Forbidden Door 2023
Date: June 25, 2023
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Kevin Kelly, Chris Charlton, Taz

It’s time for the annual crossover show as we have a bunch of AEW vs. New Japan matches. The entire build to the show as well as the show itself are a total side trip away from what AEW normally does but it is one heck of a side trip, with an absolutely stacked card that has some serious potential. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Mogul Embassy vs. Best Friends/Rocky Romero/El Desperado

Kaun takes Romero into the corner to start but gets dropped with a hurricanrana. The Best Friends come in for a double elbow so it’s off to Toa, who gets high crossbodied. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent to the floor for the big series of dives. Trent caps it off with a moonsault onto Toa as the fans are rather pleased.

Back in and Toa hits a pop up Samoan drop to cut Trent off, followed by a whip over the corner to the floor. Kaun hits the slingshot hilo and Cage hits the Death Valley Driver on the apron. Trent suplexes his way out of trouble but the Embassy does the pull his partners to the floor thing.

Strickland takes over on Trent but a quick shot allows the tag to Desperado. A shot to Cage on the apron causes everything to break down and Strickland plants Desperado for two. We hit the parade of everyone hitting something until Cage accidentally discus clotheslines Swerve. Strong Zero gets two on Swerve but Cage is back in for the F5 into Swerve’s cutter. The Swerve Stomp finishes for Swerve at 12:24.

Rating: C. It’s always nice to see Swerve getting a pin, even if it is one of the less important matches of the show. What mattered here was starting the fans off with something fun and the Best Friends will always get that kind of a reaction. I’m still not sure why Swerve has to be stuck with these guys, as the Gates continue to feel worthless and Cage isn’t going anywhere, but at least he got a little something here.

Zero Hour: Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament First Round: Billie Starkz vs. Athena

Athena’s ROH Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Starkz fires off the kicks to start and a suplex brainbuster gets two. A headscissors into the corner gets Athena out of trouble and we slow it down as Athena prefers. Athena stays on the ribs with some more kicks but the O Face is countered into a Death Valley Bomb for two.

Starkz gets caught on top though and it’s a pop up powerbomb into a kick to the face for two, leaving Athena annoyed. Back up and they trade dropkicks until Athena misses a standing moonsault. Starkz misses a Swanton onto the apron and crashes hard, setting up a spinning gutbuster to give Athena the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C. That’s all it should have been, as Athena is on a roll and Starkz isn’t in here league yet. Athena didn’t quite run her over but it was hard to believe that there was any danger in this one. Not exactly a classic match, but Athena is on fire right now and any excuse to get her out of ROH and into AEW is a good thing.

Zero Hour: El Phantasmo vs. Stu Grayson

They shake hands to start before Grayson takes him into the corner to hammer away. Grayson pounds away and they stand there for the exchange of chops. Then Phantasmo grabs the nipples to take over, setting up a springboard spinning crossbody. Grayson is sent outside for the suicide dive into the barricade, followed by the springboard Swanton for two back inside.

Phantasmo catches him with a kick to the head on top and snaps off a super hurricanrana. The top rope splash (and a good one at that) gives Phantasmo two but Grayson kicks him back down. A 450 gives Grayson two but Phantasmo is back with a springboard tornado DDT. Something like Diamond Dallas Page’s old Pancake (with the arms held back) finishes Grayson at 7:17.

Rating: C. Of all the matches on the card, this one felt the most like “here’s a way to get more people on the card”. Grayson has been in the middle of an ordeal with the Dark Order on Ring Of Honor for weeks now and isn’t exactly a big star. Phantasmo is a bigger name, but I don’t know how many people were going to sit home if he wasn’t on the show. Fine match, but something that could have been dropped with no consequence.

Zero Hour: United Empire vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

United Empire: Jeff Cobb/TJP/Kyle Fletcher
Los Ingobernables: Bushi/Hiromu Takahashi/Shingo Takagi

Bushi gets double teamed to start and his comeback is quickly cut off by the numbers game. Cobb comes in to power Bushi around but a dropkick to the knee puts Cobb down. Takahashi comes in to clean house until Cobb pulls him into an overhead belly to belly. It’s off to Takagi, who gets kicked in the face by Fletcher so TJP can come in with a high crossbody. Everything breaks down and Takagi hits TJP with a pop up Death Valley Driver. Cobb has to make a save so Bushi dives onto Fletcher. Takagi’s Last Of The Dragon is blocked so TJP kicks him in the face, earning a discus lariat. Made In Japan finishes TJP at 7:22.

Rating: C+. Best thing on the Kickoff Show and a lot of that probably has to do with the people involved. There were some talented names in this match and I could have gone for a bit more of it. The Empire losing is a bit weird as they’re around AEW more often, but it isn’t like the result truly matters in the grand scheme of things.

The opening video gives a quick look at the major matches.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

MJF, who still believes New Japan is an indy company, is defending. Tanahashi takes him down to start so MJF bails to the floor, saying he’s already done. A COWARD chant is enough to bring him back in and a knee to the ribs cuts Tanahashi off. MJF grabs a bearhug into the abdominal stretch with a grab of the ropes keeps Tanahashi in trouble. Tanahashi fights out and knocks MJF down for the middle rope Swanton and a near fall.

MJF catches him on top for a good looking superplex and a near fall. The Heatseeker is blocked though and MJF bangs up his knees. MJF is right back up with a double underhook shoulder breaker, which only hurts the knee even more. Tanahashi is down so MJF calls him a joke (and a fan calls MJF a coward), which is enough to start the comeback.

The bad knee is taken out and the Texas Cloverleaf sends MJF bailing to the ropes. Twist and Shout into the Sling Blade sets up the High Fly Flow, which only hits the raised knees. They’re both down for a bit until MJF rolls outside and grabs the title. The referee takes it away and Tanahashi grabs a rollup for a VERY delayed two. Another referee distraction lets MJF hit Tanahashi with the diamond ring to retain at 16:20.

Rating: B-. Good opener here but the ending didn’t do it any favors. The ribs vs. the knees worked well for a story here as Tanahashi isn’t as fast as he was before so it gave him a reason to slow down. MJF gets over for his talking abilities but it is nice to see him being able to easily hang in a match like this. Nice choice for the first match on the main card here, as the fans still buy into MJF’s antics.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima

The fans are NOT pleased with Punk and commentary acknowledges the not so positive reaction. They start rather slowly with Kojima’s headlock not doing anything. Kojima goes after the back to take over and stops to pop his pectoral muscles. Punk sends him outside and pops his own pecs before going outside or some chops. A leg sweep knocks Punk down on the apron but he’s right back with a knockdown of his own.

The legdrop connects and we get the required Hogan references. They strike it out in the corner until Punk whips him hard into said corner. Punk hits his own Kojima style lariats in the corner (while shouting “KOJIMA” over and over), setting up a belly to back suplex for two (with quite the evil grin during the cover). A missed splash in the corner lets Kojima fire off his rapid fire chops and then he does it again in another corner. Kojima’s top rope elbow gets two and a DDT plants Punk again.

Punk knocks him down again though and drops a top rope elbow for two of his own. The Anaconda Vice goes on until Kojima hits him in the back of the head to break it up. The GTS is broken up and Kojima fires off his double chops into the Koji Cutter to drop Punk. Kojima’s lariat is countered into a neckbreaker for two more but the GTS is blocked again. A brainbuster gives Kojima two but Punk kicks him in the head, setting up the GTS to finish Kojima at 13:33.

Rating: B. They beat each other up rather well here and Kojima gave him more of a run for his money than I was expecting. If nothing else, it was a lot of fun to see Punk laying into the heel stuff, as he can shift from one side or the other like few in wrestling today. This got physical at the end and it wound up being a rather entertaining match.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Daniel Garcia

Cassidy is defending (Shibata’s ROH Pure Title/Sabre’s NJPW TV Title aren’t on the line) and it’s one fall to a finish. They all block kicks to start until Sabre and Shibata are both sent outside. The Dragontamer has Cassidy in trouble until Shibata makes the save. Shibata Figure Fours Cassidy until Garcia makes a save and grabs a hold of his own. That’s broken up as well and everyone but Cassidy strike it out. Cassidy comes back in and everyone is knocked down for a bit.

Back up and Cassidy and Garcia grab holds, only to have Shibata and Sabre slug it out with said holds still on. With that broken up, Cassidy hits a Stundog Millionaire but Sabre twists the arm around to hit Cassidy in his own ribs. Garcia grabs a belt to knock Shibata silly for two but Cassidy clears Garcia out. That lets Cassidy and Shibata sit down to slap each other until an Orange Punch drops Shibata.

Cassidy’s hand is too banged up to cover so it’s the Beach Break for two. The Mousetrap to Sabre is countered into a double arm trap with a save being made. Sabre pulls Cassidy back into the hold until Shibata makes a save of his own. Everything breaks down again and Garcia pildrives Sabre. Shibata hits the PK on Garcia but Cassidy steals the pin to retain at 11:32.

Rating: B. The match was almost all action and Cassidy continues to show that he can hang with just about anyone. That being said, I’m not sure how many times the story has been “Cassidy is banged up and facing overwhelming odds” but he retains anyway. The point has long since been made and it’s time for someone to beat him for the title. He isn’t really gaining much more by doing it over and over again, yet here we are (after another rather entertaining match).

IWGP World Title: Sanada vs. Jungle Boy

Jungle Boy, with Hook, is challenging and gets run over by the champ. The threat of a Snare Trap sends Sanada straight to the ropes and Jungle Boy is already looking frustrated. Jungle Boy’s attempt at a Paradise Lock is broken up and Sanada gets one of his own, setting up the running dropkick for two. Back up and Jungle Boy fights back before a double knockdown gives them both a breather.

They chop it out until Jungle Boy gets Sanada’s own Skull End, slowly sending him over to the ropes. Sanada is right back up with a TKO for two but a moonsault doesn’t work as well. Jungle Boy snaps off a poisonrana but Sanada is right back with the swinging Skull End. Sanada’s poisonrana sets up a Shining Wizard for two, followed by a moonsault to retain at 10:37. There seemed to be a bit of confusion on the ending there, as the referee checked the shoulders and the bell didn’t immediately ring.

Rating: C+. This was a step down from the rest of the show, but there was only so much that could be done with the idea of Jungle Boy getting a World Title shot. He wasn’t going to win here and it fits in with his recent struggles. Commentary referred to this as a learning experience for Jungle Boy and that’s rather accurate, as he wasn’t going to win but could still get something out of it.

Post match Jungle Boy seems banged up but is fine enough to turn on Hook (Taz is LIVID). The fans give a very loud YOU F***** UP chant as this team with three whole matches together is done.

Blackpool Combat Club/Konosuke Takeshita/Shota Umino vs. Elite/Tomohiro Ishii/Eddie Kingston

Umino takes Page into the corner for some pats on the chest, plus a forearm to annoy Page a bit. Takeshita comes in instead and takes over, only for the Bucks to come in and pick up the pace. A neckbreaker/backbreaker combination hits Yuta (One of the Bucks: “See you in h***!”) and it’s off to Kingston vs. Moxley for one heck of an audience reaction. They stare each other down and then go to the big chop off as the other eight just watch from the floor.

Realizing that doesn’t make a ton of sense, the others come in for a big slugout of their own until the Bucks hit stereo dives to the floor. Page adds the moonsault as Kingston and Moxley are still chopping away. Castagnoli comes in to drop Kingston as Moxley goes outside to pour water on his chest. Takeshita comes in and BLASTS Ishii (on the apron) with an elbow before Kingston is caught in the wrong corner for some elbows from Castagnoli.

Kingston lariats his way out of trouble but Moxley is right there to cut him off. Stereo lariats connect and Moxley’s banged up chest keeps him down even longer. Ishii comes in to run Yuta over and slips out of a Hart Attack attempt. A back suplex drops Umino and a diving tag brings in Page for the big comeback. The Bucks hold Takeshita over the floor so Page can hit a running shooting star press from the apron.

Takeshita is back up but the Bucks start firing off the superkicks. The Blue Thunder Bomb Takeshita two on Matt and a wheelbarrow suplex drops him again. Castagnoli’s swing into Yuta’s dropkick gets two with a bunch of people making the save. Nick breaks up…something from Yuta and a rather cold tag brings Ishii back in as everything breaks down. Moxley cutters Ishii but the Bucks superkick their problems away again. Yuta ducks the Buckshot lariat and Ishii takes his head off with a lariat of his own. The brainbuster finishes for Ishii at 21:22.

Rating: B+. This was the all action match of the night and that’s all it needed to be, as the score (unofficially) is evened up between the Elite and the Club. You can book Blood & Guts from here and it should be rather epic. It was also rather nice to not have the match turn into a wild brawl, as they already covered that at Double Or Nothing. Heck of a fight here, and the storytelling with Kingston/Moxley/Castagnoli worked well. Throw in Takeshita looking like a main eventer and it was even better.

Post match Kingston isn’t having anything to do with his partners and leaves, as he didn’t want to hurt Moxley.

Video on Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale. Storm is so mean that even Nightingale doesn’t like her!

AEW Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale

Storm, with the Outcasts, is defending and Nightingale’s NJPW Women’s Strong Title isn’t on the line. They run the ropes to start until Nightingale counters a hiptoss into a cradle for two. Nightingale drops her to the floor but stops to yell at the Outcasts, allowing Storm to hit a hip attack on the way back in. The seated full nelson keeps Nightingale in trouble and Storm forearms her in the back to cut off a comeback.

Back up and they head to the apron with Nightingale hitting a Death Valley Driver to plant her hard. Nightingale goes up but the Outcasts throw in the spray paint. That’s enough for a double ejection but the delay causes Nightingale to miss the moonsault. The hip attack into a DDT gives Storm two, only to have Nightingale pull her into an Indian Deathlock. With that broken up, the Pounce sends Storm outside but she’s right back with a poke to the eye. Storm Zero retains the title at 11:03.

Rating: C+. This was more of the same from the Outcasts, but at least Storm was able to cheat on her own to retain here. Nightingale losing isn’t a surprise but it’s certainly annoying, as it seems to happen far too often. Odds are we’re coming up on Storm vs. Jamie Hayter for the title at All In, but at least Nightingale didn’t get squashed.

We recap Will Ospreay challenging Kenny Omega for the IWGP US Title. Omega escaped with the title at Wrestle Kingdom but now Ospreay is back and more dangerous for the rematch.

IWGP US Title: Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay

Ospreay is challenging and seems to be the big favorite. Omega takes him down into an early chinlock but Ospreay reverses into an arm crank. They chop it out but it’s way too early for the One Winged Angle. The Oscutter is countered as well and Omega has to duck a kick, leaving us with a standoff. Omega takes him down and hits a moonsault but here is Don Callis with his “military grade security” for the distraction.

That’s enough for an ejection but said distraction lets Ospreay send him into the barricade and take over back inside. Some shots to the back have Omega in trouble and Ospreay stays on said back for two. Omega manages to hit a quick Kitaro Crusher but Ospreay drapes him over the top rope. That sets up a shooting star press to the back and the Oscutter on the apron keeps Omega rocked. They head outside with Ospreay ramming him hard into the announcers’ table to knock Omega even sillier.

Omega is sent through the table’s covering and is busted rather open, allowing Ospreay to lick the blood off of his own arm. Ospreay V Triggers him to the floor and grabs the Canadian flag to clean himself, ala Shawn Michaels in 1997. That’s enough for Omega to knock him hard to the floor, where Ospreay is sent hard into the steps to bust him open as well. A DDT onto the steps knocks Ospreay silly again and Omega elbows away at the cut to make the blood flow even more freely. Ospreay powerbombs his way out of a choke and they’re both down.

Back up and Omega hits a V Trigger, only for Ospreay to grab the standing Spanish Fly for two. A rather terrible Sharpshooter sends Omega to the ropes but Ospreay pulls him back in and switches to a Crossface. With the rope break getting Omega out of trouble, Ospreay kicks him in the head a few times. The Oscutter is blocked (perhaps shouting OSCUTTER in advance was a bad idea) and Omega hits some Snapdragons. A piledriver gives Omega two and there’s the V Trigger to the back.

Omega tries a super One Winged Angel but Ospreay counters the chance of death into a Cheeky Nandos kick. Ospreay hits a skytwister to the floor, followed by a Liger Bomb for two back inside. Omega knocks him down again but here is Don Callis (the fans are NOT pleased) at ringside. A knee to the face hits Ospreay as Callis hides behind security. Callis’ distraction doesn’t stop the V Trigger but he manages to slip Ospreay a screwdriver.

The One Winged Angel is broken up with the screwdriver to the head and the Hidden Blade into the Stormbreaker gives Ospreay….two. Well that was ridiculous. Ospreay’s One Winged Angel gets one so Omega loads up his own version, only to switch into a German suplex for two. Ospreay Tiger Driver 91’s him for two and it’s a Hidden Blade into Stormbreaker to finally finish Omega at 39:07.

Rating: A. What else do you want here? They sold the idea of two people leaving it all in the ring until one of them couldn’t stand any longer and it felt like a violent war. That’s exactly what this should have been and on almost all accounts, it would have been a bit better without the (awesome) false finish off back to back finishers. That was a bit much and should have been the finish, but that’s a rather nothing complaint all things considered.

Omega has to be helped out due to obvious reasons.

Sting/Darby Allin/Tetsuya Naito vs. Chris Jericho/Minoru Suzuki/Sammy Guevara

Guevara flips over Naito to start before hitting a dropkick to take over. Naito sends him outside though and that’s enough for the Tranquilo pose. Allin comes in to yell at Guevara but gets Suzuki instead. That doesn’t go well for Allin so it’s off to Jericho vs. Sting for the big staredown. Sting takes over without much trouble and hits the Stinger Splash into the Scorpion Deathlock.

Guevara makes the save with a cutter and we get a triple Le Suzuki Gods pose. Naito is back in to clean things out and we settle down to Naito’s Gloria being broken up. Everything breaks down and the villains grab triple chokes, which are quickly escaped. Allin hits a dive onto Suzuki but Jericho hits the Judas Effect to cut off Allin’s sequel dive.

Jericho brings out a table (of course) and puts Sting on it before ordering Sammy to hit the 630 off the top to drive him through it. Naito rolls Jericho up for two but Destino is countered into the Walls. Sting is back up for the save so Jericho gives Naito the Codebreaker for to instead. Naito and Sting beat on Suzuki and it’s an atomic drop into a rollup to finish Suzuki at 15:02.

Rating: C. This one didn’t do much for me and it felt like they were just kind of going through the motions in some places. I’m also guessing that Sting was supposed to get up before that 630 but just didn’t in time, which would explain (not excuse, but explain) his quick save. The match wasn’t bad, but nothing you need to see.

Post match Jericho grabs the bat but Sting clears everyone out.

We recap Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada. In summation, it’s Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada.

Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada

Danielson comes out to Final Countdown for a special moment. Okada goes for the arm to start but Danielson reverses into a surfboard with a double knee stomp to leave Okada a bit annoyed. An elbow to the face drops Danielson and they go to the floor, where Danielson starts working on the arms. Some shots to said arms have Okada in trouble and Danielson cranks away at both back inside. Okada fights up and lets Danielson kick him, which just wakes Okada up even more.

The forearms don’t work because of the arm but it’s fine enough to catch a charging Danielson in a flapjack. They fight to the floor again and this time Danielson is sent into the crowd. Okada is right after him with a big running clothesline, setting up a neckbreaker onto the knee for two back inside. Danielson pops back up and hits a missile dropkick before it’s time to strike it out again.

Okada shotgun dropkicks him into the corner, followed by another dropkick for two. Back up and Danielson goes for the arm again, this time getting in a Disarm-Her. With that broken up, Danielson sends him outside but misses the dive. The Rainmaker is blocked and Okada gets dropkicked up the ramp. The YES Kicks rock Okada but he’s right back with a Tombstone onto the ramp.

Danielson is mostly out of it and the Rainmaker is loaded up. Hold on though as we pause for the doctor, who says Danielson can go, despite convulsing. Danielson is cleared and immediately hits a knee to drop Okada. Danielson declares it time to kick his f****** head in and stomps away but Danielson’s arm seems to have given out.

The YES chant is loaded up but Okada cuts off the running knee with the dropkick. The Landslide sets up the Rainmaker for two but two more attempts miss. Danielson tries the LeBell Lock, only to opt for some weird double arm lock. Okada can’t reach the rope so Danielson lets go and hammers him in the face. The double arm crank goes back on and Okada taps at 27:33.

Rating: A-. This was great in a different way than the Omega vs. Ospreay bloodbath in that this felt more like a traditional classic wrestling match. You had Danielson tearing the arm apart all match while Okada worked on the neck, only to have Danielson get the better of things and tie him up for the win. I had a great time with it, but the lack of a story other than “hey let’s have a classic” slowed it down a bit.

Danielson is banged up to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. The two big matches and the ten man tag are more than enough to carry this, but it doesn’t quite get to that all time level. There are some matches on here that don’t exactly feel epic, but the good stuff is so, so good that it carries the rest. Definitely check out Okada vs. Danielson and Ospreay vs. Omega, but the rest you might want to pick and choose (save for the Zero Hour stuff, which added pretty much nothing). Another awesome show here, as we now veer back into the normal AEW material.

Results
Mogul Embassy b. Best Friends/Rocky Romero/El Desperado – Swerve Stomp to Romero
Athena b. Billie Starkz – Gutbuster
El Phantasmo b. Stu Grayson – Arm trap faceplant
Los Ingobernables de Japon b. United Empire – Made In Japan to TJP
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Diamond ring to the head
CM Punk b. Satoshi Kojima – GTS
Orange Cassidy b. Daniel Garcia, Zack Sabre Jr. and Katsuyorhi Shibata – Crucifix to Garcia
Sanada b. Jungle Boy – Moonsault
Elite/Tomohiro Ishii/Eddie Kingston b. Blackpool Combat Club/Konosuke Takeshita/Shota Umino – Brainbuster to Yuta
Toni Storm b. Willow Nightingale – Storm Zero
Will Ospreay b. Kenny Omega – Stormbreaker
Sting/Tetsuya Naito/Darby Allin b. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara/Minoru Suzuki – Rollup to Suzuki
Bryan Danielson b. Kazuchika Okada – Double arm crank

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It’s time for one of the more unique shows of the year, as AEW and New Japan get together for another Forbidden Door (which does not seem to actually be forbidden in any way). This one has been built up a bit better than last year and the top of the card looks rather strong. If it is anywhere close to as good as the original show, we should be in for a nice night. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Mogul Embassy vs. Roppongi Vice/El Desperado

This is one of three matches that were added to Zero Hour this week on Collision. The Embassy has been treated as something of value on Ring Of Honor and it would be nice to see Swerve Strickland getting a bit more of a high profile win. Vice is a team who has been around in a variety of forms so having them around makes some sense. Desperado is a wild card, but that seems to be the point.

I’ll take the Embassy to win, even though the Gates of Agony notoriously never win anything of note. Maybe it’s different if they are in a six man match, but it is one of those random matches that could go either way. Hopefully Strickland gets a dominant pin over a member of Vice as it would be the most beneficial long term, even if the Gates continue to be rather dull.

Zero Hour: El Phantasmo vs. Stu Grayson

Grayson hasn’t been around AEW much lately but when he is given the chance, especially away from the Dark Order, he can put on quite the show. Phantasmo is a bigger star of course and in a better place, making this kind of a strange choice to put on the card. Hopefully they can make something work out of this, despite what is likely to be a limited amount of time.

Phantasmo wins here, as Grayson isn’t going to win here when he can barely get on AEW TV most of the time. This feels like a way to get Phantasmo in front of the audience and Grayson is the one who was selected to be out there too. The match should be fairly good if Grayson is trying to get some focus on himself and if that is the case, we should be in for something fun.

Zero Hour: United Empire vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

So this seems to be a showcase match for New Japan stars and that should be fine. Kyle Fletcher and Jeff Cobb are regular enough in AEW so at least commentary will have something to talk about. At the same time, Los Ingobernables haven’t been around lately but the talent will be more than enough to carry things forward, as the story isn’t the point to this one.

I’ll go with the Empire to win here as they have been around more frequently, but if there is one match on here where either would win with either making that much of a difference, it would be this one. If these guys get ten minutes or so, everything should be fine, as there is more than enough talent in there to fill in pretty much whatever amount of time that they are given. But yeah, the Empire wins here.

Zero Hour: Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament First Round: Athena vs. Billie Starkz

This is one of the matches that has some importance going forward and it is probably the one that has the least interest as far as who wins. It is almost hard to fathom this going any other way, but I’m hoping that we get the Athena who has been tearing up Ring Of Honor in recent weeks. If nothing else, the tournament works if we can see more of Athena on a bigger show.

Of course Athena wins here, as she is already a champion coming in and is up against a 18 year old rookie who hasn’t done much around here so far. This should be all about Athena running over Starkz until she gets to advance. Hopefully the match is there to get Athena over, as she is more than ready to move up into the big leagues of the women’s titles, assuming they can find someone who can take the title from her. For now though, Athena wins here and does so handily.

IWGP World Title: Sanada(c) vs. Jungle Boy

This feels like a match that is there to further a bigger story. Jungle Boy may have been in the World Title match last month but in no way does he feel like a serious threat to beat Sanada here. Instead, it feels like another place where he can come up short and further what seems to be a much needed heel turn. AEW hasn’t exactly been trying to hide his long at best shot and that is the right way to go.

So yeah, naturally this is Sanada winning, though Jungle Boy should be able to get in some stuff of his own. There is nothing to suggest that Jungle Boy is going to come close to winning so it is more about letting the two of them have a nice match before getting to the only possible option. That is the right way to go in this place and having the title on the show is a big deal on its own.

Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament First Round: CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima

We’ll keep going with the obvious results here, as this is little more than a way for Punk to get back in the ring and get the first singles win of his comeback against a legend. Punk has only been back for two shows so far and while he has been in some multi-man tag matches, he has to have some singles matches at some point to really make it feel like he is back.

In case you didn’t get the idea, Punk wins here, albeit after Kojima gives him a heck of a match. Kojima is certainly a name and a very accomplished one at that, but Punk is one of the biggest stars in AEW at the moment and giving him the win is not only the right way to go, but pretty much the only logical choice. Being in the ring with Kojima will likely be a cool moment for Punk, and having him win will be a nice bonus.

Adam Cole vs. Tom Lawlor

This is another match that was added at almost the last minute but at least Lawlor attacked him on Rampage. That at least puts it ahead of the matches that had no build whatsoever other than an announcement so things are a step up. In this case, Cole is gearing up for his World Title shot against Maxwell Jacob Friedman and gets to face someone who should be in a higher profile company than he already is.

In what could be a hidden gem on the show, Cole wins here, and hopefully Lawlor does well enough to get a job, or at least one down the line, as a result. Lawlor is someone who has done well pretty much everywhere I’ve seen him go and it would be nice to see him in AEW more often. For now though, he can be a nice win for Cole, who is on his way to bigger and better things.

Le Suzuki Gods vs. Sting/Darby Allin/Tetsuya Naito

Naito was the mystery partner for Sting and Allin and definitely adds some New Japan star power to the match. This is much more about Sting vs. Jericho and Allin vs. Guevara, with Suzuki and Naito there as well. The good thing about a six man tag is that you can get some different combinations in there, which could even include the bizarre option of Sting vs. Suzuki.

Much like the IWGP World Title match, this feels like a means to an end but we could be in for some interesting things here as the good guys win. The Jericho vs. Sting showdown is bound to happen and it would not shock me to see them go one on one (or two on two) at All In in London in about two months. For now though, we should be in for one of those zany tag matches that AEW knows how to make work very well.

AEW Women’s Title: Toni Storm(c) vs. Willow Nightingale

This is where what happens to Nightingale is one of the most frustrating things in AEW, as she has to actually win something at some point. While she has already advanced in the Owen Hart tournament and is the NJPW Strong Women’s Champion, she needs to win one of the two women’s titles in AEW. While that is a possibility here, I’m not sure I can imagine it actually happening.

As much as I want it to go the other way, I can’t imagine taking the title off of Storm so soon. Jamie Hayter returning to get the title from Storm (say, in London) would make the most sense and the Outcasts can interfere to give Nightingale an out. Nightingale still needs that big win and she can get it one day, but for now, it’s Storm defeating another champion to retain her own title.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Now stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but I’m not sure how much question there is here about who is leaving with the title. It’s the biggest issue with this show, but that shouldn’t stop them from having a solid match on the way. Friedman has shown that he can do very well in the ring under the right circumstances and Tanahashi is Tanahashi, so this this should work.

But yeah, Friedman wins here, likely with Cole getting involved in some way so he can take the title from Friedman down the line (or something similar). Tanahashi is one of those legends who can be put out there for one loss after another without any kind of a problem and that is what he is going to do here. At the same time, Friedman can brag about beating one of the best ever (and you know he will) so this is a rather logical idea.

International Title: Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Daniel Garcia

We’re at a weird point for Cassidy’s title reign, as he has held the title for eight months and a good chunk of that has been spent on “he’s so tired and banged up that he can’t possibly retain the title much longer”. Then he just does it, beating one challenger after another. In theory he is being built up for someone to look like a huge deal when they finally take the title from him, but that has to actually happen at some point.

As ready as I am for Cassidy to lose the title already, odds are he retains here, as Shibata and Sabre Jr. already have titles and Cassidy already beat Garcia last month. If nothing else, Cassidy losing the title feels a lot better in a one on one showdown, and odds are he gets to retain again here. Sabre getting to torture some people will make it worth a look, but it’s Cassidy keeping the title.

Blackpool Combat Club/Konosuke Takeshita/Shota Umino vs. Elite/Eddie Kingston/Tomohiro Ishii

This is the big showdown match as the blood feud between the two sides continues. While Takeshita isn’t part of the Club, he certainly has the same enemies and that is enough to keep him in this kind of a feud. This one is going to be about violence and carnage as we get closer to what is likely Kingston challenging Claudio Castagnoli for the Ring Of Honor World Title next month. And some guest stars to keep up the theme of the show.

After Anarchy in the Arena, this needs to go to the Elite and company, likely with Umino or Wheeler Yuta taking the fall. Or they can just go for the obvious ending with Ishii pinning Castagnoli to set up the Death Before Dishonor match. Either way, there are going to be a lot of people involved and it will probably fall into chaos about halfway through, which is about all you can expect.

IWGP United States Title: Kenny Omega(c) vs. Will Ospreay

This is a rematch from a huge Wrestle Kingdom match which went very well (though I didn’t grade it as highly as some did). There is a real chance that it headlines the show and if it is similar to what we got on Dynamite with these two, I wouldn’t be opposed. Omega is capable of looking like an absolute star and Ospreay can hang with anyone in the world. Let these two go nuts and it should be a lot of fun.

As for a winner….it’s hard to imagine Omega going up 2-0, especially with Don Callis anywhere nearby. This should go to Ospreay to even the series and then they can do their big rubber match in Japan (or England). These two are going to beat the fire out of each other and it should be an awesome showdown, but Ospreay wins here to even the score and take away one of the main things Omega has at the moment.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson

As big as some of the other matches are, come on. This is the definition of a dream match as perhaps the best in Japan is facing perhaps the best in the United States (and on neutral ground). It’s a match where the names alone make the show feel that awesome and it is almost impossible for this to not be good. Just let them do whatever they want and it should be a main event caliber match.

Then we get to the hard part, as this is pretty much a coin flip. I’ll go with Danielson winning as he is the closer to a home country star, but it really could go either way. Either way, despite Danielson being a heel coming in, there is a good chance that he is going to be cheered out of the building by the end. This is the kind of match that should headline a show and there is a very good chance that it will, with Danielson winning (I guess).

Overall Thoughts

Forbidden Door really is one of the weirdest shows that you see all year and that makes it all the more interesting. New Japan isn’t being treated as a bunch of invaders and only a few of the matches really have personal issues. Instead, this is about proving who is better and we could have some outstanding matches on the way there. It will be nice to get back to the focus being only on AEW, but for a one night event, we could be in for a classic here.

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 24, 2023
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

It’s the go home show for Forbidden Door and the big attraction this week is again CM Punk and again he is in a multi-man tag. Other than that though, we have Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Swerve Strickland in a match that should be great. Other than that, Sting and Darby Allin need a mystery partner for tomorrow night and get to announce him tonight. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Ricky Starks, FTR and CM Punk are ready for their eight man tag tonight.

Bullet Club Gold and the Gunns are ready for their eight man tag tonight.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring to find out who is Sting and Darby Allin’s partner but Chris Jericho and Minoru Suzuki cut him off. Jericho doesn’t know who Sting and Allin could find who is tougher or sexier than them, so they’re done waiting. What matters is that Schiavone knows the partner, so TELL US WHO IT IS.

Cue Sting and Darby Allin, with the latter asking where Sammy Guevara is this week. Maybe he finally thought better of it, because if he shows up at Forbidden Door, Darby will beat his a**. Just like the partner did to Jericho at the Tokyo Dome. Cue Tetsuya Naito to stare Jericho down and send him running outside. Not the biggest surprise, but a good choice.

Miro is sick of his god being a coward and bows before no man. He renounces his god and wife because he is ready to hurt people.

Swerve Strickland vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Feeling out process to start with Tanahashi taking him into the corner and firing off some air guitar. Strickland isn’t having that and guitars him right back before sending it to the floor. A kick to the ropes serves as a low blow on the way back in and Strickland gets to choke away. Tanahashi is sent over the ropes but skins the cat for a headscissors to put Swerve outside.

Strickland ties him up in the ropes though and hammers away as we take a break. Back with Tanahashi hitting something close to the Sling Blade and striking away. The running Downward Spiral gives Strickland two but a much better Sling Blade plants Strickland again. The High Fly Flow hits raised knees but the Swerve Stomp only hits the mat. Tanahashi shoves him off the top and now the High Fly Flow can finish Strickland at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This was a match that gave me some very high hopes when I first saw it advertised and it wound up being pretty good. Tanahashi is getting up there in years and is nowhere near what he once was, but he is still capable of having a perfectly good match. Strickland losing to a legend isn’t going to hurt him, but he does need to start moving up the ladder already.

Post match MJF pops up on screen to say he’s getting out of Canada as fast as possible. He holds the most important title in the world and doesn’t want to watch a bunch of indy geeks from Japan wrestle. MJF promises to do painful things to Tanahashi with his air guitar to wrap it up.

Brody King vs. Andrade El Idolo

Andrade kicks King’s leg out to start and gets up a raised boot in the corner. A headscissors out of the corner drops King again so he sends Andrade into the ropes, where we get the Tranquilo pose. King is sent outside and there’s the big moonsault from the top to take him down again. Back up and King knocks him down hard to the floor with a chop and we take a break.

We come back with King working on the taped up shoulder until Andrade makes it to the apron. The dragon screw legwhip over the rope takes King down and a high crossbody puts him down again. The running knees in the corner give Andrade two but King Death Valley Drivers him into the corner. Andrade is right back with another shot to the leg though and the Figure Four is loaded up. Cue Julia Hart with Andrade’s mask but the distraction doesn’t work. Instead, Andrade elbows King down and the Figure Eight goes on, only to have Buddy Matthews run in for the DQ at 12:56.

Rating: B-. Another solid match from Andrade, who is working extra hard since his return. While there is a very good chance that is to get a certain other company to notice him, I’ll certainly take what I can get while it’s available. Andrade finding some friends to go after the Trios Titles isn’t a bad idea and if it means King getting to maul people, I’m all for it.

Post match the House beats Andrade down. Malakai Black pops up on screen as Hart holds up the mask. The lights go out…and that’s it.

Here are Christian Cage (holding the TNT Title) and Luchasaurus (the TNT Champion) for a chat. Christian is back home in Toronto and now he knows that it breeds losers. He mocks the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors, including former Raptors star Kawhi Leonard, who left a few years ago. Now for a couple of housekeeping items: there will be no more open challenges and you will have to earn a title shot, like HE did. Christian is ready to take the title to the next level. Luchasaurus was barely mentioned and said nothing, but he does get to carry Christian around on his shoulders.

Various people talk about what it would mean to win the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. The interesting point here: Jim Neidhart trained Roderick Strong? That’s a new one on me.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament First Round: Willow Nightingale vs. Nyla Rose

Non-title and Marina Shafir is here with Rose. Nightingale ducks a clothesline in the corner to start and takes her down, setting up the big chops. Rose is knocked outside, where a Shafir distraction lets her post Nightingale as we take a break. Back with Nightingale sending her into the corner and hitting a middle rope missile dropkick for two. Rose muscles her over with a suplex though and then drops her with a gordbuster for two of her own. Nightingale slips out of a powerbomb and hits the Pounce to drop Rose again. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Rose at 8:54.

Rating: C. Nightingale is in a weird spot at the moment as she doesn’t seem likely to win the TBS or AEW/ROH Women’s Titles, so this might be her high point for the time being. She can make a run in the tournament and still be the NJPW Strong champion, but, much like several others, she needs to win something from around here for a change. Maybe the tournament is it, but anything involving more Nightingale is a good thing.

Post match the Outcasts surround Nightingale but Skye Blue makes the save with a chair.

Scorpio Sky talks about how he struggled to get here. Then his success controlled him but no more. He is one half of the first Tag Team Champions, the first Face of the Revolution and a two time TNT Champion. Now you’ll find out who he really is.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Jeremy Prophet

Hobbs knocks him into the corner to start and doesn’t seem pleased when Prophet tries a rollup. Some clotheslines drop Prophet and the spinebuster finishes him at 1:37.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

CM Punk/FTR/Ricky Starks vs. Bullet Club Gold/The Gunns

It’s a VERY mixed reaction for Punk here, which almost had to be expected. While bails from the threat of facing Punk to start and hands it off to Robinson instead. A shoulder drops Robinson so it’s Harwood coming in for a headlock of his own. Said headlock is ground away a bit before it’s off to Starks for the hip gyrating Old School on Colten. White comes in for the save and NOW he wants Punk. That’s fine with Punk, who gives him a hip gyration of his own and then wins a chop off.

The GTS and Blade Runner are both broken up and White sends him outside. The big staredown is on and we take a break. Back with Robinson getting caught in FTR’s Doomsday Device, with White having to make a save. Something like a Demolition Decapitator gets two on Austin (the fans are NOT pleased with Punk) but it’s off to White for a dragon screw legwhip.

White starts working on the leg but brings Colten in for a chop off. Punk gets taken down again though and we take another break. Back again with White yelling that Punk doesn’t belong in this ring anymore and getting planted or his efforts. The running knee in the corner rocks White but the Gunns break up the tag attempt. Robinson’s GTS attempt is blocked and Punk kicks him in the head. The Gunns are kicked away and the diving tag brings in Starks to clean house.

Roshambo is broken up and we settle down to White rolling Starks up (with trunks) for two. Blade Runner is broken up and the Gunns are back in to beat up Harwood. Wheeler takes both of them out and hits a big dive to the floor. Not to be outdone, Punk dives at White but gets caught in a swinging Rock Bottom. Starks gets one of his own for two and the spear hits White. The Gunns are cleared out but Robinson gets in the big left, setting up Blade Runner for the pin on Starks at 23:43.

Rating: B. Another long and good match, but it didn’t feel as long this week. It’s almost strange seeing Punk’s team lose so early and while I could have gone for someone other than Starks taking a fall, it does open some doors for the future. As for Punk, what mattered here was he had a much longer stint in the ring this time and didn’t look horrible. He has a long way to go, but Sunday’s Forbidden Door match should tell us some more about what he is doing. Solid main event, and I can go or something like this once a week.

The winners celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I’m not sure it was quite as good as last week but what matters is having the solid action while also building up Forbidden Door. This show featured some guest stars and we’ll have to wait for next week to see how the norm might feel around here. I liked it again and the wrestling was good to rather good, though it’s still strange to have it be so different from Dynamite. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s certainly rather jarring in a lot of ways.

Results
Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Swerve Strickland – High Fly Flow
Andrade El Idolo b. Brody King via DQ when Buddy Matthews interfered
Willow Nightingale b. Nyla Rose – The Babe With The Powerbomb
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Jeremy Prophet – Spinebuster
Bullet Club Gold/The Gunns b. CM Punk/FTR/Ricky Starks – Blade Runner to Starks

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

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Rampage
Date: June 23, 2023
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

It’s the last Rampage before Forbidden Door and the first show after Collision has debuted. That means we could be in for something very different, though I could go for seeing more of what the show has been doing as of late. If nothing else, we should be in for a quick and efficient show, as has been the case around here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

United Empire/Swerve Strickland vs. Chaos

United Empire: Will Ospreay/Jeff Cobb/Kyle Fletcher/Swerve Strickland
Chaos: Best Friends/Yoh/Rocky Romero

It’s a brawl to start with Ospreay hammering on Yoh in the corner and throwing in some hip gyrations. Yoh is back with gyrations of his own so it’s off to Swerve vs. Chuck. A rollup gives Chuck two and he kicks Strickland in the face. Trent comes in and gets to chop away at Fletcher, who backdrops him down to cut that off fast.

Fletcher slams him hard but Romero sneaks in for a double jumping knee to the face. The Roppongi Vice reunion lets them hit their big Shawn Michaels/Diesel jumping high five. The Empire pulls the good guys outside though and Strickland hits the rolling Downward Spiral to drop Romero to take over. One heck of a spinning backbreaker drops Romero for two but Cobb’s bearhug is broken up rather quickly.

We take a break and come back with Romero fighting out of a chinlock. Swerve hits the middle rope elbow to the back but Romero is fine enough to bring in Yoh. The forearms don’t do much to Ospreay, who rips the skin off with a chop. A running forearm works better for Yoh, even as the fans are chanting for Ospreay. Everything breaks down and Romero lariats Ospreay, setting up the four way hug. Swerve is back in to backdrop Romero to the floor, leaving Cobb to hit the swinging belly to back for two. The Hidden Blade finishes Yoh at 10:31.

Rating: B-. It was a fast paced start and that is how an opening match is supposed to go. Ospreay absolutely feels like one of the bigger stars around here and it is nice to see him getting to showcase himself on a big American stage. Other than that, Swerve gets to rub elbows with a fairly high profile match, though this was more about making Ospreay look strong for his big Forbidden Door match.

Video on Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale, with only Storm’s title on the line.

Here is Adam Cole for a chat but MJF, making his Rampage debut, interrupts. MJF is happy that his new partner got him in action at Forbidden Door so he has evened things up a bit: MJF has gotten Cole a Forbidden Door match with Filthy Tom Lawlor! Cue Lawler (with cohort Royce Isaacs) to jump Cole from behind, with MJF taking his very sweet time walking to the ring. The other villains run off, with MJF being annoyed but then walking off as Cole cringes in pain. This was short but made perfectly logical sense.

Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. ???/???/???

The Acclaimed and Gunn waste no time and it’s Scissor Me Timbers into the Arrival into the Mic Drop to finish at 51 seconds.

Post match Harley Cameron and two masked me interrupt, with Cameron bragging about her musical skills (she did the music video for the IInspiration in Impact). Cameron offers a partnership with the Acclaimed but Gunn shuts that down, saying they already have the best rapper in the world. She gets to rap anyway and Caster is already covering his ears (and Gunn hugs him).

Then she hits on Bowens (Jericho: “I don’t think so.”), who cuts it off and points out that he’s gay (which gets a very positive reaction). Cue QT Marshall and Aaron Solo, with the former calling Caster a John Cena impersonator. The Acclaimed go after them but one of the masked guys unmasks as…..Johnny TV (Morrison/Elite/you get the joke). The beatdown is on and QTV seems to have a new big name.

Swerve Strickland is ready for Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament: Skye Blue vs. Anna Jay

Matt Menard/Angelo Parker are here too. Skye chases her to the floor but a Menard distraction lets Jay get in a cheap shot. Back in and they trade hip attacks until Anna kicks her out to the floor. A not great looking DDT on the floor plants Skye and we take a break. Back with Anna hitting another DDT but Skye fights up with forearms.

A kick to the head staggers Anna again and a high crossbody gets two. Anna’s Backstabber gets two and a Gory Bomb connects for the same. The Queenslayer goes on but Skye sends her into the corner to break it up. Skye superkicks her into Code Blue for the pin to advance at 9:15.

Rating: C. This got some more time and it helped things out a bit. Blue is on a bit of a roll right now and it wouldn’t shock me to see her winning the whole tournament. If she isn’t going to win one of the titles, giving her this is certainly better than nothing. Skye has gotten better, so giving her something like this wouldn’t be the worst idea. Anna has more or less stopped cold though, as she isn’t even doing the over the top insane stuff about choking people out anymore.

Video on the Collision eight man tag.

Video on Jungle Boy vs. Sanada.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Jungle Boy vs. Douki

Yoshinobu Kanemaru is here with Douki. Jungle Boy runs him over with a shoulder to start and runs the corner for the bouncing armdrag. Douki sends him outside though and there’s the suicide dive to cut him down again. A hard whip into the barricade drops Douki though and we take a break.

Back with Douki hitting a running double stomp and getting quite the positive reaction. Something like a Widow’s Peak gets two on Jungle Boy, who grabs a tiger driver for the same. Commentary points out that Jungle Boy is being more aggressive lately (ahuh) as he loads up a table at ringside.

Douki gets in a cheap shot though and a top rope backsplash drives Jungle Boy through said table. We get a LOUD DOUKI chant as he hits a brainbuster for two. A slingshot DDT gets the same on Jungle Boy, who comes back with a superkick and poisonrana. The running forearm to the back of the head draws all kinds of booing as he grabs Sanada’s Skull End to make Douki tap at 10:15.

Rating: B-. This was more about the crowd reactions than anything else, as the crowd seems to be ready to turn Jungle Boy than AEW is, or maybe they just really like Douki. For now, it felt like a big enough main event and the action worked. The turn almost has to be coming soon though, with commentary bringing it up to really hammer in the point.

Post match Sanada (rocking a blue suit) comes out for the staredown to end the show (with Jericho getting in a shout about Sting in the last thing you hear, which is a rather smart thing that he does every time he’s on commentary for a go home show).

Overall Rating: B. This was a rare instance where the show felt like another hour of Dynamite. Normally that is rather annoying, but when there is so much going on at the moment, AEW needs that much extra time to let things breathe a bit. I had a good time with this show and it absolutely flew by, as Rampage continues its recent roll. Good show and Forbidden Door feels that much bigger so well done.

Results
United Empire/Swerve Strickland b. Chaos – Hidden Blade to Yoh
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. ???/???/??? – Mic Drop
Skye Blue b. Anna Jay – Code Blue
Jungle Boy b. Douki – Skull End

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: June 21, 2023
Location: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

It’s the go home Dynamite for Forbidden Door and you can likely expect some matches to be added to the card as there are only four at the moment. Other than that, we should probably bet on some New Japan stars showing up to build the matches that are already there. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Hardys vs. Gunns

Matt takes over on Colten to start and Jeff comes in to take over in the corner. Austin gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over and the alternating villainous beatdown is on. Jeff avoids a charge in the corner though and it’s Matt coming in to clean house. The Twist of Fate (which was sold like a Stunner) gets two on Austin and a neck snap across the top gets the same on Matt.

Another Twist of Fate is countered via a grab of the rope and a twisting butterfly suplex gets two, with Jeff having to make the save. Jeff hits a double DDT and a double legdrop between the legs to keep the Gunns down. Cue Bullet Club Gold to break up the Swanton though and 3:10 To Yuma finishes Jeff at 6:58.

Rating: C. I know they’re legends and I know they have some nostalgia value, but it’s really hard to get through a Hardys match these days. Ignoring everything that has happened to them outside of the ring, they’re looking old and slow, with Jeff always feeling like he’s a step away from a disaster. The match wasn’t awful, but rather something that made me a bit sad.

Post match the beatdown is on, including a Robinson left hand with a roll of quarters to Jeff. Ricky Starks and FTR make the save but the villains beat them down as well. CM Punk runs in for the real save, with the Club escaping the GTS. Punk, in a Danhausen shirt, issues the challenge for Collision and we’re on. Punk: “I’m a Collision guy! I’m not even supposed to be here!”

Video on Jeff Jarrett vs. Mark Briscoe.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Mark Briscoe

This is a Concession Stand Brawl, which is exactly what it sounds like. They immediately fight over to the merch area and Jarrett is sent through a table. Back to the concession area and Mark is sent through a plastic shield. Cue Karen Jarrett with ketchup to Mark’s eyes but he fights back and loads up a ladder. Cue Sonjay Dutt to shove him off that ladder and we take a break.

Back with Briscoe getting beaten down in the ring with Jay Lethal joining in. Papa Briscoe pops up for the save but Karen comes in again for a cheap shot. Cue Satnam Singh to chokeslam Mark but Christopher Daniels, the Best Friends and the Lucha Bros come in to take him out. In the melee, Mark rolls Jarrett up for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: B-. I have no idea what to think of this. The concession stand stuff lasted for about a minute and a half and then it was more of the same brawls you’ve seen for years around here. That being said, everything after the Papa Briscoe interference was great and one of the more entertaining things you’ll see around here. It started of very slow and got better as it went along so I’ll call that a win.

The Blackpool Combat Club, with Konosuke Takeshita and Don Callis, are in the back with Jon Moxley saying that the only letters that matter in wrestling are BCC. The challenge is on for a five on five match at Forbidden Door, with the Elite needing two more members to accept. Bryan Danielson wants Kazuchika Okada out there for a staredown tonight or he’s a coward.

Video on the Collision debut.

Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara/Minoru Suzuki vs. Dante Martin/AR Fox/Action Andretti

Andretti and Sammy flip around to start before it’s off to Martin to lose a forearm exchange with Suzuki. Jericho comes in and does the Le Sex Gods pose, with Suzuki posing with him for a bonus. A cheap shot from the apron drops Fox and Jericho hits a belly to back suplex as we take a break. Back with Andretti hitting a springboard clothesline to drop Jericho, setting up a shotgun dropkick into the corner.

Suzuki chokes Andretti and Martin breaks it up, earning that insane smile from Suzuki in a funny bit. Guevara comes in with a double cutter from the top, leaving Jericho to send Fox to the apron. An imploding flip dive takes out Guevara (and Martin by mistake), leaving Andretti to hit the running shooting star press for two on Jericho (how he beat him in their singles match). The sleeper is broken up and Martin kicks Jericho down, only to get pulled out of the air into the Liontamer for the tap at 10:25.

Rating: B-. This got fun in a hurry as they didn’t bother doing much in the way of keeping things together. Instead it was more about flying around as much as possible and that is what you expect from a six man in AEW. It was another fun one and Jericho and company get some momentum built up for what is likely going to be a showdown with Sting and Darby Allin in some form.

Post match Jericho calls out Sting, saying Sting will show up for the highest bidder. The challenge is on for a six man at Forbidden Door so here are Sting and Darby Allin. Sting puts his arm around Jericho’s neck and accepts, with Jericho wanting to know the partner. Sting whispers something to Jericho and Allin says Jericho will find out at Collision. So what did Sting whisper?

Tony Schiavone and RJ City draw names for the blind eliminator tag team tournament. We don’t hear who they are, but names have been drawn.

The Elite are in for the ten man match and Eddie Kingston says he’ll be there too. He gets to pick the fifth member though.

Here is Adam Cole for a chat. He did everything he could to win last week but couldn’t do it. What he does know is that MJF did the right thing by not accepting the challenge for five more minutes, but Cole invites him to come out here right now. Cue MJF to say he’s better than these people. Fans: “SHUT THE F*** UP!” MJF: “No.”

MJF was glad to see the old Cole back last week but what matters is he had Cole beat last week. As for Cole’s rematch request, that’s a no. Hold on though as Tony Schiavone has an announcement. Cole and MJF: “SHUT UP SCHIAVONE!” The announcement is that the two of them will be teaming up in the blind eliminator tournament (shocking I know). The fans want a hug but get Hiroshi Tanahashi on screen to threaten MJF. Cole thinks MJF is scared that someone might better than him, which is enough for MJF to accept for Forbidden Door. Cole: “Good luck partner.”

Here are the brackets for the men’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament:

CM Punk
Satoshi Kojima

Roderick Strong
Samoa Joe

Dustin Rhodes
Powerhouse Hobbs

Juice Robinson
Ricky Starks

And the women’s brackets:

Britt Baker
Ruby Soho

Anna Jay
Skye Blue

Nyla Rose
Willow Nightingale

Athena
Billie Starkz

Katsuyori Shibata/Orange Cassidy vs. Daniel Garcia/Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre and Shibata go to the mat to start and the grapple off is a stalemate. The other two come in and we take a break during the four way staredown. Back with Shibata and Sabre trading holds again and going to a standoff. Cassidy and Garcia come in for a mini dance off of all things until Cassidy rolls him up for two. Sabre comes in to take Cassidy down and crank on the neck, including a figure our necklock. The arm crank goes on and Garcia adds a leglock to put Cassidy in even more trouble.

We take another break and come back again with Cassidy fighting his way out of trouble and bringing it back to Shibata to kick at Sabre. Garcia kicks away at Shibata but Cassidy and Shibata give him the lazy kicks. The pace picks way up with Cassidy and Sabre fighting to the floor. Shibata grabs Garcia’s leg but Sabre makes the save with a neck crank. Garcia and Shibata trade kicks to the face but Cassidy accidentally Orange Punches Shibata. Sabre cuts Cassidy off and Garcia gets the rollup pin on Shibata at 16:34.

Rating: B. They’ll be in some kind of combination at Forbidden Door I’m sure so we’ll call this a big preview for Sunday. Other than that, this felt more like a Sabre vs. Shibata match with the other two involved than anything else. They got some time and the ending was a bit of a twist with good action to back it up though, making it the best match of the night.

Official for Forbidden Door: these four in a four way for Cassidy’s International Title.

Will Ospreay talks about how much he hates Canada and Don Callis comes in to blame it on Kenny Omega. Callis knows what it’s like to have heat in Canada and offers his private security to Ospreay. All he wants is a fair fight, which Ospreay may not buy.

Toni Storm says Willow Nightingale represents the people and Storm can’t stand them. On Sunday, Nightingale gets a title shot.

TBS Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Kris Statlander

Statlander is defending and dodges a charge to start. Taya chops away but gets low bridged to the floor, setting up Statlander’s moonsault (her arm hit Taya) to put her down again. Back up and Taya dropkicks her off the apron and we take a break. We come back with Taya hitting a double underhook drop for two and a spear cuts Statlander down again. The sliding German suplex drops Statlander again but she’s fine enough to hit a top rope superplex. Wednesday Night Fever retains the title at 8:52.

Rating: C. This was another match where Statlander was able to get a win over an established name to make her feel more like a champion. She still needs the clean win over Jade Cargill, but for now it works as a way to present her as a bigger deal. Statlander feels like someone who could be the next big thing in the women’s division and AEW might be capitalizing on that early.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Here is Eddie Kingston to announce the final member of his team but cue Jon Moxley to interrupt. They get in each others’ face and argue about Kingston’s hatred for Claudio Castagnoli. Kingston doesn’t have time for this though and announces Tomohiro Ishii as the fifth member. Cue the Blackpool Combat Club to beat Ishii down, with Bryan Danielson calling out Kazuchika Okada. Cue Okada for the staredown with Danielson but Wheeler Yuta jumps Okada from behind. The fight is on and Danielson has to bail from the threat of the Rainmaker. Yuta gets hit with it instead to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was much more of the rapid fire “here’s a bunch of stuff for Forbidden Door” in one night show and thankfully they kept it to one week instead of show after show. There was enough good wrestling to make the show feel fun, but the majority was about getting ready for Saturday. The show should be good, as the card looks rather awesome for now. Just stick the landing on Sunday and that’s all that matters.

Results
Gunns b. Hardys – 3:10 To Yuma to Jeff
Mark Briscoe b. Jeff Jarrett – Rollup
Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara/Minoru Suzuki b. Action Andretti/Dante Martin/AR Fox – Liontamer to Martin
Daniel Garcia/Zack Sabre Jr. b. Katsuyori Shibata/Orange Cassidy – Rollup to Shibata
Kris Statlander b. Taya Valkyrie – Wednesday Night Fever

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

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AND

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Collision
Date: June 17, 2023
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the debut episode of the new two hour Saturday night show and the big draw is the return of CM Punk. After being gone for about nine months due to an injury/suspension, Punk is back for a six man main event which has some potential. Other than that, the card looks decent enough so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence, set to Saturday Night’s All Right For Fighting by Elton John.

The fans are chanting for CM Punk so here he is, with a pair of shoes around his neck and a bag in his hand. Punk talks about how he’s back and fired of being nice. This is still the wrestling business and it’s for serious people. When he was fifteen years old, he wouldn’t have believed that he would sell out all kinds of buildings and arenas around the world. He’s tired of being nice and tell him when he’s telling lies.

Punk says he has made his career because he is uncompromising and that makes people uncomfortable. He is the truth and that makes people uncomfortable. FANS: “F*** THE ELITE!” He points out some pro and anti-Punk signs in the crowd and says you can call him whatever you want. He is the one genuine article in a business full of counterfeit bucks. The king is back and he has some things to get off his chest. He has a question for Chicago: why would he change?

If you’re here today and you feel he owes you an apology, here it is: he’s sorry that the only wrestlers softer than him are the ones you like. He picks up the bag and implies that the World Title is in there, saying it’s his until someone can pin him or submit him or it. He takes the shoes off his neck and says he knows there are people who wanted him to leave them in the ring and walk away. Instead, he isn’t walking away until someone can fill those boots. Stop him when he’s telling lies.

I’m not sure how much of a difference this kind of a promo is going to make. If you like Punk, it was great but if you don’t, it was more of the same from him. Punk is one of the most polarizing figures in wrestling and that was on display here, as he took a few shots in some thinly veiled references while also showing more fire on the microphone than most of the roster. He’s a star, and if he can stay healthy (that’s a big if), there is no reason to not have him as a focal point. Seeing what happens when he’s not in Chicago will be interesting, but this felt like a huge moment.

TNT Title: Luchasaurus vs. Wardlow

Wardlow is defending and Christian Cage is here with Luchasaurus. They go straight to the brawling and fight to the floor, with Luchasaurus sending him into the steps for one back inside. Some shots in the corner drop Wardlow again and we take a break. Back with Wardlow hitting an electric chair and driving shoulders in the corner. Luchasaurus catches him on top though and a chokeslam brings him down for two.

Wardlow pops back up and loads up the Powerbomb Symphony but Christian gets on the apron. Not that it matters as Wardlow hits the first powerbomb, but spends too much time loading it up and gets chokeslammed for two. Wardlow tries to pick him up for something but can’t quite get it, instead settling for a powerslam. The Swanton makes it worse and Wardlow is fired up…but Christian takes a camera from a ringside photographer and breaks it over Wardlow’s head. Luchasaurus hits him from behind to win the title at 10:50.

Rating: C. I guess the TNT Title is designed to be the one that changes hands a lot, and now I’m sure Wardlow will get to rebuild himself and win it back, because he has spent what feels like years doing just that. Luchasaurus getting the title is fine enough, but my goodness I do not get what they are doing with Wardlow. He seemed ready to break into the main event (which could use some homegrown stars) and instead he’s just doing the same thing over and over.

Post match Christian grabs the title and celebrates with it, as Luchasaurus never actually touches the thing.

QT Marshall says that Powerhouse Hobbs was never advertised to be WRESTLING tonight but he’s here anyway. He’ll win the Owen Hart tournament.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Buddy Matthews

Julia Hart is here with Matthews. The fans are happy to see Andrade and they start fast by running the ropes. Andrade does his hang in the ropes deal and avoids a charge to send Buddy outside. A cartwheel moonsault off the apron drops Matthews again and they crash onto the announcers’ table.

Back in and Matthews pulls him shoulder first into the post, followed by a knock off the apron and into the barricade. A top rope meteora gives Matthews two and we take a break. We come back with Andrade working on the leg and hitting the double moonsault for two. Matthews gets a hanging DDT but his knee gives out in the corner. That allows Andrade to hit a discus elbow but Matthews is back up with a jumping kick to the face for two. The Figure Four goes on and Andrade turns it into the Figure Eight for the tap at 13:05.

Rating: B. These guys were working hard and the arm vs. leg stuff worked, but egads it was strange to see Andrade get that strong of a reaction. I can’t imagine he sticks around that long but for now, or at least for tonight, the fans were way into him and that is a good sign for his future. Matthews looked good as well, and if he ever gets out of the House of Black (which he doesn’t need to at the moment), there should be a strong singles push waiting on him.

Post match respect is offered but the lights go out. Cue the House of Black to lay Andrade out.

Here is Tony Nese, with Mark Sterling, to lead this out of shape crowd in exercise. We’ll start with stretching, but someone cuts him off.

Miro vs. Tony Nese

Miro runs him over to start and hits some of Sheamus’ forearms to the chest. Nese gets in a neck snap across the top and adds the Randy Savage jumping neck snap. Miro pulls his high crossbody out of the air but a Sterling distraction lets Nese get in a kick to the face. That earns him a Miro Up and a swinging release Rock Bottom plants Nese down. The camel clutch finishes Nese at 3:17.

Rating: C. This was about getting Miro back out there and having him run through someone annoying. That certainly worked, as Nese got flattened in short order. I’m sure there was more to it than meets the eye, but how Miro was stuck sitting at home for six months instead of doing something like this is baffling. He has a presence to him and that is the kind of thing that anyone would want on their show.

Video on CM Punk.

Ruby Soho/Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue

Blue is the hometown girl. The Outcasts jump Blue and Nightingale to start and the beating is on outside before the bell. Storm even shoves Blue’s mom at ringside and gets slapped for her efforts. Nightingale Pounces Soho into the barricade and Blue adds a hurricanrana to drop Storm. The bell rings as Nightingale takes over inside, only to get taken into the wrong corner as we take a break.

Back with Nightingale clotheslining her way out of trouble and bringing Blue in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Nightingale plants Toni with a pumphandle slam. Storm is right back with the hip attack to each of them, setting up the spray paint. Nightingale isn’t having that though and the paint hits Soho by mistake. Code Blue finishes Soho at 8:04.

Rating: C. Good enough match here and it was nice to see the emotional Blue get a win in front of her hometown crowd. I could go for seeing her get a bit of a push towards a title shot, though if AEW doesn’t strap a rocket to Nightingale, I have no idea what to tell them. For now, this felt like a step towards something else and it went fine.

Ricky Starks is in the Owen Hart tournament.

Jeff Jarrett is ready to hurt Mark Briscoe….in a concession stand brawl!

Here are the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn for a chat. They’re so happy to be here that Billy bought a new scissoring outfit. They might as well stick around for Dynamite and here’s a scissoring to commemorate the moment. And that’s it.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

FTR/CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe/Bullet Club Gold

Harwood and White start things off with the latter firing off chops in the corner. A backdrop gets Harwood out of trouble so it’s off to Robinson for a strike off. Wheeler comes in for some dropkicks but a glare from Joe cuts him off. A gorilla press plants Robinson and it’s back to Harwood, who immediately hands it off to Punk. Wheeler hits a middle rope powerslam on Robinson with Punk getting two and calling for the Go To Sleep. That’s broken up so Joe comes back in for the big showdown. Joe chops away in the corner but gets pulled down into a chinlock as we take a break.

Back with Harwood caught in a chinlock before Robinson stands on his head. Harwood finally manages to get over to the corner and brings in Wheeler to clean house, including a rollup out of the corner for two on Robinson. A Rick Steiner powerslam gives Wheeler two and it’s back to Punk for a Demolition Decapitator and a near fall of his own.

We take another break and come back again with Robinson hitting a backsplash for two on Wheeler. Joe enziguris him in the corner but Wheeler grabs a belly to back suplex to drop Robinson. The hot tag brings in Punk to clean house but White rakes his eyes. White’s swinging Rock Bottom gets two but the Bladerunner is blocked.

Instead Punk takes him into the corner for the PowerPlex into Punk’s top rope elbow. Joe comes back in to take Punk out and everything breaks down. Joe gets the Koquina Clutch on punk and White sleepers Harwood. Wheeler breaks that up and Harwood makes the save, meaning it’s the Shatter Machine to Robinson. Punk adds the GTS for the pin at 25:12.

Rating: B. This is an example of a match that was long without being great. There were times when it felt like they were just stretching things out because they had to and that gets old quickly. What mattered here was getting Punk back in the water and his flourish at the end looked good. Punk and FTR do work well together, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it be a semi-regular thing. For now, you can probably get two feuds out of this and it should work well.

Punk and FTR celebrate to end the show with nothing interrupting them.

Overall Rating: B+. There’s a lot to this one and we’ll start with the biggest: it felt like an AEW show but not Dynamite. There was nothing but straight matches throughout and it felt more like a traditional wrestling show. Punk got the big promo at the beginning but other than that it was mainly wrestling based with a few interviews and some talking in the middle. Commentary was a nice change as well, with Kelly and Nigel being SO much more laid back than what you get on Wednesdays.

As for everything else, the action was good, the stories (what there were of them) made sense and it felt like a show that wasn’t just trying to be the same thing. If this is what we get on Saturdays then we’re in for some fun nights. It was a heck of a debut, though I’m curious to see how things are going in a few months when they’re out of Chicago and the new show smell has worn off. For now though, heck of a show and more enjoyable than most Dynamites in a lot of ways.

Results
Luchasaurus b. Wardlow – Clothesline to the back of the head
Andrade El Idolo b. Buddy Matthews – Figure Eight
Miro b. Tony Nese – Camel clutch
Skye Blue/Willow Nightingale b. Ruby Soho/Toni Storm – Code Blue to Soho
CM Punk/FTR b. Bullet Club Gold/Samoa Joe – GTS to Robinson

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

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AND

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

Rampage
Date: June 16, 2023
Location: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Chris Jericho

Rampage has gotten rather interesting in the last few weeks as it feels like there is more effort being put into it. I’m not sure how long that is going to last with Collision coming in less than twenty four hours but I’ll take what I can get at the moment. The card looks rather stacked this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

United Empire vs. Chaos

This is the Will Ospreay (with Jeff Cobb/Kyle Fletcher vs. Rocky Romero/Best Friends) match that was advertised on Dynamite. Fletcher runs Trent over to start but Trent is back up with some chops. Ospreay comes in for a showdown with Romero, who grabs a pop up hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and Romero hits a big dive onto Ospreay, followed by Chuck hitting a big flip dive onto the other two. Trent hits a moonsault onto the two of them as well and rips at Ospreay’s face back inside. Cobb comes in and fires off the shoulders in the corner as we take a break.

Back with Chuck hitting Soul Food to get out of trouble, allowing Chuck to come in or some rolling German suplexes on Trent. Fletcher is draped over the top for a top rope stomp to the back but Cobb makes a save. Cobb drags Fletcher to the corner (because he’s smart) and comes in, only to get triple teamed down.

Soul Food into the half and half suplex drops Cobb but he breaks up the triple hug with a double suplex. An overhead belly to belly sends Romero flying and it’s Ospreay coming back in for something like a top rope Phenomenal Forearm. A series of strikes to the face put people down until Romero drops Ospreay with a running clothesline. Sliced Bread is broken up though and it’s Fletcher’s spinning Tombstone into the Hidden Blade to finish Romero at 12:32.

Rating: B-. This was less of the goofy Chaos stuff and that made it a lot easier to get through. Ospreay is in for a main event level match next week at Forbidden Door so he was the logical choice to get the pin after looking like a killer. It’s nice to have Cobb around again too, but he only got to show off some of the power game that made him famous. Good opener though, as the Empire is a rather awesome collection of talent.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Trish Adora

Taya goes with the power to start and sends Adora into the corner for the running knees. Some kicks in the corner set up the sliding German suplex but Adora slugs away with the forearms. A big forearm knocks Taya down but she cuts off a charge with a boot in the corner. Taya cuts her down with a spear and hits the curb stomp for the pin at 3:25.

Rating: C. Taya got a bit of momentum back with the win here and it’s nice to see that she is sticking around. She has an impressive power offense and that is something that can carry for a long way. Adora is someone who feels like she could be something, but as she is doing nothing but jobbing on Ring of Honor and around here, she has a long way to go.

The Hardys are ready for the Gunns on Dynamite because they’ve been doing this in four decades. Ethan Page falling asleep in the background was funny. Also, dig Jeff’s Shad Gaspard shirt.

Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Karen Jarrett vs. Mark Briscoe/Papa Briscoe/Aubrey Edwards

Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh are here too. Mark headlocks Lethal to start and then shoulders him down for a bonus. Jeff comes in for a right hand and the strut but a kiss to Karen allows Mark to come back. The women get the tag and Karen brings Lethal back in before anything can happen. This time the Briscoes hit a double three point shoulder for two but Mark gets sent outside.

We take a break and come back with Mark hitting a double clothesline, allowing the hot tag to Papa. Jeff goes after him and gets dropped with some clotheslines before Lethal is choked in the corner. Dutt gets dropped as well and a clothesline puts Jeff down. Jericho: “PAPA BRISCOE IS MY FAVORITE WRESTLER!” Now we get the catfight between Karen and Aubrey, with the latter grabbing some hair mares. Karen rakes the eyes and grabs the guitar but Aubrey takes it away. Lethal breaks up the big swing so Singh offers a distraction, allowing Aubrey to guitar Lethal. A Figure Four makes Karen tap at 9:40.

Rating: C+. The match was entertaining enough as Papa Briscoe continues to steal the show anytime he’s around. As for Aubrey vs. Karen….I’m still not sure why I’m supposed to be excited about a referee beating up a manager who has been around for all of a month but at least it was a short segment. Now hopefully everyone can move on, as the story should be done.

Taya Valkyrie is happy with her win and is tired of hearing about Kris Statlander. Cue Statlander, who will put out a TBS Title challenge for next week. Taya says she’ll be shaking in her furry boots.

Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita interrupt Mark Henry, with Callis promising to take out Bandido tonight and hyping up Takeshita in Spanish.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Bandido

Don Callis is on commentary as Takeshita misses the running knee. The 21 Plex is blocked and Takeshita sends him outside for a slingshot dive. Back in and Bandido loads up the delayed suplex but Takeshita is a bit too tall, meaning it’s just a regular suplex instead. Bandido sends him hard to the floor, which is enough for Callis to come down to ringside. The distraction lets Takeshita take over and we go to a break.

Back with Bandido slugging away at Takeshita and hitting the corkscrew high crossbody. A tornado DDT plants Takeshita again and a big moonsault to the floor makes it worse. Takeshita is right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two but Bandido hits the one armed gorilla press. A frog splash gives Bandido two and they both go up top.

Takeshita blasts him with a lariat off the top (as in they were both standing on the top) for two but the running knee is blocked again. The 21 Plex is countered with a backflip though (that was impressive) but Bandido backflips out of a German suplex as well. Takeshita misses another running knee and a Code Red gives Bandido two. Back up and Takeshita hits the running knee, followed by another to the side of the head for the pin at 15:13.

Rating: B+. There are certain matches where you know they’re going to work as soon as they’re announced and that was the case here. How was Bandido vs. Takeshita, especially with a lot of time, not going to be awesome? They cranked it up even harder during the last few minutes and wound up having one of the better matches I’ve seen on Rampage. Takeshita gets a win over a proven star as he is on his way to a showdown with Kenny Omega, making this a match that was good on its own and served a longer term purpose.

Overall Rating: B. Again, where was this Rampage for months? They aren’t so much going with the important storylines but rather putting on good matches up and down the card. The worst match was a completely fine Taya vs. Adora match so things were certainly looking up here. Just do stuff that lets the audience have fun without making it feel like the most important thing in the world at the moment and it’s a very easy and entertaining hour long show.

Results
United Empire b. Chaos – Hidden Blade to Romero
Taya Valkyrie b. Trish Adora – Curb stomp
Mark Briscoe/Papa Briscoe/Aubrey Edwards b. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal/Aubrey Edwards – Figure Four to Karen
Konosuke Takeshita b. Bandido – Running knee

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: June 14, 2023
Location: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back at the location of the first ever Dynamite and that means we should be in for a big match. In this case, we are about a week and a half away from Forbidden Door and some more matches need to be announced. The top matches have been confirmed, but that still leaves a good bit of work to do. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Adam Cole

Non-title but if Cole wins, he gets a future title shot. They go toe to toe to start and then lock up with MJF getting in the first knockdown. That means some strutting but MJF has to bail away from the threat of a superkick. Hold on though as MJF goes into the crowd to knock a fan’s hat off. Back in and MJF knocks him into the corner but gets sent into the corner to even things out.

Cole’s baseball slide is countered as MJF ties him up in the ring skirt. Cole’s hand is crushed against the steps and it’s time for the armbar back inside. The arm gets twisted down again and a pumphandle driver gives MJF two. MJF does the Shawn Michaels pose and tunes up the band but Cole beats him to the superkick. Cole drops him again but the Panama Sunrise is countered.

The Heatseeker is countered as well and Cole hits a shoulder breaker for two. The fireman’s carry backbreaker hits MJF but Cole bangs up his own knee in the process. With both of them down, they roll over to the apron, where MJF hits a Tombstone to put them both down. We take a break and come back with MJF hitting a hard clothesline but getting pulled into the Crossface. MJF reverses into a Fujiwara armbar, which is reversed into an ankle lock.

That’s escaped as well and now the Heatseeker gives MJF two. A top rope elbow sends Cole through the timekeeper’s table and they’re both down. Cole dives back in to beat the count and MJF is looking terrified. A German suplex drops MJF on the apron but MJF falls down before the Panama Sunrise. MJF gets in a quick stomp on the arm but Cole’s rollup is kicked into the referee to knock him down.

Back up and MJF grabs the title and falls down….only to have the referee fall down as well. A belt shot and the Boom give Cole two for a shocked near fall look. MJF grabs the referee to kick Cole low, meaning it’s time for the diamond ring. The referee catches the big swing though and it’s a superkick into the Panama Sunrise into the Boom for….two as the time limit expires at 29:54 (close enough).

Rating: B. That certainly was an Adam Cole match, as it had a bunch of totally ridiculous kickouts and near falls but there was enough good action to go with it. They were kind of telegraphing the time limit by the end but it does set up a rematch at some point down the road. For a free TV match, this was rather good, though cut out the nonsense with the near falls and dropping them on their heads on the apron.

Post match Cole says “five more minutes” but MJF walks out.

Video on CM Punk, who is back at Collision and says he has scores to settle and things to get off his chest.

Here is Sammy Guevara for the first time since Double Or Nothing. He talks about being excited to be a father and how he’s looking forward to holding his daughter in one arm and the World Title in the other. Cue Darby Allin to interrupt and he immediately congratulates him on the daughter. That brings him to the important question though: is Sammy always going to walk in Chris Jericho’s shadow?

Allin and Sting are equals, so why aren’t Sammy and Jericho? Cue Jericho (in what appear to be sparkly high heels), who wants to know why Sammy didn’t ask for help to win the World Title. Sammy says if Jericho had called for help, he wouldn’t have lost to Adam Cole twice. Jericho isn’t happy but suggests a tag match, so here is Sting to even things up. They compare bats and Jericho backs off.

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Sanada issues an open challenge for Forbidden Door.

Keith Lee/Sting/Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy vs. Mogul Embassy

Dustin Rhodes is here with Sting and company. Allin and Cassidy’s dives are cut off but Allin is fine enough to come back in for running charges to Swerve in the corner. Sting adds his own but Cage (in Sting cosplay) pulls Sting outside. We take a break and come back with Swerve working on Allin’s arm.

Cassidy tries to make a save but gets sent outside, leaving Allin to get caught in a chinlock. Allin fights up and brings in Lee to clean house. A huge Tower of Doom plants Lee out of the corner for two as everything breaks down. Sting gets knocked hard into the corner but Lee makes the save. A clothesline drops Cage but he gets Sting up into a fireman’s carry. The Orange Punch into the Scorpion Death Drop finishes Cage at 8:46.

Rating: C+. There was a lot going on here but it was nice to have Sting back in the ring for another one off match. AEW has done a good job with making that feel special, though having him pin cage when the Gates of Agony are right there is a bit of a weird choice. Otherwise, fun enough match, even with the break cutting out a lot of it.

The Gunns want to face the Hardys next week.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Jake Hager

Wardlow is defending and gets jumped from behind during their entrances as we start fast. The beating doesn’t last long as Wardlow powers up and knocks him outside, with a clothesline dropping Hager as we take a break. Back with Wardlow escaping an ankle lock but here is the Jericho Appreciation Society. Arn teases pulling out his gun but Brock Anderson comes out for the save instead. With the gun tease done, Hager powerslams Wardlow for two but the Vader Bomb hits raised boots. The Swanton connects and the Powerbomb Symphony retains the title at 7:14.

Rating: C. It was another short match with Wardlow getting to wreck someone else before he gets to his next big title defense. The Anderson stuff still doesn’t feel like the most logical pairing for Wardlow, but at least he’s back to powerbombing people. Not much to this one, but Hager is fine enough for a one off challenger.

Post match Christian Cage and Luchasaurus pop up to challenge Wardlow for Collision. They’ve attacked Arn Anderson and busted him open, with Wardlow running to the back.

Hiroshi Tanahashi challenges MJF for Forbidden Door.

MJF says he’s not down for giving some random guy from a rinky dink promotion in Japan a title shot so nah.

Orange Cassidy is ready for Forbidden Door when Zack Sabre Jr. comes in. A title match is teased when Daniel Garcia comes in to ask about Katsuyori Shibata. Cassidy says Shibata will be here next week, so the tag match is on.

Women’s Title: Skye Blue vs. Toni Storm

Storm, with Ruby Soho, is defending. Blue starts fast and hits a high crossbody for an early two. With Storm outside, she and Soho spray paint in the face of Blue’s mom, setting up the double suicide dive as we take a break. Back with Blue in trouble but she cuts off the spray paint with a spray can of her own. A superkick drops Storm and Code Blue connects but Soho has the referee. There’s a superkick to Soho but Blue charges into Storm Zero for two (in a nice false finish). The Texas Cloverleaf retains the title a few moments later at 6:58.

Rating: C. They packed a lot into this and while it was only so good, Blue didn’t feel like a total pushover. The Outcasts don’t really have a big story at the moment so having Storm beat someone in a TV title defense is a smart way to go. It’s going to take some combination to take the Outcasts down, and Blue being part of it would be an acceptable idea.

Post match the beatdown is on but Willow Nightingale makes the save.

Jungle Boy accepts Sanada’s title for the IWGP Title shot at Forbidden Door. He also wants Hook, his best friend, to be in his corner. A fist bump makes it official.

Forbidden Door video.

Forbidden Door rundown.

Bullet Club Gold is ready for CM Punk and FTR.

Collision rundown, including Miro and Andrade El Idolo’s returns to the ring.

Hangman Page/Young Bucks vs. Blackpool Combat Club

Bryan Danielson is on commentary. It’s a slugout to start (with Matt Jackson hanging in a fist fight with Claudio Castagnoli) before the Elite takes over with the power of flips and dives. Nick high crossbodies Moxley but Claudio pulls a moonsault out of the air for the pop up uppercut. Back in and Moxley’s piledriver gets two and we take a break.

We come back with Nick dropkicking his way out of trouble and bringing Page in to clean house. A suicide dive connects on the floor and a high crossbody gets two on Yuta. Everything breaks down and Yuta’s German suplex gets two on Matt. It’s back to Moxley for a Doomsday Device and a near fall, followed by the choke to Matt. Nick Swantons in for the save and the Club’s Rocket Launcher only hits raised knees. The BTE Trigger hits Yuta and the Buckshot Lariat connects for the pin at 11:53.

Rating: B. At some point the Club had to show some vulnerability and that’s what we got here. The Elite taking them down isn’t a stretch and it was a former World Champion pinning the weakest member of the Club. Everything went well here and it was a fast paced match, which made for a pretty awesome main event.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Eddie Kingston runs in for the save. Kingston goes after Claudio but pulls the Bucks off of Moxley. Kingston and Moxley go face to face but here is Konosuke Takeshita to jump Kingston and the Elite. Kenny Omega runs to the ring for the brawl with Takeshita and house is cleaned. Omega loads up the dive but Will Ospreay comes in to take Omega down. A pair of Hidden Blades drops Omega to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a pretty great show, with the opener and main event both being very good, but also with the Forbidden Door build being sprinkled throughout. This year’s build has blown away last years as it has been one piece at a time rather than a bunch of stuff being thrown out there all at once. There was nothing really close to bad here and even with the middle being just ok, the two hours flew by and it made for a quality as well as useful show.

Results
Adam Cole vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman went to a time limit draw
Keith Lee/Sting/Darby Allin/Orange Cassidy b. Mogul Embassy – Scorpion Death Drop to Cage
Wardlow b. Jake Hager – Powerbomb Symphony
Toni Storm b. Skye Blue – Texas Cloverleaf
Hangman Page/Young Bucks b. Blackpool Combat Club – Buckshot Lariat to Yuta

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

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Rampage
Date: June 9, 2023
Location: Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re back to normal this week after last week’s rather interesting turn towards a bunch of other stuff. Forbidden Door has started to take shape and there is a good chance that we’ll hear more about it this week. In addition, we have a four way for a shot next week at the AEW Women’s Title. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Lucha Bros/Bandido vs. Big Bill/Ethan Page/Lee Moriarty

Fenix hurricanranas Page to start but Page is right back with one of his own. With that standoff, Bandido and Moriarty, the latter dancing, come in for a change. Bandido picks up the pace and snaps off a top rope corkscrew crossbody, followed by a hurricanrana of his own. Penta and Bill come in to complete the trilogy of showdowns. Bill isn’t impressed by CERO MIEDO so he pulls Penta out of the air.

Everything breaks down and Penta clears the ring but Bill breaks up the dive. The fight continues on the floor with Moriarty taking over on Bandido, followed by Bill choking Penta inside. We take a break and come back with Penta striking away, allowing the hot tag off to Bandido. That doesn’t exactly last long as Bill kicks him in the face and Page adds a powerslam for two. Bandido enziguris his way out of trouble and brings Fenix in to really clean house.

A superkick drops Fenix and the Bros kick Bill down. Bandido hits the big dive to the floor and the Bros kick away a lot more. Moriarty is back in with a discus forearm to Bandido but Fenix drops him with a rolling cutter. The spike Fear Factor plants Moriarty on the apron but Bandido’s moonsault hits raised boots. The Ego’s Edge is loaded up, only to have the Hardys come out to say they’re disappointed in him. He’s told to extend his Hardy sleeves, but the distraction lets Bandido hit the 21 Plex for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of opening match that has worked forever and it did so again here. The fans are going to react to the flying and the flipping not matter what and you had three very good ones here. The former Firm are good enough for low level goons and if they stay around that area, everything should be fine.

QTV wants to be edgier on the way to Collision. Solo: “What if we buy the fans ice cream?” Or they could make an announcement that they have an announcement. Instead, they decide to give us a Collision preview.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Caleb Crush

Hobbs drops him ribs first onto the top rope to start and tosses him around a bit. The spinebuster finishes Crush at 1:09.

Arn Anderson says his son Brock will be ok but Christian Cage and Luchasaurus made a mistake. Wardlow agrees, but he’s ready for his match with Jake Hager on Dynamite.

Spanish Announce Project vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

Caster’s rap is about the Denver Nuggets, Pride Month and Lauren Boebert (he’s not a fan of one of the three). Angelico tries to scissor with Bowens but misses three times in a row. A knee works a bit better but Bowens is right back up with a dropkick to send him into the corner. Serpentico comes in and is sent outside, with Luther quickly joining him.

Scissor Me Timbers his Angelico but Serpentico breaks up scissoring. Luther does as well and we take a break. In THIS match? Back with Gunn coming in to clean house but Angelico enziguris him down so Luther can get two. The Acclaimed come in for a kind of torture rack faceplant/enziguri combination to Luther. The Arrival and Mic Drop finish him off at 8:25.

Rating: C. Bit longer than it needed to be for Gunn and the Acclaimed to beat these goofs but at least they got to the right ending. I’m still not sure what is next for them but after losing the Trios Title shot, there isn’t much at the moment. The fans still seem interested in them so maybe they can find something new, but for now, this is about all they can be doing.

Dynamite recap.

Renee Young brings out Jeff Jarrett and company (Serpentico’s team can get a name but these guys just have one name after another) for a chat. Karen Jarrett cuts things off though and wants Aubrey Edwards out here right now. Cue Aubrey and Mark Briscoe, with Aubrey threatening violence. Briscoe says simmer down, but he has some bad news. AEW won’t sanction a Karen vs. Aubrey match, but he can get a mixed trios match, which has Dutt planning things out. We’ll have the Jarretts and Lethal vs. Aubrey/Briscoe and…..PAPA BRISCOE? That’s going to be bonkers and at least they’re not in the title picture anymore.

Video on the women’s four way.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Skye Blue vs. Britt Baker vs. Nyle Rose

For a Women’s Title match next week on Dynamite. It’s a brawl to start as Marina Shafir (Rose’s manager) comes in to choke Martinez. Hikaru Shida runs in to chase her off with the kendo stick as we take a break. Back with Baker shoving Rose off the top for a big crash to the apron and then the floor.

A Sling Blade gives Baker one on Martinez but Lockjaw is broken up by Rose. Baker and Sky superkick away at Rose before Baker kicks Skye down. Rose is back up with a chokeslam to Baker, with Martinez making the save this time. Baker’s Stomp hits Rose but Martinez kicks her to the floor. With Baker and Martinez on the floor, Blue grabs Code Blue for the pin and the title shot at 8:54. Baker’s “Huh, well what do you know about that?” look is rather good.

Rating: C+. Good enough here and it sets Blue up as the next victim for the Outcasts. The other positive thing about one of these matches is that you can have Blue get a win without hurting two of the other women in the match, with Baker being a prime example. Martinez being back is a nice boost as well, as having a veteran who can make anyone look better is always a plus. Fine enough main event and it sets up a Dynamite title match, which is all you can ask for here.

Overall Rating: C+. This was back to normal for Rampage, with a lot of stuff that was entertaining but felt like things that weren’t interesting or important enough for Dynamite. With Collision coming up, I’m almost scared to see how far Rampage falls, as the likely star power around here very well could plummet. For now though, nice effort, even if it is probably one of the last times Rampage might matter.

Results
Lucha Bros/Bandido b. Lee Moriarty/Big Bill/Ethan Page – 21 Plex to Page
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Caleb Crush – Spinebuster
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Spanish Announce Project – Mic Drop to Luther
Skye Blue b. Nyla Rose, Britt Baker and Mercedes Martinez – Code Blue to Rose

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 7, 2023
Location: Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We are less than a month away from Forbidden Door and there is a good chance that some matches will be made official tonight. A few matches have either been teased or all but confirmed so now the only thing left to do is confirm them. At the same time, we have another big Collision announcement so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Swerve Strickland

Cassidy is defending and Prince Nana is here with Strickland. The hands are quickly in the pockets for the early exchange of flips until Strickland takes him down. Strickland goes after the arm but Cassidy is up into a bit of a lazy octopus. A headscissors sens Strickland outside, where he puts his hands in his pockets. Cassidy follows but gets sent into the barricade, followed by his hand being sent into the post. Back in and Cassidy knocks him to the floor again, setting up a suicide dive. They both go up top and crash down onto the buckle to send us to a break.

Back with Cassidy knocking Strickland down and hitting some rather lazy right hands. The tornado DDT sends Strickland to the apron, where he pulls Cassidy off the ropes with a Death Valley Driver. Since it’s just a Death Valley Driver on the apron, Cassidy is back up with a running DDT off the apron. A top rope DDT gives Cassidy two more back inside but Nana gets up on the apron.

Strickland is sent into him though and it’s the Orange Punch into the Beach Break for a rather near fall. Cassidy dives at Strickland on the floor but gets caught with a brainbuster. The House call connects back inside and the Swerve Stomp gets two more. Strickland grabs a rollup with tights for two, only to have Cassidy reverse into one of his own, also with tights, for the retaining pin at 15:38.

Rating: B. So yeah, Cassidy wins again, as he goes over someone else who has been needing a big win. At this point, I’m not sure who is supposed to beat Cassidy but there’s a good chance that the run will keep going for a long time. It was an entertaining and fast paced match, but Cassidy needs to put someone over already, as we’re almost at eight months of this reign. Oh and please stop ruining the DDT even more. The move is dead. Move on already.

Post match the Mogul Embassy runs in for the save but the lights go out it’s….Sting/Darby Allin for the save.

Video on Ricky Starks vs. Jay White, who have their big showdown tonight.

Video on Bryan Danielson challenging Kazuchika Okada for Forbidden Door, with the match being officially made.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Chaos

It’s Rocky Romero/Best Friends for Chaos and Bryan Danielson is on commentary. Taylor throws a chair at Moxley to start fast and the Club is sent outside. After a rather chaotic hug, the Club is back in with a Hart Attack for two on Taylor as we take a break. Back with Romero and Barreta cleaning house and taking Moxley down, including a sliding kick to the face for two. Strong Zero gets the same, with Castagnoli having to make a save. Romero’s cross armbreaker is broken up and Moxley grabs the choke out to finish Romero at 8:12.

Rating: B-. This was designed to advance Danielson (Blue) vs. Okada (Chaos) and if Okada isn’t going to be here in person (fair enough), this is as good of an idea as they had. Chaos was working hard here but they weren’t about to beat the top heel faction in the company in a regular six man tag. Good match, and it served a purpose.

Hangman Page and the Young Bucks say that was a good Club match (Page: “I didn’t see it, but it sounded good”.) and challenge the Club to face them next week. Danielson accepts.

Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay II is set for Forbidden Door.

Here is MJF to tell the crowd (or drug addicts as he calls them) to keep their mouths shut. MJF complains about the lack of competition in Colorado before saying the fans’ mothers’ swallows. Cue Adam Cole to interrupt, with MJF cutting him off to talk about CM Punk ruining his fandom as a kid. Then he saw Ring Of Honor and Adam Cole caught his eye. MJF followed his career from CZW to NXT, where he was the greatest champion they ever had, and that is undisputed.

MJF went to CZW and the independent scene and then came to AEW, where he is the champion. MJF: “What happened to you man?” Cole used to be the Panama City Playboy and now he’s on Twitch while Britt Baker leaves the house with his testicles in her purse. And didn’t Cole used to have the physique of a world champion. We hear about the fans complaining about everything before MJF talks about how the way to make him cool is to ring the bell.

MJF brings up Vince McMahon not seeing much in Cole and he thinks Vince was right. Cole finally gets to talk and says first off, Britt could beat MJF up on his own. The other thing though is MJF keeps bringing up relationships, which might be because his own fiance left him. Cole brings up the comments about his body, which he shifts to his body of work, which MJF can’t touch.

He accuses MJF of being on steroids and says no one in the back respects him. MJF: “How about I cry into all my money about it?” MJF brings up the rumor of Cole being Keith Lee’s manager in WWE (that’s the third WWE reference), but Cole says if MJF wasn’t a coward, he would fight him. The match seems to be made.

Well that was a lot about WWE, and I’m guessing that’s supposed to be enough to fuel the feud. Cole getting the title shot makes sense and a lot of the insults were quite the zingers, but Cole is going to need some work after a pretty lame Chris Jericho feud. For now though, Cole needs a fresh challenger and Cole fits the bill well.

The Hardys welcome Ethan Page to the team and insist that he apologize to Brother Zay. Page does, albeit reluctantly.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Hook/Jungle Boy

La Faccion (Preston Vance/Dralistico) jump them from behind to start and the fight heads into the crowd as we take a break. Back with Hook fighting back and Vance COVERED in blood. A discus lariat drops Hook and Vance chokes him with a chain. Hook reverses into a t-bone suplex to send Vance through the table for a big crash. Jungle Boy DDTs Dralistico onto a chair but Jose the Assistant makes the save. Hook chokes him out and it’s the Snare Trap to finish Dralistico at 8:50.

Rating: B-. Well that was intense, even if so much of it was spent during the break. Vance was GUSHING blood and that made things look all the more violent. They crammed a lot into this and that’s nice to see, though I could have gone without a break taking up so much of what looked to be a hot match.

Tony Khan announces the main event of the first Collision: Jay White/Juice Robinson/Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk/FTR.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Damon Ace

Don Callis is here with Takeshita, who comes out without music. As we keep seeing Callis stabbing Kenny Omega on the big screen, Takeshita hits some headbutts in the corner, setting up the running knee for the pin at 1:25.

Post match Takeshita speaks Japanese and Callis calls Kenny Omega a cancer, which must be cut out.

Christian Cage promises revenge on Arn Anderson….and reveals that Luchasaurus has attacked Arn’s son Brock.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Anna Jay

Jay, with Matt Menard, is challenging and starts running away early on. Menard cuts Statlander off on the floor but she’s fine enough to shoulder Jay down for two. A shot in the corner takes Statlander down though and we go to a break. Back with Jay hitting a Gory Bomb for two but the Queenslayer is broken up pretty quickly. The Tombstone retains the title at 8:23.

Rating: C. What we saw was good, but I could go without these eight minute matches having a commercial eating up such a huge chunk of their time. Statlander is still getting back and having her pick up a bunch of wins is a good way to reestablish her. Even before she left, she had only dropped the alien stuff for a short while, so this is still a relatively new version of Statlander. It’s working so far though, and that’s nice to see.

The Outcasts are ready for whomever wins a four way on Rampage for a Women’s Title shot.

Ricky Starks vs. Jay White

Juice Robinson is banned from ringside. Starks jumps him before the bell (that’s a really common theme tonight) and the fight starts on the floor, with White being chopped against the barricade. They get inside with Starks hitting a backdrop, only to go outside and find….nothing for the time being. The fight heads up the ramp and up to the stage, only to come back down with White taking over. White messes with the steps but Starks grabs a suplex on the floor as we take a break.

Back with White cutting off a tornado DDT and hitting a top rope superplex for two. The Bladerunner is blocked and now the tornado DDT gives Starks two of his own. White counters the Roshambo into a swinging Rock Bottom but Starks is back with a heck of a spear. The Roshambo connects but the ref is bumped. Cue the Gunns to lay out Starks, allowing White to hit the Bladerunner for the pin at 13:28.

Rating: B. The Gunns interfering is interesting as we’re probably coming up on the Club vs. FTR, though I’m not sure which team is going to be facing them at the moment. Other than that, White gets a big win, even if the Starks feud probably isn’t done. It was a good match and Starks did get cheated in the win, but White is what matters here and he looked more like his usual great self.

Overall Rating: B. The best thing here, or at least the biggest relief, is that the build to this year’s Forbidden Door is off to a rather good start. Last year felt like AEW was throwing as many names as they could at us while this year has some logical matches being announced one by one. Other than that, you had a bunch of solid matches and stories being moved forward. Your mileage on Cole vs. MJF may vary due to how shooty/insidery they got, but it’s a fresh feud and more traditional after the Pillars stuff. All in all, a good show here, and it felt more like your normal Dynamite.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Swerve Strickland – Rollup with tights
Blackpool Combat Club b. Chaos – Bulldog choke to Romero
Hook/Jungle Boy b. La Faccion Ingobernable – Snare Trap to Dralistico
Konosuke Takeshita b. Damon Ace – Running knee
Kris Statlander b. Anna Jay – Tombstone
Jay White b. Ricky Starks – Bladerunner

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

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AND

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