Redemption
Date: July 26, 2026
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s time for the stop before the really big show and that puts AEW in an awkward place. The show is perfectly decent on paper, but it’s hard to get interested in it when the much bigger show is coming in about a month. Hopefully they can overcome that issue, and with the roster they have, it’s not out of the question. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Lethal Twist vs. Conglomeration

The Conglomeration is defending and the Demand is on commentary. Strong takes Lethal into the corner to start and O’Reilly hammers away with right hands. That lets Strong do the same and everything breaks down, with an exchange of do-see-dos. Cassidy is thrown at Johnson and Christian for a double DDT.

It’s back to Strong, who gets taken into the wrong corner so Johnson can hammer away. Christian’s top rope clothesline gets two but it’s back to O’Reilly for the kicks. Lethal has to save Johnson from an ankle lock and Cassidy gets tied in the Tree Of Woe. Naturally Christian gets in his own lazy kicks into a 619, followed by a reverse DDT/apron splash combination to Strong on the floor.

O’Reilly is back up and it’s time for the string of dives, with Cassidy’s Stundog Millionaire being countered. The spinning DDT works a bit better though (Ricochet: “He got lucky.”) but Lethal is back with the Lethal Combination. Hail To The King id countered and Cassidy has to knock Christian away to avoid a belt shot. That means the Lethal Injection can connect for two, with Strong making a diving save. The End Of Heartache finishes Lethal to retain the titles at 11:54.

Rating: C+. Perfectly fine match here with the champions getting in a nice title defense. Odds are the Demand is the next really big set of challengers for the belts and that’s not a bad idea. Save that for a better spot though, as having the Conglomeration turn back a somewhat dangerous set of opponents made sense.

And now, the show proper.

Mike Bailey vs. El Clon vs. Jack Perry vs. The Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Nick Wayne

Ladder match for a future International Title shot. It’s a big brawl to start with Bailey (hometown star) and Komander being left alone in the ring. Komander is sent outside with a hurricanrana and it’s off to Clon vs. Perry. With Perry down, Mortos throws in the first ladder and slams Bailey onto it but gets taken down by Komander. Clon takes Komander down and rolls outside for a double DDT.

Perry and Bailey take down Mortos and Clon but Perry cuts off Bailey going for the really big ladder. Everyone goes up to the stage for the ladder and get in a fight, only for Perry and Bailey to go back and brawl on the apron. Wayne cuts Bailey off but Mortos throws Perry onto the pile. Komander has to make a save of his own and climbs but the ladder is shoved, meaning Komander has to do his own dive.

Back up and three ladders are set up with all six climbing at once. That means a bunch of crashes, allowing Perry to grab a bunch of tables, because of course he is. The series of dives, including Komander’s rope walk version to put Perry through a table, breaks them all, leaving Clon to cut Perry off. Clon and Komander fight on a bridged ladder, with Clon flipping Komander off for a big crash.

Wayne is back up with a phoenix splash to put Clon through another table before going up to slug it out with Perry. Naturally Perry would rather do a Canadian Destroyer through a bridged ladder rather than, you know, grabbing the contract that is touching his back. Bailey hits the Ultimate Weapon to Mortos onto the bridged ladder and pulls down the contract for the win at 20:04.

Rating: B. This was your standard, run of the mill multi person ladder match with the hometown star winning. I’d rather they do it here to get it out of the way, but it was violent and had everything you would want in something like this. They didn’t exactly re-invent the wheel out there, but there is only so much new stuff to be done in these things after so many years.

We recap the Young Bucks vs. the Death Riders. Will Ospreay has joined up with Jon Moxley for the sake of getting ready for All In and Moxley has had him attacking the Young Bucks. Therefore, it’s time for a tag match.

Young Bucks vs. Death Riders

Ospreay backs Matt into the ropes to start so Nick runs the rope for a twisting wristdrag. Matt comes in for a pop up hurricanrana and Ospreay is catapulted into an enziguri for two. An armbar has Ospreay in more trouble but he’s back up to send Matt outside for the slingshot forearm. Nick seems to be banged up on the floor as Matt head fakes Ospreay into a DDT.

Marina Shafir pulls Matt outside and sends him into the steps and it’s back to Moxley for a release Falcon Arrow. Nick is back up but Moxley pulls him off the apron for a piledriver on the floor. Matt fights out of the cross armbreaker and takes out both Riders, with a rather shaken up Nick getting back on the apron. The tag brings Nick in and he’s fine enough to clean house and the top rope double stomp sends Ospreay into the sitout powerbomb for a near fall.

The Meltzer Driver is countered into a Gotch Style piledriver and Styles Clash for two on Matt as the Bucks are in trouble again. Ospreay Phenomenal Forearms Moxley by mistake though and the Bucks get to kick away. More Bang For Your Buck is broken up so it’s a BTE Trigger to Moxley, only for Nick to miss a charge into the post. The Hidden Blade hits Nick and he’s all screwed up again.

Ospreay wants him to tag out but Nick swings away, with Ospreay hitting him in the stomach instead of the head. With Nick down, Matt comes in to cover him up as Ospreay wants to show mercy. Instead Moxley tags himself in and Stomps Nick, who of course kicks out again.

Matt is pulled outside so he superkicks Shafir by mistake (though he doesn’t seem to mind), leaving Moxley to give Nick back to back Death Riders into the Paradigm Shift. Moxley grabs a chair but Ospreay takes it away, only for Matt to superkick it into Ospreay’s face. The Bucks give Moxley a BTE Trigger so he flips them both off, meaning it’s 12 superkicks to give Nick the pin at 19:37.

Rating: B-. The lack of selling was driving me crazy here, as Nick kept popping back up despite taking all kinds of big moves. Ospreay showing mercy to Nick is the right thing for him to do and it should be interesting to see him take the skills from the Death Riders but not follow their ways. Odds are this puts the Bucks back into title contention, likely with Copeland, Cage, and some ladders at All In.

We recap Kyle Fletcher defending the International Title against Bandido. There isn’t much of a story here, other than Bandido needing to lose in another singles match on PPV.

International Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Bandido

Bandido is challenging/not defending and Fletcher has ordered that everyone else be banned from ringside. They stare at each other a lot and Bandido grabs a quick rollup for two, with Fletcher bailing out to the floor. Back in and a headscissors sends Fletcher outside but he’s right back with a slam. Bandido crossbodies him out to the floor and tries an Asai moonsault, which is cut off with a superkick.

Fletcher plants him down again and grabs a full nelson of all things back inside. That’s broken up so Fletcher hits a rather hard chop for two, with the knee on the chest serving as a cover. Bandido fights up and hits a corkscrew crossbody, followed by the big gorilla press to bring the fans back into it. They head out to the apron where Fletcher hits a brainbuster, leaving Bandido mostly out on the floor.

Back in and Bandido grabs a German suplex into a 21 dragon plex (ok then) for two more. A Code Red to the floor is blocked so Bandido settles for just a powerbomb onto the floor instead. Bandido tosses him back inside for a shooting star press and they trade superkicks. One heck of a tornado DDT plants Fletcher so they exchange headbutts on the mat. Fletcher’s running knee is countered into a pop up Downward Spiral for another near fall.

The super flipping World’s Strongest Slam gives Bandido two, with Fletcher having to put his wrist on the rope. Bandido’s 21 Plex connects for two more and they’re both down. Fletcher is back up with a running knee and another brainbuster for two, leaving him rather stunned. The brainbuster onto the buckle is escaped so Bandido charges…right into a super Michinoku Driver for a rather near fall. Another brainbuster onto the buckle retains the title at 26:15.

Rating: B+. That was pretty much exactly what I was expecting, with the action being rather intense, both of them looking sharp as usual, and Fletcher retaining. For the life of me I do not get why they bother keeping the ROH World Title on Bandido if he’s just going to lose over and over on PPV. He’s more than good enough to hang in here, but it’s another case of wasting the value of his title. Then again, ROH champions are 0-3 this weekend so it’s not just a Bandido problem. Either way, great match here.

We recap the Bang Bang Gang vs. the Dogs. This is something involving David Finlay vs. Jay White in Japan so it’s time to have the teams chained together.

Bang Bang Gang vs. The Dogs

Double chain match. The fight starts before the chains are attached and the fans want to know who let the dogs out. The Gang uses the chains to fight back and they all go outside, with White whipping Finlay. Stereo slingshot dives drop the Dogs again but White’s big chain swing only hits the post. White gets sent hard into the post and Robinson goes knees first into the steps.

Back in and the Dogs start choking with the chains but White fights up and takes out Finlay’s knee. Robinson sends Connors into a DDT but he’s up with a snap powerslam to leave all four needing a breather. Robinson gets choked until White wins a tug of war and makes the save.

Finlay gives White a Dominator, with White landing on his head, for two, as commentary sounds more than a bit scared by that one (though thankfully White seems fine). White is back up with a suplex and it’s time for the double whipping to Finlay. Cue the Death Riders to take White out so the rest of the Gang runs in for the save. A shillelagh to the face finishes Robinson at 16:35.

Rating: B-. Maybe this is the start of something for the Dogs, who have felt all over the place since debuting. It’s not like they’re a lost cause, but they’re a team who are just kind of there a lot of the time. Nothing they really does stands out so maybe this is where things get better for them. On the other hand, the Gang vs. the lower half of the Riders is only so interesting, but at least the Gang is all here for a change.

In the back, Will Ospreay is worried about Nick Jackson but Jon Moxley comes in to yell at him for not pulling the trigger. This is wrestling and Ospreay has one chance at the top and has to do it. If Ospreay won’t pull the trigger, Moxley will.

We recap Maya World challenging Hikaru Shida for the TBS Title. World made a heck of a run in the Women’s Owen Hart Cup and then stopped Shida from being her bullying self. A title match ensued.

TBS Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Maya World

World is challenging and it happens to be her birthday. They go to the early exchange of forearms with Shida knocking her outside. Shida drops her face first onto the apron and goes after the leg back inside. A stretch muffler in the ropes has World in more trouble and the banged up knee is rammed into the mat.

World’s headscissors doesn’t get her very far so she rolls Shida down and hits a double stomp, only to bang up her knee again. The knee is fine enough for a moonsault to connect for two but Shida pulls her into a half crab. With that not working, Shida goes up for a Meteora and another near fall.

World is back up with a running knee so Shida rolls outside to leave them both down. Back up and World scores with a suicide dive and they grab hands to slug it out inside. Three straight running knees knock World silly and the Falcon Arrow gets two, with World using the rope. World pops up and grabs a tabletop suplex to win the title at 16:40. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Rating: B-. Well ok then. I wasn’t expecting World to actually win the thing but it’s great to see that happen, as she has shown a lot of potential but needed to win something. Shida did feel like a beatable champion and I kept going back and forth on this one. The good thing is they pulled the trigger though and that’s better than I was expecting.

The Demand wants the Trios Titles on Dynamite.

Tag Team Titles: Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. Death Riders

Copeland and Cage are defending and Copeland gets jumped before the bell, with Cage running in for the save. That earns him a beating of his own and we officially start with Copeland in trouble in the corner. Cage is sent into the steps to keep him in trouble and Pac stomps Copeland down again. Castagnoli gets to work on the arm but Copeland fights up and it’s a double knockdown.

Cage gets to come in and hammer away, including the jumping right hand in the ropes. The spear is cut off though and Cage has to superplex Castagnoli, allowing Pac to drop a top rope elbow. The Sharpshooter (uh oh) goes on but Copeland makes the save, earning himself a running elbow over the barricade. Back in and the shooting star press gives Pac two on Cage as Copeland is crawling back to ringside.

A Killswitch gives Cage two and it’s back to Copeland to fire off the shots to the head. The Edge-O-Matic drops Pac again but Castagnoli is back in for a spike Neutralizer. Pac’s big lariat is countered into a Grindhouse though, with Castagnoli making the save. The Riders hit some running clotheslines in the corner but Cage cuts Castagnoli off with a spear. A pop up spear to Pac retains the titles at 18:42.

Rating: C+. This might as well have been Copeland and Cage sitting out there having a sandwich as there was absolutely no reason to believe that the titles were going to change hands. It was a thrown together title match and that’s not the most thrilling way to go. Copeland and Cage as champions is a cool idea but just get us to the match with the Bucks already, which is pretty clearly the big endgame to the whole thing. Chop a few minutes off of this and it’s better, but it’s just not that interesting.

Post match the Young Bucks come out and the match is officially on for All In. Cage won’t shake hands though.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa. Jericho returned again and seemingly doesn’t like bald people, with Ciampa trying to prove that he’s better. Ciampa beat him at Beach Break with some chicanery so now Jericho is back as the Painmaker in a No DQ match.

Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Jericho has his barbed wire baseball bat and wins a duel against Ciampa’s chair. Some sand to the eyes (how Ciampa won their first match) blinds Ciampa but he fights back and sets up an early table. That earns him a fire extinguisher to the eyes but Ciampa is fine enough to grab a Fairy Tale Ending through the table at ringside. This lets commentary mock a fan for wanting the table to be sat on fire but instead it’s time for a hockey stick.

After beating on Jericho, Ciampa throws on a Boston Bruins jersey and beats on a stuffed Canadiens mascot, with Jericho making the save for quite the nice save. Naturally Jericho throws out a bunch of hockey pucks and then pulls the jersey over Ciampa’s head for a suplex. Some puck shots to the head bust Ciampa open and it’s time for a barbed wire table. As usual that takes too long and Ciampa comes back with some tacks to the head to cut Jericho open.

The running knee gives Ciampa two but he takes too long grabbing a tack covered elbow pad. The Walls are broken up with the barbed wire bat, which cuts Jericho open even further. Naturally Jericho is right back with a Death Valley Driver through the barbed wire table, allowing him to stab Ciampa in the leg with a pencil. It’s time for a mirror (of course), with Jericho bridging him across two open chairs.

That’s reversed into a super Air Raid Crash through said mirror to give Ciampa two so let’s get a power drill. Schiavone: “This may end a career.” Fans: “THIS IS MURDER!” The green mist cuts Ciampa off though and the Judas Effect connects. Jericho grabs a….freaking barbed wire mirror, which is broken over Ciampa’s back. A Judas Effect with the tacked up elbow pad gets two and the drill to the head makes Ciampa give up at 22:11.

Rating: C+. Well, on one hand, it was nice to see Ciampa getting this kind of a focal point. It was a good example of Jericho giving someone a boost, though there is only so much to be gotten out of a match ending with a power drill. This got a bit ridiculous more than once and as usual, it went on way too long, but hopefully AEW has something else for Ciampa as he has earned the chance.

Lena Kross and Megan Bayne have Mick Foley sit down so they can interview him. He thinks the Crush Girls could give them a fight but also thinks the Brawling Birds could be a threat. They suggest he bow down, so Foley….barks. Because it includes “bow wow”. Even Foley admits this isn’t working and sends it back to the desk.

We recap Mark Davis defending the National Title against Andrade El Idolo. Last month, El Idolo turned on the Don Callis Family and now it’s time to take some of their gold.

National Title: Andrade El Idolo vs. Mark Davis

Davis is defending and Andrade comes out with a group of ladies. The spinning back elbow gives Andrade two at the bell but it’s too early for the DM. Davis gets in a knockdown of his own and drops a backsplash but Andrade gets in a cross armbreaker over the ropes. A running hurricanrana off the apron drops Davis and let’s pause for the photo with the fan.

Naturally that lets Davis fight back with a clothesline and a running forearm in the corner gets two. The chinlock and a half crab in the ropes has Andrade in even more trouble, followed by the abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and they chop it out until Andrade hits a running forearm to the chest. Davis gets in a clothesline but Andrade’s knee is fine enough for some rolling suplexes.

The running Meteora in the corner gets two, as does Davis’ quick piledriver. Andrade sends him into the post and is right back with the double moonsault for two of his own. That means Andrade can take off his pants but the frog splash hits raised knees. Back up and Andrade hits another spinning back elbow, setting up the DM for the pin at 16:15.

Rating: B-. This was fine and the right man won, as Davis has come a long way as champion but Andrade is on fire right now and needed to win something. I’m sure Andrade will do just fine, though hopefully Davis gets a chance to do something else. He’s earned the chance and it would be terrible to see AEW waste what he has built up.

Mike Bailey wants his International Title match at Grand Slam in Arena Mexico on August 5.

We recap Willow Nightingale challenging Thekla for the Women’s Title. Nightingale earned the title shot and Thekla is fairly crazy so it’s quite the interesting dynamic at play.

Women’s Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Thekla

Nightingale, with her taped up ear (after Thekla attacked her with a microphone), is challenging. We get the Big Match Intros and Nightingale snaps off an early spinebuster to hammer away. A Pounce sends Thekla crashing out to the floor and Nightingale grabs a suplex. The Cannonball only hits steps though and they get back inside with Thekla going after the bad ear.

Nightingale is bleeding from the ear as Thekla grabs a Rings Of Saturn. That doesn’t last long either and Thekla charges into a rather hard clothesline. Thekla is right back with a Black Widow, which doesn’t last long so she grabs a spider superplex. Nightingale pops up for a discus lariat and ties up the legs, followed by some clotheslines against the ropes. That doesn’t last long and Thekla is back up with a Muta Lock to rip at Nightingale’s face. They head out to the apron, where Nightingale gets dropped hard so Thekla can hit a big dive to the floor.

Back in and Nightingale counters the spear into a sunset flip for two so Thekla grabs a bridging rollup. That’s broken up as the referee catches Thekla grabbing the rope, meaning Nightingale can knock her down again. A moonsault misses though, leaving Nightingale to grab the gutwrench powerbomb. Cue Skye Blue to put the foot on the rope so Thekla hits the spear. That’s not enough either though and Nightingale grabs a backslide for the pin and the title at 15:13.

Rating: B. That’s great to see, but please tell me this isn’t just another way to set up Mone for her big win. Nightingale as the face of the star could be rather interesting and it would be nice to see it actually last longer than about a month. The match was a good back and forth fight and I’m curious to see where Thekla goes next, as she was rather awesome during her time with the title.

We recap Kevin Knight challenging Kenny Omega for the World Title. Omega is champion and set for his big title defense at All In. Knight is getting the shot and gone after Omega in an effort to step up to the next level, with Omega wanting to see if he still has it.

AEW World Title: Kevin Knight vs. Kenny Omega

Omega is defending while Knight’s TNT Title isn’t on the line. Knight jumps him from behind before the bell so the referee breaks it up, allowing the match to start and Omega to strike away. A running hurricanrana puts Knight on the floor but the Terminator Dive is cut off with a knee to the ribs. They head outside with Knight using the announcers’ table for a jumping clothesline, followed by a choke on the ropes back inside.

Both of them miss a splash so Knight’s running UFO Splash connects for two. Omega tries to chop away but gets caught with a super hurricanrana for two more. Knight starts in on the leg before clotheslining him into a chinlock. That’s switched into an abdominal stretch but Omega is up with a poisonrana. The snapdragon sends Knight to the apron, where another snapdragon knocks him silly.

The announcers’ table is loaded up for another snapdragon and Knight is rocked. Back in and Omega says Knight will never be him and hits another big knee to the face. Knight gets in a hard shot of his own so Omega fires off some forearms and tells Knight to fight back. Knight does just that with a Sky High and a clothesline to send him outside, only for Omega to go after the leg again.

Back in and they fight on top, with Omega’s sunset bomb and V Trigger combining for another near fall. Knight fights out of the corner though and knocks him into the Tree Of Woe for the Coast To Coast. Rather than covering, Knight goes to grab some belts, with a Crash Landing onto one of them planting Omega for two. The UFO Splash hits raised knees though and it’s a V Trigger into the One Winged Angel to retain the title at 25:00.

Rating: B. This was one of those matches that could have been great as a Dynamite main event but that’s about it. At the same time, it was nice to see Knight getting this chance, even if he felt like he had a grand total of no real shot at winning. Omega was in a glorified warmup match for All In and that’s all this was presented as being. It’s a fine match, but absolutely does not feel like a PPV main event.

Post match the Death Riders run in for the beatdown and cut off the Young Bucks before they can make a save. Will Ospreay comes in to stop a Stomp onto a chair though and even shoves Jon Moxley down. Moxley gets back inside and offers Ospreay a chance to hit him but the chair is thrown outside instead. Moxley pulls out the plastic bag (Ospreay’s eyes bug out) and hands it to Ospreay, who tears it up.

Ospreay knocks Moxley to the floor and the Riders go after him, only for Moxley to call them off. With the team leaving, Ospreay takes off his Death Riders kneepad and throws it away before handing Omega the title. We get a big handshake and they pose together….but Omega gives him a One Winged Angel. The Bucks pose with Omega, who leaves to end the show. I’m not sure if that’s a full on heel turn but it’s certainly a twist of some kind.

Overall Rating: B. This was basically a good In Your House style show as it had solid action and nothing bad, but there is pretty much nothing worth seeing save for maybe Fletcher vs. Bandido. The problem continues to come down to All In looming over the whole thing and there is only so much that can be done with this show as it was all about getting ready for next month. Overall, a completely good show but not something really worth your time. That being said, SWEET GOODNESS this was better simply due to having it be on an hour earlier. See how much good that kind of thing can do? Anyway, good but not great show.

Results
Conglomeration b. Lethal Twist – End Of Heartache to Lethal
Mike Bailey b. El Clon, Jack Perry, Komander, The Beast Mortos and Nick Wayne – Bailey pulled down the contract
Young Bucks b. Death Riders – Double superkick to Moxley
Kyle Fletcher b. Bandido – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
The Dogs b. Bang Bang Gang – Shillelagh to Robinson
Maya World b. Hikaru Shida – Tabletop suplex
Adam Copeland/Christian Cage b. Death Riders – Pop up spear to Pac
Chris Jericho b. Tommaso Ciampa – Power drill to the head
Andrade El Idolo b. Mark Davis – DM
Willow Nightingale b. Thekla – Backslide
Kenny Omega b. Kevin Knight – One Winged Angel

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

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So it’s time for Redemption and that means…I have no idea actually, as this show isn’t exactly feeling important. We are only a few weeks away from All In and AEW has made it clear that is the show that really matters. The thing is I’m sure the action will work and thank goodness it’s starting an hour earlier than Forbidden Door. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Trios Titles: Conglomeration(c) vs. Lethal Twist

This was added to the card on Collision this week and sure why not. The six man titles are a fine way to get a show going and the fans are going to get behind anything the Conglomeration does. It helps that the Lethal Twist are a regular team and it’s interesting to see an actual unit getting a chance like this. Granted they’re more regulars in ROH but it’s better than nothing.

There is no reason to believe that the titles are changing hands here so I’ll go with the Conglomeration retaining. It should be a nice seven to ten minute match to warm up the crowd and that’s what a Kickoff Show match is supposed to be. Just don’t do a bunch of them over and over and everything should be fine. But yeah for now, the champions retain the titles.

Tag Team Titles: Adam Copeland/Christian Cage(c) vs. Death Riders

The title reign has been kind of a weird one, but it still feels like we’re on the way to big ladder match with the Bucks at All In (possibly FTR as well). That leaves us with some not so thrilling title defenses, first with the Dogs and now this one. I’m sure the match will be fine, but it feels pretty thrown together without much of a story outside of the Riders attacking the champs.

At the end of the day, it’s Pac and Claudio Castagnoli challenging so I’ll say the champions retain. There isn’t much of a reason to believe that the titles are changing before All In, with the champions being set up for something bigger in just over a month. Castagnoli has been a jobber to the stars for a long time now and that is going to be the case for a good while, as he isn’t winning a title here.

International Title: Kyle Fletcher(c) vs. Bandido

It’s time to have Bandido face another singles champion on an AEW pay per view with almost no chance for him to win. As usual, the ROH World Title isn’t a factor here whatsoever, which is a great way to extend his title reign high up the ranks. I have no idea how Bandido is the only choice to take these losses and it’s not doing ROH any favors, but neither is a lot of the stuff done there.

So of course I’ll go with Fletcher to retain here, as there is no reason to believe that Bandido is going to snap his losing streak in these matches. The match will be rather awesome as both of these guys are outstanding when they’re given the chance, but that is only going to do so much good for Bandido when he keeps losing. Either let him win something or just don’t put him in these matches time after time.

Bang Bang Gang vs. Dogs

This is a double chain match and I continue to not get the appeal of the Dogs. It feels like a team I needed to watch for years in New Japan to really get as they’re just kind of there week after week. They’ve been feuding with the Bang Bang Gang for a few weeks now and that should at least lead to a good match. I’m just not sure why it needs to be in a double chain match.

The Gang is back to full strength for the first time in forever and Jay White needs the win to help establish himself a bit more so we’ll go in that direction. Hopefully the Gang is able to stay healthy this time around, as the injuries have just wrecked them. Let them get a win here, as I have no idea what the point is in boosting up the Dogs, who just don’t feel all that important.

Young Bucks vs. Will Ospreay/Jon Moxley

So here we have one of the bigger stories in AEW, as Moxley has seemingly poisoned Ospreay’s mind and turned him to the dark side, just as he is on the way to the World Title shot at All In. There is a grand total of zero reason to believe that Ospreay is going to go into the title match in his home country as a villain, so the question becomes when Ospreay turns on the Death Riders.

I don’t think it happens here though, as I’ll go with Ospreay and Moxley to win a heck of a fight, as the Bucks can do rather well in this kind of a match. For now though, they need to lose to show that Ospreay has gotten better under Moxley, though I’m not sure where that leads. The Bucks lose now though, as Ospreay has something much bigger going on for All In anyway.

National Title: Mark Davis(c) vs. Andrade El Idolo

Now we get to something that has me intrigued, as this could go in a few different ways. Davis is on fire right now and having the singles run of a lifetime. At the same time, there is something to be said about El Idolo being this good as well. I could go for seeing him win the title on the way up to the main event, though it really is a match that could go in either direction.

I’ll go with El Idolo winning here, but I really hope that Davis gets another chance sooner than later. He’s doing far too well lately to just be left by the wayside. For now though, El Idolo moving up is the right way to go. I could see some interference costing El Idolo the title, though I’ll go with El Idolo winning the title here, which is the best of the good options that they have.

Jack Perry vs. The Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Mike Bailey vs. Nick Wayne vs. El Clon

This is a ladder match (because of course it is) for a shot at the International Title at some point in the future. As usual, there are a few names who just aren’t going to win here and that makes things a bit easier. You can pretty easily write off Mortos, Wayne and Clon, the latter of whom I had almost forgotten even worked here. That leaves you with three potential winners and one of them stands out pretty strong.

The key here is that this show is taking place in Bailey’s hometown of Montreal. That is a pretty easy way to set him up as a winner and while it seems that the big match is Bailey vs. Knight (ok not really big but AEW is presenting it as important because they used to be partners, which apparently makes any match important). I’ll go with Bailey winning here, as it is such a natural fit.

Women’s Title: Thekla(c) vs. Willow Nightingale

This is where All In rears its head again, as Mercedes Mone is waiting on the winner at the biggest show of the year. Thekla is someone who has turned into one of the most entertaining stars on the AEW roster and it is fun to hear whatever insanity she has going through her head during any given week. On the other hand though, it’s asking a lot to have Nightingale lose again here, and that’s where this might fall apart.

With Mone set to challenge the winner, I’ll go with Nightingale winning the title here. I don’t want to see Thekla lose the belt here, but it’s hard to imagine Mone challenging Thekla for the title. We’ve seen Mone take a title from Nightingale before and I’m hoping that they don’t do it again. That means Nightingale has to win though, and I’ll say that’s what we get here.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Chris Jericho

This is No DQ and the big deal here is that it’s the Painmaker version of Jericho, which he’s used….oh at least a handful of times. Jericho has already lost to Ciampa in the first place but it’s time to see it happen again. This latest run hasn’t been the most successful for Jericho from a win/loss perspective and he is getting close to actually needing a win, which is hard to fathom.

I just don’t think that win comes here, as Ciampa losing in the big gimmick rematch would take a lot away from him. Ciampa has gotten somewhere with this run and I would hope that it doesn’t come crashing to a halt here. This should be a good fight with two people who work well together. Jericho will put up a great fight, but it needs to end up with a losing effort.

TBS Title: Hikaru Shida(c) vs. Maya World

World got a heck of a push in the Owen Hart Cup, but she still hasn’t actually won anything. That creates a problem, as she has to actually get some kind of an accolade before it stops mattering all that much. Winning the title here would be a great moment, though it feels more like Athena and the Ring Of Honor Women’s Title are more her destiny. She does have a chance here though and that’s rather intriguing.

As much as I think it would make sense, I just can’t picture Shida actually losing the title here. She’s not the strongest champion in the world and having World win the belt here would be great, but I’m not seeing it happening. Hopefully they find something world World to do and it’s far from crazy to imagine her winning here. I’m expecting the win to be delayed again though, assuming it ever actually happens.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega(c) vs. Kevin Knight

This is where I’m wondering if they have some kind of a swerve planned here, as while this might wind up as a great title match, it’s not something that feels like a major pay per view main event. I wouldn’t even be surprised if this didn’t headline the show, as it just doesn’t really fit in that spot. It doesn’t help that Knight doesn’t feel like any kind of a threat to winning the title, which would be the case even without All In.

So yeah there is no reason to believe that the titles is changing hands here, as Omega is already set for the big title match at All In. That’s what the majority of the promos have been about and it doesn’t feel like Knight is going to even give Omega a real threat. It’s rare to see the World Title match feel like the most obvious result but that is absolutely how it comes off here.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about this show, the less interested I am in the whole thing. The thing to remember is that the show should be entertaining and the match quality won’t be a problem. AEW has long since proven that it can make any card work and I’m sure they’ll do it again here. This show still feels like Fully Loaded 1998 though and that could make for a rough night.

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

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Collision
Date: July 25, 2026
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight

It’s the night before Redemption and that means we have one final push to get us ready for the pay per view. It isn’t feeling like the most important card and hopefully this show helps us get the whole thing set. That could have a few different results and we do have some titles on the line this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Zachary Wentz

Ciampa knees him off the apron before the bell but stops to yell at Wight, who isn’t having that. Wentz gets in a shot of his own and sends Ciampa inside for a whip into the corner. The big flip dive takes Ciampa down on the ramp but he gets the knees up to cut off a Swanton. A handspring knee gets Wentz out of trouble and he strikes away before grabbing a German suplex. Wentz’s Blockbuster gets two and he fires off the kicks away to put Ciampa down. Ciampa is fine enough to knee Wentz out of the air for two and the Willow’s Bell drops him onto the ramp. Back to back running knees finish Wentz off at 6:55.

Rating: B-. As usual, any member of the Rascalz is capable of working with almost anyone else and Ciampa is more than qualified. It made for an interesting match and Wentz got in some offense before losing in the end. This was basically a way to set up Ciampa on the way to his showdown with Jericho tomorrow and the good thing is they didn’t spend too long and make Ciampa seem like he was having major trouble.

Post match Ciampa says he’s better than Chris Jericho and, after drawing some lines on his face, says the Psycho Killer is better than the Painmaker.

Mike Bailey is ready to win the ladder match in his hometown at Redemption.

Young Bucks vs. Death Riders

Jon Moxley is on commentary. Matt catches Yuta with a running spinwheel kick to start and the Bucks take them both down without much trouble. The right hands in the corner are broken up but the Bucks are back with a backbreaker/top rope double stomp combination. The rolling northern lights suplexes have the Riders down but they strike away at Nick to take over as we take a break.

We come back with Matt fighting out of trouble but he gets caught in a catapulted wheelbarrow suplex for two. Matt’s standing Sliced Bread gets him out of trouble though and it’s back to Nick with the double high crossbody. Yuta gets Backstabbered out of the corner as Moxley praises the Bucks’ athleticism. Yuta kicks away but gets dropped by some superkicks. More Death Riders run in for the beatdown on the Bucks so here are Adam Copeland and Christian Cage to cut them off. The slingshot X Factor to Garcia sets up the Meltzer Driver for the pin at 12:29.

Rating: B. They built up a few matches at once here, with Moxley praising the Bucks before their match and the Tag Team Titles getting a moment as well. I’ll take that over extended sequences throughout the night and as usual, the Bucks had their fun match. It’s hardly the most structured classic, but it works well enough for a spot like this.

Post match here is Will Ospreay for a distraction, allowing Moxley to lay the Bucks out.

Bandido and Kyle Fletcher got in a fight at Comic Con.

Persephone vs Angelica Risk

Non-title. They talk trash to each other to start and Persephone knocks her into the corner. The Razor’s Edge finishes Risk off at 1:27.

Athena and the Minions are ready to take out the Brawling Birds, though Billie Starkz is a bit lost.

Lethal Twist vs. Skyflight

Ricochet and Jeff Jarrett are both on commentary. Sydal and Lethal start things off with Lethal getting in a strut but walking into a hurricanrana. Sky comes in to send Johnson into a jumping knee from Darius. Everything breaks down and the Twist are triple dropkicked to the floor for a triple dive as we take an early break. We come back with Sky in the Tree Of Woe and getting stomped down. Lethal starts in on the leg as Jarrett shifts us into a chat about Redemption. Sky fights up and brings Dante in to fight back, including an enziguri to Johnson. Everything breaks down and they trade knockdowns until Ricochet offers a distraction. The top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination finishes Dante at 8:46.

Rating: B-. It’s another fast paced and entertaining match though the idea of the Demand feuding with Skyflight is about as much of a downgrade as you can get. Skyflight has some talented wrestlers but they’re about as much of a losing team as you can get. That can change, but as of right now, it isn’t exactly working all that well for them.

Redemption Ladder Qualifying Match: Nick Wayne vs. AR Fox

Wayne jumps him from behind to start and stomps away but Fox fights back without much trouble. A neckbreaker is rolled through into a suplex to drop Fox though and they’re out to the floor. Fox fights back but gets sent into the steps for quite the crash as we take a pretty early break.

We come back with Fox grabbing an anarchist suplex on the floor before heading back inside. A Swanton gives Fox two but Wayne rolls him up for the same. They go up top, where Wayne’s super Sliced Bread gets another near fall. A kick to the head and a Falcon Arrow finish Fox off at 11:51.

Rating: B-. Fox has grown on me quite a bit week after week and I’m hoping that he gets a chance to do something better in the future. He can work with anyone and still make it exciting, though he is also stuck in the midcard loop. I’m not sure if Wayne is that much of a better option to go over here but he’s a more successful name at the moment.

After Dynamite, Darby Allin freaked out about how he didn’t go far enough with Kevin Knight. So how far is Knight willing to go now?

Trios Titles: Conglomeration vs. Outrunners/Dalton Castle

The Conglomeration is defending and the ROH Six Man Titles aren’t on the line, because for some reason we’re getting champions vs. champions. Magnum shoves Cassidy down to start before running him over with a shoulder. Everything breaks down and it’s a six way handshake into a six way brawl as we take a break.

We come back with the Outrunners ax handling Cassidy off the apron, leaving Castle to get double chopped down. Back in and Cassidy’s elbow hits Castle so Strong picks Cassidy up and swings him around. It’s back to Floyd (wearing his belt of course) to clean house and the Mega Powers Elbow gets two on Cassidy. Castle is back in and gets DDTed by Cassidy, who sits down on a sunset flip to pin Floyd and retain at 10:58.

Rating: C+. And there was no one to take this loss other than the ROH Six Man Tag Team Champions? I get that they’re the minor league but it’s always felt dumb to have the top ROH names treated as losers and then ask me to be interested in what they do. The company has so many wrestlers on the roster and they didn’t have a better choice than this? Really?

Post match the Demand (hey, there’s a team who could have challenged for the titles) and the Lethal Twist (same) run in for the beatdown, with Jeff Jarrett coming off commentary for the save.

Jack Perry wants the World Title but he’s ready to come after the International Title. Nick Wayne comes in to say he’ll be winning instead. Perry tells him to make the most of his chance.

Redemption Ladder Qualifying Match: Lio Rush vs. El Clon

Rush’s ROH TV Title isn’t on the line. Rush runs the ropes to start and bites Clon’s chopping hand. A clothesline drops Clon for two but he’s back up with some running shots in the corner. We take a break and come back with Rush running into a backbreaker to cut him off again. Rush kicks him to the floor and hits the weird suicide dive, setting up a springboard Stunner for two. Clon knees him in the face so Rush tries a rollup, only to have Clon reverse into one of his own and grab the rope for the pin at 8:22.

Rating: C+. I….why? How in the world is this the best use of the ROH TV Champion? Rush has gotten one of the weirdest gimmicks in wrestling over and here he’s putting over El Clon in a qualifying match for a ladder match that Clon has no realistic chance of winning? How is this the best option that they had given all of the people they have around here? Throw any non-champion out there and it’s the exact same result.

Post match Clon stays on Rush but Mike Bailey runs in for the save. Komander comes in as well and has a staredown with Bailey.

Video on Kevin Knight vs. Kenny Omega.

Redemption rundown.

The Bang Bang Gang is ready to take out the Dogs.

Maya World/Willow Nightingale vs. Thekla/Hikaru Shida

Shida swings away at World to start and everything breaks down with the four way brawl on the floor. Back in and Shida and Thekla hammer away in the corners, which is quickly reverses for a double ram to send them together. We take a break and come back with Nightingale grabbing a spinebuster for two, with Thekla making the save. Shida’s Falcon Arrow gets two and everything breaks down again. Nightingale sends Shida outside but misses the running flip dive off the apron. Thekla grabs her belt but the referee takes it away, leaving Thekla to spear World for the pin at 10:54.

Rating: C+. With that result, I’m hoping that World wins the title, as otherwise she’s continuing to look like a loser, despite how much success she has had as of late. This was a quick way to build two matches at once and that’s often a good idea. It wasn’t exactly great, but I’ll take this over some quick promos that don’t say much.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was the last push towards Redemption and it left the pay per view in about the same place: an event that should be perfectly good, if not better than good, but it doesn’t feel overly important. This week had some completely acceptable wrestling and it worked well enough, though it’s not really a show you need to see. And I’d hope the fourteen regular ROH viewers will be annoyed at some of the results, as they should be, as it’s such an instance of stubbing your own toe for no real reason. Anyway, nice enough show here, but Redemption is going to have a rocky path.

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Zachary Wentz – Running knee
Young Bucks b. Death Riders – Meltzer Driver to Garcia
Persephone b. Angelica Risk – Razor’s Edge
Lethal Twist b. Skyflight – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to Dante
Nick Wayne b. AR Fox – Falcon Arrow
Conglomeration b. Outrunners/Dalton Castle – Rollup to Floyd
El Clon b. Lio Rush – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Thekla/Hikaru Shida b. Maya World/Willow Nightingale – Spear to World

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

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Collision
Date: July 18, 2026
Location: MGM Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight

We’re coming up on Redemption, whose card got a big boost earlier in the week on Dynamite. That should give this show some extra focus, along with whatever else we get added to the show. We already have two open challenges set for this week and that’s always the sign of a well thought out show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jack Perry vs. Nick Wayne

Open challenge #1. Perry takes him into the corner to start and messes with his hair before going after the arm. Back up and they fight into a standoff as Wight makes jokes about Excalibur, which he’s sure Excalibur will appreciate. They go outside for Perry to fire off some chops as Schiavone says Perry has won four titles in AEW, as compared to his chyron, which said three. Wayne gets in a faceplant onto the steps and we take an early break.

We come back with Perry kicking him head first into the buckle and adding a middle rope legdrop for two. Perry powerbombs him onto the apron and out to the floor but Wayne is right back with a snapdragon. A big clothesline drops Wayne again but he sends Perry to the apron and grabs a running suicide Canadian Destroyer. That and a fisherman’s buster give Wayne two back inside but Perry suplexes him out of the corner. The running knee gives Perry the pin at 11:06.

Rating: B-. That was a hard hitting, back and forth match and it would have been even better if they had done some better selling off the big moves. A guy got powerbombed onto the apron and the other can a Canadian Destroyer on the floor but they were right back up. Such is modern wrestling, and that’s not the best thing in the world.

The Young Bucks are glad Kenny Omega is the World Champion again but they aren’t sure if they can trust the Death Riders. Therefore, they want a match against Jon Moxley/Will Ospreay at Redemption.

Video on Christian Cage/Adam Copeland vs. the Dogs.

TNT Title: Kevin Knight vs. AR Fox

Knight is defending and jumps him from behind to start and knocks him outside. Back in and Knight misses a springboard, allowing Fox to grab a rolling neckbreaker. Fox knocks him outside for a change but misses a moonsault, allowing Knight to get in a knockdown of his own. We take a break and come back with Fox pulling him into a cutter so a Swanton can connect for two. A 450 gives Fox two more but Lo Mein Pain is blocked, allowing Knight to slam him down. The UFO Splash retains the title at 9:38.

Rating: B-. Fox is just so fun to watch and that has been the case for a long time. I could go for a lot more of him around here or even in ROH but at least he got his one big title win earlier in the year. Knight is loading up for Darby Allin next week and that means he needs this kind of a win, as I guess just “being the champion” isn’t enough anymore.

Post match Knight sits in on commentary to say he’s ready for Allin on Dynamite.

Don Callis Family vs. Gino Medina/Tome Filip/Nic Nolan

Hechicero knees Medina in the corner to start before Cage is in to power him around. Doyle plants Filip on the apron and Cage flips Nolan into a knee to the face for the win at 1:54.

Post match the Family comes in for the beatdown until Mike Bailey and the Conglomeration run in to clear them out.

Will Ospreay talks about training with Adam Brooks so they’ll have a match tonight. Moxley is fine with facing the Young Bucks at Redemption.

The Dogs mock the Bang Bang Gang’s mocking promos about fixing dogs. They want AEW to be a safe space so guns down.

Will Ospreay vs. Adam Brooks

Jon Moxley is on commentary. They hug to start and Moxley doesn’t approve, with Brooks’ cheap shot proving him right. Ospreay is right back with a running hurricanrana to the floor, setting up the slingshot dive (Moxley approves). Back in and the Oscutter is blocked, allowing Brooks to get in a dive of his own. The chinlock goes on but Ospreay is right back up. The standing corkscrew moonsault gets two and Ospreay wins a slugout. The Hidden Blade is loaded up but Brooks spits at him. That earns him one heck of a right hand and a bunch of heavy forearms to the back of the head to make Brooks tap at 8:18.

Rating: C+. I guess the idea here was to show Ospreay showing a more violent side, though it only has so much of an impact when Brooks has to spit at him to trigger things. Ospreay has shown he can get really physical before, but this was more anger. Granted I’m not sure how much you can expect that from Omega and the Young Bucks, but at least it’s something.

Darby Allin doesn’t like what Kevin Knight has become and burns a car to express his feelings.

Athena vs. Ava Everett

Non-title. Athena snaps off a German suplex to start and sends her outside for a kick to the chest. Everett gets two off a rollup so an annoyed Athena kicks her in the face. A powerbomb and running forearm set up the reverse Koji Clutch to make Everett give up at 2:07. The ticked off Athena is always fun to see.

Brawling Birds vs. Tiara James/Kayla Lopez

The Birds run into Athena on the way to the ring and glaring ensues. They also clear the ring to start and whip James and Lopez together on the floor. Back in and James gets headbutted into the corner, followed by more shots to the face. Two Birds One Stone finishes James at 2:49.

The Bang Bang Gang wants the Dogs on Dynamite.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Myron Reed

This is the second open challenge and Ciampa is the hometown star. Reed takes him into the corner to start and we actually get a clean break. Since that is a bad idea, Ciampa knocks him outside and stomps away but the running knee misses. A slingshot belly to back suplex gives Reed two but his charge is countered into Willow’s Bell onto the ramp.

We take a break and come back with Reed knocking him outside for a big dive. Ciampa is fine enough to hit a super Air Raid Crash, only for Reed to come back with the diving cutter to the ramp. They strike it out from their knees until Ciampa hits the Project Ciampa to take over. The running knee finishes Reed at 10:28.

Rating: B-. It’s another intense match as Ciampa knows exactly how to make that work. At the same time, it was another cold match designed to make Ciampa look good on his way to the rematch with Chris Jericho. I’m really not big on the open challenges and it was a bit much to have two of them on one show.

Post match Ciampa talks to Paul Wight, saying he wants to face Wight’s best friend Chris Jericho in a street fight at Redemption. Yeah that needed to be added to the match.

Andrade El Idolo has the Dynamite Diamond Ring but gets choked out by Jake Doyle.

Here is Mercedes Mone for a chat. The hometown star Mone promises to leave All In as champion and it doesn’t matter if she’s facing Thekla or Willow Nightingale. She says the two of them hide behind something but they can’t hide after the bell rings. Either way, she’s leaving All In with the title.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage are ready to face Claudio Castagnoli and Pac. The Young Bucks come in to suggest they want the titles back, though everything seems ok.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Bandido vs. Adam Priest

Bandido is defending and flips away to start, meaning it’s time for the gun pose. Some kicks to the face look to set up the gorilla press but Priest slips out and sends Bandido outside. We take a break and come back with Bandido snapping off some German suplexes, with a one armed version dropping Priest again. The 21 Plex is blocked so Bandido just backflips over him and grabs a German suplex to retain at 7:47.

Rating: C+. That ending looked great as Bandido is almost turning the 21 Plex into a game as he tries to find new and more impressive ways to make the move look great. It’s nice to see Bandido get a win in AEW, even if it is to boost him up for another PPV loss. As usual, it’s just a random title defense, which is almost all he has most of the time.

The Sisters Of Sin are now 2/3 of the Stardom six woman titles. Next week though, they want a Women’s Tag Team Title shot in a hardcore match.

TBS Title: Queen Aminata vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida is defending. They forearm it out to start until Aminata snapmares her down for a kick to the back. Shida is sent outside and put in a chair, with Aminata hitting a running double stomp. Another top rope double stomp (no chair this time) only hits ramp. Aminata misses a headbutt into the buckle as well and Shida gives her a belly to back piledriver onto the ramp.

We take a break and come back with Shida having to escape a Boston crab. Aminata kicks her in the head, followed by a fisherman’s neckbreaker. A middle rope double stomp gives Aminata two so Shida grabs the kendo stick. That’s quickly taken away, leaving Shida to hit a top rope Meteora, followed by a Falcon Arrow for two. They trade rollups for two each until Aminata hits a running knee in the ropes. Shida is fine enough to grab a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: B. The ending came out of nowhere but they were rolling until the rather abrupt finish. Aminata didn’t feel like she had a chance of winning but she had me wondering if a miracle could have been in the cards. Shida’s title win was kind of out of nowhere, but she’s a successful enough star that she feels important as champion and that makes this a great use of her status.

Post match Shida stays on Aminata but Maya World runs out for the save. World vs. Shida for the TBS Title is announced for Redemption to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was about elevating some people who are competing at Redemption and adding a few more matches to the card. At the same time, Redemption is only feeling so important. It feels like a show that is being wedged in there for the sake of having a July PPV before All In. The show is likely to be entertaining, but they’re going to need something bigger to make the show feel like required viewing.

Results
Jack Perry b. Nick Wayne – Running knee
Kevin Knight b. AR Fox – UFO Splash
Don Callis Family b. Gino Medina/Tome Filip/Nic Nolan – Flipping knee to the face to Nolan
Will Ospreay b. Adam Brooks – Forearms to the head
Athena b. Ava Everett – Reverse Koji Clutch
Brawling Birds b. Tiana James/Kayla Lopez – Two Birds One Stone to James
Tommaso Ciampa b. Myron Reed – Running knee
Bandido b. Adam Priest – Lifting German suplex
Hikaru Shida b. Queen Aminata – Rollup with feet on the ropes

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

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

Dynamite
Date: July 15, 2026
Location: MGM Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re done with one of the bigger Dynamites of the year and now we have less than two weeks before Redemption. Last week saw Kenny Omega regain the World Title in a heck of a fight against MJF which means the title match at the pay per view (assuming there is one) could go in a few directions. The rest of the Redemption card needs to be set up as well so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Beach Break recap.

Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta warm up for their Tag Team Title match. Jon Moxley fires them up and then tells Will Ospreay that he has earned this but it is time for some hard decisions. Ospreay has to take the shot when he has the chance, no matter the target.

Tag Team Titles: Death Riders vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage

Copeland and Cage are defending. Yuta goes for Copeland’s leg to start before driving him down by the arm. That just earns him a big boot so it’s off to Cage vs. Garcia. Cage backs him into the corner and it’s back to Copeland to hammer away. The Riders tie Copeland up in the ring skirt though and pound him down to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Copeland grabbing a powerslam, allowing a tag back to Cage. That means house can be cleaned quickly, with Garcia having his neck snapped over the top rope. Everything breaks down and Yuta’s German suplex gets two on Cage. The Riders do their weird spinning circle thing and then go to take off a turnbuckle pad. That’s enough for Cage to get in a low blow, followed by the spear to pin Yuta and retain at 11:57.

Rating: C+. This was perfectly acceptable match and they didn’t stay out there too long, which makes sense as there was no reason to think Garcia and Yuta were winning the titles. There is nothing wrong with getting the champs out there for a simple title defense and at least it’s against a regular team. Not bad here, with Cage just kicking Yuta low to set up the finish being pretty funny.

Post match the Dogs run in and beat the champs down so here is the Bang Bang Gang for the save. The Dogs are cleared out and Cage and Jay White have a staredown but things stay peaceful.

We look at Hikaru Shida attacking Harley Cameron after their match and Queen Aminata making the save. Aminata gets a TBS Title shot on Collision.

Video on Andrade El Idolo.

Andrade is ready to beat Jake Doyle and move on to eventually win the World Title. Oh and he has the Dynamite Diamond Ring, seemingly thanks to Will Ospreay. How you know?

The Conglomeration tease an open challenge for the Trios Titles and the Demand interrupt. Don’t worry though because they’re not going to lay a finger on the champs….but here is the Lethal Twist to jump the Conglomeration instead. Ricochet: “They’re not in the Demand!”

Andrade El Idolo vs. Jake Doyle

If Andrade wins, he gets a National Title shot against Mark Davis. Doyle knocks him outside at the bell and then hits the running shots in the corner. Andrade gets a boot up though and an enziguri sends Doyle back outside. We pause for the photo with the woman before they head inside…and go right back outside, where Doyle chokeslams him onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Doyle knocking him down again. Andrade knocks him to the floor though and hits the middle rope moonsault, only to get powerbombed back inside. Doyle’s big right hand knocks Andrade out of the air for two but Andrade spinning elbows him in the face. The DM finishes Doyle at 12:15.

Rating: B-. This was pretty much the most obvious result in the world but it went fine, as the fans are WAY into Andrade at the moment. It makes sense too as he’s on fire and dripping with charisma. Keep going with him for the moment, as it’s working for the moment, though there is always the chance that Andrade could turn it off at a moment’s notice.

Video on Kenny Omega winning the World Title back last week.

Here is Omega for his World Title celebration. Hold on though as here are the Young Bucks to present Omega with the original World Title design. Omega didn’t think he was going to get back to this spot again and thanks everyone for believing in him. We have less than fifty days before All In and you are going to see the best version of Omega. This brings in Will Ospreay, who asks the Bucks to talk to Omega on his own.

The Bucks leave in peace and Ospreay is glad to see Omega as World Champion again. Last week Omega got hit in the face with the belt “and then you kicked out at once you cheeky slag!” Ospreay has wanted to be just a fraction of the wrestler Omega is and now he wants to show everyone what they can do at All In.

Cue Kevin Knight to interrupt, saying he wants to face Omega one on one. Knight wants the title shot at Redemption but Omega says no…but he’ll give Knight a title shot anyway because he thinks Knight has something. Then Knight listened to Don Callis, which Omega understands. Omega did that before and he bought into the idea, but Knight doesn’t need to be there.

Now Omega is saying the same thing that everyone but Callis believe: Knight doesn’t need Callis because he could be champion on his own. That makes Knight the only real fraud because there is a good guy in there who doesn’t need Callis. If Knight is getting the title shot, Omega wants him to get it on his own. Knight says there isn’t goodness in him, because it’s greatness.

With that, Knight decks Omega with the microphone and ducks the Hidden Blade to escape. Darby Allin runs in to jump Knight so here is the Don Callis Family to beat Allin down. The Death Riders come in for the save. Maybe a segment that was about Omega and Ospreay, with Knight coming in for his part, shouldn’t wind up having about a dozen people involved?

Jack Perry issues an open challenge for Collision. Luchasaurus is his tech guy.

Brodido vs. Nick Comoroto/Aaron Solo

Bandido gets to show off a bit with the gorilla press to Comoroto before King drops him onto Comoroto for an early two. King knocks them both down and Bandido’s frog splash gets a double pin at 2:16. That was efficient.

Post match Bandido runs into Kyle Fletcher and gives him a wanted poster. Oh sweet goodness Bandido is going to lose another singles match on PPV and no one is going to care about the Ring Of Honor World Title in the slightest isn’t he? It’s a rhetorical question because OF COURSE HE IS.

International Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Komander

Fletcher is defending and gets taken down for an early near fall, which has Fletcher thinking twice. Komander sends him outside but gets pulled out of the air, allowing Fletcher to boot him in the face. Back in and Fletcher knocks him to the floor, setting up the big rope walk flip dive as we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher laughing at Komander striking away until a superkick puts Fletcher down. An apron superplex is escaped and Komander flips him off the top for a roll to the floor. Komander hits a big dive and a 450 gets two back inside. Cielito Lindo is broken up so Komander goes with a super Destroyer for two. A Michinoku Driver gives Fletcher two and he grabs the brainbuster to retain at 11:02.

Rating: B. Good match here, which shouldn’t be a shock. Komander getting title shot after title shot became a running joke but his matches have been enough of a blast to shake a lot of that off. At the same time you have Fletcher, who works well with anyone. Again, they didn’t go too long in a match where there was no drama and that helps so much.

Post match Fletcher goes for the mask so Konosuke Takeshita runs in for the save. Kazuchika Okada is here too though and the Rainmaker drops Takeshita. Brodido run in to take out Okada and Fletcher.

Kenny Omega is ready to face Kevin Knight but Darby Allin comes in to say Knight isn’t changing overnight. Allin is ready to take the TNT Title and leaves. Jon Moxley comes in to agree that some people cannot change.

Here are the Brawling Birds for a chat. They want the Women’s Tag Team Titles and All In is coming up so let’s consume alcohol.

Chris Jericho wants a rematch with Tommaso Ciampa at Redemption but he’ll bring the Painmaker.

Ciampa is in and issues an open challenge for Collision.

Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage

Cage jumps him to start fast and drops him onto the ramp as Taz talks about making the mistake of paying for Cage’s dinner before. Allin is sent flying with a fall away slam and we take a break. We come back with Allin hitting a running dropkick off the steps and grabbing a super Code Red for a near fall. Allin’s suicide dive connects but Cage is right back up with a gorilla press toss to send Allin head first into the post. Naturally Allin is up again with a Coffin Drop onto Cage onto the steps, followed by a regular one to pin Cage at 9:58.

Rating: C+. Have I mentioned that I’m sick of Allin doing stupid stunts in a match and then popping back up to win? It’s just been a few years of the same thing now and that’s a bit irritating. Allin vs. the Don Callis Family isn’t exactly an original story but at least he has a feud with Knight already built up and he very well may take the TNT Title next week.

Kyle Fletcher is ticked off and ready to defend against anyone. For now, he wants Bandido and the title shot is offered for Redemption.

Kevin Knight and Don Callis are ready to take out Kenny Omega. Mike Bailey comes in to say he’s ready for Knight to change back.

Maya World/Hyan/Willow Nightingale vs. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne/Mercedes Mone

Nightingale backs Mone into the ropes to start and the other four come in, with Hyan and World taking over in the corners. We settle down to Nightingale cartwheeling out of a whip into the corner but missing an enziguri. Kross is knocked down into the corner though, leaving Mone to get beaten up by Hyan and World. Mone is tossed onto Kross and Bayne and we take a break.

We come back with Mone hitting a Backstabber for two on World. Back up and World brings in Nightingale to clean house, including some elbows in the corner. A powerbomb gets two on Bayne and everyone knocks everyone else down for a big breather. Mone grabs Three Amigos to World and hits the frog splash with Hyan making the save. Bayne and Kross are back up but Nightingale breaks up the Divine Intervention. The Pounce sends Bayne flying and Hyan spears Mone, who is right back with the Mone Maker for the pin at 13:54.

Rating: B-. Well that was….long. It came at the end of a rather lengthy show but we needed every single bit of Mone’s stuff in there. After all, it had been a full what, hour or so since the last Eddie Guerrero tribute? Anyway, I’m not sure I get why Mone needed the attention here (yes it’s her hometown and Heaven forbid a heel not be the conquering hero in their hometown) when Nightingale is a week and a half away from her title shot, but I’m sure it made sense to Mone.

Overall Rating: B. They had to cover A LOT of ground here as there isn’t much time left for Redemption. While they managed to make that happen, which is rather impressive, they did it so fast that it was quite the packed show. It worked more than it didn’t, though it still had a lot of the same issues that tend to come up in AEW (inconsistencies with title shots, way too many champion vs. champion matches, so many people flying around, the obsession with Mone looking stronger than Superman). I’m beyond the point of believing those things are going to change, so all things considered, this show went pretty well.

Results
Christian Cage/Adam Copeland b. Death Riders – Spear to Yuta
Andrade El Idolo b. Jake Doyle – DM
Brodido b. Aaron Solo/Nick Comoroto – Double pin
Kyle Fletcher b. Komander – Brainbuster
Mercedes Mone/Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Hyan/Maya World/Willow Nightingale – Mone Maker to World

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

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Collision
Date: July 11, 2026
Location: Berglund Center, Roanoke, Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

So Hangman Page is back. You might not have heard about this because Tony Khan announced it in a livestream on Friday rather than on the big Dynamite earlier this week but Page is indeed back. That leads to the question of what he is going to do, but with about two weeks to go before Redemption, he has to figure something out. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Kenny Omega winning the World Title back from MJF on Dynamite.

Here is Hangman Page (with a not great haircut and recently having had a vasectomy) to say that he is….a gardener? He brags about his butterfly weed and talks about how fascinating it is to plant seeds and see what they become. Page wanted to be here in Roanoke because he needed to plant another seed.

Back in March, he lost a Texas Death match to MJF and maybe that was overconfidence, but he did lose. He’ll be a man of his word and never challenge for the World Title again. There are other titles to come after though and he’s coming for some of them. This felt like “Oh well, Page is nearby, let him show up and say something.”

Beach Break recap.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Bandido vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Bandido is defending and thankfully we hear about Shibata’s undefeated streak in Ring Of Honor rather than his success in AEW. Shibata backs him into the ropes to start and we get a clean break. Bandido gets wrestled to the mat without much trouble and has to go to the ropes to escape a kneebar.

Back up and they trade some running kicks in the corner with Shibata getting the better of things. Bandido pops up for a frog splash crossbody, only to get crotched on top. A running boot puts Bandido on the floor and we take an early break. We come back with Shibata knocking him out to the apron for a DDT, followed by a suplex on the floor.

They go back inside for the exchange of chops until Bandido grabs a gorilla press. A shooting star press of all things gives Bandido two but the X Knee is blocked. Back up and another X Knee connects but Shibata reverses the 21 Plex into a suplex of his own. Shibata hits a clothesline and tries a low blow, which is reversed into la majistral to retain at 12:33.

Rating: B-. This was your latest random Bandido title defense and as usual, it worked fine. If nothing else it’s nice to see Bandido winning a match on AEW TV, as he hasn’t had the best record around here. He’s rather talented, but it would be nice to see him have a feud over the title rather than one off matches with the title on the line. Just to mix it up for a change.

Earlier today, Hikaru Shida bragged about winning the TBS Title and ignored Harley Cameron’s praise before their title match.

Mike Bailey is ready to win the National Title.

TBS Title: Harley Cameron vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida is defending and jumps her before the bell. The bell rings and Shida sends her face first into the mat but Cameron gets in some kicks to the face. One of them sends Shida outside and a DDT on the floor has Shida in trouble for a full 17 seconds. With that out of the way, Shida hits a backbreaker into a running knee and we take a break.

We come back with Cameron hammering away in the corner but a sunset bomb is countered. Naturally Cameron bites the leg and grabs a half crab. Shida makes the rope and hits a running knee, setting up the weird surfboard hold to make Cameron tap out at 9:41.

Rating: C+. I can go for Shida getting a win in her first title defense but at the same time, it would be nice to not see Cameron lose so often. She can only be so bulletproof with her insane charisma and having her win something important would be nice for a change. That doesn’t seem likely anytime soon, but at least they’ve Shida’s reign is off to a nice start.

Post match Shida hammers on Cameron until Queen Aminata runs in for the save.

The Lethal Twist and Demand surround Matt Sydal. Threats are made but Sydal calls Ricochet bald and runs off.

Kyle Fletcher is happy with his International Title win but wants to see Brian Cage destroy the Rascalz.

We look at Brawl In The Ballpark, which saw some AEW matches take place at a Minnesota Twins game. Tying AEW to something big like Major League Baseball is a great thing.

Here is the Conglomeration for a chat. They liked Brawl In The Ballpark but know someone who wants to be a champion. This brings out Willow Nightingale, who is sad because she was out of action but she’s ready to go to Wembley. She’s going to prove that she’s ready to be the best and at Redemption, she’ll carry the Women’s Title around her waist.

Skye Blue is ready for Thekla to take out Willow Nightingale. And the Sisters Of Sin aren’t happy with Megan Bayne/Lena Kross.

Death Riders vs. Top Flight/AR Fox/Komander

Garcia takes Darius down to start so Darius takes Garcia down as well. Fox comes in for a spinning suplex but gets dragged into the corner for the tag to Moxley, with the fans rather approving. A quick takedown is enough for Moxley, so it’s off to Castagnoli to backbreaker a diving Komander. That’s shrugged off and Komander fights up to clean house with a hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and we take an early break.

We come back with Dante in trouble and getting stomped down for an early one count. Dante is sent outside for the stomping so Komander is there with the rope walk dive. Back in and Fox grabs a cutter, followed by the dives to the floor. The Swanton hits Garcia but Castagnoli swings Fox. Top Flight armdrags Moxley to the floor for a dive, leaving Komander to slug away on Garcia and Yuta. Fox is back in for the save but misses a 450, meaning it’s the running uppercuts in the corner. The Scorpion Deathlock has Fox in trouble and Moxley adds a Stomp to give Garcia the pin at 12:29.

Rating: B-. This got fun for a bit, though I’m not sure why the Death Riders needed so long to beat a thrown together team of people without the most success. That being said, it was good enough action and that’s about all you can ask for on a lot of Collisions. What else is Moxley going to do? Not appear on every show?

Post match Moxley declares it as the Death Riders against the World.

Lena Kross/Megan Bayne are sick of the tag team division, especially the Sisters Of Sin. Just keep carrying Thekla’s bags.

Thekla doesn’t think much of anyone but the Triangle Of Madness. Willow Nightingale can keep talking about her happiness but Thekla is going to take her out.

The Bang Bang Gang continue to offer their neutering services. I think we get the joke already.

Zachary Wentz vs. Brian Cage

Wentz knocks him to the apron to start and hits the handstand kick to the head, setting up the required dive. Cage fights back and hits the apron superplex and we take an early break. We come back with Wentz hitting a missile dropkick to leave both of them down. A handspring knee to the face gets two and a middle rope cutter drops Cage for two more. Cage blasts him with a discus lariat though and an apron German superplex sets up the Drill Claw to finish Wentz at 7:53.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty basic formula match with the fast paced guy against the monster and that’s all it should have been. Cage cuts Wentz off to get revenge for Kyle Fletcher and the Don Callis Family gets to celebrate for a bit. That being said, Cage’s return makes me wonder why the Family needs so many monsters, especially when a lot of them just stand around in the back.

Post match Trent Beretta gets in the ring and declares himself the winner over Darby Allin. Cue Allin and we’re having a match.

Darby Allin vs. Trent Beretta

Allin knocks him outside to start but gets distracted by Cage, allowing Beretta to take over. Back in and a quick Coffin Drop attempt is blocked, with Beretta hitting a backdrop into a faceplant. Allin fights up and dives onto Cage, only to get Strong Zeroed onto the apron for two. Beretta takes him up top but gets caught in a super Code Red. The Coffin Drop finishes for Allin at 4:20.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what the point was in having Allin just show up at the last second with no indication that he wouldn’t be around, but at least he won in a fun match. That’s all it needed to be and it’s not like Beretta losing is going to hurt her in the slightest. The fans are going to love Allin no matter what he’s doing and getting him on the show makes sense, pretty much no matter how he gets there.

Post match Cage is in to powerbomb Allin over and over, with Mike Bailey running in for the save.

Willow Nightingale meets Maya World and a six woman tag is set up for Dynamite, with the two of them and Hyan vs. Mercedes Mone/Lena Kross/Megan Bayne.

Andrade El Idolo is on a boat. How you know? Because that’s what the video shows him doing.

National Title: Mike Bailey vs. Mark Davis

Davis is defending and Kyle Fletcher is on commentary. Bailey can’t get a cross armbreaker to start so Davis slams him down for a backsplash. A big chop gives Davis two and he bites Bailey’s toe for a bonus. Bailey fights up and fires off the kicks in the corner, setting up a super hurricanrana. They go outside, where Davis piledrives him onto the announcers’ table and we take a break.

We come back with Bailey rolling out of a piledriver attempt and kicking him in the chest for two. A double knockdown leaves both of them getting a breather before Doyle bites the toe again. Bailey kicks him in the head and slightly overshoots the Ultimate Weapon for two. Jake Doyle offers a distraction and Davis gets in a kind of reverse Vertebreaker.

Bailey’s arm trap sunset flip gets two and Fletcher is panicking on the floor. The tornado kick sets up a missed Ultimate Weapon and Davis drops him with a running elbow. They fight to the apron, where Bailey’s moonsault knees miss, allowing Davis to clothesline him into the piledriver to retain at 14:13.

Rating: B+. This got rolling near the end and I wasn’t sure who was going to win, which is always a nice feeling. As usual, Bailey is a heck of a star in the ring and the stuff outside of the bells isn’t his best work. They kept that to a minimum here and things worked better as a result. Davis is doing rather well as a monster and that’s a lot more than I was expecting when he started his singles push.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped it a lot but there was quite a bit of the Don Callis Family on this show and that wasn’t a great thing. As usual, this show is entertaining enough while it lasts, but it always feels like it would be that much more effective at half of the length. Either way, it’s another perfectly good wrestling show without much going on and that’s pretty much Collision in a nutshell.

Results
Bandido b. Katsuyori Shibata – La majistral
Hikaru Shida b. Harley Cameron – Surfboard choke
Death Riders b. AR Fox/Death Riders/Komander – Stomp to Fox
Brian Cage b. Zachary Wentz – Drill Claw
Darby Allin b. Trent Beretta – Coffin Drop
Mark Davis b. Mike Bailey – Piledriver

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

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

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 9, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Global Wars and that means it is time for a World Title match. Why you ask? Well there’s no particular reason for it but Bandido is defending the title against Bryan Keith. Why Keith? Well he just happens to be getting the shot. Other than that, we’ll have the usual shenanigans so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Bandido vs. Keith, which doesn’t have much of a story.

Opening sequence.

Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Bang Bang Gang

Drake kicks away Robinson’s offer of a handshake to start and they go to the mat for some exchanges. Robinson threatens to raise his leg, sending Drake bailing over to the corner. We actually hear about Death Before Dishonor in August, which is better than nothing for a show to build towards.

The Veterans escape a suplex and kick Robinson down, only for Gibson to get kicked in the face. A backsplash/legdrop combination gives Austin two and he hits a slingshot ax handle to Gibson on the floor. Back in and Drake gets a blind tag for a double hot shot to take over. Gibson’s suplex sets up the chinlock and Drake gets one of his own. Austin fights out and brings Robinson back in for the snap jabs.

Everything breaks down and Gibson is drop toeholded into a low blow to Drake in the corner. Austin and Gibson slug it out but Drake is back in to help fire off some kicks to the Gang. An exchange of rollups give Austin and Drake two each but Robinson breaks up a Doomsday Device. Robinson’s forward DDT sets up the Fold to pin Drake at 11:17.

Rating: B-. This was fun stuff with all four of them working hard and having quite the fast paced effort. What matters the most though is Austin got a win and the Tag Team Titles are finally around for someone to win. Granted it doesn’t matter if these teams don’t actually get title shots, but at least the option is here again.

Frat House vs. Skyflight

Carter offers Sky a shot to start and then jumps him, with Dante coming in to headscissor Garrison. Dante gets sent into the corner for some rapid fire stomping from various villains and a double spinebuster gets two. With Dante in the Tree Of Woe, Garrison gets to stand on him for something of a low blow. That doesn’t seem to slow Dante down and it’s off to Darius to make the comeback. Everything breaks down and the TKO gives Sky the pin on Jameson at 5:49.

Rating: C+. This was about as good as a Frat House match was going to be as it has been nice to get a bit of a break from them. At the same time, Skyflight gets to do their usual fun match, with Sky’s TKO looking as good as ever. Now just get them closer to the Six Man Tag Team Titles already. Like they should have done a long time ago.

Lio Rush is all creepy with HIS TV Title.

Royce Isaacs vs. Bishop Kaun

They trade running shoulders to start with Isaacs grabbing a kneebar, sending Kaun right over to the ropes. Back up and Kaun chops him down but Isaacs gets in a throw for a breather. A Death Valley Driver gives Isaacs two so Kaun knees him in the face. They strike it out again until Kaun grabs a Wasteland and Pedigree for the pin at 5:22.

Rating: C+. They hit each other rather hard and that was fun to see, but it’s a bit much to get interested in a match featuring half of the Gates Of Agony on a show that is running over two hours. Isaacs is kind of a name from the independent circuit but it’s hardly some top star. It’s not bad, but this was one of those matches that felt like it was there to stretch the show out.

Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata vs. Kaci Lennox/Sahara Seven

Seven and Shirakawa lock up to start until Shirakawa avoids a charge in the corner. A kick to the head allows for the tag off to Aminata for the hips to the face, because that has to be in all of her matches. Lennox comes in to suplex Aminata and a Natural Selection gets two. It’s back to Shirakawa to knock Lennox down, followed by a Fujiwawa armbar to Seven. The Figure Four makes Seven tap at 4:58.

Rating: C. This was little more than a squash and it’s not like Shirakawa and Aminata have anything else to do. There isn’t much else for them to do so why not put them in a team? I still have no idea how someone as charismatic as Shirakawa can’t have something to do but here we are, yet again.

Action Andretti sits down with Caprice Coleman but doesn’t want to be here as this show kind of sucks. Granted that might be due to the bad guests so he’s here to save things. Andretti doesn’t like people like Lio Rush who turn on him to become some kind of a Blackheart with no signs. Rush has cut him off and Andretti thinks Lacey Lane probably feels the same. Andretti made call after call and isn’t going to sit on the sideline while Rush becomes this little monster.

Lethal Twist vs. Los Colons/Serpentico

Serpentico runs around to start and gets Lethal to come outside for a chop. A kick to the chest gets two on Lethal back inside but a double kick drops Serpentico as well. Orlando comes in and gets knocked into the corner, with Lethal adding a running dropkick to the back of the head. That means the strut is on before he starts working on Orlando’s leg. The Figure Four is blocked and it’s off to Eddie to fire back. Everything breaks down and it’s time to rip off Serpentico’s mask so Johnson can get the pin at 6:52.

Rating: C. I still have no idea why the Colons are here as there has to be a more interesting team to have in their spot. At the same time, sweet goodness I could go for a break from the “luchador loses his mask for a rollup pin”. It’s certainly logical for a luchador but my goodness it’s been done to death. The Twist need to be on the way to the Six Man Tag Team Titles, as they’re kind of perfect for them right now.

We look back at the Premiere Athletes/Beef wanting a shot at the Six Man Tag Team Titles. See, this is what the titles has been needing. They’re actually building up some teams to come after the champions. That’s how titles work and they’re already feeling more interesting just because teams want them. Now granted they have to actually be defended, but the pieces are being set up.

Mance Warner vs. Matt Menard

Pure Rules so they get in a contest over who can shake the referee’s hand more. Then they go outside to shake hands with the fans and go back inside for a rather aggressive handshake to get things going. An exchange of lockups send them into the corner over and over and all six rope breaks are burned off in 47 seconds.

With that gone, they go to the apron for some chops from Warner and a Rock Bottom from Menard. They go outside where Warner’s chair shot is cut off so Warner brings it inside, sits down in it, and grabs a sleeper. Menard’s arm is up at two drops and he gets two off a cutter. Warner wins a forearm off though and the implant DDT finishes Menard at 5:30.

Rating: B-. This was fun! I had a better time with them messing with things instead of just doing the same basic match that you see time after time. Warner wouldn’t be someone who wants to follow all of the rules and it makes sense that he would turn it into something he would want to do. This was instantly more entertaining than most things on ROH, just because it broke up the show a bit. Nice job.

Kelsey Raegan vs. Isla Dawn

They fight over an armbar to start with Dawn powering her into the corner. A Saito suplex drops Raegan and Dawn knocks her into the corner for a hard kick to the ribs. The running knee gets two and Dawn grabs a cobra stretch. Raegan fights out and sends her into the corner for a running elbow, setting up a DDT for two. Dawn has had it with this and grabs a dragon sleeper for the tap at 5:07.

Rating: C+. This was little more than a squash with Dawn getting to run through Raegan, who only got in a bit of offense. If Raegan is supposed to be something (and she might not be), I’m not sure why you would have her in a match with Dawn as she makes her singles debut. Not much of a match but I’ve been a fan of Dawn for awhile so it’s nice to see her getting a chance.

Post match Dawn takes her time letting go.

We recap Bandido vs. Bryan Keith. They had a match on Collision in February of last year. End of recap.

Satnam Singh vs. Bruss Hamilton

Hamilton jumps him from behind to start and avoids a charge in the corner. That only gets him so far as Singh switches places with him to start firing off the chops. Hamilton can’t get in a slam but Singh certainly can, only for Hamilton to escape a chokeslam. The second attempt gives Singh the pin at 2:55.

Rosario Grillo introduces KJ Impala and Hayden Seal, his partners. They’re rather Italian and called Il Cartello Grillo.

Nathan Cruz/Il Cartello Grillo vs. The Rascalz/Von Erichs

Wentz rolls Cruz up to start and scores with a corkscrew crossbody out of the corner. Impala comes in to slug it out with Marshall and the Von Erichs get two off a double dropkick. Ross misses a running boot in the corner and it’s off to Cruz to strike away in the corner. An atomic drop/running boot combination gets two on Ross but he rolls over for the tag off to Wentz.

That means house can be cleaned, including a quick German suplex. The middle rope Meteora/backbreaker combination gets two on Grillo and everything breaks down. The good guys can hit a bunch of shots in the corner, setting up stereo claws. Hot Fire Flame finishes Seal at 7:25.

Rating: C+. So you introduce the team, put them with a random partner, and then have them lose to a team featuring the freaking Von Erichs. This is where Ring Of Honor manages to completely miss the point as Il Cartello isn’t a bad idea, but they’re bogged down early on with having so many people involved and, you know, losing. But at least those Von Erichs got to make their regular appearance to remind us how lame they can be.

Tehuti Miles vs. LSG

HOW MUCH FILLER DOES ONE SHOW NEED??? Miles dropkicks him at the start and grabs a powerslam for an early two. A big boot gets two more and LSG’s comeback is cut off with a clothesline. Miles grabs a Death Valley Driver to finish at 4:04.

Rating: C. Miles looked impressive here but he’s the what, fifth or so debuting/returning star on the show? In its tenth match? It’s another case of the interesting prospect being lost in the shuffle because there is so much going on. Maybe save this (which came from a big batch of taped matches so it can be put anywhere) for a place that stands out a bit better?

Post match Shane Taylor Promotions comes out to look at Miles, who seems interested.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Bandido vs. Bryan Keith

Bandido is defending and Keith kicks the handshake away before cranking on the arm. Back up and Bandido flips away for the gun pose, earning himself a trip out to the apron. Keith whips him into the barricade a few times before winning a chop off. Back in and Keith kicks away before reversing a 21 Plex attempt into a t-bone suplex. A second and third suplex just fire Bandido up and he gets in a suplex of his own for a double down.

The corkscrew crossbody connects for Bandido and he sends Keith outside for the suicide dive. The springboard high crossbody gets two more back inside but Keith grabs a front facelock. A helicopter bomb gets two and Bandido has to block a fork shot. Bandido’s X Knee gets two but Keith catches him with a t-bone superplex. Keith tries a tiger bomb but gets reversed into a hurricanrana to give Bandido the retaining pin at 13:40.

Rating: B-. This felt like another instance of Bandido being built back up after a loss because he is the designated jobber to the stars in AEW. It’s also another random World Title match for Keith, who barely wrestles in singles matches, while others are undefeated and never get title shots. In other words, it’s a good example of the problem with the title picture around here and that isn’t likely to get better.

Overall Rating: C. And thus we have one of Tony Khan’s favorite ideas in ROH: a card so loaded with people that no one gets to stand out, even when they had good ideas. This show had a whopping 40 wrestlers on it, which is just shy of Wrestlemania II’s 46 and that show included a 20 man battle royal.

As usual, just WAY too much stuff on one show, as apparently someone holds a gun to Khan’s head and makes him not only book these matches but film and air them, because there is no such thing as “nah we don’t need that”. I liked some of what they did with a few debuts and some of the six man stuff, but I’m almost scared to think of how much of this could have been cut out or just moved to another show. Just stop doing so much at these tapings. Why is that so complicated?

Results
Bang Bang Gang b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Fold to Drake
Skyflight b. Frat House – TKO to Jameson
Bishop Kaun b. Royce Isaacs – Pedigree
Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata b. Laci Lennox/Sahara Seven – Figure Four to Seven
Lethal Twist b. Serpentico/Los Colons – Rollup to Serpentico
Mance Warner b. Matt Menard – Implant DDT
Isla Dawn b. Kelsey Raegan – Dragon sleeper
Satnam Singh b. Bruss Hamilton – Chokeslam
Von Erichs/Rascalz b. Il Cartello Grillo/Nathan Cruz – Hot Fire Flame to Seal
Tehuti Miles b. LSG – Death Valley Driver
Bandido b. Bryan Keith – Hurricanrana

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

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

Collision
Date: July 2, 2026
Location: Viejas Arena, San Diego, California
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur

It’s a rare Thursday show as there isn’t much of a point of airing in the usual 4th Of July time slot. The big story here is the rapid fire build towards Redemption, but we also have an extra push towards next Wednesday’s World Title match between MJF and Kenny Omega. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Death Riders vs. Shingo Takagi/Drilla Moloney

Pac and Takagi fight over arm control to start with Takagi getting in a headlock takeover. After a bit of a breather, Pac grabs a headlock of his own, followed by a running headscissors. Moloney comes in to shoulder Castagnoli down and some chops put him in the wrong corner. A rolling neckbreaker drops Castagnoli again and we take a break.

We come back with Moloney in trouble but jumping over Pac into a dropkick. Takagi comes back in and gets knocked down, only to drop Pac just as fast. An enziguri puts Pac down again and it’s back to Castagnoli vs. Moloney. A spinebuster drops Castagnoli and a top rope elbow gives Moloney two, with Takagi celebrating early. Everything breaks down and a powerbomb leaves everyone down again.

The Swing into the dropkick gets two on Takagi with Moloney making the save. Moloney is taken to the floor, where Daniel Garcia pops up to choke him from the crowd. That leaves Pac to clothesline Takagi for two as this match is still going. Moloney’s piledriver to Garcia on the floor is broken up and Takagi clotheslines Castagnoli. Garcia comes in for a distraction and Castagnoli rolls Takagi up for the pin at 18:12.

Rating: B-. Well that was long. I’m really not sure if we needed to keep up something set up with a bonus match thrown onto the Kickoff Show but AEW does some odd things. The match was good enough, though it seemed a bit slow paced until things picked up at the end. Hopefully this wraps it up though, as the Death Riders feuding with another stable sounds very tiring.

The Conglomeration is upset about Tomohiro Ishii and Mark Briscoe being out and injured. They’re still scared of Lio Rush (though he might like them), but Konosuke Takeshita wants to face El Phantasmo.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Brian Cage

Andrade jumps him to start fast and they trade the rather hard chops in the corner. Cage gets in a slam into a legdrop but Andrade knocks him outside for the corkscrew drive. We pause for the picture with the fan, allowing Cage to hit the apron superplex as we take a break. We come back with Cage charging into a knee in the corner, setting up the double moonsault to give Andrade two.

Three Amigos connect for Andrade but Page is back with a 619 into the sitout powerbomb for two more. Cage gets knocked off the top and it’s a frog splash to give Andrade another near fall. The running knees in the corner connect for Andrade, with Cage popping back up for an F5. Cage’s big clothesline is countered with the spinning elbow, setting up the DM to give Andrade the pin at 13:21.

Rating: B. I liked this fairly well as Andrade continues his roll around here. I’m not sure where it goes and I really don’t need to see Andrade running through the Family again (it’s been done) but the fans are way into Andrade right now. Giving him a bunch of matches on TV isn’t a bad idea and if it winds up making him more popular, great.

Post match Andrade hits the catchphrase.

Gabe Kidd is ready to come back and hurt people. You know, Gabe Kidd stuff.

Thunder Rosa/Mina Shirakawa vs. Zara Zakher/B3cca

Shirakawa dances a bit to start and a rollup gets two on B3cca. Everything breaks down rather quickly though and Rosa wins a slugout. Some running shots in the corner crush B3cca/Zakher, with Shirakawa adding a running basement dropkick. A Tijuana Bomb finishes for Rosa at 2:22.

Here is Thekla to brag about beating Starlight Kid and stealing her mask. After the show, she made Kid go to the strip club and dance for her. Stardom is dead so long live the Toxic Spider and she’s ready for anyone who shoots at her at All In. She’ll catch the bullet with her teeth.

Skyflight officially offers Matt Sydal a spot on the team and he….I think accepts? Either way he has their backs.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Bang Bang Gang/Adam Copeland

Ok then. Colten takes Moriarty down to start but comes out of the corner with a dropkick. Copeland comes in for a double hiptoss and the Edge O Matic drops Bravo. A double Quick Draw puts Bravo down again and Copeland seems rather pleased. Austin is pulled outside for the big beating and we take an early break.

We come back with Dean hitting a Bronco Buster on Austin, who fights up without much trouble. White comes back in for the dragon screw legwhips and the 3:10 To Yuma hits Moriarty. Taylor is back in to clean house but White saves Copeland from a middle rope splash. A double superplex brings Taylor crashing down and it’s a spear to Bravo. The Blade Runner finishes for White at 10:43.

Rating: B-. This was the fun match of the show and it went rather well, with the focus being getting White back in the ring. White looked good as usual when he’s in there, but the problem is keeping him in there. The feud with the Dogs should be enough to keep them busy, with Copeland and Christian Cage being another possibility.

Post match the Dogs come out for a staredown but the Death Riders run in to beat down the Bang Bang Gang. The Dogs join in on said beating, with David Finlay hitting White with the shillelagh.

Willow Nightingale is still training for a return. Her method this week: buying Billy Joel music.

The Demand vs. Sonico/Chris Nastyy/Jordan Oasis

An assisted cutter and frog splash have Nastyy in trouble as Liona’s eye is cut open BAD. His blood is all over Oasis, who is knocked out to the floor. Nastyy gets crushed and a springboard Doomsday Device finishes for Ricochet at 1:48. Total destruction.

Post match Ricochet says he doesn’t like Matt Sydal and says the three of them have been in demand for over a year. They get to make the decisions around here. Of all the people in AEW, Sydal is getting a focus? Really?

Athena vs. Rina

Non-title and for the #1 spot in next week’s Casino Gauntlet match. Rina fires off some dropkicks to start but Athena is up with a running uppercut. The flipping clothesline misses in the corner though and Rina is back up with a middle rope dropkick for two. They head outside with Athena taking over as we go to a break.

We come back with Athena getting pulled out of the air and Rina throwing her down by the hair. Athena grabs a quick Fujiwara armbar, which is turned into a rollup to give Athena two. Another Fujiwara armbar is broken up and Rina grabs a Gory Bomb. Double knees from the top and a cradle get two on Athena, who is right back with a shove onto the barricade. The O Face is broken up but a second attempt finishes Rina at 13:41.

Rating: B. They had a hard hitting back and forth match here and it’s nice to see Athena getting a win in AEW. At the same time, Rina was another example of “here’s a new person, she’s awesome, end of description”. I’m not saying she’s bad or anything close to it, but it can get a bit tiresome having so many people come in for the first time or their first time in a good while and just be expected to roll with them hanging against a top star.

Kyle Fletcher is ready to get the TNT Title back.

Mistico/Mike Bailey/Bandido vs. Rascalz

Reed dropkicks Bandido into the corner to start so it’s off to Bailey for the bouncing kicks. Bailey gets knocked down and a stomp to his back gets two, only for Wentz to miss a charge to the floor. That means the parade of suicide dives can commence but Bailey’s is cut off. Reed hits the big running diving cutter onto the pile as we take a break.

We come back with Wentz and Bailey getting a double tag to bring in Bandido and Reed. Everything breaks down and Mistico hits a springboard double elbow, followed by a springboard double dropkick. Xavier springboards into Bandido’s X Knee and, with Mistico and Bandido hitting dives, the 21 Plex finishes Xavier at 8:19.

Rating: B-. This was another match that felt like it was a way to get Mistico onto the show in any form. I’m really not sure why all he does is get thrown into tag matches, unless it’s some kind of a mandate from CMLL. The match was the usual bunch of flips and dives and as exciting as you would have expected.

Megan Bayne and Lena Kross think they’re too dominant for any team and say address them from your knees, because it’s easier to bow down.

Rush vs. Jordan Cruz

Rush knocks him outside to start and sends him into the barricade. Back in and some facewashes have Cruz down before the Bull’s Horns finishes at 1:38.

The Opps want an ROH World Title shot for Katsuyori Shibata. You mean AEW wrestlers can challenge for ROH titles? And yes, the match will be on Collision instead of Ring Of Honor (where Shibata wrestles as well). Anthony Bowens tries to get some enthusiasm going and is shot down.

Julia Hart vs. Maya World

For the #2 spot in the Casino Gauntlet. World takes her down for an early backsplash to start but they’re quickly on the floor where Hart fires off some chops. A Tarantula has World in more trouble and we take an early break. We come back with Hart grabbing Hartless but World stacks her up for the escape. A double stomp gives World two but a Shining Wizard is cut off with…something that involved a bunch of camera cuts. World’s tabletop suplex gets two but Hart knocks her off the top. The moonsault hits raised knees though and World’s Shining Wizard gets the pin at 9:48.

Rating: C+. It’s good to see World getting a win, though it isn’t going to mean much if she doesn’t win something that actually matters. That would mean beating Athena or possibly even Thekla and I don’t know if I can see the latter happening. Beating Athena should be a major moment and that’s a lot to put on someone like World, who hasn’t been around that long. It’s not a terrible idea, but it might be too soon. Either way, she definitely looked more confident out there and that is great to see.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa vs. Chris Jericho.

Video on MJF vs. Kenny Omega.

El Phantasmo vs. Kyle Fletcher

Don Callis is on commentary. They trade early rollups for two each to start, with Fletcher freaking out at a VERY near fall. An armdrag takes Fletcher down again but he’s back up with one heck of a big boot. We take a break and come back with Phantasmo hitting a crossbody into a Lionsault for two more. A DDT puts Fletcher, whose knee is banged up, down again but he’s right back up with a Michinoku Driver for two of his own.

Fletcher’s running charge misses and he crashes to the floor, with Phantasmo hitting a moonsault. That earns him a lawn dart into the barricade and Phantasmo has to dive back inside. A heck of a sitout Last Ride gives Fletcher two and he can’t believe the kickout. Some rollups give Phantasmo two each but Fletcher is back up with a running boot in the corner. The brainbuster finishes at 11:54.

Rating: B. They beat each other up and Phantasmo continues to feel like someone who could give almost any opponent a run for their money. It made for a good match as Fletcher has turned into one of the more dependable stars in AEW. I could go for more of Phantasmo, like say having him win a match.

Post match Callis gets in the ring and talks about the disloyalty of Konosuke Takeshita. Starting on Dynamite, the Family is taking everything from him, including the International Title. Takeshita comes out to chase Callis off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There was good action throughout the night but you could feel the extra half hour baked into this. A bunch of the matches felt like there were being dragged out for the sake of filling time and since Collision isn’t exactly known for its heavy emphasis on storyline development, this was a long show. Certainly an entertaining two and a half hours, but 10+ hours in five days from any promotion is quite taxing and I was ready for this show to end a lot earlier than it did.

Results
Death Riders b. Shingo Takagi/Drilla Moloney – Rollup to Takagi
Andrade El Idolo b. Brian Cage – DM
Thunder Rosa/Mina Shirakawa b. Zara Zakher/B3cca – Tijuana bomb to B3cca
Bang Bang Gang/Adam Copeland b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Blade Runner to Bravo
The Demand b. Sonico/Chris Nastyy/Jordan Oasis – Springboard Doomsday Device to Nastyy
Mistico/Mike Bailey/Bandido b. Rascalz – 21 Plex to Xavier
Rush b. Jordan Cruz – Bull’s Horns
Maya World b. Julia Hart – Shining Wizard
Kyle Fletcher b. El Phantasmo – Brainbuster

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

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Dynamite
Date: July 1, 2026
Location: Viejas Arena, San Diego, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with Forbidden Door (thank goodness) and it’s time to get ready for Redemption, the pit stop in July, on the way to London for All In. Will Ospreay and Mercedes Mone are in line for title shots, but first up is Mark Briscoe challenging MJF for the World Title tonight. Let’s get to it.

Here is Forbidden Door if you need a recap.

We get a clip from after Forbidden Door with Will Ospreay being rather happy with his win. Ospreay then ran into Jon Moxley and asked what Moxley meant about seeing something in him. If Moxley could explain it in words, he would explain it to anyone. This place could be something special but if Ospreay wants the Death Riders’ patch, he has to ride with them

Ospreay went on to see Kenny Omega, who praised him for his win but not being wild on the Death Riders tease. MJF came in to mock them both, with Omega threatening to come after the title and MJF not really caring. With MJF gone, Omega seemed to suggest that everything was fine with Ospreay.

AEW World Title: Mark Briscoe vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is defending and insists on being announced from the Best Coast, the east coast. Briscoe knocks him down to start but MJF is right back up to rip the bandage off of Briscoe’s head. MJF bites at the cut but Briscoe flips out of a backdrop, meaning it’s time for Red Neck Kung Fu.

Briscoe gets crotched on top but knocks MJF down, with the Froggy Bow getting two. Another shot sends MJF outside for the dive, followed by the chair step up flip dive for a bonus. The table is set up on the floor but Briscoe takes too long and knocks him off the top. That lets him return the table under the ring and we take a break. We come back with Briscoe winning a slugout and knocking him out to the floor, with Briscoe pulling the pads back.

MJF is able to backdrop him onto the concrete but can’t hit a Tombstone, instead getting slammed on the concrete. The Bang Bang Elbow on the floor and a Cutthroat Driver connect for two back inside, allowing Briscoe to set up the table again. Once again it takes too long but once again Briscoe cuts MJF and gives him a Blockbuster on the floor.

The Froggy Bow puts MJF through the table for two, as the foot on the rope saves the title. MJF goes to the eye but gets clotheslined for a double down. Another Froggy Bow connects and the Jay Driller gets a rather near fall. A sunset flip doesn’t work for Briscoe so he tries another Jay Driller, which is countered into an Alabama Slam. The Heatseeker retains the title at 18:23.

Rating: B. Well, that was quite the use of Briscoe’s title shot after building it up for a good while. I was expecting this to be at Beach Break but I guess they want to clear the way for Ospreay for the next month and a half. The match wasn’t an instant classic but it was physical and hard hitting, with Briscoe being so easy to cheer for to make it better.

Post match MJF loads up the Diamond Ring and knocks him silly. He loads up another shot but Kenny Omega runs in for the save. Omega wants a title shot tonight but MJF shoots that down, saying he’s beaten Omega before. MJF will face Omega next week, but if MJF wins, Omega can never challenge for the World Title again (note that MJF did not say Omega had to win the title). Omega has until the end of the night to decide.

Post break, MJF promises that payback is coming for Andrade El Idolo. With that out of the way, he lists off all of the names he has beaten, including Cody Rhodes, with Kenny Omega being 0-2 against him. He knows Omega won’t agree because MJF is gutless. Will Ospreay comes in to ask why the stipulation, with MJF saying it’s because he’s the champion. MJF will see Ospreay at Wembley.

He is Andrade El Idolo for a chat. He is done with the Don Callis Family and wants the World Back Title. How you know? Cue the Family to jump him from behind and the big beatdown is on. Don Callis wants Andrade out of here for Kevin Knight’s match.

Mercedes Mone brags about winning the Women’s Owen Hart Cup because she is the conversation no matter where she was going.

TNT Title: Kevin Knight vs. Lio Rush

Only Knight is defending. Rush scares him to start and throws Knight a backpack, containing…a black version of the ROH TV Title. Knight is freaked out so Rush sends him into the ropes, with Knight bailing to the floor. Rush does his run around the ring for the suicide dive and we take a break.

We come back with Knight hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but banging up his knee on a springboard attempt. Rush grabs a weird choke (as in Rush looks like he’s trying a cutter but just holds on when they’re on the mat) until Jake Doyle pulls Knight outside. Back in and Knight hits a sitout spinebuster, followed by a Rock Bottom to retain at 8:45.

Rating: B-. The match was fine, but did they really need to have Rush lose here? Rush is A, on fire with his new gimmick and B, a champion in ROH. Bandido and Athena have already lost recently and it would be nice for the ROH champions to be something other than jobbers to the main roster stars. I get that they’re beneath the AEW stars, but there are so many people in AEW/ROH who aren’t champions who could lose just as well.

Post match Darby Allin comes out to say he wants the TNT Title shot or the same things are going to keep happening to Knight. That has Knight ready to agree but Callis cuts him off because Allin was a criminal at Forbidden Door. Allin says that’s Knight digging his own grave.

We look at Chris Jericho beating up JD Drake and mocking Tommaso Ciampa.

Ciampa calls Jericho a bully but Jericho jumps him from behind. They go outside, where Ciampa rolls a shopping cart at him and then tries to stab Jericho in the head with a drill. Security tries to break it up but Jericho dives out of a truck to take out both Ciampa and some guards. The drill was dumb but I want to see these two fight.

Kenny Omega talks to the Young Bucks about the stipulation but Omega hasn’t made a decision just yet. He didn’t like what he had to do to win the title in the first place and wants to do it on his own. The Bucks have his back no matter what but Omega still hasn’t decided.

Will Ospreay/Jon Moxley vs. The Swirl

The Swirl jumps Moxley to start fast and seem to hurt his knee. Moxley fights back like he’s Jon Moxley and they’re the Swirl, allowing him to roll over for the tag to Ospreay. A running hurricanrana sends Christian outside and there’s the running flip dive to take the Swirl out again.

We take a break and come back with the Swirl’s Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination getting two on Moxley. Marina Shafir beats up Jay Lethal on the floor and Moxley makes the comeback, allowing Ospreay to come back in. Johnson gets beaten up in the corner and Christian springboards into a cutter. The Paradigm Shift into the Hidden Blade finishes Johnson at 9:15.

Rating: C+. On one hand, I get the idea of Ospreay and Moxley as the unlikely super team, but at the same time, I’m still not sure why they’re together in the first place. In theory Ospreay got the help that he needed and now wants to see how far they can take him and Moxley is happy with getting the new member of the team. I guess that’s the story and while it makes sense, I’m not sure I buy Ospreay just suddenly being cool with the Death Riders. Or Moxley being cool with him for that matter.

After retaining their Tag Team Titles, Christian Cage and Adam Copeland weren’t sure about Jay White. Cage still doesn’t like him and Copeland isn’t sure what to think.

Here is the Bang Bang Gang for a chat. Jay White says they have waiting for well over a year to do this and he’s glad to get to say the catchphrase again. He remembered people not liking the Death Riders but now they’re hanging with the biggest fraud in wrestling. That aside, he wants to talk about the Dogs, who he doesn’t like because of things that happened in New Japan.

White remembers joining the New Japan Dojo with David Finlay, who is a fourth generation wrestler and raising a fifth generation star. Finlay has wrestling in his blood but he’s still a whiny little boy. White is still the catalyst of wrestling and this is still his era. If the Dogs, or anyone, has a problem with that, Guns Up. I still like White a lot and he can talk very well, but he has to prove that he can go more than a few months without a major injury.

Shane Taylor Promotions want the Bang Bang Gang in an eight man tag on Collision.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Maika vs. Harley Cameron vs. Persephone vs. Queen Aminata vs. Hikaru Shida

Survival Of The Fittest (six way elimination match) for the vacant title. It’s a brawl to start with Persephone standing tall but Shida takes her down with a rollup for two. Cameron is back in with a Shining Wizard to Maika before hammering on Aminata in the corner. Persephone sneaks up on Cameron for a Razor’s Edge and the elimination at 2:33. Well there goes the crowd favorite. Statlander Angle Slams Persephone and we take a break

We come back with Maika and Statlander slugging it out until Shida comes in with the kendo stick. Maika drops Shida with a discus clothesline but Statlander takes away the kendo stick. Shida hides behind the referee and rolls Maika up for the elimination at 7:52. We’re down to four and it’s Aminata coming back in to slug it out with Shida. Aminata’s fisherman’s neckbreaker gets two but she misses a top rope double stomp. The big headbutt sends Shida into the ropes for the running knee, only for Persephone to roll Aminata up for the pin at 9:49.

Persephone actually does the L on her forehead to mock Aminata as we take another break. We come back again with Statlander’s Blue Thunder Bomb getting two on Persephone. A bridging German suplex drops Statlander for two but Shida is back in, only for Statlander to chop Shida and Persephone. Staturday Night Fever is broken up but Statlander cradles Persephone for the pin at 15:30.

Shida kicks Statlander in the head, only for Statlander to grab the Falcon Arrow for two more. They fight over a rollup until Shida gets the ankle lock, with Persephone getting in a belt shot (fine with the referee). Shida grabs the leg and adds a choke to the out cold Statlander for the title at 17:27.

Rating: B-. This was kind of a strange match as there wasn’t a heavy betting favorite coming and a few different people could win the thing. Shida certainly fits the description, as she has a long history of winning titles so this is a nice fit. She might not be champion for a long time (though it wouldn’t be crazy), but beating her means enough that it could be a big moment.

Here’s what’s coming on Collision and next week at Beach Break.

Will Ospreay tries to talk Kenny Omega out of making a bad decision but Omega says if he’s going out, it’s with guns blazing.

Here is Omega for his big decision. Omega talks about how he has been doing this for over half of his life and he always gives this everything he has. He has a career that he could hang his hat on and be proud about but there is a part of him that believes he still has it. If the Elite can believe and the people can believe, then he knows he can be a champion AEW can be proud of one more time. At Wembley, against Will Ospreay.

All he has to do is put everything on the line against MJF, but Cody Rhodes and Hangman Page have done the same thing. He is still the best bout machine and yes the match is on and he’ll be ready for whatever MJF has for him. MJF runs in for the brawl but Omega fights back, with security breaking it up to end the show. That’s a huge match and they’re throwing it out there pretty quickly, but the result feels far from certain, which helps a lot.

Overall Rating: B. There was a lot on this show but the best part about it is that the show flew by. Nothing felt like it was dragging here and I had a good time with the show. It set up something big for next week and gave us the MJF vs. Briscoe match, even if it came and went rather quickly. There’s a new TBS Champion as well so that gap is covered, making this a pretty eventful night for the Forbidden Door follow up. See how nice it is when AEW can focus on AEW?

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Mark Briscoe – Heatseeker
Kevin Knight b. Lio Rush – Rock Bottom
Will Ospreay/Jon Moxley b. The Swirl – Hidden Blade to Johnson
Hikaru Shida won Survival Of The Fittest last eliminating Kris Statlander

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

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Forbidden Door 2026
Date: June 28, 2026
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Walker Stewart, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for the international show with guest stars from CMLL, New Japan and Stardom coming over. At the same time though, we have a bunch of #1 contenders matches, with the finals of the Owen Hart Cups and the 12 man cage match, with MJF having challengers on both his team and his opponent’s. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Daniel Garcia (AEW) vs. Drilla Moloney (NJPW)

Feeling out process here with Garcia taking him down and spinning up, which annoys Moloney. The running shoulders put Garcia down for a change and Moloney knocks him outside for a chop over the barricade. Back in and Garcia knocks him out to the floor again, this time for a running kick in the chair. Marina Shafir gets in some choking (of course) and Garcia locks up the ankle.

With that broken up, Garcia settles for a dropkick to the leg and the right hands in the corner to keep Moloney rocked. Moloney is right back with the AJ Styles drop down into a dropkick and it’s time to chop it out. Garcia charges into a powerbomb for two and of course pops up for a Sharpshooter, sending Moloney over to the ropes. Back up and Moloney grabs an over the shoulder backbreaker, with Shafir making the save. Garcia strikes away and grabs a rolling neckbreaker but charges into an over the shoulder piledriver for the pin at 10:23.

Rating: C+. Moloney isn’t a regular around here and it was a bonus match but I’ll take it for an opening match to a rather long night. If nothing else, seeing Garcia lose, even with the interference from Shafir, is kind of amusing. They kept this moving and it was about all you could have expected here.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Maika (Stardom) vs. Skye Blue (AEW)

Blue backs her into the corner to start and pulls Maika down by the air. Back up and Maika runs her over for a basement clothesline but misses a charge to the floor. The hurricanrana attempt is countered into a powerbomb onto the apron, which naturally doesn’t do much damage.

Back in and Blue kicks her in the face in the corner but Maika grabs some suplexes for two. A superplex gets the same but Blue Cheeky Nandos Kicks her into a powerbomb out of the corner. That and a tornado DDT give Blue two and they fight out to the apron, where Maika hits a brainbuster. Back in and a Michinoku Driver finishes for Maika at 9:20.

Rating: C+. It was nice to have this actually mean something, with Maika getting to qualify for the title match. While she isn’t likely to win, it’s perfectly fine to have her win here and get onto the bigger stage, as it’s a nice way to give Stardom a win. Besides, it’s not like Blue has any status in the first place.

Kickoff Show: Olympia/Persephone (CMLL/AEW) vs. Megan Bayne/Lena Kross (AEW)

Bayne and Kross are defending. Rosa hammers on Kross to start and is quickly dropped with a running shoulder. Everything breaks down and a pair of hurricanranas send the champs outside. Rosa’s corkscrew dive takes both of them out and Olympia adds a dive of her own. Back in and Rosa gets sent into the wrong corner for some shoulders to the ribs, setting up Kross’ basement clothesline for two.

Rosa fights up and gets over to Olympia, who cleans house as everything breaks down. A step up basement dropkick in the corner hits Kross and Olympia’s splash gets two. The parade of strikes leaves everyone down and it’s Olympia striking it out with Kross. Bayne is up with a super hurricanrana to Olympia, who is back with a gorilla press out of the corner. Bayne’s powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana for two but it’s a German suplex/running boot combination to put Olympia down. Divine Intervention retains the titles at 10:49.

Rating: B-. There was no reason to believe that a makeshift team was going to take the titles here but it was a fast paced match with both teams working hard. AEW has done a good job of building up the champions as a pair of monsters and it is going to take something special to get the titles off of them. I’m just not sure who that is going to be.

And now, the show proper.

Young Bucks (AEW) vs. Sky Team (CMLL) vs. Unbound Co. (NJPW)

Sky Team’s ROH Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Mistico and Titan start things off with Titan knocking him down and stomping away. Mistico is right back up with the great looking springboard hurricanrana and it’s already off to Dorada vs. Matt. Neither of them can make any contact and it’s a pair of dropkicks into stereo nipups for a standoff. Nick backbreakers Dorada so Matt can add a top rope double stomp but Dorada armdrags both Bucks without too much trouble.

Takagi comes in to add some power and Titan’s springboard splash gets two. It’s right back to Mistico to pick up the pace but the Bucks take over on Dorada again. Dorada is fine enough to hurricanrana Titan onto the pile at ringside and Mistico adds a springboard Swanton for two. Back in and Matt snaps off his rolling northern lights suplexes, at least until Takagi cuts him off with a DDT.

Mistico is in with his wristdrags and Dorada’s shooting star takes out the pile on the floor. Takagi comes back with the hard clotheslines but a bunch of superkicks take him down, followed by clotheslines to put everyone else down. That’s enough for a six way breather before Mistico catches Takagi up top with a super Spanish Fly.

Dorada shooting stars onto the Bucks but they’re back up to save Takagi from La Mistica. Takagi is back up to plant Mistico for Titan’s top rope double stomp, with the Bucks making another save. The Bucks and Unbound slug it out until the Meltzer Driver finishes Titan at 17:44.

Rating: B+. You had AEW vs. CMLL vs. NJPW and somehow, ROH lost. Anyway, this was exactly what you would have expected and it was as exciting as you would have expected, with pretty much nothing resembling a tag match for the most part. That being said, it was also rather entertaining, as the Bucks and Sky Team could do this stuff in their sleep and Takagi was there for the power. Good start to the show here and the right kind of match to get things going.

We recap Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kenny Omega. There’s no real story here, other than Sabre wanted the match and Omega was in.

Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW) vs. Kenny Omega (AEW)

They actually go technical to start and that’s good for an early standoff. A battle over arm control goes to Sabre and he sends Omega into the corner, with Omega fighting out rather quickly. Sabre is sent outside and Omega hits a dive, followed by the chops to take over. The top of an announcers’ table is dropped onto Sabre and Omega adds a stomp but can’t superplex him through the table.

Instead Sabre gets an Octopus before being nice enough to put the cover back onto the table (how British of him). Back in and Sabre kicks away in the corner but Omega is back with the running Fameasser. Sabre is knocked outside again and there’s the big running flip dive, setting up the missile dropkick to the back inside. A Last Shot drops Sabre again and it’s time to strike it out. Omega gets the better of things and the knees to Sabre’s ribs set up some Snapdragons.

For some reason Omega tries to go to a cross armbreaker but Sabre slips out to kick him in the chest. Sabre pulls him into a Fujiwara armbar, which is broken up as well so they can trade some more hard strikes. Once again Omega gets the better of things and there’s a V Trigger to Sabre in the corner. Sabre grabs a sleeper but Omega climbs the corner and drops backwards onto the mat for a crash that probably makes Mick Foley cringe.

Another V Trigger is countered into an ankle lock, which Omega quickly escapes for a poisonrana. Omega misses the V Trigger yet again though and the European Clutch gets two. Back up and Omega smashes him with a V Trigger but Sabre’s Zack Driver connects for another near fall. Omega wins another strike off and tries the One Winged Angel, which is reversed into a triangle choke. A powerbomb into a knee to the head knocks Sabre silly though and the One Winged Angel finishes for Omega at 26:28.

Rating: A-. This was about Omega’s striking against Sabre’s technical style, which is pretty much exactly what you knew it was coming. They went with just that and it wound up being awesome stuff, with Omega getting to show that he still has it. Sabre is one of the big stars who does not show up around here that often and his reputation helped boost this up again. Outstanding match here and it was the dream match it was designed to be.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Bandido. There isn’t much to this one either, as Bandido just popped up and wanted to face Moxley. It should be noted that there have been rumors that this was going to be Moxley vs. Callum Newman but Newman got hurt, so there might be a reason for the complete randomness.

AEW Continental Title: Jon Moxley vs. Bandido

Moxley is defending. I would tell you that Bandido’s Ring Of Honor Title isn’t on the line too but you’re smart enough to figure that out by yourself. Bandido goes with a front facelock to start but Moxley is back up with a middle finger. Then it’s a double middle finger from Moxley before they trade flips over each other. The big exchange of chops lets Moxley send him outside for the suicide dive but Bandido is back up for a running flip dive of his own. Back in and Moxley gets his boots up in the corner to cut Bandido off again, followed by a piledriver onto the steps.

Bandido is busted open and sitting up less than a minute later so Moxley goes outside and bites at the mask. Back in and Moxley rips at the mask so Bandido slaps him in the face, earning one heck of a clothesline. Moxley hammers away in the corner but Bandido gives him a heck of a release running Liger Bomb. Moxley is nice enough to stay down for a full twenty seconds before Bandido hits a spinning high crossbody. The right hands in the corner wake Moxley up again so Bandido gives him a running knee for two.

The one armed gorilla press sets up Bandido’s frog splash, which only hits raised knees. They strike it out again until a snap German suplex…has Moxley popping up for a hard clothesline. Moxley goes up so Bandido catches him with the super flipping fall away slam. Bandido tries the 21 Plex and gets reversed into the bulldog choke on the apron. Moxley pulls him back inside and, even with Bandido standing up to drop back onto him, holds on until Bandido is out at 18:10.

Rating: B. It was a hard hitting match but my goodness it felt like Moxley would have kicked out of being hit by a bus. Bandido threw everything he had at him here but it never felt like Moxley was in any danger. This was also the third pay per view out of four that saw Bandido lose a singles match with zero indication that any of the people beat him cared about the ROH World Title. Why do it that way?

Post match Bandido shows respect to Moxley, just in case Moxley hadn’t taken everything from him yet.

We recap Shota Umino defending the IWGP Global Title against Pac. Again, it’s pretty much “Hey, want to fight? Yeah sure.”.

IWGP Global Heavyweight Title: Shota Umino (NJPW) vs. Pac (AEW)

Pac is challenging and charges at Umino at the bell to stomp away. They’re already on the floor with Umino being sent into the barricade a few times, followed by a heck of a missile dropkick back inside. Umino finally gets in some offense with a dropkick and a fisherman’s suplex for two as we settle down a lot.

A slingshot DDT drops Pac onto the apron and Umino drapes him into the barricade for a hanging DDT. Back in and Umino gets two off a powerbomb but he charges into an overhead belly to belly into the corner. It’s time for a table (erg) but Pac cuts him off and hits a heck of a moonsault out to the floor.

Pac takes him inside again and hammers away, which wakes Umino up one more time. The strike off goes to Umino, who is quickly German suplexed and powerbomb outside through the table. Back in and a 450 sets up the Brutalizer but Umino makes the rope. Umino hits him in the face and nails a running knee for two of his own. One heck of a clothesline and a Paradigm Shift sets up a northern lights bomb to retain the title at 18:12.

Rating: B+. You had two guys beating the living daylights out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up again. That’s not a bad way to go and the reason this worked so well is because Pac has been established as a rather tough man to beat. This made Umino feel like that much of a bigger deal for beating him and it was a good fight to get there. I liked this a good bit, as Pac continues to be one of the more dependable stars on the AEW roster.

Post match Jon Moxley gets in the ring to stare at his former partner/student Umino but here is Hiroshi Tanahashi to put the belt on Umino.

We recap Thekla vs. Starlight Kid, which is more about Thekla vs. all of Stardom. I’m not entirely sure who I’m supposed to cheer for here but it’s one of the few stories on this show that feel like it’s actually promotion vs. promotion.

AEW Women’s Title: Thekla (AEW) vs. Starlight Kid (Stardom)

Thekla is defending and comes to the ring with some fire dancers. Kid flips over her to start and hits a dropkick so Thekla wants a breather on the floor. Back in and Thekla knocks her down before ripping at the mask, which has Kid slugging away. They’re quickly on the floor with Thekla sending her into the barricade and ripping at the mask some more, as we have a theme here.

Hold on though as Thekla needs to go yell at the Stardom president before stomping away back inside. Kid is back up with a springboard spinning crossbody before starting in on Thekla’s knee. The knee is fine enough for a hanging choke in the ropes, plus a spider superplex. They head out to the apron where Thekla runs into a heck of a knee to the face (that looked great).

Kid picks her up and spikes her onto the apron, followed by something like a fisherman’s suplex for two back inside. Thekla is right back up with a spear for two so Kid dropkicks her in the back. Another strike off goes to Thekla and a high crossbody drops Kid for two more. Kid is right back to grab a stretch muffler while grabbing the arm (geez) but Thekla uses the free arm to make the rope. Something like a Tombstone gives Kid two and her moonsault gets the same. Thekla escapes a tiger suplex and cuts her in half with another spear for another two. Back to back stomps finish Kid to retain the title at 18:40.

Rating: B. They had a good back and forth match, with Kid showing off some rather impressive and painful looking stuff. I could have gone without Thekla being dropped on her head on the apron but that’s almost tame given some of the ridiculous things people have popped up from tonight. The match was good, but I’m glad we’re back to the regular AEW roster getting a chance at the title, as it’s been missing for a few weeks.

Post match Thekla takes off the mask and hits the Stardom president with it.

And with that, the outsiders are done and the rest is all AEW.

We recap the Dogs challenging Adam Copeland and Christian Cage for the Tag Team Titles. The Canadians won the belts and need some challengers so the Dogs have mocked the Five Second Pose and are coming for the titles as well. Nothing wrong with a basic story.

Tag Team Titles: Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. The Dogs

The Dogs are challenging. Cage, with his still injured arm, and Connors start things off with the latter missing a right hand in the corner. Connors charges into a boot to the ribs and Cage gets two off a middle rope sunset flip. Copeland and Finlay come in with Copeland grabbing a headlock to grind away. A side slam/reverse DDT combination puts Finlay down and Cage hammers on Connors in the corner.

Cage’s charge hits the post though and Connors posts him again for a bonus. Back in and Finlay slows things down by stomping on the bad arm, followed by Connors getting in some basic cranking. A backdrop doesn’t get Cage out of trouble and Connors goes lights a match to burn Cage’s head. As you do. Copeland finally gets smart by coming in to take both of them out and brings Cage over for the tag.

House is quickly cleaned but Finlay avoids the spear and Copeland is double shouldered down. Cage is up for the save but it’s a chop block/spear combination for two on Copeland. Back up and Copeland tosses Finlay into Cage’s spear, with Connors making the save by bumping the referee. Finlay and Copeland spear each other at the same time so Finlay grabs the shillelagh. The lights go out though and the Bang Bang Gang is here, complete with the returning Jay White. Finlay is taken out and the speared by Copeland to retain the titles at 16:46.

Rating: B. Yeah this worked, as they didn’t really try to do anything too complicated and just let the veterans work a match. It’s nice to see that they can still do it and without a bunch of shenanigans so this was kind of a treat. At the same time, it’s nice to see White back, though it’s also hard to believe that he’ll stay healthy for more than about 18 days.

We recap Maya World vs. Mercedes Mone in the Women’s Owen Hart Cup finals, with World being the big underdog and in over her head against the star in Mone.

Women’s Owen Hart Cup Finals: Mercedes Mone vs. Maya World

World backslides her for a fast two to start and Mone is thinking twice about this. Back up and World cartwheels over her and dances a bit before avoiding a charge to put Mone on the floor. Mone finally comes back with something like a 619 from the apron but can’t get the Statement Maker back inside.

With the hold not working, Money kicks her into the corner, only to get driven into another corner. Mone knocks her outside for the Meteora off the apron, followed by a middle rope Meteora for two back inside. A third Meteora (erg) gives Mone two more and she throws World outside before mocking the fans a good bit. Back in and World gets some boots up in the corner but can’t hit a Tombstone.

Mone stomps her down instead but World gets in a rollup into a stomp of her own. A springboard cutter gives World two and she connects with a Shining Wizard, only to get caught with Three Amigos. The frog splash hits raised knees but Mone is right back with the Statement Maker. Some rolling fall away slams result in Mone being tossed outside, followed by the suicide dive.

Back in and a Swanton gives World two but she can’t hit a Cheeky Nandos Kick. Mone can’t get her up for a powerbomb so she goes with a running sunset bomb into the corner. Another Meteora gets two on World and Mone is getting frustrated. Mone’s spinning faceplant drops World again but she’s back with her own sunset bomb to the floor.

A moonsault takes Mone out again and another gets two back inside. World gets her own Statement Maker but they roll into the middle of the ring (ala the famous Bayley counter) with Mone getting one of her own. World actually doesn’t tap…so Mone Backstabbers her into it again and this time World taps at 24:51.

Rating: B. Shockingly, Mone makes World tap after making her tap after winning the semifinals and in their tag match on Collision. I’m sure the idea here is that World gets elevated by getting close to beating Mone (close being a bit of a stretch) but unless she beats Athena or gets promoted to the main roster full time, it pretty much means nothing. The match also went a good bit too long and would have been much better served by chopping off about seven minutes. And probably two of Mone’s Meteoras.

Athena brags about being great and mocks World, her former student, for dreaming so many big dreams. The title match is coming and while it would make sense for World to win, Athena has seemed primed to lose about a dozen times now.

The cage (a big circular one) is lowered.

We recap the twelve man cage match. Mark Briscoe wants a World Title shot against MJF but MJF doesn’t want to give him one. Therefore, we’ll have a twelve man cage match (likely due to MJF’s knee being banged up) and if Briscoe’s team wins, he gets a title shot. MJF is teaming with the Don Callis Family, some of whom want title shots if they win too.

Team MJF vs. Team Briscoe

MJF, Kevin Knight, Kyle Fletcher, Jake Doyle, Kazuchika Okada, Andrade El Idolo
Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, Konosuke Takeshita, Darby Allin

In a big round cage, which thankfully has room to fight on the floor and the villains even have matching shirts for a nice touch. It’s a big brawl to start (as it should be) and a bunch of them head to the floor (as they should) with a bunch of brawls breaking out around ringside. Doyle powerbombs Allin against the cage and it’s already table time.

Briscoe fights back but it’s time for another table, complete with the MJF/Don Callis painting. MJF and Andrade stop for a pose off and have to be separated, allowing Strong to come back with a rather large bag. The good guys find their own backpacks, complete with an NES (and controllers) to hit MJF in the head. Briscoe pours out tacks but Doyle saves Fletcher from a suplex.

Briscoe takes Doyle out and O’Reilly is launched face first into the middle turnbuckle. Briscoe gets thrown onto the tacks so Allin is back up with the skateboard. That earns him a face first drop onto the tacks because Allin is not a well man. With the damage done, MJF grabs a broom to sweep the tacks out (rather on point for him, but him paying someone else to do the sweeping would have been perfect).

That’s enough for Cassidy to get up with a bag from Willow Nightingale…and everyone gets orange slices. Naturally the juice is sprayed into the cut on Fletcher’s head because we’re actually getting a spot involving oranges. Takeshita and Okada slug it out and Takeshita grabs a backpack containing…his middle finger. Fletcher is back in and accidentally superkicks Okada, allowing Takeshita to German suplex both of them.

Knight and Allin get in a brawl with Allin hitting a Code Red, only to get chaired in the back by Doyle. Knight’s Coast To Coast dropkick drives the chair into Allin’s face and MJF chairs Briscoe in the head (nope). MJF rakes at Briscoe’s bleeding head and Okada goes for the big bag…which contains Lio Rush. I guess he’s the new Orange Cassidy who has to appear in every random place possible.

Rush beats up the Don Callis Family and goes after MJF’s ring but Doyle and Knight manage to get him back in the bag and chain him up. Rush is deposited underneath the ring…and I guess he’s just staying there from now on. Briscoe finds a ladder to spin around, even when there is no one around to hit. Strong Angle Slams Doyle off the apron and through a table before Andrade hits running knees to drive a chair into O’Reilly’s face. Takeshita beats up Okada on the apron but gets superkicked by Fletcher.

The Blue Thunder Bomb drives Fletcher through the table at ringside, leaving MJF to punch Cassidy in the jaw. A Coffin Drop puts MJF down and Knight splashes him by mistake. Knight and Allin climb to the top of the cage…where some pyro goes off (apparently set up by Allin) to send Knight crashing through the cage. Allin Coffin Drops onto the pile and the Jay Driller hits MJF, with Doyle making the save. MJF wants Andrade to hold Briscoe but gets elbowed in the face. Andrade takes off his shirt revealing one saying “F*** MJF AND F*** DON”. Briscoe pops up with a Jay Driller to pin Doyle at 30:45.

Rating: B. It had its spots but this was the usual “and everyone gets to do everything they can think of” match. The cage was a nice feature as it kept them from running all over the arena, so at least it was somewhat different. The spot with Andrade was good and it gets the Family’s numbers down a bit, which is always appreciated. It was another wild match, but I’ve seen so many of them in AEW that they don’t mean as much anymore.

The winners are at least nice enough to drag Lio Rush away, albeit still in the bag out of fear. I’ll take that over them just standing still.

Mark Briscoe yells a lot but the audio doesn’t work so it’s even harder to understand than usual. Excalibur explains that Briscoe was challenging MJF for Dynamite.

We recap the Men’s Owen Hart Cup Finals. Will Ospreay had a broken neck but worked with the people who broke it to get back in the ring. Now he wants to go to Wembley Stadium and win the World Title, which means he has to win the tournament. Oh and Swerve Strickland is all evil and wants to hurt Ospreay and win too. Can’t you tell how much of a chance Strickland has here?

Men’s Owen Hart Cup Finals: Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland

Ospreay looks like Bane from the Dark Knight Rising and Strickland is on a motorcycle, looking like Lobo. I’ve seen worse. Ospreay misses a springboard to start and a missed Hidden Blade sends Strickland out to the floor. Back in and Ospreay snaps off a hurricanrana before kicking Strickland in the face.

Strickland’s rolling Downward Spiral gets two and he rolls some neckbreakers to stay on the obvious target. Ospreay comes up with a handspring kick to the head and a Phenomenal Forearm to put Strickland down again. The Styles Clash is countered though and Ospreay flips him up into a powerslam (that always looks good) for two. Strickland pulls the pad off one of the bars that holds the turnbuckle and sends Ospreay outside.

That’s fine with Ospreay, who grabs a cross armbreaker for the tap, which doesn’t matter as they’re on the floor but has Strickland in trouble. Strickland is right back with a shot of his own before catapulting Ospreay into the exposed bar. Ospreay is rather busted open but yells at Strickland anyway, earning himself a suplex. The House Call is countered into a Spanish Fly, followed by the Styles Clash for two.

The Hidden Blade connects but Ospreay is too weak so Strickland just hits him in the face to take over again. Ospreay breaks up the Swerve Stomp and the 630 Kick gets two. The Oscutter is countered into the Deadeye for two more but another Swerve Stomp misses, with Ospreay swinging him into the steps for a big crash. The announcers’ table is loaded up but Ospreay goes after Prince Nana, earning himself a House Call.

Ospreay is gushing so much blood that the steps are stained as Strickland loads up the Vertebreaker. That’s reversed into a Styles Clash onto the announcers’ table and the Oscutter gets two back inside. Ospreay hits him in the face a few times and Strickland seems a bit unconscious. Strickland gets counted but is up at nine, with the Hidden Blade connecting for two. Back up and Strickland ties him in the ropes for a Swerve Stomp to the back, followed by a House Call and Hidden Blade for one each.

They hit each other at the same time and both of them are down again. They both stand up, stare at each other, go to different corners, and Ospreay Hidden Blades him into the Stormbreaker for two. The referee almost gets hit so Strickland gets in a low blow, followed by the Vertebreaker for two. Strickland hits a Hidden Blade into a JML Driver and here are the Death Riders. A Buckshot Hidden Blade into the Death Rider into the Tiger Driver 91 gives Ospreay the pin at 34:45.

Rating: A-. I’m not sure how much drama there was to the result here, but it wasn’t so much about would Ospreay get there but how. That’s not a bad thing whatsoever and they beat each other senseless, thankfully without getting ridiculous like Strickland could do at times. The Vertebreaker was a perfectly logical spot for the match and Ospreay kicking out of it made for an awesome moment. This was a heck of a fight, with Ospreay bleeding buckets to make it feel that much more intense.

Ospreay says something to Strickland and the Death Riders celebrate with Ospreay to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. The main event and Omega vs. Sabre are both rather awesome and the show as a whole is another great one. There was only so much drama to who was winning the main events (or most of the matches for that matter) but the action made up for the issues.

The problem here (aside from the show lasting nearly six hours of course) is more that it’s about setting up a bunch of stuff for the future rather than anything really happening here. You have to have shows like that at times and there was only so much that MJF could do given his injury, but it still makes the show feel a bit less important. Either way, awesome show, but could we maybe keep it on a single day?

Results
Drilla Moloney b. Daniel Garcia – Over the shoulder piledriver
Maika b. Skye Blue – Michinoku Driver
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Olympia/Persephone – Divine Intervention to Rosa
Young Bucks b. Sky Team and Unbound Co. – Meltzer Driver to Titan
Jon Moxley b. Bandido – Bulldog choke
Shota Umino b. Pac – Northern lights bomb
Thekla b. Starlight Kid – Stomp
Adam Copeland/Christian Cage b. The Dogs – Spear to Finlay
Mercedes Mone b. Maya World – Statement Maker
Team Briscoe b. Team MJF – Jay Driller to Doyle
Will Ospreay b. Swerve Strickland – Tiger Driver 91

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