Rampage
Date: August 19, 2022
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Jim Ross, Chris Jericho

Things have gotten all the more interesting around here in the last few days as we are now getting ready for one of the biggest matches in Dynamite history. Forget that for now though, because we have something far more important this week. That could only be one thing and say it with me: the Trustbusters are here! Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Claudio Castagnoli, with Wheeler Yuta, to get things going. After praising Ricky Steamboat (in the front row), Claudio gets to the point: an open challenge for a future Ring Of Honor World Title shot. Cue Dustin Rhodes to say he has wanted to hold the World Title for thirty four years and until recently, they both had people saying they should be World Champion. Castagnoli knows the feeling Dustin has and sees the fire in his eyes. The challenge is accepted for next week, with Castagnoli wanting the best Dustin has. Respect is shown. I could go for this.

Ruby Soho and Ortiz want to fight Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti next week.

Tag Team Titles: Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland vs. Private Party

Private Party is challenging. Kassidy punches away at Lee to start and it’s off to Swerve, who can’t hit a suplex. He can however duck a Quen springboard crossbody but gets hurricanranaed to the floor by Kassidy. A corkscrew dive takes Swerve down and we take a break. Back with Kassidy posing at Lee, with the delay allowing Swerve to hit a middle rope stomp on Quen. That’s enough for the hot tag to Lee so house can be cleaned. Kassidy gets Pounced into the ropes and Swerve adds the running kick to the back of the head for two. Swerve doesn’t like that kickout so it’s the JML Driver to retain the titles at 7:58.

Rating: C+. Lee and Swerve didn’t exactly feel like they were in a ton of danger here and that really is how things should have gone. Private Party had that one big win over the Young Bucks and then have done almost nothing of note since them. That isn’t enough to make them threats to the titles here, but their athleticism is still worth at least a glance.

Powerhouse Hobbs interrupts the Factory’s card/dominoes game, asking why they didn’t take care of Ricky Starks. QT Marshall promises they’ll get it done.

FTW Title: Hook vs. Zack Clayton

Clayton (formerly of some Jersey Shore spinoff) is challenging and brags about his star power and promises to take it back to a state people actually like in New Jersey. Redrum retains the title in 12 seconds.

Angelo Parker and Matt Menard don’t like Hook having the FTW Title and think it should be around the waist of a sports entertainer.

Billy Gunn isn’t happy with the Gunn Club and is bringing the Acclaimed to deal with them next week.

We look at La Faccion Ingobernable turning on Dragon Lee and kicking him out of the team.

Buddy Matthews vs. Serpentico

This is billed as a standby match because Hook’s match was so fast in a nice touch. Julia Hart is here with Murphy, who knocks him to the corner to start. A buckle bomb sets up what used to be known as Murphy’s Law for the pin on Serpentico at 1:10.

Post match Miro comes out, holding Malakai Black’s mask. Miro brawls with Matthews and beats him down.

Britt Baker (in a KISS shirt), Rebel and Jamie Hayter aren’t happy that they’re not in the title match at All Out. They do want to see Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa implode though. It’s not like either of them can win anyway.

Penelope Ford vs. Athena

Athena armdrags her into an armbar to start but gets driven into the corner. A jumping knee cuts Ford off but she rolls Athena throat first into the middle rope as we see the guy with a box in his head. Commentary confirms that it’s Kip Sabian as Ford hits a slingshot elbow and we take a break. Back with Ford being sent into the barricade, setting up the O Face to finish Ford at 5:20. Not enough shown to rate but it’s nice to have Ford back.

Post match the Baddies run in to beat down Athena. Jade Cargill and Stokely Hathaway come out and destroy Athena’s wings with a sledgehammer. Cargill sledgehammers Athena down too. Can we GET TO THE MATCH ALREADY? This has been going on for months already.

We recap Jon Moxley and CM Punk on Dynamite.

Video on Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Ricky Starks. Hobbs was hired to keep the FTW Title on Starks but Starks couldn’t keep up his end. More from Starks on Dynamite.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

The Best Friends and Orange Cassidy are ready for the main event.

Trios Titles Tournament First Round: Trustbusters vs. Best Friends/Orange Cassidy

Sonny Kiss is with the Trustbusters. Slim J drives Trent into the corner with Jericho comparing Slim J to a ferret. Chuck makes the save and tosses him into a sitout powerbomb from Trent. Some house is cleaned but Boudreaux comes in to wreck people without much effort. Everything breaks down and we take a break with the Best Friends in trouble.

Back with Trent getting in a forearm but Daivari brings in Slim J, who knocks Chuck off the apron. Cassidy’s staredown distracts Slim J though and Trent gets in a suplex. That’s enough for the tag to Cassidy so the pace picks up, including a high crossbody to Slim Jr and the satellite DDT to Daivari. Now Cassidy wants Boudreaux (and seems to talk some trash). Boudreaux wrecks the good guys, at least until he gets knocked into the corner for a triple dropkick.

Slim J takes the Best Friends down with a top rope corkscrew dive, followed by something like a Whisper in the Wind to Cassidy. Daivari’s frog splash gets two as everything breaks down again. A series of shots send Boudreaux over the barricade but Kiss crotches Cassidy. Slim J’s top rope elbow gets two on Cassidy but here is Danhausen to curse him. That’s enough for the Best Friends to hit a double chokeslam, setting up an assisted splash (with the Best Friends holding Slim J up and Cassidy diving off of their shoulders at the same time) to give Cassidy the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C+. The finish was rather cool and they had the right team win, but it’s still trying to make me interested in the Trustbusters. Good luck with that, as I’ve yet to see something from either Daivari or Boudreaux that will draw my interest. They are getting it much more right with Cassidy though, as he is filling hie role as the guy who is better than the lower card and a possible spoiler for bigger spots perfectly.

Danhausen poses with the winners to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Better than last week’s as it felt like some interesting things took place here, but still not a must see show. Rampage has been around for just over a year now and the show hasn’t felt important in a long time. You might get one somewhat important thing a week and the rest of the show feels like they are just filling in their hour. Not a bad show whatsoever, but nothing you would need to watch, as has been the case with most recent editions.

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Battle Of The Belts III
Date: August 6, 2022
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s time for another of these specials and I’m not sure what to expect from something like this. AEW does not seem to be the most interested in running these shows but that very well might have a lot to do with the shows being network mandates. At least we should get some good action so let’s get to it.

TNT Title: Jay Lethal vs. Wardlow

Lethal, with Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh, is challenging. Wardlow shoves him around to start and a big toss sends Lethal outside. Lethal gets in a cheap shot though and scores with an enziguri back inside. A tilt-a-whirl slam gets Wardlow out of trouble but Lethal knocks him outside for the suicide dive. That means Lethal can get in the strut before wrapping Wardlow’s leg around the post. We take a break and come back with Lethal having to escape the powerbomb. Instead Wardlow goes with a clothesline to turn Lethal inside out and the powerbomb retains Wardlow’s title at 7:19.

Rating: C+. Wardlow wasn’t losing the title so soon into his reign but having Lethal in there made for a good match. Lethal is able to make almost anyone look better, even if he isn’t likely to be a major threat to the title. Wardlow could be champion for a rather long time and having him win matches like these is only going to boost his credibility.

Post match Wardlow gets jumped by the rest of the villains, with Singh putting his foot on Wardlow’s chest as Lethal applies the Figure Four. Lethal lets go so Wardlow fights up and kicks Singh low. The powerbomb is loaded up but Lethal makes the save, allowing Singh to chokeslam Wardlow through a table. I could go for a nice long break between table spots.

Women’s Title: Jamie Hayter vs. Thunder Rosa

Hayter, with Britt Baker and Rebel, is challenging while Rosa has Toni Storm with her. Rosa gets jumped fast, with Baker and Rebel being rather pleased at ringside. Some choking in the corner keeps Rosa in trouble but she knocks Hayter outside. A whip into the barricade cuts Rosa off but she’s back with a DDT on the floor. Baker grabs the title belt though and the distraction lets Hayter knock her off the top for a crash.

We take a break and come back with Rosa catching Hayter on top but getting dropped with a brainbuster. Baker and Storm get in a fight on the floor with Storm hitting a tornado DDT off the steps. The distraction lets Rosa grab a rollup for two, followed by another rollup to retain the title at 11:28.

Rating: C+. Another nice enough match here with Rosa surviving to retain the title, as she gets built up a bit more. I’m not sure I can imagine her surviving her next big title match, as you can probably pencil Storm in for the All Out shot. Rosa’s title reign hasn’t been a disaster, but it has never risen above a certain level and that is rather telling most of the time.

Video on FTR.

Here’s what’s coming on upcoming shows.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Castagnoli is defending and William Regal is on commentary. Neither can hit a hard shot to start and it’s an early standoff. Takeshita is taken down with a test of strength and Castagnoli monkey flips him over, meaning it’s time for a handshake. A hiptoss takes Castagnoli down for a change but a running shoulder puts Takeshita down instead.

Castagnoli gets knocked outside where he avoids a slingshot dive. Back in and Castagnoli plants him for two as we take a break. Back with Takeshita hitting a middle rope hurricanrana and knocking Castagnoli outside, setting up the big running flip dive. They get back in with Castagnoli catching him on top with a gutwrench superplex for two, setting up the giant swing.

Takeshita catches him with a running big boot in the corner though and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. A turnbuckle DDT sets up a frog splash for two more on Castagnoli, who elbows him out of the air. The Crossface is countered with a rollup to give Takeshita two and he hits a clothesline for the same.

A running knee into the brainbuster gets another near fall on Castagnoli, who blocks a powerbomb. Back up and a double stomp to the ribs looks to set up the Riccola Bomb but Takeshita reverses into a hurricanrana for two. The Death Valley Driver drops Takeshita though and its the hammer and anvil elbows to rock Takeshita again. The Riccola Bomb retains the title at 19:52.

Rating: B+. This felt like an old school Ring Of Honor World Title match, as there was no major story here but they had a heck of a fight anyway. It was never about anger between the two of them but rather about being the best. They tore the house down here and had a pretty excellent match, which is exactly what you have someone like Castagnoli here to go. Very good stuff here as Takeshita continues to be unable to do wrong.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, this was a show that was completely skippable, but there was enough good action that it’s worth your time, especially the awesome main event. It’s also really hard to complain about a show that is only an hour long as it hardly overstays its welcome. This felt like a show where they threw some matches together and told the wrestlers to carry things and that worked out well. Nice stuff here, and check out the main event if you have time.

Results
Wardlow b. Jay Lethal – Powerbomb
Thunder Rosa b. Jamie Hayter – Rollup
Claudio Castagnoli b. Konosuke Takeshita – Riccola Bomb

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Rampage
Date: July 29, 2022
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Chris Jericho, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s another night of Fight For The Fallen, which went very well on Wednesday so maybe they can keep it up here. You never know what that might mean but the more star power this show can have, the better it is going to be. I’m not sure what that is going to be this week, but Rampage can be quite fun. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Best Friends vs. Satnam Singh/Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt

Dutt is still in his suit, complete with pencil behind his ear. I know this because we actually get entrances this week instead of rushing straight to the ring. Trent and Lethal start things off with Trent countering la majistral into a cradle for two. That means a standoff and the fans seem pleased. Cassidy comes in (under the bottom rope) and gets Dutt, who takes off his jacket and tie, which he hands to the referee. Jericho: “That’s a $5000 suit he’s wrestling in!” Ross: “You really believe that?” Jericho: “Well it’s wrestling.”

Cassidy puts his sunglasses on the referee and kicks him in the legs, but it’s off to Singh for the chop in the corner. Taylor and Trent come in for some chops of their own, earning a double crossbody from Singh. Cassidy gets stomped down in the corner and we take a break. Back with Cassidy jumping over Lethal and very calmly tagging in Taylor.

House is cleaned, with Jericho referring to Taylor as a modern day Bobby Eaton (which has to be designed to get on Jim Cornette’s nerves). Singh breaks up the big hug but gets knocked outside, allowing the hugging to take place. That earns the Best Friends a double Lethal Injection so it’s back to Cassidy to hit the tornado DDT. Dutt tries his own lazy kicks but Cassidy breaks his pencil. The Orange Punch finishes Dutt at 7:29 as the Best Friends grab Singh’s leg.

Rating: C. Cassidy beating Dutt is a completely fine way to go as Dutt is little more than a joke and not even a wrestler these days. The Best Friends did their thing and they protected Singh and Lethal well enough. This felt like a one off match, leaving me wondering what is next for everyone involved.

Post match the beatdown is on but Wardlow makes the save and poses with the Best Friends.

We look at FTR retaining the Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles against the Briscoes at Death Before Dishonor.

Ethan Page vs. Leon Ruffin

Ruffin charges at him to start but gets driven into the corner so the beating can begin. A hard whip into the corner has Ruffin crashing again and a heck of a forearm cuts him off again. The Ego’s Edge (Page: “I hate this place.”) finishes Ruffin at 1:38. Total dominance.

Cole Karter is in the back when the Factory comes in to offer him a spot on the team. Karter doesn’t say no, so QT Marshall tells him to sleep on it. Marshall: “But in your own bed, not with the fishes.” In case you didn’t get it, THAT’S A REFERENCE TO HOW HE LEFT NXT!

Lee Moriarty vs. Matt Sydal

Moriarty mocks Sydal’s peace sign to start and then suplexes him over. A clothesline misses for Moriarty though and there’s a kick to his chest to put him down. We take a break and come back with an exchange of kicks to the head until Moriarty drops him with a clothesline. Sydal gets in a kick to the head of his own and the Lightning Spiral gets two. Cue Stokely Hathaway as Sydal goes up top, with Moriarty catching him. Sydal kicks him away but has to slap Hathaway off, allowing Moriarty to crotch him down. A lifting Downward Spiral gives Moriarty two and the Border City Stretch gives Moriarty the win at 7:57.

Rating: C+. These two can do the technical stuff rather well and that is why they were put in the ring. Hathaway is the interesting factor though as there is a good chance that he is going to get Moriarty and that could get good. Sydal continues to be a good hand who is just kind of there, but that isn’t a bad role to have.

Britt Baker, with Rebel, isn’t worried about Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm next week. Baker thinks Rosa is keeping Storm close because Storm is the biggest threat to the title. See you next week.

Tony Schiavone brings out Ring Of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, with William Regal, for a chat. Castagnoli soaks in the YOU DESERVE IT chants and then thanks the fans in a variety of languages. This is just the beginning for himself and the Combat Club so here is Ring Of Honor Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta. Before that can go anywhere, Chris Jericho interrupts to say he is tired of hearing about the Club, but Yuta tells him to shut up. Yuta knows that Jericho is going to talk about how sports entertainers beat wrestlers every time, except when he beat Daniel Garcia at Death Before Dishonor.

The challenge for Jericho is on, with Yuta going on about how he knows he can win, so the match is on. Jericho says they can do it on Dynamite, but Yuta says nah because he knows he can win. They yell at each other again until Jericho says shut up. Jericho is so confident that he’ll put up his title match against Jon Moxley at Quake By The Lake. Yuta: “Well that was easier than I thought.” The match is on after a clever segment.

And now, an Acclaimed music video about the Gunn Club, who need to be thrown out on trash day. This involves beating up Gunn Club lookalikes, mocking the Smoking Gunns, and a challenge for a dumpster match. In other words, funny stuff.

Anna Jay cuts off Ruby Soho and doesn’t have to pretend to like her this time. Soho had high hopes for Jay but she’s just another entitled ***** who needs to be beaten up. Jay says Soho doesn’t learn her and she’s learning the dark side.

Here’s what’s coming up on various shows, including Battle Of The Belts, which is a show that’s happening next Saturday. Good to know.

Anna Jay vs. Ruby Soho

Feeling out process to start with Jay having to avoid an early No Future attempt. Some chops against the rope go a bit better for Soho so she tries a headstand in the corner. For some reason she does this right in front of Jay, who kicks her in the bad hand to take over. We take a break and come back with Jay getting the brace off of Soho’s hand, causing Aubrey Edwards to take it away. Soho hits some headbutts for a breather and adds a running kick to the head.

There’s an STO for two but Jay hits a Gory Bomb for the same. Jay threatens to choke out people at ringside but then tries to choke Soho instead. That’s escaped so No Future can connect for two but Soho’s backsplash is countered into a backsplash. Jay reverses that into a choke, which is broken up as well. The frustrated Jay throws her gauntlets down, which is enough of a distraction to grab the cast and put on the Queenslayer for the win at 9:56.

Rating: C+. Jay has gotten significantly more competent in the ring and that was on display here. She looks comfortable out there and much more sure of herself, though having someone as skilled as Soho in there certainly helped. I could go for more of evil Jay and that certainly seems to be what we are in for going forward.

Overall Rating: C+. Pretty nice show here, even without a lot of the big names involved. It’s always a good sign when a company can put together a solid show even without the main stars, if nothing else for the sake of finding some good stories that don’t burn out the top of the card. Throw in an Acclaimed Video and this was a nice hour of wrestling.

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Rampage
Date: July 22, 2022
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Jim Ross

We’re finally finishing up the two week long Fyter Fest and hopefully there is a bit less shark enthusiasm this time around. We’ll be seeing some good stuff this week, including Christopher Daniels vs. Jay Lethal as we are only a day away from Ring Of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Hangman Page/John Silver vs. Butcher and the Blade

Silver charges at both of them to start before Page can even get his vest off. That means Silver gets beaten down in the corner as the numbers game gets the better of it. Butcher, who looks to have slimmed down a bit, chops away and it’s off to Blade for the stomping. A suplex gets Silver out of trouble and it’s back to Page to clean house. The fall away slam sends Blade flying and a slingshot dive takes Butcher out. A top rope clothesline gets two on Blade but Butcher pulls Page to the floor for some whips into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Silver getting the hot tag and coming in to drop Blade with a running elbow. Butcher comes in and tries some double teaming but Silver hands it back to Page to beat both of them down. Page and Butcher trade clotheslines until Page hits a discus lariat to drop him. Everything breaks down and the lights go blue for no apparent reason. Silver gets in a shot on Butcher and it’s the Buckshot Lariat to give Page the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C+. As usual, the match was fast paced and Silver was basically a bowling ball going after Butcher and Blade to limited success. Page is in a weird place as he is one of a handful of former World Champions but is in this match, rescuing his Dark Order buddies from some bullies. Oddly enough, it only feels somewhat like he is toiling beneath his level by being in this match.

Video on Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta, with a focus on Garcia’s car crash from a few years ago that almost killed him.

Here is Claudio Castagnoli for a chat. He’s ready for his shot at the Ring Of Honor World Title at Death Before Dishonor, because the World Title is the one thing that he has chased for his entire career. Castagnoli doesn’t believe he is the best because he has a bunch of titles. He believe it because the fans cheer for him every time, but now he wants some gold to go with it. The only way to continue this great start is to take the title from Jonathan Gresham on Saturday. Mic drop. Castagnoli doesn’t talk much but he got the point across here.

Video on Wardlow.

Lee Moriarty vs. Dante Martin

Matt Sydal is here with Moriarty. They trade arm control to start as JR says this is the kind of wrestling he loves. An exchange of flips and dives results in Moriarty being sent to the floor and we take a break. Back with Moriarty crashing off the top as Stokely Hathaway comes out to watch.

A high crossbody gives Martin two and he uses the bottom rope to springboard flip over a charging Moriarty. That’s fine with Moriarty who pulls Martin into the Border City Stretch but Martin is over to the rope. Martin is back up with a suplex for two and Hathaway is rather pleased. The Nose Dive misses so Martin grabs an O’Connor roll, only to have Moriarty roll him over and use the rope for the pin at 8:40.

Rating: C+. This was the technical exchange match on the show, along with the “here’s the latest heel turn”, because AEW likes having a lot of villains. Moriarty hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire yet, but maybe turning him will give him a little more of an opening. Granted it doesn’t look likely if he’s toiling with Martin and Sydal, but maybe he can move on.

Post match Sydal says he’s facing Moriarty next week. Uh, yay. Moriarty is happy but turns down Hathaway’s business card.

Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter vs. Skye Blue/Ashley D’Amboise

Baker takes Blue down to start and cranks on the arm a bit. Blue fights up and tries to fight back only to get kicked down while trying a Matrix. A kick to the head allows the tag off to Ashley, who gets decked by Hayter. Baker grabs a butterfly suplex so Hayter can drop Ashley again, setting up Lockjaw for the tap at 4:13.

Rating: C. Total squash here and that isn’t a surprise. Baker and Hayter continue to need something to do, but I’m sure Hayter will be breaking away from here any day now, just like I’ve been sure of it for months. I’m not sure what there is for Baker to do at the moment, but down the line, a face turn and a big run at Jade Cargill might be in the cards.

It’s time for a rap battle between Austin Gunn and Max Caster, with the rest of their associated friends/family here too. A hip hop artist named Lil Scrappy is the judge and Gunn goes first. Austin brings up Caster playing one of Bobby Lashley’s sisters and possibly not being able to please Kris Statlander when they were dating. Then we get a reference to Caster’s dad’s NFL career mixed with a Bowens gay joke, which has Scrappy laughing.

Caster gets to go and mocks Austin’s rap abilities. Austin goes again, and says Cena wants his gimmick back. Caster says he’s been a star since Billy was called the One. That sends him onto a roll of jokes about gun control, Pokemon and bad reality shows. Austin has no comeback and Caster is named the winner, triggering the brawl. The Acclaimed gets beaten down, partially due to a trashcan. Austin got in some lines, but you could see that Caster turns this into an art rather than just rhyming.

Christopher Daniels is sick of hearing Jay Lethal talk and tells Mark Henry to say the catchphrase already.

Death Before Dishonor rundown.

Jay Lethal vs. Christopher Daniels

Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh are in Lethal’s corner. Daniels chops away to start until Lethal gets in an enziguri. Back up and Daniels runs him over for a fast two as commentary finally brings up that Samoa Joe is out of action due to being attacked a few weeks ago. That hasn’t been mentioned much and it hasn’t exactly made Joe look great to just have him missing for reasons not very often mentioned. Daniels gets knocked to the floor for a dive from Lethal and we take a break.

Back with Lethal hitting a basement superkick, only to have Daniels knee him in the face. There’s an STO to drop Lethal again, followed by the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. The Lethal Combination gets two but the Figure Four attempt is blocked. Daniels is cut off by a big boot to the face and the Lethal Injection finishes for Lethal at 8:26.

Rating: C+. This was a match where the talent involved was going to guarantee that it worked out well enough, but it isn’t like there was any drama. Daniels still works very well in his fifties but this was all about setting up a match that was already set. Lethal vs. Joe should be good as well, though a Joe appearance to help boost it might have helped.

Post match Daniels gets beaten down, including a Koquina Clutch on the floor.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was ok, but they didn’t exactly have a ton of things that I would have wanted to see. This week was a rare instance where Rampage felt like a B show and that doesn’t make for the best night. Certainly not a bad night, but it didn’t’ feel important, which is a rare thing for Rampage.

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Dynamite
Date: July 13, 2022
Location: Enmarket Arena, Savannah, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re on the way to Death Before Dishonor and thankfully the build for that show hasn’t taken everything over like the Forbidden Door stuff did. It’s the first of four Fyter Fest shows and the Tag Team Titles are on the line as the Young Bucks defend against Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee and Team Taz. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

TNT Title: Wardlow vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy is challenging, with the Best Friends in his corner (complete with managers’ licenses). They go with the test of strength to start and Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets….which are torn off by Wardlow. Now Wardlow’s straps come down….with Cassidy putting them right back up. The Powerbomb Symphony is broken up and Cassidy snaps off a headscissors but comes up favoring his eye. The referee checks on him, allowing Chuck Taylor to whip out A CHAINSAW.

Believe it or not, that’s enough for an ejection, with Wardlow blocking a quick Orange Punch attempt. The lazy kicks annoy Wardlow and he misses a charge to the floor. Cassidy has to slip out of an apron powerbomb, leaving Wardlow to choke an interfering Danhausen. Back in and an overhead belly to belly sends Cassidy flying as we take a break.

We come back with Cassidy driving him into the corner but Wardlow hits the F10….for two, making Cassidy the first person to ever kick out of it. Another powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and there’s the Orange Punch. The Beach Break connects for two but another Orange Punch is countered into powerbomb to retain the title at 11:44.

Rating: B-. This was a good example of a match that got a lot better once they dropped the nonsense with the Best Friends (and some with Cassidy). Once you let Cassidy do his thing, you can get a nice match, especially with him fighting from underneath. Wardlow won as he should have, but Cassidy was hardly destroyed.

Respect is shown post match.

Quick look at Pac retaining the All-Atlantic Title at a Rev Pro show in England.

Here is Chris Jericho for a chat. He’s here talking as Chris Jericho the man, not the rock star. Jericho is here to talk about Eddie Kingston, who is such a rotten friend. We hear about how Kingston’s friends are always getting hurt or injured, from Santana and Bryan Danielson to Ruby Soho. Jericho: “You need to take better care of your chicks Eddie.”

Now it’s time for a barbed wire match because Kingston is a mark for Sabu and Terry Funk but how many barbed wire matches has he been in? Jericho had a barbed wire match at 22 and knows how it tastes. Now it’s time for Kingston to face the Painmaker because it’s time for both of them to bleed in the final fight. This was the hard push to the match and while I still roll my eyes at the barbed wire stuff, Jericho sold it well.

Post break, Eddie Kingston gets very close to the camera and promises to make Jericho bleed every drop of his blood. Ruby Soho and Ortiz are behind him and don’t seem overly pleased.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jon Moxley

Non-title, but a title eliminator match and William regal is on commentary. Moxley works on the arm to start before they trade shoulders. A headlock takeover puts Takeshita down but they’re back up for a double chop off. Moxley runs him over and we hit a rather loose STF. With that broken up they head to the apron, where a German suplex drops Moxley. He’s right back up and knocks Takeshita silly as we take a break.

Back with Moxley stomping away at a bleeding Takeshita. They get back up for a slugout, with Moxley being sent into the corner for a running big boot. A brainbuster gives Takeshita two but his frog splash hits raised knees. They slug it out again until Takeshita snaps off a hurricanrana to send him outside. There’s the big no hands flip dive as Takeshita is holding his arm. Back in and Takeshita’s frog splash connects for two, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for the same. The Death Rider is countered into a German suplex to give Takeshita two more but Moxley pulls him into the bulldog choke for the tap at 13:07.

Rating: B+. They beat the heck out of each other here and it was a pretty awesome match, with Moxley having to survive instead of just running over Takeshita. AEW has something with Takeshita if they want to go somewhere with him, as he can hang with anyone and the fans are into him. Find a story with him and go from there.

The House of Black doesn’t think much of Darby Allin and blame him for his problems.

Griff Garrison vs. Luchasaurus

Before the match, Christian Cage talks about how he just doesn’t like the Varsity Blonds, especially when Brian Pillman Jr.’s father was average at best. Christian would be so disappointed to see that his final legacy in wrestling is a failure like his son. As for Garrison, Christian doesn’t like a publicity picture that he put up this week because it makes him look like Jungle Boy. That’s too much for Luchasaurus, who stomps to the ring to start the beating. Luchasaurus drops him hard and a pair of chokeslams set up the Snare Trap variation (now dubbed the Tar Pit) for the tap at 1:34.

Post match Luchasaurus knocks Pillman out and puts him on the table, with Garrison being chokeslammed onto Pillman and through the table (on the second try).

The Jericho Appreciation Society aren’t happy with being in a shark cage next week and want Eddie Kingston’s friends in one of their own. Tony Schiavone is threatened with a comb until Daniel Garcia says Wheeler Yuta is doing a Garcia impression.

All Out is coming to Chicago on September 4.

The Dark Order interrupts Hangman Page, who wants to fight the House of Black. Page goes along with it, despite it not seeming to be his original idea.

Jake Hager vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli uppercuts him fast and tries a Neutralizer and swing within the first ten seconds but Hager gets outside. Back in and Castagnoli counters the ankle lock into a 619 for two. A dropkick to the knee sets up a bulldog for two on Hager but he’s back with some body shots to the ribs to put Castagnoli down. There’s a beal to send Castagnoli flying, setting up the Vader bomb for two more.

We take a break and come back with Castagnoli hitting the springboard uppercut for a double knockdown. They fight to the floor with Castagnoli hitting a running uppercut against the barricade. Back in and it’s the giant swing into a Sharpshooter, with Hager calling out the rest of the Society. The distraction lets Hager plant Castagnoli down for two but he tries another Sharpshooter. That’s broken up by another Society distraction so Castagnoli goes with a pop up uppercut. The Riccola Bomb finishes Hager at 11:44.

Rating: B-. This was looking like a squash to start but they took their time and let Hager get in some offense of his own. That being said, Castagnoli never felt like he was in any trouble and won with his signature stuff in the end. Castagnoli continues to look like a monster around here and that should work well once he finally gets into a serious feud.

Hook won’t comment when asked about a possible title shot.

We look at Thunder Rosa getting pinned in Japan.

Thunder Rosa is ready to have a rematch here in America for the title. She and Toni Storm are ready to face anyone so here are Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter to say they’re back. This place is a natural disaster without them (Baker: “Get it?”) but luckily they know how to deal with these things. Rebel pops in with a sandbag, which Baker hands to Tony and says enjoy carrying it for a month.

Serena Deeb vs. Anna Jay

Jay is the home state girl. Deeb takes her to the mat to start and we hit the headlock, followed by a shoulder to put her down. Jay gets in a shot of her own and hits a running Blockbuster. Something like a reverse Rings of Saturn has Jay in trouble until she stacks Deeb up for two. The Queenslayer is broken up with a throat snap across the top and a fisherman’s neckbreaker gives Deeb two.

We take a break and come back with Jay firing off some running elbows and a northern lights suplex for two. The Queenslayer is broken up again and Deeb rolls her up for two more. They don’t quite get a backdrop into a rollup right so Deeb grabs a weird hold as she looks like she’s setting up a Code Red but sits down on Jay’s neck and cranks on the arms. That’s broken up and Jay misses a charge, only to come back with the Queenslayer again. With that escaped as well, the Serenity Lock makes Jay tap at 8:22.

Rating: C+. Deeb was doing a lot of the work here but they did a good job of keeping Jay looking strong. She isn’t great at what she does yet but she here a few things that she can do well and it worked here. Nice match and that’s all it needed to be, even with Jay having to tap in front of her hometown(ish) crowd.

Post match Deeb keeps the hold on until Mercedes Martinez runs in for the save.

Jade Cargill and the Baddies aren’t happy with Athena and Kris Statlander, but they also want Leila Grey to know her place.

We run down the Death Before Dishonor card.

Jay Lethal comes to the commentary desk and promises to win the Ring Of Honor TV Title.

Anna Jay is getting her knee looked at when Tay Conti comes in to mock her for not being on TV very much.

Tag Team Titles: Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland vs. Team Taz vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are defending and Matt tries a superkick on Lee, who just stares at him. Nick comes in instead and trades flippy counters with Strickland until they both go outside. Stereo dropkick attempts don’t go anywhere so they’re back inside with Nick armdragging him into an armbar. Starks comes in and walks the top rope, as does Nick.

Both of those are broken up with a double crotching, leaving Matt to try to northern lights suplex Hobbs and Lee at the same time. Everything breaks down and Lee kind of suplexes Matt and Starks at the same time (this works a bit better). Starks tags himself back in to dropkick Swerve and we take a break.

Back with Lee coming in off the hot tag and cleaning house, but Nick slips out of the powerbomb. Hobbs and Lee hit stereo crossbodies before Hobbs goes up. Lee shoves him off and hits a heck of a frog splash for two with a save being needed. Team Taz is back in with Nick being put in an electric chair, allowing Starks to walk the rope for a cutter. Swerve tags himself back in and clotheslines Matt but it’s time for the Bucks to clean house with superkicks.

The referee gets bumped and the Bucks grab the titles, only to have Swerve take one away. Swerve can’t bring himself to use it though and it’s the Bucks cleaning house with the titles. A belt shot doesn’t pin Swerve so it’s the BTE Trigger, with Starks making the save. Lee breaks up the Meltzer Driver and it’s a powerbomb/Swerve Stomp combination for two, with Team Taz making the save.

Hobbs starts spinebustering people including a bunch of people being stacked onto Lee. Starks spears Swerve for two with Nick making his own save. Matt loses a shoe so Lee knocks the Bucks outside with it. Hobbs gets dumped to the floor and Swerve uses Lee’s chest as a launchpad for a moonsault. Back in and the Swerve Stomp crushes Starks for the pin and the titles at 13:04.

Rating: A-. And I had a long post thought out about how the Bucks never lose and the near falls were all a waste of time before the titles were retained. This was all action once it got going and that is a very fun way to spend a good chunk of the night. The surprise alone gave this an upgrade as I was actually shocked by the ending. Well done here and an awesome match.

Overall Rating: A-. Nothing bad, an actual surprise on the ending, and more than a few awesome matches. This was a great show that just kept going with the good stuff. It set up some things for the next few shows and if those are anything close to this, we should be in for a great few weeks. Pretty great show here and worth a look up and down the card.

Results
Wardlow b. Orange Cassidy – Powerbomb
Jon Moxley b. Konosuke Takeshita – Bulldog choke
Luchasaurus b. Griff Garrison – Tar Pit
Claudio Castagnoli b. Jake Hager – Riccola Bomb
Serena Deeb b. Anna Jay – Serenity Lock
Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland b. Young Bucks and Team Taz – Swerve Stomp to Starks

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: June 15, 2022
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

The road to Forbidden Door continues and as has been the case with AEW in recent weeks, things have gotten a little bit screwy. This time around it is Jeff Hardy getting arrested for driving under the influence, meaning that he will not be around for this week’s Tag Team Title match. Hopefully this doesn’t throw the show into chaos so let’s get to it.

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

Chris Jericho vs. Ortiz

Hair vs. hair, the Jericho Appreciation Society and Eddie Kingston are here, and William Regal is on commentary. Ortiz charges in and knocks Jericho to the floor for some biting of the face. Jericho takes over outside and hammers away inside, only to have Ortiz get in some shots of his own. The suicide dive is broken up though and Jericho hits a suplex off the apron to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Ortiz clotheslining his way out of trouble and hitting a quick cutter. Jericho rolls him up and tries the Walls, which is reversed into a rollup for two. Ortiz misses a middle rope corkscrew….something, allowing Jericho to hit the Codebreaker for two more. The Walls go on so Ortiz makes the rope, meaning the fight is on outside. Cue Santana and Wheeler Yuta (JR: “WHERE THE **** HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN???”) to even things up a bit and Ortiz gets inside to knock Jericho silly for two. Ortiz is back up but Fuego del Sol of all people runs in to hit Ortiz in the face with a baseball bat to give Jericho the pin at 11:48.

Rating: C+. You knew the insanity was coming in the end and the Fuego stuff (which is totally not Sammy Guevara) was a surprise because of who did it but not a surprise overall. Jericho having someone to interfere on his behalf is right on point for him and you knew Jericho wasn’t going bald. The question was how we got here, and Ortiz shaving his head might make him stand out a bit more.

Post match Fuego unmasks as Sammy Guevara, because this really is Inner Circle 2.0. Ortiz cuts his own hair and shouts BLOOD AND GUTS.

We get a People’s Court style intro for Wardlow vs. the 20 security guards.

Wardlow vs. Security Guards

There are twenty guards and Wardlow has to beat all of them. The guards get on the apron and Wardlow knocks one apron off, which might count as eliminations. The dog pile doesn’t work and Wardlow powerbombs one guard onto the others. A bunch of powerbombs and chokes wreck more guards and Wardlow eliminates nine guards after about 2:15. More powerbombs leave more guards laying and another guard is pulled out of the air. A big group pin finishes for Wardlow at 4:08.

Rating: C. What do you say about this kind of a match? It was more of a training exercise for Wardlow, who ran through one guard after another like they weren’t even there. It made Wardlow look good and he wrecked everyone involved, so if this is the end of the story, or at least this part of it, we should be fine.

Post match Wardlow goes after Mark Sterling but Dan Lambert, with Scorpio Sky, pops up from a sky box. Lambert sends Matt Hughes and Tyron Woodley (former UFC Champions) into the ring, but Wardlow appeals to their midwestern roots. That’s enough for Hughes and Woodley to send Sterling to Wardlow for the big powerbomb. Posing ensues.

Dax Harwood vs. Will Ospreay

Feeling out process to start with Ospreay taking him into the corner and hitting a chop. Harwood takes him down into a headlock as the fans are split here. Ospreay is back up and kicks Harwood to the apron, with the leg getting caught in the ring skirt. A running dropkick against the steps rocks Harwood and we take a break.

Back with Harwood rolling some German suplexes to knock Ospreay silly. Harwood misses a top rope headbutt though and Ospreay is back with a springboard 450 for two. Ospreay goes up again but Harwood catches him, setting up a belly to back superplex, which is countered into a crossbody. Back up and Harwood counters a hurricanrana into a slingshot powerbomb but Ospreay flips out. A second attempt gives Harwood two, followed by Ospreay hitting a sitout powerbomb of his own. The Oscutter gives Ospreay two more, followed by the Hidden Blade for the pin at 13:45.

Rating: B+. Is there anything Harwood can’t do at this point? He has great tag matches and now gets to hang with a major international star like Ospreay in a heck of a singles match. Ospreay got to showcase himself a bit more this time and it was the kind of match you were expecting from him. A singles star beating a tag team champion is more than acceptable and this was a blast of a match.

Post match the rest of the United Empire comes in for the beatdown with the Best Friends and Cash Wheeler coming in for the save. That doesn’t go so well, but Orange Cassidy comes in for the real save, setting up the Will Ospreay showdown. Well of course that’s what we’re getting.

Video on Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, which has been built up for awhile in New Japan.

It’s time for a face to face showdown between Moxley and Tanahashi. Moxley says he has been chasing him for a long time, across Japan to America. They call Tanahashi the Ace, but that won’t be the case for long. Moxley is the best in the world and at Forbidden Door, Tanahashi will call him the Ace.

Cue Chris Jericho, flanked by Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti, to say Moxley is in his spot. Jericho talks about how he beat Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome, but Tanahashi tells him to shut up. Cue the Jericho Appreciation Society, but El Desperado and Lance Archer jump Moxley and Tanahashi from behind.

Jericho announces Guevara and Conti as the newest members of the Jericho Appreciation Society. Desperado and Archer are here on loan from Suzuki-Gun so at Forbidden Door, it’s Minoru Suzuki/Guevara/Jericho vs. Wheeler Yuta/Shota Umino/Eddie Kingston. Cue Kingston, Ortiz (head shaved) and Yuta for the save. House is cleaned and the good guys stand tall.

Darby Allin wants Bobby Fish on Rampage.

Toni Storm isn’t impressed by Britt Baker and wants the Women’s Title.

All Atlantic Title Qualifying Match: Miro vs. Ethan Page

Page bails to the floor for a chat with Dan Lambert, who wants Page to focus. Back in and Page bails outside again, with the chase allowing Page to get in some shots. Page starts working on the arm but Miro isn’t having that and kicks Page down. Now it’s Miro slapping away at the arm, which sends Page outside and us to a break.

Back with Miro pounding away at the chest but getting sent into the steps to slow him down. A springboard cutter gives Page two but Miro is done with this getting beaten up. After knocking Lambert off the apron, it’s a superkick to Page and Game Over to send Miro to Forbidden Door at 9:31.

Rating: C+. Nicely done stuff here with Miro getting the win that he should have gotten but without beating the stuffing out of Page. The more I see of Page, the more I like him as there is definitely a lot of talent there, especially when he gets to be more serious. Miro winning here was the only way to go though and he did it in enough of a dominant fashion.

Dante Martin is ready for Jon Moxley on Rampage.

Britt Baker vs. Toni Storm

Rebel and Jamie Hayter are here too. Storm knocks her to the floor to start but Baker is back with a forearm of her own. A posting cuts Storm down and Hayter gets in a cheap shot but here is Thunder Rosa to chase Hayter off. We take a break and come back with Storm hitting a tornado DDT to send Baker outside, where another tornado DDT plants Baker on the floor.

The running hip attack crushes Baker in the corner and she seems a bit rocked. A forearm has Baker crumbled on the mat….but Baker is goldbricking and rolls Storm up for two. Lockjaw is loaded up but Storm German suplexes her down. Storm Zero finishes Baker at 7:31 to give Storm the big win.

Rating: C+. That was some pretty nice goldbricking from Baker and I liked seeing Storm FINALLY get a big win. I have no reason to believe this is going anywhere, but it is nice to see her get something. Baker losing still feels like a big deal and I’m happy with seeing her take a bit of a step back after dominating the division for so long.

Post match Thunder Rosa comes back for the staredown with Storm, making me wonder why Baker needed to win the Owen Hart tournament if this is where they’re going.

Stokely Hathaway announces that Jade Cargill is issuing an open challenge for Rampage. Willow Nightingale comes in to accept, though Hathaway isn’t sure who she is. I could go for more Nightingale.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Page challenged Kazuchika Okada for Forbidden Door, but then Okada lost the IWGP World Title over the weekend. He still wants the match though….but here is Adam Cole to interrupt. Cole says if anyone is challenging for the title at Forbidden Door it is him, so Cole brings out the new champion, Jay White.

This means White can come in from behind to Blade Runner Page and shout about how he has beaten Page twice before. That’s why Page isn’t getting a title shot at Forbidden Door….but it won’t be against Cole either. White has the title so he holds the power, meaning he can pick his challenge. Cole isn’t happy.

Tag Team Titles: Jurassic Express vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are challenging in a ladder match. It’s a brawl to start with Nick loading up a ladder but getting taken back down with a springboard hurricanrana. Matt catches Jungle Boy on the ladder but Luchasaurus is back with a double choke. That’s broken up with some kicks to the head so the ladder is loaded up in the corner. Jungle Boy is back to clean house but gets caught in the rolling northern lights suplexes, including one into the ladder.

A running hurricanrana off the apron sends Matt through a table but Nick powerbombs Jungle Boy through another table. Nick isn’t done and hits a springboard Canadian Destroyer on Luchasaurus, followed by the 450 to put Luchasaurus through another table. With the regular Nick Jackson Does A Bunch Of Stuff sequence done, we take a break and come back with Luchasaurus hitting a moonsault off the apron to take both Bucks down. Everyone winds up on a pair of (uneven) ladders with Luchasaurus being the last man standing.

That doesn’t last long as Matt makes a save and hits a top rope elbow to drive him through a table. Jungle Boy catches Matt with a German suplex and goes up with Nick for another slugout. The Bucks take him off the ladder and Nick is busted (might have broken his nose), leaving Luchasaurus to go up. That means one heck of a crash through four tables (ala Bubba Ray Dudley/Matt Hardy at Wrestlemania X7. The BTE Trigger drops Jungle Boy and the Bucks get the titles back at 14:55.

Rating: B. What is there to say here? It’s a ladder match with a bunch of flips and dives and broken stuff, which is about all you can expect from this kind of a match. That isn’t a bad thing, but it also isn’t the kind of match that is going to blow the door off the place most of the time. The Bucks getting the titles back is a bit surprising, as they are the first ever two time champions, but they are still one of the top teams in the company. Jurassic Express had a good reign, though I don’t know if they ever came close to feeling like the top team around and that held them back.

Post match Jungle Boy has to be helped up because of his knee….and Christian Cage turns on him with the Killswitch. The Conchairto leaves Jungle Boy laying to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. They covered a lot this week with all kinds of stuff being set up for Forbidden Door as well as having a pair of impressive matches this week. What matters is that they have started getting us ready for the pay per view, which they kind of need to do since it is in less than two weeks. Heck of a show here as it felt like a classic Dynamite, which has been lacking lately.

Results
Chris Jericho b. Ortiz – Baseball bat to the face
Wardlow b. Security Guards – Group pin
Will Ospreay b. Dax Harwood – Hidden Blade
Miro b. Ethan Page – Game Over
Toni Storm b. Britt Baker – Storm Zero
Young Bucks b. Jurassic Express – Bucks pulled down the titles

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

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

AND

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

Dynamite
Date: June 1, 2022
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and for once that means that we are going to be building towards another show. This time it’s Forbidden Door, which is going to includes a bunch of special matches between AEW and New Japan. Odds are that includes new World Champion CM Punk so let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

CM Punk/FTR vs. Gunn Club/Max Caster

Caster’s rap promises to make FTR pay like Amber Heard and that FTR is only here because of Punk’s coattails. Then the Club gets the city wrong twice before Bowens gets to do it right. Harwood takes Austin into the corner to start and hands it off to Wheeler. Austin powers him into another corner so Colton can come in, only to get backdropped. Punk comes in and drops a top rope ax handle onto the arm, much to the fans’ delight.

Caster manages to send him into the corner but Harwood is right back with a powerslam. A double elbow gives Austin two on Harwood though and Billy Gunn adds a right hand for the same. Harwood fights over for the tag but Punk and Wheeler get pulled off the apron in a good heel move.

The double flapjack gets two on Harwood and we take a break. Back with Austin trying a Sharpshooter (giving us a hilarious closeup of Punk’s eyes bugging out) but Harwood fights out and brings in Punk to clean house (after slipping on the springboard clothesline). Wheeler gets dropped over the top onto Caster and Colten, leaving Punk to top a top rope elbow on Austin. Billy’s distraction doesn’t work as Punk powerbombs Austin into him. The GTS into the Big Rig finishes Austin at 11:45.

Rating: B-. I don’t remember Punk and FTR teaming together before but I’m not at all surprised that they work well together. They seem to have a similar philosophy about wrestling and that is going to make for some good matches. At the same time, very nice work from the Gunn Club and Caster, who were put in a pretty high level spot and held their own throughout.

Post match Punk says he doesn’t do drugs but this must be what it feels like. After all of those miles, he still has a lot to learn. He has made mistakes but those are learning moments. Now all you can do is call him the champ. Dax Harwood talks about what all of this means to him, because being Ring Of Honor Tag Team Champion is very important. You don’t come out here and attack his best friend, even if you’re from another company. Punk talks about New Japan Pro Wrestling and wants to know who he has at Forbidden Door. Cue Hiroshi Tanahashi and I think we have a main event.

Here is MJF for a chat. Actually make that Max Friedman, who says there are some executives here and the boss wouldn’t want anything bad to happen. The boss has been wanting to sit down with MJF for a long time now but it’s too little too late. When this company started, it was all friends wrestling but he is out there expected to hit grand slam after grand slam. He has to be perfect though, because he is the 26 year old prodigy.

MJF hears clapping and booing, which he finds interesting because they were the same people calling him unprofessional over the weekend. There are people in the back who want his spot and they can have it because he doesn’t want to be here anymore. The fans are the problem because they are a bunch of internet marks.

MJF isn’t going to pretend to watch New Japan or chase star ratings and drop people on their head. He is that great because he makes you feel but people take him for granted. It isn’t just them, but the big man in the back too. Do you know who the second biggest minute for minute draw is?

It’s him, and you can ask Stat Boy Tony about it. Just don’t ask Tony to reach into his pockets to pay him, because he needs to give all his money to every ex-WWE guy he can find. MJF: “Hey boss? Would you treat me better if I was an ex-WWE guy?” The only position Khan should have is behind the guardrail so MJF wants Khan to fire him. After yelling at a director to not count him down, MJF swears a lot and throws the mic down. So there’s your worked shoot, and only MJF could have pulled it off this well.

Johnny Elite vs. ???

It’s an open challenge as answered by….Miro, who says he is healed and ready to destroy everyone on earth and in Heaven. Miro stomps him down into the corner and the beating is on, including a Saito suplex. We take a break and come back with Miro hitting a release Rock Bottom but Elite manages a kick to the head. The standing shooting star press gives Johnny two but Miro is back up with a jumping kick to the face. Game Over finishes Elite at 6:04. Not enough shown due to the break, but this was just a step above a squash.

Video on Anarchy In The Arena.

Here is the Jericho Appreciation Society for a chat. The team brags about everything they did and Chris Jericho lists off the things that happened to him. This includes Eddie Kingston trying to LIGHT HIM ON FIRE and Bryan Danielson wanted to kick his expletive head in. Cue Eddie Kingston to say he wants to fight all of them, but he has William Regal here to say how the match should go. Regal: “BLOOD AND GUTS!” Not quite the same ring to it.

Kingston comes to the ring but gets beaten down, allowing Ortiz to come in from behind and hit Jericho with the Madball. Ortiz cranks it up even more by CUTTING JERICHO’S HAIR, sending Jericho into a rant. Jericho agrees to Blood and Guts, but first Jericho wants a match with Ortiz, hair vs. hair. Ortiz is in, meaning we now have a hair vs. hair match to set up Blood and Guts, which is a rematch from Anarchy in the Arena, which is the spiritual successor to Stadium Stampede.

In the back, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh jump Samoa Joe and injure his arm. This is different than when Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh jumped Samoa Joe and injured his arm in the ring.

Matt Hardy/Darby Allin/Jurassic Express/Christian Cage vs. Young Bucks/ReDRagon/Hikuleo

Adam Cole is on commentary and Jeff Hardy is here too. Fish gets beaten down to start as everyone gets to take a few shots at him. This includes Matt’s middle rope elbow to the head but Fish kicks Matt away. Everything breaks down and the dives are aplenty, but the Bucks superkick Christian and we take a break.

Back with Luchasaurus getting the hot tag and cleaning house, including the standing moonsault for two. Hikuleo comes in for the exchange of throat grabs with Luchasaurus. A double clothesline puts both of them down and it’s a double tag to O’Reilly and Allin. Everything breaks down again and Allin’s dive is pulled out of the air by Hikuleo, setting up Chasing the Dragon on the floor. Matt cleans house and sends people into the buckle ten times each, leaving Christian to spear Hikuleo off the apron. The Bucks clean house with superkicks and the Meltzer Driver finishes Jungle Boy at 11:50.

Rating: C. Another wild ten man tag here, which is similar enough to something we get on almost any AEW show. The ending would suggest that the Bucks are getting back into the title picture, which might not be a thrilling prospect, but it would be nice to get the titles on one of the biggest teams in AEW. The Express is good, but they’re overshadowed by a lot of other teams around here.

Swerve Strickland introduces some people, who have something to do with music and Black Panther. A fashion icon gives him a jacket and Keith Lee wants titles.

Here is Athena for a chat. She wants to break Jade Cargill’s winning streak so here are Cargill and Stokely Hathaway. The staredown and shouting is on, with the Baddies, Anna Jay and Chris Statlander coming out to join in.

JD Drake vs. Wardlow

Wardlow, now with music, hits some shoulders and a two movement Powerbomb Symphony for the pin at 1:04.

Post match Tony Schiavone comes to the ring to talk to Wardlow….but here is Mark Sterling, who sends a lone security guard to the ring (Wardlow: “This guy doesn’t watch the product.”). It’s a lawsuit over Wardlow attacking various security guards and Sterling will see him in court. Wardlow powerbombs the guard and stuffs the papers in his mouth. At least that’s a bit more original.

The Men of the Year are ready to take out Dante Martin on Rampage. Martin comes in to say he’s better than Scorpio Sky and he’ll prove it on Rampage.

Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter vs. Ruby Soho/Toni Storm

Storm has to be held back from Baker to start so Baker heads outside to kiss her Owen Hart belt. Back in and Baker gets beaten down, allowing the tag off to Soho. That doesn’t go well for Soho, who is taken outside as we take a break. Back with Soho managing a Saito suplex on Baker, allowing the hot tag to Storm.

Everything breaks down but it’s Hayter hitting a hanging DDT to drop Storm on the floor. Soho hits a high crossbody to take Hayter down on the floor but Hayter hits an Irish Curse to drop Soho back inside. No Future connects for Soho but Baker tries to pull her into Lockjaw. That’s broken up but Hayter reverses the reversal, meaning Soho has to fight out of it again. A fisherman’s neckbreaker drops Soho but she is back with a knee to the face. Destination Unknown gives Soho the pin on Baker at 9:37.

Rating: C+. Soho gets a bit of her momentum back by beating Baker but it isn’t going to matter until she does it in a big one on one match. I still like Soho, but she has fallen pretty far since her debut. We could be heading for a showdown between the two of them, even though we just did that three days ago. Storm continues to just kind of be there, and I don’t know where she is supposed to go.

Post match Hayter hits Soho with the belt so Baker can stand tall.

Jon Moxley vs. Daniel Garcia

William Regal and Chris Jericho are on commentary. Moxley knocks him into the corner to start but Garcia is back with some chops. Those just annoy Moxley, who takes him down for some kicks to the back. Moxley was busted open somewhere in there and Garcia sends him outside to block the Paradigm Shift. A whip into the steps lets Garcia crush the ankle against the post and we take a break.

Back with Moxley hitting a toss suplex onto the steps for a SCARY landing, as Garcia landed back first on the edge of the steps. Thankfully he can get back in so Moxley can hit a butterfly superplex. The hammer and anvil elbows are countered into the same thing from Garcia, who hits a heck of a piledriver for two. Garcia’s Sharpshooter is countered into a bulldog choke but they head outside, with Moxley dropping him onto the table. Cue Chris Jericho to run to the ring but Eddie Kingston (who stumbles down there) pulls him down. The bulldog choke finishes Garcia at 11:28.

Rating: B+. Scary landing on the steps aside, this turned into a heck of a match after the break as they turned up the energy by about a thousand. Moxley looked like he was in trouble more than once but was able to hang on and win. Awesome stuff here as there were a few minutes that had me completely hooked.

Post match Moxley says Blood and Guts is on.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show as they had things happening throughout. The biggest part is the energy that it had throughout, which isn’t something that has been around as much lately. AEW needed a Dynamite like this one and this certainly delivered with one of their best in awhile. Check out the second half of the main event, plus the MJF promo that is going to have people talking for a bit.

Results
CM Punk/FTR b. Max Caster/Gunn Club – Big Rig to Austin
Miro b. Johnny Elite – Game Over
Young Bucks/ReDRagon/Hikuleo b. Matt Hardy/Jurassic Express/Darby Allin/Christian Cage – Meltzer Driver to Jungle Boy
Wardlow b. JD Drake – Powerbomb Symphony
Ruby Soho/Toni Storm b. Britt Baker/Jamie Hayter – Destination Unknown to Baker
Jon Moxley b. Daniel Garcia – Bulldog choke

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

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

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Double Or Nothing 2022
Date: May 29, 2022
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

AEW is back on pay per view and that should mean good things. The main event will feature CM Punk challenging Hangman Page for the World Title, but the question is around MJF. While he is scheduled to face Wardlow in a match a long time in the making, he has had some issues with AEW and there is a chance he won’t show up. That wouldn’t exactly be great to see so let’s get to it.

Buy In Show: Tony Nese/Mark Sterling vs. Hookhausen

Hook and Nese start things off with Hook taking him down without much trouble. Danhausen comes in and is allowed to grab a headlock before Nese runs him over. The curse is loaded up but Danhausen goes with the middle rope hurricanrana instead. Nese drops Danhausen again and it’s Sterling coming in to stomp away in the corner. Sterling misses a legdrop though and Danhausen suplexes his way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Hook. Suplexes abound and Danhausen gets to come in for the posing pin on Sterling at 5:22.

Rating: C. This is all you needed it to be and I had fun with the thing. Let Danhausen come in and pick up the scraps left by Hook, who gets to dominate over a manager and someone who is somehow in the top five. They didn’t bother trying to do anything out of the ordinary and the fans got to cheer for Danhausen’s wacky antics. It was exactly what you expected and that’s what it should have been.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Wardlow

If Wardlow wins, he is free of MJF but if he loses, he is pretty much done. MJF is indeed here so hopefully things are ok, at least for tonight. Wardlow is led out of a cell in the back where rowdy fans are kept to give this a Goldberg style vibe. The handcuffs (two pairs) are taken off so MJF bails to the floor before the bell. The bell rings and we get a HE SHOWED UP chant.

Wardlow wastes no time in trying the powerbomb so MJF bails to the floor again. Back in and MJF has to bite his way out of a powerbomb attempt before a cradle gets two. Hold on though as MJF is holding his leg and even the commentators are calling him out for making it up. The delay lets MJF load up the ring but the referee catches it this time, leaving MJF to beg off into the corner.

MJF: “I’LL DOUBLE YOUR PAY!” He ups it to quadruple and Wardlow shakes his hand….but doesn’t let go. MJF knows he’s done and the powerbomb connects. That’s part one of a ten movement Powerbomb Symphony, including at least one to each side of the ring and a tease of a cover in the middle, which finishes MJF at 7:25. Of note, during the Symphony was Excalibur: “I think I’ve figured out MJF’s strategy: he’s trying to take it to a time limit draw.”

Rating: B. This is a case where the match wasn’t the point but rather the complete and total destruction of MJF and it worked very well. Wardlow was never in trouble and absolutely demolished MJF, who couldn’t even get the chance to cheat. The fans had been wanting to see this and they got what they wanted, so well done on giving them that catharsis.

Post match MJF gets stretchered out and Wardlow is officially All Elite.

We recap the Hardys vs. the Young Bucks, which is presented as a dream match. The Bucks have gone after the Hardys, who have been accused of being Hardy cosplayers. The best you can hope for here is that the Hardys make it through the match without some kind of terrible injury.

Hardys vs. Young Bucks

Caprice Coleman is on commentary. The Matts start things off but Matt Jackson hands it off to Nick, who gets shouldered down by Jeff. That lets Nick get taken into the corner so Matt Hardy can come back in, meaning Nick bails to the floor. Matt Jackson comes back in and gets caught in a Razor’s Edge out of the corner but Nick breaks it up with a superkick. It’s Jeff coming back in and getting beaten down, with Nick getting to pose a lot.

Jeff finally gets over for the hot tag to Matt Hardy, who sends Nick into the buckle over and over. Brandon Cutler gets knocked off the apron and the hot tag brings in Matt as everything breaks down. They all wind up on the floor, where superkicks and dives drop the Hardys. Back in and Nick pounds on Matt Hardy before a running knee sets up Risky Business for two.

Nick accidentally kicks his brother and then does it to Cutler as well, allowing Jeff to hit a running clothesline off the apron. A Side Effect on the apron drops Matt Jackson and they’re all down on the floor again. Back in and Poetry In Motion hits Matt Jackson but he breaks up the Twist of Fate/Swanton combination. Jeff has to jawbreak his way to freedom on top, even if it means crotching himself.

The Swanton misses though and the Bucks hit their own Twist of Fate into a Swanton for two. A bunch of superkicks drop the Hardys but they’re back up and demanding more kicks. The Bucks oblige for a double two so it’s time to load up the steps. That takes long enough that Matt Hardy can Razor’s Edge bomb Nick, leaving Matt Jackson to be loaded up on the steps, which have been turned on their side. The Swanton connects to Matt Jackson and it’s a Twist of Fate for two on Nick back inside. Another Twist of Fate plants Nick and the Swanton finishes for Jeff at 19:16.

Rating: B-. The Hardys winning here is certainly a choice, as that would suggest the feud is continuing because of reasons. They didn’t have a disaster or even a bad match, but I don’t think this quite lived up to a dream match level. What matters most is that the Hardys didn’t get seriously injured, which might as well be a win for them these days.

Post match, Jeff teases going through the crowd but then comes back to the ring.

The Acclaimed and the Gunn Club promise to tear Las Vegas up. The next day, Billy Gunn finds them all out cold, calls his sons disappointments, and tucks in the Acclaimed.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill vs. Anna Jay

Jay is challenging and comes up through an elevator in the stage, while Cargill has a bunch of showgirls with her. An early Queenslayer attempt doesn’t work for Jay and Cargill throws her down without much effort. A snap suplex and a clothesline lets Cargill go up top but Jay superplexes her back down. Back up and a running forearm staggers Cargill and a running Blockbuster sends her outside. Cargill is sent back inside but Jay has to take out the Baddies with a double DDT. Back in and Cargill kicks her in the face but Jaded is reversed into a cradle for two.

Cue Smart Mark Sterling to throw in the crutch, which Jay grabs for a Russian legsweep and a near fall. Cue John Silver to brainbuster Sterling on the floor, leaving Cargill to hit the Eye of the Storm for two. Jaded is countered into the Queenslayer but Cargill gets up and sends her into the corner. They both go up and here is Stokely Hathaway (fifth person to come out during the match) for a distraction so a super Jaded can finish Jay at 7:23.

Rating: B-. This was a good bit better than I was expecting as Cargill’s matches continue to be structured to fit her strengths rather well. I didn’t buy Jay having a chance whatsoever, but that is the case with just about every Cargill challenger. Hathaway would be an upgrade over Sterling if that is where they are going, and he certainly has the skills to make Cargill feel that much more important. Good stuff here, even if it could have been done on Dynamite.

Post match the beatdown is loaded up but Kris Statlander comes in to go after Red Velvet. The staredown is on but Athena comes in for the debut and the big six way staredown. The Baddies bail and the fans seem rather happy to see Athena.

Forbidden Door is coming on June 26.

House Of Black vs. Death Triangle

Death Triangle has a young boy, who I’m assuming is one of their sons, with them during the entrance. Fenix flips out of Black’s suplex to start but they both miss spinning kicks to the head, meaning it’s time for the cross legged sitdown staredown. Matthews comes in and gets superkicked by Penta so it’s off to the floor, only to have Penta waiting on him with an evil glare.

King comes in and kicks down Fenix’s springboard, setting up the six way staredown. The brawl is on with everyone getting to knock someone else down until Pac poisonranas Matthews to leave everyone down. King is back up with a Boss Man Slam to Pac and Matthews adds a slingshot hilo for two. Matthews misses a charge in the corner though and the hot tag brings in Fenix to clean house. Stereo superkicks clear the ring and there are the double dives from the Bros.

Back in and Fenix hits a step up kick to the head on King but Matthews suplexes him on the floor. That sets up the series of dives until King hits a dive, albeit with a crash onto the apron on the way down. Fenix gets triple teamed inside, including Dante’s Inferno for two, with Pac driving Black into the cover for the save. Triple brainbusters are broken up and Death Triangle gets to kick them in the face in the corner.

A springboard Canadian Destroyer plants Matthews on the floor and a top rope double stomp/hanging DDT combination drops King next to him. That leaves Black to get kicked in the face a lot but he kicks his way out of trouble. Pac kicks Black down and throws Matthews onto King on the floor. An Alex Abrahantes distraction lets Pac kick Black low….and the lights go out again (JR is NOT happy). Cue Julia Hart to mist Pac, allowing Black to kick Pac in the head for the pin at 15:19.

Rating: A-. This was pure insanity for the most part, which also includes a rather nutty ending as Hart wasn’t evil a few weeks ago but she is now. Anyway, the match was the hard hitting, fast paced match that everyone had been hoping. I’m not sure it was worth all of the delays, but House of Black FINALLY getting a big win is good to see. Now just move on from this feud for all time.

We recap Samoa Joe vs. Adam Cole in the Owen Hart Foundation finals, which is more about Owen than either of them.

Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Final: Samoa Joe vs. Adam Cole

Non-title. Joe powers him into the corner to start but Cole slips out and wants a test of strength. That goes to Joe as well, who sends him into the corner for the jumping enziguri. An elbow sends Cole to the floor, where he manages to post Joe’s bad shoulder to take over. Back in and Cole chokes on the ropes before wrapping the arm around said rope. The Panama Sunrise is blocked though and Joe hits the Rock Bottom out of the corner.

Joe’s powerbomb is countered into a jumping enziguri and Cole grabs a Crossface. Joe cranks on both arms but Cole is in the ropes as well. Cue Bobby Fish to snap Joe’s arm across the top but the Boom misses. Joe grabs the Koquina Clutch, which has to be let go so Joe can take out Fish. Cole kicks him down and fires off more kicks, setting up the Boom for the pin at 13:15.

Rating: B-. Another good match here, though having even more interference had me rolling my eyes. Cole winning isn’t exactly a surprise and it is good to have him win something around here. It’s a fine enough way to go, even if it doesn’t have any kind of a connection to Owen whatsoever.

Forbidden Door is still coming on June 26. Nothing has changed in the last 40 minutes.

We recap the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, which is a rematch from Grand Slam, where Britt Baker beat Ruby Soho.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Finals: Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho

Baker gets played to the ring by Fozzy’s guitarist while Rancid plays Soho to the ring. We’ll call that advantage Soho. Baker takes her down by the arm to start but Soho is back up with a wristlock of her own. Some kicks don’t do much to Soho, who knees Baker out to the floor. Soho’s shotgun dropkick off the apron has Baker rocked but Soho is holding her ribs. Baker is smart enough to pull the ribs into the post before stretching her out back inside.

Some elbows to the ribs give Baker two but she takes too long going up top. A superplex brings her back down as JR talks about Soho owning a farm in Indiana. They forearm it out until it’s another double knockdown. No Future is blocked but Baker misses the Stomp. Soho is back up with a Saito suplex and a top rope backsplash gets two.

Baker is back with the Stomp and the Lockjaw is loaded up but Soho powers away. No Future connects and the Sharpshooter (with Soho dropping to a knee) goes on, with Baker finally making the rope for the save. With that Owen finisher not working, Soho loads up a victory roll, only to have Baker reverse into a cradle for the pin at 14:15.

Rating: C+. So Baker gets to win, meaning it’s a power couple winning both of them. The match itself was fine, as expected, though that Sharpshooter left a lot to be desired. I could have gone with Soho winning here but it would have been a bit weird to have Cole and Soho at the trophy presentation. Baker very well may be on her way to a face turn and that could be a good thing for her, as we have kind of covered everything she can do otherwise.

Respect is shown post match.

Post match Tony Schiavone has the trophy presentation (with Adam Cole coming out to glare at Tony for hugging Britt). Martha Hart gets an entrance, accompanied by Tony Khan, and gets to give a speech about how important this whole thing is. She thanks everyone from Khan to Chris Jericho to Dark Side of the Ring and her legal team. Cole and Baker are congratulated, with Martha even making fun of her own fairly ridiculous looking hat to wrap it up. Both are presented with a special belt and it’s a rather nice moment.

Sammy Guevara/Frankie Kazarian/Tay Conti vs. Men Of The Year/Paige VanZant

If the Men Of The Year/VanZant win, Guevara and Kazarian can never challenge for the TNT Title again. Kazarian and Sky start things off but Guevara tags himself in and gets to face Ethan. The slugout goes to Page so it’s back to Kazarian vs. Sky, with Kazarian taking him into the corner. Guevara comes back in and Conti gets in a rake to Sky’s back from the apron. VanZant is drawn in so Sammy and Conti can hit a double suplex. Kazarian grabs a front facelock on Sky, who fights out and hits a Downward Spiral.

Conti runs in to deck VanZant and then dives onto Sammy for some spinning around. That has Kazarian yelling at them before grabbing the chickenwing but Sammy tags himself in. Tony: “What kind of dumba** strategy is that?” The double tag brings in the women, with JR saying VanZant is going to be green. VanZant grabs a suplex on Conti and a handspring elbow hits Conti in the face.

A TKO is broken up by Sammy, who stops to kiss Conti and gets caught with a tornado DDT. Conti uses the distraction to strike away at VanZant and some pump kicks to the face get two. A spinning belly to back faceplant (JR: “What the h*** was that?”) plants VanZant but we pause for more kissing. The staredown is on but Kazarian is having none of this and walks out….before coming back in with a slingshot DDT to Sky. Kazarian clears the ring but Conti yells at him, only to have Sammy accidentally knock her down. Sky TKO’s Kazarian for the pin at 12:01.

Rating: C+. This was fun with Conti and Guevara totally embracing the hate, but what matters most is that this should mean the end of the feud. It has gone on far longer than it needed to and this really needs to be the blowoff. VanZant was fine enough in her pay per view debut but she clearly has a long way to go to feel natural in the ring. Good enough, but the show is running very long and this is something that could have been moved to another show.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Darby Allin

Allin goes straight for the legs and gets kneed in the face to cut him off. O’Reilly starts working on the arm and cranking away as Allin’s face is busted open from that knee. Back up and Allin gets in a few shots of his own to knock O’Reilly outside, setting up a suicide dive which nearly goes horribly wrong. Thankfully Allin is back up so he tries it again, only to get pulled into a guillotine choke.

Back in and the Last Supper gives Allin two and a small package is good for the same. A brainbuster plants Allin but he is able to fight off a cross armbreaker attempt. The ankle lock goes on but Allin ties up the legs and reverses into a Scorpion (again, not a great one). O’Reilly makes the rope so Allin goes up and hits a Coffin Drop onto O’Reilly in the ropes before crashing out to the floor.

Back in and O’Reilly goes for the arm again but gets stacked up for two more. They strike it out with O’Reilly getting the better of things and wrapping Allin’s chain around his mouth. Excalibur: “The unbreakable chain!” Then it breaks immediately. Some penalty kicks set up the top rope knee to finish Allin at 10:33.

Rating: B. Hard hitting fight here and that is a heck of a big win for O’Reilly as beating Allin clean on pay per view is an impressive feat. It doesn’t say much for Allin to lose in his match for his mentor’s honor, but I can go for O’Reilly getting this kind of a push. Good stuff here, though I hope it gets any kind of memory on a show with so much else.

We recap Thunder Rosa vs. Serena Deeb for the Women’s Title. Both want to be the best so they’re having a title match.

Women’s Title: Serena Deeb vs. Thunder Rosa

Rosa is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and go to the mat with neither being able to get anywhere. Back up and Deeb starts going for the limbs but that isn’t going to work for Rosa. They go back to the mat with Rosa grabbing the pendulum to rock Deeb around a bit. A backslide gives Rosa two but Deeb blocks a second one, allowing Rosa to hit an uppercut.

Rosa knocks her to the floor but misses a baseball slide, allowing Deeb to snap her across the top rope. A neckbreaker over the ropes puts Rosa back on the floor until Deeb takes it back inside. Deeb ties her up in the corner and cranks away, setting up an abdominal stretch to stay on the ribs. Rosa fights out and hits a running corner clothesline, followed by knees in the corner. A northern lights suplex gets two but Deeb catches her in the corner and hits Diamond Dust for two.

Deebtox is broken up though and Rosa slams Deeb’s knee into the mat for a change. Deeb gets in a shot to knock her away but Rosa is back with the Death Valley Driver for two. A chop block cuts Rosa down and we hit the Figure Four, with the two of them slapping each other in the face at the same time. They roll out to the floor but it’s Deeb grabbing a dragon screw legwhip in the ropes back inside.

Deebtox gets two and the Serenity Lock goes on, though Deeb lets it go to hit a powerbomb. The Texas Cloverleaf goes on but Rosa makes the rope, setting up a kick to the head. Deep knocks her down again and goes up, only to get superplexed down. Rosa isn’t done and rolls her up into the Fire Thunder Driver to retain at 16:43.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a fight with the technical master vs. the fighter, but they were in a near death spot this late in a show with a long match. I could go with another look at this in a vacuum as Rosa was bringing it and Deeb was her usual awesome self. It’s a good example of a match where they overcame a really bad build and had a heck of a match. Just in the wrong spot.

We recap Anarchy in the Arena, which is Sports Entertainers vs. Wrestlers.

Justin Roberts: “Ladies and gentlemen…..s***’s about to hit the fan.”

Jericho Appreciation Society vs. Blackpool Combat Club/Santana/Ortiz/Eddie Kingston

Anything goes and the Society is all in white, making them look like a painting crew. It’s a brawl to start with Wild Thing still playing, which seems like it is going to go throughout the match. Everyone brawls around the arena and we keep cutting from fight to fight, including Moxley stabbing someone in the head with a fork. Kingston is already busted open as Jericho and Moxley get on some kind of a cart.

Minard’s face is COVERED in blood as Jericho gets in a shot to Moxley with….something. We actually go to the ring where Santana and Ortiz suplex Hager. Jericho goes over to the sound board and hits Moxley to FINALLY kill the song. Some people fight to the back as Santana and Ortiz Street Sweep Hager through two tables at ringside. Moxley hits Jericho with a boom camera as Minard and Kingston fight over mustard at the concession stand. Garcia piledrives Ortiz on the steps and I think Minard takes Kingston down with a t-shirt stand.

Parker hits Danielson with a ring bell and Jericho suplexes Moxley onto a row of chairs. Back up and Moxley chucks a cooler at Jericho’s head as Tony dubs this as better than Stadium Stampede. Garcia chokes Kingston in the concourse and drags him around the floor as Jericho gets the Walls on Moxley on the announcers’ table….which breaks. Back up and Moxley hits a suicide dive to take Jericho down as a turnbuckle is unhooked.

Some unhooked turnbuckle shots slow Jericho down as I think Kingston and Garcia brawl in a freight elevator. Moxley hits a running knee to knock Jericho out of a chair as Santana and Ortiz set up a ladder over on the other side of the arena. They hit big splashes to drive Minard and Parker through tables as Jericho fire extinguishers Moxley. Jericho and Moxley pull themselves back into the ring, where Hager and Danielson are pulling themselves up. The four of them slug it out with Moxley and Danielson hitting the hammer and anvil elbows.

Stereo holds go on….and here is Kingston with a can of gasoline. Kingston pours gas onto Jericho (which breaks up the LeBell Lock) but Danielson goes after Kingston for general hatred. Moxley is sent onto a barbed wire board at ringside and a turnbuckle shot to the head gives Jericho two on Danielson. A bunch of kicks rock Hager and Jericho, including the YES Kicks to the latter. Danielson promises to kick his f****** head in but Hager makes the save with a baseball bat to the knee. A half crab to Danielson, with Hager choking with a rope (Tony: “HANG IN THERE!”) gives Jericho the win at 22:31.

Rating: B. I have no idea what to say about this and that’s about all you can get out of it. They were all over the place with one crazy spot after another and there was nothing close to a way to keep track of the whole thing. I’m not sure why the Society won, but maybe Jericho used some wizard magic to convince AEW it was a good idea.

We go to Andrade El Idolo, who brings in his new business partner: Rush.

Scorpio Sky/Ethan Page/Dan Lambert are really happy to be done with Sammy Guevara and company. Sky wants a new challenger and here is Dante Martin to issue the challenge. Game on.

Tag Team Titles: Jurassic Express vs. Team Taz vs. Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland

Jurassic Express, with Christian Cage, is defending. It’s a brawl to start and the fight heads to the floor before the Express hits a top rope elbow/side slam combination for two on Starks. We settle down to Hobbs blasting Strickland with a clothesline. Lee comes in and staggers Hobbs with a shoulder, setting up Strickland’s jumping knee. It’s off to Jungle Boy for some suicide dives but Lee pulls the big flip dive out of the air.

Back in and Hobbs hits a suplex slam on Jungle Boy and Starks grabs a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Starks tries to run the corner and walk the ropes but stops to dance, allowing Jungle Boy to crotch him (JR’s disdain at the start followed by happiness in Starks getting hurt is hilarious). Everything breaks down and Starks gets tossed out to the floor for a nasty landing, setting up Strickland’s moonsault (off of Lee’s chest) onto the pile.

Back in and Strickland hits the running kick to the head for two on Hobbs and it’s Luchasaurus coming in to clean house. Hobbs gets kicked into the corner where Lee tags himself in, giving us Luchasaurus vs. Lee. A double chokeslam puts Luchasaurus down, leaving Lee to suplex Hobbs over the top. Lee hits the big no hands flip dive to show off a bit but Luchasaurus is back up with a fireman’s carry slam for two.

Starks is back in to take Jungle Boy down for two but Christian makes the save. The spear gets two more on Jungle Boy and a slingshot Roshambo gets the same. Luchasaurus comes back in but Hobbs cleans house, allowing Starks to grab the FTW Title. Christian breaks that up and it’s the Throwassic Express for the pin at 17:18.

Rating: B. Another good match here with a surprising ending as I would not have bet on the champs retaining here. What matters is that the tag division remains hot, but there is only so much that you can get when your champs are barely in the top five teams in the company. I was hoping for a title change here as Jurassic Express have held the belts for awhile, but it’s not like this is a horrible decision.

We recap Hangman Page vs. CM Punk for the AEW World Title. Punk sees it as a title shot and Page wants to stop Punk from destroying AEW….somehow.

AEW World Title: CM Punk vs. Hangman Page

Page is defending. They start fast with Punk taking him into the corner and giving him a break, albeit with a rake of the eyes. They strike it out with Punk getting the better of things but they go to the mat to exchange some near falls. Back up and Punk starts the string of slams, setting up the high crossbody. Page rolls through though and hits a fall away slam into a nip up. With Punk on the floor, Page hits a slingshot crossbody to take him down again.

Back in and Punk slugs away, only to get elbowed in the face to knock him silly. A running clothesline out of the corner looks to set up the Buckshot but it’s way too early for that, as Punk knocks him to the floor. That’s fine with Page, who gets in a powerbomb onto the apron to drop Punk again. Back in and a top rope clothesline gives Page two and Punk is tossed outside again.

What looks to be the moonsault is broken up and Punk superplexes him back down. They take their time getting back up for the slugout, setting up Punk’s leg lariat. There’s the running knee in the corner into the bulldog into the springboard clothesline and Punk is fired up. Page slips out of the GTS and Punk grabs a neckbreaker for two more. Punk goes up but gets knocked down, setting up the moonsault to the floor. Back in and the Buckshot Lariat is countered into a Sharpshooter, sending Page over to the ropes.

Both guys have to counter their own finisher until Punk is kicked to the apron. Punk kicks him in the head and hits a Buckshot Lariat but the knee gives out on the way. Both guys miss the GTS and Punk’s running knee in the corner is countered into the Last Ride. Page rolls him into the Deadeye for two more before calling for the GTS. Punk kicks him in the head and tries the GTS but Page escapes and hits one of his own.

They slug it out until Page kicks him in the face but they fall out to the floor. Page throws him over the announcers’ table and grabs the belt, which he emphasizes is HIS. Back in and the Buckshot Lariat is loaded up but gets countered into the GTS. Punk swings him around to kick the referee, meaning Page’s escape into the Buckshot Lariat gets no cover. Page looks at the belt and teases the shot but second guesses himself. Another Buckshot Lariat is countered into the GTS to give Punk the pin and the title at 25:58.

Rating: B+. There’s your controversial ending that is going to get people talking. Punk winning is the right call as you can only get so much out of Page as champion when there are so many bigger stars around him. The will he/won’t he was good and while it might lead to a heel turn down the line, it’s the right way to go here. Heck of a match too, which didn’t feel close to the length it went.

Punk celebrates for a good while to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. The action was very good to great, but egads I was done with this show with about an hour left. I’ll spare you the long, drawn out version and say a lot of this could have been left for Dynamite/Rampage and move on to the praise the show deserves. There was some awesome action here and I like a lot of the choices for the winners, though the tournaments still don’t feel important (save for Martha Hart looking so happy out there, which was great). Definitely check this out, but cut it off for a bit in the middle for the sake of a sandwich or something as you’re going to need to refuel.

Results
Wardlow b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Powerbomb Symphony
Hardys b. Young Bucks – Swanton to Nick
Jade Cargill b. Anna Jay – Super Jaded
House Of Black b. Death Triangle – Spinning kick to Fenix
Adam Cole b. Samoa Joe – Boom
Britt Baker b. Ruby Soho – Rollup
Men Of The Year/Paige VanZant b. Sammy Guevara/Frankie Kazarian/Tay Conti – TKO to Guevara
Kyle O’Reilly b. Darby Allin – Top rope knee to the back
Thunder Rosa b. Serena Deeb – Fire Thunder Driver
Jericho Appreciation Society b. Blackpool Combat Club/Eddie Kingston/Santana/Ortiz – Half crab to Danielson
Jurassic Express b. Team Taz and Swerve Strickland/Keith Lee – Throwassic Express to Starks
CM Punk b. Hangman Page – GTS

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It’s time for another AEW pay per view and most of the time, that has been some very good news. AEW has a heck of a track record with pay per views, though things have been a bit weaker than usual in recent months. I don’t entirely know what that is going to mean for this show, but the card is absolutely huge with a staggering thirteen matches. Maybe they can make it work though so let’s get to it.

Buy-In Show: Hookhausen vs. Mark Sterling/Tony Nese

They aren’t starting with anything serious here as Hook and Danhausen are the latest comedy guys around here. There is a short form possibility to the two of them working together but I’d like to believe that Hook could mean a lot more than he is being given so far. Danhausen is one of the most unique guys around, and now he and Hook can do their thing here.

That thing here would be winning, as Hookhausen has no reason to lose whatsoever. Hook can be the muscle for Danhausen as he does his wacky deal. That is all you need in something like this as the fans are going to go nuts over anything Hookhausen does. Keep it short, let Danhausen pin the manager, and we get to move on to the important stuff. That’s a good opener and they have the right idea with this on the Buy-In.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals: Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho

This is a match that has some history to it and now the question becomes can Soho finally get a big win around here. Soho is someone with as unique of a look as you can find and the intangibles to back it up, but she hasn’t actually won anything just yet. Beating Baker would even their series up and that is a way they can go. At the same time though, it is hard to buy the idea of Baker losing her second big match in a row.

I’m in a total coin flip here but I’ll go with Baker winning here as Soho loses again for the sake of getting Baker back on track. This could be leading to a heck of a showdown between Baker and Jade Cargill, assuming they don’t do a rubber match with Thunder Rosa. Either way, I don’t see Soho winning here, and I’m really not sure where that leaves her going forward.

Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals: Adam Cole vs. Samoa Joe

I like this one more than the previous match and we could be in for a heck of a showdown here. Cole is someone who is still waiting for his own big win around here, while Joe has the Ring Of Honor TV Title, meaning that he too is waiting for his first big win in AEW. This is at least an interesting match and that puts it above a lot of what we have been seeing in the tournament so far.

I’ll go with Cole winning again here, as AEW not only likes pushing the heck out of him, but the idea of Cole and Baker as the winners of the tournaments is likely something AEW likes. The match should be a good, pay per view level fight as Joe knows how to make the big fight feel. Cole wins here though, possibly even with some help from Jay Lethal and pals to take out Joe.

Jericho Appreciation Society vs. Blackpool Combat Club/Santana/Ortiz/Eddie Kingston

This is the Anarchy In The Arena match, which seems to be the latest insane brawl that the company loves to run. The problem this time though is the lineups aren’t exactly even, as it’s hard to imagine the Combat Club and Kingston would have trouble against the entire Appreciation Society. Then again there is a good chance that the villains can take out a member to uneven things and make it a bit more even.

That being said, there isn’t much in the way of doubt here, as this should be a one sided victory for Kingston and company. Unfortunately I don’t think that is going to happen, as I could see AEW running with the Jericho Wizard/fireball stuff. Therefore, I’ll take the Appreciation Society winning here, even if that makes so little sense and will just mean more of the not so great act.

Hardys vs. Young Bucks

Now we have the Dream Match, which might have been the case about ten years ago but now, I’m not entirely convinced. To put it mildly, the Hardys are in their mid 40s and wrestle like they’re about ten years older than that each. Jeff looks close to terrible and you know what you’re going to get from Matt. I’m far from a Bucks fan, but they can run circles around the Hardys at the moment and this is going to be a mess as a result.

I’ll take the Bucks winning here, as there is no reason whatsoever to put the Hardys over anyone ever (unless you’re Darby Allin because reasons). I’m not exactly interested in seeing this one but maybe they can pull off something decent. All I know is I don’t need to see the Hardys trying to recreate their glory days again and odds are that is exactly what we are going to be getting here.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Wardlow

This now needs an asterisk as there have been a few issues involving MJF, but we’ll assume that the match is going to take place. This is a story that has been built up for years and is a more physical version of Ted DiBiase vs. Virgil from back in the day. The good thing is that Wardlow is almost on Virgil’s level and might even be able to get something out of this if they do it right.

Of course I’ll go with Wardlow here, as he should powerbomb MJF into oblivion here. Now that being said, MJF should not get squashed and will likely get in some offense off the back of Shawn Spears and some well timed cheating, but at the end of the day, this is Wardlow’s breaking out moment and I could go with seeing him wreck MJF as the fans get more and more into each powerbomb. Assuming the match takes place that is.

Women’s Title: Thunder Rosa(c) vs. Serena Deeb

The more I watch from Rosa, the less I think she is cut out to be champion. There are some people who are more interesting as the challenger rather than the champion and that is what we might have with her. The promo from this week was good, but I really can’t bring myself to get into this match. Granted it doesn’t help that Cargill feels like a much bigger star, but this is the next showdown.

I’ll take Rosa to retain here, as she deserves a longer title reign than a few months after FINALLY getting the belt. We might be up for a rematch with Baker, but at the moment the best thing that they can do is have Rosa keep going as champion to set up a showdown with someone. Rosa is still a star and I could go for seeing more of her with the title, but they need to find a better way to present her.

Tag Team Titles: Jurassic Express(c) vs. Team Taz vs. Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland

One thing that is interesting here is that AEW rarely runs triple threat. The company loves itself some gimmick matches but that isn’t the case with triple threat, which is certainly a nice bonus. Anyway, this has been set up as the two challenging teams have been set up as potential threats to take the titles. Granted it helps that Jurassic Express have been kind of there as champions for a lot of their reigns, so it is kind of somewhere in the middle.

As much as I’d like to see Lee and Strickland get somewhere, I have a feeling Team Taz wins here. At some point you have to give Taz and company some (official) titles and I think they do it here. Ricky Starks has been moving up higher and higher in recent weeks and Powerhouse Hobbs is one of the better potential stars around. They should have a good match here, but it’s time for the title change with the belts going to Team Taz.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Darby Allin

This is a grudge match which was added to the show on Rampage, even if it is one of the first matches that could be moved to Dynamite for the sake of cutting down the pay per view rundown. Allin is mad at O’Reilly for injuring Sting, meaning it is time to fight. Thankfully this seems to be a regular match, which is quite the change for Allin and his obsession with hardcore stuff.

I’ll go with Allin winning here, as he is still shaking off some of his funk, especially after that pretty ridiculous loss to Jeff Hardy a few weeks ago. O’Reilly could use a win too and it wouldn’t shock me if he won here, but Allin needs it more and is someone the fans are already behind. Seeing O’Reilly get a push of his own would be nice, but it’s Allin winning here in a match that should be pretty awesome.

House Of Black vs. Death Triangle

Yes, finally. After what feels like 37 years, this match is FINALLY going to take place, even though I can’t imagine it is going to live up to the hype that has been presented around it. Both teams are actually healthy for once and since it was on the books at some point back in the day, AEW had to get it in instead of cutting their losses and just moving on like anyone sane would do.

It’s one that could go either way, but I’ll take the House Of Black to win here. Death Triangle is a team that has a tendency to not be around very often for one reason or another so the House Of Black seems to be a better option at the moment. Odds are it will be a heck of a fight and Death Triangle will look great in defeat, but the House Of Black wins here to finally give them something.

Men Of The Year/Paige VanZant vs. Frankie Kazarian/Sammy Guevara/Tay Conti

Speaking of feuds that won’t go away, we have this mess that must continue no matter how many people are waiting in line for the TNT Title. This week seemed to show Guevara and company as the good ones, even if that involved invading the American Top Team facility and stealing stuff. I don’t think AEW knows what they are doing with this feud anymore, but even worse I don’t think many people care about it either. Granted, why let that get in the way of what AEW has decided to do?

Since the feud must continue and Guevara/Kazarian get no more shots if they lose, I’ll go with Guevara and company winning to keep their hopes alive. I’m not sure why that is something we need to continue, but this feud is probably heading for one big final blowoff to the whole thing. Maybe we could even get a ladder involved! For now, though Guevara and company win, because it must continue.

TBS Title: Jade Cargill(c) vs. Anna Jay

AEW has a bit of a weird situation on their hands with Cargill. While they have done a great job of building her up, there is no reason to believe that she is going to lose anytime soon. That makes this feel like nothing more than a requirement as she gets to add another win over someone who was thrown into a title match. I don’t particularly care about this match and it would have been fine on Dynamite, but maybe Cargill can get in her catchphrase for the 485th time.

Of course I’ll take Cargill, as Jay gets to be the latest sacrificial lamb. They REALLY need someone who is going to give Cargill a challenge and Jay, who hasn’t wrestled a singles match since March (or a TV match since January, when Cargill beat her) isn’t it. This is a match that probably doesn’t need to be on the pay per view but we are getting it for the sake of Cargill appearing, which does make sense.

AEW World Title: Hangman Page(c) vs. CM Punk

And then there’s this, which has been hit and miss so far. This has not been anywhere close to a disaster, but I’m not sure I buy Page as someone on Punk’s level. Punk had to get to the World Title shot at some point though, which comes after the end of the great Friedman feud. Hopefully they can go beyond the hype, which hasn’t quite hit the levels they seem to have been shooting for with the build.

I’ve been going back and forth on this for weeks now but I think I have Page retaining. If you want to elevate him, beating Punk and Danielson is about as perfect of a way as you can do so. Punk is going to be fine no matter what he does, but in this case it makes more sense to have him lose and give Page the next biggest rub of his career. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Punk win the title, but Page needs this a lot more than Punk. I think. Maybe. Perhaps.

Overall Thoughts

I’m expecting the show to be good, as almost every AEW pay per view tends to be, but my goodness there is way too much on here. There is no need for the show to have every one of these matches but for some reason that is what we’re getting. Hopefully they move something up to the Buy-In show, as having a twelve minute pay per view card is not going to leave them with much breathing room. The show has a lot of potential, but I’m worried about giving the matches the time that they need. Make something fast, or at least shuffle it up a bit, just to make it better. Either way, we should be fine, as is AEW’s custom.

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Rampage
Date: May 27, 2022
Location: Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ricky Starks

It’s the final show before Double Or Nothing and that means it is time for the last push towards the show. If nothing else, we get to find out who will be in the final of the women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament, because that is still going. Tonight is mostly about firming up what is already there though so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Bryan Danielson vs. Matt Sydal

William Regal is on commentary as Danielson wins a test of strength and grabs a headlock. Back up and Sydal snaps off a flying mare, leaving us with a standoff. Danielson uppercuts him down and fires off the forearms to the head but Sydal is back with a leg lariat. We take a break and come back with Danielson dropping a knee for two of his own, only to have Sydal kick him in the face for a breather.

A hurricanrana gives Sydal two so he goes up for the Meteora, which is pulled into a nasty half crab. Sydal has to roll out so Danielson puts him on top. The belly to back superplex is reversed into a heck of a powerbomb to give Sydal two (that was great). A slugout goes to Sydal and he hits the jumping knee. Danielson isn’t having that and hits the running knee, setting up the hammer and anvil elbows. The guillotine choke finishes Sydal at 11:00.

Rating: B. Sydal was bringing it here and you knew that Danielson was going to be able to do some violent and painful things. The match was hard hitting and competitive, which is a good way to go as there wasn’t much doubt about the winner. Very good opener here, with that top rope powerbomb looking awesome.

Video on the rise of Hookhausen, though Danhausen still can’t train that well.

Young Bucks vs. Taylor Rust/Jon Cruz

The Bucks come out in full on Hardys cosplay, complete with the music, the dancing, the DELETING, the Gangrel (yes the real one) and the Brandon Cutler as Lita (including the underwear). Cruz gets taken down by Nick, with some spot on Jeff Hardy style offense. Matt (as Matt) goes up top for the elbow before coming down to the middle rope instead. The delay lets Cruz get over to Rust, who walks into a double superkick. Another double superkick knocks Cruz silly and sets up the Swanton for the pin at 2:40. This was hilarious and you can tell the Bucks are huge Hardys fans.

Post match the Bucks turn on Gangrel but the real Hardys….rather slowly come to the ring for the save. Cutler breaks up the double Twist of Fate but Gangrel Impales him. The Twist of Fate into the Swanton crushes Cutler and we get the New Brood reunion.

Darby Allin challenges Kyle O’Reilly for Double Or Nothing. If O’Reilly turns him down, Allin will interfere in both of the Undisputed Elite’s matches and ruin their night.

Max Caster vs. Dante Martin

Caster’s rap is about Martin’s lack of success with women. The Gunn Club is here with him and try to handle Anthony Bowens’ signature, causing Bowens (as pushed to the ring in a wheelchair by Billy Gunn) to protest until he gets to do it. Martin dives onto Caster and the Club so we’re ready to go. Everyone else is ejected as Caster goes after the knee and twists it down for an early two as we take a break. Back with Caster missing the Mic Drop and Martin backflipping over him. Some elbows put Caster down and the Nose Dive finishes for Martin at 6:14. Not enough shown to rate, which makes the commercial all the more annoying.

Video on Adam Cole vs. Samoa Joe in the Owen Hart Foundation men’s final.

We look at Sammy Guevara and Frankie Kazarian destroying the TNT Title last week.

Here are the Men of the Year, with Dan Lambert talking about how you can guarantee that there are very few things you can believe in. You can believe in them though, including the TNT Champion. We need a new title belt for him though, with Scorpio Sky receiving the newly designed version, which is basically the same belt with yellow and purple trim (ala the Los Angeles Lakers).

Hold on though as we cut to American Top Team headquarters, where Sammy Guevara/Tay Conti/Frankie Kazarian break in. They look at the title collection and, with a lead pipe, break into it and steal some titles. The challenge for the six person tag is thrown out for Double Or Nothing, with Sky accepting, on one condition: if Sky/Ethan Page/Paige VanZant win, Kazarian/Guevara can never challenge for the TNT Title again.

Kris Statlander is tired of being nice because it hasn’t gotten her anywhere.

Double Or Nothing rundown.

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Semifinals: Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho

The winner gets Britt Baker on Sunday. Soho goes for the knee to start but Statlander flips her away with straight power. An armdrag sends Statlander into the corner but she blocks another one, again with the power. A kick to the knee just annoys Statlander, who blasts Soho with a clothesline as we take a break.

Back with Statlander powerbombing her out of the corner but her arm gives out on a gorilla press attempt. No Future connects for Soho but Statlander gets sent outside. Soho has to get her up and it’s a hurricanrana from the apron to stagger Statlander again. Statlander is fine enough to hit a quick Falcon Arrow for two but the shoulder gives out on the Spider Crab attempt. Soho kicks the knee out again and crabs an Oklahoma roll for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: B-. This was another match where there wasn’t a ton of drama about the result but Statlander did well in her spot. Soho vs. Baker was all but guaranteed for the final as there is enough of a history there to make it work. Good main event here though and it’s nice to see Soho getting a run for a change.

Post match here is Britt Baker, but Soho cuts her off. Soho is tired of hearing Baker talk so on Sunday, Soho is taking the tournament. Baker has a receipt coming on Sunday and the mic is dropped to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Now that is more like it, as we had good action, but more importantly they did a lot of the work on the way to the pay per view on Sunday. That is the point of a show like this and AEW made it work very well. Double Or Nothing is looking great, though adding in two more matches might have been a step too far. Anyway, pretty awesome Rampage this week.

Results
Bryan Danielson b. Matt Sydal – Guillotine choke
Young Bucks b. Jon Cruz/Taylor Rust – Swanton Bomb to Cruz
Dante Martin b. Max Caster – Nose Dive
Ruby Soho b. Kris Statlander – Oklahoma roll

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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