Collision
Date: November 17, 2023
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly, Tony Schiavone

It’s the night before Full Gear and therefore the schedule is a little wacky, as Collision is taking place before Rampage and in the same building. That is going to make things a bit more interesting, but Collision has been up and down in recent weeks. It would be nice to have a more old school feel to this one….or as old school as a show about five months old can be. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tony Schiavone (in a very green suit) brings out Christian Cage and company to start things off. Cage is ready for the six man tag tomorrow night, plus a TNT Title defense tonight on Rampage. Other than that though, in a town full of phony people, we need some reality. Cage says tomorrow is going to be Sting’s last match because he has been living off his past name and reputation for fifteen years. Darby Allin is going to need a father figure and Cage knows someone who can do that for him.

As for Adam Copeland, Cage knows he is here to steal the spotlight but Cage is a different person than he was back then. Beth Phoenix needs to keep the girls up late because Cage is breaking Copeland’s neck. It doesn’t matter who he is facing tonight, but he can beat any of the four in the qualifying match anyway. Fans: “PROVE IT!” Cage quotes not so popular NBA player James Harden, saying he doesn’t work within the system because he is the system.

Ricky Starks and Big Bill have a new stipulation for their four way Tag Team Title defense: we’ll make it a LADDER match. WELL OF COURSE WE WILL.

Miro vs. Daniel Garcia

Miro throws him down without much trouble to start and then suplexes him out of the corner for a bonus. A gutwrench suplex drops Garcia again so Miro loads up the Garcia dance. You don’t do that though as Garcia strikes away, only to be caught in a swinging release Rock Bottom. We take a break and come back with Miro grabbing a chinlock but Garcia fights up. Some slugging in the corner has Miro in trouble and he can’t swat a dropkick away.

Garcia’s running knee to the face just annoys Miro, who superkicks him down. It’s too early for Game Over though and Garcia slaps away, setting up a belly to back suplex. The dance is loaded up but cue Matt Menard to break it up. Not that it matters as Garcia pulls him into a crossface, which he switches into the Dragontamer. The bending back too far is a bad idea for Garcia though, as Miro slams his head into the mat or the break. Game Over finishes Garcia at 10:14.

Rating: C+. This was what it needed to be, as Miro is mad at Garcia for approaching his wife and wrecked him as a result. That’s all this should have been, as Garcia got in some offense before losing. Miro seems likely for a showdown with Andrade El Idolo sooner or later and this should be a good warmup.

CJ Perry and Andrade El Idolo are happy with their new business relationship, which is why Perry has entered into the Continental Classic. If he wins, he gets extra money.

Kings Of The Black Throne vs. The Boys

Brent goes after Black’s wrist to start and is easily shoved away. King comes in so it’s off to Brandon as everything breaks down. Brandon’s enziguri doesn’t do much to Black as it’s Dante’s Inferno to give King the pin at 2:09. Pretty much a squash.

Julia Hart, Skye Blue and Kris Statlander are ready to win/keep the TBS Title.

Trent Beretta vs. Brian Cage vs. Komander vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

The winner gets a TNT Title shot on Rampage and Prince Nana is here with Cage. The fans aren’t sure who they like here so Penta stops to take his glove off. That earns him a shot to the face before Cage gets triple teamed to the floor. Trent elbows Penta down before a jumping knee sets up a half and half suplex. Back in and Cage apron superplexes Komander onto the other two to send us to a break.

We come back with Penta striking away at Cage, followed by Trent suplexing Komander a few times. Penta gets suplexed as well but Cage blocks one without much trouble. A discus lariat knocks Trent silly and there’s a faceplant for two on Komander with Penta making the save. Penta is back up with a Canadian Destroyer to Komander and a Sling Blade to Cage. The big springboard flip dive hits Cage, leaving Komander’s rope walk shooting star to not quite hit Trent. The Scrunchie finishes Komander at 10:34 to give Trent the title shot.

Rating: B-. This felt like something you would see at a house show to set up a title match later in the night. That isn’t a bad thing either as it at least gives the match some stakes, even if Beretta doesn’t seem like a heavy favorite in the title match. For now though, good all action match and that’s what it needed to be.

Don Callis and Powerhouse Hobbs are proud of getting rid of Paul Wight with a heck of a slam onto a car on Dynamite. Hobbs tells Wight to stay away because anyone can get it.

Wardlow vs. Evan Daniels

Powerbomb, Swanton, Powerbomb for the stoppage at 57 seconds.

Full Gear rundown.

Dax Harwood vs. Rush

Ricky Starks is on commentary (Big Bill is with him but wasn’t introduced for some reason) and the rest of LFI is here. They shove each other around to start until Rush backdrops him out to the floor. Some rams into the barricade have Harwood in even more trouble as Starks does a Harwood impression.

Harwood gets sent shoulder first into the post and Rush unloads in the corner, setting up the single boot. We take a break and come back with Harwood chopping his way off the top. That lasts all of three seconds as Rush is back up with a superplex for two. They strike it out for a double knockdown before getting back up to trade clotheslines.

Rush can’t get a backslide so Harwood is right back with a piledriver for two of his own. The fight heads outside with Rush hitting a jumping knee to the face, setting up a posting. Rush goes after Starks before loading up the Bull’s Horns, only to have Starks come in with the spear to Rush for the DQ at 14:01.

Rating: B-. This was quite the Rush match, as he mostly beat the fire out of Harwood, though at least Harwood got in a bit of offense of his own. That being said, I’ll absolutely take having one of them avoid a pin before a title match, as that has always felt like the biggest waste of time. Rush continues to feel like a star, but he certainly likes being on offense. Maybe a bit too much at that.

Post match the beating is on until the other people in the ladder match run in for the huge brawl. Referees can’t break it up as we take a break. Of note: we’re told Tony Khan says this is a no contest. I know he’s a big wrestling fan, but in my day, someone coming in and attacking a single wrestler was a DQ.

Action Andretti is cut off by Roderick Strong and the Kingdom, the former of which says he has found his next victim.

Buddy Matthews vs. Wheeler Yuta

Matthews works on the arm to start but Yuta flips out to escape and crank away as well. Yuta even offers him a shot to grab the leg before pulling it back. Instead Yuta sends him outside, where a dropkick through the ropes makes it worse. That’s not ok with Matthews, who beats him up around ringside.

They head to the apron for a slugout until Yuta is LAUNCHED onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Matthews striking him down until Yuta is back up with a heck of a forearm. Yuta manages to knock him down to one knee but Matthews is back with a shot of his own.

A rollup and German suplex give Yuta two each and there’s a superkick to put Matthews on the floor. They fight on the apron until Matthews drops him ribs first onto the turnbuckle. Yuta kicks his way out of trouble and drapes him over the top for an ax handle. Matthews hits a heck of a powerbomb though and the Stomp finishes Yuta at 13:43.

Rating: B. I can always go for a power vs. speed match and they had a nice one here, with Yuta doing what he could against the far stronger Matthews. That’s a formula that has worked forever in wrestling and they did it here with two potential stars. Matthews has long since felt like he could be moving up the ladder whenever he’s given a chance but there is only so much that can be done with the rest of the House Of Black around. See also Yuta with the Blackpool Combat Club, as he is by far the lowest member of the team but is still a talented star. Anyway, pretty sweet match here and that’s always nice to see.

Post match Matthews grabs a chair but here is Claudio Castagnoli to cut him off. Castagnoli says the House Of Black has his attention so he and Matthews can fight at Full Gear.

Orange Cassidy and Jon Moxley are ready to fight again at Full Gear.

Ruby Soho/Saraya vs. Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida

Shida and Soho grapple around to start as we hear about Angelo Parker “pitching woo” about Soho. Nigel is of course all over Kelly for that one as Statlander comes in to take over on Saraya. Back up and Statlander shoulders her down for two as Julia Hart is watching in the back. Statlander suplexes both villains down at once and hands it back to Shida as we see Skye Blue watching in the back as well. The villains pull Shida down out of the corner and we take a break.

Back with Parker watching at ringside as Saraya kicks Shida in the ribs. That brings Statlander and Soho back in, with Statlander hitting a Falcon Arrow for two. Statlander has to get Soho back inside, but sees Parker in a Soho shirt. Saraya comes back in and gets to clean some house, setting up a forearm off with Shida. After a double knockdown, Shida is back up with a knee each for Saraya and Soho, which has Parker checking on the latter. Saraya is livid as Statlander clotheslines Parker (seemed to be aiming for Soho). That leaves Shida to Katana Saraya for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: B-. This wound up being more of a focus on the Parker stuff and that might be a bit more interesting than the match. Saraya is already starting to feel forgotten around here and it’s not like her matches are tearing the house down. Maybe she ties in with the Parker story, but she certainly needs something. Shida probably will as well, as it feels almost impossible to imagine her leaving Full Gear with the title. Statlander might be in a safer spot, but Hart winning feels long overdue. They covered a bit here, but it didn’t quite feel like a big time main event.

We get a sitdown interview with MJF, who is defending the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles to keep his promise to Adam Cole. The Gunns are very ugly but he’ll beat them anyway. Other than that, he doesn’t like Jay White stealing his title belt, but he’ll get that back at Full Gear. Schiavone brings up MJF winning the title a year ago, sending MJF into a rant about overcoming the odds over the years. He likes the odds against White, so we’ll see them tomorrow. This was fired up MJF and that is often the best kind.

Overall Rating: B. There was good action throughout and the Yuta vs. Matthews match was quite good, but it did feel like a show that didn’t really need to be here. I was hoping they would have pulled the show from the schedule for the sake of the PPV but we got a decent enough push towards Full Gear. The pay per view still doesn’t exactly feel must see, though this show did a nice job of boosting it up a bit.

Results
Miro b. Daniel Garcia – Game Over
Kings Of The Black Throne b. The Boys – Dante’s Inferno to Brandon
Trent Beretta b. Brian Cage, Komander and Penta El Zero Miedo – Scrunchie to Komander
Wardlow b. Evan Daniels via referee stoppage
Rush b. Dax Harwood via DQ when Ricky Starks interfered
Buddy Matthews b. Wheeler Yuta – Stomp
Hikaru Shida/Kris Statlander b. Saraya/Ruby Soho – Katana to Saraya

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Dynamite
Date: November 15, 2023
Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the final Dynamite before Full Gear and the pay per view seems to be all set up. Therefore this week is likely going to be the big final push towards the matches that are already set, as it should be. At the same time, we have a huge street fight, which is sponsored by a video game. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

We open with a recap of the beatdown on the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn, with Samoa Joe popping in to say MJF is running out of friends.

Jon Moxley/Wheeler Yuta vs. Orange Cassidy/Hook

Moxley and Yuta do their entrance through the crowd so Cassidy and Hook jump them out there to start fast. The fights split off with Yuta and Hook going to the ring to officially start. Hook throws Yuta a few times but Yuta gets in a few shots to take over. With Cassidy down on the floor, Moxley comes in with a release suplex but has to escape Redrum. Cassidy offers a distraction though and Hook grabs a suplex, allowing the tag to Cassidy. Kicking abounds but Moxley pulls him into the corner as we take a break.

Back with Cassidy still in trouble and Moxley mocking the lazy kicks. Cassidy tells him to bring it and hits a dropkick, meaning it’s back to Hook vs. Yuta for the slugout. A double clothesline puts them both down but Moxley pulls Cassidy outside. The brawl is on with Cassidy getting the better of things but Moxley is back in to go after Hook. Cassidy is in as well…and the Orange Punch has no effect on Moxley. Redrum works a bit better for Hook but Yuta gets in a cheap shot. The Death Rider into Yuta’s seatbelt finishes Hook at 11:27.

Rating: B-. Good, hard hitting brawl here with the Orange Punch failing Cassidy for the first time. That should set up the story for the title match on Saturday, though I’m not sure I can imagine Cassidy losing again. For now though, this was a nice opener, and Yuta could get an FTW Title shot as a result.

Post match Moxley promises to take Cassidy’s title on Saturday and Cassidy looks worried.

Here are Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) for a face to face showdown, but if they touch, they’re suspended for the rest of the year and Saturday’s match is off. Swerve is asked about breaking into Page’s house but Page cuts emcee Schiavone off and calls Swerve dumber than the day he got fired. It’s why Swerve’s fiance left him and his kids won’t talk to him.

If he wasn’t so dumb, he would get that Nana was using him and makes his living off of Swerve’s back. Then that night, Nana uses that money to buy weed from some high school kid. Page threatens to beat Nana up and steal his weed, which gets a rather amusing “NO YOU’RE NOT” from Nana.

Page calls Swerve a child, and like the children he has taught, Page is going to teach Swerve a lesson. He threatens to send Swerve to his house at the bottom of h***. For tonight though, Swerve and Page can’t touch, but there’s no rule about Nana. Page decks Nana, as well as some of the security who come in to break it up. Swerve never actually talked. This was a VERY fired up promo from Page, who continues to be at his best when he’s serious and ticked off.

Roderick Strong and the Kingdom call Adam Cole and insist that MJF is the Devil. Cole thinks Strong might be and hangs up.

Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue

The winner is in the TBS Title match on Saturday. They grapple off to start with neither being able to get very far. Velvet blocks an armdrag and pulls her down for two. Blue is sent outside but cuts off a dive and hits a DDT onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Velvet countering a powerbomb into a hurricanrana to set off a pinfall reversal sequence.

Velvet hits a wheelbarrow bulldog for two but the spinning kick misses. Code Blue misses as well but Skyfall gives Blue two. Velvet counters a running knee into a powerbomb for two and they trade superkicks. Blue gets in another shot though and Code Blue is good for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. That’s the only way this should have gone, as Blue has been in and around the title picture for a few months now while Velvet has only been back for a week after a nine month layoff. While Velvet has looked solid in her return, she shouldn’t be winning here and AEW got that. They did have a nice match though and that is a good sign for the future.

Miro is mad at Daniel Garcia for trying to work for CJ Perry. Destruction is promised.

Mariah May goes to the dressing room of “Not Toni Storm” and goes inside, where everything goes black and white. May is a huge fan but Storm gets annoyed and throws her out. Storm wants a tune up match for Rampage.

Samoa Joe vs. Jon Cruz

Joe knocks him into the corner to start and hits the enziguri. Cruz misses a dive off the top (with Joe walking away of course), setting up the Koquina Clutch for the tap at 1:33.

Post match Joe offers his friendship to MJF again, but reminds MJF that he is inevitable.

We get the announcement of the Continental Classic with Bryan Danielson as the first entrant.

Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander vs. Young Bucks

Nick and Komander start things off with Komander snapping off an armdrag and hitting a quick dropkick. Everything breaks down and they all miss a shot of their own until the Bucks superkick them to the floor. Back in and Penta hits a superkick to Matt in the corner but the Bucks hit the slingshot X Factor to Komander.

We take a break and come back with Komander fighting out of the corner and hitting a springboard hurricanrana to Matt. Penta comes back in for the slingshot dive onto the Bucks, followed by the Sling Blades. Made In Japan hits Matt but he’s back up with the rolling northern lights suplexes.

The Meltzer Driver is broken up and a Fear Factor on the apron knocks Nick silly. Komander hurricanranas Matt for two but Nick is back in…so there’s a rope walk Canadian Destroyer to drop him again. Matt is up for the slugout with Penta until Nick is back in for a distraction. Some low blows cut Penta and Komander off, setting up the BTE Trigger to finish Komander at 11:57.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to see the Bucks embracing the heel turn as there is little reason for them not to be. I’m not sure who would look at them and think they were anything but villains and it’s good to have it happen again. They had another entertaining match here and that’s good to see, especially with the Bucks ready for a big match at Full Gear.

Post break the Bucks say they don’t care about cheating anymore when Kenny Omega comes in. The Bucks aren’t mad at Omega, but rather Chris Jericho. Cue Jericho and the brawl is on.

Gunns vs. Pete Avalon/???

3:10 to Yuma finishes at 33 seconds.

Post match the Gunns say that was 2-2, so imagine what it’s like when they’re 2-1 against MJF.

Video on Wardlow, who is ready to wreck MJF. Wardlow accuses MJF of being the Devil, who pops up at the end.

Don Callis Family/Brian Cage vs. Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi/Paul Wight

Street fight and sponsored by a video game so we have some themed gear/objects (I don’t play the game so I’m not going to pretend to know what any of it is). The brawl is on in the aisle, with Wight brawling with Hobbs and chokeslamming Fletcher off the ramp. That leaves Omega and Ibushi to take over in the ring, setting up the moonsaults out to the floor. We cut to the back where Wight is beating up Hobbs near a car and then back to ringside where the good guys are cleaning house.

Cage manages to send Jericho through a table…but Ibushi rides down the ramp on a bicycle and decks people with a pipe. Cage breaks that up with a nasty clothesline and we cut to Hobbs dropping Wight onto the hood of a car. Takeshita brainbusters Ibushi onto the bicycle and we take a break.

Back with the villains setting up tables at ringside as Fletcher is back in. Omega gets suplexed onto a pallet for two as we get very brief flashes of Jericho and Takeshita fighting in the back. Omega grabs a bottle but gets it knocked away so Cage can hit a clothesline. In the back, Takeshita dives into a fire extinguisher blast from Jericho.

Omega and Ibushi load up the double knee but Hobbs is back in to run then over. Cage apron superplexes Omega through the tables at ringside and we take a break. Back with Fletcher taking over and hitting a jumping Tombstone to Ibushi off the apron through a table onto chairs. If Ibushi is up again during this match….well I won’t be a bit surprised, but he shouldn’t be.

Back in and Jericho and Omega beat up Hobbs before taping him to the ropes. They even tape up his mouth and it’s time to use a variety of weapons on him. Cage is back in to clean house but Omega hits him with a V Trigger. The One Winged Angel finally finishes Cage at 21:01.

Rating: B. This was a wild brawl but the cuts to the back were holding it down, as they were so fast that they were more distracting than anything else. This match was begging for a split screen, which would have solved the problem immediately. Other than that though, they did their street fighting well here and if AEW got a nice check for the sponsorship, good for them.

For those of you keeping track: Ibushi was back on his feet three minutes and thirty nine seconds after being Tombstoned off the apron through a table and onto steel chairs.

Here is MJF for the grand finale. After last week’s attack, it has become clear to him that he is never going to be able to outrun his past. He is sorry to the Acclaimed for getting caught in the crossfire that is his life and he hopes they get better. All he ever wanted to be was World Champion and now that is what he has done.

Now he looks down from the top of the mountain and sees people coming for him. He’s afraid he’ll let the people down like he did to Adam Cole and the Acclaimed, which gives us a HE’S OUR SCUMBAG chant. He’s on top of the mountain, but you’re going to have to send an army to bring him down (MJF’s nostril is flaring as he talks).

MJF promises to ind out who stole his Devil mask….and here is Jay White to interrupt. White knows that MJF knows that his days as champ are numbered. White has two words for MJF: “Get him.” Cue Bullet Club Gold to beat MJF down, including the Blade Runner for a Club counted three…as Samoa Joe is watching in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty good show here, as they didn’t rock the boat too much on the way to Full Gear. That’s the biggest worry of a show like this and they managed to make it work out. The street fight and the main event interview were the big focal points and they did well enough. The rest of the show wasn’t anything noteworthy, but they got the important parts right and the show could have been much worse.

Results
Jon Moxley/Wheeler Yuta b. Orange Cassidy/Hook – Seatbelt to Hook
Skye Blue b. Red Velvet – Code Blue
Samoa Joe b. Jon Cruz – Koquina Clutch
Young Bucks b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander – BTE Trigger to Komander
Gunns b. Peter Avalon/??? – 3:10 To Yuma
Kenny Omega/Paul Wight/Chris Jericho/Kota Ibushi b. Don Callis Family/Brian Cage – One Winged Angel to Cage

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: September 28, 2023
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back to the weekly show and there have been a lot of changes around here. In addition to Eddie Kingston winning the World Title last week, there are also new Six Man Tag Team Champions to go with the new Tag Team Champions, who won the belts a month ago and haven’t been on the show yet. Maybe that will change with the other new champions. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Josh Woods vs. Brayden Erving

Mark Sterling is here with Woods, who drives Erving into the corner to start and hammers away. Erving misses an enziguri and gets German suplexed. The Tilt-A-Woods (Anarchist suplex) finishes Erving at 1:15.

Prince Nana is excited about the Gates of Agony and Brian Cage in separate matches tonight because they’re ready to be awesome again.

Scorpio Sky vs. Tony Nese

Mark Sterling is here with Tony Nese, because we need him in the first two matches of the show. Nese does his usual group training deal before we’re ready to go. Sky cuts him off so Nese is right there to jump start the beating, only to get knocked to the floor. Back in and Nese bails to the floor again but gets tossed back inside this time. Sterling offers a distraction though and Nese manages a whip into the steps.

Nese ties him in the Tree of Woe for some crunches kicks to the ribs. The neck snap over the top rope and we’re off to a bodyscissors. A belly to back suplex gets Sky out of trouble and a clothesline drops Nese as well. Sky hits Sky High for two but Nese kicks him in the head for two more. Back up and Nese grabs a suplex, followed by the TKO for the pin at 9:08.

Rating: B-. I’m still not sure why Sky keeps falling lower and lower. While the injuries are a problem, seeing him facing Nese on Ring Of Honor isn’t the best sign for his career. There almost has to be a better use for him somewhere across AEW or ROH. He can clearly still go in the ring, but it needs to be in another ring.

Gravity vs. Lee Johnson

The wrestling doesn’t go to either of them so we have an early standoff. Johnson has to flip out of a wristlock before Gravity runs him over with a shoulder. A flipping armdrag pulls Lee out of the corner but he drops Gravity without much effort. Johnson whips him into the corner, gets in some pushups, and grabs the chinlock.

Gravity fights up and sends him to the floor for a springboard dive, followed by a top rope armdrag for two back inside. A standing moonsault gets two more but Johnson is back with some superkicks. Gravity hits his own superkick though and the top rope splash finishes Johnson at 9:21.

Rating: C+. Gravity is another guy who seems like he could be something if given a chance and he’s getting some pretty significant TV time. I’m not sure if he’s ever going to move up to the next level, but he’s doing well with getting out of Bandido’s shadow. Granted it helps when Bandido isn’t here, but Gravity is doing well either way.

The Outrunners aren’t impressed with Action Andretti and Darius Martin.

Billie Starkz vs. Lady Frost

Athena is here with Starkz. Frost is sent to the floor to start where Athena offers a fast distraction, allowing Starkz to nail a dive. Athena yells at Starkz for a bit, allowing Frost to hit a cartwheel kick of the apron to put Starkz down. Back in and Frost stomps away in the corner before flipping over her back for a dropkick. Starkz is back up with a Death Valley Driver for two but Frost throws in another cartwheel into an Air Raid Crash. The moonsault connects for Frost but Athena offers a distraction to break it up. Said distraction lets Starks hit something like a Neutralizer for the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C+. The more I see of Frost, the more impressive she becomes. She has a unique look and the athleticism to back it up. In short, she feels different and that helps her stand out a lot. If she was able to string some wins together, I could see her having a nice run somewhere. This was still all about Athena and Starkz though, as their big match is coming one day.

Post match Athena takes Frost outside for a ram into the barricade as Starkz begs Athena to stop. Starkz takes the title away before Athena can slam Frost into it, which doesn’t sit well with Athena.

Allysin Kay is ready to face Mercedes Martinez because she wants to end her losing streak.

Outrunners vs. Darius Martin/Action Andretti

Andretti works on Magnum’s arm to start before Martin comes in to do the same. It’s off to Floyd, who gets headlocked rather quickly. Andretti takes both of them down at once and stereo dropkicks send the Outrunners outside. The stereo dives are broken up though and it’s Floyd hammering away on Andretti back inside. Magnum drops a knee on Andretti but he breaks up Total Recall. The tag brings Martin back in to clean house as everything breaks down. Floyd is sent outside and a double swinging slam finishes Magnum at 6:49.

Rating: C+. The Outrunners are the definition of goofy, harmless fun and I can always go for more of that. They aren’t out here getting wins over big teams but rather losing every time and giving the fans a bit of a laugh. Martin and Andretti aren’t going anywhere, but at least they’re filling in a nice spot around here while they aren’t.

Griff Garrison is interrupted by Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Cole Karter but says he believes the team can work. They agree to do it the right way.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Laynie Luck

Maria Kanellis-Bennett comes out to watch as Luck scores with some kicks to start. Hirsch shrugs those off though and snaps off a German suplex into the Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 1:12.

Post match Maria leaves and Hirsch says she wants Athena.

Mercedes Martinez, with Diamante, thinks Allysin Kay must be sick of losing.

Shane Taylor vs. Jimmy Jacobs

Lee Moriarty is here with Taylor and Jacobs is the hometown boy. Jacobs slugs away to start and it goes as well as you would expect. Taylor misses a charge and gets sent outside though, where Jacobs grabs a front facelock. That’s broken up as well and Taylor crushes him in the corner.

The splash gives Taylor two and he slowly forearms Jacobs down over and over. Jacobs actually scores with a clothesline but Taylor’s clothesline is a little bit better. Back up and Jacobs tries Sliced Bread but is easily reversed into Welcome To The Land to give Taylor the pin at 5:31.

Rating: C+. Jacobs is a name and Taylor beating him is better than a win over some nobody. It also helps when Jacobs was able to get in some offense of his own and turned it into a decent match. Taylor is still a monster though and ROH seems interested in turning him into a big deal, meaning a Jacobs win wasn’t exactly in the cards.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is interrupted by Leyla Hirsch, who wants more competitive matches. That hasn’t happened, so Hirsch has gotten her Women’s Title shot against Athena next week.

Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. Ren Jones/Trenton Tormenta/Xavier Walker

Castle takes Jones down without much effort to start before the Boys come in for a dropkick. Jones drives Brent into the corner though and it’s Walker coming in to knock Brandon and Castle outside. Brent rolls over without much effort and Castle gets the tag to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Bang A Rang into a knee to the back (that’s a weird bonus) finishes Tormenta at 3:38.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here, save for Castle adding a mostly unnecessary move after his big finisher. Castle and the Boys have absolutely nothing to do at the moment as the Six Man Tag Team Titles don’t mean much and for some reason Castle can’t get a singles run. Not quite a squash here, but the Boys squashing someone wouldn’t make sense anyway.

Griff Garrison/Cole Karter vs. The Infantry

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is here with Garrison and Karter. Garrison hiptosses Bravo to start and adds a boot to the face. Karter comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Dean to come in for an elbow. The Infantry alternates on the beating until Karter hits a dropkick to take over on Bravo.

Garrison won’t listen to Maria’s orders to choke from the floor, leaving Bravo to roll over for the tag to Dean. A high crossbody gets two on Karter with Garrison having to make the save. Boot Camp hits Karter but Maria distracts the referee. Trish Adora chases Maria off, leaving Karter to roll Dean up (with feet on the ropes) for the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure why this Maria/Carter/Garrison story is supposed to be interesting but it’s falling pretty short. It feels like they have taken months to get very little accomplished and Karter/Garrison still aren’t exactly gelling. Maria is capable of so much more but here she is because….I have no idea really.

Ethan Page says if he wins tonight, he’s on a roll. Rohit Raju (Page’s opponent tonight) comes in to say you can’t spell Rohit without ROH, but Page promises a beating.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Allysin Kay

Diamante is here with Martinez. They fight to the floor rather quickly before Kay grabs a belly to back inside. Diamante breaks up a charge in the corner and Martinez gets in a cheap shot. After some posing inside, Martinez heads outside to beat Kay up on the floor. Kay manages a quick German suplex for a breather and a swinging neckbreaker takes Martinez down again. A missed charge sets up a Cheeky Nandos kick though and Diamante blasts Kay again. The fisherman’s buster finishes for Martinez at 5:38.

Rating: C. I’m not sure why they needed to go outside the ring that many times in a five minute match but it happened over and over. Other than that, Martinez is someone who can look good against anyone and she did it again here against a talented Kay. Again though, if you just keep winning matches and don’t move up the ladder into something more important, it doesn’t matter that much.

Lexi Nair and Billie Starkz aren’t happy with Athena’s interference early, but Athena pops up to say it’s time for some more minion training. Starkz can watch her beat up Leyla Hirsch next week.

Iron Savages vs. Gates Of Agony

Jacked Jameson and Prince Nana are here too. Kaun dropkicks Bronson to start before it’s off to Toa and Boulder for an exchange of clotheslines. Everything breaks down and Bronson’s dive is blocked, setting up a drop onto the apron. Back in and Bronson gets caught in the wrong corner, with the Gates getting to take turns. An elbow drop misses though and it’s Boulder coming in to clean house. Bronson hits a top rope elbow for two on Toa but Kaun shoves Boulder off the top. Nana steals Jameson’s Jacked Juice, leaving Bronson to take Open The Gates for the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C+. Nothing but a hoss fight here and that is something that will work most of the time. The Gates dominated the Six Man Tag Team Title scene for so long that it makes sense for them to be a successful two man team in their own right. Then you have the Savages, who are as over the top as you can get and it’s still entertaining, they aren’t likely to be getting a big win in the near future. Still though, pretty fun fight here.

Rohit Raju vs. Ethan Page

Raju jumps him to start but Page gets in a running shoulder. A delayed running suplex plants Raju and the capture belly to back suplex puts him down again. The Ego’s Edge is broken up though and Raju hits some running shots in the corner. A big boot cuts Raju right back off and it’s the slingshot cutter to give Page the pin at 2:37.

Brian Cage vs. Metalik

Prince Nana is here with Cage. Metalik starts fast and sends him outside but a dive is pulled out of the air. Back in and Cage snaps off a kick to the head in the corner, followed by a German suplex. There’s a 619 to drop Metalik again but a missed charge sends Cage into the corner.

Metalik snaps off a springboard hurricanrana, followed by the reverse Sling Blade. A big rope walk dive to the floor hits Cage again and a Code Red gives Metalik two. The rope walk Swanton misses though and Cage grabs a sitout powerbomb for two. Cage Drill Claws him for the pin at 8:01.

Rating: B-. Pretty nice power vs. speed match here and as usual, the formula worked well. What matters is getting Cage back on track after the surprising title loss and it isn’t like Metalik is going to be hurt by the loss. Cage has long since needed to get away from the Gates and if this is the start of that change, it is a good move for everyone involved.

Overall Rating: C. Within the last five weeks, Ring of Honor has crowned a new World Champion, Tag Team Champions and Six Man Tag Team Champions. None of them (or the TV/Pure Champions) were on this show, but I’m sure they’ll be on the upcoming AEW shows. In other words, ROH continues to be nothing more than a plot device for AEW and that is not making this show (the longest episode they’ve had in over a month) any easier to watch.

As for this show, it was exactly what you should expect from ROH: a bunch of mediocre to ok matches with so much stuff taking place that very little gets to stand out because it’s so bogged down by everything else. There was some minor storyline advancement, but as usual it takes either no time or the better part of forever to get anywhere. I’m running out of ways to make the same complaints every week but ROH keeps doing the same annoying things, making this show less and less interesting every single week.

Results
Josh Woods b. Brayden Erving – Tilt-A-Woods
Scorpio Sky b. Tony Nese – TKO
Gravity b. Lee Johnson – Top rope splash
Billie Starkz b. Lady Frost – Faceplant
Action Andretti/Darius Martin b. Outrunners – Double swinging slam to Magnum
Leyla Hirsch b. Laynie Luck – Fujiwara armbar
Shane Taylor b. Jimmy Jacobs – Welcome To The Land
Dalton Castle/The Boys b. Ren Jones/Trenton Tormenta/Xavier Walker – Knee to Tormenta’s back
Griff Garrison/Cole Karter b. The Infantry – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Dean
Mercedes Martinez b. Allysin Kay – Fisherman’s buster
Gates Of Agony b. Iron Savages – Open The Gates to Bronson
Ethan Page b. Rohit Raju – Slingshot cutter
Brian Cage b. Metalik – 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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Dynamite
Date: September 27, 2023
Location: 1stBank Center, Broomfield, Colorado
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before WrestleDream and the card still needs some more focus. The card has been kind of thrown together so building up some of what is already there would be nice. In addition, we’ll probably get some fallout from Rey Fenix winning the International Title in an unplanned title switch last week. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

International Title: Rey Fenix vs. Jeff Jarrett

Fenix, with Alex Abrahantes, is defending and the rest of Jarrett’s crew is here too. The fight is on outside to start with Penta hurricanranaing Jay Lethal into a low blow on Satnam Singh. Karen Jarrett’s interference doesn’t work as Fenix fires off some superkicks and we get the opening bell. Back in and Fenix’s back gives out as he tries a fireman’s carry, allowing Jeff to hit a DDT as we take a break.

Back with Fenix dropping Jeff for a double stomp, followed by a basement superkick to put him down again. A Sonjay Dutt distraction lets Jeff grab a small package for two, setting up the Stroke. Fenix gets a foot on the rope though, meaning Jeff tries the Figure Four, only to get small packaged to retain the title at 8:28.

Rating: B-. They kept this moving and gave Fenix a win to make him feel like more of a real champion. That being said, I’m not sure how many people are going to buy him as a long term champion in the slightest, which is probably because he was never meant to be champion in the first place. If we have to put up with Fenix every week though, I can think of worse ideas.

We look at Adam Cole injuring his ankle last week.

Adam Cole and MJF go boating near Long Island, and yes MJF has a captain’s hat on. MJF asks about Roderick Strong, and Cole worrying about him so much that he couldn’t accompany MJF to the ring. MJF goes to get Cole another beer but loads up the ring. Cole: “Max, you didn’t bring me out there to hit me in the head with the diamond ring and throw my body overboard did you?”

Cole talks about the need to have multiple friends. MJF says it’s not for him, but he gets what Cole means. MJF mentions throwing someone overboard in the past but before Cole can mention it, he has a bite. That bite happens to be from Captain Insano (Paul Wight) in a duck inter tube. They all drink together.

Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita were in Tokyo last week to look for Kota Ibushi.

Here are Callis and Takeshita for a chat. Callis brings out Sammy Guevara and we see more footage of Callis and Takeshita in Japan. They invaded Kota Ibushi’s gym and hit Ibushi in the head with a kettle bell. Back in the arena, Guevara rants about Chris Jericho clipping his wings over and over. Revenge is promised for WrestleDream.

Ricky Starks isn’t bothered by his loss to Bryan Danielson on Collision. Wheeler Yuta comes in and challenges him for WrestleDream.

Brian Cage vs. Nick Jackson vs. Claudio Castagnoli

The winner gets an International Title shot next week, and it’s not a good sign for the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles when one of the new champions (who didn’t bring his belt) is getting into a singles title picture less than a week after winning the team titles. Jackson is sent outside to start, leaving the power guys to do power guy things. Back up and Nick hits a moonsault to the floor but Castagnoli boots him in the face as we take a break.

Back with Cage German suplexing Castagnoli but Nick takes Cage down with a bulldog out of the corner. Nick hits a moonsault to the floor to drop Castagnoli, followed by a 450 to Cage. Back in and Cage hits an F5 or two on Nick, followed by the apron superplex to Castagnoli. Not that it matters as Castagnoli is back up with the Riccola Bomb to Cage. Jackson springboards in to take Castagnoli out though and steals the pin on Cage at 10:04.

Rating: B-. Commentary pointed out that Jackson has had four singles matches (counting this one) in AEW, but now he’s getting a title shot. What is the kayfabe reason for him being in this match in the first place? Anyway, this was your usual “two in, one out” triple threat formula, complete with someone stealing the finish. Completely fine, though I’m not exactly needing to see Nick and Fenix flip around for ten minutes next week.

The Righteous play with paper dolls and are coming for the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles.

Here are Adam Cole (on crutches with a taped ankle/shin) and MJF for a chat. Cole gets to the point: he has broken his ankle in three places and torn ligaments, meaning he’s going to need surgery. Therefore, the titles have to be vacated, but MJF isn’t about to vacate the titles to those “freaky deaky douchebags the Righteous”. MJF is ready to defend the titles on his own, but here is Roderick Strong to say he needs Cole. IT’S AN EMERGENCY. Cole hugs MJF and goes up to Strong (and the Kingdom) and leaves with them.

Cue Bullet Club Gold, with Jay White telling MJF to shut up. He knows MJF wants some alone time with the Switchblade, which has MJF accusing him of smoking a certain substance. Fans: “WEED!” Yeah that one. MJF talks about how he’s been compared to all kinds of people and it’s never bothered him…until someone said he’s no Jay White. MJF says he’s like a filet mignon and it doesn’t matter who else is around him. White isn’t so much filet mignon, but rather tofu.

That means you can taste like anything you want but don’t have an identity. White was given the keys to one of the biggest stables ever but when you take that away, you’re bland, tasteless tofu. No matter what happens though, people will realize that MJF is better than him. White talks about how he got his personal MJF experience but says he holds MJF’s neck is feeling ok after Samoa Joe. He’s going to torment MJF for a little while longer though, because he wants the World Title.

MJF doesn’t seem so elite compared to White, who is the man who single handedly sold out Madison Square Garden. White is coming for the title, no matter what MJF thinks. This went on and on and on and couldn’t have been more obviously designed to fill in time if it had a big countdown clock going in the background.

We get a sitdown interview with Darby Allin and Christian Cage. They talk about being ready to leave WrestleDream with the title, with Cage saying he’s the better man. Cage brings up Allin’s uncle dying in a car wreck with Allin the car so Allin calls him out for bringing up so many dead people. Allin doesn’t want Nick Wayne out there with him so Cage accuses him of hiding behind his face paint. Allin pours water over his face and rubs it off, promising to win the title.

Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Jackson vs. Austin Gunn

It’s a brawl to start with Cassidy getting to armdrag Jackson. Gunn comes in to steal a cover but Penta chops him down. Penta superkicks Jackson but Cassidy comes in for the pockets vs. CERO MIEDO showdown. That doesn’t work for Penta, who drops him with a superkick. Gunn clears the ring again and we take a break.

Back with Gunn cleaning house again but Cassidy backdrops him down. A Canadian Destroyer hits Gunn but Jackson is back up with the rolling northern lights suplex. Penta comes back in with some kicks of his own but gets Orange Punched. Gunn hits the Fameasser for two on Cassidy, followed by two more on the other two. Back up and Cassidy sends Gunn outside, setting up the Orange Punch to finish Jackson at 12:21.

Rating: B-. The match itself was good enough, but there’s only so much you can get out of watching half of the wrestlers in an upcoming four way #1 contenders tag match. Cassidy getting the pin is almost always a wise way to go but this was more or less a “building momentum” match and that’s not exactly thrilling TV.

Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart

Brody King is here with Hart. Nightingale, with one eye bandaged, takes her into the corner to start and stomps away before planting her with some slams. We take a break and come back with Nightingale hitting a Death Valley Driver for two. Hart gets in a shot of her own and tries Hartless but Nightingale goes to the ropes. Nightingale ties her in the Tree of Woe but a King distraction lets Hart avoid the Cannonball. A moonsault gives Hart the pin at 8:18.

Rating: C. That was a rather nice looking moonsault from Hart and it should be interesting to see if they’ll pull the trigger with her on Sunday. She’s getting a lot better in the ring and a win over Nightingale feels like it matters. If nothing else, it would give the women’s division a new player and that is something they need at the moment.

Post match Hart grabs Hartless but Kris Statlander makes the save.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

It’s time for a contract signing between Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland. Swerve says this is a bad thing for Page because he’s in over his head. What’s a buckshot to a killshot (Killshot being Swerve’s name in Lucha Underground.)? Page thanks him for saying he’s in over his head because he was thinking about how things have changed in the last year.

Every time he started to smile though, that little cloud came back and it started to rain. That downpour rained something out of him and now he’s had time to think about what Strickland said. These people deserve more from him and that’s what Swerve will get in Seattle. Page signs but Strickland starts laughing, calling that the most pathetic thing he’s ever seen.

Sure Strickland has mental problems but he’s going to take this privilege from him at WrestleDream, because it rains a lot in Seattle. Page gets fired up and promises Strickland isn’t taking anything from him. Strickland slaps him and signs….so Page stabs him in the hand with the pen! The fight is broken up and they glare a lot. That was a heck of an exchange and this is one of the best things going in AEW right now.

We cut to the back where masked men jump Jay White. A man in a devil mask grabs the camera to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure what happened here tonight, but this was one heck of a weird show. Half of the matches felt out of nowhere and the other half were lame ways to build up unimportant WrestleDream matches. There’s still Collision to draw up some interest, but this didn’t make me want to hand AEW $50 for Sunday’s show. The wrestling was ok enough and carried the show, but this wasn’t just a regular Dynamite. This was the final Dynamite at the end of a not so great pay per view build. I’m not sure what AEW was trying here, but it didn’t work so well.

Results
Rey Fenix b. Jeff Jarrett – Small package
Nick Jackson b. Brian Cage and Claudio Castagnoli – Riccola Bomb to Cage
Orange Cassidy b. Austin Gunn, Matt Jackson and Penta El Zero Miedo – Orange Punch to Jackson
Julia Hart b. Willow Nightingale – Moonsault

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

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AND

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

Dynamite
Date: September 13, 2023
Location: Heritage Bank Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re a week away from Grand Slam and that means the show needs a main event. We’ll see what we’ll be getting this week with the finals of a #1 contenders tournament final between Samoa Joe and Roderick Strong. Other than that, hometown boy Jon Moxley is defending the International Title against Big Bill and the fans might be a bit partisan. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

International Title: Big Bill vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley, the hometown star, is defending and tries some kicks to the leg to start. Bill (with Ricky Starks) isn’t having that and tosses him around before a kick sends it outside. That’s fine with Moxley as he slugs away, only to get thrown over the table. We take a break and come back with Moxley (busted open) hitting a superplex to put them both down.

Bill grabs the swinging Boss Man Slam for two before stomping away, only to have Moxley do an Undertaker situp. Moxley grabs a sleeper but lets it go to hit a running cutter. Starks crotches Moxley though and Bill gets in a big boot for two. Cue Bryan Danielson to go after Starks so Bill hits a chokeslam for two. A triangle choke has Bill in trouble and he actually taps at 11:18.

Rating: B-. It makes sense to get Moxley out there this fast as he is likely to be the most popular star throughout the show. Beating Bill still feels like something that matters and Moxley gets to show off his submission stuff on the way there. At the same time, we might be getting Starks vs. Moxley in the future, which could work well. Nice opener.

Post match Starks and Bill keep up the beatdown but Claudio Castagnoli makes the save.

Adam Cole interrupts Roderick Strong and the Kingdom, warning Strong of what might happen to his neck. Strong finds it interesting that NOW Cole cares about his neck, so he’ll show Cole instead.

We look back at Konosuke Takeshita beating Kenny Omega twice in eight days.

Here is Don Callis to brag about Takeshita’s wins and here is Takeshita himself. Callis talks about how Takeshita is the greatest of all time but just beating Omega isn’t enough. They have a painting covered up in the corner but pull it off to reveal….Kota Ibushi as their next victim. Pain and destruction are promised.

Bryan Danielson issues a challenge for a tag match against Ricky Starks and Big Bill on Collision. Eddie Kingston and Rey Fenix, who are challenging Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli next week, come in for the pull apart. Kingston is left alone with Castagnoli and says one week.

Orange Cassidy laments not having a title…..but notices that Hook has one. Cassidy is more upset over the loss though and is still so tired.

Toni Storm vs. Nyla Rose vs. Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida

For a Women’s Title match next week. Storm waits on the floor as Rose runs the other two over. That’s broken up so everyone but Shida is sent outside. Shida dives onto all three of them and we take a break. Back with all four slugging it out until Storm gets to clean house. A German suplex hits Baker and the running hip attack in the corner nails Rose. Back up and the Beast Bomb hits Storm so Shida and Baker go after Rose to slow her down. Shida rolls Rose up for two before hitting her with the Katana. Baker stomps Shida but Storm is back up with a rollup to finish Baker at 8:39.

Rating: C+. Storm was the absolute right call here as she has been on fire with her over the top stuff lately. At the same time, she has the connection with Saraya through the Outcasts to make things that much more interesting. The match itself kept moving, but as usual, that break in the middle of a match that wasn’t very long in the first place hurt it a lot.

Saraya says things have changed in the last year and now she’s ready to beat Toni Storm next week.

Here are Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara for a chat. They’re going to be facing each other next week, but they have a great history together. We see a video on their times together throughout AEW, showing just how long they have been together. Jericho talks about seeing Guevara on the NWA 70th Anniversary show and knowing he had to be in AEW. Jericho has watched Sammy go from a boy to a man and now he is about to give birth. Well his wife is as least.

Sammy talks about how he was a huge fan growing up and now he can’t believe he is here with Jericho. He wants to break out of Jericho’s shadow though, so he has to win next week. Jericho says Sammy is here to be a main eventer, but he isn’t sure Guevara is ready to beat him.

Sammy says it’s always about what Jericho wants, so next week he’s getting the win and then they’ll win the Tag Team Titles. Jericho still isn’t done and says he’ll give Sammy the beating of his life, but he wants the same from him. Sammy wouldn’t have it any other way. This went on for a bit, but that video did show how much of a history they have together.

Last week, MJF was too banged up to travel, but he’ll be at Grand Slam. MJF loves the idea of a week off but he wanted to see Roderick Strong vs. Samoa Joe because he can’t stand either of them. Strong is faking that neck injury and he’ll choke Joe out. Things get even worse for Joe though as MJF goes straight into the Steiner Math promo, leaving Renee Young looking VERY confused.

Brian Cage vs. Hangman Page

This is match #3 in their series, with the first two matches taking place only about two and a half years ago. Page slugs away to start but gets knocked into the corner for the clotheslines. A big boot and springboard clothesline put Cage on the floor, where Page hurricanranas him into the post. Page hits a slingshot dive to drop him again, followed by a 619 of all things back inside. The Buckshot Lariat is loaded up but cue Swerve Strickland for a distraction. Cage gets in a German suplex as we take a break.

Back with Cage hitting a full nelson slam for two, only to miss a moonsault. Page makes the fired up comeback and a Cactus Clothesline sends them outside. Back in and Cage pulls him out of the air for the curling fall away slam, the last of which is countered into a crucifix bomb to send Cage outside. The moonsault to the floor his Cage for two back inside so Cage sends him to the apron. The apron superplex is broken up and Page hits the Deadeye for the pin at 12:08.

Rating: B. These guys beat the heck out of each other and it was quite the slugout. What mattered here was getting Page a win on his way to a bigger showdown with Strickland. Page hasn’t done much on his own in a long time now and it’s nice to see him having something to do again. Pretty awesome match here.

Post match Page accuses Swerve of sending Cage after him as a way to avoid doing it himself. Swerve says this isn’t over in one night and issues the challenge for WrestleDream. Cage jumps Page from behind, allowing Prince Nana to dance some more (thereby making it awesome). The Young Bucks make the save.

Daniel Garcia is tired of Chris Jericho getting so much attention. Don Callis comes in to feel his pain and seemingly offers Garcia a spot in the Callis Family. Garcia’s dancing seems to say yes.

We look at Jade Cargill’s return.

Nick Wayne/Darby Allin vs. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

Wayne and Menard start things off but cue Christian Cage and Luchasaurus, the former of whom joins commentary, for a distraction so Menard can take over. Menard hits a bulldog but Wayne enziguris his way to freedom. That’s still not enough for the tag though and we take a break.

Back with Wayne fighting out of a chinlock and now the tag brings Allin in to clean house. The Code Red gives Allin two and it’s back to Wayne for Wayne’s World but Menard makes the save. Allin dives onto Menard on the floor and Wayne adds a moonsault to take him out again. The Coffin Drop finishes Parker at 7:40.

Rating: C+. Menard and Parker are the kind of people you can throw out there to give someone else a win and make them look pretty good in the process. The match might not have been a masterpiece, but it gave Allin and Wayne a win and had enough good action. Throw in Christian on commentary and it was that much better.

Post match Christian talks about scrolling through Wayne’s Instagram and the biggest problem is his mom doesn’t post enough pictures of herself. There is also way too much about the coffin match, but Cage didn’t have his regular partner. So how about Cage/Luchasaurus vs. Sting/Allin next week?

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on the #1 contenders tournament.

Grand Slam #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Roderick Strong vs. Samoa Joe

Joe’s ROH TV Title isn’t on the line and the Kingdom is here with Strong. Feeling out process to start with Strong bailing to the floor. The chase goes badly for Joe as Strong hammers away back inside, only to have Joe run him over. Joe pounds him down in the corner as we take a break.

Back with Joe fighting out of a chinlock so Strong hits a middle rope dropkick for two. Joe fights out of a neck crank and hits the snap powerslam for two. Strong hits a running clothesline but can’t get the Stronghold. Instead Joe is back with the release Rock Bottom out of the corner but Strong slips out of the Muscle Buster. The Sick Kick hits Joe, who shrugs it off and grabs the Koquina Clutch for the tap at 10:40.

Rating: B-. At the end of the day, Joe winning was the right way to go from the start of the tournament. While Strong’s stuff has been great lately, his issue is more with Adam Cole than MJF. Let Joe get his big moment, and perhaps even win the title, while Strong and Cole can do their own thing. The ending with Joe choking Strong out made Joe look like a monster again and that is where he shines the most.

Post match Joe promises to take everything MJF has. Joe leaves, so Strong and the Kingdom have some words. Strong goes down and grabs his neck, meaning it’s time to go out on a stretcher. The Kingdom yells at Cole, but here is Joe again to choke Cole out.

One more Grand Slam rundown wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B. This show was about setting up Grand Slam (and a bit more) and as usual, that worked. Grand Slam has a tendency to be a big deal for AEW and they have certainly made the card feel important. That being said, WrestleDream is going to need a lot of attention in a hurry as there are only two more Dynamites before the show with two matches announced. For now though, good Dynamite with the bigger show coming next week.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Big Bill – Triangle choke
Toni Storm b. Nyla Rose, Britt Baker and Hikaru Shida – Rollup to Baker
Hangman Page b. Brian Cage – Deadeye
Darby Allin/Nick Wayne b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker
Samoa Joe b. Roderick Strong – Koquina Clutch

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: September 6, 2023
Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re done with All Out and quite a bit happened at the show. Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy to win the International Title, while Kenny Omega lost in his showdown with Konosuke Takeshita. There is a good chance that both of those will play into Grand Slam and WrestleDream over the next month. Let’s get to it.

Here is All Out if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Orange Cassidy to get the big ovation. He was told to stay home but came here anyway, because he’ll be here every week. As he goes to leave, he runs into the people coming out for the International Title match.

International Title: Jon Moxley vs. AR Fox

Moxley is defending and has Claudio Castagnoli with him. The right hands in the corner have Fox in early trouble but he’s right back up with a springboard missile dropkick to put Moxley on the floor. There’s the big dive to take him down as we see Darby Allin (who came out with Fox but left) and Nick Wayne watching in the back. Fox hits a running hanging DDT and we take a break. Back with Fox hitting a kick to the head into a 450 for two. Moxley isn’t having that though and takes him down for the elbows to the head. The King Kong Lariat sets up the Death Rider to retain at 8:24.

Rating: C+. As usual, Fox got in all of his flashy moves and flips and looked good enough, though there was no way Moxley was going to lose here. The more important story here though would seem to be that of Wayne and Allin’s different ways of looking at Fox. That’s going to go in some interesting directions but it might take some time to get there.

Post match Allin comes to the ring to check on ox but we see Christian Cage and Luchasaurus coming up to Nick Wayne in the back. Cage didn’t know Wayne’s dad was a wrestler so he looked his up….and Wayne’s dad was even worse than he thought. If Wayne wants a mentor, maybe he should look to a champion. Just something to think about. Christian goes to leave but asks Wayne to “say hi to your mom for me.”

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Emi Sakura

Statlander is defending and gets rolled up for a fast two. Sakura sends her to the apron for the running crossbody to knock Statlander to the floor. Back in and they exchange clotheslines for a double knockdown. Sakura is up first with a reverse DDT and a backbreaker for two as this is pretty one sided so far. Statlander pops up and hits Wednesday Night Fever for the pin to retain at 4:20.

Rating: C. Well it made Sakura look great until the end while Statlander got in about two moves. What matters is that Statlander won, but it was a weird way for the champion to be presented. Sakura is someone who has all kinds of talent, but she’s just kind of dropped into random matches most of the time. This made her look good, though I’m not sure why Statlander couldn’t have gotten in some more offense before the win.

Roderick Strong has a sitdown interview where he talks about being alone for most of his childhood but wrestling helped save him. Adam Cole knew that, but now he’ll win the Grand Slam eliminator tournament alone.

Le Sex Gods vs. Aussie Open

Don Callis is on commentary and the Aussies jump them fast to start. We settle down to Sammy and Fletcher chopping it out until Sammy hits a dropkick to the ribs. A double suplex drops Fletcher and the fans rather like Jericho as we take a break. Back with Jericho avoiding the stereo clotheslines and hitting a Codebreaker for two on Fletcher.

The triangle dropkick sends Fletcher to the floor but Jericho’s dive only takes out Sammy. The Aussies ram them together and then take it back inside where the Aussie Arrow hits Jericho for two. Sammy is back in with a Spanish Fly to Davis, but Fletcher brainbusters Jericho for two more. Back up and the Judas Effect finishes for Jericho at 11:24.

Rating: B-. This was a good match between two talented teams, though the Aussies’ bad run continues. Jericho and Sammy teaming together regularly is something that makes sense, though that tension in the middle doesn’t bode well for their future. For now though, nice match as they kept the energy up.

Post match Jericho tries to apologize to Sammy but they wind up shoving each other and Sammy walks off.

We look at the Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks strap match, with Guevara’s body being rather wrecked. Starks is livid about another setback and wants a chance.

We look at MJF and Samoa Joe’s brawl at All Out.

Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita are in the back, with Callis bragging about Takeshita’s win over Kenny Omega. Callis has a new painting, but we’ll have to see it later. Next week, we’ll find out their next target.

Here is MJF for a chat. MJF talks about how he used to live right here in Indiana during his time on the independent circuit and yes the fans do appreciate that. Now though, he’s on his way to New York to face the winner of the Grand Slam tournament. One person needs to be taught a lesson but here is Samoa Joe to interrupt. Joe wanted to be out here to hear what MJF said, but MJF thinks Joe must have confused the entrance music for an ice cream truck.

The last time Joe was busy with an ice cream truck, he was being the biggest star on the other company’s network. MJF thinks that means it’s time to get creative, so we get some Pillsbury Doughboy jokes. Those are followed up with jokes about the size of various genitalia before Joe shifts to mocking the midwest. MJF doesn’t like hearing Joe call him “kid” and tells him to go enter the tournament.

Joe isn’t impressed but MJF has a story. We hear the story about his tryout with WWE and how William Regal blew him off. Then MJF sent him back to NXT where he belonged, and if Joe doesn’t watch it, he’ll be next. That night, MJF got to be a security guard on WWE TV and met Joe himself. Joe then shoved him into a brick wall and laughed. Well now MJF isn’t a kid anymore because he is now the World Champion and the best wrestler in the world today. So now, MJF is going to kill Joe.

That gets a smirk from Joe, who didn’t think MJF was a kid that night. Just a little b****. That earns Joe a slap, but he says he’ll be in the tournament to get him to Grand Slam. Joe kicks him low and holds up the World Title but MJF gets in a low blow of his own. The fight is on but Adam Cole runs in to break up the MuscleBuster. MJF has to be helped out but Joe talks a bit more trash about him anyway. Good showdown here, and Joe is certainly a fresh main eventer.

Grand Slam #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Roderick Strong vs. Trent Beretta

Strong and Adam Cole bump into each other on the way to the ring, with Strong talking a lot of trash. The Kingdom and Chuck Taylor are here too. Strong takes him into the corner to start before grabbing a front facelock. Back up and they trade chops until Trent hits a belly to back suplex. A tornado DDT sends Strong outside where he grabs his neck again. Strong is fine enough to belly to back suplex him onto the apron and we take a break.

Back with Trent fighting out of a fireman’s carry and hitting some rolling German suplexes. Trent grabs a Death Valley Driver for two and they fight into the corner. A super hurricanrana takes them back down and Trent counters the Stronghold into a small package for two. Trent’s piledriver gets two as Strong gets a foot on the ropes. Strong is back up with End Of Heartache to finish Trent at 11:04.

Rating: B-. These two worked well together and it was nice to see Strong getting back in the ring. I’m not wild on a lot of the things he’s been doing with Adam Cole but he can still go in the ring with almost anyone. They had a good match and it’s nice to see something a bit cleaner like this rather than all of the shenanigans that usually take place.

Toni Storm doesn’t remember anything about costing Ruby Soho last week. Next week, she’ll be ready to win. She warns Renee Paquette to watch the show, then throws it at her.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Page talks about how he was able to donate $50,000 to an education charity in Chicago. He used to be a teacher and knows they are underpaid and deserve the help. Cue Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana to interrupt though, with Swerve saying Page is now just a mascot.

Page was stuck on the pre-show competing for charity rather than on the main show for titles. Swerve thinks Page hasn’t had any new merchandise in a year, but he got a new contract and the good food he’s been eating has been showing. When is the last time Page even had a title shot? If Swerve had the opportunities Page had a year ago, he would have been the first Black AEW World Champion.

Swerve tells him to ride away so this can be Swerve’s house. Or they fight, with Page showing what Cowboy S*** really is. But remember, Swerve will whip him like a dive. Either way, Swerve is coming for the spot that Page doesn’t seem like he wants. Page goes after him but here is Brian cage to lay him out. Cage wasn’t needed here, but Nana getting to dance to Swerve’s music again was worth it.

Here’s what’s coming on Rampage.

Jay Lethal, Penta El Zero Miedo and Jeff Hardy are ready to win their tournament matches.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Grand Slam #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Darby Allin vs. Nick Wayne

They shake hands to start and Allin sends him to the floor, only to miss a suicide dive. We take an early break and come back with Wayne’s frog splash hitting raised knees. The shotgun dropkick puts Wayne in the corner for two before Allin grabs a Figure Four. That’s turned over with Allin bailing into the ropes for the break.

Allin knocks him down again and we get a quick breather. A fist bump sets up the forearm exchange but Allin stops to grab a mic and says Wayne needs to hit him harder. Wayne hits a superkick but cue Christian cage and Luchasaurus to interrupt. We take another break and come back with Allin charging into a knee on the apron. The hurricanrana sends Allin back down to the floor with Wayne hitting a frog splash for a bonus.

Back in and Wayne’s super cutter is broken up but Allin can’t bring himself to hit the Coffin Drop, instead just covering Wayne for two. Wayne grabs his own Last Supper for two but Wayne’s World is blocked. Instead Allin hits a crossbody into a crucifix into Code Red for two more. Allin ties up the arms and stomps at the head for the submission at 11:55.

Rating: B-. I’m still not seeing it with Wayne, who feels like someone else who can do the flips and little more. Having Allin not want to hurt his friend was fine, but I still don’t have much of a reason to care about Wayne himself. Good enough main event and Allin winning is the right way to go, but they’re leaning in heavily on Wayne and I’m not sure it’s working.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show where the wrestling didn’t matter, but rather setting things up for later. In that sense, this show was quite effective as they built towards Grand Slam and perhaps even beyond that. Multiple stories were either set up in the first place or advanced and I’m curious to see where some of those things go. This was a solid show, and if they can keep it up, we could be in for a nice stretch going forward.

Results
Jon Moxley b. AR Fox – Death Rider
Kris Statlander b. Emi Sakura – Wednesday Night Fever
Le Sex Gods b. Aussie Open – Judas Effect to Fletcher
Roderick Strong b. Trent Beretta – End Of Heartache
Darby Allin b. Nick Wayne – Stomps to the head

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

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All Out 2023
Date: September 3, 2023
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur, Kevin Kelly

It’s the second pay per view in eight days and this week’s card isn’t exactly strong. In theory the main event is Orange Cassidy defending the International Title against Jon Moxley, which has been built up rather strong. Other than that, we have a pair of Ring Of Honor title matches so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Zero Hour: Other The Budget Charity Battle Royal

Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta, Dalton Castle, Matt Menard, Tony Nese, Kyle Fletcher, Mark Davis, Serpentico, Action Andretti, Darius Martin, Jake Hager, Daniel Garcia, Angelo Parker, Scorpio Sky, Bishop Kaun, Toa Leona, Brian Cage, Hangman Page, Shawn Spears, Komander

The winner gets to donate $50,000 to the charity of their choice. Before the match though, Nese gets in the ring and does his “you’re all fat and need group training” deal. He does some pushups as the bell rings and is promptly eliminated. The Mogul Embassy and Dalton Castle/The Boys get in a fight on the floor, only to have Komander hit his rope walk shooting star onto them all (none of them are eliminated).

Hager tosses Serpentico as Nigel says he’s never actually been in a battle royal. Garcia and Spears have a staredown with the TEN vs. dancing until the Aussies break it up. The Mogul Embassy gets together to dump Komander but the Boys save Castle from hitting the floor. The same Boys drop Parker for the elimination (Parker: “SERIOUSLY?”) but Cage clotheslines Castle out. There goes Martin before the Best Friends chokeslam Cage. Leona tosses Taylor though, only to have Page get rid of Kaun.

Menard and Hager are both out as the ring is rapidly clearing out. Page and Beretta double clothesline Davis out and Sky eliminates Garcia (the fans aren’t pleased). We’re down to six, with Page, Andretti and Beretta squaring off with Cage, Leona and Fletcher. Andretti is sent to the apron and tossed out but Beretta half and half suplexes Fletcher out. Cage eliminates Beretta and we’re down to Page vs. Cage and Leona. The Buckshot Lariat gets rid of Leona but Cage hits a quick neckbreaker. Not that it matters as Page comes right back and tosses him out for the win at 13:13.

Rating: C. This was the “get everyone on the show” deal and the charity thing was a pretty unique way to go. That being said, it’s another battle royal and I don’t know how AEW could possibly run them into the ground any farther. This is their second in three days and that’s a bit much for anyone. At least they didn’t go long and Page winning seemed to pop the crowd so it was hardly some terrible idea.

Zero Hour: Hikaru Shida/Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue vs. Athena/Mercedes Martinez/Diamante

Athena and company are quickly sent outside and start arguing, allowing Blue to hit a big dive. Back in and Shida’s middle rope dropkick hits Diamante but Blue comes in and gets dropped with a gutbuster. Diamante sends her face first into a boot in the corner but Blue slaps Athena in the face. That’s not enough for the diving tag as Athena plants her down for two instead.

The next attempt is enough to bring Shida back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and we get an exchange of strikes to the head. Martinez hits a German superplex on Blue but Nightingale crushes her. Athena hits the O Face but they head out to the floor. Nightingale Pounces Athena into the barricade and Martinez is whipped hard into it for a bonus. Back in and Code Blue finishes Martinez at 8:23.

Rating: C. The sooner they can get Athena into the AEW women’s division, the better. She’s dominated Ring Of Honor for so long and is completely ahead of everyone else around there. Let her come up to the bigger stage and show what she can do with the better talent. Other than that, this felt like a way to get a bunch of women on the show, though having Blue in the Chicago gear made perfect sense.

Zero Hour: Trios Titles: Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

Jarrett and company are challenging and get a very basketball themed entrance. On the other hand, the champs come out with Dennis Rodman as Caster calls the other team the 2023 Oddities. Hold on though as Gunn has his own referee, so here is Aubrey Edwards. Jarrett and company jump them to start but it’s a quick Scissor Me Timbers to Jeff. The Acclaimed do a pretty bad strut but Jeff gets in a running crotch attack on the ropes to Caster.

Lethal comes in to stomp Caster down in the corner until a suplex gives us a double knockdown. It’s off to Bowens to clean house and Gunn comes in to hammer away as well. That works until Singh is there for a chokeslam to Bowens. Sonjay Dutt offers a distraction but Aubrey Edwards catches Karen Jarrett bringing in the guitar. Aubrey kicks her to the floor as Gunn hits Singh low. Rodman adds a guitar shot to Singh and there’s a Fameasser to Lethal. The Arrival into the Mic Drop retains the titles at 5:56.

Rating: C. Rodman seemed a bit….we’ll go with “off” here and only did one thing. This is probably a match that could have been on Collision or Rampage instead but here it is making this show longer instead. I do like getting the Acclaimed and Gunn out there for a fun enough title match though and it didn’t last long, so this could have been a lot worse.

And now, the show proper.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Dark Order vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Adam Cole

MJF and Cole are defending and we’re already in with the DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE chants. Silver slugs away at Cole to start but the threat of the double clothesline sends Silver out to the floor. Back in and MJF offers a handshake under the guise of sportsmanship, only to get in a cheap shot on Reynolds (the fans approve). The Kangaroo Kick is loaded up but he gets knocked down with a chair shot behind the referee’s back.

MJF’s neck is banged up and walks out (with help, rather than a neck brace), leaving Cole to fight on his own. Fans: “SINGLE CLOTHESLINE!” Cole is sent outside but cuts off a dive with a jumping enziguri. Back in and Silver kicks away at Cole, setting up a fisherman’s buster for two. Silver snaps off a German suplex for two before Cole is sent outside. Evil Uno gets in a cheap shot on the floor, setting up the jawbreaker into a German suplex for two on Cole.

There’s a double clothesline for two on Cole but he’s back with a kick in the corner to drop Reynolds. Cue the returning MJF to get the tag and clean house, including some right hands and a bite in the corner. Silver falls down and headbutts Silver low by mistake and Uno’s distraction is cut off by a superkick. The Double Clothesline retains the titles at 14:03.

Rating: B-. Honestly, what else were they supposed to do here? There was no reason to believe that the Dark Order was going to win, or really have much of a chance, without some kind of interference so the MJF handicap was all they had. It absolutely did not need to be on pay per view, but it had its entertaining moments.

MJF has to be helped out but here is Samoa Joe for his match. Joe shoves MJF on the way to the ring so MJF charges in for the brawl. Cole, instead of helping, calls out security as Joe grabs a front facelock (AHUH). Security finally gets in to break it up, as I’m trying to figure out where they came up with the inspiration for a shove and a front facelock until the fight was broken up.

Ring Of Honor TV Title: Shane Taylor vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is defending. Taylor slugs him into the corner to start but Joe knocks it out to the floor. Back in and Taylor grabs a powerslam for two but Joe slugs away again. With Taylor on the floor, Joe hits a suicide elbow, only to get clotheslined for two back inside. A hanging Stunner gets two on Joe and a middle rope splash gets the same. They forearm it out until Joe pulls him into the Koquina Clutch to retain at 6:23.

Rating: C. Well that happened. I’m rather glad that they spent time setting up Taylor as the challenger on ROH and then had this match get PPV time. Taylor never felt like a threat and then Joe just choked him out. Joe has held the title for almost a year and a half now and it’s time to find him a serious challenger. Or take the title off of him already.

We recap Luchasaurus vs. Darby Allin for the TNT Title. Christian Cage thinks it’s his and has been as gloriously delusional as ever.

TNT Title: Luchasaurus vs. Darby Allin

Allin is challenging and Christian Cage/Nick Wayne are the seconds. Allin charges right at him and they fight to the floor, with Luchasaurus sending Allin into the steps. Cage wants more violence so Luchasaurus puts the steps on Allin’s back and steps on them. Back in and a spinning side slam gives Luchasaurus two, followed by one heck of a headbutt. Allin manages a quick shot but a springboard crossbody bounces off of Luchasaurus for a crash.

Allin’s rib tape is pulled off and they head outside, where Luchasaurus gets posted. Luchasaurus is put in a chair for the top rope flip dive. Back in and Allin manages a crucifix bomb for two but Luchasaurus sends him flying. Allin fights up again and dives onto Cage, followed by a super Code Red for two. The Coffin Drop is loaded up but Cage blasts Wayne with a chair. That’s enough of a distraction for Luchasaurus to hit a pair of Tombstones and a clothesline to the back of the head to retain at 12:09.

Rating: B-. There is something about seeing Allin throw himself at a monster like a brick wall and it worked well here. I’m glad to see Luchasaurus retaining the title as it means more of Christian Cage’s delusions of grandeur. Good stuff here and it’s not like Allin is hurt by getting mauled by a monster.

Post match the villains grab a chair to load up the Concharito but a bunch of people, including Shawn Spears, make the save.

We recap Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Miro. They’re both big and strong so let’s hoss fight.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Miro

They start fast and it’s a brawl with the slugout going to Hobbs. A running clothesline drops Miro but he knocks Hobbs to the apron. Back in and a dropkick puts Hobbs down again but he pops up for an overhead belly to belly. Hobbs misses a splash in the corner though and there’s a running flip dive off the apron to put him down again. They head back inside and Hobbs drops him again, setting up a chinlock. Miro fights up and hits some running knees before kind of Hulking Up.

A bunch of clotheslines drop Hobbs but he blocks a suplex and goes up. That’s broken up as well and the Machka Kick connects, only to have Hobbs plant him for another two. They slug it out until Miro blocks him with a running clothesline. The Game Over is actually broken though and Hobbs grabs a spinebuster for two. Hobbs loads up his own Game Over but Miro fights out plants him down and grabs the real Game Over for the win at 15:15.

Rating: B+. Oh yeah that worked. This was the definition of a “what you see is what you get” match as two monsters beat the fire out of each other for fifteen minutes until one of them won. There is something to be said about this kind of a hoss fight and my goodness it was a lot of fun. Now just find something for both of them to do already.

Post match Hobbs turns down a handshake and jumps Miro….and here is CJ Perry (formerly Lana, Miro’s wife) to chair Hobbs in the back. The distraction lets Miro make the save but he walks away from Perry (who he says isn’t real), who looks confused.

We recap Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho. Statlander can’t beat her, but this time it’s for Statlander’s TBS Title.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho

Soho, with Saraya, is challenging and gets run over with a shoulder to start. That’s enough to take the fight outside, where Soho sends her face first into the barricade. Saraya gets in a cheap shot to give Soho two and she chokes away in the corner. Statlander hits a clothesline but gets kicked back down for two more. They strike it out for a double knockdown before Statlander unloads in the corner. A running knee rocks Soho but she grabs a belly to back suplex.

Back up and Statlander can’t get Sunday Night Fever as Soho rolls her up for two instead. Soho snaps off a hurricanrana into a DDT into a basement hurricanrana for two more. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Statlander two but Soho pulls her off the ropes into No Future. Destination Unknown gets two so it’s spray paint time. Cue Toni Storm from under the ring to take it away though, allowing Statlander to hit Sunday Night Fever to retain at 12:12.

Rating: B. It’s amazing what happens when the women are given more time and don’t have a commercial right in the middle. Throw in the lack of spray paint in an Outcasts match and it was that much better. Statlander getting another win is a good thing to see, and now the Outcasts even seem to be imploding to make things that much better. Heck of a match here.

We recap Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks. Ricky Steamboat wanted revenge for Starks whipping him, so he got Starks to agree to a match with the Dragon. By that he meant the American Dragon, as Danielson made a surprise return.

Bryan Danielson vs. Ricky Starks

No DQ strap match with Ricky Steamboat on commentary. Hold on though as Starks jumps him before putting the strap around his wrist and Danielson is beaten down. Danielson is busted open but let’s ring the bell anyway, with Starks going outside to hammer away. Since he’s one of the most professional wrestlers ever, Steamboat is there to explain that Danielson might be a bit out of ring shape despite being in great physical condition.

The whipping continues around the ring but Danielson is back with a headbutt. Starks backdrops him to the apron though and one heck of a strap shot has the blood flying. Back in and Starks gets crotched on top and the whipping is on, with Steamboat being rather pleased. Three dropkicks in the Tree of Woe rock Starks again but Starks gets in a whip of his own. Starks spends too long yelling at Steamboat though and Danielson pulls him into the ring.

More whipping ensues on the bloody Starks but he’s back with a long string of whips back inside. That just fires Danielson up as he shouts about Starks taking a beating. The YES Kicks knock Starks silly but cue Big Bill to jump Danielson. Steamboat pulls Bill off and chops away but gets shoved down. Danielson dives onto both villains, only to have Starks hit a spear for two. The running knee drops Starks again and Danielson kicks him into the LeBell Lock, with strap around the neck, for the knockout win at 16:36.

Rating: B+. There are times when the match needs to be straight up violent and that is what we got here. It was bloody and carnage, with Danielson looking like a monster at the end. Starks needs a win, but it’s ok to have him lose in a crazy brutal match like this one. In addition, Steamboat, who has barely been in wrestling in years, was better than most commentators and even looked decent with those chops. Heck of a match here.

Hangman Page is donating his winnings to the Chicago Public Education Fund.

Eddie Kingston/Katsuyori Shibata vs. Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta

Shibata takes Yuta down to start and goes for the arm, sending Yuta over to the rope. Castagnoli comes in to lock up with Shibata before it’s off to Kingston. The fight heads outside with Yuta hitting a suicide dive and Castagnoli driving Kingston into the barricade. Back in and Yuta cranks on both arms at once but Kingston fights up with an STO.

Shibata comes in and strikes away in the corner but Castagnoli drops him again. A Fastball Special (Rocket Launcher) gives Yuta two but Shibata strikes his way out of trouble. An Indian Deathlock to Yuta and an ankle lock to Castagnoli at the same time has to be broken up. Everything breaks down and Shibata kicks Yuta into a Saito suplex to give Kingston two.

Kingston and Castagnoli strike it out until the Neutralizer gives Castagnoli two more. The Riccola Bomb is escaped and Kingston hits a spinning backfist. The northern lights bomb gets two and Shibata chokes Yuta out. Then Castagnoli hits an uppercut to finish Kingston at 15:26.

Rating: C+. That ending is bizarre to say the least and I’m not sure where they’re going now. Castagnoli has beaten Kingston at least twice this year and that doesn’t bode well for Kingston’s title prospects. There is a strong chance he wins the title at Final Battle, but my goodness it’s not easy to bring myself to care about a title match another three months from now.

We recap Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita. Don Callis needs someone else to throw at Omega so here we go.

Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis is here with Takeshita. Omega gets struck down to start until Takeshita DROPS HIM ON HIS HEAD with a belly to back suplex. Omega is fine enough to hit a Regal roll on the floor into a moonsault off the barricade. Back in and Omega ties up the legs but Takeshita fights out.

They go to the floor where Takeshita hits a brainbuster, meaning it’s time to load up some chairs. A slingshot dive onto the chairs onto Omega gets two, followed by a Helluva Kick into a Blue Thunder Bomb for the same. Omega fights up with the ax handles to the chest and a missed running knee sends Takeshita outside.

That means the big running flip dive to Takeshita on the floor, followed by a missile dropkick to the back of the head inside. Some snapdragons and the poisonrana give Omega two but Takeshita hits one heck of a lariat for the same. Takeshita reverses something into a kneeling Tombstone for two and they trade more strikes.

A super One Winged Angel is blocked and Takeshita hits a super Blue Thunder Bomb for a rather near fall instead. Omega hits a V Trigger but Takeshita finds the screwdriver. That’s taken away, so Takeshita hits a running knee for two. Another running knee finishes Omega at 22:29.

Rating: A-. This was a heck of a fight with Omega putting Takeshita over in the big match, as he should. Takeshita has been the guy who could be something if he got a big win for a long time and that has now been solved. There is bound to be a rematch and Omega can get his win back there as he gets closer to revenge on Callis. This helped make Takeshita though and that is what he has been needing for a long time now.

Bullet Club Gold vs. FTR/Young Bucks

Wheeler starts in on Austin’s arm before handing it off to the Bucks (THERE is the reaction from the fans we’ve been waiting on) and they take turns on said arm. White comes in to hammer on Harwood, who fires back with some chops. It’s off to Wheeler for a change and Robinson gets to take out his knee.

Some snap jabs have Wheeler in more trouble but he fights back up and hands it off to Harwood. The Club takes him into the wrong corner for the alternating beating though and Robinson is back with the chinlock. A belly to back suplex breaks it up but Harwood gets pulled outside for a drop onto the apron. Back in and another chinlock is broken up, allowing the tag off to Nick.

The springboard wristdrag/headscissors takes down Robinson and Colten and everything breaks down. The threat of a triple superkick sends White into the slingshot X Factor from Matt. Austin is superplex into a top rope headbutt into a top rope elbow into a 450 for two, with Colten making the save. The Shatter Machine hits Robinson and superkicks abound, setting up a BTE Trigger from Harwood and Matt for two on Jay. Then White hits a Blade Runner on Wheeler to give Austin the pin at 21:39.

Rating: B. This was a wild match and they hit a bunch of stuff throughout. I’m not big on the idea of FTR/the Bucks being some new wonder team but there’s a good chance that is just a one off. If this leads to the Club getting another Tag Team Title shot on the big stage, it’s all for the better though, as they have some incredible chemistry with FTR every time they’re out there together.

We recap Orange Cassidy defending the International Title against Jon Moxley. Cassidy has been on a record reign with the title but Moxley is by far his biggest challenger.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Jon Moxley

Cassidy is defending and gets blasted in the head to start. The dropkick gives Cassidy a breather but Moxley suplexes him down hard. The flipping Stunner is countered into a suplex toss and Cassidy crashes again. They go outside with Moxley posting him to draw the first blood. Moxley sends him over the announcers’ table and bites at the head, prompting a lot of yelling from the referee.

Back in and a piledriver gets two on Cassidy, meaning it’s time to bite at the cut again. The referee even asks if Cassidy can still go and yes of course he can. Cassidy is back with some DDTs but the Beach Break is blocked. Instead Cassidy hits a PK into the Orange Punch for two but Moxley pulls him into a choke. The armbreaker is reversed so Moxley pulls him into the LeBell Lock this time.

With that broken up, they head outside with Moxley peeling back the floor mats. Cassidy reverses into a Beach Break and they barely beat the count back inside. Back in and Cassidy hits the Orange Punch and a spear of all things gets two. Cassidy goes with the lazy kicks but turns them into much harder kicks, only for the King Kong Lariat to drop him. Cassidy pops back up so it’s another King Kong Lariat into the Death Rider for a very close two. Then Moxley hits another Death Rider to win the title at 19:43.

Rating: B. It was a violent match and felt like Cassidy’s biggest ever, but man alive that result is going to have some people arguing. Cassidy’s reign was mainly against lower level stars and he loses in his first match against a main eventer? That doesn’t so much make me think he’s been elevated to the next level as much as it confirms the status he was in for a long time. Good match and it was time for someone new, but I’m not sure how much Moxley needed this.

Cassidy gets the standing ovation to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another strong show, though I’m not sure how much a lot if will change the bigger stories going forward. Instead, this show was about having a string of strong matches and there were enough here to carry things on. The only weak stuff was either on Zero Hour or the ROH TV Title match (and maybe the Kingston/Castagnoli tag). It could have gone with being about 30-40 minutes shorter, but you won’t be disappointed with watching the whole thing. The big matches more than delivered though and that’s enough to make this work.

Results
Hangman Page won the Other The Budget battle royal last eliminating Brian Cage
Hikaru Shida/Willow Nightingale/Skye Blue b. Athena/Mercedes Martinez/Diamante – Code Blue to Martinez
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal – Mic Drop to Lethal
Adam Cole/Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Dark Order – Double Clothesline to Reynolds
Samoa Joe b. Shane Taylor – Koquina Clutch
Luchasaurus b. Darby Allin – Clothesline to the back of the head
Miro b. Powerhouse Hobbs – Game Over
Kris Statlander b. Ruby Soho – Sunday Night Fever
Bryan Danielson b. Ricky Starks via referee stoppage
Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta b. Katsuyori Shibata/Eddie Kingston – Uppercut to Kingston
Konosuke Takeshita b. Kenny Omega – Running knee
Bullet Club Gold b. FTR/Young Bucks – Blade Runner to Wheeler
Jon Moxley b. Orange Cassidy – Death Rider

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Collision
Date: August 26, 2023
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Caprice Coleman

It’s the final go home show for All In and that means it could go either way. We are going to get a final push to the show but the question is how much new stuff might be added. At the same time, All Out is in eight days and there isn’t much set for the show. While All In will have a lot to do with the card, we could get something or it here as well. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Here is Jack Perry, along with some people carrying the FTW Title, to open things up. The ring is set up for a funeral and Perry says it was a good title, which was just misunderstood at times. Instead of being sad at its demise, we should remember the good times. We see Perry with the title in various places, including bed, the bathtub, by the pool, in the shower etc.

It’s time to send the title to a better place though, and that means it’s time for a sledgehammer. Cue Hook on the video screen to say this wasn’t a good idea and now here he is in the ring. The beatdown is on and Perry gets suplexed through a table. Hook: “Wembley, Sunday.”

Orange Cassidy/Penta El Cero Miedo/Eddie Kingston vs. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian

Penta loads up the glove on Sabian but Penelope Ford shoves Alex Abrahantes on the floor. Everything breaks down fast and it’s Penta superkicking his way out of trouble in the corner. Sabian crotches Penta against the post but Cassidy makes the save and comes in to pick up the pace. Cassidy gets sent to the floor and it’s a double team neckbreaker to give Sabian two back inside.

Blade’s swinging neckbreaker drops Cassidy again and we take a break. Back with Cassidy dropping Sabian hard and handing it back to Penta. House is quickly cleaned, including an assisted Canadian Destroyer on Sabian. Butcher knocks Penta into the tag to Kingston and it’s hoss fight time. Kingston gets the better of things before sending Sabian and Blade into the corner for the rapid fire chops. Cassidy hits Butcher with the Orange Punch and there’s an exploder to Sabian. Made In Japan hits Sabian and Kingston gets the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. The good guys here felt like a bunch of people who had nothing else to do so here they are. Cassidy is going to get a reaction no matter what he’s doing so it’s smart to have him on a show like this. Butcher and the Blade continue to be a team who feel like they could do more but they are forever tied to Sabian for some reason.

Post break the Best Friends are in the ring with Cassidy and company to call out the Blackpool Combat Club and Santana/Ortiz. Those people BROKE TRENT’S MOM’S VAN so they’re coming or revenge. The Club pops up on screen to say it shouldn’t be a surprise that they picked Santana and Ortiz. Kingston starts heading to the back but the other four stay back as Castagnoli says Kingston and company will be out of friends again soon. We cut to the back where Kingston has a chair but can’t find anyone. Kingston promises to hut Moxley. They had me until the part about the van.

Video on FTR vs. the Young Bucks, with both of them talking about how important this match is.

Dark Order vs. Action Andretti/Darius Martin

Silver and Andretti start things off with Silver taking over, allowing Reynolds to come in for an elbow to the face. The powerbomb onto Silver’s knees gets two and a double elbow puts him down again. We take a break and come back with Andretti bringing Martin in to pick up the pace. A double DDT plants the Order and Andretti comes in with a springboard 450, meaning Silver has to make the save. Andretti is sent outside and it’s the jawbreaker into the German suplex into the flipping cradle for the pin at 8:37.

Rating: C. So the Dark Order is becoming a thing again and these two getting the focus is the best possible combination. Evil Uno being left out of the whole thing helps it so much as Silver and Reynolds have never been the issue. It was a watchable match, but again it does feel like these guys were out there to fill in time. Not their fault, but it was noticeable.

On Wednesday, AR Fox apologized to Nick Wayne and Darby Allin for everything that happened. Fox offered a handshake to Wayne, who walked away. Allin shook Fox’s hand though.

We get a new Acclaimed music video on how Billy Gunn is back and they’re coming for the House Of Black.

Video on the Women’s Title match.

Big Bill vs. Vary Morales

Ricky Starks is here with Bill, who gets tossed down hard to start. A swing around by the hair (ouch) sets up the chokeslam to finish Morales at 1:35.

Post match Starks whips Morales and promises a bigger strap next week.

Ruby Soho challenges Kris Statlander for the TBS Title at All Out. Soho calls Statlander more than a woman but less than an Outcast.

Willow Nightingale vs. Robyn Renegade

Robyn’s sister Charlette is here too. Robyn knocks her into the corner to start but Nightingale drops her with a shoulder. The basement crossbody gives Nightingale two and she manages a pair of Amigos into a fisherman’s suplex for two. Charlette offers a distraction though and Robyn takes over as we take a break. Back with Nightingale hitting a spinebuster for two but Robyn scores with a missile dropkick for the same. They head outside with Nightingale hitting a double suplex on both Renegades. Back in and the Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Robyn at 8:27.

Rating: C. Nightingale did her Nightingale style stuff and of course it worked because she’s the most adorable wrestler in recent memory. At the same time, she really needs to win something that matters around here sooner than later because otherwise she’s going to turn into the lovable jobber. On the other hand you have the Renegades, who have always felt like they could be something, but have lost all over the place in recent weeks. There is a lot of talent here, but none of them are really doing much and that’s a shame.

We see some quick clips of AEW stars in London.

Video on Miro vs. Powerhouse Hobbs.

Kris Statlander is sick of being stepped on by people like Ruby Soho so they’re on for All Out.

Keith Lee vs. Zicky Dice

Dice hammers away a few times and gets Pounced for his efforts. The Supernova finishes for Lee at 1:35.

We go back to Mexico, where La Faccion Ingobernable has been kidnapped and beaten up. Then they fought back and beat up their attackers, only to be knocked down again as someone we can’t see walks in.

Here is Samoa Joe to rant about how he wants to get his hands on CM Punk but has been told to wait until All In. Therefore tonight he’ll be on commentary for the main event and be a professional, but the beating is coming on Sunday.

We run down the All In card, complete with Hook vs. Jack Perry for the FTW Title confirmed for Zero Hour.

Video on CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe.

All Out rundown.

Hook/Darby Allin/Sting/CM Punk vs. Jay White/Luchasaurus/Brian Cage/Swerve Strickland

The Gunns, Juice Robinson and Christian Cage are on ringside. Punk headlocks Swerve to start but a hammerlock gets him backed into the corner. An anklescissors takes Punk down though and Swerve mocks his weird wrist thing. It’s too early for the GTS though so here’s White instead. They stare each other down a bit, but White wants Sting.

Punk goes to bring in Sting but gets jumped from behind (rare mental screwup there from Punk) before White goes after the leg. Punk suplexes his way out of trouble and it’s off to Hook to go after White in the corner. Allin comes in to stay on the arm and the tease of a tag to Sting sends White bailing back to Luchasaurus. Sting and Allin take turns crashing into Luchasaurus in the corner but Punk tries one too many.

Punk kicks his way out of trouble though and a big boot to the face cuts him off. We take a break and come back with Punk still in trouble and Swerve putting on a chinlock. An elbow cuts Punk off again and there’s a snap suplex to make it worse. Punk rolls away though and it’s back to Hook to pick up the pace. Hook gets knocked outside in a hurry though and some tosses into the barricade have him in trouble.

We take another break and come back with Hook fighting his way out of trouble and suplexing Cage for a needed breather. The hot tag brings in Punk to clean house, including a bulldog/running clothesline combination to White and Swerve. Punk goes up top but pauses for a good while, only to hit the elbow anyway. Swerve takes Punk down but Hook makes the save, meaning it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Punk finally hits the GTS on Cage (with a heck of a stare at Joe) before grabbing the Koquina Clutch for the tap at 21:06.

Rating: B. This wasn’t as long as most of the main events around here but it worked well enough with everyone involved. The match was about getting in as much of a hard push towards All In as possible in one match, with Allin vs. Luchasaurus at All Out getting a bit of time of its own. Not a classic or anything, but they covered as much as they could in a limited time and that works.

Post match Joe says the match is officially over so the big brawl is on, with Jack Perry coming out to join in. The fights break off and a bunch of weapons are brought in, with Perry and Hook fighting up the steps. Joe belts Punk in the face and leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show felt like it was designed or one purpose and one purpose only: fill in two hours and don’t screw up anything before London. They did that about as well as they could, if you ignore that the first hour and a half might as well have been an extended Rampage. You absolutely did not need to see this show, but there were some interesting pairings in the main event. The show is absolutely not going to matter this time tomorrow though and I think they knew that coming in.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Eddie Kingston/Penta El Cero Miedo b. Butcher and the Blade/Kip Sabian – Made In Japan to Sabian
Dark Order b. Action Andretti/Darius Martin – Flipping rollup to Andretti
Big Bill b. Vary Morales – Chokeslam
Willow Nightingale b. Robyn Renegade – Babe With The Powerbomb
Keith Lee b. Zicky Dice – Supernova
CM Punk/Sting/Hook/Darby Allin b. Jay White/Luchasaurus/Brian Cage/Swerve Strickland – Koquina Clutch to Cage

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Dynamite
Date: August 23, 2023
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s Fyter Fest, which is also serving as the final Dynamite before Sunday’s All In. That means most of the pay per view is already set, but now the question becomes what more can be done this week. I’m curious to see if anything else is added, including the Blackpool Combat Club’s mystery partners. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

In Memory Of Terry Funk.

Elite vs. Bullet Club Gold

Jay White is here with the Club. It’s a brawl before the bell with Juice Robinson grabbing a chair. The referee takes it away so Robinson decks him as the fight continues. The bucks are taken out and White comes in to help with the beatdown. Konosuke Takeshita comes in to help lay out Omega but here is FTR to help the Bucks clear out the Club. That leaves Omega and Takeshita in the ring, with the threat of a One Winged Angel sending Takeshita running. No match of course.

MJF has a sitdown interview with Renee Paquette, who talks about how tight his trunks are going to be with 80,000 people chanting his name. MJF: “I’m like the British Bulldog if he was Jewish and a good public speaker.” If the fans chant for him, he’ll buy them all a pint! Renee: “Really?” MJF, in a whisper: “No of course not Renee. I’m going to get that mark Tony Khan to pay for it. We can edit that out right?” He is ready to show that he is the best when he wrestles twice at All In, but we move on to his relationship with Adam Cole.

We see a clip of the two of them and MJF says that he’s not trying to work us, but Cole has made him a better person. He understands why people don’t trust him and for once, he’s vulnerable. He’d like us to go with him, and he’s ready to be your scumbag. I still have no idea who is turning in this story (and it might not happen on Sunday) but dang it is going to be huge.

Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix knocks him outside fast to start and there’s the suicide dive to drop Moxley again. Moxley is back up and rakes the eyes, setting up a stomp onto the floor to really rock him. Moxley sends the rocked Fenix into the barricade and the rocking level increases. Back in and Fenix misses a rope walk kick but hits a running elbow in the corner. One heck of a clothesline drops Fenix for two and we take a break.

We come back with Fenix fighting back but his rolling cutter is countered into a choke. Moxley takes it to the mat but Fenix flips out and hits the rolling cutter for two. Fenix hits a frog splash for two more but Moxley catches him on top. A super Death Rider gets two (of course), followed by the rear naked choke to finish Fenix at 13:45.

Rating: B-. There is something about Fenix’s matches that makes him feel like he is in a fight every time and it works very well. He’s a special talent and I could go for seeing more of him on his own. What I could really not go for is more of a middle rope version of a former World Champion’s finisher getting two and then going straight to the choke finish. Either don’t do the super Death Rider or don’t cover him after. It’s not that hard but for some reason, AEW insists on doing things like this far too often.

Post match the Blackpool Combat Club come in to go after Fenix with a crowbar. Eddie Kingston and Penta come out but cue the returning Santana and Ortiz to cut them off. Fenix gets crowbarred in the head (which the camera misses) and the villains leave. This would seem to be a way to make it 5-5 on Sunday instead as Fenix is stretchered out.

Post break Eddie Kingston won’t talk to Renee Paquette over what her husband just did. He’ll fix it in London.

Earlier today, the former Jericho Appreciation Society and Sammy Guevara argued over Chris Jericho’s loyalties.

It’s time for the contract signing between Chris Jericho (with Sammy Guevara) and Will Ospreay (with Don Callis) for All In. Callis can’t wait for Ospreay to destroy Jericho once and for all, with Ospreay talking about wanting to get money to put his kid through school. Ospreay says his contract is coming up and he is already better than everyone around here and Jericho’s legacy is just rocket fuel for his future.

Ospreay signs and Jericho, after taking his jacket off for some reason, talks about how he knew Ospreay would be great. We get references to the sheets and Dave Meltzer before Jericho talks about how important this match is going to be. Jericho takes credit for Ospreay not being in a wheelchair today so Ospreay gets in his face. The fight is on and they have to be held back to wrap it up.

Ospreay knocked it out of the park here and Jericho was good enough to make this a heck of a segment. The idea of trying to get Ospreay booed in London is idiotic, but dang I want to see the match more than I did coming in. Can we just get rid of Callis though? He’s really not needed in the whole thing.

We now get a sitdown interview with Adam Cole, who looks at a highlight package of his friendship with MJF. We also see some clips of Roderick Strong and the Kingdom having some issues with both of them, which has Cole on his feet yelling at her for causing problems. Cole snapped fast there.

Darby Allin/Nick Wayne vs. Mogul Embassy

Tornado tag. Wayne is sent outside fast to start and Fox hits the flip dive. The Embassy goes after Wayne’s mom in the front row but Allin is back up with a Coffin Drop onto the two of them on the floor. We take a break and come back with Wayne being suplexed on the floor before everyone heads back inside.

A neckbreaker gives Swerve two as Allin makes the save. Allin takes Swerve outside for a ram into various things, only to have a quick shot take him down. Back in and the double teaming plants Wayne, including a spinning fisherman’s suplex for two. Fox misses the 450 though and Wayne rolls him up for the pin at 9:51.

Rating: C+. Well ok then. That’s the kind of thing that I would not have expected coming in but for some reason here we are, with Wayne beating Fox here. That would seem to be the kind of thing you save for All Out (assuming AEW believes Wayne is PPV ready) but here we are instead, with one of All In’s matches suddenly being a lot less interesting.

Post match Allin and Wayne leave so Fox laughs and calls this disappointing. He blames Fox for the loss and has Prince Nana fire him. Cue Brian Cage to lay Fox out but Allin, Wayne and Sting make the save. Allin forgives Fox for everything and Allin asks Swerve who he has to replace Fox. Cue Christian Cage and Luchasaurus, with Christian reminding Wayne that his father, is in fact, dead. Well Christian had never heard of Wayne’s father so he must not have been a very good wrestler. Christian likes the idea of being a mentor to wrestlers with dead fathers so maybe Wayne will listen to him one day.

This might have been the most confusing segment I’ve seen in AEW. Why did Allin think that someone other than Brian Cage was the new partner? Why wasn’t Cage the new partner? Why would Christian accept a spot in this match? Why have Fox in the match in the first place if it’s going to be changed a week or two later? This felt like a way too complicated

We get a sitdown interview with FTR and the Young Bucks. The Bucks think FTR need to win this match more than them, while FTR talk about legacies again. The Bucks cut them off and say they’re the reason FTR is here in the first place. One day, when this is all said and done, the Bucks hope FTR will “give them their flowers”, but FTR seems more interested in fighting.

The Outcasts are ready for a tag match on Rampage.

Ruby Soho vs. Skye Blue

Soho jumps her fast to start and takes things into the corner. Blue fights up and sends her to the floor for a crossbody off the apron. We take a break and come back with Soho fighting out of Skyfall but not being able to hit a Saito suplex. Blue hits a neckbreaker and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. A quick Skyfall gives Blue two but she can’t hit Code Blue. Instead it’s a No Future into Destination Unknown to finish Blue at 7:28.

Rating: C-. This would be your weekly women’s match with a break in the middle so we missed most of the thing. Soho seems primed to go after the TBS Title and that’s a good spot for her at the moment. That being said, this wasn’t exactly a great match, as Blue continues to be ok at best in the ring. They were doing some stuff that seemed beyond her here and her lack of polish was showing more than once.

Roderick Strong and the Kingdom will be watching.

The House Of Black talk about getting rid of Billy Gunn.

Here is a rather serious Acclaimed to call out the House Of Black. The fight is on but cue the returning Billy Gunn for the save. Gunn talks about how the House has taken everything from him and his family, so now the challenge is on for a match at All In. Billy even promises the REAL Bad A** is coming.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Aussie Open vs. Hardys

The Aussies are defending and it’s a brawl to start with the champs being sent into the corner. The Hardys send them outside and keep up the beating as we take an early break. Back with Jeff in trouble but Jeff fights up and hits a Whisper in the Wind. The tag brings in Matt to clean house as everything breaks down. Matt superplexes Fletcher into a middle rope splash for two, with Davis making the save. Back up and the Aussie Arrow finishes Jeff at 8:01. Well that was abrupt.

Rating: C. The Hardys are feeling less and less special out there every time and they lost again here, even in a title match. Why did they even get a title match anyway? They lost to the Young Bucks a few weeks ago and here’s a title shot. Anyway, not much to see here, but at least the Aussies got a win before their big match on Sunday.

Post match the Aussies promise to keep the titles but here are MJF and Adam Cole to interrupt. The Aussies beat them down but Cole and MJF fight back, only to have the Kangaroo Kick blocked. Cole’s superkick almost hits MJF, who catches it coming in and glares at Cole with a different look on his face. MJF walks past him and loads up the diamond ring but hugs Cole instead to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a show that was NOT about the wrestling and there is nothing wrong with that. AEW is four days away from the biggest show they are probably ever going to run and this Dynamite was about getting things ready. It was a heck of a show when it came to getting ready for All In and that was entirely the point. Heck of a show here in that regard and that’s what it needed to be.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Rey Fenix – Rear naked choke
Darby Allin/Nick Wayne b. Mogul Embassy – Rollup to Fox
Ruby Soho b. Skye Blue – Destination Unknown
Aussie Open b. Hardys – Aussie Arrow to Jeff

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 11, 2023
Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Tony Schiavone

All In is almost just around the corner and thankfully things have started to come together. With so much left to be set up, there are still a few things that need to be done. That isn’t likely going to be the case here but at least we should be in for a bit of push towards some announced matches. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Brian Cage vs. Darby Allin

Prince Nana is here with Cage. Allin dropkicks him into the corner to start and hits the suicide dive on the floor. Cage is right back with a hard toss into the barricade and lifts him up in a suplex….while walking up the steps to toss Allin inside. Allin gets sent hard into the corner and then does it again for a bonus.

They go back to the floor, where Allin misses a charge into the steps. Allin grabs a choke but gets sent crashing through the ringside table for a nasty landing. Back in and Allin gets sent into the corner again as we take a break. We come back with Allin hits a reverse tornado DDT for two and the flipping Stunner rocks Cage again. A powerbomb into a sitout powerbomb gives Cage two but Allin puts him down on the apron.

The Coffin Drop onto Cage on the apron leaves both of them down on the floor, followed by a Code Red for two back inside. Cage knocks him off the top though and the F10 gives us an insane spinning crash from Allin. They go up top where Allin turns a super Samoan drop into a super crucifix bomb for two. Cage tries another F10 but Allin reverses into a small package for the pin at 10:46.

Rating: B. I was getting into this one at the end, with the best thing here being that Cage didn’t do a bunch of flying stuff. Instead Cage stuck with his power game, which worked well against an opponent like Allin. Rather good opener here, as Allin’s battle against the Mogul Embassy continues.

Post match Luchasaurus comes in to go after Allin with a reverse chokeslam (I miss Eli Cottonwood).

Britt Baker is ready to face Bunny next week, even though they’re friends. She wants the title back more though and it’s time to be a bully next week.

Eddie Kingston is still in the G1 Climax Tournament and the wrestlers involved are on a different level. He wants to defend his NJPW Strong Openweight Title in AEW. Why he would be allowed back after saying “yeah New Japan is better than AEW” isn’t clear.

International Title: Johnny TV vs. Orange Cassidy

TV is challenging and Harley Cameron sings him to the ring, along with the rest of QTV. Cassidy starts with an armdrag (with hands in pockets) and a dropkick out to the floor, leaving TV rather annoyed. Cameron offers a distraction but the referee catches the rest of QTV trying to interfere. That means they’re all gone (even Cassidy approves) but here is Wheeler Yuta for a distraction. TV scores with the Flying Chuck for two and we take a break.

Back with Yuta on commentary (who thankfully points out that Cassidy mentored Yuta) as TV hits a knee to tie Cassidy up in the ropes. A neckbreaker takes Cassidy down but TV misses the Superstation (Starship Pain) so they go up top, with a super Spanish Fly broken up. Cassidy hits the tornado DDT into the Orange Punch. The Beach Break retains the title at 9:34.

Rating: C+. This was a better title win for Cassidy, as he felt like he beat someone with more value. Beating a bunch of challengers is fine, but at some point you need to beat a more established name. TV might not be what he was before, but he’s a bigger star than some (not all) of the people Cassidy has retained against. Good match too and I liked it more than I was expecting.

Post match Yuta teases coming to the ring and Cassidy tells him to do it faster. Cue the Blackpool Combat Club to surround the ring, but Yuta says hold on. Yuta wants the International Title next week instead.

Video no the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles.

Aussie Open vs. Outrunners

The Aussies’ Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. House is cleaned before the bell and the Aussies ram them together on the floor. Back in and the double standing clothesline sets up Coriolis to finish Floyd at 2:11. Well that worked.

Post match the Aussies say they don’t like England but they’re in for the Zero Hour title defense against MJF/Adam Cole at All In.

Jeff Jarrett announces a cross promotional match on Dynamite between Jeff Jarrett and Jeff Hardy….in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre deathmatch? I get that it’s a video game tie in, but that’s a weird pairing to choose.

Video on the Women’s Title four way at All In which is being set up with this rather unnecessary tournament.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Women’s Title #1 Tournament First Round: Saraya vs. Skye Blue

The Outcasts are here with Saraya. They trade rollups to start until Blue hits a crossbody for two. Blue sends her outside and kicks Toni Storm in the chest but gets pulled down by Saraya. We take a break and come back with Blue trying to fight out of a chinlock and getting pulled back down by the hair.

Skyfall is broken up so Blue settles for a rollup for two. A superkick gives Saraya two and then ties up the legs. Blue finally makes the rope and grabs Code Blue but Storm has the referee. Ruby Soho gets in the spray paint and Saraya hits whatever she used to call the Rampaige (sounded like Excalibur called it Goodnight) for the pin at 9:22.

Rating: C. Not too bad here but the spray paint finish is getting old fast. Saraya going on to All In in England makes perfect sense but it was nice to have her facing Blue, who is someone you could see moving on as well. That’s a smart bonus to have and it worked well enough here. Just find a different way for Saraya, or any of the Outcasts, to win.

The beatdown on Blue ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener was good but the rest of the show didn’t exactly scream interesting. Cassidy vs. Yuta being set up is a good thing but other than that, it was just supplementing things that were already there. That being said, it’s an hour long show that absolutely flew by so it’s hard to get too mad. There is enough going on with AEW at the moment so not dragging it down with this show is a good thing.

Results
Darby Allin b. Brain Cage – Small package
Orange Cassidy b. Johnny TV – Beach Break
Aussie Open b. Outrunners – Coriolis to Floyd
Saraya b. Skye Blue – Goodnight

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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