Ring Of Honor
Date: September 26, 2024
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We are back to what should be the run of the mill version of this show, as last week’s edition was taped on the road rather than in the same place for several weeks. As a result, the show was little over an hour rather than double that and it made for a much easier watch. Hopefully that continues this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the card.

Action Andretti vs. Tony Deppen

Lio Rush is here with Andretti. They trade headlocks to take over until Andretti shoulders him down. An arm trap rollup gives Deppen two but Andretti takes him down for a springboard corkscrew splash for two. Deppen hits him in the face so Andretti stomps away in the corner. Back up and Deppen fires off some clotheslines but misses a top rope double stomp. Deppen low bridges him to the floor though and hits a big flip dive. Back in and Andretti kicks away, setting up a shotgun dropkick into the corner. The split legged moonsault finishes Deppen at 5:35.

Rating: B-. Nice opener here as Deppen continues to be a good choice for a spot like this one. He can have a perfectly fine match with just about anyone and Andretti gets a nice win at the same time. They didn’t do anything revolutionary here but they started the show fairly hot and gave the fans something to cheer.

The Iron Savages and Jacked Jameson don’t like the Outrunners and are ready to slow them down.

Jacked Jameson/Boulder vs. Dark Order

Boulder drives Reynolds into the corner without much trouble to start and mocks the Dark Order pose, only to miss a splash. Jameson and Silver come in with Silver grabbing a hiptoss. Silver sends Jameson into Bounder’s chest, which earns Silver a trip to the floor and a lot of yelling.

Back in and Boulder drops down onto Silver but he slips out of a slam and sends him into the corner for some running elbows. A Black Widow has Boulder in trouble but Jameson makes a quick save. Jameson’s spinebuster gets two as everything breaks down. The Order’s run of the mill sequence sets up a jackknife rollup to pin Jameson at 5:53.

Rating: C. So the Order is just good again and can suddenly win matches, as their mini feuds against Dustin Rhodes N Pals are already turned around. That leaves us with the Savages, who are on just about every show and lose as often, so for some reason I should want to see them against the Outrunners. I’m not sure I get the logic there.

Abadon vs. Liviyah

Abadon starts with a bite to the arm but misses a charge into the corner. Liviyah’s Russian legsweep is countered into a backbreaker ad the Black Dahlia finishes for Abadon at 1:40. usual short Abadon match.

Red Velvet is ready to face Diamante, who is in her prime 15-16 years into her career. Velvet has done it in 8 though, which has Diamante ready to fight. She’s ready to take the title from Velvet and the match seems on for some point in the future.

Brian Cage vs. Alec Price

Cage runs him over with a shoulder to start and shrugs off a superkick before sending Price flying by the throat. The corner clotheslines and some beals have Price in more trouble and Cage gorilla presses him over the top. Cage throws him back inside but Price manages a quick dropkick. Some running knees in the corner rock Cage, who German suplexes Price into the corner. Three powerbombs into an F10 finishes Price at 4:42.

Rating: C. You can pretty much guarantee what you’re going to get from a Cage match and it was on full display here. Cage did his stuff, hit his big power moves and, after selling a bit, finished him off. That’s not the worst thing to see, but as is the case with so many people around here, there is little reason to believe Cage is going anywhere.

We look back at the Kingdom vs. Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara last week on Collision, because it wasn’t about to be on this show.

Athena/Billie Starkz vs. LMK/Christina Marie

Starkz and Marie start things off with the latter grabbing an armdrag into a slam but Starkz cuts that off in a hurry. Athena comes in and sends her into the barricade, followed by a suplex from Starkz back inside. Marie kicks her away though and it’s LMK coming in to kick Athena in the head. Everything breaks down and Athena hits a Big Ending/side slam to both of them at the same time. Starkz gives Marie a middle rope DDT and Athena grabs a reverse Koji Clutch to make LMK tap at 4:17.

Rating: C. It was nice to have Athena and Starkz get a win like this as they haven’t been having many matches as of late. Athena has officially set the record for the longest title reign in Ring Of Honor history, which makes me wonder how long she needs to hold the thing. There is no record left for her to break so maybe it’s time to finally go somewhere else with the title already.

Post match the beating stays on until Abadon comes in for the save. Athena leaves Billie alone and Abadon beats the daylights out of her.

Johnny TV. vs. Komander

TV strikes away to start but Komander picks up the pace. A shot to the face drops Komander rather quickly but he snaps off a wristdrag for a breather. Komander sends him outside, only to have TV come back with a running knee for two. The chinlock is broken up so TV steps on his head, followed by a series of kicks. TV grabs another chinlock but Komander fights up and fires off some kicks of his own.

That doesn’t work for TV, who pulls him into a bodyscissors to keep things slow. Komander fights up and breaks out of a superplex attempt, setting up a big springboard dive to the floor. Back in and TV hits his flipping neckbreaker but Starship Pain misses. Cielito Lindo is countered into a super Spanish Fly but Komander is back with a springboard poisonrana (doesn’t quite work). Now Cielito Lindo can give Komander the pin at 8:46.

Rating: B-. This was a way to make Komander look good after his big moment at the end of Dynamite, though one win doesn’t exactly make up for months of him being so middle of the road. As usual, TV is capable of making most people look better without losing much of his own status. That is a valuable thing to have and he made it work here.

Pure Wrestling Title: Preston Vance vs. Lee Moriarty

Moriarty, with Shane Taylor, is defending. Vance powers him down to start and then does it again to prove his point. A running shoulder drops Moriarty again but a right hand is enough to warn Vance a warning. Some corner clotheslines and a German suplex have Moriarty in trouble so Vance takes him outside for some rams into the barricade.

Back in and Moriarty manages a boot to the face, meaning it’s time for some choking in the corner (as the on-screen clock jumps forward about eight minutes for some reason). A suplex gives Moriarty two and the threat of a choke sends Vance to the ropes for the first break. Vance burns through another break a few seconds later but he breaks out of an early Border City Stretch attempt. Moriarty uses the ropes to escape the full nelson slam and goes outside. Back in and a faceplant sets up la majistral to retain the title at 7:03.

Rating: C+. And that’s what we get after two weeks of Vance wins, as he is the latest victim of the lowest level singles title around here. The Pure Title is another one that could be dropped without losing much but in theory it’s the kind of title you can put on the line here to make a show feel more important. In theory at least, as it really doesn’t work out that well.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s amazing how much easier this show is to watch when they cut it down to a manageable length. This show was just over an hour and it made things that much more enjoyable. It felt like they were a lot more focused this week, with a lot less filler and move things being set up for the future. Still not exactly a great or interesting show, but far less annoying than it had been for a stretch there.

Results
Action Andretti b. Tony Deppen – Split legged moonsault
Dark Order b. Jacked Jameson/Boulder – Jackknife rollup to Jameson
Abadon b. Liviyah – Black Dahlia
Brian Cage b. Alec Price – F10
Athena/Billie Starkz b. LMK/Christian Marie – Reverse Koji Clutch to LMK
Komander b. Johnny TV – Cielito Lindo
Lee Moriarty b. Preston Vance – La majistral

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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 19, 2024
Location: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re FINALLY out of Texas and that means it is likely time to do the same stuff this show usually does but in a different place for a change. There are only so many stories going on around here at the moment but maybe something else can start up here. Ring Of Honor could certainly use them so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

Red Velvet vs. Allysin Kay

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Kay wins or lasts the ten minute time limit, she receives a future title shot. They miss charges to start but velvet snaps off a headscissors before choking in the corner. A wheelbarrow suplex puts Velvet down for two and a Samoan drop plants her again, setting up a fall away slam for two more. Kay works on the ankle lock before switching to the cross arm choke. Velvet hits a quick Stunner but walks into a spinebuster for another near fall. Back up and Velvet hits something like a jawbreaker into some running knees in the ropes. The Final Slice finishes Kay at 5:33.

Rating: C. Kay is someone who feels like she could be something if she was around for any significant amount of time. Instead she’s just kind of any other person around here, which is a bit of a stretch given her history both here and elsewhere. It isn’t like there are a ton of challengers to Velvet, but at least she got a win over something of a name.

Video on Sammy Guevara/Dustin Rhodes vs. the Dark Order.

Gates Of Agony vs. Dante Leon/Trip Jordy

Kaun backbreakers Jordy to start and it’s off to Toa for some shots to the ribs. A double slam sets up a big toss and it’s Leon coming in to get beaten against the ropes. Open The Gates finishes at 2:08. Short and to the point.

Preston Vance vs. Brandon Cutler

Before the match, Cutler mocks the idea of Vance not being able to hit him until the Code Of Honor is enforced. Vance shakes his hand and then hits him in the face to start fast. Cutler gets beaten up in the corner and a backdrop has him on the floor. A Stunner over the ropes gets Cutler out of trouble and he grabs the quickly broken chinlock. Vance comes back with a spinning belly to back slam for two but Cutler superkicks him into a pumphandle slam for the same. Vance isn’t having that and finishes with the discus lariat at 4:03.

Rating: C. Vance getting to appear again is something of a good sign for his future but beating Cutler isn’t going to get him very far. The fans weren’t really caring much for Vance, but Cutler is enough of a loudmouth that beating him is going to get something of a reaction. Not much to see here, but it’s better for Vance than not being on the show.

Last week, the Iron Savages jumped the Outrunners.

The Outrunners respect the Iron Savages’ muscles but they have no glitz to go with their glamour.

John Silver vs. KM

The much bigger KM poses so Silver does the same until KM punches him down. A clothesline puts Silver down again and KM chokes away in the corner. Silver trips him into the ropes though and hits a running boot. A German suplex into the Spin Cycle finishes KM off at 2:55. Silver is suddenly good again after being evil for a few weeks. Makes as much sense as anything else the team does.

Mark Sterling hypes up Josh Woods.

Rachael Ellering vs. Maggie Lee

Ellering takes her down by the arm to start and fires off some clotheslines. Maggie’s running knee is shrugged off and Ellering kicks her in the head. The backsplash and Boss Woman Slam finish Maggie at 2:48.

Video on Beef and Anthony Henry.

Infantry vs. Spanish Announce Project

Trish Adora is here with the Infantry. Bravo and Angelico start things off with a fight over wrist control. They both miss dropkicks so it’s a bit of dancing before Serpentico and Dean come in. Serpentico hurricanranas Dean down but a double hiptoss drops Serpentico as well. Angelico comes back in to work on Bravo’s arm before a belly to back suplex gets two. Bravo fights his way out of an armbar and brings Dean back in to pick up the pace. A Falcon Arrow hits Serpentico for two but the Project hits a Downward Spiral into a frog splash for two of their own. Back up and a quick Boot Camp finishes Serpentico at 7:19.

Rating: C+. So we spent about six months working on the Project vs. Griff Garrison and Cole Karter and after all that, the Project is right back to being the same low level tag team they’ve always been. At the same time you have the Infantry win something while feeling nowhere near close to a title shot, mainly because they aren’t two guys from Texas who were given a title match out of nowhere. Such is life in Ring Of Honor.

Anthony Ogogo vs. Kit Sackett

Ogogo poses to start and muscles him up with a pumphandle powerbomb. Some stomping in the corner has Sackett in more trouble and an overhead belly to belly cuts off the comeback attempt. The pop up right hand finishes Sackett at 2:59. Ogogo continues his matches that involve one move and nothing else of note.

Brian Cage vs. Deonn Rusman

Cage wrestles him down to start and then sends him flying to shift to the power. A clothesline and belly to back suplex has Rusman in more trouble but he hits a quick dropkick. Rusman hits a quick Rock Bottom for two but a frog splash misses. Allowing Cage to powerbomb him down. A Cloverleaf makes Rusman tap at 3:42.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but at the same time it’s just a Brian Cage match. He does his same thing over and over and there isn’t much to be seen from it. There is no reason to believe that Cage is going to move forward in the slightest as he never really does, but the power stuff was ok enough.

Anthony Ogogo, with Shane Taylor, wants some gold.

Dark Order vs. Sammy Guevara/Dustin Rhodes

Another non-title Proving Ground match. Reynolds bails to the floor to burn some clock to start and Guevara poses on the top rope. We hear about Dustin’s start as part of the Texas Broncos in 1988 as Uno bails outside away from Dustin. Back in and a double Russian legsweep takes Uno down so the Order bails outside and the champs get to pose.

John Silver gets in a quick posting on Dustin though and they head inside with Dustin in trouble. The snap powerslam gets Dustin out of trouble but Silver’s distraction means the referee doesn’t see the tag. Uno hits a piledriver for two but Dustin dives over and brings in Guevara for the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Dustin gives Reynolds a Canadian Destroyer. The Final Reckoning into Guevara’s Swanton finishes at 7:26.

Rating: C+. This was a great example of the problem with Rhodes and Guevara as the champions: there is no real connection to them other than they’re from Texas and their chemistry is just pretty basic. Throw in the fact that they’re facing the Dark Order, who have been rather low level for a long time and there wasn’t much to see here.

Post match the Cage of Agony runs in wrecks the champs to end the show. Oh joy: the Gates of Agony being featured again.

Overall Rating: C. Well sweet goodness look what happens when you cut off about an hour of the show. It’s still not particularly good and certainly not worth watching, but it’s far less infuriating. It still felt longer than it needed to be but the matches were mostly short and they were a bit more focused this week. Far easier sit here, but that doesn’t make it interesting.

Results
Red Velvet b. Allysin Kay – Final Slice
Gates Of Agony b. Dante Leon/Trip Jordy – Open The Gates to Leon
Preston Vance b. Brandon Cutler – Discus lariat
John Silver b. KM – Spin Cycle
Rachael Ellering b. Maggie Lee – Boss Woman Slam
Infantry b. Spanish Announce Project – Boot Camp to Serpentico
Anthony Ogogo b. Kit Sackett via knockout
Brian Cage b. Deonn Rusman – Cloverleaf
Dustin Rhodes/Sammy Guevara b. Dark Order – Swanton Bomb to Reynolds

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Rampage
Date: August 23, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s All In weekend and therefore this show is likely going to be about getting things finalized for Wembley. While the card is mostly set, there are some stories that could use some last minute work, which is what we should be seeing here. That should be enough to carry the show so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Conglomeration vs. Brian Cage/Beast Mortos/Johnny TV

Roderick Strong is on commentary as O’Reilly headlocks TV to start. Ishii comes in for some double striking with O’Reilly before ramming into Mortos. It’s off to Cage, who Briscoe throws into a knee from O’Reilly. TV comes in and kicks away on O’Reilly before Mortos runs him over and cranks on the neck. We take a break and come back with TV dropping O’Reilly and Briscoe but getting glared off by Ishii. The tag brings Ishii in to slug Mortos down, followed by a suplex to Cage.

Mortos knocks Ishii into the corner but he easily suplexes his way to freedom. The big tag brings in Briscoe to clean house, including an abundance of suplexes. Everything breaks down and they head outside, meaning it’s a bunch of flip dives. Back in and Ishii and O’Reilly go high/low on TV, setting up O’Reilly’s cross armbreaker for the tap at 13:18.

Rating: B-. That’s all a match like this needed to be as the Conglomeration got to add some star power and beat up a fairly random group of heels. It’s a fine way to start off a show and it worked well here, especially with TV taking the loss. He more or less is only around to take losses anymore and he did his job well here.

Post match the Conglomeration goes to leave but runs into the Undisputed Kingdom on the way to the ring. Violence is avoided though.

Roderick Strong vs. Fuego del Sol

Kyle O’Reilly is on commentary. O’Reilly stomps away in the corner to start and there’s the first backbreaker to drop del Sol. Some suplexes set up something like a Gory Stretch but del Sol slips into a rollup for two. Del Sol kicks away but Strong catches him on top for another backbreaker onto the buckle. End of Heartache finishes del Sol at 3:22.

Rating: C. Pretty much just a squash for Strong here, as he gets to be built back up a bit after losing in the triple thread last week. Strong and the Undisputed Kingdom could use the boost, but more than that they need something to do. Feuding with the Conglomeration is certainly a way to go and at least AEW seems to be trying something.

Mina Shirakawa vs. Robyn Renegade

Mina dances to start, then hits her in the face and dances some more. It’s time to work on Robyn’s leg, which again means more dancing. A front facelock keeps Robyn in trouble but she finally knocks Mina into the corner and stomps away. We take a break and come back with Robyn tying her in the ropes for a stomp to the back. Mina goes for the leg again to get out of trouble, including rolling Robyn into a Figure Four for the tap at 7:42.

Rating: C+. Mina is good enough in the ring, but there is no secret to the fact that she is getting over because she is pure charisma. There are not many people who can get a crowd’s attention like that and it worked well here. Not exactly a great match, but that was a sweet transition into the Figure Four.

Hikaru Shida is upset about losing to Mercedes Mone and promises to not be an afterthought.

Gates Of Agony vs. Iron Savages

Bronson powers Kaun into the corner to start, only for Kaun to reverse for some rapid fire chops. A clothesline cuts Bronson off and it’s off to Boulder vs. Liona. They trade standing clotheslines until Boulder manages a knockdown but charges into a Samoan drop. Everything breaks down and Open The Gates finishes Bronson at 3:08.

Rating: C. Pretty much nothing to this one, though seeing the Savages lose is always worth a smile. At the end of the day though, neither of these teams are going anywhere and there is no reason to believe that is going to change. They’re two of the designated jobbing teams of the division and one of them beating the other isn’t going to move them into a new reality.

Video on Top Flight and Lio Rush vs. the Blackpool Combat Club/Pac for the final spot in the four way ladder match for the Trios Titles. That made my head hurt.

Outrunners vs. Von Erichs

Erica Leigh and Dustin Rhodes are here too. Magnum takes Ross down to start and, yes, strikes a pose. Back up and Ross hits a dropkick so it’s off to Floyd for a slam and a pose. That just earns him a few slams from Ross before the Outrunners are both knocked outside. We take a break and come back with Floyd hitting a slam but missing an elbow.

A sunset flip is broken up though and Ross gets chopped into the corner. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Ross fights up and low bridges Magnum to the floor. That and a backdrop allow the tag off to Marshall as everything breaks down. The Cannonball hits Floyd and the Claw finishes for Marshall at 9:48.

Rating: C. The Outrunners are fun enough that they can make up for how sick I’ve become of the Von Erichs during this residency. The team just isn’t that interesting and are mainly there because of their family connections. It’s not much of a main event but it’s more for the live crowd than the TV audience, which isn’t the best idea, but it’s what we’ve been getting in recent weeks.

Post match the Cage of Agony and the Undisputed Kingdom run in for the beatdown. Sammy Guevara and the Conglomeration run in to clear the ring.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener was good, but the rest of the show wasn’t exactly worth seeing. This was a weaker edition of the show, but as usual, there is only so much to take issue with in a show that runs about forty five minutes after the commercials. Nothing much to see here, but there are worse ways to spend a Friday night.

Results
Conglomeration b. Brian Cage/Beast Mortos/Johnny TV – Cross armbreaker to TV
Roderick Strong b. Fuego del Sol – End of Heartache
Mina Shirakawa b. Robyn Renegade – Figure Four
Gates Of Agony b. Iron Savages – Open The Gates to Bronson
Von Erichs b. Outrunners – Claw to Floyd

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

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Collision
Date: August 3, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re still in Texas with the Arlington residency and things have gone well enough so far. This show is coming off a Dynamite which wasn’t as eventful as recent weeks but that doesn’t mean things are going to be weaker this time around. Hopefully it can follow the successful Collision formula so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is the Patriarchy, with Christian Cage holding all of the belts, to get things going. Cage tells the fans to shut up while he conducts his business and can’t wait to get on his private plane to get out of here. He brags about winning the Trios Titles, which are a vehicle to get to the World Title. They aren’t belts but rather titles, because a belt holds your pants up or beats an unruly child. For now though, it is time to present the Patriarchy with their titles.

Nick Wayne is a prodigy and Killswitch is Cage’s finisher….but Killswitch didn’t give birth to a prodigy, so Mother Wayne gets his belt instead. Killswitch grabs Cage but here is the House Of Black to interrupt. Cage only sees two of them so no, they can’t be #1 contenders. Cage thinks they want some fatherly advice but the lights go out and here is Buddy Matthews to chase the Patriarchy off. Cue the Bang Bang Gang to cut them off and Kip Sabian sends Nick back inside for the beating. They’re teasing things with Cage and Luchasaurus and the fans are right there with them for it.

Dustin Rhodes and the Von Erichs talk about their partnership and families’ history. Sammy Guevara comes in to say he wants to team with them and earn their trust because they’re Texas legends. Dustin shakes his hand.

Mistico/Hologram vs. Premiere Athletes

Yes they have Mistico, no they didn’t announce him in any major way in advance and yes they are using him to get Hologram over. Hologram takes Daivari down to start and snaps off a hurricanrana into a dropkick to keep Daivari in trouble. It’s off to Mistico for a springboard high crossbody into something like Silly String. The luchadors tease dives but get in a stereo pose instead.

We take a break and come back with Mistico fighting out of a chinlock and hitting the double handspring elbow to drop the Athletes. It’s back to Hologram to pick up the pace with a hammerlock faceplant getting two on Daivari. Nese is back in with his pumphandle driver for two on Hologram with Mistico making the save. Hologram dives onto Mark Sterling (the fans approve) and Mistico hits a springboard missile dropkick on Nese. Hologram hits a big rope walk flip dive (taking out Mistico as well), setting up a 450 to finish Daivari at 9:40.

Rating: B-. The match was the fun stuff you would expect but my goodness it boggles my mind that this is the best they can do with Mistico. You do not get someone of his caliber very often and this is the best they have for him? At least announce him a bit more in advance to draw some kind of an audience with what you have there. Also, maybe don’t try to get your new luchador over with the biggest luchador in the world right now.

We look at Bryan Danielson not being pleased with Jeff Jarrett and setting up their match on Dynamite.

Mariah May comes out for commentary during Toni Storm’s match but here is Storm to dive onto May for the brawl (McGuinness: “SHE’S GONE FULL NORMA DESMOND!”).

Toni Storm vs. Rache Chanel

Chanel uses the distraction to jump Storm, who hits the Hip Attack and Storm Zero for the pin at 57 seconds.

Kyle Fletcher talks about his friendship with Will Osprey, which is why he stood up to MJF.

We look at MJF coming to CMLL for an American Title defense.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Brian Cage

Don Callis is on commentary. They fight over a lockup to start with Cage kneeing him down but getting sent to the floor. The big dive takes him out again as Callis praises Fletcher (and himself) as much as he can. They go to the ramp for a running cannonball from Fletcher as we take a break. Back with Cage slamming him off the top but the Drill Claw (Callis: “This move scares me.”) is countered into a small package. Fletcher’s piledriver finishes at 6:01. Not enough shown to rate, but how in the world does a six minute match need a break?

Post match Fletcher challenges MJF to put the title on the line in their match. MJF pops up on screen and says he doesn’t like Fletcher’s accent so let’s make it an eliminator match instead. This sends us to a break, maybe five minutes after we came back from the previous break.

Bryan Danielson is having Wheeler Yuta go after his neck in training because he knows Swerve Strickland is coming for it at All In.

Jay Lethal and company cut off Jeff Jarrett, who says no one got what they wanted but he’s ready for Bryan Danielson on Dynamite. Danielson needs to get ready for Swerve Strickland so let’s make it anything goes.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Lee Moriarty

For a Continental Title shot and Shane Taylor is here with Moriarty. They do the circle strike to start with Moriarty being shouldered down, leaving Ishii and Castagnoli to trade shoulders. Moriarty is back in with a dropkick to both of them but Castagnoli stomps him down in the corner. Back up and Moriarty dropkicks him out to the floor, setting up the dive as we take a break.

We come back with an exchange of German suplexes and everyone is down. Castagnoli and Ishii are both up to slug it out until Castagnoli Swings Moriarty. Ishii is back in but gets rolled up by Moriarty. Castagnoli makes a save and slugs it out with Ishii again. Moriarty rolls both of them up and gets the Border City Stretch on Ishii, who has to make the rope. Castagnoli plants Moriarty so Ishii makes a save of his own, leaving Castagnoli to uppercut Moriarty for the pin at 10:31.

Rating: B-. That’s a very AEW style of booking: taking three people, putting them into a random #1 contenders match and having the new Ring Of Honor champion take the fall. It’s another example of not being able to take Ring Of Honor seriously and I have no idea why Moriarty needed to be in there. Was there really not a non-champion available to do the job?

Top Flight, now with Leila Grey as their attendant, is interrupted by the MxM Collection. They don’t like Grey’s gear and pose.

Thunder Rosa vs. Taya Valkyrie

Johnny TV is here with Taya. An early TV distraction lets Taya jump her to start and the rope choking is on. Taya stomps away and kicks her in the back but Rosa is up with a running corner clothesline. The sliding lariat sends Taya outside and we take a break. Back with Rosa unloading with forearms on Taya and scoring with some dropkicks. Taya strikes away but gets double stomped for two. Johnny pulls Taya out and the distraction lets Taya score with a spear for two. Rosa dropkicks Johnny through the ropes and pulls Taya into the seated cobra clutch for the win at 7:50.

Rating: C+. Another match where they didn’t get to really showcase that much because of the break in the middle but Rosa gets to look good again, this time in victory. She’s done well since her return but losing to Deonna Purrazzo all the time isn’t helping things. For now though, a win over a nae who has been around for a good while should only help her.

Post match Rosa calls out Deonna Purrazzo, who mocks Rosa for all of her losses. Rosa issues the challenge for a Texas Bullrope match next week.

Darby Allin/FTR/Mark Briscoe vs. Beast Mortos/Undisputed Kingdom

Harwood and Strong start things off with Harwood grabbing a headlock. That doesn’t last long as Strong is back up with some chops but Harwood armdrags him into an armbar. Wheeler comes in to grab a hammerlock and the good guys get to take turns on the arm. Strong manages a quick shot though and it’s off to Bennett to chop it out with Harwood. Taven comes in to take over on Briscoe, who quickly brainbusters him for a breather.

It’s off to Allin for a headlock into a cradle for two as the fast tags continue. Mortos comes in (the fans approve) to drop Wheeler with a clothesline. Briscoe tries to go after Mortos but the referee holds him back, leaving Wheeler to chop it out with Strong. Wheeler gets dropkicked to the floor for the big beatdown as we take a break. Back with Wheeler hitting a middle rope bulldog for a needed breather. Strong is smart enough to take out Wheeler’s partners but the tag brings Briscoe in a few seconds later anyway.

Briscoe gets to clean house but has to slip out of the Proton pack. A Razor’s Edge/neckbreaker combination into the Froggy Bow gets two on Taven with Strong making the save. Mortos hits a huge suicide dive, followed by a twisting Swanton for two on Harwood. Strong comes back in but Harwood gets in a double clothesline for the double knockdown.

Bennett Death Valley Drivers Briscoe on the apron as everything breaks down. Mortos strikes away at Harwood until another double knockdown allows the tag back to Allin. House is quickly cleaned as Briscoe and Mortos knock each other down on the floor. Strong gets sent into the barricade but Taven lets go of the Hail Mary to go after Wheeler for some reason. Allin breaks up another Hail Mary attempt before he and Wheeler hit stereo suicide dives. The PowerPlex into the Froggy Bow into the Coffin Drop finishes Taven at 18:56.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a match with everyone looking good in the process, with Allin getting the pin to slowly build him up for the title match in nearly two months. In theory Mortos is the next challenger to Briscoe, who wanted to fight Mortos here, but it wasn’t exactly a focus. FTR going after the ROH Tag Team Titles would feel like a waste, but then again the titles don’t quite have much in the way of a status anyway right now.

Post match Harwood grabs the mic to say how much he loves everything here and calls his team the heart and soul of AEW. Cue the Acclaimed to say not so fast because FTR wasn’t in Blood & Guts last week. They don’t care about FTR’s legacy because the Acclaimed is the real heart and soul around here. The challenge is made for the tag match but Mark Briscoe breaks it up, saying this is what the Young Bucks want. Harwood extends his hand but Billy Gunn won’t let it happen. Gunn and the Acclaimed leave to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. That was certainly a Collision, with little that mattered and the big story being a match that we already knew about being turned into the dreaded Eliminator Match. Oh and Jeff Jarrett vs. Bryan Danielson is now anything goes. As usual, Collision needs a bit more than advertising what is going to happen on Dynamite, but if they can’t even advertise Mistico further in advance, it isn’t like it matters that much anyway.

Results
Mistico/Hologram b. Premiere Athletes – 450 to Daivari
Toni Storm b. Rache Chanel – Storm Zero
Kyle Fletcher b. Brian Cage – Piledriver
Claudio Castagnoli b. Lee Moriarty and Tomohiro Ishii – Uppercut to Moriarty
Thunder Rosa b. Taya Valkyrie – Seated cobra clutch
FTR/Darby Allin/Mark Briscoe b. Beast Mortos/Undisputed Kingdom – Coffin Drop to Taven

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

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Rampage
Date: August 2, 2024
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We are now officially less than a month away from All In and that means the show’s card has already started coming together. Most of the bigger matches are either set or have been teased and there is a good chance of moving things forward this week. If nothing else, we should be in for solid action, as tends to be the case around here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Wheeler Yuta vs. The Butcher

Bryan Danielson is on commentary. Feeling out process to start until Yuta strikes away as Danielson is right there to explain the idea behind what Yuta is doing. Butcher shoulders him down to take over and a backdrop keeps Yuta in trouble. Back up and Yuta manages to send him outside for the suicide dive, only to be knocked out of the air back inside. Butcher plants him down and we take a break.

We come back with Yuta hitting a high crossbody as Danielson talks about wanting to face Jeff Jarrett on Dynamite. A flying forearm drops Butcher and a German suplex gives Yuta two. Butcher backbreakers his way out of a Kimura and grabs a sitout powerbomb for two of his own. Yuta fights up and sends him shoulder first into the buckle, setting up the up and down elbows. Cattle Mutilation of all things finishes Butcher at 10:39.

Rating: C+. This is one of those ideas that will always work as you have the smaller Yuta fighting the scary looking monster in Butcher. It was made even better by having Danielson there to push the idea, which he can do rather well. They didn’t reinvent the wheel here, but they didn’t have to as they made a simple idea work well.

The MxM Collection are only addicted to shampooing and conditioning and the only shots they take are beauty shots.

Brian Cage vs. Manny Lo

Cage grabs a suplex to start, followed by posing and Weapon X for the pin at 1:01.

We look at Kyle Fletcher yelling at MJF to set up their match on Dynamite.

Fletcher is cut off by Don Callis before Brian Cage comes in. Cage vs. Fletcher is set for Collision. That will be three straight nights of Cage wrestling (counting Ring Of Honor), which seems a bit excessive.

Nyla Rose vs. Harley Cameron

Cameron says this is for Saraya (who isn’t here). For some reason Cameron tries to go straight after Rose, who just glares at her. A kick to the back of Rose’s head only makes her mad, with Cameron being sent outside for a baseball slide. Cameron manages to send her into the barricade to take over, followed by some boot choking back inside.

We take a break and come back with Rose grabbing a backbreaker and elbowing her down for two. Cameron gets in a shot of her own but misses the Cannonball. A knee to the head gives Cameron two, followed by a Bronco Buster. That doesn’t work for Rose, who sits up with a Beast Bomb for the pin at 8:58.

Rating: C+. This was Cameron hammering away on the much bigger monster to limited avail. At the end of the day, Rose basically treated her like a fly and smashed her to wrap things up. I could go for more of more of Rose in almost any kind of role and if that means having a more competitive than expected match with Cameron, so I’ll be glad with what I’m getting.

Private Party is ready for the MxM Collection but doesn’t seem to be taking them seriously.

Bryan Keith vs. Jackson Drake

The rest of the Learning Tree is here as Keith strikes away to send him into the corner. Keith ties him in the Tree of Woe and stomps away, allowing Big Bill to get in some choking from the floor. A suplex into a running kick to the chest sets up Diamond Dust to finish for Keith at 3:10.

Rating: C. I can only get so annoyed at anyone who uses Diamond Dust, which is still one of the coolest looking moves anywhere. This was a quick way to build Keith up a bit, especially after his hiatus due to the injury. The Learning Tree needs something to do and I’m not sure what that is at the moment.

Katsuyori Shibata is ready to hurt Bryan Keith to even the score.

The Kingdom is ready for FTR.

Private Party vs. MxM Collection

Mansoor and Isiah Kassidy start things off with the latter being taken down for a walk over his back. Back up and they argue over how serious this is before flipping to a standoff. Mansoor gets dropkicked out to the floor and it’s off to Mason to power Kassidy into the corner. Everything breaks down Mansoor gets double flapjacked down to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Kassidy faceplanting Mansoor, setting up a neckbreaker/ for two with Mason making the save. Mason gets kicked down but manages to power both of them over with a double suplex. An exchange of strikes leaves everyone down for a breather. Mason is sent outside, where he catches Kassidy’s dive with a swinging Boss Man Slam. Back in and Mason chokeslams Quen off the top, setting up an assisted double arm inverted DDT for the pin at 12:02.

Rating: C+. So far the Collection has been getting to showcase a few different sides of themselves, with the promos being much more goofy while the matches themselves are more on the serious side. It’s a mixture that is working so far and they are certainly getting television time. We’ll have to see where it goes, but it could be a far worse start.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a bit different after last week’s big Royal Rampage edition as it was more about the in-ring action. That being said, there was only so much to be seen here, with little in the way of interesting. Nothing on here was bad, but it was a show that you really did not need to see.

Results
Wheeler Yuta b. The Butcher – Cattle Mutlation
Brian Cage b. Manny Lo – Weapon X
Nyla Rose b. Harley Cameron – Beast Bomb
Bryan Keith b. Jackson Drake via
MxM Collection b. Private Party – Assisted double arm inverted DDT to Quen

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Ring Of Honor
Date: August 1, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re done with Death Before Dishonor and the big story is we have a few new champions. In reality we have five new champions, but three of them were not actually crowned at the pay per view. We have about five months before the next pay per view so odds are we’ll be taking the foot off the gas a bit this week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Death Before Dishonor if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Death Before Dishonor, as narrated by new boss Paul Wight.

Opening sequence.

We look back at Dustin Rhodes and the Von Erichs winning the Six Man Tag Team Titles at Battle Of The Belts.

Six Man Tag Team Titles: Von Erichs/Dustin Rhodes vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages

Jameson and the Savages are challenging. Marshall and Jameson start things off with Marshall snapping off some pushups. Some right hands in the corner have Jameson in trouble and it’s off to Ross vs. Boulder, with the latter taking over. Marshall can’t slam him but the Von Erichs can double dropkick him down. Marshall’s standing moonsault gets two but Boulder runs Ross over.

Some hard elbows give Bronson two, only to have Ross pop back up with the Sling Blade for the same. Rhodes comes in for the atomic drop into a bulldog but a cheap shot from the apron puts Rhodes down. Some cannonballs down onto the back have Rhodes in more trouble and Jameson shoves a bulldog attempt into the corner for two. Boulder’s running splash gets two more and Bronson grabs the chinlock.

Rhodes fights back up but charges into a spinebuster for two. Bronson decks the Von Erichs so even after Rhodes’ backdrop, there is no one to tag. Not that it matters as Marshall is up for the tag a few seconds later. Marshall dropkicks Boulder and gets in a slam for two. Rhodes hits the Canadian Destroyer to Jameson and the Von Erichs add a double Shattered Dreams. The Claw Slam retains the titles at 12:18.

Rating: C. If there has ever been a match that felt like it was designed to test my patience like no other, this was it. The Savages and Jameson are as useless of a team as I’ve ever seen and the whole “we’re from Texas so you should like us” isn’t working for Rhodes and the Von Erichs. Throw in the titles feeling like they were brought back for the sole purpose of giving these guys something to do and this was not an easy sit.

Mark Briscoe, with his newborn son Jay, brags about retaining his title.

Top Flight vs. Ace Of Space Academy

Top Flight debuts Leila Grey as their Attendant in a funny name. Dante works on LSG’s arm to start before it’s off to GMK, who helps LSG with Rocket By Baby (a double flipping faceplant). Darius suplexes his way out of trouble and hands it back to Dante to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Darius’ springboard Downward Spiral gets two, setting up the F5 DDT to finish GMK at 4:20.

Rating: C+. Fun match here as LSG is an old hand from Ring Of Honor who can work well in a match like this. I’m always glad to see Top Flight doing something as they have long since seemed like a team ready to move up the ladder. Maybe the addition of Grey is a good sign, but I’ll believe it when I see it.

The Infantry is tired of seeing Top Flight everywhere. Trish Adora says they have a new stewardess. Bravo: “Who?” Trish: “Leila Grey.” Bravo: “THEY GOT LEILA??? I’VE BEEN TRYING TO GET LEILA FOR YEARS!”

Leyla Hirsch dislocated her elbow beating Diamante at Death Before Dishonor.

Robyn Renegade vs. Maya World

Renegade elbows her down to start but World flips up on the kickout. A knee drops World again but she’s back up with a spear for two. Not that it matters as Renegade’s pumphandle into a Downward Spiral is enough for the pin at 1:53.

Anthony Henry is asked about JD Drake’s absence but his cousin Beef comes in and is really excited to be Henry’s partner. Yes, someone named Beef is getting a chance.

Beast Mortos vs. AR Fox

After a minor mistake from Riccaboni as he refers to Death Before Dishonor as “last night”, they trade rollups for two each to start. The offer of a handshake doesn’t work for Mortos, who runs him over with a clothesline. Fox manages to send him outside for a heck of a suicide dive, only to have his big charge cut off with a hard clothesline. Back in and Mortos hits a pop up Samoan drop for two and he starts hammering away at the back.

Fox manages a jumping hanging DDT though and a jumping enziguri sends Mortos into the corner. A cutter gives Fox two and Mortos is sent outside for the big dive. Back in and a 450 gives Fox two but Mortos grabs that weird torture rack backbreaker of his. A powerbomb backbreaker sets up a discus lariat for two on Fox. What looked to be a chokeslam is broken up is countered but Mortos flips him into a tombstone for the pin at 10:40.

Rating: B-. These guys got it going in the middle and had a fast paced match, with Mortos winning over the guy who was there to make him look good. I could go for more of Mortos as he’s a different kind of monster who could go somewhere in the right role. Fox on the other hand is in the right role, as someone who can have an entertaining match with just about anyone.

The MxM Collection is ready to face anyone, even with Mansoor’s breast still hurting from FTR’s chops.

Anthony Henry vs. Wheeler Yuta

Henry’s cousin Beef is in the crowd. They go technical to start with Yuta getting his armbar reversed into a headlock. A slam into a backsplash gets Yuta out of trouble and it’s time to tie up Henry’s legs. With that broken up, Yuta pulls the turnbuckle pad off and crushes Henry’s face against the steel. Henry slips out and starts working on the arm, setting up a cross arm choke.

Yuta flips out and grabs a belly to back suplex, setting up a top rope forearm and DDT for two each. Henry’s cross armbreaker is reversed into an ankle lock, with Yuta switching into a bridging German suplex for two. Back up and Henry’s straitjacket suplex gets two and it’s time for some YES Kicks. They slug it out before locking hands, with Yuta taking him down and stomping hard. The Seatbelt puts Henry away at 10:06.

Rating: B-. Fun match here as Yuta gets his momentum back after losing the title on Friday. I’m sure he’ll be back in the title picture soon enough, as he seems destined to be fighting for that title when he’s 83 years old. On the other hand you have Henry, who gets a new second debuting and then loses, which is a bit of a weird way to go.

Post match Beef and Henry yell at each other. Yuta on the other hand sees a fan holding a sign saying it’s his first show and asking for a high five, which he receives. That will always make me smile.

Lee Moriarty is happy with his title win because he didn’t give up. He’ll face anyone but warns them to protect their neck. Moriarty was showing some fire here.

Premiere Athletes vs. Superstarz

The Superstarz look like stereotypical 80s rockers (alas minus the Midnight). Nese runs #1 over to start and hands it off to Daivari to hammer away in the corner as commentary makes every 80s music reference they can find. Daivari misses a big elbow but Nese is right there to break up the tag attempt. Nese dives onto #2 and Daivari adds the hammerlock lariat into the Magic Carpet Splash for the pin on #1 at 2:42.

Anthony Henry is upset at the loss but Beef cheers him up. Henry really did not need three segments on one show.

Jacoby Watts vs. Fuego del Sol

Watts has Nick Comoroto with him. Before the bell, Watts says if del Sol had listened to him, he wouldn’t have had to leave in the first place. That just earns him a dropkick as we start fast. Watts isn’t happy and a bridging northern lights suplex for two makes it worse. A running clothesline gets Watts out of trouble but del Sol flips out of a belly to back suplex and grabs a jumping neckbreaker. Del Sol’s step up stomp to the back rocks Watts and a tornado DDT finishes Watts at 2:48.

Lexi Nair and Athena celebrated after Death Before Dishonor while Billie Starkz was a little less enthusiastic.

Brian Cage vs. Rocky Romero

Cage sticks his chin out to start so Romero kicks him in the ribs, only to have a headscissors shoved away. Romero avoids a charge to send him outside and there’s a running hurricanrana to take Cage down again. Back in and Cage cuts off a springboard, setting up the apron superplex. They trade chops in the corner with Cage getting the better of things, only to get rolled up for two. Cage plants him again though and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and they fight to the apron, where Romero grabs a Sliced Bread.

A high crossbody gives Romero two back inside and a springboard tornado DDT gets the same. Another Sliced Bread is countered into an F5 for two and they go to the corner, where Romero grabs a super hurricanrana. The running Sliced Bread gives Romero two but Cage’s helicopter bomb gets the same. They go up again and a super Sliced Bread gives Romero another near fall. Cage catches him on top though and hits…..I think a fall away slam but it was really messy. Either way, it sets up the Drill Claw to finish Romero at 12:07.

Rating: B-. Less than clean ending aside, this was a fun match with Romero using the speed (and a lot of Sliced Breads) to try and stop the monster before eventually falling short. Cage is always good for an entertaining match, even if there is no reason to believe he is going to go anywhere. I’ll take some slightly bigger names for a main event though.

We look at the Kingdom retaining the Tag Team Titles at Death Before Dishonor.

The Kingdom brags about being Tag Team Champions for almost a year (that will be in December) but the Infantry interrupts. They want a title shot and bickering ensues. We’re really going back to the Infantry already? That’s how shallow the tag division is?

Here is Dustin Rhodes to talk about how great it feels to be a champion again. Rhodes has been giving everything he has for 36 years and he thanks the fans for being there, both for himself and everyone else in the back. He’s going to teach the Von Erichs everything he can and he was so happy the other night that he started to cry. Rhodes has talked about being on one last ride but he’s been doing that for five years. He’s feeling very confident right now but he wants more.

Cue Evil Uno to mock Rhodes because being a Six Man Tag Team Champion should be enough. It’s Evil Uno’s time and Rhodes wants more because of his stupid family name. Uno doesn’t care about the Rhodes family because Rhodes just popped up while Uno has been here every week. Cue the Dark Order to jump Rhodes but Sammy Guevara of all people runs in for the save. House is cleaned, as I guess the Von Erichs were off looking for a better leave in conditioner. Rhodes cautiously thanks Guevara to end the show. That’s certainly a big moment to end the show so points for trying to do something bigger.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was trying and had some rather solid action, but it fell back into the old pattern that has plagued Ring Of Honor since its return: it’s so long. This show clocked in at over an hour and forty five minutes and it could have easily been trimmed down by just cutting out some of the stuff. You don’t need to have this many people on a show every week, especially when some of them are around that often. I really could have gone without del Sol and the Premiere Athletes, but for some reason the show needed to be stretched out. There was good stuff here, but as usual, the show needed another edit.

Results
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Claw Slam to Jameson
Top Flight b. Ace Of Space Academy – Fireman’s carry DDT to GMK
Robyn Renegade b. Maya World – Pumphandle Downward Spiral
Beast Mortos b. AR Fox – Spinning tombstone
Wheeler Yuta b. Anthony Henry – Seatbelt
Premiere Athletes – Magic Carpet Splash to #1
Fuego del Sol b. Jacoby Watts – Tornado DDT
Brian Cage b. Rocky Romero – Drill Claw

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

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Collision
Date: July 27, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re continuing the rather long Tony Khan weekend as the road to All In has another Saturday stop. This is also the first half of a double header with the latest Battle Of The Belts, meaning some people might not be available. We also have the fallout from Blood & Guts to deal with so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy vs. Johnny TV

Taya Valkyrie is here with TV and this is fallout from an event at Comic Con. Cassidy works on the arm to start so TV chills in the corner (upside down, just because he can). They take turns putting on the sunglasses until Cassidy sends him out to the floor. There’s the suicide dive (with hands in pockets and glasses on) but TV is back in with the Russian legsweep and a knee to the face. The standing moonsault misses but Cassidy is sent outside anyway, with TV pulling off the barricade cover.

Taya and TV stop for some kissing, with the delay allowing Cassidy to send him into the buckle. TV is back up with a Flying Chuck to knock him off the apron though and it’s time to work on the arm. The Stundog Millionaire gets Cassidy out of trouble and the tornado DDT gets two. TV counters the Orange Punch into the flipping neckbreaker, only to miss Starship Pain. The second neckbreaker sets up the connecting Starship Pain but Cassidy is right back with the Beach Break. The Orange Punch finishes TV at 10:32.

Rating: C+. This is one of those matches that was going to work because of who was involved. Cassidy is going to get a strong reaction no matter what he is doing while TV is a veteran who can make someone else look good. That’s what we had here and it made for a perfectly nice opener.

Post match Taya jumps Cassidy but Willow Nightingale (Cassidy’s partner in the Comic Con event) makes the save.

We look at the Patriarchy winning the AEW Trios Titles last week. This is different than the Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles, because that is a thing that needs to exist.

The Bang Bang Gang swears vengeance on the Patriarchy, including Mother Wayne.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Brian Cage/Lee Moriarty vs. Top Flight

Cage is replacing an injured Shane Taylor. Moriarty and Yuta start things off with the latter armdragging him into a dropkick. Darius comes in to avoid Yuta’s charge, setting up Dante’s springboard high crossbody for two. Castagnoli comes in as well but is quickly knocked outside as well. Back in and Cage tags himself in to full nelson slam Dante as we take a break.

We come back with Cage hitting a wheelbarrow neckbreaker for two on Dante but Yuta makes the save. Castagnoli comes back in to clean house with the running uppercuts in the corner. The Swing has Moriarty in trouble but Darius makes a blind tag to break up the big lariat. Cage is back in to powerbomb the heck out of Darius but gets in the staredown with Castagnoli. They slug it out until Top Flight superkick them to the floor, setting up the dives. Cage blasts Darius with the discus lariat but Yuta tags himself in, dropkicks Moriarty, and hits something like an Angle Slam into the Seatbelt to pin Darius at 10:41.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that AEW knows how to do rather well and they did it again here. In theory Yuta needed to get his win back after losing to Moriarty, but it would have been nice to not have Top Flight taking another loss. The team feels like they could be something but it isn’t going to happen if they keep losing over and over.

The Conglomeration is interrupted by Willow Nightingale, who is ready to fight on Battle Of The Belts. Mark Briscoe is ready too, and even has Kyle O’Reilly hold his title (which is thrown into the air multiple times) so he can introduce the newest member: his newborn son. Well that’s just awesome. Orange Cassidy is tired.

Beast Mortos vs. Hologram

Hologram spins around to start and armdrags Mortos down. The sunset flip is broken up though and we’re off to an early standoff. Mortos snaps off a powerslam for two and hits a heck of a Pounce to send us to a break. Back with Hologram snapping off a rather spinning headscissors but getting caught on top in a super Wing Clipper for one. They wind up on the apron with Hologram kicking him the face and hitting something like a running Canadian Destroyer.

A big rope walk flip dive hits Mortos on the floor, setting up a heck of a suicide dive. Back in and a step up poisonrana plants Mortos for two but he runs Hologram over for the same. They go up top with the super gorilla press being reversed into a headscissors to bring Mortos back down. A rope walk crucifix bomb into a crucifix gives Hologram the pin at 12:04.

Rating: B. Yeah this was a much better showcase for Hologram, who got to showcase some awesome stuff and wasn’t the second great high flier on the show this week. I’m still not sure if the gimmick (assuming he really has one) is working yet but at least the high flying aspects are working. Just do more of this and it should work better.

Thunder Rosa vs. Maya World

They circle each other a bit to start until Rosa grabs a quick armdrag. World gets in a shot of her own and Rosa is not happy, meaning it’s a Thesz press into some hammering. A running corner dropkick sets up a double stomp and a seated cobra clutch finishes World at 3:36.

Rating: C. Just a squash here to get Rosa boosted back up a bit after her repeated losses to Deonna Purrazzo. Rosa being moved back up the card is not a bad thing at all as it allows another established name to be around. I’m not sure where she would fit in, but the talent is there to make it work.

Lance Archer has attacked a bunch of people in the back. He wants Will Ospreay on Dynamite.

Conglomeration vs. Premiere Athletes

The Athletes insult the crowd on the way to the ring and it’s O’Reilly starting with Woods. The technical off goes to Woods who drives him into the corner for some right hands from Nese. O’Reilly brings in Briscoe for a clothesline, followed by the chops from Ishii. For some reason Nese tries to chop Ishii and it goes as well as you would expect. Briscoe grabs a suplex and it’s already back to O’Reilly as the rapid fire tags continue. Briscoe hits a big dive and we take an early break.

Back with O’Reilly suplexing Daivari down and handing it back to Ishii to clean house. Everything breaks down and Briscoe suplexes Nese for two. The Jay Driller is broken up and something like a reverse 3D into a frog splash gives Daivari two. Woods’ backbreaker into a lariat drops Briscoe and it’s time for the parade of strikes to the face. Nese’s big flip dive hits Daivari by mistake but Woods snaps off a series of suplexes. Not that it matters as O’Reilly cross armbreakers Daivari for the win at 1020.

Rating: B. This was a good example of a match where the people involved were allowed to go nuts. It says a lot about the Conglomeration that they were able to make the Athletes, who might be the least interesting villains in AEW today, work this well. Very entertaining match here and they pulled me into it.

Chris Jericho says Minoru Suzuki has broke his finger during his match, making it very hard to say HI GUYS. Revenge is sworn against both Suzuki and Katsuyori Shibata.

Lance Archer vs. ???

Two chokeslams and the Blackout finish for Archer at 1:00. Trash talk to Will Ospreay was included.

FTR vs. MxM Collection

That would be Mason and Mansoor, formerly known as the Maximum Male Models in WWE. Harwood grabs a wristlock to start but Mansoor flips out and strikes an early pose. Mansoor flips over him and dances a bit, earning a hard chop and a slingshot shoulder from Wheeler. Mason comes in and hits a hip attack, setting up a bit of a dance of his own. A double legdrop combination gets two on Wheeler but Harwood punches Mansoor in the face. It’s too early for the Shatter Machine though and we take a break.

Back with Harwood fighting his way out of the corner but Mason’s distraction means a small package gets a delayed one. Another hip attack takes Harwood down for two and the bearhug goes on. That’s broken up with a quick bite to the head but something like a Hart Attack gets two on Harwood. Back up and Harwood makes the tag off to Wheeler to pick up the pace. A Gory Bomb gets two on Mansoor and a sunset flip is good for the same. The spike piledriver is broken up but Mason is sent to the floor, setting up the Shatter Machine to pin Mansoor at 11:26.

Rating: B. This was a change of pace from the Collection’s debut as they were doing a more straight match, which shouldn’t be a surprise when they’re in there against FTR. They still got in enough of their comedy to make it work though and it made for an entertaining match. At the same time, I wouldn’t have the Collection lose so early, but they were far from buried or even heavily damaged.

Respect is shown post match.

The Acclaimed is fired up over winning at Blood & Guts and want their Tag Team Titles back.

Pac vs. Lio Rush

They go technical to start with Rush armdragging him into the corner and striking a bit of a pose. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Rush down for a change but he rolls Pac up for a fast two. Back up and Pac strikes away as we take an early break. We come back with Rush fighting out of the corner but his hurricanrana is countered into a sitout powerbomb. The snap German suplex is blocked though and Rush knocks him down again. Pac is sent outside but a bottom rope Asai moonsault is cut off.

Instead Rush settles for a heck of a suicide dive into the barricade, followed by a Falcon Arrow for two. Rush hits a headbutt but has a springboard reversed into a heck of a German suplex. It’s too early for the Black Arrow though as Rush rolls away and kicks him in the head. The springboard cutter gives Rush two but Pac gets his knees up to block the Final Hour. Back up and Rush strikes away until Pac clotheslines him into the Brutalizer for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: B. I’m not normally a fan of Rush but he was doing his high flying and fast moving rather well here. It made for another entertaining match, especially with Pac there to beat him up. Pac finally caught him in the end for the win which is how it should have gone, though Rush did put up a good fight on the way there.

Overall Rating: A-. You don’t get that kind of a collection of matches on a free show very often and this was a heck of a way to spend two hours. It was one entertaining match after another and as usual, just letting the wrestlers do their thing and showcase their talent worked exceptionally. This was one of the better AEW shows in a bit and that is nice to see after some hit and miss results.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Johnny TV – Orange Punch
Blackpool Combat Club b. Brian Cage/Lee Moriarty and Top Flight – Seatbelt to Darius
Hologram b. Beast Mortos – Crucifix
Thunder Rosa b. Maya World – Seated cobra clutch
Conglomeration b. Premiere Athletes – Cross armbreaker to Daivari
Lance Archer b. ??? – Blackout
FTR b. MxM Collection – Shatter Machine to Mansoor
Pac b. Lio Rush – Brutalizer

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Rampage
Date: July 26, 2024
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Matt Menard

It’s the Rampage after Dynamite, meaning we are in for the traditional Royal Rampage followup. That means a double ring battle royal with the winner getting a World Title shot at Grand Slam. In this case it means we have a different enough kind of show and that is often nice to see. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Royal Rampage

There are two rings with ten total entrants, last man standing gets a World Title shot at Grand Slam. Ring #1 starts with Orange Cassidy in at #1 and Brody King in at #2 while Ring #2 starts with Claudio Castagnoli in at #1 and Komander in at #2. Cassidy and Komander grab an arm each to start and walk the ropes but the wristdrags are both blocked. Tomohiro Ishii is in at #3 (Ring #1) and goes after King, with Cassidy offering a low bridge. Brian Cage is in at #3 (Ring #2) and plants Komander with a half nelson slam as Cassidy and King slug it out.

The Butcher is in at #4 (Ring #1) and teams up with Cage for a double elbow to Cassidy. Matt Menard jumps off commentary to be in at #4 (Ring #2) and that goes nowhere until Roderick Strong is in at #5 (Ring #1). Strong and Butcher beat up King and it’s Kip Sabian in at #5 (Ring #2). Sabian gets to clean house, including a gordbuster to Komander. Brandon Cutler is in at #6 (Ring #1) because when Excalibur said “TEN TOTAL ENTRANTS” he meant “TEN TOTAL ENTRANTS PER RING”, further proving that Excalibur is not very good at his job.

Cutler talks a lot and is immediately eliminated by Ishii. Nick Wayne is in at #6 (Ring #2) and Menard is eliminated to make room for him. Kyle O’Reilly is in at #7 (Ring #1) and starts striking away, as is his custom. Jeff Jarrett is in at #7 (Ring #2) as Menard is back on commentary. We take a break and come back with Butcher being eliminated and Matt Taven in at #8 (Ring #1). A DDT plants Cassidy and Komander is knocked out as well. Jay Lethal is in at #8 (Ring #2) and teams up with Jarrett to go after Wayne, who is tossed by Sabian.

Mike Bennett is in at #9 (Ring #1) and it’s a Backpack Stunner to Cassidy. The Beast Mortos is in at #9 (Ring #2) and gets to clean house until Jarrett clotheslines him down. Sabian is knocked out and it’s Darby All in at #10 (Ring #1), only to be knocked outside (not eliminated) by King. Lethal and Jarrett stop to strut as Lio Rush is in at #10 (Ring #2) to complete the field.

King and Allin fight up into the crowd despite not being eliminated. We take another break and come back with Mortos having been eliminated as King and Allin come back to ringside. Ishii and Bennett are both out, with Cassidy, Taven and O’Reilly following them out in short order. That leaves Strong, King and Allin in Ring #1 as Rush and Castagnoli fight in Ring #2.

They both wind up on the apron and Castagnoli swings Rush out. Strong is tossed out as well and Castagnoli eliminates Lethal to keep clearing the ring. King chokes Allin on the apron as he did in a previous edition but this time Allin slips out and hits a running body block to get rid of King and win Ring #1. Jarrett fights back on Cage and hammers away in the corner but here is Hangman Page to jump Jarrett and yell a lot.

That leaves Castagnoli and Cage in Ring #2 as we take another break. Back again with Castagnoli slugging at Cage, who pulls him out to the apron as well. A Neutralizer on the apron gets rid of Cage to win #Ring 2. Castagnoli goes after Allin and sends him to the floor (not out) before swinging him into the steps (geez). Back in and a nasty German suplex drops Allin again as Menard wants Allin to give up. They go to the apron with Castagnoli stomping away but Allin drapes him over the top and hits the Coffin Drop for the win at 36:44.

Rating: B. This is one of the more unique matches that AEW runs every year and it worked again here. Allin winning should make for a good World Title match when they get back to New York for Grand Slam and that is something they should have set up this far in advance. They’ve got a cool concept here and kept it moving to get all of the entrants in. Nice job and a good bit of fun.

Post match Castagnoli won’t shake hands.

Following an attack at the hands of Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale agrees to give Statlander a match in South Carolina. No word on which show that will be.

Kris Statlander vs. Leila Grey

Statlander backdrops her down to start and hits a kick to the face, setting up Friday Night Fever for the pin at 54 seconds.

Lance Archer vs. Alejandro

Archer has jumped Alejandro in the back and carries him to the ring for the opening bell. Two chokeslams and the Blackout finish Alejandro at 1:06.

Saraya is ready to show what she can do on Dynamite.

Outrunners vs. Private Party vs. Righteous vs. Don Callis Family

Vincent headlocks Floyd to start but it’s quickly off to Magnum for the big pose. That’s broken up as well and it’s Dutch coming in to clean house. Floyd is sent hard into the corner and we take a break. Back with Quen busting out a big running flip dive but Floyd dives him a Stunner over the ropes. Fletcher comes in to hammer on Floyd in the corner and Rush adds the running slap. Fletcher’s piledriver finishes at 8:50.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have time to get going and they had to rush to the end. It was going to be tricky to make this work with the amount of time they had and they had a break to make it worse. The Family getting the win is a fine way to go, though winning a match like this is only going to have so much value.

Overall Rating: B. This was a unique show as most of it was spent on one match, which went well. The rest of the show was made up of a pair of squashes and a rather quick four way. I can go for a Rampage where the majority goes to a fun match as that’s about all you can ask for here. Nice stuff this week, though it’s not something you’ll see again for a good while.

Results
Darby Allin won Royal Rampage last eliminating Claudio Castagnoli
Kris Statlander b. Leila Grey – Friday Night Fever
Lance Archer b. Alejandro – Blackout
Don Callis Family b. Outrunners, Private Party and Righteous – Piledriver to Floyd

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Death Before Dishonor 2024
Date: July 26, 2024
Location: Esports Stadium, Arlington, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the second of three pay per views from Ring Of Honor and the show has quite the variety. First up, the World Title will be on the line as Mark Briscoe defends against Roderick Strong. Other than that we have Athena defending the Women’s Title against Queen Aminata and the Undisputed Kingdom defending the Tag Team Titles against Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O’Reilly. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: MxM Collection vs. Spanish Announce Project

That would be Mason and Mansoor, formerly known as the Maximum Male Models in WWE. Mansoor shoulders Serpentico down to start and it’s time to strike a pose. A finger tip tag brings Mason in as we keep hearing audio from the production team. Serpentico can’t do much so it’s off to the bigger Angelico, who gets caught in the corner.

A standing legdrop gives Mason two and it’s back to Mansoor for a spinebuster. Mason’s running hip attack sends Angelico outside and more pose striking ensues. Back up and Serpentico takes over on Mansoor’s arm, with Angelico adding a middle rope elbow to the shoulder. Serpentico mocks the posing, allowing Mansoor to bring Mason back in. Mason gets low bridged to the floor but is fine enough to come back in with a spinebuster.

Everything breaks down and Mansoor is dropped back first onto the turnbuckle. Serpentico hits a big suicide dive for two but Mansoor flips back over to Mason for the tag. House is cleaned in a hurry and an assisted double underhook implant DDT (the Centerfold) finishes Serpentico at 9:08.

Rating: C+. This was all about the Collection’s charisma and it was on full display, as it should have been. They were a lot of fun and had the crowd loving what they were doing, which is a great sign for their future. At the same time, the match went longer than it should have and they could have cut out of the heat segments from the Project, as it felt like they just did the same thing twice.

Post match Maria Kanellis comes out to applaud, with the Collection seeming intrigued.

Zero Hour: Angelica Risk vs. Marina Shafir

Mother’s Milk ends Risk at 58 seconds.

Zero Hour: Infantry vs. Griff Garrison/Anthony Henry

Maria is here with Garrison and Henry, the latter of whom is a substitute for Cole Karter. Henry gets knocked into the corner to start and it’s ff to Garrison. Bravo gets sent into the wrong corner so Henry can stomp away, setting up a leg crank. The posing STF goes on for a bit, followed by the running knees in the corner for two.

Garrison chops away so Henry can get in a kick to the back. Bravo gets in a quick knockdown though and the diving tag brings in Dean to clean house. Book Camp is broken up though and a superplex into a double stomp gets two on Dean. The screaming Maria gets on the apron but gets knocked into Garrison’s arm, allowing Boot Camp to finish Henry at 9:08.

Rating: C. The problem here is it felt like a match that we’ve seen before, even if it wasn’t a regular team. The Infantry has been bouncing around the tag division for the better part of ever and never feel like they’re getting anywhere. The match was completely run of the mill as well and could have easily been dropped without adding even more content to the needlessly packed pre-show.

Zero Hour: Top Flight vs. Outrunners

Erica Lee is here with the Outrunners. Darius gets knocked into the corner to start and Floyd gets to pose a bit. Magnum comes in and gets dropkicked down, meaning it’s off to Dante for a headlock. The fans are split as Floyd gets double legtripped down but Erica grabs the foot so the Outrunners can take over.

Alternating beatings have Darius in trouble and a clothesline gets two. The sleeper is broken up though and it’s Dante coming in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Floyd is kneed to the floor, setting up stereo running shots to Magnum in the corner. Dante dives onto Floyd and what looked to be an F5 (the camera missed the setup) finishes Magnum at 8:33.

Rating: C. This was pretty boring for the most part with Top Flight’s comeback being the highlight. The Outrunners work best in short spurts or the joke starts to wear thin in a hurry. That was the case here, as you can only watch so much of the same beatdown before it stops being interesting. At least the right team won.

The opening video takes a pretty standard look at the main matches.

Komander vs. Beast Mortos

Mortos wastes no time in knocking knocking him down but Komander is back up with the kicks to the legs. A dropkick sends Mortos outside but the big running flip dive is pulled out of the air. Komander gets powerbombed into Alex Abrahantes against the barricade and they head back inside. Mortos chops the spit out of him but Komander grabs a quick rollup for two. Back up and Mortos drops him again, meaning it’s time to pull off a turnbuckle cover.

Komander gets in a quick shot for a breather but gets caught on top to cut him off again. A step up hurricanrana off the apron sends Mortos to the floor and a tornado DDT off the apron makes it worse. Komander walks the ropes to set up a big flip dive, followed by a poisonrana for two back inside. A dive hits raised feet though and one heck of a pop up Samoan drop gives Mortos two.

Komander reverses a backbreaker into a crucifix driver and then spins into a Canadian Destroyer. Mortos shrugs that off and hits a spear to leave them both down. They slowly get up and head to the same corner, where Mortos hits the super gorilla press slam. Komander is back with another Destroyer, only to miss the Cielito Lindo. The spinning piledriver gives Mortos the pin at 13:30.

Rating: B-. It was a good speed vs. power match and that made for a nice opener, though it never quite hit that next level. What mattered here was giving the fans something to get them going. Komander is a fun high flier, but there are a lo of them running around and it makes it difficult to really stand out. Mortos on the other hand always stands out, but his lack of success holds him back a bit. That being said, nice job of getting things going here.

The MxM Collection calls out FTR for Collision. These guys are great but that’s probably a loss.

We recap the Tag Team Title match, which is pretty much just an announcement.

Tag Team Titles: Kingdom vs. Tomohiro Ishii/Kyle O’Reilly

Ishii and O’Reilly, in their second match ever as a team, are challenging. Bennett and Ishii start things off and chop it out, with Ishii getting the better of things to take over. O’Reilly comes in to crank on Taven’s arm but Taven is back up with a nice dropkick. Back up and O’Reilly takes over on the arm and Ishii comes in for some cranking of his own. O’Reilly adds the abdominal stretch with the knuckles to the ribs, followed by strikes to both champions.

Bennett manages to knock Ishii into the corner, including a slap. The fans know he screwed up and Ishii fights over to O’Reilly to take over. Everything breaks down and Ishii is sent outside for a suicide dive, only to have O’Reilly hit a running knee off the apron. Back in and Bennett cuts off O’Reilly’s Rebound lariat, allowing Taven to crush him back to the floor. The champs take turns with the beating back inside and Taven adds an elbow for two.

O’Reilly finally kicks his way to freedom and it’s back to Ishii to clean house. A pair of suplexes gets two on Taven but Bennett is back in with the Hail Mary…but Ishii pops back up. Everything breaks down again and Ishii’s brainbuster sets up a top rope knee to Bennett’s back. Taven makes the save and hits the frog splash before all four are knocked down.

They all get up for the slugout with the champs getting the better of the exchange of strikes. O’Reilly is back up with some kicks of his own, setting up Ishii’s super brainbuster. Chasing The Dragon gets two with Taven having to make the save. O’Reilly and Bennett fight over a suplex but here are Kyle Fletcher and Don Callis to interrupt. The distraction lets Bennett hit a low blow to retain the titles at 19:41.

Rating: B. The biggest problem here was the lack of drama, as it was really hard to buy the idea that a new team was going to take the titles here. The Undisputed Kingdom isn’t a great team but they’ve been champions for a long time and it is going to take some time to get the titles off of them. Ishii and O’Reilly did well, but they aren’t a regular team and probably shouldn’t have gotten the shot here, as it made all of the other tag matches coming into the show feel worthless.

We recap Leyla Hirsch vs. Diamante. They hate each other, they’ve had a bunch of matches, tonight it’s a Texas Death Match.

Diamante vs. Leyla Hirsch

Texas Death Match, meaning submission or Last Man Standing rules to win (again, not a Texas Death Match but it’s what Tony Khan calls it). Diamante jumps her on the ramp to start fast and throws her off the stage and through a table for nine. They go to the ring where Diamante sends in a bunch of chairs. Hirsch is tied in the Tree of Woe and one of the chairs is dropkicked into her face.

The bloody Hirsch comes back with a chair shot of her own to take get a breather and the now bleeding Diamante is sent into a chair in the corner as well. The thumbtacks are poured out and a sunset German superplex sends Diamante crashing into them for the nasty landing. Hirsch’s moonsault only hits tacks though (geez), allowing Diamante to grab some duct tape to attach Hirsch to the rope. Diamante whips out a shoe to keep up the beating and then grabs a shoe with tacks embedded.

The tacks go into Hirsch’s head and, since she’s tied up, Diamante can set up a bunch of chairs and a barbed wire board. Diamante has to loosen her up to do anything though, allowing Hirsch to hit a Samoan drop through the board. It’s ladder time and let’s throw in a table as well. That takes WAY too long to set up but Hirsch manages to tape Diamante to the table and go up for a huge moonsault off the top of the ladder through said table for the win at 15:39.

Rating: B-. Maybe it was the fact that we just saw them have a hardcore match a few weeks ago or how long it took to set up a bunch of the spots but I couldn’t get into this one. The bleeding made things more interesting and it was certainly intense, but this missed that high level for some reason. It kind of felt like violence for violence’s sake, and when I just saw the thumbtacks and bleeding in Blood & Guts on Wednesday, this didn’t have the same impact.

We recap the Pure Rules Title match, with Lee Moriarty surviving a Proving Ground match to earn the shot. This is Wheeler Yuta’s first title defense since January.

Pure Rules Title: Wheeler Yuta vs. Lee Moriarty

Yuta is defending and they waste no time in going to the grappling. Moriarty takes him down and cranks on the arm, even throwing in a bicep pose. Yuta reverses into a leglock and Moriarty has to use his first break. A headscissors slows Moriarty down even more and Yuta switches over to a hammerlock. Moriarty reverses into a hold of his own and Yuta uses his own break to even things up.

Yuta backs him into the corner and tries to sneak in a right hand but gets caught, earning his official warning. Moriarty uses the distraction to get in a right hand of his own and since this is a Pure Rules match, it’s absolutely devastating. Yuta is back up with an armbar to make Moriarty use his second break. Back up and they slug it out with Moriarty grabbing a suplex to take over.

Moriarty catches him on top again and grabs a top rope superplex for the big crash and a double down. Back up and Moriarty punches him (official warning) into the Border City Stretch, with Yuta using his second rope break. They fight to the apron and crash out to the floor for another double breather. Back in and Moriarty faceplants him down, with Yuta’s shoulder giving him trouble.

A neck and arm crank makes Yuta use his last rope break. Yuta puts on a quick Cattle Mutilation and Moriarty burns his last break as well. Moriarty muscles him up for a crash down onto the apron and out to the floor, only to have Yuta come back in with a Fujiwara armbar. That’s reverses into a rollup with Moriarty using the ropes (legal, as they were out of rope breaks) to steal the pin and the title at 19:57.

Rating: B. They were going back and forth and it was a technical showcase, but it’s kind of hard to suddenly get interested in a title that hasn’t been defended in almost seven months. It doesn’t help that neither guy is all that interesting in the first place and it added up to a match where I was interested in some of the things that we being done but not the people doing them.

We recap Billie Starkz defending the Women’s TV Title against Red Velvet. Starkz cheated to win the title and Velvet doesn’t like it, so it’s time to come after the belt herself.

Women’s TV Title: Billie Starkz vs. Red Velvet

Starkz is defending. Velvet starts by hammering on the ribs, only to have Starkz grab her by the hair to take over. An electric chair drop onto the top turnbuckle rocks Velvet and Starkz ties her in the Tree Of Woe. After Velvet crashes back down, Starkz chops away in the corner and gets in some choking. A suplex out of the corner gives Velvet two and her belly to back gets two.

Velvet grabs a DDT for two more and there’s a running knee to the back of the head against the ropes. Starkz gets in a quick shot and goes up but a super victory roll gives Velvet two. Another knockdown lets Starkz grab a choke, followed by a brainbuster onto the knee for two more. Starkz: “I’m gonna kill you!” Riccaboni: “You’ll go to jail if you do that.” Velvet slips out and hits the Mix for two.

They go up top and Starkz is knocked to the floor, where she injures her neck again. Commentary doesn’t buy it and since it’s a real, legitimate injury, the medics put her back inside. Starkz is of course fine and hits a knee to the head to drop Velvet again. Velvet pops up and then plays dead, setting up a slam off the middle rope. The flipping faceplant (basically Natural Selection) gives Velvet the pin and the title at 14:53.

Rating: B. Thankfully they didn’t go too far with the faked injury as it would have been terrible to see Velvet fall for the obvious ruse. Velvet winning is a nice moment, though it’s hard to get around the idea of thinking of her as the woman obsessed with cooking. Athena and her Minions had to lose something though and this works as well as anything else.

We recap the Dark Order vs. Dustin Rhodes/the Von Erichs. This is for a spot in the Six Man Tag Team Title match at tomorrow’s Battle Of The Belts, which has so much wrong with it that I don’t know where to start. Other than that, it’s an established team vs. three Texans.

Dark Order vs. Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs

The Order jumps them to start and the fight heads to the floor, with none of the six in the ring as the opening bell rings. We settle down to Ross Sling Blading Uno and it’s off to Marshall for a slam on Silver. Everything breaks down and Dustin clotheslines Reynolds to the floor. Uno uses the distraction to get in a cowbell shot to Ross and the slow beating begins.

Ross manages to flip out of a double belly to back suplex though and it’s Marshall coming back in to clean house. The villains cut him off and knocks him to the floor though, with Uno’s suplex into a front facelock keeping him in trouble. Rhodes tries to make a save but gets sent into the steps, allowing the Order to mock the cowboy hat. Back in and a piledriver gets two on Marshall but Reynolds misses a moonsault.

Marshall powerslams his way out of trouble and it’s back to Rhodes to clean house. Cross Rhodes gets two on Reynolds with Uno making the save. Everything breaks down and Marshall is sent over the barricade, leaving Dustin to get enziguried into a Stunner into a bridging German suplex for two. Rhodes slips out of a Shattered Dreams attempt and hits a Canadian Destroyer into his own Shattered Dreams. Well the attempt at least as Silver breaks it up, only to get clawed by Marshall. The Claw goes on as Rhodes hits Shattered Dreams into the Final Reckoning to finish Reynolds at 14:22.

Rating: C. Remember how I said it was hard to get interested in a hardcore match when I saw Diamante and Leyla Hirsch have a street fight a few weeks ago? Well it was even harder when I saw the Von Erichs and the Order have a match this week on the regular Ring Of Honor show. It also doesn’t help that the Von Erichs are still not that interesting and that was on full display here.

Post match Katsuyori Shibata comes out to praise the Von Erichs.

We recap the TV Title match, which is a six way elimination match without much in the way of a setup.

TV Title: Atlantis Jr. vs. Johnny TV vs. Lio Rush vs. Shane Taylor vs. Brian Cage vs. Lee Johnson

Atlantis Jr. is defending and this is under elimination rules. Rush knocks Atlantis to the floor to start and hits a big slingshot dive to take him down fast. The villains consider an alliance but it winds up with Cage and Taylor trading clotheslines and neither going down. Atlantis is back in to take over on Cage and send him outside. Rush gets caught in an inverted Gory Special but Rush slips out and hits a Stunner for two.

Johnson is back in with a neckbreaker and kick to the chest for two but TV is in to rake Johnson’s eyes. TV is back in for a superkick to Taylor, who chokebombs him for two. Back in and Rush dodges Taylor until Taylor hits a running shooting star press for two of his own. Atlantis gets back up and hits a suicide dive onto Taylor, setting up Johnson’s big running flip dive. TV adds his own big flip dive and Cage hits one of his own. Taylor’s dive is cut off and everyone goes after him for the big beatdown. Taylor cleans house but gets knocked down, setting up Rush’s frog splash to get rid of Taylor at 9:52.

Johnson avoids another frog splash and grabs the Big Shot Drop for the elimination of Rush at 11:24. TV and Cage stomp Johnson down in the corner and a double suplex gets two, despite the referee’s hand hitting the mat a third time. The beating is on in the corner again until Johnson sends TV out to the floor. Back in and a powerbomb/Flying Chuck combination gets rid of Johnson at 15:01.

TV sends Cage to the floor bu Atlantis is back up with the chops. Cage grabs the apron superplex to plant Atlantis but Taya Valkyrie comes in for a distraction. The low blow staggers Cage, who is right back with the Drill Claw to get rid of TV at 18:24. We’re down to Cage vs. Atlantis for the title and Cage nails a discus lariat. The Drill Claw is loaded up but Atlantis reverses into a cradle to retain at 19:00.

Rating: B. The action was good and there were some cool spots, but I’m still having trouble getting into Atlantis. He’s still just kind of there but happens t have a title. I could still go for Johnson to win the title and finally get somewhere, but that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. Odds are someone wins it back in Mexico, but for now, just another long match on a long show full of them.

We recap Athena vs. Queen Aminata for the Women’s Title. Athena has been champion for the better part of ever but has been faking a knee injury. Aminata doesn’t like this and is coming for the title.

Women’s Title: Athena vs. Queen Aminata

Athena is defending and gets a big intro from Lexi Nair, telling a story about a legendary warrior’s destiny. They go to the mat with Aminata not being able to break Athena’s bridge. Athena sends her outside and hits the running dive and adds a ram into the barricade. The running knees only hit steps but so does Aminata’s running hip attack.

A gordbuster plants Aminata on the floor but she chops away back inside. Aminata strikes her down and hits a running boot in the ropes. A double stomp gets two on Athena, who is back up with the big right hand for two. Aminata is back up with a German suplex into the corner but a springboard spinning…I think stomp misses.

They forearm it out until Athena pulls her into a half crab, which she swaps out for a crossface. That’s broken up too so Athena throws her over the top and onto the steps. Back in and the O Face retains the title at 20:03 as the seemingly never ending reign is going to continue.

Rating: B-. I can go with Athena retaining the title over Aminata but Athena has to lose that thing sooner or later. That being said, Aminata winning the title wouldn’t have been the best fit. She is only starting to get over her pretty lame start in AEW/Ring Of Honor and having her get the huge win would seem weird. Someone is going to have to beat Athena at some point but Aminata didn’t feel like the right choice.

We recap the World Title match, with Roderick Strong winning a #1 contenders match and then attacking Mark Briscoe.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Mark Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong

Briscoe is defending and they take their time to start. Strong takes over on the mat but Briscoe slips out and it’s an early standoff. They head to the floor with Briscoe sending him into the barricade but the Froggy Bow hits raised knees back inside. Back up and Strong strikes away in the corner, only for Briscoe to fire off some chops.

A running big boot staggers Strong again and he goes outside, where Briscoe hits a running dropkick through the ropes. They fight back to the apron where Briscoe is rammed into the steel to give us some blood. Strong grabs a backbreaker into an Angle Slam into anther backbreaker. The Stronghold sends the rather bloody Briscoe over to the ropes. Briscoe makes the clothesline comeback and goes up, only to get super Angle Slammed back down for two more.

We get the required exchange of strikes with Briscoe getting the better of things. The Jay Driller is broken up and cue the Kingdom, with Mike Bennett getting in a belt shot for two. The Sick Kick gives Strong two so here is the Conglomeration to chase the Kingdom off. Briscoe fights up again and they head up top, where Strong gets knocked bard hard. The Froggy Bow retains the title at 19:30.

Rating: B. This felt as big as it could have on such short notice. There was almost no build to the match and that wasn’t going to help anything going in. While Briscoe doesn’t need to be champion and it doesn’t really add anything to him, it wouldn’t have felt right to give Strong the title either. I’m not sure if it was good enough to headline a pay per view, but it was a perfectly fine World Title match, albeit with a ton of blood.

Overall Rating: B. The theme that I kept coming back to here is the same thing that has been a problem with Ring Of Honor since its inception: so many things on here felt thrown together at the last minute. The majority of the matches either had no story or very little story (TV Title, Tag Team Titles, World Title and so on).

As is always the case: the wrestling is good because the wrestlers work hard to make the biggest shows feel important, but if you’ve watched week after week, this show felt like it was from another promotion. I would hope there was a reason to believe that is going to change, but there is nothing to indicate that is going to happen. Solid show, but not exactly the norm week to week around here.

Results
MxM Collection b. Spanish Announce Project – Centerfold to Serpentico
Marina Shafir b. Angelica Risk – Mother’s Milk
Infantry b. Griff Garrison/Anthony Henry – Boot Camp to Henry
Top Flight b. Outrunners – Faceplant to Magnum
Beast Mortos b. Komander – Spinning piledriver
Undisputed Kingdom b. Kyle O’Reilly/Tomohiro Ishii – Low blow to Ishii
Leyla Hirsch b. Diamante – Moonsault through a table
Lee Moriarty b. Wheeler Yuta – Rollup with ropes
Red Velvet b. Billie Starkz – Flipping faceplant
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. Dark Order- final Reckoning to Reynolds
Atlantis Jr. b. Shane Taylor, Johnny TV, Brian Cage, Lee Johnson and Lio Rush – Rollup to Taylor
Athena b. Queen Aminata – O Face
Mark Briscoe b. Roderick Strong – Froggy Bow

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

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Collision
Date: June 22, 2024
Location: PPL Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to wrap up the build for Forbidden Door, with just over a week to go before the event. In this case we have a major match as Kazuchika Okada will face CMLL legend Ultimo Guerrero in a rather unique international match. Other than that, we have the International Title on the line as Will Ospreay defends against Brian Cage so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Samoa Joe/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Premiere Athletes

Joe and Tony Nese start things off with Joe running him over off a shoulder. An elbow to the face does it again and it’s off to Hook for some clubberin in the corner. Daivari comes in and takes Hook down for a seated full nelson, with Hook fighting up rather quickly. It’s off to Shibata vs. Woods, who strike it out for a bit before fighting over arm control on the mat. Nese comes in for a cheap shot to the knee but Shibata just sidesteps a top rope moonsault (Joe approves).

In addition to approving, Joe also comes in but a distraction lets Woods get in a neck snap across the top rope to take over. That doesn’t last long either as Joe is back with a backsplash and Hook comes in to beat up the Athletes. Woods manages a release German suplex so Shibata comes back in and dropkicks Nese in the corner. The cross armbreaker finishes Nese at 7:35.

Rating: C+. I’d think we’re done with Joe and company against the Athletes, which we should have been done with a few weeks ago. If nothing else, it’s another case where people treated as bigger deals in Ring Of Honor are massacred on the main roster, but it’s also Joe and company taking longer than they needed to in order to beat a weak set of opponents. Joe and company could have something, but they need better competition.

The Bang Bang Gang isn’t happy that Juice Robinson isn’t an official Trios Champion. Now the House Of Black is getting a title shot so Jay White is going to come back with TEN ABS.

Learning Tree vs. Private Party

Bryan Keith is here with the Learning Tree. Jericho starts with Quen but hands it off to Bill before anything can happen. Bill hammers away in the corner and then sends Quen flying right back out of it. A missed charge gives Quen a breather but Bill drops him with a right hand. Jericho comes in but charges into a boot in the corner, allowing Kassidy to come in and hammer away. The Silly String gives Kassidy two on Jericho and it’s Quen coming back in to rain down his own right hands. Jericho gets in a cheap shot though and we take a break.

Back with Quen managing to knock Jericho down and bring Kassidy back in. The pace is picked up until Jericho knocks Quen down, leaving Kassidy to dive onto Bill. Quen’s 450 gets two on Jericho but Bill gets in a big boot to give Jericho two of his own. A hurricanrana is countered into the Walls but Kassidy makes the rope. The very swinging Boss Man Slam gets two more and Bill chokeslams Quen onto Kassidy for the same. Kassidy is back up with a step up dropkick to Bill and Gin and Juice into a Codebreaker gets two on Jericho. Keith is back up with a foreign object to knock Kassidy silly though, giving Jericho the pin at 14:53.

Rating: C+. The best thing here is the fact that it wasn’t Jericho talking. Jericho having more followers isn’t the worst idea but the talking is quite a bit to take. Beating Private Party is fine, but the Learning Tree needs someone better to feud against than a fairly low level tag team.

Post match the villains go for the beatdown but Hook/Samoa Joe/Katsuyori Shibata come in for the save. The challenge is made for the six man at Forbidden Door. Jericho seems in as Keith seems to have hurt his arm.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Ultimo Guerrero

Non-title and Guerrero is in a mask here despite having lost his mask in 2014. Okada slaps his hand in respect to start and they trade armdrags for an early standoff. We pause for Guerrero to play to the fans as commentary says their Spanish isn’t great. Guerrero plants Okada for two and chops away in the corner before grabbing the chinlock. With that broken up, Guerrero goes after the leg and then the arm, only for Okada to come back with White Noise onto the knee as we take a break.

Back with an exchange of running shots in the corner for a double knockdown. They fight to the floor with Guerrero firing off a chop before heading back inside. Guerrero has to adjust his mask for about the fourteenth time, allowing Okada to come back with the dropkick. Guerrero’s belly to back superplex is broken up but the Rainmaker is blocked as well. Not that it matters as Okada pulls the mask off and hits the Rainmaker for the pin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of what’s wrong with the way these international guest stars are introduced. Guerrero is a legend and has done all kinds of amazing things in wrestling but unless you’ve watched him in CMLL or elsewhere, he’s just a guy who was brought in and lost to Okada in about twelve minutes. If you want to do some kind of dream match, set it up a bit better than just throwing it on Collision with a few days’ notice and nothing from Guerrero coming in.

Dante Martin talks about breaking his leg in a ladder match and some people say he’s crazy for getting in another one. It’s going to take a bit of crazy to make him TNT Champion. Lio Rush comes in and says he has Top Flight’s back, but he wants the TNT Title for himself. They’ll see each other at Forbidden Door.

We look at the Patriarchy attacking Buddy Matthews last week.

Patriarchy vs. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages

Christian Cage joins commentary, despite being in the match. Bronson takes a sip of the Savage Sauce to start and gets dropped, allowing Wayne to get in a cheap shot from behind. Bronson gets up and hits a backdrop before rubbing Wayne’s face into Boulder’s chest. It’s off to Killswitch to clean house and Wayne dives onto Boulder and Jameson on the floor. Back up and Bronson clotheslines Killswitch to one knee, only for Killswitch to come back with a chokeslam. Now Cage is willing to go to the ring and hit the Killswitch for the pin on Bronson at 4:40.

Rating: C. Jameson and the Savages are at or near the top of the worst acts in all of AEW or ROH and that was the case again here. They talk trash, they do the stupid hairy chest deal, and then they lose. I’m not sure who I was supposed to be cheering for here and the way both teams acted didn’t make it any less complicated.

We look at Mercedes Mone going to Arena Mexico and getting in a big brawl with Stephanie Vaquer. Still not shown in AEW: Vaquer having a match.

Toni Storm/Mariah May vs. Lady Frost/Leyla Hirsch

Storm and Hirsch start things off and fight over a lockup with neither being able to get very far. Storm front facelocks her into the corner and brings May in to chop away at Frost. A running hip attack puts Frost on the floor and we take a break. Back with Storm hitting a Backstabber out of the corner for two on Hirsch.

A cross armbreaker has Storm in trouble but May hits a running knee for the save. Stereo hip attacks miss in the corners though and Hirsch hits running knees on May (Nigel: “SHE’S JUST A CHILD!!!”). Everything breaks down and Storm and May hit stereo German suplexes. The running hip attacks set up Storm Zero to pin Hirsch at 8:05.

Rating: C+. Not bad here and a good way to show Storm and May working well together. That’s the kind of thing that plays into the story with May needing to pick between Storm and Mina Shirakawa, which continues to be one of the best things going into Forbidden Door. I’m still not sure why I’m supposed to be interested in Shirakawa, but I’ll take what I can get.

Serena Deeb talks about being on a losing streak but she won’t give up. Open challenge next week.

House Of Black vs. LSG/MSG

Black and MSG start things off with Black striking away, as you might have expected. King comes in and chops the soul from LSG, setting up Dante’s Inferno to finish MSG at 1:52.

Post break the House Of Black says revenge is a straight line and they feel nothing.

Hechicero vs. Matt Menard

The Gates Of Agony are here with Hechicero. Menard strikes away to start and is quickly knocked out to the floor. Hechicero bites away at his head and hits a backdrop before snapping Menard’s arm. A missed charge in the corner lets Menard strike away and a cutter gets two. Hechicero is right back with the headscissor driver into an armbar using his legs for the tap at 3:19.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly a major showcase for Hechicero and I’m still not sure why he is the one getting MJF’s first pay per view match after six months away. He has some cool technical stuff and his match with Bryan Danielson was rather good, but it was only kind of on display here. Also, they didn’t have anyone other than Menard to be the designated victim here? Why do that to one of your commentators?

We get a rather emotional interview with Jeff Jarrett talking about his friendship with Owen Hart. Jarrett, fighting back tears, talks about how he wants to be there for Owen’s kids and how this means more to him than anything else. This was really good, though it’s hard to imagine that Jarrett is making it past the first round.

International Title: Will Ospreay vs. Brian Cage

Ospreay is defending and Cage charges at him in the corner to start. The champ gets dropped fast and his running hurricanrana attempt is pulled out of the air. Cage misses a charge over the top though and Ospreay takes him out with a slingshot dive. We take a break and come back with Ospreay fighting out of a bearhug and scoring with an enziguri.

A Phenomenal Forearm gets two on Cage but he snaps off a German suplex to drop Ospreay again. The apron superplex gets two on Ospreay so the fans try to get behind him. Ospreay is back with a shot to the face but the Hidden Blade and Oscutter are both blocked. A sitout powerbomb puts Cage down for no cover and they slug it out from their knees. Cage is back up with an F5 for two and we take another break.

Back again with Ospreay firing off some kicks to the face but Cage gives him a helicopter bomb. Ospreay’s hard shot to the head gets two so he puts Cage up. The super hurricanrana is loaded up but Cage reverses into a super swinging powerslam (that’s a new one) for two. They go up top again and this time the super hurricanrana puts Cage down. A Stundog Millionaire into a poisonrana drops Cage and the Oscutter gets two. The Hidden Blade finishes Cage at 17:21.

Rating: B. It’s the kind of match where the ending wasn’t in doubt and that’s perfectly fine. Ospreay can get an audience into just about anything and that’s what he did here. There is something fun about watching Ospreay fight back against a monster and win in the end, though I’m still not sure if I can imagine him winning the World Title next weekend.

Overall Rating: B-. Your taste in this show is going to depend on whether you like the international guest stars and the Learning Tree. That and the main event were the majority of this show and it went well enough, with a bit more interest than in most weeks. I’m not sure what they are going to do once Forbidden Door is over as it is going to take away a lot of their content, but hopefully they have something to make up for it.

Results
Samoa Joe/Hook/Katsuyori Shibata b. Premiere Athletes – Cross armbreaker to Nese
Learning Tree b. Private Part­ – Foreign object to Kassidy
Kazuchika Okada b. Ultimo Guerrero – Rainmaker
Patriarchy b. Jacked Jameson/Iron Savages – Killswitch to Bronson
Toni Storm/Mariah May b. Leyla Hirsch/Lady Frost – Storm Zero to Hirsch
House Of Black b. LSG/MSG – Dante’s Inferno to MSG
Hechicero b. Matt Menard – Armbar
Will Ospreay b. Brian Cage – Hidden Blade

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

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

AND

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