Dynamite
Date: February 21, 2024
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We have about a week and a half to go before Revolution and there are still some spots left to add to the match. Odds are we will see some of those matches added tonight, along with some of the other matches getting some extra attention. That should make for a nice show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR

Moxley knees away at Wheeler to start so it’s off to Castagnoli for an exchange of uppercuts. A slam puts Wheeler down but it’s off to Harwood to suplex Moxley. Wheeler comes back in for an uppercut off before a Harwood distraction lets Wheeler come off the top with a double clothesline. FTR clears the ring before taking over on Moxley, with Harwood grabbing an abdominal stretch.

The cheating is detected though and Castagnoli comes in with a big boot to Harwood. Not that it matters as it’s right back to Wheeler for a basement dropkick. Moxley clotheslines his way out of the corner and falls into the tag to Castagnoli to clean house. Harwood gets spike piledriven on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Harwood fighting out of a chinlock and handing it back to Wheeler to clean house. A brainbuster gets two on Moxley but the Shatter Machine is broken up. The powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination gets two on Moxley as we have four minutes left in the time limit. The Swing puts Wheeler down and it’s Moxley grabbing the bulldog choke on Harwood. Wheeler drives Castagnoli onto the hold to break it up and they’re all down with two minutes left.

Harwood gets the Sharpshooter on Moxley, with Castagnoli’s boots to the head not breaking it. Castagnoli grabs the same thing on Wheeler and slaps it out with Harwood until Harwood piledrives Castagnoli, with Moxley grabbing a crucifix for two. The Shatter Machine is loaded up but time expires at 20:00.

Rating: B. Good, hard hitting match here, with the draw being better than the Club winning again. This is a weird feud as they are just started fighting one week and then had a big serious brawl, though odds are we’ll be seeing them fight again. I’m not sure where it’s going, but at least they had a good match to start it off.

Post match the brawl is on until a bunch of people have to break it up.

Orange Cassidy is rather tired from wrestling both here and in England but he’s medically cleared to compete.

FTR wants the Blackpool Combat Club again at Revolution. The Club comes in to shout a lot and in theory the match is set.

Orange Cassidy vs. Mike Bennett

Non-title and Matt Taven is here with Bennett. Cassidy jumps Taven to start and hammers away at Bennett, including the Stundog Millionaire. Cue Roderick Strong for a distraction though and Bennett gets in a low blow and piledriver for two as we take a break. Back with Bennett grabbing a headset to yell about Cassidy, who takes him down with a suicide dive.

Bennett spinebusters him against the apron but Cassidy gets in a shot of his own for a breather. A fight over a Beach Break/piledriver ends with Bennett hitting a Gotch Style piledriver (fourth piledriver and we’re 45 minutes into the show) for two. Bennett loads up another piledriver but gets Beach Broken (Beach Breaked?) for the pin at 9:38.

Rating: C. Not exactly a great match here as it was more about Bennett hitting a bunch of piledrivers (or at least trying to) as the Cassidy vs. Strong feud continues to limp along. The title match can’t get here soon enough, as hopefully Strong wins to let something fresh take place in the title picture. This second reign has felt like Cassidy has come way back down to earth and it’s time for something different with the title.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jake Hager of all people makes the save.

Angelo Parker and Ruby Soho go on a date, with a car coming up….that isn’t for them. In said car: Ric Flair.

Post break Flair gives a rather serious interview about how he should have been more involved over the last few weeks. Now he’s going to explore some options. Flair goes into the Young Bucks’ locker room for a chat.

Here is Daniel Garcia for a chat and we get right to the point: since Adam Copeland is out of action, Garcia is getting the TNT Title shot at Revolution. Garcia talks about how he felt he should be something great in wrestling and he finally won a match at the end of the Continental Classic. He was ready to make Copeland tap last week and now he’s going to make Cage do the same.

Cue the Patriarchy, with Cage saying he doesn’t think much of the idea of a match with Garcia at Revolution. Instead, Cage would rather talk about Garcia’s family, including his mother and….his dead father. Cage is willing to be his daddy, but that’s enough for Garcia to want to fight. The brawl is teased but Matt Menard runs in for the save. Garcia’s stuff was good enough but as usual, this was the Cage show as he is absolutely feeling it with everything he does. He almost has to get at least a mention in the World Title picture after he loses the TNT Title.

Hangman Page gives Rob Van Dam and Hook, his partners tonight, a pep talk about hurting Shane Strickland.

Toni Storm vs. Syndi Winnell

Winnell, the hometown girl, takes too long to soak in the crowd and gets decked by Storm. A Thesz press and right hands have Winnell in trouble and there’s a running bulldog to make it worse. The running hip attack sets up Storm Zero and Break A Leg….but Storm lets go. Instead it’s Deonna Purrazzo’s Venus de Milo for the tap at 1:48.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Madison Rayne

Purrazzo’s entrance interrupts Storm’s exit and we get a staredown. They go to the mat to start with Purrazzo taking her down into an early chinlock. Purrazzo sends her outside and hits a sliding dropkick as we take a break. Back with Rayne getting two off a sunset flip, setting up a kick to the…arm. A double clothesline leaves both of them down but Purrazzo is up with some clotheslines. A running knee cuts Rayne off and they slowly exchange weak forearms. Purrazzo grabs a Downward Spiral, which Rayne tries to take like a suplex, landing HARD on her head (Taz: “Check her!”). An ankle lock makes Rayne tap at 7:16.

Rating: D-. This very well may be in the running for worst match in AEW history. It was awkward, it felt like they were in different books (let alone pages) and that botch looked horrible. I’m not sure if this was just a horribly off night for both of them or if there was some kind of miscommunication or what, but they’re both capable of doing much better than this. Absolutely awful match and I have no idea how it could have gone this bad.

Post match Toni Storm runs in and grabs Break A Leg on Purrazzo. Then Storm lets go and applies an obsessive amount of lipstick.

Darby Allin talks about how different you are when your end is year. He and Sting (off camera) have been looking at some old photos, including Sting with his young sons. Sting steps into camera and talks about how his father passed away and it made him realize he’s not immortal. Everything he has left, he is bringing to Revolution so the Bucks are going to have a fight on their hands. This was VERY serious Sting and it came off as someone who has nothing left and is willing to do anything on his way out.

Here is a ticked off Wardlow for a chat. Two years ago he had thousands of people chanting his name but the rocket attached to his back was put on upside down. He should have been the champion a long time ago, but he never got a World Title shot. We hear about some of the men to hold that title, because he beat the Best In The World and that man’s body is still falling apart.

Then you had the one who was better than us, who Wardlow squashed like an insect. As for Samoa Joe, Wardlow does the custom suits with a title look better. He is better than you and the best in the world, so this is now war. Ok, cool. Now do something with him. None of that matters if he’s back doing the same stuff he’s done for years.

The Ban Bang Scissor Gang will team up again on Collision, but this time they’re mixing up the lineup a bit.

Will Ospreay will be in action at All In.

Wardlow will be in Meat Madness at Revolution. No word on what that is but it better involve some Bulgarian trumpets.

Don Callis is ready to get Will Ospreay to AEW. Also, Powerhouse Hobbs is in Meat Madness and Callis hasn’t forgotten about Sammy Guevara.

Brian Cage/Swerve Strickland/Samoa Joe vs. Hangman Page/Hook/Rob Van Dam

Hook actually knocks Joe down to start but Joe unloads in the corner to take over. Van Dam comes in to hammer on Cage, setting up the legsweep rollup for two. Page and Strickland come in for the brawl and have to be pulled apart as we take a break. Back with Hook in trouble but he reverses an F5 into a spinning DDT. That’s enough for a tag to Van Dam so house can be cleaned, including a variety of kicks. The Five Star gets two on Cage but Joe breaks it up and drops Van Dam.

We take another break and come back with Page cleaning house as everything breaks down. Page loads up the Buckshot Lariat to Cage but stops to glare at Strickland. Cage catches Page on top but Hook turns it into a German superplex to Cage, bringing Page down in the process. Hook gets Redrum on Strickland but it’s broken up and Swerve hits the House Call.

Page Buckshots Cage and we get the Page vs. Swerve vs. Joe showdown. The three of them fight to the floor where Page powerbombs Swerve through the announcers’ table. Back in and Page slips out of the MuscleBuster to hand it back to Van Dam. Hook suplexes Joe but Cage breaks up the Five Star. Joe chokes out Van Dam for the win at 21:35.

Rating: B. Solid six man here with Joe getting the win over the only person who was going to take the fall on his team to remind you that Joe is still awesome. Hook was doing well here and Swerve/Page did their thing, but Van Dam continues to be pretty much perfectly cast in his role. He’s the veteran who still feels special and can still go in the ring but isn’t likely to win a major match. That’s a good spot for someone to fill and Van Dam has done it rather well.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a rather odd show as the opener and main event were good, Purrazzo vs. Rayne was terrible, and the rest of the action was in the middle. The talking was good enough but mainly set things up for later, which is the right thing with a pay per view so close. At the same time though, stuff with Flair, Cassidy vs. Strong (your mileage may vary), the Don Callis Family and the Undisputed Kingdom isn’t quite inspiring material. In other words, the good was good but the bad was really dull, and that makes for quite the strange show.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR went to a time limit draw
Orange Cassidy b. Mike Bennett – Beach Break
Toni Storm b. Syndi Winnell – Venus de Milo
Deonna Purrazzo b. Madison Rayne – Ankle lock
Samoa Joe/Brian Cage/Swerve Strickland b. Rob Van Dam/Hook/Hangman Page – Koquina Clutch to Van Dam

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: February 16, 2024
Location: H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

The long road to Revolution continues as things are really starting to come together. At the same time, there are several matches that still need to be set up. While there isn’t much likely to be added to the card on this show, we are in for a twelve man tag, which should be quite the visual. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jeff Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara

No DQ and Matt Hardy is here with Jeff. They trade slaps to start and then slug it out with Jeff dropping him. It’s already time for a ladder but Guevara knocks it into Jeff, sending him into the announcers’ table. Jeff sends him into the barricade and hits a clothesline off the apron, only to have Guevara fight back up onto the apron. A middle rope knee to the face drops Jeff and they fight onto the floor again, with Jeff hitting Poetry In Motion against the barricade.

Back in and the ladder is set up and they both climb for no logical reason. They slug it out until Jeff grabs a super Twist of Fate for two and we take a break. Back with Jeff putting Guevara on a table at ringside and climbing a big ladder on the floor. They get back inside with Guevara wrapping a chair around Jeff’s head and hitting a middle rope cutter for two of his own.

Guevara puts him on the table at ringside and there’s the huge Swanton off the bigger ladder through Jeff through the table. Back in and a shooting star press hits raised knees, though Guevara’s knee slams into Jeff’s face for a scary landing. The GTH finishes for Guevara at 12:33.

Rating: C+. Other than the names involved, was there any reason for this to be a No DQ match? They used a bunch of weapons and Guevara’s big spot with the Swanton looked good but there is only so much to be gotten from a match with this much violence and so many weapons without a reason. It had its moments, but I could go for more than a match for the sake of someone saying “wouldn’t it be cool if we did this”.

Post match Powerhouse Hobbs comes in to wreck Guevara.

Brian Cage is ready for next week’s six man tag because he gets his hands on Hook.

Private Party wants the Tag Team Titles and have an enforcer/bouncer named Cheesecake.

The Blackpool Combat Club thinks FTR is stupid and Jon Moxley is ready to choke them. Claudio Castagnoli says when you’re great, people tell you, so they’ll see FTR next week.

The Outcasts interrupt Ruby Soho and say they forgive her. Soho knows Saraya was behind everything the whole time and walks off. Harley Cameron is ready to get Soho with her knife, but pulls out a spoon and hits Saraya in the chest with said spoon.

Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs vs. Romero Crews/Hitt/Shimbashi

Rhodes uppercuts Hitt into the corner to start and it’s off to Ross for an armdrag into an armbar. Everything breaks down and Cross Rhodes hits Crews with the other two making the save. The Von Erich’s grab stereo Claws as Dustin hits the Final Reckoning for the pin on Crews at 1:49. Well that was to the point.

Toni Storm snaps over Deonna Purrazzo’s threats and ankle locks Mariah May to blow off some steam.

Video on Sting/Darby Allin vs. the Young Bucks.

Queen Aminata vs. Anna Jay

They shake hands to start and Aminata grabs a wristlock to work on the arm. A headlock takeover has Jay down but she sends Aminata into the corner for a Backstabber. We take a break and come back with Aminata fighting out of a chinlock so they can chop it out. Aminata snapmares her down into a running kick to the chest. Aminata’s running hip attack and running kick to the face in the corner get two but Jay grabs a quick Downward Spiral. The Queenslayer goes on but Aminata flips out and hits a headbutt for the pin at 8:01.

Rating: C. Say it with me: there is only so much you can get out of a match with eight minutes in the ring and a commercial eating up about half. The important thing here is that Aminata got a win over someone who matters. AEW has been trying to push her as someone who matters but that is only going to work if she wins some matches. This might not be a huge win but it’s certainly a place to start.

Respect is shown post match.

Willow Nightingale isn’t happy with Stokely Hathaway cheating to help her win but Kris Statlander plays peacemaker.

Angelo Parker gives Ruby Soho a Valentine’s Day present and talks about everything they’ve been through lately. They’ll have a date next Wednesday.

Bang Bang Scissor Gang vs. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Dark Order

Lethal and White start things off by fighting over a lockup. An exchange of headlocked doesn’t go anywhere so Uno comes in and gets chopped. Colten comes in for a Stinger Splash into a dropkick, setting up Scissor Me Timbers. Everything breaks down and the villains are cleared out as we take a break.

Back with Austin in trouble in the corner and Jarrett hitting a running crotch attack against the ropes. Singh throws Austin into the corner but a missed clothesline allows the tag off to Billy to clean house. Everything breaks down and Singh is knocked outside. We hit the parade of secondary finishers until the 3:10 To Yuma finishes Reynolds at 10:47.

Rating: C. This was a spectacle rather than an important match and there is nothing wrong with something like that. The Bang Bang Scissor Gang is certainly an idea but they are going to have to do something at some point. I still think/hope it winds up with the two sets of titles being merged, though we might be waiting a bit before we get to that point. Like Double Or Nothing say.

Overall Rating: C. And now we’re back to Rampage being little more than an extra hour of AEW content with little going on. The big story here was Soho and Parker agreeing to go on a date next week. The matches were good enough and there was nothing bad, making this a show that was more about having an easy week. If you’re not looking for much of anything that matters but is completely watchable, have fun with this one.

Results
Sammy Guevara b. Jeff Hardy – GTH
Dustin Rhodes/Von Erichs b. Romero Crews/Hitt/Shimbashi – Final Reckoning to Crews
Queen Aminata b. Anna Jay – Headbutt
Bang Bang Scissor Gang b. Jay Lethal/Jeff Jarrett/Satnam Singh/Dark Order – 3:10 To Yuma to Reynolds

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

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Collision
Date: February 10, 2024
Location: Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, Nevada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

We’re less than a month away from Revolution and that feels like a rather long time away. The good thing is you can see a lot of the card from here and they’re starting to get closer to putting everything together. That still leaves a good number of things to cover and we should get some of them out of the way here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.Opening sequence.

Blackpool Combat Club vs. Esfinge/Star Jr.

Moxley and Star start things off by going to the mat and Star gets him into something like a bow and arrow. Castagnoli comes in and a double superkick puts him on the floor. The Club walks away before the dives can launch and it’s Castagnoli coming back in to swing Esfinge. Moxley hammers away in the corner but Esfinge flips over and brings in Star for a double knockdown. Stereo flip dives take the Club out on the floor but they’re right back up to take over.

We take a break and come back with Moxley bleeding and Star taking Castagnoli down to make the tag back to Esfinge. Everything breaks down and Esfinge’s spinning leglock cover is broken up by Castagnoli. Star takes Castagnoli down with a corkscrew dive to the floor, leaving Moxley and Esfinge to strike it out. Back in and Castagnoli tosses Star into a cutter for two. A toss powerbomb drops Esfinge and Moxley cross armbreakers Star for the win at 12:46.

Rating: C+. This has been the latest match in this rivalry between the Blackpool Combat Club and CMLL and….yeah it’s certainly a thing that’s happening. It doesn’t feel important in the slightest and this was another example of two people from CMLL being put out there with no reason to be interested in what they’re doing. I need a bit more of a reason to care about this feud other than “they’re from a different company” and I’m not quite getting that (yet).

Post match Moxley says take that message back to CMLL and tell them that anyone who steps up gets stepped on. Cue FTR for a staredown with the Club and they quickly get in a brawl.

Daniel Garcia vs. Shane Taylor

Matt Menard is on commentary and Lee Moriarty is here with Taylor. Garcia works on the arm to start but has to duck the big right hand. Taylor runs him over with a shoulder and even gets in his own Garcia dance. One heck of a chop wakes Garcia up and he snaps off a dragon screw legwhip.

Garcia starts in on the leg and we take an early break. Back with Taylor dropping him with a headbutt, only to miss the apron legdrop. Garcia kicks him into the corner and stomps away, setting up a running dropkick to the leg. Taylor is back up with the big forearm for two but Garcia takes out the leg again. We hit the kneebar…and Taylor actually taps at 9:05.

Rating: C+. This worked well enough with Garcia picking apart the monster and then winning with a hold he worked on throughout. Garcia getting a clean singles win is a good sign and he seems to be on his way to a TNT Title shot. This did exactly what it needed to do and there actually wasn’t much to criticize about it (my goodness that’s weird to say).

We look at Sting and Darby Allin winning the Tag Team Titles before being attacked by the Young Bucks.

Eddie Kingston finds what the Bucks did to be disgusting, just like what Bryan Danielson did when he took the attention from Bryan Keith last week. Kingston wants to face Danielson at Revolution and if he wins, Danielson has to shake his hand. No word on the title being on the line.

Brian Cage vs. Outrunners

The Outrunners have the Las Vegas Golden Knights’ mascot with them. Cage throws Floyd into the corner to start and hammers away before suplexing both of them at once. A powerbomb into a modified Texas Cloverleaf gives Cage the win at 1:12.

Post match the mascot dances with Prince Nana but gets jumped by Cage. Hook comes in for the brawl.

The Undisputed Kingdom tell Tomohiro Ishii that they’re coming for him if he wins the International Title tonight.

Here is Adam Copeland for a chat. Since he is ranked #3, he can pick to go after the TNT or International Title. Copeland likes the idea of going after Eddie Kingston’s dozens of championships but you probably know where he is leaning. Cue Daniel Garcia to say he means no disrespect but he wants the title as well. Copeland respects him but how about they face each other for the title shot. Garcia is currently not in the top 5 but apparently beating Taylor and Copeland is guaranteed to get him into the top 3? I think?

Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale, with Stokely Hathaway, are in the back with Hathaway comparing themselves to the cast of Full House. He doesn’t think much of Skye Blue and the women aren’t pleased with Blue turning on them. Nightingale wants a match with Blue but Stokely can’t do it because Tony Khan has blocked his number. He’ll work on it.

Brody King vs. Mark Briscoe

Julia Hart is here with King. Briscoe hammers away to start but gets launched out of the corner with raw power. A backsplash gives King two but Briscoe knocks him to the floor. The chair is brought in for a step up dive and now let’s get a table. Instead Briscoe tries a dive, which is pulled out of the air so King can send him through a chair.

We take a break and come back with King getting two off a Boss Man Slam. King fights up and hits a running boot in the corner, followed by a bunch of right hands. Briscoe knocks him to the floor and goes up top for a flipping dive but King runs him over with a hard lariat back inside. Briscoe is back up again and tries the Froggy Bow, only to have Hart offer a distraction. King shoves him off the top and through the aforementioned table at ringside. Back in and the Ganso Bomb finishes for King at 12:58.

Rating: B. Unnecessary table spot aside, this was two hard hitting people hitting each other hard. King feels like he is in line for some kind of a monster run at some point and if he isn’t, he should be. Briscoe loses so much that it makes me wonder if that’s what he wants to do, because otherwise it feels like AEW is completely wasting him.

Post match Hart comes in and hits Briscoe in the head with a spike.

Bryan Keith is looking for big matches and wants to climb the ranks to collect his bounty.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kiera Hogan

They fight over arm control to start until Hogan sends her into the ropes for a running hip attack. Purrazzo is right back up to take over on the arm before grabbing a cross arm choke. A Backstabber gives Purrazzo two but Hogan fights up. That’s cut off almost immediately and Purrazzo grabs the Venus de Milo (double arm crank) for the tap at 4:34.

Rating: C. Nice short win for Purrazzo here as she is turning into a formidable star on the way to Revolution. That being said, the Mercedes Mone tease is going to change everything and I’m not sure how big of a deal Purrazzo is going to be once Mone debuts. For now though, she picked Hogan apart and won so they’re at least starting off well with her.

Queen Aminata vs. Toni Storm

Non-title. Storm takes her down by the arm to start and then marches around the ring with a headlock. A Thesz press puts Aminata down and we take a break. Back with Aminata hitting a running kick to the chest for two. Storm grabs a DDT for the same but Aminata hits an Air Raid Crash for two more. That’s enough for Storm, who is back up with Storm Zero for the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C. This got more time than the previous one and the way commentary was talking, Aminata was the featured attraction. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen AEW (or any promotion for that matter) decide that someone was going to be a thing and run with it this much. Aminata isn’t bad at all but I have no idea why she’s getting this much time and attention.

Post match Storm lays in the ring and says she’ll be releasing a new film on “Die-nah-mah-tay.” She also doesn’t think much of Purrazzo.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Ishii is challenging and powers him up against the ropes to start. Cassidy is sent outside and wants Ishii to join him but has to come back inside to shoulder Ishii instead. Some forearms in the corner just annoy Ishii, who drops Cassidy with a single chop. We take a break and come back with Cassidy hitting a Stundog Millionaire.

The tornado DDT plants Ishii again and a second one gets two. A top rope DDT gives Cassidy two more before they trade running shouts to the face. Ishii Pounces him down and they both get a breather. A hard shot to the face gives Ishii two and he suplexes Cassidy hard. Cassidy tells him to chop before collapsing, allowing Ishii to hit a powerbomb.

The sliding lariat misses though and Cassidy gets some rollups for two each. The Orange Punch and Beach Break give Cassidy two but Ishii clotheslines him for the same. Ishii’s brainbuster is escaped but the Orange Punch won’t put him down. With nothing else working, Cassidy small packages him to retain at 15:24.

Rating: B. The action was good and such but this was the latest in the “here’s a title match against a random opponent and Cassidy survives again”. I liked it a bit more in the first twenty or so times they did it rather than the most recent forty or so. I get that there’s a history between them because of their time in a faction in Japan but I’m going to need more than that to be interested in a match here.

Post match the Undisputed Kingdom runs in to beat Cassidy down but Ishii makes the save.

Overall Rating: B. The usual good wrestling helps and there were some stories being advanced, but AEW still has a bad tendency to lean on “oh well it’s a good match, we don’t need much more than that”. It can work for awhile, but at some point I could use more in a lot of cases. The opener and main event would fit that description here, as the CMLL invasion (if it counts as one) is just there and Cassidy doing the same thing he’s done for more than a year now isn’t interesting. Good action on the show, but it’s hit and miss in the storytelling department.

Results
Blackpool Combat Club b. Esfinge/Star Jr. – Cross armbreaker to Star Jr.
Daniel Garcia b. Shane Taylor – Kneebar
Brian Cage b. Outrunners – Texas Cloverleaf to Magnum
Brody King b. Mark Briscoe – Ganso Bomb
Deonna Purrazzo b. Kiera Hogan – Deonna Purrazzo
Toni Storm b. Queen Aminata – Storm Zero
Orange Cassidy b. Tomohiro Ishii – Small package

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: February 9, 2024
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Matt Menard

We’re still in Arizona and there is a heck of a crowd for the show this week. That alone should make the energy that much better and everything else should be fine. Rampage has quite the success rate, if nothing else for the sake of the show having so little pressure involved. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Rocky Romero/Trent Beretta vs. Kingdom/Roderick Strong

The fight starts in the aisle and Cassidy even throws the sunglasses at Strong to show how serious he is. Then he puts his hands in his pockets to take care of that. Cue Adam Cole and Wardlow to watch as Trent takes out Bennett’s legs to start. Taven comes in and gets draped over the top, setting up a top rope knee to the back.

It’s off to Strong, who gets German suplexed for his efforts. Trent finally gets pulled into the corner so the beating can be on, including a suplex from Bennett. Taven’s top rope splash misses though and it’s Cassidy coming in with a high crossbody. The tornado DDT plants Taven but Bennett is back with a spinebuster to put Cassidy down. Everything breaks down until Taven kicks Cassidy down to block the Orange Punch.

We take a break and come back with a low blow cutting Cassidy down and the Hail Mary getting two. The powerbomb/Zig Zag combination hits Trent but he rolls outside before a cover. Instead the Kingdom goes after Romero, who is right back in for a big dive. Back in and Romero hits the Forever Clotheslines but Strong cuts him off with the End of Heartache for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C+. This was the match to help set up Cassidy vs. Strong for the International Title at Revolution, which brings up the bigger problem: the match is almost a month away. The match was set up really far in advance and that doesn’t make for the best setup. I’m not sure how the match is going to go, but I’m also worried about how the story is going to go on the way there.

Post match Romero is sent through a bunch of chairs to make it even worse.

We look at Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland going to a time limit draw on Dynamite, meaning they both get a shot at Samoa Joe for the World Title at Revolution.

Young Bucks vs. Mondo Rox/Robbie Lit

The Bucks are still in their bloodstained white suits from Dynamite. Matt runs over Lit to start and stomps away in the corner. Nick comes in with a Blockbuster into a backbreaker and doesn’t even lose his hat on the way down (that’s talent). A Matt distraction lets Nick get in a low blow and the EVP Trigger finishes at 2:11.

Post match the Bucks say they want more respect and congratulate Sting and Darby Allin for winning the Tag Team Titles. Sting and Allin are apparently banged up though and the Bucks are thinking of them. That being said, they still want the titles back and they are going to play by the rules to get there.

Video on Tomohiro Ishii.

Mistico vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal offers respect while Menard goes on a rant about how AEW has to fight to feed their families when other companies are invading. Mistico snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor and naturally follows with a dive. Another dive is cut off though and Sydal grabs a bow and arrow. A standing corkscrew backsplash gets two on Mistico and we take a break.

Back with Sydal hitting a jumping knee to the face and an Air Raid Crash gets two. They strike it out with Mistico getting the better of things but Sydal gets his boots up to block a moonsault. Mistico snaps off a powerslam though and they’re both down. They go up top and Mistico grabs a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 8:48.

Rating: C+. They had to give the CMLL guys a few more wins after they’ve lost their big matches to the Blackpool Combat Club. It’s not exactly a huge win but Mistico got to showcase himself a little bit and that’s a good thing to see. I’m still not sure how long this feud can go on, but you can almost guarantee that some AEW stars will wind up in Arena Mexico at some point out of all this.

Brian Cage issues a challenge for a handicap match on Collision to show he’s better than Hook.

Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander vs. Saraya/Ruby Soho

Stokely Hathaway is on commentary and Harley Cameron is at ringside. Soho looks at a note in her pocket on the way to the ring but doesn’t want the others to see it. Statlander headlocks Saraya over to start and nails her with a basement dropkick. Soho comes in and gets armdragged down as Excalibur rapid fires off things coming on Collision.

Nightingale’s fisherman’s suplex gets two on Soho and Statlander runs her over with a shoulder. Some running backsplashes in the corner connect but Saraya pulls Nightingale off the ropes as we take a break. Back with Nightingale hitting a big boot and the double tag bringing in Statlander and Soho.

Statlander’s powerslam gets two as everything breaks down. Saraya knees Statlander down for two but accidentally hits Soho. Statlander is back up to drop Saraya for two and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same. Saraya tries to get over to Soho….who drops to the floor and walks out (including decking Cameron on the way). The Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin on Saraya at 10:38 as Soho watches.

Rating: C. This was a match for the sake of an angle and there’s nothing wrong with that. Soho has been having issues with the team for weeks now and the whole note in her pocket should make things more interesting. It’s not like the Outcasts have been doing much in recent weeks anyway so having Soho walk away is the best choice.

Post match Skye Blue comes out to stare down Nightingale and Statlander. Then the lights go out and Julia Hart is next to Blue. The lights go out again and they vanish to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Yeah this was ok. That’s just slightly below average for Rampage as it’s a show that takes an hour, has about one or two things that feel like they might matter and then we move on to the important shows. While it might not be the most important show, it’s the kind of show that you can watch without needing some deep backstory and have a good time. It worked well and goes by quickly, which is a nice change after how intense Dynamite and Collision tend to be.

Results
Kingdom/Roderick Strong b. Orange Cassidy/Rocky Romero/Trent Beretta – End of Heartache to Romero
Young Bucks b. Mondo Rox/Robbie Lit – EVP Trigger to Lit
Mistico b. Matt Sydal – Super Spanish Fly
Willow Nightingale/Kris Statlander b. Saraya/Ruby Soho – Babe With The Powerbomb to Saraya

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

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Collision
Date: January 27, 2024
Location: Brookshire Grocery Arena, Bossier City, Louisiana
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly

This is the show opposite the Royal Rumble and that means there are two distinct options. The first choice would basically be to punt and wait for next week, or to load it up with something big in the end. AEW has chosen the second, with FTR/Daniel Garcia vs. the House of Black in an elimination cage match. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

The brawl starts on the floor with Moxley choking Taylor and Castagnoli beating up Moriarty. They get inside with Moxley kicking away at Taylor’s leg but getting knocked into the corner for his efforts. A missed charge allows Castagnoli to come in for the hard uppercuts but Moriarty breaks up the Swing. Everything breaks down again and Taylor sends Moxley into the steps.

Back up and Taylor hits an apron legdrop onto Castagnoli as Moxley is favoring his hand. A regular legdrop gives Taylor two on Castagnoli, who suplexes Taylor with some impressive power. Moxley comes back in to clean house, including a running knee to rock Moriarty. Castagnoli Swings Moriarty, who asks for time out, until Taylor makes the save. Moxley can’t get the rear naked choke on Moriarty, who is back with a European clutch for two. A Hart Attack hits Taylor and Moxley chokes him out for the pin at 9:56.

Rating: B-. This was a match that feels like it almost would have been better off taking place before the singles matches, as Moxley already beat both of them on his own. I’m not sure why that makes a tag match more interesting, as adding Castagnoli doesn’t exactly give me hope in the Promotions. Good enough match, but they might have gone one match too far with the story.

Undisputed Kingdom suggests they help Komander win the International Title so he can hold it for five weeks before Roderick Strong wins it at Revolution. Strong shakes his hand and says “deal” but it doesn’t seem like Komander understood.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Komander

Komander is challenging. They trade rollups for two each to start and it’s already a standoff. Komander won’t let Cassidy get his hands in the pockets and they fight over an inverted Gory Special. Cassidy gets his hands in his pockets, misses a dropkick, and nips up anyway. With Komander on the floor, here is the Undisputed Kingdom as we take a break.

Back with Cassidy superkicking him into the corner to set up the stomping but Komander gets up again. A middle rope head fake sets up a middle rope Canadian Destroyer for two on Cassidy and a frog splash gets the same. Komander kicks him in the face a few times but charges into the Beach Break for two more. Back up and Komander snaps off a hurricanrana but stops to dive onto the Undisputed Kingdom. The distraction is enough for the Orange Punch to retain the title at 10:12.

Rating: C+. I’m running out of ways to say “this is the same thing that Cassidy does in all his title defenses”. The match was perfectly fine but it feels like Cassidy has beaten most of the AEW roster at this point. There is nothing left for him to do but yet we have over a month before his serious title defense. I could go for doing the title match sooner, but it looks like we’re waiting for Revolution.

Post match Strong grabs the title and throws it at Cassidy.

Daniel Garcia has been attacked and left bloodied. That’s a bad sign before the main event.

We get a rant from Toni Storm after Dynamite about Deonna Purrazzo. She’ll even show up with Mariah May….but not in Bossier City. Something about race horses being put down.

Mariah May vs. Lady Frost

May fires off the forearms to start but Frost chops her against the ropes. A running flip neckbreaker takes May down but she’s right back with a running dropkick. We take a break and come back with May cutting off a comeback attempt but getting dropped on her head with a German suplex. May is fine enough to hit a shotgun dropkick, only to be sent into the corner for a Cannonball. Frostbite (moonsault) is broken up though and May Day gives May the pin at 6:59.

Rating: C. May is in a weird place as she’s kind of waiting for Storm’s story with Purrazzo to wrap up before anything she’s doing with Storm can really take off. For now it’s just May slowly getting frustrated with Storm, even though they barely had a relationship in the first place. It’s a weirdly put together story, but at least they’re setting May up in a way.

Swerve Strickland picks Toa Liona for Hangman Page on Dynamite.

Page won’t say who he’s picking for Strickland…but hints at Rob Van Dam.

Eddie Kingston vs. Willie Mack

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning that if Mack wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future title shot. Mack knocks him straight into the corner to start and a brainbuster gets two on Kingston. There’s the Cannonball into the standing moonsault to give Mack two more but Kingston takes him down and strikes away.

Back up and Mack kicks him in the face before trying the moonsault, only to come up favoring his knee. Kingston exploders him for two but Mack’s knee is fine enough to hit a sitout powerbomb. They strike it out until Mack hits a Stunner, only to have the Six Star frog splash hit raised knees. Kingston’s spinning backfist finishes Mack at 6:02.

Rating: C+. This was a nice win for Kingston, even though Mack has lost so often that it’s hard to get interested in his matches. Kingston is starting to feel like he belongs at this level and that’s almost hard to believe given what kind of a career he had had. For now though, Kingston letting people he deems worthy have a chance is very in character for him and this made sense.

As Kingston is leaving, Bryan Danielson comes to the ring for his match but doesn’t even look at Kingston.

Yuji Nagata vs. Bryan Danielson

Eddie Kingston is on commentary. Feeling out process to start as Eddie praises Nagata and Nigel yells about Danielson. A early armbar doesn’t work for Danielson so Nagata takes over with a test of strength. We take a break and come back with Danielson working on the leg, including a running kick to the leg in said corner. The leg is wrapped around the post and Danielson adds a missile dropkick for two.

Nagata goes after the arm and hits an exploder before pulling Danielson into the crossface. That’s broken up as well and they strike away until Nagata takes him up top. A superplex is broken up but Nagata is fine enough to hit a super exploder. Nagata grabs what is better known as a Disarm-Her but Danielson slips out and grabs a dragon screw legwhip. They kick it out until Danielson hits a big one to the head. Danielson’s running knee finishes at 15:22.

Rating: B-. Nagata is a good example of someone I never quite “got”. He was boring during his WCW run and his time after, while much better, still isn’t something that makes me want to see more. It’s certainly not a question of his talent as he’s quite good at what he does, but there’s something missing from him that keeps him from being interesting and it was on display again here.

Post match respect is shown but Kingston doesn’t buy it.

FTR doesn’t know if Daniel Garcia is ready to wrestle but Mark Briscoe comes in to say he’s there if FTR needs him. FTR appreciates that and they’ll keep him in mind. Well that was quick.

Brian Cage is upset with losing the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles but doesn’t know why people are talking about Hook. Cue Hook, who seems interested in giving Cage an FTW Title match. Well that was quick too.

Serena Deeb vs. Robyn Renegade

This is Deeb’s first match in about fifteen months. Deeb wrestles her to the mat to start and easily takes it into the ropes. They trade full nelsons and slaps to the face until Deeb hits a running clothesline. A neckbreaker over the middle rope drops Renegade and the Deebtox sets up the Serenity Lock to make Renegade tap at 2:58. Good, dominant return for Deeb.

Post match Deeb asks the fans if they missed her and it feels good to be back. She wants the title because this is what she does and she is back.

Some CMLL stars will be here next week.

FTR/Mark Briscoe vs. House Of Black

In a cage with escape only elimination rules (which is different than last week, when it was just elimination rules). Hold on though as here is the House to jump Briscoe during the entrances and send him off the stage. The big brawl is on outside the ring, with King crossbodying Wheeler against the barricade. Cue Daniel Garcia, with his head bandaged and swinging a chair for the save but the House takes him down as well.

Harwood and Garcia are sent inside with Wheeler left on the floor, meaning it’s 3-2. King gives Harwood a chokebomb but Garcia fights up…as Wheeler DIVES OFF THE CAGE onto everyone for a huge crash. We take a break and come back with Harwood spinebustering Black but Matthews kicks Garcia down. The House cleans house but it’s too early for any of them to escape.

The good guys fight back up and could leave….until Garcia opts to beat on the House even more. Wheeler Stomps Matthews but a brainbuster leaves everyone down again. Harwood and King go up and chop it out on the ropes until Harwood superplexes him down. That lets Harwood go to leave but King spears the door at him and they fall out at the same time. We take another break and come back with Matthews’ top rope Meteora connecting to leave all four down again.

Matthews and Wheeler go up and over, with Wheeler being bounds off the cage and through a table for the elimination. Hold on though as Matthews tries to go back up, only for Garcia to ram the cage to send him through another table at ringside. We’re down to one on one with Garcia vs. Black, with a referee being nice enough to tell them “three minutes”.

Garcia’s ankle lock is broken up and they’re both down again. Garcia tries to go up but cue Julia Hart with the mist. With Garcia blinded, Black goes to leave, only to have Garcia say come finish him. Black obliges and is promptly piledriven onto a chair. Garcia goes up as Black goes for the door, which Mark Briscoe slams onto his head to give Garcia the win at 22:54.

Rating: B. Yeah this was good, with the Briscoe interference not exactly feeling like cheating after Hart got involved. The elimination only thing was a little weird but I like the elimination stuff a lot more than someone getting a fluke fall. Garcia continues to do well in his supporting role, but there is always the chance of pushing him too hard, too fast. He looked rather strong here though and it was a violent, hard hitting match with the House going down to hopefully wrap up the feud.

Celebrating ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. The main event is the best part of the show but the rest was good enough. They feel like they’re starting to set the stage for Revolution and that is a great thing to see, as they’re timing it well. This was a good show, but it’s one that isn’t likely to draw a big audience due to what it’s up against. The main event is unique enough to be worth a look and the rest is fine, though you might want to have the fast forward button ready.

Results
Jon Moxley/Claudio Castagnoli b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Rear naked choke to Taylor
Orange Cassidy b. Komander – Orange Punch
Mariah May b. Lady Frost – May Day
Eddie Kingston b. Willie Mack – Spinning backfist
Bryan Danielson b. Yuji Nagata – Running knee
Serena Deeb b. Robyn Renegade – Serenity Lock
FTR/Daniel Garcia b. House Of Black – Garcia escaped the 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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Dynamite
Date: January 3, 2024
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the show after Worlds End and Samoa Joe is the new World Champion. In what might be a bigger story though, Adam Cole was revealed as the Devil, with his henchmen (Wardlow/The Kingdom/Roderick Strong) wrecking MJF to end the show. We’re about two months from Revolution and it might be time to start the slow build. Let’s get to it.

Here is Worlds End if you need a recap.

We get a video from after Worlds End where a rather serious Samoa Joe talks about how MJF might be a scumbag but he’s a mean SOB. He’s going to take everything from anyone who tries to take the title from him. This was intense Joe and that is a great thing.

We look at the Devil/Henchmen reveal.

Here are Adam Cole and the henchmen, now with a graphic saying UNDISPUTED, for a chat. Roderick Strong tells us to shut up and listen to his best friend, ADAM. Cole finds it ironic that people were appalled and SHOCKED at him being the Devil. It means people are not only stupid but they also don’t understand right and wrong. Cole turned on MJF, who has talked bad about everyone in that locker room, but people are mad at him?

MJF only cares about himself and he’s never coming back. The second MJF felt like he didn’t need Cole anymore, he would have done the same thing. Cole never needed MJF but MJF needed him, which is why Cole sacrificed everything. No one would have cared about MJF without Cole and you can chant all you want, but MJF is dead. This is the Undisputed Kingdom, and they want gold.

Roderick Strong wants the International Title and Wardlow is after the AEW World Title. Then when the time is right, Wardlow is going to forfeit the title to Cole (Wardlow doesn’t seem opposed). That brings us to Samoa Joe, and it was nice to do business with him. This includes taking out Hangman Page for him, but it would suck to see Wardlow hurt Joe when it’s time to get there. The Devil is here to stay….bay bay.

The team poses but here is Jay White of all people to interrupt. He liked what happened to MJF, but he isn’t happy with being the catalyst to start all this. Cue the Gunns so Wardlow gets Cole to the floor so the fight can be on. Wardlow gets back in though and the Undisputed Kingdom takes over. Cue the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to chase the Kingdom off but Bullet Club Gold leaves without scissoring.

They needed to have the big speech here and that worked well, but there is something missing because Cole can’t wrestle. Granted it is a good bit less bad because MJF is out of action as well. I could have waited on someone to interrupt the team, as it took something away from the segment, but the big explanation was good enough.

We look at Eddie Kingston winning the Continental Classic.

Daniel Garcia is ready to face Swerve Strickland.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Dante Martin

Cassidy is defending and gets armdragged into the corner, leaving him a bit annoyed to start. A headlock takeover works a bit better for Cassidy but Dante kicks him away and flips over for a standoff. They go outside with Cassidy sending him into the barricade, then putting his hands in his pockets for a run around the ring and a dropkick. Dante manages a suplex though and we take a break.

Back with Martin hitting a nice high crossbody for two before they trade the slow motion strikes. Martin gets taken into the corner for more slow stomps, followed by the spinning DDT for two. The Orange Punch and Beach Break both miss so Martin loads up a powerbomb, only to drop Cassidy face first onto his knee (that was cool). Martin goes up so Cassidy rolls away…leaving Martin to jump REALLY FAR to splash him instead. Martin misses a dropkick though and the Orange Punch retains at 13:29.

Rating: B-. This was straight out of the same playbook that Cassidy has been using for the better part of a year now, though there was pretty much nothing with him being aggressive or coming close to cheating. The good thing is that he seems to have a much bigger challenger coming in Roderick Strong so things should be picking up. Martin looked solid here too, as he can do the flying stuff rather well.

Post match Action Andretti, Darius Martin, Hook and Danhausen come out to check on their friends. Respect is shown but here is the returning Private Party to interrupt. They want the titles and put the tag teams on notice. Is there a reason a two person tag team interrupted a singles champion and a trio so they could talk about winning Tag Team Titles?

Toni Storm is here for Mariah May’s debut but changes her mind because it’s off to Broadway.

The House Of Black is ready to hurt FTR and make their families sad.

Swerve Strickland is ready to ace Daniel Garcia tonight but wants gold in 2024. Like from Samoa Joe.

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

May strikes her up against the ropes to start and a running dropkick gets one. Another running dropkick to the back sends Aminata to the floor and us to a break. Back with Aminata striking away and hitting a dropkick, followed by a running forearm in the corner. May Sling Blades her way out of trouble and a Samoan Driver (May Day) finishes Aminata at 6:37.

Rating: C. Well that was lengthy and I’m not exactly sold on May as a big star. She did well in her debut but this felt more like it was almost about making Aminata a big deal than getting May her debut. May does look like a star though and she seemed polished enough in the ring. Not a bad match, but a strangely put together one.

Post match May says she wishes Toni Storm could have been here. And that this wasn’t in New Jersey. Cue Deonna Purrazzo (of the New Jersey Purrazzos) to say this is her home because she is All Elite. May calls her a b**** and gets kicked in the face for her efforts. Good debut, even with Purrazzo sounding rather nervous. Also, I’m not sure how smart it was to have May’s debut and Purrazzo as the surprise back to back, as it took away from May’s start.

Here is the Patriarchy for a chat. Shayna Wayne can’t believe that the people here boo her, so Christian Cage threatens them all with discipline. Cage talks about his title defense at Worlds End and we hear about how he left as champion (with no mention of the title changing hands)….but he specifically doesn’t mention Killswitch.

He talks about how Adam Copeland is out of title shots and brags about having no soul, which is why he beat Copeland. No one needs to come after this title but the fans chant LUCHASAURUS. Cage insists that his name is Killswitch to wrap things up. Shayna continues to be rather awful with a microphone. I’m not sure why they needed Wayne’s real mother there when there has to be someone better at talking who could play either that role or something close enough.

Ruby Soho admits that Harley Cameron was a success, with Cameron insisting she would do ANYTHING to help.

Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis joins commentary as Takeshita grabs a wheelbarrow suplex to start. Allin flips out and lands on his feet, with even Callis being impressed, only to have a heck of a backdrop put Allin down. Back up and Allin manages to send him outside for a dive, with Takeshita cutting it off with a jumping knee for a NASTY crash. Some rolling German suplexes on the ramp knock Allin even sillier and we take a break.

Back with Allin hitting the flipping Stunner out of the corner and sending Takeshita to the floor for the big running flip dive. Takeshita is sent hard into the barricade and bangs up his knee, allowing Allin to hit the top rope Coffin Drop to take him down on the floor. Back in and a Code Red gives Allin two, only to have Takeshita German suplex him down. A top rope German superplex (and Allin landed straight on the mat) sets up a running knee to give Takeshita the pin at 12:47.

Rating: B. I feel bad about watching these Allin matches as he feels like someone ready to suffer a career ending injury every time he gets in the ring. Since he doesn’t seem to care, it would be nice to have someone tell him to stop and not let him wrestle if he doesn’t listen, but that doesn’t seem likely. On the other hand you have Takeshita, who looked like a monster here. I could really go for him doing pretty much anything but being stuck with Callis and company, as he seems ready to be a breakout star (and has been so for a long time).

Post break Don Callis issues a challenge to Darby Allin and Sting next week, with promises of making the team 25-1.

Trent Beretta vs. El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Brian Cage vs. Bryan Keith

For a Continental Crown shot against Eddie Kingston (on commentary) on Collision. Vikingo takes Trent out to start but Cage runs people over. Vikingo gets suplexed and Trent is ran over on the floor as Cage is in control on the way to the break. Back with Vikingo cleaning house until Cage catches him on top.

Trent drops Cage for two with Vikingo making the save, leaving all four of them down. Cage F5’s Keith and hits a helicopter bomb for two on Trent. This brings Danhausen out of the crowd for a curse, allowing Vikingo to dive outside onto Cage. Keith hits a running headbutt to Trent, who is right back with Strong Zero for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: B-. This was your usual wild free for all, but that’s where it’s a little weird. We just spent six weeks on these straightforward singles matches for the right to be the first champion and then it’s a four way with a bunch of midcarders fighting for a shot. On a side note, what is Trent fighting for? The new title or the Triple Crown? I would hope the latter, because having Kingston defend three separate titles is absolutely not what was being teased in the tournament.

Matt Menard is interrupted by Hangman Page, who wants to fight someone.

Daniel Garcia vs. Swerve Strickland

Matt Menard is on commentary. Feeling out process to start with Swerve taking him down without much trouble. Garcia fights back up and they head to the floor, with Swerve being sent into the barricade. That means it’s time for a dance off between Garcia and Prince Nana, but Swerve breaks it up.

We take a break and come back with Garcia dropkicking Swerve into the corner. A Saito suplex gets two on Swerve and they fight to the floor where Garcia doesn’t quite get all of a Sharpshooter the announcers’ desk. Back in and Swerve manages a suplex to put them both down, followed by a House Call for two. The Swerve Stomp gets two and, after Garcia gets a rollup for the same, Swerve finishes with the JML Driver at 11:41.

Rating: C+. That’s a weird way to end the show, as the big focal point was a dance off with a heel manager. Strickland took a good while to beat Garcia here, which isn’t the biggest stretch, but it’s a weird way to go when he’s talking about coming for the World Title. This didn’t quite feel like a big main event either, and that’s not a great sign to start the road to Revolution.

Post match respect is teased but Nana hits Garcia low. Matt Menard tries to come in but gets beaten down as well. Hangman Page comes out for the brawl with Swerve and they’re separated to end the show. So the ultra violent and bloody Texas Deathmatch was just a stop in the feud?

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t the show I was expecting but it also wasn’t a bad one. They covered the Adam Cole explanation well enough, but as tends to be the case in AEW, they tacked on more stuff right after and it took away from some of the impact. Other than that, you could definitely tell that a lot of people were gone for either Wrestle Kingdom or something else and it hurt the show a bit. This felt like a show that they ran when they had a week to burn, which is a weird feeling coming off a pay per view. Not bad whatsoever, but not one of their best.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Dante Martin – Orange Punch
Mariah May b. Queen Aminata – May Day
Konosuke Takeshita b. Darby Allin – Running knee
Trent Beretta b. Bryan Keith, Brian Cage and El Hijo del Vikingo – Strong Zero to Keith
Swerve Strickland b. Daniel Garcia – JML Driver

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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Collision
Date: December 23, 2023
Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re a week away from Worlds End and that means we need some more semifinalists in the Continental Classic. The Blue League should be getting down to its final two this week and maybe we can even add in some new matches to the pay per view card. On top of that, Thunder Rosa is back in the ring tonight after more than a year away. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli powers him around to start before grabbing a test of strength to keep Danielson in trouble. Danielson takes it to the mat by the leg though and rips at the face for two. Back up and Danielson goes for the leg again but Castagnoli fights up for another test of strength. They go to the mat with the hands interlocked and bridge up at two each until Castagnoli blasts him with an uppercut.

Danielson tries the LeBell Lock but Castagnoli bails to the floor, where a knee off the apron takes him down again. Back in and Castagnoli fires off an uppercut but Danielson shrugs if off and hits the running corner dropkicks. Castagnoli shrugs that off just as well and grabs the Swing for two. A headbutt and clothesline put Danielson on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Danielson hitting a belly to back superplex for a nasty crash and a delayed near fall. The LeBell Lock goes on again but Castagnoli makes the rope again. We have five minutes left as Danielson takes him to the top, only to get caught in a spinning superplex for a sweet counter.

The Riccola Bomb is countered into a triangle choke, which is countered into something close to a Neutralizer for two. Another Neutralizer is countered and the running knee gives Danielson two. They trade stomps to the face before locking hands and kicking each other even more. Castagnoli pulls him into the Sharpshooter with a minute to go before letting Danielson out. An uppercut drops Danielson again but time expires at 20:00.

Rating: B. Well at least they finally had a draw. This was another heck of a fight with both guys beating the fire out of each other, which made for a good brawl. Danielson is still likely moving on to the next round and it’s nice to see Castagnoli get a draw instead of taking another loss. You knew these two were going to bring it and thankfully neither of them went evil in the process.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 10 points (0 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)

Danielson officially advances to the semifinals. Castagnoli is frustrated but respect is shown.

We look at Dynamite’s Gold League matches.

Trios Titles: Acclaimed/Billy Gunn vs. Top Flight/Action Andretti

The Acclaimed and Gunn are defending with Bowens kicking Darius in the face to start. A superkick gets two so it’s quickly off to Andretti to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and we get a big staredown until Gunn and Andretti trade SUCK IT’s. Andretti gets taken into the wrong corner though and we take a break.

Back with Gunn missing a Stinger Splash, allowing Andretti to get over to Dante. A springboard high crossbody hits Caster as everything breaks down again. Gunn gets triple teamed (the fans don’t seem to approve) so the Acclaimed make the save, leaving Gunn to hit a tilt-a-whirl slam. Scissor Me Timbers takes too long though as all three champs get kicked down. Top Flight dives onto Gunn and Bowens on the floor but Caster avoids the running shooting star press and pins Andretti to retain at 9:14.

Rating: C+. I’m a bit surprised at the result here as Andretti and Top Flight have been built up rather strong in recent weeks. That match on Rampage last week was more than enough to get them some attention but we’ll be continuing with the Acclaimed and Gunn for the moment. That’s not a terrible idea, but I was almost expecting a fluke title change.

Commentary thinks Caster might have pulled the tights.

Hook wants Wheeler Yuta in an FTW Rules match for the FTW Title at Worlds End.

Brian Cage vs. Keith Lee

Prince Nana is here with Cage and yes Lee is wearing a Santa hat. They fight over a lockup to start with Lee shoving him away but Cage is back with a headlock. A running headscissors takes Lee down and now it’s time to get a bit more serious. Lee snaps off his own headscissors so Cage kicks him in the head. Cage’s running tornado DDT plants Lee and we take a break.

Back with Lee hitting a running splash in the corner and hammering away to put Cage in more trouble. Lee throws him down for two more but Cage is back with a 619. For some reason Cage tries the apron superplex, which goes as badly as expected. Instead a top rope superplex plants Lee for two (with about 30 “2” signs in the first few rows). An F5 gives Cage two….so let’s get a cinder block. That’s too far for Lee, who comes back with a Big Bang Catastrophe or the pin at 9:54.

Rating: B-. This was the spectacle match and it worked very well for what it was supposed to be. Lee seems on his way to the Swerve Strickland match because waiting a year and a half is more than fine. Cage did get to showcase his crazy power and cool moves here, which made for a heck of an entertaining match.

Post match Lee brings up the cinder block attack from….someone (Swerve Strickland) in this building about a year ago. He’ll be at Dynamite to make his point clear.

Toni Storm isn’t sure who Mariah May, who is standing behind her, actually is. May says they’ve met before but more importantly, her wrestling license is here. Storm is ready for Riho.

Here is Christian Cage, with Nick Wayne, for a chat. Cage brings up Shayna Wayne attacking Adam Copeland and brings her out for the official explanation. Shayna is surprised that the fans are booing her (A MOTHER!) for what she did to Copeland. She was just protecting her son, who Copeland hit with a Conchairto a few weeks earlier. The only person who cares about her son is Cage, who goes into a speech praising Shayna.

You would think Copeland would understand what it’s like to grow up with a single mother. Cage kind of wishes Copeland’s mother was still alive so she could see what her son became. We head suggestions of what happened between Cage and Shayna after he beat Copeland (she seems pleased) and Cage dubs her the Matriarch, Mother Wayne. And sure Copeland can have another title shot at Worlds End, because Cage can finish him for good.

Big Bill and Ricky Starks say their Tag Team Title match at Worlds End is off. Cue Chris Jericho to say it’s still on (date not clear) and he’s looking for a new partner.

Continental Classic Blue League: Daniel Garcia vs. Brody King

Garcia slaps him in the face to start so King unloads with forearms in the corner. The Cannonball gives King two and Garcia heads to the apron, where he gets forearmed in the face. King breaks up a choke and grabs one of his own, with Garcia falling out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with King slamming him down by the hair and dropping a backsplash for two. Garcia stands up and won’t be put down by chops as the fans seem to approve. King lets him chop away and Garcia’s running forearms manage a staggering. Garcia finally muscles him over with a belly to back suplex but King is back with a Death Valley Driver. A hard clothesline into the Ganso Bomb gets two on Garcia and King is stunned. Another Ganso Bomb is loaded up but Garcia reverses into a jackknife rollup for the upset pin at 10:18.

Rating: B-. This was another step in Garcia’s road to…something, as he continued to fight through the odds and win in the end. His tournament didn’t exactly go so well but at least he didn’t lose the whole time. This told a nice story and should pay dividends later, while King’s tournament comes to something of a bad halt.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 10 points (0 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Daniel Garcia – 3 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)

Post match the lights go out and the House Of Black goes after Garcia. Matt Menard tries to come in for the save but FTR offers the real save, with the House running. The challenge is issued for some point in the future.

Skye Blue/Julia Hart vs. Abadon/Thunder Rosa

Blue is now all evil and Rosa is in her first match in over a year. Blue stomps Abadon into the corner to start and hands it off to Hart for some forearms. A swinging Rock Bottom lets Abadon hammer away but Blue cuts Rosa off. Blue and Hart chop away at Abadon and we take a break.

We come back with Abadon hitting a double Downward Spiral, allowing the hot tag to Rosa, which the fans appreciate. Rosa cleans house, including running knees in the corner to Blue. A northern lights suplex gets two with Hart making the save. Blue catches her in the corner though and a powerbomb brings Rosa back down. Everything breaks down and Rosa hits the Tijuana Bomb to finish Blue at 8:18.

Rating: C+. Rosa is indeed back and that is a good thing, as she can be put into a variety of spots on the roster immediately. If nothing else, she should be getting a guaranteed Women’s Title shot in the near future, but for now she’s off to a good start with a win here. Hart vs. Abadon is already set and that should be a nice addition to Worlds End, as Hart gets to be protected here to continue her momentum.

Continental Classic Blue League: Eddie Kingston vs. Andrade El Idolo

Kingston advances with a win while Andrade advances with a win or a draw. An early spinning backfist misses for Kingston so Andrade grabs a headlock. Andrade takes him into the corner and then grabs an armbar as commentary plugs upcoming pay per views. Back up and Kingston hits a hard clothesline and we take a break.

We come back with Andrade fighting out of a chinlock, setting up some dragon screw legwhips. The running knees in the corner give Andrade two and Three Amigos are good for the same. Andrade goes up but dives into a kick to the face, which damages Kingston’s bad leg even more. Kingston unloads with the chops in the corner but Andrade sends him outside for a moonsault.

The double moonsault gives Andrade two back inside but Kingston’s belly to back gets the same. It takes a bit for Andrade to get up and he scores with the spinning elbow for two. Kingston gets caught in the Figure Four but is straight into the ropes. Back up and the spinning backfist into the northern lights bomb gives Kingston the pin at 15:30.

Rating: B-. Kingston felt like he was fighting to survive here and that is pretty much exactly what he was doing. It made for a good fight as the two of them were both doing their thing, including Andrade continuing to be on quite the roll as of late. This sets up Kingston vs. Danielson in a heck of a showdown though and that should be enough to help carry Dynamite.

Blue League Standings
Bryan Danielson – 10 points (0 matches remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 9 points (0 matches remaining)
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Claudio Castagnoli – 7 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Brody King – 6 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)
Daniel Garcia – 3 points (0 matches remaining, eliminated)

Overall Rating: B. This show covered a good bit more than just the Continental Classic, making it that much more interesting than Dynamite. The tournament has been full o good action, but I’m kind of glad to see this phase of it wrapping up. We’ve seen these same six people wrestling for weeks now and there comes a point where it doesn’t have quite the same impact. Other than that, Keith Lee’s path to Swerve Strickland continues and Thunder Rosa is back. That’s a nice use of two hours and we should be moving into something new next time.

Results
Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli went to a time limit draw
Acclaimed/Billy Gunn b. Top Flight/Action Andretti – Rollup to Andretti
Keith Lee b. Brian Cage – Big Bang Catastrophe
Daniel Garcia b. Brody King – Rollup
Abadon/Thunder Rosa b. Skye Blue/Julia Hart – Tijuana Bomb to Blue
Eddie Kingston b. Andrade El Idolo – Northern lights bomb

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

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Rampage
Date: December 22, 2023
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho, Excalibur

We’re just over a week away from Worlds End and that means things are starting to come together. This week’s show is a bit different though as we are in between the Continental Classic shows, meaning some other things should be getting some focus. That could make for an interesting show so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

International Title: Rocky Romero vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is defending. They start fast to start with Cassidy taking him down and doing Romero’s dance. Cassidy teases a big wind up punch but puts his hands in his pockets instead, only to get taken down by a hurricanrana. Back in and Cassidy rolls away, only to get taken down by another hurricanrana on the floor. The Forever Clotheslines have Cassidy in more trouble and a backbreaker gives Romero two.

Cassidy manages the tornado DDT but Romero drapes him over the top. The jumping knee misses but Romero settles for a suplex on the apron. We take a break and come back with the exchange of forearms until Cassidy hits the Orange Punch. Cassidy stomps away but has to counter Strong Zero into a sunset flip. Romero knees him out of the air and Strong Zero gets two. Cassidy is right back with the Orange Punch into the Beach Break to retain at 10:54.

Rating: C+. This was exactly what you would have expected from Cassidy against a perennial midcarder in a Rampage title defense. Cassidy has done this match more times than I can count during his reigns as champion and it only has so much impact here. Decent match, but it was only going to be so good.

Hugging ensues post match.

Kris Statlander is happy about the win in a tag team street fight on Collision. Cue Stokely Hathaway, who comes in to recruit her, though he incorrectly calls her Kristen.

Brian Cage is ready to beat Keith Lee up on Collision.

Hardys vs. Kingdom

Roderick Strong is here with the Kingdom and calls some fans stupid on the way to the ring. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll only refer to Matt Hardy as Matt and Matt Taven as Taven. Matt takes Taven into the corner to start and hammers away before Jeff comes in for the flip splash/fist drop combination for two. Bennett comes in to punch Matt down but it’s right back to Jeff for Poetry In Motion.

A cheap shot sends Jeff outside though and we take a break. Back with Matt Side Effecting Bennett onto the apron, allowing Jeff to bring Matt back in. House is cleaned and the Side Effect gets two on Taven. The Twist Of Fate is broken up though and the fight heads outside. Jeff takes off his boot to beat on Bennett but Taven gets a rollup to pin Matt at 9:24.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to have the Hardys back in the ring here as they haven’t gotten to do much in recent months. They’re only doing so much here and the Kingdom needs some wins to go anywhere in the future. I’m not sure how far either team is going to be going anytime soon, but at least the Kingdom has Strong around to keep them active.

Angelo Parker interrupts Ruby Soho and invites her out for a drink tonight. Saraya comes in to say she supports this before sending Soho and Renee Paquette away. With the two of them gone, Saraya says she hates Parker and Soho is all hers. Soho pops back in and Saraya says she loves Parker.

Skye Blue vs. Prince Aminata

The much larger Aminata sends her outside to start but Blue gets in a knockdown on the apron to take over. Back in and Aminata hits a suplex into a running hip attack in the corner for two. Blue superkicks her way out of trouble though and it’s a TKO into a dragon sleeper for the tap at 3:42.

Rating: C. Aminata wasn’t bad here, especially for someone coming back after a bad knee injury. Blue wasn’t about to lose after her big official turn last week though and it’s not like it took her long to pick up the win. These women’s matches going short aren’t really helping anyone, but at least Blue got a quick win to boost her up a bit.

AAA Mega Title: Black Taurus vs. El Hijo del Vikingo

Vikingo is defending and slips out of a powerbomb attempt to start. Taurus shoulders him down so Vikingo snaps off some armdrags. Back up and we get a standoff, as the fans are declaring this awesome about two weeks in. The pop up Samoan drop gives Taurus two and we take a break.

Back with Taurus blocking a poisonrana but missing a charge to crash out to the floor. Taurus is right back up for a dive, only to get posted by Vikingo. Somehow Vikingo manages a powerslam and the rope walk twisting flip dive drops Taurus again. Back in and a rope walk running poisonrana plants Taurus, who is back up to run Vikingo over. Taurus sends him crashing down with the super gorilla press and a discus lariat gets two. Vikingo flips over him into a sunset bomb, followed by the running knees. More running knees set up a 630 to retain the title at 14:10.

Rating: B-. It was a good back and forth match but I just saw these two have a better, longer match on a bigger stage just a week ago. Now that being said, these two could seemingly have a solid match in their sleep as it’s a pretty easy dynamic to make work no matter what. Vikingo feels like a mega star despite his smaller stature and having Taurus there to bounce off of makes it even easier.

Overall Rating: B-. That’s as Rampagey of a Rampage as Rampage could be. Very little happened in the way of advancing any stories and it was more “here are some AEW wrestlers doing things” for forty five minutes before a good main event helped it out a lot. Rampage is an entertaining hour most of the time but it’s a show that could disappear without much being lost. Good enough show this week, but don’t expect much of anything that matters in the bigger pictures.

Results
Orange Cassidy b. Roocky Romero – Beach Break
The Kingdom b. The Hardys – Rollup to Matt
Skye Blue b. Prince Aminata – Dragon sleeper
El Hijo del Vikingo b. Black Taurus – 630

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

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Collision
Date: December 16, 2023
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

We’re two weeks away from Worlds End and that means we have more Continental Classic matches this week. The tournament field is starting to thin out and that should make things more interesting. Another thing they might want to work on is building up the pay per view card, as with Kenny Omega now stuck on the sidelines, the Tag Team Title match is off for now, leaving the card with two matches. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Eddie Kingston, Daniel Garcia, Claudio Castagnoli, Andrade El Idolo, Brody King, Bryan Danielson and Orange Cassidy (who is a bit confused) are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Continental Classic Blue League: Andrade El Idolo vs. Claudio Castagnoli

They fight over a lockup to start before an exchange of shoulders doesn’t get either of them anywhere. Andrade knocks him outside but Castagnoli is back in with a hard clothesline. It’s too early for the Swing though as Andrade hurricanranas him to the floor. A dropkick through the ropes has Castagnoli in more trouble but he nails an uppercut. Back in and Castagnoli shrugs off a dragon screw legwhip and hits Swiss Death as we take a break.

We come back with Andrade hitting a running forearm but the Swing puts him down. The Sharpshooter goes on but Andrade reverses into a Figure our. That’s enough to send Castagnoli bailing to the ropes for the break so Andrade goes up, taking off the turnbuckle covering at the same time. A super sunset bomb gives Andrade two and the running knees in the corner get the same.

Castagnoli catches him on top though and it’s a superplex back down, only to have Andrade roll some Amigos. They trade kicks to the face until Andrade scores with a spinning elbow to the face. Andrade goes up again and tries a super hammerlock DDT, only to get crotched onto the turnbuckle. Hold on though as the referee notices the removed pad, allowing Castagnoli to get in a low blow. The Neutralizer finishes Andrade at 15:30.

Rating: B-. That adds a bit of drama to the tournament and it’s kind of nice to see Andrade get what was coming to him after cheating multiple times. Castagnoli gets to stay alive while Andrade’s spot in the semifinals isn’t entirely locked up yet. The match was the good stuff you would expect from these two, and it certainly didn’t feel like that long of a match.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (2 matches remaining, eliminated)

We recap the Dynamite Continental Classic matches.

Abadon vs. Jazmin Allure

Abadon jumps her to start and hits a swinging Rock Bottom. A running knee and the Black Dahlia finish Allure at 1:07.

Post match here is Julia Hart for the brawl, with Abadon laying her out and posing with the title. Cue Skye Blue to jump Abadon and the double teaming is on. Cue the returning Thunder Rosa (who was on Spanish commentary earlier) for the save.

The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn are back and want revenge on the Devil and his henchmen. Action Andretti and Top Flight come in for a challenge to a title match next week. Game on.

International Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Bryan Keith

Keith is challenging and the fans certainly seem to like him. A headlock takeover puts Cassidy down to start but he’s back up to put his hands in his pockets. Cassidy starts picking up the pace but gets kicked in the face as we take a break. Back with Cassidy hitting the tornado DDT and suicide dive to send Keith into the barricade.

Keith is able to catch him on top though and a running knee drops Cassidy. The tiger driver is countered into Beach Break for two and Cassidy needs a breather. Cassidy kicks away but Keith does the same, setting up Diamond Dust for two more. The tiger driver is loaded up again but this time Cassidy reverses into the mouse trap to retain at 9:12.

Rating: B-. As has been the case every time I’ve seen him, Keith put in a rather nice match with the intensity being on full display. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him around here a lot more often as there are far worse prospects. At the same time, Cassidy adds another win to his tally as we wait for another serious challenger to come up against him.

Miro wants to beat up Andrade El Idolo and it isn’t just because El Idolo is being managed by Miro’s wife.

Komander is interrupted by Roderick Strong and the Kingdom, with Strong mocking Komander for not winning the ROH TV Title. Strong wants a match and Komander seems interested.

Here is FTR for a chat about the House Of Black. Wheeler talks about the success they’ve had around here but the House is still unrealized potential. If the House wants a fight, come get one. Cue the House on the screen to say no one can save FTR, but Buddy Matthews has a question for Wheeler: who loves you? Everyone loves Harwood, but who loves Wheeler? Malakai Black holds up a photo of Harwood’s family and burns it, saying the House is their family now. FTR runs off.

Video on Keith Lee, who beat Shane Taylor at Ring Of Honor Final Battle. Taylor is not the “him” that Lee has been looking for.

Kris Statlander/Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Martinez/Diamante

Street fight, with weapons provided. Believe it or not the brawl is on to start and they’re quickly on the floor, where Nightingale gets hit in the head with a bottle. Martinez tears away at the cut but Nightingale and Statlander can cut off Diamante’s dive off the steps. A barbed wire bat to the head cuts Diamante open but Martinez is back in with a tire iron for the save. Martinez hits a release German superplex to drop Nightingale onto some chairs for two and we take a break.

Back with Statlander being sent through a piece of plywood but Nightingale sends the villains into each other. A Pounce sends Martinez into a board in the corner but Diamante gets in a shot to Nightingale. Statlander is back in to beat on Martinez, only to have Diamante come back in with a briefcase (that Statlander and Nightingale brought to the ring). Said briefcase is full of thumbtacks and glass and it’s time for people to be dropped onto the contents. Diamante dropkicks Nightingale into a powerbomb through a table at ringside but Statlander hits a discus lariat with a chain to pin Diamante at 10:31.

Rating: C+. I have no idea what to say about this, but it was certainly a violent sprint. At the same time, I’m not sure if this feud warrants this kind of a bloody match, as it doesn’t quite seem like the right fit. Statlander and Nightingale winning is good as they could go for moving up the ladder, though they need something to move towards. I’m not a fan of the glass and thumbtacks though, even if they might have been the logical call in this kind of a match.

Toni Storm is ready to face either Saraya or Riho at Worlds End. Mariah May is getting her American wrestling license and wants Storm to commentate her first match. Storm isn’t sure but wants Saraya and Riho to beat each other up.

Adam Copeland wants to face Christian Cage at Worlds End in a No DQ match.

Brian Cage vs. Karl Wright

Kick to the head, release German suplex, fall away slam, powerbomb, Drill Claw gives Cage the win at 1:28.

Post break the Mogul Embassy is proud of Cage’s win but Keith Lee comes in to say that Cage can tell “him” (suggesting Swerve Strickland) that his patience is running thin.

Continental Classic Blue League: Eddie Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia

Matt Menard is on commentary. Kingston wants him to bring it to start so Garcia loads up the dancing. Instead he chops away and actually gets the better of things, with Kingston favoring his throat. A dragon screw legwhip off the apron drops Kingston again and it’s time to crank away on that leg back inside. Kingston isn’t having that and fights up to drop Garcia as we take a break.

Back with Garcia fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught in the corner for the rapid fire chops. Garcia tries some weak dancing, earning himself even more chops. Even more dancing, this time with Garcia down in the corner, actually starts a comeback, setting up a running knee in the corner.

A kneebar sends Kingston bailing to the rope so Garcia pulls him back in with an ankle lock, complete with a grapevine. That’s broken up as well and Kingston suplexes him into the corner, setting up the spinning backfist for two. Back to back Saito suplexes give Garcia two but Kingston hits a half and half suplex. Another spinning backfist finishes Garcia at 12:10.

Rating: B-. They had a story here of Garcia turning into a hybrid of the dancing goof and the serious wrestler, which made for a good mix. That version had Kingston on the ropes but still came up short, which feels like it’s going to be the perfect way to set up Garcia stealing a win in his final match. Kingston surviving, and possibly even advancing to the finals, makes sense as you don’t want him to just lose his title without even making a run in the tournament. Good match here, with some of the stories being set up for later.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (2 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)

Continental Classic Blue League: Bryan Danielson vs. Brody King

King backs him into the corner so Danielson starts kicking away at the leg to slow things down. That’s not working for King, who knocks him right back down and rakes away at the eyes in the corner. There’s the Cannonball in the corner to knock Danielson silly and they head outside, with King sending him face first into the announcers’ table. One heck of a crossbody up against the barricade crushes Danielson and we take a break.

Back with Danielson’s bad eye busted open and the fight heading outside again. This time King misses another crossbody into the barricade, allowing Danielson to hit a shotgun dropkick back inside. King crotches him on top for a clothesline and they both need a breather. Danielson manages a quick half crab before kicking away at the leg even more.

The hammer and anvil elbows rock King but he’s right back with the Death Valley Driver for two. Back up and Danielson’s running knee gets two so he fires off kicks at King’s head. A hard clothesline takes Danielson’s head off for two but he’s back up with the fabled small package for two. Three straight running knees, with the last one to the back of the head, finishes King at 14:48.

Rating: B+. This started a bit slow but once they got going, they were beating the fire out of each other. That’s about what you have to expect from Danielson in a tournament like this, as he can bring out the best in anyone. King’s run definitely seems to be fading, as Danielson seems to be almost a lock for the semifinals. For now though, awesome big man vs. little man match and they had the crowd going nuts on those kickouts at the end.

Blue League Standings
Andrade El Idolo – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Bryan Danielson – 9 points (1 match remaining)
Brody King – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Eddie Kingston – 6 points (1 match remaining)
Daniel Garcia – 0 points (1 match remaining, eliminated)

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling here was quite good and they built up a few things other than the tournament. The whole league portion of the tournament is over in a week and that means we can move on to the bigger stuff. For now though, it means we’re still getting in some solid matches, including a pretty awesome main event. I’m a bit worried about what they’re going to do when the tournament is over, but things are still working well for the moment.

Results
Claudio Castagnoli b. Andrade El Idolo – Neutralizer
Abadon b. Jazmin Allure – Black Dahlia
Orange Cassidy b. Bryan Keith – Mouse trap
Kris Statlander/Willow Nightingale b. Mercedes Martinez/Diamante – Discus lariat with a chain to Diamante
Brian Cage b. Karl Wright – Drill Claw
Eddie Kingston b. Daniel Garcia – Spinning backfist
Bryan Danielson b. Brody King – Running knee to the back of the head

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.

Ring Of Honor
Date: December 14, 2023
Location: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s the go home show for Final Battle and there are only six matches set for the pay per view card. While the card will almost be guaranteed to be expanded, the question is whether the new matches will be announced tonight or if they will be thrown out there the day of the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Eddie Kingston vs. Evil Uno

Non-title Proving Ground match, meaning if Uno (with the Dark Order) wins or survives the ten minute time limit, he gets a future Ring Of Honor World Title shot. Granted I’m not sure how that works because of the Triple Crown deal but there is a good chance it won’t matter in the slightest. The fans are behind Uno (hometown villain) as Kingston rams him with a shoulder.

Uno snaps off a hurricanrana to send him outside but the hard chop only hits the post. Kingston goes after the arm but Uno snaps off a suplex as commentary points out that this is now for a shot at the Triple Crown Title. They chop it out again with Kingston getting the better of things until Uno elbows him in the face. Uno strikes him down and gets two off a twisting brainbuster. The piledriver gets two more but Kingston is back up with a pair of spinning backfists for the pin at 6:50.

Rating: C+. I’m no Uno fan but you could tell he was having a blast out there in front of his hometown fans and was putting in extra effort. At the same time though, Kingston hitting him in the face for the pin probably took away that energy. If only AEW/ROH had a huge roster with people Uno could have beaten for an easy win here instead of losing to the champ. Who doesn’t have his title and won’t be defending on the biggest show of the year because of the Modern American Triple Crown.

Respect is shown post match.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Katrina Creed

Rachael Ellering and Maria Kanellis-Bennett are here with Hirsch. Leyla takes her down by the leg to start before pulling her into an armbar. Creed misses a dropkick and gets gutwrench suplexed for two. Maria gets in a cheap shot and a suplex gives Leyla two more. Back up and Creed dropkicks her into the corner, only to have a spear cut off by a knee to the head to give Leyla the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. The fans were into Creed here and the energy helped, but there was only so much to be gotten with Hirsch mainly wrecking her. The whole Hirsch/Ellering/Kanellis-Bennett deal isn’t interesting but we’re likely going to be seeing it go on for a good bit longer. Hirsch getting something to do is nice, but it would be nice if they actually picked up the pace.

The Outrunners are ready to rule the tag team division because if you haven’t seen them, you ain’t seen nothing yet. These guys are too fun.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Jason Geiger

Pure Rules Proving Ground match. Yuta takes him into the ropes a few times, with Geiger using a rope break. Back up and an exchange of shoulders gives us an exchange of knockdowns. A dropkick gives Yuta two, with Yuta leaning him into the ropes for the second break. Yuta ties up the legs so Geiger has to use his third rope break but Geiger’s kneebar sends Yuta over for his own rope break. That’s fine with Yuta, who grabs a guillotine choke in the ropes for the knockout at 4:24.

Rating: C. This was another match that was just shy of being a squash, as Yuta was only in the slightest bit of trouble near the end. The Pure Rules can go well, but I’m still not sure they need a full division and title around the concept. Granted the division is all of three or four people most of the time, but it’s one of those ideas that sounds cool but only works so well in execution.

Dalton Castle/The Boys vs. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson

Castle and Bronson start things off with Castle easily getting the better of a wrestle off. The Boys come in and are rammed into each other, allowing the quick tag to Boulder. A double suplex drops the Boys and it’s Jameson coming in to power Brandon into the corner. Boulder drops him for two as well and the alternating beatings continue. Boulder drives Brandon into Bronson’s beard, but Castle goes over to steal the Savage Sauce.

In what can’t be a good idea, Castle drinks said sauce and an enziguri is enough to bring him in off the diving tag. Suplexes abound but Boulder is able to carry Castle and the Boys around at the same time without much trouble. The double Samoan drop/fall away slam connects but Castle is right back up and demands a Boy. Said Boy (and the other) are thrown onto the Savages, setting up the Bang A Rang to finish Jameson at 7:26.

Rating: C+. While this might not have exactly gone a long way towards building up Castle for his title shot tomorrow night, this is exactly the kind of fun match that I love seeing him have. Castle drinking the sauce and then going nuts was hilarious and he knows how to sell that kind of comedy as well as anyone. Very entertaining match, though it might have been better suited at any other time besides a day before Castle’s TV Title shot.

Post match Johnny TV comes out to the stage for a staredown with Castle.

Butcher and the Blade want to rip people and get titles.

Rachael Ellering vs. Taya Valkyrie

Leyla Hirsch, Maria Kanellis-Bennett and Johnny TV are all here too. They fight over arm control to start with neither being able to get very far. Ellering manages to send her outside though and that means it’s time for a meeting with TV. Back in and Ellering hammers away, meaning Valkyrie bails right back to the floor.

This time TV gets in the way and Valkyrie gets in a cheap shot to take over for the first time. The beatdown is on back inside but Valkyrie stops to dance, allowing Ellering to get in some shots to the face. A TKO gives Ellering two but Valkyrie’s spear is good for the same. Valkyrie curb stomps her for the pin at 6:49.

Rating: C+. This one was a bit strange as Valkyrie is a newcomer around here and she got a pretty definitive win over Ellering. While Ellering might not be a top level star, she’s certainly someone who has a bit of status. I could go for more Valkyrie, but I have a feeling this is going to be about Maria and company more than anything else, because that hasn’t gotten enough time to go around in circles yet.

Back at Collision, Ethan Page was disappointed by his loss to Kenny Omega but he wasn’t expecting bad ribs. Or five V Triggers for that matter. He had a lot of options but lost and now he has to get ready for Tony Nese at Final Battle in an I Quit. Omega beat him by pin, but he’s not giving up against Nese. Those words will not come out of his mouth…and here is Nese for the shouting match. Very fired up promo from Page here.

Cole Karter/Griff Garrison vs. Bobby Sharp/Shaun Moore

Maria Kanellis-Bennett is here with Karter/Garrison. Karter shakes Sharp’s hand to start but pulls him in, only to get caught with a dropkick. That earns Karter a hard clothesline and it’s off to Garrison for a drop down dropkick. The villains keep taking turns with the beating until Sharp flips over and brings in Moore. Not that it matters as some misdirection into a blind tag lets Garrison punch him down for the pin at 2:47. Pretty much a squash.

The Workhorsemen are ready for the four way.

Shane Taylor vs. Channing Decker

Lee Moriarty is here with Taylor. Decker slugs away to start and gets dropped with a clothesline for his efforts. Taylor unloads in the corner but charges into a boot to the face. A release Rock Bottom gets Taylor out of trouble and the Marcus Garvey Driver finishes Decker at 3:44.

Rating: C. Just a squash here before Taylor faces Keith Lee at Final Battle. That’s one of the first matches that feels like it is building towards a match at the pay per view, which says a lot when it was a match with no drama and went less than four minutes. Taylor vs. Lee might not be the biggest match, but it’s better than nothing, which sums up Ring Of Honor quite well at the moment.

Video on how we got to the Survival Of The Fittest match. We still don’t know the last entrant.

Righteous vs. Australian Take Over

Vincent gets caught with an early backbreaker from Julian Ward, meaning Kaz Jordan can come in and get caught in the wrong corner. Dutch comes in to whip him hard into the corner, allowing Vincent to pull him face first into the post. A missed charge staggers Dutch though and Kaz scores with a dropkick. Ward comes back in and is quickly taken down, with Kaz being sent outside. Autumn Sunshine finishes Ward at 4:35.

Rating: C. The night of pretty ok at best matches continues with another squash. They’re trying to set up the tag team division, but that is only going to last so long with the champions being nowhere in sight. At the same time, commentary keeps talking about Jake Roberts mentoring the Righteous. Wouldn’t it be nice to see them together again outside of that initial appearance?

The Infantry is ready for the four way tag, which will be a war.

Brian Cage vs. Gravity

Prince Nana is here with Cage, who powers Gravity into the corner to start. Some chops put Gravity down, allowing Cage to stand on his head for some extra pain. Back up and Gravity manages a double springboard hurricanrana, with Cage being sent outside. That means the big dive but Cage avoids the 450 back inside.

Cage is annoyed enough that he grabs a half nelson slam for two but the apron superplex is broken up. Instead Gravity grabs a crucifix bomb for two, only to have Cage come back with a flipping Downward Spiral for the same. Gravity drops him again though and the top rope splash gets two. Cage shrugs it off and hits a pop up powerbomb, setting up something like a Prism Trap for the win at 6:39.

Rating: C+. As usual, power vs. speed is one of those ideas that is almost impossible to screw up and they made it work here. Gravity knows how to fly around well enough and Cage knows how to throw people around with that rather impressive power. Not a classic by any means, but it was the entertaining match you would have expected.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett mocks Rachael Ellering for her loss but Leyla Hirsch tries to cheer Ellering us.

Infantry vs. Workhorsemen vs. Butcher and the Blade vs. Outrunners

Magnum runs Dean over with a shoulder to start but Bravo comes in for a jumping neckbreaker. Henry tags himself in but gets backed up to the ropes by Bravo. Another blind tag lets Drake come in for a neckbreaker, only to get into a slugout with the Butcher. An elbow to the face puts Drake down so it’s off to Magnum, who gets caught in a side slam/legdrop combination.

Back up and Floyd loads up a rather big bicep pose but Henry tags himself back in to take over on Blade. Floyd misses a bunch of right hands to just about everyone in the corner so Blade plants him with a DDT. Everything breaks down and an ax kick into a frog splash gives Bravo two on Floyd. Dean hits a big flip dive to the floor as commentary admits they have no idea who is legal. Not that it matters as Butcher and the Blade hit their powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to finish Floyd at 6:38.

Rating: B-. The match was quite energetic and they kept things moving throughout, which is the key to something like this. At the same time, and as has been the case for months now, almost none of this matters without the Tag Team Titles being a factor. If you have something for these teams to fight over then fine, but that hasn’t been the case for a good while and it’s starting to show.

Final Battle rundown.

Athena vs. Roxanne

Non-title Proving Ground match. Right hand ends Roxanne at 32 seconds.

Post match Billie Starkz runs in to go after Athena and the fight is on, with Starkz sending her into the barricade over and over. Starks sends her face first into various things and Athena looks to have a broken nose to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The wrestling was good, but other than the main event and one or two other matches, this did next to nothing to make me care about Final Battle. This was their last chance to draw interest and they had a pretty much run of the mill show. There were a bunch of tag matches and near squashes, which don’t so much make me want to see Final Battle as much as want to see what’s on at the same time. I liked most of the wrestling well enough, but if this is the best they have to make me want to see Final Battle, they missed pretty hard.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Evil Uno – Spinning backfist
Leyla Hirsch b. Katrina Creed – Knee to the head
Wheeler Yuta b. Jason Geiger – Guillotine choke
Dalton Castle/The Boys b. Iron Savages/Jacked Jameson – Bang A Rang to Jameson
Taya Valkyrie b. Rachael Ellering – Curb stomp
Cole Karter/Griff Garrison b. Bobby Sharpe/Shawn Moore – Right hand to Moore
Shane Taylor b. Channing Decker – Marcus Garvey Driver
Righteous b. Australian Take Over – Autumn Sunshine to Ward
Brian Cage b. Gravity – Prism Trap
Butcher and the Blade b. Outrunners, Infantry and Workhorsemen – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Floyd

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