Night of Champions 2008
Date: June 29, 2008
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 16,151
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Mike Adamle, Jim Ross, Joey Styles, Tazz, Mick Foley

We’re done with the Draft and this is the final show before we enter the new reality, starting with next week’s TV. Tonight has a pretty stacked card as the focus is on championships, including Edge defending the Smackdown World Title against Batista and John Cena challenging HHH for the Raw World Title. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about how important it is to be a champion, with people promising this will be their night. We get more specific looks at the bigger matches as well.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Miz/John Morrison vs. Hornswoggle/Finlay

Miz and Morrison are defending. Finlay and Morrison start things off with an elbow dropping Morrison for a fast two. Back up and Morrison sends him into the corner and out to the floor, where Morrison and Miz grab Hornswoggle. Back in and Hornswoggle wants to fight but Finlay comes in to do it for him so house can be cleaned. Stereo seated sentons hit the champs but Morrison kicks Finlay in the head to take over.

The slingshot elbow/backbreaker combination gets two on Finlay but he’s back with an atomic drop. Hornswoggle tags himself in to pick up the pace until Morrison cheap shots him down. A double clothesline cuts off Hornswoggle’s comeback attempt but Miz misses the charge in the corner. Hornswoggle kicks Morrison away and the hot tag brings Finlay back in. Everything breaks down and Finlay hits the Celtic Cross on Morrison, only to have Miz break up the Tadpole Splash. Morrison slams Hornswoggle off the top to retain.

Rating: C+. This could have been so much worse as Hornswoggle and Finlay worked well together as a team and at least it was a fresh set of opponents for Miz and Morrison. While there aren’t a lot of options for challengers, they have more or less cleaned out the division and it was time to find someone new to come after the belts. Finlay and Hornswoggle did well for a one off challenge and it was a pretty nice match as well.

We look at John Cena beating HHH in the main event of Wrestlemania XXII. They really are making the rematch feel like a huge deal and that’s great to see.

US Title: Chavo Guerrero vs. Matt Hardy

Chavo, with Bam Neely, is challenging. They fight over a lockup to start until Matt gets in a quick takedown. Chavo is right back with a headlock takeover, only to get backdropped to put him down again. With the grappling not working, Chavo starts in on the leg and wraps it around the ropes. Neely helps out by wrapping the leg around the post and Chavo cranks away back inside.

Matt avoids something off the middle rope though and hits a quick Side Effect. The middle rope elbow connects for two so Matt goes up again, only to get pulled into a half crab. That’s broken up but so is the Twist of Fate as Chavo gets the half crab again. Matt makes the ropes so Chavo tries the Three Amigos. That’s countered into the Twist of Fate to retain the title.

Rating: C. As you might have expected, these two worked a completely fine match against each other but it wasn’t the most thrilling. Chavo just isn’t someone who feels like he’s going to win that prestigious of a title, even if Matt is about to take it to ECW. Completely fine match, but nothing that stuck out in any meaningful way.

We look at the end of Million Dollar Mania.

ECW Title: Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. Big Show

Kane is defending and Henry was added after beating Kane on ECW. They start fast with Kane hammering away and avoiding a Henry splash in the corner. Henry is knocked outside, leaving Show and Kane to slug it out. Kane’s running DDT gets two but Show knocks him outside again. Show and Henry get their big showdown, with Henry’s running shoulder having almost no effect. A clothesline and slam put Henry down as trainers come out to check on Kane.

Show drops Henry again but it’s too early for a chokeslam. Instead they collide again for a double knockdown, allowing Kane to come back in. Alternating corner clotheslines set up a whip to send Henry into Show’s raised boot. The double chokeslam plants Henry but Show and Kane argue over who gets the cover. Kane hits an enziguri but Show knocks him out of the air for two. Something close to an Angle Slam gives Show two more so he goes up, only to get superplexed back down. Kane is down as well though and Henry hits a splash for the pin and the title.

Rating: C+. They went with the straight up monster mash formula here and as luck would have it, the people involved know exactly how to do that match. This was a perfectly entertaining match with Henry getting the win that he has deserved after the last few weeks of being a monster. Good stuff here with the right result.

Batista is ready to move to Raw with the Smackdown World Title. John Cena comes in to say he’s winning too, but here is CM Punk to say the Money In The Bank briefcase is getting heavy.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Cody Rhodes/Hardcore Holly vs. Ted DiBiase Jr./???

Rhodes and Holly are defending and DiBiase’s mystery partner is….not here yet, so maybe we can wait ten minutes. That won’t happen so we’ll start the match anyway. Cody starts for the team but DiBiase wants Holly….who gets dropped by Cody with a DDT. DiBiase announces Cody as his partner and gives Holly a cobra clutch legsweep for the pin and the titles. That’s certainly the twist and my goodness it’s better than Holly and Cody’s lame team.

JBL, in a luxury box, is upset that he’s not in a match on the show. Todd Grisham suggests it’s because he isn’t a champion so JBL goes into a speech about how he is successful while the American economy is crumbling. With Vince McMahon gone, he is the richest man in WWE (as we have back to back rich villain segments). He’s also more successful than Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks owner) because he doesn’t see any championship banners around here.

JBL mocks the Dallas Cowboys and praises HIS New York Giants, the Super Bowl champions. Everyone loves a champion, and that is why he is Texas’ favorite New Yorker. He’ll be getting a title soon enough. This was slow speaking JBL and that’s not exactly an inspiring change of pace.

Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. ???

Jericho is defending against a surprise opponent, which will NOT be Shawn Michaels. Since Michaels can’t make a thirty minute light, Jericho is here as an honest man to defend his title. Instead, he’s facing….Kofi Kingston, who came over to Raw in the Supplemental Draft. Lance Cade is here with Jericho, who drives Kingston into the face to start. A headlock takeover puts Kingston on the mat but he’s right back up. Jericho knocks him down again and doesn’t seem too worried to start.

Kingston picks up the pace with the rapid fire leapfrogs so Jericho bails outside, only to be taken down by a slingshot dive. Back in and Jericho dumps Kingston over the top for a big crash, followed by the stomping back inside. A suplex puts Kingston down for two more and Jericho bends his back over the knee. The abdominal stretch goes on but Kingston hiptosses his way to freedom.

Jericho’s belly to back superplex is turned into a crossbody for two and Kingston starts striking way. A clothesline into the Boom Drop gets two on Jericho and a hurricanrana gets the same. Jericho is right back with a knockdown into the Lionsault….but here is Shawn Michaels to superkick Cade. Jericho decks Shawn off the apron but the distraction lets Kingston hit Trouble In Paradise for the pin and the title out of nowhere.

Rating: B-. That was a shock and that’s what they seemed to be trying to do. Shawn costing Jericho the title makes all the sense in the world as it gives Jericho a reason to want to get revenge on him despite Shawn not being able to wrestle. Good match too, as Kingston has that unique offense that makes him fun to watch.

Post match Shawn seems pretty banged up so Jericho hits him in the eye again to leave him laying.

Vickie Guerrero wants to talk wedding flowers with Edge when Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder come in. They say it’s too bad about HHH, who had to help Batista on Smackdown. Otherwise he could have helped Edge tonight, an idea that Edge doesn’t like. We hear Edge’s resume and he promises to keep the title tonight.

Women’s Title: Mickie James vs. Katie Lea Burchill

Katie, with Paul Burchill, is challenging and grabs a rollup for a very fast two. They get back up with Mickie pulling her down by the arm and going up, which sends Katie bailing to the floor. Back in and Mickie kicks her down for two but a trip to the floor lets Katie take over. Katie suplexes her onto the arm to put Mickie in trouble and said arm is sent into the buckle. We hit the armbar and a DDT to the arm gives Katie two. Mickie comes out of the corner with a hurricanrana though and some clotheslines get two. Katie grabs a Fujiwara armbar but Mickie fights out again. Another suplex is blocked and a MickieDT retains the title.

Rating: C-. This could have been on any given Raw and it still would have been just as uninteresting. There is only so much to be gotten out of a match with a not so interesting challenger and such a basic story. It’s far from terrible, but they shouldn’t have even bothered if this was all they were allowed to do.

We recap Edge vs. Batista for the Smackdown World Title. Edge won the title at One Night Stand and Batista wants it. Violence has ensued.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Batista

Batista is challenging and wastes no time in powering Edge down. They head to the floor with Edge being sent into the barricade and shouldered down back inside. A Jackhammer gives Batista two and there’s a clothesline back to the floor as it’ all Batista so far. Batista throws him back in but Edge manages a posting for a much needed breather.

Edge Chokes on the ropes and drops an elbow on the apron but Batista slugs his way out of trouble. A swinging neckbreaker puts his right back in trouble though and Edge grabs the chinlock. Back up and Batista gets sent face first into the buckle, followed by a neckbreaker (non-swinging edition). That means we can hit the chinlock again but Batista is back up faster this time.

Edge gets taken down by a hard clothesline and we get a double breather. The spear gives Batista two and a powerslam puts him down again. Edge is right back with a much needed Edgecution but Batista knees the spear away. Batista goes up, only to get dropkicked out of the air to leave them down again.

Cue the Edgeheads with Vickie Guerrero as Batista hits the spinebuster, meaning Vickie has to make the save. Edge decks the referee so Vickie calls out another referee…and gets Chavo Guerrero (with Bam Neely). Batista grabs Vickie and throws her over the top and onto the pile, but Edge gets in a belt shot. Chavo counts the (actually not fast) pin to retain the title.

Rating: B-. The match was good for the most part, but then the ending was about as lame and uninspired of a choice as they could have had. It was just another La Familia run in ending, with the really slow count from the referee being the only thing missing. Granted almost none of this matters as Batista is on his way to Raw anyway, but I was hoping for more.

Batista gets the big emotional sendoff, which loses some of its impact when you keep in mind that he’ll be back tomorrow night.

HHH is ready to right the wrong of two years ago.

We recap HHH vs. John Cena for the former’s Raw World Title. This is billed as the biggest match Raw can have and goes back to HHH losing to Cena in the main event of Wrestlemania XXII. The build has gone well and it really does feel like a top level match.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. John Cena

Cena is challenging. HHH’s headlock doesn’t get him anywhere to start as Cena runs him over with a shoulder. A hiptoss works better for HHH so Cena grabs a headlock of his own. That works just as well so Cena hits another shoulder and the release fisherman’s suplex gets two. The flying shoulder misses though and Cena crashes out to the floor. Back in and Cena hits a suplex as the pace slows back down.

Cena fight back again and hits the ProtoBomb but the Shuffle is broken up. HHH hits the jumping knee but Cena is right back with the Throwback. Another Shuffle is cut off by another jumping knee but Cena sends him flying over the corner. HHH comes up holding his leg so Cena is right on it, including a wrap around the post. It’s too early for the STFU as HHH makes the ropes so HHH hits a desperation Pedigree for a delayed two.

Cena grabs an FU for the same and they’re both down. Back up and they slug it out until Cena hits another ProtoBomb. The Shuffle is blocked again and HHH tries a Pedigree, only to be reversed into the STFU. HHH goes for the rope so Cena pulls him back, allowing HHH to counter into a Crossface. Cena manages to stand but the FU is countered into the Pedigree for the pin.

Rating: B. This was a strange match as it sent over twenty minutes and definitely felt like a major fight, but it felt like they were only getting started when HHH got the pin. For once this could have gone for another five to ten minutes to really get going. The HHH leg stuff could have been something but it wasn’t really given time to develop. It’s not something that is said very often, but HHH needed more time for a change.

Replays and posing take us out.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s a good show but nothing you really need to go out of your way to see. The main event is the best thing on the show and even then it’s not a match you really need to see. They had an easy theme here with all of the title matches but even then, only the Tag Team Titles and the Intercontinental Title changes felt like moments, and even they were on the lower end of things. Overall, it’s certainly not a bad show, but they hyped it up as this major event and it just wasn’t.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 23, 2008
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 15,183
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Mick Foley, Mike Adamle, Tazz

It’s a big night as we have three things going on at once. We have a three hour show with the major focus being the annual Draft, with the focal point being that EVERYONE is available to be drafted. Other than that, Million Dollar Mania is still going so expect a lot of Vince McMahon. Finally, it’s also the last Raw before Night Of Champions. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Commentary welcomes us to the show and hype up the idea of everyone being switched around.

HHH (Raw) vs. Mark Henry (Smackdown)

Non-title and it seems that the winning brand gets a Draft pick. Henry yells a lot and HHH looks nervous, with Henry running him over to make it worse. The headbutts rock HHH some more and Henry runs him over for an early two. A Vader Bomb gets two more and Henry grabs the neck crank. HHH finally slips out and tries some running forearms to stagger Henry. The facebuster sets up more right hands and the jumping knee finally puts Henry down. The Pedigree is countered into the World’s Strongest Slam for two but Henry misses the splash. That’s enough for the Pedigree to give HHH the pin.

Rating: C. There was only so much that HHH could do here and he made it work as well as possible. Henry is a big monster and the Pedigree was only going to look so good, but HHH trying to knock him down was a nice sequence. For a quick match, they did about as well as they could have, with Henry being a fine monster.

Drafted to Raw: Rey Mysterio.

Here is Vince McMahon to announce that tonight, five people will win $100,000 and one will win $500,000. Vince brings out Kelly Kelly to help him and they call a woman….who Vince says gives the wrong password. Kelly says it’s right though and gives us a celebratory dance.

HHH welcomes Rey Mysterio to Raw when John Cena comes in. Rey leaves so HHH can say he’s not losing to Cena again at Night Of Champions. HHH says nothing Cena has done matters until Cena beats him for the title.

Finlay/Hornswoggle (Smackdown) vs. Carlito/Santino Marella (Raw)

For a draft pick. Santino wants Hornswoggle to start and gets Stunned for his efforts. Finlay comes in and ties Santino up in the ring skirt for the beating. A Carlito cheap shot puts Finlay down though and the villains take over. Santino gets caught with the shillelagh and it’s the Celtic Cross into the Tadpole Splash for the pin.

Drafted to Smackdown: Jeff Hardy.

Hardy comes out to pose and we see the still injured Randy Orton watching backstage.

Vince McMahon brings out Randy Orton to help give away more money. First though, Orton warns HHH and John Cena that he’s coming back for the WWE Title. Actually that’s it for Orton, who isn’t in the mood to help give away money. Vince is in the mood to do that, but he’ll also give us a great main event tonight: Cena vs. Edge.

Hardcore Holly/Cody Rhodes (Raw) vs. Chavo Guerrero/Bam Neely (ECW)

For a draft pick and Ted DiBiase Jr. is on commentary to promote his dad’s book. Neely jumps Cody to start and the stomping is on in the corner. Chavo comes in but Cody escapes a belly to back suplex and hands it off to Holly as the crowd is almost eerily silent. Holly hits the hanging kick to the ribs but the Alabama Slam is broken up. Chavo headscissors Cody to the floor, only to walk into the Alabama Slam for the fast pin.

Drafted to Raw: CM Punk. It’s about time.

Here is Chris Jericho for a chat. Jericho is used to fans throwing trash at him, but he’s just waiting for Shawn Michaels to turn on the fans like he does with everyone else. We see a highlight package of Shawn turning on people over the years, including Marty Jannetty, Diesel, Hulk Hogan and John Cena.

Then we move into Shawn faking his knee injury, which has Jericho talking about all of Shawn’s lies. Jericho hates lies more than anyone else, save for maybe one person: the man who helped Jericho against HHH last week, Lance Cade. We see Cade on the Titantron, where he talks about how he was trained by Shawn Michaels and wasn’t going to give Shawn the chance to turn on him.

Jericho never lied to him, but now Jericho needs a person to face for the Intercontinental Title at Night Of Champions. It would have been Shawn, but we see Jericho massacring him. Cue Shawn, with his eye taped up, to go after Jericho. Shawn slugs away, until Jericho sends him eye first into the announcers’ table to cut him off immediately. That match is going to have some crazy heat.

We recap the Draft picks to date.

John Morrison/Miz (ECW) vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder (Smackdown)

Vickie Guerrero introduces Hawkins and Ryder, but recent developments have made her change her mind. Here’s the new match:

John Morrison/Miz (ECW) vs. Jeff Hardy/Matt Hardy (Smackdown)

Non-title but for a Draft pick. Matt and Miz start things off as Cole talks about how great this was from Vickie Guerrero. Matt’s wristlock and headlock don’t get very far as Miz takes him into the corner for the left hands. That’s broken up as well so Matt hits a clothesline and hands it off to Jeff for Poetry In Motion. The slingshot dropkick hits Miz in the corner but Morrison gets in a cheap shot to take over.

Morrison grabs a chinlock and then it’s off to Miz for, uh, another chinlock actually. Jeff fights up but Miz runs him over again for two. A legdrop gives Miz two more and we hit a crossface chickenwing. Jeff fights up and nails a quick Whisper In The Wind to put them both down. The diving tag brings in Matt to clean house, including the Side Effect for two on Morrison. The middle rope legdrop connects but Morrison is right back up with a rollup (and tights) for the pin.

Rating: C. This felt like it was supposed to be a low level dream match but it was pretty dull for the most part. There were some good moments with Matt’s comeback working well, but you’re only going to be able to get so far with an eight minute match and a pretty abrupt ending. At least ECW got something though.

Drafted to ECW: Matt Hardy (with the US Title).

Vince McMahon recaps Million Dollar Mania and brings out Ric Flair to help him give away $100,000. Flair calls and the fan wins the money, plus a bonus WOO!

We look at Mickie James participating in the Dreams Take Flight charity event.

Mickie James/Melina (Raw) vs. Natalya Neidhart/Victoria (Smackdown)

For a Draft pick, but only announcers/interviewers are eligible. Natalya grabs a front facelock on Melina to start before a powerslam gets two. Victoria comes in and drives Melina into the corner but Melina rolls her up for two more. Back up and Victoria sends her off the top for a crash to the floor, where Melina looks banged up. Mickie goes over to check on her but the brawl is on for the double DQ.

Drafted to Smackdown: Jim Ross. To say he does not look happy with this would be an understatement.

Drafted to Monday Night Raw: Michael Cole.

Post break we see Melina being taken out of the arena as she seems to have suffered a rather bad leg injury.

Vince McMahon brings out Great Khali to plug his new movie Get Smart, which also features Dwayne Johnson. Khali calls someone who says “wrong number” and hangs up. Someone else answers, tells Vince to hang on and brings on someone else to give the password (Khali looks mad and yells a lot) but the guy wins (and sounds bored).

John Cena (Raw) vs. Edge (Smackdown)

Non-title but for a Draft pick. Jim Ross isn’t sure why he’s calling a match involving a Raw competitor (oh yeah this isn’t going well) as they fight over a lockup to start. Cena sends him into the corner but misses a running bulldog, allowing Edge to score with a big boot. Edge slugs away as Foley is handling most of the commentary. A hard clothesline drops Cena again as JR talks about how he didn’t expect to leave Raw tonight but that’s how the cards were dealt.

Cena comes back with a shot of his own for two but it’s a double clothesline to put them both down. It’s Cena up first to start the comeback until Edge escapes the FU into the Edgecution for two. The spear is countered into the STFU, sending Edge over to the ropes rather quickly. Edge goes up top but has to escape a super FU, allowing him to knock Cena outside. Cena catches him diving off the apron though and decks Edge, who takes the countout.

Rating: C+. These two always have good chemistry together and anything they do is at least worth a look. At the same time, the result was one of the only options they had, as you don’t want either of them losing heading into a World Title match on Sunday. They didn’t have much time here, but what they did was pretty nice while it lasted.

Post match Batista throws Edge inside for a beating.

Drafted to Raw: Batista. Well that’s convenient timing.

Post break Edge and Vickie Guerrero are glad with their win because Batista is out of their hair. Vince McMahon comes in to say the title match is still on for Night Of Champions. This might have had a bigger impact if Michael Cole hadn’t said the same thing before the break. Vince suggests Vickie and Edge could be split up and panic ensues.

MVP (Smackdown) vs. Tommy Dreamer (ECW)

For a Draft pick.  Colin Delaney is here with Dreamer, who gets punched in the ribs and kicked in the head to start. They trade right hands as commentary seems way off here, with Mick Foley joining in and talking about a Playboy Playmate. Tazz: “You know there is a match going on.” MVP misses a charge in the corner and gets hit with a bulldog. Not that it matters as MVP hits a running boot in the corner for the pin.

Drafted to Smackdown: Umaga. Cue Umaga to beat up Dreamer and Delaney.

Draft recap.

John Bradshaw Layfield (Raw) vs. Kofi Kingston (ECW)

For a Draft pick. JBL grabs a headlock to start but Kofi is back up with the jumping back elbow. With the jumping getting on JBL’s nerves, he kicks Kofi in the face to take over. Something close to a cobra clutch keeps Kofi in trouble and the clubbing forearms to the back make it even worse. The bearhug goes on but Kofi sends him into the corner to escape. A dropkick looks to set up the Boom Drop but the Clothesline From JBL finishes Kofi.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going but there was something good about having Kofi using his weird style and JBL just hitting him in the face over and over. Kofi is still someone who is on his way up and needs to be in there against bigger competition. Fun little match here, and Kofi feels like he is on the way up.

Drafted to Raw: ECW Champion Kane.

Vince McMahon gives away more money…..and the fan happens to be here in the arena.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Battle Royal

Raw: CM Punk, HHH, Kane, John Cena, Batista

ECW: Matt Hardy, John Morrison, Miz, Chavo Guerrero, Shelton Benjamin

Smackdown: Big Show, Edge, Jeff Hardy, Great Khali, MVP

For two Draft picks and that’s one heck of a lineup. We’re joined in progress after a break and a bunch of people get together to toss Khali. Everyone looks at Show who tells them to bring it and then knocks a bunch of them down. Miz can’t get rid of Edge but Batista can get rid of Miz and Morrison at the same time.

Show and MVP send Punk over the top but not out as this is not the most thrilling stuff despite the names involved. Edge fires off some spears and we take a break. Back with Punk having been eliminated and HHH hitting a facebuster on Show. Matt gets the same thing and Jeff enziguris Chavo out. That leaves Matt as the sole ECW star as Benjamin seems to have been tossed during the break as well.

There goes MVP and we get the Hardys showdown. Jeff gets the better of things and kicks Matt out to officially finish off ECW. Edge and Batista both try spears and they’re both down in a heap. Jeff misses Whisper In The Wind and HHH knocks him out and it’s HHH, Cena, Batista (very bloody), Kane, Show and Edge left.

Batista spears Edge but gets punched out by Show. Kane is knocked out as well and it’s two vs. two. Show manages to suplex Edge and Cena at the same time, leaving everyone down. HHH and Cena get back up and dump Show but Edge knocks Cena into HHH to get rid of him. Cena is so shocked that Edge is able to toss him for the win.

Rating: C. The ending got better, but there were some long stretches with pretty much nothing going on here. That isn’t the best way to draw up interest in the match but at least the star power was on display. I was expecting ECW to win to finally get a little something else, though that would imply WWE cares about ECW in any meaningful way.

Drafted to Smackdown: Mr. Kennedy and HHH (Raw World Champion).

We go up to Vince McMahon, who gives away $500,000…..and then the stage collapses. Vince is crushed under a part of the set and yells for Paul because he can’t feel his legs to end the show.

Raw
Rey Mysterio
CM Punk
Michael Cole
Kane
Batista

Smackdown
Jeff Hardy
Jim Ross
Umaga
Mr. Kennedy
HHH

ECW
Matt Hardy

Overall Rating: C+. As you might have guessed, this wasn’t the most traditional show, as they were trying to do a lot of things at once. Between the Draft and the money and hyping up Sunday’s show, this was a bit too all over the place. The Draft was the big focus and some of the moves should shake things up a bit, though ECW is gutted even more than before. Above all else though, I feel sorry for Jim Ross, who gets treated badly again, because Vince McMahon enjoys it or something.

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: October 10, 2023
Location: Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence, Missouri
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s a big night as this show is going up against NXT for the first time in a good while. Therefore it’s a Title Tuesday with a bunch of championships on the line, plus a big time #1 contenders match with Bryan Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland for a TNT Title shot. Also, Adam Copeland makes his AEW in-ring debut. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Buy-In: Ring Of Honor World Title/New Japan Strong Openweight Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki

Kingston is defending both titles and they trade chops to start as I try to figure out what I’m buying into on a free show. Suzuki gets the better of things and knocks Kingston down before a forearm knocks him down again. Back up and Kingston chops away before dropping down to a seated position. Suzuki cranks on the hand but Kingston rapid fire chops him into the corner.

That’s broken up as Suzuki walks out of the corner, only to get exploder suplexed for two. The spinning backfist is blocked and Suzuki’s running kick to the chest gets two. Back up and, say it with me, they chop it out before Kingston lets him strike away for a knockdown. Suzuki grabs a chinlock but can’t hit the Gotch style piledriver. Instead Kingston is up with the spinning backfist for two, followed by a second for one. A third doesn’t even put Suzuki down so it’s an enziguri into the northern lights bomb to retain the titles at 10:38.

Rating: C. I get the concept, I get what they’re going for here, I get the style and all that and it is just not for me. This was two guys standing there trading strikes to the face for the better part of ten minutes with some screaming thrown in. I’m sure Kingston found it to be the greatest honor of his life of the week, but this as some big bonus match wasn’t quite working.

Christian Cage is in the production truck to start and proclaims his greatness. Tonight has some implications for his TNT Title and he doesn’t care who wins the #1 contenders match. He’s still not happy with Swerve Strickland for losing their match in London, but a little Birdie told him that Bryan Danielson still thinks he’s the best in the world. Cage is the face of TNT and Warner Brothers Discovery and as such, he has secured the first half hour of this show to be commercial free. Now open things up.

Opening sequence.

Bryan Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland

For a TNT Title shot and Prince Nana is here with Strickland. They fight over a test of strength to start with Strickland not being able to get anywhere. Strickland takes it to the mat (that might not be the best idea) but has to block a kneebar. A battle over a small package goes nowhere so the fans declare this awesome a little over three minutes in. They head to the apron for a chop off until Swerve backbreakers him down hard.

Back in and Strickland starts cranking on the arm to little avail but another backbreaker works just fine. A 450 hits raised knees though and Danielson scores with a top rope missile dropkick. Danielson kicks away a suicide dive is cut off. The Swerve Stomp misses as well and Danielson gets to strike away. Swerve goes up but gets pulled down into a belly to back superplex, only to land on Danielson’s bad arm.

Danielson is fine enough to get in the stomps before getting the double arm crank, sending Swerve’s legs to the rope. Swerve’s arms are fine enough to hit the House Call into the Swerve Stomp for a rather close two. A flipping slam out of the corner gives Swerve two so Nana gets on the apron. Swerve grabs Nana’s crown but cue Hangman Page to take it away. Danielson nails the running knee for the pin at 16:06.

Rating: B+. In other news, Bryan Danielson has an awesome match against another awesome opponent. This is just what he does these days and it’s a treat to watch every single time. He doesn’t need to win the title on Saturday but putting him out there every week in a John Cena Open Challenge deal (hopefully minus the Open Challenge part) would be a heck of a weekly feature.

Samoa Joe will be AEW World Champion and this Saturday will be the beginning of his ascension.

Chris Jericho vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

Hobbs stars fast and hits the spinebuster for an early two. Hobbs hits a second one but doesn’t cover as Don Callis approves on the floor. The slow beating is on as Callis keeps shouting at Jericho. More spinebustering ensues as it’s all Hobbs so far. A missed charge in the corner lets Jericho hit a Codebreaker for two. Another spinebuster connects but Hobbs still won’t cover. The Walls go on out of nowhere but Hobbs turns him back over and grabs Jericho by the throat. A World’s Strongest Slam gives Hobbs another near fall, followed by another World’s Strongest Slam to finish Jericho at 7:20.

Rating: C+. Well, that’s what it should have been. This was pretty much a squash in the vein of John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar and that’s a great way to go. What matters more here though is Hobbs is someone who could be a breakout star in short order. Not much in the way of a match here, but it boosted the heck out of Hobbs.

Post match, Hobbs hits another World’s Strongest Slam.

Roderick Strong has Adam Cole, on his scooter, mow his lawn. Strong even gives him a NECK STRONG shirt. Cole asks why there is no cell service or TV at Strong’s house, with Strong calling TV THE DEVIL. With Cole saying he’s off to get ankle surgery, Strong says he needs ONE MORE THING.

TNT Title: Orange Cassidy vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix is defending as Cassidy is taking the place of an injured Jon Moxley. Fenix strikes away to start and manages a rope walk kick, which doesn’t quite work out. A slam attempt hurts Fenix’s back so Cassidy knocks him outside for a whip over the barricade. Fenix is able to get in a kick of his own but Cassidy drops him on the apron. Cassidy cuts him off on the top and hits the middle rope DDT, followed by the satellite DDT for two. Fenix’s back gives out on the rolling cutter attempt so Cassidy grabs the Beach Break for two more. The Orange Punch into the Mouse Trap gives Cassidy the title back at 4:42.

Rating: C+. That’s quite the surprise, as it makes me wonder how long Moxley is going to be out of action. Fenix was never going to be the long term champion but losing here is a bit of a surprise. Cassidy got a big reaction though and that’s what matters in this situation, as a title themed show needed a title change.

Post match the Best Friends come out to celebrate with Cassidy, who looks rather serious.

We get a Toni Storm silent film….which gets the picture in picture treatment as we have our first commercial.

Wardlow vs. Matt Sydal

Four movement Powerbomb Symphony gives Wardlow the referee stoppage win at 58 seconds.

Wardlow leaves through the crowd again.

Matt Menard and Daniel Garcia argue over checking on the injured Chris Jericho.

Hangman Page vs. Jay White

The Gunns and Juice Robinson (on Big Wheels, one of which includes Cardblade) are in White’s corner. White bails to the floor to start so Page takes him out with a dive and yells at the rest of the Club. We take a break and come back with White scoring with a dragon screw legwhip. The leg is fine enough to snap off a Death Valley Driver though and they’re both down. White is sent outside so Page dives at him, only to bang up his knee again.

A powerbomb onto the apron cuts White off but he’s able to grab a sitout powerbomb for two back inside. White comes back with a shinbreaker onto the apron as we take a break. Back with Page hitting a super fall away slam but the knee is banged up again. White grabs the swinging Rock Bottom for two and we hit the chinlock.

That’s broken up and Page knocks him silly again but it’s too early for the Buckshot Lariat. Instead White grabs a Downward Spiral into a German suplex for two. The Deadeye connects but the Club offers a distraction. Cue Prince Nana with the crown but Page cuts him off, allowing White to grab a rollup (with tights) pin at 18:22.

Rating: B. This match got time and turned into a heck of a fight, though the ending keeps Page vs. Swerve Strickland going more than anything else. It was a back and forth match as it needed to be, with White getting the win that he needed on the way to the World Title match. Page continues to be on a bit of a hamster wheel, but things are trending down for him in recent weeks.

Post match Page chases Nana off but here is MJF to face White. MJF wants the Triple B back (Taz explains that’s the World Title belt, which covers a possible hole for non-regulars. That’s such a nice little cover that you don’t get nearly often enough.) but White says not so fast. MJF isn’t getting the Bang Bang Belt back, which MJF says is straight out of his own playbook. They aren’t that far apart but for the first time, MJF isn’t hating what he sees in the mirror.

White doesn’t care about the rest of the Club but MJF hates him. That belts means you’re the best in the world while White sees it as a joke. MJF knows White will get to that level one day but for now, do the right thing and give it back. White says he thought MJF said he had to earn it, which he can do at Full Gear. The challenge is thrown out for an eight man tag and if MJF wins, he might get the title back. Juice Robinson says he’ll be in the battle royal for the diamond ring next week and whips out a roll of coins with MJF’s name on it. MJF freaks out over the whole history of coins being thrown at him as a kid and threatens violence.

We get part two of Toni Storm’s movie, again in picture in picture. I get the joke, but not giving the best thing in AEW today the full screen is a bit odd.

Women’s Title: Saraya vs. Hikaru Shida

Saraya is defending and gets knocked into the corner to start. They take a break on the floor before coming back inside for a catfight. The fight heads outside again and Ruby Soho pops up as a production worker. Cue Toni Storm to beat her with a shoe and chase her into the crowd as we take a break.

Back with Shida hammering away in the corner and hitting a middle rope missile dropkick for two. Saraya manages to pull her off the top but Shida grabs a German suplex onto the apron. Shida’s Meteora off the apron connects for two back inside and frustration sets in. Saraya is back with a quick Nightcap for two so she grabs the kendo stick. That’s but a ruse so she can spray Shida with the spray paint, meaning another Nightcap can get two more. Shida scores with the Falcon Arrow for two before an exchange of rollups gives Shida the pin and the title back at 11:15.

Rating: C+. This got a little more time than the usual women’s matches and the title is right back where it was about two months ago. I’m not sure Shida was expected to be a long term champion and it’s nice to see Shida getting the belt back, though the title scene could use a bit more fresh blood. Maybe Shida drops it soon, but for now she continues to add to her records.

Chris Jericho has been taken to the hospital.

AEW is donating 50,000 AEW toys to Toys For Tots. That’s great.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Don Callis has a surprise, which involves doing Sammy Guevara’s sign deal during picture in picture.

MJF calls Adam Cole to come back and lists off all of his problems. Cole can’t hear him though and the call cuts out. The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn come in and offer to be his partner, but Gunn isn’t sure. Max Caster talks about how MJF is his friend and he’ll be there for him. As a bonus: Caster: “I love it when he plays hard to get.”

Here is Christian Cage, with Luchasaurus, to talk about how Adam Copeland tried to be people’s friend (sounds like a shot at Judgment Day), but Cage wants to be Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus’ father. Copeland wants to reform the team with Cage and end their careers together, but where was that a few years ago? He was the more talented one while Copeland was getting pushed to the moon.

Cage has a lot of fans around the world, like Copeland’s wife Beth. For now though, don’t worry, because after Luchasaurus wrecks Copeland, his daughters will have a father. Cage: “Put some clean sheets on the bed.” The girls’ new daddy is coming home but here is Copeland for the fight.

Luchasaurus vs. Adam Copeland

Nick Wayne pops up to grab Copeland’s leg and Luchasaurus hits a hard lariat before we get started. Copeland says ring the bell anyway so Luchasaurus tombstones him for two. Luchasaurus slowly beats him down and hits a hard slam but Copeland is back up with a right hand. A superkick cuts Copeland off again and we take a break.

Back with Copeland being sent outside but a chokeslam on the knee is broken up. Copeland kicks him in the knee and hits a DDT off the apron to put them both down. Back in and the Impaler gives Copeland a delayed two and they go up top. Copeland forearms him in the back and hits a top rope superplex to leave them both laying. The spear is loaded up but Wayne wedges a chair into the corner.

The spear hits said chair and Luchasaurus hits a chokeslam for two. They head to the apron where Luchasaurus loads up a chokeslam onto the steps but gets caught with the Edge-O-Matic. A spear off the apron drops Luchasaurus again so cue Cage and Wayne. The referee is distracted so Copeland takes the TNT Title from Cage, blasts Luchasaurs with it and throws it back to Cage.  Luchasaurus isn’t happy and the spear from Copeland for the pin at 15:20 makes it worse..

Rating: B-. This wasn’t exactly a great in-ring debut for Copeland, as he was beaten down for most of the match and it went long. The stuff with Cage screwing up and Copeland getting the big win worked, but this would have been better served by being about five minutes shorter. Cage vs. Copeland is going to be a huge pay per view match, but this part didn’t give me the greatest hope.

Post match the beatdown is on but the Blackpool Combat Club runs in for the save. The Gates of Agony and Swerve Strickland come in as well, followed by Hangman Page. Danielson makes Cage tap to the LeBell Lock as Copeland spears Wayne to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The show was pretty strong, with good to very good matches throughout. The ending got us a step closer to Copeland vs. Cage and Hobbs got the biggest win of his career over Jericho. On the other hand you have the title changes, which felt like they took us back in time a bit. It was certainly a show that felt big, but AEW has had quite a few of those as of late and they might be starting to run out of some steam. For now though, just keep putting Danielson out there to tear the house down every week or two and things should be fine.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Minoru Suzuki – Northern Lights Bomb
Bryan Danielson b. Swerve Strickland – Running knee
Powerhouse Hobbs b. Chris Jericho – World’s Strongest Slam
Orange Cassidy b. Rey Fenix – Mouse Trap
Wardlow b. Matt Sydal via referee stoppage
Jay White b. Hangman Page – Rollup with tights
Hikaru Shida b. Saraya – Rollup
Adam Copeland b. Luchasaurus – Spear

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: October 4, 2023
Location: Stockton Arena, Stockton, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with WrestleDream and more importantly, it’s the fourth anniversary of Dynamite. The card is fairly stacked as a result with the International Title on the line, plus Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho acing the Don Callis Family. Oh and Adam Copeland is here as well. Let’s get to it.

Here is WrestleDream if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho are ready to fight the Don Callis Family when Adam Copeland shows up. Adam is glad to be here and shakes hands with Jericho. Omega introduces himself, saying Adam had him on the edge of his seat at WrestleDream. They shake hands and Omega is looking forward to what Adam brings to AEW and everything seems cool.

International Title: Rey Fenix vs. Nick Jackson

Fenix is defending and Alex Abrahantes, Penta El Zero Miedo and Matt Jackson are here too. A running shoulder doesn’t do much for Fenix so they trade chops. Nick sends him to the apron but a sunset bomb to the floor is blocked, allowing Fenix to grab a middle rope armdrag. Fenix seems to come up a little sore but is fine enough to send Nick over the barricade. A hurricanrana gets Nick out of trouble though and they head back inside.

Fenix slips on the ropes though and Nick gets a Backstabber out of the corner. Fenix is fine enough to kick him off the apron and we take a break. Back with Fenix hitting a superkick but getting caught in a hurricanrana for two. Fenix knocks him to the floor but Nick catches him with a cutter.

Back in and the slingshot X Factor gets two on Fenix but Nick is pulled down on the ropes. He’s fine enough to hit a super cutter for two and they both need a breather. A springboard Canadian Destroyer drops Fenix for two more but Fenix is right back with a knockdown of his own. Fenix’s frog splash gets two but the Black Fire Driver is countered into a rollup which is countered into another rollup to pin Nick at 13:42.

Rating: B-. They kept the pace up here as you would have expected but it wasn’t exactly great. Granted that might be because Jackson isn’t known for his singles matches and isn’t usually as smooth in them. Odds are Fenix doesn’t hold the title that much longer and given the circumstances under which he won it, that shouldn’t be a surprise.

We get a segment with Adam Cole visiting Roderick Strong and the Kingdom. Strong talks about the works of Beethoven but Cole prefers Tchaikovsky. In theory at least, as there is no audio as Cole rides around on a bike that Strong has given him and Strong has a stuffed giraffe.

Wardlow vs. Griff Garrison

The referee stops it after a five movement Powerbomb Symphony at 1:02.

Wardlow leaves through the crowd, which seems to be pleased.

We look back at Adam Copeland’s debut at WrestleDream.

Don Callis says Sammy Guevara is hurt so Kyle Fletcher is taking his place.

We get the Cole/Strong segment, with Strong giving Cole a bike to get around on his bad ankle. As for the emergency from last week, Strong needs Cole to move some furniture. Cole struggles but manages to do it, only to have Strong ask him for one more favor.

Trios Titles: Billy Gunn/Acclaimed vs. Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade

Gunn and the Acclaimed are challenging and Penelope Ford is here with the challengers. It’s a big brawl before the match with the champs taking over. We take an early break and come back with everything breaking down. Scissor Me Timbers hits Blade and an assisted flipping slam finishes Sabian at 5:14. Not enough shown to rate but it was about what you would expect.

We get more of the Toni Storm interview as she freaks out over not having it anymore. She’s told she isn’t old, which sends her into saying “I’M TIMELESS” over and over.

Bryan Danielson is very pleased with his win over Zack Sabre Jr. but Sabre says the running knee was a scoundrel move.

Hangman Page says back to the drawing board after the loss to Swerve Strickland. Swerve is rather pleased.

We look back at MJF and Jay White arguing last week, followed by White being attacked to end the show.

Here is Bullet Club Gold, minus White, to mock MJF (after mocking Adam Cole’s ankle injury). He’s supposed to be some generational talent but the best he could think of was “tofu”. They call out MJF to come out here and face them like a man so cue MJF. We get some insults about various body parts and MJF has the fans chant both insults.

MJF lists off some things he’s done over the years, but he didn’t attack White. The challenge is on for a street fight but the Club runs, allowing Jay White to come in with the Blade Runner. White takes the title up to the stage and talks about how MJF is nowhere near elite. The challenge is made for Gull Gear and MJF is in. These segments still aren’t hitting the high points like you would expect from these two working together.

Hook and Orange Cassidy share some clips and talk about how Cassidy should get a title shot.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega vs. Kyle Fletcher/Konosuke Takeshita

Don Callis on commentary. Jericho shoulders Takeshita down to start and it’s Omega coming in for a double suplex. Takeshita suplexes Jericho to come back and we take a break. Back with Omega getting to clean house until Fletcher takes him down for two. Jericho comes back in to chop Fletcher in the corner, setting up the super hurricanrana.

Omega and Takeshita fight to the floor, leaving Jericho and Fletcher to chop it out from their knees. Jericho and Fletcher hit stereo clotheslines and we take another break. Back again with Jericho scoring with an enziguri, allowing the tag off to Omega for the slugout with Fletcher. A powerbomb into the knee to the face gives Omega two and Takeshita is knocked down. The Codebreaker into the One Winged Angel finishes for Omega at 15:11.

Rating: B-. This was hurt by having Fletcher, who has nothing to do with the story, included but if Sammy Guevara was injured, there is only so much they could have done. What we got was good, and Jericho teaming with Omega does feel like a big deal. I’m not sure what the endgame for the story with Callis is, but we still could be a long way off from it taking place.

Post match Powerhouse Hobbs runs in to take out Jericho and Omega as Don Callis seems to have a new star. The beating goes on in the crowd for a bit until they go back to ringside, where Omega is tied in the ropes. Callis gets in a chair shot to the head to end a rather lengthy beatdown. Of note: commentary explained that the Young Bucks and Hangman Page left/weren’t here to cover the lack of a save.

MJF is in the trainer’s room and wishes Adam Cole was here. For some reason Max Caster pops in to rub his neck, with MJF threatening a restraining order (apparently they have a running thing on Twitter). With Caster gone, MJF calls Adam Cole but gets voicemail.

Samoa Joe cuts some cigars and talks about needing to regain the hunger that it takes to be a champion. The championship he currently holds is not mentioned.

Toni Storm vs. Skye Blue

Storm is now officially timeless, complete with a black and white intro. Blue gets jumped to start but manages a forearm from the apron. Storm knocks her off the top though and scores with the hip attack. Storm: “We’ll be back after these words from our very important sponsors.” And we go to a break. Back with Blue rolling Storm up for two and firing off the forearms. A high crossbody gives Blue two but Storm’s chokebomb gets the same. The running hip attack into Storm Zero finishes Blue at 6:46.

Rating: C. This was the usual AEW women’s match, as they had so much time cut out that it wasn’t able to do much. Storm’s pitch to the commercial was funny, but other than that she didn’t do much different than her usual matches. That being said, the weird stuff she’s doing at the moment is making her more interesting than she’s been in years and that is great to see.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Here is Adam Copeland for his Mission Statement. After praising (and dismissing) Tony Schiavone, Copeland says he likes the ADAM chant (Copeland: “I’ve never heard that one before!”). He likes the idea of the AEW World Title around his waist and thinks there are a lot of first time matches he likes the sound of facing (Jon Moxley, Miro, Powerhouse Hobbs, Jay White etc).

Not long ago he asked his daughters if he should retire, but one of them said he should go have fun with Uncle Jay, better known as Christian Cage. Cue Cage, with Copeland talking about how they’ve been best friends for 40 years. Copeland isn’t happy with what Cage did to Sting at WrestleDream, because he remembers Cage taking Sting’s picture to the barber shop so he could have the same haircut.

It’s time for the first time in over twenty years for the two of them to….team together again. They could face teams like FTR or the Young Bucks, so let’s do it one more time. They hug, but Cage says “Go CENSORED” and walks off. Cage brings out Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne for the staredown to end the show. This is an interesting way to go, as having Christian around and not tying Edge into him somehow would have felt off.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly a great show as save for the main event and the Hobbs deal, there wasn’t much going on. Wardlow being back is cool, but he was on screen for all of two minutes doing his usual stuff. For an anniversary show, I was expecting more, though I do like having the main event of Full Gear set up this far in advance. Next week’s show is the one that matters, but I was expecting more out of an anniversary/PPV fallout show.

Results
Rey Fenix b. Nick Jackson – Rollup
Wardlow b. Griff Garrison via referee stoppage
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. Kip Sabian/Butcher and the Blade – Assisted Iconoclasm to Sabian
Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega b. Konosuke Takeshita/Kyle Fletcher – One Winged Angel to Fletcher
Toni Storm b. Skye Blue – Storm Zero

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

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AND

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

WrestleDream 2023
Date: October 1, 2023
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness, Jim Ross

We’re back with the third pay per view in six weeks and this has a bit of a theme to it. The idea of this show is paying tribute to Japanese legend Antonio Inoki, who passed away a year ago to the day. As a result, there are some New Japan stars involved in the show, which does have a strong card. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long video tribute to Antonio Inoki, with wrestlers talking about what he meant to wrestling.

Tony Khan is in the ring with some other people, all with the Inoki scarves around their necks. Khan introduces the men as Rocky Romero, Katsuyori Shibata and Hiroto/Naroto Inoki, Antonio’s grandsons. We get Inoki’s signature phrase to wrap it up.

Zero Hour: Shane Taylor/Lee Moriarty/Diamante/Mercedes Martinez vs. Keith Lee/Satoshi Kojima/Athena/Billie Starkz

Fans: “WE WANT BREAD!” Excalibur: “Of course Satoshi Kojima the leader of Bread Club.” JR: “You might want to explain that.” Diamante and Starkz start but it’s quickly off to Athena for a suplex. JR wants Athena to go on a tear, apparently not realizing that she’s been on one for the better part of the last year. Taylor comes in to punch Keith in the face and manages to knock him down.

It’s off to Moriarty, who gets dropped rather quickly so Kojima can come in to run Moriarty over. A DDT gets two with Diamante making the save, earning her a beating from Starkz. Everything breaks down and Athena hits an O Face on Moriarty, with JR calling it illegal. The ring is cleared, leaving Kojima to lariat Moriarty for the pin at 5:38.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do much here as they had eight people with less than six minutes. Kojima is a star from New Japan and still does well despite having been around forever, while Keith is rarely in the ring anymore for whatever reasons. It wasn’t a great match or anything close to one, but it was a way to get a lot of people in the ring.

Zero Hour: Josh Barnett vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Jon Moxley is on commentary and talks about training with Barnett. They grapple to start with Barnett powering him down but Castagnoli manages to take over on the mat. Castagnoli gets in some elbows (Moxley: “ELBOW HIS D*** HEAD OFF CLAUDIO!”) but Barnett reverses into a dragon screw legwhip.

That’s broken up as well but Castagnoli can’t get the Swing. Back up and they slug it out until Barnett gets a quickly broken abdominal stretch. Castagnoli gets in the swing, setting up some kind of leglock. Barnett makes the rope and grabs a suplex before they strike it out. The Neutralizer is blocked so Castagnoli pulls him into an Octopus Hold on the mat. That and a rollup is enough to pin Barnett at 8:20.

Rating: B-. This was a different kind of match as it was more of a grappling exchange between two guys who know what they’re doing in that style. Barnett is someone who is a lot better known in mixed martial arts than in wrestling but he’s good enough to hang with someone like Castagnoli. Good stuff here and probably something different than anything else you’ll see on the show.

Post match Barnett shows respect and says Inoki would be a fan of Castagnoli. Barnett says Castagnoli owes him more time though so keep training. Sounds good to Castagnoli.

Zero Hour: Nick Wayne vs. Luchasaurus

Nigel says this is going to be like Luke Skywalker being dropped into the pin with the Rancor. Wayne fires off a dropkick to start but gets tossed with a nasty release German suplex. Luchasaurus pounds away but Wayne is back up with some kicks. A chokeslam sends Wayne to the floor….where he crawls to his mom in the front row. That earns him a face first swing into the barricade but Wayne scores with some kicks back inside. Wayne’s World is easily blocked and the forearm to the back of the head finishes for Luchasaurs at 4:51.

Rating: C. That went about as it should have, as Luchasaurus is a total monster and Wayne is someone who hasn’t proven himself to be on Luchasaurus’ level. There is something to be said about a smaller guy striking away with everything he has but not being able to overcome. The part with his mom was a nice bonus, making this go according to the logical plan.

Zero Hour: Trios Titles: TMDK vs. Acclaimed/Billy Gunn

TMDK (Shane Haste/Mikey Nichols/Bad Dude Tito) is challenging. Tito powers Caster down to start and hands it off to Haste. Caster punches his way out of the corner though and it’s Gunn coming in to quite the reaction. A running shoulder drops Haste and Gunn loads up Scissor Me Timbers, which connects for quite the reaction.

We settle down with Bowens getting caught in the wrong corner and Tito adding a slingshot hilo. Bowens fights out of a chinlock but gets knocked back again to keep up the beating. An attempt to get over to the corner is cut off as Gunn and Caster are knocked to the floor in a smart move. Bowens manages to duck around and get over to Gunn though and house is cleaned. Tito plants Gunn rather quickly and Caster has to make a save. A step up Cannonball hits Caster in the corner but Gunn is back in with the Fameasser. The Arrival into the Mic Drop retains the titles at 9:18.

Rating: C. That was your Rampage opener of the show and not much more. They had some time to do a bit more here than usual and that helped, but it’s another group of guest stars getting a title shot. That is only going to get you so far and they hit most of that limit here. Not a bad match by any means, but there wasn’t much in the way of drama.

And now, the show proper.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Righteous

MJF is defending on his own, but before the match, he accuses someone of stealing his devil mask and attacking Jay White. As for the Righteous, MJF promises a BODY SLAM. Dutch starts for the team and MJF asks who wants to see that body slam. Instead we get the handshake of sportsmanship before MJF pokes Dutch in the eye. MJF gets in a hip swivel and pulls Vincent in, only to get clotheslined by Dutch.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as MJF fights up….but realizes he doesn’t have a partner. Dutch powerbombs him down so Vincent can hit a Swanton for two. The Boss Man Slam gets two more and Autumn Sunshine gets the same, leaving the Righteous stunned. Vincent goes for a chair but MJF grabs him low to cut it off.

Back up and Vincent kicks him in the face but misses a second Swanton. Everything breaks down and Dutch is rammed into the corner over and over. The body slam connects and the fans are thrilled. With Dutch sent into the corner, MJF sends Vincent face first into the back of Dutch’s tights. The Kangaroo Kick sends the Righteous outside and the Heatseeker finishes Dutch (with feet on the ropes) at 9:35.

Rating: C+. Watching MJF do his goofy, almost parody of wrestling is hilarious and it’s great to see him having fun like this. At the same time, the Righteous being out of the title picture for the time being is nice to see. It still feels like the Kingdom will be the ones to win the titles, but at least we’re having a good time on the way there.

We recap Katsuyori Shibata vs. Eddie Kingston, with Kingston defending his two titles but Shibata not defending his.

Ring Of Honor World Title/New Japan Strong Openweight Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Only Shibata is challenging and he goes to the mat to start. With that not working, they trade strikes until Shibata pulls him down into an ankle lock. The rope is reached so Shibata grabs a Figure Four to stay on the leg. That’s broken up as well so Shibata puts on a bow and arrow. Kingston fights up and fires off the chops in the corner but Shibata kicks him in the face. The running basement dropkick in the corner and the fans are behind Shibata.

Kingston is back with a t-bone suplex but Shibata grabs an STO, with Taz being at his best by explaining the leverage and science. The Octopus Hold on the mat has Kingston in trouble but he makes it over to the rope. Kingston knocks him away again but Shibata comes back with the running kick to the chest. They strike it out until Kingston’s spinning backfist gets one. The northern lights bomb gets the same, followed by another backfist and the powerbomb to retain the titles at 10:58.

Rating: B-. This was Kingston striking away and gritting through someone more polished and skilled. It made for a nice story to the match and served as Kingston’s latest fantasy match come to life. Kingston needs some wins to establish himself as a star and wins like this one are going to get him a long way.

Post match Shibata gets the big show of respect.

We recap Julia Hart challenging Kris Statlander for the TBS Title. Hart is on a roll but Statlander was the last person to beat her. Now the title is on the line.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Julia Hart

Hart, with Brody King, is challenging. Statlander powers her into the corner to start and hits some shoulders to the ribs. The running knee misses but she runs Hart over again without much trouble. Hart manages a hurricanrana but Statlander muscles her over with a suplex for two. They go outside, where Statlander grabs her in a fireman’s carry and carries her back up the steps. It’s right back to the floor, with Hart sending her into the barricade this time.

A backsplash gives Hart two back inside and we hit the quickly broken abdominal stretch. Now Statlander’s running knee in the corner sets up the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Statlander trips so King yells at her, allowing Hart to load up the mist. That takes too long though and Statlander grabs a fisherman’s driver for two more. Hart pulls her off the top and goes up, meaning it’s the moonsault for a rather close two. Hartless goes on but Statlander muscles her up into a Tombstone, followed by Sunday Night Fever to retain at 8:54.

Rating: B-. I was a bit surprised by the result as it stops Hart’s run cold, but Statlander has been on a roll since getting the title. Having her get another pay per view win is not a bad thing whatsoever, but she needs to start fighting some of the bigger names. The division has the depth to have some stronger challengers come after her, though Hart did rather well here in her biggest match ever.

We recap the four way tag match for the #1 contendership to the Tag Team Titles. There are four teams and they’re fighting for a title shot, end of story.

The Gunns vs. Hook/Orange Cassidy vs. Lucha Bros vs. Young Bucks

One fall to a finish for a future AEW Tag Team Title shot. Fenix and Nick strike away at each other before popping up for a staredown. Cassidy tags himself in but the Gunns pull Fenix outside for a ram into the barricade. Back in and Austin dropkicks Cassidy into the corner before trying to cover Colten. The referee isn’t having that and it’s the Bucks’ turn to clean house.

Hook comes in and gets to clear the ring as well, leaving Cassidy to hit a dive onto both Bucks. Apparently Fenix is down so Penta comes in to kick at the Bucks. We settle down to Colten punching Hook down for two but Penta is back in. Made In Japan gets two on Austin as everything breaks down again. Matt hits a superkick and Nick adds the slingshot X Factor to Austin.

Penta’s big running flip dive connects though Hook tags himself in. Redrum is blocked so Cassidy Orange Punches Austin into Redrum to put him in trouble. Nick tags himself in though and hits a 450 for two with Cassidy making a save. The Bucks double superkick Hook but Penta superkicks the Bucks. Not that it matters as the BTE Trigger finishes Penta at 12:10 to give the Bucks the title shot.

Rating: B-. The Bucks are 2/3 of the Six Man Tag Team Champions, #1 contender to the Tag Team Titles and Nick is getting an International Title shot this week. I know it’s All ELITE Wrestling but this might be taking things a bit too literally. Anyway, this was your usual insane display of people jumping and flipping all over the place, though Fenix being down isn’t a good sign. I’m not sure if they’re going to run FTR vs. the Bucks again, but it would certainly be a big deal if they did. I’m just not sure how big.

We recap Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland. Page can’t break through to be a star and Swerve wants to prove what he really is. Then Page stabbed him in the hand with a pen.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

The Mogul Embassy, complete with dancing Prince Nana, is here with Strickland (the home area boy). Feeling out process to start until Page knocks him into the corner for a loud chop. The fans are WAY behind Swerve here, even as Page knocks him down into the corner. Swerve is right back with a kick to the face and the middle rope elbow to the back lets him dance a bit.

Page manages a quick suplex and they’re both down again. With Swerve on the floor, Page hits a big moonsault to take him down on the floor. The dive drops Swerve again but they go back inside where he grabs a rolling Downward Spiral. The Brainbuster gives Swerve two but Page catches him on top. That’s fine with Swerve, who knocks him backwards for the Swerve Stomp (the fans approve again).

Swerve’s House Call gets two more and they head to the apron. The Deadeye on the apron is blocked so Page hits it on the steps instead. Page doesn’t cover, instead sending him inside and kicking away, only to get caught in the ropes. They slap it out until the Buckshot Lariat is countered into a rather nasty arm crank. We pause for the doctor to check on Page but Swerve hits a Swerve Stomp onto the apron.

A 450 onto the arm gives Swerve two and he grabs the armbar. Page makes the rope and scores with a left arm lariat. Swerve’s armbar is broken up and Page hammers on the bad hand. Swerve gets in a suplex but misses another Stomp. The Buckshot Lariat connects for a rather delayed two, as Prince Nana puts the foot on the rope. Page chases Nana off, allowing Swerve to hit him in the face with Nana’s crown for two. Back to back House Calls set up the JML Driver for the pin on Page at 20:06.

Rating: B+. That’s the Swerve match that the fans have been waiting to see and it worked very well throughout. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it felt like a big slugout. If Swerve becomes a breakout star around here, there is a good chance that this is what starts it off for him. Awesome match here and the best thing on the card so far.

We recap Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta. Starks wasn’t happy with losing to Bryan Danielson back to back so he’ll fight Danielson’s teammate instead.

Wheeler Yuta vs. Ricky Starks

Jon Moxley is back on commentary. They go with the grappling to start before opting to punch each other in the face instead. Starks gets the better of things and knocks Yuta up against the ropes, allowing him to stare at the crowd a bit. Yuta slips out of a fireman’s carry and rolls him up for two, only to have Starks get in another shot. Moxley thinks Starks is talented but runs his mouth too much, meaning he isn’t sure if he should fight Starks or take him on a date. Yuta is back with something like a Samoan drop and an armbar goes on.

Cue Big Bill as Starks makes the rope and spikes Yuta for two. Starks hits his own hammer and anvil elbows, which just make Yuta mad. That’s fine with Starks, who takes Yuta’s head off but gets shoved off the rope for a crash onto Bill. Yuta posts Bill to get rid of him and fires off the real hammer and anvil elbows. The Seatbelt gives Yuta two but Starks is back up with the spear. The Roshambo finishes Yuta at 9:54.

Rating: C+. The match wasn’t bad, but I’m not sure if it needed to be on the pay per view. This felt like a Rampage main event or a big match on Collision rather than needing to be on here. What matters here though is that Starks got his big win and regains some momentum so things should be getting a bit better for him going forward. Odds are it sets up Moxley vs. Starks as well and that’s not a bad thing.

We recap Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and….yeah I think that’s all you need to know here.

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre’s New Japan TV Title isn’t on the line. Feeling out process to start as they both seem nervous about going too far. Danielson suplexes him down and Sabre pauses for a standoff. Sabre pulls him into the abdominal stretch but Danielson pulls him into a leglock. That’s broken up and they stay on the mat with neither being able to get control. Instead Danielson pulls him into the surfboard but Sabre slips out again.

Sabre starts going after the arm and gives it a shoulder before adding a nasty stomp. The arm gets twisted around and Sabre is starting to get cocky. Sabre stays on the arm but he takes too long going up, allowing Danielson to cut him off. The arm is snapped over Sabre’s shoulder though and the armbar goes on up top. Danielson headbutts his way out of trouble and a top rope butterfly superplex lets him…not get the LeBell Lock.

Instead Danielson goes with a half crab but Sabre is right over to the ropes. The YES Kicks rock Sabre and Danielson stomps him in the head. The running knee is countered and Sabre pulls him into the European Clutch for two. Moxley (on commentary) is on his feet as they both need a breather. Cattle Mutilation goes on but Sabre rolls out, only to get caught with the elbows to the face.

Danielson gets a leglock but Sabre reverses into one of his own. That earns him a spit in the face and they strike it out, with Danielson getting the better of things. Back up and Sabre goes for the arm while Danielson kicks at the leg. Sabre gets the better of things this time and pulls Danielson into the double arm crank. Nigel: “THINK ABOUT YOUR KIDS! THINK ABOUT YOUR WIFE! RETIRE NOW!”

Danielson makes the rope (Nigel: “You coward!”) so they trade kicks, with Danielson nailing a big one to the head. The stomp to the head misses so Sabre pulls him into the cross armbreaker. That’s reverses into a leg trap belly to back suplex into the running knee for the very near fall. Another running knee finishes Sabre at 23:13.

Rating: A-. Like I said before the match, this was going to work because of the talent involved and then they were allowed to have all the time they needed to tear the house down. You could see two masters in there trying to take the other apart and it worked about as well as expected. Awesome stuff here and as usual, it felt like a clinic from two of the best ever with this style.

Post match respect is offered but Sabre turns it down. Naturally Nigel says that wasn’t technical wrestling so Danielson is NOT the best in the world.

We recap Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi vs. the Don Callis Family. All three hate Callis so they’re fighting his team.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi vs. Don Callis Family

Omega and Will Ospreay start things off but it’s quickly off to Sammy Guevara, who lounges on the top rope. They start running the ropes until Sammy flips over him and scores with a dropkick. Ospreay comes back in to get suplexed by Jericho as Sammy shouts at commentary. Jericho punches Ospreay and we get the big standoff. The good guys clear the house, pay tribute to Inoki (oh yeah that’s a thing with this show) and hit stereo dives.

Back in and Omega slugs away at Takeshita, who rakes the eyes to cut him off. Takeshita hits a clothesline but Ibushi comes in for a save. Ospreay puts on an abdominal stretch, with the rest of the Family adding leverage like villains should. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Omega but he gets over for the tag back to Omega. That means an abdominal stretch to Sammy, with the rest of Omega’s partners pulling as well.

Ibushi comes in with a double back elbow and we get an Ibushi/Jericho Sex Gods pose. Omega and Jericho hit stereo moonsaults to the floor, leaving Jericho to hit the Lionsault for two on Sammy. Takeshita breaks up the Walls and drops Omega on his head with a release German suplex. Jericho has to fight Ospreay and Takeshita at the same time but Takeshita knees Ospreay by mistake.

Omega is back up with the big running flip dive to take out Takeshita and Ospreay. Back in and Sammy Spanish Flies Jericho for two, followed by the shooting star to the floor. Omega and Ospreay slug it out back inside but Takeshita is back in with a running knee to put Omega down.

Sammy Codebreakers Jericho for one so Jericho fights up, only to get beaten down again. Ibushi is back up to strike away but Ospreay saves Takeshita from the big boot. The Golden Trigger is cut off by Sammy’s high crossbody. Jericho is back up with the Judas Effect to Ospreay but Sammy superkicks Jericho in the face. Jericho tries to pull him into the Walls but Callis comes in with a baseball bat shot to give Sammy the pin at 22:17.

Rating: B+. This was the match I was expecting to be the best on the card and it came pretty close. The match started with the regular wrestling but then broke down into the wild fight that it was destined to be. The Callis Family stuff isn’t exactly thrilling but the matches have worked so well and that’s what matters most.

We recap Aussie Open challenging FTR for the Tag Team Titles. FTR beat them for the New Japan Tag Team Titles a year ago and now the Aussies want to even things up.

AEW Tag Team Titles: Aussie Open vs. FTR

FTR is defending. Harwood and Fletcher lock up to start with neither being able to get very far. Wheeler comes in and this time Fletcher bails to the floor. Harwood sends him back in, where Wheeler hits a backdrop to take over. It’s off to Davis for a chop off with Harwood, who gets slammed down. Davis hits a backsplash so it’s back to Fletcher, who gets caught with a snap suplex.

Everything breaks down and FTR is rammed into each other on the floor. Back in and Fletcher forearms away at Wheeler before Davis grabs a chinlock. Wheeler fights up and catches Fletcher on top, meaning it’s a belly to back superplex for a big crash. Fletcher is able to grab a brainbuster but Wheeler is up again, this time getting over to Harwood. Rolling German suplexes drop Fletcher as Wheeler and Davis fight on the floor.

Harwood gets two off a Liger Bomb but Davis is back in to break up the PowerPlex. A Doomsday kick to the face gets two on Wheeler but Harwood is back in for the save. Now the PowerPlex can connect, leaving Fletcher to high crossbody Harwood into the cover to break it up.

Wheeler rolls Davis (who appears to have hurt his wrist) up for two, only to walk into a Shatter Machine from the Aussies. The Coriolis gets two with Harwood making the save this time. They head outside again and it’s a spike piledriver on the floor to drop Davis. Back in and a super Shatter Machine finishes Fletcher to retain the titles at 20:23.

Rating: B. It was a good match but this might have been better if they had cut out about four minutes. The problem here came down to the fact that this went long in the semi-main event spot on a show that is going to run over four and a half hours. The Aussies winning felt like a long shot in the first place and while the match was good, it wasn’t able to completely overcome those circumstances.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage for the latter’s TBS Title. Allin wants to prove he belongs in the main event in his hometown and the title is on the line.

TBS Title: Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage

Allin is challenging (and bleeding before the match for some reason) and this is 2/3 falls. Feeling out process to start with Cage bailing into the corner and spitting into Allin’s face. Allin is calm enough to pull him into an armbar, followed by a headlock to keep him down. Back up and Christian chops him against the ropes, meaning we get the double bicep pose. It’s too early for the Unprettier though as Allin pulls the turtleneck over Christian’s face and rolls him up for the first fall at 4:55.

We pause for a bit as Cage stops to look at Nick Wayne’s mom in the front row before taking Allin down again. Cage pounds away at the back and cranks on his neck to keep things slow. Allin gets back up for some rapid fire rollups but gets sent outside in a crash. Cage whips him into the barricade but goes after Wayne’s mom again, allowing Allin to hit a suicide dive. Back in and the Coffin Drop hits raised knees, allowing Cage to send him into the announcers’ table. Something like a powerslam off the apron hits sends Allin back first into the steps. That’s enough for a countout to tie it up at 15:18 total.

A stretcher is brought out as Cage is doing something with the ring skirt. He peels the entire mat back and exposes the wood….before hitting a frog splash onto Allin on the stretcher. That’s good for two back inside and Cage grabs a Scorpion Deathlock. Allin makes the rope (the fans approve) and it’s a Scorpion Death Drop for two, followed by the Coffin Drop for the same.

Cage loads up a superplex onto the steps on the floor but gets reversed into a sunset bomb. The spear hits the referee though, leaving Cage to hit Allin low. The title is brought in but Nick Wayne runs in to take it away. Then Wayne hits Allin with the title (his mom is NOT happy) and Cage retains at 25:13.

Rating: B+. This was a smartly worked match as Christian didn’t have to go insane but rather set things up for Allin to go nuts instead. It made for some very good drama and action, with Allin getting the first fall to save some face. I liked the match rather well, though having it as the main event (yes they had to with the ring deal) might have been a stretch.

Post match Cage hugs Wayne, who destroys Allin while yelling about family. Sting comes in for the save but Luchasaurus is here to beat him down as well. The Conchairto is loaded up….and the lights go out. A video of someone driving a car to the arena plays and the lights come up. And yeah EDGE debuts (complete with Metalingus theme), with the villains handing him the chair. He cracks Wayne with it instead and spears Luchasaurus to clear out the villains. Edge and Sting shake hands to end the show. That’s the big deal of the show and while we’ll have to see where it goes, the moment was there.

Overall Rating: B+. As tends to be the case with AEW shows, they wind up being good in the end through the hard work and effort put in from the wrestlers. That was the case again here, with a few awesome matches being more than enough to keep me interested. The show got better as it went on and thankfully they didn’t have some of the lesser matches eat up too much time.

That being said, this was they could be that much more enjoyable with some time trimmed off. There is just SO MUCH STUFF on here and some of it could easily be dropped (like the bonus Rampage described as Zero Hour) and probably Starks vs. Yuta. At some point the energy is going to go away and that isn’t good for the main event matches. That being said, the show was still quite the blast to watch and if they can keep it up, they’re not going to change anything.

Results
Satoshi Kojima/Keith Lee/Athena/Billie Starkz b. Shane Taylor/Diamante/Lee Moriarty/Mercedes Martinez – Lariat to Moriarty
Claudio Castagnoli b. Josh Barnett – Rollup
Luchasaurus b. Nick Wayne – Forearm to the back of the head
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. TMDK – Mic Drop to Haste
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. The Righteous – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Dutch
Eddie Kingston b. Katsuyori Shibata – Powerbomb
Kris Statlander b. Julia Hart – Sunday Night Fever
Young Bucks b. Lucha Bros, Gunns and Orange Cassidy/Hook – BTE Trigger to Penta
Swerve Strickland b. Hangman Page – JML Driver
Ricky Starkz b. Wheeler Yuta – Roshambo
Bryan Danielson b. Zack Sabre Jr. – Running knee
Don Callis Family b. Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi – Baseball bat shot to Jericho
FTR b. Aussie Open – Super Shatter Machine to Fletcher
Christian Cage b. Darby Allin 2-1

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So here we have WrestleDream, which is a show designed to honor the passing of Antonio Inoki one year ago. Therefore it’s another AEW show with New Japan guest stars, though New Japan is running a big show of its own on the same day so the visiting stars are limited. There is some good stuff on the card though and hopefully that’s enough to carry it. Let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Nick Wayne vs. Luchasaurus

This is a side story from Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage as both have interfered in the other feud. It’s a speed vs. power match and that is something that can work under almost any circumstances. AEW really seems interested in pushing Wayne every chance they can these days but at some point he is going to need to win something. I’m just not sure he gets to do it here.

I’ll go with Luchasaurus to win here as he’s coming off the TNT Title reign and isn’t likely to lose to someone with so little experience on this level. I’m sure Wayne will get a bunch of stuff in and get to showcase himself again but that doesn’t mean he’s going to win. Hopefully Wayne gets to throw everything he has at Luchasaurus, but he’ll fall short in the end.

Zero Hour: Trios Titles: Acclaimed/Billy Gunn(c) vs. TMDK

This is the first New Japan match on the show and in this case it was built up as “whoever wins the title match on Rampage defends against TMDK tomorrow night”. That’s not exactly a thrilling story but it’s a way to get the titles on the show. Thankfully in this case it’s just on Zero Hour, meaning it won’t extend the show with a match that has very little in the way of drama.

Of course the champions retain here, as a group of guest stars aren’t going to be the ones to end the reign that is bringing the Acclaimed and the Gunns back to prominence. The (arguably) good thing about these titles is you can throw any three challenges out there and have a title match. That’s more or less what they’ve done here, though at least it’s a regular team from New Japan.

Zero Hour: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Josh Barnett

So this was added the night before the show as the result of a Castagnoli open challenge. Barnett has never wrestled for AEW before but does have experience in Japan so here we are. That makes for a tricky preview because there isn’t any kind of a story going into the match, and Barnett being a complete stranger around here makes it even more complicated.

Since Barnett is not likely to stick around, I’ll go with Castagnoli to win as there isn’t much of a reason to do anything else. Castagnoli needs a big win coming off his loss to Eddie Kingston and while this won’t be some kind of a game changer for him, it should be enough to give him a boost. I’m not sure why this match needed to be added, though more Castagnoli is often a good thing.

Zero Hour: Shane Taylor/Lee Moriarty/Diamante/Mercedes Martinez vs. Satoshi Kojima/Keith Lee/Athena/Billie Starkz

This is another match added during the Collision because MORE MEANS GOOD. There are a few people with some history here but a good chunk of it has been in Ring Of Honor. Taylor seems to be one of the new flavors of the month for AEW and it makes sense that they would want to get him out there in front of people as often as possible. Throw in Lee and this could be a lot worse.

Give me Lee and company to win, as Moriarty being thrown half a mile by Lee would be a good way to get the show going. Other than that, there is always the chance of Athena beating Martinez or Diamante. Either way, there are going to be a bunch of people in this match and there is a good chance that a lot of them are not going to be able to get in that much ring time.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander(c) vs. Julia Hart

Statlander has been a mostly dominant champion in her still relatively short title reign, but Hart has caught fire in recent weeks and suddenly feels like she could be a major threat to the title. The good thing here is that you are seeing two mostly fresh women in the title scene, which is what AEW has been needing for a very long time now. In other words, there isn’t a bad option for a winner here.

I think I’ll actually take hart to win the title, as it would be very deflating for her to lose after the big push that she has gotten in the last few weeks. Granted that might have been just to make her feel like a threat, but the House of Black needs to get something back after losing the Trios Titles, so this would be a nice fit to help get them on track. I’m not sure what is next for Statlander, but I’m thinking she should lose here.

Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta

This was thrown onto the card earlier in the week as Yuta doesn’t like how Starks has been going after Bryan Danielson. Starks has been on a roll as of late without winning much of anything, which leaves him in a weird place. Granted that is kind of why you put someone like Yuta in this spot as he could go a long way with making Starks look like a bigger deal after his losses.

I’ll go with Starks to win here, as there is little reason for Yuta to win. His role in the Blackpool Combat Club is to put up a good fight in defeat and that is what he’ll be doing here. Starks is red hot and for someone who keeps losing so giving him a win here would be the right way to go. They’ll have a good match, but at the end of the day, Starks needs this way more than Yuta.

Young Bucks vs. The Gunns vs. Lucha Bros vs. Orange Cassidy/Hook

For a future AEW Tag Team Title shot, which sounds a bit like a Money In The Bank deal. We’ll start with getting rid of Cassidy and Hook, who are a fun team, but I can’t imagine they actually get put into the title picture so soon. That leaves a few options, and I could picture any of the three getting the shot. It’s nice to have options here, and unfortunately none of them really stand out.

While the Bucks would be the interesting way to go, I’ll take the Gunns getting the win here. FTR vs. the Lucha Bros doesn’t sound like it would be the most engaging match and the Bucks vs. FTR has been done so many times now. Go with FTR vs. the Gunns, which does have a history but hasn’t been hammered into the ground. This is going to be the “everyone flies all over the place” match and it should be entertaining enough. Just don’t do the Money In The Bank deal, please.

AEW Tag Team Titles: FTR(c) vs. Aussie Open

This one is a little more interesting as I could see the titles changing hands. Aussie Open has come a long way and established themselves as one of the better teams in AEW at the moment. That means they can be put into this spot for a shot at the best team around without much trouble. The teams have even traded some promos to hype things up even more and so far, they’ve done their jobs.

With that being said, for the life of me I can’t imagine FTR losing the belts They can have good to great matches with just about any team and it would feel like a waste to take away that option, especially with them frequenting Collision. The Aussies will give them one heck of a run for their money, but FTR comes out on top of this by retaining the titles, and that’s the right choice.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega/Kota Ibushi vs. Konosuke Takeshita/Sammy Guevara/Will Ospreay

This is the Don Callis Family match, which has seen two feuds combined into one for the sake of taking away some of Callis’ television time. Ignoring that aspect though, we should be in for a heck of a match here, especially if Ibushi is able to wrestle more like his old self than the version we have seen in AEW so far. Everything else should work well and I’m wanting to see how this goes.

After dominating for a good while, this should be the match where Callis and company can drop a match to the conquering heroes. Guevara taking a fall from Omega or even Jericho won’t ruin him as they can get set up for another singles showdown in the future. Either way, this has the potential to steal the show and if they can get to that higher level, it very well may be the best thing on the show.

Ring Of Honor World Title/New Japan Strong Openweight Title: Eddie Kingston(c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata

It’s a double title match with Shibata’s ROH Pure Title not on the line, meaning commentary has said that Shibata can become a triple crown champion. At least Shibata is someone who has wrestled in Ring Of Honor more than once, as there is far too much of a tendency for random people to get title shots (like earlier in the show or example). Shibata is also someone Kingston is going to respect so there is a real chance he’ll bring the work here.

As for a winner, much like the Trios Titles, there isn’t much of a reason to believe the title is going to change hands, especially so soon after Kingston won the ROH title in the first place. Kingston needs to rack up some wins to make him feel like a bigger deal and this would be a nice addition. It should be a hard hitting match as well and that should take them far enough, but yeah Kingston retains.

Ring Of Honor Tag Team Titles: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Righteous

So this was supposed to be a tag match with Adam Cole included but he’s basically destroyed his ankle, leaving us with a handicap match instead. That puts them in a tough spot and again I’m not sure where this is going to go. On one hand, MJF doesn’t need to have the titles anymore if Cole is injured, but the titles changing hands would involve the Righteous beating the AEW World Champion.

As little sense as it might make, I’ll go with MJF retaining, as I can’t imagine either Vincent or Dutch pinning him or making him give up. There is always the chance of some kind of screwy finish and that is probably coming later, but it is still hard to fathom that anyone but the Kingdom is taking the titles from Cole and MJF. Or is it just MJF these days? Either way, the Righteous don’t win here.

Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland

This is the match that has felt the most interesting throughout the build to the show and the contract signing this week kept that interest high. Both guys need a big win and they have me wanting to see them fight, which is a great sign for one of them. Hopefully the loser isn’t going to be hurt that badly but there is a good chance that this is going to continue beyond this match.

Give me Swerve here, as a Page win would seem to wrap things up between them with a tighter bow. As much as Page could use a win, he’s had success before and is a much more accomplished star in AEW. Let Swerve get his win and move up the card a bit, as a win over a former World Champion is going to do a lot of good no matter what. Page should be fine, but either way, this match should rock.

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

What we have here is the kind of match that sells itself on name value alone. The idea of Danielson vs. Sabre Jr. is going to get hardcore fans interested and there is a very real chance that they could live up to or even exceed their expectations. That might be a very hard task to pull off, but these are the kind of stars who might be able to pull that kind of a miracle off.

As has been a trend here, there isn’t much of a reason for the star who is going to be going away after this show winning, so I’ll take Danielson to win here. Yes he did it in a pay per view main event against a guest star this year and that should cover him for well over a year, but I can’t imagine Sabre winning here. Danielson has things to do in AEW and downgrading him (as much as that can be done) with a loss to a one off guest star doesn’t make sense.

TNT Title: Christian Cage(c) vs. Darby Allin

This is the rumored main event for the show and with Allin as the hometown boy in a 2/3 falls match, that is not the worst idea. These two had a rather nice match a month or so ago on Collision and if they do that again with more time and on a bigger stage, we should be in for a pretty solid main event. That leaves a pair of questions though and I think I have the answer to at least one.

Of course I’ll take Allin winning here, as otherwise it would run a real threat of killing Seattle for AEW. Allin winning is the perfect way to go and it would be a great moment to end things on. Then again, there is also the chance that we get an Edge debut here to do something with Cage, though hopefully that doesn’t include giving him an assist to keep the title. Allin wins here, as he should.

Overall Thoughts

That’s a lot of matches. Once I get to the end of the card, I’ve already forgot a good few of the matches involved as there are too many for the show’s own good. Then again that is the case with almost every AEW show, which makes it all the more frustrating. The action will be rather good as it almost always is, but the way the show is presented is such a self imposed roadblock. It still feels like a B show, but now it feels like a rather bloated B show.

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Collision
Date: September 30, 2023
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for WrestleDream and that should make for a pretty big show. Collision has been in a weird place in recent months but maybe they can do better with some focus. The main event is another all star eight person tag, which might be their norm for go home shows. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Big Bill, Aussie Open, Ricky Starks, Wheeler Yuta, Bryan Danielson and FTR are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Juice Robinson

The Gunns are here with Robinson. They go right at it to start but Andrade can’t get the Figure Four. Robinson bails to the floor but Andrade throws him back inside for Three Amigos. A moonsault to the floor takes out all three villains but Robinson manages to send Andrade into the announcers’ table. The Gunns get in some stomping behind the referee’s back, allowing Robinson to hit a neckbreaker for two.

Robinson elbows him down again but Andrade is back up with some right hands in the corner. That earns him a drop onto the buckle and a Cannonball as we take a break. Back with Andrade fighting out of a chinlock and dropping Robinson. The double moonsault hits raised knees but Andrade is fine enough to send him face first into the buckle.

For some reason the referee breaks up the running knees in the corner, allowing Robinson to hit the big left. A layout powerbomb gives Robinson two but Andrade hiptosses him hard into the corner. The running knees connect this time but the Gunns try to interfere again. This time they’re caught immediately though and it’s a double ejection. Andrade hits the spinning elbow for two and the hammerlock DDT finishes Robinson at 13:25.

Rating: B. The resurrection of Andrade has been one of the great things about Collision, as he has gone from just someone on the roster without much going on to having a string of pretty awesome matches around here. I’m not sure if he’s just looking to get WWE’s attention the second his contract is up, but he’s been a gem around here.

Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega are excited to team together, even though they don’t like each other. They’ll have their backs tonight and tomorrow when they face the Don Callis Family.

We get more of the Toni Storm: Portrait Of A Star promo, with Storm insisting that she’s good to talk right now. Storm says her peak is right now but she misses the old days where a pie in the ace was good enough (I’m not sure if that’s a reference to why she left WWE but if it is….it’s a weird one). She accuses the interviewer of coming on to her by holding her hand (which she grabbed) and asks if she’s good enough for him.

The Kingdom vs. Best Friends

The fight starts before the bell with the threat of stereo piledrivers sending the Kingdom bailing to the floor. Trent chops at Bennett to start and it’s off to Chuck for a belly to back suplex. Taven comes in with a missile dropkick to Trent and everything breaks down, with Trent hitting a slingshot dive to Taven. Bennett avoids a charge though and sends Bennett into the barricade.

Trent is sent into a chair and we take a break. Back with Trent coming in to clean house until Taven gets in a shot to the back of the head. Just The Tip gets two on Trent as everything breaks down again. Trent hits a Death Valley Driver to sent Bennett into the steps and a Doomsday knee connects back inside. Rather than cover, we get the Big Hug, followed by the stereo piledrivers…for two on Bennett. With the referee distracted, Bennett punches them both low and a spike piledriver finishes Trent at 9:27.

Rating: C. And that’s the AEW style for you, as dropping someone on his head on the steps, hitting a top rope knee on him and then giving him a piledriver in about a minute gets two. The Death Valley Driver could have been pulled out from the match and it would have only lost an OOO, but that’s just what happens in AEW. Granted the Best Friends losing makes things a bit better, but I really wish someone could get rid of those ridiculous kickouts after big sequences of moves.

Post math the Kingdom pulls out their suitcases because they’re on their way back to Roderick Strong’s bedside.

Don Callis and Prince Nana are found talking in the back. Callis walks away and Nana talks about digging deep into the universe and finding something unique. He implies a big payday if the Gates Of Agony beat Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega.

Julia Hart has a creepy vignette involving masks hanging from strings and promising to end Kris Statlander.

Julia Hart vs. Vertvixen

Hart forearms her down to start and chokes on the rope a bit. A flipping elbow in the corner hits Vertvixen again but Hart misses a charge. Not that it matters as a kick to the chest and the moonsault finish Vertvixen at 2:45. Just a quick win before the title match tomorrow.

Post match Hart calls out Kris Statlander for right now so here she is. Then Hart backs off, leaving Statlander to say Hart’s time is up at WrestleDream.

Claudio Castagnoli has issued a challenge for WrestleDream and Josh Barnett answered.

Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega vs. Gates Of Agony

Toa headbutts Jericho into the corner to start and Kaun nails him with a clothesline for two. A kick to the face gets Jericho out of trouble though and it’s Omega…well not coming in actually as he rams Toa’s head into the buckle from the apron a bunch of times. Then he comes in with a high crossbody and joins with Jericho fr a double suplex (they look at each other in shock that they seem to work well together in a funny moment).

Prince Nana offers a distraction though and Toa knocks Omega into Jericho for a crash out to the floor. That leaves Kaun to suplex Omega for two, followed by a Backstabber into a running elbow in the corner. We take a break and come back with Omega managing a hurricanrana to Kaun, allowing the tag to Jericho. A top rope elbow puts Kaun down and the Lionsault connects. The Walls are broken up though and a gutbuster gives Kaun two on Jericho. Omega makes the save and now the Walls can make Kaun tap at 11:49.

Rating: B-. This was more of a cool moment than anything else, but Jericho and Omega do feel like something of a dream team. I could go for them being in the big match on their own without Kota Ibushi but at least we got to see them on their own once. Good match here, and it’s not like the Gates have much of a status to lose.

Post match Omega and Jericho say this is about Don Callis. Omega has seen the light and it is going to take more than a vicious attack for him to turn his back on his friends. Ibushi takes that kind of an attack as an invitation. Jericho is ready for Sammy Guevara and quotes Judas to prove it. Vengeance is promised to wrap up a promo that went a bit long.

Video on the Righteous.

Video on Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage, with Allin suggesting that the match will be the main event of WrestleDream.

Righteous vs. Judas Icarus/Travis Williams

Williams gets beaten up to start so it’s quickly off to Icarus. Dutch chops him down and adds one to Williams on the apron as well. Autumn Sunshine finishes Icarus at 1:52.

Post match Vincent tells Dutch to look at all the paper people in the crowd. They’ll win the ROH Tag Team Titles at WrestleDream and leave the Devil on one hoof, like his partner. Dutch whips out a block of wood and they crush Icarus’ ankles.

Video on Eddie Kingston vs. Katsuyori Shibata.

WrestleDream rundown.

TMDK is ready to win the Trios Titles but the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn interrupt. Shane Haste wants to do his own right and it’s not so good.

Bryan Danielson/FTR/Wheeler Yuta vs. Aussie Open/Ricky Starks/Big Bill

Zack Sabre Jr. is on commentary. Starks bails from Yuta to start so Fletcher comes in instead. Yuta and Fletcher take turns working on the arms until Yuta scores with a dropkick. Harwood comes in and gets to face Davis for a bit of a power showdown. Everything breaks down and it’s a big staredown on the floor. Back with Harwood suplexing Fletcher and flipping over to Cash for the tag.

House is cleaned until Cash and Fletcher take turns escaping suplexes. It’s back to Yuta for a top rope forearm, followed by a bridging German suplex for two on Fletcher. Yuta’s elbows rock Starks but Bill offers a distraction to break them up. A big boot puts Yuta in more trouble and Starks drops an elbow for two. The seated abdominal stretch keeps Yuta down until he can hiptoss his way to freedom. The Aussies come in for a toss sitout powerbomb and we take another break.

Back again with Yuta and Starks down but Yuta makes it over for the tag back to Danielson. The strikes in the corner have Starks falling down rather quickly, but he’s back up to miss a spear. Danielson scores with the suicide dive into a missile dropkick. Starks clotheslines his way out of trouble and the tornado DDT puts Danielson down. Bill comes in but the chokeslam is countered into the LeBell Lock.

Everything breaks down and the villains are left on their knees for a long series of YES Kicks. A missile dropkick into a top rope headbutt gets two on Bill but all of his partners make a save. The fight heads to the floor and Danielson is sent into the steps, leaving Bill to miss a charge into the post. The Sharpshooter is blocked and Starks spears Harwood for the pin at 19:39.

Rating: B. This is an idea that has worked forever in wrestling and it worked well here too. They tied a bunch of pay per view matches together into one here, with commentary even adding in another, and that makes for a very efficient use of time. It also lets you get some cool pairings you might not see very often and the action was still quite good. This was a smart idea and it wound up working very well.

Post match the big brawl is on until Zack Sabre Jr. stands up. He comes into the ring for the staredown with Danielson before slapping him in the face. Danielson slaps him back and tries the LeBell Lock but Sabre Jr. bails to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Once we got past the opening matches, which had nothing to do with WrestleDream, this turned into a pretty by the book go home show. In this case, that’s the best thing they could have done as they made me a bit more interested in a show that hadn’t given me much reason to care coming in. WrestleDream should be good, but as usual, the build hasn’t been much until the very last minute. Strong show here, and it’s the one they needed.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Juice Robinson – Hammerlock DDT
The Kingdom b. Best Friends – Spike piledriver to Taylor
Julia Hart b. Vertfixen – Moonsault
Chris Jericho/Kenny Omega b. Gates Of Agony – Walls Of Jericho to Kaun
Righteous b. Judas Icarus/Travis Williams – Autumn Sunshine to Icarus
Ricky Starks/Big Bill/Aussie Open b. Wheeler Yuta/Bryan Danielson/FTR – Spear to Harwood

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Rampage
Date: September 22, 2023
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Ian Riccaboni

It’s a special two hour edition of the show and hopefully that means it gets a bit more attention this week. Rampage has a tendency to have one match of note and then a bunch of other things but maybe the big stage will change that. The ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles are on the line as the Elite get a shot, so we could be in for some fireworks. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Luchasaurus/Christian Cage vs. Darby Allin/Sting

Nick Wayne is here with Allin and Sting. It’s a brawl before the match and Luchasaurus is knocked outside. Sting sends Cage into the steps but Luchasaurus sends Allin into the post in a huge crash out to the floor. We settle down to Cage choking Allin inside and Luchasaurus whipping him hard into the corner. Luchasaurus cuts off a tag attempt and we take a break.

Back with Luchasaurus hitting a chokeslam on Allin to keep him in trouble. Allin manages to slip away from Christian though and it’s off to Sting. House is cleaned, including a spinebuster to Christian and a double Stinger Splash. A Scorpion Death Coffin Drop (cool) hits Luchasaurus but Christian pokes Allin in the eye. Wayne offers a distraction though and Allin gets a jackknife rollup for the pin at 7:40.

Rating: B-. This was a good way to get things going towards the TNT Title match on Collision while also not pinning the champion. The more interesting story here though was Sting, who looks phenomenal for just about anyone, let alone someone in their 60s. Hot opener here, with the Scorpion Death Coffin Drop being a great team finisher for Sting and Allin.

Kris Statlander/Orange Cassidy/Hook vs. Anna Jay/Angelo Parker/Matt Menard

Jake Hager is here with the villains. Hook and Menard start things off but the latter keeps tagging in and out with Parker. Hook beats them both up but Menard tags Jay in to escape Redrum. A running spinwheel kick hits Statlander in the corner but she’s right back with a delayed suplex. Hager jumps Cassidy though and the distraction lets Jay hit a superkick. A distracted Hook is taken out as well and it’s a belly to back suplex back inside.

We take a break and come back with Hook hitting a double clothesline and handing it off to Cassidy for a dropkick to Menard and Parker. Everything breaks down and the heroes hit a triple suplex. A jumping elbow to the back hits Cassidy and Hager gets in a cheap shot to Hook. Jay grabs the Queenslayer on Cassidy but Statlander breaks it up with a faceplant. Cassidy Orange Punches Parker for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: C+. While not quite as big on star power as the opener, this was another match where they kept things simple and let the fans cheer for people they liked. Cassidy and Hook have a weird thing going on and it wouldn’t shock me to see them face off in what could be one of the stranger matches in AEW. Jay doesn’t feel like much of a threat to Statlander, but it’s not like there are many people coming after the title at the moment.

QTV shows us some footage of QT Marshall winning a match in Montreal. Marshall sends in a text, saying he wants a partner for next week. Aaron Solo and Johnny TV think it should be them and Solo is disappointed when it’s not him.

Here are Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita to explain Sammy Guevara’s actions. Callis talks about how everyone was enthralled with him going after Chris Jericho a few weeks ago. Now though, here is the newest member of the Don Callis Family: Sammy Guevara. Cue Sammy, in a flowered shirt and white pants, to say he hated Callis at first, but Guevara was only showing him that he never had a family in the first place.

Guevara is sick of the fans and Chris Jericho, so here is Jericho to go after him. Takeshita makes the save with a bunch of chair shots and Callis busts out the screwdriver. Cue Kenny Omega for the save with a pipe. With the villains gone, Omega and Jericho tease fighting but it’s ok. I can go for combining these feuds into one, just for the sake of less Callis TV time.

Post break Omega says that was about going after Callis and company rather than saving Jericho. Cue Jericho to say AEW was build on their feud but now they should team up to face Callis’ family at WrestleDream. Oh and Kota Ibushi will team with them so Callis needs to find a third.

Best Friends vs. Hardys vs. Righteous vs. The Kingdom

For a Ring Of Honor Tag Team Title shot, with the Hardys having the same chance as the Righteous despite losing to the Righteous last week. It’s a brawl to start until the Hardys and Beat Friends have a staredown. The four way hug is broken up though and a bunch of them head outside for the Flight of the Conqueror from Taven. Back in and the Best Friends hug, followed by stereo running flip dives.

We take a break and come back with Matt Side Effecting Vincent for two, setting up Jeff’s splash for the same. Everything breaks down and the Righteous clean house but the Best Friends grab some suplexes. Chuck superkicks Taven but Soul Food is broken up. Bennett hits Taylor low and the Hail Mary (spike piledriver) gets two as Beretta makes the save. Jeff tags himself in for the Swanton but Vincent tags himself in and hits his own Swanton for the pin on Taylor at 9:30.

Rating: C. Well at least it wasn’t a tournament. The Righteous haven’t done much in ROH but here they beat three apparently AEW teams to get a shot at the titles. I can go for some fresh blood, but at the end of the day, all signs point to the Kingdom taking the titles from Adam Cole and MJF anyway.

Post match the Kingdom takes out the Best Friends with some chairs.

Mike Santana is ready to wonder where his life went. Now he’s back so don’t get in between him and his family. If you don’t like it, fight him or fire him.

Trios Titles: Dark Order vs. Billy Gunn/Acclaimed

Gunn/Acclaimed are defending and points for the “Scissor Me Daddy Ashe” sign. Caster chops Reynolds to start and armdrags him into an armbar. Back up and Caster is taken into the corner for some clubberin but he easily drives Silver into the champs’ corner. It’s off to Bowens for some fired up right hands before Gunn comes in for a scissoring double elbow. Scissor Me Timbers is broken up by Reynolds though and Silver’s bridging German suplex gets two on Bowens.

The Order mocks the scissoring and we take a break. Back with Reynolds hitting a running corner clothesline for two on Caster. The beating doesn’t last long as Caster gets over to Gunn for the hot tag without much effort. Gunn drops Silver and hands it off to Bowens, who is quickly small packaged for two. Back up and Bowens hits a superkick, setting up the Arrival and Mic Drop. Silver makes the save and Uno belts Caster in the head for two. Bowens is back in so an assisted Iconoclasm can retain the titles at 10:38.

Rating: C+. As usual, the match was ok but the Dark Order feel like bigger and bigger losers every time they’re out there. Granted I’m not sure who else is supposed to challenge for these titles as the trios division is basically one or two teams plus the champions at any given time. The fans were digging the Acclaimed as usual, but it was just another match.

Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue

Brody King is here with Hart, who has won TWENTY FOUR singles matches in a row. We get the big removal of the hats until Hart offers a left handshake, only to pull Blue in for a whisper. Blue gets slapped so she forearms away and hits a knee to Hart’s face. A suplex gives Blue two but Hart sends her into the corner and hammers away. We take a break and come back with Blue kicking her in the head for two more. Hart catches her on top and hits a superplex but manages to hang onto the ropes and look upside down at her for a bit. Hartless and Skyfall are both blocked but the second Hartless attempt makes Blue tap at 8:14.

Rating: C. Hart is starting to get somewhere and it is nice to see her develop. At the same time though, she needs to move up and face some better competition. Blue is an upgrade, but there are better stars out there that could help Hart improve a lot faster. At the same time, Blue continues to just be there and has cooled off tremendously in recent weeks.

Post match Hart grabs Hartless again but Willow Nightingale makes the save (the fans are rather into the clapping with the music).

Bullet Club Gold practice their Spanish before Jay White faces Andrade El Idolo on Collision. White is ready for him, as you might expect.

Mike Santana vs. Bronson

Bronson starts fast and hammers away in the corner but Santana is back with a rolling cutter. A discus lariat into a Cannonball sets up a double underhook Codebreaker for the pin at 2:26. Santana looked pretty good, or at least as good as you can get in a match with so little time.

Post match Ortiz comes out for the staredown and trash talking ensues.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Swerve Strickland and then Page/the Young Bucks vs. the Mogul Embassy for the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Ring Of Honor Six Man Tag Team Titles: Hangman Page/Young Bucks vs. Mogul Embassy

The Embassy, with Prince Nana, is defending. It’s a brawl to start with the Bucks and Gates going to the floor, leaving Page to hammer on Cage. The Bucks help take Cage down and Kaun is held on the apron for Page’s running shooting star. Back in and a 450 hits Cage but cue Swerve Strickland to cut off the triple knee. Thankfully this means Nana gets to dance as Page stares Swerve down.

The distraction lets the Gates toss Matt into a sitout powerbomb, with Page having to make the save. Page is sent hard into the corner and we take a break. Back with Matt diving off the top to take out the Gates. The hot tag brings in Page to hammer on Cage, including a big boot. Cage gets two off a powerbomb and the champs all grab fireman’s carries. An F5, Samoan drop and White Noise drop Page and the Bucks for two on Page, followed by the running shots in the corner.

The middle rope splash/powerbomb combination gets two on Page with Nick making the save. Page is back with the Deadeye for two on Cage so Strickland comes down for a closer look. The Buckshot lariat misses though and Page is distracted by Swerve, allowing Cage to hit a discus lariat. The Drill Claw is loaded up but Page reverses into a rollup for the pin (despite Cage’s shoulder being WAY off the mat) and the titles at 11:58.

Rating: B. Best match of the show here and the title change does mean something after the Embassy has dominated the division for so long. That being said, having the Bucks and Page win even more titles isn’t the most thrilling story. The Elite winning titles feels like a regular tradition no matter what and it’s hart to get interested in it again. It might help ROH if they appear on the show, but for now, it’s just another item on an already very long resume.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was good enough and not boring but my goodness please keep it at an hour. As tends to be the case on a lot of AEW shows, it felt like they had a few big stories but a lot of stuff sprinkled in to fill time between them. The main event is good and the opener was good enough along with Jericho and Omega uniting, but that’s not quite eough to fill in a two hour show.

Results
Sting/Darby Allin b. Christian Cage/Luchasaurus – Rollup to Cage
Orange Cassidy/Hook/Kris Statlander b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Anna Jay – Orange Punch to Parker
Righteous b. Hardys, the Kingdom and Best Friends – Swanton to Taylor
Billy Gunn/Acclaimed b. Dark Order – Assisted Iconoclasm to Reynolds
Julia Hart b. Skye Blue – Hartless
Mike Santana b. Bronson – Double underhook Codebreaker
Hangman Page/Young Bucks b. Mogul Embassy – Rollup to Cage

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 16, 2008
Location: E-Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 11,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s night two of Million Dollar Mania, which is likely going to mean a lot of sitting around while Vince McMahon talks on the phone. Other than that, we’re on the way towards Night Of Champions and things are heating up between John Cena and HHH. We’re also a week away from the Draft and that means things are going to be shaken up soon. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is John Cena to get things going. Cena talks about how much he loves WWE and how there are moments that transcend time. Moments like Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant, Shawn Michaels’ boyhood dream coming true, and the first time Steve Austin beat someone up. We are (less than) two weeks away from another one of those moments, when he defeats HHH at Night Of Champions to become WWE Champion.

Cue HHH to say this isn’t personal but he’s not sure how much he believes that. Last week, Cena cost HHH a match with Jeff Hardy. If that happens again, this is going to get really personal really fast. Cena brings up HHH knocking him off the announcers’ table last week but HHH knew he would fall off on his own anyway. We hear about HHH tapping at Wrestlemania, with HHH pointing out that IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO.

Cena says HHH may be champion, but until he beats Cena, it doesn’t matter. HHH mocks Cena for being a favorite of younger fans and THAT is enough to make Cena want to fight. A referee comes in but here is Vince McMahon to says not so fast, because this is about giving away money. As for the people in the ring, Cena is in a match right now.

John Cena vs. Umaga

Street fight. Cena tries a sunset lip of all things before going for the slam, with Umaga falling down on him instead. Umaga knocks him hard off the apron and we take a break. Back with Cena charging into a Samoan drop on the ramp but the running hip attack only hits post. Cena hits him with the microphone (there had to be better options) but Umaga plants him with the spinning Rock Bottom for two.

Umaga grabs a chair but Cena takes it away and puts him down instead. The Throwback and top rope Fameasser connect, only to have Cena fall down when trying the FU. A whip into the steps keeps Cena down so Umaga brings the steps inside, only to have Cena reverse into the FU for the pin.

Rating: C+. These two had some great chemistry together at one point and it was still there to a certain extent, but Umaga has fallen a very long way since the old days. Cena got a little something out of a win over the monster though and that was the point. I’m sure HHH will have a match of his own later on as it’s a good way to make both he and Cena look like stars.

Vince McMahon calls a fan and makes him bark like a dog, which is good for $125,000.

And now, a bikini contest between Maria, Eve Torres, Jillian Hall, Lena Yada, Layla, Melina and Maryse, with Charlie Haas of all people hosting. They all disrobe (well not Jillian, who would rather sing), get fifteen seconds each, and Maria wins.

Vince, money, $100,000, though the fan from North Carolina says Ric Flair is the most handsome man ever from the state. Vince lets him have the money anyway.

We look back at Chris Jericho injuring Shawn Michaels’ eye.

Jim Duggan comes out (both he and the 2×4 are in tuxedos) to help Vince McMahon give away $50,000 but the call goes to voicemail. Vince mocks the fan for blowing it so another fan wins instead.

Jeff Hardy vs. Carlito

Jeff starts fast by sending him outside for the slingshot dive. Back in and Carlito catches him in the ropes for the hanging swinging suplex. We hit the chinlock with a knee in Hardy’s back but it’s broken up rather quickly. Jeff misses a dropkick to give Carlito two but he’s right back with a jawbreaker to send Carlito flying. The Whisper In The Wind gets two and there’s the sitout gordbuster. The Twist of Fate into the Swanton finishes Carlito off.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, though they didn’t have much time to get very far. The interesting thing here though is that Hardy seems ready to move up to the main event scene. Last week he beat HHH and this week he gets a nice win over Carlito. He’s too big to be in the Intercontinental Title scene, so there isn’t much left for him to go but move up the ladder again. That could be a big deal, and we should be on the way.

Vince, $175,000 this time, but the fan has to sing part of the National Anthem.

Here is Chris Jericho to explain attacking Shawn Michaels last week because everyone has been getting on him about it. We see a clip of the attack and then Jericho blames the fans for changing. It wasn’t his fault that any of this had to happen but the fans are blaming him anyway. That means the fans don’t deserve to be saved anymore and he doesn’t need want them to cheer him anyway. They must want Shawn to come out here right now but it’s not going to happen.

Cue Ric Flair to interrupt and get in Jericho’s face to tell him to shut up. No he can’t wrestle anymore, but they can go to the parking lot and have a fight right now. They start heading to the back but Jericho runs into HHH, who thinks Jericho has been doing enough. Ever since Jericho came back, HHH has been wanting to make Jericho his business and now he wants a fight. Jericho backs down though and we take a break. Back with Flair still wanting to fight but Vince McMahon comes in to have him escorted out. Instead, Vince makes HHH vs. Jericho for tonight.

Cody Rhodes/Hardcore Holly vs. Cryme Tyme

Non-title. Ted DiBiase comes out to offer a distraction….and Holly rolls JTG up for the pin in about ten seconds. Well at least they didn’t lose again.

Vince, $16 to a North Carolina fan in honor of the 16 time World Champion Ric Flair.

Paul Burchill/Katie Lea vs. Mr. Kennedy/Mickie James

This Kennedy vs. Burchill feud needs to wrap up already if they want Kennedy to be something. Kennedy starts fast with a backdrop and stomps away in the corner. Burchill isn’t having that and pulls him into a chinlock before grinding a forearm into Kennedy’s face. Back up and Kennedy hits a running boot in the corner but Katie tags herself in. The fight with Mickie is on with Mickie’s running basement dropkick getting two. The men brawl to the floor, leaving Mickie to miss the top rope Thesz press. Katie grabs a backbreaker for the fast pin.

Rating: C. Kennedy and Burchill didn’t do much here but this was about Katie getting another win over Mickie to set up a likely title match. It’s nice to see some fresh blood in the title picture and Katie has done well enough in her chances so far. I can’t imagine she wins the title, but so far so good.

Vince, $174,984 to a VERY excited fan.

Vince, $75,000.

Night Of Champions rundown.

John Cena wishes HHH luck.

Vince, $300,000. We’ll be doing this again next week.

HHH vs. Chris Jericho

Non-title. HHH knocks him down a few times to start as Jericho can’t get much going early on. A whip into the post bangs up Jericho’s shoulder and he falls out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Jericho choking on the ropes and then standing on HHH’s back to choke some more. Jericho misses a charge though and HHH slugs away, only to have the facebuster blocked. The Walls don’t work either and HHH hits a spinebuster. Jericho can’t get the Walls or the Lionsault and they fight out to the floor. Cue Lance Cade of all people to jump HHH for the DQ.

Rating: B-. Another nice match and that’s kind of the point here. I can go for not having a champion lose clean in a thrown together match and they covered that well here. Throw in Cade joining Jericho out of nowhere and things were certainly interesting. They covered a few things here and that’s nice to see for a main event.

Post match the beatdown is on but John Cena runs in for the save. HHH and Cena get in a fight but Jericho and Cade take them both out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The action was good and they’re turning Night Of Champions into something big, but at the end of the day, the Vince money stuff is getting annoying fast. They’re trying to throw in some jokes here and there but there is only so much that can be done with someone getting a phone call, saying a password, and winning money. Next week is the Draft though and that should change things up more than enough.

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

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Dynamite
Date: September 20, 2023
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz, Ian Riccaboni

It’s time for a(nother) big show with Grand Slam from a big old tennis stadium in New York. This time around we have a major main event as well, with MJF defending the World Title against Samoa Joe. That should make for a heck of a match, with some more title matches sprinkled throughout. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Ring Of Honor World Title/New Japan Strong Openweight Title: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Eddie Kingston

Title for title and Wheeler Yuta is here with Castagnoli. They waste no time in exchanging the forearms and going to the floor. Kingston chops away against the barricade before going after the knee back inside. Castagnoli is fine enough to gutwrench him into a powerbomb but the Neutralizer is blocked. Kingston knocks him to the ramp (because there’s a ramp) but gets suplexed hard onto said ramp. Back in and Castagnoli goes up for a middle rope double stomp but a Swan Dive misses.

We take a break and come back with Kingston Hulking Up and getting two off a backslide. An enziguri sets up a t-bone suplex and a Saito suplex gets two. The rapid fire chops in the corner wake Castagnoli up but a right hand puts him down. They do the big slow motion chop off until Castagnoli hits a clothesline for two.

A Riccola Bomb is countered into a sunset flip for two but Castagnoli uppercuts the heck out of him for two. The Riccola Bomb connects for two more and the New York fans are VERY pleased. Back up and Kingston hits some spinning backfists into the half and half suplex into the third backfist into the northern lights bomb for a very near fall. Another backfist into a powerbomb gives Kingston the pin and the title at 15:16.

Rating: B+. This was a good back and forth match that was carried that much higher by the crowd. The fans were begging to see Kingston win the thing and he FINALLY does so, which thankfully didn’t have to go all the way to Final Battle. I’m not sure I buy Kingston as a long term champion, but they had to do this or Kingston would look like an even bigger choker than before.

Post match Castagnoli begrudgingly shows respect and hands over the title before leaving. Kingston gets the big moment and the fans seem rather pleased.

Earlier this week, the Kingdom was by Roderick Strong’s bedside in the hospital, where he has received a card from Olga thanking him for promoting Neck Health Awareness Month. Strong calls out for Adam Cole, who shows up immediately. Cole trades some barbs with the Kingdom before the two of them leave. Cole has to go as well because of MJF’s title match at Grand Slam, so Roderick tells him to just freaking go.

Christian Cage is ready to take out Sting and Darby Allin, but he’s also ready for Luchasaurus to get a TNT Title shot on Collision, but Sting is barred from ringside. New York baseball jokes are included.

Chris Jericho vs. Sammy Guevara

Guevara has a Jericho style light up vest and gets rapped to the ring by Monteasy. They try the wrestling to start before switching to chopping away. Guevara hits a dropkick but Jericho isn’t happy with him trying the Sex Gods pose. Jericho hits a backbreaker to send him outside but misses the triangle dropkick. Guevara’s dive is broken up and they both crash out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Jericho hitting a heck of a clothesline for two but Guevara grabs a Codebreaker. Jericho bails to the floor and gets taken out with a moonsault, only to dropkick Guevara out of the air back inside. Another triangle dropkick doesn’t work as Sammy kicks…the air in the general vicinity of Jericho’s head.

A top rope cutter connects but the GTH is countered into the Walls. Guevara breaks that up as well and they both go up top, where Guevara grabs a twisting cutter (cool) for two more. Jericho hits the bulldog but comes back with a knee to the face. The GTH connects this time and Guevara goes up, only to shooting star into the Codebreaker (ok that was awesome) for the pin at 15:09.

Rating: B. Hey look, Jericho wins. I’m not sure what that helps as the whole point was that Jericho was trying to prove he wasn’t a follower but the ending was pretty awesome. They were trying to have Jericho wrestle like he did in the old days and he did that well enough, though there were some not so smooth looking sequences. For now though, good match, albeit with an odd ending.

Post match they hug until Guevara kicks him low. Cue Don Callis, who has a new member of the family, because this was getting interesting and we needed Callis to destroy that as quickly as possible.

MJF has been mad at Samoa Joe for eight years and promises to choke him out. Adam Cole is there for the fist bump but answers a call from Roderick Strong instead. Cole goes off to assure Strong that he isn’t going to die, leaving MJF to promise victory over Joe.

Don Callis promises answers on Rampage. Daniel Garcia comes in and almost gets in an argument with Sammy Guevara but Callis gets Guevara out of there.

International Title: Rey Fenix vs. Jon Moxley

Fenix, with Alex Abrahantes, is challenging. They fight on the ramp before the bell, with Fenix getting the better of things and sending him inside to officially start. Moxley stomps him down and they’re already back on the floor, with Moxley knocking him over the barricade. Fenix tries a barricade walk but gets pulled into a double arm DDT on the floor instead.

Back in and Fenix hits a rolling cutter into a frog splash for two. Fenix knocks him to the floor and drapes him over the apron for a top rope…I think knee? Either way it sends us to a break and we come back with Moxley sending him to the ramp for the stomp. Back in and Moxley hits a piledriver for two. Fenix comes back with a hard shot and the Black Fire Driver for…..two, despite Moxley absolutely not moving. Fenix picks him up and hits another for the pin and the title at 11:34.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what that was at the end but Moxley looked more than a bit out of it more than once here. He absolutely did not flinch on that first two count and the referee stopped anyway. That was either a really weirdly booked ending or Moxley’s bell was rung. Other than that, this was a lot of Fenix doing his big stuff and getting cut off by Moxley. That started to get old after a bit but then everything went wacky at the end.

Samoa Joe is ready to end MJF.

Post break we’re told that Jon Moxley left the ring under his own power. That’s great to hear.

There’s a big multi-team match on Rampage for a Ring Of Honor Tag Team Title shot.

Women’s Title: Saraya vs. Toni Storm

Saraya, with Ruby Soho, is defending and slaps away to start. Storm smiles at her (Saraya: “WHY ARE YOU SMILING?”) and the brawl is on with Storm taking over. Storm crawls under the ring and comes up with some shoes to beat up Soho. Another shoe to the face gives Storm two on Saraya and we take a break.

Back with Saraya in trouble but Soho steals the spray paint from Storm. Said paint is slipped to Saraya, who blasts Storm in the face and hits the Nightcap for two. Back up and Storm kisses Saraya, setting up Storm Zero for two. The hup attack in the corner misses Saraya (by a lot) but hits exposed buckle. The Nightcap retains the title at 8:49.

Rating: C. Three shoes, an exposed buckle, a kiss and spray paint. That’s more than a bit much for a match that didn’t last nine minutes and it was a mess almost all around. The Outcasts has been kind of all over the place for the last few weeks but there is a good chance that this is going to continue.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Video on Samoa Joe vs. MJF.

AEW World Title: Samoa Joe vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Only MJF’s AEW World Title is on the line. MJF gets a Bret Hart tribute entrance, with a fan catching MJF in the hallway and saying “go get em champ.” MJF gives him his scarf….and tells him he’s adopted. MJF’s jacket and gear is rather New York sports themed and Joe takes over fast to start. A running big boot into the backsplash gets two and we take a break with MJF in trouble.

Back with MJF scoring with a kick to the chest and some clotheslines but Joe won’t go down. Instead Joe drops him again and rips off his Mets inspired jersey. That’s enough to fire MJF up and he hammers away in the corner, setting up a Hulk Hogan impression and the Kangaroo Kick to send Joe outside. Joe is right back up with a Death Valley Driver on the apron and Joe laughs like a villain. Joe release Rock Bottoms him through a table at ringside for two back inside.

They head outside again with Joe peeling back the floor mat for a piledriver and here are the trainers to check on MJF. Joe beats up said trainers and gets two back inside (39 seconds after a piledriver on the exposed floor). MJF spits in his face and grabs a sitout powerbomb before throwing on a sleeper. That’s countered into the Koquina Clutch in all of a second but MJF kicks him low for the escape.

The diamond ring is loaded up but the referee takes it away, allowing Joe to hit his own low blow. The Muscle Buster gets two (that’s a rare kickout) so Joe grabs a sleeper. Cue Adam Cole to cheer MJF on and the third arm drop doesn’t go through. MJF gets his own sleeper but the referee gets bumped. Joe slips out and goes after Cole so MJF unravels some tape to choke Joe out and retain at 18:30.

Rating: B. This worked rather well and it felt like a big time main event, which is all you can ask for in something like this. Well maybe not having another piledriver on the (exposed this time) floor only getting two but that’s an AEW thing. Other than that, MJF cheating to win fit him well and the match didn’t feel long at all. Solid main event here, and MJF is really starting to find himself in this role.

Post match Cole hides the tape and Joe shakes MJF’s hand to end the show (with Cole limping, apparently having hurt his ankle running in).

Overall Rating: B. The two International and Women’s Title matches weren’t great but other than that, this was a pretty strong in-ring show. The opener and main event both went very well and I got more into the Kingston win than I expected. There were some not so great moments though, such as Callis being involved and whatever that mess with the Moxley/Fenix ending was (I’m aware that Moxley looked banged up, but it’s hard to believe that was their best way out).

Overall, it was a very good show that mostly lived up to the hype, though having this many special shows in a row took away some of big feeling this would have had otherwise. AEW needs a change to take a breather from the big events, but with WrestleDream a week and a half away, that isn’t happening anytime soon.

Results
Eddie Kingston b. Claudio Castagnoli – Powerbomb
Chris Jericho b. Sammy Guevara – Codebreaker
Rey Fenix b. Jon Moxley – Black Fire Driver
Saraya b. Toni Storm – Nightcap
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Samoa Joe – Rear naked choke

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

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

AND

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