AEW Dynamite – May 27, 2026: Cool For The Summer?

Dynamite
Date: May 27, 2026
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and MJF got the World Title back from Darby Allin. That’s the big story, but it wasn’t the last part of the show. After the title change, Kevin Knight came to the ring and attacked Allin, turning evil in the process. Other than that, we are about a month away from Double Or Nothing and we need some Owen Hart Cup finalists. Odds are we’re get closer to those this week, especially since we have another hour of Collision after this show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

Back at Double Or Nothing, Will Ospreay was happy with his win and ran into Kenny Omega. They get to the point, with Omega asking why Ospreay is hanging out with the Death Riders. Omega said Ospreay could have trained with him if he wanted the World Title, but Ospreay points out that Omega is barely ever here.

That leaves Omega without much of a defense but as a friend, he wants Ospreay to watch out for the Death Riders. Ospreay doesn’t seem offended but here is Jon Moxley to say that’s good advice. Moxley gives Ospreay a bag of ice and says the truck is outside. With Moxley gone, Omega says Ospreay can call anytime and they seem to part as friends.

Here is Kevin Knight for a chat. He knows everyone wants to know why he attacked Darby Allin. The answer is because Allin let them all down and even though they’re in Philadelphia, he’s not trusting the process. Knight was the last person to beat MJF but he didn’t get a title shot.

Instead Knight was sitting on the bench even though he isn’t a bench player. He wasn’t wasting any time because he should be in the main event. This brings out Mike Bailey (in a less than nice jacket) who thinks Knight can turn around and apologize. Knight ignores the handshake and lays Bailey out. That’s a smart move.

Ricochet, with the Demand, isn’t worried about Chris Jericho tonight, even if everyone else is banned from ringside.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet

Everyone is banned from ringside. I take it that doesn’t involve commentary or the production crew but I guess that’s implied. Ricochet starts fast and kicks him into the corner but Jericho is up with a backdrop to the floor. Jericho hits a dive and loads up the announcers’ table for the Walls on said table. With that broken up, Ricochet sweeps the leg off the apron and starts going after the leg as we take a break.

We come back with Jericho hitting a Death Valley Driver on the apron and they’re both down on the floor. They get back inside where Jericho tries the Lionsault but has to switch to a springboard back elbow as Ricochet gets up. The threat of the Judas Effect sends Ricochet back outside and he snapmares Jericho over the top. The suicide dive and running flip dive connect, as does a springboard Phoenix splash to give Ricochet two back inside.

Jericho is right back up with another Walls but Ricochet goes after the banged up knee to escape. Ricochet uses the referee as a distraction and hits Jericho low but misses the 630. Jericho’s Codebreaker gets two and there’s the Judas Effect into a not so clean Lionsault to pin Ricochet at 13:57.

Rating: B. This was the kind of match that Jericho needed as they didn’t do any shenanigans and he won clean (well, mostly clean as the Lionsault landed on Ricochet’s face) in the end. That’s how this should have gone and it wound up being a good TV match. Jericho can still go in the ring when he has to, but the situation has to be set up right, as it was here.

Post match Jericho celebrates but Tommaso Ciampa runs in to jump him from behind. The running knee leaves Jericho laying.

Andrade El Idolo wants the world Title because he’s that awesome and better than MJF.

Orange Cassidy vs. Lio Rush vs. Brian Cage vs. Rush

For the sake of simplicity, Lio Rush is “Lio” and Rush is “Rush”. Cage sends Lio outside to start and Cassidy is tossed as well, leaving the power guys to go at it. Rush cuts off a charge with a shot to the face but they knock each other down, allowing Cassidy and Lio to come in and get two each.

Lio starts running the ropes to confuse Cassidy before sending him to the apron. A handspring kick to the head knocks Cassidy outside but Cage pulls a suicide dive out of the air. Back in and Rush hits the Tranquilo pose as we take a break. We come back with Cassidy dropping his top rope elbow on Cage, who muscles him up with an apron superplex. Lio is dropped with a Falcon Arrow for two more but Cassidy manages a Stundog Millionaire to send Cage outside.

The diving tornado DDT plants Cage again but here is Lance Archer to cut Cassidy off. Cue the returning Jake Doyle to go after Cassidy, with Roderick Strong running in for the save. The teams brawl off, with Cassidy being carried to the back. Lio hits a quick springboard Stunner on Rush but misses the Final Hour. Rush sends him into the barricade and chokes a bit, setting up the Bull’s Horns for the win at 12:10.

Rating: B-. It was little more than a showcase match and that’s how it was described. Thankfully once two of them left, Rush didn’t waste time in running through Lio, which is how this should have ended. It was a good enough match with Cassidy doing his thing and Cage and Rush beating each other up. If nothing else, Rush beating someone with some actual status is nice to see.

MJF runs into Kevin Knight and thanks him for the beatdown on Sunday. Knight says he’s coming for the World Title, which doesn’t sit well with MJF. Kyle Fletcher comes in to stare Knight down and Don Callis likes what he sees.

Video on Mark Briscoe, including some cool old Briscoe Brothers footage.

The Brawling Birds aren’t happy with Jamie Hayter losing on Sunday but Alex Windsor is ready for whomever she is facing in the Women’s Owen Hart Cup.

Here is MJF for some bragging. He’s rather pleased with being a three time World Champion by the time he’s thirty years old and they will talk about him for years to come. The banner and confetti fall but here is Mark Briscoe to interrupt. He calls MJF a stranger in a strange place here in Philadelphia, almost like he’s a penguin.

Briscoe accuses MJF of thinking he’s above everyone else, but Briscoe beat him not too long ago. So he wants a title shot and asks if MJF is going to man up. That’s a firm “no” because this is a business and Briscoe isn’t business. MJF goes to leave but gets cut off by Rush, who wants the title as well. MJF says no to tonight but actually agrees for next week. That sounds shenanigansy.

Jack Perry is on his bus and uses the loudspeaker to say he’s ready for Mark Davis. Then he does a Rocky training montage.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brody King

They fight over a lockup to start and neither can get anywhere so they stare at each other a bit more. A big running clothesline sends Castagnoli outside where King chops away and we take a break. We come back with the two of them slugging it out and hitting stereo clotheslines.

They forearm it out with Castagnoli getting the better of things but King knocks him into the corner. A forearm knocks Castagnoli into the corner for the cannonball but he’s able to cut off a suicide dive. The Neutralizer is cut off so Castagnoli uppercuts away. Swiss Death is shrugged off though and King’s big clothesline finishes at 12:02.

Rating: B-. This was about two big guys beating the fire out of each other and that’s exactly what you knew it would be the second the match was announced. I do like King advancing as there is no reason to pretend that Castagnoli is going to make a serious run in the tournament. He’s there for one purpose and he served that purpose right here.

Here are Adam Copeland and Christian Cage for a chat after winning the Tag Team Titles at Double Or Nothing. Cage loads up his catchphrase and says it wasn’t that bad, because he didn’t bang of the fans’ mothers. Ok maybe he did. Either way, FTR was the top team but not the tippy top team. Copeland is so happy that he’s bringing back the FIVE SECOND POSE!

Cage points out that there is no such thing as flash photography again, but Copeland whips out a bag of disposable cameras, which he stocked up on 25 years ago just in case. Cage is STUNNED (that’s one of the funniest facial reactions I’ve seen in a good while) as Copeland hands them out and explains the concept but the Dogs attack them to break up the pose. The beatdown is on and Cage’s bad arm is injured again. The Dogs do their own pose and promise to win the titles.

Swerve Strickland is happy with his first round win and is ready to take out Brody King in the second round.

Tay Melo/Anna Jay vs. Ava Everett/Allie Katch

After an insert promo from Lena Kross and Megan Bayne about how they aren’t impressed by Melo and Jay, we’re ready to go. Katch is sent into the corner and hit with some running shots to the face to start. Everett comes in and gets kicked down as well, setting up a Gory Bomb into Melo’s knee for the pin at 1:13. Total squash.

Mike Bailey wants to face Kevin Knight.

Men’s Owen Hart Tournament First Round: Mark Davis vs. Jack Perry

Non-title and Davis jumps him to start fast so the beating can ensue. Back up and Perry takes Davis’ eye patch and sends him outside for the suicide dives. There’s the running flip dive as well and we take a break with Davis in trouble. We come back with King fighting back and sending him hard into the barricade.

Perry can’t piledrive him on the apron but can knock him put him on the ropes for a hurricanrana. Back in and top rope moonsault gets two, followed by a step up backsplash for two more on Davis. Perry sends him outside and hits a sliding wheelbarrow bulldog but Davis is fine enough to hit a suplex onto the apron.

We take another break and come back with Perry having lost his shoes but being able to hit a top rope DDT. They trade rollups for two each and Perry hits his own piledriver for two. The Snare Trap goes on until Davis makes the rope and is up with a huge clothesline. They go up top and Davis knocks him into a super piledriver for the pin at 17:25.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was fun to see Davis getting another win. If nothing else, it’s good to see a champion get a pin rather than losing right out of the blocks. Perry is going to be fine and he lost to that big of a move so it’s not like it’s some quick upset.

Overall Rating: B+. They had a good followup to the pay per view here with enough action and storyline advancement to make for a fun show. MJF having to deal with a bunch of people makes sense, and it seems like we’re well on the way to Ospreay getting the big title win in England. Good stuff here and I could go for seeing what they’re setting up for the summer.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Ricochet – Lionsault
Rush b. Orange Cassidy, Brian Cage and Lio Rush – Bull’s Horns to Lio
Brody King b. Claudio Castagnoli – Clothesline
Tay Melo/Anna Jay b. Ava Everett/Allie Katch – Gory Bomb into a knee to Everett
Mark Davis b. Jack Perry – Super piledriver

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – May 20, 2026: To Each Their Own

Dynamite
Date: May 20, 2026
Location: Cross Insurance Arena, Portland, Maine
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re getting another three hour block this week as Collision is taking place tonight in a one hour version due to this weekend’s Double Or Nothing event. As has been the case with recent shows, Darby Allin is defending the World Title again, this time against Mike Bailey. That could be quite the showdown so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Earlier today, Chris Jericho and the Young Bucks were outside near a lighthouse to talk about tonight’s six man tag match and the biggest Stadium Stampede of all time this weekend. They imply having a special team name too. It’s going to be Bucks Of Jericho isn’t it?

Chris Jericho/Young Bucks vs. Don Callis Family/Ricochet

Yeah it’s Bucks Of Jericho. On the other side you have Andrade El Idolo/Mark Davis for the Family. Ricochet tags out immediately (that has been done WAY too often lately and it could use a long break) so it’s Andrade vs. Jericho to start things off. Naturally Andrade bails out to the floor for a photo with some women, earning chops from Jericho. Back in and Andrade gets taken into the corner, setting up a Risky Business/fish drop combination.

Matt gets driven into the corner as well but fights out rather quickly, allowing Nick to come in and clean house. The Bucks hit stereo dives and Jericho hits a top rope version of his own and we take a break. We come back with Nick fighting out of trouble and bringing in Jericho, meaning Ricochet bails again. Everything breaks down and Jericho and the Bucks hit a bunch of right hands on top, setting up three straight super hurricanranas.

Ricochet runs in to make a save so the Bucks start firing off the superkicks. Andrade is back up but gets low blowed into a step up Canadian Destroyer. Jericho knocks Ricochet to the floor for a baseball slide and they crash through some tables. Back in and More Bang From Your Buck is broken up by Davis. The Bucks take out Andrade but here are the Dogs to take Nick out. A foreign object shot knocks Matt cold for the pin at 13:58.

Rating: B-. This was the usual “here’s everything going nuts and people doing all kinds of stuff”, meaning it was entertaining but little more than a preview for Stadium Stampede. That makes sense and thankfully they didn’t go too long or have too many people involved. I’m not wild on Stadium Stampede, but the preview version went well enough.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jack Perry makes the save with…a bag of onions. Yeah of course. Anyway the Hurt Syndicate comes in to help clear the bad guys out with some of the brawls going into the crowd. Jericho and company stand tall.

Video on Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada.

Darby Allin says he keeps taking these title matches because he feels it. He basically says he can’t wait to get to Double Or Nothing, more or less treating Mike Bailey as the nothing challenger that he really is.

Video on MJF vs. Darby Allin.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Mark Briscoe

Anything goes. Briscoe throws in a trashcan full of weapons to start but Ciampa gets in a shot to the back to put him down. Ciampa goes under the ring to find his own trashcan full of weapons…including a mousetrap, which catches his own hand. A chair is sat up at ringside, with Ciampa being sat down for a Blockbuster. The Froggy Bow through the table is broken up and Ciampa sends him through the table instead. The cheese grater slices open Briscoe’s head (ignore that his head seemed to be bleeding first) and we take a break

We come back with Ciampa covering a stuffed chicken but Briscoe pulls the referee out. Briscoe whips out a fire extinguisher to spray Ciampa (and the air around him) and then staples barbed wire to a table. Believe it or not, that takes WAY too long and Ciampa is back up to staple a piece of paper to Briscoe’s head. Loading up a kneepad covered in thumbtacks takes way too long as well as Briscoe sends him into the ladder in the corner.

Briscoe uses a screwdriver for some stabbing but Ciampa suplexes him through the ladder for two. Back up and they slug it out, with the rather bloody Ciampa getting the better of things again. The super Air Raid Crash through some open chairs is broken up so Briscoe puts them back to back for an Iconoclasm onto their edges. A Jay Driller through the barbed wire table and the Froggy Bow finish Ciampa at 14:16.

Rating: C+. Yeah ok. This was just carnage for the sake of carnage and they lost me a few minutes into it. Much like what I’m expecting from Stadium Stampede, you could pretty much picture the two of them mapping out the stunts. It was violent and intense, but it didn’t feel like they were really fighting, which isn’t a good sign.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring to talk about the Owen Hart Tournament but Prince Nana interrupts and says he has this. He brings out Swerve Strickland but here is Bandido to jump Strickland. Bandido goes after Nana though and Strickland gets in a shot to the knee. The Vertebreaker on the chair is broken up and Bandido gorilla presses him instead. Strickland bails from the threat of said chair.

Willow Nightingale talks about some of her great moments, including a recent title defense against Red Velvet. Unfortunately she injured her shoulder and is out of the Owen Hart Cup and has to vacate the TBS Title. GAH that’s a bad one as she was having the run of her career. She doesn’t know when she’ll be back but she’ll be back on top.

Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Non-title eliminator match. O’Reilly goes after the arm to start and gets reversed into a headlock takeover. This lets Taz talk about leverage and control, which is what he does best. They get up and grapple again, with Moxley getting him into the corner to take him down. Moxley starts stomping on the fingers but wins another strike off. O’Reilly kicks away in the corner, followed by a snap suplex.

They strike it out again with Moxley getting in a body shot to put O’Reilly down. Moxley puts him against the ropes and hammers away but gets backdropped out to the floor instead. O’Reilly’s ribs/body won’t let him dive though and Moxley knocks him down again as we take a break. We come back with Moxley holding a bodyscissors until O’Reilly goes for the eyes to break it up. O’Reilly kicks the leg out and they trade some running shots against the ropes.

Some knees to the face let O’Reilly flip him over and a running boot puts Moxley on the floor. They go outside and trade a bunch of kicks to the chest until O’Reilly goes up top. Moxley bites the head and rakes the back, setting up a superplex to leave them both down again. O’Reilly escapes a choke and grabs the ankle lock, which is reversed into the bulldog choke. The rope is reached for the break and O’Reilly gets to the apron to twist the arm down.

A running dropkick has Moxley in more trouble but Moxley is back with a cutter gets two. O’Reilly grabs a choke of his own, setting up a t-bone suplex. One heck of a PK drops Moxley again but he pops up and, say it with me, they trade forearms. We have less than a minute to go as Moxley misses a Stomp and gets ankle locked again. The grapevine goes on but Moxley manages to make it through the time for the draw at 20:00.

Rating: B. That’s our Moxley. He’s tapped to O’Reilly before but he won’t do it again because he’s this awesome tough guy who doesn’t tap anymore because now he’s just too tough. This is a rather basic way to set up a rematch at the pay per view and while I’m not sure why I’d want to see them do it again so soon after a twenty minute draw, it does make sense and I’ll take that. Just imagine how many times they can trade forearms in a rematch!

Hold on though as O’Reilly says Moxley survived him so he wants a no time limit title match.

Kris Statlander is upset over Willow Nightingale but Hikaru Shida interrupts, saying they’re here to watch and want the women to fight hard in their upcoming match.

Rush wants Darby Allin next week if he survives his next title defenses.

Athena/Triangle Of Madness vs. Thunder Rosa/Mina Shirakawa/Brawling Birds

Athena wins a wrestle off with Rosa to start and shakes a bit before handing it off to Blue. Windsor comes in and gets caught in a headlock but Hayter tags herself in and, after accidentally kicking Windsor, boots Blue down for one instead. Shirakawa comes in to take over on Thekla and hits a slingshot spinning splash.

We take a break and come back with Blue pulling Shirakawa down by the hair and a Tarantula in the corner. Hayter tries to make a save and gets caught in an Upside Down, leaving Shirakawa to get beaten up even more. Shirakawa fights out of the corner and brings in Rosa to clean house, including a running shot to Blue in the corner. Everything breaks down and Athena gets to clean house until she is the only one left standing. Shirakawa tornado DDTs Athena on the floor and Blue kicks Rosa down inside. Thekla’s belt shot is cut off but Hart mists Rosa, allowing Thekla to roll her up for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: B-. There was a lot going on here and there is only so much you can do with that many people and a somewhat limited amount of time. Athena got to showcase herself while she could but as usual, she feels like someone who AEW tolerates rather than wants to push. Hopefully she gets to do something in the tournament, but I wouldn’t bet on it. The match was pretty good as a preview for Sunday and the tournament, so at least it accomplished its goals.

Kevin Knight gives Mike Bailey a pep talk and wants a shot at the World Title. Works for Bailey.

The Death Riders do group pushups and he’s ready for Kyle O’Reilly in their no time limit match at Double Or Nothing. Moxley thanks O’Reilly for giving him a chance to practice what he preached. O’Reilly survived tonight and on Sunday he gets to try his odds and see if he can go double or nothing (thankfully Moxley does acknowledge that it’s kind of a lame line).

AEW World Title: Mike Bailey vs. Darby Allin

Allin is defending and before the bell, here is MJF to join commentary. Bailey hits…I think a kick but the camera was on MJF as we start. The Tornado Kick connects less than fifteen seconds in and Allin has to go to the apron to avoid the Ultimate Weapon. The triangle moonsault hits Allin on the floor and Bailey slams him outside as well. That means a double knee drop off the steps but Allin crotches him on the barricade. The Scorpion Death Drop plants Bailey onto the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with the two of them still on the floor and Allin using the steps to crush Bailey’s foot. They get back inside with Bailey knocking him down again but missing the Ultimate Weapon. The Coffin Drop connects but MJF puts the foot on the rope. Cue Kevin Knight to yell at MJF, who backs off and sits back down. Bailey kicks Allin the head a few times for two before the moonsault knees connect as well. The Flamenco Driver is countered into a Scorpion Death Drop but the Scorpion Deathlock sends Bailey to the rope. A Coffin Drop sets up another Deathlock to retain the title at 11:00.

Rating: B. The best thing here is they didn’t go as insane with Allin surviving stuff. That has been an issue with some of his title defenses and thankfully it wasn’t quite so badly. Bailey never felt like he was a real threat to win the title and they didn’t spend nearly as much time on a match that didn’t need it. Allin got beaten up, made a comeback and retained. Simple, yet effective here.

MJF storms off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a good example of a show where my bigger issues were more around the style being presented. The main portion of this show felt like it was all about the insanity or violence and more the people just getting to do what they liked. That being said, the last two matches were better and Moxley vs. O’Reilly had some moments. I can accept that some of the things they did accomplished what they were trying but I’m just not a fan, as that’s not the same thing as being bad. I didn’t have a great time for a lot of this, but it did get better by the end.

Results
Don Callis Family/Ricochet b. Young Bucks/Chris Jericho – Foreign object shot to Matt
Mark Briscoe b. Tommaso Ciampa – Froggy Bow
Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly went to a time limit draw
Athena/Triangle Of Madness b. Brawling Birds/Thunder Rosa/Mina Shirakawa – Mist to Rosa
Darby Allin b. Mike Bailey – Scorpion Deathlock

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – May 13, 2026: Three For Three

Dynamite
Date: May 13, 2026
Location: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Asheville, North Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re on the way to Double Or Nothing and this week we find out if MJF is willing to put up his hair against Darby Allin and the World Title. Like doubling the stakes you might say. Other than that, we get to see the unveiling of this year’s Owen Hart Classic brackets. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Earlier today, MJF wouldn’t answer a question about whether he would put his hair on the line. Then he passed a rather surprising number of bald men until running into the Demand. Ricochet says MJF will look good bald, but not as good as him.

FTR/The Dogs/Tommaso Ciampa vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage/Orange Cassidy/Young Bucks

Believe it or not, it’s a brawl to start with everyone going out to the floor but we quickly settle down to Harwood and Cassidy in the ring. Harwood’s top rope superplex connects but Cassidy is right back up with a Stundog Millionaire. Ciampa comes in and can’t connect with a chop, instead getting kicked away. Nick gets the tag and picks up the pace until the Bucks take out the Dogs.

It works so well that they do it again before going after Stokely. FTR’s save earns them some superkicks and it’s off to Cage, who lets the Bucks hit another double superkick before getting two. We take a break and come back with Stokely on commentary and Cage fighting out of the corner.

The non-Harwood villains pull Cage’s partners off the apron though until Copeland gets back up. Cage knocks Harwood down and brings Copeland in to quite the positive reaction. The Edge-O-Matic gets two on Connors and everything breaks down. Copeland hits an Impaler on Connors and his partners all come off the top for the big visual.

The Bucks hit dives and Cassidy and Cage put their hands in their pockets but Cage throws Cassidy over the top onto a pile. Cage hits his own dive but Copeland walks into a Shatter Machine with Cassidy making a save. We hit the parade of knockdowns and Connors spears Harwood by mistake. Connors gets triple superkicked into a spear from Copeland for the pin at 15:52.

Rating: B. This was your wild tag match to start the show and the fans were definitely into the whole thing and brought it up even higher. Copeland getting the pin is good, though it might have made more sense for him to win with the Grindhouse on the way to the I Quit match. That’s a minor quibble though and it was an energetic way to start the show, which is a good idea.

We go to the Death Riders’ training area (seemingly on a rooftop) where Will Ospreay trains his neck and Jon Moxley talks about how Ospreay used to fly like a bird. Because that’s what birds do. Now he needs to be a bird of prey.

Video on Stadium Stampede.

The Demand and Mark Davis introduce Andrade El Idolo and the Dogs as their other team members. That might be a bit more effective if the Dogs hadn’t just lost a match.

Mike Bailey vs. Westbrook

Bailey misses a kick and the standing moonsault but manages to knock Westbrook out to the apron. The Tornado Kick and Ultimate Weapon finish at 1:10.

Kevin Knight gets in the ring with Bailey and it’s Open Challenge time.

TNT Title: Kevin Knight vs. ???

Knight is defending against…Brian Cage of all people and yes of course he’s still part of the Don Callis Family (who are here along with Mike Bailey). Knight’s chop has no effect to start and some running shoulders do about the same. Cage sends him into the corner and then does it again, only to charge into a raised boot. Knight’s dive to the floor bounces off of Cage though and he F5’s Knight onto the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Cage grabbing a DDT into a swinging neckbreaker (that was nice) but getting his neck dropped across the top rope. Knight scores with a springboard missile dropkick and they’re both down. Cage is sent outside and taken out with a big dive, followed by a hurricanrana into the steps. Back in and Cage grabs the apron superplex for two as Bailey and Lance Archer get in a fight on the floor. That leaves Knight to hit a springboard clothesline and a hurricanrana out of the corner. The UFO Splash retains the title at 10:45.

Rating: B-. Well Cage is back and he’s losing again. I’m not sure how much he’s going to help the Callis Family, but the point of the team seems to be to build up as many wrestlers as they can find. Either way, it’s a fine power vs. speed match and that’s something that is almost always going to work.

Post match Bailey congratulates Knight on his win and Knight welcomes Cage back. Bailey says Knight is a future World Champion and Bailey wants the next World Title shot.

Here are the Men’s Owen Hart Cup brackets:

Samoa Joe
Will Ospreay

Mark Davis
Jack Perry

Swerve Strickland
Bandido

Claudio Castagnoli
Brody King

Joe vs. Ospreay and Strickland vs. Bandido will both be at Double Or Nothing. The finals are at Forbidden Door.

Jack Perry, holding a knife, talks about how Mark Davis needed a golf club to beat him. They’ll fight at Double Or Nothing in Stadium Stampede and then it’s back to basics, with Perry moving on towards the World Title.

Will Ospreay vs. Ace Austin

We do get a handshake to start before they take turns flipping out of wristlocks. Austin’s standing armbar is countered into a seated armbar, which is broken rather quickly as well. Austin puts him down with a test of strength but can’t break the bridge. A running dropkick to the back of the head hits Ospreay and Austin pulls him into a Muta Lock, sending Ospreay over to the ropes.

Austin Death Valley Drivers him for two and we take a break. We come back with Ospreay hitting a Phenomenal Forearm, setting up a standing corkscrew moonsault for two. Ospreay’s handspring kick to the head sends Austin outside but he’s back up to dropkick Ospreay through the ropes. Back in and the Oscutter gets two more but the Hidden Blade misses.

Austin faceplants him and grabs an anklescissors to bring him off the top. Ospreay’s legs get tied up for a rollup and a spinning Downward Spiral gets two more. A Cheeky Nandos misses for Ospreay but he pulls Austin into a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Austin hits a springboard spinning kick to the head for two but Ospreay kicks him in the arm and grabs a cross armbreaker for the tap at 15:41.

Rating: B+. Dang I could go for more of Austin, as there is something about him that is just fun to watch. Of course he didn’t have a chance here against the new and improved Ospreay but they had a very entertaining match together. Ospreay is the same high flier he was before but now with a submission game, which doesn’t fit him so well, but having him turn on Moxley and use that against him could work well.

Post match Ospreay shows some respect to Austin. This brings out Samoa Joe and the Opps, with Joe saying Ospreay could have had a first round bye but made his decision. Therefore, it’s time for pain at Double Or Nothing. Tonight though, the rest of the Opps head to the ring but here are the Death Riders before things get violent. Ospreay looks at Jon Moxley and seems to think there might be some benefits to this.

MJF interrupts Konosuke Takeshita and praises him for what he has been doing. Takeshita is going to win the title tonight and MJF thinks he would be a great first challenger. With Takeshita gone, MJF gives Don Callis the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Andrade El Idolo comes in to stare MJF off and say he wants the title.

Here are the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament brackets:

Persephone
Hazuki

Willow Nightingale
Alex Windsor

Mina Shirakawa
Athena

Skye Blue
Sareee

Nightingale vs. Windsor is at Double Or Nothing and the finals will also be at Forbidden Door. It’s also good that Persephone is back and it must be time for Athena to lose on the main roster again.

The Conglomeration isn’t sure which of them should get the Tag Team Title shot. Willow Nightingale is going to win the Women’s Owen Cup. Oh and Mark Briscoe is back and wants Tommaso Ciampa next week, which will be another three hour show.

Triangle Of Madness vs. Hikaru Shida/Brawling Birds

Everything breaks down to start with the fight heading outside. The Triangle gets beaten up on the floor, with Hayter taking over on Thekla in the corner. Thekla fights up and hits a big dive to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Hayter big booting her way out of trouble, allowing the tag back to Shida.

A suplex sends Hart into the corner and it’s back to Thekla to kick Shida down. The double gordbuster and double superkick put Shida down, with the other two coming in for the save. Blue breaks up Two Birds One Stone and it’s the Haytebreaker to Hart. Two Birds One Stone is loaded up again but Thekla comes in with a belt shot for the DQ at 10:03.

Rating: C+. I like the ending as Thekla would rather do damage than win the match, especially with her big title defense coming up. The Birds work very well together and got to showcase themselves a bit here, though the lack of Statlander was a bit odd. That being said, I’ll take a regular team getting some ring time over a makeshift group of three women.

Post match the beatdown is on until Mina Shirakawa and Willow Nightingale make the save.

Video on Rush.

AEW World Title: Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Allin is defending and his early suicide dive is rammed into the post. They head inside with Takeshita sending him flying into the corner, where Allin bites the face. A top rope shoulder doesn’t do anything to Takeshita, who knocks Allin outside instead. The steps are loaded up but Allin scratches his way out of a suplex and dropkicks Takeshita off of said steps. A suicide dive hits Takeshita again and they get up to the apron.

Takeshita Blue Thunder Bombs him to the floor and we come back with Allin pulling him into a guillotine choke. That’s reversed into a wheelbarrow suplex and a bridging German superplex (GEEZ) plants Allin hard for two. The running knee gives Takeshita two more and Don Callis gives him the ring. Takeshita doesn’t want it though and gets small packaged for two more.

Allin Code Reds him off the top and the Last Supper gets two. Takeshita is sent outside and the Coffin Drop connects to a standing Takeshita on the floor. Back up and Takeshita goes onto the steps but gets his suplex reversed into a Scorpion Death Drop. Back in and Takeshita gets the knees up to block a Coffin Drop, only for Allin to grab a Scorpion Death Lock. Takeshita makes the rope but the Coffin Drop connects to retain the title at 15:30.

Rating: B. Another good match from Allin, though having him space them out a bit more might work better for him. At the same time, it was another case where there was basically no drama about who was winning as their Double Or Nothing matches were both set, though I’ll take Takeshita over Okada. It’s nice to have the World Champion around, though we’ve pretty much covered the “Allin fights really hard to keep the belt” stuff for the time being.

Post match Allin grabs the mic and wants MJF’s decision right now, because starting a segment this far after the show was supposed to be over is fine. A table is set up and MJF comes out, with Allin wasting no time in signing the contract. MJF can’t bring himself to do it though, instead talking about how Allin always believes that making people happy matters. Deep down though, the people know that Allin is someone who got lucky.

At Double Or Nothing, MJF is going to become a three time World Champion at 30 years old. Allin promises to make MJF bald at Double Or Nothing and that’s enough to get the signature. The brawl is on and MJF leaves him laying but Kevin Knight runs in to break up a super Tombstone to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Dang that was long, with a seventeen minute overrun. Other than that though, this was a rather good show, with a pair of awesome matches. The MJF stuff was all but guaranteed so it was hardly a big change, but this was just about making it official. They added a bunch of stuff to Double Or Nothing here too and the card looks pretty good, so hopefully they don’t change it too much before the pay per view.

Results
Adam Copeland/Christian Cage/Orange Cassidy/Young Bucks b. FTR/The Dogs/Tommaso Ciampa – Spear to Connors
Mike Bailey b. Westbrook – Ultimate Weapon
Kevin Knight b. Brian Cage – UFO Splash
Will Ospreay b. Ace Austin – Cross armbreaker
Triangle Of Madness b. Brawling Birds/Hikaru Shida via DQ when Thekla used a belt
Darby Allin b. Konosuke Takeshita – Coffin Drop

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – April 29, 2026: Happy Days

Dynamite
Date: April 29, 2026
Location: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back with more title matches, as MJF is trying to get the TNT Title from Kevin Knight and Darby Allin is defending the World Title against Brody King. This seems to be part of Allin’s idea to “get beaten up really badly every week” but his match last week was rather good. Hopefully that is repeated here so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a quick preview of the show.

Video on MJF vs. Kevin Knight.

TNT Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Kevin Knight

Knight is defending and we get the Big Match Intros, with MJF’s including some shots at Fairfax. They go outside to start with MJF taking over, including a powerbomb onto the barricade. The chinlock goes on back inside but Knight is right back up, only to get elbowed in the face. They take turns flipping out of belly to back suplexes until Knight is flipped face first onto MJF’s knee for two.

Knight escapes the Heatseeker though and hits a jumping DDT to leave them both down. A dropkick puts MJF down again and a running splash gets two. Knight sends him outside for the big running flip dive, followed by a heck of a springboard clothesline to the floor. Back in and they go to a pinfall reversal sequence, with MJF grabbing a cutter for two. MJF goes up but gets pulled down with a super hurricanrana, only for Knight to come up holding his knee.

A basement superkick and Panama Sunrise give MJF two and we take a break. We come back with MJF grabbing a half crab, which doesn’t last long. Knight superkicks another Sunrise attempt out of the air but a dragon screw legwhip brings him down on the rope. An Alabama slam gives MJF two more and it’s time to get mad. MJF grabs the belt, which is just a ruse to load up the ring. Knight hits him low though and a small package retains the title at 15:16.

Rating: B. This was good stuff, with MJF’s downward slide continuing. He has a lot going on right now and most of it isn’t going well, mainly due to trying to cheat too much and getting caught in the end. That’s a good way to bring him down, as he can complain about losing all over again. Knight on the other hand gets a huge win, which is a good sign as he is rapidly improving his status around here.

MJF’s stunned face is great as he can’t believe that happened. MJF hits him in the knee and loads up the ring but Darby Allin descends from the ceiling and hits a Scorpion Death Drop. MJF gets the mic and says “YOU PEOPLE SUCK!” He insists that he was barely trying in the match so all he wants is his rematch for the World Title. Allin wants something on the line in return…but doesn’t say what that is. Instead, if he beats Brody King tonight, he thinks Knight should get a title shot. Cue King to say he’s taking Allin out tonight and then facing Knight next week.

Video on King vs. Allin.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage are in for the I Quit match, with Copeland bringing up Cage quitting before. Cage: “I didn’t say it!” Cage leaves. Copeland: “He totally said it.”

Brawling Birds vs. Emily Jaye/Jordan Blade

In a nice touch, Windsor points out a sign to Hayter, saying someone waited years to see Hayter. She blows the fan a kiss before the match and we’re ready to go (that’s the kind of thing I love in wrestling: something that takes so little time from the wrestlers but means the world to that fan). Blade gets knocked into the corner and chopped down, setting up a clothesline from both sides (Taz: “Little Malachi Crunch action there.” Hayter seems more like Count and Windsor is more Jumpy. Does that make Blade Pinky Tuscadero?). Two Birds, One Stone finishes Blade at 1:20.

Thekla would love to stop calling people dumb b****** but there are too many dumb b****** in AEW. The Brawling Birds need to mind their own business and stick to the tag team. Skye Blue doesn’t like them either.

International Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Ace Austin

Okada is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. Okada backs him into the corner to start and stomps him down but Austin is back with a rollup. A dropkick has Okada in trouble and a Death Valley Driver (with a squat) makes it worse. Austin sends him to the floor and does a handstand on the apron, earning some applause from Okada. A DDT drops Austin on the floor though and we take a break.

We come back with Okada hitting a neckbreaker and flipping off the crowd. Austin sends him to the floor and hits a knee to the face, setting up the Fosbury Flop dive. Back in and a top rope spinning Fameasser gets two on Okada, who ax handles him down. Austin tries the springboard spinning kick tot he head but gets dropkicked out of the air. Another dropkick sets up the Tombstone and the Rainmaker retains the title at 11:15.

Rating: B. This was a relief as I was worried it would take Okada far too long to win here. Instead, Austin got in his offense, looked good in the process, and then lost to the better main in the end. That’s how this should have gone and they made it work rather well, with Austin getting to hang with a bigger name before taking one too many chances.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out for the staredown.

We go to the old west town for a Bandido vignette…but it’s Swerve Strickland, who burns a Bandido wanted poster. Could he be wanted for not defending his Ring Of Honor World Title since December 5, or a cool 145 days?

Commentary explains what happened on Collision, as Jon Moxley basically offered Will Ospreay a spot in the Death Riders. Not mentioned: Moxley handing Ospreay a chair and laying face first on the floor.

We see the Death Riders training, with Ospreay showing up. Ospreay is not cleared, but he’s going to Japan for a big title match. Moxley says that’s loyalty and Ospreay is too good to be true. Then he pokes Pac in the stomach and makes a noise like one does to a seven year old who would find it stupid.

Moxley says Ospreay needs to drop everything, including his anger and feelings about him, because they don’t need excess baggage. He’s not making any promises but when he makes a commitment to something, he sees it through to the end. Ospreay seems in but is surprised to hear that there is no ring. They’re starting from the ground up and the camera is shoved out. This is certainly a thing going on, though Moxley’s acting is….really not his strong suit.

Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. RPG Vice

FTR and Stokely Hathaway are here too. Cage and Romero start things off with Romero being backed into the corner. A dropkick puts Cage down and Romero stops to dance and it’s off to Copeland. The big boot/Russian legsweep combination gets two on Romero before Beretta knees Copeland down for the same.

That just earns Beretta a big boot and it’s back to Cage, who heads outside and gets his bad arm slammed into the post. The Conglomeration is in the crowd and throws popcorn on Stokely, triggering a brawl with FTR. They all fight off and we take a break with Cage still in trouble. We come back with Copeland getting knocked off the apron to cut off the tag attempt.

A sliding knee gets two on Cage and Romero grabs a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up with a grab of the rope and Cage elbows his way out of the corner. The tornado DDT connects but bangs up Cage’s arm again. Copeland gets the tag anyway and the Impaler gets two on Beretta, with Romero making the save. Everything breaks down and Copeland misses a spear, allowing Beretta to roll him up. The referee sees the feet on the ropes though and Copeland tosses Beretta into Cage’s spear for the pin at 12:44.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty standard formula tag match but it was a bit of a stretch to buy RPG Vice hanging with Copeland and Cage this long. Yes they’re a successful team in Japan but not so much in AEW. Either way, it was hardly a bad match and Copeland and Cage get a win before their next title shot.

Post match Copeland puts Beretta in the crossface to make him quit. That’s just violent.

Earlier today, the Demand beat up Chris Jericho again. Ricochet tells him to leave for good and Jericho tells him to eat s***. The beating gets even worse.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida vs. Megan Bayne/Lena Kross

Statlander and Shida are challenging. Kross takes over on Shida to start and it’s off to Bayne for the double shoulder. Shida’s running knee is easily blocked so she goes to the eyes and grabs the kendo stick. Statlander isn’t letting that happen but Bayne misses a charge into the post. Then Shida kicks Statlander in the ribs and suplexes her onto Bayne in the corner, which shockingly doesn’t work very well.

Statlander is driven into the corner and it’s back to Kross, who escapes Staturday Night Fever. Bayne kicks Statlander in the head and we take a break. We come back with Statlander hurricanranaing both of them at once, followed by a discus lariat to Bayne. Kross and Shida get the double tags and slug it out at everything breaks down.

Bayne sends Statlander flying (that’s impressive) but Statlander gives her a standing Blue Thunder Bomb. Kross is knocked down as well and it’s a 450 to give Statlander two. Shida Falcon Arrows Kross for two but Statlander gets kicked down. The double chokeslam to Shida retains the titles at 13:31.

Rating: B-. They had a hard hitting and fast moving match, with the monsters getting to retain the titles. It’s a nice win for them over a pair of former champions so it’s hardly some pair of nobodies. At the same time, Shida and Statlander never felt like a long term team and that’s not a bad way to go.

MJF interrupts Andrade El Idolo and Don Callis, blaming Andrade for Darby Allin being World Champion. Andrade seems to deny things but Callis calms it down.

Rush vs. Steven Fuerte

Rush knocks him outside at the bell and stomps away both on the floor and in the corner. Bull’s Horns finishes at 1:39.

The Opps are ready to dominate again, with Hook going after the TNT Title on Collision. Samoa Joe wants Will Ospreay, who shouldn’t be doing anything with the Death Riders.

Stokely has a challenge for Orange Cassidy: next week, Cassidy faces Dax Harwood and the winner gets a Tag Team or Trios Title shot, with Tommaso Ciampa popping up to be FTR’s partner should Harwood win.

AEW World Title: Darby Allin vs. Brody King

Allin is defending. They shake hands to start and Allin tries a quick dropkick in the corner (King turned his back on him so it wasn’t a cheap shot). King powers up and tries the Ganso Bomb, with Allin punching his way out. Allin goes up top and gets caught, only to come out with a super Code Red for two. That sends King outside but the suicide dive just bounces off of him.

Allin fights back again and puts King in the chair on the floor, with the missile dropkick knocking King out. We take a break and come back with King hitting a heck of a chop to knock Allin off the top and to the floor. King takes the announcers’ table cover and leans it against the barricade, only for Allin to jump on his back. That’s fine with King, who drives them both through the cover for the nasty crash.

They climb onto the table and King grabs his choke, which is countered with double thumbs to the eye. Another Code Red onto the table gets two and Allin is back up with a suicide dive. Back in and King ties him in the Tree Of Woe, followed by a hard clothesline for two (with Allin’s face looking like his soul was knocked into the third row).

Allin gets thrown over the top rope and onto a cameraman, with King dragging him around, pulling the floor pad up. King’s running Cannonball misses Allin and goes through the barricade for a nasty crash. Allin gets the rest of the floor pad up though and it’s a sunset bomb to send King crashing onto the concrete. The Coffin Drop onto the floor connects as well and King manages to beat the count. That means two more Coffin Drops to retain the title at 16:29.

Rating: B+. As usual, this worked well with Allin fighting against the monster and managing to use his environment to beat King. It’s a good case of Allin learning how to beat King after taking so many beatings over the years. At the same time, Allin has given King troubles before so it’s hardly some ridiculous win here. Heck of a main event as Allin’s title reign continues to work, though he’s getting rather banged up here. That very well could catch up to him sooner than later and it probably will.

Post match respect is shown and Kevin Knight is in the crowd for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another rather good show with the opener and main event being more than good enough to carry the night. Allin seems like he’s in for an energetic and exciting title reign, though I’m not sure how long it’s going to last. At the same time, there are a lot of people coming after the belt so the next champion could be up in the air. That’s enough to carry things at the moment and there is enough on the rest of the show to make it work. Rather easy to watch show here with a very good main event.

Results
Knight Knight b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Small package
Brawling Birds b. Emliy Jaye/Jordan Blade – Two Birds, One Stone to Blade
Kazuchika Okada b. Ace Austin – Rainmaker
Adam Copeland/Christian Cage b. RPG Vice – Spear to Beretta
Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Hikaru Shida/Kris Stalander – Double chokeslam to Shida
Rush b. Steven Fuerte – Bull’s Horns
Darby Allin b. Brody King – Coffin Drop

 

 

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AEW Collision – April 11, 2026: Just Get There

Collision
Date: April 11, 2026
Location: Rogers Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s the night before Dynasty and we have something of a warmup title match this week. The Trios Titles are on the line as Mistico and Jet Speed defend against the Dogs, who have barely won anything but get a title match anyway. Other than that it’s likely time for the final hard sell to the pay per view so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Trios Titles: The Dogs vs. Mistico/Jet Speed

Mistico and Jet Speed are defending and get jumped by the Dogs to clear the ring to start. Back in and Bailey flips away from Kidd but gets knocked out to the floor. Mistico gets back in to grab a headscissors to send Connors outside. Kidd runs back in to take Mistico down but all six are back inside for the slugout. The champions all hit dives to the floor so they load up more, only to get knocked down as we take a break.

We come back with Knight fighting to his feet and bringing Mistico back in, meaning more dives can put the Dogs down again. Bailey hits a moonsault to the floor and Knight drops Finlay but the UFO Splash is broken up. Kidd piledrives Mistico but Bailey is back up with the Ultimate Weapon to put Kidd down. A straitjacket sunset flip gets two on Kidd, who is right back with a heck of a clothesline. Connors picks Bailey up for a suplex and a top rope spear gives us new champions at 13:39.

Rating: B-. It was the kind of wild match you would expect from these guys and while the Dogs don’t have the best win/loss record, it wasn’t like Mistico was going to be a regular around here. The titles are hardly some mega serious thing so having them bounce around might be the best option for them. They still don’t really need to exist but this is better than having them sit on a shelf for months at a time.

Post match Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong pop up on screen for a challenge, suggesting they have a third. Kyle O’Reilly I’m guessing?

Will Ospreay introduces the United Empire and then says they won’t be there at Dynasty. Ok then.

Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida vs. Ava Lawless/Gigi Rey

Shida strikes away at Lawless to start and puts her down with a Falcon Arrow. Statlander comes in with some suplexes to Rey and Staturday Night Fever finishes at 1:40.

Post match Shida isn’t happy with Statlander tagging herself in to win the match.

Hyan and Maya World are getting a Women’s Tag Team Title shot at Dynasty. Their AEW record as a team: 0-5.

Jon Moxley says no one can hang with the Death Riders and if Will Ospreay is so determined to break his neck again, so be it.

Rush vs. Anthony Bowens

For the #2 spot in the Casino Gauntlet. They trade headlocks to start and then shove each other a bit. The exchange of strikes goes to Rush but Bowens is back up to send him outside. Rush is sent into various things, including the steps, but he whips Bowens into the barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Rush hitting a basement dropkick to the back of the head before they strike it out again. Rush misses a kick in the corner and gets caught with a hanging wind up DDT for two. Back up and Rush sends him into the corner but the Bull’s Horns is broken up. A running dropkick sends Bowens outside, where Rush sends him into the barricade. Back in and the Bull’s Horns finishes Bowens at 11:10.

Rating: B-. They had a hard hitting match here, but what mattered the most was the fact that either of them could have pulled this off. Bowens winning wasn’t out of the question as Rush hasn’t been the most consistent star in AEW. Odds are Bowens will be in the match anyway, but in this case the numbers actually matter so he’s at a disadvantage. Oh and is Bowens to the Opps still a thing?

The Brawling Birds are ready for their singles matches at Dynasty, as they want revenge and the Women’s Title.

Hurt Syndicate vs. Andy Anderson/Mo Jabari

Lashley shoves Anderson into the corner to start and gives him a delayed vertical suplex. Benjamin comes in and gets annoyed at Jabari’s chops. That earns him a knee to the head, followed by a spear to Anderson. Benjamin superkicks Anderson for the pin at 2:19. Total squash.

Mina Shirakawa and Harley Cameron are sad that their partners are gone. They opt to drink instead.

Young Bucks vs. Don Callis Family

Hechicero/Clon for the Family. Matt and Clon start things off with Matt grabbing a wristdrag/headscissors combination to put the Family down. The Bucks hit some dives, only for Hechicero to knee Matt in the face back inside. The rather spinning rollup gives Hechicero two, followed by the spinning backbreaker for the same.

We take a break and come back with Matt rolling the northern lights suplexes. Nick comes in with a double high crossbody and everything breaks down. The Bucks go with stereo sunset flips into stereo Sharpshooters, which are quickly broken up. The Family grabs a pair of bridging rollups for two each and everyone is knocked down for a breather. Back up and Clon flips out of a DDT, only to get superkicked down. Hechicero throws Matt into a choke with Nick making the save. The EVP Trigger misses but the Bucks are right back with the TK Driver to finish Clon at 14:49.

Rating: B. This was little more than a way to get the Bucks on the show, which is all it needed to be. The Bucks are one of those acts who are able to pop the crowd just by being in the ring and that’s what we got here. It’s a good enough match too, even with the D-list Family opponents.

We look at Chris Jericho and Ricochet’s meeting on Dynamite to set up their match at Dynasty.

International Title: Myron Reed vs. Kazuchika Okada

Okada is defending and both of their associates are here too. Okada misses a clothesline in the corner to start and sends Reed to the apron. That’s fine with Reed, who is back with a springboard kick to the face. A springboard is blocked though and Okada dropkicks him out to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Okada hitting a DDT for a cocky one but the falling top rope elbow hits raised knees. Reed ties him in the ropes for a slingshot legdrop as Don Callis is starting to panic. Okada is sent outside and taken out with a dive but comes back in with the Air Raid Crash onto the knee for two. Now the top rope elbow can connect but Reed is right back up with the diving cutter to the floor. Back in and Reed’s springboard 450 hits raised knees and the Tombstone into the Rainmaker retains the title at 11:22.

Rating: B-. Reed was able to get in some stuff here but it wasn’t quite what he’s done before. At the same time, he has been treated as the singles star from the Rascalz, which isn’t the worst move. He’s one of those guys who puts everything into his matches and that makes for a nice feeling. At the same time, Okada is (still) gearing up for his match with Takeshita and this was a way to keep him warm.

Willow Nightingale wants some of the new talent to come after her title.

Lena Kross and Megan Bayne are ready for Hyan and Maya World.

Dynasty rundown.

Thekla/Marina Shafir vs. Brawling Birds

Thekla and Shafir jump them during the entrances and the brawl heads to the floor before the opening bell. Hayter gets choked with part of the barricade but Windsor drops Shafir onto the apron. The bell rings (the fans don’t seem thrilled) with the Birds getting beaten up again as we take an early break.

We come back with Windsor fighting her way out of trouble and bringing in Hayter to clean house. Thekla catches her in a Black Widow as everything breaks down again. All four are knocked down for a bit until Shafir is up to strike it out with Windsor. A shot to the face staggers Shafir and a quick Two Birds One Stone finishes her off at 9:01.

Rating: C+. There is nothing wrong with taking two PPV matches and having them do a tag match together to build it up. That’s all it needed to be here and it worked out fine enough. The Birds winning gives Hayter just enough momentum to make her feel like a bigger threat to the title. It’s not exactly a main event level match, but I’ll take what I can get.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a fine enough show, with just a show that got us over the final stretch to Dynasty. They added in a few matches to make the PPV card even bigger because we have to do that but nothing really big was changed. That’s all it needed to be and the show went by rather easily.

Results
The Dogs b. Mistico/Jet Speed – Suplex/top rope spear combination to Bailey
Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida b. Ava Lawless/Gigi Rey – Staturday Night Fever to Rey
Rush b. Anthony Bowens – Bull’s Horns
Hurt Syndicate b. Andy Anderson/Mo Jabari – Superkick to Anderson
Young Bucks b. Don Callis Family – TK Driver to Clon
Kazuchika Okada b. Myron Reed – Rainmaker
Brawling Birds b. Thekla/Marina Shafir – Two Birds One Stone to Shafir

 

 

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AEW Collision – April 2, 2026: Dynalision? Colliamite?

Collision
Date: April 2, 2026
Location: Canada Life Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur

It’s a rare Thursday night show and it would be nice to see this show be treated as something special for a change. There are some big names set for the card and I could go for seeing some of those stars in action for the week. That includes an open challenge for the TBS Title so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley vs. Anthony Bowens

Non-title Eliminator match. Moxley shoves him in the face to start so Bowens is right back up to fire off some right hands. Forearms and elbows have Moxley in more trouble but he slugs away against the ropes. A spinning faceplant drops Moxley though and Bowens clotheslines him to the floor. They go to the mat for some grappling and then trade right hands in the corner.

Bowens follows him to the floor, where Moxley takes it into the crowd with Bowens sending him into a wall. We take a break and come back with Moxley working on the arm, apparently after Bowens was sent into…something metal during the break. Bowens gets up for a superkick and they’re both down for a breather. A top rope superplex drops Moxley and Bowens grabs a spinning DDT out of the corner for two more.

Moxley manages a cross armbreaker, which Bowens escapes pretty quickly. They go outside again, where Bowens’ chair shots only hit various metal objects. Back in and Bowens drops him with a trio of discus forearms…but Moxley snatches him into a bulldog choke. Bowens is in trouble so Moxley throws him into the Death Rider for the pin at 14:58.

Rating: B-. Good enough opener here, though I had a bit of a problem buying Bowens hanging in there for fifteen minutes against Moxley. It’s not some totally ridiculous result, but it felt like Moxley could have put him away faster. Either way, there’s a good chance this will tie into Bowens wanting to join the Opps, which would at least be something to do.

Post match Will Ospreay runs in to Hidden Blade Moxley. Ospreay grabs a chair but the Death Riders run in to get Moxley out. Ospreay says Moxley usually has Claudio Castagnoli do his dirty work but at Forbidden Door, Moxley did it himself. They’ll be facing off at Dynasty, but Ospreay wants the Continental Title on the line so no one is allowed at ringside and he gets twenty minutes to do all the damage he can. Moxley doesn’t really answer…but Tony Khan makes it official via Tony Schiavone.

The Don Callis Family is ready for a tag match, even though Kyle Fletcher is injured. Kazuchika Okada says the replacement will be better than Konosuke Takeshita anyway.

Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Kristara/Ava Lawless

Non-title. Bayne throws Kristara down without much trouble and adds an overhead belly to belly suplex. The champs hit stereo fall away slams and some running boots in the corner rock Lawless. For some reason Kristara fights back so it’s Divine Intervention to finish her at 2:28. Total squash.

Jon Moxley, with the Death Riders, isn’t surprised by Will Ospreay’s actions and Ospreay should expect no mercy. Ospreay is going to beat himself.

The Hurt Syndicate is back and they could use another member. All that matters is they’re back in business. Yeah I could go for them being back.

TBS Title: Willow Nightingale vs. ???

Nightingale is defending against…Hikaru Shida, who hasn’t wrestled here since November 2024. Feeling out process to start with Nightingale running her over but getting dropped by a shoulder. A running knee in the corner hits Nightingale and we hit the one armed camel clutch. That’s broken up and Nightingale runs her over with a Pounce and then drops Shida again on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Shida knocking her off the apron before setting up a chair. A running charge off of said chair connects and Shida throws her back inside for a top rope Meteora. Nightingale grabs a Death Valley Driver for two but misses the moonsault, allowing Shida to hit a pair of running knees for two each. A backslide out of nowhere retains the title at 9:35.

Rating: B-. The match was completely decent, with Shida being back as a nice surprise. With Toni Storm gone, the division is going to need some fresh blood and this might be the right way to go. Shida is someone with quite the resume in AEW so why not see what she can do in the spot? Nightingale gets a nice win of her own and her singles run continues to go rather well.

Post match Shida pulls out her kendo stick and teases swinging but everything is cool.

FTR vs. Mo Jabari/London Lightning

Non-title. Harwood drives Lightning into the corner to start and takes him down. Some chops and a clothesline have Lightning in trouble and he gets sent to the apron. A slingshot shoulder drops Harwood though and Jabari comes in. That’s fine with Wheeler, who takes Jabari into the corner for some clubberin. Jabari actually fights his way out and kicks both of them down, allowing the tag to Lightning. He tries to cover Harwood, who kicks out immediately and grabs the Shatter Machine to pin Jabari at 2:50.

Post match Christian Cage and Adam Copeland show up with chairs in hand to take out security and get inside for the brawl. The Impaler hits Wheeler but Stokely breaks up the Conchairto. One of the security guards takes it instead, which seems rather mean.

The Brawling Birds and Mina Shirakawa are happy with their win on Dynamite but Jamie Hayter wants Thekla at Dynasty. Shirakawa wants quite the beating.

Juice Robinson vs. Tommaso Ciampa

They trade headlocks to start until Robinson grabs a quick atomic drop. Another atomic drop lets Robinson send him face first into the buckle over and over, followed by the left hands. Ciampa heads to the floor and pulls Robinson face first into the apron to take over. Robinson is right back up with a slingshot dive but Ciampa sends him into the announcers’ table as we take a break.

We come back with Robinson getting fired up and winning an exchange of headbutts. A spinebuster drops Ciampa and Robinson strikes him down in the corner. Ciampa is able to send him to the apron for a running knee to the floor and they crash into the barricade. Back in and Robinson scores with a Cannonball into something like a Jackhammer for two.

Ciampa slips out of a powerbomb though and gets in a low blow, setting up the Willow’s Bell for two more. Robinson fights out of the corner and grabs a powerbomb (a nice one too) for two of his own. The forward DDT is blocked though and Ciampa hits a pair of running knees to the head for the pin at 13:56.

Rating: B. Ciampa’s hot run in AEW continues as he is getting to show what he can do in the ring, especially against good opponents. Robinson is someone who can work well and he’s playing it a bit more serious since his return, which made for a good match here. Now just find something bigger for Ciampa to do to capitalize on this streak.

Isiah Kassidy says he’s forced to change due to Marq Quen being injured. He wants an opportunity.

Darby Allin is ready for Andrade El Idolo when Brody King and Jack Perry come in. King and Perry talk about their history with Allin but they agree to team with him to face the Don Callis Family on Dynamite. Perry seems obsessed with Allin setting him on fire. Dude of all the dumb things Allin has done, that’s the one that sticks with you?

Don Callis Family vs. Rascalz

Andrade El Idolo/Mark Davis for the Family and Myron Reed is the odd Rascal out. The Family jumps them on the floor before the bell, much to Don Callis’, on commentary, happiness. The Rascalz are send inside, where they score with some dropkicks, setting up stereo suicide dives. Xavier and Davis get inside for the opening bell and some double teaming, including a Motor City Machine Guns Dream Sequence, has Davis in trouble.

Andrade gets in a cheap shot though and Davis adds a backsplash to take over. Andrade comes in and gets knocked outside, where he elbows Xavier’s dive out of the air. We pause for Andrade to take a photo with a fan and take a break. We come back with Andrade grabbing a chinlock as commentary talks about how the team is vicious and delicious. Come on, leave Norton and Bagwell out of this.

Andrade sends him into the corner but charges into a superkick, allowing Wentz to come back in and strike away. A bunch of kicks to the face set up a spinning high crossbody for two. Wentz blocks the piledriver and gets two off a hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and the Hot Fire Flame hits raised knees. Andrade takes out Xavier on the floor and it’s the piledriver to knock Wentz silly. The DM gives Andrade the pin at 10:48.

Rating: B-. The Rascalz seem to be a team who exists to make others look good in defeat, which isn’t the worst thing to see. At the same time, the Family team only means so much as the group is thrown into all kinds of pairings. It isn’t like there is a regular two man team, though Davis and that piledriver looked rather good.

Post match the Family leaves and here are more of the team to jump the Rascalz. Myron Reed comes in for the save and hits a big running flip dive. Apparently Kazuchika Okada was in for the beatdown to prove that he’s a better friend to Kyle Fletcher than Konosuke Takeshita. This company is WAY too obsessed with friendship angles.

Dogs/Death Riders vs. Conglomeration/Mistico/Kevin Knight

Tornado tag with Clark Connors/David Finlay/Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta for the former team. The villains jump them on the floor to start fast until Castagnoli throws Mistico inside to start the real match. Mistico slips out of a gorilla press and grabs a rather spinning wristdrag. The Dogs pull Mistico outside but Cassidy cuts off a dive, allowing Knight to hit a big dive of his own.

Back in and the Dogs drop Knight and Cassidy, leaving Mistico to get double teamed by the Riders. Mistico manages a running hurricanrana to send Castagnoli outside, leaving Knight to frog splash Yuta for two. We take a break and come back with Cassidy in trouble in the corner but he manages to take them all out. The Dogs are back in but a suplex is countered into a Stundog Millionaire. Strong is back in to help clean house and Mistico adds a top rope hurricanrana to Castagnoli.

Mistico’s springboard hurricanrana hits Yuta and we hit the parade of knockdowns until Knight’s springboard clothesline gets two on Castagnoli. Finlay Dominators Knight into a spear from Connors but Strong is back in for the save. A triple Stronghold goes on but Castagnoli breaks up two of them.

The boots to the face don’t break up Strong’s though, as he comes up with chops instead. Most of the people head outside and Yuta hits a running knee to Knight. Mistico sunset bombs Castagnoli for two but he’s back up for the Swing. The Fastball Special misses and Mistico gets Castagnoli in La Mistica. Knight hits the UFO Splash to pin Yuta at 15:05.

Rating: B. This was completely insane throughout with all action and that made for a fun match. At the same time, I’m not sure why this needed to be tornado rules other than AEW thought it would be more entertaining that way. I’m also not sure why the Dogs need to lose again, though at least it was Yuta taking the fall here instead of one of them. What else is Yuta supposed to be there for anyway?

Overall Rating: B. The best thing about this show is it felt more like an episode of Dynamite, which is a good sign given the special time slot. There is no reason to make this show feel normal and they did a nice job of putting bigger names and stars out there this week. It would be nice to continue that when Collision is back in its regular spot, but I’ll take it for one week at least.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Anthony Bowens – Death Rider
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Kristara/Ava Lawless – Divine Intervention to Lawless
Willow Nightingale b. Hikaru Shida – Backslide
FTR b. Mo Jabari/London Lightning – Shatter Machine to Jabari
Tommaso Ciampa b. Juice Robinson – Running knee
Don Callis Family b. Rascalz – DM to Wentz
Conglomeration/Kevin Knight/Mistico b. Dogs/Death Riders – UFO Splash to Yuta

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – April 1, 2026: No Fooling?

Dynamite
Date: April 1, 2026
Location: Canadian Life Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness

We’re up in Canada with about a week and a half to go before Dynasty. That should make for an interesting night, though I’m almost scared to see what might happen around here on April Fool’s Day. There is a good chance that we’ll get some kind of a gag this week and the humor may go in a variety of ways. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Tony Schiavone to get things going with the contract signing between Kenny Omega and MJF…and he’s cut off by a returning (hometown boy) Chris Jericho. Oh dear that’s going to get people talking. Jericho walks around and soaks in the fans’ version of Judas, plays to the crowd a bit, says “Winnipeg! AEW! I’m home”, and we’re done.

In the back, Will Ospreay is attacking Jon Moxley until the Death Riders make the save.

Here are MJF and Kenny Omega to sign their contract. Omega signs without saying anything and then cuts MJF off from whatever he was going to say. Omega knows MJF rehearsed this stuff in front of his bathroom mirror and MJF brags about the ratings. These people aren’t here to hear MJF talk though, because they’re here to see the best wrestle.

Omega was less than twenty four hours from dying and someone needs to chop down MJF for thinking he’s a wrestling god. MJF laughs off the idea that this is Omega at his best and while he could talk about how Omega is a stiff breeze away from his career ending, just like Kota Ibushi. No, instead let’s talk about what Omega doesn’t want to talk about: why he wants the World Title so badly.

Apparently his diverticulitis is getting worse and his career and life are ticking time bombs. MJF says Omega would be better off dead at Dynasty, which has Omega turning the table over. Cue Mike Bailey (since Omega isn’t allowed to touch MJF or he loses his title shot) for a lecture and some threats of kicking in the head. Omega says he’s missing 24 inches of intestines but he’d rather miss that than his testicles. MJF agrees to face Bailey and be an American hero.

AEW, Dynamite, Brody King, Jack Perry, Kenny Omega, The Demand

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Kenny Omega/Brody King/Jack Perry vs. The Demand

Omega and Ricochet start things off so let’s go with Kaun instead. Ricochet gets in a shot from the apron and Omega is knocked down into the Demand corner. That’s broken up with a quick backdrop and Omega’s partners both come in for running corner clotheslines. Everything breaks down and Perry moonsaults onto a pile at ringside. Back in and we get a parade of fighting over a suplex until the good guys all get together to make it work. Liona runs Perry over on the floor though and we take a break.

We come back with Perry in trouble until he hits a running clothesline to put Ricochet down. The tag brings in Omega and everything breaks down, with Omega hitting an enziguri on Ricochet. King hits a Cannonball on all three in the corner but Lion is up for some running shoulders around ringside. Ricochet hits some dives, followed by a springboard 450 for two on Omega. Perry’s running flip dive is pulled out of the air so King adds a suicide dive to take all of them out.

Omega avoids another 450 and comes back with a running knee but Ricochet grabs a poisonrana to leave both of them down. King and Liona crash into the timekeeper’s area and Ricochet tries to grab the National Title, which is pulled away. Omega nails the V Trigger into the One Winged Angel to pin Ricochet at 16:59.

Rating: B+. This was all about flying around and going nuts for a pretty long time and it was quite the opener. Omega gets some momentum on the way to his title match at Dynasty and Ricochet loses again, which is a rather fun thing to see. Good stuff here, with everyone working hard and going as fast as they could, as you should in a match like this.

Willow Nightingale wants a title defense on Collision so it’s open challenge time.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage arrive with chairs and want to take out FTR, including everyone in the way. Cage seems to think this includes Renee Paquette, but Copeland cuts him off. Copeland: “Really? Renee?”

Post break Copeland and Cage find FTR’s locker room…but it’s really Roppangi Vice’s locker room. Apparently FTR is on Collision tomorrow, so Copeland and Cage chair Vice down for being in their way.

AEW, Dynamite, Pac, Will Ospreay

Pac vs. Will Ospreay

Pac jumps him on the ramp and hits a brainbuster so the medics are here to check on him. Ospreay gets up and tries to go to the ring, but the medic says give it more time. That’s all of two seconds before Ospreay gets inside and we’re ready to go. Pac is right there to stomp him down and we take an early break.

We come back with Ospreay hitting a Phenomenal Forearm for two but the Cheeky Nandos Kick is broken up. Ospreay hits a brainbuster into a 450 for two but the neck is really bothering him. Pac counters a sunset bomb to the floor and hits a tornado DDT to leave Ospreay on the floor. Back in and something like an Octopus on the mat sends Ospreay to the ropes and us to another break.

We come back again with Pac’s bridging German suplex getting two. Ospreay is back up with a Styles Clash for the same and they’re both down again. Pac gets back up this time and snaps off a hurricanrana, followed by a running clothesline. Rather than covering though, Pac goes up and hits the Black Arrow to the back, followed by the Brutalizer. The hold stays on for a rather long time until Ospreay goes for the rope. Pac tries to roll him away but Ospreay stacks him up for the pin at 17:09.

Rating: B. Another good match here, though Ospreay being slowed down a bit by the neck takes away some of the superhero feeling. That being said, I’d rather him slow down a bit and be here later in his life than have his neck give out all over again. The Brutalizer staying on for so long at the end was a bit much to believe but it hardly killed the match.

Post match Pac goes after Ospreay again but gets cut off with a Hidden Blade. Cue the Death Riders, with Jon Moxley wrapping a chair around Ospreay’s neck. Actually Moxley just talks to him though, saying this was how it was going to go because it’s six on one. Next time, use your head or you might lose it permanently. This isn’t personal for Moxley and Ospreay should keep it that way. The Riders leave without hurting him any more.

AEW, Dynamite, Triangle Of Madness, Brawling Birds, Mina Shirakawa

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Triangle Of Madness vs. Brawling Birds/Mina Shirakawa

Shirakawa and Thekla start things off with Thekla having to duck underneath an elbow, meaning it’s quickly off to Blue. A pull of the hair brings Shirakawa down but she’s right back with a springboard kick out of the corner. The Birds come in for a sunset flip/PK combination and Blue gets knocked into the corner as well. Shirakawa’s slingshot corkscrew splash connects but Thekla gets in a cheap shot from the apron. A double stomp from the apron to the back hits Shirakawa and we take a break.

We come back with the Triangle getting triple suplexed (just like in the opener) and everyone needs a breather. Shirakawa’s Sling Blade looks to set up a Figure Four but Thekla kicks her away, allowing Blue to grab a swinging full nelson faceplant. Hart comes in and gets backbreakered and everyone is knocked down again. Thekla loads up the brass knuckles but gets them taken away, earning herself Two Birds, One Stone. Another backbreaker cuts Hart off and Hayterade finishes her at 9:20.

Rating: C+. The crowd did not seem overly interested here but the women were working hard for a pretty nice result. Maybe the result means that Hayter is going to get back towards the title picture now that Toni Storm is gone. Someone is going to need to be in that spot and Hayter might be the best possible option they have at the moment.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa’s recent issues with the Bang Bang Gang, leading to his match with Juice Robinson on Collision.

Here is Darby Allin, who wants the World Title and for someone, anyone, to beat MJF. Allin calls him out but gets the Don Callis Family instead. Don Callis gets right to the point: if Allin can beat a member of the Family, he gets a title shot. That would be Andrade El Idolo, but for now, the team comes in to go after Allin. Cue Jack Perry and Brody King to cut the Family off and then stare Allin down. Kenny Omega comes out and says something to Allin, though we can’t hear him.

Mike Bailey vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Non-title and Kenny Omega is on commentary. MJF even brings back the big American flag because he’s an American hero. MJF jumps Bailey from behind to start but Bailey says ring the bell anyway. Bailey strikes back but has to stop the Tornado Kick as MJF pulls the referee in the way. A toss sends Bailey outside and MJF grabs a chinlock back inside. That lets MJF throw him down and recite part of the Pledge Of Allegiance.

Omega thinks that if Bailey could put his mind and feet to it, he could be a champion soon. See? Even the EVP doesn’t care about the Trios Title that Bailey has at the moment. MJF mocks Bailey’s kicking prowess and gets his leg swept out, allowing Bailey to start firing off the kicks. A running boot puts MJF on the floor but it’s too early for the Ultimate Weapon back inside. Bailey grabs a weird sunset flip for two, followed by something like a Spanish Fly powerslam for two more.

Bailey’s springboard is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two and they’re both down. Back up and MJF kicks him to the floor, meaning it’s a middle finger to Omega. The Heatseeker is countered though and it’s a top rope Asai moonsault to the floor. We take a break and come back with MJF kicking him off the top and heading to the apron.

The piledriver is broken up so Bailey tries, and misses, the Ultimate Weapon, instead settling for a running boot in the corner. A snapdragon puts MJF down (Omega approves) and now the Ultimate Weapon (middle rope version) gets two, with MJF putting his foot on the rope. Bailey misses the moonsault knees on the apron though and it’s an apron piledriver to knock him silly. The Heatseeker finishes Bailey at 15:40.

Rating: B. Bailey taking a beating is one of the best ways to use him and it worked well enough again here. At the same time, it’s smart to have MJF get a clean win like this one. He needs to be ready for the World Title shot and at some point he needs to prov that he’s still a top level star. They pulled that off here and Bailey looked good in defeat.

Post match MJF goes after Bailey some more so Omega makes the save. Omega helps Bailey up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. AEW continues to be on something of a roll with television as of late and this show was no exception. They did a good job of building up Omega vs. MJF here while also getting Ospreay back in the ring. This show was all about getting us closer to Dynasty and building up the hype, which worked rather well, along with the rather good matches to back it up. Very good show here, with Dynasty having more potential.

Results
Kenny Omega/Brody King/Jack Perry b. The Demand – One Winged Angel to Ricochet
Will Ospreay b. Pac – Rollup
Brawling Birds/Mina Shirakawa b. Triangle Of Madness – Hayterade to Hart
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Mike Bailey – Heatseeker

 

 

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 – March 28, 2026: Instant Classic (I Loved This Match)

Collision
Date: March 28, 2026
Location: Alliant Energy PowerHouse, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

It’s a title shot as we have the Women’s Tag Team Titles on the line in a Revolution rematch. That should make for a good main event, or something close to the main event. Other than that, there is a good chance we get some buildup towards Dynasty, which is somehow in just over two weeks. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Babes Of Wrath vs. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne

The Babes are challenging and it’s a brawl to start. Bayne and Nightingale trade running shoulders in the corner, with Bayne getting the better of things. A Saito suplex drops Bayne though and Nightingale is right back with some rapid fire clotheslines in the corner. The other two come in as well and a double clothesline puts Kross back on the floor.

Cameron’s high crossbody gets two but Nightingale is sent outside, where Bayne’s dive…doesn’t quite work as her feet get caught in the ropes but she’s fine. Back in and Kross’ sliding lariat gets two as we take a break. We come back with Cameron getting the hot tag and slugging away on Kross. A half crab is broken up and all four come in, with the Babes getting tossed off stereo fall away slams.

Cameron reverses a double suplex into a double DDT and Nightingale is back in for some German suplexes. Cameron can’t sunset bomb Bayne but Nightingale can Pounce Kross. The Babes both grab half crabs, with the champs both making the rope. Nightingale is sent into the post, leaving Cameron to chop at the two monsters. That just earns her a double chokeslam to give Bayne the retaining pin at 13:11.

Rating: B. This wound up being a good match with the champions quickly figuring out how to do their monster stuff. The Babes are the definition of a fun, wacky team who work well together, but it was time to get the titles off of them. If nothing else, it was holding Nightingale back from her stuff as TBS Champion, which is probably more important. Nice opener here.

The Brawling Birds want a fight but Mina Shirakawa comes in to say she wants to fight Thekla. Any three women who want a fight can come get one.

Myron Reed vs. Johnny TV

The Rascalz and MxM Collection are here too. TV strikes away to start and we’re in an early chinlock. It’s way too early for Starship Pain as Reed is out to kick him out of the corner, setting up a slingshot legdrop for two. The hanging Downward Spiral gives Reed two more but TV is back with an Alabama Slam. The running knee gives TV two but Reed ducks a clothesline and hits a leg lariat. Reed’s springboard 450 gets the pin at 3:58.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here but that’s exactly how someone like TV should be used. You don’t need to have him out there having long, competitive matches at this point but he was able to help make Reed look good. I’m not sure if Reed is going to become a big star on his own, but at least he got a chance to do something here.

Daniel Garcia, with the Death Riders, talks about how he’s changed a lot. Jon Moxley asks what Private Party could buy with $200,000. Tonight, things get serious. Garcia’s talking here was an improvement over his usual.

Private Party says tonight isn’t about partying because this is their time.

Death Riders vs. Private Party

Claudio Castagnoli is here with Jon Moxley/Daniel Garcia. Private Party is billed as having won nine of their last twelve matches. Assuming that is exclusively talking about AEW, that’s over about a year and a half. Garcia takes Kassidy (they used to be friends, a long time ago) down to start quickly but Kassidy is back up with a wristlock. Kassidy gets mad and hammers away in the corner, with the referee having to break it up.

Moxley comes in and tells Kassidy to hit him in the face, which naturally goes badly for Kassidy. Everything breaks down and Quen dropkicks Moxley down but Moxley is right back to send Quen outside. We take a break and come back with Quen hitting a spinning enziguri to stagger Moxley. It’s back to Kassidy to slug away on Garcia, followed by a big springboard moonsault to take out Moxley on the floor.

Back in and a dancing Swanton gets two on Garcia, with Kassidy still yelling at Garcia. A double cutter drops Garcia and Quen dives on Moxley as Kassidy gets two off a 450. Castagnoli runs Quen over on the floor though, leaving Kassidy to enziguri Garcia. Moxley piledrives Kassidy to give Garcia two and the Dragontamer goes on to make Kassidy feebly tap at 11:46.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match that makes me miss Private Party as they can do some flashy stuff when they’re actually around. The problem is they aren’t here very often and that makes it hard to build any momentum. At least they looked good here, but it’s not like they were going to beat a team that included Moxley.

Last night at ROHxMLP Global Wars (which is worth a watch), Ricochet ranted about how he and the rest of the Demand are ready for Kenny Omega/Jack Perry/Brody King on Dynamite.

Mina Shirakawa/Brawling Birds vs. Nixi HS/Aminah Belmont/Haven Harris

Windsor runs HS over to start and all three are stacked up in the corner for some running elbows. Shirakawa hits a double missile dropkick, followed by the Figure Four for the win at 1:25.

Post match Jamie Hayter says that they liked teaming with Mina Shirakawa but had nothing to do with attacking Toni Storm. They don’t like the Triangle Of Madness, who pop up to swear on Storm’s cold dead body that if anyone tries this with them, it’ll be the same result. Shirakawa sends out the challenge for next week.

Kyle Fletcher brags about the success of the Don Callis Family but they don’t like the Rascalz. Tonight, it’s about revenge. Kazuchika Okada and Fletcher seem to be fine, with Fletcher wanting the World Title.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ace Austin

Ciampa backs him up to the ropes to start but Austin grabs a rollup for a fast two. A frustrated Ciampa bails out to the floor but he avoids a low bridge back inside and stomps away (that was smart). Austin is fine enough to send Ciampa outside and get in a handstand into a kick to the chest. Ciampa is right back with some chops up against the barricade but Austin anklescissors him down. Back in and a neckbreaker onto the knee puts Austin down again and we take a break.

We come back with Austin striking away and grabbing a Russian legsweep. Austin’s springboard spinning kick to the head sets up a gutwrench powerbomb for two. They fight over a suplex until Ciampa kicks the knee out and grabs Project Ciampa for two more. A running knee sends Austin crashing to the floor but Austin manages a quick running stomp on the way back inside.

There’s the big dive but Ciampa knees him out of the air. The Psycho Driller gets two and they both need a breather. Back up and Austin kicks him in the face and it’s a Death Valley Driver to send Ciampa into the corner. The Fold is countered with a belly to belly into the corner though and the running knee finishes Ciampa at 13:31.

Rating: A-. That might be a bit high but I loved this one, with both guys beating the living daylights out of each other. What mattered the most here is that I reached a point where I didn’t know who was going to win. That’s all the more impressive when you considered how much higher on the totem pole Ciampa really is. Awesome stuff here and one of the best AEW TV matches I’ve seen in a good while.

Post match Juice Robinson comes in to check on Austin and Ciampa leaves in peace.

The Rascalz want to win tonight because they’ll get into title picture.

The Babes Of Wrath seem to split up, though they’re still friends. And Babes.

Don Callis Family vs. Rascalz

Mark Davis/Kyle Fletcher for the Family here. Fletcher easily backs Wentz into the corner to start before blocking Wentz’s wristdrag attempt. A backsplash misses though and it’s off to Xavier to dropkick Davis into the corner. Davis is back up with a fireman’s carry toss into Fletcher’s kick to the face for two.

The Family rams them together, followed by stereo belly to belly suplexes as we take a break. We come back with Xavier kicking away at Fletcher and getting two off a cutter. Wentz is back in to strike away and Xavier’s Cardiac Kick connects, leaving everyone down. Davis is right back up to kick Xavier in the face, setting up the piledriver for the pin at 11:08.

Rating: B. This did get good with the Rascalz flying around, but there is only so much they can do to make themselves stand out. At least Davis was able to get in his rather good piledriver, which he has turned into a signature move. As usual, the Family is better when Don Callis isn’t involved and they had another good one here.

Last night at Global Wars, Ricochet and Don Callis were ready to get together to take out Kenny Omega on Dynamite. They also want to play golf.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Kevin Knight is ready to keep his momentum going and win the International Title.

Jon Moxley has no sympathy for Private Party being banged up and he doesn’t feel any sympathy for Will Ospreay, who wrestled an unsanctioned cage match with a broken neck.

International Title: Kevin Knight vs. Kazuchika Okada

Okada is defending. Knight works on the wrist to start and drops a knee on the arm. Back up and Okada escapes the armbar before bailing out to the floor. Knight welcomes him back inside and snaps off some armdrags. They go right back to the floor, where Okada snaps off a DDT. Back in again and Knight is fine enough to snap off some chops before knocking Okada down. The spinning splash gets two and Okada is outside again, this time for a slingshot splash.

We take a break and come back with Okada hitting the Air Raid Crash onto the knee for two. The falling top rope elbow connects, though Okada would rather flip off the fans rather than cover. Knight is back up with a big dropkick and the clothesline comeback ensues. Okada hits the better dropkick though and his own clotheslines but the rainmaker misses.

Instead Knight low bridges him to the floor for a heck of a springboard clothesline, followed by another one for two back inside. Knight’s top rope superplex is blocked so he settles for a super hurricanrana. A Coast To Coast dropkick gives Knight two but Okada rolls away before the UFO Splash can launch. Knight tries it anyway (because he can jump that far) but hits raised knees. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence until Okada grabs the rope for the win at 17:23.

Rating: B+. This got good near the end, mainly due to watching Knight getting to show off his rather amazing athleticism. Okada looked like he had to escape rather than win here, which is a good way to make Knight look like a star. At the same time, Okada’s title reign continues to feel mostly forgotten, as I could barely remember which title he had. It’s nice to see him in the ring on occasion, but the title really doesn’t feel all that important, which needs to be fixed.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah that’s probably a bit high but I loved this show, which had some very impressive matches. The Austin vs. Ciampa match was a blast and the main event wasn’t that far behind. They also set up some things for the future and that makes for a heck of a two hour show. Great show here, though I’m not sure how many people will be watching it over basketball, which even Schiavone hinted at during the show.

Results
Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Babes Of Wrath – Double chokeslam to Cameron
Myron Reed b. Johnny TV – Springboard 450
Death Riders b. Private Party – Dragontamer to Kassidy
Mina Shirakawa/Brawling Brutes b. Nixi HS/Aminah Belmont/Haven Harris – Figure Four to HS
Tommaso Ciampa b. Ace Austin – Running knee
Don Callis Family b. Rascalz – Piledriver to Xavier
Kazuchika Okada b. Kevin Knight – Rollup while holding the rope

 

 

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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AEW Collision – March 21, 2026: Half And Half

Collision
Date: March 21, 2026
Location: Save Mart Arena, Fresno, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

This weekend is a bit weird as Collision has been split into two shows due to coverage of the NCAA Tournament. Therefore, this week’s show is only an hour long, with the second half airing tomorrow night. The show even has the theme name of Slam Dunk Saturday, which could lead to some shenanigans. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Robbie Eagles

Eagles is challenging and he had a hand in training Fletcher to make this a bit more personal. Fletcher sends him face first into the mat to start and then takes him into the corner for a clean break. An abdominal stretch is blocked so Fletcher pulls the hair and slams him down. Back up and Eagles snaps off a headscissors before kicking away at the leg. Fletcher is able to plant him hard with a backbreaker and we take a break.

We come back with Eagles posing a lot before kicking away at the chest. A running kick to the chest sets up a some running knees in the corner but Fletcher blocks another attempt. Fletcher tries to pick him up, only to be reversed into Sliced Bread for two. Eagles misses his 450 though and a Michinoku Driver gives Fletcher two. Back up and Eagles kicks at the leg, including a missile dropkick to the leg.

Some kind of a leglock sends Fletcher to the ropes and out to the floor, with Eagles hitting a dive. Back in and Fletcher tries a superplex but the knee gives out, allowing Eagles to suplex him into the corner. A 450 onto the leg takes Fletcher down again and he gets planted with a poisonrana. Fletcher is right back up with the lawn dart into a running kick in the corner, followed by a brainbuster to retain the title at 12:12.

Rating: B. That ending was a bit questionable as Fletcher’s knee was really banged up and then he just does a bunch of stuff that needs a healthy leg. That being said, the rest of the match was quite good, as I’ve liked almost everything I’ve ever seen from Eagles. Fletcher is one of the few all but guaranteed good matches in AEW and that was the case again here with a very fun opener.

Jon Moxley warns Will Ospreay for wanting to break his neck. Pac wasn’t even here when Ospreay got hurt but he’s more than willing to fight Ospreay anytime.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Dom Kubrick/Lucas Riley/Alpha Zo

Dralistico takes Riley down to start and chops him into the corner. Rush comes in and hammers Riley into the corner before pulling Kubrick in sans tag. Kubrick is sent outside and taken out with a Dralistico dive. The Bull’s Horns set up Mortos’ corkscrew moonsault to give Rush the pin at 2:13.

Thekla laughs at the idea of Toni Storm being hurt and says she had everything to do with it. Storm saw what Thekla was doing and staged the attack to avoid having to fight her. Anyone else who is coming after her should stage their own death, because the real thing is so much worse. I don’t know what Thekla did to make these promos so much fun lately, but it should be repeated.

Brawling Birds vs. Sisters Of Sin

Hayter backs Hart up against the ropes to start and backbreakers her way out of an octopus attempt. The Sisters are sent into the corner for some chops before Blue and Windsor chop it out. Hart gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Blue decks Hayter off the apron as we take a break. We come back with Hayterade missing and Hart hitting an Eat Defeat. Everything breaks down and all four are dropped for a double breather. Hart flip dives onto Hayter on the floor and Blue’s running knee gets two on Windsor. Blue powerbombs Windsor out of the corner, with Hayter having to make a save. Back up and Two Birds One Stone finishes Hart at 9:23.

Rating: B-. The Birds are starting to get somewhere and it’s kind of fascinating that they’re already pretty much at the top of the list of contenders. They’re a simple team who beats people up and are playing into the British brawler stereotype. It’s something that will work every time and it is working again here. On the other hand, it feels like the Sisters have been losing a lot lately and that needs to stop, at least for a bit.

Brody King thanks Kenny Omega for the save at Revolution but he’s ready for more of Swerve Strickland. For now though, he wants gold.

Video on Hangman Page vs. MJF at Revolution.

Komander/Mascara Dorada vs. Death Riders

It’s Claudio Castagnoli/Daniel Garcia for the Riders (with Marina Shafir) here. Garcia shoves Komander down to start and kicks at his head but makes the mistake of going after the mask. Komander scores with a dropkick and it’s off to Castagnoli, who gets kicked in the head a few times. Dorada’s slingshot dive to the floor is cut off and he gets dropped onto the announcers’ table. Garcia adds a running knee and we take a break.

We come back with Komander getting pummeled in the corner but Castagnoli misses a charge. Komander facebusters him and dives over for the tag to Dorada, who gets to take Garcia down. Dorada and Komander both walk the ropes at the same time, setting up stereo moonsaults to the floor. Back in and an electric chair faceplant into a standing moonsault gets two, with Castagnoli making a save. Komander’s very springboardy hurricanrana (complete with a pause so Dorada can dive onto Garcia) gets two on Castagnoli, who is right back with the Swing. The Neutralizer finishes Komander at 12:50.

Rating: B-. Komander and Dorada work well together as the random luchador team so it was nice to see them getting a chance here. At the same time, this felt like one of the more random Death Riders combinations, as it isn’t like Castagnoli and Garcia team together very often. Nice enough main event though, especially for a show that didn’t feel important.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, it was a good show bu tit was absolutely not a show that you needed to see. Pretty much nothing was advanced here, but at the same time, it was airing around midnight on a Saturday night so why bother wasting big moments? It’s just an hour long and had good action, which is a nice enough way to see this show, though I can’t imagine many people did.

Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Robbie Eagles – Brainbuster
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Dom Kubrick/Alpha Zo/Lucas Riley – Corkscrew moonsault to Riley
Brawling Birds b. Sisters Of Sin – Two Birds One Stone to Hart
Death Riders b. Mascara Dorada/Komander – Neutralizer to Komander

 

 

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 – March 4, 2026: Still Going

Dynamite
Date: March 4, 2026
Location: Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re just over a week away from Revolution and that should make for a solid push towards the pay per view. Last week saw the announcement that MJF would defend the World Title against Hangman Page at the pay per view in a Texas Deathmatch. Other than that, we have the Women’s Title on the line as Thekla defends against Thunder Rosa. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

We look back at Collision, with Kevin Knight interrupting Hangman Page and getting himself a World Title match as a result.

AEW World Title: Kevin Knight vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Knight, with Mike Bailey, is challenging. MJF shoves him during the Big Match Intros and they trade armdrags, along with explanations of what armdrags happen to be. Back up and Knight grabs some armdrags into an armbar, followed by a running shoulder for two. Another armbar is broken up and MJF hits him in the face, only to get stomped down in the corner.

It’s way too early for the UFO Splash though and MJF knocks him down again, meaning it’s time to pose. MJF starts in on the ribs and sends him hard into the corner, leaving Knight in trouble. Back up and MJF charges into a shot in the corner, allowing Knight to come back with a middle rope elbow. A dropkick into a splash gives Knight two but it’s still too early for the UFO Splash.

Instead Knight hits a big dive onto the floor and they go back inside, where MJF rolls outside again. Back in again and MJF drops the bad ribs across the top rope but Knight is fine enough to hit a quick DDT for two. They both need a breather before getting up for a pinfall reversal sequence and a series of near falls. MJF bails to the floor and gets taken down by a running dive as we take a break.

We come back with MJF whipping him into the barricade but Knight scores with a moonsault. The UFO Splash is broken up again (you might want to try something else dude) but Knight knocks him off the top. Now the UFO Splash connects, only for MJF to kick the referee so it’s a rather delayed near fall. Another UFO Splash hits raised knees and MJF grabs the Heatseeker to retain at 16:57.

Rating: B+. This match had solid action with a good story, as Knight kept trying to hit his big move but MJF was just too smart for him. That’s because Knight is still new at this level and isn’t ready for MJF’s tricks. Knight still came close to pulling it off though and that made MJF sweat, which worked well for a one off title match.

Post match MJF loads up the diamond ring but Hangman Page pops up for a distraction, allowing Bailey to kick him in the face.

Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin vs. The Dogs

Unfortunately it’s not Will Ferrara and Rhett Titus, but rather Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd, with the brawl starting fast in the aisle. The Dogs take over, with Allin being sent into the steps but fighting back with a running dropkick. A hanging choke knocks Cassidy silly, allowing Connors to run up the steps and spear him into the timekeeper’s area.

Allin and Kidd get inside for the opening bell (because the stuff before said bell was fine), with Kidd dropping him for an early break. We come back with Allin not being able to get over to the corner for the tag to Cassidy. Instead he’s sent outside and right back inside, where he strikes away at Connors from his knees.

With nothing else working, Allin whips off his belt and sweeps the legs, allowing Cassidy to come in and clean house. A top rope clothesline hits Kidd but the Beach Break is broken up. Kidd knocks Allin off the apron and clotheslines Cassidy, who is back with a Stundog Millionaire. Allin is back up with a Coffin Drop to the floor onto both of them, setting up the Orange Punch to pin Connors at 7:14.

Rating: B-. They were working rather quickly here and it was nice to have a straight tag match rather than the usual street fight or tornado rules. Cassidy and Allin are almost a dream team in AEW and having them fight off the new rather aggressive heels is a good way to go. That being said, the Dogs winning here would make more sense, especially with Cassidy being banged up before the match.

Post match David Finlay (a friend of the Dogs) debuts to attack Cassidy and Allin. A shillelagh to the head knocks Allin silly and the villains stand tall.

Bandido and Andrade El Idolo meet in the back but Andrade isn’t impressed enough for a selfie. There is no mention of this being for the Ring Of Honor World Title.

Brawling Birds vs. IInspiration

The IInspiration (Jessie McKay/Cassie Lee) are debuting (at least on television) and try to dance before the match, earning themselves a jump start from the Birds. The Birds hit stereo chops in the corner and it’s a backbreaker into a clothesline to put Jessie down. Two Birds One Stone gives us a double pin on the IInspiration for the pin at 1:28. Well that worked. I was worried that the Birds would lose here so nice surprise.

AEW, Hangman Adam Page, Dynamite, MJF, Jet Speed, Don Callis Family

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Hangman Page vs. Marty Smith

Buckshot Lariat at 10 seconds.

Post match Page says he wants to teach MJF a lesson, but he has no conscience in Texas Death. If MJF wants to use the diamond ring on someone, come use it on him. Cue MJF to say he already has to listen to Page at the press conference but he has to do it now? Cue the Don Callis Family to jump Page from behind until Jet Speed run in with chairs for the save. This brings out Callis to say Jet Speed and Page want too many titles, so they should put the Trios Titles up tonight. Oh and he’s talked to Tony Khan and the match is already made.

Earlier today, FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, sat down with the Young Bucks, saying that they can prove that they’re the greatest team of this generation at Revolution. The Bucks want revenge for their family but they want to do it in front of their family at the pay per view. The brawl is nearly on but FTR agrees to walk away, only for Harwood to punch Brandon Cutler, who wasn’t part of the no contact agreement.

Jon Moxley vs. Hechicero

Non-title. They go to the mat to start with Hechicero dropping an elbow on the mat. Moxley slips out and dances a bit (as Hechicero had done as well) before going to a Kimura. Back up and they trade running shoulders, with Hechicero knocking him into the corner. Moxley bites the finger and hits a running clothesline, followed by sending Hechicero over for a Flair Flip. Hechicero is able to snap the arm across the top rope though and we take a break.

We come back with Hechicero slipping out of a fireman’s carry but getting caught in a Tower Of London to send him to the apron. That just lets Hechicero tie the leg up in the ropes, though the leg is fine enough to hit a superplex. Hechicero is able to reverse a choke into one of his own before getting switched into a cross armbreaker.

That’s reversed into a kneebar, which sends Moxley crawling over to the ropes. They slug it out until Hechicero hits a jumping enziguri, only to get caught with the big clothesline. Hechicero is back with a rolling cradle (with his legs wrapped around Moxley’s head) for two but gets Stomped right back down. That earns Moxley a double middle finger, so Moxley knees him in the head and hits the Death Rider to retain at 14:43.

Rating: B. This was the weekly “Moxley has a good match on his way to the big match” match and that’s not a bad thing. Moxley has been doing rather well as of late, though I’m not sure how long this Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family feud can continue if Moxley keeps running through members of the Family. At least it isn’t Callis talking though, and that makes things better.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out for a staredown with Moxley.

Here is an unscheduled Brody King for a chat. He wants to prove how dangerous he is to Swerve Strickland but gets Prince Nana instead. Nana asks if King wants to do this and upon hearing a yes, Nana waves Swerve out but Swerve jumps King from behind with a chain. Swerve hangs King with the chain and agrees to the match at Revolution. Bandido makes the save.

Wheeler Yuta, with the Death Riders, shows off his quickly recovering hair and credits the team for keeping him going. Marina Shafir doesn’t like Toni Storm and Jon Moxley is ready for Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution.

AEW, Dynamite, Kris Statlander, Sisters Of Sin, Thunder Rosa, Thekla, AEW Women's Title

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Women’s Title: Thunder Rosa vs. Thekla

Rosa is challenging and the seconds (Kris Statlander and the Sisters Of Sin) actually go to the back after showing up at the entrances. Thekla tells her to take a shot and gets slapped in the face, allowing Rosa to chop away in the corner. Rosa teases a running knee but Thekla rolls outside, where Rosa gets to chop away against the barricade. A running crossbody hits Thekla as well and a running crotch attack in the ropes makes it worse. Thekla is right back up with a big boot and a double stomp to the back as we take a break.

We come back with Rosa fighting up but getting caught in the upside choke in the ropes. A jumping Stunner gives Rosa a breather and she hits some running clotheslines in the corner. Rosa’s northern lights suplex gets two but Thekla catches her up top to trade forearms. The spider superplex drops Rosa again and the spear connects, only for Thekla to pull her up at two. A cutter gets Rosa out of trouble and a sitout Tombstone gets two more. Rosa misses a charge though and it’s a spear into a pair of stomps to retain the title at 11:08.

Rating: B. This was a nice, hard hitting match and a good way for Thekla to get to retain the title. Beating Rosa still feels like a big deal and that’s the kind of way to make her feel more important. Thekla has grown by leaps and bounds in recent weeks and I’m starting to look forward to seeing her on the shows. That’s a great sign for her, and she could get a lot better rather quickly.

Post match the Sisters come out so here is Statlander to go after them, with Thekla bailing.

We look back at last week’s main event.

Jack Perry talks about beating Ricochet for a third time so it’s going to be time to end the war soon. WHAT WAR??? He’s beaten you twice in title matches. What is the point of this continuing?

Oh and Ricochet isn’t worried. As he shouldn’t be with his record against Perry thus far.

Here is Tommaso Ciampa for a chat. He wants to get straight to the point of Kyle Fletcher, who gave the title an unapproved makeover. Fletcher knows he’ll lose the next time they face off and if that means he has to face Mark Briscoe first, so be it. Cue FTR to hug Ciampa and offer him a spot taking over the company. Ciampa says they hated each other years ago and there is no reason for that to have changed. There’s no non-contact clause here so Ciampa chops Harwood and it sounds like we have a singles match at Collision.

Toni Storm storms into the trainer’s room, where Orange Cassidy is recovering. They’re going to fight the Death Riders next week and at Revolution.

Trios Titles: Don Callis Family vs. Hangman Page/Jet Speed

The Family (Kazuchika Okada/Kyle Fletcher/Mark Davis) is challenging and Excalibur makes sure to remind us that Okada is the greatest tournament wrestler ever. I’m not sure why as this isn’t a tournament, but then again it’s a pretty stupid accolade in the first place. The champs charge in to start fast (with the bell ringing almost four minutes after the show is scheduled to go off the air) as I wonder why this match is able to start with a brawl on the floor when the Dogs vs. Cassidy/Allin wasn’t.

Bailey’s running hurricanrana takes Fletcher down to start and it’s off to Davis, who takes Bailey down in a hurry. Some knees to the chest have Bailey in trouble but he manages to small package Fletcher for two. That’s enough for the tag off to Page as everything breaks down. Back in and a triple dropkick hits Fletcher and the champs all rain down right hands in various corners. Fletcher is able to send Knight off the top, with the bad ribs landing on the barricade.

We take a break (over nine minutes into the over run) and come back with Knight hitting a jumping clothesline but getting dragged back into the corner. Bailey breaks up a cover off a dropkick and Knight manages to get over for the tag. That means Bailey can hit the big moonsault to Fletcher on the floor and kick Davis down for two.

The moonsault knees get two on Fletcher and Bailey kicks Okada in the head to break up the Rainmaker. Page and Davis come in to slug it out with the Deadeye connecting and Fletcher making the save. Bailey reverses Fletcher’s lawn dart into a poisonrana and Page drops Davis with a series of clotheslines. Cue MJF to take Page out though and the Rainmaker hits Knight. Davis’ piledriver finishes Knight for the titles at 13:47.

Rating: B. It was another good match, though my goodness it came at the end of a show that was way too long. The best thing here though was that they got the titles off the latest makeshift champions and onto a team who might actually team together on a regular basis. Hopefully that is the case for a good while, as it might actually let the titles be featured (because they absolutely have to exist).

Overall Rating: B+. Here’s the thing: this show had a lot of good wrestling and it did a nice job of setting up Revolution, but it felt like they were just stretching things out for the sake of making the show longer. Some of the matches could have had a few minutes cut out or just move a few things to either Collision or next week. Seeing that the show was going about eighteen minutes over the regular run time for the third week out of four didn’t make me excited, but rather think “here we go again”. Let the good stuff be good and trim out some of the less important stuff already, because adding in that much extra time isn’t helping.

Now, as for the good stuff on the show, you had a really solid opener, a nice performance from the Brawling Birds, another good Moxley match and the double main event. As usual, AEW does well when it focuses on the in-ring side of things, which was more the case here. Just work a bit harder on getting the timing under control (and yes I know it isn’t going to happen) and things will be even better.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Kevin Knight – Heatseeker
Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin b. The Dogs – Orange Punch to Connors
Brawling Birds b. IInspiration – Double pin
Hangman Page b. Marty Smith – Buckshot Lariat
Jon Moxley b. Hechicero – Death Rider
Thekla b. Thunder Rosa – Stomp
Don Callis Family b. Hangman Page/Jet Speed – Piledriver to Knight

 

 

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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