Grand Slam
Date: February 15, 2025
Location: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re down under for the first time in AEW’s history and that should make for quite the big show. In this case we are going to be seeing a bunch of Australians getting title shots in a rather tacked card. Other than that, we are just a few weeks away from Revolution and the show could use some build. Let’s get to it.

Don Callis Family vs. Kenny Omega/Will Ospreay

Don Callis and Mark Davis are here with Konosuke Takeshita/Kyle Fletcher. Ospreay gets shouldered down to start as the ring looks a bit smaller than usual. Back up and Ospreay hits a flipping kick to drop Fletcher, allowing the tag to Omega. Fletcher escapes You Can’t Escape so Omega settles for the Kotaro Crusher. Omega dives onto Fletcher on the floor but Takeshita cuts him off.

A top rope backsplash gives Takeshita two and a knee to the ribs gets two. The Snapdragon gets Omega out of trouble and everything breaks down with Ospreay giving Takeshita the Cheeky Nandos Kick. Everyone is own and we take a break, coming back with Ospreay chopping away at Fletcher. A powerbomb attempt is countered into a powerbomb (that was impressive) and Fletcher is down again.

Callis breaks up the Hidden Blade though and Takeshita sends Omega flying with a release German suplex. Ospreay is back up with a heck of a dive onto Fletcher on the floor, leaving Omega to V Trigger Takeshita for two. The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita two of his own and we need another breather. A not exactly smooth poisonrana takes Takeshita down so Omega tries a super One Winged Angel.

That’s broken up so Ospreay Hidden Blades Fletcher, only for the villains to come back with stereo Tombstones for two each. Back up and they slug it out until Takeshita knees Omega down for two. A Stundog Millionaire drops Fletcher but Takeshita breaks up the Hidden Blade. Omega sends Fletcher outside so Ospreay can hit a big flip dive over the post. Back in and a Hidden Blade/One Winged Angel combination finishes Takeshita (I would hope so) at 21:10.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was awesome and it was the kind of match that AEW has been needing. It was four guys going out there and just going nuts for over twenty minutes to pop the heck out of the crowd. Normally I would say that this should be it for the feud with the Callis Family, but the fact that it won’t be would only bring me down. This was a blast and a great opener.

TBS Title: Harley Cameron vs. Mercedes Mone

Mone is defending and poses on the top rope to start. A slam puts Cameron down again and Mone tells her to get out of her ring. Then why did you put her in the middle? It’s way too early for the Mone Maker and Cameron rubs her chest in Mone’s face. Naturally Cameron grabs her Mone puppet and hammers away in the corner, only for Mone to stomp on the puppet. The running knees in the corner give Mone two and another Meteora gets the same as we take a break.

Back with Cameron hitting a springboard bulldog and making the clothesline comeback. Mone grabs Three Amigos for the Eddie Dance but the frog splash hits knees. A baseball slide sends Cameron to the floor but she comes back with the puppet (as you do) and the fans start a FEEL THE WRATH chant. Back in and Cameron hits a Canadian Destroyer for two but Mone is back with a powerbomb. The top rope Meteora gives Mone two more so Cameron rolls her up for some near falls. A Swanton misses though and the Mone Maker retains the title at 12:52.

Rating: B. Cameron was working hard here but it probably would have been a step too far for her to win the title here. She hasn’t done much in the way of winning and while she has been on fire, having her beat Mone, even in Australia, would have stretched the realism a bit too far. That being said, Mone needs to move on already as it feels like she has been champion for about fourteen years.

Post match Mone mocks Momo Watanabe, who could get a title shot after her win at Wrestle Dynasty.

Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay are happy with their win. Omega wants Konosuke Takeshita for the International Title at Revolution. Ospreay wants Kyle Fletcher in a cage that night too. As the eternal feuds continue.

We recap Cope/Jay White vs. the Death Riders. Cope and White are sick of the Death Riders (making them the voice of the people) so it’s time for a Brisbane Brawl.

Cope/Jay White vs. Death Riders

Anything goes. Cope comes out first and the fans sing his song to him which is a rather cool moment. It’s a brawl (as it’s supposed to be) before the bell, during the bell and then after the bell with the Riders getting beaten down early on. Cope and Castagnoli go into the crowd, leaving White to send Moxley into the barricade.

A dive off a balcony takes Castagnoli down but Moxley puts White onto a table. Cope is back to break up the elbow through said table though, only for Castagnoli to take White out. Moxley puts Cope through the table and we take a break. Back with Cope hammering away but getting cut down with the Paradigm Shift.

White swings away with a kendo stick for a needed breather but gets sent into a chair into the corner to cut him right back down. A quick Blade Runner hits Castagnoli so here is Wheeler Yuta to whip White with a belt. That earns him a Blade Runner of his own and Cope spears Castagnoli through a table in the corner. Cope whips out a barbed wire chair to cut Moxley’s back open but Marina Shafir is in with a briefcase shot. Moxley chokes Cope 14:41.

Rating: B. It was another wild brawl and of course the Death Riders get the win because they’re all violent and hardcore. I’m not sure why Moxley choking Cope out a few weeks before their title match is supposed to make me want to see them fight again, but did I mention how violent Moxley is? And the villains have the briefcase back, making that whole thing quite the nothing story point.

Post match Moxley keeps up the choke until he just lets go.

International Title: Buddy Matthews vs. Kazuchika Okada

Okada is defending and naturally flips Matthews off rather than shaking his hand. Matthews takes him up against the ropes for a slap on the chest, with Okada flinching a bit. The dropkick misses for Okada but the stomp misses for Matthews and they go to a kneeling standoff. This time Matthews flips him off so Okada tries to walk off, earning him the designation of a w*****.

Okada comes back in so Matthews knees away, sending him right back to the floor for a needed breather. Back in and the dropkick sends Matthews off the top and to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Matthews hitting a top rope Meteora for two but Okada neckbreakers him down. The top rope elbow (more of a falling one than anything resembling a jump) lets Okada flip him off again, only for Matthews to grab the finger.

That’s broken up and Okada hits a quick Rainmaker for two, leaving him stunned, despite it rarely working the first time. The stomp and Matthews’ Law give Matthews two and the fans are NOT pleased. Back up and a superplex into the Jackhammer gives Matthews two more so he grabs the Prism Trap. Nigel: “Something of a tribute!” With the directionless tribute over (yes I know what he meant), Okada kicks him low and hits the Rainmaker to retain at 13:24.

Rating: B-. This had its moments but Okada doing the middle finger thing so often has lost its appeal over time. Other than that, it was Matthews doing his usually awesome stuff and looking good, though Okada has to hold the title for the better part of ever. Another Australian loses their title shot and I’m sure it should set up a big title change in the main event, but it’s also a bit disheartening.

Since just having Kenny Omega vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the title at Revolution is to easy, we’re getting an International Championship Series, with Roderick Strong vs. Orange Cassidy taking place next week on Dynamite, with the winner of that getting a title shot against Takeshita the next week. The winner of that gets Omega at Revolution, meaning that somehow the person who issued a challenge is in the title match (with his one singles win in over a year), but the champion has to earn his way in. Because AEW.

We recap Toni Storm challenging Mariah May for the Women’s Title. May beat her for the title, but Storm came back and faked amnesia to get the title back, despite already having the title match.

Women’s Title: Mariah May vs. Toni Storm

Storm is challenging and is introduced by Luther. They stare at each other to start with Storm taking her into the corner to take over fast. Storm has to be dragged off so May is back up with a Sling Blade into a dropkick into the corner. May Day is countered into a German suplex and Storm snaps off five more of them to really prove her point. They go outside with May sending her into the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Storm hitting some clotheslines before grabbing an STF. The rope gets May out of trouble and she grabs May Day on the floor to leave them both down. Back in and May dropkicks her into the corner but Storm is back up with the running hip attack. May grabs a pair of May Days for two so she yells at the referee, who shoves her back down. A Stratusphere is broken up and Storm hits a powerbomb into Storm Zero, with May rolling outside. Back in and May gets in a Storm Zero of her own, only for Storm to small package her to get the title back at 15:45.

Rating: B-. That was a really weird ending as Storm hit her finish but May was right back up, leaving Storm to win on almost a fluke ending. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want Storm to win dominantly in front of her home country crowd but at least we’re…back to where we were for months on end with Storm as champion. It’s the big feel good moment for the live fans, but Timeless Toni as champion has been done for a good while.

Overall Rating: A-. For a special show that aired on free TV, they nailed this with nothing close to a bad match and the big moment at the end. As usual, AEW is at its best when they ignore almost anything involving storylines and have a wrestling heavy show, and that’s pretty much everything they were doing here. Pretty awesome show, with the opener being great and the rest being more than good enough.

Results
Kenny Omega/Will Ospreay b. Don Callis Family – Hidden Blade/One Winged Angel combination to Takeshita
Mercedes Mone b. Harley Cameron – Mone Maker
Death Riders b. Cope/Jay White via referee stoppage
Kazuchika Okada b. Buddy Matthews – Rainmaker
Toni Storm b. Mariah May – Small package

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

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Collision
Date: February 8, 2025
Location: Fort Bend Epicenter, Rosenberg, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re closing in on Grand Slam and the show is mostly set up. The question now becomes what happens with everything already on the card but there is still the chance that something else is added tonight. Odds are we’ll get some good action as that tends to be the norm around here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Mark Briscoe and Kyle Fletcher are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Here are the Death Riders to jump security and get in the ring. Jon Moxley isn’t about to give Cope (or Adam Copeland) a title shot. Instead a tag match is set up for Grand Slam.

We run down the card.

Undisputed Kingdom vs. Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Daniel Garcia/Matt Menard/Angelo Parker

Strong and Taylor start things off, with Strong managing to kick him into the corner to start the beating. O’Reilly comes in but gets caught in the corner so the Infantry can start firing off the running forearms. Parker and Menard take over on Dean though, only for Menard to jump on commentary and brag about his team. Garcia comes in and hammers on Dean in the corner but it’s back to Taylor for a headbutt. The Promotions get to pose a lot and we take a break.

Back with Garcia suplexing his way to freedom and the Kingdom coming in to beat on the Infantry. Everything breaks down and the posing Cole gets rolled up for two, followed by a double clothesline to leave everyone down. Back up and the nine way brawl is on, with Garcia getting double stomped down hard. Taylor gets jumped on the floor, leaving Dean to get caught with the Boom to give Cole the pin at 13:15.

Rating: C+. There were a lot of people involved here and that made things a bit tricky to follow. You can only get so much out of this much, but maybe it leads to the Kingdom getting to do something more. Other than that, the Promotions get to lose again, which is probably the only reason they were there in the first place.

Post match the Death Riders run in to beat down the Kingdom. The beatdown is on, but Cole issues the challenge for the Trios Titles on Dynamite.

Video on FTR.

Max Cater says his open challenge is still set for Dynamite.

Bandido vs. Bryan Keith

The slugout is on with Keith knocking Bandido’s hat off, which isn’t the best way to bring him back to action. Back up and Bandido knocks him down but gets knocked out of the air as we take a break. We come back with Bandido hitting a spinning high crossbody into a one armed gorilla press for two.

Keith catches him on top with a high collar superplex and they’re both down again. They trade kicks to the head, then go back to back, nod at each other, march away, and hit running strikes for a double knockdown. Back up and Bandido flips him into a knee to the head, setting up the 21 Plex for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: B-. The showdown spot was funny enough and that’s all it needed to be. You had a logical match here and it worked out well, with Bandido getting a win on the way back. There is a good chance that Bandido gets the next title shot against Chris Jericho and having him win over Jericho’s good makes sense.

Powerhouse Hobbs challenges Big Bill for Dynamite.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Ares Alexander/Jay Alexander/Brick Savage

Ares gets planted with a pop up Samoan drop and the Bull’s Horns finishes at 1:24.

Post match the beatdown is on but Komander makes the save. Komander gets beaten down as well, with Hologram returning to make the save. Rush beats up some referees because he has to look strong. Komander getting beaten up is almost a free spot on the AEW Bingo card these days.

Thunder Rosa and Megan Bayne have a bit of a staredown before Rosa talks about being ready for Penelope Ford.

And now here is Harley Cameron for a concert, complete with the Mercedes Mone puppet. First up, she sings a song called The Money Train, which consists of saying the title over and over. Cue Mercedes Mone to interrupt, saying everyone is here to see her. The second song is about how Mone is scared to feel the wrath but Mone cuts her off, saying Cameron is a loser.

Cameron goes on a rant about how she’s worked hard to get here and has had her hand up Mone’s puppet’s a**. A mic shot puts Mone down and she agrees to the title match at Grand Slam. I could have gone for more of Cameron, but that would mean less Mone and that is just not ok.

We get a sitdown interview with Buddy Matthews and…an empty chair which is supposed to contain Kazuchika Okada. Eventually Okada strolls in, with Mathews talking about how it’s Australia’s best vs. Japan’s best. They go nose to nose and Okada calls him a b****, only for Matthews to make him flinch off the threat of violence.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Izzy James

Cross Rhodes and the Final Reckoning finish James at 25 seconds.

Post match Rhodes talks about how MJF calls himself the Devil but Rhodes has already beaten the Devil up. He has been doing this in five decades and put in the effort and MJF can’t do the same thing. Rhodes issues the challenge for next week on Dynamite.

The Death Riders are ready to beat the Undisputed Kingdom next week.

Thunder Rosa vs. Penelope Ford

A local sports mascot comes out with Rosa, who fights over a lockup with Ford to start. Rosa goes up top but gets forearmed outside as we take an early break. Back with Ford getting two off a gutbuster but missing a charge into the post. Rosa’s running dropkick connects against the ropes and a northern lights suplex gets two. Ford is back up with a handspring elbow in the corner and a lick to Rosa’s face (yep) sets up a missed moonsault. Back up and Ford hits a quick dropkick only to get caught in a Tijuana Bomb to give Rosa the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Yes Ford loses a fairly big match. I’m not sure why this should be even slightly surprising, as that is just what she does every time she’s out there. The match was fine, though I kept waiting for the mascot to do something. It’s a good enough match, ubt Rosa seems to be set up for a big match with Megan Bayne instead.

Post match Megan Bayne comes out for the staredown, with Ford jumping Rosa from behind. Bayne drops Rosa with an F5.

We look at Ricochet cheating to beat Swerve Strickland and stealing Prince Nana’s robe. Then over the weekend, Strickland attacked Ricochet at an independent show but couldn’t get the robe back.

Someone named Bun B is here but Ricochet interrupts and mocks him for being Strickland’s friend. Ricochet tries a burger that Bun seems to have provided and spits it out. Ricochet beats up the food worker as Bun isn’t happy.

Mariah May vs. Shay KarMichael

Non-title and a running knee sets up May Day to finish KarMichael at 24 seconds.

Post match May attacks KarMichael with lipstick but here is Luther (Toni Storm’s butler) for a distraction. Cue Storm to jump May, sending her running.

The Don Callis Family beats up various people backstage, with Mark Davis joining in.

Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher strikes away in the corner to start but Briscoe is back up in a hurry. Briscoe knocks him to the floor and loads up a table, only to get launched head first into the post. An apron bomb rocks Briscoe and we take a break, coming back with Briscoe, head being rather busted open.

A double clothesline leaves both of them down before Briscoe grabs a suplex for two. Fletcher is back with a flipping butterfly powerbomb for two but Briscoe catches him with a fisherman’s buster. The Froggy Bow is broken up but so is the counter, only for Fletcher to come back with a brainbuster for two.

Briscoe knocks him off the top and out to the floor, where a Froggy Bow sends a standing Fletcher through the table. Back in and a super Jay Driller is broken up, allowing Fletcher to catch him on top instead. Fletcher hits a brainbuster onto the top turnbuckle to knock Briscoe silly for the pin at 14:55.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up pretty well and that’s all it needed to be. Fletcher was doing his usual thing, while Briscoe was doing the same, which means looking good in defeat. This is a way to tie things together with the Continental Classic, but at the same time it would be nice to see Briscoe get another win here or there.

Post match Fletcher promises to win at Grand Slam.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice show here and I liked having some of those matches go short. There was no reason for those to go long and thankfully they got to the point, which made things that much better. It makes you wonder how long a match will go while still being effective. That’s something AEW has been missing and it helped things here. Good enough show here, with some stuff being advanced for the upcoming bigger events.

Results
Undisputed Kingdom b. Shane Taylor Promotions and Daniel Garcia/Matt Menard/Angelo Parker – Boom to Dean
Bandido b. Bryan Keith – 21 Plex
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Ares Alexander/Jay Alexander/Brick Savage – Bull’s Horns to Ares
Dustin Rhodes b. Izzy James – Final Reckoning
Thunder Rosa b. Penelope Ford – Tijuana Bomb
Mariah May b. Shay KarMichael – May Day
Kyle Fletcher b. Mark Briscoe – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle

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: February 5, 2025
Location: Gateway Arena Center At College Park, College Park, Georgia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

We are just over a week away from Grand Slam and that means it is time to finish hammering home the card. Most of it is either set or almost set, which leaves a few spots to be filled in. There is a chance that we get something new added this week, though it could go in a few different ways. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Renee Paquette talks to Jay White, who says he has to rely on Rated FTR to take out the Death Riders. Cue the Death Riders and cue Rated FTR to even things up, with the brawl coming into the arena. Yuta gets taken out and Cope adds a spear to send the villains running. With the Riders out in t he crowd, Cope again issues the challenge for a World Title shot at Revolution. That’s a no from Moxley, so White issues a challenge for a tag match at Grand Slam.

We run down tonight’s card.

Buddy Matthews challenges Kazuchika Okada for the Continental Title again, with Okada saying no again.

Will Ospreay vs. ???

It’s the newest member of the Don Callis family….Mark Davis. Ospreay isn’t happy and gets chopped down as Callis is on commentary, talking about how he signed Aussie Open so he owns Davis. Back up and Davis knocks him into the corner before hitting a suplex. Ospreay is back up with a Phenomenal Forearm though and we take a break.

We come back with Ospreay hitting a DDT to send Davis outside, with the big dive taking him down again. Back in and Ospreay strikes away, only to get piledriven for two. Davis yells at the referee and thanks to the distraction, gets taken down by the Hidden Blade for the pin at 10:58.

Rating: B-. Having Davis as the newest member of the team is something that makes sense, but egads it doesn’t do much for the interest. It wasn’t a bad match, but I could go a very long time without seeing Ospreay dealing with anything related to Callis again. Just get to the tag match and let that be enough already.

Post match Ospreay grabs the mic and says that he and his new friend will take out the Don Callis Family in Australia. Cue Kenny Omega to say he’s back and ready to fight. He hits his catchphrase and a lot of pyro goes off, with Omega saying it surprised him.

Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet, complete with clips from their issues before they got to AEW.

Here is the Hurt Syndicate to celebrate their title win. Private Party was a good team, but the Syndicate is going to take out anyone who comes after them. They are open or business, so here are the Gunns to interrupt. The Gunns want their titles back and say that hurting someone is the point of being in wrestling. MVP agrees to the title match, even if they are a couple of “A** Boys.” Austin says something in response but it’s censored, even with the fans cheering rather loudly. Simple and to the point here.

Harley Cameron, with her Mercedes Mone puppet, are ready for Cameron’s concert on Collision. Mone comes in to mock Cameron for only getting her first win. Now stay away from her locker room.

Hangman Page isn’t going to accept the idea of feeling sorry for Swerve Strickland. He took out Christopher Daniels but here is Max Caster to say it’s his time for an interview. A match seems made for later.

Don Callis Family vs. Hounds Of Hell

Fletcher works on Matthews’ arm to start but it’s quickly off to Takeshita, who gets to slug away at King. Everything breaks down and they all fight to the floor, where King puts both villains in the same chair for a running crossbody. We take a break and come back with King fighting out of the corner, including a hard clothesline to Takeshita.

A German suplex doesn’t do much to King so they clothesline each other down. Matthews’ running flip dive to the floor takes both of them out again…and here is Kazuchika Okada for the interruption. Takeshita hits a dropkick/top rope backsplash combination, setting up a hanging DDT for two on King. An assisted brainbuster finishes King at 14:14.

Rating: B. Good match here, but I’m not sure about the logic behind having the Hounds lose so soon into their new run. It seems rather early for them to lose and that isn’t the most logical way to go. Hopefully they get a nice win sooner than later, because otherwise I’m not sure I get the thinking.

Hook and Samoa Joe go to find Christian Cage but have to settle for beating up his minions. With Hook and Joe gone, Cage and Mother Wayne come in to survey the damage.

Here is MJF for a chat. MJF blames Jeff Jarrett for his issues and reminds Jarrett that the E in AEW isn’t for “elderly”. No one is on his level so here is Max Caster to interrupt. Cue Hangman Page to go after Caster but he gets in MJF’s face instead. With Page gone, Dustin Rhodes (erg) cuts off the catchphrase and believe it or not, he’s in a bad mood. Rhodes gets on MJF for insulting Owen Hart’s memory because that was Rhodes’ friend.

Stop talking about people who have substance abuse issues because Rhodes is sixteen years sober. Rhodes talks about how he’s been here for a long time and is still just as good as ever. MJF mocks Rhodes for thinking he’s better before saying it took 37 years for Rhodes to get out of his father’s shadow. Now he’s in his little brother’s shadow and the brawl is on, with security breaking it up. Nice promo from Rhodes, but not enough to overcome the fact that it’s Dustin Rhodes.

Toni Storm vs. Queen Aminata

Mariah May is on commentary…and Storm is dressed as May. Storm has the mannerisms and look down, with the real May looking furious. They fight over a headlock to start with Storm taking her down as May vents about how she did this months ago. And where did she get that outfit? Aminata sends her into the ropes but gets hip attacked out to the floor. Back up and Aminata hits a suicide dive, taking off some of Storm’s hair extensions with her.

We take a break and come back with May complaining that Storm doesn’t have the chest to make the impression work. Storm Zero is countered into a rollup to give Aminata two and they trade the big forearms. Aminata knocks her into the corner for the running shot to the face but Storm hits a DDT. The running knee sets up May Day for the pin on Aminata at 9:05.

Rating: C. This was two things at once, as Storm absolutely nailed everything about May and was doing a pretty awesome impression. The problem, which tends to be a recurring issue in AEW, was having Aminata hang in there with the #1 contender for almost ten minutes. This should have been Storm massacring someone while having fun but instead we get this, which felt like it was more about building Aminata than anything else. They missed badly with this one, which is a shame as Storm was great.

Post match Renee Paquette gets in and Storm insists that she is Mariah May. The real May gets on the apron but walks off instead.

Dustin Rhodes wants to fight MJF.

Video on Big Bill vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, with Bandido returning last weekend.

The Learning Tree gives us a live New York Minute and doesn’t like Bandido being back. Jericho issues a $200,000 bounty for Bandido so Bryan Keith can collect it. Cue Powerhouse Hobbs to go after Bill, with the Outrunners coming in to even things up. Bill and Hobbs brawl around ringside and we take a break.

Post break the brawl is still having to be broken up.

Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet

Ricochet chairs Strickland from behind before the bell, setting up Vertigo for two at the bell. A backbreaker keeps Strickland in trouble and a running dropkick sends him to the floor. They go to the barricade where Strickland powerbombs his way out of a hurricanrana (that looked great). Ricochet gets sent into the corner and we take a break.

Back with Ricochet hitting a Codebreaker out of the corner, followed by a backbreaker. Both of them escape powerbombs until Strickland grabs a World’s Strongest Slam for two. The House Call into he Swerve Stomp gets two on Ricochet, who is right back up with a springboard 450. The shooting star press gives Ricochet two more but the Spirit Gun is countered with a House Call. Strickland tries the Stomp but Ricochet gets his fists up for a low blow. The Spirit Gun finishes Strickland at 13:24.

Rating: B. The build to this match was a bit odd with the gold scissors coming out of nowhere, but what mattered here was having a fight for the match itself. That’s what we got here and it worked well, making this feel like a main event which had been set up. Good, hard hitting fight, but dang enough with Strickland losing.

Post match Ricochet steals Prince Nana’s robe to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Oddly enough, the show with the least Death Riders involvement is one of the better shows AEW has had in a bit. They had some good matches here and while there was a bit to much Don Callis Family for my liking, this was a show that kept me interested throughout. What mattered here was setting up more for Grand Slam, which should be going well. Nice stuff here, and again, how nice it was to not deal with the Death Riders.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Mark Davis – Hidden Blade
Don Callis Family b. Hounds Of Hell – Assisted brainbuster to King
Toni Storm b. Queen Aminata – May Day
Ricochet b. Swerve Strickland – Spirit Gun

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

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Collision
Date: February 1, 2025
Location: Propst Arena At Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We have two weeks to go before we get to Grand Slam and the top of the card has come together. The show has some more spots to fill in though and we’ll start taking care of that this week. As for this week, we have a Mid-South street fight, despite not being in the Mid-South (well, at least the wrestling version). Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Hook/Samoa Joe vs. The Patriarchy

Wayne shoulders Hook down to start but gets suplexed for his efforts. Joe comes in but misses a charge into the corner, allowing Sabian to kick away. That doesn’t work for Joe, who runs Sabian over and hits the backsplash. Hook comes back in but gets taken into the wrong corner so the villains can take over.

Sabian grabs a chinlock as Schiavone rattles off the rest of the card, sounding more robotic than ever. A double suplex gives Wayne two but Hook is over to the corner without much trouble. Joe comes back in, hits the release Rock Bottom out of the corner, and MuscleBusters Sabian for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: C. This was what it needed to be, with Joe getting in there and smashing through everyone as soon as he got the chance. That’s the point of someone like Joe, as he is an absolute monster when he gets the chance. Joe vs. Cage could be interesting, though Joe should have something to do with Chris Jericho first.

Post match Christian Cage comes in with the metal contract and lays the winners out.

Cope thinks Jon Moxley is always whining about something and was stupid to hide the World Title in a briefcase. He wants Moxley at Revolution. Logical, but dang that’s a long time to sit through this feud.

The Beast Mortos vs. Adam Priest

The discus lariat and the spinning piledriver finish Priest at 44 seconds. Yep.

Post match here is Max Caster to say he doesn’t want to fight, but he does want to issue his first open challenge.

Max Caster vs. Rush

Rush isn’t having any of this waiting around to start and pounds Caster into the corner to start. The Bull’s Horns finishes at 1:03. Yep again.

Post match Rush and Mortos, with Dralistico get in the ring so Rush can do his catchphrase.

The Outrunners think the Learning Tree need to dig two graves.

Outrunners vs. Learning Tree

Big Bill is here with the Learning Tree. Jericho pokes Magnum in the eyes to start and takes those eyes into the corner for some raking. Floyd comes in for some alternating atomic drops and the villains are cleared out to the floor. Bill gets in a big boot for a cheap shot though and we take a break.

Back with Floyd getting to clean house but the Mega Powers elbow takes too long. Jericho gets the Walls on Floyd but Magnum comes back in with a suplex. NOW the Mega Powers elbow can connect, only for Bill to break up Total Recall. Keith small packages Floyd for the pin at 8:21.

Rating: C+. Maybe I was stupid for thinking they could do something with the Outrunners, but here they are losing to bigger teams. I know they weren’t going to be AEW Tag Team Champions, but they could have beaten some biggish team in a funny feud. Instead, they are the latest stars to be sacrifice on the altar of Jericho.

Post match, Big Bill beats up the Outrunners again. A double chokeslam through the table is loaded up but Bandido comes in for the save. Keith goes through the table instead.

Kyle Fletcher wants to even the score with Mark Briscoe. They’re set for next week.

Buddy Matthews again challenges Kazuchika Okada, who isn’t interested. B******* ensues.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Harley Cameron

Taya jumps her to start and stomps away in the corner, only to get kicked in the head. Back up and the sliding German suplex drops Cameron and we take a break. We come back with the fans chanting FEEL THE WRATH and Cameron hitting a Canadian Destroyer. Cameron misses a Swanton but gets speared, only for Cameron to roll her up for the pin and her first AEW victory at 7:34.

Rating: C. Now THIS is what AEW needs to do more often. It wasn’t some stunning upset or total nonsense, but one of the most popular stars in the promotion got a clean win. They still have time to do this on the way to Grand Slam where Cameron likely gets to lose to Mercedes Mone. Not a particularly good match, but it was what the fans wanted to see and it went well.

We get a sitdown interview with Ricochet, who is happy to be here among the best around. Then the fans turned on him and threw toilet paper at him. Swerve Strickland thought it was a good idea to join the fans booing him. Cue Strickland to say he could end Ricochet but that would disappoint fans in Atlanta. Strickland talks about how the two of them have a long history and now it is going to be a fight, which Ricochet can’t win. Ricochet talks about how he doesn’t care about the fans and they’ll see each other in Atlanta. Nice stuff here, as they’re making this feel like a showdown.

Here is Toni Storm to say that she has been playing the role of Toni Storm for the last six weeks. Naturally no one got this because she’s such a great actress. She has to run away after Mariah May broke her heart and now she has seen everything she has. May is a “shambolic b****.” and her time is over. At least they’re winking at the fact that it wasn’t a big surprise.

Video on Christopher Daniels.

Harley Cameron is outside of Mercedes Mone’s dressing room….and whips out a Mone puppet for some outstanding ventriloquism. Mone comes in to mock Cameron for being a loser who doesn’t get to ride the money train. Sweet goodness this woman is talented.

Video on Daniel Garcia.

TNT Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Lee Moriarty

Garcia is defending and Moriarty’s ROH Pure Title isn’t on the line. Feeling out process to start with neither going much of anywhere. We get the parade of holds with neither being able to get very far, meaning it’s another standoff. Moriarty gets sent outside so the other two can get kicked in the face. A big dive drops O’Reilly and Garcia and we take a break.

Back with Moriarty hitting an Eat Defeat/Downward Spiral combination for two each. Some double teaming takes Moriarty down until an exchange of kicks leaves everyone down. Garcia hammers away at both of them in the corner. With O’Reilly down, Garcia gets the Dragon Slayer but O’Reilly breaks it up. Moriarty’s associate Shane Taylor punches Garcia into the Border City Stretch but Garcia reverses into the jackknife cover for the retaining pin at 11:31.

Rating: B-. This was mostly just a nice wrestling match, but CAN WE STOP PINNING RING OF HONOR CHAMPIONS??? If you don’t want O’Reilly to lose here then fine, but don’t put another champion in there to take the fall. Heck you had Shane Taylor RIGHT THERE on the floor to take the fall instead. This is one of those things that Tony Khan does far too often and it drives me insane.

Post match Shane Taylor Promotions surround O’Reilly and Garcia but the Undisputed Kingdom makes the save.

Video on Penelope Ford vs. Thunder Rosa.

Hologram is walking the streets and seems to have electrical powers.

Megan Bayne vs. Hyena Hera

Bayne powers her into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs to start and hits a pump kick for a knockdown. An F5 finishes Hera at 1:25. That’s how she should have debuted rather than being just another name in the Casino Gauntlet.

Lio Rush might take up Darius Martin’s challenge. Maybe.

Mariah May is ready to watch Toni Storm vs. Queen Aminata.

Kris Statlander apologizes to Willow Nightingale over their issues. Nightingale says it’s time to focus on herself, but Statlander pulls out their friendship bracelet, showing it was never broken.

Death Riders vs. FTR

Street fight and FTR jumps them in the crowd to start fast. The weapons are brought in rather quickly and the Riders fight back, with Cash being sent into the steps to put him down. Harwood is sent into them as well and Moxley puts him in a chair for a kick to the face and two, as “Mid-South Street Fight” apparently means falls count anywhere. Yuta chairs Harwood in the ring and here is Moxley with some pliers. Cash fights up and helps clean some house but Moxley pliers Harwood’s nose…and we take a break. Because of course.

We come back with Moxley pouring out the thumbtacks, only to get powerbombed onto them. Cash and Yuta fight over a suplex before Cash settles for a suicide dive. Moxley Death Riders Cash on the floor and puts a table up in the corner. The double suplex is broken up and Harwood hits a brainbuster for a needed breather.

Harwood grabs Moxley low, only for Marina Shafir to come in and grab Harwood low. Shafir grabs a choke but gets sent through the table in the corner for his efforts. A piledriver sets up a Sharpshooter on Moxley so here is Claudio Castagnoli for the save. Cue Jay White and Cope to even things up, with Yuta getting piledriven through the announcers’ able for the pin at 16:51.

Rating: B-. Quite the fight here and it’s nice to see the Riders lose, but at the same time, it was quite a bit of the same stuff that we have seen in this kind of a match before. The match did come a bit out of nowhere, though apparently this was the last minute replacement for Powerhouse Hobbs due to his injury, so fair enough. Good stuff here, but the Death Riders in general are just not that interesting.

Post match the Riders keep up the beating but get taken out, with a Shatter Machine and spear dropping Moxley. The Conchairto is broken up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice enough show here, even if the audience is going to be crushed by the Royal Rumble. The last two non-squash matches were pretty good and I liked them throwing in some shorter matches to keep things moving. It’s not a show you need to see, but it was perfectly enjoyable.

Results
Hook/Samoa Joe b. The Patriarchy – MuscleBuster to Sabian
The Beast Mortos b. Adam Priest – Spinning piledriver
Rush b. Max Caster – Bull’s Horns
Learning Tree b. Outrunners – Small package to Keith
Harley Cameron b. Taya Valkyrie – Rollup
Daniel Garcia b. Lee Moriarty and Kyle O’Reilly – Jackknife rollup to Moriarty
Megan Bayne b. Hyena Hera – F5
FTR b. Death Riders – Spike piledriver through the announcers’ table to Yuta

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Collision
Date: January 25, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

It’s Homecoming because we can’t go a week without some kin of special show. It is nice to be back in Daily’s Place though as we should be in for a fun show. We are less than a month away from Grand Slam and it should be time to start getting the rest of the card put together so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The Patriarchy, Toni Storm, Mariah May and Samoa Joe are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Jim Ross is back. That’s nice to see.

Samoa Joe vs. Nick Wayne

The rest of the Patriarchy is here so Katsuyori Shibata and Hook come out to even things up. You know, assuming Joe wouldn’t be able to smash the entire team on his own. Wayne strikes away to start but misses a shoulder, allowing Joe to hit a backsplash. The early MuscleBuster is broken up and Joe’s leg is wrapped around the ropes. Wayne hits a dive to the floor and it’s time to say on the leg. Joe isn’t having this though as he knocks Wayne back and hits the MuscleBuster for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: C. That’s what this should have been as Wayne was going to be little more than an annoyance to Joe at best. Joe shrugged off whatever Wayne threw at him and finished him in a hurry. There is no point in making this overly complicated and that is what they made work here. Joe is going to be on his way to something better so smashing the Patriarchy on the way there isn’t a bad idea.

We recap Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay brawling with the Don Callis Family on Dynamite, setting up the tag match at Grand Slam.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Komander

Non-title. Komander starts fast with a knockdown and reverses a suplex into a quickly broken choke. Okada isn’t having this and kicks him in the face before going outside. A DDT plants Komander hard and we take an early break. Back with Komander grabbing an X Factor out of a powerbomb and picking up the pace. Okada’s White Noise onto the knee sets up the top rope elbow but the Rainmaker is blocked. Komander grabs a hurricanrana to the floor and hits a moonsault, only to get Rainmakered for the pin at 8:59.

Rating: B-. Hey look: a Ring Of Honor champion loses AGAIN, but we’re still expected to pay to watch that the show. There was no reason for Komander to be Okada’s latest victim here as the champion vs. champion aspect wasn’t much of a bonus. But why let common sense get in the way of something Tony Khan thinks is cool?

Powerhouse Hobbs and Big Bill get in a fight in the parking lot. They hit each other with metal objects, including a gate that Hobbs rips off a fence. Security breaks it up.

The Costco Guys are back but get interrupted by the Undisputed Kingdom for a Boom off.

Undisputed Kingdom vs. Daniel Garcia/Angelo Parker/Matt Menard

Oh hey Parker still works here. Garcia headlocks Cole over to start but they pop up for a staredown. Strong and Menard come in with the former working on a wristlock before grinding on a headlock. Garcia comes in and is quickly backdropped to the floor, where he gets in an argument with Shane Taylor Promotions. We take a break and come back with Garcia hammering on O’Reilly in the corner. O’Reilly fights out without much trouble and hands it back to Cole for a slugout with Garcia. Everything breaks down and Parker is faceplanted for two. A superkick cuts off Garcia and the high/low finishes Parker at 9:55.

Rating: C. This was little more than a handicap match as there was no reason to believe that Parker and Menard were going to be a real threat to the Kingdom. In theory one of these three could be coming after Garcia’s TNT Title, which would be fine, but it didn’t make for much of a six man tag. Parker and Menard are harmless enough but they’re about as bottom of the barrel as you can get around here.

Respect is shown post match.

Max Caster is happy with the response to the Acclaimed’s split and announces an Open Challenge series.

We get a bunch of computer code as I’m guessing Hologram is coming back.

Top Flight argues over Action Andretti and Lio Rush. Darius Martin wants to fight Rush one on one.

Tony Schiavone brings out Mariah May and Toni Storm for a face to face chat. Storm’s enthusiastic handshake offer is turned down and May says Storm makes her think and feel nothing. Storm is nothing and a joke and the fans laugh at her, just like May knew they would. May will get off by humiliating Storm in her hometown.

Storm says she is May’s biggest fan and wants to be just like her. She hugs May, who responds with a heck of a slap. May whips her with the belt and leaves, but Storm asks why May thinks she has forgotten. Storm takes off her clothes to reveal the Timeless gear and promises to shove May back into the womb. For some reason this is presented as a surprise, despite it being pretty obvious for most of the story.

There is a special interview with the Death Riders debuting next week. Jon Moxley’s vision is a thousand Moxleys. Oh dear.

Hounds Of Hell vs. Gates Of Agony

The Hounds are Buddy Matthews/Brody King with Julia Hart as the House Of Black seems to be completely done. Matthews shoulders Kaun to no effect to start and is shouldered into the corner. King and Toa collide before striking it out until King is taken into the wrong corner to take over. That doesn’t last long as King fights out and brings Matthews back in to clean house.

We take a break and come back with Open The Gates getting two on Matthews. The comeback doesn’t take long and it’s off to King to clean house, including a Death Valley Driver for two on Toa. A Samoan drop gets the same on King, who Kaun can’t powerbomb. Instead King hits a piledriver and a Cannonball/running dropkick combination in the corner finishes Kaun at 10:04.

Rating: B-. The Hounds are already a good team so this was little more than a way to show that Malakai Black is gone and they’ll be fine. The Gates aren’t a great team but they’re a couple of monsters and it looks good for the Hounds to beat them. This was a nice way to show us the new team and I’m interested in seeing what they can do. A hoss fight with the Hurt Syndicate could work just fine.

The Costco Guys bring Harley Cameron, who can’ t get their catchphrase right. The Vendetta comes in to mock Cameron and the Guys do their catchphrase. Again.

Penelope Ford and Thunder Rosa argue and a match seems to be made.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Serena Deeb vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Queen Aminata

For a future TBS Title shot. They go for early rollups to start to limited avail, leaving Purrazzo to chill on the ramp with Taya Valkyrie. Deeb ties up Aminata’s leg before neckbreakering her over the top rope. Sakazaki clears the ring and hits a big dive to take everyone out on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Purrazzo Fujiwara armbarring Aminata, who rolls her way out. Everyone but Deeb is down but Sakazaki is back with a high crossbody to take her down. Deeb and Aminata brawl up the ramp so Valkyrie comes in, only for Harley Cameron to come in for the save. Sakazaki rolls Purrazzo up for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: B-. So Sakazaki, who hasn’t gotten a singles win since September (the most recent of these four to win a singles match in AEW is Purrazzo, who won a squash more than a month ago), is suddenly in a four way for a title shot. Sure, why not. The match was the usual collection of four people with nothing going on suddenly getting into the title picture because it’s not like there are people here doing things who could be in these slots instead. But hey, at least Mone gets to wrestle one of her friends from Japan, because that’s what matters the most.

The Hounds are back and bark but Kazuchika Okada comes in to say they sound like b******. Buddy Murphy challenges him for the Continental Title but that’s a no. Murphy: “Then you’re the b****.” Okada: “I’m not a b****.” This has been “how much can we get out of a one word joke”.

Here is Big Bill to call out Powerhouse Hobbs. Cue Hobbs, who has to beat up security, allowing Bill to hit him with a backpack. Said backpack contains a brick, a knee brace, and handcuffs. Hobbs is cuffed and beaten, with his nose busted open. Bill beats him with a chair but Hobbs gets in a low blow, setting up the belly to belly off the stage through a table.

The Don Callis Family has dinner at the….Don Callis Mansion? Callis tells the team to be ready for Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay and teases a new member. This was so over the top that it was funny.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Shibata is challenging and Don Callis is on commentary. They go to the mat to start as Callis confirms that yes, he does think everyone else is stupid. Shibata slips out of a headscissors but can’t get in a kick to the head so they get back up. They head outside with Shibata being sent into the barricade but he cuts off a charge with a hard kick.

We take a break and come back with Shibata striking away, setting up a butterfly suplex for two. An exchange of suplexes sets up an STO to put Takeshita down and we get a double breather. Shibata grabs a choke but Takeshita reverses into a Tombstone into a wheelbarrow suplex.

Shibata pops back up for a running shot and they’re both down again. The abdominal stretch has Takeshita in trouble so Callis heads to the ring. Takeshita chokes him down but Callis grabs the foot to break up the PK. One heck of a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita one and they strike it out, only for Raging Fire to retain the title at 13:32.

Rating: B+. I got way into this one and it was a heck of a main event. They were beating each other up and while I didn’t think Shibata was going to win the title, he put in an awesome effort in defeat. This is one of those matches where there isn’t much else to say other than it was really good and is worth a look if you get the chance.

Overall Rating: B-. As tends to be the case with a lot of Collisions, there is a really good hour long show in here but instead it was stretched out to two hours and brought down a lot. The issues with random people being thrown into title contention are still going strong and that is likely to be the case forever around here. Other than that, the main event is very good and the Hounds looked great, so there were definitely some big positives on this show.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Nick Wayne – MuscleBuster
Kazuchika Okada b. Komander – Rainmaker
Undisputed Kingdom b. Daniel Garcia/Angelo Parker/Matt Menard – High/Low to Parker
Hounds Of Hell b. Gates Of Agony – Cannonball/running dropkick in the corner combination to Kaun
Yuka Sakazaki b. Serena Deeb, Queen Aminata and Deonna Purrazzo – Rollup to Purrazzo
Konosuke Takeshita b. Katsuyori Shibata – Raging Fire

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

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Dynamite
Date: January 22, 2025
Location: Knoxville Civic Auditorium, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Taz, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We are closing in on Grand Slam and that means it is time to start getting ready for the show. There is a good chance that we are going to see something set up this week, as we are starting up some big things. Revolution is coming up as well and that means there are a lot of things going on. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Will Ospreay to get things going, with Kenny Omega coming out to join him. Sidenote: like him or not, Omega gets the superstar entrance to end them all around here and there is no way around it. The fans love him and he comes off like the king of the world. Ospreay talks about how Omega came back in a weird time because the Death Riders are holding the World Title hostage and Ospreay wants to do something about it but can’t get away from the Don Callis Family.

Omega talks about them fighting at Forbidden Door, where Ospreay tried to drop him on his head. That makes Ospreay no better than Callis, and no matter what he does, Omega is still better. Ospreay can take the #2 spot, but Omega has the #1 spot locked up. Cue Callis but Omega immediately goes after him, with Konosuke Takeshita jumping Omega. Kyle Fletcher comes in for the beatdown and Ospreay, eventually, comes in for the save.

The big brawl is on with Callis sending in the Murder Machines and the big fight heads into the concourse. Ospreay and Omega fight back and put Lance Archer through a well placed merchandise table. The brawl heads back into the arena, with Omega and Ospreay hitting some gorgeous dives off various structures to take the villains down. Omega and Ospreay climb the light structure and Omega says next time it’s Callis’ turn. Omega issues the challenge for Grand Slam to Takeshita and Fletcher.

The catchphrase is loaded up and, after Omega’s music starts and stops, he gets it in. Then Omega wants to get down because he is scared of heights (fair enough as I can relate). This was a heck of an opening segment, mainly because Omega and Ospreay were acting like superheroes, which is where they shine. The only drawback was they were doing it against Don Callis, as the energy just goes sailing out the window whenever he’s around.

Video on Pac.

The Death Riders talk about how Cope is in a world he doesn’t understand. He’s willing to finish the job on Cope’s neck because they don’t have time for relics of the past.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate vs. Private Party

The Syndicate, with MVP on commentary, is challenging. Lashley takes over on Quen to start before handing it off to Benjamin. A neckbreaker/Swanton combination gives Kassidy a quick two but Lashley grabs Quen from the apron. The Syndicate is sent to the floor, where they catch stereo dives and hit belly to belly suplexes.

We take a break and come back with Kassidy having been put through the announcers’ table and Quen being thrown around by Benjamin. Kassidy is back up and Quen fights up, allowing the tag off to Kassidy to pick up the pace. A pop up dropkick hits Benjamin and a 450 gets two, with Lashley making the save. Lashley spears Kassidy in half for the pin and the titles at 9:10.

Rating: B-. This was how the match should have gone, as Private Party has not felt important since winning the titles. The problem came down to they have done nothing in AEW other than beat the Young Bucks twice. Since winning the titles, they have mainly sat back while teams qualified to face them or watched Action Andretti/Lio Rush vs. Top Flight. What else was supposed to happen here? The Syndicate has looked like monsters since showing up and them winning the titles is the right move.

Video on Mariah May vs. Toni Storm at Grand Slam.

Harley Cameron gives Toni Storm a pep talk. In Australian. Renee Paquette: “I didn’t get a word of that.”

Karen Jarrett tries to calm Jeff Jarrett down but he’s got this.

Here is Jeff Jarrett for a chat. Jarrett talks about being on after Jerry Lawler one night and not doing quite as well, including on the microphone. After the match, Lawler asked what Jarrett was thinking. Never get in the gutter with your opponent, like he did with MJF last week. They’ll deal with that one day, but for now, he wants Jon Moxley out here.

Moxley’s music plays but Claudio Castagnoli comes in to jump Jarrett instead. Castagnoli says no one gets to Moxley without getting through him first, so stay out of their business. With Castagnoli in the crowd, Jarrett challenges him for next week, with a title shot coming if he wins. I guess Jarrett might get the title hot in Australia, which is certainly a choice they could make.

Video on Megan Bayne.

Swerve Strickland vs. AR Fox

They fight over a suplex to start until Swerve sends him outside for a moonsault. Back in and Swerve drops him gain without much trouble and we take a break. We come back with Fox working on the arm and hitting a step up moonsault to the floor. Swerve fights back but cue Ricochet for a distraction. Prince Nana whips out a pipe to chase him off, leaving Fox to hit a quick Lo Mein Pain for two, only to miss the 450. Swerve is back with the rolling Downward Spiral into the House call. Fox has to scoot WAY over so the Swerve Stomp can finish at 9:15.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly fine match between two guys who know how to work well with each other. It also didn’t go quite as long as I was expecting and that is nice to see for a change. Strickland didn’t give up a ton of offense and it made things better. Nana whipping out a pipe from nowhere was amusing enough as a bonus.

Post match Ricochet pops up to show that he has Prince Nana held a scissors point. They’ll meet next week. I’m still not sure about Ricochet as this crazy violent guy, but that’s where we’re going. Or at least what is being teased.

We look at Powerhouse Hobbs getting a win in a twelve man tag on Collision.

The Learning Tree is happy to be here in Knoxville, in the Rocky Mountains. Big Bill seems ok with the loss but Chris Jericho isn’t happy. What is Bill going to do about it? Bill gets serious and challenges Hobbs for Collision. They really aren’t going to stretch this Learning Tree stuff out until Eddie Kingston is back right?

Here is MJF, who orders a jobber to get out of his ring. MJF wants an apology from Jeff Jarrett because it is hilarious that Jarrett thinks he can win a World Title in 2025 without MJF’s help. Maybe he is as senile as he looks. The reality is that wrestling does not love Jarrett anymore and neither do these fans. A mediocre strength DOUBLE J chant slows things down a bit before MJF says Jarrett might go better off making by making a deal with the devil rather than defying him.

Hangman Page vs. ???

It’s the same guy who MJF sent to the floor before the match and it’s a Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 33 seconds.

Post match Page gives him the Angel’s Wings. Christopher Daniels comes out to say he regrets taking the match with Page, because his neck is so damaged that his doctors have advised him to never wrestle again. He hopes Page can be happy and then walks away, leaving Page looking a bit shaken. That sounds like the end of Daniels’ career and the start of Page coming back to reality.

Mercedes Mone is ready to continue her international expansion. She’s ready to fight in Australia so here is Harley Cameron to challenger her. In song. She’s going to make Mone feel her wrath because four belts is a bit much. Mone says no because Cameron hasn’t won a mach on AEW TV. Renee Paquette does compliment the song.

Jamie Hayter vs. Julia Hart

they go outside to start and Hart is sent into the barricade. Then Hart is sent into the barricade and steps as this is a rather violent match to start. A missile dropkick gives Hayter two but Hart pulls her off the middle rope to send Hayter face first into the buckle. We take a break and come back with Hayter knocking her off the top for a double knockdown.

Hayter snaps off some German suplexes and hits a spinebuster for two. The half crab sends Hart over to the ropes and she grabs an Octopus hold. Hayter powers out and hits a backbreaker but Hart crucifix bombs her for two more. Hart stops to glare at the crowd though and the Hatebreaker into Hayterade finishes for Hayter at 9:38.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what it is about Hayter but there isn’t much to get interested in about her since she has been back. She’s just not very interesting and it’s showing more every time she’s out there. Hart is fine enough but these matches haven’t made me want to see either of them again, which is likely why we’re probably getting a rubber match.

Post match Hayter says she’s up for a rubber match anytime.

Powerhouse Hobbs will be waiting for Big Bill in the parking lot at Collision.

Swerve Strickland is coming after Ricochet soon.

Brody King/Buddy Matthews/Julia Hart, now with a dog, suggest that they have no leader. Then King puts on a mask and talks about barking. Then he barks.

Cope vs. Pac

They go to the mat to start and trade hammerlocks with neither getting very far. Back up and Pac backs him against the ropes before kicking away at the ribs. Cope heads to the floor and drops him face first onto the steps, followed by a whip into the barricade. Pac kicks the knee out and sends him into the apron, with Cope instantly favoring his neck.

A big dive takes Cope out again and we take a break. Back with Cope fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a dropkick to leave both of them down. Cope gets up and hits the Impaler but goes to the corner instead of covering. The spear is cut off and Pac hits a superkick to the back of the head.

A pump kick tot he back of the head sets up a release German suplex and Cope is rocked. The Brutalizer goes on but Cope powers up and plants him for the escape. Cope hits a spear to the back and another to the front, setting up a TKO of all things for the pin on Pac at 17:33.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t getting into this as the match was decent enough but it wasn’t very exciting. That has been the case with Cope for a good while now as he seems to love the idea of these long matches. Not a great match and the fans were only so into it, mainly because it’s yet another Death Riders match, despite the seeming lack of any interest in the story.

We cut to the back where the Death Riders have kidnapped FTR (again) and beat up the Rock N Roll Express. Cue the Death Riders to go after Cope and the beatdown is on. Jay White runs in for the save but gets beaten down as well, leaving Moxley to choke Cope out to end the show.

Oh I laughed hard at this ending, as AEW is now probably up to septupling up on the Death Riders stuff. Moxley gets to come out and look all awesome not once but twice, leaving the good guys laying again. Such is life in AEW, as this story keeps going, likely until Darby Allin is done climbing Mount Everest or whatever his latest thing is. Lucky us indeed.

Overall Rating: C+. This one didn’t do much for me, as the opening segment and title switch were about the only things worth seeing. The rest of the show fell into the same trap that AEW has been dealing with for a long time: it is all so serious and, save for Harley Cameron, most of it just isn’t fun. Everything feels like it’s all about being serious and such and that can get rough fast. I’m not sure what AEW needs, but just giving us some kind of comic relief or something a bit more goofy might be very nice for a change. For now though, not a bad show, but it got tedious in a hurry in the last hour or so.

Results
Hurt Syndicate b. Private Party – Spear to Kassidy
Swerve Strickland b. AR Fox – Swerve Stomp
Hangman Page b. ??? – Buckshot Lariat
Jamie Hayter b. Julia Hart – Hayterade
Cope b. Pac – TKO

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

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AND

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Dynamite
Date: January 8, 2025
Location: F&M Bank Arena, Clarksville, Tennessee
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Matt Menard, Excalibur

We’re slightly back to normal this week with the first regular show in a few weeks. The big story this week is the Casino Gauntlet, which will be used to set up Jon Moxley’s new challenger for next week. Other than that, we’re still building towards Revolution, Grand Slam and possibly even All In: Texas. Let’s get to it.

Buddy Murphy vs. Will Ospreay

Fallout from Ospreay beating Brody King in the Continental Classic. Feeling out process to start with Matthews powering him into the corner and hitting some chops in the corner. That’s broken up and Ospreay knocks him to the floor for the dive. Back in and Matthews knocks him back down for a knee and a near fall, meaning frustration starts to set in. Ospreay fights up with a kick to the head into the Phenomenal Forearm before sending him outside again.

They kick it out on the apron, where the Oscutter is broken up. Ospreay gets thrown face first onto the announcers’ table for a nasty crash but Matthews charges into a superkick. Back in and a springboard missile dropkick sets up the Oscutter for two. Matthews knees him in the head again and a stomp give him two of his own. Ospreay is back with the Styles Clash into the Hidden Blade for the pin at 12:12.

Rating: B. These guys beat the heck out of each other and it was the kind of a match that made me wonder where it was going. Ospreay wasn’t likely to lose here but dang they were having a good, hard hitting fight. Nice opener here and pretty much exactly what you would have expected.

Post match Ospreay asks for some love for Buddy “Murphy” before saying Matthews and Brody King don’t need a leader. Ospreay can see some success in their future and if Matthews ever needs a good man in his corner, let him know. That’s interesting.

Video on Wrestle Kingdom and Wrestle Dynasty.

Here is Private Party for a celebration but the Hurt Syndicate interrupts and walks past the velvet ropes. MVP proposes a toast: to the Syndicate winning the Tag Team Titles. My goodness Private Party could not feel less important.

Bobby Lashley vs. Mark Briscoe

MVP is on commentary. Lashley powers him into the corner to start bu Briscoe fights out with the Redneck Kung Fu. Briscoe goes up but dives into a suplex to send him outside. There’s a running shoulder to drop Briscoe again, setting up an overhead suplex. We take a break and come back with Briscoe striking away as the fight heads outside. A chair shot from underneath the ring hits Lashley (and sends MVP into hysterics), setting up a pair of flip dives. The Froggy Bow only gets one, and it’s a spear into a spinebuster into the Hurt Lock for the win at 10:09.

Rating: B-. This was a good way to make Lashley look like a monster while also keeping Briscoe looking strong enough. Lashley dominated but Briscoe kept fighting throughout, which made for a nice match. What matters here though is Lashley is getting the chance to look like a monster and he very well could be on his way to doing something big.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Private Party makes the save.

Casino Gauntlet Match

Unknown entrants, intervals that vary between entrants and the first fall gets a World Title shot next week. Jay White is in at #1 and Hangman Page is in at #2. They chop it out until Page runs him over with a shoulder for an early one. White sends him to the apron, where a Buckshot Lariat attempt is countered into a blocked Blade Runner attempt. A superplex brings Page down and it’s Wheeler Yuta in at #3.

Yuta immediately gets taken down with a Blade Runner for two but Page goes after White for two again. With the ring cleared, it’s….Ricochet in at #4, though he comes out to Swerve Strickland’s music to scare the heck out of Page. Ricochet cleans house and hits a dive to the floor as we take a break. Back with a tag match breaking out until Adam Cole is in at #5. Ricochet knocks him back but gets superkicked out of the air. A Panama Sunrise connects for two and it’s Daniel Garcia in at #6.

Garcia hammers away at a bunch of people in the corner at the same time before getting in a staredown with Yuta. Powerhouse Hobbs is in at #7 to send people flying (Menard: “Come on, we gotta be smarter than this guys!” and we take another break. Back again with Hobbs hitting Ricochet with a heck of a clothesline, followed by an easy slam to White. Hobbs’ knee is dropkicked out though and it’s Roderick Strong in at #8.

The Bladerunner connects for White but Yuta hits him low to break up the cover. Lance Archer is in at #9 to clean house before he and Hobbs throw Ricochet back and forth. They trade power moves until Kyle O’Reilly is in at #10. The big brawl is on and most of the people are down as Jeff Jarrett is in at #11….but Yuta jumps him from behind. They fight off to the back and it’s Hobbs planting O’Reilly with a spinebuster for the win at 25:51.

Rating: B-. This was a rather star heavy match for the most part and having Yuta in there to get beaten up was a nice touch. Hobbs winning is certainly a surprise and I’m curious to see where it’s going. It isn’t likely to lead to a title change, but at least it’s something rather new. The match wasn’t as good as some of the previous versions, but I do like having someone new getting a one off title match after a big win.

Post match Hobbs says we’re going to shoot and promises to make Jon Moxley his b**** next week (Renee Paquette is not pleased).

Jeff Jarrett comes to the ring (he never actually got in) and doesn’t seem sure if he’s still got it…and here is MJF to interrupt. MJF introduces himself and explains why he wants the title back, but there are a bunch of people in the way. It’s a regular Dr. Seuss book of challengers but there is one person who can still go after the title. MJF lists off Jarrett’s resume, which he had to look up because it’s way too old for him. The reality is that Jarrett has signed a one year deal, which is all wrestling thinks he has left to give.

MJF thinks he can help Jarrett get the World Title and all he asks is the first title shot. The offer is made and Jarrett takes the mic. Jarrett says that people like MJF are called one hit wonders around here. The fans chant ONE HIT WONDER and Jarrett thinks that might be a nice t-shirt. Jarrett has a year left and knows that he is going to have to work, but he’ll be doing it alone. This went a good bit longer than it needed to, though I’ve heard worse ideas than Jarrett having one last run, possibly with a nice groundswell underneath him.

We look at Darby Allin being taken out (again) by the Death Riders (again).

Here is Cope for a chat. He talks about how Jon Moxley has attacked Darby Allin and how Moxley doesn’t think much of Cope himself. Cope talks about the injuries he has suffered in the ring, including winning a match with a broken (non-freakin) neck. So what can Moxley do to him that hasn’t been done before? Cue the Death Riders but FTR jump them from behind to even things up. Cue Marina Shafir with the briefcase though, allowing Pac to drop Cope. Moxley chokes Cope out and loads up the plastic bag, but Powerhouse Hobbs makes the save. The Death Riders looking strong you say?

Mariah May wants the women to fight to become the #1 contender. Harley Cameron storms in and asks for a match on Collision. They can even make it non title “hot girl graps”. Eventually the match is made, with Cameron threatening to make her feel the wrath. Hilarious again.

Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander

For the #1 spot in the Casino Gauntlet Match. Nightingale starts fast by knocking Statlander outside and giving Storm a spinebuster. Statlander is back in but Storm crossbodies them down. Nightingale catapults Storm head first into a low blow on Statlander and we take a break.

Back with Statlander and Nightingale having a slightly reluctant standoff. Storm breaks it up though and all three are down. Back up and a series of knockdowns sets up Nightingale German suplexing both of them at once. Nightingale is knocked outside though and Statlander hits Staturday Night Fever for the pin on Storm at 9:56.

Rating: C+. Storm taking a pin here wasn’t something I would have expected but what mattered the most was giving Statlander a win. At the same time, this doesn’t mean Storm won’t be in the match next week so this could just be a setback. The match wasn’t anything great, but I could go for any of these three being given a bigger push.

Post break, Toni Storm isn’t surprised she didn’t win because she’s not ready. It can’t be Toni Time all the time.

Here is Kenny Omega for his big return. After some applause, Omega talks about how he was diagnosed with diverticulitis a little over a year ago. They took two feet of his intestines out and if he hadn’t, he would be dead. Omega as immediately asking about when he would be able to get back in the ring. The doctor, who apparently called him Kenny Omega, wasn’t sure if he could ever even get back to a normal way of life.

That didn’t work for Omega, who came back to be this version of himself. Not worried about money or power but just being the best in the world. Cue Don Callis to interrupt but Omega isn’t having this and charges outside to beat Callis down. The Don Callis Family comes in to beat Omega down, including a shot to the abdomen. Will Ospreay makes the save and we get a very tense staredown to end the show. Omega and Ospreay as AEW’s version of the Mega Powers is good, but dealing with the Don Callis Family doesn’t help.

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t a bad show by any means and it did set up a few things going forward. The problem is that some of those things aren’t overly interesting. The Death Riders vs. Rated FTR isn’t doing much for me and anything involving the Don Callis Family has me wondering when it’s going to be over. I like Powerhouse Hobbs getting a title shot as his push is long overdue and Buddy Matthews might be on his way to a push of his own. For now, good enough show and I’m curious about where some of these things are going.

Results
Will Ospreay b. Buddy Matthews – Hidden Blade
Bobby Lashley b. Mark Briscoe – Hurt Lock
Powerhouse Hobbs won the Casino Gauntlet Match – Spinebuster to O’Reilly
Kris Statlander b. Toni Storm and Willow Nightingale – Staturday Night Fever to Storm

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Full Gear 2024
Date: November 23, 2024
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s another of the big four shows here with the Death Riders once again on top of the promotion. That’s the main event, with Orange Cassidy trying to detail Jon Moxley for the World Title. Other than that, most of the titles are on the line and we should have a pretty stacked show. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Anna Jay

Taya Valkyrie is here with Purrazzo. Jay blocks a waistlock to start and kicks her in the face and the corner. Jay’s spinning kick lets her go up but a Valkyrie distraction lets Purrazzo take over. A clothesline sets up a crossarm choke, which is broken up so Jay can hit another superkick.

They slug it out until Jay hits a basement dropkick but Purrazzo knees her down. The Fujiwara armbar is broken up but Jay is kicked to the floor, where Valkyrie hits a spear. Since the referee watches her do it, it’s an ejection, though not a DQ for no apparent reason. Back in and the Fujiwara armbar goes on again, but Jay reverses into a rollup for the pin at 7:33.

Rating: C. Standard Rampage level match here with Jay getting a win after some recent losses. Odds are she’ll get a few more wins, get lose to a title and then lose the big one, as that’s just what happens to her most of the time. Purrazzo and the Vendetta need to actually do something already, because the team is losing what little value it had with every next loss.

Athena, Billie Starkz, Red Velvet and Leyla Hirsch are the four participants in the Ring Of Honor qualifying match for the four way at Wrestle Dynasty (on January 5). Yes Athena, by far the most dominant star in the history of Ring Of Honor’s women’s division, has to qualify. And yes, Ring Of Honor is still seen as is own promotion along with Stardom, AEW and CMLL for the sake of this match.

Zero Hour: The Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Dante Martin vs. Buddy Matthews

Komander and Martin are sent to the floor to start and we get the big power showdown. That’s broken up by the other two before Mortos wristlocks both of them at once. Martin gets sent outside so Matthews puts Komander on top, only for Mortos to take Matthews’ place. Mortos dives onto Martin but Matthews, and then Komander, dives onto all of them.

Back in and Matthews avoids Cielito Lindo but Komander is back with a hurricanrana to Mortos. That doesn’t go very far as Mortos is up to wreck everyone else until Matthews gets in a shot of his own. Matthews’ Jackhammer gets two on Martin with Mortos making the save, leaving Martin to roll Komander up for two.

Matthews drops Martin with a top rope Meteora but gets caught by Komander’s tornado DDT. Mortos crucifix drivers Komander but Martin hits a heck of a springboard clothesline to Mortos, leaving everyone down. Backup and all four slug it out with Mortos getting the better of things. Komander gets in a knockdown though and Martin adds a frog splash, only for Matthews to hit the Stomp and pin Martin at 10:35.

Rating: B. This was the kind of match that AEW has done a hundred or more times and it’s still a lot of fun. Let four people go out there and do a bunch of spots until one of them gets the win. No it doesn’t really boost Matthews up as he’s the biggest star and should be getting the win, but it doesn’t hurt any of the other three and the match was a good time. That’s a smart use of Kickoff Show and the crowd reacted well.

Paul Wight is back for commentary and brings out the Rizzler (a kid who makes quote unquote funny faces on social media) to be guest timekeeper.

Zero Hour: Big Boom AJ vs. QT Marshall

This is the celebrity match, with AJ and his son Justice better known as the Costco Guys. Apparently they’ve known each other for a long time and AJ is a former wrestler who now reviews items at Costco. Then Marshall didn’t like some cookies that AJ liked so…match! They stare each other down to start and Marshall knocks him down for some dancing. A snapmare drops AJ again but he’s back up with a backdrop.

AJ hits a powerslam for two and clotheslines Marshall outside, where Marshall’s security yells a lot. The distraction doesn’t work as Marshall’s running flip dive takes out the security by mistake. Back in and a DDT puts AJ down again and some right hands do it again. AJ manages a quick belly to belly though and makes the comeback, including a spinebuster. A top rope clothesline connects but AJ is gassed.

Marshall’s handspring kick to the face into a jumping cutter gets two, which sends Marshall after the Rizzler (who apparently does nothing but rub his chin). Wight cuts that off and AJ grabs a superplex to put them both down. Marshall’s friend Aaron Solo comes in for the distraction but gets decked, allowing Justice to hit a spear. AJ’s powerbomb is enough to pin Marshall at 11:44.

Rating: C+. All things considered, this could have been FAR worse. I hadn’t heard that AJ was a former wrestler until recently so this was a lot different than what I had been expecting. While he’s clearly out of practice (fair enough), AJ knew enough of what he was doing in there to make this an actual match rather than a bunch of silly stuff. Justice’s part was completely fine and Marshall is a nothing goofy heel in the first place. I have no interest in the Costco Guys’ content, but this was perfectly fine.

And now, the show proper.

Tag Team Titles: Kings Of The Black Throne vs. Outrunners vs. Acclaimed vs. Private Party

Private Party is defending and the Kings are played to the ring live. Caster’s rap mocks the band, but also says everyone loves the Best Wrestler Alive rather than the Acclaimed (who have Billy Gunn). Private Party have a bunch of dancers with glow sticks for their own flavor. Black works on Quen’s arm to start but gets kicked away, with Quen sitting down for the mind games.

The threat of the End has Quen backing away so Black elbows him in the face. Bowens comes in to trade armdrags with Kassidy with Kassidy getting the better of things, allowing the Outrunners to come in and plant Kassidy. Quen breaks that up and Floyd gets to clear the ring. King isn’t having that but Floyd Hulks Up, only to get blasted with a clothesline. The Kings take over and toss Quen into a knee to the face.

A backsplash hits Kassidy but the Outrunners and Acclaimed jump the Kings. The Acclaimed takes over on the Outrunners but Private Party is back in for stereo 450s for two each. The Outrunners are back with the Mega Powers elbow but Total Recall is broken up. King is back in to run people over and the Cannonball/kick to the head combination rocks Bowens in the corner.

The Acclaimed fights up to knock King down but Bowens doesn’t like Caster taking too much attention…so Caster offers Bowens the chance to pin him (ignoring commentary saying you can’t do that) for two. The Arrival plants Kassidy but Magnum breaks up the Mic Drop. Gin & Juice finishes Caster to retain the titles at 13:23.

Rating: B. Much like the other four way, this is something AEW does well and having so many people out there at once keeps the losing teams safe. This doesn’t make Private Party feel like some big, dominant team, but it did give them a nice pay per view win in a match that is more their style. Good opener here, though I can’t imagine Private Party are long term champs.

Private Party leaves through the crowd.

Orange Cassidy is ready to fight back against the Death Riders and says Private Party was the first step. They’ve been around since the beginning and now they’re the Tag Team Champions. It’s time for Cassidy to take the World Title and the power from Moxley.

We recap MJF vs. Roderick Strong. Last year at World’s End, Strong was revealed as one of the Devil’s henchmen. They have both since turned, meaning Strong is one of the two good guys wanting revenge on MJF, who decided that Strong and Adam Cole had to compete to face him here.

Roderick Strong vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

The bell rings and MJF bails to the floor to grab the mic and call the fans white trash. After a reference to Strong’s mother shooting his father, Strong goes outside to start the fight. Strong chops the post by mistake though and MJF starts in on the hand, setting up a powerbomb onto the apron.

Back in and the brainbuster is broken up but MJF knocks him down again. An armbar stays on the arm but Strong fights up and gets in a half nelson backbreaker. A torture rack toss into the corner sets up the jumping knee for two on MJF, who goes right back to the arm for a breather. The Heatseeker is blocked though and Strong hits a dropkick through the ropes. Back in and MJF’s attempt at a Panama Sunrise is cut off so he stomps on the arm for two more.

Strong is back up with a Texas Cloverleaf but MJF gets out rather quickly. That leaves Strong with a kick to MJF’s face and End Of Heartache gets two. A torture rack backbreaker into a fireman’s carry gutbuster have MJF down again but he comes back with a brainbuster for the double knockdown. Strong goes over to him but gets pulled into the Salt Of The Earth for the tap at 13:39.

Rating: B-. And that’s exactly what I was expecting from this match, as it was little more than a thing that had to be done before we get to the MJF vs. Adam Cole match. In other words, it’s just a way to extend the feud another month when it was already time to wrap it up. Odds are they’ll go to see Cole vs. MJF at World’s End one year in the making, making this match feel all the less important. The match was fine, but I have no idea why it needed to be here.

Post match MJF Pillmanizes Strong’s arm so Adam Cole runs in for the save. Kyle O’Reilly, with the Undisputed Kingdom, comes in to yell at Cole.

We recap Mercedes Mone defending the TBS Title against Kris Statlander. Mone is the big star but Statlander is the powerhouse coming after her, including taking out Mone’s monster Kamille.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander

Mone, without Kamille for some reason, is defending. Statlander misses a charge into the corner to start and gets taken down, allowing Mone to hammer away. A gorilla press drop gets Statlander out of trouble but they head to the apron where Mone grabs a hurricanrana. Mone dropkicks her through the ropes and then sends her into the steps to keep Statlander in trouble.

Back to back running Meteora give Mone two and a middle rope version gets the same. A flipping neckbreaker plants Statlander for two more and a sunset bomb sends her into the corner for the fourth running Meteora (in about two minutes) gets two. The crossarm choke is broken up and Statlander flips her out of the corner for a breather. Statlander’s knee is banged up though and they’re both down for a bit.

Rolling Chaos Theory gives Statlander two but she has to power out of the Mone Statement. They flip around into a Backstabber to give Mone a breather and a middle rope Meteora hits Statlander for two. Back up and a hard clothesline gives Statlander two, followed by a spinning Falcon Arrow for the same. Mone reverses Staturday Night Fever into a tornado DDT but the frog splash is countered into an F5.

Statlander’s bad knee is fine enough to miss a 450, with Mone elbowing away at the knee. A frog splash onto the knee gets two and a pair of Backstabbers into the Mone Maker…gets two. Another Mone Maker is countered, as is another Staturday Night Fever attempt. Instead Mone sends her throat first into the middle rope and gets a rollup for the pin at 19:24.

Rating: B-. This was another match that went longer than it should have been with Mone again not exactly living up to her hype. I’m not sure why Statlander needed to lose clean here, unless it was designed to make Mone into more of a star. It didn’t help that there was almost no chance that Statlander was going to win here and then the match was long and never really broke into that really good level.

Post match Statlander is helped out as Mone gets to do her dance.

We recap Jay White vs. Hangman Page in a rematch from last month where White won. Page doesn’t take kindly to that and cost White a match. The rematch is set, with Page threatening quite the insane response.

Jay White vs. Hangman Page

White grabs a headlock before striking away, only to get suplexed over the top. Page slams the knee into the apron and the post before grabbing a DDT onto the leg. A belly to belly gives Page two but White dropkicks the leg for a breather. White grabs a DDT for two but a fall away slam sends him crashing into the corner, banging up the leg again in the process.

Page sends him flying again, only for White to sweep the leg and send it into the post. A top rope superplex gives White two but Page goes after the leg again. Back up and they trade forearms until a bridging German suplex drops White for two more. They go to the apron where a dragon suplex plants Page on the apron and they fight up the ramp. This time Page sends him off the ramp for a crash to the floor.

Page grabs the ankle lock so White crawls back to the apron, with Page throwing him away. White dives back in to beat the count, only for Page to grab the ankle lock again. That’s broken up again and a swinging Rock Bottom gives White two. Another Page ankle lock is reversed into a kneebar, sending Page over to the ropes. A pair of Deadeyes gives Page two but the ankle lock is countered into the Blade Runner to give White the pin at 19:53.

Rating: B+. Page going with the ankle locks (which he couldn’t do well, which isn’t surprising as it’s not something he does) was a bit weird but these two had a heck of a match with both of them going back and forth. I’m more than a bit surprised at White winning, but it’s nice to have someone fresh coming up in the upper midcard scene. Maybe just don’t have Page lose again and again?

Post match Page jumps White again and drops Christopher Daniels for trying to break it up.

We recap Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher. Ospreay is still dealing with the Don Callis Family and is now having to face his former friend Fletcher, who is ready to prove himself as the real star.

Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

Don Callis is here with Fletcher. They charge at each other to start and slug it out with Ospreay knocking him to the floor. Ospreay follows him to the floor for a fight over a suplex onto the steps before going to the apron. Fletcher gets in a whip into the corner, setting up a brainbuster to plant Ospreay on the floor. Back in and Fletcher kicks away, setting up a hanging DDT for two.

A dragon sleeper keeps Ospreay in trouble but he slips out and hits a running boot in the corner. That means a big flip dive to the floor to drop Fletcher again, setting up the Phenomenal Forearm for two back inside. A torture rack powerbomb gives Ospreay two but the Oscutter is countered into a neckbreaker. Ospreay’s sitout powerbomb gets two and they both need a breather.

Ospreay is back up with a Stundog Millionaire and a Tombstone on the floor knocks Fletcher silly again. In case you’re wondering, Fletcher is on his feet again in a minute, only for Ospreay to hit a Spiral Tap for two. They both escape powerbomb attempts until Ospreay grabs a running Spanish Fly. The Oscutter is broken up but Ospreay settles for a Styles Clash for two more.

The running elbow to the face gives Ospreay two more so they go to the apron. Stormbreaker is countered into a jumping Tombstone from the apron onto the steps. Back in (with Ospreay standing 1:12 later) and a piledriver gives Fletcher two, because of course that’s not the finish. The Tiger Driver 91 is reversed into a rollup for two before Fletcher drops him with a hard shot. A Helluva Kick into a brainbuster onto the corner (seems familiar) finishes Ospreay clean at 24:15.

Rating: B. As much as I can’t fathom the idea of Ospreay losing (again) clean, and as much as I want to scream at the idea of his story with the Don Callis Family continuing (AGAIN), I’m too busy shaking my head at a jumping Tombstone from the apron to the steps, followed by Fletcher’s piledriver finisher, getting two.

That’s a hospital spot (Heck, Samoa Joe was slowly sent through a cheap wall and has been gone for…four months now?), or at least the end of the match, but why let something like dropping him head first onto the steel finish Ospreay? I can accept the idea of giving someone a big rub, but this company needs some top heroes soon and having Ospreay lose over and over is quite the choice right now.

Here is Mina Shirakawa to introduce Mariah May (with quite the black eye) for her Champagne Championship Celebration. May talks about how she has deserved this but she has dominated this division and no woman alive can touch her. Shirakawa doesn’t seem convinced but they do the toast anyway and then dance, with May grabbing the champagne bottle. Shirakawa sees it coming though and spears her off the stage through a table. This really didn’t need to be on pay per view.

We recap Jack Perry defending the TNT Title against Daniel Garcia. Perry is the brooding tough champion and Garcia is kind of sick of it while wanting a title of his own. Match on.

TNT Title: Daniel Garcia vs. Jack Perry

Garcia is challenging and gets a special entrance with a message from his mother telling him to finish what he started. They fight over a lockup into the corner to start and it’s an early standoff. Perry chases him out to the floor before they trade places, with Garcia wanting Perry to get back in. Back in and Perry bails to the floor again and they switch places again, only fr Garcia to send him into the barricade.

Garcia hammers away but gets dropped on his head on the floor, followed by a hanging DDT to make it worse. Back in and a top rope dropkick to the back of the head gives Perry two. The chinlock with a knee in the back goes on but Garcia suplexes his way to freedom. They slug it out until Perry pulls him into the Snare Trap, sending Garcia over to the ropes.

Perry drops him onto the apron and goes over to shove guest commentator Matt Menard. A powerbomb puts Garcia through the timekeeper’s table but he dives back in to beat the count at nine. Garcia fires himself up and hits a clothesline, followed by a butterfly suplex into the corner.

Back up and Perry lawn darts him into the middle buckle and grabs the belt…which he throws at Garcia for a free shot. The referee takes it away so Perry can get in a low blow, setting up the running knee for two. Another running knee is countered into a piledriver to give Garcia two, leaving Perry to pose again. Garcia piledrives him again and grabs the Dragon Slayer for the tap and the title at 18:26.

Rating: B-. As annoying as Perry’s stupid posing has become, the end result was quite the relief as Perry finally loses the title. I’m not sure if Garcia is going to be the next big thing, but he needed to win something sooner than later. Throw in the fact that he took the title from Perry and it’s addition by subtraction if nothing else.

We recap Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet for the International Title. Takeshita cost Ricochet his previous title shots and then won the title himself, so now Ricochet wants another chance.

International Title: Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Takeshita is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. Feeling out process to start until Ricochet grabs some armdrags. The armbar doesn’t slow Takeshita down that much so Ricochet goes with a more successful dropkick. Back up and Ricochet misses a charge to fall out to the floor, where Takeshita sends him into the barricade. They get back inside where Takeshita starts in on the back with some hard knees and a spinning side slam for two.

Some forearms to the back keep Ricochet in trouble, to the point where he can’t get in a springboard. Takeshita drops him again for a double arm crank but this time Ricochet fights up for a rolling dropkick. A springboard clothesline drops Takeshita and a jumping enziguri sends him outside for the running corkscrew dive. That’s enough for Callis to get off commentary as Ricochet’s handspring is countered into the Blue Thunder Bomb for two more.

Takeshita hits a forearm but his German suplex is countered into a rollup, followed by a hard clothesline to leave both of them down. Ricochet gets caught up top with a release German superplex (geez) and another clothesline gives Takeshita two of his own. That lets Takeshita go up but he takes too long, allowing Ricochet to snap off a super hurricanrana.

The shooting star press gets two but the Spirit Gun misses Takeshita. Raging Fire and Vertigo are both countered and Takeshita misses the running knee. Ricochet kicks him in the head but takes to long going up, allowing Takeshita to crotch him down. The super Raging Fire retains the title at 19:17.

Rating: B. This is what Ricochet does, as he got in a bunch of offense, only to come up short in the end. The good thing is that the match worked well, with Takeshita working on the back to slow down the high flying. Ricochet fought back as much as he could but ultimately the back slowed him down enough for Takeshita to catch him. Good match, though, it was hard to imagine Ricochet winning.

We recap Swerve Strickland vs. Bobby Lashley. Strickland isn’t interested in joining the Hurt Syndicate so Lashley and company attacked him. Strickland fought back and the match was made.

Bobby Lashley vs. Swerve Strickland

MVP, Shelton Benjamin and Prince Nana are here too. Lashley starts fast by slamming him down and choking away in the corner. The spinning Dominator gets two, with Lashley pulling him up, which isn’t sitting well with commentary. A rather delayed suplex plans Strickland again and Lashley sens him into the post to cut off a comeback bid.

We hit the chinlock, which as usual fires Strickland right back up. Lashley charges into a boot in the corner but a Benjamin distraction lets him run Strickland over again. Strickland fights back again but Benjamin grabs his foot. This time Benjamin gets tossed, only for Lashley to plant Strickland onto the apron.

Lashley gets sent into the steps a few times, followed by a DDT to send him into the apron. A quick Swerve Stomp sends Lashley through the announcers’ table, followed by a regular one for two back inside. Strickland stops to glare at MVP though and gets suplexed by Lashley as a result. The spear through the barricade drops Strickland again, followed by another spear and the Hurt Lock for the win at Strickland is out.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up here but this was more about Lashley being too much for Strickland. That made for a nice story with Lashley looking like the new monster, but it’s another loss for Strickland, who has had a lot of those in big matches lately. In other words, another dominant heel, which is the running theme throughout this promotion.

Post match the Hurt Syndicate beats Strickland and Nana down again.

We recap Jon Moxley defending the AEW World Title against Orange Cassidy. Moxley is the new big evil and trying to remake the company so Cassidy is here to, reluctantly, stand up and come after the title/power.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy

Moxley, with Marina Shafir, is defending while Cassidy is intentionally on his own. Cassidy starts fast with some Orange Punches to knock Moxley outside for the dive. Cassidy hammers away on the announcers’ table until Moxley gets in a crotching onto the barricade. They fight into the crowd and then back to ringside with the beating continuing. With Cassidy busted open, Moxley sends him right back to the floor, where Shafir gets in a cheap shot.

Back in and Moxley bites at the cut, setting up a Gotch style piledriver for two. They go outside for the third time with Moxley ramming him into the announcers’ table. Back in again and Cassidy tells him to hammer away, setting up the Kimura. Cassidy makes the ropes but gets knocked into the barricade for his efforts. Moxley puts him on top and rakes the back before knocking him out of the air for two.

Cassidy finally knocks him of the top and hits a diving DDT for a much needed hope spot. That’s too much offense though as Moxley takes him down with a cutter. They forearm it out with Cassidy telling him to bring it, earning himself a clothesline. Back up and an Orange Punch gets two so here are the Death Riders. JR: “Throw their a** out. But they haven’t done anything. Well you know they’re going to.”

Cue the Conglomeration to get rid of the Riders, with Willow Nightingale running in to take out Marina Shafir. Cassidy briefcases Moxley in the head for two but in the melee, Wheeler Yuta runs in and knees Cassidy down. The Death Rider (from the Death Rider) retains the title at 19:22.

Rating: C+. And so, after weeks of Cassidy not looking like a threat and Moxley barely ever looking worried, Moxley mostly crushed Cassidy here, with Cassidy’s few hope spots being cut off in short order. The one big spot that Cassidy had was hitting Moxley in the face with a briefcase and Moxley kicked out of that on his own. As usual, Moxley is presented as the biggest, toughest monster in the company and it’s hard to fathom anyone actually being able to beat him.

Post match the beatdown is on and Yuta pours mouthwash on Cassidy’s face. Cue Hangman Page to stare at Moxley but Christian Cage runs in to lay Moxley out. With Page gone, Cage tries to cash in but Jay White comes in to take him out. The Death Riders jump White and leave, with White following them. As the villains get to their truck, a car smashes into it before they can get in. They steal a car and leave, with Darby Allin popping out of the car that hit the truck to end the show. Forgive me for not being overly interested in someone who lost to Moxley at Grand Slam and to Castagnoli this week on Dynamite.

Overall Rating: B-. This promotion needs to lighten up and let the fans have something to believe in for a good while. Of the nine matches on the main card, the villains won six of them (again) including the last three, with Daniel Garcia, Jay White and Private Party being the heroes of the company. Throw in Allin, who has regularly been crushed by the Death Riders, and there isn’t much to be hopeful for around here. Will Ospreay could be the hero, but he is still with the Don Callis Family stuff for whatever reason.

That doesn’t leave much on the good sign, as it feels like we’re just waiting on the Elite to save us. Everything feels so serious and now we wait on what feels like Allin losing, likely at Worlds End, to get us to the new year for more Death Riders. That’s not exactly encouraging as the dark times continue around here. Just find something to give us some hope, as the Death Riders stuff is really bringing things down.

And finally, as usual, DANG this show was exhausting. Counting Zero Hour, it ran about 5.5 hours with no matches on the main card being shorter than 13 minutes. That didn’t so much make me enjoy the show but rather make me want to take a long nap. It’s a long night of the villains going over time after time and I didn’t want to see any more from AEW for a good while. They might want to work on that whole having fun thing again, as it was a nice feeling to have at the time.

Results
Anna Jay b. Deonna Purrazzo – Rollup
Buddy Matthews b. The Beast Mortos, Dante Martin and Komander – Stomp to Martin
Big Boom AJ b. QT Marshall – Powerbomb
Private Party b. Kings Of The Black Throne, The Acclaimed and The Outrunners – Gin & Juice to Caster
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Roderick Strong – Salt Of The Earth
Mercedes Mone b. Kris Statlander – Throat into the middle rope
Jay White b. Hangman Page – Blade Runner
Kyle Fletcher b. Will Ospreay – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
Daniel Garcia b. Jack Perry – Dragon Slayer
Konosuke Takeshita b. Ricochet – Super Raging Fire
Bobby Lashley b. Swerve Strickland – Hurt Lock

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We’re back to one of the main four pay per views but things are only going so well for AEW right now. The promotion is focused on the Death Riders and various people trying to rise up against them, with Orange Cassidy getting the shot against Jon Moxley this week. Other than that, there are some grudge and title matches filling out the card, though it’s only looking so interesting. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Big Boom AJ vs. QT Marshall

This is the Costco Guys match as AEW gets what I guess passes for a celebrity these days. I have a grand total of no idea who these people are and from their limited appearances, I have no reason to believe I’m going to be interested, but I’m also the definition of not the audience for something like this. That being said, this is also a great example of something that should be harmless.

Of course AJ wins here as there is no reason for him not to. Marshall is little more than a comedy goof and he’ll get beaten up by the kids here so AJ can win. I’m sure AEW will hype up the appearances from the social media celebrities and it’ll have a limited impact, but that is the kind of thing that has been done in wrestling for years. The match will be little more than a detail and that’s all it needs to be.

Zero Hour: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Anna Jay

This was added at the last minute, which is pretty normal around AEW, though in this case the two of them have had some issues lately. Jay turned down Purrazzo and the Vendetta’s offer to help her against Mariah May and now Purrazzo is ready to get some revenge. She’s also the home area star so there should be quite the crowd reaction, which is a bit of an odd choice for a villain.

I’ll go with Purrazzo to win here, as she is not only the hometown star but she also has Taya Valkyrie to help her out. The Vendetta hasn’t really done anything so giving the team a win here should make sense. While it would make sense for Jay to win here, as she’s lost lately and given her up and down win/loss record throughout her entire time in AEW, it should be Purrazzo going over.

Zero Hour: Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Dante Martin vs. Buddy Matthews

Ah there it is, as we have the match with no particular need to be on the show added at the last minute. It feels like little more than a Rampage main event and something similar probably has been more than once. If nothing else, it has been at least a week since we’ve seen Komander and that is just far too infrequently for someone who seemingly has to be around so often.

I’ll take Matthews to win here, as he’s the only one of the four who hasn’t been beaten into the ground. Mortos needs a win to boost himself back up a bit but that isn’t something you often see around here. Komander and Martin are pretty firmly stuck in their spots and not going anywhere, so there is pretty much no reason to believe that either of them has a chance. Matthews should win here, though he should have won multiple times before and rarely does so it’s fairly up in the air.

Jay White vs. Hangman Page

This is a match that should be one sided on paper, but the more I think about it, the less sure I am. White has come back and hit the ground running, doing some of his best singles work since coming to AEW. That being said, Page feels like he is taking quite the downgrade in this feud, as he went from headlining a pay per view to trading wins with White. It’s not terrible, but it feels like Page should be doing something better.

I’ll go with Page winning here to end the feud, as he could easily be moved into the main event scene again. While there is a chance that White wins here and Page teams up with Swerve Strickland to fight off the Bang Bang Gang, Page needs the win here more. If nothing else he needs to it move him on to something bigger, and in theory that is what happens here.

Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

For the life of me I do not get why Ospreay is still stuck with the Don Callis Family feud, yet here we are in what should be the blowoff to the whole thing. AEW has tried as hard as they can to make Fletcher into a bigger thing and while it has certainly not been a failure, Ospreay still feels like a far bigger star and should win here to allow him to move on to anything else.

For the sake of my sanity, I’ll go with Ospreay winning here, even if the Family interfering to extend the feud would not surprise me in the slightest. Ospreay is someone who should be coming after Jon Moxley and the World Title, but first he has to get through this. It feels like that has been the case for most of his AEW run and it would be nice to see him get out of that cycle for once.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone(c) vs. Kris Statlander

This story has been more about Mone treating Kamille like a loser and in theory that could lead to the two splitting in the near future. That could set up Kamille taking the title away from Mone down the line, which would mean that Mone needs to retain it here. That’s not the most thrilling story and certainly isn’t doing Kamille any favors at the moment, but it should make things easier to predict here.

For now, I can’t imagine Mone losing the title as it seems like AEW wants her to have some kind of an epic reign. At some point she is going to lose the title and it might be to Kamille down the line, but for now she is going to beat Statlander to retain. Statlander needs a win of some kind, but for now it looks like she is going to lose as Mone continues to not be anywhere near as special as AEW seems to see her.

TNT Title: Jack Perry(c) vs. Daniel Garcia

For the first time in a good while, I actually have some hope about Perry losing the title. Garcia is another name AEW seems interested in pushing as a big deal and at some point that means he is going to have to win something. I’m not sure if it is going to be the TNT Title, but it would not shock me to see AEW go in that direction. If nothing else, a break from Perry as champion could be quite the benefit.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s where AEW is going to go as I’ll take Perry to retain the title. AEW seems to think he’s some kind of great character and a huge deal, so for some reason that is what we are going to see or the time being. The match should be good and Garcia should win, but ultimately this feels like another case of Perry being the unstoppable force who leaves with the title. Again.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita(c) vs. Ricochet

And now we have the video game match of the show which has all of the potential to be incredibly fun. These two could absolutely tear the house down and I could go for seeing what they have the chance to do. Takeshita finally won a title and is now getting the chance to show what he can do on top. Ricochet is someone who can have a heck of a match with anyone and there is a chance to do something great here.

I’ll go with Takeshita to retain here, as there is almost no reason to have him lose the title so soon. Ricochet probably shouldn’t be losing another high profile match so quickly into his time in AEW, but losing to Takeshita is hardly a bad thing. At the end o the day, Takeshita is someone that AEW should be getting behind and it would be nice to see him getting a win on the big stage here, especially over a talent like Ricochet.

Tag Team Titles: Private Party(c) vs. House Of Black vs. Outrunners vs. Acclaimed

This has the potential to be the big wild party match with everyone going nuts and getting in all of their usual stuff. That should make for a rather fun showcase, even though the match is rather light on villains. The question here is what the twist might be, as there is little reason to believe that things are going to go off without a hitch. Well and who leaves with the titles of course.

Despite Private Party not exactly feeling like a great team before they won the tiles, I’ll take them to retain here, likely with FTR turning on the Outrunners to cost them the titles. It should make for a good match either way, and the kind of entertaining match that the show needs. I could see the House winning the titles, but this feels like Private Party getting a pay per view win rather than the usual on television.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Roderick Strong

I have no idea why this match is taking place. The Adam Cole vs. MJF feud is long since dead but for some reason we are now going to see MJF vs. Cole’s most of the time friend. Strong’s backstory involving his parents was dropped into this feud at the last minute and it didn’t exactly feel right. I’m not sure how well the match is going to go, but the story definitely needs a boost.

There is no reason for MJF to lose here as he still has the showdown with Cole coming, so I’ll go with MJF getting the win. At the end of the day, MJF has been gone for a long time now and he is going to need a win to boost him up before the likely match at World’s End, as AEW would love to do that whole “it’s been a year since the stunning betrayal” deal. That doesn’t make for a good story, but it’s likely the story we’re getting.

Swerve Strickland vs. Bobby Lashley

I saved one of the best for near the end as this has been the match that interests me the most. Lashley is the new monster but Strickland has been stepping his game up to fight him. This included a heck of a segment this week on Dynamite with Strickland taking Lashley and the rest of the Hurt Syndicate out to stand tall. That made him look like a star, but that might be it.

I just can’t imagine Lashley losing his first big match so we’ll go with the logical choice of him taking Strickland out here. There is a good chance that the feud continues with Strickland getting some help, possibly in the form of Hangman Page, to make things that much more nutty. For now though, Lashley needs to win, with Strickland giving it his all in defeat.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Orange Cassidy

And then there’s this, which just does not feel special. The Death Riders have been dominating the promotion for the last few months and it does not feel like we are anywhere close to that story being over. Cassidy is the first challenger to the title and while he is someone who could be a threat to Moxley, there is a heck of a gap between that and actually winning the title.

There is almost no chance that Cassidy wins here, as Moxley gets to claim another victim and move on to something else, possibly Darby Allin, down the line. The Death Riders are going to be the big focus of the company for a good while to come, and that includes them winning here. Hopefully something big happens in the match, as otherwise it just isn’t feeling that important.

Overall Thoughts

This show isn’t terrible, but it also isn’t jumping off the page. There are a few matches that I want to see, but I’m having a hard time getting interested in where things go after. That has been the case with AEW for a good while and unfortunately I’m not sure I can see it changing. A lot of this show feels like it is designed to set up things for later, and that doesn’t make for the most interesting show from here. Odds are it will be good as most AEW pay per views are, but the whole promotion needs something fresh and soon.

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Collision
Date: October 26, 2024
Location: Alliant Energy PowerHouse, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re live for the first time in a bit for this show and that could change things in a better way. It’s not the best of times for AEW, as the Blackpool Combat Club is running roughshod over everything and someone needs to step up. That might be Orange Cassidy, whose friend Chuck Taylor was attacked by the Club to end Dynamite. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Blackpool Combat Club attacking Chuck Taylor. In exclusive footage from after the show, Orange Cassidy says he’s taking care of this next week.

Jay White vs. Shane Taylor

Juice Robinson and Lee Moriarty are here too. The much bigger Taylor powers him into the corner to start and White needs a breather on the floor. Back in and White goes after the knee but Moriarty offers a distraction, allowing Taylor to choke on the ropes. A splash on the apron crushes White and we take an early break.

Back with Taylor missing a legdrop, allowing White to chop away. White snaps off the dragon screw legwhip and a DDT gets two. Taylor is back up with his release Rock Bottom for two but White elbows him in the corner and gets two off a swinging Rock Bottom. Robinson takes Moriarty out as Taylor knees White in the face. That just bans up the bad knee though and the Blade Runner gives White the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. This was a good way to make White look strong as he figures out and beats a monster like Taylor. I’m a bit surprised that White is getting such a strong push after coming back but AEW could certainly use some help on top. Maybe White can become a big player around here, and this is at least a starting point.

Post match White talks about how Hangman Page hits harder than he does and maybe that’s why he gets under Page’s skin. Maybe that’s why White has always always been a step ahead o him. Page can try to hang him again but Page better not miss. White is willing to give Page one more chance at Full Gear.

Ricochet is here to prove something when Lio Rush comes in. Rush has his own card from MVP so he’s nothing special. Don’t overlook Rush.

Kyle Fletcher is here to keep an eye on Ricochet but also to say he’s ready to face Will Ospreay on Dynamite.

Penelope Ford vs. Robyn Renegade

This is Ford’s first AEW match in about two years. Ford backs her into the corner to start, setting up a not great handspring elbow. Robyn blocks a kick and hits a swinging faceplant for two, only for Ford to come back with a cutter. We hit the neck crank for a bit before Renegade fights up…for all of a few seconds as Ford pulls her into a Muta Lock for the tap at 3:02.

Rating: C. Well Ford’s back and as usual, she looked perfectly acceptable in the ring. I’m not sure how much higher she’ll be going, but it’s good to have her back in the ring as there are far worse options to present. This was just a quick way to get back at it and the Muta Lock should work out well enough for her as a nasty looking finisher.

Post match Jamie Hayter pops up to say she’ll be waiting on Ford on the November 6 Dynamite.

FTR want the Outrunners to get the Tag Team Titles and it starts tonight.

Outrunners vs. MxM Collection

Floyd and Mansoor start things off and they waste no time in going to the posedown. A running shoulder takes Mansoor down and it’s off to Magnum for a quickly broken headlock. For some reason Magnum tries to slam Madden, who wins a test of strength instead. Some dropkicks stagger Madden though and we take a break.

Back with Magnum fighting out of the corner but getting caught with a Hart Attack for two. The Collection’s posing double elbow drop doesn’t work and the tag brings in Floyd to clean house. Madden blocks a suplex but the Outrunners escape a double suplex and an assisted slam puts Madden down. The Collection wind up on top of each other and the posing elbow connects. Madden is back with a Boss Man Slam but gets sent outside, setting up Total Recall to finish Mansoor at 11:11.

Rating: C+. Take two goofy teams, let them do their things for awhile, then have the popular ones win. This isn’t complicated and there is no reason to do anything more than keep it simple. The Outrunners aren’t likely to win the Tag Team Titles, but AEW would be wise to see what they can get out of them, even if it is just in fun stuff like this.

Nigel McGuinness sat down with Wheeler Yuta for an interview, asking why Yuta tried to murder Bryan Danielson. Yuta thought Nigel would get it more than anyone else, but Nigel says he wanted to prove he was a better wrestler. Yuta: “How’d that work out for you?” Nigel: “Not great you smug bastard.” Yuta says the Blackpool Combat Club gave Danielson a warrior’s death because Danielson was long past the point he should have left and it was time to get rid of him. If they’ll do that to Danielson, what will they do to someone they hate?

Back in the arena, Nigel isn’t sure if Yuta was trying to convince Nigel or himself.

Jake Roberts says La Faccion Ingobernable is ready to hurt FTR.

Ricochet vs. Lio Rush

Rush hits him in the face to start and fires off some shots in the corner. Back up and Ricochet flips over the ropes, earning a kick to the head to send him outside. Ricochet gets in a shot of his own and a running elbow drop gets two. Ricochet’s knee knocks him silly, to the point where Ricochet offers to help him back in. The suckering out to the floor lets Rush hit a dive and we take a break.

Back with Rush missing something of the top and getting caught in a northern lights suplex into a brainbuster into the running shooting star press for two. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Ricochet two but Vertigo is broken up. Rush’s spinning kick to the head gets two so he goes for a chair, only to get taken out with a quick dive. Back in and Ricochet’s running elbow finishes Rush at 11:24.

Rating: B-. This was an entertaining match and Rush got to go every step of the way with Ricochet. It felt like a match meant to be a showcase of two high fliers, which made the back and forth side fit better. In other words, it was a better use of Rush than having him go about the same distance with Shelton Benjamin last week, which still didn’t feel right. For this spot though, another entertaining match from Ricochet, who is likely next in line for the International Title.

Harley Cameron, now as THUNDER HARLEY, throws her hair around a lot and says Thunder Rosa isn’t the only one who can paint her face. Rosa comes in to say she’s ready to show her what the paint is really about next week. We’ll make it a Dia de los Muertos match. Rosa leaves and Cameron, with the squeak, threatens Rosa with her wrath but realizes it isn’t working. As usual, Cameron is on another planet in a great way.

The Kingdom gives The Beast Mortos candy and offer to take him trick or treating.

Anna Jay vs. Viva Van

Feeling out process to start with Nigel starting in on the violent things Mariah May will do to Jay. An armdrag doesn’t work for Van, as Jay hip attacks her back down. Jay’s swinging neckbreaker gets two but Van is back up with a running spinwheel kick. We take a break and come back with Jay (who Schiavone describes as “red hot”) hitting a Sling Blade into an Iconoclasm for two.

Van kicks her into the corner and a spinning backfist drops Jay for two more. A Backstabber gives Jay two of her own and they trade rams into the corner. Van’s high crossbody gets two more but Jay is right back with the Gory Bomb (dubbed the Widow’s Peak, which is traditionally a different move but oh well) for the pin at 9:47.

Rating: C. Jay continues to build up momentum on the way to the title shot and that’s the right way to go. That being said, absolutely none of this matters if Jay doesn’t get a big win at some point. I’m not sure if that’s going to be the win against May, but if AEW wants Jay to move up after all these years, she needs to actually pick up some kind of hardware.

Mariah May is in the back and gets to the point: “Anna Jay, if you left this business tomorrow, do you think anyone would give a s***? Or would we just find another fat*** blonde, teach her to do an armdrag and watch her waste five years of her life?” Jay isn’t some kind of inspiration, because instead of sink or swim, she’s going to drown.

Video on Adam Cole vs. Buddy Matthews.

Here’s what’s coming up on various shows.

Kyle O’Reilly and Tomohiro Ishii want revenge.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. FTR

Jake Roberts is here with the villains. Dralistico takes Harwood down to start and then does it again, earning him some hard chops. Wheeler comes in for a gordbusters and it’s immediately off to Rush. Some right hands have Wheeler in trouble as everything breaks down. FTR suplexes both of them down hard but Harwood misses a charge into the post as we take a break. Back with Rush sending Harwood outside and then whipping him into the barricade.

Rush does the tranquilo pose and gets punched down by Harwood, who drops Dralistico as well. Wheeler comes in with a neckbreaker but Dralistico knocks him out to the corner, setting up a springboard spinning crucifix bomb. Everything breaks down again and Harwood has to escape a Fujiwara armbar. Harwood hits the superplex but the Shatter Machine is countered. The Bull’s Horns are broken up as well so Rush and Harwood slap it out. Harwood’s Sharpshooter is blocked and cue the Beast Mortos with a cheap shot, only for Dralistico to walk into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 16:33.

Rating: B. This was very much in the FTR playbook of being able to work well with any opponent. They were all moving well out there and while Rush is still treated as a good bit more of a star than he seems to be, he wasn’t too bad here with running over everyone in front of him. Other than that, it’s still not the best start for La Faccion after coming under Roberts’ leadership, but it could be worse.

Post match La Faccion beats down FTR but the Outrunners run in for the save to end the show. If/when FTR turns on them, the heat is going to be off the charts.

Overall Rating: C+. There was the usual good stuff on here, but the feeling of importance between this show and Dynamite couldn’t be much more different. This show still feels like it is just boosting things up that either isn’t important enough for Dynamite or that AEW doesn’t have time to put on that show. While it’s still good, this show regularly feels like something you could read a recap of rather than watching with the occasional match worth seeing. With so many things going on in AEW, they might want to find a bit better balance.

Results
Jay White b. Shane Taylor – Blade Runner
Penelope Ford b. Robyn Renegade – Muta Lock
Outrunners b. MxM Collection – Total Recall to Mansoor
Ricochet b. Lio Rush – Running elbow
Anna Jay b. Viva Van – Widow’s Peak

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

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AND

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