Collision
Date: June 4, 2025
Location: Mission Ballroom, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

Now we have the second half of the show and hopefully that means they keep the momentum going from Dynamite. For some reason, AEW has a tendency to present a not so thrilling Collision when it is in a special time slot and it can be quite the disappointing presentation. It would be nice to not see that again here but we’ll have to see. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with Kenny Omega in the ring after his successful title defense in the main event of Dynamite. Kazuchika Okada comes out for the big staredown and shove their belts in the other’s face. The brawl is on and Okada goes to the body to cut him down. The Rainmaker and One Winged Angel are broken up and we have a staredown.

We look back at FTR getting in an argument with CMLL’s Atlantis Jr. and Templario.

Ricochet is still searching for talent for his team.

Will Ospreay vs. Lio Rush

Action Andretti is here with Rush, who bails out to the floor to start. Rush gets back inside and picks the leg to no avail as Ospreay chases him into the corner. A springboard hurricanrana is countered into a failed Styles Clash attempt, with Rush bailing out to the floor again. This time Andretti’s distraction lets Rush hit a suicide dive as we take a break.

Back with Ospreay breaking up a sleeper and hitting a spinning torture rack bomb for two. Rush’s poisonrana into a springboard Stunner gets two but Ospreay cutters him out of the air. The Oscutter gets two and Ospreay throws Rush over the top onto Andretti. That means the big dive, followed by a Phenomenal Forearm to drop Rush back inside. Rush is back up with a DDT into the Final Hour for two as the crowd gets VERY quiet in a hurry. Rush stops to yell at the referee and walks into the Styles Clash for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: C+. It was fine enough, but I’m really not sure why Ospreay needed the better part of ten minutes to beat Rush. Ospreay is in the main event scene and is likely in a high profile match at All In, plus being tied into the World Title match. That is not a place that should require him to need so much time to beat half of a low level tag team.

Post match Andretti comes in to lay out Ospreay. Hangman Page makes the save and Ospreay leaves. Page says he appreciates Ospreay’s help but he doesn’t need help to become the World Champion. He will never take help from Swerve Strickland either, but he will roll into Texas and win the World Title. Cue Jon Moxley followed by the Death Riders but Ospreay comes in with some chairs to chase them off.

Don Callis and company want the Outrunners and Bandido, with Hechicero coming in as the newest member.

Atlantis Jr./Templario vs. FTR

Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR. Wheeler won’t shake Atlantis’ hand to start with Atlantis, who takes over without much trouble. The frustrated Wheeler brings in Harwood to slap Templario in the (awesome) mask, earning himself an enziguri. Now Harwood shakes his hand, earning Templario a poke in the eye. Everything breaks down and Atlantis dropkicks FTR to the floor but Wheeler takes over on Templario back inside.

We take a break and come back with Templario still in trouble and Schiavone promising a REALLY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT from Tony Khan later tonight. Atlantis comes in to clean house and hits a dive to the floor. Templario’s splash off Atlantis’ shoulders gets two on Harwood but he’s back up for a Shatter Machine. Atlantis makes the save so Harwood sweeps Templario’s leg to break up a suplex and give Wheeler the pin at 13:45.

Rating: C+. I had missed the time before Forbidden Door where wrestlers are suddenly angry at people from a different promotion and now we’re getting the Grand Slam version. MJF wants to fight Mistico and FTR is battling various CMLL stars. That hasn’t been overly interesting in the years that we’ve seen before and it’s the case again here.

Post match Hathaway grabs the mic to brag about FTR’s success. And that’s it.

Video on Thekla attacking Jamie Hayter last week.

Don Callis Family vs. Bandido/Los Outrunners

Hechicero takes Bandido down by the leg to start but a spinning armdrag gets Bandido out of trouble. Everything breaks down and the Family is triple dropkicked out to the floor. Fletcher is able to send Magnum into the barricade a few times and we take a break. Back with Magnum getting up for the hot tag off to Floyd to pick up the pace. Hechicero ties Bandido up for some near falls before they trade big boots for a double down.

Takeshita comes in for the Blue Thunder Bomb on Bandido and everything breaks down. Fletcher gets suplexed into a frog splash from Bandido but he blocks the 21 Plex. Instead Fletcher hits a brainbuster but Bandido is back with a superkick. Magnum comes back in but the Family breaks up the Mega Powers handshake. The brainbuster gives Fletcher the pin on Magnum at 14:16.

Rating: B-. Another long match that didn’t need to get so much time and felt like it was just there to fill in a long portion of the show. The Ring Of Honor World Title is beneath most of the Family so they probably won’t go after it, making this mini feud feel all the less important. It wasn’t a bad match at all, but I’m going to need something more interesting than the Outrunners in masks.

Penelope Ford and Megan Bayne attack Anna Jay but Tay Melo makes her return after nearly two years for the save.

Anthony Bowens declares this the Pride Of AEW Month and challenges Kyle Fletcher for next week.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Sammy Guevara vs. Lee Johnson vs. AR Fox vs. Nick Wayne

Wayne is defending and Ricochet is on commentary. Wayne and Johnson are sent outside to start so the other two nip up and miss stereo dropkicks for a standoff. Fox hits a big running flip dive onto Johnson before Guevara dropkicks Wayne down as well. Guevara hits his own running flip dive to the floor but Johnson hits one of his own. Fox moonsaults down onto Johnson but Johnson’s friend Blake Christian gets in a cheap shot.

We take a break and come back Wayne kneeing Guevara in the face but Guevara faceplants him for two. Johnson takes Wayne’s place and they fight out to the floor, leaving Fox to suplex Wayne. Fox hits a big flip dive off the top onto everyone else but Wayne shrugs off a Swanton. Something close to a fisherman’s buster pins Fox to retain the title at 11:07.

Rating: B-. Yeah if the Ring Of Honor World Title isn’t interesting, the TV Title isn’t much better. These are people who have been established as not being overly important so putting them all in a title match isn’t the best way to go. Wayne’s issues with Christian Cage continue to grow, but I’m not sure when it’s finally going to snap, or how much I’ll be able to care about Wayne when it does.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Thekla vs. Lady Frost

Frost drives her into the corner to start but gets shoved right back out. A running boot to the head staggers Frost and Thekla cuts her down with a spear. Thekla grabs something like an abdominal stretch with a bodyscissors for the tap at 2:30.

Post match the hold goes on again but Queen Aminata runs in for the save.

Post break Aminata says that she’s tired of people showing up here and trying to make their name off her. She’ll face Thekla anyway though.

Tony Khan’s big announcement, as made by Tony Schiavone: Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada at All In, winner take all. We really needed a special announcement to confirm that the match that has been all but announced for months now?

Paragon/Daniel Garcia vs. Don Callis Family

Strong and Romero fight over a wristlock to start before it’s off to Beretta to hammer Cole down in the corner. Cole shrugs that off and brings Beretta over to the corner for the tag to O’Reilly. A running knee to the ribs cuts Alexander down and it’s Garcia coming in for the right hands in the corner. Garcia hammers away at everyone but Archer, who chokeslams him out of the corner as we take a break.

Back with Strong and O’Reilly cleaning house before handing it back to Cole for more of the same. The Backstabber gets two on Alexander and a superkick sends Romero outside. Almost everyone heads to the floor for a string of running dives until Alexander German suplexes Cole for two back inside. The Panama Sunrise hits Alexander and Garcia’s rollup gets two with Archer making the save. We settle down to Beretta trading forearms with Cole until Beretta scores with a half and half suplex. Cole starts firing off the superkicks though and hits the Boom to finish Romero at 11:23.

Rating: B-. They were trying here and the match was the best part of the show, though that’s only so much of a hurdle to clear. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Cole finally get a win, as it feels like it’s been a bit since it happened. Good enough match, though having this at the end of a four hour marathon show was a bit much to ask.

Overall Rating: C. I know it’s not reflective of the action, but this was one of the least interesting things I’ve seen AEW do in a very long time. It felt like almost nothing on here mattered, with the big moment being an announcement of a match that was all but set a few months ago. That left a pair of Callis Family matches, an ROH TV match, Thekla winning a squash in her debut, and a few other matches. What on here was supposed to make me want to see more AEW? They really need to work on this, and I have a bad, bad feeling about what we’re going to see next week.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Lio Rush – Styles Clash
FTR b. Atlantis Jr./Templario – Crossbody to Templario
Don Callis Family b. Bandido/Los Outrunners – Brainbuster to Magnum
Nick Wayne b. Sammy Guevara, Lee Johnson and AR Fox – Fisherman’s buster to Fox
Thekla b. Lady Frost – Seated abdominal stretch
Paragon b. Don Callis Family – Boom to Romero

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

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

Collision
Date: May 31, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in the early days of the build towards All In and that means it is time to start getting going towards the biggest show of the year. It helps that two of the major matches are already set but before we get there, we have a four way for the International Title next week. One of those spots will be filled tonight so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Komander

For a spot in the International Title match on Dynamite. We get an insert promo where Komander says he is ready to win in the heart of lucha libre country. Castagnoli starts fast and stomps away in the corner, followed by a shoulder to cut off Komander’s comeback. A shot to the face lets Komander walk the ropes and grab a springboard armdrag.

Komander’s dive is countered into the Swing though and they head outside, where Castagnoli sends him into the barricade. Castagnoli gets in a drop onto the barricade and they head back inside, where Komander hits another double springboard into a headscissors. This time Castagnoli is sent outside but the rope walk takes so long that Castagnoli runs back in to pull him out of the air for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

The half crab doesn’t last long as Komander fights up but it’s too early for Cielito Lindo. Castagnoli fireman’s carries him to the top, where Komander snaps off a super hurricanrana for the counter. Something like Whisper In The Wind is blocked though and Castagnoli Neutralizes him for the win at 7:38.

Rating: B-. Komander being in a match of this magnitude is all but a guarantee that he’s going to lose and that’s getting a bit annoying. Having a jobber to the stars is fine, but unless he wins something of note at some point, this might as well have been a bye for Castagnoli. You know what you’re getting with Komander and that is very rarely going to be success.

We recap the fallout of Hangman Page winning the Owen Hart Tournament, with Swerve Strickland not being willing to stand behind him, even if it means taking out the Death Riders.

Strickland still isn’t in on this but Will Ospreay wants him to get on the same page. Strickland will not accept that Page is the best option and brings up that Ospreay hasn’t beaten him. A fight breaks out.

Don Callis Family vs. Paragon/Tomohiro Ishii

Don Callis is on commentary and the Family jumps them from behind to start fast. Takeshita sends Ishii into the barricade but Strong makes the save with some chops. O’Reilly hits a running charge to take the villains out and we settle down to Ishii chopping away at Romero in the corner. Romero gets over for the tag off to Beretta though and O’Reilly gets taken into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Strong Angle Slamming his way out of trouble, allowing the tag off to O’Reilly. House is quickly cleaned and it’s off to Ishii vs. Romero, which is apparently a feud. Takeshita comes in and gets dropped with a suplex, followed by the sliding lariat for two. Back up and Takeshita gets two off a Blue Thunder Bomb and they trade the big shots to the face. Romero hits Ishii low though and it’s the Raging Fire to give Takeshita the pin at 10:20.

Rating: C+. Ishii is one of the standard guest stars around here and while he’s still good enough, it’s getting less and less interesting to see him. Granted it doesn’t help to have him in there with RPG Vice, who aren’t much to see in their own right. I could go for Takeshita against Adam Cole for the TNT Title though, and there is a real possibility that is coming up.

Anthony Bowens vs. Kazuchika Okada

Non-title and Billy Gunn is here with Bowens. Okada backs him into the ropes to start and we get the tap on the chest. Bowens does the same, but offers a scissoring pose instead. The running jumping Fameasser takes Okada down for two and they head outside to strike it out. Okada gets in a knockdown on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Okada dropping the top rope elbow but the middle finger is cut off with some scissoring. Bowens cuts him off on top and hits a spinning hanging DDT. Okada misses the dropkick and gets rolled up for two but comes back with the Air Raid Crash onto the knee. The Money Clip is broken up and Bowens hammers away. The Rainmaker misses and a superkick gives gives Bowens a quick breather. The Mollywop is cut off with a Rainmaker though and Okada gets the pin at 10:31.

Rating: C+. I really hope that Bowens isn’t falling into the trap of “well he has good matches and that makes up for not winning”. It’s something that has been an issue around here for a long time and it would be a shame to see it happen to someone with his potential. Things seemed to be coming together for Bowens and now he’s on a losing streak, which doesn’t bode well for his future.

Matt Menard tries to perk up a disappointed Daniel Garcia. Don Callis, with Lance Archer, comes in to mock Menard but he might want Garcia on the team. Callis wants him to think for a change. It would at least be something for Garcia to do.

Tony Schiavone brings out FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, for a chat. Well not really as Schiavone leaves, with Hathaway talking about how FTR crushed Daniel Garcia and Nigel McGuinness at Double Or Nothing. They’re close to the Mexico border and issue a challenge (which they have written down) to any team from south of the border. Cue Templario and Atlantis Jr. (good thing they were by the entrance) but Wheeler says they’re somewhat living lucha legends themselves.

Maybe they should go win the CMLL Tag Team Titles. Wheeler brings up the upcoming Arena Mexico show and asks what it’s like to be popular with your countrymen. After mocking the “Power Ranger masks”, Harwood says he knows Tony Khan will have big plans for FTR at the show, so they can’t have the match. Harwood tells Atlantis Jr. to tell his dad to stay away from the team, earning some insults in Spanish. The brawl is on but the luchadors fight back to clear the ring. Did it really have to be Atlantis Jr.? I’ve yet to see him do anything interesting either here or in ROH.

We look at Mercedes Mone and Toni Storm’s face to face showdown from Dynamite.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Skye Blue

The fight over a lockup doesn’t get them anywhere to start so Shirakawa gets the better of an exchange of forearms. A snap suplex drops Shirakawa but she grabs the wrist and runs the ropes for a dancing clothesline. Blue plants her on the apron and we take a break. Back with Shirakawa hitting a running knee but Blue powerbombs her out of the corner for two. A superkick staggers Shirakawa again but she hits Blue in the face for a breather. Shirakawa’s super sling Blade gets two and they trade rollups for two each. More strikes to the face set up Shirakawa’s Glamour driver for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C+. Again, Blue is back and losing, making her big return after nearly a year away feel completely wasted. She wasn’t going to be a major star, but you can’t have her win a few quick matches before taking losses like this one? If that’s the case, why bother making her return into a thing at all?

Post match Julia Hart jumps Shirakawa but Toni Storm (holding her skirt) makes the save.

Video on the Gates Of Agony.

Gates Of Agony vs. Gmo Kaminari/Cosmo Orion

Kaun gleefully beats up Orion in the corner to start and an Irish Curse sets up a running suplex. Orion tries a hurricanrana and it goes horribly, earning himself a toss across the ring. Kaminari comes in and gets beaten up as well, setting up Open The Games for the double pin at 2:19. Yeah yeah I’m sure this will be the time when the Gates break out. Any day now.

Max Caster teaches fans how to do his chant and gets them to sign a petition saying he is in fact the greatest wrestler alive. Now he’s supposed to take photos…but he runs down the hallway for some reason instead. Ok then.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Top Flight/AR Fox

Leila Grey is here too. La Faccion jumps them to start and a turnbuckle pad is quickly pulled off. Fox sends Dralistico to the apron and flips onto Mortos, leaving Dante to hit the big flip dive. Back in and Dante’s tornado DDT gets two on Rush and we continue the string of running shots to the face. Rush crushes Fox in the corner and hits the mocking boot, followed by the Tranquilo pose as we take a break.

Back with a string of running dropkicks in the corner hitting Fox but he gets in a shot off the top for a needed breather. Darius comes in to clean house, including a shotgun dropkick into a DDT on Rush. An assisted cutter gets two on Dralistico, who is right back with a springboard Canadian Destroyer. The springboard Codebreaker into a dive has Dante down on the floor, leaving Rush to Bull’s Horns Darius for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: B-. Top Flight is in the same spot as Komander, as you know they’re probably going to lose the second you hear that music. They might not be the greatest team in the world, but they deserve a better spot than they have at the moment. Again: they aren’t good enough for the ROH Tag Team Titles? Really? That’s beyond their abilities?

Post match Rush chokes Darius with a camera cord but Mike Bailey and Komander make the save.

Mark Briscoe had to tell his son that he did NOT quit in the six man tag on Dynamite. Now he wants Jon Moxley one on one.

Hechicero vs. Mascara Dorada

For the final spot in the International Title match on Dynamite. They fight over wrist control to start with Dorada taking him down into an early leglock. Hechicero reverses into one of his own and grabs a quickly broken surfboard. Dorada grabs one of his own but Hechicero is out and starts the sliding underneath the ropes.

That doesn’t work for Dorada, who grabs a running hurricanrana around the post and out to the floor. Back in and Hechicero scores with the running hurricanrana driver. We take a break and come back with Dorada snapping off a hurricanrana to the floor. That means a dive to drop Hechicero again but he flips Dorada into a choke. That’s broken up as well and they trade some quick near falls.

A double knockdown gives them a double breather, followed by Dorada’s anklescissors getting two. Hechicero grabs a dragon screw legwhip over the rope, followed by a top rope elbow for two of his own. They strike it out until Dorada grabs a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, followed by a springboard super poisonrana (geez). The shooting star press gives Dorada the pin at 13:52.

Rating: B. It helps a lot when you can see just how good these people are in the ring. Hechicero is someone who has out wrestled Daniel Bryan and Dorada is incredibly smooth with everything he does. It made for a very entertaining match and I like that they went with the star who hasn’t done as much around here, as it gave a bit of a surprise result.

Overall Rating: C+. While it wasn’t the case in every match, there were too many instances here where the results were pretty obvious coming in. That’s something that happens on every show, but having stuff like Okada beating Bowens, Komander and Top Flight doing their usual and the latest Gates squash all in one show makes for kind of a tedious night. It’s not that the action was bad, but you probably could have guessed who would win all but the main event without much doubt. As usual, shifting some of the bigger stuff over from Dynamite, even a bit of it, would help, but that doesn’t seem to be likely.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Komander – Neutralizer
Don Callis Family b. Paragon/Tomohiro Ishii – Raging Fire to Ishii
Kazuchika Okada b. Anthony Bowens – Rainmaker
Mina Shirakawa b. Skye Blue – Glamour Driver
Gates Of Agony b. Gmo Kaminari/Cosmo Orion – Double pin
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Top Flight/AR Fox – Bull’s Horns to Darius
Mascara Dorada b. Hechicero – Shooting star press

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

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Dynamite
Date: May 21, 2025
Location: Rio Ranchos Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the last Dynamite before Double Or Nothing and that means it is time to put most of the final touches on the pay per view. Odds are that means something getting us ready for Anarchy In The Arena, plus a bunch of build towards the Owen Hart Cup finals. That should be more than enough to get us through the night so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out Will Ospreay and Hangman Page for a chat. They agree to get physical and Ospreay has the security go to the back, though he does promise they’ll get paid (nice guy). He asks if Page still drinks and apologizes for the shot to the face last week. Ospreay has some beers brought in but puts his down and says he has an official request for Tony Khan: the two of them should be in the main event at Double Or Nothing.

That is a lot of pressure, but the winner goes on to All In and the winner has the responsibility of taking the World Title back. Ospreay flies around all the time and is jet lagged every Tuesday but puts on his crime fighting pants and says ring the bell. That’s what he wants more than anything else. He wants to be the World Champion at Forbidden Door in London, thirty minutes from his house.

More than that though, he wants his six year old to look at him as the World Champion. Ospreay knows Page wants it, but he wants it that much more. Page says that’s the difference between them. Ospreay wants it bad and Page has had that feeling before. There is no greater prize than being the World Champion, but for Ospreay, it could be a professional accomplishment.

It’s just that though: professional. Page calls it personal for him though because he doesn’t want it, but rather needs it. Page has not won anything in two years and those moments have killed him more every day. He needs his son to look at him and see his father and for his wife to look at him and see her husband. What he needs is for Ospreay to be wrong when he said it was “too little, too late” for Page.

Ospreay asks what Page is going to do about it. Wrap a chair around his skull? On Sunday, he is showing up and doing his best, which hasn’t been enough before. Yes he has lost but he has never given less than everything. Page asks if that is enough to beat Jon Moxley and the Death Riders but Ospreay doesn’t know. Ospreay asks if what Page is now is enough either.

The best of Ospreay has beaten a lot of people because he is the best in the world. Anything can happen when that bell rings and if Page wins and needs someone to have his back at All In, Ospreay has his back. He hopes Page will do the same if Ospreay wins, so meet him in the desert. They both drink the beers and stare hard at one another. They go up the aisle and get to the entrance at the same time for quite the staredown. This was GREAT, with both of them laying out why they want to win. I’m not sure who is going to win, but I’m almost more curious to see what happens when one of them loses.

Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir arrive, with Moxley saying the spoils will go to those who embrace the anarchy.

Jon Moxley/Young Bucks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs/Samoa Joe/Swerve Strickland

Marina Shafir and Prince Nana are here too. Joe and Moxley slug it out to start with Joe having to be held back. Hobbs and Matt come in with Hobbs running him over but not being able to hit the powerslam. Swerve comes in to backbreaker Nick and hits a neckbreaker as everything breaks down. Moxley’s dive is cut off by Hobbs so he dives onto Hobbs instead. The Bucks superkick Joe down but Swerve plants Matt and hits a dive to take him out as well. Now Joe can hit his suicide elbow as we take a break.

Back with Moxley hammering on Hobbs in the corner before going after the knee. For some reason Nick decides to slap Hobbs in the back, earning himself a World’s Strongest Slam. Swerve comes in to plant Nick, who avoids a running shot, allowing Matt to superkick Swerve down. Back in and an assisted Sliced Bread plants Swerve, who gets his knees up to cut off a Swanton. That’s still not enough for the tag though as Moxley is back in for a Crash Landing on Swerve.

Matt dives onto Joe and Hobbs, followed by Risky Business for two more. The hanging Swanton gets two on Swerve with Hobbs having to make the save this time. We take another break and come back again with Moxley’s piledriver (with a middle finger to the fans) getting two more. Something like the Rings Of Saturn bring the fans back to cheer Swerve so Moxley grabs a full nelson.

A headbutt drops Moxley and it’s Joe coming in to clean house, followed by Hobbs’ frog splash for two. Everything breaks down and the Bucks head fake Hobbs into a double DDT. Joe drops them with a double clothesline but Moxley is back in to take Joe down. Swerve gives Moxley the House call and adds a Swerve Stomp off the apron onto the Bucks. Back in and Hobbs busts out some spinebusters to clean house but Moxley is there to send him into Swerve. A double superkick puts Joe down but Swerve rolls Matt up for the pin at 21:17.

Rating: B. The length helped here, as the match had the time to build up rather than having to hurry through everything. As good as that part was though, it was another example of why the Bucks can be so annoying. Just like always, they got in all of their stuff, beat up just about everyone, and then lose on a fluke rollup. I’m sure they’ll get some kind of heat back later, because the Bucks just have to be part of everything no matter what.

Post match the Death Riders run in to beat the winners down but Katsuyori Shibata returns for the save. Marina Shafir cuts Shibata off with a low blow though so here is Willow Nightingale to Pounce Shafir. Kenny Omega runs in for the real save. A table is set up and Matt has to be saved from a One Winged Angel. The villains leave but Joe says they’re coming after them tonight.

The Hurt Syndicate says MJF should be the excited one tonight and he has a new suit for the occasion.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to officially induct MJF into the team. MJF comes out and says his mom told him that the most important day of his life is the day you marry the love of your life. MJF: “It’s clear that that b**** never joined the Hurt Syndicate!” MJF and MVP take turns mocking the fans who boo a lot and everyone but Bobby Lashley signs. Lashley seems unsure but ultimately signs, and yes there is a commemorative hat.

Cue the Sons Of Texas, with Dustin Rhodes telling MJF to shut up. Rhodes and MVP have a long history of respect but Rhodes thinks he shouldn’t trust MJF. We hear about how they changed the business and now they want more gold. If they like to hurt people, jump on Rhodes and try to hurt him. They have been beaten up and hurt by bigger people and now they’re ready to fight with heart. He would bet on the Day One guys. As usual, Sammy Guevara is the guy just standing there nodding as Rhodes does everything.

Kazuchika Okada isn’t letting Mike Bailey call him out for Double Or Nothing….because he’s calling Bailey out instead. And no catchphrase!

Ricochet vs. Anthony Bowens

Billy Gunn is here with Bowens and this is to crown the true Scissor King. Bowens jumps over him in the corner to start and hits a clothesline to the floor. Ricochet stops to glare at Gunn, earning himself another shot from Bowens. They go back in where Bowens hits a quick knee, only to get sent hard into the post.

We take a break and come back with Bowens hitting the running Fameasser into something like a reverse Angle Slam. They trade forearms until Bowens hits a superkick for a quick two. The Arrival sets up the Mollywop but Ricochet is knocked outside. The referee goes after Gunn, allowing Ricochet to pull out a pair of scissors to stab Bowens. Stabbing a man in the head is of course a setup for the Spirit Gun to give Ricochet the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C+. I really don’t know if Bowens should be losing so soon into his singles run, but at least it was to a bigger name and through some cheating. That being said, I still have no idea why Ricochet uses scissors. It’s such a random weapon with no real connection for him, but that’s what he gets to do. On top of that, he’s in for kind of a weird gimmick match on Sunday, though at least he’s on the show.

Post match Mark Briscoe brings out a stretcher and beats up Ricochet.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Stokley Hathaway, with FTR, wants to sign the contract for the Double Or Nothing tag match face to face. Nigel McGuinness and Daniel Garcia can even bring Matt Menard.

Renee Paquette brings out Jamie Hayter and Mercedes Mone for their own face to face interview (with chairs). Hayter says so be it if she is seen as the underdog because she is used to being there. She will fight back every single time because that is who she is. Hayter doesn’t have people running around here doing her dirty work and yes she is rough around the edges.

This means more to Hayter and they both know that, because it’s about not being forgotten. If she doesn’t win, what does it mean for her? Mone laughs it off and calls herself the Beyonce of wrestling. She’s going to All In to win the Women’s Title because she is the greatest TBS Champion of all time.

Mone hasn’t gotten here through luck because it’s about leaving her legacy. Hayter’s chapter finally ends at Double Or Nothing. Hayter points out Mone losing the NJPW Strong Women’s Title and that is going to be her destiny. Mone jumps her but gets dropped with Hayterade. Cue Toni Storm, who will be on commentary for the main event. It’s hard to believe that Mone is in any danger, and my goodness she gets less and less interesting every week.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Julia Hart

Toni Storm is on commentary. Hart grabs a wristlock to start and hits Old School but Shirakawa does something similar, albeit with some hip shaking. Shirakawa goes outside to mock Storm, allowing Hart to take her down as we go to a break. Back with Shirakawa hitting a running knee, followed by some clotheslines.

Hart grabs something like a Tarantula but Shirakawa hits a spinning backfist. A not great top rope crucifix bomb gets two on Hart but she’s back up with a knockdown of her own. The moonsault misses though and Shirakawa goes after the knee. The spinning backflst looks to set up the Glamorous Driver but Hart rolls out. That’s reversed into a cradle to give Shirakawa the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird choice for the main event, but there is only so much you can do on a three match show. Shirakawa is in a good place where she’s not new but she’s still fresh, so she doesn’t have to really be built up that much for the title shot at Storm. I can’t imagine she wins the title, but having her lose so soon in a high profile match would be a fairly odd way to go.

Post match Hart goes after Shirakawa, who ties up Hart’s bad leg. Skye Blue comes in to deck Shirakawa so Storm makes the save. Shirakawa and Storm get in a tug of war over the belt and Shirakawa goes after Storm’s knee, tying it around the post with the Figure Four.

The Young Bucks try to leave but Powerhouse Hobbs and Samoa Joe jump them. Cue the rest of the people in Anarchy In The Arena for the weapons filled brawl. The fight goes into the arena where the Bucks beat up Kenny Omega, who fights back as this is anarchy in the arena to set up the Anarchy In The Arena. Gabe Kidd runs in and helps the villains with the beatdown and the Bucks hit stereo dives to put Omega and Swerve through tables to end the show. This was a good example of a week that didn’t need an overrun as this was just a long brawl to set up the already announced long brawl at the pay per view.

Overall Rating: B. Double Or Nothing is going to be quite the booking challenge, as so many people are in one match. That leaves the two tournament finals to carry the thing and thankfully the men’s match got an incredible go home segment that really elevated things. Those are by far the two biggest things on the show, and it should be interesting to see if the rest of the card can live up to that hype. I’ll take a two match show, but they are in for a challenge if one of those matches doesn’t deliver.

Results
Samoa Joe/Powerhouse Hobbs/Swerve Strickland b. Young Bucks/Jon Moxley – Rollup to Matt
Ricochet b. Anthony Bowens – Spirit Gun
Mina Shirakawa b. Julia Hart – Cradle

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: May 8, 2025
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re live on Thursday for the sake of this weekend’s WWE Backlash event and that’s a nice thing to see. Thursday is a far better night to air the show, just for the sake of not having it on the weekend for a change. Hopefully AEW has a big lineup to take advantage of the opportunity that they have. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is Toni Storm, in a box seat and naturally with a spotlight on her. Storm: “So many men have taken a shot at me in here, I feel like Abraham Lincoln.” She talks about her first time being messy but it was something she wanted to do more often. Eventually it resulted in objects being added and filthy perverts watching. Of course she’s talking about fighting for her Women’s Title so get her someone ready for next week, because she isn’t waiting for a Hayter or a CEO. That makes sense as All In is a long way off before Storm can have another big title shot.

Paragon is disappointed with their loss to FTR last week but they’re still a great team. Adam Cole is glad they know they’re still great but the Grizzled Young Veterans interrupt. The Veterans think the Paragon has gone soft so they’re ready to fight anytime. The Veterans still work here?

Ricochet vs. Angelico

Serpentico is here with Angelico. Ricochet takes him down for an early rollup but Angelico is back up to crank on the arm. Angelico even rubs the bald head and grabs something like an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Ricochet sends sends him to the floor for a rather nice dive.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet missing a charge into the corner. A spinning lifting Downward Spiral gives Angelico a breather and the comeback is on. Another modified abdominal stretch lets Angelico slap him in the back of the head, followed by a half crab. Ricochet makes the rope and is right back up with a springboard clothesline, followed by the Spirit Gun for the win at 9:23.

Rating: C+. Angelico is someone who can work an entertaining style and make anyone look good, which was the case with Ricochet here. That’s something Ricochet can use and it made for a nice opener here. It’s not like this was ever in any serious doubt, but it could have been far worse.

Post match Ricochet mocks the fans, who should be cheering for him. He’s only been here for less than a year and has already beaten most of the AEW favorites. Ricochet sees Zack Gowen in the crowd and remembers being a big fan growing up. We get some one legged jokes and then beats up security, offering commentary at the same time. Ricochet whips out the scissors and cuts one of the guards’ hair, which brings Gowen into the ring. Gowen takes the scissors but gets dropped as well, with Ricochet ripping off the prosthetic leg. Ricochet mock limping using the leg is quite the heel move.

Don Callis Family/RPG Vice vs. Outrunners/AR Fox/Bandido

Bandido and Fletcher start things off with Fletcher shrugging off some chops and running him over. A headscissors and dropkick work a bit better for Bandido but Beretta comes in to take Bandido down. Romero comes in and gets taken down by Fox, who gets to clean house. The Outrunners get in their double teamings as well but Archer plants both of them with a double chokeslam as we take a break.

Back with Floyd fighting out of trouble and grabbing a small package for two. Bandido comes in and gets taken down by RPG Vice as everything breaks down. Fox comes back in and steps onto Magnum’s shoulders for a big flip dive to the floor. Back in and the Mega Powers Elbow hits Fletcher, with Bandido’s frog splash getting two as Archer makes the save.

Fletcher plants Bandido for the double down and it’s back to Fox to pick up the pace again. A hanging DDT drops Archer and a skinning the cat into a slingshot dropkick hits Beretta in the corner (that was sweet). RPG Vice is back up with a double jumping knee to Bandido and Archer chokeslams Bandido off the top. A Jackyl Driver (something like a double piledriver) from RPG Vice finishes Fox at 10:42.

Rating: B-. This was quite the lineup for a match and at least Bandido didn’t lose. I could absolutely see Bandido defending against one of the members of the Family at Supercard Of Honor and there are far worse ideas. Maybe this is just a one off match, but at least we got to see that rather cool finish from RPG Vice. It’s not like they have much else going for them so maybe it’s a new way for them to go.

Video on Samoa Joe vs. Jon Moxley next week on Dynamite.

Moxley is ready to fight inside the cage. There is no one on the planet better at taking a beating than him. How long will it last? Moxley can take it and he’s coming out as the champion because he isn’t like the rest of the world.

Anthony Bowens vs. Lee Johnson

Billy Gunn and Blake Christian are here too. Johnson doesn’t seem to think much of Bowens to start, earning himself a bunch of chops in the corner. They go outside where Johnson backs into Gunn for some fear. Bowens strikes away again and a top rope Fameasser connects back inside. A Christian distraction lets Johnson get in a running flip dive though and a superkick back inside takes Bowens down again. Bowens fights back but gets distracted by Christian, allowing Johnson to get two off a rollup. That doesn’t seem to matter though as Bowens hits the discus forearm for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. Not much to see here, but Bowens stacking up wins is a good way to go. I’m not sure if he’s going to be a star, but he’s certainly at least worth seeing what’s there. He has a good look and is solid enough in the ring so maybe there’s something around. Just give him a slightly better caliber of opponent.

Post match Christian goes in to go after Bowens and gets tossed by Gunn. Bowens talks about his five tools and we get an old school scissoring.

Here are the Gates Of Agony for a chat. They waste no time in calling out Big Bill and Bryan Keith for the fight, which is on in a hurry. Liona misses a charge and goes over the barricade but Kaun crucifix bombs Keith off the ramp and through some tables. Security comes out but Kaun spears Bill off the ramp through some more tables to wrap it up.

Video on Megan Bayne vs. Anna Jay, with Harley Cameron and Penelope Ford there too.

Video on Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale. They were friends, then they were fighting, now it’s kind of in the middle.

Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale powers out of a headlock to start and throws Statlander down without much trouble. Statlander takes out the leg and hits a basement crossbody before it’s time to trade big chops. A pinfall reversal sequence gets two each until Statlander knocks her down for two. Nightingale sends her outside and hits a Cannonball off the apron to send us to a break.

Back with a double clothesline putting both of them down for a double breather. The fans think it’s awesome as Nightingale spinebusters her down for two, followed by the rapid fire clotheslines in the corner. Statlander’s ax kick gets two and Nightingale’s Death Valley Driver gets the same. Statlander grabs a top rope superplex and they’re both down again. One heck of a clothesline takes Statlander down and she gets knocked outside. Cue Marina Shafir to choke Nightingale with a chain (Statlander didn’t see it) so Staturday Night Fever can finish Nightingale at 12:21.

Rating: B. Dang this was starting to get good when one of the Death Riders managed to screw it up. That’s the story of AEW over the last few months and Shafir did it again here. Hopefully one of these two (or both) gets to move up the ladder, because they’re far too talented to be stuck in the middle of the pack for so long.

Skye Blue is back next week.

We look at Hangman Page and Will Ospreay’s face to face meeting last night on Dynamite.

Don Callis Family vs. Dark Order

The Family jumps them before the bell and the destruction is on fast. Even Callis himself gets in some choking on the floor, leaving Reynolds to get dropped face first onto the apron. Alexander’s running crossbody to the back sends Reynolds to the floor. Back in and the Blue Thunder Bomb is broken up and Reynolds dives over to Uno for the tag. That earns him an electric chair toss into a flying knee from Takeshita and the C4 Spike finishes for Alexander at 2:30. Total destruction.

Video on MJF trying to join the Hurt Syndicate.

Mike Bailey vs. Dralistico

Dralistico slaps away in the corner to start before Bailey jumps around a lot and kicks him in the chest. Bailey knocks him to the floor for an Asai moonsault but Dralistico grabs a running hurricanrana into the steps. We take a break and come back with Dralistico choking him on the ropes. Bailey strikes away in the corner but Dralistico is right back with his own forearms.

The bouncing kicks rock Dralistico and a superkick puts him down, with Bailey needing a breather. The running shooting star press gives Bailey two but Dralistico kicks the leg out and gets two off la majistral. A crucifix bomb puts Bailey down but he pulls himself up and hits a quick Canadian Destroyer. Dralistico sends him to the apron, where Bailey is right back with the moonsault knees to the ribs. Back in and the tornado kick finishes for Bailey at 9:00.

Rating: B-. This was the video game match of the show, with both of them getting to do their rather ridiculous spots. Dralistico is someone who can be put out there without losing his status so it works well for Bailey. Odds are Bailey is going to be getting a bigger spot in the near future, which makes sense as he’s perfect for AEW, even if his style can be a bit tough to buy at times.

Post match Rush comes out to stare Bailey down.

Daniel Garcia vs. Dax Harwood

Cash Wheeler and Stokely Hathaway are here with Harwood. Garcia drives him into the corner to start for a mostly clean break before Harwood does the same to him. This time it’s a right hand to drop Garcia, who tackles him down and hammers away. A running neckbreaker cuts Garcia off again but the piledriver is blocked. Another attempt on the floor gets the same result, but this time Garcia catapults him into the post.

Harwood is busted open and Garcia hammers away, setting up the running shots against the barricade. Wheeler offers a distraction though and Harwood is back up with a clothesline for a breather. Back in and Garcia grabs a quick Dragontamer but Hathaway offers a distraction, allowing Wheeler to hit a quick DDT on the floor. Cue Matt Menard to chase Wheeler to the back and we take a break.

Back with Garcia firing off a bunch of chops against the ropes and hitting a running clothesline. Some right hands in the corner rock Harwood but the turnbuckle pad gets pulled off. Another Dragontamer attempt is cut off and Garcia is kicked into the corner, setting up the slingshot powerbomb to give Harwood two. For some reason Harwood goes up top so Garcia superplexes him from the top, then rolls his hips and takes Harwood up for two more top rope superplexes for two, with Harwood getting his foot on the rope.

A fired up Garcia kicks him out to the floor and they fight out into the crowd. Harwood goes over to the commentary desk and slaps Nigel McGuinness’ headset off. Nigel gets up and teases fighting but backs down, saying he isn’t a wrestler anymore. Harwood shoves him into his chair and leaves, which is enough for Nigel to get in the ring. Wheeler is back and the big brawl is enough for the match to be thrown out at 17:39.

Rating: B-. Much like the women’s match earlier, they were having a good match but then it kind of fell apart at the end. What matters the most is that the ending keeps things going and the story has a few ways to go. It might not be the most thrilling story in the world, but Nigel being involved does make things more interesting.

Nigel, Garcia and Menard clear the ring to end the show, giving us one of the weirdest trios I’ve seen in a good while.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m not sure what to make of this show. The action was good and a bunch of stories were advanced, but there was pretty much nothing on this show that felt important. You had matches involving Angelico, RPG Vice/AR Fox, Lee Johnson, the Dark Order and one half of FTR. That’s not exactly a top level lineup and I’m not sure why you would keep things that low level when you have such a better time slot than usual. It’s not a bad show, but I was expecting a lot more given the opportunity that they had.

Results
Ricochet b. Angelico – Spirit Gun
Don Callis Family/RPG Vice b. Outrunners/AR Fox/Bandido – Jackyl Driver to Fox
Anthony Bowens b. Lee Johnson – Discus forearm
Kris Statlander b. Willow Nightingale – Staturday Night Fever
Don Callis Family b. Dark Order – C4 Spike to Reynolds
Mike Bailey b. Dralistico – Tornado Kick
Dax Harwood vs. Daniel Garcia went to a no contest

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: April 17, 2025
Location: MGM Music Hall At Fenway, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a special Thursday edition of the show and hopefully that means AEW uses the chance that they have to crank things up a bit. We still have a long time to go before Double Or Nothing but we are coming off one heck of a Dynamite so this show is going to have its work cut out. Hopefully they can live up to the hype so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence, still with the Saturday Night’s All Right For Fighting theme.

We get a big recap of Dynamite.

Marina Shafir beats up…I guess a production worker and here are the rest of the Death Riders to wreck a bunch of stuff. Jon Moxley says everyone who was celebrating last night, enjoy it while you can. He officially doesn’t like the Young Bucks and threatens their future if they cross his path again. That brings him to Samoa Joe, who Moxley has always respected but Joe has started something that Moxley has to finish. That is why Moxley is challenging Joe for a World Title match and the team leaves.

We run down the card.

Kevin Knight vs. Lance Archer

Don Callis is here with Archer, who unloads on Knight in the corner to start. Knight slips out of a chokeslam and dropkicks him onto the ramp. A dive takes him down again and Knight unloads in the corner, only to get dropped with a single shot. Archer misses a shot to the face and gets knocked down by a heck of a running shoulder. They go outside with Knight being swung into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Knight still in trouble and being dropped with a single right hand. An overhead German suplex sends Knight flying again but the Blackout and a chokeslam are both escaped. Knight avoids a charge in the corner but gets kicked down to cut him off again. A super hurricanrana brings Archer out of the corner and a splash gets two. Archer buckle bombs him into a chokeslam for two but Knight breaks up Old School. Knight hits a diving clothesline to the floor and another one connects for the surprise pin at 11:42.

Rating: B. I dug this, with Knight fighting from beneath the entire way and finally knocking the giant down for the win. Knight is clearly someone AEW sees something in and if they are going to push him as a big deal, he needs to win matches like this one. Good win here, with Archer being someone who can be rebuilt rather quickly.

The Opps are still serious but they’re happy with their Trios Titles win.

Kris Statlander and Jamie Hayter respect each other but they’re ready to face off in the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament.

FTR has sent in an apology to Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness, though Schiavone needed to be scared a bit. They didn’t want to hurt Nigel either, as his body and mind are fragile.

We look at Josh Alexander joining the Don Callis Family.

Josh Alexander/Konosuke Takeshita vs. Rocky Romero/Tomohiro Ishii

Takeshita and Ishii slug it out to start until Ishii shrugs off a running shoulder. Takeshita clothesline him down and it’s a double tag to Alexander and Romero. Alexander easily takes over and we go to a break. Back with Romero hitting a super Sliced Bread on Takeshita and handing it back to Ishii to slug away. Everything breaks down and Ishii drops Takeshita with a clothesline.

Alexander’s torture rack bomb plants Ishii for two but Romero is there with a springboard spinning crossbody. A German suplex gives Alexander two on Ishii but he’s back up to save Romero from a powerbomb. Ishii shrugs off a German suplex and a double shot to the face leave Ishii and Alexander down. Romero is knocked down as well, leaving Alexander and Takeshita to hit stereo discus forearms to Ishii. A powerbomb gives Alexander the pin at 10:22.

Rating: B-. Another good, hard hitting match here, even with Romero there as his usual annoying self. This was a way for Alexander to look good and while he probably would have gotten more out of doing this on his own, I’ll take him getting a win where I can. Takeshita gets a win after his loss to Will Ospreay in their classic on Dynamite, so this was a good way to go.

Post match Ishii and Romero have issues and the fight is on. Cue a man in a hoodie to help take Ishii out….and it’s Trent Beretta. They pull out a monkey wrench to lay Ishii out again.

Mercedes Mone is excited to be in Boston but Harley Cameron pops up with the puppet. Mone gets annoyed that she started talking to the puppet and storms off.

Megan Bayne vs. Rebecca Scott/Ashley Vox

Penelope Ford is here with Bayne. A double dropkick doesn’t hurt Bayne, who suplexes both of them at once. Three straight powerbombs have not Bayne in trouble and Fate’s Descent drops Vox onto Scott for the double pin at 1:15. The fans were WAY into Bayne here and it’s no surprise given how awesome she looked.

Video on Anthony Bowens.

TNT Title: Adam Cole vs. ???

Cole is defending in an open challenge against….Claudio Castagnoli. Well that’s a big one. Castagnoli throws stuff on the way to the ring and seems to have banged up Nigel’s knee. Cole gets powered into the corner to start and knocked down but grabs a quickly broken sleeper. Cole’s running knee gets two and Castagnoli is frustrated on the floor.

That’s fine with Cole, who avoids a running uppercut against the barricade, only to get sent flying over said barricade. Since countouts aren’t a thing around here, Cole gets back inside, where Castagnoli grabs a chinlock. Someone is bleeding from somewhere as Cole is sent outside again and we take a break.

Back with Castagnoli charging into a superkick in the corner and we get a double breather. Castagnoli blasts him with a clothesline but gets caught with a Death Valley Driver onto the knee. Back up and the swing has Cole down into a crossface, followed by Swiss Death for two. Castagnoli unloads with uppercuts in the corner and a top rope superplex gets one…and Cole reverses into a crucifix to retain at 15:14.

Rating: B. This was almost a squash until the ending, which came so out of nowhere that it took me by surprise. It’s nice to see the Death Riders losing clean again, even if it came after Castagnoli beat the fire out of Cole. That’s not the worst way to go and I liked how well it went, even if it was Castagnoli getting caught rather than being defeated.

Post match Castagnoli wrecks a bunch of things and Jon Moxley and the Death Riders have to get him away from ringside.

We recap Chris Jericho walking out on the Learning Tree last week.

The Learning Tree is disappointed in Jericho but Bryan Keith tells Big Bill to keep it private. They want to handle it like family, but Bill doesn’t seem happy.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. KM/Rosario Grillo/LSG

La Faccion jumps them at the bell and the beatdown is on in a hurry. LSG gets taken apart and KM is knocked into the corner. Dralistico hits a big flip dive to the floor and the Bull’s Horns finishes Rush at 1:52. Complete destruction.

Kevin Knight is happy with his win but not so much with the Don Callis Family. Mike Bailey congratulates him but Ricochet interrupts. Ricochet tells him to not mess with the chain of command, though Knight says he respects Ricochet for what he has done. Knight mocks Ricochet’s lack of hair and a fight is teased, with Bailey saying they’ll do this later.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Nick Wayne vs. Komander

Wayne is challenging and gets hammered into the corner to start. Komander cuts him off with a kick to the head but it’s too early for Cielito Lindo. Instead Komander hits a springboard high crossbody, only for Wayne to snap the back of his neck across the top rope. Another springboard is broken up and Komander is sent crashing out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Komander putting him on the top and running the corner for a kick to the head. A running Swanton hits Wayne on the ramp but he rolls Komander up for two. Komander’s poisonrana gets two more so Wayne kicks him in the head. Wayne’s World is broken up and Komander knocks him to the floor for a big dive. Back in and Cielito Lindo hits raised boots and a fisherman’s buster gives Wayne the pin and the title at 11:03.

Rating: B. This got going near the end and I’ll take Wayne getting the title rather than having Komander just being around as champion and not doing much. I could go for Christian Cage coming after the title and not being able to get it, but at least Wayne is doing something. Now if only he could be doing that on Ring Of Honor instead of around here.

Video on Hologram.

Top Flight is ready to fight Cru next week. Cru comes in for some shouting.

Kris Statlander/Julia Hart vs. Mercedes Mone/Harley Cameron

Toni Storm is on commentary. Cameron tries to throw the puppet in to start and it is promptly stomped down. A headscissors sends Statlander down for a bit better success but she muscles Cameron over for a suplex. Hart comes in with Old School and a basement lariat for two but Cameron is back up with an enziguri. Mone comes in but gets sent outside as we take an early break.

Back with Mone grabbing a wristdrag out of the corner, setting up Three Amigos to Statlander. That’s fine with Statlander, who rolls double suplexes to show off. Mone and Cameron wind up on top of each other so Hart moonsaults onto both of them. Everything breaks down and Hart is up first (Storm: “That is one spooky b****.”) for the moonsault to Mone’s raised boots. Statlander muscles Mone up but Cameron tags herself in, allowing Statlander to hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Statlander hits Hayterade to pin Cameron at 11:03.

Rating: C+. The ending was a fine enough way to set up Hayter vs. Statlander and that’s all this match really needed. Cameron taking the fall is a good enough way to go as losing to Statlander isn’t going to hurt her. At the same time, Mone and Cameron could wind up being a fun wacky pair if they go that way, though it could go in a few different directions.

Overall Rating: B. Another pretty awesome show here with some solid action throughout and the Death Riders taking another step towards falling apart. That’s what we have been needing around here for a long time now and while they have a long way to go, this is definitely a step in the right direction. Other than that, the stories were advanced well enough and they still have time to get ready for Double Or Nothing. This show felt like another edition of Dynamite and that’s what it should have been given the situation they were in here.

Results
Kevin Knight b. Lance Archer – Springboard clothesline
Josh Alexander/Konosuke Takeshita b. Rocky Romero/Tomohiro Ishii – Powerbomb to Alexander
Megan Bayne b. Rebecca Scott/Ashley Vox – Double pin
Adam Cole b. Claudio Castagnoli – Crucifix
La Faccion Ingobernable b. KM/Rosario Grillo/LSG – Bull’s Horns to Rush
Nick Wayne b. Komander – Fisherman’s buster
Kris Statlander/Julia Hart b. Harley Cameron/Mercedes Mone – Hayterade to Cameron

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6redit

Collision
Date: April 12, 2025
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We are done with Dynasty and the long road to Double Or Nothing has begun. That could go in a few different ways but for right now, AEW has taken its foot off the gas, at least for the time being. It made for an enjoyable Dynamite and it would be nice to see the same thing happen again here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Commentary tells us that Pac is injured and therefore Jon Moxley is taking his place as an interim Trios Champion. That’s about the only option they had so there is nothing wrong with that move.

Here is FTR to explain turning on Cope at Dynasty. Wheeler talks about how the more he listened to Harwood talk about Cope, the more sense it made. The reality was that Cope only cared about himself so at Dynasty, everything clicked. Cope saw Wheeler as a helpless kid but the reality is FTR are living legends and they should be treated as such. Harwood has been realizing he needed to change and the people will understand that he is right.

After waiting for four months, the only thing they were allowed to be was Cope’s new Edgeheads. Just like every wrestler in Cope’s place, he was too selfish because he wanted them to help him win another World Title. That brings Harwood to Tony Schiavone, who wasn’t pleased with them on Dynamite. Against Nigel’s advice, Schiavone gets in the ring and says FTR was wrong.

Harwood cuts him off and brings up Schiavone talking about Harwood’s daughter. Ever the genius, Schiavone brings it up AGAIN and gets loaded into a spike piledriver. That’s enough for Nigel to get up (FTR lets Schiavone go) and step between them, which draws out Daniel Garcia. FTR shoves him down (not clear if they knew who it was) before immediately apologizing and helping him up. FTR leaves in peace. Nigel getting involved is interesting, though I’m not sure I can imagine him having a match out of this.

Toni Storm is ready for the winner of the Owen Hart Tournament and has some thoughts on the competitors:

Mercedes Mone: She’ll drain her 401k and leave her having to drink Storm’s bath water.
Kris Statlander: What a woman.
Jamie Hayter: No one has ever made a dime in wrestling pretending to be from another era.

Anyway, she’s ready for anyone.

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Jamie Hayter vs. Billie Starkz

They take turns missing shots to the face to start so Starkz suckers her in with a handshake. Starkz sends her to the apron for a basement superkick to the floor but gets sent hard into the barricade. That’s broken up and Starkz hits a Swanton off the apron to the back for a big crash. Back in and Hayter hits a spinebuster for two before sending Starkz outside as we take a break.

We come back with Hayter working on a half crab but Starkz fights up for a kick out of the corner. Starkz slugs back but gets caught in a fireman’s carry into the knee for two. Some forearms rock Starkz, who gets two off a backslide. Starkz drops her again and the Swanton connects for two more. They go to the apron where Hayter gets in a headbutt and suplexes her out to the floor. Back in and they slug it out until the Hayterade finishes for Hayter at 13:56.

Rating: C+. Starkz is trying in these chances she’s getting but at the same time, you’re only going to get so much out of someone who has never won anything of note on the main roster. Other than the women’s midcard title in Ring Of Honor, there isn’t much of a resume there, certainly not compared to Hayter. I’m not sure how far Hayter is going to go, but at least she got a win here.

The Death Riders are ready to keep fighting without Pac, with Jon Moxley taking Pac’s place as a Trios Champion. Moxley isn’t sure what the Opps are teaching Hook, but chicks dig scars.

Gates Of Agony vs. ???/???

Kaun hits a running suplex to start and it’s off to Liona for the corner clotheslines. It’s back to Kaun for Open The Gates for a double pin at 1:06. Total destruction.

FTR goes to leave but Matt Menard and Angelo Parker cut them off and yell at them a lot. A match seems to be made for later.

Blake Christian vs. Anthony Bowens

Billy Gunn is here with Bowens, who takes Christian down into a front facelock to start. A rollup gives Bowens two but Christian avoids a charge and hits a quick springboard dropkick to the back. Bowens fights up without much trouble and we take a break. Back with Bowens kicking away and hitting a running Fameasser from behind. Christian gets hung up in the ropes for a spinning DDT and a near fall. Back up and a Spanish Fly gives Christian two and a 630 connects for the same. A Stunner drops Bowens again but he’s right back up with a superkick. The spinning forearm finishes for Bowens at 9:11.

Rating: C+. This was another nice win for Bowens, who is on the way to his own singles run after the Acclaimed broken up. That has me at least somewhat interesting as Bowens is feeling like he could be a star if given the chance. You have to start somewhere and beating Christian in a first (non-squash) singles match is a good way to get things going.

Post match Bowens says this is a long time coming and he is the five tool player. He doesn’t need some document to prove he is the best, so who is the best to get a beating?

Megan Bayne vs. LMK/Kelly Madan

Penelope Ford is here with Bayne, who drives Madan into the corner with the shoulders to start. LMK gets tossed aside and they’re both splashed in the corner. Fate’s Descent sends Maddan onto LMK for the double pin at 1:28. Another total squash.

We look at the Men’s Owen Hart Tournament.

Kevin Knight vs. AR Fox

They trade rollups to start and Knight hits a spinning splash for two. Knight’s springboard is cut off with an enziguri and Fox sends him outside as we take a break. Back with Knight hitting a nice dropkick and unloading in the corner. A Sky High gives Knight two but Fox kicks him down and hits a 450 for two of his own. Knight hits another dropkick but gets kicked in the face, only to come back with a springboard clothesline for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: B-. This was the “let them do their thing” for awhile match and that’s what it should have been. Fox can make almost anyone look entertaining and Knight does a lot of good on his own. Knight seems like someone who is going to be a player around here and giving him a few wins here and there will only be a good thing for him.

The Gates Of Agony want the Hurt Syndicate.

FTR vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

Daniel Garcia comes out to watch as FTR jumps them to start fast. Wheeler beats on Parker on the floor as Harwood drops Menard inside. Menard is already busted open (and it’s a gusher) so Harwood hammers away even more. Menard comes back with some right hands but Wheeler cuts him off. The Shatter Machine hits Parker and a spike piledriver drops Menard. Another spike piledriver connects so Garcia begs them to start…which is actually enough to get Wheeler to cover for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C. This wasn’t about the match of course but rather about FTR looking like killers out there. Beating up Menard and Parker is a fine way to go as they’re mainly around to take punishment. The blade job from Menard was a good one and made FTR seem that much more devastating. Good angle here, though Garcia being involved isn’t the most appealing thing.

Post match Garcia yells at FTR and checks on Menard, only to get beaten down as well. The spike piledriver plants Garcia again so security has to save him from another one. The Paragon makes the real save (ignore Nigel calling them the Undisputed Kingdom).

Women’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Athena vs. Harley Cameron

Athena’s Ring Of Honor Women’s Title isn’t on the line. Athena backs her into the corner to start so Cameron grabs a headlock. A rollup gives Athena two and they go to a staredown, which has Athena a bit surprised. Cameron is sent to the apron for a kick to the head but Athena sends her head first into the buckle. A wheelbarrow suplex on the floor drops Cameron hard and we take a break.

Back with Athena working on a bow and arrow, which is quickly escaped. Athena strikes away for two and puts Cameron in the Tree Of Woe for some kicks to the back. A swinging neckbreaker gives Cameron two and she strikes away in the ropes. Athena rolls through a high crossbody but gets hurricanranaed back down. Cameron forearms her out of the air and gets two off a belly to back suplex. Her Finishing Move is broken up but Cameron grabs a rollup for two. Athena knocks her back down though and hits the O Face for the pin at 10:28.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see Cameron getting to put up a fight here and she only got so far. The good thing is that Cameron now has a finishing move (Her Finishing Move) to serve as something of a threat. That’s one of the keys she has been missing and if she can string together some wins, it could get that much better. Athena needs to move on in the tournament though, even if she’s facing Mercedes Mone next and that might be it for her.

Mercedes Mone is ready to face Athena in her own hometown of Boston.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Brody King vs. Konosuke Takeshita

King powers him into the corner to start but gets caught in a quickly broken headlock. A belly to back suplex drops Takeshita and King chops away in the corner. The running backsplash misses though and Takeshita drops a middle rope backsplash to take over. They’re quickly on the apron, where King hits a Death Valley Driver to knock Takeshita silly. The running crossbody against the barricade is cut off by a jumping knee though and we take a break.

Back with King hitting a cannonball for two, meaning it’s time to trade forearms. Takeshita muscles him up for the Blue Thunder Bomb before King wins an exchange of clotheslines. Dante’s Inferno gets two but Takeshita hits a kneeling piledriver into a wheelbarrow suplex. One heck of a lariat gives Takeshita two and two running knees get the same. Another pair of running knees finish King at 12:19.

Rating: B. This was a match where the result was only so much in doubt given King’s recent record in singles matches. That’s not a bad thing though, as giving Takeshita a dragon to slay is something that works rather well. Takeshita continues to feel like he could be an outstanding hero if given the chance, and there is a good chance that’s coming one day.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was mainly focused on the tournaments and FTR and that’s not a bad thing. The show might not have been the most important in the world, but it was the kind of show that got a lot of things done in a single night. Sometimes that’s the show you need to see and it worked well enough. Maybe not a show you need to watch, but a useful one.

Results
Jamie Hayter b. Billie Starkz – Hayterade
Gates Of Agony b. ???/??? – Double pin
Anthony Bowens b. Blake Christian – Discus forearm
Megan Bayne b. LMK/Kelly Madan – Double pin
Kevin Knight b. AR Fox – Springboard clothesline
FTR b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Spike piledriver to Menard
Athena b. Harley Cameron – O Face
Konosuke Takeshita b. Brody King – 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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Rampage
Date: December 27, 2024
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Matt Menard, Tony Schiavone

It seems to be the last episode of the show and that means…well pretty much nothing, as there is nothing out of the ordinary announced for the show. It’s also the last show before tomorrow’s Worlds End event and that means we should be getting one big final push towards the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Chris Jericho vs. Anthony Bowens

Non-title and Big Bill and Max Caster are here too. Jericho mocks the scissoring to start and Bowens elbows away but Caster gets on the apron to pose, with Bowens shoving him away. A belly to back suplex lets Jericho chop away in the corner but the bulldog is shoved off. Bowens wins a chop off and hits a spinning hanging DDT for two. A quick Liontamer has Bowens in trouble and we take a break.

Back with Bowens finally making the rope and hitting a Fameasser for two. Jericho gets thrown outside so Bowens can dive onto both villains at once. Cue Bryan Keith for a failed distraction, allowing Caster to come in for Scissor Me Timbers. A superkick gives Bowens two but Caster and Keith come in with the ROH title. That means a tug of war with Caster accidentally hitting Bowens in the face with the belt to give Jericho the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C+. This was Bowens’ first big singles match and while he held his own, it was also about the issue with Caster at the end rather than the match itself. The Acclaimed seems to be on the way to a split and that might be best for everyone involved. The team seems to be out of steam and Bowens has shown potential before. He did it again here as he was fine enough on his own, with the fans seemingly rather invested in him.

Video on Private Party going through the streets of New York on their way to the arena.

Private Party vs. Alec Price/Leo Sparrow

Non-title. Gin and Juice finishes Price at 1:01. Just a quick squash for the hometown champs.

Post match Lio Rush/Action Andretti run in for the brawl, with Top Flight joining in.

Powerhouse Hobbs is ready to take the International Title from Konosuke Takeshita.

Thunder Rosa vs. Leila Grey

They go with the grappling to start until Grey takes her down. That’s reversed into a chinlock before a basement clothesline gives Rosa two. Grey fights up and strikes away, with a basement dropkick connecting for two of her own. We take a break and come back with Rosa hitting a running shot in the corner, setting up a slingshot dropkick. A Side Effect gives Grey two more but Rosa stomps her in the back, shouts YOU CAN’T KILL ME, and grabs a seated cobra clutch for the tap at 7:49.

Rating: C+. This was a way to get Rosa warmed up for her title shot on Saturday against someone who is a bit better than the usual cannon fodder. Rosa turned on the jets at the end here and it made for a nice showcase. I’m not sure if Rosa is going to win the title but at least she’s getting a strong build on the way there.

Worlds End rundown.

Hook vs. Nick Wayne

The Patriarchy is here with Wayne, who jumps Hook in the corner to start. That doesn’t work for Hook, who sends him into the same corner and hammers away. A snapmare into a quick legdrop gives Wayne two but Hook backdrops him out to the floor. Wayne sends him into the steps, where the Patriarchy can smash Hook’s bad hand. The referee tosses the rest of the villains though and we take a break.

Back with the cast having been removed from Hook’s hand so Wayne can stomp on the bare hand. Hook snaps off a suplex but Wayne goes to the hand to block another one. They go to the apron where Wayne goes after the hand again, only to get German suplexed down. Since it’s just a German suplex onto the apron, Wayne pops up and knocks him down, setting up a frog splash for two. Wayne mocks Taz’s pose and is promptly dropped with a clothesline. The Patriarchy comes back out but Hacksaw Shibata chases them off with a 2×4. Wayne’s World is loaded up but Hook pulls him into Redrum for the tap at 12:29.

Rating: B-. This made Hook look good as he continues his way towards Christian Cage. That’s all you need for a match like this, as he got to smash through another of Cage’s minions. Wayne losing isn’t going to hurt his status as this is all about Cage, and that match can be set up later on.

The Death Riders have attacked Darby Allin. They Pillmanize his neck and kick him down some stairs, which eels like a normal Friday night for him.

Here are the Death Riders with a chair for an in-ring chat. Jon Moxley thinks the fans booing him really hate themselves and there are a lot of people who don’t like the things that he does. If anyone has a problem with what he and the Death Riders do, come out here and tell him to his face. Cue Komander, who is promptly beaten down. Top Flight gets the same treatment so here are Willow Nightingale and Orange Cassidy. Jay White and Hangman Page run in for the big brawl.

The locker room clears out and we have an even bigger brawl. The Death Riders escape and destroy the tech equipment, leaving the arena mostly dark. Riccaboni: “This is a preview of what we will see at Worlds End.” You might not want to say that the pay per view is “pretty much nothing” Ian. We go to the tech truck where Moxley officially ends the show. So yes, the Death Riders have killed off an AEW program.

Overall Rating: B-. It was certainly a unique way to wrap up a show and it came after a pretty decent Rampage. The action was good enough and while it had a VERY New York heavy theme, it was an hour of wrestling that went by quickly and gave us a big closing segment to wrap things up before the pay per view. Nothing worth going out of your way to see here, but it could have been worse.

So that’s it for Rampage and…yeah it was time to go. At the end of the day, the show regularly had good action, but it was rarely anything that needed to be seen. If nothing else, I’m glad that we’re getting a night off from Tony Khan produced wrestling. Having it on four straight nights a week was getting to be too much so having a bit of time off might help. It wasn’t a bad show at all, but it didn’t feel important a lot of the time and that made for some long Friday nights.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Anthony Bowens – Belt shot from Max Caster
Private Party b. Alec Price/Leo Sparrow – Gin and Juice to Price
Thunder Rosa b. Leila Grey – Seated cobra clutch
Hook b. Nick Wayne – Redrum

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: July 24, 2024
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s time for a special show with Blood & Guts as the Elite faces Team AEW in what is likely going to be a rather long fight. We also have Minoru Suzuki challenging Chris Jericho for the FTW Title in what could be quite the train wreck. We are about a month away from All In and the show could use some more stuff, some of which might be announced this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Will Ospreay is trying to drive to the arena but someone has punctured his tire. He makes Alex Marvez give him the keys to Marvez’s car and speeds off, mentioning that he hasn’t driven in America.

Here is MJF, with cheerleaders, to brag about how easy it was to beat Ospreay last week. Some people would say Ospreay needs to go wait for a title shot, but since his grandmother just died, so he should dig a grave next t her. Just make it a long way off because the woman was large. We’ll move on to the International Title, which is supposed to be the Workhorse Title. The fans like it because international stars fought for it and ans of those wrestlers should be deported.

MJF calls the title garbage and throws it in a trashcan. He unveils a new title, dubbed the America’s Title, and brags about Long Island. Streamers fly and an MJF flag is unrolled, but here is Will Ospreay to chase him off. Ospreay talks about how MJF had to cheat to win rather than admit that Ospreay could beat him. He’s spoke to Tony Khan and the rematch is officially on For All In. MJF isn’t pleased.

The Elite has attacked Christopher Daniels and then does the coin toss for tonight’s advantage, with the Elite winning. They aren’t worried about Hangman Page but also reveal it was a two sided coin. Now, I know Tony Khan isn’t going to do anything about this and I have no idea why.

FTW Title: Minoru Suzuki vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending and the fans are behind Suzuki. They chop it out…and keep chopping…and continue chopping….before chopping some more in between the rings. Jericho’s chest is bleeding as we are almost five minutes in and they have literally not done a move other than a chop. Jericho finally falls down and we take a break, coming back with even more chopping (and more blood on Jericho’s chest).

Jericho finally kicks him in the chest (the fans disapprove) and puts him on the apron, where the triangle dropkick has to be pulled up short as Suzuki isn’t ready to knock him out of the air. They fight outside with Suzuki hitting him with a chair and then Pillmanizing the hand. The hand is bent backwards both on the floor and back inside but Jericho hits a quick Codebreaker for one. Some forearms have Suzuki staggered but he blocks the Walls and grabs a sleeper. That’s broken up with a low blow and the Judas Effect retains the title at 13:57.

Rating: C. I get that the chop thing was supposed to be some test of wills or whatever but it was going on for about seven minutes with nothing else but chops. At the same time, Suzuki may be a legend but his matches are getting harder and harder to watch as he isn’t exactly doing anything great. I wasn’t feeling this at all and they easily could have cut five minutes out.

Post match Suzuki chokes Jericho and hits the Gotch Style Piledriver but the Learning Tree runs in to beat him down. Katsuyori Shibata runs in for the save.

Willow Nightingale is the new CMLL Women’s champion but gets jumped by Kris Statlander. Stokely Hathaway pops in to suggest an eliminator match for next week. Not a title match mind you, but at eliminator match.

Earlier today, Bryan Danielson was talking to Renee Paquette, where he said that he had a bad neck but his doctors have said it’s fixable. They just need to make sure it stays that way. Jeff Jarrett comes in to say Danielson was the right man to win the Owen Hart Tournament, but Jarrett thinks Danielson needs to heal up mentally. He doesn’t want Danielson to have an excuse, because if he’s going to go all in, he needs to go all in. Jarrett is at the top of a list of people who believe in him. Danielson seems touched and says he has a lot of work to do. Jarrett was rally good here and you could feel the emotion.

Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida

Feeling out process to start and Baker gets a rollup for an early two. Lockjaw is blocked and they trade rollup for two each. They fight outside with Shida hammering away against the barricade. We take a break and come back with Baker grabbing a neckbreaker into a Sling Blade for the knockdown.

The Lockjaw glove is loaded up but Shida pulls her into a triangle choke. That’s broken up so they trade rollups for two more but Shida teases going for the kendo stick. That takes too long though and Baker grabs a fisherman’s neckbreaker for two. Shida hits the Falcon Arrow but the Katana is countered, setting up the Lockjaw to give Baker the win at 10:18.

Rating: C+. This was Baker’s first match in nearly a year and you could definitely see some ring rust out there. Some of her timing was off and there were parts where it felt like they weren’t on the same page. That being said, baker’s attitude and personality have always been what matter more than her in-ring work and if it is passable enough, which it was here, she’ll be fine.

Post match Mercedes Mone comes out to say she knows Baker wants a TBS Title shot but that isn’t happening. Cue the debuting Kamille (a rather tall monster) to jump Baker from behind. A torture rack leaves Baker laying.

The Patriarchy brags about winning the Trios Titles and Christian Cage promises that Nick Wayne is going to win the Royal Rampage on Rampage….but he gets distracted by Kip Sabian. Wayne says he’ll beat him in the Royal Rampage and no one cares that Sabian’s dad is dead.

Pac vs. Boulder

Pac kicks him into the corner to start but gets knocked down. A moonsault misses for Boulder though and Pac chokes away in the corner. Pac manages a brainbuster for the win at 1:50.

Team AEW is ready for Blood & Guts, even if they’re never going to get along. Mark Briscoe calms things down and rallies the troops.

Mariah May vs. Kaitlyn Alexis

May knocks her into the corner at the bell and hammers away, setting up May Day for…no cover. Instead it’s a running hip attack into Storm Zero for the pin at 1:36.

Post match Toni Storm’s music plays but she doesn’t come out, leaving May pleased. Then Storm pops up in disguise for the fight, with security breaking it up. Storm shouts that May better be prepared to die because she already is.

We get a long video on Blood & Guts, as narrated by Dean Malenko, noted cage match specialist.

The rules:

• Two men start for five minutes.
• After five minutes, the Elite will get a one man advantage for a “regularly scheduled interval” (usually 2-3 minutes).
• After that time, Team AEW will add another man to tie it up. The teams will alternate until all ten are in.
• When everyone is in, first submission wins.

Blood & Guts

Team AEW: Darby Allin, Swerve Strickland, Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, Mark Briscoe
Elite: Jack Perry, Nick Jackson, Matt Jackson, Hangman Page, Kazuchika Okada

Perry is in at #1 for the Elite with Allin coming in at #1 for Team AEW, only for Perry to jump him before he can get inside. The beating starts on the floor, with Allin being sent into the cage and steps. They fight into the crowd and brawl around the arena before coming back to ringside. Allin is sent inside and goes face first into a trashcan in the corner, allowing Perry to pose.

Nick Jackson is in at #2 and brings a chair and a case of some kind. A guillotine legdrop hits Allin and he gets sent into the cage as we take a break. Back with Mark Briscoe coming in at #2 to even things up and slug away. A running step up dive hits Perry and there’s a suplex to put Nick down as well. Briscoe brings in a ladder to beat on Nick and then crushes it onto Nick in the corner. A trashcan to the head has Nick in more trouble but it’s Matt Jackson in at #3 to put the Elite back up.

The case to the head busts Briscoe open and Allin gets DDTed onto said case as well. Allin gets catapulted into a case to the head and a Dominator/top rope double stomp combination puts him down again. Anthony Bowens is in at #3 to even things up and cleans some house. Allin gets clotheslined down but comes back with a Scorpion Death Drop. Back up and Allin hits a top rope double stomp with the skateboard to Nick’s back as Bowens whips out the scissors or some stabbing.

Kazuchika Okada is in at #4 with a street sign to knock the good guys back down. A Tombstone onto the sign sets up a dropkick into a chair into Briscoe’s face as we take another break. Back again with Max Caster coming in at #4 to even things up. Caster whips out a barbed wire board but a suplex to Okada onto sad board is broken up. Instead Bowens is sent onto the board and another such board is placed on top of him, with Nick adding a Swanton to crush Bowens between them. We get the bag of tacks, some of which are put into Caster’s mouth for a superkick.

Hangman Page is….supposed to be in at #5 but he’s not here. The good guys use the delay to fight back, with Bowens tying barbed wire around his leg for Scissor Me Timbers to Nick. Swerve Strickland is in at #5 and NOW Page comes running down with a chair to jump Swerve from behind before he can get in. Swerve gets handcuffed to the cage on the outside as Briscoe is dropkicked into the barbed wire board in the corner.

A hard belt shot to the head has Swerve mostly out of it but Page keeps hitting him/yelling about it. The Bucks grab the mic and ask what Page is doing before threatening to fire him if he doesn’t get in. Page gets in and the cage is locked, with the match officially beginning, meaning first submission wins. The Bucks and Page keep arguing, allowing the rest of the good guys to fight back as we take another break.

Back again with Jeff Jarrett coming out to do something but Brandon Cutler cuts him off. Billy Gunn cuts off Cutler and Jarrett gives him a guitar shot, leaving Jarrett to set Swerve free. Prince Nana cuts the cage open so Swerve can get in to wreck most of the Elite, leaving Page as the last man standing. They slug it out between the rings until the Buckshot Lariat is blocked. Page ties to hit him with a barbed wire board but Allin makes the save. Okada takes Allin down but Swerve is back up with a staple gun.

Nick breaks that up with a low blow and we finally see what is in the case from earlier: a bunch of staple guns! Well that was anticlimactic. Swerve gets stapled by four people at once but shrugs it off to beat up everyone, including stapling Okada’s finger. The Buckshot Lariat hits Okada by mistake and we take another break. Back again with four tables set up on the floor and Matt and Bowens climbing up the cage.

Swerve and Page have apparently crashed off the stage to get rid of both of them, with Bowens crashing off the cage and through the four tables to likely join them. Briscoe hits a bunch of Jay Drillers and some of the Elite are put through tables. Allin climbs the cage and drops off the top to put Perry through a table for a huge crash. Perry gets cuffed to the cage so Briscoe can kendo stick him in the ribs.

Allin goes underneath the ring and pulls out a metal spike as Briscoe uses a SCAPEGOAT chair to smash Perry in the head (unprotected). Allin isn’t done and finds some gasoline to douse Perry. He threatens to light Perry on fire but Mat says Allin can have the TNT Title match at All In if he doesn’t do it. Allin says deal and Matt quits to save Perry at 48:55.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t a bad match, but it was every Blood & Guts you’ve seen before: long, more about the weapons and big spots than the hatred (save for Page vs. Swerve). In addition, the ending wasn’t so much about the Elite getting defeated, meaning this is going to keep going for a long time. The match definitely felt important and that is what matters most, but as usual, it felt like about twenty minutes could have been chopped off without missing much. There was enough good stuff here to keep it entertaining, but there was too much going on overall and it felt like we were having the match because it’s July.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event felt big and the Kamille debut was nice, but there was a lot of stuff here that I couldn’t get into at all. Between Jericho and Suzuki doing their thing and the really long main event, this felt like a mostly two match show, with Storm and May boosting things up a bit. They were focused on one match for the most part here and it was good enough to get by. Now we can get on towards All In though, which is the show that really matters, so the real work starts next week.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Minoru Suzuki – Judas Effect
Britt Baker b. Hikaru Shida – Lockjaw
Pac b. Boulder – Brainbuster
Mariah May b. Kaitlyn Alexis – Storm Zero
Team AEW b. Elite when Matt Jackson quit

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: May 18, 2024
Location: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We continue the double shot on Saturday with what is usually the lesser of the two shows. In this case we have just over a week to go before Double Or Nothing and that means we should be getting some build up towards the show. Hopefully that isn’t swapped out for more build towards Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Darby Allin joining Team AEW, with quite the positive tilt towards the Young Bucks, who are fighting people who don’t agree with them.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Lee Moriarty

Anthony Ogogo is here with Moriarty. O’Reilly wrestles him to the mat to start but Moriarty rolls up as Schiavone rapid fires upcoming shows. Moriarty’s bodyscissors is broken up so O’Reilly hits a knee to the ribs into a slap to the face. A charging O’Reilly is sent into the buckle and we take a break.

Back with O’Reilly striking away, setting up a belly to back suplex into a kneebar. Moriarty grabs the rope and then snaps O’Reilly’s fingers, setting up a running boot in the corner. O’Reilly suplexes him down again and they trade kicks, with both grabbing the other’s legs. They slap it out until both of them go down before fighting over arm control. O’Reilly grabs a guillotine before kicking him in the chest, followed by the cross armbreaker for the tap at 9:59.

Rating: B. Two technical guys got to have a rather nice technical showcase, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise. O’Reilly has a good mixture of the submission skills and the striking, which is what we were seeing here. It helps that Moriarty can hang in there with anyone and he was getting to show off some rather nice skills here as well.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn have noticed that everyone is getting crazy about authority these days. No one wants to face the Acclaimed though so tonight it’s Anthony Bowens vs. Brian Cage, with an affirmation that EVERYONE loves the Acclaimed.

Rush vs. Cody Chhun

Bull’s Horns in 34 seconds.

Post match Rush wrecks him in a beating that lasts a good bit longer than the match.

Bryan Danielson says FTR won’t be at Dynamite but he will be. The Elite can take a shot but be ready for the consequences.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Robyn Renegade

Purrazzo slips out of a wristlock to start before armdragging her into an armbar. Robyn slips out so Purrazzo pulls her into a cross armbreaker as we take a break. Back with Robyn slugging away with forearms and a big clothesline to put Purrazzo down. A dropkick to the back of the head gives Robyn two but the pumphandle slam is countered with an armdrag. Purrazzo DDT’s the arm into the Fujiwara armbar for the win at 7:14.

Rating: C+. Robyn was showing some fire here until she got her arm wrecked so badly. Purrazzo knows how to take someone apart like she did here and that Fujiwara armbar can seem rather deadly. Hopefully she can do well in her big showdown with Thunder Rosa, though I’m not sure I like her odds of winning.

Post match Purrazzo stays on the arm and even turns it into the Venus de Milo, with Thunder Rosa running in for the save. Rosa checks on Robyn, allowing Purrazzo to get in a cheap shot. Purrazzo runs off but gets caught by Rosa, only to bail into the crowd.

Scorpio Sky is coming back and he’s here for us. If he is on his way back, how can he be here for us?

Sonjay Dutt has a deal with the Elite, which is why it’s Bryan Danielson vs. Satnam Singh on Dynamite.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Brian Cage vs. Anthony Bowens

Max Caster and Billy Gunn are here too. We get a pose off to start before Bowens grabs a float over DDT for two. Cage powers him into the corner for some shots to the ribs until Bowens snaps off a dragon screw legwhip. Bowens sends him outside, where a running kick is countered into a powerbomb to the post.

We take a break and come back with Bowens grabbing a small package for two. Bowens strikes away and hits a running Fameasser for two more. A DDT onto the apron drops Cage again but Cage kicks him in the back, setting up the apron superplex for two more. The Drill Claw is countered and Bowens kicks him in the chest for two, only for the referee to nearly get bumped. Cage kicks him low and hits the Drill Claw for the win at 11:45.

Rating: C+. Pretty nice stuff here, with Bowens doing a solid job as the underdog. They were playing up the idea that Cage is used to singles matches while Bowens didn’t have a partner as usual. It helps boost Cage back up after his loss to Swerve Strickland, though there wasn’t much else to get interested in here.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener was good, but this was another show that you could completely skip and not miss much at all. On its own that makes for a breezy hour, but as the third hour of a block, it’s not the most engaging sit. There’s not much of a reason to watch this show, though you won’t be disappointed if you do.

Results
Kyle O’Reilly b. Lee Moriarty – Cross armbreaker
Rush b. Cody Chhun – Bull’s Horns
Deonna Purrazzo b. Robyn Renegade
Brian Cage b. Anthony Bowens – Drill Claw

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: December 23, 2022
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re still in front of one of those crazy Texas crowds and in this case there is a rather unique match. This time around we are having a Casino Trios Battle Royal, with the winning team splitting $300,000. That should be enough to make things interesting, and seems to be the big focal point this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Three Kings Christmas Casino Battle Royal

So this is a nine team Casino Battle Royal (basically the Royal Rumble) for $300,000 and all three members of the team have to be eliminated. We start with the Best Friends/Orange Cassidy, La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush/Preston Vance/Kalistico) and Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian. Triple brawls break out in various corners until the Best Friends and Cassidy are kicked into the middle of the ring for the Big Hug.

Cassidy is sent outside but not eliminated, allowing Rush (also not eliminated) to deck him from behind. Rush chokes Cassidy on the floor as Preston Vance spinebusters Taylor inside. That’s enough to get rid of Taylor as the Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta) are in as well. The brawling is on as the ring is already too full. With nothing going on for two minutes, the Dark Order (John Silver/Alex Reynolds/Evil Uno) are in as well to fill up the ring even more.

A bunch of people go to the floor (again without being eliminated, because battle royals think that’s a good idea), leaving the Dark Order to triple team Vance. Moxley is sent to the apron but gets back inside, followed by Cassidy getting beaten down for a change. We take a break and come back with Cassidy, Blade and Sabian being tossed in a row. The Spanish Announce Project (Angelico/Luther/Serpentico, because OF COURSE those three are a team) jumps off the Spanish announce team and get inside to keep up the brawling.

Angelico is out fast and Silver gets rid of Kalistico. Rush tosses Silver and Moxley gets rid of Uno. Castagnoli tosses Luther as they’re certainly getting rid of people faster. Ari Daivari/the Varsity Athletes (Tony Nese/Josh Woods) are in, with Mark Sterling insulting the fans on the way to the ring. Trent gets sent outside (again, not eliminated) for a triple teaming and Reynolds is eliminated, meaning the Dark Order is completely out.

Rush hits Yuta with the Bull’s Horns in the corner and throws him out. Vance gets rid of Serpentico, meaning the SAP are out as well. Top Flight (Dante/Darius Martin) and AR Fox are in to complete the field as Castagnoli eliminates Daivari. There goes Vance, with Woods and Nese out as well to get rid of another team.

Trent piledrives Butcher on the apron to get rid of him but gets dropkicked out by Rush. Castagnoli and Rush have a showdown ad wind up on the apron for a chop off. A hard series of forearms and the uppercut get rid of Rush, leaving us with the Club (Moxley/Castagnoli) vs. Fox/Top Flight (AR Fox/Top Flight). Moxley gets rid of Fox almost immediately and it’s 2-2.

Cue Hangman Page to run in and go after Moxley as a brawl breaks out. Security comes in, allowing Top Flight to eliminate Moxley. That’s fine with Moxley, who dives on Page to keep up the fight. Back in and Castagnoli picks up both Martin at once but they fight back in from the apron. Castagnoli fights off a double slam out but gets DDTed and double clotheslined to the apron. A running hurricanrana gets rid of Castagnoli to give Fox/Top Flight the money at 21:59.

Rating: C-. This is a great example of “your mileage may vary” but this was a long match where only the last few minutes felt important. There were far too many stretches with too many people in the ring at once, but granted when you can just go to the floor at any point, it doesn’t matter as much. It’s a fun concept for a match and Fox/Top Flight winning is smart, but I can only get so much out of another battle royal with a bunch of rather low level teams.

Here are Eddie Kingston and Ortiz for a chat. They want to fight the House of Black but can’t get the contract signed, so here is Julia Hart to….point at the screen, where the House is waiting for a chat. Malakai Black suggests that Ortiz is really Kingston’s enemy, but Ortiz and Kingston are both a bit confused. I’m still confused as to why the House Of Black talks so much.

Daniel Garcia doesn’t like much about Sammy Guevara but if Chris Jericho tells them to be together, so be it. Sammy gets in Garcia’s face….and hugs him. They’ll be fine.

Jade Cargill vs. Vertvixen

Non-title and the Baddies are here with Jade. Cargill powers her down to start and hits a slam as we take a break forty seconds in. Back with Vertvixen getting kicked in the ribs and back of the head, setting up the pump kick for the pin at 5:01. Again: there is no reason for a five minute match to need a break. We saw about a minute and twenty seconds of the match. Why is there a commercial? The only positive: Vertvixen’s name sounds like the villain from Garfield’s Pet Force: Vetvix. I love Garfield’s Pet Force.

Ruby Soho is sick of Anna Jay helping Tay Melo so she’s getting Willow Nightingale to help her.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Wardlow doesn’t believe Samoa Joe is some unstoppable king and is ready to get his title back.

Powerhouse Hobbs has grabbed a man outside and says he’s taking everything. Hobbs lunges at the camera and that’s it.

Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett and company are ready to beat up Billy Gunn and Anthony Bowens. Anthony wants Jarrett to LISTEN and hear that everyone loves the Acclaimed.

Billy Gunn/Anthony Bowens vs. Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal

Max Caster, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt are here. Max Caster handles the pre-match rap, promising to send them back to the Impact Zone with the Not So Great Khali. Bowens and Lethal lock up to start with Bowens having to chop his way out of the corner. A quick Figure Four attempt is blocked so Bowens chops away some more and hits a jumping bulldog for two.

Gunn comes in to face Jarrett, with the latter sending him into the ropes for the running crotch attack to the back. It’s back to Lethal, who gets punched out of the air, allowing Bowens to slam him. A double scissoring elbow (just go with it) gets two on Lethal but Bowens is sent outside for a clothesline from Jarrett. We take a break and come back with Lethal holding a chinlock.

Bowens fights up and slugs it out with Jarrett, capped off by a superkick to put them both down. The double tag brings in Gunn to clean house, including a clothesline to cut off Singh. The One And Only gets two on Lethal but a Dutt distraction lets Jeff hit the Stroke on Bowens. Caster accidentally distracts the referee though and it’s a low blow from Dutt, followed by the Lethal Injection to give Lethal the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C. The match was ok, but Caster’s line at the beginning tells you everything you need to know: Lethal and Jarrett feel like Team TNA and that is not something you want to see. I don’t think they’re going to win the titles, but I have no idea why this team exists and even less of an idea why they are getting a push. Gunn losing doesn’t diminish the Acclaimed, though putting them against Lethal and Jarrett isn’t helping them.

Overall Rating: D+. The most important thing about this show is the date. This show is taking place at 10pm the night before Christmas Eve. AEW knew that no one was going to be watching and almost completely punted as a result. The battle royal was little more than a gimmick attraction, Cargill did the same thing she has done about forty times and the main event featured Jeff Jarrett and Billy Gunn. This show was the definition of skippable, and there is a good chance that a lot of people did just that.

Results
Top Flight/AR Fox won the Three Kings Christmas Casino Battle Royal last eliminating the Blackpool Combat Club
Jade Cargill b. Vertvixen – Pump kick
Jeff Jarrett/Jay Lethal b. Anthony Bowens/Billy Gunn – Lethal Injection to Gunn

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

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

AND

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