulder first into the post. The spear is loaded up but countered into a Kimura with a bodyscissors. That sends Reigns straight to the rope and then the floor, where he Samoan drops McIntyre through the announcers’ table in a big crash.

Now the spear can send McIntyre through the barricade…which is good for two back inside. Another spear gets another two and Reigns is STUNNED. Yet another spear is loaded up but McIntyre hits the Claymore, knocking Reigns into the referee. Cue Jey Uso for a distraction so Reigns can hit a low blow, setting up a superkick. Reigns grabs the guillotine and McIntyre is out at 24:53.

Rating: A-. This was the kind of match that you would expect from these two as it felt like a clash of the titans. Reigns was ahead of McIntyre throughout but McIntyre had some moments to give you a reason to believe he could pull it off. The fact that he kicked out of two spears and then had to get cheated out of the win was even better, as McIntyre came off like a real threat to Reigns. Odds are we’ll see this again, and probably on a bigger stage.

Raw – 4
Smackdown – 3

Post match Reigns is happy with Jey, though Jey doesn’t seem thrilled with what he had to do.

It’s time for the Undertaker’s Final Farewell and we’ve got some special guests:

Shane McMahon
Big Show
JBL
Jeff Hardy
Mick Foley
Godfather
Godwinns
Savio Vega
Rikishi
Kevin Nash
Booker T.
Shawn Michaels
Ric Flair
HHH
Kane

With the guest list out of the way, we get the expected awesome video on Undertaker’s career, set to Metallica’s Now That We’re Dead, featuring just about everything you could want from an Undertaker retrospective. Various talking heads talk about how great Undertaker is and how he is one of the few constants in WWE.

Back in the arena and the legends are gone, with Vince McMahon in the ring instead. Vince talks about how Undertaker debuted in the WWF (yes F) and has entertained a global audience. Now it is time to say goodbye, and the Undertaker’s legacy will live on eternally. Vince brings out the Undertaker, who gets an extended entrance (grab a lunch) and takes a long time looking around….at what would be an empty arena, but that’s not exactly the point. You can tell how emotional this is for him and we pause for him to soak in the canned UNDERTAKER chants.

Undertaker says that he has made that slow walk to the ring for thirty years. He has laid people to rest time and time again, and now his time has come. Now it’s a THANK YOU TAKER chant before he says it is time for him to rest in peace. Undertaker strikes his pose….and we get a hologram of Paul Bearer holding the Urn to make it extra special. There’s the throat slit as the music swells as Undertaker takes the long, long (LONG) walk up the aisle. With one look back and the big fist in the air, Undertaker walks through the curtain to end the show.

This is one of the more unique and special moments you get in wrestling, as no one goes thirty years and getting to end it on the exact day makes it even more special. Undertaker absolutely deserves something like this, and I can get the idea of him not having that much to say. It wouldn’t surprise me if this had to be done here instead of at a regular event with fans, just for the sake of Undertaker being able to keep his composure. This was a cool moment and it was the only thing that could have headlined the show. Thank goodness there was no angle or anything, because this is how it should have ended.

Overall Rating: C+. The amazing Undertaker segment was enough to bring this up, as otherwise it was right in the middle, with one good match for every bad. As usual, the Battle For Brand Supremacy was a grand total of nothing, with the final match having no impact and a bunch of people wearing different color shirts as their only means of a bond. The stories and overall theme of the show really hurt it, which is saying a lot as the wrestling was pretty good for the most part. It’s not a great show, but it was running with a big anchor, as the Brand Supremacy deal is destroying Survivor Series.

Ratings Comparison

Battle Royal

Original: D
Redo: C-

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men

Original: D+
Redo: C-

New Day vs. Street Profits

Original: B
Redo: B

Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn

Original: C-
Redo: C-

Asuka vs. Sasha Banks

Original: B+
Redo: B

Raw Women vs. Smackdown Women

Original: D
Redo: D+

Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns

Original: B
Redo: A-

Overall Rating

Original: B
Redo: C+

Dang I really don’t know what I’m doing with this stuff do I?

Here is the original review if you’re interested:

 

 

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Survivor Series 2019
Date: November 24, 2019
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 13,271
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Vic Joseph, Jerry Lawler, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix

I was thinking about this show the other day and couldn’t remember it very well so it was time for a rewatch. The theme here is the three way fight between all of the brands, with NXT launching a full on invasion for the sake of this show. That should be more than enough to carry things with a bunch of different brand vs. brand vs. brand matches. Let’s get to it.

I was in the arena for this show, sitting in the upper deck and looking straight at the Titantron.

Kickoff Show: Tag Team Battle Royal

OC, Revival, Forgotten Sons, Robert Roode/Dolph Ziggler, Street Profits, Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins, Breezango, Lucha House Party, Imperium, Heavy Machinery

Only one member has to be eliminated. It’s the usual brawl to start and the Forgotten Sons are out rather quickly. The House Party follows them (thankfully meaning their seconds go with them), as do Hawkins and Ryder in a hurry. Ziggler is catapulted to the apron and pulls Dawson with him for an exchange of headbutts.

Kaiser tries to make a save but it lets Roode knock Dawson out to get rid of the Revival, with Kaiser being eliminated to eliminate Imperium too. Otis stops to dance and gets tossed as they are flying out of here so far. Fandango is sent outside (not out) and manages to catch Breeze, who is eliminated a few seconds later. The Profits dropkick the Revival out and we’re already down to Roode/Ziggler, the OC and the Profits.

Ziggler has to save Roode from the Magic Killer and superkicks the OC out to leave us with two. Roode and Ziggler get the better of things until Ziggler superkicks Roode by mistake. The Sky High lets Ford go up but he gets sent out to the apron. He’s able to get back up and frog splash Ziggler, only to get tossed by Roode for the win at 8:22.

Rating: C. They flew through this and that’s probably a good thing, as this was little more than a way to get things going. It’s nice to see the match just move along so quickly, with Ziggler and Roode being a fine choice to win. Not a good match or anything, but it was a fast paced start.

Smackdown – 1
NXT – 0
Raw – 0

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Lio Rush (NXT) vs. Akira Tozawa (Raw) vs. Kalisto (Smackdown)

Rush is defending. They stare at each other to start until the challengers get together to knock Rush outside. Back in and Rush tries to make a save but is sent to the floor just as fast. Kalisto kicks Rush in the head on the apron but gets kicked down by Tozawa. Rush is back in to strike away at both of them as they’re at a very fast pace to start. Tozawa punches Rush in the face (he’s always been good at that) and a sliding boot to the face drops him as well.

Kalisto catches Rush on top and Tozawa goes up with them for a super….well they all flipped over and they’re all down. It looks like Rush super armdragged both of them, setting off an exchange of strikes to the face. Tozawa’s bridging German suplex gets two on Rush, as does the Salida del Sol, with Tozawa making the save. Tozawa’s top rope backsplash hits Rush as well but Kalisto makes the save this time. Another Salida del Sol hits Tozawa but Rush is in with the Final Hour to Kalisto to retain the title at 8:20.

Rating: B. They went with the fast paced, rather athletic match here and it worked rather well. Rush might have some issues behind the scenes, but the way he can move and fly is rather impressive. There is something fun about watching these people go nuts, even if they didn’t have a ton of time. Another rather good choice for the Kickoff Show.

Smackdown – 1
NXT – 1
Raw – 0

Kickoff Show: Viking Raiders (Raw) vs. New Day (Smackdown) vs. Undisputed Era (NXT)

They’re all champions but this is non-title. Big E., Ivar and O’Reilly start things off with O’Reilly’s strikes not working in the slightest. Fish comes in and gets tossed with ease, leaving Ivar to slip out of Big E.’s slam attempt. Instead Big E. runs him over with a shoulder, only to get low bridged to the floor by the Era. That leaves the Vikings to beat the Era up until Big E. is back in for a tag to Kingston.

New Day and the Vikings have their big showdown until the Era is back in to break it up. Fish kneebars Kingston with Ivar making the save, leaving Fish to beat on Kingston on the apron. With the other four on the floor, Ivar slams Erik onto the pile for the big crash. Back in and Ivar misses a charge into the corner, allowing Kingston to hit a standing double stomp on Erik.

The Midnight Hour gets two, with Ivar making the save. Big E.’s spear through the rope hits Erik but Kingston’s Trouble In Paradise hits the post. That leaves Big E. to get caught with the German suplex/springboard clothesline combination. The Era gets back in and O’Reilly is promptly powerslammed onto Fish to give Ivar the pin at 14:42.

Rating: B-. It got a good bit more time and while it wasn’t hard to figure out the result, it was another fast paced match that made for an entertaining showcase. The Raiders winning is a good way to go, as occasionally the best method is just straight power. It’s rarely great to see a champion lose, but a developmental champion losing to a main roster one makes it a bit better.

Smackdown – 1
NXT – 1
Raw – 1

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at the brand vs. brand vs. brand issue, with the big focus on NXT invading, as it should be. The other matches get some attention as well, which is a nice bonus.

Women’s Survivor Series Match

Smackdown: Sasha Banks, Carmella, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross
Raw: Charlotte, Natalya, Sarah Logan, Asuka, Kairi Sane
NXT: Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Toni Storm, Io Shirai, Candice LeRae

Three in the ring at once, regular elimination rules. Storm, Evans and Logan start things off with Evans knocking both of them down but walking into a double flapjack. Cross comes in and gets knocked down, leaving Logan to cartwheel knee Storm in the back of the head. Everyone gets knocked down and it’s off to Sane, Sky and Carmella, the latter of whom tries to get attention while the other two stare each other down. That earns her some shots to the face so Brooke comes in instead.

A springboard headscissors drops Shirai and it’s Brooke coming back in for some rollups. The handspring elbow crushes Shirai and Sane, followed by a Swanton to both of them. It’s back to LeRae to kick Evans down and strike away in the corner. A middle rope spinning Downward Spiral plants Evans for two and it’s off to Ripley for a heck of a roar. That earns her a cross armbreaker from Asuka, setting off the parade of knockdowns.

Banks clears the ring and LeRae and Shirai are knocked out to the floor for a nasty crash (which comes after they were both in WarGames the previous night). That’s enough for the two of them to be out at around 7:45 so NXT is already down to three. Ripley, Charlotte and Banks come in, with Ripley taunting the other two of them to quite the reception but it’s off to Belair, Logan and Cross without any contact being made. Cross hammers on Storm on the floor, but the distraction allows Belair to grab a rollup with feet on the ropes to pin Cross at 9:38.

Carmella comes in to clean house but walks into a KOD, sending Carmella outside. Logan is back up with running knees from the apron to Charlotte and Storm but gets tossed down by Belair. The handspring moonsault gets two with Natalya making the save so Belair 450s Logan for the elimination at 12:10.

Charlotte comes in to yell at Belair and gets rolled up for her efforts. Carmella is in with a super hurricanrana to send Charlotte onto Belair for two each. Back up and Natural Selection hits Carmella for the pin, allowing Charlotte to mock Banks’ dance. That leaves us with four for Raw and three each for the other two as Banks, Sane and Storm come in. Storm takes Sane down in a hurry and Banks adds the Meteora to get rid of Sane at 16:48. Asuka is in to fire off the kicks, including a huge one to eliminate Brooke at 17:25.

Charlotte forcefully tags herself in and gets in a shoving match with Asuka, who gets shoved down. Evans tries to come in off a cheap shot and gets struck down, only for Asuka to mist Charlotte. Asuka walks out and the Women’s Right gets rid of Charlotte at 19:07. So Natalya is alone for Raw against Evans/Banks for Smackdown and Ripley/Belair/Storm for NXT. Natalya comes in and drops Evans, followed by the discus lariat to Storm. A rollup gets rid of Evans at 19:56 as commentary realizes that NXT is suddenly way ahead. Storm gets caught in a Sharpshooter/Banks Statement for the tap at 20:47.

Belair yells at Natalya and gets caught in a Hart Attack for the elimination at 21:16 to continue the rapid fire eliminations. That leaves us with Natalya vs. Banks vs. Ripley, with Banks quickly turning on Natalya and getting the easy elimination. We’re down to one on one and you can tell the fans are into the idea of Ripley getting this kind of a chance. Ripley stares her down and adds a running dropkick but Banks is right back up with a choke.

Banks sends her into the corner for some running knees, followed by the middle rope Meteora for two. That sends Banks back up, with Ripley kicking her out of the air for two more. The Prism Trap has Banks in more trouble until she flips her way into a Bank Statement on Ripley. Cue Shirai and LeRae to make the save…as I guess they’re still in this.

As I try to figure out if that means Asuka should still be in there as she left without her elimination being announced either, Banks knocks both of them down with a baseball slide. Ripley cuts that off but the Riptide is broken up. Shirai offers a distraction and hits a springboard missile dropkick, followed by Ripley’s Riptide for the win at 27:53.

Rating: B. The kind of confusing ending aside, this was one heck of a coming out party for Ripley, who came off like an absolute star throughout and that’s exactly the point. Other than that you have Charlotte and Asuka’s issues continuing and Belair looking like a star as well. The fans get to cheer for NXT though (especially in Ripley’s case), and that’s exactly what needed to be done for this crowd, who are certainly more behind them than anything else.

NXT – 2
Smackdown – 1
Raw – 1

We look back at Kevin Owens making a surprise return to NXT last night at Takeover.

Seth Rollins comes up to Owens, his Raw teammate, and asks what was up with that. Owens says NXT doesn’t need him like Raw does, so tonight he’s on the red side. He does however find it interesting that SETH ROLLINS of all people is talking about disloyalty…and he mocks the Shield pose.

Shinsuke Nakamura (Smackdown) vs. Roderick Strong (NXT) vs. AJ Styles (Raw)

Battle of the midcard champions with a dancing Sami Zayn here with Nakamura. Styles gets kicked down to start and a knee to the ribs drops Strong as well. Strong is back up to clean house and send Nakamura outside. Styles knocks Strong to the floor as well, followed by a hard knee to the head. Nakamura is back up with a suplex to Strong and a knee drop to Styles, with Zayn looking rather pleased.

Back up and Strong stretches Nakamura over his back before swinging him into a gutbuster. Styles sleepers Strong down, which doesn’t last long as Strong is back up to strike away at both of them. The running forearms in the ropes have Styles in trouble, as does a belly to back faceplant. Nakamura sends Strong into the corner though and kicks Styles down for two more. A sliding knee gets two on Strong with Styles making the save. Strong kicks Styles down to break up the Clash to Nakamura, who is pulled outside by Zayn.

Back in and a tiger driver gives Strong two before Nakamura drops him. Kinshasa is broken up by Styles, who is cut off by Zayn. That leaves Strong to knee Nakamura down for two but Nakamura is back up to clean house. Strong is knocked outside so Nakamura tells Styles to COME ON, meaning it’s time for a strike off. The Landslide gives Nakamura two and he blocks the Styles Clash attempt. Instead Styles settles for the Phenomenal Forearm, only for Strong to steal the pin at 16:48.

Rating: B+. I didn’t remember liking this one as much but they were all working hard and it didn’t get dull despite getting quite a bit of time. In addition to NXT getting yet another win, there was something great about Zayn on the floor as he was giving it his all out there. Solid match here and a rather nice treat.

NXT – 3
Smackdown – 1
Raw – 1

Daniel Bryan is warming up when the Miz comes in. Miz talks about feeling the evil of the Fiend and wants Bryan to put an end to him for the sake of themselves and their children. Bryan: “Get out of my face.”

NXT Title: Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending and is really banged up after being in WarGames last night. Dunne works on the arm to start, which is quickly broken up. They fight outside with Cole getting in a shot and starting in on Dunne’s bad knee. Dunne fights up and moonsaults over Cole in the corner, setting up an enziguri. The release German suplex sets up a big kick to the head, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two as they take a bit of a breather.

Dunne’s moonsault to the floor drops Cole again but another one hits raised knees back inside. The Last Shot gives Cole two and he brainbusters Dunne onto the knee for the same. The Boom misses and Dunne grabs the Bitter End for another near fall. They trade kicks to the head until Dunne goes up, only to have his moonsault superkicked out of the air (that always looks awesome) for two.

Dunne powerbombs him down for two more and Cole bails out to the floor. They head out to the apron, where Cole grabs a Panama Sunrise for a near countout. Back in and Dunne slugs away but the Bitter End is spun around into another Canadian Destroyer (and it didn’t look bad). The Boom retains the title at 14:06.

Rating: B. At this point, it was feeling like Cole was never going to lose the title no matter what happened, as he was coming in banged up from the night before and still hung in there to beat someone as good as Dunne. It’s still a good match, but seeing Cole retain without even having to cheat is a bit much to take. Yeah Dunne wrestled the night before as well, but Cole took the big bump in WarGames. That should mean a bit more.

The Smackdown men argue over leadership.

We recap the Fiend defending the Smackdown World Title against Daniel Bryan. The Fiend won the title at Crown Jewel and is all evil and such, even attacking Bryan, who was a heel at the moment. It seemed that the Fiend wanted to push Bryan into bringing back the YES Movement so he could kill it once and for all, which is quite the fiendish thing to do.

Smackdown World Title: Daniel Bryan vs. The Fiend

The Fiend is defending. Bryan fires off the dropkicks in the corner (under the red lights) until Fiend hits a running clothesline. Fiend slugs away and knocks him to the floor for a ram into the barricade. A hard posting drops Bryan again and there’s the backsplash on the floor. The release Rock Bottom drops Bryan back inside and a toss suplex makes it worse. The nerve hold goes on for a bit before they head outside again.

This time Fiend’s running knees hit the steps, followed by a posting from Bryan. Fiend gets taken down by a running knee from the apron, plus a big dive from the top. Back in and Bryan kicks away at the head, with Fiend getting up over and over. The stomping to the head has Fiend down and the running knee connects for two. Fiend does the big scary stand up so Bryan grabs a rollup, only to get caught in the Mandible Claw to retain the title at 10:01.

Rating: B-. This was about the Fiend running through one of the biggest heroes WWE has ever seen because the Fiend is one of the biggest monsters around. It made for a nice story, though it was hard to believe that Bryan had much of a chance here. Even with the alleged return of the YES Movement, it didn’t feel like much of a threat to beat the Fiend, certainly not so soon after he won the title.

Rey Mysterio is going to be more violent against Brock Lesnar and hopes his son Dominik is watching up close.

Men’s Survivor Series Match

Raw: Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Ricochet, Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton
Smackdown: Roman Reigns, King Corbin, Shorty G, Braun Strowman, Mustafa Ali
NXT: Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Walter, Damian Priest, Matt Riddle

The fans are VERY behind Walter (who you might know better as Gunther) as we figure out who is starting. Ciampa, Rollins and Strowman start things off, with Ciampa being shoved down. McIntyre and Walter come in, with Walter being more than happy to have a hoss fight. A running clothesline drops Strowman and McIntyre gets crushed with a seated senton.

Walter German suplexes McIntyre but can’t do the same thing to Strowman. Instead it’s a running dropkick to send Strowman into the corner, only for McIntyre to Claymore Walter for the pin at 2:57 in one heck of a middle finger to the fans. Priest comes in and strikes it out with McIntyre as the fans are ticked off about Walter. Strowman misses a charge into the post, allowing G (Gable, in case you had blocked out this stupid idea) to moonsault Priest. Riddle comes in and gets into a wrestling match with G, which doesn’t seem like a good idea.

The grappling goes to a standoff so Ricochet comes in with a springboard moonsault to G and McIntyre. Owens gets the tag and picks to frog splash G for the pin at 6:27. Owens goes outside but gets caught by Ciampa with the Willow’s Bell for the pin at 7:46. Orton comes in to stare Ciampa down but Ciampa is smart enough not to walk into the RKO. Instead they get up and brawl, with Orton grabbing the RKO a few seconds later. Priest tags himself in though and tries to roll the dice, only to get reversed into the RKO for the pin at 10:16.

Riddle comes in and has to escape an RKO attempt, which he counters into a rollup to pin Orton at 10:29. Riddle celebrates the huge win and walks into an RKO, allowing Corbin to get the pin at 10:54. Lee comes in and the fans are VERY pleased, only for McIntyre to take him down with a cheap shot. It’s back to Strowman, who takes them outside for the running shoulders….and then does it again for a bonus, only for Lee to cut him off in a massive crash.

McIntyre adds a Claymore to Strowman, who is counted out at 13:18. So we’re down to Rollins, Ricochet and McIntyre for Raw, Reigns, Corbin and Ali for Smackdown and Lee and Ciampa for NXT. Ricochet comes in to clean house but walks into the End Of Days for the pin at 14:30. Ali (hometown boy) comes in to clean house, including a sweet pop up X Factor to Ciampa. The tornado DDT drops Rollins and Ciampa gets posted. Corbin pulls Ali back to the floor though and yells a lot, which is enough for Rollins to hit the Stomp for the pin at 16:10.

Reigns yells at Corbin and McIntyre plants Ciampa with the reverse Alabama Slam for two. The Claymore is cut off with a spear though and McIntyre is done at 17:33, leaving Rollins alone. Rollins jumps Reigns but the suicide dive is knocked out of the air. Willow’s Bell hits Reigns, who counters the Fairy Tale Ending into a Superman Punch. With both of them down, Corbin comes in to knock Lee off the apron, though he’s also smart enough to drag Reigns over for the tag. Corbin yells at Reigns but a chokeslam to Ciampa doesn’t work, leaving Reigns to spear Corbin and Ciampa gets the pin at 19:55.

That leaves Reigns vs. Rollins vs. Ciampa/Lee with Reigns and Rollins getting together on Ciampa before doing the same to Lee. Rollins throws Ciampa outside but Lee is back up to cut off the TripleBomb through the announcers’ table. Back in and Ciampa’s running knee and Project Ciampa get two on Rollins but the Fairy Tale Ending is escaped. Ciampa avoids the Stomp but can’t avoid Reigns’ Superman Punch. The Stomp gets rid of Ciampa at 24:00 and we’re down to one each. The fans start to sing for Lee, who gets serious as he heads back inside.

Lee runs them both over with shoulders and sends Rollins flying, followed by a slingshot crossbody to take both of them out. Rollins escapes the Big Bang Catastrophe and kicks Lee down, setting up a frog splash for two, leaving commentary stunned. Back up and the Big Bang Catastrophe gets rid of Rollins (and Raw) at 26:34.

Reigns is back up with some Superman Punches for two on Lee, who kicks out, even as the referee hits the mat for the third time. The spear is countered into the Spirit Bomb for two more and my goodness the heat on that near fall. Lee goes up but misses the moonsault, allowing Reigns to hit the spear for the pin at 29:55.

Rating: B+. This was a lot more like it, as it felt like NXT had a chance to shock the world. Lee came off like an absolute star here and Ciampa more than held his own. At the same time, it might have been a bit of a stretch for NXT to be able to beat all star teams like this, even with their issues. The good thing is that NXT held its own here, and that’s exactly how you make it feel like a genuine third brand rather than just developmental. The Walter nonsense aside, this was a good performance from NXT and the fans went nuts all the way.

NXT – 3
Smackdown – 2
Raw – 1

Post match Reigns shows Lee some well earned respect.

Becky Lynch is tired of these fights with Shayna Baszler because Baszler has been training while Lynch has been going around the world. It doesn’t matter though as Lynch knows there is nothing Baszler can do to take her down. Then there’s Bayley, who made Lynch come looking for her. Now she’s going to hurt her.

We recap Brock Lesnar defending the Raw World Title against Rey Mysterio. Lesnar beat up Rey and then attacked his son Dominik (almost unrecognizable compared to what he would be a few years later) to make it personal. Rey brought in former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez to go after Lesnar, which went pretty horribly, so now Rey is fighting for himself.

Raw World Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Brock Lesnar

Lesnar, with Paul Heyman, is defending and anything goes. Mysterio gets smart by grabbing a lead pipe to start, sending Lesnar to the floor. Back in and Lesnar runs him over with some clotheslines, sending Mysterio outside. Mysterio gets sent flying over the announcers’ table and then rammed hard into the post as the slow beating is on. Another posting is broken up though as Mysterio sends him into the post instead, only for Lesnar to German suplex him onto the pipe.

Lesnar gets in another German suplex but here is Dominik Mysterio with a towel. Lesnar grabs Dominik so Rey gets in a low blow, as does Rey. Some pipe shots have Lesnar in trouble and Dominik adds a chair shot, followed by a double 619. Dominik and Rey hit a frog splash each…for two, and you can feel the air go out of the place. Lesnar is back up with a German suplex to Dominik before pulling Rey out of the air for the F5 to retain at 6:55.

Rating: B. The good thing about Mysterio is that you can put him in a spot like this and the fans will believe that he could pull off a miracle. The false finish with the double 619 was great but after that, you knew it wasn’t going to happen. They were smart to keep this short and action packed, as there was only so much of a way to believe that Mysterio was going to be a threat long term.

We recap the women’s triple threat. Becky Lynch is still arguably the biggest star in WWE but Shayna Baszler isn’t scared of her. Bayley has to be there too because of the triple brand thing.

Bayley (Smackdown) vs. Becky Lynch (Raw) vs. Shayna Baszler (NXT)

Non-title again. Bayley rams Baszler into Lynch but Lynch fights out without much effort. A clothesline puts Lynch down, leaving Baszler and Bayley to brawl to the floor. That’s broken up and Baszler is knocked outside, leaving Bayley to sunset bomb Lynch into the corner. Baszler takes Lynch’s place and gets beaten up again, only to come back with a stomp to Bayley’s arm.

Bayley is back up and knocks Baszler outside before unloading on Lynch in the corner. A Stunner over the ropes cuts Baszler off again but Lynch knocks Bayley down to take over. Lynch plants both of them and drops the top rope legdrop for two on Bayley. Baszler is back up as well, only to get kneed down by Bayley, who takes Lynch out as well. The Bayley To Belly gets two on Baszler, who is right back with a gutwrench faceplant.

Baszler fireman’s carries Bayley, which is broken up by a missile dropkick from the returning Lynch. Bayley breaks up the slugout and gets choked by Baszler, with Lynch making the save. Lynch powerbombs Baszler out of the corner but gets choked as well. Baszler is sent into Bayley for the save and Lynch gets the Disarm-Her, which is broken up too. Bayley pulls Baszler outside but hurts her own leg, allowing Baszler to take both of them out. Baszler plants Lynch on the announcers’ table but gets suplexed by Bayley back inside. That’s shrugged off and the Kirifuda Clutch gives Baszler the win at 18:03.

Rating: B-. They were working hard and it was far from a bad match, but there was very litter crowd energy for this. At the end of the day, the crowd was just done after the Lesnar/Mysterio and Men’s Survivor Series matches. You can’t take that much energy out of them and then expect a match which doesn’t mean a ton (NXT was at worst tying here) to feel special. It’s not bad, but the show needed to be laid out better.

NXT – 4
Smackdown – 2
Raw – 1

Post match Baszler poses over Lynch, who knocks her onto the announcers’ table. Lynch puts her through said table (with a chair falling on Baszler’s head to make it even worse) and poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Excellent show here, with NXT feeling like they had arrived and actually winning with a pretty dominant performance. There’s nothing close to bad on the whole show and the crowd carried it to another level. I had forgotten how good the matches were throughout and the three way competition actually worked all night. Find a better way to finish and it’s that much better, but this was awesome stuff.

 

Ratings Comparison

Tag Team Battle Royal:

Original: D
2020 Redo: D+
2025 Redo: C

Lio Rush vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Kalisto

Original: C+
2020 Redo: C
2025 Redo: B

New Day vs. Viking Raiders vs. Undisputed Era

Original: B
2020 Redo: B
2025 Redo: B-

Raw Women vs. Smackdown Women vs. NXT Women

Original: B-
2020 Redo: B-
2025 Redo: B

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong vs. AJ Styles

Original: B
2020 Redo: B
2025 Redo: B+

Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole

Original: A-
2020 Redo: B+
2025 Redo: B

The Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan

Original: B
2020 Redo: C+
2025 Redo: B-

Raw Men vs. Smackdown Men vs. NXT Men

Original: B+
2020 Redo: A-
2025 Redo: B+

Rey Mysterio vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: C+
2020 Redo: C+
2025 Redo: B

Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Becky Lynch

Original: D+
2020 Redo: C
2025 Redo: B-

Overall Rating:

Original: B+
2020 Redo: B+
2025 Redo: A-

The main event was a lot better than I gave it credit for before, as was the tag team battle royal. All around, an outstanding show.

 

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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All In 2025
Date: July 12, 2025
Location: Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s the biggest show of the year and that should make for some special moments. The main event is all about the World Title, with Hangman Page challenging Jon Moxley in a Texas Death Match. Other than that, Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland can get rid of the Young Bucks’ power, albeit while risking something of their own. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Sons Of Texas/Von Erichs

Trish Adora and Kevin Von Erich are here too. Guevara flips over Bravo to start and kicks him in the face before it’s quickly off to Marshall. Bravo gets taken into the corner and Ross comes in, only to be taken into the wrong corner. Dean comes in for the running flip dive to the floor, allowing Taylor to hit some running splashes on the floor.

Anthony Ogogo and Kevin Von Erich nearly get into it but some other members of the Rhodes family come in to scare Ogogo off. Back in and Rhodes hits Cross Rhodes but everyone else comes in for the brawl. The villains are all sent into each other though and the four way claw goes on. Ogogo comes in so Kevin claws him and it’s a quadruple submission for the win at 7:13.

Rating: C. This was the Texas special match and of course the match wasn’t about the Six Man Tag Team Titles because those things have been forgotten. Other than that, the match was completely acceptable, with the quadruple Claw being a nice way to wrap it up. The fans get a nice moment and that’s all it needed to be.

Zero Hour: Big Boom AJ/Hologram/Kyle O’Reilly/Tomohiro Ishii vs. Don Callis Family

It’s a brawl to start with the good guys striking away in the corner (everyone but Ishii does right hands, while he does chops because of course). AJ takes over on Romero for something like a Demolition Decapitator before it’s off to Hologram vs. Hechicero. That doesn’t last long as Archer throws O’Reilly to the floor before shoving Big Justice (AJ’s teenage son).

Back in and Beretta and Romero take turns hitting running strikes to put O’Reilly down again. The rebound lariat gets O’Reilly out of trouble and it’s off to Hologram to pick up the pace. Hechicero cuts him off with a Spanish Fly before Ishii comes in as well. Ishii can’t brainbuster Archer so AJ comes in to clothesline Archer to the floor. Romero gets launched over the top onto Archer as everything breaks down again. AJ’s powerbomb is broken up so Hologram hits a running rope walk flip dive to the floor. Justice comes in to spear Romero, setting up the Powerboom to give AJ the pin at 12:50.

Rating: C+. The winners were never in doubt here but it worked perfectly fine. Let the fans have a fun moment with the Costco Guys getting their stuff in and Hologram doing his thing. It’s not like Romero or Beretta are going to be hurt by another loss so just let the whole thing do what it was supposed to do.

Zero Hour: Outrunners vs. FTR

Rematch from a week or so ago when FTR won. Harwood and Magnum go to the mat to start before everything breaks down. The Outrunners clean house, with a flying headscissors taking Wheeler over. Back up and Harwood starts in on Floyd’s leg, including a quickly broken Figure Four. The chinlock goes on to keep Floyd down but he jawbreaks his way to freedom.

They crash out to the floor but Harwood is back in to take out the knee and cut off another tag. Floyd double DDTs his way out of trouble, though it’s still not enough to get over to Magnum. Wheeler tries to come in so the referee cuts him off, meaning the referee misses the tag. Said tag goes through a few moments later though and it’s Magnum coming in to fire off the corner clotheslines.

Everything breaks down and a high crossbody from Magnum sets up a jackknife rollup to give Floyd two. A sunset flip gets two more but neither team can hit a Shatter Machine. Total Recall hits Harwood but Stokley breaks up the cover. The distraction lets Harwood get a rollup (with feet on the ropes and being held) for the pin at 16:16.

Rating: B-. The match was good enough, but I’m not sure how this changes anything from where we were after their first match. FTR being better than the Outrunners isn’t a surprise, but this was another loss for the Outrunners as their status continues to dwindle. It wasn’t bad at all, but it feels like we have covered all of this before.

And now the show proper.

The opening video talks about the important moments that can define a promotion. We then shift into a look at the biggest matches on the show.

As has been the case before, the set and presentation are incredible as it looks on par with Wrestlemania.

Trios Titles: Opps vs. Death Riders

The Opps are defending and it’s a brawl to start fast. Most of them head outside, leaving Shibata and Kidd to chop it out inside. The exchange keeps going until stereo clotheslines put both of them down. Joe comes in to headlock Yuta before the corner enziguri knocks Yuta silly, allowing Hobbs to hit the delayed suplex. It’s off to Castagnoli to unload on Yuta in the corner but Joe comes in to plant Castagnoli down.

Kidd offers a distraction though and Castagnoli sends Joe outside. Back in and Castagnoli chokes on the ropes before grabbing a reverse chinlock. That’s broken up and Joe hits a backsplash, allowing the tag off to Hobbs to clean house. The spinebuster gets two on Castagnoli but Kidd offers a distraction, allowing Castagnoli to hit Swiss Death.

A Doomsday Device is countered into a powerslam to pull Yuta out of the air for a big crash. Everything breaks down again and Castagnoli swings Hobbs into the barricade. Shibata comes in and shrugs off a belly to back suplex before handing it back to Joe for the slugout. Joe’s powerslam gets two on Kidd and Hobbs breaks up the Fastball Special. Joe MuscleBusters Yuta to retain at 14:29.

Rating: B-. Bit of an odd choice for the opener but the fans are always going to respond to Joe. If nothing else, it was nice to see the designated loser of the team take the fall, as there was certainly no reason for Kidd to do it. The Trios Titles are still kind of unnecessary, but at least the champs are looking dominant.

Post match the Death Riders beat the Opps down, with Joe’s neck getting Pillmanized.

We recap the Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match, which is mainly about Mark Briscoe vs. MJF as we don’t know a bunch of the entries.

Since there will be a men’s and women’s version, here are the Casino Gauntlet rules:

• Unknown number of entrants
• Untimed entrance intervals
• First fall wins the match, meaning it could end at any time, including before everyone enters
• Winner gets a World Title shot at any time

Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match

Marc Briscoe is in at #1 and MJF is in at #2. MJF rolls him up for some early near falls before sending Briscoe face first into the buckle. Back up and Briscoe chops away but can’t get the Jay Driller as Ricochet is in at #3. Ricochet and MJF team up to beat on Briscoe in the corner before stopping to pose.

Bandido is in at #4 so MJF bails to the floor, leaving Bandido to gorilla press Ricochet. Briscoe is back up with a clothesline to Bandido and the running apron Blockbuster drops MJF. Ricochet takes Bandido to the floor as Konosuke Takeshita is in at #5. Ricochet comes back in to strike away at Takeshita before Bandido takes Ricochet’s place in a rematch from last night’s Supercard Of Honor. Back up and MJF powerbombs Bandido into a backbreaker for two before going after the mask.

Mistico is in at #6 and MJF knows this isn’t good. A handspring elbow takes MJF down and Mistico’s springboard wristdrag does the same to Takeshita. Mistico hits a big dive to the floor before grabbing La Mistica on MJF. Briscoe makes the save by grabbing his own Fujiwara armbar on MJF, which is broken up as well. Josh Alexander is in at #7 and gives Bandido a World’s Strongest Slam onto the apron. Takeshita hits a running dive and it’s Anthony Bowens in at #8.

Bowens goes right after Alexander before the reverse Angle Slam hits Ricochet. Briscoe is back up to slug it out with Bowens, who sends him out as well. Alexander and Takeshita are back up to lay Bowens out but Roderick Strong is in at #9. Strong is taken down by Alexander and Takeshita as well, with Brody King coming in at #10.

King gets to clean house for a bit, including a string of corner Cannonballs. One of them gets two on Strong before King and Bandido start double teaming Ricochet. A frog splash gets two and the returning (and clean shaven) Juice Robinson is in at #11. Robinson full nelson slams Ricochet for two but here are the Gates Of Agony to save Ricochet. The shooting star press gets two on Robinson but the Gunns are back to go after the Gates. 3:10 To Yuma drops Ricochet and Robinson gets two off a rollup, with MJF breaking it up. Kota Ibushi is in at #12 and starts firing off the kicks to clean house.

A standing moonsault gets two on Bowens and it’s the Beast Mortos in at #13. Mortos gets to wreck some people, including a big clothesline to Takeshita. Strong’s efforts to reunite with Mortos don’t work but Mistico is back in for the save. Bandido breaks up Vertigo and gives Ricochet the X Knee.

A series of knockdowns lets Strong tiger bomb Takeshita for two and Robinson suplexes King for the same. Strong’s End Of Heartache gets two on Ibushi and Bowens is sent onto the ramp…as Max Caster is in at #14. Caster takes forever to get to the ring, where Briscoe hits the Jay Driller on Strong. Not that it matters as MJF steals the pin for the title shot at 34:55.

Rating: C. The match was ok, but that’s a very long time when you could pretty easily cut an entrant or two out to save some time. A show that already has quite a few matches on the card including a nearly thirty five minute match feels like a bit much. All that being said, MJF winning is a good way to go, as he could do a lot with a contract like that. Only he and Mark Briscoe felt important and that’s all it needed to be.

Stokely Hathaway reveals that FTR will be on commentary for the Tag Team Title match. This really warranted its own segment.

We recap the TNT Title match. It was supposed to be Adam Cole defending against Kyle Fletcher but Cole is not medically cleared, meaning we’re getting a four way for the vacant title.

Here is Cole, who apologizes but says he is not medically cleared. He doesn’t want to say this is his retirement because his head isn’t clear right now but….and we pause for some tears. Cole thanks the fans for their support and for being here for AEW no matter what. The rest of the Paragon comes out for a group hug and Cole does his pose one more time. Well that’s horrible to hear and hopefully it’s nothing life threatening.

TNT Title: Dustin Rhodes vs. Kyle Fletcher vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Daniel Garcia

For the vacant title and Garcia hugs Cole on the way to the ring. Rhodes and Guevara suplex Fletcher to start so he sends Rhodes outside and follows him for a breather. Garcia and Guevara have something of a dance off until Fletcher breaks it up. Rhodes is back in to go after Fletcher and Guevara gives Garcia a Spanish Fly from the apron to the floor (to no reaction, as that Cole announcement sucked the life out of the place).

Back in and Fletcher and Garcia both grab a Figure Four, both of which are turned over. Fletcher and Garcia slap it out until both holds are broken. Garcia rolls some superplexes to Guevara (as you do) before superplexing Garcia and Fletcher at the same time. Rhodes is right back with a Canadian Destroyer into the Cross Rhodes for two on Fletcher. Back up and Fletcher is tied up in Shattered Dreams position, with the other three getting to take turns kicking him low.

Garcia goes with a Boston crab to Guevara, who breaks out and hits a quick GTH, with Rhodes making the save. The Dragon Tamer is broken up and Fletcher powerbombs Guevara onto the apron but Guevara is back up with a top rope cutter. Garcia Dragon Tamers Rhodes…who reverses into a small package for the pin at 15:26, making Rhodes a triple champion.

Rating: C+. If you can figure out the need for Rhodes to get this kind of a push as a triple champion at this stage in his career, you’re way ahead of me. In theory I guess the idea here was to give the fans someone from Texas getting a big win, though I would hope that there is a better option available. Other than that, this was more about Cole’s deflating announcement, which was absolutely terrible.

Post match the rest of the Rhodes family and the Von Erichs come in to celebrate.

We recap Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland vs. the Young Bucks. The Bucks have been abusing their authority as Executive Vice Presidents so it’s time for the good guys to fight back. In this case, that means that if the Bucks lose, they are no longer EVP’s, but if Ospreay and Strickland lose, neither can challenge for the World Title for a year.

Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland vs. Young Bucks

Ospreay has an Assassin’s Creed themed entrance while Strickland comes out to his old Ain’t Nobody theme, as sung live by former WWE personality Jojo Offerman. The Bucks get to come in on a boat, with a proclamation talking about everything they have done with AEW. Ospreay and Nick start things off but it’s quickly off to Swerve vs. Matthew. Everything breaks down and the Bucks strike away at Strickland to take over.

Ospreay gets sent outside for a heap on the floor as commentary keeps praising the Bucks. Back in and Strickland is suckered into the ring, allowing the Bucks to stomp away. The idea here is that the Bucks are an experienced team and Ospreay/Strickland are trying to figure it out. The slingshot X Factor gets two on Ospreay but he gets in a shot of his own, allowing the needed tag off to Strickland.

Everything breaks down and stereo hurricanranas send the Bucks outside. Ospreay and Strickland hit stereo dives, followed by corkscrew dives (off the same post, one to the floor and one to the ring) for two on Matt. Back in and the Bucks score with some flip dives but Ospreay Hulks Up and hammers away, only for Matt to knock both heroes down. Matt’s Buckshot Lariat is countered, setting off a crazy fast paced series of strikes, with stereo Canadian Destroyers planting Ospreay and Strickland, who bounce back up with a Hidden Blade and House Call to leave all four down.

Back up and the Bucks take them to the top, which is reversed into a pair of Styles Clashes. A Stormbreaker/Swerve Stomp combination hits Matt but Nick superkicks Nana on the floor. Back in and a low blow drops Ospreay, followed by a TK Driver to Strickland on the outside. More Bang For Your Buck hits Ospreay for two but Strickland makes Matt kick Nick in the face.

Ospreay’s Hidden Blade hits Strickland by mistake though and the EVP Trigger gets two. The TK Driver hits Ospreay for two more so the Bucks fire off a bunch of superkicks. Strickland gets between them so he’s superkicked down, only to block the EVP Trigger. A Swerve Stomp/Tombstone combination plants Matt for two and he saves Nick after a Hidden Blade. The Hidden Blade/House Call combination finishes Matt off at 25:52.

Rating: B+. This was a very Young Bucks style match, meaning it was rather entertaining with some insane spots, many of which seem designed to make the Bucks look as good as possible. That being said, the important thing here is that the Bucks lost and they lost clean, in a high stakes match. That’s exactly what should have happened here and it happened in a very fun match, with Swerve and Ospreay working well together.

Women’s Casino Gauntlet Match

Kris Statlander is in at #1 and Megan Bayne is in at #2. They fight over a suplex to start until Bayne muscles her up with a Falcon Arrow for two. Statlander is back up with a kick to the head and her own Fate’s Descent as Willow Nightingale (to a BIG reaction) is in at #3. Nightingale avoids a kick from Statlander to start and hits a basement crossbody but a double chokeslam puts Nightingale down.

Tay Melo is in at #4 and reverses Bayne’s Fate’s Descent into the Rings Of Saturn. Penelope Ford (here with Bayne and not in the match) loads up a Doomsday Device but Harley Cameron (also not in the match but in a mask) pops up to cut her off. Thekla is in at #5 for some running boots to Nightingale but gets dropped by the Tay KO. The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale two and everyone is down as Julia Hart is in at #6.

Hart’s moonsault hits Bayne and Statlander and a Black Widow has Bayne in more trouble. That’s broken up and Thekla does her spider thing as Queen Aminata is in at #7. Aminata slugs it out with Thekla as Skye Blue (here with Hart but not in) gets in a slugout of her own. Hart and Thekla do stereo spider deals in the corner as Mina Shirakawa is in at #8. Shirakawa takes out Blue and puts her in the Figure Four for the tap…which means nothing because, you know, she’s not in the match.

Athena (big pop for the hometown girl) is in at #9 and takes out Hart and Blue in the aisle on the way to the ring. Athena gets to clean a bunch of house until Thunder Rosa (who lost to Athena last night) is in at #10. Rosa dropkicks Athena a few times and grabs a choke, with Aminata breaking it up. We get a string of running headscissors until Syuri, a very talented star from Stardom, is in at #11. Syuri strikes away (as is her custom) and stands tall for a bit until Alex Windsor is in at #12.

A hanging DDT and Angle Slam plant Syuri but she’s right back with a wheelbarrow bulldog to drop Syuri. Windsor and Syuri trade German suplexes with pretty much everyone else running in for the save. Almost everyone pairs off to slug it out before heading outside. Melo screams a lot until Statlander powerbombs Bayne onto the pile at ringside. Back in and Rosa chops away at Shirakawa, who gets up top for a Sling Blade. Shirakawa strikes away at Rosa and tries the Figure Four but Athena is in with the O Face to pin Shirakawa at 27:02.

Rating: B-. I do like the ending, as Athena winning the match is hopefully a step towards the main roster and a run on top. Her Ring Of Honor title reign is more than enough to warrant her that spot and it’s nice to see her getting to do this. The rest of the match was longer than it needed to be, as you could have easily cut out an entrant or two without missing much. Good action, but on a show that is already running really long, this would have been a logical place to trim off some time.

We recap the Tag Team Title triple threat. The Hurt Syndicate wanted competition so Jet Speed got a title shot, followed by the Patriarchy being added to make it a three way match. That was a good move, as there was no way I was buying Jet Speed as threats to win the titles on their own.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate vs. Jet Speed vs. Patriarchy

The Syndicate, with MVP/MJF and rapped live to the ring, is defending, and FTR is on commentary. The challengers get knocked to the floor to start with the Syndicate taking over without much trouble early on. Jet Speed is sent into the barricade and Lashley stomps away on Bailey back inside. Bailey kicks away at Lashley to little avail so it’s off to Christian, with Wayne pulling him outside for a save.

Jet Speed hit stereo dives onto the champs and then double boot Wayne down for two. Back up and Benjamin sends Knight face first into the steps. Bailey does his bouncing kicks to Wayne but gets planted with a spinebuster. A release German suplex sends Bailey over the top and crashing onto a pile at ringside in a unique spot.

Back in and Benjamin slams Bailey a few times but he gets in a shot to the face. Christian comes in for a save but gets lifted by Lashley, only for Bailey to kick his leg out for the save. It’s back to Knight (yeah we’re doing tags now) to pick up the pace with Wayne before an assisted hurricanrana brings Benjamin out of the corner.

Benjamin is back up with some release German suplexes to Knight before Wayne’s World hits Bailey on the apron. Christian frog splashes Knight for two with MVP making a save before it’s back to Lashley to clean house. Jet Speed do a kind of Doomsday Device dropkick to send Wayne outside, leaving Lashley to yell at FTR. Back in and the spear to Christian retains the titles at 18:59.

Rating: C+. And here we have the first match where the length was really getting annoying. I cannot fathom a world where it should take the Hurt Syndicate nearly twenty minutes to beat these guys and it felt like they were stretching for the sake of stretching. That’s not a good feeling to have as this could have been wrapped up in about half the time to the same result.

Post match FTR gets in the ring to go after Christian but the Patriarchy gets in to break it up. Then Wayne turns on Christian and lays him out with an Unprettier, leaving even FTR stunned. The Conchairto is loaded up but Cope returns and….does his full entrance before coming to the ring for the save with the spiked 2×4. Cope cleans house and helps Christian up, telling him to go find yourself.

We recap Toni Storm vs. Mercedes Mone for the Women’s Title. Storm is one of the most successful stars in the history of the women’s division while Mone is the undefeated TBS Champion and feels unstoppable. Storm is the only person who can do something about it and that gives us a showdown.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Mercedes Mone

Only Storm is defending and Mone comes to the ring with a bunch of cheerleaders. Storm on the other hand has a video featuring a variety of time pieces, from clocks to an hourglass, for a pretty basic idea. They fight over a lockup to start and shove each other away, which works so well that they do it again. Both of them head to the apron but Storm is sent back inside, where she does some dancing kicks. The Mone Statement sends Storm straight to the ropes and she knocks Mone outside.

Back in and Storm does Mone’s dance before getting on Luther’s shoulders to send Mone crashing off the apron. Mone knocks her off the apron with Luther making the catch, only for Mone to take both of them down with a running Meteora. Back in and the running knees connect in the corner, followed by a figure four necklock to keep Storm in trouble. Storm gets up and it’s a German suplex to give Mone two.

That doesn’t work for Storm, who is back with a Thesz press and right hands, followed by a fisherman’s suplex for two. Mone grabs a Fujiwara armbar but Storm escapes and hits a backbreaker. Storm blocks a cross armbreaker and catapults her throat first into the bottom rope for a nice counter. Storm Zero gets two so she grabs a crossface chickenwing. That’s broken up with a bite of the arm so they fight over a Tombstone until Mone pulls her into a kneebar.

Storm gets another escape and they slug it out until an exchange of rollups gets two each. The Mone Maker gives Mone two and Storm’s tiger driver gets the same. Mone misses the middle rope knees and Storm flips her over into a faceplant for two. Storm grabs her own Mone Statement, followed by three straight Storm Zeroes…for two more. Mone is sat in the corner for the hip attack but she reverses into a small package for another near fall. An STF has Storm in trouble but she sends Mone into the corner for the hip attack. Storm puts her on the top, gives her a kiss, and hits a super Storm Zero to retain at 24:13.

Rating: B. Well, they didn’t do it. Or I guess they did. I’m not sure which it is, but what matters the most is that Mone lost. My biggest issue with her has been that she felt unbeatable and that was corrected here, so well done. It was another good match with both of them working hard, though I could have gone without the three straight Storm Zeroes for the near fall. Other than that though, solid fight with both of them working hard.

We recap Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada, title for title. They’ve had a legendary series of matches and it’s time to do it again. The match is winner take all, with the winner getting a special title, but the titles are going to stay separate, with the Continental Classic coming again later this year.

Jim Ross is on commentary, which is nice to see after all of his health issues.

Unified Title: Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada

For the inaugural title, Kota Ibushi is here with Omega and Don Callis is here with Okada. Omega also gets a special entrance, with what appear to be druids singing his song. They take their time to start and then lock up as the fans certainly seem interested. Omega backs him into the ropes for some slaps to the chest but gets driven into the corner. Okada charges into some raised boots though and the running Fameasser sends Okada outside.

A big dive takes Okada down but Omega misses a high crossbody back inside, banging up his injured midsection. Omega fights back but his moonsault hits raised knees to put him in trouble again. Okada puts him on top for a dropkick out to the floor. Callis gets in a few cheap shots and a DDT on the announcers’ table plants Omega again. Back in and another DDT gives Okada two but Omega manages to knock him outside. That means the big running flip dive, with Callis running away in fear.

A missile dropkick gets two on Okada back inside and they go up top, with Omega muscling him up for a superplex. The abdomen is still messed up though and it’s a delayed near fall as a result. Back up and Okada snaps off a dropkick before the top rope elbow connects. Okada drops another elbow before grabbing Omega’s hand and striking away. That lets Omega fire back, including a powerbomb and V Trigger for two.

They go up top and Omega grabs a super snapdragon, with Okada turning a bit, landing partially on his face. Okada is right back up with a discus lariat for two and a German suplex gives Omega the same. Cue Rocky Romero for a distraction so Ibushi takes him out, leaving Omega to hit the One Winged Angel.

Callis pulls the referee out at two so another one comes in, with Omega hitting a V Trigger. Okada escapes another One Winged Angel and nails the Rainmaker for two. Back up and Omega hits the V Trigger, only to get caught with the dropkick. Callis teases coming in but Okada hits a powerslam, followed by the Rainmaker for the pin at 30:32.

Rating: B+. Well, it was rather good, but it wasn’t exactly the epic showdown that it was hyped up as being. That being said, they’re both a good few years older and more banged up since their original series, so it’s not like they were working under fair expectations. They had a very good match and Okada winning makes more sense, though I’m not sure what is next for Omega. Either way, the hype was certainly there and it was absolutely good, so we’ll call this enough of a win.

We recap Hangman Page challenging Jon Moxley for the World Title. Moxley has basically taken the title hostage and everyone wants to get it away from him, with Page being something of the chosen one to take it back. The match is a Texas Death Match, which in this case basically means you win by knockout or submission only and anything goes.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley is defending. Page gets played live to the ring, with a guitarist playing his old music. As a bonus, he’s wearing white so you know the blood is coming. On the other hand, Moxley and the Death Riders drive their truck into the stadium so it must be serious. They go straight to the slugout with Page getting the better of things and stomping away in the corner.

Back up and Moxley hammers down right hands in the corner but misses a fork shot. Instead Page takes it away and grabs a triangle choke to stab Moxley in the head. That doesn’t do much, as Moxley is right back to rib at Page’s head, with Marina Shafir getting in a bite. Page is busted open and Moxley plants him onto a barbed wire chair. Page gets the chair, which is booted back into his face for another knockdown.

A table is sat up at ringside and Moxley hits a cutter before pouring out a bucket of broken glass. Moxley drags Page over the glass (ouch) and then piledrives him onto it, which still isn’t enough for a ten count. Shafir throws in some more chairs and Moxley sets them up, but has to block a superplex attempt. That means scraping something over Page’s back but Page slips out and turns the chairs around, with the backs together.

A powerbomb onto the chairs has Moxley in a lot of trouble so Wheeler Yuta comes in for a chair shot to Page’s back. That earns Yuta a shot to the face so Shafir gets up. Page Death Valley Drivers her through the ringside table and the Deadeye sends Moxley into the glass. The Death Riders pull Page out and load up another table so here is Will Ospreay to try a save. That’s broken up and Ospreay is piledriven onto the floor. Ospreay’s neck is Pillmanized and he gets taken out as Moxley suplexes Page through a pair of barbed wire tables at ringside.

Back in and the slug it out until Moxley hits another piledriver into the bulldog choke. The Death Rider onto an open chair drops Page again for nine. Wheeler Yuta brings in the plastic bag but we get a video from Darby Allin, who is ready to come after Moxley. Cue a man in a mask to give Moxley a running knee and YES it is indeed Bryan Danielson. A dive takes out the Death Riders and Allin repels down from the ceiling.

Allin Coffin Drops onto the Death Riders, leaving Page to Deadeye Moxley through a table. Shafir helps Moxley up as the Young Bucks come in to EVP Trigger Page. It’s time to bring in a bed of nails (of course) and Page is Paradigm Shifted onto the bed. Naturally he gets up so Shafir goes for a chain, which is cut off by Prince Nana. Cue Swerve Strickland to chain various people down and then hand it over to Page. Some chain shots have Moxley in trouble and the Buckshot Lariat sends Moxley onto the nails. Page hangs him over the ropes with the chain and Moxley taps at 35:55.

Rating: B. To get it out of the way, what matters the most here is the fact that the title change hands. Moxley has been champion for such a long time and it has been horrible to sit through. Page taking the title is the most important part here and they got that part right. I’m not wild on how they got to that point as the violence got more than a bit ridiculous, with the bed of nails being rather stupid. The result is the important part here though and that makes up for a lot of the issues the match might have had.

Post match Page (eventually) gets the briefcase open and pulls the title out for the big celebration. Page can barely stand up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. First and foremost, it’s a rather good show. There is nothing on the main card that is bad and they gave us the big happy endings that the show show needed. That’s the important part of the show and overcomes a good many of the issues the show has. It was a good effort all around, though there wasn’t that one match that really stood out above the rest.

As usual, the biggest problem is the length, as it took me three different sittings to get through the whole thing. There are parts of the show that could have been dropped (the TNT Title match taking place elsewhere would have been nice, or cutting at least a few minutes off the Casino Gauntlets or the Tag Team Title match). That being said, the time wasn’t as big of a detriment here as it has been in the past, which is very nice to see.

Overall, this was a good show and they got the important parts right. AEW has been needing a big happy ending for a good while and we got that, plus the Bucks losing as a bonus. In short, they got the important stuff right and I’ll take that over just about anything else. Everything looked great and the fans were happy, so I can definitely call this a strong show.

Results
Sons Of Texas/Von Erichs b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Quadruple submission
Hologram/Big Boom AJ/Tomohiro Ishii/Kyle O’Reilly b. Don Callis Family – Powerbomb to Romero
FTR b. Outrunners – Rollup to Magnum with feet on the ropes
Opps b. Death Riders – MuscleBuster to Yuta
MJF won the Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match – Jay Driller to Strong
Dustin Rhodes b. Kyle Fletcher, Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia – Small package to Garcia
Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland b. Young Bucks – Hidden Blade/House Call combination to Matt
Athena won the Women’s Casino Gauntlet Match – O Face to Shirakawa
Hurt Syndicate b. Jet Speed and the Patriarchy – Spear to Cage
Toni Storm b. Mercedes Mone – Super Storm Zero
Kazuchika Okada b. Kenny Omega – Rainmaker
Hangman Page b. Jon Moxley – Choke with a chain

 

 

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It’s time for the biggest AEW show of the year and the biggest they have ever held in America. The main event very well may change the course of AEW, as Hangman Page is trying to end the reign of terror from Jon Moxley. Other than that, we have the usual variety of title matches, with all kinds of things already set for the show. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: FTR vs. Outrunners

We saw this earlier in the month on Collision and now it’s time to do it again rather quickly. The idea was that the Outrunners got close to beating FTR but couldn’t quite get there and they want to run it back to try again. That should make for a good match, but at some point the Outrunners need to actually win something or those reactions are going to start getting weaker in a hurry.

That being said, outside of some interference or shenanigans, I can’t imagine FTR losing here, so we’ll go with the Outrunners taking another defeat. At the end of the day, FTR seems primed to go after the Tag Team Titles again sooner or later and that isn’t going to happen if they lose a match to a glorified comedy team. FTR goes over here, likely with some cheating after a tough match.

Zero Hour: Big Boom AJ/Hologram/Kyle O’Reilly/Tomohiro Ishii vs. Don Callis Family

Here we have another match where the result doesn’t seem overly likely to be in double. The Costco Guys are fine as the celebrity involvement and it works well to see them in the ring like this. At the same time, you have Hologram, who doesn’t lose, which takes away even the tiniest bit of drama this match might have had. That’s not something you like to see, but at least it’s on the Kickoff show.

Of course I’m taking the thrown together team to win here, likely with Trent Beretta or Rocky Romero taking the fall. This is probably the easiest match to call all night as there is no reason to believe that the Callis B Team (because they have enough members to have a B Team) has a chance. The match should be fun, as long as I don’t have to put up with too much of the Rizzler.

Zero Hour: Sons Of Texas/Von Erichs vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Yeah there is it. For those keeping track, Dustin Rhodes and the Von Erichs have now had the titles for 350 days, with their most recent title defense taking place back in April. Prior to that, their previous title defense was the day after they won the belts in the first place. They’re on the same team here with an extra name being added, but for some reason they can’t have a token title defense here just to get the belts on the line.

Since the show is in Texas, naturally I’ll take the Texans to win here, as Shane Taylor Promotions were just being hyped up as ready to start doing something again. Therefore, it’s time for them to lose again, likely to the “popular” team. I’m sure the fans will likely them well enough, but we’re very possibly coming up on Rhodes setting the record for longest individual reigns with two titles. I have no idea why, but apparently being from Texas is enough.

TNT Title: Adam Cole(c) vs. Kyle Fletcher

It’s a nice feeling when there really isn’t a choice for the weakest match to start the main card. Cole has been presented as a big deal with the title, but Fletcher is looking for a big win. That is the kind of thing that makes for a major moment, as they’re making for an important collision. Cole and the Paragon have been fighting the Don Callis Family, but this might be where things fall apart.

I’ll take Fletcher to win the title here, as it feels like they are on the way towards doing something a lot bigger with him. At some point he needs to validate that with something more than just the ROH TV Title. Beating Cole would feel like an important moment, especially at the biggest show of the year. Let him win and see where he can go from here, while also giving Callis something to brag about for the team.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate(c) vs. Jet Speed vs. The Patriarchy

Sweet goodness it is amazing how much adding the Patriarchy has helped this match. The Syndicate is so much ahead of just about every other team in AEW so they’re going to need some special odds to give them a real threat. This is about as good of an idea as they have to make it work, which seems to be going well. I’m not sure if that means it’s going to mean a title change, but at least there is some more intrigue.

That being said, I’ll take the champs to retain here, as it’s hard to imagine them losing to anyone, even with the odds being against them. Bobby Lashley having a bad knee still isn’t enough to make me think that Jet Speed could beat anyone and I can’t quite picture the Patriarchy winning either. The Hurt Syndicate gets to use the size and power to win here, which they should be doing again.

Trios Titles: Opps(c) vs. Death Riders

This is the logical way to go for a title match, as the Death Riders, albeit in a different form, are former champions. I do like what they’ve done with the Opps, as seeing Powerhouse Hobbs getting at least something to do should have taken place a LONG time ago. It’s more interesting than Hook would have been in the role, which is a nice upgrade to see. This is going to be a different kind of fight though and I’m not sure how this is going to go.

As much of a possibility as a title change might be, I think I’ll take the Opps to retain here. Joe getting to smash through people is always worth seeing and while I can imagine AEW wanting to push Gabe Kidd, there are better ways to do that than by throwing him into a trio to win some belts. Hopefully this is a hard hitting fight, and that’s the best way for the whole thing to go, likely with the Opps retaining.

Men’s Casino Gauntlet

And now we get to the confusing stuff, as it’s really hard to predict a match where you don’t know who is involved. There are a few interesting options out there already and unfortunately that’s about all we can go on here. Mark Briscoe and MJF are going to be starting the match, which in a way is the best spot to have as while you’ll be out there longer, the match being able to end at any time can make things all the more interesting.

Based only on the six names that we have, I’ll actually go with Ricochet stealing the win here. Ricochet is the kind of guy who could get a lot out of having a title shot hanging over someone’s head and that’s what it should be. MJF is always an option to win here, but other than that, it’s hard to guess with so few names officially announced. Ricochet stands out over what we have though and that has me interested enough.

Women’s Casino Gauntlet

So remember what I said about the issues with the men’s version of this match? Well this one is even worse, as there are even fewer names advertised. I have almost no idea who to go with here as it’s basically “pick one of the two names announced (Kris Statlander or Megan Bayne) or the mystery field. That’s a really hard pick to make, so this is the shot in the dark match of the night.

I’ll go with Bayne here, though again it’s a match where we know two entrants out of whatever number we’ll wind up with here. Bayne getting to smash through everyone in front of her is a good idea as she has already wrecked the midcard in recent weeks. Let her get back into the title scene and see where she can go, as there is a chance to see her get into the title scene very quickly.

Swerve Strickland/Will Ospreay vs. Young Bucks

This is the stipulation match of the night, as the Bucks are putting up their Executive Vice Presidencies against Ospreay and Strickland being able to challenge for the World Title for a year. Earlier this week, it seemed that Strickland Ospreay were on enough of the same page to give the Bucks a run for their money, but there is no guarantee that will be enough to put them over the most successful team AEW has ever had.

Unfortunately we’re at a coin flip here, as I could see AEW going either way. I’ll take….Ospreay and Strickland winning here, though it’s the kind of a pick where I have no reason to believe I’m right. The Bucks have been built up to the point of getting to lose something big and this is about as huge as they can get. Just let them finally give something up while also keeping your main event scene intact. I’m not convinced that’s how it’s going to go, but it’s the right way to go.

Continental Title/International Title: Kazuchika Okada(c) vs. Kenny Omega(c)

They were so close. The term “winner take all” was giving me hope that they were going to get rid of one of the titles they had running around but alas no, as Tony Khan has confirmed that not only will the titles stay separate, but the Continental Classic will reset the Continental Title in a few months. That’s not the way I was hoping for things to go, but it’s quite the AEW way of doing things.

Omega makes more sense here, as Okada needs to lose a big match at some point, with a loss to Omega making the most sense. The big appeal here is flashing back to what these two did about seven or eight years ago, which is a risky move to make given how they have been going lately. I can imagine that the two of them are going to work as hard as they can and the match should be rather exciting, but the title situation takes away a lot of the spark I had coming into this one.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Mercedes Mone

The more I think about this, the more I’m thinking I want Mone to win. I don’t care about what Mone has done in AEW and I still find her fairly uninteresting, but there is something glorious about the idea of “and then she beats everyone and wins all of the titles”. That’s how I played No Mercy back in the day and getting to see it on a national stage could be hilarious in a way.

I’ll take Mone to win here, as her thing is “she wins all the time”. Storm has been champion for a long time (combined) now and while she needs something new to do, I have a bad feeling that the something is chasing Mone for a bit before moving on to something else. Mone losing is something that needs to happen, but I’m thinking AEW is going to ride the Mone train until….I have no idea really.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Hangman Page

This is a Texas death match and I have no idea where it’s going. Moxley should have lost the title about five months ago but it feels like AEW is building towards some big moment with him. There should be no bigger moment than this show, but at the same time, it feels like we are coming up on Darby Allin being the one to take the title. There is always the chance that Swerve Strickland could cost Page here, or someone else could run in (my money would be on Jack Perry) to screw him over.

That being said, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Page wins the title. I’m almost perversely hoping that I’m wrong just to be able to laugh at AEW, but to say it is time is an understatement. Page has been set up to win this title and there is no reason to stick with Moxley. I’m completely believing that I could be wrong here, but Page needs to get the title and send the fans home happy.

Overall Thoughts

This is the day that AEW has been building towards for a long time now and it’s time to knock it out of Globe Life Park. The previous editions of All In have gone well before and hopefully they can do it again here. AEW’s history with pay per views gives me hope with this one, but dang they need to wrap it up with the Death Riders/Young Bucks already. If they don’t do that, or at least one of those two things, I don’t know where they’re supposed to go next. Get it right.

 

 

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

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Collision
Date: July 5, 2025
Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the 100th episode and we are also just a week away from All In. That means we’re going to be having quite the busy week, as there are a lot of things that need to get done. Hopefully the quality is still there with the show as well, though you never quite know what you’re getting around here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is Adam Cole to get things going. He thanks the fans for being here for 100 episodes and calls them the best audience he has ever wrestled for in his career. Cole says he’ll hold onto that title through this year and beyond but here is Kyle Fletcher to interrupt. Fletcher says the next 100 episodes of this show belong to him. Fletcher talks about losing to Cole at All In 2023 and it was the worst night of his career. Now he has killed that version of Fletcher and now he wants to make Cole feel just as bad.

No one deserves the title shot as much as he does but here is Daniel Garcia to interrupt. When you talk about the future of AEW, you better be talking about him. Cole says Garcia can have a title shot anywhere, but he’ll lose. The idea of a triple threat is thrown out but Fletcher wants this one on one. Fletcher says he’s beaten Garcia, who says that everyone has beaten him (maybe not the best thing to point out). Garcia and Fletcher are already fighting tonight so let’s make it for a title shot at All In. Works for Cole. This was a long way to set up the main event.

Toni Storm is ready to take out Mercedes Mone and keep the big shiny belt around her waist.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Nick Wayne vs. Kevin Knight

Their respective seconds are all here too and Knight has bad ribs coming in. Knight clears the ring to start but Benjamin pulls him outside. Benjamin sends the bad ribs into the barricade so Wayne can steal a near fall but Knight is back up to cradle Benjamin for the same. Back up and Benjamin gets dropkicked out to the floor, leaving Wayne to knock Knight down.

We take a break and come back with MVP arguing with Mother Wayne. Benjamin powerbombs Nick but Knight springboards in with a sunset flip (nice) for two. A double superkick drops Benjamin, leaving Nick and Knight to slug it out. Benjamin is sent outside and Nick hits a big flip dive, followed by Knight’s springboard double clothesline to drop both of them. Back in and Benjamin gets the ankle lock but Nick breaks it up with Wayne’s World. Knight comes off the top with the UFO to break it up and pins Benjamin at 10:23.

Rating: B-. This was a nice way to set up the now three way Tag Team Title match at All In, which is a lot better than the regular tag match. There is only so much that you can get out of Jet Speed getting the title match so adding the Patriarchy is a good idea. I still don’t believe that the titles are in danger, but this should be an upgrade.

The Death Riders challenge the Opps for the Trios Titles at All In.

Mark Briscoe/Hologram/Mistico vs. Don Callis Family

Mistico gets double teamed to start with Romero working on the arm. Back up and a rope walk wristdrag brings Romero down, followed by a running hurricanrana. It’s off to Briscoe who loads up the chair, but Beretta cuts off the step up dive. A drop toehold sends Briscoe face first into the chair for two and we take a break.

We come back with Hechicero avoiding Hologram’s superkick so Hologram snaps off an anklescissors to take him down. Back up and Hologram is thrown into a Canadian Destroyer to plant Romero but Hechicero Spanish Flys Hologram for two. A running knee gives Beretta two as everything breaks down.

Mistico comes off the top rope with something like a tornado DDT to Hechicero and a hurricanrana puts Beretta on the floor. Beretta suplexes Hologram but Briscoe is back in to low bridge him to the floor. The running flip dive takes out Romero on the floor, leaving Briscoe and Hologram to hit their step up flip dives onto Beretta and Hechicero. Back in and La Mistica makes Romero tap at 17:04.

Rating: B. This was the usual “take a bunch of people and let them fly around the ring for awhile”. It’s an entertaining match and I can always go for Briscoe getting a win like this, though I have no idea what Hologram is supposed to be. Other than the local luchador who has fun matches, he never really moves up or down the card. After so long, it would be nice to see that change a bit.

Post match the winners celebrate (with Briscoe rocking some air guitar for Mistico’s song) but MVP and MJF pop up on the screen. MJF doesn’t like either Mistico or Briscoe and tells the fans to go back to counting food stamps. MVP insults Mistico in Spanish and MJF agrees.

Some AEW stars did some things at a recent NASCAR race, including Swerve Strickland driving the pace car. Anything that gets AEW associated with more mainstream sports is a good thing.

Here is Max Caster, who does not like the fans singing along with his song. He instead tries to get them to chant THIS CROWD SUCKS and asks who will be answering the challenge this week. We get a video of Scorpio Sky of all people, as he is back in training and accepting the challenge.

Scorpio Sky vs. Max Caster

Caster jumps Sky to start and is knocked down just as fast. A TKO ends Caster at 55 seconds.

Ricochet doesn’t want to talk about his interactions with the Gates Of Agony. He walks off and finds the Gates, who have attacked Blake Christian.

Willow Nightingale vs. Vipress

The spinebuster looks to set up the Babe With The Powerbomb but Vipress slips away. That earns her the Pounce into the Babe With The Powerbomb for the pin at 1:26.

Anthony Bowens is banged up after his loss when Billy Gunn comes in. Bowens says thank you for helping him now, but Gunn tells him that it doesn’t happen overnight. Bowens wants to win the Casino Gauntlet and Gunn tells him to trust him. Works for Bowens.

FTR vs. Outrunners

Harwood takes Floyd into the corner to start and gets punched in the face for his efforts. It’s off to Wheeler, who takes Magnum into the corner but some clotheslines have him in trouble. Floyd comes in for an assisted faceplant but Wheeler drops Floyd. A suplex gets Floyd out of trouble though and it’s back to Magnum to clean house. The Mega Powers Elbow is broken up though and we take a break.

We come back with Magnum busted open and getting brainbustered to make it worse. Wheeler misses a running dropkick in the corner but he gets over to break up the tag to Floyd. A high crossbody gets Magnum out of trouble but Harwood is back in with a Razor’s Edge/neckbreaker combination.

Naturally Magnum gets up to knock both of them down and make the hot tag off to Floyd. House is quickly cleaned and now the Mega Powers Elbow hits Wheeler for two. A sunset flip gets two on Wheeler, followed by the Shatter Machine for a VERY near fall. Back up and the regular Shatter Machine hits Floyd for the pin at 18:26, with Stokely Hathaway holding Magnum’s foot to cut off the save.

Rating: B-. I think the idea here was to have the Outrunners get elevated by working a long match with FTR, but the Outrunners are just feeling a bit dated. The fans are still cheering for them, but they lose every big match and only feel like a bit of a threat to win. At the same time, FTR needs something bigger to do, though I’m not sure I can picture them going after the titles again.

Tay Melo/Anna Jay/Queen Animata/Thunder Rosa vs. Athena/Julia Hart/Megan Bayne/Thekla

Aminata and Thekla start things off with a running headscissors taking Aminata down. Rosa comes in to face Athena, who hands it off to Bayne instead. Bayne powers her into the corner but misses a charge, allowing Rosa to hit a running dropkick. Aminata comes in with a top rope double stomp and it’s already back to Rosa as we take a break.

We come back with Hart hitting a spider superplex to Rosa. That doesn’t get her very long though as Rosa pops up and brings in Melo to clean house. Everything breaks down with Rosa diving off the apron to take out Athena. Cue Skye Blue to take out Melo, leaving Jay to avoid a charge in the corner. Penelope Ford offers a distraction though and Bayne hits a running Liger Bomb for the pin at 10:19.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t quite a random match, but Bayne has already smashed through these women a few times. I can go with watching Bayne wreck people though as she does it really well, but again she needs to move up the ladder a bit. At the same time, Rosa looked strong on the way to what is likely a loss to Athena at Supercard Of Honor, but I’ll take what I can get.

Video on Alex Windsor, who is coming back from a knee injury.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Daniel Garcia

Don Callis and Adam Cole are on commentary and Fletcher takes him into the corner for some dancing. A headlock has Garcia in trouble but he fights up for a running shoulder. Some right hands in the corner rock Fletcher and they go to the floor, where Garcia gets in a shot of his own. Back up and Fletcher hits him with a lawn dart into the barricade to bust Garcia open.

We take a break and come back with Garcia hitting a suplex onto the apron. A running dropkick against the barricade connects and Garcia’s top rope superplex, leaving them both down. Fletcher is back up with a sitout powerbomb for two and he tries a running knee, which is countered into the Dragontamer. The rope is reached and they crash out to the floor, where Garcia hits an apron powerbomb. Garcia beats the count but Fletcher gives him a Helluva Kick into a brainbuster for the pin at 14:40.

Rating: B-. Another good match here and in this case it sets up a title match at All In, where Fletcher should be moving on to become the new champion. At the same time, Garcia is sliding down the card and hopefully the solution isn’t a heel turn. This worked well enough for a main event and they didn’t stay too long, which is always nice to see.

Overall Rating: B. This was a good show with the action working well throughout. It was an attempt to have a big milestone show and that went rather well all things considered. They did some good work setting up a few details for All In and you don’t get that kind of a show very often around here. Throw in some solid action and I’ll take this every week.

Results
Kevin Knight b. Shelton Benjamin and Nick Wayne – UFO to Benjamin
Mistico/Mark Briscoe/Hologram b. Don Callis Family – La Mistica to Romero
Scorpio Sky b. Max Caster – TKO
Willow Nightingale b. Vipress – Babe With The Powerbomb
Megan Bayne/Thekla/Athena/Julia Hart b. Tay Melo/Anna Jay/Thunder Rosa/Queen Aminata – Running Liger Bomb to Jay
Kyle Fletcher b. Daniel Garcia – Brainbuster

 

 

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

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Collision
Date: June 26, 2025
Location: ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re rapidly closing in on All In and this week features another Thursday show, which is a good way to go and I would love to see it become permanent. Other than that, FTR is going to be talking to the Outrunners after what happened last week. Hopefully we get to see something on top of that so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone brings in the Outrunners and FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, for a face to face chat. Hathaway thinks FTR should be getting a Tag Team Title shot but they have to be dealing with this first. He is FLABBERGASTED at the Outrunners’ actions and Cash Wheeler is the same. They have done all kinds of things for the Outrunners but the second FTR starts looking out for themselves, everyone has a problem with it.

We see a video of the four of them working together before Dax Harwood talks about the Outrunners becoming a big deal. Then they got a title shot and what happened? The Outrunners embarrassed themselves and that’s when everyone started seeing them as a comedy act. Harwood yells at the fans for cheering for the Outrunners, who turned their backs on FTR. This little shtick might make them money, but it will never make them FTR money because the Outrunners aren’t that good.

FTR goes to leave but hold on though because Truth Magnum sees all of these Outrunners shirts and knows the people believe in them. The Outrunners believed in FTR and then they got dropped in a hurry. They want a fight but Hathaway says we’ll do it next week. I like the idea of tying up the loose end of their issues and history, though I’m not sure if this was worthy of the opening spot of the show.

Dynamite recap.

Patriarchy vs. Big Bill/Bryan Keith

Keith and Wayne start things off with Wayne backing away into the corner to start. They fight over hammerlocks with Wayne’s shot to the face making Keith smile. Cage comes in and gets to face Bill, which has Cage thinking twice about things. Bill shoves him face first into the mat so Wayne gets to try his luck instead. Everything breaks down and Bill and Keith clear the ring, with Keith hitting a big dive.

We take a break and come back with Cage chopping at Keith with the reverse layout DDT getting two. Keith gets in a shot of his own and Bill comes back in to wreck various people. The spinning Boss Man Slam hits Wayne and the Patriarchy is sent into each other. Hold on though as Bill goes outside to beat up Kip Sabian and Mother Wayne offers a distraction. Keith powerbombs Wayne but Mother Wayne offers a distraction, allowing Cage to make the save. Bill misses a charge into the post and Cage spears Keith down to break up another powerbomb. Wayne kicks Keith in the head for the pin at 12:45.

Rating: C+. The more I see of Keith and Bill, the more I like them, though they’re kind of directionless at the moment. At the same time, the Patriarchy going for the Tag Team Titles could be a spot on the way towards their split. That might be a long way off, and it’s not like the Hurt Syndicate has any other major challengers at the moment (no, Jet Speed are not major challengers).

Josh Alexander is ready to win the TNT Title.

Post break, Christian Cage praises Nick Wayne but they run into MVP. He thought it was a nice debut and their first step towards coming for the Tag Team Titles. MVP tells them not to do it, but Cage says never trust a criminal, especially one like MVP who got caught. MVP isn’t impressed and says good luck, because they’ll need it. That doesn’t sound great.

Brody King/Templario vs. Rocky Romero/Hechicero

Hechicero and Templario start things off with Templario taking him down. Back up and Hechicero hits a running knee in the corner and it’s off to King vs. Romero. King takes over and brawls out to the apron with Hechicero. That doesn’t last as King comes back in for a double clothesline and a backsplash as we take a break.

Back with Templario faceplanting Hechicero and bringing King back in to clean house. King’s cannonball gets two on Hechicero but what looks like a Hart Attack is broken up. Romero and King go to the floor and Templario wheelbarrow suplexes Hechicero for two. King comes back in to chop Templario down but he misses a charge into the corner. Everything breaks down and Templario takes Hechicero down with a dive to the floor. The Ganso Bomb gives King the pin on Romero at 10:14.

Rating: B-. It was a fun match, or at least as fun as something involving Romero can be. King and Templario teamed well enough for someone who were out there together for the first time, though it just makes me miss Buddy Matthews all the more. Hechicero continues to do some amazing stuff in the ring, but sticking him with the Don Callis Family isn’t helping things.

Video on Mercedes Mone vs. Toni Storm. Mone is ready to win while Storm responds with a silent movie…which Mone destroys. Mone’s boots have Storm’s picture on the bottom and she’s ready to take out Mina Shirakawa next week.

Toni Storm is ready to beat up Mercedes Mone but Mina Shirakawa promises to get revenge next week. Storm wants Shirakawa to save a piece for her.

Megan Bayne vs. Vertvixen

Penelope Ford is here with Bayne, who knocks Vertvixen into the corner for some shoulders to start. Vertvixen’s shot to the face just annoys Bayne and it’s a running clothesline into Fate’s Descent for the fast pin at 1:47.

Anthony Bowens is officially in the Casino Gauntlet qualifying match next week and he’s ready for a new strategy with Billy Gunn.

TNT Title: Josh Alexander vs. Adam Cole

Alexander is challenging and has Trent Beretta with him. Alexander goes for the leg to start but gets taken down into a hammerlock. That’s reversed into a front facelock before Alexander sends him into the buckle a few times. A fireman’s carry doesn’t work for Alexander as Cole grabs a neckbreaker (or cutter according to Tony) for a breather. Back up Alexander sends him to the apron for the running crossbody to the back as we take a break.

We come back with Cole hitting some running shots to the face, followed by a Backstabber for two. The Panama Sunrise is countered into a flapjack and Alexander fireman’s carries him on the middle rope, which is broken up with some elbows to the head. Now the Panama Sunrise connects for two but Alexander drops down before the Boom can launch. Alexander is back up with the ankle lock, which Cole breaks up rather quickly. A bridging German suplex drops Cole but Alexander’s neck gives out on the bridge. Cole is back up with the Boom to retain at 12:35.

Rating: B-. Cole and the Paragon vs. the Don Callis Family is a fine enough way to go and it gives Cole a string of opponents to come after the title. This was a good way to have Cole get a title defense, even if Alexander’s stock continues to drop. In theory the Family needs someone who is there to take a fall, though they seem to have that spot covered in droves already.

AR Fox confronts Ricochet in the back when the Gates Of Agony jump Fox. Ricochet approves.

Queen Aminata vs. Skye Blue

Julia Hart is here with Blue. They run the ropes to start and Hart grabs Aminata’s foot from the apron so Blue can take over. Aminata shrugs that off and hits a headbutt, only to be sent head first into the apron. Blue hammers away on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Aminata hitting a running boot in the corner.

A fisherman’s neckbreaker is broken up and Blue’s fall away slam gets two. Aminata is back with her hips to the face deal and knees Blue out to the floor. Ford offers a distraction though and Aminata gets sent into the steps, allowing Blue to hit a top rope dive. Back in and Code Blue is blocked, setting up Off With Her Head to give Aminata the win at 8:33.

Rating: C+. And Blue’s return continues to go pretty much nowhere, which is a shame as she was starting to take off before her injury. Aminata continues to be a perfectly fine hand in the ring, but they’re going to need to change something up with her before she feels important. The in-ring talent is there, but she’s been treated like a lower level star for a long time now.

Post match Hart and Aminata have a staredown but Thekla comes in for the beatdown on Aminata. Anna Jay and Tay Melo make the save. Cue Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford for the big staredown. Putting Thekla with the lower level of the division isn’t likely going to make her feel like a star in the slightest.

Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard are cut off by Rocky Romero, who says the Don Callis Family has no issues with Garcia. Romero suggests that Garcia’s friends are just trying to get what they can out of him. Garcia doesn’t seem convinced.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Kyle O’Reilly

They go to the mat to start with Fletcher rolling away for a standoff. Fans: “THIS IS KYLE!” O’Reilly knocks him to the floor but Fletcher is back in with a knockdown as the various Kyle chants continue. A cross armbreaker has Fletcher bailing over to the ropes and sending O’Reilly to the apron for a running knee.

We take a break and come back with Fletcher slamming him down a few times while holding onto the arm. O’Reilly pulls him into a triangle choke before they kick each other down for a double breather. Back up in and O’Reilly strikes him down before grabbing a guillotine choke. That’s broken up so O’Reilly kicks him away as we’re back to the KYLE chants. O’Reilly bends the leg around the ropes and adds a top rope knee drop to really rock Fletcher.

A top rope knee to Fletcher’s knee gets two and O’Reilly grabs some weird leglock. Fletcher escapes and gets outside, where he nails a loud superkick. O’Reilly is back up with a running dropkick off the apron into Fletcher in a chair. Cue Lance Archer to boot O’Reilly in the face though and a Michinoku Driver gives Fletcher two. A running knee into the brainbuster finishes for Fletcher at 13:31.

Rating: B. While it felt like a lot of this match existed for the sake of allowing the fans to do their KYLE chants, the match was a hard hitting, back and forth fight. Fletcher wasn’t going to lose to O’Reilly, but I’ll take Fletcher having to put in the effort to get there. Solid main event here, with Archer being there to help protect O’Reilly a bit.

Post match O’Reilly gets beaten down again but the Paragon and Daniel Garcia run in for the save.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty nice show this week, with the main event being the strongest part. As tends to be the case though, this show only felt so important, with most of the stories being on the lower side of things. That’s still stuff that needs to be addressed, but having two straight hours of it can be a bit tiring. I’ll take this for a special edition of the show though, with the title match and main event both being solid.

Results
Patriarchy b. Big Bill/Bryan Keith – Kick to Keith’s head
Brody King/Templario b. Rocky Romero/Hechicero – Ganso Bomb to Romero
Megan Bayne b. Vertvixen – Fate’s Descent
Adam Cole b. Josh Alexander – The Boom
Queen Aminata b. Skye Blue – Off With Her Head
Kyle Fletcher b. Kyle O’Reilly – Brainbuster

 

 

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

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Dynamite
Date: June 25, 2025
Location: ShoWare Center, Kent, Washington
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

The road to All In is getting rather short and that means it is time to fill up the rest of the card. With the top of the show mostly set, there is still a lot that needs to be done. There is a good chance that we’ll get a lot of it done this week, hopefully with the action to back it up on the way. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Mercedes Mone jumps Toni Storm and Luther in the back and they come into the arena. Mone calls her a stupid little b****, setting up the Bank Statement. Mina Shirakawa makes the save.

The Young Bucks move Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay’s match to now instead of in the second hour.

Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland vs. Lee Johnson/Blake Christian

Ospreay runs to the ring with his boots half laced, taping his wrist and putting his elbow pad on. Strickland is at least a bit more put together as Ospreay and Christian start things off. Christian charges into a boot in the corner and a double big boot drops Johnson. The Phenomenal Forearm is loaded up but cue the Young Bucks for a distraction, allowing Christian to knock Ospreay to the floor.

We take a break and come back with Christian giving Ospreay the strutting Old School wristdrag. Ospreay fights out of trouble without much of a problem and hands it off to Strickland to clean house. Chasing The dragon drops Christian and the House Call gives Strickland the pin at 9:25.

Rating: C+. The idea here was that the new kind of friends were caught off guard by the match (which they were having but had earlier than expected) but then they just had a pretty run of the mill match. Johnson and Christian were never putting them in any danger and the only issue was when the Bucks offered a distraction. It was a fine idea but didn’t really make anything different.

Post match Ospreay and Strickland have to be held back from the Bucks so they get back inside the ring. Strickland is tired of dealing with the Bucks and suggests a tag match at All In. Ospreay wants to up the stakes, with the Bucks’ Vice Presidencies on the line. Then Strickland dives onto the security and the good guys stand tall. So the Bucks are going to insist Ospreay and Strickland put up something too right?

We look at the return of Kota Ibushi last week.

The Bucks suspend Strickland for the week. The Don Callis Family comes in and they both want Kazuchika Okada to win at All In. And to hurt Kenny Omega of course. Okada and Konosuke Takeshita have a staredown and the fans approve.

Kota Ibushi vs. Trent Beretta

They go up against the ropes to start before Ibushi takes him to the mat to work on the arm. Trent sends him outside for a running cheap shot from Rocky Romero. Back in and Ibushi grabs a powerslam, followed by a standing moonsault for two. Trent is right back with a running knee into a Gotch style piledriver for two of his own. Ibushi snaps off some snapdragons and traps the arms to set up a jumping stomp to the chest. The big knee to the face finishes for Ibushi at 7:22.

Rating: B-. Well Ibushi is back and he was….fine. It was the same kind of match that a lot of people on this show, even down to the knee to the face for the finisher. I’ve never found Ibushi even remotely special in AEW and that was on full display again here. I don’t dislike him but there’s just nothing about him that makes me care. Even repeatedly hitting Beretta in the face. Now if he had done that to Romero, we might be getting somewhere.

Post match Kazuchika Okada comes out for a staredown but walks away without getting physical.

Jon Moxley talks about how Hangman Page has lost who he is. Page has talked about how he isn’t special and that makes Moxley sick. Moxley wants Page to reach out and grab what he deserves. At All In, Page will see what a real World Champion looks like.

Ricochet interrupts AR Fox and suggests that Fox join his new team. Say tonight, against Jet Speed? Fox is a bit anxious, but he’s in.

Ricochet/AR Fox vs. Jet Speed

Knight and Ricochet start, with the latter wanting Fox to watch and learn. This leaves Ricochet caught between both Knight and Bailey for some double teaming. Bailey is sent outside for a big running flip dive from Fox though and the villains (or the team with a villain) take over. Back in and Fox hits a clothesline to drop Knight but Fox and Ricochet are sent to the floor. Stereo dives take them out and we take a break.

We come back with Ricochet trying to talk his way out of trouble, leaving Fox to get kicked in the face. Bailey’s running shooting star press hits Fox for two as everything breaks down. Fox grabs the rolling Downward Spiral but Ricochet drops to the floor rather than tag. Knight drops Fox and hits the spinning frog splash for the pin at 9:40.

Rating: C+. Jet Speed hasn’t been around very long and they’re a fine enough team, though I’m still not wild on Bailey. There is nothing that makes me want to see him and pairing him with the talented Knight isn’t it. Other than that, Ricochet turning his back on someone he had been paired with for less than ten minutes makes sense for him, as he has to find the perfect partner.

Post match Jet Speed say they want to rescue the Tag Team Titles. Knight sings part of MVP’s WWE theme song and says they want the titles at All In. The Hurt Syndicate comes in to take them out. The beating goes on for awhile until Jet Speed is sent through a table. With that out of the way, MVP has the Hurt Syndicate’s music played and they go to the ring. MVP says if Jet Speed can get up, they can have the title match at All In.

MJF gets the mic and MVP has to tell the crowd to be quiet. Next week, MJF is in a qualifying match for the Casino Gauntlet match all All In. MJF says hit their music but here is Mark Briscoe to interrupt instead. Briscoe doesn’t want to hear MJF talk all night and the producer told him to get MJF out of here because we have stuff to get to. MJF doesn’t care because unlike Briscoe, they are actually stars.

These people can relate to Briscoe because they grew up ugly and poor. Briscoe loses if he gets in, so go back to Delaware and pick up chicken s***. Briscoe talks about MJF going through a lot as a child so the Word Of The Day is empathy. Maybe MJF is trying to overcompensate for having a tiny kosher pickle for thirty years. MVP cuts MJF off and yes, we get a KOSHER PICKLE chant. So the Syndicate will get out so Briscoe can lose in peace. I like Briscoe vs. MJF, but Jet Speed getting the title shot at the biggest show of the year makes my head hurt.

Casino Gauntlet Qualifying Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Bandido vs. Roderick Strong vs. Konosuke Takeshita

The winner is the #1 entrant and Bandido’s Ring Of Honor World Title isn’t on the line. Taz tries to make this a four way international deal before realizing there are two Americans and having to stop himself. Takeshita shoulders Bandido down to start and gets nowhere so they go outside. Strong punches Briscoe out of the air but Briscoe is back up with an apron Blockbuster to Bandido. Strong drops Briscoe again though and we take a break.

Back with Strong giving Briscoe a nice dropkick into a backbreaker but getting clotheslined by Bandido. That means an Undertaker situp from Bandido but Takeshita shoves him off the top. Briscoe misses the Froggy Bow and gets rolled up for two, leaving Takeshita to kick Strong in the face. Bandido and Briscoe both hit something off the top, with Briscoe decking Bandido and covering Takeshita for two.

Takeshita breaks up the 21 Plex and German suplexes Bandido and Briscoe at the same time. Strong makes a save of his own but charges into Takeshita’s Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Bandido is back in with the X Knee to Takeshita and a German suplex sends him to the floor. Strong knees Bandido in the face and hits End Of Heartache but Briscoe drops the Froggy Bow for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: B. They were starting to roll near the end there and they had a bonus of not having the champion take the fall. Briscoe getting the first spot in the match is at least something for him to do and now we get to see who else is in the match. Good, fun match here though and it’s nice to see Briscoe do something other than losing for a change.

Adam Cole issues an open challenge to any member of the Don Callis Family for Collision.

Casino Gauntlet Qualifying Match: Kris Statlander vs. Athena vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Thunder Rosa

The winner is the #1 entrant and Athena’s Ring Of Honor Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Statlander sends Athena into a boot to the head from Rosa, who sunset flips Statlander for two. Athena snaps off a headscissors to Statlander and we get a Tower Of Doom less than two minutes in.

We take a break and come back Rosa running over Athena a few times before Nightingale Death Valley Drivers Athena. Statlander faceplants Rosa at the same time, leaving us with Statlander vs. Nightingale. They forearm it out until Athena breaks it up, earning herself a double suplex. Rosa is back in to send them both down before faceplanting Athena. Back up and Athena orders Billie Starkz (her Minion) to get the title but gets sent into the steps.

Athena is fine enough to suplex Rosa off the steps but cue Marina Shafir to distract Nightingale. Cue Wheeler Yuta to jump Nightingale, who Pounces the heck out of him. That’s enough of a distraction for Staturday Night Fever to finish Nightingale and give Statlander the pin at 10:47.

Rating: B-. Again, at least they didn’t pin the champ. Statlander vs. Nightingale continues to be one of the more interesting feuds in the women’s division and it doesn’t seem like we’re close to wrapping it up. As a bonus, it seems that we are going to be seeing Athena vs. Thunder Rosa at Supercard Of Honor, assuming they bother advertising anything in advance.

Video on Nick Wayne and Christian Cage wanting the Tag Team Titles.

FTR isn’t happy with the Outrunners for chasing them off on Collision. Stokely Hathaway wants to deal with this and suggests a tag match on Collision this week.

Hangman Page vs. The Beast Mortos

Page works on the arm to start and a running shoulder just annoys Mortos. Instead Mortos hits some running corner clotheslines but Page hits one of his own. A triangle clothesline sends Mortos outside and a fall away has him crashing into the corner as we take a break. Back with both of them missing a clothesline until Page’s connects for two. Page’s sitout powerbomb gets two but he misses the moonsault out to the floor. Mortos runs him over and grabs the pop up Samoan drop for two back inside. Page gets in a shot of his own though, setting up a discus lariat into the Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 9:52.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird choice for the main event, as while it was smart to get Page on the show, it didn’t feel important in any way. Page continues to win on the way to the pay per view, though it’s a good example of a match that could have been done in about four minutes. Otherwise, it was just keeping things going to extend the show’s run time.

Post match the lights go out and here are the Young Bucks to give Page the EVP Trigger. Cue the Death Riders so Jon Moxley can choke Page with a chain. The Opps run in with chairs and Will Ospreay joins them to chase the Death Riders off. Moxley promises to show the world what a real World Champion looks like to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It wasn’t quite the same as last week (which would be far from a fair comparison) but instead focused on All In. The show is starting to fill out and we can see most of what is coming there. They added a title match and gave us the first entrants in the Casino Gauntlet matches. It might not be the most interesting show on its own, but it checked some things off of the All In list.

Results
Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland b. Lee Johnson/Blake Christian – House Call to Christian
Kota Ibushi b. Trent Beretta – Knee to the face
Jet Speed b. Ricochet/AR Fox – Spinning frog splash to Fox
Mark Briscoe b. Roderick Strong, Bandido and Konosuke Takeshita – Froggy Bow to Strong
Kris Statlander b. Athena, Willow Nightingale and Thunder Rosa – Staturday Night Fever to Nightingale
Hangman Page b. The Beast Mortos – Buckshot Lariat

 

 

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Dynamite
Date: June 18, 2025
Location: Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the annual Grand Slam edition of the show and in this case we’re in Mexico City at one of the most famous arenas in all of wrestling. The show will feature a variety of stars from CMLL, including a major showdown between Mistico and MJF. Other than that, we have less than a month to go before All In so the show is going to need some more build. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page to get things going. Page actually speaks Spanish and talks about the importance of working together. He thanks the fans for having them in CMLL’s house and together, they have the best wrestling in the world. Page doesn’t like Jon Moxley and while he won’t be wrestling tonight, Page can do something after the main event is over. That was a rather nice change of pace and made Page feel like that much bigger of a good guy.

Adam Cole/Atlantis/Atlantis Jr./Bandido/Brody King/Daniel Garcia/Templario vs. Dax Harwood/Don Callis Family/Volador Jr.

Stokely is here with the villains, though Cash Wheeler and Callis himself are nowhere to be seen. Before the match, Stokely (now minus Hathaway) says that Wheeler can’t be here (I wonder if that’s due to previous legal issues) so they do at least acknowledge it. Bandido and Takeshita start things off, with Bandido spinning into the gun pose. The X Knee is blocked and it’s Hechicero, who the fans certainly react to, coming in to flip Bandido into a choke.

Garcia comes in and dances at Hechicero, who pulls him into something resembling a Boston crab. Harwood and Atlantis Jr. come in, with the latter holding Harwood up for a dropkick from Templario. Atlantis and Templario clean house until we get a Templario vs. Volador showdown. Templario clears the ring and hits a flip dive and it’s off to Archer, who is sent into Alexander on the apron.

King Death Valley Drivers Alexander onto the apron and it’s Cole clotheslining Fletcher back inside. Atlantis takes Fletcher down and Garcia knocks Fletcher to the floor as we take a break. Back with Garcia neckbreakering Alexander, allowing Bandido to come in and hammer away. A Doomsday Device is broken up and Bandido and Templario hit a pair of super flipping World’s Strongest Slams to Alexander and Takeshita.

Atlantis Jr. superkicks Fletcher and everything breaks down, including a string of dives to the floor. King and Archer have a big man showdown but Hechicero breaks that up in a hurry. That’s fine with King, who gives him a running hurricanrana, leaving Harwood to pound on Atlantis. Back up and Atlantis grabs a small package for the fast win at 15:45.

Rating: B. This was a fast paced match with a bunch of people flying around and doing entertaining stuff. That’s all you need for something like this and the fans were certainly into what they were seeing. Atlantis doesn’t do much for me, but that’s not the point of a show like this so letting a legend pin a more than over former champion is a perfectly fine idea.

Post match Harwood jumps Atlantis and runs off.

Video on Kazuchika Okada joining the Don Callis Family before his title unification match with Kenny Omega. Because Don Callis has to be involved in everything.

Mark Briscoe talks about his history with Kenny Omega and he wants some revenge on Kazuchika Okada.

Mark Briscoe vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title and Don Callis is on commentary. Okada is sent outside to start but comes back in to pat him on the chest. Some Red Neck Kung Fu takes Okada down and Briscoe sends him outside for the running flip dive. Back in and Okada dropkicks him off the top and we take a break. We come back with Briscoe fighting out of a chinlock and reversing a Tombstone attempt. A double down gives them both a breather and they slug it out until Okada goes to the eyes.

Briscoe is back up with a running corner clothesline for two but Okada grabs the neckbreaker onto the knee for two. Okada flips Briscoe off so, of course, Briscoe bites the finger. The Froggy Bow gets two but Okada dropkicks him down. The Rainmaker and Jay Driller are both blocked so Okada gives him a Tombstone. Now the Rainmaker finishes Briscoe at 13:30.

Rating: B-. Briscoe can work well with anyone and that includes Okada working at half speed. That’s just what you’re going to get most of the time with Okada, but there is quite the potential for his showdown next month with Omega. I could go with Briscoe having a better story though, which has been missing for a good while.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Mistico

Naturally MJF has the very American style gear, which looks quite a bit like MVP’s old stuff. Mistico gets an incredible reaction, with the fans singing his song, which is no surprise given what an incredible draw he is for CMLL, especially around here. MJF takes him down to start and we get a standoff with the fans rather behind Mistico.

Back up and Mistico runs the ropes for a wristdrag to the floor before teasing a dive. Mistico gives chase on the floor but is smart enough to not run into the Hurt Syndicate. That’s enough of a distraction for MJF to get in a cheap shot and pose as the fans calm down a bit. A powerbomb onto the knee puts Mistico down again and we take a break. We come back with MJF slugging away and Mistico hammering him down. Mistico tornado DDTs him down and sends MJF outside for a springboard dive.

Back in and a springboard Swanton sets up Mistico’s missed moonsault so he settles for a powerslam instead. A Canadian Destroyer cuts MJF off again and they go to the ramp, where Mistico charges into a tombstone. Mistico manages to beat the count back in, where the super Spanish Fly (albeit not a great one) gets two. La Mistica makes MJF tap but MVP distracts the referee, allowing MJF to hit a low blow for two more. Back up and MJF kicks him low and that’s enough for the DQ at 16:50.

Rating: B. This is the kind of spot where MJF shines, as he knows how to drive a crowd crazy like few others. That was the case again here, with the fans going nuts at the idea of MJF doing such things to their hero. Odds are we’ll be seeing these two again and it would make a lot of sense to put that match on All In.

Post match MJF beats on Mistico some more and takes the mask. That sounds lucha de apuestay at All In to me. Various good guys come in for the save.

Hologram vs. Lio Rush vs. Ricochet vs. Mascara Dorada

The winner gets four million pesos. Rush poses to start so the other three glare at him, only for Ricochet to team up with Rush for the beatdowns. Hologram and Dorada are back up with superkicks to Ricochet and Rush, both of whom are knocked outside. The villains cut off some stereo dives, leaving Ricochet to plant Dorada. Rush dives onto Hologram and we take a break.

Back with Hologram slugging away but Ricochet and Rush take him down. That’s enough of the working together though and Ricochet shoves Rush, only to get caught with a running hurricanrana from Dorada. Hologram and Dorada hit some dives before Hologram tornado DDTs Dorada for two back inside. Dorada’s crucifix bomb gets the same but Rush is back in to cut him off.

Ricochet can’t hit Vertigo so Rush snaps off some poisonranas. A middle rope version gets two on Dorada so Ricochet goes up, only to get cut off. Rush’s super hurricanrana is blocked so Rush rolls Hologram up with feet on the ropes for two. Hologram grabs his spinning torture rack bomb to finish Rush at 15:55.

Rating: B. Here’s the problem with Hologram: I was relatively certain that he was going to win because, well, that’s what he does. At the same time, Hologram feels like he has been in this same spot for months. I’m not sure what they’re waiting on with him, but it would be nice to see him getting to do something a bit more important than these random matches which are rarely more than flying around for one spot after another.

CMLL Women’s Title: Zeuxis vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is challenging and gets thrown down by the stronger Zeuxis to start. Mone’s middle rope sunset flip is blocked and Zeuxis plants her down for two. Something like the Bank Statement goes on but Zeuxis rolls away to the floor, only for Mone to come back with a middle rope Meteora. Zeuxis knocks her outside again though and hits a heck of a dive as we take a break.

Back with Mone kicking out again and both of them needing a breather. Mone gets another Bank Statement but Zeuxis powers up and slams her down for two more. Zeuxis takes her to the middle rope for a slam, which is reversed a super small package to give Mone the pin and the title at 9:17.

Rating: C+. And Mone wins again, which is just kind of what she does. In theory that’s what she’s going to do again at All In, though seeing her with another title doesn’t change anything. She’s just doing a lot of the same stuff over and over again, which is still entertaining because she is incredibly talented, but at the same time, it would be nice to see something fresh.

Post match Toni Storm pops up for a film noir speech about how she’s coming for Mone. Mina Shirakawa appears for a distraction and Storm appears to chase Mone off.

Will Ospreay/Opps/Swerve Strickland vs. Death Riders/Young Bucks/The Beast Mortos

Mortos kicks (the bandaged) Ospreay into the corner to start and grabs a quick Samoan drop. Ospreay fights up to send Mortos outside but the Bucks cut off the dive. Back in and the Bucks beat up Ospreay and Strickland without much trouble and Ospreay’s comeback is cut off. Yuta comes in and hammers on Strickland, which seems to just annoy him.

Strickland fights up and brings in Joe to unload on Yuta in the corner. It’s off to Shibata for some beating of his own before the Opps take turns with running corner shots. Moxley comes back in to strike it out with Joe before everything breaks down. Ospreay’s big corkscrew dive to the floor takes out a pile and we go to a break.

We come back with Moxley slamming Ospreay for two and starting in on his arm. That’s broken up and Hobbs comes back in to clean house. Hobbs does not care for the Bucks going after him and he fights off an attempted quadruple teaming. A powerslam gets two on Yuta but Mortos is back up to clean house. Joe Rock Bottoms Mortos out of the corner but the Bucks are back in with the superkicks.

A double Oscutter takes the Bucks down and Strickland hits a dive. Shibata shrugs off Yuta’s running knee and kicks him in the chest, leaving Strickland to slug it out with Moxley. Ospreay and Strickland team up for Chasing The Dragon on Moxley…but Marina Shafir offers a distraction, allowing Moxley to roll Strickland up with tights for the win at 16:15.

Rating: B. Another wild match with Hobbs getting some great shine, though naturally Moxley takes a big beating and wins anyway, because that’s what he does (a pattern is emerging on this show). Swerve and Ospreay continue teasing working together, which very well could be coming at All In as well. There was a lot going on here but they made it work, which is rather impressive given how many bodies they had moving around.

Post match the villains beat Strickland down but Hangman Page comes in for the save. The slugout is on with Moxley but Page’s Buckshot Lariat hits Nick Jackson. Matt Jackson is annoyed so Moxley tries to bring in the briefcase, which is cut off by a group stare. Page glares at the Bucks to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. I had a very good time with this show, with the crowd being more than enough to help carry things. That being said, I could have gone with something other than the usuals winning, as Mone, Hologram and Moxley winning feels like something that has been done to death. Overall though, rather entertaining and quality show, with nothing bad in the ring and some things being tightened up before All In.

Results
Adam Cole/Atlantis/Atlantis Jr./Bandido/Brody King/Daniel Garcia/Templario b. Dax Harwood/Don Callis Family/Volador Jr. – Small package to Harwood
Kazuchika Okada b. Mark Briscoe – Rainmaker
Mistico b. MJF via DQ when MJF kicked him low
Hologram b. Lio Rush, Ricochet and Mascara Dorada – Spinning torture rack bomb to Rush
Mercedes Mone b. Zeuxis – Super small package
Death Riders/Young Bucks/The Beast Mortos b. Will Ospreay/Swerve Strickland/Opps – Rollup with tights to Strickland

 

 

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

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Collision
Date: June 11, 2025
Location: Theater Of The Clouds At Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second half of the four hour block and that means we could be in for an interesting show. You never quite know what you’re going to get with something like this and last week’s show did not feel like the strongest effort. Hopefully they can do a bit better this time around so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We pick up where Dynamite left off, with Kenny Omega being loaded onto a stretcher but Kazuchika Okada, now a member of the Don Callis Family, gives him a top rope elbow. Then Okada drops another elbow off the apron to make Omega spit up blood. Callis and Omega jump into a waiting car to get away.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Anthony Bowens

Billy Gunn and Lance Archer are here too with Adam Cole on commentary. Fletcher poses to start and throws a crotch chop at Gunn so Bowens drives him into the corner and poses back. Bowens kicks him in the face and hits a running faceplant but gets knocked out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Bowens hitting the running Fameasser for two. They go outside where Bowens flips out of a powerbomb and drops him face first onto the apron.

Back in and a running clothesline gets two, followed by a DDT for the same. Fletcher superkicks him into a sitout Last Ride for two but Bowens’ twisting Side Effect gets the same. Fletcher needs a breather on the floor and Bowens hits a big dive, allowing Archer to take Gunn out. The distraction lets Fletcher hit a Helluva Kick into a brainbuster for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C+. So Bowens gets built up for a bit and then loses every following match. I get that you need some fresh jobbers to the stars but Bowens felt like he was actually getting somewhere before this losing streak started. He has something to him and it would be nice to see that expand, but it isn’t exactly happening.

Video on MJF being the amazing American before his match next week in Mexico City against Mistico.

Spanish announcer Carlos Cabrera brings out Atlantis and Atlantis Jr. for a chat but FTR cuts them off. Stokely Hathaway runs down the two of them, plus everyone that has come after FTR. They’re ready to wrestle in Arena Mexico but don’t have a match yet. Dax Harwood makes fun of Atlantis for being old and the brawl is on, with a bunch of people running in. Atlantis rips Harwood’s shirt off and chases him away. I still do not get the appeal of Atlantis Jr.

Big Bill and Bryan Keith want fresh competition so here are the Workhorsemen of all people to take them up on it.

Julia Hart vs. Toni Storm

Non-title and Mercedes Mone is eating at ringside. Skye Blue is here with Hart and jumps Storm before the bell, earning an ejection. Storm gets in and says ring the bell so Hart trips her down and mostly hits the moonsault for two. Storm fights back and knocks her outside as we take a break. Back with Storm rolling the German suplexes, followed by a fisherman’s suplex for two. A chokebomb gives Storm two but Hart STO’s her down. Another moonsault misses though and Storm grabs the small package for the pin at 7:56.

Rating: C. This was a quick way for Storm to get a win before her showdown with Mone, which feels like Mone’s to win. Otherwise, it’s another loss for Hart, who isn’t quite sinking as low as Bowens from earlier but neither has the brightest future at the moment. Storm is rolling well enough though and that should make the big showdown that much better.

Post match Mone gets in the ring and whispers something in Storm’s ear before beating her down. Mina Shirakawa makes the save but gets taken down so Mone can hold up the title.

Ricochet is still looking for his perfect team. Blake Christian and Lee Johnson come in to offer their services. Ricochet isn’t overly impressed though and says they’re still missing something.

Mark Briscoe/Tomohiro Ishii/Willow Nightingale vs. MxM Collection/Taya Valkyrie

Johnny TV is here with the villains. Mansoor hurts himself chopping away Ishii to start so it’s off to Taya, who gets taken down by Nightingale. The basement crossbody has Valkyrie down so it’s off to Madden for a standing legdrop to Briscoe. The running hip attack hits Briscoe as everything breaks down.

Nightingale drops Valkyrie and she hits a middle rope dropkick to send Valkyrie outside. Back in and the men exchange some shots to the face until Briscoe escapes a Doomsday Device. Nightingale and Ishii double superplex Madden into Briscoe’s Froggy Bow. The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin on Valkyrie at 5:15.

Rating: C+. Another short and to the point match here with Briscoe and company getting a win. None of them have much of note going on at the moment save for Nightingale possibly getting to face Kris Statlander again, but that’s only so big of a match. In other words, this felt right at home on Collision.

Kris Statlander is done with Willow Nightingale but Wheeler Yuta of all people comes off to offer advice. Statlander isn’t interested but gets in a staredown with Marina Shafir.

Bandido vs. The Beast Mortos

Non-title. Bandido runs the ropes to start but his hurricanrana is blocked. Instead Bandido sends him outside for the running dive but a frog splash misses back inside. Mortos starts ripping at the mask and Bandido is sent outside for a big spinning dive. We take a break and come back with Mortos missing a charge into the corner.

A rather spinning headscissors takes Mortos down and Bandido gets in his gorilla press. Now the frog splash connects for two but Mortos hits the pop up Samoan drop for two of his own. Back up and Bandido hits something like a GTS but Mortos catches him on top. The super flipping World’s Strongest Slam gives Bandido the pin at 11:50.

Rating: C+. It’s better than a loss but Bandido, again, has pretty much nothing going on at the moment. He doesn’t have a big feud for the Ring Of Honor World Title and that isn’t likely to change until just before their pay per view next month. Fun enough match, but nothing that stands out.

Mercedes Mone wants the CMLL Women’s World Title so champion Zeuxis comes in to accept, decking Mone in the process.

Hangman Page is interrupted by the Young Bucks, who suggest that they are all in on a big plan. Page wants nothing to do with that and tells them to stay out of everyone, including Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland’s, business. Prince Nana and Swerve Strickland overhear everything. That might be your big plot point.

Thekla vs. Queen Aminata

Thekla moves around like a spider to start before getting faceplanted. A slap to the face annoys Aminata, who fires off some hair mares. Back up and Thekla snaps off a running headscissors as we take a break. We come back with Thekla grabbing a choke over the ropes but Aminata fires off some clotheslines.

A DDT/suplex plants Thekla again and Off With Her Head gives Aminata two. One heck of a headbutt drops Thekla again and a top rope double stomp connects to give Aminata two more. Back up and Thekla does her spider walk into a spear, setting up the Death Trap for the pin on Aminata at 11:28.

Rating: C+. Thekla has a little something with the spider deal but you’re only going to get so far in a match like this. Aminata is someone who has lost so many matches that it is a bit difficult to get invested in what she is doing. Also, again, Thekla is on in the fourth hour of a four hour block and that doesn’t make her seem overly interesting.

Nick Wayne receives a present from (the non-present) Christian Cage: a highlight package of his run in the Best Of The Super Juniors tournament. Kip Sabian says he doesn’t know where Wayne would be without Cage, which has Wayne confused.

We look back at Kenny Omega being attacked earlier in the night.

Daniel Garcia/Paragon vs. Hechicero/Don Callis Family

Hechicero takes Garcia down to start so Garcia dances at him and gets a quick two. Back up and Hechicero hits a running knee in the corner before it’s off to Cole to hammer on Takeshita. Paragon starts with the fast tags to work over Takeshita, who manages to get over to Archer. Everything breaks down and Archer cleans house as we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly knocking Alexander down, allowing the tag off to Garcia. A running clothesline hits Takeshita in the corner and Garcia hammers away. The fisherman’s neckbreaker gets two on Takeshita and we hit the Sharpshooter. That’s broken up and Strong comes in to clean a good bit of the house. The good guys all get submission holds but Archer breaks them up. O’Reilly low bridges Archer to the floor but Takeshita knocks Strong into a German suplex to give Alexander the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B-. Another technically fine match but neither of these teams feel overly exciting. It seems that we’re coming up on Cole defending the TNT Title against someone in the Don Callis Family and there certainly are options, but egads it would be nice to find a more interesting way to get there. The Paragon has felt like they have been spinning their wheels for months now and that isn’t a great sign.

Overall Rating: C+. Well, it wasn’t as dull as last week, but it still wasn’t overly interesting. This was another show that felt like it was just a bunch of stuff happening without much having that great of an impact. The wrestling wasn’t bad, but it’s not a show you really need to see for the most part. That makes for a tedious two hours, though it was a step up from last time.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Anthony Bowens – Brainbuster
Toni Storm b. Julia Hart – Small package
Mark Briscoe/Tomohiro Ishii/Willow Nightingale b. MxM Collection/Taya Valkyrie – Babe With The Powerbomb to Valkyrie
Thekla b. Queen Aminata – Death Trap
Hechicero/Don Callis Family b. Daniel Garcia/Paragon – German suplex to Strong

 

 

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

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Dynamite
Date: May 28, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to start getting ready for All In, which is about a month and a half away. That is going to be one of the biggest AEW shows in history and we now have two of the top matches already set. Hangman Page and Mercedes Mone will be challenging for the World and Women’s Titles and they’ll likely have a lot to say. Let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone brings out Hangman Page for a chat. Page talks about how fleeting triumph can be, but the same is true for loss. At Double Or Nothing, they both knew that one of them would lose and thank you Will Ospreay for giving him the fight of his life. Ospreay can be the man who carries this company forward, but one of them won. This victory is fleeting as well though, because it is time to hand off the Owen title, because someone will win it next year.

Now it is time to win the World Title, which has been locked in a briefcase for seven months. That title was supposed to be a symbol to everyone and he promises to win the title, which will be held high for all to see. Cue Swerve Strickland to interrupt and he shows us a clip of why he’s here. We see a clip from April 9, with the Young Bucks saying they came back to cost Swerve the World Title. Back in the ring, Swerve says he had the title won, but then the Bucks cost him.

Page was in the ring at the same time and Swerve is calling collusion on this. Swerve wants a straight answer: did Page have anything to do with what the Bucks did? Page: “Well, dumba**,”. Page says that he even considered helping Swerve at Dynasty but he implies he wasn’t working with the Bucks. Swerve: “You’re still full of s***.” Cue Will Ospreay to say he doesn’t want to do this but he tells Swerve that he’s wrong about Page. On Sunday, Page came back to the ring and helped him up, which is what Swerve did to him last year.

People are starting to believe in them again, and the reality is that Page is the guy who can get the title back. They have one shot at this and they need to work together. Swerve slaps the mic from Ospreay and he insists he will NEVER work with Page. That seems to be mutual from Page, who storms off as well. This is very reminiscent of Cody Rhodes and company coming together to take the WWE Championship from Roman Reigns and that is a story worth doing again.

Video on Anarchy In The Arena.

Death Riders vs. Willow Nightingale/Mike Bailey/Mark Briscoe

Kidd and Briscoe slug it out to start and everything breaks down in a hurry. Bailey hits a running kick to Moxley and Briscoe adds a big flip dive as we take a break. Back with Briscoe getting over for the tag off to Bailey, who fires off the kicks to Moxley. The double tag brings in Shafir and Nightingale to slug it out with Nightingale hitting a spinebuster for two. Shafir comes back up with a shot of her own and it’s back to Bailey vs. Moxley.

They waste no time in going outside, where Moxley throws him over the barricade for a crash as we take another break. Back again with Bailey being dropped over the top rope and kicked in the face. Bailey comes back up with some kicks to the chest and the standing moonsault knees hit Kidd.

Briscoe comes in to clean house, including a dropkick through the ropes to Moxley. Bailey hits a dive of his own and Briscoe’s Froggy Bow gets two on Kidd. Claudio Castagnoli offers a distraction but here is Komander (facing Castagnoli on Collision) to take him out. Moxley uses the distraction to come in and choke Briscoe out for the win at 18:42.

Rating: B-. Pretty standard six man tag here and the two breaks in the middle cut off some of the momentum. At the same time, this felt like the way for the Death Riders to get some momentum back after Sunday’s loss. The match is nothing that hasn’t been done multiple times around here but the flips were good enough.

MJF is ready to help the Hurt Syndicate retain the Tag Team Titles against anyone. It’s just business.

Penelope Ford and Megan Bayne want revenge on Anna Jay and Harley Cameron in a No DQ match.

Ricochet talks about wanting to get some gold around here but he sees how things are going around here. It’s clear that he needs a group and we’ll be working on that.

Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay/Harley Cameron

No DQ and it’s a brawl on the floor to start with the weapons being brought in fast. A trashcan lid to the back gets two on Ford with Bayne making the save. Bayne shrugs off a chair shot and hits a double clothesline but gets knocked down again. That means it’s time to get the table and we take a break. Back with Bayne getting chaired in the head, sending her off the apron and through a table. That doesn’t last long either and it’s Bayne getting back up to send Cameron face first into the steps. Back in and Bayne clotheslines Jay down, setting up a Doomsday Device for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: C+. This was what the Double Or Nothing match should have been, as it was all about making Bayne look like a killer. She smashed through the two of them and it made for a great showcase. Ford was there as well, with Jay and Cameron being good cannon fodder. Bayne feels like she is on the way up again, and that is as obvious of a move as you can get.

Mercedes Mone arrived in a low rider.

Opps vs. Frat House

Non-title and the Frat House is from Ring Of Honor. Joe is not impressed at Jakked Jameson’s discussions of recruitment parties and the beating is on fast. Joe hammers away and it’s off to Shibata, who shrugs off some forearms and marches at Garrison, even as Garrison forearms away. It’s off to Hobbs for some clotheslines so some of the pledges come in, earning a string of spinebusters. A less than great looking spinebuster gives Hobbs the pin at 3:13.

Rating: C. Total destruction here and that’s what it needed to be. Hobbs looked good enough (save for that not very good spinebuster finish) and that’s something that needs to happen every so often. Occasionally you need a team to just smash through everyone in front of them and the Opps know just how to do that.

Renee Paquette brings out Jamie Hayter for a chat. Before she can say much though, the lights go out and Thekla, formerly of Stardom and recently of the spiders on screen, is here to lay Hayter out.

Video on Mistico, who isn’t on the card tonight. So they promote him when he isn’t there and don’t promote him when he is there?

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Adam Cole

Cole is defending. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far. Cole knocks him into the corner for some stomping and SHOUTS HIS NAME. A superkick sends Fletcher outside but RPG Vice is there to cut off a dive. Cue Paragon to take them out, leaving Fletcher to give Cole a TERRIFYING apron powerbomb, with Cole’s head slamming into the apron as we take a break.

Back with Fletcher hitting a spinning slam but Cole catches him with a superkick. Cole strikes away and hits a Death Valley Driver onto the knee for two. The Panama Sunrise is blocked so Cole goes with a brainbuster onto the knee. Cue Josh Alexander to jump Cole for the DQ at 9:35.

Rating: B-. They were starting to roll before the DQ and it seems like we have the Paragon vs. Don Callis Family coming for the next few weeks. There is a good chance that one of them will take the title from Cole, which is not a bad way to go. This was a good match, but dang Fletcher needs to work on that powerbomb, because that could have gone far worse.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Brody King makes the save with a chair.

Brody King vs. Josh Alexander

For a spot in a four way International Title match next week. They go straight to the brawling with King getting the better of things. They go outside where King gets in a few shots, only to be knocked up against the barricade. Alexander sends him into the steps and we take a break.

Back with Alexander working on the arm but King hits a hard clothesline. They brawl out to the apron, where Alexander snaps off a German suplex. King shrugs that off and hits the running crossbody against the barricade. The Cannonball misses back inside though and Alexander locks up the apron. As tends to be the case, that’s broken up rather quickly so Alexander goes with the bridging German suplex for two. King raises the knees to cut off the moonsault and the Ganso Bomb finishes Alexander (who was busted open somewhere in there) at 14:11.

Rating: B. Take two big guys, have them beat the fire out of each other for the better part of fifteen minutes until one of them can’t get up. King needed the win after a stretch of bad results, though Alexander could use a good one of his own. Either way, good, hard hitting match here, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Here’s what’s coming on Collision.

Adam Cole and Kyle Fletcher get in another fight in the back.

Here is Mercedes Mone for a chat. Mone talks about what it means to win the Owen Hart tournament (which she ties into Eddie Guerrero) but here is Toni Storm to cut her off. Storm says Mone has never spoken to her and she told Anthony Khan how much she wanted this match. So what took so long? Mone says this is about her because she is the Beyonce of women’s wrestling. They met years ago and Mone is no longer a Boss but rather a CEO. Storm talks about how they were in the same place and now they are in AEW where they can be their real selves.

The difference is while Mone wants all of the titles, Storm only needs one (that’s a great line). Storm has bled, cried and died for the Women’s Title. They will meet in 45 days and a little girl will be watching. That little girl will say “holy s*** these b****** are crazy” and Storm will still be timeless. Mone says it’s time for Storm to come to an end. Mone offers a handshake and Storm kisses it, leaving them to both miss their finishers, sending Mone running to end the show. This felt like a major showdown and that’s what it needed to be, as this is probably going to be the second biggest match at All In.

Overall Rating: B. That ending segment boosted this up a bit as I want to see Storm and Mone fight. Other than that, the show was the usual collection of good action as we move towards the four way next week, plus All In a little over a month from now. Good, hard working fallout show from the pay per view, but now it’s time to get ready for All In and that’s going to be difficult.

 

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